Mythomakya Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Two Rule Variants
• Triumph of Heroes
  • Goal of the Game
  • Setup
  • Example Starting Layout for 2 Players and Game Terms
  • Playing the Game
  • End of the Game
  • Setup by Number of Players
• Battle of the Gods
  • Goal of the Game
  • General Setup
  • Example Starting Layout for 2 Players and Game Terms
  • Playing the Game
  • End of the Game
  • Determining the Winner
  • Character Abilities
  • God Cards
  • Clarifications on Character Abilities and God Cards
  • Setup by Number of Players
  • Description of Character Abilities

Components

• 90 myth cards
• 14 god cards
• 6 golden apple cards

Two Rule Variants

TRIUMPH OF HEROES is for beginning players. Use the 30 myth cards with symbols in the lower left corner and the 30 myth cards with symbols on both sides of the card. Playing time: 15–30 minutes. See the rules on page 4.

BATTLE OF THE GODS is for experienced players. Use the 30 myth cards with symbols in the lower right corner and the 30 myth cards with symbols on both sides of the card. Add the 14 god cards and the 6 golden apple cards. Playing time: 20–40 minutes. See the rules on page 8.

Triumph of Heroes

Goal of the Game

Collect as many golden apples as possible by playing myth cards.

You may play a single game or a series of games. The winner of the series is the participant who wins the most individual games.

Setup

1. Build the deck from the 30 myth cards with symbols in the lower left corner and the 30 myth cards with symbols on both sides of the card. Shuffle all the cards thoroughly and deal them out evenly to the players. The number of cards each player receives depends on the number of players (see page 7).
2. Lay your cards in front of you in several stacks, face down (see page 7). Then turn over the top card of each stack. During your turn you may play only face-up cards.
3. Decide who will call the senior colour. If you are playing a series of games, pass the right to call the senior colour clockwise.

Card anatomy (as shown on page 4):

• Card strength
• Number of golden apples counted at the end of the game
• Card colour and symbol
• Card name

Example Starting Layout for 2 Players and Game Terms

• Stack: the face-up and face-down cards lying in front of a player.
• Face-up card: the top card of each stack, lying face up and visible to all players. This card may be played.
• Face-down cards: the lower cards of each stack, lying face down beneath the face-up card. They may not be looked at or played.
• Treasure piles: during the game, a treasure pile appears beside each participant, and the cards they win are placed face down in it. At the end of the game each player counts the golden apples on the cards in their treasure pile. The player with more apples wins.

During the game no one may look at a treasure pile, not even its owner.

Playing the Game

The game consists of several rounds. In each round all players play one of their cards.

The first player is the participant to the left of the player who called the senior colour.

In each round the first player plays one of their face-up cards. All other participants, clockwise from the first player, must each play one of their own cards of the same colour.

The player who played the card with the highest strength takes all the played cards and places them in their treasure pile.

If a player does not have a card of the required colour, they may play any face-up card from one of their stacks.

• A card of the senior colour always beats a card of any other colour. If several senior-colour cards are played, their strengths are compared. The card with the highest value wins.
• Cards that are not of the senior colour, and cards that do not match the colour of the card played by the first player, do not take part in deciding the winner. Their strength has no significance.

The player who wins the round becomes the new first player.

End of the Game

The game ends when all cards have been played. Players count the golden apples on the cards in their treasure piles.

• With two or three participants, each plays for themselves, and the winner is the player with the most golden apples in their treasure pile.
• If there are more than three participants, the players form teams. All members of one team place their won cards into a shared treasure pile. The team that collects more golden apples wins.

If the players are playing a series of games, the winner of the series is the team or participant who wins the most games.

Setup by Number of Players

2 players

• Deal each player 30 cards.
• Lay your cards in 10 stacks of 3: two face-down and one face-up.

Quick version for 2 players:

• Remove from the deck the cards with strength 2, 3, 4 and 5.
• Lay your cards in 10 stacks of 2: one face-down and one face-up.

3 players

• Deal each player 20 cards.
• Lay your cards in 10 stacks of 2: one face-down and one face-up.

4 players

• Form two teams of two players. Members of the same team must sit opposite each other.
• Deal each player 15 cards.
• Lay your cards in 5 stacks of 3: two face-down and one face-up.

5 players

• Deal each player 12 cards.
• Lay your cards in 6 stacks of 2: one face-down and one face-up.
• The player who calls the senior colour also chooses a teammate. This participant becomes the first player at the start of the first turn. The second team will consist of three players.

We advise playing 5 games so that every player gets to call the senior colour. In a series of games, the team that wins the most games wins.

6 players

• Form two teams of three players. Participants of different teams must sit alternately.
• Deal each player 10 cards.
• Lay your cards in 5 stacks of 2 cards: one face-down and one face-up.

Battle of the Gods

Goal of the Game

Collect as many golden apples as possible by playing myth cards and god cards.

You may play a single game or a series of games. The winner of the series is the participant who wins the most individual games.

General Setup

1. Build the deck from the 30 myth cards with symbols in the lower right corner and the 30 myth cards with symbols on both sides of the card.
2. Shuffle all the myth cards thoroughly and deal them out evenly to the players. The number of cards each player receives depends on the number of players (see page 15).
3. Lay your cards in front of you in several stacks, face up (see page 15). During your turn you may play only the top cards of the stacks.
4. Shuffle the god cards and deal each player three god cards. Return the remaining god cards to the box without showing them to the participants.
5. Deal each player one golden apple card. Participants place them in their treasure piles. Return the remaining golden apple cards to the box.
6. Decide who will call the senior colour. If you are playing a series of games, the right to call the senior colour passes clockwise.

Card anatomy (as shown on page 8):

• Card strength
• Number of golden apples counted at the end of the game
• Card colour and symbol
• Card name

Example Starting Layout for 2 Players and Game Terms

• Stack: the face-up cards and the bottom cards lying in front of a player.
• Face-up card: the top card of each stack, lying face up and visible to all players. This card may be played.
• Bottom cards: two cards lying face up at the bottom of a stack. They may be looked at but may not be played.
• Discard pile: cards removed from the game go to the discard pile. These cards do not count toward the score at the end of the game.
• God cards: players hold these cards in their hands without showing them to the other participants.
• Treasure pile: during the game a treasure pile appears beside each participant, and the cards they receive are placed in it. These cards are visible to all participants.

Playing the Game

The game consists of several rounds. In each round all players play one of their cards.

The first player is the participant to the left of the player who called the senior colour.

In each round the first player plays one of their face-up cards. All other participants, clockwise from the first player, must each play one of their own cards of the same colour.

The player who played the card with the highest strength takes all the played cards and places them in their treasure pile. The received treasure is visible to all participants.

If a player does not have a card of the required colour, they may play any face-up card from one of their stacks.

• A card of the senior colour always beats a card of any other colour. If several senior-colour cards are played, their strengths are compared. The card with the highest value wins.
• Cards that are not of the senior colour, and cards that do not match the colour of the card played by the first player, do not take part in deciding the winner. Their strength has no significance.

End of the Game

The game ends when all myth cards have been played by all players.

If one of the players runs out of cards before the other participants, they no longer take part in the game.

If they still have unplayed god cards, they place them in their treasure pile.

If a player was the first player of the next round but has run out of cards, this right passes to the player on their left.

Determining the Winner

Players count the golden apples on the cards in their treasure piles and add one golden apple for each god card they did not play (if any).

• With two or three participants, the winner is the player with the most golden apples in their treasure pile.
• If there are more participants, the players play in teams. Each team member has their own treasure pile throughout the game. To pay for character abilities and god card effects, players use only cards from their own personal treasure pile. At the end of the game all members of a team put their treasure piles together and count the golden apples on all the cards, taking into account the poet cards, which give 5 points for 7 cards of one colour. The team that collects more golden apples wins.

If you are playing a series of games, the winner of the series is the team or participant who wins the most games.

Character Abilities

Some characters have abilities that a player may activate at the moment they play the card.

If you want to use an ability, pay for its activation by placing cards from your treasure pile with a combined total of golden apples equal to or greater than the activation cost.

Each card in a treasure pile may be used for payment once. If a card has more golden apples than are needed, the surplus apples are lost.

An ability may be paid for with several cards from the treasure pile: the golden apples on them are added together.

Cards you used for payment are sent to the discard pile.

If you do not have enough golden apples, you cannot activate the ability.

Card anatomy (as shown on page 12):

• Card strength
• Number of golden apples counted at the end of the game
• Activation cost of the ability
• Ability
• Card colour and symbol
• Card name

God Cards

At the start of a round (before the first player plays their card), each participant may use one or more god cards from their hand.

The god cards of Ares, Dionysus, Hermes, Aphrodite and Poseidon are exceptions: they may be played during your turn or when the event indicated on the card occurs.

To play a god card, the player must pay its activation cost, following the same rules as for activating abilities.

Each god card has a unique effect. When a player plays a god card, it is discarded.

If a god card has not been played by the end of the game, it is placed in its owner's treasure pile and is worth one golden apple.

Card anatomy (as shown on page 13):

• Golden apple counted at the end of the game if the card is not played
• Activation cost of the card
• Card effect
• Card name

Clarifications on Character Abilities and God Cards

The abilities of characters and the effects of god cards are described on the cards. Whenever a card's action contradicts the general rules (for example, changing the senior colour, changing the turn order, or removing a card from the game), the card takes priority.

If identical abilities are activated, priority goes to the player who played their card last.

Example: Dima plays Prometheus (a red card with strength 7) and activates his ability: "Discard all cards played in this round. In the next round you become the first player." The next player, Sasha, has no face-up red cards and may play a card of any other colour. She plays Atlas (a yellow card with strength 7) and activates an ability identical to Prometheus's. All cards played before this are discarded, and Sasha becomes the first player of the next round, because she played her card last.

There are some special situations you may encounter in the game. On page 16 you will find a brief description of all the cards with some notes.

Setup by Number of Players

2 players

• Deal each player 30 myth cards, 3 god cards and 1 golden apple card.
• Lay your myth cards in 10 stacks of 3 cards, face up.

3 players

• Deal each player 20 myth cards, 3 god cards and 1 golden apple card.
• Lay your myth cards in 10 stacks of 2 cards, face up.

4 players

• Form two teams of two players. Members of the same team must sit opposite each other.
• Deal each player 15 myth cards, 3 god cards and 1 golden apple card.
• Lay your myth cards in 5 stacks of 3 cards, face up.

5 players

• Deal each player 12 myth cards, 2 god cards and 1 golden apple card.
• Lay your myth cards in 6 stacks of 2 cards, face up.
• The player who calls the senior colour receives a second golden apple card into their treasure pile, and also chooses two additional god cards (that player will have 4 god cards: 2 random and 2 chosen). They also choose a teammate. This participant becomes the first player at the start of the game. The other team consists of three players.

We advise playing 5 games so that every player gets to call the senior colour. The team that wins the most games wins the series.

6 players

• Form two teams of three players. Participants of different teams must sit alternately.
• Deal each player 10 myth cards, 2 god cards and 1 golden apple card.
• Lay your myth cards in 5 stacks of 2 cards, face up.

Description of Character Abilities

Battle of the Gods has 30 character cards with their own abilities. These cards are divided into 6 categories (monsters, goddesses, titans, poets, minor gods, muses). Cards in the same category have the same ability, and its activation costs the same number of golden apples.

Monsters (strength 9)

• Ability: this card's strength becomes 0. In the next round you become the first player.
• Activation cost: free.

You may activate this ability without spending golden apples from your treasure pile. In the next round you will take the first turn.

Goddesses (strength 8)

• Ability: choose which cards the players after you must play.
• Activation cost: 2 golden apples.

The beauty of the goddesses (especially Aphrodite) can enchant anyone: tell the players whose turn comes after yours which cards they must play in this round. When using this ability the usual rules for playing cards must be followed. If several players use this ability, each later player overrides the instructions of the earlier players.

Players affected by a goddess's ability may still activate the ability of the card they play.

Titans (strength 7)

• Ability: discard all cards played in this round. In the next round you become the first player.
• Activation cost: 2 golden apples.

If this ability is activated, all cards played are sent to the discard pile at the end of the round. Nobody receives treasure. The player who activated the titan will act first in the next round.

Poets (strength 6)

• Ability: if you have 7 cards of the indicated colour when counting victory points, including this one, receive 5 golden apples.
• Activation cost: free.

If at the end of the game a player has 7 cards of one colour (including the poet), they add 5 golden apples to their final score.

In team play, the count of cards of one colour is made after all treasure has been put together.

Minor gods (strength 2)

• Ability: this card's strength becomes 8.
• Activation cost: 1 golden apple.

Thanks to these gods (and also to Ares), you can win turns that you should have lost.

If several cards in a round have strength 8 and one of them is a minor god, the player who activated its ability wins.

However, the lesser gods are weaker than Ares, and in case of equal strength Ares wins.

Muses (strength 1)

• Ability: change the senior colour to the colour of this card.
• Activation cost: 7 golden apples.

The talents of the muses (and of their god Apollo) are truly boundless: they can completely reverse the course of the game by changing the senior colour.

Description of God Cards

Battle of the Gods contains 14 cards of mighty gods, ready to complicate the game for your opponents.

Hades

• Effect: take a myth card from any player's treasure pile and place it in one of that player's stacks.

With Hades you can return a myth card into the game from any treasure pile. The card returns to one of its owner's stacks. The only catch is that this card cannot be placed on top of a stack, so it cannot be played again immediately.

Apollo

• Effect: place one of your face-up cards with strength 1, 11 or 12 into any opponent's treasure pile. Change the senior colour of your choice.

To play Apollo, pay 2 golden apples and place one of your face-up cards with strength 1, 11 or 12 into any opponent's treasure pile. Now you may change the senior colour in this round. If you have no face-up card with strength 1, 11 or 12, you cannot play Apollo.

Ares

• Effect: play Ares together with another of your cards. Add 5 to the strength of the played card.

With the god of war you can win the most hopeless rounds.

If several cards have the same strength, but one of the players has used Ares, that player wins.

Athena

• Effect: swap one of your stacks for a stack of an opponent of your choice.

The goddess of wisdom can completely change the situation on the playing field. You may swap one of your stacks for the stack of any opponent, even if the stacks contain different numbers of cards.

Aphrodite

• Effect: may enter the game only if at least one card has already been played in this round. Choose which cards the players after you will play.

Thanks to her beauty, Aphrodite, like the other goddesses, allows her owner to decide which cards will be played later in this round. When choosing cards the usual rules must be followed (for example, using the same colour as the card played by the first player).

However, the owners of cards affected by Aphrodite's power decide for themselves whether to activate their card abilities or not.

Hera

• Effect: each player passes one of their god cards to the player on their right.

Hera allows each player to give away a god card they find useless in the hope of receiving a better one. If a player has no god cards in hand, they pass nothing but still receive a card.

Hermes

• Effect: you may play Hermes when an opponent plays a god card, in order to cancel its effect.

Thanks to Hermes you can withstand the power of other gods used by your opponents. The player who used the god card does not get back the golden apples they spent.

Two exceptions:

• the movement of Kronos cannot be cancelled;
• to counter Dionysus means discarding him from the game: Dionysus does not pass to the first player of the round, but is sent to the discard pile.

Hephaestus

• Effect: take two god cards from the cards not taking part in the game.

Using the power of Hephaestus, you may randomly take two god cards into your hand from those that were put back in the box during setup. If only one god card remains outside the game, take that one. If no such cards remain, you are out of luck!

Dionysus

• Effect: before you play one of your cards, you may pass Dionysus to the first player of this round. In this round you are not obliged to play cards of the same colour as the first player.

Dionysus makes it possible to play a colour other than the first player's. This can lead to unexpected wins! However, Dionysus himself passes to the first player of this round... perhaps we will see him in the game more than once!

Zeus

• Effect: discard one face-up card of your choice.

Thanks to the supreme god of Olympus and his lightning, no card is safe. Using Zeus's divine power, you may send to the discard pile any face-up myth card, whether yours or an opponent's.

Kronos

• Effect: place Kronos on top of any one of your stacks. Cards from this stack cannot be played. Kronos can be moved to another stack for 2 apples.

The cunning Kronos, though one of the titans, has a special power. You do not need to spend golden apples to activate his power. However, you must place him on one of your stacks and lose the ability to play cards from it.

You must spend 2 golden apples to move Kronos to the top of another stack (this may be one of your stacks or an opponent's stack). The owner of that stack may also spend 2 golden apples to move Kronos again. Kronos can only be moved at the start of a turn, when god cards may be used.

If Kronos blocks a player's only (last) stack, and that participant does not want or cannot pay 2 golden apples, they end the game. All cards from the blocked stack are placed into the treasure pile of the winner of this round, and the Kronos card is discarded.

Poseidon

• Effect: you may play Poseidon when an opponent activates a character's ability, in order to cancel its effect.

Thanks to Poseidon you can withstand character abilities that are unwelcome to you. The player who activated the ability does not get back the golden apples they spent.

Aeolus

• Effect: change the order of the cards in any one, two or three stacks.

Thanks to Aeolus, the god of the winds, you may choose up to 3 stacks and change the order of the cards in them (but not their number!). You may choose your own stacks, your opponents' stacks, or a combination of both.

Eros

• Effect: name any god card not yet played and take it from your opponent or from the cards not taking part in the game.

The god of love allows you to win over to your side any god not yet taking part in the game, whether that card is in an opponent's hand or among the cards in the game box.

It may seem that choosing a god card requires being a true expert. Do not worry: you can always re-read the description of the god cards in the rules!