Obelisk
Obelisk Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 25 Basic Map Tiles: 1x Portal, 4x Crystals, 10x Forests, 6x Grass, 4x Mountains
- 1 Game Manual (this document)
- 11 Obelisks (D6 dice): 3x Blue, 3x Yellow, 3x Green, 2x Black
- 22 Rotation Markers (green circles)
- 50 Stone Demons: 14x Yellow, 18x Green, 18x Blue
- 1 Supply (game box top)
- 1 Dark Realm (game box bottom)
- 10 Player Guides
- 1 Quarry
- 8 Scrolls
- 4 Turn Guides
Overview
The game is played in Turns which consist of two phases: Day time and Night time. Each Turn starts in the Day, where players may simultaneously perform a number of actions from the four available options. After all players have acted, Night begins. Every Night, Stone Demons come out of the Portal and move from tile to tile following the arrows. Players build Obelisks to snare Demons and the sunlight turns them back into stone. Stones are resources the players can spend during the next Day to upgrade Obelisks. After all Demons move, Day begins. Continue cycling through Day and Night until a game ending event: players have captured all the Stone Demons from the Cave; any Demon walks off the map; or any Demon walks on the same tile twice.
Setup
Shuffle the 25 map tiles and place them randomly face up in a 5x5 grid as seen below. The direction the tile is pointing (Up, Down, Left, Right) should also be random. After placing all the tiles, remove the Mountains and place them in the Supply. Place a Rotation Marker (green circle) on all tiles. Select the player guides with symbols matching the number of players. Give each player a Player Guide and Turn Guide.
The quantity of Obelisks each player receives is listed in the table below. For the 2, 3, and 4 player game, give each player Obelisks that match the color of their player guide. In the solo game take whichever colors you enjoy.
| Players | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Obelisks Per Player | 9x | 4x | 3x | 2x |
Example: Random 5x5 Map. Mountain tiles have been removed. The Initial Demon Path runs along the left edge of the map from the Portal.
Choose a difficulty level based on the table below. If this is your first game we recommend playing on Normal. Form the Stone Demon horde by selecting the appropriate number of green, yellow, and blue Demons. Put them into the Dark Realm. In the Night, they will appear on the Portal tile. You are encouraged to cover the Dark Realm with a cloth so that players cannot see what types of monsters remain inside during the game.
| Difficulty | Even Easier | Very Easy | Easy | Mostly Easy | Normal | Almost Hard | Hard | Very Hard | Even Harder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Demons | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Blue Demons | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| Yellow Demons |
Place all remaining components in the Supply. Place the Quarry in the play area. This is where captured Demons are kept after they turn to stone. The resources in the Quarry are communal resources and can be used by any player to upgrade Obelisks. The Quarry may start with some resources in it. Draw these resources randomly from the Supply per the table below and place them in the Quarry.
| Players | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Random resources in Quarry | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Example Game Setup with Four Players: all player guides are for four players; each player receives 2x Obelisks; no Demons start in the Quarry; 12 yellow, 12 green and 12 blue Demons are placed in the Dark Realm.
Day Phase
During the Day, players may perform as many actions as listed on their player guide. In solo and two player games, you can repeat the same action. Players may perform actions simultaneously. Once all players have completed their actions, Night begins.
Action: Build An Obelisk
Build a small Obelisk to snare Stone Demons. This will prevent them from hiding from the sunlight during the Day. Obelisks cannot be picked up or moved once placed. They are placed adjacent to the corner of one or more tiles. An Obelisk can only capture Demons on adjacent tiles and they start with the 1 pointing up (strength = 1).
Example: The blue Obelisk is placed in a valid position at the corner of the map. This Obelisk can only capture Demons on one adjacent tile. The green Obelisk is also placed correctly and can capture Demons on four adjacent tiles (within the green circle). The black Obelisk is in an invalid location.
Action: Reinforce Any Obelisk
Reinforce an Obelisk so it can snare stronger Demons. Stone Demons that are exposed to daylight turn back into stone and this stone makes a perfect building material for Obelisks. Alternatively, Mined stone could be used. Players will need to use specific sets of stones to perform this action. Valid sets are shown below. Stones are paid from the Quarry into the Supply. Then increase the strength of any Obelisk by one point. To do this, pick up the target Obelisk (die) and increment the top face by one. Place the Obelisk back on its previous location on the map. Players can Reinforce the same Obelisk (each player must use one action and pay a set of stones). All stones in the Quarry are pooled resources. If players disagree on how to allocate these resources, they cannot be spent.
Examples of valid stone sets: 4x green, or 3x yellow, or 2x blue, or 1x Obelisk die. 3x green + 1x blue, or 2x yellow + 1x blue. An unplaced Obelisk can also be sacrificed to Reinforce an Obelisk (place the die in the Supply). Blue Demons are wild and can be substituted into any other group.
Action: Mine Petrified Demons
The old Quarry contains a group of Stone Demons that came out of hiding during a solar eclipse and were unexpectedly petrified shortly thereafter. Take one green cube from the Supply and add it to the Quarry. Players can always perform this action. A spare rotation token can be used as a green cube for this purpose if there are no green cubes in the Supply. Red and yellow cubes cannot be mined.
Editor's note: the printed text reads "Red and yellow cubes cannot be mined." The game's Stone Demon colors are green, yellow and blue, so "Red" is transcribed as printed and is likely a typo for the blue cubes.
Action: Rotate Trail Signs
The Demons will not notice if you rotate the trail signs while they are hiding from the sun during the Day. Only tiles with a rotation marker (green circle) can be rotated. Spend one action to rotate up to X tiles where X is the number inside the blue circular arrow on the player guide. Rotate each tile to any position desired (Up, Down, Left, Right). Remove the rotation marker on each tile after rotating and place the marker in the Supply. These tiles cannot be rotated again. Demons can be on the tile while you rotate it. Do not move Obelisks when rotating tiles.
Example: Cora is playing the four player game and the player guide indicates that she can Rotate 2 Tiles as one action. Cora selects two tiles to rotate (picture top right, highlighted in green). Both tiles still have their rotation markers on them. Cora removes these rotation markers and places them in the Supply. She then turns the selected tiles to point in the direction she chooses. She turns the Grass tile down and she turns the Forest tile Up. The new path the Demons take is shown in the bottom right picture. Note: the two tiles that were turned no longer have rotation markers and therefore cannot be turned again for the rest of the game.
Night Phase
In the Night, Stone Demons currently on the map advance in accordance to the rules below. Then six new Demons spawn from the Portal and also advance. During this time, players use their Obelisks to capture Demons as they walk by. Demon Speed and Strength are shown on the Turn Guide. After they all have finished moving, check if End Game Conditions have been met. If they have not, then Night ends and the next Day begins.
Move Demons
Demons move following the arrows on the tiles, starting with the Demons furthest along (down) the path from the Portal. The speed of the Demon determines the number of tiles traveled. If moving causes a single Demon to walk off the edge of the map, into a Mountain, or step on a tile the Demon had already walked on this game, End Game Conditions have been met and the game is lost.
Spawn Demons
Every Night, randomly draw six new Stone Demons from the Dark Realm and place them on the Portal tile. Then move those Demons per normal movement rules (see example below).
Example Move & Spawn: Night begins and there are two yellow and two blue Demons already on the map. (1) The yellow Demons are furthest along the path, so they move first. They move three tiles, ending in the Crystals. (2) The two blue Demons move two tiles, ending in the Forest. (3) Six new Demons (three green and three blue) are drawn from the Dark Realm and placed on the Portal tile. (4) The green Demons move four tiles, ending in the Forest. The three blue Demons move two tiles, ending in the Grass.
Capture Demons
Obelisks can capture Stone Demons anytime during the Night: before they move, while they are moving, or after they have moved. This includes capturing them while they are on the Portal. An Obelisk can capture only one Demon per Night. The Demon must be on an adjacent tile. Multiple Obelisks cannot combine strength to capture a single Demon. The Obelisk owner (the player with the matching color player guide) always decides which Demon to capture.
To determine if an Obelisk can capture a Demon, the Obelisk strength plus the tile modifier must be greater than or equal to the Demon's strength. Tile modifiers are shown as (-X) on the tiles and they only affect Obelisks trying to capture Demons standing on that tile. Demon strength is shown on the Turn Guide (picture top of page). The captured Demon should be placed on top of the Obelisk that captured it until Night ends.
Cleanup
When Night ends and the Day begins, captured Demons turn into stone with the rising Sun. Carry all captured Demons from all the Obelisks and place them in the Quarry. If all Demons have been captured and there are none left in the Dark Realm, the game ends in victory! Otherwise, the next Day begins.
Example Capturing Demons: The green Obelisk can only capture Stone Demons on the adjacent two tiles shown in the green semicircle (Grass and Crystals). A yellow Demon (strength = 3) can be captured by this Obelisk (strength = 5) in the Crystals (modifier = -2). Obelisk strength plus the tile modifier must be greater than or equal to Demon strength (5 - 2 = 3 effective Obelisk strength vs. 3 Demon strength). The yellow Demon can be captured right before it moves that Night. Instead of capturing a yellow Demon, the Obelisk could capture a blue Demon (strength = 5) on the Grass (modifier = 0) (5 - 0 = 5 effective Obelisk strength vs. 5 Demon strength). The choice of which Demon to capture is up to the green Obelisk owner (the player holding the green player guide).
Editor's note: the printed text reads "The yellow Demon can can be capture right before it moves that Night." The duplicated word and verb form are corrected here to "can be captured".
Tiles
Tiles may modify the strength of Obelisks attempting to capture Demons standing on or traveling through that tile.
- Portal: There are derelict portals scattered through the land but this one is active! The portal emits an eerie glow as its connection to the Dark Realm grows. (A strength 1+ Obelisk placed adjacent to the Portal can capture a strength 1 Demon on the Portal.)
- Grass: Open fields with lots of visibility. The smell of recently cut hay is in the air. (A strength 1+ Obelisk placed adjacent to the Grass can capture a strength 1 Demon on the Grass.)
- Forest: It is hard to spot Demons through the foliage. An Obelisk attempting to capture a Demon in the Forests receives a strength penalty (-1). For example, a strength 2+ Obelisk placed adjacent to the Forest can capture a strength 1 Demon in the Forest.
- Crystal: Rainbows of light are playfully scattered by these clusters of crystals. While pretty, the same effect dampens the power of the Obelisks. An Obelisk attempting to capture Demons in the Crystals receives a strength penalty (-2). For example, a strength 3+ Obelisk can capture a Demon of strength 1 in the Crystals.
- Mountain: Remove these tiles after setting up the map. Alternatively, leave them in and if any Demon walks into a Mountain, they set up a base of operations to launch their invasion! The game ends in a loss. (See End Game Conditions.)
End Game Conditions
The game ends when one of the following happens.
A Demon Walks off the Map, into an Empty Space or into a Mountain. The Stone Demons slowly overwhelm your defenses under their relentless advance. They are now beyond your control. The Queen will not be pleased. Decrease the difficulty by one for your next game.
A Demon Steps on Any Tile Twice during the game, a Loop is formed. The path the Stone Demons walked creates a circular rune on the ground. Derelict portals in the surrounding countryside flicker to life! The new portals to the Dark Realm allow the Demons to quickly spread across the Kingdom! The Queen will not be thrilled to see you when she returns. Decrease the difficulty by one for your next game.
Example left: a blue Demon spawns, moves 2 tiles and rests until the next Night (no loop is formed). Example right: the next Night, the same blue Demon moves two tiles, and steps on a tile it stepped on previously (the Portal). The game is lost!
No Demons Escape. With a little luck and a good defensive strategy, every Stone Demon was captured. You tear down the active portal and it collapses into a pile of rubble. This portal is destroyed but there are many others scattered across the countryside. You feel safe for now... The Queen returns and finds everything in order. She starts talking to you about her next big adventure. Increase difficulty by one for your next game.
Alternative Rules for Experienced Councillors
Rotating Leadership: To ensure that all voices are heard, the councillors have adopted a system of rotating leadership. At the start of the game select a leader token from readily available items lying around the council room. Give the leader token to the councillor with the longest hair (the Queen prefers councillors with long hair). During the Day, councillors can only speak if they hold or have held the leadership token that Day. The current leader must perform their action(s) and then pass the token to the councillor on their left. The last councillor to perform an action during the day keeps the leader token. They become the first leader for the next Day. Councillors cannot speak during the night except to indicate which monster their Obelisk captures. Explaining the rules of the game is always allowed (Day or Night) and does not count as speaking.
Time Trials: Each Day lasts one minute. Players are only allowed to talk to each other during the Day. If the timer expires and you have not completed your action(s), remaining action(s) are forfeit. Night also lasts one minute. If the Night timer expires before you have chosen which Demons to capture, no additional Demons can be captured. Finish moving and spawning Demons for that night.
Scrolls Expansion
Wandering through the library in search of anything to help defeat the Demons, you find some ancient scrolls. They describe a series of intricate runes that can be inscribed on an Obelisk. The first one you recognize easily but the others are full of strange terms that will take you some time to decipher. Some of them disintegrate as you touch them. You'll just have to make do with those that remain.
Setup
Arrange the game per the normal rules (see section: Setup) but do not remove the Mountain tiles. Additionally, before allocating starting resources to players, place two additional monsters of each color into the Dark Realm. Select the Broken Earth Scroll and set it aside. Shuffle the remaining Scrolls and place six of them face down in the play area. Place Broken Earth on top of this deck. Place the remaining Scrolls in the supply.
Example Setup: two additional Demons (+2) each of green, blue and yellow are placed into the Dark Realm; Broken Earth is set aside and placed on top of the six-card face-down deck; the remaining Scrolls are placed in the Supply.
Playing with Scrolls
Day: At the start of every Day (including the beginning of the game), decipher one of the Scrolls by flipping it face up and placing it next to the Scrolls deck. This Scroll can now be charged to apply a rune to the target Obelisk. Charging a Scroll counts as a Reinforce Action (e.g. the player must use an action in addition to paying 4x green, 3x yellow, or 2x blue cubes, or sacrificing a die).
Most Scrolls have requirements on where they can be applied (e.g. Lightning Rod must be placed on an Obelisk that is next to a Grass tile). Requirements are shown as the land type surrounding the Scroll. If a Scroll shows multiple land types, you need only satisfy a single requirement (e.g. Broken Earth and Instability can be placed on an Obelisk next to a Grass, Forest, Crystal, or Mountain tiles).
Editor's note: the printed text reads "you need need only satisfy a single requirement". The duplicated word is corrected here.
After Charging a Scroll, immediately apply it by slipping the card under a target Obelisk. Once placed, the Scroll cannot be removed. Most Scrolls can be overwritten by a new Scroll. (Place the second Scroll on top of the first.) However, Scrolls with the Obelisk Reinforce symbol (a green arrow on a red cube) cannot be overwritten, reinforced, or targeted by other Scrolls.
Night: Each Night, when it is time to Spawn Demons, seven Demons appear from the Portal (instead of six).
Example Scroll Placement: Crystal Network is correctly placed on the green Obelisk which sits next to a Crystal tile. Longbow is incorrectly placed: there are no Mountain tiles next to the blue Obelisk. Additionally, Longbow is turned incorrectly; all upgrades must align with the map tiles.
Scroll Abilities
Broken Earth: Originally used to create farmland, this rune can shift terrain. Immediately move any tiles next to this Obelisk to any other position next to the Obelisk. Do not rotate the tiles. You cannot move tiles that any Stone Demon has already stepped on. No placement restrictions. You may discard this card after playing it.
Burnout: Applying heat to an Obelisk increases its power, albeit temporarily. Immediately increase the strength of this Obelisk by up to +4 (by changing the pips on the die). At the start of every Night, roll a D6 die. If the value shown is 4 or greater, the Obelisk has overheated, decrease the Obelisk strength by one. When the Obelisk strength is zero, remove it and Burnout and place them both in the Supply. This Obelisk cannot be reinforced, overwritten by another Scroll, or be the target of any Scroll (e.g. not a valid target for Siphon Energy). Must be placed next to a Forest tile.
Consuming Growth: The forest roots can help capture Demons. Finding them afterwards may provide difficulty. This Obelisk can now capture two Stone Demons each Night instead of one. As they are captured, place them on top of the two boxes on the Scroll. Any Demons captured by this Obelisk go directly into the Supply when Day starts. (These Demons cannot be used to Reinforce an Obelisk.) This Obelisk uses its full strength when capturing each Demon but terrain penalties still apply. For example, a strength three Obelisk with Consuming Growth can capture two yellow Demons on a Grass tile. Must be placed next to a Forest tile.
Editor's note: the printed text reads "Finding them afterwards may provide difficult." The verb form is transcribed as printed; it is likely meant as "may provide difficulty".
Crystal Network: Tune an Obelisk to vibrate on similar frequencies as the Crystals. This Obelisk gains +1 strength when capturing Stone Demons on Crystals. (Do not increase the pips on the die.) The Obelisk now can capture Demons on all of the Crystals tiles on the map regardless of range. This Obelisk can no longer capture Demons on any other types of tiles. Must be placed next to a Crystal tile.
Instability: An incomplete rune can create problems and opportunities. Immediately and at the start of every Day, roll this Obelisk to determine its new strength. During the Day, any player may spend an action to reroll this Obelisk (as long as the owner approves). This Obelisk is unstable and cannot be reinforced, overwritten by another Scroll, or be the target of any Scroll (e.g. not a valid target for Siphon Energy). No placement restrictions.
Editor's note: the printed text reads "spend an action to to reroll this Obelisk". The duplicated word is corrected here.
Lightning Rod: This rune absorbs the Sun's energy and stores it until needed. At the start of each Day and when you first buy this upgrade, add a Charge to Lightning Rod (max 3). Place spare rotation markers on top of scroll to indicate charge level. Each time this Obelisk captures a Demon, a Charge is consumed. Only one charge can be used on each Demon. This Obelisk uses its full strength when capturing each Demon but terrain penalties still apply. For example, a strength three Obelisk with Lightning Rod and two charges can capture two yellow Demons on a Grass tile. Must be placed next to a Grass tile.
Longbow: Focus the Obelisk's energies along one direction. This Obelisk can now capture Demons on the four tiles along the chosen direction instead of the four adjacent tiles. During the Day, the Obelisk owner may spend an action to rotate the target direction. Must be placed next to a Mountain tile.
Siphon Energy: This rune was used many times during the defeat at Senu's Forge. Hopefully your fate will not follow a similar path. Immediately increase the strength of this Obelisk by one for each point of strength you remove from other Obelisks. The owner of those Obelisks must agree to the exchange. If an Obelisk's strength is decreased to zero, remove it and any scrolls on it from the game and place them in the Supply. Must be placed next to a Crystal tile. You may discard this card after playing it.