Prowl: Clans & Cunning Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Components
• Key Game Terms
  • The Clans
  • The Track
  • Leader Cards
• Set-up
• How to Play
  • Actions
  • 1. Play
    • Strengthen Clan
    • Card Effects
  • 2. Change
  • 3. Accuse
  • Discarded Cards
  • 2-Player Game
• Ending the Game
  • Dominance and Tiebreaking
• Expanding the Game
  • Adjusting Game Length
• The Clans
• FAQ

Objective

Make sure that when the game ends, your chosen clan is at the top of the track!

Components

• 4 Clan tokens (1 per clan)
• 32 Clan cards (8 per clan)
• 1 Dominance token
• 1 Rule book
• 5 Reference cards

Key Game Terms

The Clans

Each card hails from 1 of the 4 clans: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.

The Track

The line of Clan tokens represents the power hierarchy in the kingdom. The clan at the top is the current ruling clan. (Example: Summer is the top clan.)

Leader Cards

There are 4 clan leaders in the game, each with a unique way to win. (Clan leader cards have a red border.)

Set-up

Example of a 3-player game

1. Shuffle the 4 Clan tokens, then place them in a column in the middle of the table to form the track.
2. Distribute a Reference card to each player.
3. Shuffle all Clan cards, then distribute 6 to each player. Return any spare cards to the box. (For beginner, we recommend playing with 3 or 4 players. If you do, remove the Leader Cards.) (For a 2-player game, see page 13.)
4. Each player chooses a card from their hand and places it face-down in front of themselves. This is your clan.
5. Pass the Dominance token to the most scheming player at the table. They will be the starting player this game.

(Example: "My clan is Autumn" - the player's face-down clan card is Autumn.)

How to Play

Prowl is played over 5 quick rounds. Each round, players take turns in clockwise order.

On your turn, perform 1 action. All actions use up 1 card in your hand. Once everyone has used up all their cards, the game ends.

Actions

There are 3 actions you can take. On each turn, pick 1 to perform: Play, Change, or Accuse.

1. Play

Play a card from your hand, (i) strengthening its clan; and (ii) triggering its effect. Both are compulsory, but you can choose to perform them in either order.

Strengthen Clan

When you play a card, raise its corresponding clan by 1 position on the track. The more cards from 1 clan are played, the stronger that clan's influence.

E.g., Since I played a Winter card, Winter moves up to 2nd position. This causes Autumn to move down to 3rd position.

Card Effects

Each card has a special effect. All effects are compulsory, unless stated otherwise. Some cards have special passives or conditions on top of the effect text box, for example:

Attachments: These cards temporarily remain on the table once played. Instead of placing them into your Discard Pile, put them in front of yourself, towards the middle of the table.

Early: Early cards do not trigger their effects if they are the last card you play this game. i.e. to use their effects, you must play them in your first 4 turns. (Their clans are still strengthened.)

Final: Final cards only trigger their effects if they are the last card you play this game. (Their clans are still strengthened.)

Peek: Some effects tell you to Peek at an opponent's cards. When you do, look at the card(s) without showing it to any other player. You cannot share what you saw!

2. Change

Discard your current clan. Then, place a card from your hand face-down as your new clan.

(Illustration: the old card is discarded face-up; the new card is placed face-down.)

Note that the cards used to indicate your current clan do not trigger their effects or strengthen their clan, unless stated otherwise.

3. Accuse

Discard a card from your hand, without triggering its effect or strengthening its clan. Choose an opponent whose clan is face-down. Then name a clan; that opponent must (truthfully!) answer if that is their clan. If...

...You successfully guess their clan... They flip their Clan card face-up. You then choose 1 of the following:

(i) Gain the Dominance token. If you already have the Dominance token, instead raise a clan by 1 position. OR (ii) Force that player to Change on their next turn.

...You fail to guess their clan correctly... Nothing happens. They do not reveal any other information.

Once you have taken your action for the turn, the opponent on your left takes their turn.

Discarded Cards

Whenever you discard a card, place it face-up in a horizontal stack to the right of your clan. This is your Discard Pile. It can be seen and checked by any player at any time.

2-Player Game

In a 2-player game, randomly chosen clans are strengthened.

During set-up, shuffle the unused Clan cards and place them face-down beside the track. At the start of each player's turn, if they currently have the Dominance token, they must reveal the top card of that deck. That card's clan is raised by 1 position, then discarded (its effects do not activate).

Ending the Game

The game ends after all players run out of cards in their hands (i.e., after all players have taken 5 turns).

All players reveal their clans; whoever controls the highest clan on the track wins! In the case of ties, see Dominance and Tiebreaking below.

Example: track from top: Winter (no player supporting), Spring (Player A), Autumn (Player C; Player D), Summer (Player B). Player A wins!

Dominance and Tiebreaking

If multiple players reveal the highest clan on the track, use the Dominance token to tiebreak. If 1 of the tied players has the Dominance token, that player wins!

Example: track from top: Winter, Spring (Player A; Player B, with the Dominance token), Autumn (Player D), Summer (Player C). Player B wins!

If none of the tied players have the Dominance token, they all lose. An unbroken tie splits the power of the clan; as it falls to infighting and factionalisation, players controlling that clan are out of the running for the throne. As long as more than 1 player supports a clan, they are all considered tied. (This includes cases where 1 of them already loses through a card effect.)

In that scenario, the player who controls the next-highest clan wins instead!

Example: track from top: Winter (no player supporting), Spring (Player A; Player B), Autumn (Player D), Summer (Player C, with the Dominance token). Player D wins!

Expanding the Game

The struggle for the empire never ends, and new clans are always emerging, ready to seize power at a moment's notice. By swapping in different clans (available separately) each time you play, the game's tactical options and opportunities always remain fresh.

When replacing a clan, simply remove the old clan's (i) Clan token and (ii) 8 Clan cards, and replace them with the corresponding components from the new clan. Always ensure that there are only 4 clans in play during the game.

Adjusting Game Length

Players who wish to experiment with longer games could start with more cards in hand (+1 card = +1 round). However, note that the game was designed with a tight 5-round play length in mind; longer games can lead to unexpected or unpredictable outcomes.

The Clans

Spring: A lair of shadowy cultists wielding dark magic, the Spring clan uses sabotage, information gathering, and unpredictability to their advantage.

Summer: Disgraced after the Winter clan's rise, the Summer clan is more aggressive than ever. When everyone is an enemy, the way forward appears simple.

Autumn: A disciplined army under the command of a mighty warlord, the Autumn clan prides itself on its balanced tactics and consistent ability to claim the Dominance token.

Winter: The decadent nobles and corrupt officials that make up the Winter clan rely on strong protective effects and powerful, situational sabotage to win.

FAQ

Can I Accuse an opponent whose clan is already face-up? No, you cannot.

If a card's effect says to "Accuse an opponent [...]", do I need to discard a card? No, you only discard a card if you are Accusing as an action.

If an effect swaps my clan with someone else's, can I check my new clan? Yes, you can.

If a card lets me force an opponent to do something on their next turn, can I wait until their turn starts to decide if I want to force them or not? Definitely not! All card effects must resolve neatly before the next player can start their turn. So if a card tells you to decide on something for an opponent, you need to make the decision now, on your turn.

Can I trigger cards like the Headstrong Scout the same turn they are played? Yes, if you choose to resolve the card's effect before you strengthen its clan.

What does "another clan" mean? It refers to any clan other than that of the card the effect originates from. E.g., if you just Played the Wanderer, "another clan" would refer to Autumn, Spring, or Winter.

Some cards refer to "movement" and others to "effects". Are these the same thing? While card effects can often result in movement, the game treats them as distinct things. Effects refer to the text on cards, and what they tell you to do. Movement instead refers to the physical manipulation of tokens on the track.

If I play the High Mage then win the game normally, do I still need to trigger its effect? Yes, you do! Once the High Mage is played, that player has contracted themselves to it. If they win the game with a clan different from what they promised the High Mage, they then lose instead. The game will have no winner.

Does the Hooded Figure's swapping effect occur simultaneously? Yes, it does. All players simply pass their current clan to the player on their left or right, at the same time.