Res Arcana: Perlae Imperii
Res Arcana: Perlae Imperii Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Add the components of this expansion to the base game components. Place the pearls in the central compartment of the essence tray. Each player receives 1 essence token of each type (including a pearl).
The number of Place of Power tiles and monument cards depends on the number of players (see the table below). All magic items are available during play.
Thanks to this expansion, 2 to 5 players can take part in Res Arcana, even if the first expansion, Lux et Tenebrae, is also included. Regardless of the number of expansions, we do not recommend playing with more than 5 players.
| Players | Monuments | Places of Power |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 7 | 4 |
| 3 | 10 | 5 |
| 4 | 12 | 6 |
| 5 | 14 | 7 |
Shuffle all the monument cards. Draw as many cards as the table indicates and form a face-down deck from them. Return the remaining cards to the box without looking at them. Then reveal 2 monument cards from the deck.
Shuffle all the Place of Power tiles without looking at their content (e.g., under the table), flipping half of the stack over to the other side several times so that the side of each Place of Power is chosen at random. Draw as many tiles as the table indicates. Return the remaining Place of Power tiles to the box.
Place this expansion's reference tile in the center of the table, with the side reading "End of Game" face up.
Then set up the rest of the game according to the base game rules.
Play
Play with this expansion follows the base game rules with the following changes.
The game ends when, during the victory check, at least 1 player has at least 13 points (instead of the minimum of 10).
Pearls. Pearls are a new type of essence. If an effect of a power provides a specified number of essence tokens other than Gold, a player may not take pearls. If the restrictions of a discount apply to Gold, the player also may not apply the discount to pearls.
On their turn, a player may exchange 1 or more pearls from their pool, receiving for each of them 1 Gold or 2 essences (in any combination), except Gold and pearls.
A player may also exchange pearls from their pool outside their turn, by using a React power or by reacting to a React power's condition (e.g., when attacked by a dragon). When a situation arises in which one player's decision about exchanging pearls depends on whether another player exchanges pearls, resolve it clockwise, starting with the player holding the First Player token.
Each pearl on a player's components and in their pool at the end of the victory check is worth 1 point to them.
Example. For each pearl on the Mussel Bank Place of Power, the player gets 3 points (2 points from the tile's description and the standard 1 point). Because pearls provide points, they are not counted when resolving ties.
A summary of these rules is on the front of this expansion's reference tile (the back shows the setup table).
Note! The artifacts that appear as demons (in this expansion, the Ghost Ship and the Wheel of Torture) first appeared in Lux et Tenebrae. Some components bear the demon symbol, while others interact with them (the Illusionist), so that play with both expansions is well balanced.
Components
The insert lists the following components for this expansion:
- 2 Place of Power tiles (double-sided)
- 12 artifact cards
- 4 mage cards
- 4 monument cards (cards from this expansion carry the expansion symbol, a blue wave in a red oval)
- 1 magic item card: Calcination
- 1 reference tile, with a summary of the rules on the front and the setup table on the back
- 25 essence tokens (pearls)
- Shield icons for 3 creatures, 2 demons and 1 dragon
Mages
Illusionist. Both of this mage's powers are React powers, which you may use when you use a component's power during your turn. Activate the Illusionist as a creature, a demon or a dragon when you want to pay a power's cost, or when you want to use a victory-check power and you have a Place of Power that scores points for creatures, demons or dragons in play. Mages are indestructible, so you cannot use the Illusionist's first power to pay the cost of the second power of the Gate of Hell from Lux et Tenebrae.
Artifacts
Phoenix. Due to lack of space, the phrase "destroy this component" is shown in the power's cost as a symbol.
Wheel of Torture. This power causes all players to lose Life. This includes the card's owner.
Raven Familiar (Kruk chowaniec). You "take" Gold when you gain it from the general supply, and then place it in your pool or on any component. This happens when you use an essence-gaining ability, take the Discard an artifact action, or exchange a pearl for Gold. You do not "take" Gold when you collect it from components (during the Collect step, or thanks to the second power of the Infernal Engine from Lux et Tenebrae), or when you take it from your pool and place it on a component (the powers of the Mermaid and the Essentialist).
Whalers' Wares (Wyroby wielorybników). The discount from this artifact's first power also applies to Gold.
Places of Power
Mystical Menagerie. To use its second power, you must have cards in your face-down artifact pile. If you have cards in your discard pile but your artifact pile is empty, you cannot pay the cost of the Mystical Menagerie's power. You also cannot shuffle your discard pile to form a new pile.
FAQ
Q: Does a player receive 1 Gold or 2 essences of any kind when they discard an artifact from hand to pay a power's cost?
A: No. A player receives tokens only when they discard an artifact as part of the Discard an artifact action.
Q: If a power's cost requires activating another artifact, does the player also activate that artifact's powers?
A: No. The player is performing the Use a power action, so activating another artifact is only paying the cost and has no other effects.
Q: Can a player use a power whose effect places an essence on a component, in order to place essence tokens on a component that has already been activated (e.g., use the Mermaid to place Gold on an activated Cursed Forge)?
A: Yes.
Q: Can a player use a power whose effect is to draw cards and put them back in any order, on other players' decks?
A: No.
Q: Must the essence tokens used to pay the cost of playing a component and the cost of a power come from the player's pool?
A: Yes, unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., the second power of Atanor).
Q: On their turn, can a player use a power that will have no effect, in order to avoid having to pass?
A: Yes, provided they pay the power's cost in full.
Q: Can a player use a React power (e.g., the monuments Golden Statue or Dark Cathedral) while the victory condition is checked in the middle of the action step (e.g., thanks to the Coral Castle's power), or at the end of the round?
A: Yes.
Setup Table on the Reference Tile
The insert's panel headed "Przygotowanie" (Setup) repeats the setup table printed on the back of the reference tile.
| Players | Monuments | Places of Power |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 7 | 4 |
| 3 | 10 | 5 |
| 4 | 12 | 6 |
| 5 | 14 | 7 |
Each player receives 1 essence token of each type, including a pearl.