The Seeker in the Forest of Wyr Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal
• Setup
• Quest Cards
• Playing the Game
  • Your Seeker's Path
  • Drawing Your Hand
  • Abilities
  • Overcoming a Stage Card
  • Magical Objects
  • Resolving the Stage Card
  • Icon Glossary
• End of the Game
• Play Aid Notes

Goal

The goal of the game is to finish one of six Quests randomly chosen from the Quest Deck at the start of the game.

Setup

Divide the cards into five separate decks and shuffle each deck. Included are three Player Aid cards for reference; set these aside.

• The Seeker Deck contains your Abilities Cards, used to navigate the Forest of Wyr. It also contains five magical objects that will assist you to overcome tasks. Before shuffling, rotate half of the cards in the deck 180 degrees.
• The Quest Deck has four Basic (B) Quest Cards and two Advanced (A) Quest Cards. For the first few games only use the Basic Quest Cards. After shuffling this deck, choose one Quest Card, setting the others aside, and look at the Quest. This is your goal for winning the game. Draw 5 cards from the 3rd Stage Deck and shuffle the Quest Card in with them, then place the six cards on top of the 3rd Stage Deck.
• The Stage Decks (1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively) form the stages of your journey through the Forest of Wyr.

After adding the Quest Card to the 3rd Stage Deck, place the 3rd Stage Deck face down on top of the 2nd Stage Deck, and then both of those decks on top of the 1st Stage Deck. Place the complete Stage Deck in front of you as a face up draw pile, and deal eight cards out in a stacked pattern to form the Forest of Wyr.

Draw four cards from the Seeker Deck as your initial hand, but do not look at them yet. You are ready to begin your Journey.

Quest Cards

One of the six Quest Cards [4 Basic (B) and 2 Advanced (A) Quests] is chosen during setup and shuffled into the bottom of the Stage Deck. When this card is drawn, the game enters the final phase and no further cards will be added to the Forest of Wyr.

The six Quests and their goals are:

• The Triumph of Harmony (B) — End the game by befriending six or more Keiju.
• The Expectation of All (B) — End the game without any Dead Ends in your deck.
• The Bounty of Gifts (B) — End the game without losing any Objects.
• The Arrival of Spirits (B) — End the game by collecting seven or more Menninkäinen.
• The Trials of Strength (A) — End the game without using any Magical Objects.
• The Guardian of Wyr (A) — Complete two Basic (B) Quest goals with one game.

Quest-specific rules:

• The Expectation of All (B): When playing with this Quest, anytime a Dead End card reaches the bottommost row you must choose this card as the one you encounter. If two or more are there, you may choose the order you encounter them.
• The Bounty of Gifts (B): When playing with this Quest, anytime an Ajatar card reaches the Seeker's Path you must choose this card as the one you encounter. If two or more are there, you may choose the order you encounter them.
• The Trials of Strength (A): When playing with this Quest, you may only use the Magical Object cards in your Seeker Deck for their Abilities numbers. You may not use any of their Magical Powers.
• The Guardian of Wyr (A): When playing with this Quest, you choose from any two of the four Basic (B) Quests. You must meet the goals on both of these cards simultaneously to win. Both cards are shuffled in with the 3rd Stage Deck during the game setup. When the Quests are drawn at the end of a turn, late in the game, they are stacked, one on top of the other, and moved together down through the Forest of Wyr.

Playing the Game

Your Seeker's Path

During each turn of the game you will choose one of the two bottommost row's Stage Cards - your Seeker's Path. Two of the types of cards (see below) may make this choice for you. You must choose the card before you draw any cards to your hand.

Each Stage Card on the Seeker's Path has a number in the upper left representing the Amount of Time you must take to overcome the card with the Abilities you have in your hand. The pointer icon next to the number shows whether you must have a total Abilities Number either greater than or exactly one less than the Amount of Time needed. The icon glossary defines the two forms:

• Greater than (pointer up): The total of your Abilities Numbers must be at least one greater than the Amount of Time shown on the Stage Card to overcome the task.
• Exactly one less than (pointer down): The total of your Abilities Numbers must be exactly one less than the Amount of Time shown on the Stage Card to overcome the task.

Drawing Your Hand

If you have fewer than four cards currently in hand, draw back to four from your Seeker Deck. If, while doing this, you cannot draw new cards from your draw pile, shuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile. Always rotate the new draw pile 180 degrees before drawing cards from it.

Abilities

Cards can be played for their Abilities, adding their numbers, to overcome the time it takes to complete tasks given to you on your journey. You will always use the Ability Number in the upper left of the card. Cards from your hand are discarded after being played. Each time you form a new draw pile from the discard pile you will shuffle the deck, and rotate 180 degrees before you draw your new hand of cards.

You may choose to play a card for its Ability Number or for its Magical Power, never both. If you use a card for its Magical Power you discard it from your hand.

The Seeker Cards are double sided and show the Abilities you have to draw from in your current hand of cards. Five of the cards in your Seeker Deck also list Magical Objects which give you certain powers during the game.

Overcoming a Stage Card

From the cards in your hand, discard cards to your Seeker Deck's discard pile, adding the Abilities Numbers in the upper left of those you discard, to overcome the Stage Card you chose on the Seeker's Path. Be sure when discarding cards to keep their current orientation when placing them on the discard pile (i.e. the current Abilities Numbers should be oriented upward when placed face down on the discard pile).

The Amount of Time needed to overcome this chosen Seeker's Path Stage Card task. The pointer icon indicates you must play at least a total Abilities Number of '7' from your hand to overcome this card.

Example: Discard the 3, 2, and 2 (equalling 7) as the total Abilities Number needed to overcome the chosen Stage Card on the Seeker's Path.

If you use a drawn card as a Magical Object you may NOT also use the Abilities Number as an addition to your total.

Magical Objects

The Magical Objects in your hand of cards can grant you special powers during your turn. You can play a Magical Object at any time during your turn. Discard them when you use their powers.

• The Watch of Broken Time allows you to swap the positions of ANY two cards currently in the Forest of Wyr.
• The Key of Change subtracts 1 from your total Abilities Number when attempting to overcome Ajatar cards.
• The Gauntlet of Numinousness lets you draw an extra card to your hand when attempting to overcome Menninkäinen cards.
• The Crown of Passages gives you the ability to rotate any of the cards in your hand to give you the best available Abilities Numbers for your task.
• The Significance of Farsight will allow you to permanently remove a Dead End card drawn to your hand.

Resolving the Stage Card

If you are able to overcome the Stage Card it will either be removed from the game, temporarily grant you a temporary Abilities bonus or penalty, be set in a special pile, or be added to your discard pile depending on the card:

• Ajatar Cards, if not overcome, will force you to lose a Magical Object of your choice from your next hand of cards (if you do not have a Magical Object in your next hand, this rule is ignored). The card is removed from the game. If overcome, the Ajatar card is removed from the game along with any remaining cards in the Seeker's Path (the bottommost row). The Quest Card - The Bounty of Gifts - is related to these cards.
• Dead End Cards, if not overcome, are added to your Seeker Deck discard pile. If overcome, Dead End cards are removed from the game. The Quest Card - The Expectation of All - is related to these cards.
• Keiju Cards, if not overcome, are removed from the game. If overcome, they are kept aside in a special pile if you have drawn The Triumph of Harmony as your Quest Card. They will also change the number of cards on the Seeker's Path for your next turn.
• Menninkäinen Cards, if not overcome, are removed from the game. If overcome, they are instead added to your Seeker Deck's discard pile and, when later drawn to your hand, they can be added to your total Abilities Number and used to overcome other cards on the Seeker's Path. The Quest Card - The Arrival of Spirits - is related to these cards.

Whether a chosen card is overcome or not, it will be removed from the Seeker's Path. Once removed, move cards, directly from the rows above, down to fill in any gaps in the bottommost row so you have two cards again creating the stacked pattern of the Forest of Wyr (unless a Keiju or Ajatar card directs otherwise).

• Initiative Number: The Initiative Number determines which card is moved downwards to fill a gap in the Seeker's Path. Move a card immediately above the gap to fill in the Seeker's Path. If two cards can be moved, the card with the lowest Initiative Number is the one chosen.
• Moving cards down: Move cards down the rows, filling in gaps. The highest row will have a new card placed from the Stage Deck draw pile.

If you have the choice between moving two cards or having to remove a card - because of a Keiju who was not overcome - remove the one with the lowest Initiative Number first. Keep moving cards down the rows until the card in the highest row is removed. Add the top card from the Stage Deck as the new card on the highest row.

You must now discard at least one card from your hand if you have four. You may, as well, discard any other cards in your hand to your Seeker Deck's discard pile that you choose to. You then begin a new turn.

Icon Glossary

The sheet's icon glossary lists the following effects. The text layer of the PDF does not label which icon each effect belongs to, so the effects are listed here as printed, without assigning them to icons. Refer to the printed sheet for the icon-to-effect mapping.

• Modifier (-X / X): Modify your Total Ability Number by this amount on your next turn.
• Draw one less card: Draw one less card to your next hand.
• Remove a Menninkäinen from your next hand: If you draw one in your next hand of cards, remove the Menninkäinen Card from the game. If you draw more than one you may choose which to discard.
• Three cards on the Seeker's Path: Move cards downward so you will have 3 cards on the Seeker's Path for your next turn. You will not add a new card to the Seeker's Path for your next turn.
• Clear and refill the Seeker's Path: Remove all cards from the Seeker's Path before moving two new cards downward.
• Remove a Magical Object from your next hand: If you draw a Magical Object in your next hand of cards, remove that Seeker Card from the game. If you draw more than one Magical Object you may choose which to discard.
• Discard pile: Add this card to your Seeker Deck's discard pile.
• Pointer icons: The total of your Abilities Numbers must be at least one greater than the Amount of Time shown on the Stage Card (greater-than pointer), or exactly one less than it (exactly-one-less pointer).

End of the Game

When the Quest Card is drawn from the Stage Deck's draw pile, remove any remaining cards in the draw pile from the game. The Quest Card is added to the Seeker's Path and play continues normally in its final phase.

When the Quest Card reaches the bottommost row of the Seeker's Path (the Quest Card always has the highest Initiative Number when deciding what cards to move at the end of a turn) the game ends.

If you have met the goal of your Quest you win the game and will be regaled in song by the Metsäsuomalaiset people. If you have not met the goal of your Quest, begin again with a new goal and redeem yourself as their guardian.

Play Aid Notes

• Ajatar and Bounty of Gifts: When playing with The Bounty of Gifts Quest, anytime an Ajatar card reaches the Seeker's Path (the bottommost row) you must choose this card as the one you encounter. If two or more are there, you may choose the order to encounter them.
• Dead Ends and Expectation of All: When playing with The Expectation of All Quest, anytime a Dead End card reaches the Seeker's Path (the bottommost row) you must choose this card as the one you encounter. If two or more are there, you may choose the order to encounter them.
• Overcoming a Dead End: The Significance of Farsight can help you remove these cards from your Seeker Deck.
• Overcoming a Menninkäinen: The Gauntlet of Numinousness can help you with this task.
• Overcoming an Ajatar: The Key of Change can help you with this task.