Shadow Blades Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Components
  • Card reference (Help sheet)
• Setup
  • Alternate starting card rules
• Glossary
  • Zone
  • Strength
• Domination
• Course of the Game
  • 1. Recruitment
  • 2. Deployment
• Anatomy of a Card
  • Agents
  • Weapons
  • Mission
• End of the Game
• Appendix Rule 1: War of Plots
  • List of War of Plots cards
• Appendix Rule 2: War of Alliances (4 players)
  • Shadow Card

Objective

Recruit a team of cunning assassins and infiltrate each zone. Complete missions in zones dominated by your agents to collect bounties.

Components

• Zone tile pairs x 4 (one A tile and one B tile each) — tile A shows the Assassination and Theft zones; tile B shows the Reinforcements and Infiltration zones.
• Domination tokens x 8
• Rulebook x 1
• Help sheet x 1
• Agent cards x 34
• Mission cards x 32
• Weapon cards x 10
• Plot cards x 8

Card reference (Help sheet)

Assassination (14 cards)

Agent	Strength	Skill
Assassin	1, 1, 2, 3, 4	No skill.
Ruby Tracker	1	Designate 2 deployed Agents of an opponent. They must discard one of them.
Shadow Claw	1	Eliminate any Agent, including one of your own, with strength 3 or less.
Yaksha	2	Eliminate the most recently deployed Agent in a zone. You may target one of your own Agents.

Mission	Bounty	Condition
Sudden Strike	1, 1, 1	No condition.
Brutal Blow	2, 2	No condition.
Bloody Saga	3	You must dominate the "Assassination" zone at the end of the game.

Theft (14 cards)

Agent	Strength	Skill
Thief	1, 1, 2, 3, 4	No skill.
Plunderer	1	Add all the cards from a pile to your hand. Then replenish that pile by drawing a card from the deck.
Sapphire Illusionist	1	Draw 4 cards and add one of them to your hand. Put the remaining 3 cards back on top of the deck, in the order of your choice.
The Beast	2	Choose an opponent and designate one of their deployed Agents that has a weapon. They take that Agent back into hand. Then take all Weapon cards linked to that Agent.

Mission	Bounty	Condition
Intrusion	1, 1, 1	No condition.
Pillage	2, 2	No condition.
Moonlit Specters	3	You must dominate the "Theft" zone at the end of the game to collect this Mission's bounty.

Reinforcements (14 cards)

Agent	Strength	Skill
Messenger	1, 1, 2, 3, 4	No skill.
Jade Falcon	1	You may deploy up to 2 additional Agents this turn. The total strength of these agents must not exceed 5, taking their Weapon cards into account.
The Raven	1	You may deploy as many additional Agents with strength 1 as you wish this turn. You cannot link Weapons to them.
Mist Runner	2	Discard as many Weapon cards as you wish from your hand. Move a deployed Agent whose total strength is equal to or less than that of your discarded weapons onto your zone.

Mission	Bounty	Condition
New Order	1, 1, 1	No condition.
Common Assault	2, 2	No condition.
Acolytes of Shadows	3	You must dominate the "Reinforcements" zone at the end of the game to collect this Mission's bounty.

The help sheet does not list the Infiltration and Mercenaries zone cards; illustrative examples for those zones appear later in this rulebook (the "Spy" starting Agent, and the "Surveillance" / "Crime Syndicate" Missions).

Setup

1. Remove all components from the box, except the Plot cards, and place a zone tile pair horizontally in front of each player.

   Note: Plot cards are used in games with additional rules (see War of Plots).

2. The player wearing the darkest clothing is the first player. They take 4 starting cards, shuffle them, and deal one to each player at random.

   Note: The starting cards are the "Assassin," "Thief," "Messenger," and "Spy" cards, each with strength 1 and a stamp.

Alternate starting card rules

You may choose to use random starting cards by following these rules instead:

1. The first player shuffles the cards (including the starting cards), except the Plot cards, to form the deck.

2. The player to the right of the first player draws as many cards as there are players. After looking at them, they choose one and keep it in hand. They pass the remaining cards face down to the player on their right.

3. Each player takes 1 card in this way, passing the hand to the player on their right, until everyone has one card in hand.

4. The first player shuffles all remaining Agent, Mission, Weapon, and starting cards (if there are fewer than 4 players), and forms a face-down deck.

5. The first player draws 3 cards and places them face down in a row next to the deck. These cards form piles 1 to 3, arranged respectively from farthest to closest to the deck.

6. Place the Domination tokens near the deck. You may now begin playing.

Glossary

Zone

Agents and Missions are categorized into the "Assassination," "Theft," "Reinforcements," "Infiltration," and "Mercenaries" zones.

Zones are distinguished by a symbol shown on each card. Zone tiles and Domination tokens are categorized into each zone, except the "Mercenaries" zone. During the game, cards you play from your hand using the "Deployment" action are placed in the corresponding zone. Only Agents and Missions of the "Mercenaries" type can be deployed to the zone tile of your choice. Missions with several zones can be deployed to one of the indicated zones (see Mission).

Strength

The strength of each Agent and Weapon card is shown as a number. A player's strength in each zone is represented by the sum of their Agents deployed there. If an Agent is played with a linked weapon, its strength is represented by the sum of these two cards (see Weapons).

Domination

The player with the greatest strength in a zone dominates that zone. Missions with a bounty can only be deployed in dominated zones. A player can dominate several zones at once, but if several players share the same strength in a zone, then no one dominates that zone. When you dominate a zone, take a token with the symbol matching the dominated zone and place it on that zone tile. During the game, if a player surpasses your strength in that same zone and dominates it, they take your token and place it on their zone tile.

Example: Player 3 dominates 1 zone (strength 2 in "Theft"). Player 2 and Player 4 each have strength 1 in the "Reinforcements" zone and dominate nothing. Player 1 has strength 3 in the "Assassination" zone and strength 2 in the "Infiltration" zone, dominating 2 zones.

Course of the Game

A game is played over several turns, starting with the first player and continuing clockwise. At the start of your turn, you may perform a "Recruitment" or a "Deployment," as described below:

1. Recruitment

This action lets you draw cards from the deck to add to your hand. Look at the cards in pile 1 (farthest from the deck) and add all of them to your hand, or put them back face down in the pile. If you did not keep the cards, do the same with pile 2, and so on. If you do not keep the cards from pile 3, take a card from the deck and add it to your hand. Adding cards to your hand ends your turn, even if you have not looked through all the piles.

Note: A player who decided not to keep the cards from a pile cannot look at them again or choose to draw them afterward in the same turn.

At the end of your turn, place a card from the deck onto each pile you looked through, in ascending order (pile 1, pile 2, pile 3). A pile may therefore contain more than 2 cards.

Example: On his turn, Andy performs a recruitment. He first looks through all the cards in pile 1, but none interest him, so he puts them back face down. He then looks at the cards in pile 2. Some interest him, so he adds all of them to his hand. His turn ends. Before moving on to the next player, he replenishes each pile he looked through with a card from the deck. Then the turn passes to the player on his left.

2. Deployment

This action lets you play cards from your hand onto your zone tile. If you perform a deployment, you may carry out the 2 actions below.

Agent Deployment

Choose an Agent from your hand, and place it face up beneath the corresponding zone. Stack deployed Agents beneath the corresponding zone so that each Agent's strength remains visible. A player's total strength in a zone therefore changes every time they add an Agent to it. Then immediately activate the deployed Agent's skill.

When deploying an Agent, you may also deploy a Weapon card linked to it to increase its strength. Unless stated otherwise, you may only deploy one Agent across all zones during your turn.

Mission Deployment

Choose a Mission from your hand, and place it face down on top of the corresponding zone tile that you dominate. If the chosen Mission depends on several zones, it may be deployed to any of the zones indicated on the card that you dominate. Most Missions grant a bounty once deployed, but some Missions require certain conditions to be met at the end of the game to collect their bounties. You may look at your own deployed Missions at any time. On each turn, you may deploy only one Mission among the zones you dominate.

Anatomy of a Card

Agents

Agents are deployed beneath each player's zone tiles. All Agents have a strength value, and some benefit from a skill. These skills are unique and can only be used once per game.

1. Agent Name

2. Strength

3. Zone: Indicates the zone to which an Agent belongs.

4. Skill: When an Agent is deployed, its skill is immediately activated once its strength has been taken into account.

   • Normally, only 1 Agent can be deployed per turn, but some Agents have skills that allow others to be deployed.
   • Skills must be fully resolved. If certain conditions cannot be met or if nothing happens, the Agent may be deployed without using its skill.
   • Cards discarded through skills are placed face up next to the deck. This is the graveyard. Players may see the top card of the graveyard, but may not look through the rest.

Example: "Thief" (strength 1, no skill) is an Agent without a skill; "Sapphire Illusionist" (strength 1, Theft zone, "Draw 4 cards and add one of them to your hand. Put the remaining 3 cards back on top of the deck, in the order of your choice.") is an Agent with a skill.

Weapons

When deploying an Agent only, you may deploy one or more Weapons from your hand by linking them to that Agent to increase its strength. Weapons cannot be linked to an Agent already deployed on a zone tile. Weapons are placed face up beneath the Agent they are linked to, so their strength remains visible. The sum of an Agent's strength and its Weapons counts as the Agent's strength. If an Agent is discarded, all Weapons linked to it are also discarded.

Each Weapon card shows a bonus strength and a weapon name (e.g. "Ordinary Weapons," strength 1; "Prodigious Weapons," strength 2).

Example: A "Spy" of strength 4 thanks to 2 weapons (Prodigious Weapons +2, Ordinary Weapons +1, base strength 1).

Mission

Missions can only be deployed in zones that you dominate. They are deployed face down so that other players cannot know their contents. A player may look at their own Mission cards at any time. The coins in the corner represent each Mission's bounty. You can earn bounties of 1 to 3 coins depending on the number of coins shown on the card. At the end of the game, add up all your bounties.

1. Mission Name
2. Bounty (1 to 3 coins per mission)
3. Zone symbol: Indicates where the Mission can be deployed. If several symbols are shown, you may deploy it to one of the indicated zones that you dominate.
4. Condition: Some Missions require conditions to be met at the end of the game to collect the bounty.

Example: "Surveillance" (Infiltration zone, bounty 1, no condition) is a Mission without a condition; "Crime Syndicate" (Infiltration zone, bounty 3, "You must dominate the 'Infiltration' zone at the end of the game to collect this Mission's bounty.") is a Mission with a condition.

End of the Game

At the end of the turn in which the last card of the deck is drawn, every player (including the one who just played) prepares for the final showdown. Each player then plays their last turn. You may only perform a deployment, but you may also choose to pass your turn. The game ends once every player has taken their turn during the final showdown. Players then reveal all of their deployed Missions in each zone. Missions whose conditions are not met are discarded. Players then add up their bounties. The player with the highest total bounty wins the game.

Appendix Rule 1: War of Plots

Each of the 8 Plot cards introduces different rules. Add 1 at random to the game. Follow these additional rules along with the base rules:

• The first player shuffles the Plot cards before drawing one at random. Place this card face up near the deck and put away the 7 remaining Plot cards. The rules of the drawn Plot card apply to the game.
• If the rules of the Plot card target the Agents of a specific zone, "Mercenaries" Agents are exempt from this rule.
• See the list of all Plot cards below.

List of War of Plots cards

Plot	Effect
Arrogance	You cannot deploy an Agent in a zone you dominate.
Deception	When deploying, you may link a Weapon card from your hand to an enemy deployed Agent if both have the same strength. You then take that Agent and deploy it on your own zone tile. That Agent's skill does not trigger. You may use several Weapon cards at once.
Double!	When replenishing a card onto an empty pile, or taking a card from the deck, draw 2 instead. This also applies when the "Plunderer" skill is activated.
Incredible Duo	When deploying, you may deploy an additional Agent with the same strength as the Agent deployed this turn, but it must belong to a different zone.
Fatal Blow	When deploying, you may discard an Agent from the "Assassination" zone from your hand to eliminate a deployed Agent with the same strength. You may perform this action several times per turn, but you cannot discard Agents from the "Mercenaries" zone.
Weapon Theft	You may use Agents from the "Theft" zone as Weapon cards. While they are in play, treat them as Weapons for rules and skills purposes, but as Agents as soon as they are discarded.
Absolute Support	Agents from the "Reinforcements" zone belong to all zones.
Espionage	When deploying, you may deploy an Agent from the "Infiltration" zone into any zone of an opponent. If the Agent is deployed in a zone other than "Infiltration," its strength is subtracted from that zone's total.

Appendix Rule 2: War of Alliances (4 players)

In a 4-player game, form two teams of 2 players. Follow these additional rules along with the base rules:

• Before setup, choose your ally. Players sit between the players of the enemy alliance.
• Use 8 Domination tokens for this game.
• During the game, you may dominate a zone if you have a strength greater than that of the dominating player of the enemy alliance in that zone. In other words, you do not need to surpass your ally's strength to dominate a zone. Players of an alliance may thus dominate the same zone at the same time (in that case, both players take the Domination tokens for that zone). See the example below.
• When performing a deployment, add the "Shadow Card" action.

Shadow Card

At the end of each turn, you may pass a card from your hand to your ally. The Shadow Card action can only be performed once per turn, and the card must be passed discreetly. You cannot show it to other players or give specific information such as its strength or name.

Example 1: Players 1 and 3 are part of alliance A, and players 2 and 4 are part of alliance B. Player 2 dominates the "Theft" zone with strength 5. However, player 4 has a lower strength than the players of alliance A. He does not dominate the "Theft" zone even though he is part of the same alliance as player 2.

Example 2: In the "Infiltration" zone, each player of alliance A has a strength greater than the players of alliance B. Players 1 and 3 therefore both dominate this zone.