Shadow Kingdoms of Valeria: Rise of Titans

Expansion for Shadow Kingdoms of Valeria

Shadow Kingdoms of Valeria: Rise of Titans Rulebook

Table of Contents

Introduction

This expansion includes four modules: Shrine of the Titans, Great Battles, Ancient Spells, and Wraith Dice.

You may play with one or more modules, mixing and matching as you please. Modules can all be included in a game of Shadow Kingdoms of Valeria, though we recommend that you have a firm understanding of the base game and each module before including them all at once.

Shrine of the Titans

Components

1 Shrine of the Titans tile (double-sided)
5 Troop Dice, one for each Troop Type

Setup

All of the usual setup steps apply from the base game rules, plus:

The Shrine of the Titans tile is double-sided. The side with Gold costs of 1, 3, and 6 is the standard mode. The other side is the difficult mode, with Gold costs of 2, 4, and 8. Choose which side you want to play, then place the Shrine of the Titans tile on the game board, at the center of the 5 original Shrines. The tile will align with the other Shrines just as if it's always been there.
Add the 5 Troop Dice for this module into the dice bag along with the usual number of dice from the base game for the number of players in your game.

Important: When you fill the original 5 Shrines with dice during setup, do not place any dice on the Shrine of the Titans.

Playing the Game

The Shrine of the Titans is a 7th location to which you may move your Warden at the start of your turn. All of the usual game rules apply from the base game, plus:

Adding Dice to the Shrine of the Titans

After Performing a Battle (see page 8 of the base game rule book), a new step is added before step 9.

8b. TAKE THE HIGHEST VALUE TROOP die from the Battle Plan you just completed and place the die on the Shrine of the Titans. If more than 1 die is the highest, you choose the die to place in the Shrine. When you place a die on the Shrine, it stays the same value it was when you completed your Battle Plan.

Example: David completes a Battle Plan and has a Skeleton 5 and a Gargoyle 5 as his highest dice. He chooses to add the Gargoyle 5 to the Shrine of the Titans.

The Shrine of the Titans can hold a number of dice equal to the number of players in your game. After you add your die, if there are too many dice on the Shrine, choose 1 die that was on the Shrine before you added your new die, and return it to the dice bag.

Example: David is playing a 3-player game. He added his Gargoyle 5 to the Shrine of the Titans, bringing the total number of dice on the Shrine to 4. David removes an Orc 6 die from the Shrine and returns it to the dice bag so that the number of dice does not exceed the number of players.

After adding a die to the Shrine of the Titans, continue to step 9 and return all of the other Troop dice on your completed Battle Plan to the dice bag and move the Battle Plan card to the lower left of your player board as normal.

Moving your Warden

As with the other Shrines, you may not move to the Shrine of the Titans unless there is at least 1 die on the Shrine.

When your Warden moves to the Shrine of the Titans, you do not get a die for free as you do in all of the other Shrines. Instead, you must purchase 1, 2, or 3 dice. On the standard side of the Shrine, the prices are 1 Gold for 1 die, 3 Gold for 2 dice, and 6 Gold for 3 dice. On the difficult side, the costs are 2 Gold for 1 die, 4 Gold for 2 dice, and 8 Gold for 3 dice. You may not purchase more dice than are present when your Warden arrives at the Shrine and you may never purchase more than 3 dice from the Shrine on a turn, regardless of how many dice are present.

The purchased dice are added to the Troop Dice spaces on your player board, as usual.

Refilling the Game Board with Dice

The Shrine of the Titans is not included in ANY phase of the refill process.

Only the original 5 Shrines are considered when determining if it is time to refill the Shrines. Dice in the Shrine of the Titans are not part of the calculation.

Example: In a 3-player game, Andrew starts his turn and there are 2 dice on the Magic Shrine, 1 die on the Gold Shrine, and 3 dice on the Shrine of the Titans. Dice on the Shrine of Titans are ignored when checking to refill the board. Since there are only three total dice on the other Shrines and three players in the game, Andrew sees that it is now time to refill the Shrines.

When you remove the leftover dice from the Shrines, the dice on the Shrine of the Titans ARE NOT returned to the dice bag. They stay in the Shrine.

When refilling the Shrines, no dice are added to the Shrine of the Titans. Dice are only ever added to this Shrine when a player completes a Battle Plan.

Other Factors

Dice on the Shrine of the Titans are valid choices for any Champion card, reserve bonus, or Chain Bonus that allows you to take a die from a Shrine.

In 2-player game, the Shrine of the Titans can only hold a maximum of two dice. This means that purchasing 3 dice at the Shrine will never be possible.

Solo Mode Rules

In a solo game, the Shrine of the Titans can only hold a maximum of two dice. This means that purchasing 3 dice at the Shrine will never be possible.

The Adversary ignores the Shrine of the Titans.

Interactions with Other Modules

Add your highest die to the Shrine of the Titans first, then determine if the Great Battle cards can accommodate any of your remaining dice.

No interactions with Ancient Spells.

If a Wraith die makes it into the Shrine of the Titans, it remains wild and is not locked into whatever Troop Type it was used as before getting to the Shrine.

Great Battles

Components

15 Great Battle Cards (tarot-sized)
25 Participation Markers (5 per player color)
1 Victory Point Resolution Tile (double-sided)
5 Troop Dice, one for each Troop Type

Setup

All of the usual setup steps apply from the base game rules, plus:

Give each player 5 Participation Markers in their player color.
Shuffle the Great Battle cards then place two cards face-up along the left edge of the game board. Place the Great Battles deck nearby for easy access.
The Victory Point Resolution tile is double-sided. The side with 21+ as the highest Strength is the standard mode. The side with 26+ as the highest Strength is the difficult mode. Choose which side you want to play, then place the Victory Point Resolution tile between the two Great Battles cards for easy reference.

Playing the Game

Great Battles are a collection of major encounters in which all players can participate as the game progresses. All of the usual game rules apply from the base game, plus:

After Performing a Battle (see page 8 of the base game rule book), a new step is added before step 9 (and after 8b if you are playing with the Shrine of the Titans module).

8c. SEND A TROOP TO A GREAT BATTLE from the Troop dice you just used to complete a Battle Plan. Examine the two face-up Great Battle cards and determine which Troop Types are allowed to participate in those battles, then examine the Troop dice you just used to complete your Battle Plan to see if any match the allowed Troop Types.

Allowed Troop Types

Each Great Battle card lists the Troop Types allowed to be used below the name of the Great Battle.

Example: The Great Battle at the Twilight Palace allows Orc or Goblin Troop Types to be used.

If NONE of your Troop dice match the allowed Troop Types on the Great Battles cards, you take no action. Continue to step 9 as normal.

If ONLY ONE Great Battle card can accommodate your Troop dice, take the lowest-value qualifying die and add it to an unoccupied Troop space in the lower area of that Great Battle card. If more than one of your qualifying dice are lowest, you may choose which to use.

If BOTH Great Battle cards can accommodate your Troop dice, first choose which Great Battle card you will join, then take the lowest-value qualifying die and add it to an unoccupied Troop space in the lower area on that Great Battle card. If more than one of your qualifying dice are lowest, you may choose which to use.

Troop Spaces

Each Great Battle card has five Troop spaces. Only one Troop die may occupy each space at any time. The reward within the space is taken immediately by the player who puts their Troop die in the space.

After placing a Troop die on a Great Battle card, immediately take the reward noted on the space you occupy, then place one of your Participation Markers in the upper area of that Great Battles card.

Finally, continue to step 9 as normal.

Example: The top Great Battle card will accept Orc or Goblin Troops, the bottom Great Battle card will accept Gargoyle or Gnoll Troops. Tom, the Goblin player, just completed a 4-dice Battle Plan with Skeleton 4, Skeleton 3, Orc 5, and Gargoyle 2. The Orc 5 would be allowed on the first Great Battles card and the Gargoyle 2 would be allowed on the other card. Tom does not have any Participation Markers on the top Great Battles card, but he has 2 markers on the bottom card so he decides to add the Gargoyle 2 to that card (gaining 1 Gold for doing so) and he adds a third Participation Marker. Even though the Orc die was a higher Strength, the Gargoyle die gives Tom a larger share of the Victory Points when the first Great Battle is resolved.

If you run out of Participation Markers, you cannot add any dice to a Great Battle card until a card is resolved and you reclaim some of your Participation Markers (see below).

Resolving a Completed Great Battle Card

When all 5 Troop positions on a Great Battle card are filled, the card is resolved immediately. Add together the Strength of all of the Troop dice on the Great Battle card, then find that Total Strength on the Victory Point Resolution tile to determine the Victory Points earned for each Participation Marker.

Standard side of the Victory Point Resolution tile (21+ as the highest Strength):

Total Strength on the card	Victory Points per Participation Marker
10 or less	1
11 to 15	2
16 to 20	3
21 or more	4

Note: the rulebook text prints the table for the standard side only. The difficult side (26+ as the highest Strength) is on the other face of the physical Victory Point Resolution tile; its breakpoints do not appear in the rulebook text, so they are not transcribed here.

Example, continued: Tom has placed the fifth die on the Great Battle card. The total of the five Troop dice on the card is 14. Finding 14 Strength on the Resolution tile shows that each Participation Marker is worth 2 Victory Points.

Count the number of Participation Markers you have on the completed card and multiply that by the Victory Points per marker to determine your share, then score your Victory Points immediately.

Example, continued: Tom, the Goblin player, has three Participation Markers on the completed Great Battles card so he scores 6 Victory Points (3 Markers x 2 Victory Points per Marker). The other players each have 1 Participation Marker on the card, so they each score 2 Victory Points (1 Marker x 2 Victory Points per Marker).

Return all of the Troop Dice on the completed Great Battle card to the dice bag and reclaim all of your Participation Markers from that card. You may now use the Participation Marker(s) on future Great Battle cards.

Return the completed Great Battle card to the bottom of the deck, then draw a new Great Battle card and place it face-up to the left of the game board where the previous card was located.

Ending the Game

At the end of the game, resolve both Great Battle cards, even if they are not complete. In this way, all players who participate will still receive Victory Points for incomplete Great Battle cards.

Other Factors

If you used a Gem to make a Troop die Wild when Performing a Battle, the die is not considered Wild for the purposes of sending a Troop die to a Great Battle card. Its power was used up during the battle and is no longer active.

You may use a Gem to make a Troop die Wild for the purposes of sending a Troop die to a Great Battle card.

The reward you earn for placing a Troop die on a Great Battle card is a valid trigger for Ongoing Champion cards you own.

Example: David places a Troop die on the 3 Gold space on The Great Battle at the Emerald Stronghold card. He also has the Peddler Champion so he earns an additional 2 Gold. He increases the Gold counter on his player board track by 5 (3 Gold from the Great Battle card and 2 Gold from the Peddler).

The reward you earn is still constrained by any Conquest Markers on your player board and the maximum capacity of slots.

Solo Mode Rules

In a solo game, only 1 Great Battle card is on display and you will earn all the Victory Points if it is completed before the end of the game. If it is NOT completed by the end of the game, the card is NOT resolved and no Victory Points are earned for it.

The Adversary ignores the Great Battle card.

Interactions with Other Modules

Add your highest die to the Shrine of the Titans first, then determine if any of your remaining dice qualify for use on the Great Battle cards.

Ancient Spells cards may not be used to affect Great Battles.

Wraith dice are independently Wild when used on Battle Plans and on Great Battles. So, if you used a Wraith die to complete your Battle Plan, the Wraith die is still Wild and will automatically qualify for use on either of the available Great Battle cards.

Ancient Spells

Components

28 Ancient Spells Cards

Ancient Spells are a collection of one-use powers that players can activate on their turn during the game. Each Ancient Spells card has 2 one-use powers; one on the top and one on the bottom of the card. When you play the card, you choose which one-use power to perform. Some powers specify when they can be played and that game state or moment must be met before playing the card.

Setup

All of the usual setup steps apply from the base game rules, plus:

Shuffle the Ancient Spells cards and deal three cards face-down to each player before the game starts. Place the unused cards back in the game box. Players keep these cards secret from other players until they choose to use them.

Playing the Game

All of the usual game rules apply from the base game, plus:

Using an Ancient Spells Card

At any time ON YOUR TURN, you may choose to play one Ancient Spells card as a free action. Let everyone know which power you will be using and follow the instructions for the chosen power immediately, then return the card to the game box and continue with your turn as usual.

Example: Tome completed a Battle with 4 Troop dice. He plays an Ancient Spells card and chooses the Falci's Tactical Acuity power earning him an additional 4 Victory Points.

You may not play more than 1 Ancient Spells card on a turn.

You may not play an Ancient Spells card on another player's turn.

Ancient Spells Explained

Alazar's Elemental Infusion - Each Troop die on your player board gains +1: Physically increase each die on your player board by 1. Troop dice may not go above 6. Note: Wraith dice may not go above 3.

Bosco's Derivation Through Insanity - Roll 1 Troop die on your player board to gain 2 Gold + 1 Magic. You must keep the new result: Choose any one Troop die from your player board, roll it, then return it to your player board. Increase the Gold on your track by 2 and the Magic by 1.

Note: the card face in the Components section of the printed rulebook is titled "Bosco's Derivation From Chaos", while this power is titled "Bosco's Derivation Through Insanity" in the Ancient Spells Explained text. The rulebook text is transcribed as printed.

Cabella's Dismissal of a Traitorous Hireling - Return 1 of your Instant Champion cards to its deck to gain 3 Gold: Take an Instant Champion card from your collection and place it face-down at the bottom of the Instant Champions deck on the right side of the game board, then increase the Gold on your track by 3.

Dendiddion's Geomantic Transmutation - Return 1 Gem to the supply to gain 3 Gold + 3 Magic: Return a Gem from your player board to the Gem Shrine, then increase the Gold on your track by 3 and the Magic by 3.

Estavan's Hypertransmorphism - When performing a Battle, 1 Troop die is Wild and gains +1: One Troop die you assign to the Battle Plan you are currently working on may be any Troop Type that Battle Plan requires and it is increased by 1. Troop dice may not go above 6. Note: Wraith dice may not go above 3.

Falci's Tactical Acuity - When performing a Battle, gain 1 Victory Point per Troop die you use: The Battle Plan you are currently working on is worth 1 additional Victory Point for each Troop Type icon shown on the card.

Gemmatrude's Auriferous Cenote - For every Chain Bonus you've already gained, gain 2 Gold: Increase the Gold on your track by 2 for each Chain Bonus on your Campaign Map that has a Conquest Marker covering the Skirmish Areas directly above and below it, or directly to its left and right.

Hespera's Mana Syphon - For every Chain Bonus you've already gained, gain 1 Magic: Increase the Magic on your track by 1 for each Chain bonus on your Campaign Map that has a Conquest Marker covering the Skirmish Areas directly above and below it, or directly to its left and right.

Note: in the Gemmatrude's and Hespera's powers, the black diamond symbol is the Chain Bonus symbol, matching the printed phrase "for each Chain Bonus ◆ on your Campaign Map". It is transcribed here as "Chain Bonus".

Other Factors

Using an Ancient Spells card is a free action in addition to any other action you can normally do on your turn. Powers are meant to amplify your turn, and cards may only be played if the specified game state or moment is valid.

Ancient Spells cards never affect other players.

The reward you earn is still constrained by any Conquest Markers on your player board and the maximum capacity of slots.

Solo Mode Rules

In a solo game, the Ancient Spells cards behave just as they do in a multiplayer game.

Interactions with Other Modules

No interactions with Shrine of the Titans.

Ancient Spells cards may not be used to affect Great Battles.

Where a Wraith die is used in place of a Troop die, the Ancient Spells may not increase the Wraith die higher than 3.

Ancient Spells may trigger your Ongoing Champion cards.

Wraith Dice

Components

5 Wraith Dice

Wraith dice are a set of low-Strength, high-Discount, Wild Troop Type dice that enhance your game options. These purple dice are numbered 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3 with opposite sides always adding up to 4.

Setup

All of the usual setup steps apply from the base game rules, plus:

After you place the usual Troop dice in the bag based on your player count, add one Wraith die per player into the bag. Return unused dice to the box.

Playing the Game

All of the usual game rules apply from the base game, plus:

Taking a Wraith Die from a Shrine

You may take a Wraith die from a Shrine as you would any other die. You will notice that, because the Strengths on this die are low (1, 2, or 3), the die has a good Discount (3, 4, or 5) so it is very helpful if you find it at the Champions Shrine, the Gold Shrine, or the Tactics Shrine.

Because Wraiths are incorporeal by nature, a Wraith die does not occupy a Troop space on your player board. Place it on the Victory Point chart on your player board. You may only have one Wraith die on your player board at a time.

Using a Wraith Die

The Troop Type of a Wraith die is always Wild, so it can be used as a valid Troop die to complete any Battle Plan. A Wraith die cannot be added to a Battle Plan as an "extra Troop"; it must be assigned as one of the Troop dice needed to complete the Battle Plan.

In step 9 of Performing a Battle, any Wraith dice are returned to the bag as normal.

Other Factors

Magic can increase or decrease a Wraith die just as any ordinary Troop die. A Wraith die cannot be increased higher than 3 or decreased lower than 1.

A Gem can flip a Wraith die just as any ordinary Troop die, but be aware that opposites sides of a Wraith die always add up to 4: if you flip a 2, you will still have a 2.

Wraith dice are valid choices for any Champion, reserve bonus, or Chain Bonus that allows you to take a die from a Shrine.

A Wraith die, like any ordinary Troop die, is worth 1 Victory Point if it is on your player board at the end of the game.

Solo Game Rules

In a solo game, the Wraith die behaves just as it does in a multiplayer game.

Interactions with Other Modules

If a Wraith die makes it into the Shrine of the Titans, it remains Wild and is not locked into the Troop Type it was used as before being placed in the Shrine.

Where a Wraith die is used in place of a Troop die, the Ancient Spells may not increase the Wraith die higher than 3.