The Adventures of Conan
The Adventures of Conan Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Goal of the Game
- Components
- Setup
- Important Notes
- Round Overview
- Character Dice
- The Kingdoms
- How to Play
- 1. Resource Phase (Detail)
- Advance the Plot
- 2. Main Phase
- Fate Tokens
- Unlock Encounters
- Fights
- Fight Example
- Duels
- Duel Example
- Triggered Phases
- 3. Triggered Phase - Encounters
- Resolving Encounters
- Encounters Example
- 3. Triggered Phase - Adventures
- Adventures Example
- 4. End of Round Phase
- End of Game
- Glossary
- Terms
- The Kingdoms (Kingdom List)
- Optional Game Modes
- The Characters
- Round Sequence
- Icon Reference
Goal of the Game
The winner of The Adventures of Conan is the player who has the most Victory points once the endgame has been triggered. Victory points are earned in a variety of ways, by defeating Encounters, advancing the Plot, or participating in Adventures.
The end of the game is triggered when one player accomplishes one of the following:
- Reaches 42 Victory points (2 players), 38 Victory points (3 players) or 34 Victory points (4 players)
- Advances all three of their Player markers to King Conan on the Achievement track
- Reaches the last space of the Plot track
When one of the above conditions is met, players will play all phases of the current round, and the game will end when the round ends.
In case of a tie, the player further along the Plot Track wins, and if there is still a tie, players share the win.
Components
- 36 Dice
- 8 Conan Dice (4 each of 2 types)
- 8 General Foe Dice
- 4 Primary Foe Dice
- 6 General Ally Dice
- 4 Primary Ally Dice
- 6 8-Sided Kingdom Dice
- 103 Tokens (30 Gold, 8 God, 32 Fate, 30 Challenge, 3 Foe Encounter)
- 20 Player Markers (5 red, 5 blue, 5 yellow, 5 purple)
- 7 Character Tokens (Conan, The Bone Woman, Eamon the Flayed, Husbas, Ohala, Thoth-Amon, Tzilus)
- Map of Hyboria Board (with Scoring track and Action track)
- 119 Cards (24 Plot, 13 Character, 45 Adventure, 25 Encounter, 12 Events)
- Rulebook
- 4 Player Role Guides
Note: the component count for Foe Encounter tokens differs between the component list above (3) and the component illustration on the next page, which shows 8 Foe Encounter tokens and 3 Adventure tokens. Both are transcribed as printed.
The component illustration also shows the following pieces: 6 Kingdom dice, 30 Character dice, 7 Character markers, 20 Player markers, Adventure cards, Encounter cards, Event cards, Plot cards, a Plot Tracker and Skip tokens, 30 Gold tokens, 30 Challenge tokens, 32 Fate tokens, 8 Foe Encounter tokens, 3 Adventure tokens, 10 Hit markers, 8 God tokens, 4 Player Role Guides, and double-sided Character cards (Conan, The Bone Woman, Eamon the Flayed, Husbas, Ohala, Thoth-Amon, Tzilus).
Plot Tracker and Skip Tokens
The Plot Tracker is the track on which the Plot cards are placed from top to bottom. Skip tokens are placed on the Plot Tracker when a Plot card calls for a "Place 1 Skip Marker" (see Setup).
Scoring Track Gains
When you move your player marker forward on the Scoring track and land on or pass a space with a reward, you immediately gain it.
- Gain 1 gold
- Gain a local Fate token
- Roll the local kingdom die
Ohala
Ohala is a special Character with an Ally side and a Foe side. Ohala is also the only Foe who uses Ally dice. In a game with Ohala and an Ally, they would share that pool just as two Foes normally share the Foe general pool of dice.
Setup
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Place the game board in the middle of the table.
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Choose a set of Plot cards (use Test of Skill for your first game), arranging the cards in order from 1 to 5 using the plot number on the card (top right corner of the card's art). These cards are referred to as the Plot, and they are placed from top to bottom on the Plot Track.
Some Plot cards have a "Place 1 Skip Marker". These mean that a particular "chapter" of the Plot only has one step. Place a skip token on one space of the Plot Tracker.
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Place all of the Challenge tokens face down by the board and mix them up.
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Shuffle the Adventure deck and reveal the top three cards. If any are in the same Kingdom as one of the face up cards already drawn, discard it and replace it with another card showing a different Kingdom than those cards. For your first game, only use Adventures with a circle or square icons in the bottom left corner.
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Shuffle the Encounter deck and reveal the top three cards.
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Shuffle the Event deck and place it near the Plot.
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Place the Fate tokens in sorted face-up stacks next to the board to form a supply.
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Randomly choose one player to play Conan. Deal a random Foe Character card to the player to their left. In a 3-player game, deal a random Ally Character card to the third player, and in a 4-player game, deal another random Foe card to the fourth player (taking care that the second Foe does not use the same primary Foe dice as the first). Players may choose which side of the character card to start the game with face up. That is your character's ability. Effects may flip your card to its alternate ability. For your first games, we recommend you do not play with Ohala.
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Each player:
- Takes all player markers of one color;
Player count:
- 2 player game: One player is Conan and the other is a Foe.
- 3 player game: Add an Ally.
- 4 player game: Add a second Foe. Play order should be Conan, Foe, Ally, second Foe.
When playing a 4 player game, two Foes cannot play with the same primary dice pool. They must choose Foe characters that show either two black pool dice or two red pool dice.
Adventures
Each Adventure card is marked with an icon that indicates its difficulty and/or recommended player count.
- Circle: Easy, 2-players
- Square: Easy, 3-4 players
- Triangle: Difficult, 3-4 players
- Moon: Difficult, 2-4 players
- Star: Difficult, 2-players
For most games, combining 2 sets of Adventures is sufficient. You can always combine as many as you want (even all of them), for added surprises.
Page 7 of the rulebook shows an illustrated example of a completed setup, with numbered callouts 1 to 9 pointing to the board, Plot Tracker, Challenge tokens, Adventure cards, Encounter cards, Event deck, Fate tokens, Gold, and the starting Character cards. The steps above are the written setup.
Important Notes
Same Dice - Different Uses
In The Adventures of Conan each character will have a number of Dice known as their Dice Pool. This is based on the dice shown on their character card, as well as additional dice they have purchased in the Resource Phase.
A character's Dice pool represents the strength and abilities of their character, and in each phase they will utilize their dice in a different way depending on the objectives of that phase.
For example, in the Main Phase players will be using their rolled results to plan their route across Hyboria and set their schemes in motion. In the Adventure Phase players will be using their rolls to complete any challenging adventures facing Conan.
A Dice Pool remains fixed throughout the turn, and at various points throughout the turn players will Reset their Dice Pool by gathering all their dice and rerolling to create a new set of results, and a new phase and way of utilising these dice will begin.
The example on the following page shows when you will Reset your dice, and a brief summary of how they will be used in that Phase.
Each player will have 2 opportunities to gain a free die for the rest of the game each round. One is once they have at least one marker halfway through the Achievement track, and one when their marker reached chapter 3 of the Plot track. One one die for Achievement track, no matter how many of their markers make it half way. Additional dice can still be bought, but the cost for Foe dice is adjusted up for each "free die" they have (i.e., with one free die, their next purchased die is 2 gold, with two free dice, their additional dice are 3 gold each).
Dice Overview
There are 2 types of dice in The Adventures of Conan: 6-sided Character Dice and 8-sided Kingdom Dice (explained on Page 11). A dice pool is always made up from the character dice shown in your Role Guide.
- Split results: Some die faces show split-results (two symbols separated by a line). This means the die can count as either result in most circumstances. If it can't be used for one result, it must be used for the other. Example: The Foe player rolled a Sorcery/Warrior symbol on this die, which may be used as either a Sorcery symbol OR a Warrior symbol.
- Double results: Other die faces show double results (two symbols not separated by a line), e.g., Conan has a double Warrior symbol on his orange dice, which counts as 2 Warrior symbols. Conan can treat this result as if rolling two Warrior symbols, but if an effect only requires one, the second Warrior has no effect. Example: The Conan player rolled a double Warrior symbol on this die, which counts as 2 Warrior symbols when used!
- Wild: The Star result is wild, and counts as whatever result a player wishes in every circumstance.
Round Overview
Each round is played in the following phases.
Resource Phase
After drawing an Event, gaining God tokens, and choosing whether or not to spend gold to buy more dice players will Reset their dice.
Players will then try to advance the Story and complete Plot Cards by matching the symbols on the plot card with those they have rolled on their dice.
Main Phase
At the start of this turn players will Reset their dice, then use the symbols rolled to execute their moves across Hyboria, take actions, and duel their enemies.
Triggered Phases
Depending on the outcome of the Main Phase, the following phases will occur in order:
Encounter Phase
If unlocked, players Reset their dice, then Conan attempts to overcome any relevant encounters based on his location in Hyboria. If they fail, other players get the opportunity to sweep in and finish these encounters to gain the rewards.
Adventure Phase
If unlocked, Conan attempts a single adventure. Players in turn order Reset their dice and Conan must choose which results to apply to the adventure, with the Conan player going last. Players earn points based on the number of their dice used in this phase.
End of Round Phase
Players return purchased dice to the supply, then gain rewards for Adventures, and spend Fate tokens to advance on Achievements.
Character Dice
On each turn, players use their Character Dice to build their Dice Pools. Each Character has 4 dice as part of their base pool that they have at the start of every round. These 4 dice are shown at the bottom of their Character cards. Each character type also has a pool of additional dice they can buy for one round. (see Resource Phase on page 13).
Every die has a specific 'Character' result symbol that is unique to their role (shown at the top of the illustration on the right).
All other symbols are shared between the dice, but not every role has access to every symbol - so make sure you consider this when planning your actions! A diagram showing what dice are used during each phase can be found in the role guide.
Active Dice
Dice are said to be "active" when still available for the player to use in some way. The circumstances making a die active or inactive vary from phase to phase.
In the Main Phase dice are placed in an Active Dice Pool. In other phases a die is active when it has not yet been set aside or applied to a card.
The Wild symbol can be used for any results on a character's dice. It cannot be used for a Challenge token, or another player's character result.
Dice Symbols
The character dice use the following symbols:
- Character symbol: Conan, Foe, Ally (each die's unique role result)
- Kingdom
- Trade
- Move
- Thief
- Pirate
- Warrior
- Scry
- Sorcery
- Gold
- Challenge token
- Wild
Dice Sets
- 8 Conan primary and general dice
- 8 general Foe dice
- 4 primary Foe dice
- 4 primary Ally dice
- 6 general Ally dice
The Kingdoms
There are six different types of Kingdoms in the game with a corresponding kingdom die.
- Savage Kingdoms (red)
- Port Kingdoms (blue)
- Military Kingdoms (green)
- Wealthy Kingdoms (purple)
- Eldritch Kingdoms (gray)
- Treachery Kingdom (yellow)
Note: Turan is considered both Savage and a Port, and Zamora is the only Treachery Kingdom. If you roll the local kingdom die in Turan, you get to roll both dice.
The spaces on the map represent the varied kingdoms of the Hyborian age. These spaces are meant to optimize gameplay on an otherwise challenging geography. Each space depicts:
- Kingdom name
- Kingdom type
- Kingdom's unique ability
- Kingdom's attributes
Kingdom attributes correspond to the different die results, as well as Encounter effects (like the starburst symbol).
Kingdom Effects
Each Kingdom has a unique effect that can be triggered in the Main phase with a Kingdom action or by using a Kingdom Challenge token. See page 31 for Kingdom list effects.
Attributes
Every kingdom has one or more attributes which correspond to different die results. Attributes don't do anything by themselves, but they are referenced by a variety of game effects. Some attributes correspond to Achievements (Pirate, Thief, and Warrior), as a reminder that Conan and an Ally may be able to advance on those Achievements when they are in those kingdoms. Additionally, four of the northern kingdoms also have the starburst attribute, which is only used for certain Encounter cards.
How to Play
Each round of The Adventures of Conan takes place over four phases. In each phase you will Reset your dice pool by gathering the dice that are available to you and rolling them. Dice are used in different ways - like mini-games. The phases are summarized below.
1. Resource Phase
This resource phase consists of 3 parts:
- Reveal Events - An event card will be revealed, adding elements to the board which players can take advantage of, and determining the order of play this round (as well as Plot bonuses).
- Gain Resources - Each player will select a beneficial god token, and can choose to buy extra dice for the round, trading their wealth for more strength in the coming turn.
- Advance the Plot - Players will Reset their dice and try to match symbols on a Plot card to score points and gain rewards that will help them later in the round.
2. Main Phase
During the Main Phase, players will Reset their dice to determine what actions they can perform. In this phase, all players will spend their dice to move throughout the kingdoms taking actions. Players may duel each other if they meet, face dangerous challenges, and advance their achievements.
3. Triggered Phases (If Triggered Conditions Are Met)
There are two phases that can each be unlocked during the Main Phase.
- Encounter Phase - If the Encounter track was unlocked (during the Main phase) Conan will attempt any encounters matching his location. Conan will try to match the symbols on unlocked Encounters, gaining rewards if successful. If he can't complete an Encounter, the other characters will get their chance.
- Adventure Phase - Conan may attempt an Adventure if he is located in a Kingdom with a matching Adventure card. To successfully complete an Adventure, players must roll the symbols shown on the Adventure card, but Conan will decide which rolls from other players to use before making his own roll. Players will earn Victory Points for each of their dice used.
4. End of Round Phase
Players with completed Adventures can gain rewards, and players can advance on achievements when they have appropriate Fate tokens.
Additional dice purchased in the Resource Phase return to their supply and check if any game end conditions have been met.
Page 12 shows an axe symbol with the caption: where the axe symbol appears, Conan goes first.
1. Resource Phase (Detail)
In this phase, each player will gain resources that will help them prepare for the round and the upcoming challenges. The Resource Phase consists of three parts:
- A. Reveal Event
- B. Gain Resources
- C. Advance The Plot
Reveal Event
Draw and reveal the top card of the Event deck. Resolve the event card by following these steps:
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Kingdoms gain Challenge tokens: Add a random face-down Challenge token to each Kingdom listed next to the skull. A Challenge token is not added to a Kingdom that already has a face-down Challenge token or a Character token.
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Kingdoms gain Fate tokens: Add a Fate token to the indicated Kingdoms, even if a Kingdom contains tokens of any type. If Conan or a Foe is there, they immediately gain the token.
Note: Allies do not gain Fate tokens this way.
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Turn order is set: Green arrows indicate clockwise play, starting with the player to Conan's left. Red arrows indicate counter-clockwise play, starting with the player to Conan's right. As long as this card is face up on top of the Event discard pile, this direction of play is followed.
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Extra Plot Bonuses are defined: Each Event card shows the bonus a player will gain for rolling the Bonus result(s) shown on the Plot card they are attempting to advance on (see below).
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Determine First Player: The player to the right or left of Conan is first, depending on the direction of play (determined by the Event). That player will go first for all phases, except Encounters.
The order of the event steps is shown on the Event card example: 1. Kingdoms gain challenge tokens; 2. Kingdoms gain Fate tokens; 3. Turn order is set; 4. Extra plot bonuses.
Gain Resources
In Turn Order players will gain a blessing of the gods, and use their gold to buy new dice.
Starting with the player who has the lowest number of Victory Points and continuing in the order of Victory Points from lowest to highest, each player chooses one of the God tokens from the supply to gain if any are still available.
God Tokens remain with players until used. A player can only hold three God tokens at any time. If they have three, they may not gain any additional God tokens by any means.
After each player has gained a God Token and purchased additional dice, add a Gold Token to any God Token not chosen. The Gold is collected when a player chooses that God token in a subsequent round.
God tokens can provide assistance during a round, the table below describes when you can use each God ability. Once used, a God Token returns to the God Token supply.
Each game of The Adventures of Conan uses a series of Plot cards, that are set up on the Plot track, representing an epic test of the characters. Players advance through the plot, completing each Plot Card step, as shown on the plot tracker opposite. Each game consists of progressing through a series of five Plot Cards.
Each player in turn order may spend Gold to buy additional dice to add to their Dice Pool. The additional dice are returned to the supply at the end of the round. Conan can buy both primary and general dice.
Players can only buy dice matching their role. For example Conan can only buy Conan dice. The cost for dice varies for each Character type:
- Conan dice cost 3 Gold each. There are two types of Conan dice, and that player may choose either type for each die bought.
- Ally dice cost 2 Gold each.
- The first Foe die costs 1 Gold. The second costs 2 Gold. After that, each additional die costs 3 Gold.
- In a game with 2 Foes, the first Foe in turn order can only gain or buy a total of 2 additional dice. The other Foe is eligible to gain or buy all remaining dice.
Any dice that a player unlocks for free (Achievement track or Plot track) count as dice purchased at no cost that round. Therefore, a Foe with 1 free die must pay 2 Gold for another die.
Timing rule: Whenever two things should happen at the same time, or there's a tie for who should do something first, go in player order based on the direction of play, starting from the player on the left or right of Conan.
God Token Abilities
The source shows the Bel result as an icon (a figure with a bag), which is not reproduced as text here.
- Asura: At any time on your turn - Cycle 1 face up card.
- Bel: At any time on your turn - Change one of your results to [icon as printed on the card].
- Ibis: At any time on your turn - Flip your Character card over. You can do this even if you have already used your Character's ability during the round. The new ability is immediately available for use.
- Ishtar: At any time on your turn - Reroll one of your dice. For example, if a Foe did not roll a required result for an Adventure, they could use Ishtar immediately to reroll a die. They could also wait to use Ishtar when it is time to check if unselected dice can be used to complete an Adventure to reroll an unselected die.
- Mitra: Immediately after rolling your dice - Reroll ALL dice you just rolled.
- Set: At any time on your turn - Change one of your dice to any symbol. The new result can be any symbol, even one that is on that die.
- Ymir: At any time - Count a Character result as a Warrior symbol. This can only be applied to your dice.
- Zath: After scoring an Adventure - Double the points scored for your dice for an Adventure. The points doubled are only for dice used on the Adventure. It does not double any other points you might have scored at that time.
Advance the Plot
Plot Cards
Each plot consists of five Plot Cards with the same name, with their Chapter Number (top right of card) showing the order in which they are attempting.
Note: Experienced players can mix the Plot Cards up for a new experience. To do this select 5 random Plot Cards, with one for each stage as shown by the number in the top right and use these to form a unique plot.
A Plot Card has the following parts:
- Chapter number and victory points
- Required results
- Bonus results
- Rewards, which are different for each character.
To advance through the plot, players will in turn attempt to match the symbols on the Plot Step they are trying to move to, rolling their dice in up to 3 attempts.
Advancing on the Plot Track
All players Reset their Dice.
Then, starting with the first player, each tries to match the symbols on the card next to the space they are trying to move their marker to. Players have up to three rolls of their dice. If they succeed, they advance their marker on the plot track, which nets them Victory points as well as other rewards and bonuses.
In addition to matching the required symbols depicted on the current Event Card, plots have bonus symbols that if matched allow players to gain extra rewards listed on the bottom of the current Event card.
Each time you roll for the Plot, you must roll all available dice (those not assigned to successes, or Character results).
Page 15 example: Advancing on this plot a player would need to get a Move and a Warrior result to proceed on the Plot track. If they also get a Thief icon, they gain the bonus rewards shown on the current Event card too!
Continuing the rules on the Plot:
- The player may take any dice they rolled that match the Plot Card required results and set these aside. During this step the player may modify any dice if they are able to (for example with God or Fate tokens).
- If they have all of the required symbols, the player may advance one space on the Plot.
- If they did not advance with one roll, the player moves any dice displaying Character Symbols to their Inactive Dice Pool, these count as failed results in this phase. If there are 3 or more Character symbols in the Inactive Dice Pool the player has failed to advance the plot, and the next player may begin their attempt. You cannot use Fate tokens at this point, but God tokens are still potentially usable.
- If making a second or third roll, the player rerolls all dice that are not successful results or Character results. When a player rolls a "split result" that contains a Character, they must either use the non-Character result if applicable. Otherwise that die counts as a Character and is set aside as a failed result.
- Reroll all dice in your Active Pool, and repeat the above steps up to two more times. If after rolling the dice two more times you cannot complete the plot, the next player begins their attempt.
Gain Rewards
When a player rolls successfully to Advance on the Plot track, follow these steps:
- Gain Chapter Victory Points equal to the Chapter Number on the Plot Card you are now adjacent to.
- Move the Player Marker forward one spot.
- Gain Plot rewards listed for your character.
- If a player also matched the bonus rewards they gain the rewards shown on the Event Card revealed this round.
- Remember, a player can successfully advance on the Plot track without rolling the optional "bonus" results. However, if you push your luck to try for the bonus too, and end up rolling 3 or more characters, you fail the Plot roll completely.
Note: These rewards can only be gained during the Plot Phase (it is possible to advance on the plot track during the Main phase, but no rewards can be gained then - only points equal to the chapter number).
When all players have attempted to advance on the Plot Track the phase ends, and play progresses to the Main Phase.
Unless a Plot card has a Skip token adjacent to it, you will be rolling to advance on each card twice during the game.
Resetting Dice
Throughout the game you will be instructed to Reset Dice. This represents moving to a new phase in the game, and that the dice will now be used in a new way.
To Reset your dice pick up all your dice, excluding any dice you are told not to (for example Encounter dice). Reroll all the dice when appropriate and place them into your Active Dice Pool ready to be used this phase, or assign them to an active Encounter or Adventures.
Character results are BAD in the Plot roll, GOOD in the Main phase, and UNUSABLE in the other phases.
Using Wilds to Advance the Plot
For example, if the required results are a Warrior and a Move.
- You roll a Wild on your first roll, you set it aside as a successful result without having to specify which result it is.
- If you roll a Warrior on your second roll, you may assign the Wild as the Move result you needed.
- Or you could subsequently reassign the Wild after your second roll to a Bonus result if you managed to roll a Move.
2. Main Phase
During the Main Phase, players will roll their dice to determine what actions they can perform. They will move throughout the map, fighting challenges - or each other, visiting locations where they can advance their achievement tracks, or set up for Encounters and Adventures.
In this phase players will Reset their Dice Pool, then perform actions in turn order (as determined by the current Event Card), based on the dice results they have rolled. After resetting their pool, and starting with the first player, each player will choose one of the following options:
- Perform an Action: The player moves an Active Die to their Spent Dice Pool, and performs the action relating to the symbol shown on the face of the selected die (see Perform an Action below). The player may also choose in this phase to spend 1 gold to roll the Kingdom die of a kingdom matching their character's location. Each action costs one die (except some Move actions) which cost 2 dice at the same time.
- Unlock Encounters: The player moves a die from their Active Dice pool to a matching Encounter Unlock square to unlock Encounters (see Unlock Encounters on page 19).
- Advance on the Plot Track (Multiple Dice): The player selects a number of Active Dice with their Character Symbol (and/or Wild Symbols) equal to the Chapter number of the next spot on the Plot Track. Move these dice to the Spent Pool. The player then moves their player marker to the next space on the Plot Track, scoring Victory points equal to the chapter number they move to, but no other rewards.
- Pass: The player takes no action, and the next player proceeds. If a player has any Active Dice they must move a die to their Spent Pool in order to perform this action.
After selecting and performing their action, play proceeds with the next player in turn order. Play continues until all players have spent all of their Dice. A player with no dice to spend must pass.
Page 16 example: The Conan player wants to perform the Thievery action. They move a die with the Thief symbol from their Active Pool to their spent pool, taking 1 gold from the bank!
Page 16 hint: In this phase Conan and an Ally will want to position Conan somewhere in a kingdom where they can attempt an Adventure, although sometimes the Ally may want to hinder Conan if the adventure is not mutually beneficial. Foes will try to stop Conan or cause trouble for him with Challenge tokens or by unlocking Encounters.
Perform an Action
When a player Performs an Action they move one or more dice from their Active Dice Pool to their Spent Dice Pool; they may then perform the action shown on the face of the moved die. These actions are explained below (and are detailed on the Player guide).
During this phase before and/or after spending a die, a player may pay 1 Gold to roll the Kingdom Die (see Free Action: Roll the Kingdom die below).
Example: the Ally rolls a Wild. When they spend this die, they choose to spend the die to take a Thief action. Because they are in Khauran, they then pay 1 gold to roll the Wealthy die hoping for a reward using the gold they just received from the Thief action.
During this phase players might encounter Challenges they need to Fight, or other players who they can Duel. The rules for these are found on page 22.
Character Symbol
When spending a Character Symbol, the player may Advance on the Plot Track, as detailed page 17, or take the Deploy Dice action.
Kingdom Symbol
Deploy Die: The die is used for one of the following actions (detailed on pages 17 and 18):
- Conan: Kingdom, Move, Sail, Thievery, Trade, Warrior Pool
- Ally: Kingdom, Move, Sail, Scry, Thievery, Trade, Warrior Pool
- Foe: Kingdom, Move, Sail, Sorcery, Thievery, Trade, Warrior Pool
Select one of the actions below:
- Activate the Kingdom effect of the Kingdom occupied by your Character (or by Conan, if you are playing an Ally Character). See Kingdom effects on page 29.
- Tribute to the Gods: Pay 1 Gold to take 1 God token from the supply. If a God token is chosen, any Gold on the token is also claimed. However, a player must still pay 1 Gold to perform that Kingdom action.
Page 17 example: the highlighted kingdoms show the kingdoms that are adjacent to Aquilonia and can be moved to from there.
Move Symbol
The Move symbol allows you to:
- Move Character Token
- Move Challenge Token (Ally and Foe only)
- Move Fate Token (Conan Only)
Note: Moving Character or Challenge Tokens can trigger Fights and Duels (see Fights and Duels below).
Moving Character Tokens - Players may move their Character token on the map to an adjacent Kingdom. Adjacent kingdoms are any kingdoms that share a border. An Ally may move Conan, with or without the Conan player's permission.
- Whenever an Ally moves Conan into a Kingdom with an Adventure, that Ally gains a Local Fate token (a Fate token matching any attribute of the Kingdom).
- Whenever an Ally moves Conan out of a Kingdom with an Adventure, Conan gains a Local Fate token for the Kingdom he moves into.
- Whenever a player moves their character into a kingdom with face up Fate tokens, that player gains the tokens. For example, if Janissa moves Conan into Aquilonia where a Warrior Fate token is, Janissa collects the Fate token. If Conan had moved them in, Conan would have collected it.
- When a player moves Conan into a kingdom with one or more face down Challenge tokens, that player must reveal and respond to the tokens. Foes may choose whether to reveal a face down Challenge token when they move into a kingdom with one.
Moving Challenge Tokens (Ally or Foe) - Instead of moving a Character, an Ally or Foe may use a Movement action to move a face-down Challenge token to an adjacent Kingdom without a face down token (even to a Kingdom containing a Character token). A Challenge token moved into a Kingdom with any Character token is automatically revealed.
Move Fate Tokens (Conan Only) - Instead of moving a Character, Conan may use a Movement action to move a Fate token to an adjacent Kingdom. If the token moves into a Kingdom with a Character Token, that Character gains the token. When a Fate token is moved into a kingdom with Conan, Conan gains it - not the Ally, and the character there is affected by it.
Eastern Desert and Hyperborea: When a player wishes to move a character out of these Kingdoms they need to spend 2 Movement dice in one go indicated by the Red Feet on the kingdom Hyperborea (any combination of Move, Character, Wild).
Pirate Symbol
Select one of the actions below:
- Sail: Move from one Kingdom with the Pirate attribute to any other Kingdom with the Pirate attribute.
- Advance on Pirate track (Conan or Ally only): Advance 1 space on the Pirate Achievement track if Conan is currently in a Kingdom with the Pirate attribute. Character dice cannot be used in this way.
Scry Symbol
Peek at any Challenge token (on the board or held by a player), or peek at the top card of any deck. After peeking, optionally pay 1 Gold to perform a Movement action. This is a normal Movement action and can be used in any way that Character executes a Movement action.
Sorcery Symbol
Select one of the actions below:
- Draw a Challenge token from the supply keeping it secret. Then place a Challenge token you own face down into any Kingdom that contains neither a face-down Challenge token nor a Character token.
- Cycle 1 Encounter card: discard any face up Encounter card, and draw 2 from the top of the deck. Place one in play face up, and discard the other one.
Trade Symbol
- Trade a Fate Token you hold for any Fate Token from the Fate supply.
- Cycle an Adventure card: discard any face up Adventure card, then draw 2 from the top of the deck. Place one in play face up, and discard the other one. Only Conan can choose this action.
Thief Symbol
Select one of the actions below:
- Thievery: Gain 1 Gold from the bank.
- Advance on Thief track (Conan or Ally only): Advance 1 space on the Thief Achievement track if Conan is currently in a Kingdom with the Thief attribute. Character dice cannot be used in this way.
Warrior Symbol
Select one of the actions below:
- Form a Warrior Pool: If your character is in a Duel or Fight, they form a pool of dice using Warrior results (as well as Wilds and Deployed Character results).
- Advance on Warrior track (Conan or Ally only): Advance 1 space on the Warrior Achievement track if Conan is currently in a Kingdom with the Warrior attribute. Character dice cannot be used in this way.
Note: A player may form a Warrior pool to fight a Temple of Set.
Free Action - Roll Kingdom Die
Before and/or after spending a die in the main phase a player may pay 1 Gold to roll their local Kingdom die. They gain tokens of the type they rolled (1 Fate, 2 Gold or 1 Challenge). If they roll a blank, they get nothing.
During one round, a player may not perform this free action multiple times in the same Kingdom, unless they move out and back into this Kingdom during that round.
Example: Conan is in Zamora. Before spending a die, Conan pays 1 Gold to roll the yellow Kingdom die, gaining a Fate token. Conan then spends a die for a Movement action, moving to Turan. Conan pays 1 more Gold to roll both the red and blue Kingdom dice.
Fate Tokens
Fate tokens can mitigate bad rolls, or allow more flexibility for players on their turns. They are earned in a variety of ways, and are used primarily to change one of your die results to the result you really wanted.
They can be critical to advancing your marker on the Plot track (and gaining the bonuses), providing players with a better mix of actions in the Main phase, overcome Encounters, and complete Adventures. If Conan has Fate tokens matching some or all of the symbols needed to complete an Adventure, he can assure he will score maximum points without having to use other players' dice.
Pirate, Thief, and Warrior Fate tokens can be used by any player in the End of Round phase to advance on those Achievements (provided their character is in a corresponding kingdom).
Important Things to Consider
- You can change a missed roll in the Plot phase if you haven't already rolled 3+ character results. Even if you change a character to a symbol you don't need, it still means you can now re-roll that die.
- There is no limit to the number of Fate tokens you can hold, but there are only 4 of each type, so you can't get more if a type runs out, even if it's a specific reward. Spend them, and then claim them again!
- Fate tokens can change a die to a result that die doesn't normally have. Conan can use a Sorcery Fate token to change a die in the Main phase and do a Sorcery action himself.
- You can use Fate tokens any time you have agency over your dice. If Conan doesn't complete an Adventure with his roll, and players need to check in player order if unchosen dice can be applied to an Adventure, you can use a Fate token then to change your die, and have it added to completing the Adventure. That may mean YOU completed it, gaining the card!
Unlock Encounters
Encounters represent many of the bigger threats Conan will meet on his adventures. This will only happen if Encounters have been unlocked, triggering the optional "Encounter Phase" (see page 25).
Note: Players should only attempt to unlock Encounters if they know or suspect that Conan will end the main phase in a kingdom that corresponds to one or more Encounters. Each Encounter has a kingdom type or attribute in its top right corner. Check to see if any Adventures Conan can get to will match those Encounters.
The number of players in the game governs how many dice are required to unlock Encounters during the main Phase.
| Dice needed | Number of players |
|---|---|
| 2 | 2-player game |
| 3 | 3-player game |
| 4 | 4-player game |
When a player selects the Unlock Encounters option in the Main Phase, that player selects a die in their Active Dice Pool that matches a symbol on one of the four slots of the Encounter Track. This spot cannot already have a die on it. If there are no eligible slots this action may not be taken.
Note: if there are multiple dice of the same color from different Foes on the Encounter tracker, place a Foe Encounter marker on the spent die to show the character who spent this die.
There are four Encounter Unlock spaces. If the required number of Encounter Unlock spaces have dice on them at the end of the main phase, then Encounters are unlocked and Conan will have to face any Encounter cards that correspond to his current location.
It takes one die per player in the game to unlock Encounters, but in a 2-3 player game, all 4 spaces can be filled with dice.
After the die has been placed, play continues.
Page 19 example: It looks like Conan will face some encounters this turn, and his Foe has got the jump on him, already unlocking two encounter slots! The Conan player wants to get a die secured for the Encounter Phase so opts to take the Unlock Encounters action in their turn. Conan does have a Warrior symbol in his Active Dice pool, so places that one on the top space of the Encounter track. With two Foe dice on the Encounter track, Conan will be handicapped by two dice, but does have one automatic success with his orange Warrior.
Hint: The more dice a character has used to unlock Encounters the more likely they are to reap rewards in the Encounter Phase. Letting your opponent have full control of this track could let them get a lot of rewards later in the turn! Character results cannot be placed on the Encounter track, but a split result can use a non-character symbol.
Fights
A fight represents a character fighting one of the many monsters or enemies in the land indicated by a Challenge token.
A Fight is triggered immediately when a Fight Challenge token is revealed in a Kingdom occupied by any Character token. A player will try to overcome this challenge by creating a Warrior Pool to try and overcome the challenge. Also, the targeted player can choose not to fight and just take the Wound.
Whenever Conan or the Foe enter a kingdom with a revealed Fight Challenge Token, or a Fight Challenge Token is moved into their kingdom, they perform a Fight. If this is caused by the Ally performing the move, or the move is the result of an ally losing a duel, instead the Ally faces the Fight Challenge Token.
When a fight occurs follow these steps:
- The player creates their Fight Pool
- Resolve the Fight
- Return eligible Dice to the Active Pool
Create the Warrior Pool
The player creates their Warrior Pool by selecting a number of dice from their Active Pool in order to resolve the Fight. The player can select any number of dice with the following symbols showing to create their Warrior Pool:
- Warrior
- Character
- Wild
Resolve the Fight
To resolve the Fight, the player rolls all the dice in their Warrior Pool to try and score a number of hits as shown on the Challenge token.
Example: A player would need to score 3 hits to win this fight. A mighty challenge indeed!
Each Warrior or Wild symbol rolled counts as a hit towards winning the Fight. Dice showing other results are spent and moved to the spent dice pile. Take a hit token and place it next to the challenge token for each hit the player has scored. Fate tokens and God tokens may be used normally during this phase.
If the number of hit tokens matches or exceeds the number of hits required the player has successfully won the fight and gains the number of Victory Points shown.
If the fight is not yet successful, the player may reroll their Warrior pool (consisting of previous successes), scoring hits and removing dice until they are successful, or run out of dice in their Fight Pool.
| Result | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Victory | Gain Victory Points equal to the value shown on the challenge token. Any Warrior and Wild from your last roll return to your Active Pool |
| Failure | Suffer 1 Wound. (See Wounds on page XY.) |
Source note: the rulebook's cross-reference reads "page XY" as printed; it is transcribed as printed.
After the result of the fight is determined, proceed to the next step.
Return Eligible Dice
After the fight all dice from the Warrior pool still showing a Warrior or Wild result are returned to the players Active Dice Pool.
Once any eligible dice are returned, the Fight is complete. Set the Challenge token face up to the side of the supply and play continues.
Fighting a Temple of Set
Temples of Set are evil places of dark magic. Conan or the Ally may try to destroy these when encountered. If the player chooses to fight a Temple of Set follow the fight rules above. It takes 2 successes to win a Fight against a Temple of Set token and remove it from the board. There is no penalty for losing. See Temple of Set, page 33.
Wound
Set aside a die for the rest of the round. Choose an Active die if possible.
Fight Example
- Conan moves into Cimmeria where a challenge token has been placed. Revealing one of the hardest fight tokens in the game, Conan requires 4 hits to defeat this challenge, or suffers a wound. If he manages to win the fight, he'll score big, earning 4 victory points!
- Conan has four dice remaining in his active pool. From these he chooses to take 3 dice showing warrior, warrior, and wild to create his Warrior Pool, leaving his Pirate die remaining as this cannot be chosen to form the Warrior Pool.
- Conan rolls all the dice in his Warrior Pool, scoring two hits with a warrior and a wild symbol. The Move and Thief results miss, and these dice are moved to his spent pile.
- Conan adds 2 Hit Markers next to the challenge token recording the 2 hits scored.
- Conan now has two hits against the challenge token and must reroll his remaining two dice to try to generate the additional 2 hits needed.
- Success! Conan has rolled warrior and wild, which means they have achieved the two more hits needed. Conan earns 4 victory points and his remaining successful dice are returned back to his Active Dice Pool - they can be used in another way in this turn.
Duels
A Duel occurs whenever a Character token moves into the same Kingdom as another Character token (even Foe vs Foe) during the Main phase. An Ally can start a Duel with a Foe by moving Conan's Character token into a Kingdom with a Foe, however the Ally can never be the target of Duel when the Foe enters Conan's kingdom - Conan always steps in to protect them! Conan and the Ally cannot Duel.
When a Duel occurs follow these steps:
Example: The Janissa player moves the Conan Character Marker from Border Kingdom to Brythunia where Thoth-Amon lies in wait. As the ally moved the marker, they initiate the Duel as the attacker, not Conan.
-
The player whose action initiated the Duel gains a Local Fate token (a Fate token matching any attribute of the Kingdom where the Duel takes place).
-
The active player (the player whose action resulted in the Duel) becomes the attacker and creates, then reveals, their Warrior Pool.
Note: If neither player in the Duel took the action resulting in the Duel, the player whose Character Token moved is the Attacker.
-
The remaining involved player becomes the defender and creates their Warrior Pool.
-
Resolve the Duel
-
Determine Rewards
Create the Warrior Pool
The attacking player creates their Warrior Pool by selecting a number of dice from their Active Pool in order to resolve the Duel. The player can select any number of dice showing the following symbols to create their Warrior Pool:
- Warrior
- Character
- Wild
After the attacker has created and revealed their Warrior Pool, the defending player then creates and reveals their Warrior Pool. These dice are all gathered as a Warrior Pool, to be used in this Duel.
Resolve the Duel
Both players involved in a Duel roll their Warrior Pools simultaneously, counting Warrior or Wild results as hits, any dice not resulting in a hit are moved to that players Spent Dice Pile. For each hit take a Hit marker and place it where all players can see it. Fate tokens and God tokens may be used normally during a Duel.
Players then reroll their Warrior Pool (now consisting of previously successful hits), scoring hits and setting aside dice until they win the Duel or have Spent all of their dice.
Whoever has rolled more hits, wins the Duel, gaining the rewards, whilst the vanquished enemy suffers a Wound. A player may keep rolling if able, even after winning the Duel. If a player continues to roll, they must roll all dice remaining in their Warrior Pool.
Settling Ties
Ties are settled as follows:
- Conan wins ties against the Foe
- Allies win ties against the Foe
Two Foes that tie neither win nor lose and both stay in that Kingdom (if on a later turn, Conan moves into this Kingdom, he, or the Ally if they moved the character token, Duels with both Foes in turn order).
Determine Rewards
Rewards and penalties are distributed as per the table below. A character token moving can result in further Fights or Duels! After rewards are determined, play continues.
| Side | Rewards/Penalties |
|---|---|
| Winner | - Gain 1 Victory point for the difference between both players' hits - Move the opposing Character token to any adjacent Kingdom - Gain any face-up Challenge tokens on the opposing player's Character card - Any Warrior and Wild from your last roll return to your Active Pool |
| Loser | - Suffer 1 Wound. (See Wounds on page 34.) |
Duel Example
- A player controlling the ally Nestor the Gunderman moves Conan into a kingdom containing Thoth-Amon. The Duel will take place between Nestor and Thoth-Amon.
- Nestor will gain a local Fate token.
- Nestor, the attacker, creates his Warrior Pool selecting 3 dice from his Active Dice Pool that show Warrior, Warrior, and Character. After seeing this, Thoth-Amon, the defender, creates his Warrior Pool - but he only has two eligible dice so starts with a smaller pool!
- Nestor's first roll gives him 2 Warrior results, gaining 2 hit markers. Thoth-Amon rolls 1 Warrior, gaining 1 hit marker. Both players move their misses to their Spent Dice pile, and place hit markers for each success next to their Character Cards. They pick up the remaining dice in their Warrior Pools and roll again.
- In the second roll, Nestor gets 1 Warrior, and adds another hit marker to his pile. He places the die showing a Move result in his spent pile. Thoth-Amon rolls a Move, a miss! He moves this die to his spent pool. His Warrior Pool is now empty and he has scored only a single hit.
- Nestor has won the Duel, having 3 hits to Thoth-Amon's single hit. Nestor can keep rerolling his remaining Warrior Pool until he fails to score a hit or spends all of those dice, or return the Warrior Pool to his Active dice for the Main phase.
- On Nestor's next roll he rolls a Scry and the die is moved to his Spent Dice Pool leaving him on a final total of 3 hits.
- With Nestor scoring 3 hits to Thoth-Amons 1, the difference between the two players is 2 hits. The ally earns 2 Victory points, and moves Thoth-Amon to an adjacent Kingdom.
- Thoth-Amon has an Extra Action Challenge token on their Character card, which Nestor now gains, and he suffers a wound - setting aside a die for the reminder of the round.
Triggered Phases
Depending on the location of the Conan Character Token at the end of the Main Phase there are two possible Triggered Phases that may occur. These represent the Encounters and Adventures Conan can face on his journeys.
These Phases occur in the following order, if the conditions are met:
| Phase | Conditions |
|---|---|
| Encounter Phase | 1) Encounters are unlocked via the Encounter Track (see Unlock Encounters, Page 25) 2) There are one or more Encounter cards matching the Conan Character token's location. |
| Adventure Phase | 1) There is an Adventure card matching the Conan Character token's location. |
These phases may not always occur, but if the conditions are met then they will occur. They are not optional.
If the Adventure Phase is not triggered, then all Foes immediately advance one space on the Plot Track earning Victory Points equal to the Chapter progressed to, but gaining no other rewards.
Page 24 example: Here Conan has ended the Main phase in Ophir. Since Encounters were unlocked in the Main phase, he must face Revenants and the Death on the Wing, since they match Ophir's attributes (wealthy and Scry). Conan will also trigger the Adventure "Storyteller" takes place in Ophir.
3. Triggered Phase - Encounters
The encounter phase pits Conan against the many adversaries throughout the land. In this phase, players will use their dice to try to match the symbols on unlocked Encounters. Conan will have the first opportunity to do so, but if he can't complete an Encounter, the other characters will get their chance.
If Encounters have been unlocked, check to see which Encounters can be applied to Conan's current location. The top right corner of each Encounter shows either a kingdom type (e.g., Eldritch, Military, etc.) or an attribute (e.g., Pirate, Sorcery, etc.). Conan must face each applicable Encounter from left to right. If Encounters were not unlocked, or none match Conan's current location, this phase is skipped entirely.
Some Encounters trigger no matter where Conan is located. For example the Giant Spider says "Any Kingdom" and must be faced no matter where Conan is located. Other Encounters will only trigger if the location criteria is met.
If more than one Encounter matches his location, Conan must face each of these Encounters from left to right.
An Encounter card is laid out as follows:
- Kingdom type or attribute
- Required rolls to succeed
- Highlighted results are still required (add difficulty to Con)
- Penalty if encounter failed, See Note below
- Reward
Penalties
- Suffer a wound.
- Lose 1 fate token of your choice, if able.
Note: Many Encounters feature specific results Conan must roll with his primary dice. This restriction only applies to Conan, so other Characters can use any of their available dice to roll those same results, this is shown by the orange colored symbols on the encounter card.
Page 25 example: Conan is in Zingara - a kingdom with the Pirate attribute, and Encounters were unlocked in the Main Phase. The above cards are the 3 revealed Encounter Cards. Moving from left-to-right Conan would have to:
- Encounter Giant Spider as this resolves in any location
- Not Encounter - Moon Demons as this only triggers in an Eldritch kingdom
- Encounter Gray Ape as he is in a kingdom with the Pirate attribute
Encounter Dice
The dice used to unlock the Encounters in the Main Phase affect how the Encounter unfolds.
For each Foe Die on the Encounter Track, Conan and an Ally must each set aside one of their dice before rolling to try to defeat each Encounter. They may set aside a die from their pool, or from the Encounter Track. This die may be different in each encounter, but if they have set aside dice that were on the Encounter Track, they are not placed back on the Encounter Track after the Encounter.
Each die a Character has on the Encounter Track counts as an automatic success for that Character toward completing the Encounter if the Symbol matches a required result for that Encounter. Players may choose to roll dice they have on the Encounter track, but they do not return there afterwards.
A wild on a space with two symbols can count as either, but not both.
Note: the Double Warrior on Giant Spider requires Conan to use a Double Warrior, but other characters simply need two Warriors.
Assigning Automatic Successes from the Encounter Track
When assigning automatic successes from the Encounter Track you apply one of the symbols shown on the die face, not necessarily the symbol(s) it covers on the Encounter track. This means that choosing which dice to place on the Encounter Track in the Main Phase can be very important. By using a Move symbol to take control of the Move/Warrior spot in the Encounter Phase, this means that die will not provide an automatic Warrior success for that player. But a Foe might want to place a Move there to block Conan from putting a Warrior there.
A Wild on a space with multiple symbols can be used for either symbol as an automatic success, though not both.
Resolving Encounters
To resolve an encounter follow the below steps, starting with Conan and proceeding in player order. This continues until either the Encounter is defeated, or until each player has attempted the encounter.
- Reset Dice: The player attempting the Encounter first Resets their Dice Pool, rolling available dice. They may use dice on the Encounter track, but if they do, those dice no longer count as automatic successes if applicable, nor return there.
- Match Symbols: Apply all matching results shown on the dice (and still on the Encounter track belonging to that player) to the symbols needed on the Encounter card. Fate and/or God tokens can be used to manipulate results. Players must apply all rolled results, even if they cannot defeat the Encounter.
- Determine Success: If all symbols are matched, including any automatic successes from Encounter Track, then the Encounter is defeated. If not, the player moves all dice not successfully applied to their Spent Dice Pool. Return to Step 1 with the next player in turn order.
- Gain Rewards: Determine any rewards, see below.
Each player only has one chance to defeat each Encounter. If no-one is successful, no rewards or penalties are applied and the Encounter card is discarded.
If Conan is facing more than one Encounter, then dice will be Reset as explained above. Note that if a Foe removes any dice from the Encounter track to roll for the Encounter, the number of dice Conan and an Ally must set aside before their next roll is reduced. The limitation is applied for each Encounter based on the number of Foe dice still on the Encounter track.
Whenever a player with dice on the Encounter track must make a roll, they will have an automatic success for any symbols on the Encounter track that their dice cover. For example, if Conan needs to roll a Thief, and has one of his Thief results covering the last symbol (Pirate/Thief), then he doesn't need to roll that symbol for the Encounter.
At the end of the Encounter phase, replenish the Encounter cards so that there are three face up.
Gain Rewards
When any player defeats an Encounter they gain the reward listed on the top-left of the card.
If a player completes an Encounter, each player who failed to complete it before them suffers the penalties on that Encounter card.
After Rewards are gained and Penalties are inflicted, discard the Encounter, move all applied dice to their players Spent Dice Pool, and Play proceeds to the next encounter, until all encounters are resolved.
Once all encounters are resolved, players move to the Adventure Phase (if Triggered) or the End Phase.
Encounters Example
- Conan faces one Encounter, which requires 2 Warrior and 1 Thief to defeat. In a three-player game, each player has contributed one die to unlock Encounters. Conan and the Ally must each set aside one die before rolling (because 1 Foe die was used to unlock Encounters).
- Conan rolls first. He has a Warrior already on an Encounter Unlock space, so that result automatically counts as a success. After rolling, he only gets one more successful result, another Warrior. The one rolled Warrior result is applied towards completing the Encounter for the other players. Conan had one primary die success from his die on the Encounter track, and another success from the primary die he rolled. However, he didn't get the needed Thief result, so he could not complete the Encounter. His rolled Warrior is now applied to the Encounter for any players rolling after him.
- The next player in turn order is the Ally. She decided to set aside the die she placed on an Encounter Unlock space, (a Move symbol), because it is not a requirement for defeating this Encounter. The Ally rolls and gets only one success: a Thief. This is also applied to the Encounter.
- Note that Conan's automatic success from his Warrior result on the Encounter Unlock track was not carried over for the Ally or the Foe.
- Now the Foe must roll. The Foe's die on Encounter Unlock (a Move symbol) is also not applicable. However, both Conan and the Ally have rolled a success (the Warrior and the Thief), which means the Foe only needs to roll one Warrior. The Foe makes their roll and gets a Wild, which can be used to complete that Encounter.
- Success! The Foe gains the reward of 1 Victory point and 2 Gold, and both Conan and the Ally are Wounded (each setting aside one die of their choice until the end of the round), and must also each lose a Fate token of their choice and 1 Gold.
3. Triggered Phase - Adventures
In this phase, Conan will attempt an Adventure if he is located in a Kingdom with a matching revealed Adventure card. If he doesn't attempt an Adventure, all Foes advance on the Plot track (for points).
In this phase, all players will roll their Dice Pools and Conan will decide which rolls from other players to use before making his own roll. Any dice used will give points to their owners, but ultimately will help Conan complete the adventure and gain its rewards. Other players may get a chance to complete it.
Resolving Adventures
- Select the Adventure: The Conan player selects an eligible Adventure to attempt. They may only attempt one Adventure per round.
- Roll Dice: The first player to the left or right of Conan (based on the direction of play determined by the current Event card) Resets their dice (adding any of their dice from Encounter Unlock spaces to their available dice), and then rolls their Active Pool.
- Conan chooses any or all of the successful results that can be used to complete the Adventure (including choosing none). Chosen dice are applied to the Adventure. If Conan chooses a Wild, he must specify which symbol it is being used for when choosing the die. The next player in turn order rolls all of their dice as described above, and again the Conan player chooses any dice they wish to apply to the Adventure. Before Conan chooses dice, a player may use Fate tokens or God tokens as applicable to alter their results.
- This continues until it is Conan's turn to roll (or the Adventure has enough successes to be complete).
Note: Conan may choose to complete the Adventure only using dice from other players.
If the Adventure has not been successfully completed, then carry out the following:
- In turn order, each player applies all of their unchosen dice that can still be applied to the Adventure. A player may use Fate tokens and God tokens as applicable to alter their results. God tokens that allow re-rolls cannot be applied at this time.
- Any player who is able to apply the final required result completes the Adventure.
- If no one can complete the Adventure after everyone has checked their dice, each player will roll all unchosen dice again in the same manner as described above, starting with the first player in turn order.
- Conan will check each player's results and choose which dice to apply, if any, until Conan is either able to complete the Adventure using his and/or other players' dice, or is unable to complete the Adventure.
- If after two complete attempts by all players, no one can complete the Adventure, it is discarded and no player gains any rewards or Victory points.
Adventure Cards
An Adventure card shows the following:
- Kingdom adventure takes place in.
- Required rolls to succeed.
- Rewards for that Adventure.
- Victory points per die.
Page 28 example card: Blood for Blood, Brythunia. Advance 1: Warrior or Thief. Roll: Eldritch die.
Completing an Adventure
When an Adventure is completed, the player who applied the final necessary die takes the Adventure card, placing it near their character card. Remember, if Conan places another player's die, Conan receives the Adventure card.
- If completed by Conan or an Ally: All players score Victory points for each one of their dice applied to the Adventure. The number of Victory points per die is indicated in the bottom right corner of the card.
- If completed by a Foe: Only that Foe scores Victory points for their dice applied to the Adventure.
The reward listed on an Adventure card can be redeemed in any End of Round phase if the player is in a matching Kingdom (even in the round it was gained). If a player with an Adventure card is in a matching kingdom on a subsequent turn, they may gain that reward again. Only one reward can be gained if a player has multiple Adventures in the same kingdom (see below).
If Conan does not attempt an Adventure for any reason, Foes all advance one space on the Plot for free. They do not gain any rewards, but do score points normally.
Adventures Example
- Conan has moved to Shem because there he can score 3 points per die, and he will attempt that Adventure. Conan hopes that with only 4 needed results on "The Scorpion", he won't have to use any Foe dice, because that player is ahead in Victory points.
- The first player to roll is Thoth-Amon, using all 4 available dice. He rolls Warrior, Warrior, Scry, and Character. Conan could use the first three dice, but chooses none of them. This is risky, since the Foe may be able to complete the Adventure, resulting in no points for Conan or the Ally.
- Nestor is next to roll, using his 4 dice. He rolls Kingdom, Wild, and 2 Characters. Conan chooses the needed Kingdom result, and also chooses the Wild, applying it to Scry. Now all Conan needs to do is roll 2 Warriors. If he fails, the Foe will score his two Warrior for 6 points, and Nestor's dice won't score at all.
- Conan rolls his 4 dice and gets Warrior, Thief, Character, Character. He only got one required Warrior, but he has the Ymir God token, which lets him count a Character as a Warrior. He applies this effect, so that he can complete the Adventure.
- Conan claims The Scorpion Adventure card, and will gain its rewards in the End of Round phase. He scores 6 points, as does Nestor.
4. End of Round Phase
The End of Round phase allows players to reap the rewards of adventures, and set the board up for the following turn.
During the end of each round, players may do the following in Turn Order:
- Gain the reward listed on any one Adventure card they hold, if their Character token, or Conan in the case of the ally, is in the matching Kingdom.
- Return any Dice bought in the previous turn to the supply.
- Return Fate tokens (Thief, Pirate, Warrior) to the supply to advance on the corresponding Achievement track if their Character token, or Conan in the case of the ally, is in a Kingdom with the corresponding attribute. Players may:
- turn in one token to advance 1 space on that track;
- turn in all (two or more) tokens of the matching type to advance 2 spaces on that track.
Example: Conan ends the round in Turan (a Kingdom with the Thief and Pirate attributes). The Blue player, controlling Janissa has 1 Thief Fate token and 3 Pirate Fate tokens. She may choose to return the 1 Thief token to advance 1 space on the Thief track, or return all 3 Pirate tokens to advance 2 spaces on the Pirate track. She could also decide to only return 1 Pirate token and advance 1 space, keeping the other two Pirate tokens for later.
Players can do the above End of Round activities in any order. For example, a player may return 1 Warrior token to advance 1 space on the Warrior track. If in doing this they were able to gain a Thief token, they could then immediately return it to advance on the Thief track. They would need to be in a Kingdom like Shem with both attributes in order to advance on both tracks.
However, players can only advance on each Achievement track (1 or 2 spaces) once per End of Round Phase. For example, if you turn in a Pirate Fate token to advance on the Pirate track, and gain another Pirate Fate token for advancing on the Pirate track, you cannot then turn in that Pirate Fate token to advance again.
Players cannot keep the type or amount of Fate tokens they hold secret.
Scoring Victory Points
The Scoring Track contains icons for Gold and local Fate tokens, and rolling a local kingdom die. Whenever a player's score advances to or past these spaces, the player immediately gains the token or rolls the die (in order gained) If players advance scores at the same time, go in turn order to choose Fate tokens. If a player's score ever moves backward, they do not gain these benefits. Note that if you gained a Gold advancing your score onto the 16 point space, for example, and then lost two Victory points, you would gain 1 Gold again the next time your score advanced to or past 16 Victory points.
Achievements
The Achievement Track charts the progress Conan makes over the course of his life's adventures. That progress follows three primary fields: Pirate, Thief, and Warrior, all leading to the point when Conan becomes a king in his own right. Even players not controlling Conan still chart this progress, as everyone in a Conan adventure contributes in some way to the story of his prowess.
Some spaces on the Achievement tracks provide perks when reached. A Gold symbol means the player gains 1 Gold piece, A specific Fate token means the player gains that type of Fate token. The Fate token with the question mark means the player gains ANY Fate token, the d8 symbol means Roll a Local Kingdom die. Once a player has reached the midway point of a track, they will score 5 Victory points at the end of the game for that marker (even if it advances further, but not all the way to King Conan). While a player has one or more markers on the halfway point, they can buy a die for free at the start of the round.
A marker that makes it all the way to King Conan will score a player 8 Victory points at the end of the game instead of 5 Victory points.
End of Game
Check to see if the end of the game is triggered if any player has achieved any of the below:
- Reached the required number of Victory Points on the Scoring Track (42 Victory Points for 2 players, 38 Victory Points for 3 players), or 34 Victory Points (4 players)
- Advances all three of their Player markers to "King Conan" spot on the Achievement track
- Reached the last space of the Plot track
If the end of the game has been triggered by any of these events during this round, then the game is completed at the end of the last phase.
Players add any end-of-game Victory Points to their score tracker and the player who has earned the most Victory Points is the victor!
In case of a tie use the following Tie Breakers, in order:
- The player further along the Plot Track
- The player who has the most gold
- The player who has the most Fate Tokens remaining
If there is still a no winner, the game is tied - the future of the Hyborian age lies in the balance!
Unless otherwise stated, Challenge tokens are set aside face up when they are removed from the board. When there are no face-down Challenge tokens remaining in the supply, flip all face-up tokens over and mix them up to form a new supply.
Glossary
Challenge Tokens
When an effect lets a player place a Challenge token, they must draw one randomly from the face-down supply, adding it to their own supply. They then choose any Challenge token from their supply and place it face down in a Kingdom that doesn't contain any face-down Challenge tokens, or any Character tokens.
- When Conan moves or is moved into a Kingdom with a face-down Challenge token, Conan must reveal it.
- When a Foe moves into a Kingdom with one, they may choose not to reveal it.
- When an Ally moves Conan into a Kingdom with one, the Ally must reveal it.
When revealed, some Challenge tokens trigger an immediate effect and are then discarded, some may be placed face up on the revealing player's Character card until used, while some may stay revealed on the board. If a player loses a Duel, the opposing player takes any face-up Challenge tokens on their Character card. Using a face-up Challenge token from their Character card for its effect is a free action a player can perform on their turn in the Main Phase before or after performing an action.
- Fight: The revealing player must resolve a Fight (see Fights, page 20). If the player wins the fight they score the number of points on the token. If they lose, they suffer a Wound. A player may choose to ignore a Fight token (not gathering dice into a Warrior pool), but it counts as a loss. The Challenge token is removed from the board after it has been resolved, even if the Fight is ignored.
- Ambush: Regardless of who reveals this Challenge, the next Foe in turn order may choose to either move their Character token to Conan's location and initiate a Duel, or else place any one of their active dice on an Encounter Unlock space. That die does NOT need to match the symbol of the Encounter Unlock space.
- Gold: The revealing player gains the indicated number of Gold tokens from the bank.
- Extra Action: The revealing player keeps this token face up on the Character card until used. When used, they reroll the die they spent on their action and place it back in their Active Pool (in case they spent more than one die to perform the action, they only get to reroll and place one of those dice).
- Gain any Fate token: The revealing player immediately gains a Fate token of their choice.
- Lose Fate: The revealing player returns a Fate token of their choice to the supply.
- Temple of Set: When revealed, this token stays on the board until a player has successfully fought it (see Fight above). When revealed by Conan or an Ally, or when Conan moves or is moved into a Kingdom containing a revealed Temple of Set, the revealing (or moving) player loses a Fate token of their choice. When revealed by a Foe, or when a Foe enters a Kingdom containing a revealed one, that Foe gains 2 Victory points.
- Kingdom: The revealing player keeps this token face up on their Character card until used. When revealed (or when used later), that player may trigger that Kingdom's effect or roll that Kingdom's die (for whatever Kingdom matches their current location).
Unless otherwise stated, Challenge tokens are set aside face up when they are removed from the board. When there are no face-down Challenge tokens remaining in the supply, flip all face-up tokens over and mix them up to form a new supply.
Terms
- Achievement attribute: Pirate, Thief, and Warrior are all considered Achievement attributes because they are the part of the Achievement Track.
- Active die: Dice are said to be "active" when still available for the player to use in some way. The circumstances making a die active or inactive vary from phase to phase. In the Main phase, a die is active when it is still in a player's Active Pool, i.e., it has not yet been spent or else used in a Fight or Duel. In other phases a die is active when it has not yet been set aside.
- Apply: Using a die with a result that matches a needed result (for a Plot, Encounter, or Adventure).
- Attribute: An icon that matches a die result, or is otherwise used to categorize something, e.g., a Kingdom attribute such as the starburst or Warrior symbol.
- Challenge tokens: 2 Gain Any Fate token, 3 Ambush, 2 Extra Action, 7 Fight (2x2, 3x4, 4x1), 4 Gold (2x3, 3x1), 2 Kingdom, 3 Lose Fate, 5 Temple of Set, 2 Victory Points (4, 5).
- Cycle: Discard a face up Adventure or Encounter card (unless a particular deck is specified). Then draw 2 cards from that deck. Discard 1 and use the other to replenish the face-up cards.
- Deploy: Spend a Character die for certain actions that character can make (or add to a Warrior pool for a Fight or Duel).
- Double result: A die face showing 2 of the same symbol with no line separating them. This result counts as 2 results of that type.
- Focus a die: Turn a die to any result on that die (other than Wild).
- Focus a die on an adventure: Turn a die (even a spent one) to any result on that die (other than Wild) and apply the die to an Adventure; it remains there until the end of the round, even if Conan does not attempt that Adventure.
Fate Tokens
Some effects let you gain a Fate token. In some cases it is Any Fate Token, but other times it is a Local Fate Token (one matching an attribute of the kingdom you are in).
- Any Fate token (question-mark token): Set a die: Take a result you rolled in the current phase and use it in the next phase. For example, if you gain "Set a die" as a Plot reward, take one of your rolled results and place it in your Active Die Pool. In the Main phase, you don't need to roll that die, and
Source note: the Any Fate token text is cut off in the printed rulebook (it ends at "and"); it is transcribed as printed.
- Local Fate token: Matches the attribute of the kingdom you are in. The symbols are: Move, Warrior, Kingdom, Pirate, Sorcery, Thief, Trade, and Scry.
The Kingdoms (Kingdom List)
There are six different types of Kingdoms in the game.
- Savage Kingdoms (red)
- Port Kingdoms (blue)
- Military Kingdoms (green)
- Wealthy Kingdoms (purple)
- Eldritch Kingdoms (gray)
- Treachery Kingdom (yellow)
Kingdom Effects
Each Kingdom has a unique effect that can be triggered in the Main phase with a Kingdom action or by using a Kingdom Challenge token.
Attributes
Every kingdom has one or more attributes which correspond to different die results. Attributes don't do anything by themselves, but they are referenced by a variety of game effects. Achievements (Pirate, Thief, and Warrior) can allow players to advance on those Achievements when they are in those kingdoms. Additionally, four of the northern kingdoms also have the starburst attribute, which is only used for certain Encounter cards.
Eastern Desert and Hyperborea
Eastern Desert and Hyperborea are vast kingdoms. You can enter with one Move action, but leaving requires using 2 dice with one action. Both dice must be able to do a Move action (the Move symbol, deployable Character or Wild) and are spent in the same action.
Kingdom Effect List
Icons in the source table are rendered here as words (Move, Warrior, Scry, Sorcery, Pirate, Thief, Gold, Challenge token, Fate token by type).
| Kingdom | Effect |
|---|---|
| Argos | Move to any kingdom with the Pirate attribute. |
| Aquilonia | Return any 1 of your Fate tokens to the supply to gain 2 Gold. |
| Border Kingdom | Move from the Border Kingdom to an adjacent Kingdom. |
| Brythunia | Gain 2 Move Fate tokens. If only one is available, gain it alone. |
| Cimmeria | Gain 1 Warrior Fate token. |
| Corinthia | Move 1 Challenge token or 1 Fate token from one Kingdom to an adjacent one. Unlike the Movement action in the Main Phase, this is not limited by Character. Therefore, Conan can move a Challenge token and an Ally or Foe can move a Fate token. |
| Eastern Desert | No effect. |
| Hyperborea | Focus 1 active die. This lets the player change one of their active dice to any result on that die (other than Wild). |
| Khauran | Gain 1 Gold token. |
| Khoraja |
Source note: the Pictland and Pirate icons in the source table are graphics; they are rendered as the words above by reading the icon shapes against the die-face symbols on page 10.
Optional Game Modes
Team Game
The Adventures of Conan can be played with 4-players as a 2 v 2 team game. In this game mode Conan and the Ally will work together to overcome the Foes.
In this mode, when the End of Game scoring is triggered, the team that has a player with the lowest score loses. If there is a tie for the lowest score, then the team with a player who has the highest score wins. Ties are broken in the usual way, comparing the highest scoring players.
Longer Game
Instead of triggering the last round via the normal methods, in a longer game the last round is only triggered when 10 Adventures have been completed. This number can be adjusted up or down to suit your needs.
Special Rules
- Conan and the Ally may share Gold freely between them.
- Players may apply the effects of God tokens to their partner.
- If Conan uses the Ally's dice to complete an Adventure, Conan may allow the Ally to gain the Adventure card.
The Characters
- Thoth-Amon - The most powerful of all Stygian sorcerers, Thoth-Amon is a corrupt and terrifying sorcerer of the Black Ring of Set. It is said that even the lord of Stygia fears to cross him. Although Thoth-Amon claims to worship Set, the vile serpent god, in fact he has no interest in anything except his own power. Thoth-Amon is a cruel, capricious man who will stop at nothing to gain sorcerous power.
- Kalanthes - A priest of Ibis in the Nemedian city of Hanumar, and the deadly enemy of the Stygian wizard Thoth-Amon. Just as the god Ibis has fought Set "since the first dawn of the earth", so Kalanthes has fought the priests of Set his entire life.
- Janissa - A skilled assassin, trained by the Bone Woman, Janissa is able to go toe-to-toe with Conan. After years of carrying out the Bone Woman's commands without question, Janissa realized that she could no longer respect herself as a hired enforcer. She eventually rebelled against the Bone Woman. Her alliance with Conan is one of convenience.
- The Bone Woman - An insidious witch who uses people like pawns, the Bone Woman possesses deep knowledge of the workings of the world. Eager to exploit others to her own end, the Bone Woman does not hesitate to sacrifice anyone who stands between her and eldritch power.
- Abit - A Kushite guardsman who believes it is his duty and his destiny to solve the world's problems. Abit recognizes that Conan is a force of nature, on a path that few mortals can follow.
- Valerius - Captain of the Guard for the Queen of Khauran, Valerius can see that Conan is a man of honor.
- Nestor the Gunderman - A thief, tracker, and soldier trying to ply his trade in Zamora, but crossed paths with Conan instead. The Gunderman had been Conan's rival, then his enemy, then a reluctant ally. Initially hired to hunt down and kill Conan, Nestor eventually grew to respect him instead.
- - A snowhawk warrior caught selling stolen arms to Pictish tribes and banished beyond the Black River. He was flayed alive, but it only made him stronger.
Round Sequence
Resource Phase (page 15)
- Draw an Event.
- Choose to spend gold to buy more dice, players Reset their dice.
- Gain God tokens
- Advance the Story and complete Plot Cards.
Main Phase (page 19)
- Reset dice.
- Execute rolled moves across the map, take actions, and duel enemies.
Triggered Phases (page 28)
Depending on the outcome of the Main Phase, the following phases will occur in order:
Encounter Phase (page 29)
- Players Reset their dice.
- Conan attempts any encounters based on his location. If they fail, other players get the opportunity to sweep in and finish these encounters to gain the rewards.
Adventure Phase (page 32)
- Conan attempts a single adventure.
- Players in turn order Reset their dice and Conan must choose which results to apply to the adventure, with the Conan player going last.
- Players earn points based on the number of their dice used in this phase.
End of Round Phase (page 34)
- Players return purchased dice to the supply.
- Gain rewards for Adventures in player order.
- Spend Fate tokens to advance on Achievements.
Penalties (Round Sequence Card)
- Set aside a die for the rest of the round. Choose an Active die if possible.
- Lose 1 fate token of your choice, if able.
Icon Reference
Character Symbol
- Conan (axe)
- Foe (hand)
- Ally (barrel)
Dice Symbols
- Kingdom (flag)
- Trade (barrel)
- Move (feet)
- Thief (bag)
- Pirate (ship)
- Wild (star)
- Warrior (crossed swords)
- Scry (eye)
- Sorcery (swirl)
- Gold (2 Gold, shown on the gold die symbol)
- Challenge token (skull)
Other Icons
- Fight (crossed swords)
- Extra Action (a die with a curved arrow)
- Temple of Set (serpent)
- Ambush (axe and skull)
- Lose Fate (red X on a purple token)
- Kingdom (flag)
- Gold (gold token)
- Gain any Fate token (question mark on a purple token)
- Victory Points (red diamond with a number)