The Art of War Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Card Anatomy
• Board Layout
• Other Terms
• Deck Making
• Setup
• Turn Structure
• Arrange Phase
• Battle Phase
• Logistic Support
• Entry
• Conscription
• Victory Conditions

Card Anatomy

At the bottom of a card is the unit type. Beneath that is the text for its Logistic Support. On the top and right edge are a number of shield icons. The number of shield icons currently facing your opponent is the unit's current Defense Points. The top left corner has a number or an 'X' inside yellow graphics. That's the unit's Attack Points. 'X' equals the number of cards in the player's hand. Beneath that is a grid which is the unit's range: The white square represents where in the Battle Area the unit is standing and the opaque squares are where the unit may attack (relative to the white square).

Board Layout

Both players have 5 places on the table where cards can reside. These should be mirrored between the players: each area should be put up against the opponent's area of the same kind.

• Kingdom Area – An area which is 5 cards wide, one for each basic unit type.
• Deck – The deck of cards that the player draws from.
• Battle Area – An area that fits 6 units. It's organized in 3 columns and 2 rows. The front row is closest to the opponent and the back row closest to the player.
• Standby Area – Located below the Battle Area's back row. Fits 5 cards. New cards enter in the rightmost position and cards leave from the leftmost position. Card order must be maintained.
• Graveyard – A faceup pile of units the opponent has killed.

Other than these both players have a hand of cards. The number of cards in a player's hand and deck is open information. As are the cards in a player's Graveyard.

Other Terms

• attacker – attacking unit (re-translation)
• defender – defending unit (re-translation)
• kill – destroy (re-translation)
• Upright – The card is oriented so the short edge with shield icons is facing your opponent.
• Turned – The card is oriented so that the long edge with shield icons is facing your opponent.

Deck Making

A valid deck consists of 21 cards: 1 King card and 20 basic unit cards (Soldier, Guardian, Archer, Priest and Wizard). There is no restriction or requirement on how to combine the basic unit cards. This means that a deck consisting of 1 King, 6 Soldiers and 14 Guardians would be valid... … but perhaps not so good…

First time players are recommended to use 4 of each of the 5 basic units and King card [K001] or [K002].

Setup

1. Both players' King cards are placed on the table for inspection by their opponent.
2. Decide on a first player.
3. Both players shuffle their decks and draw 3 cards. A player may shuffle these 3 cards back into their deck and then draw 3 new cards. This is only allowed once per player. The first player decides first.
4. The players add their King card to their hand.
5. Both players reveal and place the top card of their deck into their Kingdom Area.
6. The first player places 1 card from their hand in the front row of their Battle Area and declares which column the card is placed in. Then the other player does the same.
7. The first player places a card from their hand in the Standby Area. Then the other player does the same.

Turn Structure

The players alternate taking turns until someone wins. On your turn you do the following steps, in order:

1. Recovery Phase – Turn all your units in the Battle Area upright.
2. Draw Phase – Draw 1 card from your deck and put in your hand.
3. Arrange Phase / Battle Phase – Decide to do either Arrange Phase or Battle Phase. You may choose to pass and not do either.
4. Forced Entry – If you have 6 cards in your hand Entry must occur.
5. Declare that your turn is done.

Arrange Phase

You may place 1 unit in any space in your Battle Area. If there are units in your Standby Area you must place the leftmost one of them. If that's empty you may place any unit in your hand.

If the place to put the unit already contains a unit then the old unit is returned to where the new came from (hand or rightmost position in Standby Area).

If the unit is placed in the back row and there is no unit in front of it then it is immediately moved to the front row.

Battle Phase

Upright units in your Battle Area may now attack. You can attack as many times as you would like. To attack with a unit, follow these steps:

1. Turn your unit counter-clockwise. This is the attacker.
2. The attacker's Attack Points are calculated.
3. Declare which of all the units in the attacker's range that will be the defender.
4. If the attacker's Attack Points equal the defender's Defense Points the defender is immediately captured and moved to your Kingdom Area (regardless of any previous Damage Points).
5. Deal a number of Damage Points to the defender equal to the attacker's Attack Points.

Damage Points are added up during a turn (but forgotten at the end of it). If any unit has enough Damage Points to equal or exceeds its Defense Points it is killed and moved to the owners Graveyard.

Logistic Support

If you have less than 5 cards in your Standby Area you can play cards in your hand as Logistic Support (LS). When you play a card as LS it is placed in the rightmost position in your Standby Area. Before applying the effect of your LS give your opponent a chance to play a Wizard as LS.

You may play a card as LS whenever you are allowed, so you may play a Soldier before deciding between Arrange or Battle.

• Soldier – May be played at any time during your turn. Needs to be played before step 2 of an attack to affect it.
• Archer – May be played at any time during your turn. Is not an attack (unaffected by Soldier and Guardian).
• Priest – May be played at any time during your turn.
• Guardian – May only be played when your opponent has declared which of your units that is the defender.
• Wizard – May be played only when your opponent's LS has been declared but not yet carried out.
• King – May be played only at the time when the card it is played as is allowed.

Entry

Once during your turn you may take 1 basic unit card from your hand and put in your Kingdom Area. If you have 6 cards in your hand at the end of your turn you must do this.

Conscription

If your Battle Area ever becomes empty you must place units in it until it has 2 of them. The second unit placed this way must be placed in an empty spot. Start by taking units from the leftmost position in your Standby Area. If your Standby Area is empty and you still have not placed 2 units you must choose and place units from your Kingdom Area.

Victory Conditions

The game is won by achieving 1 of the 4 victory conditions:

• End of War – When both players' decks have run out: have the most units in the Kingdom Area. Ties are broken by the fewest cards in the Graveyard.
• Execution – Kill or capture the opponent's King.
• Founding – Have a majority in 4 of the unit types in the Kingdom Area.
• Collapse – When the opponent is unable to conscript 2 units.