Vagrantsong: Off the Rails Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents of the Expansion
• New Rules and Changes
  • Humanity Limit: Shortened Notation
  • Common Coins
  • Smoky Bones
• New Game Mode: Off the Rails
  • Scenario Cards
  • New Item Type: Poisonous Berries
  • Events X and Y
  • Devious Deeds
• Moonreaper
  • Increasing the Difficulty: Campaign with the Moonreaper
  • Moon Tokens
  • Placing the Moonreaper
  • Moonreaper in the Scenario (Rituals, Actions and Moon Tokens)
  • Special Moonreaper Rules
• Moments
  • Moment O-1
  • Moment O-2
  • Moment O-3
  • Moment O-3 (continued)
  • Moment O-!
  • Moment O-! (continued)
  • Moment O-?
  • Moment L-1
• Off the Rails Mode: Donated Coins

Contents of the Expansion

• 60 Devious Deed cards
• 1 Moonreaper Junk card
• 1 Skill card
• 1 Moonreaper Skill card
• 6 Humanity tokens (one each for the Cursebearer, Empress, Revivalist, Songsmith, Runaway and Wayfarer)
• 5 Moonreaper Ritual cards
• 5 Moonreaper Action cards
• 1 Event X token
• 1 Event Y token
• 6 common coins
• 8 smoky bones
• 5 moon tokens
• 3 Poisonous Berry item tokens
• 6 object tokens (leaf piles / swarms)
• 4 rules reference cards
• 44 scenario cards
• 1 Moonreaper reference card
• 1 Moonreaper miniature

New Rules and Changes

Humanity Limit: Shortened Notation

To keep information about the Humanity limit compact, it is written in a shorter form. If an effect tells you to raise or lower the Humanity limit to A/B/C (for example, 9/12/14), then A is the new Humanity limit for 2 players, B is the limit for 3 players, and C is the limit for 4 players.

Common Coins

Common coins, like Vagrant coins, can be placed on Skill cards and General Actions. However, common coins are single-use. After they are used, they are not returned to a Vagrant.

If a Vagrant receives a common coin, they must use it on their next turn, or it is lost.

If you use a common coin for something other than a Skill or Action (for example, by placing it on the train board or on a Vagrant), that coin is discarded at the start of the next turn of the player who placed it.

If completed Rituals reward you with coins, you may take common coins instead (as usual, they can only be spent in the Camp Phase). If you need common coins and none remain, use the coins of Vagrants who are not in play. Common coins can also be found in the expansion Vagrantsong: Encore.

Common coins placed on a Vagrant card are discarded during the Train Clean-Up step of the Camp Phase.

Smoky Bones

Smoky bones allow Vagrants to increase the chance of success of an action for which bones are rolled. Many cards give smoky bones. When you receive smoky bones, place them on your Vagrant card. If you receive them during a roll (for example, as the reward of a Devious Deed), you may immediately add them to that roll.

Smoky bones are also used in the expansion Vagrantsong: Encore. If you have it, you will have more smoky bones available.

How to use smoky bones

In Off the Rails mode a Vagrant may have no more than 3 smoky bones at a time (in other campaigns and modes, a Vagrant may have no more than 2). If a Vagrant must receive a smoky bone and none are left in the supply, they do not receive it. (Don't be greedy: receive it, use it.)

After a Vagrant has rolled 1 or more bones for an action or skill, they may also roll any number of their smoky bones, but no more than the number of normal bones rolled. The Vagrant then combines each smoky bone with one normal bone.

Smoky bones increase the results of the normal bones they are combined with. They do not count as separate bones with their own independent results.

Smoky bones have 2 special symbols:

• If a Vagrant rolls a note, it yields 2 successes and does not increase the result of a normal bone.
• If a Vagrant rolls a skull, the result of all smoky bones rolled becomes 0 (ignore their numerical values and any notes).

The combined results of smoky bones and normal bones do not form doubles and do not activate Booming Boxcars. Each normal bone's result can be increased by only 1 smoky bone.

After the current action (or skill) is resolved, return the smoky bones that were used to the supply. They can be obtained again later. Discard all smoky bones still held by you at the start of the Camp Phase.

Example: Cursebearer performs an action for which 2 bones must be rolled. The success value of this action is 3 or more. Cursebearer rolls and gets 2 and 4. So far she has only 1 success. She has 2 smoky bones and decides to roll them to increase her number of successes. The smoky bones give her +1 and 1 note.

Cursebearer adds the +1 to her result of 2. Now she has 4 successes: 3 (the normal bone's result of 2 plus 1 from a smoky bone), 4 (the normal bone's result), and the note (which counts as 2 successes).

Which bones to receive?

During a campaign you will often roll bones, receive bones and so on. If an effect says to do something with "bones", it means normal bones (not smoky bones). You receive smoky bones only if the text or symbol clearly says so.

New Game Mode: Off the Rails

The Off the Rails mode makes the game more varied and more demanding, and lets you explore the potential of your Vagrants more deeply. This mode can only be added to the game at the start of a campaign. Because it makes the game harder, we do not advise adding it if the current difficulty already feels high to you.

To add the Off the Rails mode to the base campaign, or to the Encore mode «Zashli i Vyshli» (from Vagrantsong: Encore), follow the steps below.

1. After each player has chosen their Vagrant (and received its Skill and Junk cards), take that Vagrant's Devious Deed deck and shuffle it.
2. Draw 3 random Devious Deed cards from the deck and keep 1. (You may look at the reward side when choosing.) Place the chosen Devious Deed above your Vagrant card and return the 2 remaining cards to the deck. See page 9 for more on Devious Deeds.
3. Add 3 Poisonous Berry item tokens to the Bindle.
4. At the start of each scenario, take its scenario card (see page 7) and place it next to the train board, next to the scenario book, or wherever is convenient for all players.

Note: If during a campaign you decide to change Vagrant, don't forget to change the Devious Deed deck as well (see also page 10).

Objects

When you play base-game scenarios in Off the Rails mode, you will from time to time add 2 new object types to the train board: leaf piles and swarms. Their rules are described on the corresponding scenario cards. These objects can also be found in the expansion Vagrantsong: Encore.

Caution! If you own Vagrantsong: Encore, use only one set of leaf pile and swarm objects. Do not combine the two sets. As with any other objects, there should be only 6 in the supply.

Scenario Cards

Scenarios from the base game and from the expansion Vagrantsong: Encore each have their own scenario card. It describes additional setup, new Haint actions and events.

Setup

This section describes the additional setup for a scenario in Off the Rails mode. After the usual scenario setup, and before the first round begins, read and apply the items in this section. Among other things, it may change the Humanity limit.

Poisonous Berry Action

In Off the Rails mode, Haints get at least 1 new action linked to the Poisonous Berry item token drawn from the Bindle. A scenario card may list several Poisonous Berry actions. As with other item tokens, a Poisonous Berry action may depend on the Haint's Mood (see page 8).

Other Changes

This section describes additional rule changes and scenario notes, for example new Haint effects or actions, or an additional Poisonous Berry action.

Standalone Scenarios

For standalone scenarios, such as bonus scenarios, scenario cards are not provided. If you choose to play such a scenario as part of a campaign to which the Off the Rails mode has been added, either remove the Poisonous Berries from the Bindle before the scenario begins, or remove them during play as you draw them from the Bindle. You do not have to remove Devious Deed cards when playing standalone scenarios.

Be sure to return the Poisonous Berries to the Bindle before the next scenario that has a scenario card.

New Item Type: Poisonous Berries

The Off the Rails mode adds a new type of item token: poisonous berries. Both Vagrants and Haints use them.

Vagrants

If a Vagrant draws a Poisonous Berry item token from the Bindle and decides to keep it, they may use it to free themselves or an adjacent Vagrant from any Haint effect. A Vagrant who frees themselves or another Vagrant from a Haint effect using Poisonous Berries loses 1 Humanity.

Poisonous berries cannot free a character from a Haint effect whose token is used in a non-standard way in the scenario, for example to count something. The following Haint effects (from the base game and from Vagrantsong: Encore) cannot be removed with poisonous berries:

• Luck (base game, p. 15 of the scenario book).
• Snowdrifts (base game, pp. 37 and 41 of the scenario book).
• Bloodlust (base game, p. 49 of the scenario book).
• Places (base game, p. 57 of the scenario book).
• Purification (base game, p. 71 of the scenario book).
• Darkness (base game, p. 83 of the scenario book).
• Light (base game, p. 83 of the scenario book).
• The Black Canary's Humanity (base game, p. 87 of the scenario book).
• The Lady-in-White's Humanity (base game, p. 87 of the scenario book).
• Shroud tokens (base game, p. 93 of the scenario book).
• Good Fortune (Vagrantsong: Encore, p. 29 of the scenario book).
• Wrath (Vagrantsong: Encore, various scenarios).

Haints

If you draw a Poisonous Berry item token for a Haint's action, consult the current scenario card and perform the corresponding action.

Using and Discarding Poisonous Berries

When a Vagrant or Haint uses or discards a Poisonous Berry item token, place that token on the matching item symbol on the Cycle Track. It counts as an item token of the corresponding type until it is returned to the Bindle during Clean-Up.

Events X and Y

Events X and Y occur only in the Off the Rails mode. They are described on the back of the scenario cards. In the Setup section of these cards it is stated where to place the Event X and Event Y tokens before the game begins.

These events are resolved by the normal event rules. They help you understand the Haints you meet along the way.

Reminder: Do not read events before their time. Where to place these new event tokens is written in the Setup section of the scenario card.

Devious Deeds

Devious Deeds are the Vagrants' personal goals. Achieving them earns special permanent upgrades. Each Devious Deed describes a unique goal, and its condition can be met once per scenario. The reward is received when the condition has been met the required number of times.

Devious Deeds are only available in the Off the Rails mode. Each Vagrant has its own deck of 10 Devious Deed cards. A Vagrant may have no more than 2 Devious Deeds at one time, regardless of which side is face up (goal or reward).

When a Vagrant first reaches a Devious Deed's goal during a scenario, place an unused Humanity token (heart-shaped) on that card, in the zone for the mode being played. Each Devious Deed has 2 zones: "Zashli i Vyshli" (for that mode only) and "Normal Game" (for any other mode). Once the required number of Humanity tokens is in the correct zone, flip the card over and immediately apply its reward.

When playing "Zashli i Vyshli", the goal of each Devious Deed must be reached twice to earn its reward. In any other mode, it must be reached three times.

Only 1 Humanity token may be placed on each Devious Deed card per scenario. Partial progress toward a goal, which does not yet allow a Humanity token to be placed, is lost at the end of the scenario.

Example: At the start of a "Zashli i Vyshli" game, Songsmith chooses the Devious Deed "4 Tributes, 4 Strings". It reads: "On your turn, successfully use 4 different skills while there are no other characters within 3 spaces of you."

Songsmith has 3 skills with Range 4, and their target is the Haint. The target of Songsmith's 4th skill may be himself. On the previous turn, Songsmith searched and got a rabbit's foot, then moved away from the others. Now there is no one within 3 spaces of him. Songsmith places 1 coin on each of the 3 skills and the rabbit's foot on the 4th skill. As usual, his passive ability lowers the success value of his skills. He rolls bones and successfully uses 3 skills targeting the Haint. Then he chooses himself as the target of the last skill and successfully uses it as well.

Since Songsmith has achieved his Devious Deed's goal, he places a Humanity token in the "Zashli i Vyshli" zone. When Songsmith reaches the card's goal again (in another scenario), he will flip it to the reward side. The reward on this card is an increase of Songsmith's maximum Humanity by 2, when he is not Westbound.

Getting Devious Deeds

At the start of a campaign: After the Vagrants are chosen at the start of a campaign (and after replacing a Vagrant with a new one, or adding a new Vagrant during the campaign), shuffle your Devious Deed deck and draw 3 random cards. Choose 1 as your first goal. You may look at the reward sides. Return the 2 unchosen cards to the deck.

In the Camp Phase: During the Camp Phase, among other things, you may buy a new Devious Deed. It costs 3 coins. As at the start of a campaign, shuffle your deck, draw 3 cards, keep 1 and return the other 2. You may choose not to keep any of the drawn Devious Deeds, but the coins spent on them remain spent.

Humanity tokens you placed on Devious Deed cards during a scenario may be discarded in the Camp Phase to gain 1 coin each. You are not obliged to spend these coins on a new Devious Deed, but they can only be spent in the current Camp Phase.

If you have a completed Devious Deed (lying reward side up), you may discard it in the Camp Phase to gain 3 coins for use in that phase.

Too many Devious Deeds

If a Vagrant already has 2 Devious Deeds, lying on either side, and receives a new one, they must immediately discard 1 Devious Deed of their choice. When a Vagrant receives a Devious Deed, place it above the Vagrant card, goal side up. Discarded Devious Deed cards are returned to your deck.

Example: Wayfarer has 2 Devious Deeds. He has already reached the goal of the first one the required number of times (it is complete and lies reward side up). He has also met the condition of the second one once (there is a Humanity token on it).

In the Camp Phase, Wayfarer may discard the first Devious Deed to gain 3 coins (and possibly spend them on a new Devious Deed). He may also discard the Humanity token from the second card to gain 1 coin.

Moonreaper

The Moonreaper is a trickster and a rascal. He is the ghost of a traveller who died surrounded by strangers. No one carried out his last wish, and so the Moonreaper takes his revenge, constantly making himself known. And how does he do it? He plays pranks, blows out candles and cuts crescent moons into the clothing of the Vagrants…

Increasing the Difficulty: Campaign with the Moonreaper

The Moonreaper is an unpredictable ghost. He will suddenly appear in scenarios and throw spokes in your wheels!

The Moonreaper can be added to any campaign, either at its start or during it. To do so, during the setup for the first scenario, or in the Camp Phase, place 3 moon tokens in the Bindle.

When you draw a moon token from the Bindle during a scenario, place it next to the Cycle Track. When you draw all 3 moon tokens, the Moonreaper appears!

Moon Tokens

Moon tokens are kept in the Bindle, so they can be drawn at any time.

If you draw a moon token during a scenario, place it next to the Cycle Track. It is advisable to keep these tokens in a stack. If there are 2 moon tokens or fewer in the stack, draw a new item token from the Bindle and continue performing the action or applying the effect that made you draw from the Bindle (for example a Rummage or an event).

If you draw the 3rd moon token during a scenario, immediately place the Moonreaper (see below). Then draw a new item token and continue performing the action or applying the effect. At the end of the scenario, return all the drawn moon tokens to the Bindle so that there are 3 in it again.

If you draw a moon token in the Camp Phase, set it aside and draw a new item token. After applying all possible effects of the item token drawn, return the moon token to the Bindle.

Placing the Moonreaper

First, place the last moon token drawn on the space of the next round on the Round track, leaving the other 2 tokens where they are. Then take 1 random Moonreaper Ritual card and 1 random Moonreaper Action card. Place them next to the Moonreaper reference card. It is advisable to place these cards next to the Ritual cards of the current scenario, so you don't forget them.

Then place the Moonreaper on the train board, on a free space exactly 3 spaces away from the Vagrant with the highest current Humanity. If that is not possible, place him as close to that 3-space distance as you can. If several Vagrants are candidates, choose any one of them.

When the Round marker moves onto a space with a moon token, the Moonreaper performs the action on his Action card. If there are other tokens on that round's space (events or maladies), first perform the Moonreaper's action. Then move that moon token 2 spaces forward. Keep doing this until the Moonreaper's Ritual is performed or the scenario ends.

Moonreaper in the Scenario (Rituals, Actions and Moon Tokens)

While the Moonreaper is on the train board, Vagrants may attempt to perform the Ritual on his current Ritual card.

Some Moonreaper Ritual cards place moon tokens on the train board and on Vagrant cards. Place such tokens as instructed by the Ritual card as soon as you draw it. You may use any moon tokens for this except the one on the Round track. A space holding a moon token on the train board remains free: characters, candles and objects may move onto and through it. If a moon token must be placed or moved onto a space with an object, place it on the nearest free space instead. Unless stated otherwise, a moon token on a Vagrant card does not count as an item token.

Performing a Moonreaper Ritual

If during a scenario you perform a Moonreaper Ritual, immediately remove the Moonreaper's miniature and moon tokens from the train board. Gain the reward of the completed Ritual, put its card into your belongings, and permanently discard the current Moonreaper Action card, placing it in the box. It will not appear again in the current campaign.

After performing a Moonreaper Ritual, all Vagrants may freely repair their broken Junk.

End of the Scenario

At the end of a scenario, remove the Moonreaper and the moon tokens from the train board and Vagrant cards (as well as moon tokens lying next to the Cycle Track). If you did not perform the Moonreaper's Ritual, return the Moonreaper Action card to its deck and the Ritual card to its deck.

To prepare for the next scenario with the Moonreaper, place 3 moon tokens in the Bindle and leave the rest in the box.

Three Rituals: Removing the Moonreaper

When you have performed 3 Moonreaper Rituals, you may decide to remove the Moonreaper from the game. If you do, return the Moonreaper reference card and miniature, all his Ritual cards (including those in belongings) and Action cards, and all moon tokens to the box.

If you decide to perform the 2 remaining Moonreaper Rituals, keep the 3 moon tokens in the Bindle until all of those Rituals have been performed.

Special Ritual Rewards

If during the campaign you have performed 3 Moonreaper Rituals (that is, you have 3 Moonreaper Ritual cards in the Vagrants' belongings), any Vagrant may immediately gain Junk card L-1 (or store it in their belongings if they have no free Junk slot).

If during the campaign you have performed 5 Moonreaper Rituals, immediately gain Skill card L-1 (it may be stored in belongings if the Vagrant has no free Skill slot). Then return the Moonreaper reference card and miniature, all his Ritual cards (including those in belongings) and Action cards, and all moon tokens to the box.

Note: If the win condition of a scenario is to perform "all Rituals", the Moonreaper's Ritual is not counted.

Special Moonreaper Rules

While the Moonreaper is on the train board, follow these special rules.

• The Moonreaper counts as a Haint that cannot gain Humanity. Instead, when the Moonreaper must gain Humanity, move him the same number of spaces or fewer, in any direction.
• Oppression effect. When the Moonreaper oppresses a Vagrant, that Vagrant rolls 1 bone. If the result is 5 or more, 1 of their Junk is broken. At the end of a Moonreaper action, if at least 1 Vagrant was oppressed during that action and rolled 5 or more but their Junk was not broken (for example, the Vagrant had no Junk, or it was already broken), the Moonreaper performs the same action again. Where possible, he chooses another Vagrant as the target.
• The Moonreaper cannot be used to perform the scenario's ordinary Rituals, only his own Ritual. For example, if an ordinary Ritual card says to place the Haint on a space with a candle, the Vagrants must place the current scenario's Haint on that space, not the Moonreaper.
• Reminder: If you have chosen to play a campaign with the Moonreaper, don't forget to return the moon tokens to the Bindle at the end of each scenario, so that there are 3 in it.

Moments

Caution! Do not read this section unless you have been instructed to read a particular moment. Otherwise you risk learning the story in advance and spoiling your enjoyment of the game!

Moment O-1

DC sneezed and began licking its paw.

— Mark my words: my friend in black values that you don't shy away from Devious Deeds. Take a hint, so things go faster!

Each Vagrant may add 1 Humanity token to 1 of their Devious Deed cards. It counts as if you have reached that card's goal once. If you have met the goal's condition the required number of times, flip the card reward side up.

Moment O-2

DC tilted its head to one side, its tail swaying from side to side.

— You certainly love all kinds of Devious Deeds, I see. Want more?

From now on, each Vagrant may have up to 3 Devious Deeds at the same time.

Moment O-3

— Good work deserves a reward.

DC's eyes flared with bluish sparks. The cat hung in the air for a moment, then landed softly on all four paws.

Moment O-3 (continued)

Any 1 Vagrant may flip 1 of their Devious Deed cards reward side up. If there were Humanity tokens on that card, count them as coins in this Camp Phase.

Moment O-!

You gazed wide-eyed at the heart. Perfect. Flawless. Only a little dull from the sweat surrounding you. Another story that has outlived its time and now timidly calls for help. You yourselves had a hard time, but you understood what it feels like when you desperately want to get off this train and cannot. You did not wish that on anyone.

You wiped the sweat from your brow. Took a deep breath. You did not know what would happen. And before you found a thousand and one reasons to change your mind, you touched the heart.

Music. It was softer than the sound of the violin, which had given you no peace all this time. A tender melody reminded you of the warmth of spring slowly turning into summer. A woman. Kind and open, so wonderful that he was ready to carry the memories of her under his heart always. He took her with him on this journey, but everything fell to pieces. He made his choice. She made hers. When you freed the woman's heart, your soul was filled with her hatred and love, pain and relief. It was her chance to leave everything in the past.

Moment O-! (continued)

Turn your Vagrant card back to its normal side, repair all broken Junk, and restore all lost Skills and Humanity to their maximum. You may take 1 new Devious Deed, immediately flip it to its reward side and lay it next to your Vagrant card. (The limit on the maximum number of Devious Deeds does not apply to it.)

Moment O-?

You gazed wide-eyed at the heart. It had dulled a little over so many years in the dark, and was cold to the touch. A voice sounded in your head, warm as a summer breeze. It smelled of honeysuckle, ripe apples and a starry night out of town.

"He is a good man who lost his way. But that does not excuse his sins. And it is unfair to ask you for more after everything you have already done. Let me speak to him. Let me finish this journey and try to bring you home. What do you say?"

The heart grew a ghostly figure. It shone with gold almost as brightly as the violin in the Bony One's hands. It was a woman, kind and open. She looked at him, tilting her head to the side. Her words were full of care and sadness:

— Johnny, the time has come. Let them go home. Let me go. No one deserves to have their song end like this.

Place a Humanity token on any space of the Round track. Until the end of the scenario, at the start of the chosen round the Bony One gains 4 Humanity.

Moment L-1

And this song never tires of surprising with new verses! Read the moment below that corresponds to the number of Moonreaper Rituals you have performed.

1

And it all began on the road. He trudged across the wide world,
whistling a tune to himself as he went along this road.
He did not meet, in his declining years, anyone like himself, a fellow wanderer.
They became friends, but from misfortune one cannot hide in a crowd.
He fell ill and lay flat, asking them to pray for him.
But his friends, at this simple request, only turned their faces away.
Death took him for its own. He watched with a phantom's eyes
as he was laid in the earth under a strange sky.

2

To be caught in a trap between the worlds, where peace is in short supply,
he was not ready. Who would have been, tell me?!
He smashed dishes, scared horses, shouting in their ears.
But few, and few places, thought these were spirits.
He was boundlessly lonely and made mischief, nearly in tears…
One day he found a stocking and a pair of scissors besides.
Seizing the stocking, he cut out a crescent moon.
"Ha! So I am the Moonreaper!" — came his cry.

3

Saving his immortality from idle vegetation in vain,
he eagerly set about cutting moons into his clothing.
Many moons passed, and then he discovered:
other folk were bustling about him, and decent ones at that.
Each of them was unfamiliar with the Moonreaper, but none of them minded
sitting by the campfire with him, as he once had sat
with friends in a field by the boundary, and not as a burden on anyone's neck.
Though moons are dearly fine, this matters more.

Gain Junk card L-1.

4

Memories of the past stirred his soul,
and something awoke in him, pressing its way outward.
As of old, he hummed under his breath and grew kinder than before.
Like a schooner, the wind carried him to the shores of hope.
And every evening he sat again among acquaintances,
and soon began to notice that the new changes
were countless. The sky, for instance, grown gloomy over the roof
was now far bluer and somehow higher.

5

Then the Moonreaper understood that what matters on the road
is not what steppe you have wandered into, nor how many
you have neglected, nor the dreams of how you will begin everything anew,
but those with whom you share the warmth of the night's campfire.
To be alone is a dreary road that means little.
The vagrants helped him see the world differently.
He forgave everyone, and so it was time to leave death behind.
He cut out one moon. The last one. For remembrance.

Gain Skill card L-1.

Off the Rails Mode: Donated Coins

When you donate coins to DC in the Camp Phase while playing the Off the Rails mode, mark the squares on this page instead of the corresponding section of the base game rules. As usual, read moments when you donate the indicated amount. Moments that begin with "O" are found in these rules (see page 14); the others are in the base game rules.

Squares are numbered 1 to 30. The highlighted squares trigger a reading:

• Square 5: read Moment O-1.
• Square 10: read Moment 84.
• Square 18: read Moment 83.
• Square 22: read Moment O-2.
• Square 25: read Moment 71.
• Square 30: read Moment O-3.