Valeria: Card Kingdoms
Valeria: Card Kingdoms Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Gameplay Overview
In Valeria: Card Kingdoms you play the role of a Duke or Duchess looking to defend the kingdom and build the most influential city. During the game, you will be slaying Monsters, recruiting Citizens, and expanding your Domain. All of these actions build your city's infrastructure and add to your kingdom's influence in the form of victory points. Keep an eye on your fellow Dukes and Duchesses as they will be doing the same.
The player with the most victory points at the end wins the game and is crowned as the new ruler of Valeria!
Online Tutorial
You can read through these rules or learn the game with our video tutorial! Scan the QR Code or visit our website: dailymagicgames.com/valeria-card-kingdoms
Game Components
215 Cards
- 108 Citizen Cards
- 48 Monster Cards
- 24 Domain Cards
- 10 Duke Cards
- 10 Starter Cards, 10 Exhausted Cards, and 5 Reference Cards
32 Dividers
2 Six-Sided Dice
189 Tokens
- 50 Strength
- 50 Gold
- 50 Magic
- 25 Victory
- First Player & Resting
- 12 Multipliers
NOTE: Before your first game, cards should be unpacked, sorted according to their type, and arranged inside the box with the Dividers provided. We recommend you sort and arrange the cards when putting the game away to speed up the setup for future games.
If you are missing any of the listed components, please email us at [email protected].
Unlimited Resources & Victory Point Tokens
Resources and Victory Point tokens are not meant to be limited by their number in the game. If the tokens ever run out, players can use the included Multiplier tokens. For example, if there are not enough Strength tokens and a player needs 5 Strength, they can take 1 Strength token and place it on a x5 Multiplier token.
Game Setup
NOTE: The following rules are for 2-4 players and for sorting the cards into their initial stacks. Rules for the 5-player and single-player games can be found in the Variants section.
Cards are arranged in a grid of four rows by five columns to form the Center Stacks. Other stacks, tokens, and markers are placed around the Center Stacks after they have been set up. Remove any cards with the 5-player icon.
Monster Cards
The top row consists of the Monster cards. Sort the Monsters into stacks by the area icon in the top right corner of each card. Keeping the Monsters face-up, arrange the Monsters in each stack so that the Monster with the highest Strength is at the bottom, the lowest Strength is at the top, and the middle Strength is in between.
Position each Monster stack in the top row so that the leftmost stack has the lowest Strength number and the rightmost stack has the highest Strength number.
For your first game, we recommend that you play with the following Monster stacks, listed below to be positioned from left to right, with the individual Monsters arranged from top to bottom:
- Hills (3 Goblin, 1 Goblin Mage, 1 Goblin King)
- Ruins (2 Skeleton, 2 Flaming Skeleton, 1 Skeleton King)
- Forest (2 Treant, 2 Bane Spider, 1 Spider Queen)
- Valley (3 Owlbear, 1 Giant, 1 Troll)
- Mountains (2 Dire Bear, 2 Orc Warrior, 1 Orc Chieftain)
Return any remaining Monster stacks to the box. Details on how to set up Monster stacks for future games are in the Monster Cards portion of the Card Anatomy section.
Citizen Cards
The two middle rows consist of the Citizen cards. Sort the Citizens into stacks by their name. For example, one stack of Monk cards, one stack of Cleric cards, etc.
Choose one Citizen type per activation number (upper left corner of each Citizen card). Remove 1 card per stack and place it back in the box - there should be 5 cards per stack. Place the stacks face-up in sequential order in the middle two rows of the Center Stacks.
For your first game, we recommend that you play with the following Citizen types, positioned in sequential order from left to right and separated by row:
- Cleric, Merchant, Mercenary, Archer, Peasant
- Knight, Rogue, Champion, Paladin, Butcher
Return any unchosen Citizen stacks to the box. Recommended setups for future games are in the Recommended Starting Setups section.
Domain Cards
The bottom row consists of the Domain cards. Shuffle all of the Domains together. Deal 2 face-down cards to each position in the bottom row, then deal 1 face-up card to each position in the bottom row. Return the unused Domains to the box.
Exhausted Cards
Take 2 Exhausted cards per player and place them in a stack above the Monster row. Return the rest to the box.
Starter and Reference Cards
Give each player 1 Starter Peasant card, 1 Starter Knight card, and 1 Reference card. These cards will form a player's initial kingdom, or tableau. Return any unused Starter and Reference cards to the box.
Starting Resources
Give each player 2 Gold tokens and 1 Magic token. Place the remaining tokens within easy reach of all players to create the Bank. Players will take Resources from the Bank during the game unless otherwise stated. Some cards give players Victory tokens during certain conditions; these are also taken from the Bank unless otherwise stated.
Duke Cards
Shuffle all of the Duke cards together, then deal 2 Dukes to each player. Each player selects 1 Duke for this game and returns the unchosen Duke to the box. Each player keeps their Duke secret from the other players until the end of the game.
Active Player
Randomly select the first player. The selected player will be the first Active player in the game. Give them the First Player token and the dice.
You are now ready to play the game.
Icons
There are four primary Card Types in the game and each has an icon that refers to the Card Type as a whole: Starter, Duke, Citizen, Monster, Domain.
There are no limits to how many of each card you may have, with two exceptions:
- Starter Cards. You may never have more or less than 1 Starter Knight and 1 Starter Peasant.
- Duke Cards. You may never have more or less than 1 Duke card.
The following icons represent the three different Resources in the game (Gold, Strength, Magic). These icons are present across all card types. When there is a number on top of the icon, it means that it represents that many of that type. If the icon is by itself as a reward or power, it means you take that many tokens from the bank.
- Gold represents the currency of the kingdoms and is used to purchase various cards and abilities.
- Strength represents the strength of the kingdoms and the strength of Monsters.
- Magic represents the magical abilities of the kingdoms and Monsters.
Players can use their Magic to augment their Strength and Gold Resources during their actions as long as at least one non-Magic token is being used.
The following icon is used across all of the card types and is not considered a Resource. A number on top of the icon represents the amount of that type. If the icon is by itself as a reward or power, it means you take that many tokens from the Bank.
- Victory Points represent the prestige you have gained over the kingdoms.
Certain "operator icons" are used across all of the card types:
- Plus. Both items on either side of the icon are included. You can read this as "plus".
- Or. Only one of the listed items may be chosen from either side of the icon. You can read this as "or".
- Per. The item on the left is multiplied by the item on the right. You can read this as "per".
- Less than or equal to. Take the item on the left with the limit set by the right of the icon. You can read this as "less than or equal to". When you take Citizen cards with this operator icon, ignore the '+' symbol on the Gold cost for the Citizen and go by the base cost.
- Paid to gain. The item on the left is paid to the bank in order to gain the item on the right of the icon. You can read this as "paid to gain".
- Taken from. The item on the left is taken from the item on the right of the icon. You can read this as "taken from".
- An opponent of your choice. The Active player chooses an opponent for the effect to target. You can read this as "an opponent of your choice".
- Any die. The Active player chooses a die for the effect to target. You can read this as "any die".
The following icon indicates whether or not you should use the card in the game.
- 5-player icon. If you are playing a 5-player game, include these Monsters in the stacks while setting up the game.
Game Flow
The game is played in a series of turns, each divided into four phases:
- Roll Phase — The Active player rolls the dice.
- Harvest Phase — Players receive Resources produced by their Citizens.
- Action Phase — The Active player takes 2 Actions.
- End Phase — The Active player passes the dice to their left.
During each turn, the phases are executed in the same order.
NOTE: Certain Domain cards are only activated or are active during certain phases.
Roll Phase
In this phase, the Active player rolls the 2 dice to determine the numbers that will activate Citizens in the Harvest Phase.
Each die value and the sum of both dice will activate the Citizens with matching Activation Numbers in each player's tableau during the Harvest Phase.
Example: If you roll a 3 and 5, you will activate Citizen cards that have 3, 5, and 8 as their activation number.
Some Domain cards allow the Active player to change the die values during this phase. Before players Activate their Citizens, the Active player may decide to use the power of any number of the Domain cards they own. Each Domain card that changes a die may only be used one time per Roll Phase.
To end the Roll Phase, the Active player announces the results of the dice roll and play proceeds to the Harvest Phase.
Harvest Phase
In this phase, players will acquire or trade Resources according to the Citizens they own that are activated by the Roll Phase. All players participate in the Harvest Phase.
Each Citizen card has 2 powers shown at the bottom of the card. When a Citizen is activated, both powers are activated, but a player only uses one power, according to whether they are the Active player or a non-Active player:
- The left-side (on-turn) power under the on-turn icon only applies to the Active player.
- The right-side (off-turn) power under the off-turn icon only applies to the non-Active player(s).
If you have more than 1 copy of a Citizen card, each of those Citizens are activated individually.
Example: If you have two Archers (activation number 4) in your tableau, a result of 4 will activate both of the Archers.
Rolling doubles will activate each matching card twice.
Example: If you have three Archers and the result is double 4's, then each Archer will activate for one 4 result and then each Archer will activate again for the other 4 result, for a total of six activations.
Resource tokens received or paid during the Harvest Phase are taken from or paid to the Bank unless the card says otherwise.
The only Citizen that takes from another player is the Thief. When the Thief is activated, they act first at the beginning of the Harvest Phase before other Citizens activate.
Example: You roll a 2 and 5 (which is also a 7) and own a Thief. You must activate your Thief to take someone's Gold or Magic before other players activate their Peasants to take Gold from the off-turn power.
During the Harvest Phase, a player may use the power of the Citizens that are activated in any order they wish.
Example: You roll a 1 and 4 (which is also a 5). You are not the Active Player and you own a Monk (activation number 1) and a Peasant (activation number 5). You use the Peasant's power to gain 1 Gold, then you immediately use the Monk's power to return that 1 Gold to the Bank to gain 2 Magic.
If the dice roll did not activate any of a player's Citizens, then that player may take any one Resource from the bank regardless of whether they are the Active player or not.
After completing the Harvest Phase, play proceeds to the Action Phase.
Action Phase
In this phase, the Active player takes 2 Actions from the following:
- Slay a Monster
- Recruit a Citizen
- Gain a Resource
- Build a Domain
All Actions are described in more detail in the Actions section.
The same action may be taken twice.
If a stack in the Center Stacks is ever Exhausted as a result of an Action taken by a player, the player first finishes the Action and then adds an Exhausted card from the Exhausted stack above the Monsters to the empty position.
A player must take 2 Actions and may not move on to the End Phase until both Actions are completed. After the Active player has taken their 2 Actions, play proceeds to the End phase.
End Phase
In this phase, players check to see if the end-game conditions have been met. If they have been met, play continues until all players have taken an equal number of turns and the turn order returns to the player with the First Player token.
To end this phase, the Active player passes the dice to the player to their left and a new turn begins. If the end-game conditions were met and all players have taken an equal amount of turns, then the game ends and players count up their Victory Points.
Ending the Game
The end-game conditions are met at the end of the Active Player's turn if:
- All of the Monsters have been slain, or
- All of the Domains have been built, or
- The number of Exhausted stacks is equal to twice the number of players.
Scoring
When the game is over, your score is the sum of the:
- Total Victory Points on all of your slain Monsters.
- Total Victory Points on all of your built Domains.
- Total Victory Point tokens in your possession.
- Total Victory Points scored from your Duke.
NOTE: If your Duke scores on Citizen Role icons, be sure to include the Citizen Role icons found on your Citizens and your Domains.
The player with most Victory Points wins the game.
In the event of a tie, the tied player who has the fewest cards in their tableau wins the game.
Actions
Slay a Monster
This action allows a player to take a Monster from the top of a stack and add it to their Victory stack. To Slay a Monster:
- Select a Monster that is on top of a stack.
- Pay the Resources equal to the Strength and Magic cost on the Monster card. Magic can be used to augment Strength, but you must spend at least one Strength token. Some Monster cards cost both Strength and Magic to slay. If so, the Magic cost is in addition to any Magic tokens you might be using to augment your Strength tokens.
- Take the Monster and place it face-up in your tableau in your Victory stack. This is public information for the rest of the game.
- Take the Rewards at the bottom of the Monster card from the Bank and/or Center Stacks.
Some Monster card clarifications can be found in the Monster Cards portion of Card Anatomy and in the Card Clarifications section.
Example: The Treant is at the top of the Forest Monster stack. It has a Strength of 3. You spend 1 Strength and 2 Magic tokens to slay the Treant and add the card to your Victory stack. You then take 1 Gold and 1 Magic as a reward from the Bank.
Recruit a Citizen
This action allows a player to take a Citizen from the top of a stack and add it to their tableau. In order to Recruit a Citizen:
- Select a Citizen that is on top of a stack.
- Pay the Resources equal to the Gold cost (base cost) on the Citizen card plus an additional 1 Gold for each copy of the same Citizen you have in your tableau. Magic can be used to augment Gold, but you must spend at least one Gold token.
- Take the Citizen and place it face-up in your tableau. A Citizen card does not activate on the turn it is recruited.
Some Citizen card clarifications can be found in the Citizen Cards portion of Card Anatomy and in the Card Clarifications section.
Example: The cost to recruit a Peasant is 2+. Since you already have your Starter Peasant, the cost for a second Peasant would be 3 Gold (2 for the cost of the Peasant plus 1 because you already own a Peasant). You spend 1 Gold and 2 Magic tokens to recruit the Peasant and add it to your tableau.
Gain a Resource
This action allows a player to take one Gold, Strength, or Magic Resource from the Bank.
Build a Domain
This action allows a player to take a Domain from the top of a stack and add it to their tableau. In order to Build a Domain:
- Select a Domain that is on top of a stack. In order to build a Domain, the Citizens in your tableau must have Citizen Role icons that match those on the Domain card. If the Domain card shows multiples of a Citizen Role icon, then you must have an equal number of matching Citizens in your tableau.
- Pay the Resources equal to the Gold cost on the Domain. Magic can be used to augment Gold, but you must spend at least one Gold token.
- Take the Domain and place it face-up in your tableau. This is public information for the rest of the game.
- Take the Rewards at the bottom of the Domain card. Some Domains give you an immediate and one-time reward. Some Domains have an ongoing benefit and activate as stated on the card.
- Reveal the next Domain by flipping it over if there is still a Domain card in the stack.
Example: The Palace of the Dawn Domain shows 1 Worker and 2 Soldier Citizen Role icons. You have a Peasant (which has a Worker Role icon) and 2 Archers (which each have a Soldier Role icon), so you meet the Citizen Role requirement. You pay 11 Gold and take the Domain and place it face-up in your tableau. For the rest of the game, you may use its ongoing benefit.
If ever there is a conflict between the rules in this rulebook and the power on a Domain, the Domain supercedes these rules and you should follow the text on the card. Some Domain card clarifications can be found in the Domain Cards portion of Card Anatomy and in the Card Clarifications section.
Card Anatomy
Monster Cards
Monster cards represent the vile monsters that threaten the kingdoms in Valeria. Slaying Monsters will gain you immediate rewards and give you Victory Points at the end of the game.
Boss Monsters in the game will give rewards based on how many Monsters a player has slain from the same Area. See the Spider Queen example below.
Monster Names
Each Monster has a name that the villagers cry out when they are being attacked.
Monster Areas
Monsters are separated into eight Monster Areas: Hills, Ruins, Forest, Swamp, Mountains, Caverns, Barrens, and Valley.
Each Monster card shows an Area icon in the upper right corner indicating which stack the Monster belongs in. When sorting Monster stacks, each stack must contain the same Area icon.
Monster Types
There are four Monster Types in the base game. Each Monster has a Monster Type icon below the Area icon: Boss, Minion, Beast, and Titan.
These icons will become more important in future expansions, but for now, only the Boss and Titan icons are referenced in the base game. These references are found on Duke cards.
Monster Strength and Magic
All Monsters have a Strength value in the middle of the left side of the card. Some Monsters have a Magic value above their Strength value.
Each Monster Area has Monsters with 3 different Strength values. When sorting Monsters in stacks, the Monsters with the highest Strength go on the bottom, the weakest on top, and the other(s) in between. The Magic value is ignored in this sorting process.
Example: When sorting the Ruins for a 5-player game, from bottom to top, place the Skeleton King, 2 Flaming Skeletons, and then 3 Skeletons.
To slay a Monster card at the top of any stack, you must spend Strength equal to the Strength value shown in the red shield icon on the left side of the Monster card.
Magic tokens may be used to augment your Strength tokens, but at least one Strength token must be spent.
Some Monster cards cost both Strength and Magic to slay. If so, the noted Magic cost is in addition to any Magic tokens you might be using to augment your Strength tokens.
Example: The Gelatinous Cube is at the top of the Swamp stack and it has a 1 Magic and 4 Strength as its attributes. You spend 3 Strength tokens and 2 Magic tokens to slay the Gelatinous Cube.
Place all slain Monster cards face-up in a Victory stack in your tableau.
Monster Rewards
At the bottom of each Monster card is a reward that you receive immediately when you slay the Monster. Some Monsters require the player to choose a reward from available options shown on the card.
Some Monsters reward a player with a free Citizen card of up to a certain value. When you take a Citizen card in this way, ignore the '+' symbol on the Gold cost for the Citizen and go by the base cost when acquiring a Citizen this way.
Some Monsters reward Victory Points, which should be taken immediately after slaying the Monster. If you are receiving Victory Points based on Monster Area icons, slain Monsters with the same Monster Area icon are counted.
Example: You slay the Spider Queen which gives you an option to either take 2 Gold for every Forest Monster you've slain or to take any Citizen from the Center Stacks and 1 Victory Point. You have only slain the Spider Queen from the Forest area which would only give you 2 Gold, so you decide to take the latter reward and take an Archer from the Center Stacks and 1 Victory Point token from the Bank.
Victory Points
All Monsters reward the player with Victory Points at the end of the game. The Victory Point value is found in the middle of the right side of the Monster card.
Citizen Cards
Citizen cards represent the people in Valeria that you can hire to help your kingdom prosper. Recruiting Citizens will help you gain and trade Resources throughout the game. Additionally, they will help you meet the requirements needed to build Domains and may even give you Victory Points at the end of the game, depending on the Duke you select.
Citizen Names
Each Citizen has a name that can be found in the center of the card. These names are also considered the Citizen type when referring to the "+" symbol during the Recruit a Citizen Action. Additionally, these names are referenced on some card powers in the game. When sorting Citizen stacks, each stack must only contain 1 Citizen name.
Activation Numbers
Your Citizen cards activate based on the Activation Number in the top left corner of each card. If there are two numbers, it means that the Citizen activates with either of the numbers shown.
Citizen Role Icons
Each Citizen card has a Role icon shown in the upper right corner of the card: Worker, Soldier, Shadow, and Holy.
The Role icon provides a reference for several game functions:
- Domain Role Requirements — Counts as one of the Role icons needed to match on a Domain card in order to use the Build a Domain Action.
- Powers and Rewards — Certain Citizen powers, Monster rewards, and Domain rewards reference specific Role icons.
- Victory Points for Dukes — Some Duke cards will score Victory Points for the player at the end of the game based on the Role icons.
If the Role icon overlaps a Citizen card type icon, then the power or reward only applies to Citizen cards with that icon.
Citizen Cost
To recruit a Citizen card from the Center Stacks, you pay an amount of Gold equal to the cost shown on the card (base cost) plus 1 Gold for each copy of that card you already have in your tableau. The "+" symbol on each Citizen Gold cost is there to remind players that Citizen prices increase as you get more of each Citizen with the same name. See the Recruit a Citizen example in the Actions section.
Citizen Powers
There are two Harvest Phase powers on the bottom of each Citizen card. The left side with the on-turn icon is only used by the Active player and is also referred to as the on-turn power. The right side with the off-turn icon is only used by non-Active players and is also referred to as the off-turn power.
When a power references a Role icon, the Role icon is next to and under the icon to remind you that it only counts Citizen cards with that same Role icon in your tableau.
If a power references any Card Types, card names, or Citizen Roles, then it is referencing any cards in your tableau or Victory stack at that time.
Example: You are the Active player and the sum of your dice roll is 12. The left-side harvest payout for the Miner in your tableau indicates that you gain 1 Gold + 1 Gold per Domain card in your tableau. You have previously purchased the Palace of the Dawn, so you gain 2 Gold.
Some powers may reference Citizen names, and you count any cards with the same name in your tableau.
Domain Cards
Domain cards represent the territory or buildings in Valeria that you need to acquire in order to expand your kingdom. Building Domains will help you attain powerful ongoing or one-time powers.
All Domain cards give you Victory Points at the end of the game. They may even be worth Victory Points depending on the Duke you selected.
Domain Requirements
To Build a Domain, you must first have Citizens in your tableau that match the Role icons shown in the upper right corner of the Domain card. If a particular Role icon is shown more than once, you need to have that number of matching Citizen cards.
See the Build a Domain example in the Actions section.
Note: Your Starter Peasant and Starter Knight do not have Role icons so they do not count toward fulfilling a Domain card's Role Requirement.
Domain Cost
After meeting the Role requirement of a Domain card, you must then pay the Gold cost in order to build that Domain. Magic tokens may be used to augment your Gold tokens, but at least one Gold token must be spent.
Domain Powers
A special reward or power is described at the bottom of each Domain card. This benefit is granted to you for building that Domain. If a Domain card's text breaks the rules written here, the Domain card supersedes these rules.
Some Domains grant an immediate reward that is received as soon as you build the Domain. Occasionally, these rewards will grant you an additional action as a reward. Fulfilling the additional action is still a part of the Buy a Domain action and is not considered one of the two actions you may take in a turn.
Some Domains provide an ongoing power and describe the effect as well as when the effect activates. It is possible that two different powers can take effect at the same time. If this happens, you choose in which order you would like to trigger the powers.
Victory Points
All Domain cards provide Victory Points that are scored at the end of the game. The Victory Point value is found on the middle-right side of the Domain card.
Duke Cards
At the beginning of the game, each player chooses a Duke to play during the game.
Your Duke is kept secret during the game. The description at the bottom of each Duke card shows how you can earn extra Victory Points when you add up your score at the end of the game.
If your Duke scores on Citizen Role icons, be sure to include the Citizen Role icons found on both your Citizens and your Domains.
If you find yourself in a situation with several possible paths, take time to review your Duke card to see if one path leads to higher Victory Points than another.
Variants
5-Player Variant
The instructions below cover the rule changes for 5-player Valeria: Card Kingdoms. All other standard rules apply.
Game Setup
Monster Cards — Each stack of Monster cards will contain 6 cards. Include the cards with the 5-player icon.
Citizen Cards — Each stack of Citizen cards will contain 6 cards.
Domain Cards — Each stack of Domain cards will contain 4 cards, with 3 face-down cards and 1 face-up card on top of the stack.
Resting Player — After selecting the First Player, give the Rest Token to the person to the First Player's right; that person is the Resting Player for the first round.
Harvest Phase
The Resting Player does not harvest Resources during the Active Player's turn.
End Phase
Each time the dice pass left to the next Active Player, the Rest Token passes to the left.
Solo Variant
In the solo game, you play against a virtual player.
When a Duke of the Realm turns to evil and claims the title of Dark Lord, all of Valeria is threatened. You must step up to defend the Kingdom, drive back the forces of evil, and defeat the Dark Lord... alone!
Game Setup
The instructions below cover the rule changes for the solo game of Valeria: Card Kingdoms. All other standard rules apply.
After you select your Duke card, randomly place one Duke face down above the Monster stacks. This traitorous Duke is the Dark Lord and will earn points at the end of the game based on the surviving Monsters as well as the Citizens and Domains that the Dark Lord has captured.
Game Flow
Roll Phase — As described in the standard rules. Because you are the only player, you will roll the dice at the start of each new round.
Harvest Phase — As described in the standard rules. You are the Active Player and Harvest resources from the LEFT side of all of your activated Citizens. If a card instructs you to take from a single player, you take from the Bank instead.
Action Phase — As described in the standard rules. If a card instructs you to take from a single player, you take from the Bank or the card stacks instead. If the card instructs you to take a Monster, then you take the top card on the leftmost Monster stack.
Monsters Phase — There are 5 stacks of Monsters in each game of Valeria: Card Kingdoms. The value on each die that you rolled during the Roll Phase activates a Monster stack in that respective position. So, rolling a 1 activates the first (leftmost) Monster stack, rolling a 2 activates the second Monster stack, etc. The sum of both dice does not activate that Monster stack.
In the case of doubles, that Monster stack is activated twice.
In the case of 6, a Monster stack of your choice is activated. You may not choose an Exhausted Monster stack.
If a rolled stack is exhausted, a Monster stack is not activated for that die.
When a Monster stack is activated, you remove a card from one of the two Citizen stacks in that Monster stack's column. Place the removed Citizen next to the Dark Lord card above the Monster stacks. If both Citizen stacks are empty, you must remove a Domain card from that column and place it next to the Dark Lord card.
If you cannot remove a card from that column because all of the stacks in the column are exhausted, check the Ending the Game section below to find out your fate.
Second Harvest Phase — This new phase functions like the "other players" Harvesting in the standard rules. Harvest all Resources from the RIGHT side of all of your activated Citizens, including Citizens you just recruited during this turn's Action Phase. If a card instructs you to take from a single player, you take from the Bank instead.
End Phase — Check the end-game conditions. If they have not been met, pick up the dice to start the next round.
Ending the Game
The game ends immediately if you have slain all of the Monsters...
The Dark Lord rages against the injustice of defeat but the screams of despair fade and go unheard by the joyous Citizens singing your praises throughout the land. Your duchy will surely prosper in the age of light born from your victory. You have won the game.
The game ends immediately if a Monster attacks and there are no Citizen or Domain cards in that column...
You have failed to defend the Kingdom of Valeria. The Monsters ransack the countryside and the Dark Lord adds your duchy to the shadow realm. Children will grow up cursing your name and the Dark Lord will rule over the blighted land for a hundred years. You have lost the game.
The game ends immediately if five card stacks are exhausted. Total your score as follows:
- Total Victory Points on all of your slain Monsters.
- Total Victory Points on all of your built Domains.
- Total Victory Points based on the instructions at the bottom of your Duke card.
After counting your points, reveal the face of the Dark Lord and total his points as follows:
- Total Victory Points on all surviving Monsters (still in their stacks).
- Total Victory Points on all Domains captured.
- Total Victory Points based on the instructions at the bottom of the Duke card as applied to the surviving Monsters, the captured Citizens and the captured Domains.
If the Dark Lord's score is higher than your score...
The Dark Lord has solidified the evil in your lost duchy and secured a voice of influence within Valeria's royal court. You have escaped to the protection of a neighboring Duke to heal your wounds and recruit allies to win back your duchy and oust the Dark Lord from the land. You have lost the game... but not the war.
If your score is higher than the Dark Lord's score...
The infected duchy has been lost to evil but at least the darkness has been contained. You will have to guard the borders against the Monsters that lurk in the shadows and you will have many sleepless nights as you await the inevitable resurgence that could doom all of Valeria. You have won the game... for now.
Mixed Citizen Variant
The instructions below cover the rule changes for the Mixed Citizen Variant of Valeria: Card Kingdoms. All other standard rules apply.
Game Setup
Citizen Cards — When setting up the Citizen stacks, take all of the Citizen Types with the same Activation number and shuffle them together. Deal out 4 Citizens for a 4-player game or 5 Citizens for a 5-player game face down and then deal 1 Citizen face up on top of the stack. Place the rest of the cards back in the box. Continue to do this for each Activation number.
Example: You take all of the Monk cards and all of the Cleric cards and shuffle them together. You are playing a 4-player game of Valeria: Card Kingdoms, so you deal out 4 face down and then 1 face up to form the Activation number "1" stack.
During the game, Citizens that are face down are not public knowledge and may not be revealed until the Citizen directly above it has been taken by a player.
Card Clarifications
Bane Spider gives a reward of 3 Gold or you may immediately take a Knight from the Center Stacks. If there is no Knight available, then you must take the 3 Gold from the bank.
Foxgrove Palisade allows you to change the value of one die to a 6 if you pay 2 Gold.
Gargan's Embrace gives you a Victory Point whenever any player rolls doubles or when the dice are changed to be doubles. If the dice are doubles and a player changes the dice values so they are not, you still get a Victory Point. It is possible to trigger this ability more than once if a player rolls doubles then, using Domain powers, changes the dice to another pair of doubles.
Nest of the Weaver Woman allows you to return a Citizen card from your Victory stack to its original area in the Center Stacks. If the stack was Exhausted, remove the Exhausted card and then place the Citizen. Yes, you can extend the game in this way since the end-game conditions are no longer being met.
Orc Warrior gives a reward of a Citizen from the Center Stacks equal to or less than 3 Gold. Ignore the "+" on the Citizen card when taking the Citizen card.
Palace of the Dawn allows you to reduce the value of a die by one. You may not roll down the die to zero. You may roll down a die that you previously changed by another Domain power.
Purloiner's Perch allows you to take a random Monster from any one player. You do not get the Rewards and the Monster goes into your Victory stack.
The Desert Orchid allows you to change the value of one die to a 1 if you pay 1 Gold for every Holy Citizen you own. If you do not own any Holy Citizens, you may still use this power and in this case you pay 0 Gold.
Thief has an on-turn power of taking up to 3 Gold or 3 Magic from any one player of your choice. You may not mix Resources; it is either all Gold or all Magic. You may take less than 3 from a player if you wish or if they do not have 3 of the Resource you choose. The player who activates the Thief takes Resources from a player at the start of the Harvest Phase before other players take their Resources.
Watcher on the Water allows you to return a Monster card from your Victory stack to its original area in the Center Stacks. If the stack was Exhausted, remove the Exhausted card and then place the Monster. Yes, you can extend the game in this way since the end-game conditions are no longer being met.
Wraith gives a reward of a Citizen from the Center Stacks equal to or less than 2 Gold. Ignore the "+" on the Citizen card when taking the Citizen card.
Recommended Starting Setups
The following are a list of recommended starting setups that focus on certain aspects of the game.
Glittering Gold
- Monsters: Hills, Ruins, Forest, Swamp, and Caverns.
- Citizens: Monk, Merchant, Alchemist, Archer, Rogue, Champion, Paladin, and Butcher.
- Remove these Domains from the game: Forgotten Sorrows, The Violet Thorn, Golden Obelisk of Nae, and Monolith of Ostendaar.
Mastery Over Magic
- Monsters: Barrens, Ruins, Forest, Valley, and Mountains.
- Citizens: Cleric, Merchant, Alchemist, Wizard, Thief, Champion, Paladin, and Butcher.
- Remove these Domains from the game: Eye of Asteraten, Blood Crow Army, Foxgrove Palisade, and Gargan's Embrace.
Monster Blood
- Monsters: Barrens, Ruins, Forest, Swamp, and Mountains.
- Citizens: Cleric, Blacksmith, Mercenary, Archer, Rogue, Warlord, Priestess, and Miner.
- Remove these Domains from the game: Forgotten Sorrows, Nest of the Weaver Witch, Cathedral of St. Aquila, and Cutthroat's Truce.
Quick Play Reference
Objective - Have the most Victory Points by the end of the game through accumulated Victory tokens, slain Monsters, purchased Domains, and Duke end-game powers.
Game Overview - Each turn consists of 4 phases:
- Roll Phase - The Active player rolls the dice. The Active player may use Domain cards at this time to manipulate the dice. The Active player declares the value of the dice and play continues to the Harvest Phase.
- Harvest Phase - Players receive Resources produced by their Citizens. The Active player receives Resources according to the Citizen on-turn power on the bottom left. All other players receive Resources according to the Citizen off-turn power on the bottom right.
- Action Phase - The Active player takes 2 Actions from the following:
- Slay a Monster by paying the Strength or Magic cost to the Bank. Receive rewards and take the Monster to your Victory stack.
- Recruit a Citizen by paying the Gold cost to the Bank. Place the Citizen card in your tableau.
- Gain a Resource by taking one Gold, Strength, or Magic token from the Bank.
- Build a Domain if you have the required Role icons on Citizen cards currently in your tableau. Pay the Gold cost to the Bank and place the Domain card in your tableau. Receive rewards immediately if noted on the Domain.
- End Phase - Check for end-game conditions. The Active player passes the dice to their left.
Important Concepts
- Magic tokens can be used instead of Gold or Strength as long as one non-Magic token is used.
- Regardless of whether you are the Active player or not, if the value of the dice do not activate any of your Citizens during a Harvest Phase, you gain a Resource (Gold, Strength, or Magic) of your choice.
- During the Harvest Phase, you may activate your Citizens in any order you wish (except for the Thief that must be the first Citizen activated) and may immediately spend any Resources gained during that Harvest Phase to activate and use the power of another Citizen.
- If a Domain card text breaks the rules written here, the Domain card supersedes these rules.
- There is no limit to how many cards you may have in your tableau. You should always have one Starter Peasant, one Starter Knight, and one Duke.
Ending the Game
The end-game conditions are met if all Monsters are slain, all Domains are bought, or the number of Exhausted stacks is equal to twice the number of players.
All players get an equal number of turns.
Each player calculates their final score by counting their Victory tokens, adding all Victory Points on Monsters and Domains, and adding Victory Points from Duke end-game powers. The player with the most Victory Points is the winner.
In the event of a tie, the tied player who has the fewest cards in their tableau wins the game.
Credits
- Game Design: Isaias Vallejo
- Illustrations: Mihajlo Dimitrievski
- Graphic Design & Layout: Isaias Vallejo
- Game Development: David MacKenzie, Isaias Vallejo
- Narrative Design: WhiskeyGinger, David MacKenzie, and Isaias Vallejo
- Copy Editing: WhiskeyGinger, Cardboard Edison, and Sarah Bolland
- Publisher: Daily Magic Games
- Testers: Tom Hillman, Mike Bieter, Jason Pierce, Vance Agte, and all of the awesome testers from Game Designers Clubhouse and Unpub 5.
- Special Thanks to: Dan Patriss for his help with the Solo rules variant. Jason Pierce for his math wizardry and help with the 5-player rules variant. Richard Ham for reviewing the game.
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