Wild Assent

Wild Assent Rulebook

Table of Contents

PART ONE: THE HUNT RULEBOOK
PART TWO: THE ARENA RULEBOOK

PART ONE: THE HUNT RULEBOOK

Rise of the Seekers (Hunt story)

The days following Vareclea's coup were marked by fear and bloodshed. Vareclea, owner of the Silvestrem, seized the kingdom with the brigand leader Kander. Kander then founded the Seekers: an organisation of bounty hunters sent into the Wilds to refill her dungeons with Creatures. A Seeker bears a magical tattoo with the date of their initiation, and a new date is seared below it each time they bring flesh to sell at the markets. If the dates ever reach the Seeker's wrist, they can retire with their wealth. Four new Seekers have just left the Silvestrem in search of glory, gold, and one day, freedom. Their expedition into the Wilds will succeed or fail based on their individual skills and determination.

Components (Hunt)

The Hunt Rulebook; Game Board (The Wilds Side); 8 Obstacles (The Wilds Side); 30 Scout Cards; 20 Equipment Cards; 30 Resource Cards; 20 Unlocked Skill/Cooldown Tokens; 9 Captured Creature Tokens; 5 Capture Tokens; 4 Exhaust Tokens; 10 Gold Tokens.

Miniatures: Wildswood Sentinel, 4 Wildswood Skirmishers, Phoenix, 4 Daemonspawns, Daemonretch, 4 Waterbounds, Streamcaller, Gryphon, Fani, Illithena, Berlyne, Zaxos, Horned Golem, Wildsflower, Lava Fiend, Exalted Effigy, River Guardian.

Modes of Play

Wild Assent features two distinct game modes sharing only miniatures and some other basic components. Read the two summaries below carefully before deciding which mode you would like to play. If you choose the Hunt, you are holding the correct book in your hands and should continue reading the rules. Otherwise, return this book to the box and retrieve the Arena rulebook. Note that there are similarities in combat between the two games, so you will see familiar information in those sections should you choose to read both rulebooks. Pay special attention to the Instinct Cards, Activating Creatures and Capturing Creatures sections of this rulebook, as that is where combat for the two modes diverges most.

The Hunt

The Hunt is a one to four player cooperative campaign mode that will require multiple game sessions to complete. Each player chooses one or more upgradeable Seekers (for a total of four), to venture into the dangerous and mystical Wilds to track and capture Creatures for gold and glory. The players will maintain an Encampment, erecting useful buildings and hiring workers, to support the Seekers in their expedition. The primary goal of the Hunt is to survive 10 seasons so the Seekers may retire with their wealth. If all the Seekers fall in battle at the same time, the expedition ends and the players lose. Players on the Hunt must consider positioning and target priority while in combat, and resource and worker management while in the Encampment.

The Arena

The Arena is a two or four player competitive game mode. Each player chooses an Assent, a customizable champion they will use to lead a troupe of Creatures into battle. The goal of the Arena is simple: kill or be killed. Players choose to either make slaying the enemy Assent(s) the objective of the game or wiping out the entire enemy troupe. Players in the Arena must consider team composition and Assent loadouts prior to the match, and positioning, target priority and crisis management once combat begins.

Victory Conditions

Players begin Wild Assent's Hunt mode by deciding on a victory condition. Once all players are familiar with how the game mode is played, they can begin customizing their experience by adding new challenges, such as facing tougher threats earlier in the expedition or by lowering the amount of gold players receive for selling Creatures at the Silvestrem's markets.

Survival

Surviving 10 Seasons is the default victory condition for the Hunt and recommended for new players. All players will need to work together to build up their Encampment and hunt/kill/capture as many Creatures as they can to survive for the full 10 Seasons. If all four Seekers are injured in combat, the game ends and the players lose.

Scenarios

The Wild Assent Scenario Book contains individual scenarios with objectives and setups that differ from the Survival victory condition. These scenarios are designed for veteran players as many focus on condensed gameplay experiences and ramped up difficulty. Consult the Introduction section on page 3 of the Scenario Book for more information.

Game Overview

This section describes how to play an entire campaign of Wild Assent's Hunt mode. While the rest of the rulebook goes into detail for each of the mechanics needed to play, there are some rules here that are not found anywhere else. Once you are more familiar with the Hunt, you will be able to use this section as a quick reference for how the game is played.

Setup

Setup is as simple as selecting Seekers and populating the Encampment.

Selecting Seekers. The Hunt is always played with four Seekers. If four players are present, each will control one Seeker. Any fewer players and one or more will need to control more than one Seeker.
Create the Encampment. Place the Encampment board within reach of all players. The Seekers begin their expedition automatically with the Barracks and two buildings of the players' choice. Place Level 1 Building tokens on the three buildings to identify they have been built. Take all of the Worker cards and set aside the Workers who cost 2 gold (in the base game, the Veterinarian and the Trader). Shuffle the rest of the Workers and draw three. Players select one to add to their encampment and shuffle the rest (including the 2-gold ones) together and place them next to the Encampment. Place the Season token on "1" on the Encounter board. Shuffle the Threat 1 Scout cards together and draw two. Pick one and prepare the Encounter.

Playing the Game

The Hunt mode is divided into two phases, Encounter and Encampment, which are combined to create one Season. Encounters are played across a series of rounds following the same basic structure seen below. The Encampment phase grants each Seeker five Actions to use as they wish and will usually, but not always, end with an Encounter.

Encounter Setup. Players use the selected Scout card to determine which Creature (and Threat) is automatically part of the Encounter and set its three Wild Creature cards aside. Sort the rest of the Wild Creature cards into three stacks by Threat and shuffle each. Draw the number of Creatures indicated on the Scout card (discarding any duplicate Creatures and drawing again) and then combine and shuffle the Instinct cards for all Creatures in the Encounter. Roll 1D6 to determine which setup will be used (see Encounter Setup, page 14) and place the Creatures, Seekers and obstacles as indicated. Seekers and Creatures alternate activations, beginning with the side identified in the Encounter Setup.
Activate Seekers. Seekers may activate in any order, but each Seeker may only activate once per round. Seekers may move up to their Speed in fields, then perform one action: either attack, use a Skill or Equipment, or capture. Any action, even a free action, ends movement. Place an Exhaust token on the Seeker's card to indicate they have activated.
Activate Creatures. To activate a Creature, draw one Instinct card and resolve it. If the Creature is slain or captured, draw a new card. If the second Instinct card drawn is for a slain or captured Creature, discard it and activate the next Seeker. If an Instinct card is ever drawn for a Creature with at least one capture token, Assign 2 damage to each Seeker capturing it and draw a new Instinct card. If all remaining Creatures have capture tokens, assign the damage but do not draw a new card. If all Instinct cards have been discarded, remove the cards for captured and slain Creatures from the discard pile and shuffle the remaining cards to form a new Instinct deck.
Resolution. If the Seekers activated first in the round, the round ends after the last Seeker activates and one additional Creature activates. If the Creatures activated first, the round ends when the last Seeker activates. Discard all Exhaust tokens and begin a new round with the group that activated first in the previous round.
End the Encounter. Play continues until either all Creatures have been captured or slain or all Seekers are injured. If all Seekers are injured, they are lost to the Wilds and players lose the entire campaign. If the Seekers are victorious, they receive Resources based on the Threat of the Creatures they slayed and hang on to the Wild Creature cards of the Creatures they captured.

Seekers

Seekers are the brave men and women who scour the Wilds in search of dangerous Creatures to capture and sell at the Silvestrem markets. Each Seeker fills a vital role within the expedition and their prowess on the hunt will be the difference between returning with captured monsters and disappearing in the Wilds forever. Seekers all have the same basic statistics, including two default Skills and five Skills that can be unlocked by upgrading your Encampment. Consult the diagram on page 9 to see which buildings and upgrades are required for each Skill. The Seeker's card (example: Zaxos) includes all the information a player will need to control the Seeker in battle.

Name: The name of the Seeker.
Speed: The number of fields the Seeker may move during an activation. Rotating in any direction costs 1 Speed.
Movement Type:
- Normal: This Seeker has no special movement ability.
- Swift: This Seeker may move diagonally forward.
- Flying: This Seeker ignores other miniatures and obstacles while moving. They may not end their movement on an occupied field.
Health: The amount of damage the Seeker can sustain. When a Seeker receives damage equal to or greater than their Health, they are injured and removed from the game board.
Range: The potential reach of the Seeker's default attack. A Seeker with a Range of 1 may only attack adjacent Creatures.
Base Damage and Damage Type: The number is the damage of the Seeker's default attack. This is added to the result of the Seeker's Attack Dice roll to determine the total damage of their attack. The symbol identifies the form of damage the Seeker's default attack uses. It can either be physical or magical (Physical Damage / Magical Damage).
Attack Dice: The number of Attack Dice rolled when the Seeker attacks. This is added to the Seeker's Base Damage to determine the total damage of their attack.
Physical Defense: The hardiness of the Seeker. This number is subtracted from the damage of any physical attack made against the Seeker.
The mystical fortitude of the Seeker. This number is subtracted from the damage of any magical attack made against the Seeker.

Skills

A Seeker or Creature can stand apart from their peers based on statistics alone, but it is their Skills that make them truly unique. For Seekers, Skills provide versatility, giving them ways to deal with the growing threat of the Wilds. For Creatures, Skills are powerful passives and one-off actions that make them that much more difficult to slay or capture. There are four types of Skills, identified by the symbol on the far left of the Skill text.

Special: Special skills only come into play when the Seeker or Creature is attacking and rolls at least one Special with their Attack Dice. Some Skills may also have "On Special" effects included, especially Active Skills. There are three types of Special skills: On Special, On Each Special and On Special (xX). An On Special effect occurs only once as long as at least one Special is rolled. An On Each Special effect occurs once for each Special rolled and an On Special (xX) effect occurs only once if the required number of Specials is rolled. For Example, On Special (x2) would occur only once if at least two Specials were rolled.
Passive: This Skill is always active and does not require an action to use. Passive skills may grant stat bonuses or effects that are relevant even outside of a Seeker or Creature's activation (like Zaxos's defensive Skill, Rout, which allows him to activate out-of-turn when a Creature is slain).
Defensive: Defensive Skills are similar to Passives, but they require the Seeker or Creature to actually be attacked to take effect. Since that usually only happens outside of their activation, Defensive Skills do not require an action to use.
Active: Active Skills require an action to use, and are often attacks or other powerful abilities. Unlockable Active Skills are put on Cooldown when used.

Encampment

The Seeker's Encampment is the staging area for all of their hunts in the Wilds. Its buildings provide vital services for the Seekers during the Encampment phase such as passive healing and storing of Creatures. They are also required for unlocking Seeker skills to be used in the Encounter phase.

The Encampment is represented by a persistent board players add and update during the course of the campaign. The Encampment board has three main areas: the buildings on the top, the Workers slots at the bottom and the building descriptions on the bottom right. Each building has an outline to place a Building token to show if the building has been purchased and what level it has been upgraded to, if at all. Upgrading buildings and hiring Workers is vital to taking full advantage of the Encampment and the overall success of the campaign.

Temple of Vil: A modest temple for Vil, god of travelers, explorers and thieves. Seekers can spend actions at the temple to heal. Upgrading the Temple of Vil increases the healing and the number of Seekers who can visit simultaneously.
Workshop: A cramped deathtrap of flame, smoke and steel, the Workshop is different from the other buildings in that it doesn't provide a passive or active benefit by itself. The Workshop allows Seekers to craft powerful Equipment cards, but the Encampment must have at least one Worker with a Crafting Recipe. Some equipment becomes more powerful depending on the level of the Workshop.
Barracks: Obtained automatically, the Barracks is the living quarters for the entire Encampment. The Barracks provides passive healing and Worker Slots, both increasing with each building upgrade. The Barracks also houses 1 Creature and is a lynchpin for unlocking several powerful Seeker Skills.
Seeker's Den: A command tent of sorts, the Seeker's Den is where all scouting and other incursions into the Wilds are planned. Upgrading the Seeker's Den results in more options while Scouting and more resources when slaying Creatures.
Creature Pens: Arguably the most important building in any Seeker Encampment, the Creature Pens house Creatures and, if fully upgraded, increase the gold those Creatures sell for at the Silvestrem's markets. Captured Creature tokens are placed directly on the Creature Pen's picture on the Encampment board.
Worker Slots: An extra bedroll or tent for those willing (or conscripted) to ply their craft at the Encampment. There are six slots available to place Workers. The first two are available automatically; the rest must be unlocked by upgrading the Barracks. The slot symbols printed on the hanging hides are fancy looking, but do not affect gameplay.
Building Details: Concise descriptions of the benefits each building provides to the Encampment as well as what bonuses are gained from upgrading them.

Workers

Workers are hired at the Silvestrem's markets and provide valuable bonuses and useful Crafting Recipes for the Seekers and their Encampment. The default cost for a Worker is 1 gold, but there are some that cost more (consult their Skill text before hiring). Each Worker is associated with a specific building; if the required building has not been purchased/built, the Worker may still be hired, but their Skill and Crafting Recipe(s) cannot be used. The Encampment begins with two Worker slots and upgrading the Barracks unlocks additional slots. If all of the Encampment Worker slots are full, hiring a new Worker requires discarding an existing Worker. The Worker is returned to the box, not added back to the Worker deck.

Name: The name of the Worker's profession or field of study.
Skill: The unique boon the Worker provides to the Seekers and/or their Encampment.
Crafting Recipe: A piece of Equipment that can be crafted by a Seeker at the Workshop if this Worker is hired by the Encampment. The symbols on the right are the Resources required to craft the Equipment. Consult the Equipment card for more details about the Equipment.
Building: The building required to make use of this Worker's Skill and Crafting Recipe(s).

Encampment Actions

Each Seeker receives five actions at the beginning of the Encampment phase to spend on tasks as they wish. Actions must be used in order, with each Seeker spending their actions one at a time. It's recommended all players consult with one another about spending actions at the beginning of the Encampment phase so no task is missed, especially scouting. Two Seekers must each have at least one action each remaining to Scout to begin the next Encounter. If they do not, a new Encampment phase will begin and the Encampment will become Derelict. This not only increases the danger to the Encampment, but leaves the Seekers less prepared for the challenges ahead.

Equipment Cards

Equipment cards add a new Skill to the Seeker who carries them. Each Seeker can bring only one Equipment card to an Encounter. Equipment cards are activated the same as Skills; simply resolve the text as normal, though some may be discarded after use (or after the Encounter). There is no limit to the number of Equipment cards that can be stored in the Encampment.

Name: The name of the Equipment.
Skill: Special abilities unique to the Equipment card. Some are passive bonuses or traits, others are spells or abilities that may be used instead of attacking. The symbol on the far left of the Skill identifies basic information about the type of Skill. More detail about Skill Symbols can be found on Skills, page 9.

Actions requiring specific buildings

The below actions require specific buildings to be performed.

Heal at the Temple of Vil. Seekers may spend 1 action to Heal at the Temple of Vil. The amount of healing depends on the building level (see the Temple of Vil description on the Encampment board).
Craft at the Workshop. If the Encampment has both the Workshop and a Worker with at least one Crafting Recipe (and the players have enough Resources), a Seeker may spend 1 action to craft an Equipment card at the Workshop. Discard the Resources and set the Equipment card anywhere on Encampment board. It may be taken by any of the Seekers on their next Encounter.

Actions always available

The below actions can always be performed regardless of the existing buildings in an Encampment.

Upgrade a Building. Seekers may upgrade an existing building by paying the appropriate gold cost. Upgrading from building level 1 to 2 costs 2 gold and upgrading from 2 to 3 costs 3 gold. This does not use any Seeker actions, but the upgrade does not take effect until the next Encampment phase. A building cannot be upgraded the same Encampment phase it was purchased.
Visit the Silvestrem's Markets. Traveling to the Silvestrem requires two Seekers spend 3 actions each, but grants them access to the below tasks at no further cost. These free tasks can be performed in any order (you can sell Creatures first to earn enough gold to purchase Workers and/or building materials).
- Sell Creatures. The Seekers may sell as many Creatures as they like. Creatures sell for gold equal to their Threat. For example, a Threat 1 Creature sells for 1 gold while a Threat 3 Creature sells for 3 gold. Players discard each Creature token they wish to sell and obtain the appropriate number of gold tokens.
- Hire Workers. Unlike selling Creatures, the Seekers may only attempt to hire Workers once per visit to the Silvestrem's markets. Players draw 2 Worker cards and may hire as many (or as few) as they like.
- Purchase Buildings. Seekers may purchase new buildings to add to their encampment. Each building costs 2 gold. Place a building token with the Roman numeral 1 facing up to show the building is now part of the encampment. The new building may not be used until the next Encampment phase.
Scouting. Two Seekers venture into the Wilds in search of dangerous (and valuable) Creatures to hunt. The players draw two cards from the Scouting deck (or more depending on buildings and Workers) and select one to determine the Encounter they will face. Scouting cost 2 actions per Seeker and ends the Encampment phase to begin a new Encounter phase. See the next section for how to use the Scouting card to set up the Encounter.

Scout Cards

Name: The region the Seekers have scouted.
Threat Level: The difficulty of the Encounter.
Environment: A global effect that persists during the Encounter.
Prey: The Creatures present and their Threat levels. There is always at least one named Creature as well as the number of Creatures that must be drawn from the three Threat levels (3/2/1 would mean one Threat 3 Creature, one Threat 2 and one Threat 1).

Wild Creature Cards

Each Creature has three Wild Creature cards, one for each Threat level. The cards contain basic statistical information about the Creature and should be kept near the game board for easy reference.

Name: The name of the Creature.
Resource Category: The type of Resources this Creature drops, if slain.
Health: The amount of damage the Creature can sustain. When a Creature receives damage equal to or greater than its Health, it is slain and removed from the game board. Health also determines how much damage a Creature must receive before it may be captured.
Physical Defense: The hardiness of the Creature. This number is subtracted from the damage of any physical attack made against the Creature.
Magical Defense: The mystical fortitude of the Creature. This number is subtracted from the damage of any magical attack made against the Creature.
Threat Level: A numerical identifier for how dangerous the Creature is. There are three Threat levels; the higher the Threat, the greater the challenge and rewards the Creature provides.
Skills: Special talents unique to the Creature. Creature Skills are either passive bonuses or traits or conditional effects that occur when specific requirements are met. The symbol on the far left of the Skill identifies basic information about the type of Skill. More detail about Skill Symbols can be found on Skills, page 9.

Obstacles

Obstacles are special fields that influence how Seekers and Creatures can move around the game board. Below is a list of each obstacle and its effects. Obstacles are represented on the game board by tokens. They are placed at the same time as the Seekers and Creatures; refer to Encounter Setup below.

Partial Cover (1-2): Seekers and Creatures adjacent to this field have +1 Defense. Neither can end their movement on Partial Cover, but they may move over it at the cost of 3 Speed. See an example of moving over Partial Cover on Example 4, page 18.
Full Cover (3-4): Seekers and Creatures may not end their movement on, or move over, this field. Any attack that draws line of sight through Full Cover cannot be made, even if the miniature is adjacent to the Full Cover (no aiming around corners).
Thornbrush (5): Thornbrush is identical to Full Cover with one addition: any Seeker or Creature that is pushed (via Knockback) into this field is assigned 2 damage and Bleed. More information about Knockback can be found on Example 10, page 20.
Pit (6): Any Seeker or Creature who enters a Pit field must end their activation immediately, forfeiting any unused Speed/Actions. They must also spend their entire next activation to move to an adjacent field.

Encounters

Encounter Setup

After players select a Scout card and draw the listed number of Creatures, they roll 1D6 to determine the starting locations of the Seekers, Creatures and obstacles. The setups for 1-5 can be found in the diagrams in the original book (not reproduced here; the text to the right of the title identifies which group activates first). If the players roll a 6, they may choose any setup they wish. The black circles on the maps are Seekers, the red circles are Creatures and the X's are obstacles. Each circle has an arrow to show the direction the Seeker or Creature should be facing.

Place the Creatures on the red circles with the number that corresponds with the order they were drawn on the Scout card (the first named Creature is always on 1, etc). Then place the Seekers in any order on the black circles. Finally, roll 1D6 for each X to determine which obstacles are placed, the results matching the numbers to the right of the obstacle titles (there are two of each obstacle; reroll if an obstacle is rolled more than twice).

1. The Lost Seeker (Creatures activate first). After marching for what seems like hours, you finally reach your destination deep within the Wilds. You've spotted your prey, there's just one problem: someone has gone missing. There's no time to track them down, the local fauna is now aware of your presence. You prepare for the fight of your lives, hoping your fellow Seeker can find time in their busy schedule to join you.

2. Surrounded! (Creatures activate first). Your expedition into the Wilds has taken an unexpected turn as you and your fellow Seekers have become prey to the Creatures you were supposedly hunting. Surrounded and with few options, you ready your weapons and hope the monsters aren't as good at fighting as they are at making you look like fools.

3. A Chance Encounter (Seekers activate first). As you pass your sixth hour of walking, you quietly curse the fresh blisters forming on top of the blisters already on your feet. You consider turning back, but the idea is interrupted by you almost colliding with one of the Creatures you were hunting. It looks as surprised as you, if that is even possible, your blisters instantly becoming the least of your concerns.

4. Fresh Meat (Seekers activate first). You tracked the beasts across their home turf without so much as a heavy footstep to alert them of your presence. Once they stopped to rest, you and your fellow Seekers carefully surrounded them. It's not often you can get the jump on the denizens of the Wilds, but today is a good day.

5. The Brawl (Creatures activate first). After half a day of marching your search for your quarry has reached something of a middle; the middle of your hunting party, in fact. You can see your fellow Seekers on the opposite side of an impressive gathering of monsters; it looks like all parties involved came prepared for a fight today. You wouldn't have it any other way.

Final Setup

Board, Tokens and Cards

With the Creatures, Seekers and obstacles placed, it's almost time to begin the Encounter. Take the Instinct cards for the Creatures in the Encounter and shuffle them together to form the Instinct deck. Also be sure to place the Creature (and Seeker) Health trackers on the board. Both halves of the board have the same set of numbers; it doesn't matter which is used (though putting all health trackers on the same side may make that side feel a bit crowded). The Scout card should be placed nearby so players do not forget the environment effects active during the course of the encounter. Now is also the perfect time to read aloud the opening text from the Encounter Setup, or in the case of Scenarios, the opening stage text.

Let the Hunt begin! Either activate the first Seeker or draw the first Instinct card, depending on who was identified as activating first in the Encounter Setup.

Activating Seekers

When activated, each Seeker may move and then perform an action. Both require an understanding of the facing of a miniature on the board:

Each square on the board is known as a "field." The field directly in front of a miniature (Zaxos in the diagram) is his "Front." That field and the fields on the left and right of it are considered his "Frontal Arc." Finally, the field directly behind is his "Back."

Movement

Seekers and Creatures may move up to their Speed value in fields at the start of their activation. They can only move to the adjacent field in front of them (Front in the diagram above), or the adjacent fields on their left or right (unless they have Swift; see Example 2 below). Moving in any other direction requires rotating first, at the cost of 1 Speed to rotate in any direction. Seekers and Creatures may not enter a field occupied by another miniature or certain obstacles unless they have Flying (see Example 3). Performing any action, even a free action, ends movement. Any unused Speed is lost.

Example 1: Normal Movement & Vault. Fani wants to attack the Horned Golem from behind. Unfortunately she would need 6 Speed to walk around him as seen in the first image. Instead, she can use her Vault skill, allowing her to leap over him (as seen in the second image). She spends 1 Speed to move forward, then 3 to use Vault. She spends 1 more Speed to rotate and she is ready to attack the Horned Golem from behind.

Example 2: Swift Movement. The Streamcaller's Instinct card determines that Illithena should be its target (Enemy - Lowest PDEF - Lowest HP and Swift Advance 4; see Instinct Cards, page 21). Zaxos and Fani are doing their best to keep Illithena from harm, but the Streamcaller has Swift movement. It moves two fields diagonally forward to the left and then one field diagonally forward to the right. It spends its remaining 1 Speed to rotate so it may attack.

Example 3: Flying Movement. The Gryphon's Instinct card determines it should attack Illithena (Enemy - Lowest PDEF - Farthest and Flying Advance 3, see Instinct cards, page 21), but there is a whole mess of Seekers and obstacles in its way. The Gryphon can ignore them all, using its Flying movement to soar to Illithena with its modest 3 Speed.

Example 4: Partial Cover. Illithena has +1 Defense for being adjacent to Partial Cover. That said, she'd like there to be a little more distance between herself and the Wildswood Sentinel behind her. Unlike Full Cover, Partial Cover can be crossed over at the cost of 3 Speed, so Illithena may leap over the Partial Cover, rotate and attack. Zaxos may then put himself in front of the Sentinel and use his Taunt Skill, solidifying Illithena's escape while both still take advantage of the +1 Defense from being adjacent to the Partial Cover.

Actions

After moving, a Seeker may perform one action. Actions generally consist of either making a default attack using the stats on the Seeker's card or using an active Skill available either on their card or from Equipment. Using an action usually ends a Seeker's activation unless they have a Skill that overrides that rule, such as Illithena's Royal Bloodline Skill. Skills identified as "free action" do not require an action to use and may be used without ending a Seeker's activation.

Line of Sight and Range

To make an attack against an enemy, the attacker must establish both line of sight to, and range of, the target. Line of sight is established by drawing an invisible line from the center of the field the attacker occupies to the center of the field the target occupies. That imaginary line must be within the attacker's frontal arc (between the center of the two fields on either side of the front field) and not cross a field occupied by Full Cover or another miniature. Range is established the same way movement is, except diagonal fields may be used. Count up to the Range value of the attack in fields (as seen in Example 7) to see if a target is in Range. If the imaginary line of sight crosses the back of the target, the attack has +2 damage. Seekers and Creatures may not directly target or attack their allies, but some area of effect Skills may result in an ally taking damage.

Example 5: Line of Sight. Illithena has line of sight of all the blue highlighted fields in the diagram as there are no miniatures or obstacles blocking her view. The non-highlighted fields on either side and behind her are not in line of sight; she will have to rotate if she wishes to target a Creature in those fields. The fields beyond the blue fields in front of her are out of Range, requiring Illithena to move forward if she wishes to attack a target on them.

Example 6: Targeting & Back Attacks. In the diagram, Illithena has line of sight to the Daemonspawn and the River Guardian. Zaxos is blocking line of sight to the Horned Golem, and, though the Daemonretch is in the same position as the River Guardian (on the opposite side), a straight line from the center of its field to Illithena's field crosses over part of the Daemonspawn's field. An attack cannot be made without moving Illithena. The River Guardian is an especially tempting target as its back is to Illithena, meaning her attack would have +2 damage.

Example 7: Range. Illithena has a Range of 3. The diagram shows what Range is needed to attack each field in her line of sight. Even though she has line of sight to the Streamcaller, she cannot attack it without moving. The Lava Fiend, River Guardian and Gryphon are all fair game, however.

Attacking and Defending

If the attacker has range and line of sight of its target, it may perform an attack. Roll the indicated number of Attack Dice and add the number of damage symbols rolled to the Base Damage of the attack. The result is the total damage of the attack, which is compared to the corresponding defense of the defender (physical or magical). The defender's defense value is subtracted from the total damage of the attack and any remaining damage is assigned to the defender. Move the defender's Health tracker along the side of the board to indicate the Health lost. If the Health token reaches "1" and there is still damage to account for, the defender is slain (or injured, if a Seeker). Remove their miniature and Health tracker from the board and place them on their card; they may not be used for the rest of the Encounter.

Attack Dice faces:

Success - One additional damage to the attack.
Special - One additional damage to the attack and also activates Skills with the word "Special" in the text.
Blank - No effect.

Example 8: Attacking. Berlyne wants to attack a Threat 3 Streamcaller with his default attack. He rolls his 2 Attack Dice and gets one Success. He adds that 1 to his Base Damage of 4 for a total of 5 damage for his attack. Berlyne does Magical Damage with his default attack, meaning he must contend with the Streamcaller's Magical Defense. The Streamcaller's Magical Defense of 3 negates all but 2 damage of Berlyne's attack; there's certainly a better use of his activation. Calculation: (4 +1)-3=2.

Example 9: Damaging. Let's look at a different outcome for the example above. Recognizing the Streamcaller's Magical Defense would negate much of his attack, Berlyne instead uses his Temporal Flux Skill on Illithena, giving the elven Seeker a free activation. Illithena positions herself behind the Streamcaller and attacks. She rolls her 5 Attack Dice and gets 1 Special and 2 Successes. She adds that and the 2 damage for attacking from behind to her Base Damage of 2 for a total of 7 damage. Her Elven Aim Skill allows her to ignore Defense if she rolls a Special, so the Streamcaller takes the full damage! Calculation: (2+3+2)-0=7.

Example 10: Knockback. Some Skills have the Knockback effect, like the attack Skill on one of the River Guardian's Instinct cards. In this example, a Threat 3 River Guardian's Instinct card tells players it will target the most enemies in melee range, so it uses its Swift movement to move between the Thornbrush and Full Cover obstacles and into the field adjacent to Berlyne, Zaxos and Illithena. The River Guardian then makes a magical attack with a Range of 1, 0 Base Damage, and 6 Dice. The players roll for the River Guardian, getting 3 successes. Berlyne's Magical Defense is 2, so he takes 1 damage and is moved one field away from the River Guardian. Zaxos's 1 Magical Defense causes him to take 2 damage and he is also moved 1 field away from the River Guardian. Like Berlyne, Illithena has 2 Magical Defense, but she will not get away with just 1 damage. She is knocked into the adjacent Pit obstacle; she will have to forfeit her next activation to be placed on an adjacent field.

Unique Tokens

Unlike the general tokens in the Status Effect section below, some Seekers and Creatures have Skills that need tokens unique to them. These are easily identified by the character portrait on one side of the token. Note that some Creatures may have tokens that are needed for the Arena mode but not the Hunt. That's okay. If you have all of a Creature's tokens together you will always have the token you need when they activate.

Status Effects

Certain Skills inflict negative status effects, such as Zaxos's default Skill, Maim. Place the token on the Seeker or Creature's card to serve as a reminder they are afflicted. Remove the token at the end of that target's next activation.

Immobilize - The target may not use Speed on their next activation. If a Seeker or Creature is afflicted with Immobilize when they already have the token, they are Stunned (see below).
Bleed - The target is Assigned 1 damage at the beginning of each activation. Bleed is not removed after the target activates. Instead, Bleed is only removed by healing; the target removes the Bleed token but their Health remains the same (regardless of how much they should have been healed).
Fatigue - The target has -2 Speed on their next activation. Speed may not be reduced below 1.
Blind - The target has -2 Attack Dice on their next activation. Attack Dice may not be reduced below 1.
Stun - The target skips their next activation.

Instinct Cards

Each Creature has five Instinct cards that control how the Creature moves and attacks. (Example card: Wildswood Sentinel - "Enemy - Lowest PDEF - HP - Nearest; Advance 3/3/4; Physical Attack: Range 1, 4/4/5 BD and 3/4/5 Dice; Knockback".)

Name: The name of the Creature.
Target: The target of the Creature's action.
Movement: How and where the Creature will move. The three numbers separated by slashes (3/3/4) are the different Speed stats for each Threat.
Action: What action the Creature will take (usually an attack). Just like with movement, any set of three numbers separated by slashes are the different stats for each Threat (in the card above, a Threat 1 Wildswood Sentinel would have 4 BD and 3 Attack Dice).

Summons

Summons are special Creatures that enter the board via another Creature's Skill, such as the Wildswood Sentinel's Wildswood Skirmisher. Summons do not have cards of their own; their stats and Skills are listed on the summoning Creature's or Seeker's card. Unless otherwise noted, Summons always have 1 Health, share the Damage Type of their summoner and activate as part of their summoner's activation (before that Creature or Seeker moves or performs their action). For example, if a Summon is added to the game board by the summoner activating (as with the Wildswood Sentinel), that Summon may activate immediately. Summons may not be captured and if a summoner leaves the board, its Summons are destroyed.

Activating Creatures

Activating Creatures is as simple as following the instructions on their Instinct cards line by line, beginning with identifying the Creature's Target.

Creature Targeting

Creatures select their target using specific criteria. The first word is always the type of target, either itself (Self), its fellow Creatures (Ally or Allies) or the Seekers (Enemy or Enemies). Players must calculate the Creature's target based on its movement and range; a Creature will never target a miniature it cannot perform its action on unless no miniatures are in range. The following keywords narrow down the target in case there are multiple that fit the initial criteria:

Lowest / Highest: The target with the lowest or highest of a particular stat; HP (Health), Physical or Magical Defense (PDEF or MDEF), etc.
Nearest / Farthest: The target closest or farthest away.
Highest Missing: Reserved for Health; the target that has received the most damage.

Example 11: Creature Targeting. The players draw the Instinct card shown above for a Threat 1 Wildswood Sentinel. The Wildswood Sentinel will first try to target the Seeker (Enemy) with the lowest Physical Defense (PDEF). Unfortunately, that is Illithena, with 1. The Wildswood Sentinel cannot reach Illithena with its 3 Speed and Berlyne and Fani both have the same 2 Physical Defense, so the second criteria triggers. Berlyne is closer than Fani, so the Wildswood Sentinel moves 1 field forward and attacks.

Creature Movement

Creatures move the same way Seekers do, taking the shortest path to their destination. If no valid target is within range, the Creature will move forward toward the closest available target that meets its basic Ally/Enemy criteria. There are three keywords used to simplify where the Creature will move; these might be prefaced with a movement type, such as Swift or Flying.

Halt: The Creature does not move at all.
Advance: The Creature moves toward its target, stopping only if it runs out of Speed or is adjacent to its target.
Careful Advance: The Creature moves just within range of its target and stops. If the Creature is already in range at the beginning of its activation, it will move as far away from its target (and any other Seeker) as possible while staying in range.

Example 12: Creature Movement. The Wildsflower's Instinct card tells the players it will try to attack Zaxos. The Wildsflower has Careful Advance 3 and an attack with a Range of 2. The Wildsflower moves 2 fields forward and then stops because Zaxos is now in range. If the Wildsflower had Advance 3 instead of Careful Advance, it would have moved its full Speed. Instead, the Wildsflower ignores its remaining Speed and makes its attack against Zaxos.

Creature Actions

Creatures attack and perform other actions the same way Seekers do. Once the Creature's target has been confirmed and it has moved, simply resolve its action and end its activation by discarding its Instinct card. If the action is an attack, the Creature's Instinct card will list the type of attack first (magical or physical), followed by the Range, Base Damage (BD) and Attack Dice (Dice).

Activation Questions

If a Creature is unable to reach any of the targets established by its Instinct card criteria, it will instead move to the closest target. If players are unsure what a Creature's target should be (multiple Seekers with the same health, etc.), always assume the Creature will act in the Seekers' best interest. If the players can't agree who the target should be, roll 1D6 to determine the Seeker who should be attacked.

Capturing Creatures

Capturing is the most important feat the Seekers can accomplish. Not only is it their reason for journeying to the Wilds, it is also the only way for them to earn gold. To be eligible to be captured, a Creature must be at half Health or less. The number of Seekers required to capture a Creature is equal to that Creature's Threat plus one (a Threat 2 Creature requires 3 Seekers to capture, for example).

To initiate a capture, a Seeker uses an action while adjacent to a Creature. Assign 2 damage to the Seeker and place a capture token on the Creature's card with the "capturing" side face-up. At the end of the Seeker's next activation, Assign 2 more damage to the Seeker and flip the capture token to the "captured" side. The Seeker must continue using their action (and be assigned 2 damage) every activation until the Creature is fully captured. If the Seeker moves or performs a different action, their part of the capture is canceled and the token removed. The capture process is the same regardless of how many Seekers are attempting to Capture; each must use their actions and be assigned 2 damage each activation.

A Creature cannot activate while at least one capture token is on its card. If an Instinct card is drawn for that Creature, Assign 2 damage to each Seeker capturing it and discard the card and draw again. If all remaining Creatures have capture tokens, do not draw again. A Creature is captured when it has captured-side capture tokens equal to the number of Seekers required to capture it.

Example 13: Capturing. It is Zaxos's turn. He spent his last activation to begin capturing a Threat 1 Gryphon. He is assigned 2 damage and flips the capture token to the captured side. The Gryphon is the only Creature left, so drawing its Instinct card causes Zaxos to be assigned an additional 2 damage and then it is Fani's turn. She moves to be adjacent to the Gryphon and begins capturing. She is assigned 2 damage and adds another capture token to the Gryphon's card. If Zaxos and Fani both use their next activations to capture (Zaxos to maintain and Fani to flip her capture token), the Gryphon will be captured (after both Seekers take damage).

Resource Cards

When a Creature is slain, it drops a certain number of Resource cards based on its Threat Level. Threat 1 Creatures drop one Resource card, Threat 2 Creatures drop two and Threat 3 Creatures drop three Resource cards. The type of Resources dropped by the Creature is identified on the top left of its Wild Creature Card (see Wild Creature Cards, page 13).

The Resource types are: Essence, Horn, Blood, Eye, Feather and Heart.

Keywords

1D6: The six-sided dice included in the box that has dots totaling 1 through 6.
Adjacent: All of the eight fields that surround the miniature's field.
Assign Damage: The damage is applied to the target, ignoring their defense statistics. Defensive Skills may still be used against attacks that Assign damage.
Automatically: The effect is resolved immediately without allowing any sort of intervention (such as a Defensive Skill).
BD: Base Damage.
Defense: The miniature's resistance to damage. Any bonus to defense is added to both Magical and Physical Defense.
Destroy: The summoned Creature has been killed and its miniature removed from the board, waiting to be summoned again.
Dice: On Instinct cards, "Dice" by itself refers to Attack Dice.
Escape: The Seeker or Creature is removed from the board. If a Creature, it does not award resources. If a Seeker, they cannot be brought back by any Skill (such as Revive).
Field: One square on the game board.
Free Action: This Skill does not use an action (but will end movement).
Free Activation: The Seeker or Creature making a free activation may activate without cost. For Seekers, this activation does not add, or is prevented by, an Exhaust token.

PART TWO: THE ARENA RULEBOOK

Rise of the Silvestrem (Arena story)

The town of Protioch grew around the Silvestrem, a gladiatorial arena built by Amertes. Heroes called Assents, born with the rare gift to commune with the creatures of the Wilds and command them in battle, were drawn to fight there beside captured Creatures. After Amertes was murdered by his daughter Vareclea, she took over the Silvestrem and imprisoned every gladiator. Today the gladiators of the Silvestrem fight for survival, knowing each match may be their last; whoever impresses Vareclea with their prowess in combat will win their freedom from the arenas.

Components (Arena)

Rulebook (printed in the original component list as "The Hunt Rulebook"); Game Board (The Arena Side); 8 Obstacles (The Arena Side); 7 Attack Dice; 7 Momentum Dice; 20 Skill Cards; 30 Creature Cards; 4 Assent Cards; 14 Health Trackers; 30 Equipment Cards; 14 Skill Tokens; 50 Status Tokens; 20 Silvestrem Cards.

Miniatures: Wildswood Sentinel, 4 Wildswood Skirmishers, Phoenix, 4 Daemonspawns, Daemonretch, 4 Waterbounds, Streamcaller, Gryphon, Koralt, Amalia, Yerra, Gurantev, Horned Golem, Wildsflower, Lava Fiend, Exalted Effigy, River Guardian.

Modes of Play (Arena)

Wild Assent features two distinct game modes sharing only miniatures and some other basic components. Read the two summaries below carefully before deciding which mode you would like to play. If you choose the Arena, you are holding the correct book in your hands and should continue reading the rules. Otherwise, return this book to the box and retrieve the Hunt rulebook. Note that there are similarities in combat between the two games, so you will see familiar information in those sections should you choose to read both rulebooks. Pay special attention to the Silvestrem Deck and Momentum Dice sections of this rulebook, as that is where combat for the two modes diverges most.

The Arena

The Hunt

Victory Conditions (Arena)

Wild Assent's Arena mode can be played by two or four players. If four players are present, they must form two teams of two. Players begin by agreeing on the victory condition they wish to complete to win the match.

Deathmatch

Deathmatch is the default victory condition for the Arena and recommended for beginners. As soon as a player's Assent (or the last Assent on a team) falls, the other player/team wins.

Last Man Standing

Last Man Standing requires each enemy Assent and Creature be slain to achieve victory. This can lead to different strategies, but generally longer matches.

Scenarios

The Wild Assent Scenario Book contains individual scenarios with objectives and setups that differ from the other victory conditions. These scenarios are designed for veteran players as many focus on condensed gameplay experiences and ramped up difficulty. Consult the Introduction section on page 3 of the Scenario Book for more information.

Game Overview (Arena)

Setup

This section describes how to play a match of Wild Assent's Arena mode. While the rest of the rulebook goes into detail for each of the mechanics needed to play, there are some rules here that are not found anywhere else. Once you are more familiar with the Arena, you will be able to use this section as a quick reference for how the game is played.

Troupe Building. Players select (or draft, see Drafting) their Creatures, an Assent and the Assent's Equipment cards. The players then select two Skill cards for their Assent. Players create an activation order for their Troupe with their Assent and Creature cards, from left to right (Assents are always on the far left as they activate first). This order is kept for the entire match.
Placement. Players alternate placing obstacles and then their Gladiators on the board (see Final Setup). Shuffle the Silvestrem deck and place it within reach of all players. Each player places their Gladiators' Health trackers on the numbers on the outside border of the board that corresponds with their individual Health (it's easier to keep track if each team is limited to one side of the board).

Playing the Game

The Arena is played across a series of rounds, each following the same basic structure seen below. This describes a 2-player match of the Arena; you can simply replace "player" with "team" for a 4-player match. Teams can select which of their two players they want to activate first in a round.

Roll Momentum Dice. Each player rolls their Momentum dice (determined by the Assent and Skills they have chosen; the default number of Momentum dice is 5) and distributes them among their Gladiators using the corresponding Momentum tokens. Players may select any number of Momentum dice to reroll, but the second result must be used. Only Healing dice may be used on Assents and Creatures can only have 2 dice total, but both must be different types.
Draw a Silvestrem Deck card and place it next to the board. The card will detail certain restrictions or requirements to be met during the round (or the rest of the match).
Activate Assents. If this is the first round, the winner of the drafting roll activates their Assent first, followed by the other player. In 4-player matches, the team that won the drafting roll selects one player to activate first, followed by a player from the other team, and so on. Assents may move up to their Speed in fields, then make one action: either attack or use a Skill or equipment. Any action, even a free action, ends movement.
Activate Creatures. Each player activates their Creatures one by one in the order determined by how they placed their Creature cards during setup. The player/team that activated their Assent second this round will activate a Creature first. Then the other player/team will activate a Creature and so on. In 4-player matches, each player should activate one Creature before the first player activates a second (players who have no available Creatures are skipped). Creatures activate exactly the same way as Assents; they just have fewer actions available (due to fewer Skills and no equipment).
Resolution. Once all players have activated their Assents and Creatures, the round ends. Resolve any outstanding Silvestrem cards and then discard the ones that are complete.

Begin a new round; the player/team that activated their Assent second in the last round will activate their Assent first in this round. Rounds continue until the victory condition is met.

Building Your Troupe

Your troupe is the squad of Gladiators you will control to crush your enemies. It consists of one Assent, a number of Creatures (dependent on the size of the game) and occasionally "summons" spawned by an Assent or Creature Skill. To begin building your troupe, take the Creature, Assent and Equipment cards and place them within reach of all players.

Creatures

Creatures are the rank-and-file Gladiators of your troupe. They are there to support your Assent, keeping him or her safe from harm, and to provide a collection of unique Skills to the troupe's arsenal.

Name: The name of the Gladiator.
Speed: The number of fields the Gladiator may move during an activation. Rotating in any direction costs 1 Speed. (The original text says "Seeker" here.)
Movement Type:
- Normal: This Gladiator has no special movement ability.
- Swift: This Gladiator may move diagonally forward.
- Flight: This Gladiator ignores Gladiators and obstacles while moving. They may not end their movement on an occupied field.
Health: The amount of damage the Gladiator can sustain. When a Gladiator receives damage equal to or greater than their Health, they are slain and removed from the board.
Range: The potential reach of a Gladiator's default attack. A Gladiator with a Range of 1 may only attack adjacent Gladiators.
Base Damage and Damage Type: The number is the damage of the Gladiator's default attack. This is added to result of the Gladiator's Attack Dice roll to determine the total damage of their attack. The symbol identifies the form of damage the Gladiator's default attack uses. It can either be physical or magical (Physical Damage / Magical Damage).
Attack Dice: The number of Attack Dice rolled when the Gladiator attacks. This is added to the Gladiator's base damage to determine the total damage of their attack.
Physical Defense: The hardiness of the Gladiator. This number is subtracted from the damage of any physical attack made against the Gladiator.

Summons

Summons are special Gladiators that enter the board via another Creature or Assent's Skill, such as the Daemonretch's Daemonspawn. Summons are not Creatures (Skills that target/affect Creatures do not affect them). Summons also do not have cards of their own; their stats and Skills are listed on the summoning Creature's or Assent's card. Unless otherwise noted, Summons always have 1 Health, share the Damage Type of their summoner and activate as part of their summoner's activation (before that Creature or Assent moves or performs their action). For example, if a Summon is added to the game board by the summoner activating (as with the Daemonretch), that Summon may activate immediately. If a summoner leaves the board, its Summons are destroyed.

Assents

Assents are individuals born with the rare ability to commune with the Creatures of the Wilds and command them in battle. Your Assent is a powerful force in the arena, able to dish out and survive incredible damage while providing invaluable support to your Creatures. Assents have all of the same statistics common among Creatures, but always have two default Skills. They also have customizable slots for two additional Skills and two Equipment cards.

Equipment Slots: Where Equipment cards are placed to customize the Assent. The symbol (or lack of symbol) determines what type of Equipment may be used (See Equipment).
Skill Slots: Where Skill cards are placed to customize the Assent. Each Assent has their own set of five Skill cards to choose from.

Creating the Perfect Troupe

Experimenting to find your preferred combination of Creatures, Assent, Skills and Equipment is half the fun in Wild Assent's Arena mode. The reason we suggest players select Creatures first is to allow them to customize their Assent to fit their troupe, rather than to the troupe they would like (but ultimately may be unable) to build. It's entirely possible you won't be able to pick all the creatures you desire, so it's important to be flexible if the draft doesn't go your preferred way.

Aim to achieve a balance when selecting Creatures; be sure to have both damage types covered as well as an equal distribution of ranged and melee. Once you have your Creatures, pick an Assent that compliments their strengths or compensates for their weaknesses. Don't have any Creatures that can heal? Gurantev and Amalia are solid picks. Too many melee Creatures? Koralt is the perfect choice to add ranged support, while Yerra's global skill will allow them to get where they need to go. Pick the Assent's Skills and Equipment cards with the same goals as picking the Assent themselves, but be sure to consider the Assent's needs over any particular Creature. Regardless of the victory condition, your Assent is your most important Gladiator in the arena.

Skills

A Gladiator can stand apart from their peers based on statistics alone, but it is their Skills that make them truly unique. There are four types of Skills, identified by the symbol on the far left of the Skill text. Assents have five Skill cards, able to choose two of them to take into battle.

Special: Special skills only come into play when the Gladiator is attacking and rolls at least one Special with their Attack Dice. Some Skills may also have "On Special" effects included, especially Active Skills. There are three types of Special skills: On Special, On Each Special and On Special (xX). An On Special effect occurs only once as long as at least one Special is rolled. An On Each Special effect occurs once for each Special rolled and an On Special (xX) effect occurs only once if the required number of Specials is rolled. For Example, On Special (x2) would occur only once if at least two Specials were rolled.
Passive: This Skill is always active and does not require an action to use. Passive skills may grant stat bonuses or effects that are relevant even outside of a Gladiator's activation (such as Koralt's Soul Feast Skill, which heals him each time a Creature is slain).
Defensive: Defensive Skills are similar to Passives, but they require the Gladiator to actually be attacked to take effect. Since that usually only happens outside of their activation, Defensive Skills do not require an action to use.
Active: Active Skills require an action to use, and are often attacks or other powerful abilities.

Equipment

Powerful weapons, armor and other useful items, Equipment allows players to customize their Assent with new attacks, abilities or simply better stats. There are five types of Equipment: Armor, Weapon (Magical), Weapon (Physical), Consumable and Accessory. Assent Equipment Slots identify what type of Equipment may be placed; the symbol on the slot must match the symbol on the back of the Equipment card. If there is no symbol on the Equipment Slot, any Equipment card may be placed there.

Name: The name of the Equipment.
Equipment Type: The Equipment Slot required to use the Equipment.
Range: The potential reach of the weapon. A weapon with a Range of 1 may only be used to attack adjacent Gladiators.
Base Damage and Damage Type: The number is the default damage of the weapon. This is added to result of the weapon's Attack Dice roll to determine the total damage of their attack. The symbol identifies the form of damage the weapon uses. It can either be physical or magical.
Attack Dice: The number of Attack Dice rolled when a Gladiator attacks with this weapon. This is added to the Gladiator's base damage to determine the total damage of their attack.
Physical Defense: The physical durability of the armor. This number is added to the Gladiator's Physical Defense.
Magical Defense: The magical resilience of the armor. This number is added to the Gladiator's Magical Defense.
Skill: Special abilities unique to the Equipment card. Some are passive bonuses or traits, others are active spells or abilities that may be used instead of attacking. The symbol on the far left of the Skill identifies basic information about the type of Skill. More detail about Skill Symbols can be found on Skills.

Drafting

Creatures

Drafting is as easy as following the 1 / 2 / 1 pattern in the table below. Each player rolls five Attack Dice; the player who rolls the most symbols is Player 1 and the other is Player 2 (in 4-player matches, players roll and draft as a team; follow the "4-Player" sections of the table below). Player 1 selects one large Creature. Player 2 then selects two large Creatures. Finally, Player 1 selects one large Creature.

After large Creatures are drafted, the players can move on to medium creatures. Player 1 selects one medium Creature followed by Player 2 selecting two medium Creatures. Player 1 then selects two more medium Creatures, Player 2 selects two medium Creatures and finally Player 1 selects one more medium Creature.

Assents

When players are finished drafting Creatures, it's time to draft the Assents. Assents can be drafted exactly the same way as Creatures, but Player 2 picks first, followed by Player 1. Each player should only have one Assent (so in 2v2, both teams will draft two Assents).

Equipment

Player 2 picks first again for Equipment, using the same 1 / 2 format they did for drafting Creatures. Each Assent needs two Equipment cards.

2-Player draft table (picks in order P1, P2, P1, P2, P1):

	P1	P2	P1	P2
# of Large Creatures	1	2	1
# of Medium Creatures	1	2	2	1
Assents		1	1
Equipment		1	2	1

4-Player draft table:

	P1	P2	P1	P2	P1
# of Large Creatures	1	2	1
# of Medium Creatures	1	2	2	2	1
Assents		1	2	1
Equipment		1	2	2	1

Obstacles

Obstacles are special fields that influence how Gladiators can move around the game board. Below is a list of each obstacle and its effects. Obstacles are represented on the game board by tokens. They are placed at the same time as the Gladiators; refer to Final Setup below.

Partial Cover (PC): Gladiators adjacent to this field have +1 Defense. Gladiators cannot end their movement on Partial Cover, but they may move over it at the cost of 3 Speed. For an example of moving over Partial Cover, see Example 4: Partial Cover.
Full Cover (FC): Gladiators may not end their movement on, or move over, this field. Any attack that draws line of sight through Full Cover cannot be made, even if the Gladiator is adjacent to the Full Cover (no aiming around corners).
Spinning Blades (SB): Spinning Blades is identical to Full Cover with one addition: any Gladiator that is pushed (via Knockback) into this field is assigned 2 damage and Bleed. To see this interaction, refer to Example 10: Knockback.
Pit (P): Any Gladiator who enters a Pit field must end their activation immediately, forfeiting any unused Speed/Actions. They must also spend their entire next activation to move to an adjacent field.

Final Setup

Board, Tokens and Cards

With your troupes drafted, it's almost time to begin the match. Shuffle the Silvestrem deck and open the game board, placing all of the cards and tokens around it. Collect the cards, miniatures (including summons) and tokens for each of your troupe's Gladiators (Gladiator and Equipment tokens have the same picture on one side as their associated card) and place them in front of you. Gladiator card placement determines activation order for the entire match, so consider your strategy carefully. Place your Assent card in front of you on the far left to indicate they activate first. Then place your Creatures next to your Assent one by one in the order you wish them to activate. Place your Equipment cards on your Assent's Equipment Slots and choose two of their Skill cards to place on their Skill Slots (the remaining three may be returned to the box).

Obstacle and Gladiator Placement

All that remains is placing obstacles and your Gladiators on the game board. Gladiators for the players / teams start on the first two rows on opposite sides of the Arena, as indicated on the light red (columns 1 & 2) and light blue (columns 9 & 10) numbered columns on the board. Obstacles are placed in the three rows on that player's/team's half of the board (columns 3-5 for the red team and 6-8 for the blue). Each player/team takes one each of the Obstacles and take turns placing them, beginning with Player 1 from drafting (see Drafting). Obstacles cannot be placed adjacent to each other, even if the obstacle is not on your side of the board. After all Obstacles are placed, Player 2 places their first Gladiator, followed by Player 1 and then back to Player 2, and so on until all Gladiators are placed. You are now ready to begin!

If setup proves too cumbersome, players can forego alternating Gladiator and obstacle placement and place everything simultaneously while eyeing each other suspiciously.

The Silvestrem Deck

The first step of a new round is drawing a card from the Silvestrem deck. The Silvestrem deck represents Vareclea's overt influence over the match and can have a profound effect on the overall outcome. Silvestrem cards are placed next to the Silvestrem deck on the side of the board. There are three types of Silvestrem cards: Whim, Edict and Demand.

Whim: The effects of Whim cards are resolved immediately. Read the bulleted text carefully and carry out the action indicated. Once a Whim card is resolved, it is discarded.
Edict: Edict cards, once drawn, remain for the entire match. Their effects are varied; some are passive stat increases (or decreases) that are always active, while others are resolved at the end of each round.
Demand: Demands are quests of sorts, requiring each player (or team) meet a specific criteria (the Condition text) to receive a modest reward (Success text). Failure to complete a Demand's requirements results in a harsh punishment (Failure text). Demands are discarded at the end of the round, after being resolved.

Vareclea's Day Off

The Silvestrem deck may not be for everyone. If all players agree, Vareclea's deck of vile desires can be left inside the box. Even the owner of the Silvestrem takes a day off, once in a while.

Silvestrem card anatomy

Event Type: The type of Silvestrem card.
Name: The name of the Silvestrem card.
Effect: For Whims and Edicts. The immediate or persistent effect caused by drawing the Silvestrem card.
Condition, Success and Failure: For Demands. The Condition is a task one or all players must complete in the current round. If a player completes the Condition, they resolve whatever action is detailed in the Success text. Any player who fails to complete the condition must resolve the Failure text.

Momentum Dice

Momentum dice reflect the shifting fortunes and morale of the troupes and are rolled at the beginning of each round after the Silvestrem card is drawn. There are five possible results for Momentum dice, each with its own distinct effect. With the exception of Healing dice (and Blanks), the results are assigned to Creatures with a limit of one type per Creature and no more than two dice per Creature. The bonuses the dice provide persist for the entire round. As for Healing dice, there is no limit to the number that can be assigned, but their healing effects are combined (assigning three Healing dice to a creature gives them Heal for 3, not three instances of Heal for 1). Healing dice are the only Momentum dice that may be assigned to Assents.

Damage: +1 Damage to all Attacks.
Defense: +1 Physical and Magical Defense.
Speed: +1 Speed.
Healing: Heal a Gladiator for 1.
Blank: No Effect.

Example. Gurantev's player is down to three Creatures: a River Guardian, Horned Golem and Phoenix. The player rolls 5 Momentum dice because Gurantev has no special Skill modifying the number of Momentum dice he should roll. The player rolls 2 Damage, 1 Heal and 2 Blanks. The player assigns 1 Damage and 1 Heal to the Phoenix, moving its Health tracker one higher than it currently is and increasing its damage output for the next round. The player then assigns 1 Damage to the River Guardian, also giving the Creature increased damage. The player chooses the two blanks to reroll, getting 1 Speed and 1 Damage. They assign both to Horned Golem, giving the Creature greater movement and damage capabilities. If the player had rolled 2 Damage, 1 dice would be discarded because of the "1 type per Creature" rule.

Activating Gladiators

When activated, each Gladiator may move and then perform an action. Both require an understanding of the facing of a miniature on the board:

Each square on the board is known as a "field." The field directly in front of a miniature (Koralt in the diagram) is his "Front." That field and the fields on the left and right of it are considered his "Frontal Arc." Finally, the field directly behind is his "Back."

Movement

Gladiators may move up to their Speed value in fields at the start of their activation. They can only move to the adjacent field in front of them (Front in the diagram above), or the adjacent fields on their left or right (unless they have Swift; see Example 2). Moving in any other direction requires rotating first, at the cost of 1 Speed to rotate in any direction. Gladiators may not enter a field occupied by another miniature or certain obstacles unless they have Flying (see Example 3). Performing any action, even a free action, ends movement. Any unused Speed is lost.

Example 1: Normal Movement. Koralt's back is exposed to Gurantev and he needs to escape. He moves one field forward, rotates 90 degrees to his right, moves forward again and then rotates 180 degrees toward the direction he just came from for a total of 4 Speed. Gurantev will likely not be able attack Koralt from behind any time soon.

Example 2: Swift Movement. The Exalted Effigy is wounded, but well protected. Gurantev, the Lava Fiend and the Partial Cover create a commendable defense, but not against Gladiators with Swift, such as the Streamcaller. Swift allows the Streamcaller to move diagonally forward, giving it great range of movement without needing to rotate. The Streamcaller moves forward one, and then diagonally forward and to the left for a total of 2 Speed. The Streamcaller is now free to attack the Exalted Effigy, but it has also opened itself up to back attacks from Gurantev and the Lava Fiend.

Example 3: Flight Movement. The Phoenix wishes to attack the River Guardian. The Full Cover may stop lesser Gladiators from achieving this goal, but Flight allows the Phoenix to fly over the Full Cover and attack the River Guardian for only 3 Speed. If the River Guardian was just one field closer, the Phoenix could have flown over it for 4 Speed and had 1 Speed remaining to rotate to face the River Guardian after its flight (allowing it to attack from behind).

Example 4: Partial Cover. Unlike Full Cover, Partial Cover can be crossed over at the cost of 3 Speed. Gurantev can take advantage of the +1 Defense by being adjacent to Partial Cover and then use 3 of his Speed to valiantly leap over it to attack the range-oriented Daemonretch. Not only is this more efficient than moving around the Partial Cover, the move protects Gurantev's back from melee-based attacks from behind.

Actions

After moving, a Gladiator may perform one action. Actions generally consist of either making a default attack using the stats on the Gladiator's card or using an active Skill available either on their card or from Equipment. Using an action usually ends a Gladiator's activation unless they have a Skill that overrides that rule, such as the Gryphon's Agile Skill which allows the Gryphon to activate twice each round. Skills identified as "free action" do not require an action to use and may be used without ending a Gladiator's activation.

Line of Sight and Range

To make an attack against an enemy, the attacker must establish both line of sight to, and range of, the target. Line of sight is established by drawing an invisible line from the center of the field the attacker occupies to the center of the field the target occupies. That imaginary line must be within the attacker's frontal arc (between the center of the two fields on either side of the front field) and not cross a field occupied by Full Cover or another Gladiator. Range is established the same way movement is, except diagonal fields may be used. Count up to the Range value of the attack in fields (as seen in Example 7) to see if a target is in Range. If the imaginary line of sight crosses the back of the target, the attack has +2 damage. Gladiators may not directly target or attack their allies, but some area of effect Skills may result in an ally taking damage.

Example 5: Line of Sight. The Exalted Effigy has line of sight of all the blue highlighted fields in the diagram as there are no Gladiators or obstacles blocking his view. The non-highlighted fields on either side and behind him are not in line of sight; he will have to rotate if he wishes to target a Gladiator in those fields. The fields beyond the blue fields in front of the Exalted Effigy are out of Range, requiring him to move forward if he wishes to attack a target there.

Example 6: Targeting. In the diagram, the Exalted Effigy has line of sight to Gurantev and the Horned Golem. The Phoenix is safe behind Full Cover, and though the Daemonretch is in the same position as the Horned Golem (on the opposite side), a straight line from the center of its field to the Effigy's field crosses over part of Gurantev's field. An attack cannot be made without moving first.

Example 7: Range. The Exalted Effigy has a Range of 3. The diagram shows what range is needed to attack each field in his line of sight. Any field highlighted in red (or not highlighted at all) cannot be targeted without moving. Even though the Exalted Effigy has line of sight to Koralt, he cannot attack him without moving because he is 4 fields away, 1 field short of the Exalted Effigy's Range. If the Exalted Effigy wants to stay where he is, the Phoenix and Horned Golem are the only valid targets.

Attacking and Defending

Attack Dice faces:

Success - One additional damage to the attack.
Special - One additional damage to the attack and also activates Skills with the word "Special" in the text.
Blank - No effect.

Example 8: Attacking. Gurantev wants to attack a Horned Golem with his default attack. He has the Gryphon Hide Gloves Equipment card, which gives him +1 Attack Dice against Creatures. He rolls 4 dice (the 3 on his card and the 1 from the gloves) and gets two Successes. He adds those 2 to his Base Damage of 3 for a total of 5 damage for his attack. Gurantev does Physical Damage with his default attack, meaning he must contend with the Horned Golem's Physical Defense. The Horned Golem's Physical Defense of 5 negates the 5 damage of Gurantev's attack; Gurantev has wasted his action. Calculation: 2+3-5=0

Example 9: Damaging. In a different match, Gurantev meets the Horned Golem once again, but this time he has come prepared. During setup he selected his Onslaught Skill, which allows him to Assign damage if his target is damaged. The Horned Golem is not at full Health, so Gurantev rolls his 3 Attack Dice and gets 1 Success and 1 Special. He adds the 2 to his Base Damage of 3, for a total of 5 damage to the Horned Golem. Since the damage is assigned, it ignores the Horned Golem's Physical Defense, taking almost 1/3 of his Health in a single strike. Calculation: 2+3=5.

Example 10: Knockback. Some Skills have the Knockback trait, like the River Guardian's Tidal Wave. In this example, we see the River Guardian is in a tough spot, surrounded by three enemy Gladiators, a Daemonretch and a Daemonspawn as well as an Exalted Effigy. Rather than trying to move away, the River Guardian uses its Tidal Wave skill, hitting all three Gladiators. The River Guardian rolls 3 Successes with the 5 Attack Dice rolled. Tidal Wave has the On Attack: Knockback trait, so even if no damage occurred, all adjacent Gladiators must be moved 1 field away from the River Guardian. The Daemonspawn has 1 Health and no Magical Defense, so it is destroyed. The Daemonretch has 3 Magical Defense, so the damage of Tidal Wave is negated. However, the Creature is in front of the Spinning Blades obstacle, so it remains where it is and is assigned 1 damage. Like the Daemonspawn, the Exalted Effigy has no Magical Defense, so it takes the full 3 damage and is knocked 1 field away.

Status Effects

Unique Tokens

Unlike the general tokens in the Status Effect section below, some Gladiators (and Equipment) have Skills that need tokens unique to them. These are easily identified by the character portrait on one side of the token. Note that some Creatures may have tokens that are needed for the Hunt mode but not the Arena. That's okay. If you have all of a Creature's tokens together you will always have the token you need when they activate. Examples of unique tokens: Hunting Party, Resurrection, Suffocate, Divine Intervention.

General Status Effects

Certain Skills inflict negative status effects, such as Amalia's default Skill, Debilitate. Place the token on the Gladiator's card to serve as a reminder they are afflicted. Remove the token at the end of that Gladiator's next activation.

Immobilize - The target may not use Speed on their next activation. If a Gladiator is afflicted with Immobilize when they already have the token, they are Stunned (see below).
Bleed - The target is Assigned 1 damage at the beginning of each activation. Bleed is not removed after the target activates. Instead, Bleed is only removed by healing; the target removes the Bleed token but their Health remains the same (regardless of how much they should have been healed).
Fatigue - The target has -2 Speed on their next activation. Speed may not be reduced below 1.
Blind - The target has -2 Attack Dice on their next activation. Attack Dice may not be reduced below 1.
Stun - The target skips their next activation.

Keywords (Arena)

Adjacent: All of the eight fields that surround the miniature's field.
Allies: All Gladiators in your and your teammate's troupe (in 4-player matches).
Assign Damage: The damage is applied to the target, ignoring their defense statistics. Defensive Skills may still be used against attacks that Assign damage.
Automatically: The effect is resolved immediately without allowing any sort of intervention (such as a Defensive Skill).
BD: Base Damage.
Damage Dice: Momentum dice that give a Gladiator +1 Damage for the next round.
Defense: The Gladiator's resistance to damage. Any bonus to defense is added to both Magical and Physical Defense.
Defense Dice: Momentum dice that give a Gladiator +1 Defense (Physical and Magical) for the next round.
Destroy: The Summon has been killed and its miniature removed from the board, waiting to be summoned again.
Escape: The Gladiator is removed from the board.
Failure: When a player/team fails a Demand from the Silvestrem deck, they must apply whatever effect is listed under "Failure".
Field: One square on the game board.