Res Arcana: Lux et Tenebrae Expansion Rules

Hey there! So you’ve got your hands on the Lux et Tenebrae expansion for Res Arcana? Awesome! I’m here to help you dive into the rules and get the most out of your gaming experience.

First off, let’s talk about what this expansion brings to the table. With Lux et Tenebrae, you’ll find new artifacts, mages, monuments, places of power, and magical creatures to spice up your gameplay. It introduces new cards and mechanics that open up even more possibilities for strategic thinking and clever plays.

One of the exciting features of this expansion is the Day & Night cycle. It’s like having two games in one! During the day, you’ll focus on using artifacts and gaining resources to build your engine. Then, as night falls, you’ll shift your strategy to harness the power of darkness and unleash devastating spells. The Day & Night cycle adds a whole new level of depth and decision-making to your matches.

Now, let’s delve into some key elements you need to keep in mind when playing with the Lux et Tenebrae expansion. This expansion introduces a new type of card called Magical Places. These places are essential for harnessing the power of darkness and allow you to perform powerful actions. Be sure to explore and control these places to gain an edge over your opponents.

Additionally, Lux et Tenebrae brings magical creatures into play. These creatures can be summoned to aid you in your quest for victory. Each creature has unique abilities that can turn the tide of battle in your favor. But be careful, as your opponents can also summon creatures to disrupt your plans. It’s a thrilling duel of creature summoning and strategic maneuvering!

Finally, let’s not forget about the legendary monuments that this expansion offers. These monumental structures provide significant bonuses and rewards when you complete them. They can be a game-changer and give you the extra push you need to claim victory. So keep an eye on these monuments and plan your moves accordingly.

So there you have it, a brief overview of the Lux et Tenebrae expansion for Res Arcana. Get ready to explore the Day & Night cycle, summon magical creatures, control powerful places, and build magnificent monuments. It’s time to take your Res Arcana experience to a whole new level!

Hey there! Picture this: a mage is in a dark cathedral, tapping into the power of demons to amp up her spells. At the same time, an alchemist is hard at work in their lab, carefully inscribing a scroll of destruction. And not too far away, a bard and beastmaster are teaming up to hunt down the prismatic dragon and golden lion, all in the name of keeping the forces of darkness in check.

Welcome to Lux et Tenebrae, the exciting expansion for Res Arcana!

In Lux et Tenebrae, we take Res Arcana and turn up the excitement to the max! Now, you and up to four friends can join in the epic battle. Plus, we’ve added a whole new dimension to the game with demons, a brand new type of artifact. These pesky critters pack a punch, giving you even more strategic options. And that’s not all – we’ve also brought in scrolls, which are special powers that you can snag and save for a rainy day.

But wait, there’s more! With the Lux et Tenebrae expansion, you’ll come across new mages with unique abilities, powerful magic items, awe-inspiring monuments, mysterious places of power, and dazzling artifacts. The game just got a whole lot bigger!

What’s in the Box?

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll find inside the Res Arcana expansion:

• 2 Places of Power
• 12 Artifact cards
• 4 Mage cards
• 2 Magic items
• 8 Scrolls
• 4 Monument cards
• 25 Essences
• Instructions

Getting Started

Let me walk you through what you need to do to kickstart your Res Arcana experience.

The first thing you should do is combine the components from the expansion with the ones from the base game. This means that you have a whole range of options to choose from now. The player count can vary between 2 and 5 people, and the number of Places of Power and monuments will change accordingly. Don’t worry, all magic items will always be available for you to use.

Let’s mix up all the monuments and put them in a deck. We’ll use the number above to know how many to include. Any extra monuments can go back in the box without checking them. Then we’ll draw 2 monuments and place them face up in the middle.

Next, we’ll shuffle the Places of Power and keep them hidden under the table. We’ll use the number above to decide how many to set out, and we’ll randomly choose which side to use for each one. If there are any unused places of power, we can put them back in the box.

Now, let’s put the 8 scrolls in the middle. The rest of the setup can be done as usual.

Note: The 2-player game will be more challenging, and the 4-player game will be more relaxed with these new rules. We highly recommend using these rules for the best gameplay.

Game Play

We’ll play the game just like normal, with a few exceptions:

Scrolls

When you play, you can collect scrolls by harnessing the power of the magic item Inscription. It gives you the ability to claim scrolls from the center of the game.

Once you’ve claimed a scroll, you have the option to save it and use it later. You can use it by taking the “use a power” action, or if you have the Shield scroll, you can use its React power.

After you’ve used a scroll’s power, it goes back to the center of the game. This means that the Inscription can claim it again, and it becomes available for other players to use.

Retrieve

There are special scrolls like the Revivify scroll and the Demonologist’s first power that allow you to retrieve a card from your discards. You can take that card and add it back to your hand. It’s important to note that these powers only work if you have cards in your discards. If you don’t have any, they won’t have any effect.

Game Elements

Mages

Hey there! Did you know that when playing as the Bard, if you discard an artifact that has multiple types, you only get 2 Gold instead of the usual 4? This happens because the types listed on the artifact are separated by “/”, so you can only apply one of them.

Let’s talk about Artifacts

Now, let’s talk about the Infernal Engine. Its first power is pretty cool – it allows you to “hide” some essences from Life Loss. How? Well, by removing them from your essence pool, they won’t be affected by the Life Loss. Neat trick, right?

Oh, and the Infernal Engine’s second power is also interesting. You can use it to move all the essences from one of your components (like the Windup Man or Vault) to your essence pool during the action step of a round. Imagine the possibilities!

Alright, now let’s move on to the Possessed Demon Slayer. This artifact is special because when you use its first power, it doesn’t matter if the rival’s Demons are turned or straightened. They all count, no exceptions.

Lastly, let’s take a look at the Shadowy Figure. Before using its first power, here’s a little trick. If your deck and discard pile only consist of one card in total, you’ll draw 1 card and won’t have to discard any. Pretty cool, huh?

Welcome to the world of the Vial of Light: its incredible power works regardless of whether the Vial is in the on or off position.

The Power of Magic Items

The Illusion: This item has two React powers, which means it can be used in combination with one of your own powers.

The Illusion item itself is not a Creature or a Demon, so you can’t straighten it using the powers of the Druid or the Temple of the Abyss.

For example: Let’s say you have claimed the Dragon Lair, but you don’t have any Dragons in play.

You can use the Illusion item to react to the Dragon Lair’s last power. By spending two essences and turning the Illusion item into a Dragon, you can pay the power’s cost, and you will gain 2 Gold upon the Lair (which gives you 2 Victory Points).

Here’s another example: If you have the Illusion item and you are using the Sorcerer’s Bestiary’s Check Victory power, you can react and turn the Illusion item into either a Creature for +1 Victory Point or, by spending 2 essences, into a Dragon for +2 Victory Points.

(You couldn’t do this when another player’s Check Victory power or an end of round victory check happens, since you’re not using any power at those moments).

Magic Spells

Projection: You can spend any number of one essence at a rate of 3:1 (round down) to get Gold (for example, spend 15 Calm to gain 5 Gold).

Places of Power

The Dragon Aerie and Temple of the Abyss have special powers that don’t require turning them, so you can use them multiple times during a round.

Temple of the Abyss: The first power of the Temple of the Abyss straightens all the demons in play, whether they are yours or belong to other players.

F.A.Q

Q: If a power’s cost involves discarding an artifact from my hand, do I also get 1 Gold or 2 other essences from it?

A: No, you only get the gain when you specifically discard the artifact.

Q: If a power’s cost involves turning a different artifact, do I also activate that artifact’s power(s)?

Q: Hey, can I use a power that adds an essence to a component and put an essence on a turned component? For example, using the Mermaid to add a Gold to the Cursed Forge when it’s turned?

Q: Can I use powers that draw and put back cards on other players’ decks?

Q: Do I have to use essences from my essence pool to pay for components and power costs?

A: No, when you turn a different artifact, you are simply paying the power’s cost and it has no other effects.

A: Yes, unless specified otherwise. For example, you can use Athanor’s Elan to pay for its second power.

Q: On my turn, can I use a power that won’t have any effect just to avoid having to pass?

A: Absolutely, as long as you pay the power’s cost in full.

Q: Can powers that react to a victory check, like the Golden Statue or Dark Cathedral, react to a check that happens during the action step or one that happens at the end of a round?

Storage

You can store everything that comes with this expansion in the base game box. Just put the 8 scrolls in the tray slot below the Places of Power, and then you can add the Places of Power, magic items, and other cards to their designated storage spots.