When it’s your turn, you can:

• place an artifact,
• claim a monument or Place of Power,
• discard a card for 1 Gold or any 2 other essences,
• use a power on a straightened component, or
• pass: exchange magic items and draw 1 card. Keep going until everyone has passed.

Here’s how passing works:

1. If you’re the first one to pass, you become the First Player,
2. You can change your magic item for a different one,
3. And you get to draw 1 card.

Once someone reaches 10 or more Victory Points, it’s time to check for victory!

• Straighten any components that are turned sideways, and
• Start the next round.

1. Collect

Hey there! Let me break it down for you. When you play the game, you can use your abilities and take essences from your components in any order you like. But what exactly are these components? Well, they can be artifacts, mages, magic items, monuments, or Places of Power. So, go ahead and strategize how you want to use them!

Hey there! Let’s talk about Collect abilities and how they work in Res Arcana. When you use a Collect ability on your components, you get to take certain essences from the supply and add them to your essence pool. Here’s how it works:

• If a Collect ability mentions a specific number of essences, you take that exact number from the supply. But if the ability doesn’t specify a number, you just take 1 essence.
• If the essences in the ability are separated by “+” symbols, you get to take all of them.
• If the essences are separated by “/” symbols, you have to choose just one of them.
• Now, things get interesting when you see a number followed by the symbol . That number tells you how many essences you need to choose, but there might be some restrictions. For example, you can’t choose Qold or Death essences, as indicated by the symbol .

And here’s a cool tip: During this step, you can also take any essences that are already on your components. So don’t forget to gather those as well!

When it comes to using essences, there are some important things to keep in mind. You have the option to take essences from certain components, but if you choose to do so, you must take all of them.

Important Details

When it comes to essences, there’s no limit. If you need it, just grab a 5x essence chip and you’ve got five essences of that color. You can always make changes as you go.

Some components, like the Cursed Forge, have a Collect cost and a corresponding effect if you choose not to pay it. You can deal with these effects anytime, even after taking other essences.

Now, there are two interesting artifacts, the Vault and Windup Man. If you decide to leave all their essences on them, you’ll trigger special effects. For more details and examples, check out page 10.

You have the option to take all the essences from a Place of Power, but keep in mind that doing so will cost you victory points.

Usually, players collect their essences simultaneously. If you prefer, you can choose to go in player order, starting with the First Player and going clockwise.

2. Actions

Okay, here’s how it goes. We start with the First Player, and then each player takes a turn, going clockwise. This keeps happening until everyone has passed. If you pass, that means you can’t take any more actions in this step. Got it so far? Good!

• I’m going to put an artifact from my hand in front of me by paying its cost.
• I can take a monument or Place of Power from the center by paying its cost. All monuments cost 4 Gold. I have two options: I can choose one of the monuments on display or I can draw the top card from the monument deck. If I take a monument on display, I replace it with the top card from the monument deck if possible. Once I claim a monument or Place of Power, no one else can take it. There are only a limited number of monuments and Places of Power available.
• If I want to, I can discard an artifact from my hand to get 1 Gold or any 2 other essences. When I discard an artifact, I place it sideways, face up, under my artifact deck. This is so I can tell the difference between my discards and my turned artifacts. Other players can look at my discards whenever they want.

Tip: You don’t need to place all of your artifacts. In fact, it’s better to get rid of some to collect the essences required for others.

Price

The cost of placing a component is indicated in the top-left corner. You’ll need to pay the specified amount of essences from the supply.

When you have an essence that has a number, you have to give that number of that essence back to the supply. Otherwise, you just have to give back one essence.

If the essence is , you can give back any essence you have. If it specifies a number, like , you have to give back a combination of essences that adds up to that number.

There are some artifacts that are also Dragons (), Creatures (), or both (like the Sea Serpent). Some discounts reduce the cost of placing any artifacts, while others only reduce the cost of placing Dragons.

All the components that are placed or claimed start the game in an upright position.

Other Important Details

There are two artifacts (Magical Shard and Prism) that have a cost of “0”. This means that you can place them for free, without using an action.

Here’s a tip: You can choose to discard artifacts from your hand instead of using them, but it still comes with a cost.

If you have abilities that reduce the cost of placing artifacts (like Artificer, Dragon Bridle, or Dragon Lair), you can stack them together. This can also be combined with powers from cards like Crypt, Dragon Egg, and Sorcerer’s Bestiary. If the cost is reduced to less than 0, it becomes 0.

Powers

Many components have 1 or 2 powers. Powers have a cost and an effect, which are separated by a triangle.

If you want to use a power, you have to pay its cost and then apply its effect. Paying the cost involves spending any essences that are in the supply, while applying the effect allows you to gain essences from the supply.

When it comes to the cost of a power, it usually has multiple parts that are separated by “+” symbols. To use the power, you need to pay all of its cost.

If a power wants you to turn its component as part of its cost, you might have to rotate it sideways. When a component is sideways, you can’t use its powers (except for some React powers) until you straighten it again.

But if a power doesn’t require turning its component, you can use it multiple times in a round. Each time you use the power, it counts as a separate action.

Imagine this: you’re playing a game, and you come across an effect that instructs you to place the essences you obtained on a component, instead of adding them to your essence pool. These essences can later be collected in a future round or converted into victory points at specific locations called Places of Power.

When you have a React power, you can use it at a specific moment in response to a particular triggering event. It’s important to note that using a React power is not considered an action. Unlike other powers, a React power can be used even if its component is already turned sideways, unless the cost of the power specifically requires you to turn the component (in which case, you cannot use the power).

Depleting Life

So, here’s the deal. There are these effects that totally mess with your Life count in this game. It’s like a booby trap or something. Anyways, when you get hit with one of these effects, you lose Life essences. And get this – it’s not just you who loses out, your rivals do too. They also have to lose the specified number of Life essences. But hold up, there’s a catch. Those crafty rivals who have passed on these effects are off the hook. Lucky ducks.

But here’s where things get really interesting. If a rival doesn’t have enough Life essences to lose, they have to get creative. They can’t just dodge the bullet. Nope, they have to give up something else from their pool of essences. It could be any 2 essences, including Gold. So, it’s like a double whammy for them.

Phew, that was a mouthful. Moral of the story – watch out for those effects, folks. They can really mess with your Life count. And trust me, you don’t want that happening.

In Res Arcana, there are certain powers that allow me to avoid losing Life. These powers come in handy when facing effects that cause Life loss, like those from Dragons. Interestingly, these Life loss powers also have a React power that can be activated immediately by my opponents. If they pay the cost, they can also ignore the Life loss.

Key Details

Some effects grant a specific number of essences. I can pick any combination of essences that adds up to that number, as long as there are no restrictions, such as not being able to choose Gold or Life.

When it comes to using my powers, I have a few choices. Some of them involve getting rid of my artifacts. Now, there’s a difference between discarding and destroying. When I discard a card, I’m putting it from my hand into my discard pile, which is like a sideways stack underneath my deck. But when I destroy a card, it means I’m removing it from play altogether. If the destroyed card had any essences on it, I’ll return them back to the supply. Oh, and one more thing – a turned artifact can also be destroyed by another power.

Now, let’s talk about drawing cards. Some effects in the game allow me to draw a card. But what happens if I don’t have any cards left in my deck? Well, in that case, I need to reshuffle my discard pile and make a new deck.

There are also some effects, like Divination, Hawk, or Oracle, that let me draw three cards from a specific deck. But what if there aren’t three cards left in that deck? Simple – I just draw whatever’s left, and then I replace or discard the same number of cards I drew.

Have you ever encountered effects that allow you to activate a previously used power? These effects, like Chalice of Fire, Reanimate, or Witch, can be quite fascinating. They serve as a way to rejuvenate and bring back to life a component that has already been turned or used. It’s like giving it a second chance to shine and be valuable again.

One of the characters in the game, known as the Druid, has a unique ability related to these effects. The Druid can straighten Creature artifacts, allowing them to be used again and regain their powers. It’s a powerful skill that sets the Druid apart from others.

Imagine you have a Creature artifact that has been turned, and its power cannot be used anymore. But with the Druid’s ability, you can straighten it, making its powers available once again. It’s like unleashing a dormant force that was waiting to be awakened.

These effects that enable you to straighten turned components are worth considering in your strategy. They can be a game-changer, giving you an advantage and allowing you to make the most out of your resources. By making use of these effects, you can maximize the potential of your creatures and artifacts.

So, the next time you come across an effect like Chalice of Fire, Reanimate, or Witch, remember the Druid’s unique skill. It might just be the key to unlocking new possibilities and taking your game to the next level. Embrace the power to straighten and regenerate the response of your components – it’s a thrilling ability that can turn the tides in your favor.

Hey there! Let’s talk about some interesting powers in the game. We have these cool powers, like Athanor, Philosopher’s Stone, and Prism. What’s special about them is that they require a certain number of essences to activate. And get this, all of these essences need to be the same.

Once you activate these powers, something really cool happens. They convert all of those essences into a different essence. For example, they might turn all of the essences into beautiful Gold.

Now, let’s talk about another neat thing. Have you ever wanted to be the first player in a round? Well, guess what? If you are the first person to pass in a round, you get a special token called the First Player token.

This token is quite valuable because it’s worth 1 point when we check who wins the game. Oh, and here’s a fun little twist. You get to flip the token over to its Passed side. How cool is that?

So, imagine being the first player to pass and snagging that shiny First Player token. It’s like having a secret advantage up your sleeve. And not to mention, you’ll also get a point for your victory score before anyone else. It’s a win-win situation!

Have you ever wondered what happens when you play a game with your friends and collect those little items called essences? Well, let me tell you, it’s pretty interesting to see how it all works!

When you’re playing a game and you use certain effects, like the ones I’m about to explain, something interesting happens. These effects actually send your opponents to the supply to get some essences. And guess what? Even if your opponents have already passed their turn, they still get to receive these essences!

Now, you might be wondering, what exactly are essences? Well, essences are these special items that give you different powers and abilities. They can be really useful, so it’s important to know how they work.

Let’s say you’re in the middle of a game, and you use an effect that lets you take essences from the supply. Your opponents may not be too happy about that, but they need to be prepared for what comes next.

Even if your opponents have already passed their turn, they still have a chance to benefit from these essences. It’s like a little bonus for them, even if they’re not actively playing at the moment. Talk about a cool game mechanic!

So the next time you’re playing a game and you come across an effect that involves collecting essences, remember that even if your opponents have already passed their turn, they still have a chance to benefit from these essences. It’s always interesting to see how these game mechanics work and how they can affect the outcome of a game.

Have you ever seen a Hypnotic Basin or Treant in action? These incredible effects can gain essences based on the number of essences a rival has. And get this, you can choose any opponent to take essences from – even someone who has already passed! But, here’s the catch: you only count the essences in that player’s essence pool. The essences you take are not removed. Pretty cool, right?

When it comes to artifacts, there are certain effects that can produce a combination of essences. These effects, such as the Corrupt Altar, Fiery Whip, Sacrificial Dagger, and Sacrificial Pit, rely on the cost of the artifact’s placement. To determine the total number of essences required, you need to add up all the essences in the cost and make any adjustments based on modifiers. Once you have this number, you can take that many essences from the supply. You can choose any combination of essences, as long as there are no restrictions mentioned. It’s worth noting that you don’t have to include any essences that are already listed in the artifact’s cost.

Passing

If for any reason you are unable or unwilling to perform an action, you have the option to pass.

When you’re the first to take a turn in a game, you’ll want to grab the First Player token. This token is important because it’s worth 1 point when determining the winner. Once you have the token, make sure to flip it over to the “Passed” side.

Hey there! Let’s talk about a cool gameplay mechanic called “Swapping Magic Items.” It’s like changing your magical gear for something new and exciting. All you have to do is pick a different magic item from the supply and flip it to its “Passed” side.

Oh, and here’s a neat trick. When you swap, you also get to draw a card if you can. But what if your deck is empty? No worries! Just reshuffle your discarded cards to create a whole new deck. How awesome is that?

Now, here’s something important to know. Once you pass, that’s it. No more actions for you that round. But don’t worry, you’re safe from losing any Life points. And guess what? You can still collect essences from your opponents’ powers. Talk about a win-win situation!

Victory is the name of the game

After everyone has passed, it’s time to check if anyone has scored 10 points or more. How do you score points, you ask? Great question! You earn points by placing artifacts, monuments, and Places of Power. Oh, and don’t forget about the coveted First Player token.

If at least one player has a whopping 10 or more points, it’s game over. And guess what? The player with the most points wins! So, aim high and go for that victory!

So, here’s the deal. If there are multiple players tied for the highest number of points above 10, then the player among them with the most essences in their essence pool (and Gold essences count for double) is the winner. But, hey, if there are still a bunch of players tied after that, they all share the victory. Pretty cool, right?

Now, if no one has reached 10+ points yet, we gotta do a little reset. We straighten all the turned components, flip over the First Player token and those magic items from their Passed sides, and then we start the next round. Easy peasy!

Let’s Get into the Details

Here’s something important – count all the victory abilities and victory points on those turned components when we’re checking for victory. Can’t forget about those!

And then we got these special Places of Power – the Cursed Forge, Sacred Grove, and Sacrificial Pit. These bad boys not only give you points for the essences on them, but they also provide an extra 1 or 2 points on top of that. Talk about a sweet deal, right?

Oh, and don’t forget about the First Player token, my friend. That little beauty gives you an extra point if you’re the lucky one holding it when we’re checking for victory. Gotta love those bonus points!

If you have the Coral Castle or Sorcerer’s Bestiary, you can use their special abilities to win the game instantly, even in the middle of a round. This means that if you have 10 or more points and are currently in the lead, you can declare victory before anyone else has a chance to catch up.

The Golden Statue also has a special power that can be used when checking victory. It allows you to spend 3 Gold to gain 3 temporary points. This power can be used by the owner of the Golden Statue, regardless of whether or not they have passed their turn.

These unique powers can give you a strategic advantage and help you secure a win. They add an element of surprise and provide opportunities to turn the tide of the game in your favor. So if you find yourself in possession of the Coral Castle, Sorcerer’s Bestiary, or Golden Statue, keep these abilities in mind and use them wisely to secure your victory. Happy gaming!