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Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Game Rules

Hey there! Today, I want to talk about an awesome game called Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. Trust me, you’re going to love it!

Let’s dive right in and take a look at the game rules. Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything in a way that’s easy to understand.

First things first, when you play Tainted Grail, you’ll take on the role of a daring hero. Your mission? To save the mystical land of Avalon from a terrible darkness that has overtaken it. Sounds exciting, right?

As you embark on your adventure, you’ll have a deck of cards that represents your character’s skills and abilities. These cards are like your tools; they help you overcome challenges and defeat dangerous creatures.

The game is played over a series of chapters, each with its own unique story and quests. You’ll explore the land, interact with its inhabitants, and make crucial decisions that impact the outcome of your journey.

Each chapter presents you with a set of choices. What you decide will shape the course of the story and determine your fate. Will you choose the path of heroism, or will you succumb to the darkness?

But be careful! The choices you make have consequences. They can affect your character’s reputation, relationships, and even the world itself. So think carefully and choose wisely.

During your adventures, you’ll face various challenges and engage in combat with enemies. This is where those cards I mentioned earlier come into play. You’ll use them strategically to outwit your opponents and emerge victorious.

As you progress through the game, you’ll gain experience points and acquire new cards to enhance your abilities. You can customize your deck, adding cards that suit your playstyle and give you an edge in battles.

Another important aspect of Tainted Grail is exploration. Avalon is a vast and mysterious land, filled with hidden treasures, ancient artifacts, and secrets waiting to be uncovered. So don’t be afraid to venture off the beaten path and satisfy your curiosity.

Now, let’s talk about the game’s combat system. When you encounter enemies, you’ll enter into a card-based battle. It’s a tactical affair where you’ll take turns playing cards to attack, defend, or use special abilities.

Victory in combat rewards you with valuable loot and resources. You can use these to upgrade your equipment, obtain powerful artifacts, and improve your chances of surviving the dangers that lie ahead.

In Tainted Grail, the immersive storytelling is just as important as the gameplay itself. As you progress, you’ll unravel a deep and compelling narrative that draws inspiration from Arthurian legends and ancient Celtic mythology.

The game’s atmospheric artwork and haunting music create a sense of wonder and mystery, immersing you fully in the world of Avalon.

So there you have it – a brief overview of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon and its game rules. I hope you’re as excited as I am about this incredible adventure. Trust me, it’s a journey you won’t forget!

• When it comes to the components, you’ll find:
• 8 Miniature Models
• 4 Double Boards
• 143 Small Cards
• 556 Standard Cards
• 72 Oversized Cards
• 10 Dials
• 8 Time Tokens
• 4 Quest tokens
• 4 Health limiters
• 1 Guardian die
• 1 Regular die
• 90 Universal markers
• 25 Large markers
• 4 Starting letters
• 4 Adventure maps
• 30 Save sheets
• Rulebook

A Quick Look at the Gameplay

As a player, you’ll be traveling throughout the treacherous Avalon island in Tainted Grail. Your character will move from one location to another, unveiling new locations and using up energy along the way.

When you want to make progress, you have to activate one of the Menhir statues spread throughout the realm. These magnificent structures go dark after a while, and it takes a lot of resources to reactivate them. So, planning your next move will really put your planning and organizational skills to the test.

Whenever you’re exploring a location, you’ll be thrown into the heart of a nonlinear, branching story that’s written in the Exploration Journal. This journal often changes the world around you, swapping out some location cards for different versions or giving you game-changing statuses or secret cards.

Eventually, each day comes to an end. At the start of the next day, a new event card is revealed, pushing time forward and giving you new quests to embark on.

As you play the game, you’ll come across various unexpected encounters. These encounters can be resolved by utilizing your combat and diplomacy skills, as well as your strategic deck-building abilities.

Successfully navigating these encounters will earn you rewards that enable your character to progress. You’ll have the opportunity to expand and optimize your combat and diplomacy decks, acquire new skills, improve your attributes, and ultimately access previously inaccessible parts of the island. This will continue until you either complete your current story chapter or reach the end of the campaign.

However, it’s important to remember that the specter of death and madness looms over you right from the beginning. The Fall of Avalon is a bleak and challenging time to be alive.

Should you meet your demise or lose your sanity, you’ll have the chance to return to the game, armed with wisdom and better prepared for what lies ahead.

Campaign Setup

To make learning the game as simple as possible, I highly recommend using the Open & Play guide. It’ll give you an introductory solo adventure that covers all the basics. If you want to set up additional Campaigns, just follow these steps:

1. Choose Your Character: Take a moment to select the character you want to play as. This decision is entirely up to you!

2. Gather Your Materials: Make sure you have all the necessary materials for the game. This includes the game board, character sheets, dice, and any other components.

3. Set Up the Game Board: Lay out the game board in a clear and organized manner. This will serve as the playing field for your Campaign.

4. Prepare Character Sheets: Each player should have their own character sheet. Fill in the necessary information, such as the character’s name, abilities, and starting equipment.

5. Set Starting Health: Determine the starting health for each character. This will vary depending on the character chosen and the difficulty level of the game.

6. Distribute Starting Equipment: Give each character their starting equipment. This may include weapons, armor, or special items that provide unique abilities.

7. Familiarize Yourself with Character Abilities: Take some time to read and understand the abilities and skills of your character. This will help you make informed choices during the game.

Remember, if you’re returning to a Campaign that’s already in progress, you don’t need to go through the entire game setup again. Just refer to the “Saving the Game” chapter in the Basic Rules section of this manual.

Now that you have your character set up and ready to go, it’s time to embark on your adventure! Enjoy the game and may victory be on your side!

Take a Character’s cardboard Tile and a Character Tray of the same color. Hint: The main difference between Characters is their Character Action and negative trait, which you can see on the front of their Tiles. They also have different Survival Tracks on their matching Character Tray, as well as unique Combat and Diplomacy cards. The expansion Character Niamh has a red Tile and can use a Tray of any color.

Mark the starting levels of your (Energy) and (Terror).

Hey there! So, let’s talk about how to play Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. You’ll need to find the and tracks on your Character Tray. These tracks have starting slots that are highlighted by two red chevrons. Handy, right? Now, place universal markers in those slots.

Now, let’s take care of the marker. just pop it into the track slot that’s also highlighted by two red chevrons.

The cool thing about the marker’s shape is that it helps you remember the effect your has on the other two tracks. Neat! For more on that, check out the “Playing the Game” section. Oh, and take a look at .

Now, let’s mark your starting Attributes.

And your starting Resources too. That’s it! You’re good to go!

If you look at the back of your Character Tile, you’ll find a list of numbers that correspond to universal markers. These markers should be placed in the Resource slots on your Character Tray.

Now, set aside the 80 Combat and Diplomacy cards that match the color of your Character Tray.

Next, it’s time to create your starter decks for Combat and Diplomacy. You’ll need 15 cards for each.

To make your Combat and Diplomacy decks, choose the 15 basic cards that have a banner matching your Tray’s color. You can find the banner below the card’s name. Once you’ve selected the cards, shuffle them and place the Combat cards to the left of your Character Tray and the Diplomacy cards to the right.

If you’re playing with a Character from another Campaign, make sure to use the starter deck lists on the back of their Character Tile. In the Fall of Avalon Campaign, the cards used in this step are numbered 1-15/25. It’s important to note that the starter cards don’t have Character names on them!

Create a pool of 25 cards for your combat and diplomacy advancements.

Put your character tile on the character tray.

When getting started with this game, make sure that you place the setup information facing downwards, and have your Character Action facing upwards.

< h5>First of all, read through the introductory letter that your Character has provided.

< h5>Lastly, grab your Adventure Map.

Getting Started in the Game World

Once you and your fellow players have finished creating your Characters, it’s time to dive into the game. Here’s what you need to do:

Choose a Starting Location

Find the perfect place to begin your adventure. Put one of the Menhir models on this Starting Location and insert a Dial into the slot beneath it.

I’m going to tell you how to play a game called Menhirs and Wyrdness. First, let’s talk about the Dial. It’s a special tool that shows you how many days you have left before the Menhir goes dark. The Menhir is a magical stone that needs to be taken care of, and you have to make sure it doesn’t lose its power.

Now, let’s get to the map.

Start by turning the Dial. Depending on the number of players, you’ll need to set it to a certain number: 8 for one player, 7 for two players, 6 for three players, or 5 for four players.

Next, it’s time to build the starting section of the map. Find the four Direction Keys on the edges of your Starting Location. Each Direction Key has a number on it. Take the four Location cards that match those numbers and attach them to their corresponding Direction Keys.

Example: For the Fall of Avalon campaign, you’ll need to connect Hunters’ Grove (102) to the top of your Starting Location (101). On its left side, attach Warriors’ Fair (103), and on its right side, attach Charred Conclave (104). Finally, attach Forlorn Swords (105) to the bottom.

Get the Encounter cards ready.

Prepare the Secret and Item decks.

Grab a fresh Save sheet.

Distribute Help cards to everyone.

Optional: Choose your Chronicler.

Now, let’s set up the first Chapter.

When I start playing the game, the first thing I need to do is find the Chapter I Setup card. This card will give me instructions on how to build the Event deck and Encounter decks. I should start from the front side of the card and follow the steps carefully.

Once I have built the decks, I need to take all the Random Event cards and shuffle them. I can place them on the side of my play space or in the box. These Random Event cards will be important throughout the game. Sometimes, the Event cards will ask me to put a certain number of these Random Events on top of the Event deck. It’s important to remember that when I draw an Event, I always draw from the deck and never from the Random Event pile!

After I complete each chapter of the game, I will be given a new Chapter Setup card. This card will help me prepare for the next chapter and modify my Encounter decks. It will phase out the easier cards and introduce harder ones. This will make the game more challenging as I progress.

Now, let’s talk about the first day of my journey.

Hint: A good first step is to explore my home Location. This will allow me to check what options are available there. It’s a great way to get started!

Hint: When you start playing the game, it’s a good idea to keep your Order of the Day Help card nearby. That way, you can follow the steps one by one and not forget any important actions. For example, remember to reduce each Dial and reveal a new Event card at the start of each day.

Chronicler (Optional)

If you’re playing the game with 2-4 players, you can have one person volunteer as the Chronicler. The Chronicler is like the Game Master in Tainted Grail. Here are their responsibilities:

• The Chronicler reads or retells paragraphs from the Exploration Journal out loud to the other players.
• They take care of certain tasks, like revealing new Event cards and reducing all Dials at the start of each day.
• The Chronicler keeps track of the Save Sheet. They mark any Statuses that the players gain and check the Statuses when asked.

When you play Tainted Grail, there is a role called the Chronicler. The Chronicler is responsible for a few important tasks, including adding new Location cards and removing ones that are no longer within range of an Active Menhir. The Chronicler also deals Item and Secret cards from their respective decks. And perhaps most crucially, the Chronicler is the one who settles any conflicts or ties and makes the final decisions.

While the Chronicler doesn’t directly impact gameplay and having one isn’t mandatory, it can greatly streamline the game and minimize mistakes if you choose someone to take on this role. By having a dedicated Chronicler, you’ll spend less time on upkeep and encounter fewer errors.

Furthermore, listening to what other Characters experience during their exploration is a great way to keep the rest of the group engaged and immersed in the game!

Now, let’s talk about the gameplay itself. In this section, I will guide you through the rules of Tainted Grail. We’ll start by following the Order of the Day, and then we’ll dive into all the Basic Rules.

So, are you ready? Let’s embark on this exciting journey together!

In Tainted Grail, the day is the most important unit of time. It marks a complete turn in the game. During the Day, I spend my Actions to accomplish tasks. I can keep going until I run out of Actions or choose to Pass.

After that, we move on to the End of the Day sequence. It’s a short phase where I can rest, recover, read Dreams, advance, and optimize my deck. Then, a new day starts with the Start of the Day sequence. This includes some basic upkeep and the reveal of a new Event card.

In summary, Tainted Grail is divided into three stages that I will experience repeatedly:

I. Start of the Day

1. Get rid of Menhirs that have expired. If a Menhir doesn’t have a Dial in its base, that means it’s inactive and becomes dark. I’m going to remove any Menhirs like this from the table. The ones that are still on the table are called “Active Menhirs”.
2. Remove Locations that are out of the Menhir range. Each Location card in the game needs to be next to a Location that has an Active Menhir. They need to be touching either in a straight line or diagonally. If there are any Location cards that are no longer touching a Location with an Active Menhir, I’ll discard them now. You can learn more about this in the “Menhirs and Wyrdness” section.
3. Lower the Dial on the Menhirs. I’m going to reduce the Dial on each Active Menhir by 1. If a Dial was already at 1 and I can’t lower it anymore, I’ll take it out from under the Menhir. Just keep in mind, the Menhir itself won’t disappear or become inactive until the next Start of the Day!

Step 1: Reduce Time Dials and remove Time Tokens

If there are any Dials with Time Tokens on them anywhere on the table, including on the Secret cards or next to the Characters, let’s reduce them by 1. If a Dial can’t be reduced anymore, we’ll remove it from the game. Next, we’ll take away one Time token from every Location card that has any. Remember, we’re only reducing Dials with Time Tokens in this step. Dials with Quest Tokens follow different rules, so we won’t touch those. And we won’t remove any Quest Tokens from any Location either.

Step 2: Reveal and read a new Event card

Now it’s time to uncover and read a fresh Event card. If the card has a Quest text and a red padlock symbol, we’ll move it to the Quest pile, right next to the Event deck. Regular Events only last for one day, but Events with Quests will stick around until a specific time mentioned on the card.

1. Move Guardians:

Guardians are special creatures that wander around and are encountered during the game. To determine where they move, roll the Direction die for each Guardian and follow the guidelines outlined in the Guardians section of the Basic Rules.

Discuss your plans:

If you’re playing cooperatively with others, it’s important for all players to take a moment to talk about their strategies and intentions. Remember, you’re all in it together, so careful planning and coordination are essential for success!

Equip for your journey:

Before embarking on your adventure, make sure your character doesn’t have more than one item with the same keyword. If you do, flip the excess items face down so they are no longer active.

II. Throughout the Day

Once this phase begins, you and I will each take turns performing one action. We can choose the order of actions together, but if we can’t agree, the character with the lowest character number will go first. Each action has a special icon and shows how much it costs to perform.

When you see this icon, it means you can take an Action. The “X” shows the cost of the Action. Sometimes, Actions may have “1” or “2” instead of a cost.

If you and other players are in the same Location, you can work together as a Party. This means you can do the same Action at the same time. Look for the blue Party rules next to each Action.

After everyone has taken an Action or participated in a Party Action, or if someone chooses to Pass, you can take another Action.

So here’s how it goes: we all keep at it until either everyone passes or runs out of stuff to spend. When that happens, we move on to stage III, also known as the End of the Day.

Hint: To avoid sitting around twiddling your thumbs, one player who’s in an Encounter can take care of it while the others do their own thing.

Oh, and one more thing: it’s a good idea for players to plan how they want to spend their Exp and tweak their Combat and Diplomacy decks ahead of time. That way, we can zip through the End of the Day stage without too much downtime.

Now, on the Action side of the Help card, you’ll find the six most important Actions in the game. They’re the ones that matter the most:

Explore – Costs 1

When I play Tainted Grail, each Location card is full of interesting stories and things to do. Exploring is how I uncover all of that. I just flip over the current Location card and read what it says on the back. Some cards have everything I need right there, but others tell me to go to a specific part of the Exploration Journal. That’s where I find even more choices and possibilities. I keep exploring in the Journal until I see “Exploration ends”. Then, I flip the Location card back and keep on playing. But before I start my first Exploration, I make sure to read the introduction in the Journal that tells me how to use it. It’s important to know what I’m doing before I dive in!

When You’re in a Party: If you decide to explore as a party, the cost of exploration will be divided equally among all party members. This means that each member will contribute 1 point towards the total cost. Keep in mind that any positive or negative effects that occur during exploration will affect every character in the party. However, when it comes to rewards, they will not be divided and will have to be shared among all party members. For more information on how to use the exploration journal, refer to the “How to Use the Exploration Journal” section at the beginning of the journal.

Here’s a Tip: If flipping the card is not practical due to multiple models being present, you can skip that step and go straight to the Exploration Journal! Each location section in the journal contains the same information that is found on the back of the card.

Travel – Costs 1

When you’re playing the game, you can move your character to any location card that’s connected to the one you’re currently on. Keep in mind that if two locations are placed next to each other but there are no direction keys connecting them, it means you can’t travel between them. This is usually because of things like mountain ranges, walls, wide rivers, or other natural features.

When you arrive at a new location, check if your travel revealed any new location cards. Then, look for a lightning symbol on the new location card. If you see this symbol, it means there’s something you need to resolve right away.

For example, let’s say the location card has a lightning icon next to the text “Draw a gray Encounter.” In this case, you would need to draw an encounter card from the gray deck immediately upon arrival, before any other player has a chance to do anything.

When traveling together in a party, any actions or encounters triggered by our new location must also be dealt with as a group. It costs 1 unit per person to travel this way. Keep in mind, we can only move in straight lines—no diagonal travel allowed! Here’s an image to help illustrate the concept.

For example, let’s say we want to go from Cuanacht Farmhold to Whitening. We’ll need to take two travel actions because diagonal movement isn’t allowed. And once we arrive in Whitening, we’ll immediately have to deal with the lightning symbol on the location card.

Each location has its own set of actions and costs, so always check the location card for details. It’s important to remember this when planning our next move.

Hey there! Did you know that most Location cards have an Action you can take? You can find this Action on the front of the card. When a Character is in that location and not doing anything else, you can activate the Action. These location-based Actions are super important because they let you gather or trade important items. So, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on them and plan your moves in advance!

Oh, and one more thing! Some Location Actions can only be done once per day. When you perform one of these Actions, you can cover the icon with a Time Token. This will help you remember that you’ve already used it. Just make sure not to mix up the Time Tokens with other rules that may use them. It’s best to keep those separate, so things don’t get too confusing.

At a Party: When you’re at a party, you can activate a Location Action together. This means you only have to pay the cost once and you both get the benefits. The best part is that you can split the cost however you want, and if there’s an Encounter, you can face it together as well.

For example: Let’s say two of us decide to use a Location Action that says Hunt: gain 1 Food, then draw a green Encounter”. We can split the cost between us and pay 1 each. After that, we both receive 1 unit of Food, reveal an Encounter, and fight it together as a Party.

Character Action – The cost for this action varies depending on the Character.

Hey there! Did you know that each Character has their own special move? It’s true! You can use this move when you’re not in an Encounter or exploring.

If you’re in a Party, only you can use your Character’s special move. However, your Party members can help cover the cost. Just remember, the Character who’s using the move always has to pay at least 1 point.

Check out a Menhir – You don’t need to pay a thing!

If the place you’re at has a Menhir seal next to its name (check out: Locations), it means there’s one of those old monuments around. You can check out the Menhir for free and find out which Resources or Secret cards you need to activate it. All you have to do is flip the Location card and read the info at the bottom about the Menhir. If you have what you need and meet all the other requirements, you can activate the Menhir right then and there.

Just a heads up: it’s important to remember that the cost of activating a Menhir increases based on the number of players in the game, not just in your group!

Quick tip: always keep track of which Menhir you want to activate next and the Resources you’ll need for it! Pro tip: You can also find all Menhir details in the Exploration Journal of this Location, in case you don’t want to flip the Location card. Another thing to note: activating a Menhir requires the help of all players, so plan your logistics ahead of time.

Pass – Free.

After a long day of adventures, I’m ready to call it quits and get some rest. Even if I still have some energy left, I know that once I decide to rest, there’s no turning back. I won’t be able to do anything else until tomorrow!

Before I rest, though, I should consider if there are any other actions I can take. I should check my Character Tray, my Items, Skills, and even Secret cards for any additional actions. There might be something I can do before calling it a day!

To sum it up, during the day, when it’s my turn, I should take a look at the Action Help card, as well as any other cards or boards on the table. From there, I can choose one action to take. If there are other characters with me in the same location, they might join me in taking that action.

Alright, here’s the deal. When it’s my turn to rock and roll, I take one Action. After that, it’s your turn, and you get to take an Action too. We keep going like this until everyone has thrown in the towel or we’ve used up all our energy. So, who’s got the stamina to keep up?

III. End of the Day

When all is said and done, it’s important to reflect on the day’s events and the impact they had on ourselves and others. The choices we make and the actions we take can influence not only our own lives but also the lives of those around us. It’s a responsibility that we should not take lightly.

At the end of the day, when I sit and think about the events that unfolded, I can’t help but wonder about the meaning behind it all. Why did certain things happen? What was the purpose? Sometimes, the answers elude us, and we are left contemplating the mysteries of life.

But even in the midst of confusion, there is a certain beauty to be found. It’s in the way that life surprises us, in the way that it challenges us and forces us to grow. We may not always understand the reasons behind things, but we can appreciate the lessons they teach us.

When someone does something that hurts us or makes us question ourselves, it’s easy to become bitter or angry. But what if instead of harboring negative emotions, we were to use those experiences as opportunities for growth? What if we were to approach every situation with an open mind and a willingness to learn?

If you’re looking to elevate your own personal growth, it’s important to take into account the power of perspective. By reframing our thoughts and focusing on the lessons we can learn, we can shift our mindset from one of victimhood to one of empowerment.

Understanding that life is a series of ups and downs, we can choose to see the challenges we face as opportunities for growth. Instead of viewing failure as a setback, we can see it as a stepping stone on the path to success. It’s all about how we choose to interpret the events in our lives.

By following this approach, we not only regenerate our own response to adversity but also inspire those around us to do the same. Our actions have the power to influence others, and by embracing a growth mindset, we can create a ripple effect of positive change.

So, at the end of the day, let’s remember that life is a journey filled with both joy and pain. It’s up to us to make the most of it and to embrace the challenges as opportunities for growth. The choice is ours.

Hey there! Have you ever wondered what happens at the end of a day in the mystical world of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon? Well, let me tell you all about it!

Rest.

First things first, it’s time to rest. As the day comes to a close and all the characters have passed or run out of energy, we need to take a breather. So, here’s what you do:

You eat 1 piece of food. If you do, you’ll get back 1 energy, represented by this cool symbol , but you’ll lose 1 health, shown by this symbol . However, if you don’t have enough food or you just don’t feel like eating, you’ll have to drop your health to 0. If your health is already at 0, well, tough luck, you’ll lose 1 energy instead.

Oh, and here’s a helpful tip: if you happen to be in the same location as another character, you can trade food with them whenever you want. Just make sure you’re not busy doing something important, like an action or an encounter. Keep in mind that trading food can be really handy, especially when you’re running low!

Get Back in the Game

Put your marker back to the starting point on the track. If you’re Exhausted (your marker is in one of the red slots), only restore 4 points of energy. Keep in mind that your energy cannot exceed your health – your energy marker cannot pass your health marker.

Level Up Your Hero

Live through the Dreams