Learn How to Play KeyForge: Call of the Archons

Hi there! Are you ready to dive into the exciting world of KeyForge? This unique and innovative card game will take you on an epic adventure as you strive to become the Archon of the Crucible. But before we get started, let’s take a look at the game rules.

The Basics

KeyForge is a two-player game where each player takes on the role of an Archon, a powerful being from one of the countless planets in the Crucible. The objective of the game is to forge three keys before your opponent does.

Each player starts with their own unique deck, which consists of cards from three different factions. These factions have their own strengths and strategies, so be sure to explore different combinations to find the one that suits your playstyle.

How to Play

At the beginning of your turn, you’ll collect and spend a resource called “Æmber.” You can use Æmber to play cards from your hand, call creatures into battle, and even forge keys. But be careful, as your opponent will try to steal your Æmber or prevent you from forging keys.

You’ll also have the opportunity to choose one of the three factions in your deck for that turn. This determines which cards you can play and abilities you can use. So, think strategically and consider which faction’s cards will be most advantageous in the current situation.

During your turn, you can perform various actions such as playing cards, using creatures to attack, and even using special card abilities. The goal is to control the board and disrupt your opponent’s plans while building up your own resources and Æmber.

Unique Gameplay

KeyForge is unlike any other card game you’ve played before. With no deck-building required, every deck you purchase is completely unique, meaning you’ll never face the same game twice. This adds an exciting level of unpredictability and discovery to each match.

Additionally, the game features a “chains” system that balances gameplay. The more games you win, the more chains you’ll accumulate, making it harder for you to draw cards, while the losing player will have fewer chains, allowing for a more powerful draw.

Are You Ready?

Now that you have a grasp of the game rules, it’s time to forge your destiny in the Crucible. Practice, test different strategies, and challenge your friends to become the ultimate Archon.

Remember, each game is a unique experience, so embrace the surprises, adapt to the ever-changing landscape, and most importantly, have fun!

Here are the items you’ll find in a KeyForge: Call of the Archons starter set:

I want to tell you about an awesome card game called KeyForge. It’s a fun and strategic game that you can play with your friends. When you buy the game, you get a bunch of cool stuff to start playing right away. Here’s what you’ll find in the box:

– 22 Damage Tokens

– 26 Æmber Tokens

– Radiant Argus the Supreme Starter Deck

– Miss “Onyx” Censorius Starter Deck

– 10 Power Status Cards

– 10 Stun Status Cards

– 2 Unique KeyForge Archon Decks

– 6 Key Tokens

– 2 Chain Tracker Cards and Tokens

Now, let me tell you about a couple of important things to keep in mind while playing KeyForge. First, we have The Golden Rule. It basically means that if the text on a card contradicts the rules, you should follow what the card says.

Another important concept is being Ready and Exhausted. When a card is ready, it means it’s in an upright position and can be used during your turn. When you use a ready card, it becomes exhausted, meaning you can’t use it again until it’s ready.

So, are you ready to dive into the exciting world of KeyForge? Get your friends together and start playing this amazing game. You won’t be disappointed!

When I’m playing a game and a card gets used up, I have to rotate it 90 degrees to the side. This exhausted card can’t be used again until I do something to ready it, like following a game step or using a card ability.

Something interesting is that all creatures and artifacts enter the game already exhausted. That means they can’t do anything until I take some action to ready them. It’s like they need a little break before they’re ready to start playing.

Running Out Of Tokens or Status Cards

Hey there! Did you know there’s no limit to the number of damage tokens, &mber tokens, or status cards that can be in the game area at once? Pretty cool, right? But what if you run out? No worries! You can just use other tokens, counters, or coins to keep track of the game state. Problem solved!

Goal of the Game

So, here’s the deal: During the game, your job is to collect as much Amber as possible using your cards. Why’s Amber so important, you ask? Well, it’s the key to forging keys (pun intended)! The game will end as soon as you manage to forge your third key. And guess what? You’ll be the winner!

Getting Started

Alright, let’s get this show on the road. To set up the game, just follow these simple steps:

1. Place all the damage tokens, &mber tokens, and status cards in a handy spot where both players can reach them.
2. Each player picks a side for their identity card and puts it next to their play area.

Here’s a rewritten version of the text:

Me and the other player each put three key tokens, one of each color, with the unforged side facing up near our identity cards.

We figure out who goes first by picking randomly. Whoever it is takes the first turn when the game begins. If we’re playing multiple games with two decks, after the first game, the person who lost the previous game gets to choose who goes first in the next game.

We both shuffle our decks and hand them over to our opponent for more shuffling and maybe a final cut.

The first player draws a starting hand of seven cards, while the other player draws a starting hand of six cards.

Before the game begins, there is a step called mulligan where each player has a chance to shuffle their starting hand back into their deck and draw a new hand with one fewer card. This step is not included in the Quickstart game. Once the mulligan step is complete, the game is ready to start.

How to Play the Game

Playing the game is simple! Let me break it down for you.

The game is played by taking turns, and the goal is to be the first player to win. Here’s what a turn looks like:

1. Make a key.
2. Choose a house.
3. Use cards from that house.
4. Get ready for the next turn.
5. Draw more cards.

The person taking the turn is called the active player. As the active player, you’re the only one who can make choices and take actions. When it’s not your turn, you don’t have any decisions to make.

Now, let’s go through each step in more detail.

1. Make a Key

When it’s my turn and I have enough ?mber to forge a key, I must go ahead and do it. To forge a key, I spend ?mber from my ?mber pool on my identity card, and put it back into the common supply. Then, I flip one of my key tokens over to show that the key has been forged.

• Usually it costs six ?mber to forge a key. But sometimes, certain card abilities can change this cost.
• During this step, I can only forge one key, even if I have enough ?mber to forge more than one.

2. It’s Time to Choose a House

In the game KeyForge, each deck consists of three distinct houses. These houses are displayed on the identity card. Now, it’s time for me, the active player, to choose one of these houses to activate. This means that the chosen house will be my active house for the rest of this turn. And you know what? This decision has a big impact on the cards I can play, discard, and use during my turn.

• If I want to, I also have the option to take all the cards in my archives and add them to my hand after choosing a house.
• But here’s an interesting twist: If I happen to control a card that doesn’t belong to any of the three houses in my deck, I can decide to activate that house instead of one of the houses in my deck. Pretty cool, right?

3. Play, discard, and use cards of the chosen house

When I’m playing a game, I have the freedom to choose what I want to do with the cards I have. If I have cards from the same group I’m currently playing with, I can either play them, use them, or get rid of them altogether. It’s all up to me and the choices I make.

In the top-left corner of a card, you’ll find an icon that determines its house. If the current house matches that icon, you can do something with the card, like play it, use its ability, or discard it.

We’ll talk about the specific rules for playing, discarding, and using cards a little later on.

• First Turn Rule: When I start playing the game, I can only play or discard one card from my hand.
• I cannot play, use, or discard cards from other houses unless a card ability lets me do so.

4. Ready Cards

I need to flip each of my tired cards back to their ready position.

5. Draw Cards

I need to draw cards from the top of my deck until I have six cards in my hand. Once I’ve done that, my turn ends.

• If I have more than six cards in my hand, I don’t have to discard any.
• If I need to draw cards and my deck is empty, I shuffle my discard pile to restart my deck, and then I continue drawing.

When my turn ends, if I have enough ?mber in my pool to afford a key, I announce “Check!” This lets my opponent know that I will forge a key at the start of my next turn.

During step three of my turn, I can play as many cards as I want from the active house.

Some cards in the game have an ?mber bonus. When I play a card with an ?mber bonus, I immediately gain that much ^mber. Any ?mber I gain is added to my ?mber pool on my identity card.

Let’s Talk About How to Play

Hey there! Today, I want to share some cool stuff with you about playing KeyForge. It’s an awesome game where you can unlock amazing abilities and have a blast. So, let’s get started!

Playing Abilities

Did you know that some cards have a special power called a “Play:” ability? These abilities are pretty bold, and they happen right after you collect the card’s ?mber bonus, if it has any. Once you’ve got that ?mber, the ability triggers immediately as soon as you play the card. How awesome is that?!

Types of Cards

In KeyForge, you’ll come across four different types of cards. They are action cards, artifacts, creatures, and upgrades. Each card type follows its own set of rules for how it can be played. Let me break it down for you:

Action Cards: These cards let you take specific actions when you play them. They can do all sorts of cool things to help you out in the game. Super handy!

Artifacts: These cards are like magical items. They have special powers that you can use to your advantage. They can be super powerful and give you a leg up on your opponents. How cool is that?!

Creatures: These cards represent the characters and creatures you control in the game. They can attack, defend, and do all sorts of awesome stuff. They’re the heart and soul of your team!

Upgrades: These cards enhance your creatures or artifacts. They give them extra abilities or make them even stronger. It’s like giving your team a boost of awesomeness!

So, there you have it! Now you know about the different types of cards in KeyForge and how to use their special abilities. It’s time to dive in and start playing. Have a blast!

Action Cards

When you play an action card, you get to use the card’s special ability. After you finish using as much of the ability as you can, you put the card in your discard pile.

Artifacts

When I play artifacts, they’re already tired out, so I put them in a row in front of me but behind my battleline. I’ll explain what the battleline is a little later. The cool thing about artifacts is that they stick around from one turn to the next.

Creatures

Now, when creatures come into play, they’re also exhausted. I put them in the front row of my play area, which is called the battleline. Just like artifacts, creatures stick around from turn to turn. The thing is, creatures have power and armor values that they use when they get into fights.

When a new creature joins the game, it’s important to position it correctly. You have two options: you can place it on the far left of your battleline or on the far right. This is called the flank. And when a creature leaves the game, something interesting happens. The battleline shifts inward, like the gap between two people closing. It’s a curious way to keep things balanced and make room for new arrivals.

Upgrade Your Game

When it comes to improving your gameplay, upgrades are the way to go. Upgrades are special enhancements that you can attach to your creatures to give them an edge. It’s like giving your creatures a power-up!

Here’s how it works:

• Choose a creature to attach an upgrade to. The upgrade will be partially overlapped by the creature.
• Once attached, the upgrade stays with the creature from turn to turn, making it even more formidable.
• But remember, if the creature leaves play, the upgrade will be discarded too.
• Also, make sure the upgrade can actually attach to a creature. If not, it won’t be able to enter play.

Tidy Up Your Hand

Now let’s talk about cleaning up your hand. During step three of your turn, you have the power to discard any number of cards from your active house.

Why would you want to do this?

Well, it’s a way to get rid of cards that you don’t want to use right now. By discarding them, you create space in your hand for new cards. It’s like making room for fresh ideas!

Unleash Your Cards

During step three of my turn, I can use as many cards from my active house as I want. Each card type allows me to do different things when I use it.

Let’s start with upgrades. An upgrade is attached to a creature and modifies its abilities. It can’t be used on its own, only with the creature it’s attached to.

Now, let’s talk about artifacts. There are two types of abilities that allow me to use an artifact: “Action:” abilities and “Omni:” abilities.

When I use an artifact, I have to exhaust the card and then resolve its abilities. I can only resolve an “Action:” ability if it belongs to my active house. However, I can resolve an “Omni:” ability even if it doesn’t belong to my active house.

Some artifacts require you to sacrifice them as part of their cost. Sacrificed artifacts go to your discard pile. Even when you use an artifact, you still need to exhaust it. Remember, artifacts can’t be used for reaping or fighting. They have their own purpose.

When you use a creature, you need to exhaust it. You have a few options: you can reap, fight, or trigger the creature’s “Action:” ability. It’s up to you how you want to use the creature’s abilities.

Let’s take a closer look at each option:

Reap: This allows you to gain the benefits of the creature’s reap ability. Each creature has a unique reap ability that can help you in different ways. For example, you might be able to draw extra cards or gain additional Æmber.

Fight: When you choose to fight with a creature, you can attack an opponent’s creature. This starts a combat between the two creatures. Both creatures deal damage to each other simultaneously. If a creature’s power reaches 0 or below, it is destroyed and placed in its owner’s discard pile.

Action: Some creatures have “Action:” abilities that you can trigger when you use them. These abilities often have powerful effects that can greatly impact the game. Make sure to carefully read the text on the creature card to understand what the “Action:” ability does.

Now, let’s see an example of how combat works in KeyForge:

Imagine I have a creature with a power of 4 and you have a creature with a power of 3. If I choose to fight with my creature and attack yours, both creatures will deal damage to each other simultaneously. My creature deals 4 damage to yours, destroying it because its power is equal to or greater than the creature’s power. However, your creature also deals 3 damage to mine, bringing its power down to 1. Since my creature is still alive, it can continue to fight or use its abilities in future turns.

Remember, combat in KeyForge can be intense and strategic. Choosing which creatures to fight with and when to use their abilities is a crucial part of the game. So, be prepared to make tactical decisions and adapt your strategy as the game unfolds. Good luck!

Dealing Damage and Armor

When a creature gets hurt, it gets damage tokens equal to the amount of damage it took. If a creature gets enough damage to match or exceed its power, it gets destroyed and goes to its owner’s discard pile. If a creature has armor (shown on the right side of the card), it can block a certain amount of damage each turn.

When a creature leaves the game, the opponent gets any Æmber on that creature.

Card Abilities

When you use a card ability, you do as much of the ability as possible and ignore the rest. Unless the ability says otherwise, you make all the decisions when using it.

Using Cards with Other Card Abilities

If a card ability lets me play or use another card (or fight or reap with a card), I can choose a card from any house, unless the ability says otherwise.

• When I use a card through a card ability, I need to follow any other requirements for using the card, such as exhausting it to reap, fight, or resolve its “Action:” ability. If I don’t meet these requirements, I can’t use the card.
• I can only use cards that I control, unless a card ability says otherwise.

The Rule of Six

Sometimes, a situation comes up where, because of different abilities, I can play or use the same card multiple times during the same turn. But I can’t play and/or use the same card (by title) or other copies of that card more than six times in a turn.

Constant Abilities

When a card has an ability that doesn’t have a boldfaced precursor, it means the ability is active as long as the card is in play and meets all the specified conditions.

• When a card has constant abilities, those abilities are always active, even if the card is exhausted.
• Using the effects of a constant ability doesn’t count as using a card, so it doesn’t exhaust the card.

Chains

Let’s talk about chains. They’re like magical ties that the Architects use to keep certain Archons in check. Sometimes, they do it to push the Archons to become stronger and face tougher challenges. Other times, it’s a punishment for breaking a rule or being disrespectful in the Crucible.

During a game, you can get chains through certain card abilities. When you get chains, your chain tracker goes up by the number of chains you got. Basically, it’s a way to keep track of how many chains you have.

Every time I need to refill my hand with cards, whether it’s during setup or later in the game, things get a bit more complicated when I have chains. You see, those pesky chains come with a card penalty. Let me break it down for you.

The more chains I have, the fewer cards I get to draw:

• If I have 1-6 chains, I draw 1 fewer card.
• If I have 7-12 chains, I draw 2 fewer cards.
• If I have 13-18 chains, I draw 3 fewer cards.
• If I have 19-24 chains, I draw 4 fewer cards.

Take Tori, for example. Tori starts the game with seven chains. During setup, Tori will already draw two fewer cards and shed one chain. Then, for the next six times Tori refills her hand, she will be able to draw up to five cards but has to shed another chain every time. Finally, once Tori has shed all of her chains, she can go back to drawing the usual number of cards for her hand.

A Fair Game with Chain Handicaps

When I play a game between a weaker deck and a stronger deck, I can use chains to level the playing field. Chains act as a handicap for the stronger deck.

I use chains when I want a fair match between two decks that I’m familiar with. It’s not fair to have a competition between decks that might be unbalanced. If I’m playing with new decks or participating in a tournament, I won’t use this handicap.

Tips for Assigning Chains

If I think one deck is stronger than the other, I can start the stronger deck with four chains. Then, whenever the chained deck wins three games in a row against the other deck, I add one chain. On the other hand, if the chained deck loses three games in a row, I remove one chain.

When I play more games with my collection, I’ll notice that the number of chains assigned to a deck goes up and down depending on the matchup and how well the deck has performed against the opposing deck.

Bidding for Chains

If I know two decks well enough, I can ignore the suggested number of chains and instead bid on how many chains I’m willing to accept in order to use a specific deck.