How to play guide of Albedon Wars

Albedon Wars fights are turn based matches between two squads of four units.

Each battle takes place on a battlefield of 4 different zones which grant strategic bonuses to the side that controls them.

Both players activate their units and play their cards to gain control of the zones and defeat their enemy.

## **Game phases**

### Setup

Both players draw 3 cards and can mulligan up to all of them.

The cards will be shuffled in the deck and the same amount of cards will be drawn.

Players secretly marshal their units in the external zones.

The player who controls the upper zone wins initiative.

Both players gain 2 crystals. The second player gains one additional crystal.

### Rounds

* **Refill**:
	+ each player gains 2 crystals and draws 1 card
* **Activation**:
	+ Starting from the player who has initiative, players can activate one unit and eventually play a card.
	+ A player MUST activate a unit if the can. In the very first activation players can't play their cards.
	+ Players keep playing activation phases until all units are exhausted.
* **Upkeep**:
	+ statuses apply and each status counter is decreased by one.
	+ Units that die because of a status will die in this phase.
* **Collect**:
	+ players collect bonuses from the zones they control

### Victory

As soon as a player reaches 10 points the game finishes immediately.

The player who reached 10 points is the winner.

## **Game Zones**

There are four zones in each game.

There are many types of zone.

Each zone provides some benefit to its controller in the Collect phase.

The board is divided in 4 zones:

* **Draw**: the player who controls the zone draws an amount of cards equal to the tactics difference.
* **Crystals**: the player who controls the zone gains an amount of crystals equal to the tactics difference.
* **Initiative**: the player who controls the zone gains initiative (and one point in an Albedonite Match).
* **Central**: the player who controls the zone gains a different bonus based on the type of match.

## **Match Types**

* Deathmatch: in a deathmatch the player who defeats all enemy units wins. Units in the Central zone gain +2 to ranged damages.
* Albedonite Match: in In an Albedonite match there is an additional win condition: the first player who gathers 10 albedonite wins the game immediately. The player who controls the Central zone gains an amount of Albedonite equal to the tactics difference.

## **Units**

Every unit has an attack (1), an armor value (2), a tactic value (3), hit points (4) and three icons (5).

Icons are inherited from the lines of power of the unit.

The icon on the left and on the right become buttons during combat, which can be used to attack and/or activate a special ability.

The central icon is given by the choice of the racial permanent bonus.

## **Icons**

Icons describe the "nature" of each power and card.

In order to play a card, a player needs to control a unit with that icon on the battleground.

It's important to notice that it will be a unit that with channel the card, not the player.

The most effective unit (in terms of bonuses) is chosen automatically.

## **Cards**

In the upper border each card has its cost (1) and the rarity (2).

In the center there are the name (3) and eventually the icon (4).

Then, in the bottom box, there are the range (5) and the description of the effect (6).

The range has to be calculated from the channeling unit, which is highlighted during the dragging of the card.

## **Ranges**

Cards and powers can have a range.

* **Self**: the target must be the channeler
* **Melee**: the target must be in the same zone of the channeler
* **Ranged**: the target must be in another zone than the channeler

Cards and powers can also affect a whole zone. In that case, the range is surrounded by colored arrows.

* **Blue arrows:** the power affects all the friendly units in the target zone
* **Red arrows**: the power affects all the enemy units in the target zone
* **Blue and red arrows:** the power affects all units in the target zone

## Glossary

1. ↑ The player with initiative has the first activation of the round. Initiative is given to the player who controls the Initiative zone at the start of the round. Initiative passes in case of a tie.
2. ↑ When activated, a unit can: move to another zone; attack using its style; use its special power; rest; pay 1 and discard a card to draw a card.
3. ↑ A player controls a zone when his units’ total tactic is higher then it’s opponents’ total.
4. ↑ Points are earned by controlling zones and by killing enemy units. The number of points collected is the unit base tactic value.