Rules & How To Play

Ability cards represent many things, ranging from magic spells, deadly traps, and powerful attacks. Each ability type has different play restrictions listed below.

A: Class Symbol

B: Card Name

C: Treasure Cost

D: Edition Symbol

E: Rarity - Notates rarity from 1-4 Star, with 1 being common, 2 being uncommon, 3 being rare, and 4 being legendary.

F: Ability Text - All card specific abilities

G: Set Release and Set Number

H: Artist Credit

Ability Types:

Instant:

Instant Ability cards can be played anytime you have priority (explained below) and only if you have a mercenary of the marked class (none if generic). Resource costs must be paid as the card is played.

Attack: 

Attack Ability cards can be played as in addition to a Mercenary's normal attack and only if the mercenary is of the marked class. You

may only play attack ability cards on your Attack Phase. 

Attack ability cards still follow LOS (see LOS in Glossary section)

Event: 

Event Ability cards can only be played during the Rally Phase. Events add passive effects to your Mercenaries or the Battlefield. Class specific events are destroyed when you control no Mercenary of the marked class. Events may only be played during the Rally or Movement phases

You may play multiple copies of an event as long as it follows the Legendary rule.

Action Priority:

Anatomy of a Turn (Phases):

A single player's turn in S:GT is split up into X phases as follows.

Beginning Phase: 

The Beginning Phase is where any “start of turn” effects resolve. Instant speed abilities may also be activated during this phase.

Draw Phase: 

At the start of the Draw Phase, the turn player draws a card for turn from their deck. Afterwards instant speed abilities may be activated.

Acquire: 

During the Acquire Phase, the turn player may draw up to 4 additional cards for turn. For each card drawn the turn player’s Vault will be reduced by 1.

Rally Phase: 

The Rally Phase is the phase in which a turn player may play any card type. A player may only play one Treasure into their Warchest per turn. Mercenaries must be played in the back 8 tiles on your side of the Battlefield. If played to a fort space, the mercenary can be played along with one treasure from hand equipped. A mercenary can be played face down as if it were a treasure. This uses your one treasure to warchest per turn.

Special actions in Rally Phase:

Upstage is the action of pushing a mercenary back one unoccupied space directly away from your fort. This is done when the turn player plays a new mercenary on a space that is currently occupied by an enemy mercenary. This action can not be used when the pace directly behind the trump target is occupied.

Exiting may be performed by any allied mercenary in that player's Guild Hall. A retreating mercenary is discarded from play along with its equipped treasures.

Equipping may be performed by any allied mercenary in that player’s Guild Hall. A mercenary may equip only one treasure per turn. To equip, an unexhausted treasure is moved from the warchest to be equipped to the mercenary performing the action.

Unequipping is performed after all equipping has been done. A mercenary may unequip as many equipment as chosen. To unequip, an equipped treasure is moved from the equipped mercenary to the warchest unexhausted.

You may NOT equip SPENT treasures during your Rally Phase.

First Movement Phase: 

During the Movement Phase, the turn player may move any number of Mercenaries. Mercenaries may move up to their movement stat in their marked directions. 

Attack Phase: 

During the Attack phase the turn player may declare attacks with each Mercenary they control, once each. A mercenary may declare a standard attack using any of their attack stats, or by using an Attack Ability card or effect. When a mercenary  attacks, they become exhausted and can no longer move, attack, or activate abilities until their next turn. Mercenaries may also Plunder instead of declaring an attack. To plunder  Instant speed abilities may also be activated during this phase.

Second Movement Phase: 

During the Second movement phase, the turn player may move their mercenaries up the the amount of movement said unit did not spend during the first movement phase.

End Phase: 

The End Phase is when any “End of turn” effects resolve. Instant speed abilities may also be activated during this phase. During this phase, the turn player must discard cards in their hand until they have a maximum of 9 cards in hand.

Ability Stack:

Mercenaries, abilities and actions are put on top of the stack (a temporary area for interactions) as the first step of being played, and are removed from it as the last step of resolving.

Any ability or action that uses the stack can be "responded to" by all players, meaning players have a chance to play abilities with it still on the stack. Since the stack resolves in order from top to bottom, those abilities and actions will resolve before the spell they were played "in response" to ("last in, first out"). Mercenaries, abilities, and actions on the stack resolve one at a time, with a chance for each player to play abilities in between each resolution.

Most actions in S:GT are placed onto the stack, this includes attacking, movement (each step in the move action can be reacted to, but are put on the stack all at once when declared), and plundering. Drawing and Acquiring are not put on the stack, but each phase has an interaction window afterwards.

Glossary:

Line of sight (LOS): Allied or opposing mercenaries can obscure vision for an attack if they are in a diagonal or directly in front of another Mercenary. 

Range:

Melee: Adjacent 

Distance 1: 2 Tiles away 

Distance 2: 3 Tiles away

Distance 3: 4 Tiles away

Different Types of Damage:

1. Physical Damage

Physical Damage is one of the main types of damage that is dealt by most of the classes in the game. 

This damage can be reduced by Armor and Defense.

2. Magic Damage

Magic Damage is dealt by some types of classes or abilities in the game

This damage can be reduced by Magic Armor or Defense 

4. True Damage 

True Damage ignores armor.

5. Pure damage

Pure Damage is can only be reduced by defense

6. Lethal Damage

Lethal Damage is dealt when a mercenary is half health or less and is destroyed as a result. It ignores any damage alterations as long as the target is half health or less. 

Types of Damage Reduction:

1. Armor

Armor reduces damage from all physical damage. This type of armor is gained from Treasures or Abilities or effects on Mercenaries. 

2. Magic Armor

Magic Armor reduces damage from all Magic damage. This type of armor is gained from Treasures or abilities or effects on Mercenaries. 

3. Defense

Defense is a built-in effect on Mercenaries. Defense grants a one-time damage reduction from most forms of damage. Defense can be reapplied by abilities or effects. 

Mend: 

When a mercenary is mended remove one or all physical status effects

Cleanse: 

When a mercenary is cleansed remove one or all magical status effects

Physical Statuses

Exhaust:

Mercenaries who are exhausted cannot move, declare attacks or plunder.

When exhausted, place an exhaust counter on the exhausted mercenary. At the start of its controller’s beginning step, remove one exhaust counter from that mercenary.

Bleed:

During each End Phase a bleeding mercenary takes damage equal to the number of bleed counters on it. Bleed can stack up to 5 and then only increases in multiples of 5.

Blind: 

When a mercenary that is blinded declares an Attack Action, Attack Ability, or Plunder Action its controller must flip a coin. If the player wins the flip, the Action is successful, on loss the attack fails. This status ends during the players next End Phase

Poison: 

When a poisoned mercenary is dealt damage, that damage is increased by the number of poison counters on it. Poison stacks up to 3 and then only increases in multiples of 3.

Magical Statuses:

Fog:

A mercenary in a fogged tile must roll for a basic attack, or plunder. Fog is removed during the next players End Phase after it is placed.

Frost: 

When a Mercenary with frost counters on it has the following effects determined by the number of counters on it:

1 Counter : Mercenaries movement  is reduced by 1 

2 Counters : Mercenaries movement is reduced by 2

3 Counters: Mercenary cannot move or attack

Frost counters are removed at the end of the first Movement Phase

Burn:

When a Mercenary with frost counters on it has the following effects during its controller's next turn, determined by the number of counters on it:

1 Counter: Mercenary is dealt one True Damage during the next attack phase. 

2 Counters: Mercenary is dealt two True Damage during the next attack phase 

3 Counters: Deal Four pure damage during the attack phase, mercenary loses all treasures equipped 

Burn counters are removed at the end of the Attack Phase

Silence: 

A silenced mercenary can not be used to activate ability cards. This effect lasts until the next end phase

Stealth: 

Mercenaries that are stealthed are untargetable. When the stealthed mercenary attacks or plunders they lose stealth.

The next damage a stealthed mercenary would deal is dealt as piercing (True) damage

An opposing mercenary may spend 1 movement to remove the stealth of an adjacent stealthed mercenary

Salve Statuses:

Regen X: 

A mercenary with regen heals health equal to x during the rally phase.

Fortify X:

Mercenaries who are fortified gain health determined by the level they are fortified:

1 Fortify: +1 Health

2 Fortify: +3 Health

3 Fortify: +6 Health 

4 Fortify: +9 Health 

(Rules are subject to change for Quality of Life.)

View The Official Rule Document Here: docs.google.com/document/d/1oDbUTZyZ49bSzyiT6xFeNGSBEcb-epT5Yr50ImJ3upQ/edit?usp=sharing 

Edited By Alexander King