Aeon's End is a cooperative deck-building game where players take on the role of breach mages defending the last human city, Gravehold, from a monstrous nemesis. Unlike many deck-building games, Aeon's End introduces several unique mechanics, such as no shuffling of your deck and variable turn order, adding depth and strategy to each game.
Game Concept: Aeon's End
Components
Nemesis Mat and Cards:
- Each nemesis has its own mat and a deck of cards, including minions, powers, and attacks. The nemesis deck is the main source of threats players will face during the game.
Mage Cards and Mat:
- Each player chooses a mage, represented by a unique mage mat. The mat shows the mage's abilities, starting hand, and breaches for casting spells.
Breaches:
- Breaches are slots on the mage's mat where spells are prepared before being cast. Each mage has four breaches with different costs and effects.
Market Cards:
- The market consists of gems, relics, and spells that players can acquire during the game to enhance their decks.
Life Tokens:
- Tokens representing the life points of the mages and Gravehold. If Gravehold's life points drop to zero, the players lose.
Turn Order Deck:
- A deck of cards that determines the turn order each round. It introduces variability in when players and the nemesis take their turns.
Player Decks:
- Each player starts with a unique deck of cards. Throughout the game, players will acquire new cards from the market to strengthen their decks.
Nemesis Tokens:
- Various tokens used to track different nemesis effects, such as power tokens or health points for nemesis minions.
Rulebook:
- The comprehensive guide that outlines the rules, setup, and gameplay mechanics for Aeon's End.
Setup
Choose a Nemesis:
- Select a nemesis to battle and set up its mat, life points, and deck as instructed. Place the nemesis deck on its mat, ensuring it is shuffled and ready for play.
Select Mages:
- Each player selects a mage and takes the corresponding mage mat, starting deck, and starting hand. Place the mage mat in front of you, along with the breaches, starting with breach I open.
Set Up the Market:
- Create the market by selecting nine piles of cards: typically 3 gems, 2 relics, and 4 spells. Arrange these piles in the market area, making them available for players to purchase during the game.
Prepare Turn Order Deck:
- Shuffle the turn order cards, which determine the sequence of turns each round. The deck consists of player turn cards (one per mage) and nemesis turn cards.
Set Life Points:
- Place life tokens on the nemesis mat to track its life. Also, set the life points for Gravehold and each mage according to their starting values.
Place Power and Status Tokens:
- Place power and other status tokens within reach, as these will be used to track various nemesis effects and abilities during gameplay.
Draw Starting Hands:
- Each player draws their starting hand of cards, as specified on their mage mat.
Gameplay Overview
Aeon's End is played over a series of rounds, each consisting of a variable number of turns dictated by the turn order deck. The round continues until all turn order cards have been drawn, after which the turn order deck is shuffled and a new round begins.
Turn Order Phase:
- Draw a card from the turn order deck to determine whose turn it is next. This could be a player's turn or the nemesis's turn.
Player Turns:
- During a player's turn, they can perform the following actions:
- Cast Spells: Cast any spells that are prepared in open breaches. Resolve the effects of these spells immediately.
- Play Cards: Play cards from your hand, gaining resources, healing, or other effects.
- Acquire Cards: Spend aether (the in-game currency) to acquire cards from the market. Acquired cards go into your discard pile, not directly into your hand.
- Prepare Spells: Place spells from your hand into breaches to prepare them for casting.
- Focus or Open Breaches: Spend aether to focus (rotate to make it cheaper to open) or open breaches. Open breaches allow you to prepare more powerful spells.
Nemesis Turn:
- When the nemesis turn order card is drawn, resolve the nemesis phase:
- Draw and Resolve Nemesis Card: Draw the top card of the nemesis deck and resolve its effect. This may include summoning minions, unleashing attacks, or powering up effects.
- Activate Minions and Powers: Activate any minions and power cards that are in play, following their specific rules.
End of Turn:
- At the end of each turn, players discard all cards they played (unless stated otherwise) and draw back up to their hand size. Importantly, Aeon's End has no deck shuffling; when you need to draw cards and your deck is empty, simply flip your discard pile to form a new deck in the same order.
Winning and Losing:
- Win: Players win if they reduce the nemesis's life to zero.
- Lose: Players lose if all mages are exhausted (reduced to zero life) or if Gravehold is destroyed (reduced to zero life).
Rules
Spell Preparation and Casting:
- Spells must be placed in a breach to be cast. You can prepare one spell per open or focused breach each turn. Prepared spells can be cast at the start of your turn, dealing damage to the nemesis or minions.
Deck Building:
- Players acquire cards from the market using aether. New cards go to the discard pile and are later drawn when the player's deck is depleted. Unlike other deck-building games, the discard pile is not shuffled, allowing strategic planning of card order.
Breaches:
- Each mage has four breaches. Breaches must be focused (rotated) or opened to allow spell preparation. The cost to open breaches increases from breach I to breach IV, with each offering different advantages.
Nemesis Behavior:
- The nemesis follows a specific behavior pattern based on its deck. Each nemesis has unique mechanics, minions, and powers that add variety and challenge to the game.
Turn Order:
- The variable turn order adds unpredictability, as players do not know exactly when they or the nemesis will act next. This requires adaptability and forward planning.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Do I have to cast all prepared spells at the start of my turn?
- No, casting spells is optional. You can choose to keep spells prepared to cast them later, allowing for strategic timing.
Can I change the order of cards in my discard pile when it becomes my new deck?
- No, you must keep the discard pile in the same order when flipping it to form your new deck. This unique rule allows players to plan future turns by remembering the card order.
What happens if a mage is exhausted (reduced to zero life)?
- If a mage's life is reduced to zero, they become exhausted. While they continue to participate in the game, they can no longer gain life or be healed, and further damage is directed to Gravehold instead.
Can I acquire more than one card from the market on my turn?
- Yes, you can acquire as many cards as you can afford using aether during your turn. However, all acquired cards go directly to your discard pile.
How does the nemesis 'unleash' work?
- "Unleash" is a nemesis-specific ability that triggers its unique effects, often worsening the situation for the players. The exact effect of "Unleash" is detailed on the nemesis card.
Can multiple spells be prepared in a single breach?
- No, only one spell can be prepared in each breach at a time. However, once a breach is open, you can prepare spells without focusing them first.
Can I focus a breach that is already open?
- No, focusing a breach is only used for unopened breaches to rotate them closer to being open.
Can players trade cards or resources?
- No, players cannot trade cards or resources. They must work with the cards in their own deck and hand to support each other strategically.
How do power tokens work on nemesis cards?
- Power tokens are placed on certain nemesis cards with effects that trigger after a set number of turns. Each nemesis turn, remove a power token, and if the card has no tokens left, resolve its effect.
Can we win by just defending Gravehold without attacking the nemesis?
- No, to win the game, the players must reduce the nemesis's life points to zero. Defending Gravehold is vital, but actively attacking the nemesis is necessary to achieve victory.
Aeon's End offers deep strategic gameplay with its unique deck-building mechanics and cooperative elements. Players must balance offensive and defensive tactics while adapting to the nemesis's unpredictable behavior. Every game provides a different challenge, with various mages and nemeses creating diverse scenarios for players to overcome.