Arcadia: King Ironheart's Madness
Rules Cards Text
(4 rules cards)
Arcadia: King Ironheart's Madness, and White Wolf are trademarks of White
Wolf, Inc. (c) 1996 White Wolf, Inc. All rights reserved. Rules cards
text (c) 1996 White Wolf, Inc.
Card 1 (included in Character Pack):
(page 1)
WELCOME TO ARCADIA (tm)
Arcadia is the fantastic and mystical home of the changelings, the
fae. Here they exist as they have for eons, drawing from the dreams and
nightmares of mortal men and women to forge their own fantastic reality.
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In This Pack
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In this pack you'll find three different types of cards: a Character
Icon and an assortment of Merits and Flaws. By selecting a combination of
various Merits and Flaws you can customize the character that you will use
to adventure through the fairy tale land of Arcadia.
Character Icon Cards
These 3-D pop up [pop-up] cards contain the special information about
your race. Your Attributes (Might, Savvy and Resolve) are all detailed
here, as is your gender and special ability.
[hammer] Might Might is your character's physical prowess. It
encompasses your strength, agility and overall
physical health.
[lock] Resolve Resolve represents the reasoning ability,
willpower and mental fortitude of your character.
[winged wheel] Savvy Savvy signifies guile and cunning, but it may
also indicate your charm and charisma.
[helmet] Combat Allies and Waylays have a Combat Attribute;
characters do not. Characters use their Might
Attribute for all Combat Tests and Trials.
Merit Cards
Just as every individual has their own unique special talents, so too
does every character in Arcadia. Merits come in many shapes and sizes,
but they all help you in some way. Each Merit has a cost, which
represents the amount of points you must spend in order to acquire it.
See "Building Your Character" below for more information. There are five
types of Merits: Abilities, Advantages, Allies, Arts and Treasures.
Abilities - Every Ability is tied to an Attribute. This represents
the 'source' of the Ability. If the majority of your Abilities derive
from a particular Attribute, that may influence your approach to
problem-solving (i.e. if you have more Might Abilities, you will use
physical means to solve problems, etc.). Abilities also have a court
symbol, either Seelie [Seelie symbol [white rose]] or Unseelie [Unseelie
symbol [black rose]]. This will be discussed below.
Advantages - Advantages are special skills or affinities that are
available to your character.
Allies - Allies are the friends that you have met along the way.
Many of them have unique skills and talents that they'll lend to your
service.
Arts - Arts, drawn from the peculiar magic that is available to the
fae, can be used to a character's advantage in a wide variety of ways.
Naga characters have abilities related specifically to two types of Arts,
Pyretics and Imagery, which are represented by the following glyphs
respectively. [flame] [green eye/sun]
Treasures - These are the mystical and mundane items that your
character may have at his disposal. Treasures can be quite potent, but
often have equally daunting drawbacks.
(page 2)
Flaws
Just as everyone has skills, they also have shortcomings. Flaws are
optional, but if taken they can increase the number of points you have
available for your Merits; again see "Building Your Character" below.
There are three types of Flaws: Curses, Enemies and Weaknesses.
Curses - Curses represent special limitations that affect your
character. They may cover a wide range of situations but have only minor
effects, or they may occur in very specific circumstances and have more
severe consequences.
Enemies - Enemies represent those who look upon the character with
disfavor. An entire race may have a general dislike of the character, or
a specific powerful figure may have a particular hatred of him/her.
Weaknesses - These are the physical, social and psychological
shortcomings of your character.
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Buiding Your Character
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Step 1: Select Your Race
If this is your first pack of Arcadia: King Ironheart's Madness
character cards, then you will have only one Character Icon. Otherwise
you'll need to select one of your Character Icons now. This will define
your race and gender.
Step 2: Select Your Merits and Flaws
Merits help your character to win, while Flaws can hinder your
progress. You begin with 10 free points with which to create your
character. Every Merit has a cost listed in the top left corner of the
card. This is the number of points you must invest, or spend, on the
Merit to purchase it for your character. Every Flaw has a number of bonus
points, also listed in the top left corner of the card. By taking that
Flaw you gain its bonus points to spend on more Merits; you may not take
more points of Flaws than the number of points you start with, i.e. 10 for
Quests in this set. For example: Esekial is creating his character and he
wishes to take 12 points of Merits. He takes a 2 point [2-point] Flaw,
bringing his total available points from 10 to 12. Now he's set.
Special Rule: Treasures
Treasures are used in two ways in this game. They can be purchased
just like any other Merit, to be at your character's disposal for
every game you play with that character, or they can be discovered in
the course of the Quest adventure. Treasures that you purchase are
called permanent Treasures, and they are treated just like any other
Merit: if your character discards them they will return for the next
game. Quest Treasures can be used for the duration of one game only.
It is possible for a character to find the same Treasure on multiple
Quests. More information on Quest Treasures is available in the
Story Pack rules.
Step 3: Your Court
The fey are divided into 2 courts: Seelie and Unseelie. Seelie
characters are good, just, kind and righteous, while Unseelie characters
are evil, conniving, manipulative and dastardly. Every Ability and
Weakness is labeled either Seelie or Unseelie. If you have more Seelie
than Unseelie Abilities and Weaknesses, you are Seelie, and vice versa.
If you have an equal amount of each, you must choose the court you wish to
belong to, but you cannot change it after you have decided.
Step 4: Your Identity
Now that you have defined your character, all that's missing is the
breath of life. You should name him or her and add some flavorful
information as to where you [he/she] came from and what you're [he/she is]
doing on this Quest. For more information on the Quest itself, see the
Rules card in the Story Pack.
Card 2 (included in Story Pack):
(page 3)
STORY PACK
The Invasion
Mechopolis. Capital city of Middlemarch. A nightmare city of iron,
growing out of control, a twisted mechanical cancer devouring the
landscape around it, darkening the skies with its smoke, thickening the
sea and rivers with its industrial sludge. In its labyrinthine bowels,
tortured slaves work to keep its Fack Tories running. At its borders, cog
armies crush its enemies, making way for the dark city's further
expansion. And high in the gargantuan tower of iron at the city's center,
the Mad King Ironheart cackles happily at all of this. He calls this
"progress". Yet there are those who disagree. Like /you/.
What You Need to Play
In order to play Arcadia: King Ironheart's Madness you need only one
Story Pack and one Character Pack. You will also need 2 six sided
[six-sided] dice. If you do not have one readily available, go raid an
old board[ ]game. Got 'em? Good. Now here's hot to play....
The Golden Rule
Any rules on individual cards will always supersede the basic game
rules listed here.
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In This Pack
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In the Story Pack you'll find three types of cards: Leagues, Waylays
and Quests.
League Cards
Leagues are the lands of Middlemarch, the kingdom in which this
adventure takes place. Every League has specific features such as
Terrain, Enter & Leave conditions, a short description of that particular region
and the Rest conditions that can be found there.
Terrain - Terrain indicates the specific features of the land and
what can always be encountered there. Terrain icons are matched with
Waylay icons for the purposes of playing Waylays. See "Waylays" below for
more information.
Enter & Leave - Some Leagues have rougher Terrain than others. Enter and
Leave information tells you what Trials, if any, your character must pass
in order to move into or out of the League.
Special - This section contains any information specific to that
League.
Rest - The Rest information tells what types of Merits and
(sometimes) Flaws can be recovered here. For more information on Rests
and recovering Merits and Flaws see the "Sequence of Play" below.
Quest Cards
The Quest defines the particular game you will play. Each Quest will
include the Waylay ratings, Treasure ratings, and experience points of the
game, along with specific information about the Quest's victory
conditions.
(page 4)
["stop" hand] Waylays These are the number of points in Waylays your
opponent selects to play against you on your
Quest.
[key] Treasures hese [These] are the numbe of points in
Treasures you may select to be placed for you to
find during your Quest.
Experience - This is the number of experience points your character
earns if he completes his Quest.
Victory Conditions - On the opposite side of your Quest card is a
detailed explanation of the Quest itself and what you must do to complete
it. Each Quest has its own victory condition[s].
Waylay Cards
In the course of your adventure, your opponent will play certain
Waylay cards to deter you, and you will do the same to him. Each Waylay
is a creature, object or circumstance which could potentially hinder
otherwise undauntable heroes. Waylays are divided into four categories:
Might, Resolve, Savvy and Combat. You must use the listed Attribute when
you face a Waylay unless you have a Merit that allows you to change the
nature of the Waylay. Waylays that have no number listed for a specific
Attribute can never become a Waylay of this type. For example: A Tornado,
which is a Might Waylay, can never be changed to a Savvy Waylay, because
you can't talk a storm out of running its course. Hence, there is no
Savvy Attribute listed on the Waylay card. Each Waylay lists the Terrain
on which it can be found, a Waylay Rating, the Test information and its
Attributes.
Terrain - The type of Terrain a Waylay may be played on. Only one
feature needs to match with the League Terrain. For example: If a Waylay
lists Forest and Swamp and your League lists Swamp and Fields, you may
play that Waylay. Some Waylays can be found on any Terrain. These
Waylays will have this symbol on them: ["Arcadia" "A" inside a circle]
Waylay Rating - Waylays are ranked by their potency. A low Waylay
rating indicates an easy situation, while higher numbers become tougher to
overcome. Your opponent can select Waylays with a combined rating equal
to or less than the Waylay Rating of your Quest.
Test - Nearly every Waylay involves a Test of some kind. The symbols
on top identify the type of Test required. It is still important to read
the actual card text, as special circumstances may apply. Some Waylays
can be tested in more than one way. If a Waylay has two Tests listed,
then the character encountering it can choose which Test to face.
Attributes - Each Waylay has at least 1 Attribute. These Attributes
determine a Waylay's base rating. This rating is added to the die results
to determine the score. If a Waylay Attribute is not listed, it can never
become a Waylay of this type.
Waylay Rating Terrain
| |
| |
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| __________ | |
Test --- | | o O | | |
| | | | |
| | -------- | o | |
| | -------- | o | |
Info --- | | -------- | o | |
| | -------- | | | --- Art
| | | O | |
| ---------- | |
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|
|
Attributes
WAYLAY CARD LAYOUT
Card 3 (included in Story Pack):
(page 5)
KING IRONHEART'S MADNESS
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Setting the Stage
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1: Create Characters.
You and your opponent each create a character following the rules
listed in the Character Pack. Your Merit cards are placed face up
(unexhausted) in front of you. Your Flaws are given to your opponent and
placed face up in front of him/her. If you are playing a preexisting
character simply lay your cards out as described above.
2: Select and play Quests.
You select the Quest your character will undertake. You read your
opponent's Quest(s) and he reads yours. You select an appropriate volume
of Waylays equal to the Waylay rating of /your opponent's/ Quest(s). You
also select an appropriate volume of Treasures equal to the Treasure
Rating of /your/ Quest(s). Note: A Quest with a Treasure Rating of 6
allows you to select one 6-point Treasure, three 2-point Treasures, or any
combination that adds up to 6. We recommend attempting only one Quest on
your first game. Later, however, you may find that attempting several at
once is more challenging and dramatic.
3: Select and play Leagues.
For every Quest you're undertaking, select 5 Leagues. You and your
opponent each roll a die. The player with the lowest roll goes first.
Players then take turns laying down their Leagues. Leagues can only be
placed in a ["]feature matching feature["] format and must always be
played horizontally (in the same direction - long side to long side, short
side to short side). Leagues can *never* be placed short side to long
side to form a T connection. A newly played League must match any and all
existing Leagues beside it. For example: A Forest end can connect to any
other League with a Forest end on it as well. A side with a Forest and a
Road can connect to any other side with either a Forest or a Road, or
both. There are two types of Terrain, Borders and City Walls, which
require special attention. A Border is an end. No other League can ever
be played beside a Border. The exception to this is Ocean Terrain. Ocean
Terrain can *only* be played beside other Ocean Terrain or beside a
Border. Any Terrain may be played beside a City Wall, except Borders of
course.
If a League has Unique listed on it, there can only be one of that
League in play. If both players wish to play that League[,] the player
with less [fewer] total character points [Merits?/experience?] may place
the League. The duplicate Unique League must be discarded.
4: Place Treasures.
You and your opponent now take turns placing your Quest Treasures on
the board. Treasures are placed one at a time and no League can have more
than one Treasure underneath it unless all other Leagues already house
Treasures. Any Treasures found during a Quest are not permanent to your
character and cannot be kept from game to game. You may, however, add
permanent Treasures with experience points (see "Winning the Game",
below). During the course of game play your opponent cannot pick up your
Treasures[,] and vice versa.
5: Place Characters.
You now select your opponent's starting League and he selects yours.
This is called your Base Camp.
6: Begin Play.
Play now begins. The player who rolled lowest goes first. He/She
may move his/her character one League in any direction. See the "Sequence
of Play", below. If you have a Waylay that can be played on the League
he/she's moved [your opponent moves] to, you may opt to do so, or hold it
for later. Ultimately you must use your Waylays at opportune times to
slow or halt your opponent's progress while you complete your Quest. If
no Waylays are played your opponent can encounter the League and benefit
from any Rests there [or pick up any of his/her Quest Treasures located
there].
(page 6)
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Sequence of Play
--------------------
Game play is simple. You and your opponent take turns moving your
characters around the Leagues that are in play. Each turn is called a
Day. During a Day a character may either move to a new League and
encounter it or stay on his current League and encounter it. Characters
can only move to adjacent Leagues. They may never move diagonally.
Several things may exist on a League: characters, Waylays, Rests, and/or
Treasures. Although a League may contain all of the above, these things
are encountered in a specific order. You encounter a League as follows:
[0) Exiting Trial for current League, if any]
[then]
1) Entering Trials - You must pass the Trial (if one exists) before you
can encounter anything on the League. If you do not pass the Trial, you
must remain in your starting League and cannot move this Day.
[then]
2) Encounter any Waylays, new or existing. You [Your] opponent can now
play a Waylay on you in this League. An opponent, however, cannot
normally play a Waylay on a League which already has a Waylay card on it.
If there is more than one Waylay on a League, all must be encountered in
the same Day.
[if no 2, then]
3) Another character can be encountered or left alone, at your option.
[or]
4) You may pick up any of your Treasures.
[or]
5) Finally,[] you may encounter the Rest.
Aside from the Entering Trial, you may only encounter one [type of] thing
on a League per Day: Waylays, opposing character, Treasure or Rest. If
you face a Waylay you cannot get your Treasure or Rest on your current
Day. You must wait until the next Day.
Leaving Leagues
You may leave any League that does not contain a Waylay and move to
any adjacent League. You must pass any Terrain [Exit] Trials stipulated
by your current League before you move. If you do not pass, you are stuck
in your current League for the Day and can try again on your next Day. If
there is a Waylay in your League that you have not defeated, you may only
leave in the direction from which you came. This is called retreating.
You cannot move past an undefeated Waylay unless you have a special card
that allows it.
Playing and Encountering Waylays
When your opponent enters a League, you have the option of playing a
Waylay card against him. The Waylay must match at least one of the
Terrain features of the League on which it is played. You may only play
Waylays on an opponent, never on yourself (although you may end up facing
Waylays that you played but your opponent retreated from). Once you play
a Waylay, your opponent must face it upon entering the League. If a
character remains in the same League you cannot play another Waylay on
him, unless special circumstances say otherwise.
When you face a Waylay it will either be one already on a League
you're moving into, or one that your opponent plays against you when you
enter a League. If you do not defeat the Waylay, it remains on the
League. Unless special circumstances dictate otherwise, a Waylay will
remain in play until it is defeated. If there is more than one Waylay on
a League, you encounter each one [them] in the order of their Waylay
Ratings: lowest to highest.
Card 4 (included in Story Pack):
(page 7)
Encountering Other Characters
When you encounter another character on a League you may choose to
waylay him. If you do[,] you may also choose the type of Test: Might,
Savvy, Resolve or Combat. If you're victorious, you may select which
Merit your defeated opponent exhausts, or you may choose to move him one
League in a direction of your choice (ignoring Terrain Trials). Be
careful about bullying an opponent too much though, because he can always
come back and waylay you on his terms the next Day.
- Base Camp -
Your Base Camp is your starting point and the only place on the board
where you are safe. Your opponent may never Waylay you in your Base Camp
and regardless of the Rest listed you may always recover 1 Merit of any
type while there.
--------------------
Tests and Trials
--------------------
There are two types of hurdles a character will be forced to overcome
in his journeys: Tests and Trials.
Tests
Tests are always opposed: they are either between 2 characters or
between 1 character and 1 Waylay. There are four different types of
Tests: Might, Resolve, Savvy and Combat.
Might Might Tests use the character or Waylay's Might Attribute.
Resolve Resolve Tests use the character or Waylay's Resolve Attribute.
Savvy Savvy Tests use the character or Waylay's Savvy Attribute.
Combat Combat Tests are special. A character uses their Might
Attribute against a Waylay's Combat Attribute.
For Ironheart, tests are done by rolling 2 [six-sided] dice and
adding [that sum to] your base Attribute. This total is called your
score. Your opponent rolls for the Waylay and adds the Waylay's base
Attribute. You then compare scores. If [your score is higher,] you are
victorious, [and] the Waylay is defeated and discarded. On your next Day
you may encounter your Treasures or the Rest listed on the League. If
there is a tie, or Stalemate, the Waylay remains in play and you may
retreat or try again the next Day [on the next Day, you may retreat or try
again]. /If [your score is lower,] you're defeated, [and] you must
exhaust 1 Merit./ You may try again the next Day[,] or retreat. [On the
next Day, you may try again or retreat.] If you have a Merit or
circumstance which allows you to retest, both you and your opponent (or
Waylay) reroll the Test.
Trials
Trials are often found on Leagues and occasionally on Waylays. They
are specific tests you must pass in order to move on or overcome a
circumstance. Unlike a Waylay or Character Test, a Trial is not opposed.
The Trial will indicate the Attribute you must use, as well as the
difficulty you must overcome. Roll 1 [six-sided] die and add that number
to the listed Attribute. If you equal or exceed the difficulty listed,
you pass the Trial and may move on. If you fail you cannot enter or leave
a League respectively. If you fail a Trial listed on a Waylay you suffer
its listed effects.
(page 8)
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Exhausting and Recovering Merits
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In many cases you must exhaust your Merits to use their special
abilities. When you exhaust a Merit, you turn the card over. While a
Merit is exhausted you do not benefit from any of its abilities. The only
way to recover an exhausted Merit is to rest. Each League details what
Merits can be recovered by resting there. If no Waylay is encountered you
may rest on a League the Day you enter it (See Sequence of Play, above).
If you do encounter a Waylay you must spend the following Day on the
League resting if you wish to benefit from the League. You may never rest
on a League that has an active Waylay on it.
Exhausting All of Your Merits
If you're unfortunate or foolhardy enough to exhaust all of your
Merits, you're in a bad spot. You can at any time opt to discard an
exhausted Merit instead of exhausting another one. If all of your Merits
are exhausted and you lose a Test, you must discard one of your exhausted
Merits. If you're forced to discard all of your Merits, you skip your
next Day and are transported back to your Base Camp, unless that will help
you complete your Quest, in which case your opponent may place you where
he likes. Your discarded Merits will not return until the beginning of
your next game.
Exhausting and Recovering Flaws
Your opponent may, when appropriate, exhaust one of your Flaws to
force your character to suffer the listed effect. Much like Merits, some
Leagues allow your opponent to recover one of /your/ Flaws. Flaws can
never be discarded, only exhausted. When a Flaw is exhausted, a character
can no longer suffer from its disadvantages.
WINNING THE GAME
The game is over when one character completes his/her Quest(s). Each
Quest has unique conditions which must be met for the Quest to be
completed. If you're playing a Chronicle with continuing characters, the
winning character gains 2 experience point[s]. That experience point
[Those experience points] can be saved or spent immediately to buy a new
Merit or get rid of a Flaw. Points are used on a 1 for 1 basis. If you
have 6 experience points, you may buy a 6 points Merit, two 3 point
Merits, buy off a 6 point Flaw or two 3 point Flaws. For every 2
experience points a character has spent add 1 to the Waylay Rating of any
Quests you undergo.