Rulebook
Introduction
Archmagi is a competitive deck-building card game for 2-4 players, where all players are building a single centralized deck. Each player can attune to spell cards that they add to the deck during the game. Players will be able to use their attuned spells better than other players. As each player grows in power, points can be earned by slaying monsters and mastering specific elements of magic.
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In Archmagi, you play as a Magi, a sorcerer of elemental magic. The old Archmagi has recently passed away, and a new magi must take his place. This prestigious position is elected by the council of Magi, and their votes are now coveted by all Magi who seek to become the Archmagi. Take on quests and slay monsters to prove your worth! Will you gain the favor of the people to become the next Archmagi, or will someone else prove themselves more worthy?
Contents
160 Spell Cards
24 Elemental Monster Cards
11 Epic Monster Cards
16 Council Vote Cards
1 Popular Vote Card
18 Favor Cards
4 Player Boards
4 Symbol Reference Cards
60 Crystal Tokens
Spells
Element Type
Mana Cost
This much Mana must be spent to Attune to this Spell
Attunement
This indicates to which player the spell is Attuned
Basic Effect
This effect may be activated by any player
Attuned Effect
This effect may only be activated by the Attuned player Player
Spell Class
Setup
1. Shuffle and place the Round 1 Common cards (player count specific, indicated at the bottom right) and the Starting Spells matching the color of each Magi to form the Magic Pool deck in the center of the play area.
2. Shuffle and place the 3 Monster Decks off to the side of the Magic Pool.
3. Place the Crystals in a pile on the other side of the Magic Pool.
4. Give each player a starting hand of exactly 3 of the Starting Common Spells. These cards have the following action:
"Look at the top 4 Spells of your Spell Book, Draft one, then Reshuffle your Spell Book."
5. Have each player shuffle the 20 Spells of their chosen color into a deck and place it in front of them.
Player Turn
There are 4 Phases to each Turn. After all 4 Phases of your turn are finished, the player to your left starts their Turn.
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Draw Phase
Draw the Spell from the top of the Magic Pool into your Hand.
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Play Phase
Gain 2 Plays (unless otherwise indicated). You can gain additional Plays from various effects.
Plays can each be spent to do one of the following:
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Drawing the Spell from the top of the Magic Pool into your Hand.
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Activating the Top or Bottom Action of a Spell of your color or the Top Action of a Spell of any color, laying it down faceup in a Play Area between you and the Magic Pool.
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Special Circumstances:​
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Fire Magi
When the Fire Magi Plays a Fire Spell, they may perform the Top Action Followed by the Bottom Action.
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Flora Magi
As a Play the Flora Magi can Plant a Flora Spell by placing it in front of them. They cannot use a Play to perform the Bottom Action of their Spells.
You may end your Play Phase at any time.
Plays do not hold over to future Turns. At the end of Play Phase, you lose any remaining unspent Plays.
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Monster Phase
You may Defeat 1 Monster in only 1 of the 3 Monster Paths if you can pay its cost, taking the Monster card for its rewards. Then refill the Monster Path with the next Monster from the top of that Tier's Monster Deck.
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Discard Phase
Discard all Played Spells from the Play Area to the discard pile of the Magic Pool.
If you have more than 10 Spells in your Hand, you must discard Spells from your Hand until you have 10 cards left.
Flow of Magic
At any time during the game, when a Spell of your element is discarded by another player, you may discard a Spell to put the Spell of your element into your Hand.
Common Spells
Common Spells are weaker than Elemental Spells and are Exhausted upon use.
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- Whenever a Common Spell would be Discarded it goes to a separate pile called the Exhausted Pile.
End of Round
The moment that the Magic Pool has run out of Spells, the Round ends. There are 4 Rounds in the game before it is over.
Depending on which Round it is, there are specific things that need to happen to set up the next round.
At the end of Round 1
- Place out 3 of the Tier 1 Monsters out to create the Path of the Tier 1 Monsters.
- Shuffle in the Round 2 Common Spells into the Magic Pool.
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At the end of Round 2
- Place out 3 of the Tier 2 Monsters out to create the Path of the Tier 2 Monsters.
- Shuffle in the Round 3 Common Spells into the Magic Pool.
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At the end of Round 3
- Place out 3 of the Tier 3 Monsters out to create the Path of the Tier 3 Monsters.
- Shuffle the Tier 3 Common Cards into the Magic Pool
- All Drafts may be used as Draws instead this Round.
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At the end of Round 4
- The player whose Turn it is gets to finish their Turn, then the game is over.
- The player with the most Favor Points wins!
Monsters
During the Monster Phase of their turns, players can spend Crystals and Cards to Defeat 1 Monster per Turn. When a Monster is Defeated, that player gains the Monster's Rewards immediately and then takes the Monster card and keeps it for the rest of the game for its Favor Points.
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When you Defeat a Monster, refill its spot in the Monster Path with the next Monster from the top of that Tier's Monster Deck. If there are no more Monsters in that Tier of Monster Deck, then do not Refill the empty spot.
Cost to Defeat
These are the resources you will need to discard in order to Defeat this Monster
Monster Tier
This number is the Tier of the Monster and indicates which Monster Deck it should be shuffled into.
Favor Points
Whoever has the most Favor Points at the end of the game wins!
Reward
These are the immediate one-time rewards that a Monster gives you when you Defeat it.
Symbols Guide
Mana
This is placeholder text. This is placeholder text. This is placeholder text. This is placeholder text.
Draft
This is placeholder text. This is placeholder text. This is placeholder text. T his is placeholder text. This is placeholder text.
Discard
Take this many Spells from your Hand and put them in the Discard pile of the Magic Pool.
Search
Look at this many Spells from the top of the Magic Pool (unless otherwise indicated) and take one of those Spells into your Hand. Then put the rest back on top of the Magic Pool in any order of your choosing.
Plant
Take this many Spells from your Hand (unless otherwise indicated) and place it in your Planted area in front of you.
Uproot
Take this many Spells from your Planted area and Discard it.
Gain Crystals
Take this many Crystals from the main pile of Crystals and add it to your personal pile of Crystals.
Spend Crystals
Take this many Crystals from your pile of Crystals and put them back into the main pile of Crystals.
Favor Points
These are the points that you get when you Defeat a Monster. Each of this symbol is worth 1 Favor Point. Whoever has the most Favor Points at the end of Round 5 wins the game!
Additional Rules Clarifications
General
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- All rules must be followed unless a Spell tells you to do otherwise, then the rule of the Spell supersedes the rules of the game.
Spells
- Whenever you Play an Action of a Spell, you must follow all of it left to right, top to bottom.
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- No parts of Actions are optional unless it specifies otherwise
(example: "you may")
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- When Discarding or Exhausting Spells as part of an Action on a Spell or during a Reward, they must be Discarded or Exhausted immediately, you do not wait until Discard Phase to do this.
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Spell Book
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- If your Spell Book runs out of Spells, any excess Drafts are Draws instead. You may use Drafts as Draws anytime you have no Spells in your Spell Book.
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End of Round
- Often the end of a Round will happen in the middle of a Turn. If the Magic Pool is emptied by a Draw, even if that Draw is incomplete, pause the current player's turn, set up the next Round, then resume that player's Turn, continuing their Draw if needed.
- Search can does not trigger the end of the Round unless there is only one Spell left in the Magic Pool.
- Search only reveals the top Spells of the Magic Pool up to the number of Spells in the Magic Pool. If there there is a higher number on the Search Action than the number of Spells left in the Magic Pool, that search only checks the number of Spells left in the Magic Pool.
Credits
Game Design:
Conor Hannah
Wayne Bloom
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Graphic Design & Art:
Conor Hannah
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Game Concept:
Benjamin Steele
Conor Hannah
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Additional Design:
Benjamin Steele
Cedar Hannah
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