A RCANA FAQ

V E R S I O N : 1.1 [6 T H N O V E M B E R 2009]
AUTHOR: SIMON WRAY ORDER OF PLAY DO PLAYER TURNS PROCEED CLOCKWISE OR COUNTERCLOCKWISE? THE GAME DESIGNER HAS CONFIRMED THAT PLAY CONTINUES CLOCKWISE. D R A W /D E C K S WHEN THE MAIN DECK IS REDUCED TO ZERO CARDS, BUT THE PLAYER NEED DRAW NO FURTHER TO FILL HIS HAND, DOES THE RESOURCE DECK BECOME SHUFFLED INTO THE MAIN DECK IMMEDIATELY? OR ONLY WHEN THE PLAYER NEEDS DRAW FURTHER CARDS FROM HIS MAIN DECK? T H E G A M E D E S I G N E R H A S C O N F I R M E D T H I S A N S W E R : T H E R U L E S S T A T E : Each player draws 4 cards (Recreate a new Main Deck with his/her Resource Deck if necessary). S O A S I T I S N O T N E C E S S A R Y F O R T H E P L A Y E R T O D R A W C A R D S , T H E N T H E MAIN DECK IS NOT RECREATED. NOTE THAT THIS RULING ALLOWS THE PLAYER TO USE THEIR GUILDS HEADQUARTERS CARD TO ACCESS THE RESOURCES DECK. PLAYING CARDS I CAN'T SEEM TO FIND HOW YOU PLACE AGENTS INTO THE FREE ZONE. THE RULES SAY ACTION #1: YOU DISPLAY AN AGENT FACE UP NEXT TO ONE OF THE STAKES LOCATED IN A ZONE WHICH IS NOT CONTROLLED BY THE PLAYER OR IN THE FREE ZONE. T H I S I S C O N F U S I O N C A U S E D B Y P O O R W O R D I N G O F T H E R U L E S . T H I S S H O U L D B E R E A D A S A C T I O N # 1: Y O U D I S P L A Y A N A G E N T F A C E U P N E X T T O O N E O F T H E S T A K E S L O C A T E D ( 1) I N A Z O N E W H I C H I S NO T C O N T R O L L E D B Y T H E P L A Y E R , O R ( 2) IN THE FREE ZONE. I.E. YOU CAN PLAY AGENTS FACE UP IN ZONES OTHER THAN THOSE CONTROLLED BY YOURSELF WHETHER THOSE ARE CONTROLLED BY OTHER PLAYERS OR THE FREE ZONE. AGENTS VS. PERSONALITIES IT IS POSSIBLE TO INFER FROM THE RULES THAT AGENT AND PERSONALITY ARE INTERCHANGEABLE TO SOME DEGREE. E.G. YOU PLAY AGENTS AGAINST STAKES, WHICH MIGHT ACTUALLY BE PERSONALITY STAKES THAT YOU WON IN PREVIOUS ROUNDS. THE RULES ALSO CLEARLY SATE A PERSONALITY PLACED IN A PLAYERS RESOURCE DECK NOW COUNTS AS AN AGENT.. SO CAN I USE THE HEADQUARTERS CARD TO SEARCH ONLY FOR ONE OF MY GUILDS STARTING AGENTS, OR FOR ANY NON-LOCATION, NON-RELIC WITHIN MY RESOURCE DECK? THE RULES AND GAME-PLAY STATE THAT PERSONALITIES BECOME AGENTS OF THE GUILD ONCE PLACED IN YOUR RESOURCE D E C K . B O T H T H E G A M E D E S I G N E R A N D A EG S K E I T H T O D D H A V E C O N F I R M E D T H A T T H E H E A D Q U A R T E R S C A N B E U S E D TO SEARCH FOR AN AGENT FROM YOUR GUILDS STARTING SET I.E. THOSE THAT HAVE YOUR GUILD SYMBOL. OTHER CARDS THAT REFER TO AGENT APPLY TO BOTH STATING GUILD AGENTS AND RECRUITED PERSONALITIES. T H E T W O T E R M S A R E O F T E N U S E D I N T E R C H A N G E A B L Y , E . G . O N D I N E H A R B O U R R E F E R S T O move one of your Agents or Personalities, Y E T P E R S O N A L I T Y S B E C O M E Y O U R A G E N T S , S O T H E T E R M P E R S O N A L I T Y I S R E D U N D A N T O N T H I S C A R D . REVEALING CARDS IF A STAKE IS NOT WON, AND AGENTS (AND OTHER CARDS) WERE REVEALED FROM BEING FACE DOWN WHEN RESOLUTION TAKES PLACE, ARE THOSE AGENTS (AND OTHER CARDS) LEFT FACE UP? T H E G A M E D E S I G N E R H A S C O N F I R M E D S I M P L Y T H A T cards are turned and left face up.

RELICS & BRIBES IS IT POSSIBLE TO BRIBE THE HARLEQUIN? OR ANY OTHER STAKE WITH A DUCAT VALUE OF -? NO. THIS MEANS THE PERSONALITY CANNOT BE BRIBED. CAN RELICS BE PLAYED ONLY ON FACE UP AGENTS? NO. THE GAME DESIGNER HAS CONFIRMED THAT RELICS CAN BE PLAYED ON BOTH REVEALED AND HIDDEN AGENTS. THEREFORE WHEN PLAYED ON A FACE DOWN AGENT, THE AGENT(S) IS REVEALED AND THE RELICS DUCAT VALUE ADDED TO RESOLVE THE BRIBE INSTANTLY. GUILD ABILITY TIES HOW ARE TIES RESOLVED WHEN MULTIPLE GUILD ABILITIES GRANT TIE-BREAKING BENEFITS WHEN TRYING TO RESOLVE A STAKE? E.G. GUILD OF BLADES WINS MILITARY ARCANA TIES AND GUILD OF USURERS WINS PERSONALITY STAKE TIES WHAT IF YOU BOTH TIE ON THE INFLUENCING OF A MILITARY PERSONALITY? THIS IS TREATED JUST LIKE ANY OTHER DRAW OR TIE, THE AGENTS (AND OTHER CARDS) REMAIN IN PLAY TO CONTEST THE STAKE NEXT ROUND. AWARDING STAKES WHAT IS THE ORDER OF AWARDING STAKES? T H E R U L E S A R E U N C L E A R O N T H I S , S T A T I N G furthest left. B U T T H E A C T U A L M E T H O D U S E D H A S N O E F F E C T O N G A M E - P L A Y AND VARIOUS METHODS ARE USED, INCLUDING RESOLVING THE SIMPLE ONES FIRST IN ORDER TO BUILD TENSION TOWARDS RESOLVING THE HOTLY CONTESTED STAKES. WHAT IS THE CORRECT TERM FOR RESOLVING A STAKE? I T S C A L L E D A N I N F L U E N C E S T R U G G L E . GAME END PLEASE EXPLAIN THE GAME OVER CARD? F I R S T L Y , T H A T T H E D U C A L J U B I L E E C A R D I S T H E C A R D U S E D T O S I G N I F Y T H A T T H E E N D G A M E H A S B E G U N . S E C O N D L Y , T H E C A R D R E A D S : End the current game round.. T H I S C A U S E S S O M E C O N F U S I O N B E C A U S E , A S A S T A K E C A R D , IT WOULD USUALLY BE REVEALED WHEN STAKES ARE RESOLVED AT THE END OF THE CURRENT ROUND, MEANING THAT THE GAME THEN ENDS AS THE CURRENT ROUND DRAWS TO A CLOSE. THE GAME DESIGNER HAS CLARIFIED THIS TO MEAN There is one final round after the current round before the game ends. I . E . Y O U R E V E A L D U CA L J U B I LE E A N D R E S OLV E A LL THE STAKES THIS ROUND, THEN HAVE A FINAL ROUND OF PLAY. THIS FINAL ROUND EFFECTIVELY HAS ONE ZONE LESS ( B E C A U S E I T S S T A K E I S T H E D U C A L J U B I L E E C A R D ). THIS IS APPLIED THE SAME WAS IF THE STAKE CARD WAS NOT DUCAL JUBILEE BUT THE ACTUAL STAKE IS STOLEN (E.G. BY A RELIC) AND THEN DUCAL JUBILEE IS REVEALED AS THE NEW STAKE. THE STAKES ARE RESOLVED AT ROUND END AND THEN YOU HAVE ONE FINAL ROUND OF PLAY. SCORING WHEN YOU SCORE CARDS AT THE END OF THE GAME, DO YOU INCLUDE THE CARDS THAT ARE STILL ON THE TABLE AND THAT ARE NOT IN EITHER OF YOUR DECKS? (E.G. AGENTS WHOSE ARCANA IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO INFLUENCE A STAKE). T H E G A M E D E S I G N E R H A S C O N F I R M E D T H A T ; Cards on the table are scored too. You add all cards which you gained during the game.

SPECIFIC CARDS THE HARLEQUIN EXPLAIN?! FROM THE GAME DESIGNER: I F A S T A K E C A R D H A S S E V E R A L G O L D N U M B E R S A N D T H U S S E V E R A L A R C A N A V A L U E S ( I . E . P E N T H O W O R H A R L E Q U I N ) , PLAYERS MAY DECIDE, ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, ON WHICH ARCANA VALUE THEY WILL BID. THE HIGHEST VALUE WILL WIN ( F O R P E N T H O W , W I N N I N G B I D H A S T O H A V E A M I N I M A L V A L U E O F 2 .) . A D U C A T V A L U E O F - M E A N S H A R L E Q U I N C A N N O T B E B R I B E D W I T H A R E L I C . T H E H A R L E Q U I N H A S T H E Any Fief S U B - T I T L E , W H I C H M E A N S T H A T H E C A N B E U S E D T O F U L F I L L A N Y O B J E C T I V E , B U T ONLY ONE SUCH OBJECTIVE. THE BRIDGES MAY I LOOK AT THE FACE DOWN AGENTS NEXT TO THE CHOSEN STAKE? AWAITING OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION. I EXPECT THAT YOU DO NOT GET TO LOOK AT THE FACE DOWN AGENTS YOU SIMPLY CHOOSE ONE AT RANDOM AND THEN MOVE IT. ONDINE HARBOUR HOW CANMAY I LOOK AT THE FACE DOWN AGENTS NEXT TO THE CHOSEN STAKE? AWAITING OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION. I EXPECT THAT YOU DO NOT GET TO LOOK AT THE FACE DOWN AGENTS YOU SIMPLY CHOOSE ONE AT RANDOM AND THEN MOVE IT.