Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt
Complete Rules Pamphlet Text
Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt, Story Pack, Character Pack, and White Wolf are
trademarks of White Wolf, Inc. (c) 1996 White Wolf, Inc. All rights
reserved. Rules text (c) 1996 White Wolf, Inc.
(page 1 (front cover))
ARCADIA
THE WYLD HUNT
Dark clouds gathered around Skyeholm on the day of the Darkening, and
have remained since. High King Ardlanth and all his subjects are frozen,
like marble statues. Ardlanth's kingdom has fallen silent, and none who
have traveled there have been heard from again. Protected on all sides by
three loyal vassal kingdoms, Skyeholm is virtually inaccessible. Yet the
remaining kingdoms of Arcadia feud with one another. Only one seems
powerful enough to restore peace: Middlemarch.
[lightning-sundered tower] (??? icon)
Mad King Ironheart of Middlemarch has been expanding his evil realm
of machines, and gathering his power. At the cost of the blood and tears
of thousands of slaves, King Ironheart aspires to build a tower palace --
a tower of Babel -- that exceeds even Skyeholm's keep. Soon, Middlemarch
will be the new heart of Arcadia and Ironheart its new high king.
[purple heart gear] (Ironheart icon?)
Ironheart did have one rival: Lord Gamine of Ardenmore. However, one
month ago Lord Gamine journeyed to the Sibylline Swamps to consult the
Oracle of Thoan and has not returned. Ardenmore has since been managed by
an age-worn regent, a loyal knight of Lord Gamine's father. Erroneous at
best, the regent's judgment [judgement] has left Ardenmore vulnerable to
would-be conquerors. The disappearance of Gamine may well be the death
knell for the Arcadia of beauty and peace, and the herald of a new era,
one founded on King Ironheart's nightmarish visions of modern Earth.
[sun/star night/day] (Quest icon)
(page 2)
"The Wyld Hunt" is set in Ardenmore, the Ancient Kingdom. Heroes
quest to learn the truth behind Lord Gamine's disappearance and struggle
to protect the kingdom from its enemies. Along the way, they make some
frightening discoveries and uncover the truth behind the high king's loss.
Once Gamine is found and the truth is known, the adventure truly begins.
PLAYING THIS GAME
Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt combines many classic board game and
roleplaying game elements into an exciting collectible card game. To play
all you need is one Story Pack, one Character Pack and a single six-sided
die. Oh, and don't forget the golden rule: Rules on individual game cards
supersede the basic game rules.
THE CHARACTER PACK
Arcadia is the mythical and mystical home of 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.
WHAT YOU GET
You get three different types of cards in a Character Pack: a
Character Icon card and an assortment of Merit and Flaw cards. By
selecting a combination of various Merit and Flaw cards you customize the
character who you will use to adventure through the fairy tale land of
Arcadia.
Character Icon Cards
These three-dimensional pop-up cards provide special information
about your hero's identity. Your Attributes (Might, Savvy and Resolve)
are all detailed, as are your gender and special abilities.
Might Might is your character's physical prowess. It encompasses your
strength, agility and overall physical health.
Resolve Resolve represents the reasoning ability, willpower and mental
fortitude of your character.
Savvy Savvy signifies guile and cunning, but may also indicate your
character's charm and charisma.
Combat Allies and Waylays [may] have a Combat Attribute; characters do
not. Characters use their Might Attribute for all Combat Tests
and Trials.
[picture of an example character icon (Sidhe female)]
Merit Cards
Your Arcadia character has his/her own special talents. Merits come
in many shapes and sizes, but they all help you in some way. Each Merit
has a cost, which is the number of points you must spend to acquire the
benefit. See "Building Your Character", below, for more information.
There are five types of Merits: Abilities, Advantages, Allies, Arts and
Treasures.
Abilities Each Ability is tied to an Attribute; the source of the
Ability. If the majority of your Abilities derive from a
particular Attribute, the way you approach problem-solving
may be influenced (i.e., if you have many Might-based
Abilities, you may frequently use physical means to solve
problems). Each Ability also has a court symbol, either
Seelie or Unseelie, which are discussed below.
Advantages Advantages are special skills or affinities that are
available to your character.
Allies Allies are the friends whom you have met in your travels, and
who can help you on your adventures to come. Many of them
have unique skills and talents that they may put in your
service.
Arts Arts, drawn from fae magic, can be used to your character's
advantage in a wide variety of ways.
Treasures These are the mystical and mundane items that your character
may have at his disposal.
[white rose] Seelie
[black rose] Unseelie
(example Merit card is the 3-pt Ability "Eloquent Speech")
Card Name
|
|
---------------------
| Eloquent Speech |
Cost --- | 3 --------------o--| --- Merit Type Glyph
| | M |
| : | E | --- "Merit"
Merit Type --- | : | R |
| : | I |
| : | T |
| : | | --- Art
| | |
Attribute --- | o | - Exhaust to |
Court --- | o | add 2 to your | --- Text
| | score in any... |
---------------------
(page 3)
Flaw Cards
Just as Arcadia characters have skills, they can also have
shortcomings. Flaws are optional, but if taken they can increase the
number of points you have available to purchase Merits. Again, see
"Building Your Character", below. There are three types of Flaws: Curses,
Enemies and Weaknesses.
Curses Curses represent special limitations which affect your
character. They [may] influence a wide range of situations
and have only minor effects, or only influence very specific
circumstances and have severe effects.
Enemies Enemies are those who are opposed to your character. An
entire race may have a general dislike for your character, or
a specific powerful figure may feel a particular hatred for
him/her.
Weaknesses These are the physical, social and psychological shortcomings
of your character.
(example Flaw card is the 2-pt Weakness "Indecisive")
Card Name
|
|
---------------------
| Indecisive |
Bonus Points --- | 2 --------------o--| --- Flaw Type Glyph
| | F |
| : | L | --- "Flaw"
Flaw Type --- | : | A |
| : | W |
| : | | --- Art
| : | |
| | |
Attribute --- | o | - Your opponent |
Court --- | o | can exhaust | --- Text
| | this card to... |
---------------------
BUILDING YOUR CHARACTER
Step 1: Select Your Race
If this is your first pack of Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt Character Cards,
you have only one Character Icon. Otherwise you need to select one of
your Character Icons now. It defines your character's race and gender.
Step 2: Select Your Merits and Flaws
Merits help your character achieve his goals, while Flaws hinder his
progress. You begin with 5 free points with which to create your
character. Each Merit has a cost listed in the top-left corner of the
card. This is the number of points that you must spend on the Merit.
Each 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 be spent on
more Merits. For example: Ezekial is creating his character and wishes to
take 7 points of Merits. He takes a 2-point Flaw, increasing his total
available points with which to buy Merits from 5 to 7.
Special Rule: Treasures
Treasures are acquired in two ways in Arcadia. They can be purchased
just like other Merits, and are at your character's disposal in every
game you play with that character, or they can be discovered in the
course of a Quest adventure. Treasures that you purchase are called
permanent Treasures, and are treated just like any other Merit; if
your character discards them they return in 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 fae are divided into two courts: Seelie and Unseelie. Seelie
characters are good, just, kind and righteous. Unseelie characters are
evil, conniving, manipulative and dastardly. Each Ability and Weakness is
labeled either Seelie or Unseelie. If you have more Seelie than Unseelie
Abilities and Weaknesses, you are Seelie. If you have more Unseelie than
Seelie Abilities and Weaknesses, you are Unseelie. If you have an equal
amount of each, you must choose the court that you belong to, but 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. Name him and create some flavorful information about
where he came from and why he's on his most recent Quest. For more
information on the Quest itself, see the Rules Card in the Story Pack.
Example of Character Creation
Tim has finally saved up enough money to buy his first Arcadia
Character Pack. After forking over his hard-earned $2.50, he rushes home
to tear open the package and begin constructing his Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt
character. Tim separates Merits from Flaws as he inventories his new
cards. He has a Female Sidhe Character Card, and the following Merits:
Lightning Quick (Ability), Clear Thinking (Ability), Eloquent Speech
(Ability), Davelon (Ally), Doppelganger (Art), Mirror, Mirror (Art),
Hopscotch (Art), Pearl of Wisdom (Treasure), Wooden Horse (Treasure), Coin
of Clarity (Treasure) and Fae Armor (Treasure). He also has the following
Flaws: Pansy (Weakness), Indecisive (Weakness) and Allergies (Curse).
With these cards at his disposal, Tim begins to create his character.
[note: Tim appears to have gotten 1 Character, 11 Merits, and 3 Flaws in
his pack. But most (all) of the Character Packs I've seen have 1
Character, 10 Merits, and 4 Flaws... (shrug)]
Step 1 (Select Your Race): Since this is Tim's first Character Pack,
he selects his only Character Card, the Sidhe Female.
(page 4)
Step 2 (Select Your Merits and Flaws): Looking over his cards, Tim
decides to take the following Merits: Fae Armor (2 points), Lightning
Quick (2 points) and Eloquent Speech (3 points), which bring his character
to 7 total points. Because Tim has gone over his 5-point starting level,
he has to pay for the additional 2 points with Flaws. Tim selects
Indecisive (2 points) as his Flaw.
Step 3 (Select Your Court): Looking at his Abilities and Weaknesses,
Tim has selected Lightning Quick (Unseelie), Eloquent Speech (Seelie) and
Indecisive (Seelie). Tim's character has two Seelie traits and one
Unseelie trait. Tim's character is therefore of the Seelie court.
Step 4 (Create Your Identity): Now that all the cards have been
selected for Tim's character, he must flesh out her identity. He decides
to call her Winerdria and decides that she is the type of person who only
fights if she has to, preferring to resolve conflicts in nonviolent ways.
(picture of Sidhe female character icon, and Tim's selected Merits and
Flaw)
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
| | | | | | | | | |
| (Sidhe | | (Fae | |(Eloquent| | (Light- | |(Indeci- |
| female) | | Armor) | | Speech)| | ning | | sive) |
| | | | | | | Quick) | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
STORY PACK
In the Story Pack you'll find three types of cards: Leagues, Waylays
and Quests.
LEAGUE CARDS
Leagues are the lands of Ardenmore, the kingdom in which this
adventure takes place. Every League Card 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.
(example League Card is Balanvale (Mountains, Hills, Road, Ruins, Town))
--------------------------------
League Title --- | Balanvale |
| -mt-hl-rd-rn-twn- | --- Terrain Types
| O O O O O | --- Terrain Glyphs
| .......................... |
Description --- | .......................... |
| ---------------------------- |
Terrain Art ----- | .......................... | |
| | .......................... | | --- League Rules
| ---------------------------- |
--------------------------------
Terrain Terrain indicates the specific features of the League 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.
Terrain Symbols
[bridge] [castle] [caves] [ruins] [road]
[town] [fields] [forest] [hills] [lake]
[border] [marsh] [mountains] [ocean] [river] [all]
(page 5)
Enter & Leave Some Leagues have rougher Terrain than others. Enter and
Leave conditions tell you what Trials, if any, your
character must pass in order to move into or out of a
League.
Special This section contains any information specific to that
League.
Rest Rest information tells you what types of Merits and
(sometimes) Flaws can be recovered in the League. For
more information on Rests and recovering Merits and Flaws,
see "Sequence of Play", below.
QUEST CARDS
Your Quest defines the particular game you play. Each Quest Card
lists Waylay ratings, Treasure ratings and experience points for the game,
along with specific information about the Quest's victory conditions.
Waylays This score indicates the number of points in Waylay
Cards that your opponent selects to play against you
on your Quest.
Treasures This score indicates the number of points in Treasure
Cards that you may select to be placed for your
character to find during his Quest.
Experience This score is the number of experience points that
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
conditions.
(example Quest is Quest I: Prove Yourself)
---------------- Quest ----------------
| | Glyph --- | O |
| | | Prove Yourself | --- Quest
Art --- | | | ............ | Title
| | | ............ |
| | | ............ | --- Quest
Quest | | Quest | ............ | Details
Glyph --- | O Prove Y... | --- Title | ............ |
| ........... | | |
Summary --- | ........... o | --- Waylay | Experience: 1 | --- Experi-
| ........... o | Rating | I | ence
---------------- ----------------
| |
| |
Treasure Rating Quest Number
WAYLAY CARDS
In the course of your adventure, your opponent plays certain Waylay
Cards to deter you, and you do the same to him. Each Waylay is a
creature, object or circumstance which could hinder your otherwise
undaunted hero. Waylays are divided into four categories: Might, Resolve,
Savvy and Combat. Waylays are resolved based on the Attributes listed on
them, unless you have a Merit that allows you to change the nature of a
Waylay. Waylays that list no number for a specific Attribute can never be
changed into Waylays of that Attribute type. For example: A Hurricane,
which is a Might Waylay, can never be changed into a Savvy Waylay -- 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, Test information and relevant Attributes.
Terrain The type of Terrain on which a Waylay may be played. Only
one feature needs to match a Terrain on the League in
question. For example: If a Waylay lists Forest and Swamp
and the League in question lists Swamp and Fields, you may
play the Waylay on that League. Some Waylays can be
played on any Terrain type. These Waylays bear a specific
symbol: [Arcadia "A"]
Waylay Rating Waylays are ranked by their potency. A low Waylay rating
indicates an easily handled confrontation, while a high
number indicates a challenging confrontation. Your
opponent can choose the Waylays that he/she will play up
to 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 of a Waylay Card identify the types of
Tests required. It's still important to read the actual
card text, though, as special circumstances may apply.
Some Waylays can be Tested in more than one way. If a
Waylay has two Tests listed, the character encountering it
can choose which Test to face.
Attributes Each Waylay has at least one Attribute with a rating.
Ratings are added to die results to determine Test scores.
If a Waylay Attribute is not listed, the Waylay can never
be changed into a Waylay of that Attribute type.
(example Waylay is Forest Spiders)
Waylay Rating Terrain
| |
| |
--------------------------------
Waylay --- | Forest Spiders | |
| -----2----- | |
Test Type --- | | o | | |
| | ......... | | |
| | ......... | | |
| | ......... | | | --- Art
Description --- | | ......... | o | |
| | ......... | | |
| ----------- O | |
--------------------------------
|
|
Attributes
(page 6)
THE WYLD HUNT
SETTING THE STAGE
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 Flaw Cards 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 undertakes. You read your
opponent's Quest(s) and he/she reads yours. You select an appropriate
number of points of Waylays equal to the Waylay rating of /your
opponent's/ Quest(s). You also select an appropriate number of points of
Treasure Cards equal to the Treasure Rating of /your/ Quest(s). Note: A
Quest with a Treasure Rating of 3 allows you to select one 3-point
Treasure, three 1-point Treasures, or any combination that adds up to 3.
We recommend attempting only one Quest in 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 undertake, select five League Cards. You and
your opponent each roll a die. The player with the lowest roll lays down
the first League. Players thereafter take turns laying down their Leagues
[text-side down]. Leagues can only be placed in a Terrain-feature-
matching-Terrain-feature manner, 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 [side with a] Forest end [] can connect to any
other League [side] with a Forest end [] on it. A side with a Forest and
a Road can connect to any other side with either a Forest or a Road, or
both.
OK OK *NO*
----fi,rd---- -----frs----- ----fi,rd---- -----bdr-----
| | | | | | | |
fi,rd fi,rd frs fi fi,rd fi,rd mt,rd mt,rd
| | | | | | | |
-----frs----- ------fi----- -----frs----- ------hl-----
-----frs----- ---frs--
| | | |
frs fi | |
| | fi frs
------fi----- | |
| |
---fi---
One type of Terrain, the Border, requires special attention. A
Border is an end. No other League can ever be played beyond a Border.
The exception to this is Ocean Terrain. Ocean Terrain can /only/ be
played beside other Ocean Terrain or beside a Border.
If a League Card is listed as "Unique", there can only be one of that
League in play. If both players wish to play that League, the player with
fewer total character points gets to place the League. The duplicate
Unique League must be discarded (a 10-League-Card game becomes a
nine-League-Card game).
4: Place Treasures
You and your opponent now take turns placing your Quest Treasures on
the board. They go /under/ the League cards. Treasures are placed one at
a time and no League can have more than one Treasure underneath it unless
all other Leagues already cover 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 play your opponent
cannot pick up your Treasures and you cannot pick up his/hers.
5: Place Characters
[You] Select your opponent's starting League, and he/she selects
yours. This is called your Base Camp, and is where your character starts
the game.
6: Begin Play
Play now begins. The player who rolled lowest earlier 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 [your opponent] moves to, you may opt to do so, or hold the
Waylay for later, Ultimately, you must use your Waylays at opportune times
to slow or halt your opponent's progress while working to complete your
own Quest. If no Waylays are played your opponent can enter the League
and benefit from any Rests [or pick up any of his/her Treasures] found
there.
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 or stay in
his current one. Characters can only move to adjacent Leagues, and cannot
move diagonally. Several things may exist on a League: your opponent's
character, Waylays, Rests and/or Treasures. Although a League may contain
all of the above, these things are encountered in a specific order
[hierarchy]. Encounters are made in a League as follows:
[0) You must pass the Exiting Trial (if one exists) for your current
League, before you can move on to another League. If you do not pass the
Trial, your character must remain in the League he/she currently occupies
and cannot move this Day.]
[then]
1) You must pass the [Entering] Trial (if one exists) before you can
encounter anything on a League. If you do not pass the Trial, your
character must remain in the League he currently occupies 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,
unless a card states otherwise. If there is more than one Waylay on a
League, all must be encountered in the same Day[, in order of increasing
Waylay Rating].
[if no 2, then]
3) Your opponent's [Another] character can be encountered or left alone,
at your option.
[or]
4) You may pick up your Treasure[,] if one is under that League.
[or]
5) Finally, [] you may encounter the Rest.
Aside from the Entering Trial, you may only encounter one event on a
League per Day: Waylays or an opposing character,[] or a Treasure or Rest.
If you face a Waylay in one Day, you cannot get your Treasure or Rest on
that Day. You must wait until another Day for each.
Leaving Leagues
You may leave any League that does not contain a Waylay and move to
any adjacent League. However, you must pass any Terrain [Exiting] Trials
stipulated by your current League before you move on. (So, if you leave a
League that demands a Terrain [Exiting] Trial and move into a League that
demands an Entering Trial, you have to succeed at both Trials -- in the
same Day -- to make the 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 such.
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 state otherwise.
When you face a Waylay it is either one already on a League you're
moving into or one that your opponent plays against you when you enter the
League. If you do not defeat the Waylay, it remains on the League.
Unless special circumstances dictate otherwise, a Waylay remains in play
until it is defeated. If there is more than one Waylay on a League, you
encounter each in the order of their Waylay Ratings: lowest to highest.
(page 7)
Encountering Other Characters
When you encounter another character in a League you may choose to
impede the progress of his/her Quest, as if you played a Waylay Card on
him/her. You choose the type of Test involved: Might, Savvy, Resolve or
Combat. (Don't forget that Combat Tests between characters are also based
on Might.) If you're victorious, you may select which Merit your defeated
opponent exhausts, or you may choose to move him/her one League in a
direction of your choosing (ignoring Terrain Trials). Be careful about
bullying an opponent too much, though, because he/she can always come back
and impede you on his/her terms in 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 or directly
confront you in your Base Camp and, regardless of the Rest listed on
your Base Camp League, you may always recover one Merit per Day of
any type [one Merit of any type per Day,] while there.
TESTS AND TRIALS
There are two types of hurdles a character that [] is forced to
overcome on his journeys: Tests and Trials.
Tests
Tests are always opposed: They are staged between two players'
characters or between a character and a Waylay Card. There are four
different types of Tests: Might, Resolve, Savvy and Combat.
Might Might Tests are based on the character or Waylay's Might
Attribute.
Resolve Resolve Tests are based on the character or Waylay's Resolve
Attribute.
Savvy Savvy Tests are based on the character or Waylay's Savvy
Attribute.
Combat Combat Tests are special. A character uses his/her Might
Attribute against a Waylay's Combat Attribute.
Tests are resolved by rolling a [six-sided] die and adding the result
to your base Attribute. The total is called your score. Your opponent
rolls for the Waylay and adds the result to the Waylay's base Attribute
(character-versus-character Tests are discussed under "Encountering Other
Characters", above). 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 Treasure or the Rest listed on the League.
If there is a tie on the roll [scores,] 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 you're defeated by the Waylay Card, you must exhaust one
Merit of your choosing./ 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 a
circumstance exists which allows you to retest, both you and your opponent
(or Waylay) reroll the Test.
For example: Tim's character Winerdria is confronted by Forest
Spiders who are a Might 2 Test. Winerdria also has a Might of 2. Tim's
opponent rolls a die for the Forest Spiders and Tim rolls a die for
Winerdria. The Forest Spiders get a 4, plus their Might of 2, which gives
them a score of 6. Tim rolls a 5, added to Winerdria's Might of 2, which
makes for a score of 7. Winerdria wins and the Forest Spiders are
discarded.
Trials
Trials are often found on Leagues and occasionally on Waylays. They
are specific Tests that you must pass in order to move on or overcome a
circumstance. Unlike a Waylay or character confrontation, a Trial is not
opposed. The Trial indicates the Attribute that you must base a roll on,
as well as the difficulty (total score) you must overcome [achieve]. Roll
a 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 [the] League, respectively. If you fail a
Trial listed on a Waylay you suffer its listed effects.
For example: Winerdria is trying to enter the Huntinglane League from
the Forest. Entering this League from the Forest requires the character
to pass a Might Trial, difficulty 5. Winerdria's Might is 2 so Tim must
roll a 3 or better to pass the Trial. Tim rolls a 1, leaving Winerdria
stuck in her League of origin until the next Day (when she can try again).
EXHAUSTING AND RECOVERING MERITS
Characters exhaust Merits in two ways. The first is to generate an
effect from the Merit (using it's [its] special Ability). Once a Merit
Card is played, it's exhausted. The second results when a character fails
a Test, which forces one Merit of the player's choice into exhaustion.
Merits which are forced into exhaustion do not generate any effects. When
you exhaust a Merit, you must turn the card over. While a Merit is
exhausted you do not benefit from any of its effects. 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 or other confrontation is
encountered on a League, you may Rest on the Day you enter the League (see
"Sequence of Play", above). If you do encounter a Waylay upon entering a
League and defeat the 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 and exhaust most of your Merits,
you're in bad shape. You can at any time opt to discard an exhausted
Merit instead of exhausting a still-active Merit. 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. Your discarded
Merits do 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[s]. As occurs with
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 effects until the next game [A
Flaw may not affect a character while it is exhausted].
(example Quests shown for "Example of Play" are "Even Dragons Pay Taxes"
(Quest VII) and Seek the Oracle's Advice (Quest V))
(Even Dragons Pay Taxes; Waylay 10, Treasure 5; Summary - Travel to
Splendourscale's abode and either beat him in Combat or Savvy Tests and
return to Base Camp, or travel on to recover two Treasures, returning one
Treasure to the Dragon and the other back to Base Camp to complete the
Quest.)
(Seek the Oracle's Advice; Waylay 10, Treasure 3; Summary - Travel to the
oracle's League and pass a Trial to find her. Your opponent places the
oracle's Treasure. Go and collect the Treasure and return it to the
oracle to complete the Quest.)
(page 8)
EXAMPLE OF PLAY
Tim and Josh sit down to play a game of Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt. Tim
is playing his Sidhe character Winerdria, and Josh is playing his Imp,
Annoyicus. Winerdria is attempting the Quest "Even Dragons Pay Taxes" and
Annoyicus is attempting the Quest "Seek the Oracle's Advice". Tim may
select up to 10 points in Waylays to play again Josh ("Seek the Oracle's
Advice" has a Waylay Rating of 10). Josh can also select 10 points of
Waylays to play against Tim (as Tim's Quest also has a Waylay Rating of
10). They each select five League Cards and roll a die: Tim gets a 4 and
Josh gets a 2. Josh goes first because he rolled lowest. Josh begins by
playing a League in the center of the table. Tim follows up with a League
of his own, matching the Fields on the end of his League to the Fields on
the end of Josh's League. Play continues until Josh and Tim each lay down
five Leagues, creating a map of 10 League Cards. Josh then places his
first Quest Treasure and Tim does the same. Josh and Tim each place two
Quest Treasures.
Next, Josh selects Tim's Base Camp and a remote League to be
Splendourscale's home (as stipulated by Tim's Quest Card). Tim now
selects Josh's Base Camp and quickly scans to see if the Sibylline Swamp,
the destination League indicated on Josh's Quest, is in play. It is not,
so Tim may select any League to represent it. Tim returns Josh's favor by
selecting the farthest possible League to represent the Sibylline Swamp.
The two opponents quickly review their Waylay Cards before play begins.
Josh moves first, again according to the earlier die roll. He moves
his character off his Base Camp to the adjacent Kyrrian Tower League.
This League demands no entrance Trial, so Annoyicus enters freely. Tim is
quick to play a Waylay Card, though, hoping to set Josh back early in the
game. Tim plays the Manticora. Annoyicus now has a Combat 4 Test on his
hands. Annoyicus has a Might of 2, plus the value of his Sidhe Sword
permanent Treasure, which gives him a total Combat value of 3. Tim and
Josh both roll their six-sided dice. Tim gets a 3 and adds it to the
Manticora's Combat Ability of 4, giving the Manticora a score of 7. Josh
rolls a 3 as well, giving Annoyicus a score of 6. Annoyicus loses the
fight. Josh must now exhaust one of Annoyicus' Merits and cannot move
past the Manticora until it is defeated. He can, however, retreat back
into the League from which he came, in this case his Base Camp. Josh
elects to stay and fight another Day.
Tim's first Day begins and he moves Winerdria one League forward onto
Irondew Road (which has one of Tim's Treasures under it). Josh chooses
not to Waylay Winerdria. She may spend her Day in that League searching
for and recovering her Treasure card. However, knowing that
Splendourscale will send Winerdria out to get two Treasures, Tim chooses
not to take the Treasure at this time. Winerdria's Day ends.
Annoyicus begins his next Day staring down the snout of a very angry
Manticora. Both players roll again. This time Tim rolls a 4 and Josh
rolls a 6. The Manticora's score is 8 and Annoyicus' is 9. Annoyicus
wins the battle. On his next Day he can Rest or move on.
The game continues as each player moves his character closer to his
Quest goal. The game ends when one player completes his Quest -- and is
victorious.
(example map of 10 Leagues, placed text-down; all connecting Leagues on
this example map actually have *all* Terrain features matching... even
though one only needs one matching Terrain feature per side...)
-------- --------
| | | --- "Splendourscale's Home"
"Sybilline | | |
Swamp" -------- -------- --------
| | | | |
| | | | | --- Josh's Base Camp
-------- -------- -------- -------- --------
| | | |
| | | |
-------- -------- --------
| | | |
| | | |
-------- --------
|
|
Tim's Base Camp
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 it to be completed. If
you're playing a chronicle with ongoing characters, the winning character
gains the number of experience points listed on his Quest Card(s).
(page 9)
OPTIONAL RULES
The basic Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt rules are very simple and
straightforward. They are intended to be a quick-to-learn system.
However, there are many more bells and whistles which can add depth and
richness to your game. Feel free to use any or all of these play
variations.
CHRONICLE PLAY
This is perhaps the most appealing aspect of Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt.
Your character's journeys don't simply begin and end with a single game.
Your character journeys throughout each and every Quest he/she undertakes.
Playing the same character throughout several Quests is called chronicle
play.
Each Quest Card has an experience point value listed at its bottom.
Quest Cards in The Wyld Hunt are each worth one experience point.
However, Quests in later editions, like King Ironheart's Madness, will be
worth more points. A character only gains the experience point if he/she
completes his/her Quest (thus winning the game). Once earned, an
experience point functions much like a starting character point. It can
be spent to acquire a Merit or used to "buy off" a Flaw. Experience
points are spent on a one-for-one basis; many times you'll have to save up
two or three points before you can purchase the Merit you want or buy off
the Flaw that you don't want.
However, experienced characters have it tough. For every two full
experience points that a character earns in his/her career, add one to the
Waylay ratings of each of the subsequent Quests he/she undertakes. This
represents the character's degree of fame or infamy, and increases the
number of opponents who attempt to stop him/her from completing his/her
Quests. Obviously you will spend experience points as you earn them, but
you also need to keep a record of the total number you earn throughout
your career to gauge the increasing difficulty of your Quests.
When players choose the characters they will play with, they must
agree that their choices are fair and balanced. If a player doesn't want
to pit a new character against a significantly more experienced one,
he/she doesn't have to. The idea is to have fun and play fair, not
thoroughly trounce some unwitting fool.
MULTI-PLAYER GAMES
Although intended for two players, Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt can be
adapted to three, four or five players. The more the merrier.
Multi-player games are handled almost exactly as two-player games are,
with a few exceptions.
Each player has one and only one opponent who can Waylay him.
Opponents are decided before play begins. Your opponent draws Waylays
based on your Quest's Waylay Rating. Your opponent also selects any
Quest-related challenges for you (such as deciding the location of your
Base Camp and specifying any nebulous Leagues).
Play begins with the lowest rolling player and goes clockwise around
the table.
As always, once a Waylay is in play any character can encounter it.
SOLO PLAY
Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt can also be played by a single player with
only a few minor changes to the rules. (But just remember, it isn't fair
to build up a chronicle character through solo play and then pit him
against an unsuspecting, inexperienced opponent.) Play 10 Leagues per
Quest attempted instead of the normal five. Additionally, select the
least convenient Base Camp, Treasure Leagues and objective Leagues for the
Quest.
Although you select your own Waylays, you must select a minimum
number in points equal to your Quest's Waylay Rating. If you can't evenly
match the Waylay Rating with the ratings of cards available, you must
exceed the Waylay Rating if possible. Once selected, your Waylays are
shuffled and placed face down in a pile. Each time you move into a new
League, draw the top Waylay Card from the pile. If the Waylay can be
played on the League's Terrain, you automatically encounter it there. If
the Waylay cannot be played, it goes to the bottom of the Waylay deck. Of
course, in Tests you must roll for both your character and the Waylay
encountered.
EPIC PLAY
Epic play has only been touched on briefly in the basic rules. Epic
play involves attempting multiple Quests at once. Epic play, when
combined with multiple players and chronicle play, can create some very
dynamic Arcadia adventures.
With epic play you face the combined Waylay Ratings of all your
Quests. You must lay out five League Cards for each Quest you are
attempting. If you're on two Quests and your opponent is on two, you will
lay out a total of 20 League Cards at the beginning of the game. Although
you can pursue your Quests in any order, Quests /must/ be completed in
order of increasing Rating. For example: If you are attempting
"Middlemarch Invaders" (Quest 25) and "Even Dragons Pay Taxes" (Quest 7),
you can fight off the Invaders throughout the game, but you must collect
Splendourscale's Taxes and return to your Base Camp before you completely
drive the Middlemarch armies from Ardenmore.
Some Quests stipulate that you return to Base Camp in order to
complete the missions. If a Quest makes no such demand, you may
immediately pursue the next Quest from the destination League of the
first.
For every two Quests that you complete beyond the first, you gain an
additional experience point. It is possible for two opponents who are
both attempting multiple Quests to both gain experience points even though
only one completes all of his/her Quests. The opponent [who doesn't win]
may accomplish some, and earn experience points for them, but leaves
[leave] others unfinished.
(page 10)
ARCADIA
THE WYLD HUNT
QUICK TURN REFERENCE
1) Move
A) Pass any Leave Trials on your current League
B) Pass any Enter Trials on your new League
2) Encounter All Waylays on your League
3) If there are no Waylays you may encounter any one of the following:
Another Character, Your Treasures, the Rest.
4) Once you have moved and encountered one thing, your Day ends.
Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt Credits
Game Design: Mike Tinney, Steve Wieck, Joshua Gabriel Timbrook
and Mark Rein-Hagen
Conceptual Design: Mark Rein-Hagen and Josh Timbrook
Developer: Mike Tinney
Additional Design Contributions: Tim Byrd, Brian Campbell and Ian Lemke
Editor: Laura Perkinson
Playtesters: Charles Bailey, Shaggy Dixon, Brian Glass, Chris McDonough,
Justin Mohareb, Laura Perkinson, Kim Pullen
and Ralph "Eurotrash" Schonermann
Graphic Elements, Layout and Design: Ash Arnett with Richard Thomas
Typesetting and Layout: Ash Arnett, Richard Thomas and John Park
(c) 1996 White Wolf, Inc. Manufactured in the USA by the Upper Deck Company.
(page 11)
ARCADIA
THE WYLD HUNT
Character Sheet
Name: _________________________ Might: _________________________
Race: _________________________ Savvy: _________________________
Gender: _________________________ Resolve: _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
| Special Ability: |
| |
| |
|_____________________________________________________________________|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Abilities | | Allies |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | M | |
| | E | |
|----------------------------------| R |----------------------------------|
| Advantages | I | Arts |
| | T | |
| | S | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
|----------------------------------| -===================================|
| Treasures | | | Enemies |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|===================================- |----------------------------------|
| Weaknesses | | Curses |
| | F | |
| | L | |
| | A | |
| | W | |
| | S | |
| | | |
| | | |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quests Completed: ________________________________________________________
Experience Earned: _________________________ Spent: ______________________