Game Objective

The objective of Aftermath is a cooperative adventure for 1 to 4 players, where each takes on the role of rodents surviving in a post-apocalyptic world after the mysterious disappearance of humans. Players must explore the dangerous setting, gather resources, complete missions, compete with other rodents, and face predators, all while racing to avoid disasters. Victory in the campaign occurs when players fulfill the personal objectives of the characters and prevent the colony from unraveling.

Preparation (Setup)

To set up the game, follow these steps:

• Components: Place the Adventure Book in the center, the sideboard to the right, the city center travel map near the book, and the group location marker in the Abbigail Lane space (upper left corner).
• Each player chooses a character, collecting their card box and arranging the cards in front of them. With 2 players, each can control 2 characters. With 1 player, they must control 2 characters.
• Separate the basic action, item, encounter, and status cards, forming separate decks.
• Set up the campaign dashboard, set the dials according to the Adventure Book instructions, and prepare resolution tokens and dice.
• If it is the first campaign, start on page 2 of the Adventure Book. If it is a subsequent campaign, start on page 3.

Game Flow

The game progresses in player turns and enemy turns. Each player turn includes 5 phases: draw cards, resolve calamities, place threats, perform actions, and check threats. Enemies attack on turns, moving toward the characters and attacking when possible. The 'nest' phase allows characters to recover at the end of a safe turn.

1. Player Turn: Draw up to 5 action cards, resolve calamities, place threats on the track, execute actions, and check threats.
2. Enemy Turn: Each enemy attacks in order, moving toward the nearest character and performing attacks.
3. Nest: At the end of a safe turn, characters can reduce wounds, convert toxic wounds, and repair broken items collectively.

Actions and How to Play

Players can perform various actions using action cards. Each action has specific requirements:

• Move: Spend movement points (determined by the cards played) to move your character. Solid lines require more points.
• Communicate: In safe situations, try to negotiate with enemies. Resolve an opposed skill test with difficulty equal to the enemy's communication value.
• Recover: Use to heal negative effects on your character, resolving the skill test listed on the status card.
• Hunt: Resolve a skill test to collect tokens in your space. The difficulty is the token number.
• Close Combat: In hostile situations, attack enemies in your space with an opposed test. The difficulty is the enemy's defense.
• Ranged Attack: Use long-range weapons to attack enemies up to 1 space away, resolving an opposed test.
• Activate Ability: Spend white cards to activate special abilities, paying the cost in value.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when:

• Mission Completed: If players complete the mission's main objective, follow the Adventure Book instructions to proceed.
• Mission Failed: If all characters are defeated, go to the page and entry listed in the mission card's failure section.
• Campaign Lost: If any dial on the campaign dashboard reaches 0, the game is lost. Return to page 100, entry 100-23.

Scoring is based on:

• Completing characters' personal objectives.
• Preventing the colony from collapsing (dials not reaching 0).

Tips to Win

1. Use Team Focus: The character Meziah's initial ability reduces the difficulty of skill tests by one for each other character in their space.
2. Manage Resources: Prioritize repairing broken items during the nest to keep equipment effective.
3. Communicate with Enemies: In safe areas, negotiate with enemies to remove them from the game and reduce threats.

Consult the manual for details on sections not covered here.