Argent: Mancers of the University — Rules Manual

ARGENT
MANCERS OF THE UNIVERSITY
DESIGNED BY TREY CHAMBERS
ART BY NOKOMENTO
& JENNIFER EASLEY

LEVEL 99
games

GAME RULES

WORLD OF
INDINES

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Designed by
Trey Chambers
Character and Item Art
Eunice Tiu (Nokomento)
Environment Art
Jennifer Easley
Logo Design
Fábio Fontes
Graphic Design
D. Brad Talton Jr.
Presented by
Argent: The Consortium, ‘Mancers of the University,
World of Indines, all characters, logos, designs, and
names are © 2017 by Level 99 Games LLC. All rights
reserved.
Argent has opened the doors of its newest school, the Department of Technomancy! Now you can unravel the secrets of
science and physics by taking control of the intrepid Technomancers and their Spells, Supporters, and creations!
Argent: ‘Mancers of the University introduces several new modules that you can introduce into your game of Argent. Play
with just your favorite modules, or mix them all in to take advantage of all the possibilities that Argent holds!

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3
What’s a Module?
Modules are small additions to gameplay that you can add to the basic game as you like to change it. You might want to play with some, all, or none of the extra modules in any given game. Most of the modules in this book are intended for players who are already familiar with the basic game, and we recommend not including them when you are teaching new players how to play.
This is your game, so explore the possibilities and play it your way!
Required Materials
• 7 Orange Technomancy Mages
• 1 Double-Sided Candidate Board
• 7 Orange Loyalty Badges
• 12 Orange Marks
• 1 Influence Token
• 8 Oversized Spell Cards
• 1 Candidate Starter Spell (Double-Sided)
• 6 Spell Cards
• 1 Legendary Spell
• 10 Standard Sized Cards
• 8 Supporter Cards (Technomancy)
• 1 Voter Card (“Most Technomancy”)
• 1 Mage Power Reference Card
Module #1 - The Department of Technomancy
The Department of Technomancy works just like any other Department in the University. It has Mages which are available to draft, candidates that can be played, Spells that can be learned, and a set of Supporters that can be added in. Just mix all the listed components with their matching regular components and play as normal!
Technomancy focuses on rapid research and the acquiring and using of Vault Cards. Thus, it is very handy to play with the extra Vault Cards included in this box as well.
If you wish, you can also substitute Technomancy for another department and remove that department entirely by taking out its Spells, Supporters, Mages, and Candidates.
• Sorcery focuses on Spell improvement.
• Divinity focuses on safety and retaliation.
• Mysticism focuses on Marks and disruption.
• Natural Magick focuses on controlling the board.
• Planar Studies focuses on acceleration.
Removing a department will vastly alter how Argent plays. Experiment and try it out!
The department of Technomancy focuses on creating devices that work on the principles of science, guided and bent where necessary by magic. Its students are skilled in their pursuit of knowledge and endlessly creative in the ways they exploit that knowledge to create new spells and devices.

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4
Required Materials
• 1 “Archmage’s Staff” Card (Spell Sized)
• 1 Voter Card (“Archmage’s Staff”)
Module #2 - Visiting Archmage
Archmage Kimbhe has lost her staff somewhere on campus
and is searching for it. If Kimbhe is on the Consortium
Board, she will cast her vote for whichever player is able to
acquire her staff. In the meantime, and regardless of whether
she is on the board or not, whoever holds the staff can use its
powers to their advantage!
Setup
The “Archmage Kimbhe” Voter card is shuffled in with
the rest of the Voters during setup. The Archmage’s Staff
Card is placed beside the University, not under the control
of any player.
Rules
The Archmage’s Staff is a new kind of card with a Mage
Errand Slot on it. A Mage placed on the staff will move the
staff to its owner’s office during the errands phase. The staff
is resolved after all rooms in the university are finished
resolving.
The player who owns the staff can use it by exhausting it
(just like a spell). Using the staff is a normal action, and it
can be used even if there is an opponent’s Mage currently
assigned to it.
If no Mage is assigned to the staff at the end of the
round, its current owner retains it for the next round.
Archmage Kimbhe always gives her vote to the player
who owns the staff at the end of the game. If no player
owns the staff, she does not cast a vote.
A Mage standing on the staff loses its Mage Powers.
This means even Mages who are normally immune to
wounding or spells can be attacked while they stand here!
The staff has an A and B side, so you can choose from
two effects when setting up the game!
Required Materials
• 1 “Synthesis Workshop” Room Tile
• 6 Synthesis Item Cards
Module #3 - Synthesis Workshop
Synthesis is a powerful and mysterious new method of
Artifice that binds magic and treasures together to create
new items.
Setup
Place the Synthesis Workshop Room Tile into the stock
of available rooms and build the University as normal.
If the Synthesis Workshop is placed into the University
during setup, then Synthesis Items are available.
Rules
Synthesis Items are extremely powerful and can be
obtained by using the Synthesis Workshop. When you use
the Workshop, you gain the specific item depicted by the
room from the stack of Synthesis Items. If you sacrifice a
spell on side B, take back all INT and WIS from the spell.
If you sacrificed a supporter on side A, that supporter must
be in your office (and not your discard pile).
Synthesis Items count as Treasures and help you win the
“Most Treasures” Voter.
2
1
Swap a Treasure and a Spell for a Synthesis Item
Swap a Treasure, a Spell, and 3 Mana for a Synthesis Item
Synthesis Workshop
The type of Spell you swap determines
which Synthesis Item you will receive
B
3
Reaction: When the last Bell
Tower Offering is taken by another
player, you may place a Mage.
Synthesis Treasure
Hourglass
of fate

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5
Required Materials
• 6 Scenarios, each with...
• 1 Scenario Explanation Card
• 5 Scenario Round Cards
Module #4 - Scenarios
The world doesn’t stop for a new Chancellor! Scenarios add
new ways to play the game by giving special events and
conditions to the Round Cards, as well as altering final
scoring.
Setup
Switch out the regular Round Cards with the Scenario-
specific Round cards for your chosen scenario. Place the
Scenario Explanation Card near the Voter board, and read
it aloud to all players, performing any extra setup steps as
instructed.
Rules
The Scenario Explanation Card will explain any new
rules for the scenario.
Round Cards will either have an “Ongoing” effect that
lasts for the entire round, or an “End” effect that occurs at
the end of the round (after resolving all university errands).
Read each card aloud at the start of the new round.
Scenarios
‘Mancers contains 6 new scenarios for you to explore...
The Well of Souls
Opening the gate to the Afterworld, Vice Dean Byron
Krane floods Argent with raw magical power–but what
costs come with this new power? A game that focuses
heavily on mastering and using spells.
Talismans of Magic
The Department of Technomancy has given the various
department heads a collection of powerful new items to
field test, as well as opened its vaults wide. A game that
focuses heavily on Vault Items and asymmetric starting
advantages.
Dimensional Rift
An experiment gone wrong in the Department of
Planar Studies is shifting portions of Argent in and out of
a parallel dimension! A game that forces players to adapt
to an ever-changing university.
Political Struggle
Factions divide the election board, and you will need
to choose sides. Beware, as half of the election board will
be given more votes than the other half. A game that
introduces more negotiation and politics.
Key to the University
A campus-wide election for Chancellor, open to
students and professors alike. In this mode, Consortium
Votes convert to IP instead of being the final scoring. A
game for players who like more traditional Victory-
Point scoring.
Assassins
Desperate for power, the candidates have stooped to
employing assassins to fix the election in their favor. A
game for players who want more direct control of the
scoring criteria.

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Required Materials
• 17 Additional Bell Tower Cards
Module #5 - Bell Tower Renovation
Argent’s new Bell Tower is a masterwork of Technology that
changes tones daily and provides new musical arrangements
for students to enjoy between classes.
Setup
At the start of the game, deal out a number of random
Bell Tower cards equal to the number of players. The
Initiative card must always be one of these dealt.
Rules
At the start of every round, shuffle the Bell Tower Cards
together and deal out a new set of Bell Tower Offerings
as required by your game size. The Initiative card must
always be one of these dealt.
Required Materials
• None
Module #6 - Sixth Player
With a 6th department, now the race for the Chancellorship
is even more competitive!
Setup
You must play with the Department of Technomancy
(for a total of 6 departments) during a 6-player game.
• You will use 6 Bell Tower Cards.
• You will play with a 15-room University, setup in a
5x3 configuration (5 tiles each across 3 rows).
Aside from these changes, gameplay and rules remain
unchanged.
When playing a 6-player game, it is recommended
that all of the players be experienced with the basic
gameplay of Argent and any modules you will be using.
Expanded Materials
• 5 Oversized Spell Cards
• 40 Standard Sized Cards
• 5 Supporter Cards (1 per base game department)
• 23 Vault Cards
• 6 Extra Mages & Loyalty Badges
(1 per base game department)
• 8 Merit Badges
• 6 Intelligence Tokens
• 6 Wisdom Tokens
Module #7 - More Stuff
‘Mancers comes with a number of extra Supporters
and Vault Cards. You can mix these in with your base game components and expand the basic game with new opportunities. Regardless of what modules you choose to play with, the new Vault Cards and the new Supporter Cards for the 5 standard departments do not need to ever be separated from your base game components.
• 14 Golem Temporary Loyalty Markers
(2 per department)
• 12 Marks (2 per base game department)
• 5 University Board Tiles

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7
Riflam Lenshear
Admissions Coordinator
A student of Mannheim Wildern who gave up Natural
Magick to take up the science of Alchemy for his graduate
studies, Riflam chose to remain at Argent after graduation
and join the university administration. Though young, he
shares his old master’s passion for education and seeks
to make magical studies accessible to all the people of
Indines.
Sophica Sentavra
Interim Dean of Technomancy
A self-aware artificial intelligence who took charge of the
department after an unfortunate accident left the previous
Dean paralyzed. Sophica utilizes an advanced robotic
body to appear around the university, but her true form
is a golem core locked away deep in the university’s vaults.
Sophica wishes to push the university towards becoming a
more research-oriented institution.
Room Clarifications
This page contains answers to some commonly asked
questions about the more complex rooms. The Synthesis Workshop is explained in more detail on page 4.
1
2
3
Gain a Research, then move up to 2 Research
Gain 2 Research, then move up to 3 Research
Gain 1 INT, Gain 1 WIS, and
Rearrange your Research freely
Research Archive
A
23
2
8
Research Archive (A & B)
The Research Archive lets you
‘move Research’. This moves INT and WIS tokens from one spell to another, or back to your office. You cannot remove INT from a spell that has any WIS on it. If you choose to remove all Research from a spell, it is discarded. This effect cannot be used to move INT and WIS tokens from your office onto a Spell or to Research new spells.
Golem Lab (A & B)
Instantly creates a new mage
to carry out your errands. Mages granted by the Golem Lab are removed from play at the end of the turn, instead of being returned to your office. Mark Golems with the Temporary Loyalty Markers by placing them under the Golem’s base, department side up. Remove it when it is removed from play. There are no Shadow slots in the Golem Lab.
3
2
1
Reveal the top card of the
Supporter deck and auction it.
Look at the top 2 Supporters of the deck. Auction
one and discard the others to the bottom of the deck.
Look at the top 3 Supporters of the deck. Auction
one and discard the others to the bottom of the deck.
Look 2
Pick 1
Auctioning : Players make offers of
Gold and/or Mana. The auctioneer
chooses which offer to take, and gains
these resources. He only keeps his
own auction if there are no offers.
University Tavern
B
Look 3
Pick 1
University Tavern (B Side)
The Auctioneer does not have
to choose the best bid, but he does have to choose a bid if any bid is made (he can’t keep the supporter for himself if there is a bid). Players can continue bidding for as long as they want.
It’s up to the Auctioneer to
decide when to stop the bidding and award the supporter.

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8
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the intended uses for the temporary loyalty
markers with golem icons?
A: To mark your Temporary Mages. You can also use these to
mark Temporary Mages granted by effects from the base game,
such as Living Image. These markers are not intended to be used
with the Technomancy Legendary spell, as this spell does not
create Temporary Mages.
Q: Golem Lab B Merit slot lets you place a temporary mage
of any type. Does that mage have placement powers?
A: Yes, it functions as a normal mage placement, but the mage
itself it is temporary.
Q: For the second two slots in Golem Lab B, can the mages
in those slots target themselves or other mages in the room?
A: No, you must choose slots in other rooms in the University.
Q: How does “Shift” work with instant rooms and the
Infirmary?
A: Like other movement effects, this Swap would not give either
Mage a reward from an Instant Room. However, if you use this
Spell to send an opponent to the Infirmary, they would still receive
the compensation from that room.
Q: What happens to Shadowing mages when Devastation
is cast?
A: They are wounded along with everyone else. This is not
specifically mentioned, but it does say to ignore all Mage powers
and their spell immunity is a power of a Shadowing mage.
Q: What happens to Shadowing mages when Flux is cast?
A: They may still be rearranged on the new side of the tile, and
mages may be brought into and out of Shadow freely. You cannot
break the rules about Shadowing empty slots or your own mages,
however.
Q: Is the Archmage’s Apprentice every mage type for
purposes of the Lab? Or does it just have all of their powers?
A: It only has all of their powers. It cannot receive multiple
rewards in the Lab and can only receive one reward (of the player’s
choice) or 1 IP.
Q: Can I use Possession on a golem or give up a golem to
steal a normal mage using Possession?
A: No, golems are animated objects and have no souls to possess.
Q: Can I use placement powers of Mages on the Archmage’s
Staff slot?
A: Yes, you just can’t use any passive abilities.
Q: When playing with the Bell Tower Renovation module,
should I leave the Start Player card in every round?
A: According to the rules, no. You treat it as any other Bell
Tower card. But some people like having that be an option every
Round, so you may leave it in as a group decision.
Q: Can I affect opponent’s Synthesis Treasures with Spells
like Disintegrate?
A: No, that card references “Treasure” cards, but Synthesis
Treasures are so powerful they cannot be affected by such means.
They DO count towards the Treasure voter, however.
Q: In the Dimensional Rift scenario, can I exhaust cards
but not use their effect in order to simply stall?
A: No, if you exhaust a card you must take the action. If you
cannot, then you cannot exhaust the card.

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