BEOR
4
Beor,
Você sempre foi um bom rapaz e uma grande ajuda. Eu teria
fechado a forja há muito tempo, se não fosse pela força dos seus braços
e sua determinação. Sinto que lhe devo algo.
Quando eu lhe disse para ficar em Cuanacht para ficar de olho na minha
propriedade, eu o enganei. A forja já está perdida, assim como
o resto da nossa terra. As sagas antigas são verdadeiras. Nossa ilha
uma vez pertenceu a poderes distorcidos e imortais. Não era um lugar
para humanos. Mas Arthur, o primeiro dos reis, que desembarcou
nestas praias com nosso povo, subjugou Avalon centímetro por centímetro.
Ele tirou o Graal dos Fore-dwellers e o usou para
trazer estações e ciclos conhecidos do nosso mundo para este lugar sem Deus.
Todos nós pensamos que o menir em nossa vila foi erguido para
imortalizar isso. A verdade é que ele foi criado para manter esses
poderes antigos afastados.
Agora, os menires escurecem. Algo se quebrou. A primavera
não virá. Os animais não se reproduzirão. Lord Yvain secretamente
reuniu as cinco pessoas mais fortes e sábias de Cuanacht,
incluindo eu. Ele nos leva para o leste, para buscar ajuda em Kamelot antes
que seja tarde demais – antes que a terra comece a afundar na estranheza.
Se não voltarmos, significa que falhamos, e o destino de
Cuanacht recai sobre você. Yvain não o quis conosco devido à sua
falta de experiência e temperamento explosivo. Mas eu sempre acreditei
em você, rapaz. Salve nosso povo, ou – se não puder – tente
salvar a si mesmo.
Erfr,
Mestre Ferreiro de Cuanacht

AILEI
1
Minha querida aprendiz,
Como lamento o pouco tempo que tivemos para sua educação! Fui
forçada a deixar a cidade antes que pudesse transmitir sequer uma fração do
conhecimento que você merece (embora o fato de você preferir passar o tempo nos
prados, do que no templo, certamente não ajudou).
Saiba disto: as sagas antigas são verdadeiras. Nossa ilha uma vez pertenceu a
poderes distorcidos e imortais. Avalon não foi criada para humanos. Mas
Arthur, o primeiro dos reis, que desembarcou nestas praias com nosso
povo, subjugou este reino centímetro por centímetro. Ele tirou o Graal
dos Fore-dwellers e o usou para trazer estações e ciclos conhecidos do
nosso mundo para este lugar sem Deus. Todos nós pensamos que o menir em nossa
vila foi erguido para imortalizar isso. A verdade é que ele foi criado
para manter esses poderes antigos afastados, ancorando a ilha ao mundo
da humanidade.
Agora, os menires escurecem, e em breve os seguiremos para
o esquecimento. Assim, Lord Yvain secretamente reuniu os cinco mais fortes e
sábios campeões, incluindo eu. Ele nos leva para o leste, para buscar ajuda em
Kamelot antes que seja tarde demais – antes que a terra se fragmente e afunde
na estranheza.
Se não voltarmos, ou enviarmos notícias em trinta dias, significa que
falhamos, e o destino de Cuanacht recai sobre você. Yvain o considerou
muito instável para ir conosco, e minhas runas previram que você não
voltaria vivo se fosse. Mas sozinho, você pode ter uma chance. Salve
nosso povo, ou – se não puder – tente salvar a si mesmo.
E sempre se lembre: para mim, você foi a filha que eu nunca
pude ter.
Fique segura!
Neante,
Sacerdotisa de Cuanacht

AREV
2
Meu amigo,
Eu sei o seu segredo.
Percebo que você não é um fazendeiro, e que se estabeleceu aqui para fugir
de algo. Eu sei como é ser assombrado por seus feitos passados,
deixar sua vida antiga para trás. Também reconheço um homem de luta
quando o vejo, e acredito que, se eu falhar, você é a segunda melhor
chance desta cidade.
Saiba que Avalon uma vez pertenceu a poderes distorcidos e imortais.
Não era um lugar para humanos. Arthur, o Rei Que Foi e Será,
subjugou este reino centímetro por centímetro. Ele tirou o Graal
dos Fore-dwellers e o usou para trazer as leis do nosso
mundo para este lugar sem Deus. As pessoas da vila acreditavam que seu
menir foi erguido para imortalizar isso. A verdade é que ele foi
criado para manter esses poderes antigos afastados – para ancorar Avalon ao
mundo da humanidade.
Agora, os menires escurecem. As leis da natureza se desfazem uma
por uma. Lord Yvain secretamente reuniu cinco pessoas, incluindo eu,
e ele nos leva para o leste, para buscar ajuda em Kamelot.
Eu queria levá-lo conosco, mas os outros temiam o
infortúnio que parece seguir seus passos. Mas se
não voltarmos, significa que nossa sorte não foi melhor. Se o
pior acontecer, eu o imploro: pegue suas armas novamente
e salve nosso povo.
Fael,
Mestre Caçador de Cuanacht

nosso mundo para este lugar sem Deus As pessoas da vila acreditavam que seu menir foi erguido para imortalizar isso A verdade é que ele foi criado para manter esses poderes antigos afastados para ancorar Avalon ao mundo da humanidade Agora os menires escurecem As leis da natureza se desfazem uma por uma Lord Yvain secretamente reuniu cinco pessoas incluindo eu e ele nos leva para o leste para buscar ajuda em Kamelot Eu queria levá lo conosco mas os outros temiam o infortúnio que parece seguir seus passos Mas se não voltarmos significa que nossa sorte não foi melhor Se o pior acontecer eu o imploro pegue suas armas novamente e salve nosso povo Fael Mestre Caçador de Cuanacht

MAGGOT
3
Eu detesto escrever para você, Maggot, mas se você recebeu esta
mensagem, significa que estou morto.
Você estava certo. As sagas antigas são verdadeiras, e nossa ilha uma vez
pertenceu a um poder distorcido e imortal. Arthur, o primeiro dos
reis, subjugou este reino centímetro por centímetro. Com seus cavaleiros e seus
exércitos, ele tirou o Graal dos Fore-dwellers, e o usou para
trazer estações e ciclos conhecidos do nosso mundo para este lugar sem Deus.
Vocês, druidas, sempre nos disseram que o menir em nossa vila foi criado
para imortalizar isso. Mas agora eu sei a verdade: ele foi criado para
manter esses poderes antigos afastados – para ancorar esta ilha ao mundo
da humanidade.
Bem, todos vocês falharam. Agora, os celeiros estão vazios, a
primavera não virá, e o menir em nossa vila escurece a cada
dia. Admito que queria esfolar cada druida até descobrir a
razão, mas a Sacerdotisa Neante afirma que vocês não tiveram nada a ver com isso.
É por isso que reuni cinco das nossas melhores pessoas. Estou liderando-os
para o leste, para encontrar ajuda em Kamelot antes que seja tarde demais – antes que a terra
se fragmente e afunde na estranheza.
Eu não pedi para você se juntar à minha comitiva, porque por mais que eu
não goste de druidas, um homem que os traiu parecia uma aposta
ruim. Ainda assim, se falhamos, não tenho mais ninguém em quem confiar.
Levante-se, Maggot. Faça o que puder para salvar esta terra. Este é o meu desejo final.
Lord Yvain

SAVE SHEET

Location Dial Value
Menhir #1
Menhir #2
Menhir #3

Location Dial Value
Quest Dial #1
Quest Dial #2

Location
Guardian #1
Guardian #2

Player notes:
NAME: LOCATION:
DIAL:
NAME: LOCATION:
DIAL:
NAME: LOCATION:
DIAL:
NAME: LOCATION:
DIAL:

Statuses
Allies of Avalon 1 2 3 4 5
Black Cauldron 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Burning Mystery 1 2 3 4 5
Call from Beyond 1 2 3
Charred Knowledge 1 2 3
Cherished Belongings 1 2 3
Cold Pyre 1 2 3 4 5 6
Cosuil 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Deal Breaker 1 2 3
Deep Secret 1 2 3
Diplomat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Diplomatic Mission 1 2 3 4 5
Disturbing Information 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Dreams and Prophecies 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
End of the Road 1 2 3 4 5
Enemies of Avalon 1 2 3 4 5
Escalation 1 2 3
Fael’s Legacy 1 2 3
Fall of Chivalry 1 2 3 4 5 6
When you have any six parts of this status, go to BoS, Verse 525
Farpoint Clues 1 2
Fate of the Expedition 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
When you have parts 1-8 of this status, go to BoS, Verse 405
Final Confrontations 1 2 3 4 5
Final Lesson 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Fortunate Meetings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
General Directions 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Gerraint’s Successor 1 2
Glen Ritual 1 2 3 4
Guest of Honor 1 2 3 4
Halfway Intrigue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Helping Hand 1 2 3 4 5
Helping the Knights 1 2 3 4
Hidden Treasures 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Hunter’s Mark 1 2
Lady’s Task 1 2
Last Haven 1 2 3 4 5
Left Behind 1 2 3 4 5
Lost and Fallen 1 2 3 4
Maggot’s Redemption 1
Matricide
Monastery Discovered
Moonring Mission
Morgaine’s Task
Mourning Song
Mystery Solved
Pathfinder
Peace in Borough
People’s Champion
Pillager
Reclamation
Remedy
Remnants
Restoring the Order
When you have any six parts of this status, go to BoS, Verse 512
Riddle of the Oldsteel
Saved by the Goddess
Scrounger
Secrets of the Forest
Shelter in the Storm
Shrine Secure
Something is Watching
Stonemason’s Secret
Strange Encounters
Supplying the Revolt
Tangleroot Knowledge
Tracker
Traveling Menhir
Tuathan Exploration
Underfern
War for Avalon
Winds of Wyrdness

Removed Locations:

s Mark 1 2 Lady s Task 1 2 Last Haven 1 2 3 4 5 Left Behind 1 2 3 4 5 Lost and Fallen 1 2 3 4 Maggot s Redemption 1 Matricide Monastery Discovered Moonring Mission Morgaine s Task Mourning Song Mystery Solved Pathfinder Peace in Borough People s Champion Pillager Reclamation Remedy Remnants Restoring the Order When you have any six parts of this status go to BoS Verse 512 Riddle of the Oldsteel Saved by the Goddess Scrounger Secrets of the Forest Shelter in the Storm Shrine Secure Something is Watching Stonemason s Secret Strange Encounters Supplying the Revolt Tangleroot Knowledge Tracker Traveling Menhir Tuathan Exploration Underfern War for Avalon Winds of Wyrdness Removed Locations

I) Unpack Your Models
Para começar, pegue seus modelos de Personagem, um modelo de Menir e
um Dial (moeda plástica octogonal) da caixa.
Os quatro viajantes são os PERSONAGENS disponíveis no jogo
– heróis improváveis, pessoas comuns da ilha, cada um carregando uma
mancha que impossibilitou que se juntassem ao grupo de campeões
que recentemente deixou sua cidade natal.
BEOR é o ferreiro local, conhecido por seu temperamento explosivo. Ele
faz o possível para esconder uma ferida supurante e incurável em
seu lado, recebida em circunstâncias misteriosas.
AILEI é uma pária cuja família inteira pereceu na
estranheza. Ela ganha a vida modestamente fornecendo ervas
e raízes curativas aos moradores.
MAGGOT é um renegado da ordem druídica, cujos poderes inatos
são contidos por seu vício destrutivo em misturas
alucinógenas e cogumelos.
AREV é um fazendeiro simples com um passado não tão simples. Ele costumava
ser um mercenário que sujou as mãos muitas vezes,
e agora uma maldição misteriosa o segue.
A estátua encapuzada é o MENIR. Sua origem e propósito serão
revelados durante sua aventura, mas por enquanto, você deve
saber que:
Você só pode explorar partes da ilha no alcance de um
Menir Ativo.
Cada Menir tem um espaço para segurar um Dial. Essas fichas octogonais
têm vários propósitos: elas contam o tempo até o
momento em que o Menir desaparece, podem ser jogadas como
moedas e são usadas por muitas regras especiais.
Neste tutorial Open & Play, você joga como Beor. A alta Saúde
e a proeza de combate de Beor podem salvar jogadores inexperientes de alguns dos
erros que eles certamente cometerão em sua primeira jornada, enquanto
sua Ação de Criação fornece um equipamento inicial decente.
Coloque o modelo de Beor (um homem carregando um martelo), um Menir,
e um Dial à sua frente. Coloque o resto dos modelos de volta
na caixa.

II) Unpack Universal Markers
MARCADORES universais vermelhos são usados de muitas maneiras
diferentes ao longo do jogo. Remova alguns da caixa e coloque-os
de lado em uma pilha.
Os marcadores roxos têm o valor de cinco marcadores vermelhos e
são usados para representar grandes pilhas de Recursos. Deixe-os na
caixa por enquanto.

III) Take the Blue Character Tray
Pegue a BANDEJA DE PERSONAGEM azul (acima) da caixa. Você
pode encontrar a explicação completa de todos os ícones na Bandeja de Personagem
no LIVRO DE REGRAS, mas a parte mais importante da Bandeja é
a TRILHA tripla usada para gerenciar sua:
ENERGIA – sua resistência básica consumida por Viagem,
Combate e Exploração. É regenerada a cada dia
(desde que você coma Comida e Descanse).
SAÚDE – sua condição física. Sua Energia nunca pode ser
maior que sua Saúde. Sempre que sua Saúde
atinge a zona vermelha, você está à beira da morte, e
anexa a carta “VOCÊ ESTÁ MORRENDO!” à sua Bandeja de Personagem.
TERROR – sua loucura rastejante. Uma vez que atinge
o topo, você começa a enlouquecer, tornando qualquer Ação
difícil. Além disso, se seu Terror for maior que
sua Saúde, você entra em pânico em Combate e Diplomacia. Sempre que
seu Terror atinge a zona vermelha, você está à beira da loucura
e anexa a carta “VOCÊ ESTÁ ENLOUQUECENDO!” à sua
Bandeja de Personagem.

IV) Set Up Your Character
Pegue a FICHA DE PERSONAGEM de Beor mostrada acima. Vire a Ficha para
que o lado "Setup: Beor" esteja virado para cima. Ele o instrui sobre como preparar
a Bandeja de Personagem azul para Beor.
Primeiro, marque o nível inicial dos ATRIBUTOS de Beor. Coloque
marcadores vermelhos nos espaços de Atributo ao longo da borda esquerda e direita
da Bandeja, de acordo com as instruções na Ficha de Personagem.
Isso significa que Beor começa com 2 de Agressão, 1 de Coragem, 1 de Praticidade
e 1 de Cautela.
Em seguida, encontre o MARCADOR DE SAÚDE em forma de T na caixa.
Coloque este marcador no espaço inicial da trilha de Saúde, destacado por
dois chevrons vermelhos (espaço 9 para Beor). Agora, encontre as trilhas de Energia e
Terror em sua Bandeja de Personagem, situadas à esquerda e
à direita da trilha de Saúde. Coloque marcadores universais nos espaços iniciais,
destacados por dois chevrons vermelhos nessas duas trilhas.

o nível inicial dos ATRIBUTOS de Beor Coloque marcadores vermelhos nos espaços de Atributo ao longo da borda esquerda e direita da Bandeja de acordo com as instruções na Ficha de Personagem Isso significa que Beor começa com 2 de Agressão 1 de Coragem 1 de Praticidade e 1 de Cautela Em seguida encontre o MARCADOR DE SAÚDE em forma de T na caixa Coloque este marcador no espaço inicial da trilha de Saúde destacado por dois chevrons vermelhos espaço 9 para Beor Agora encontre as trilhas de Energia e Terror em sua Bandeja de Personagem situadas à esquerda e à direita da trilha de Saúde Coloque marcadores universais nos espaços iniciais destacados por dois chevrons vermelhos nessas duas trilhas

Start Here!
Este guia Open & Play o ajudará a configurar e iniciar sua primeira aventura para um jogador em Avalon, e o ensinará todas as regras básicas do jogo. Construído para aproximadamente uma hora de jogo, ele não inclui spoilers para a campanha principal.

Eles ainda chamam este lugar de "fazenda", embora campos estéreis forneçam pouca comida, e paredes em ruínas não ofereçam proteção. A última relíquia dos dias de glória de Cuanacht é seu menir, sempre adornado com fitas vermelhas, iluminado por velas, e com uma oferenda diária a seus pés nodosos. Enquanto o menir repelir a estranheza, os moradores estão prontos para suportar qualquer coisa.
Mas na noite passada, a estranheza chegou mais perto do que nunca. Um homem foi perdido, seguindo o chamado de seu futuro eu. Uma casa nos arredores da cidade virou do avesso, seus móveis cresceram em uma concha externa inchada, como cracas na lateral de um barco. Por muitas horas o ar teve gosto de metal e leite azedo.
Agora, as pessoas dizem que seu menir guardião está falhando, como muitos outros em toda a terra.
Para você, a noite foi ainda pior. A ferida supurante em seu lado latejava como se algo tentasse se libertar e se juntar às nuvens rolantes de estranheza fora da cidade.
Pela manhã, um menino vem correndo para sua cabana. "Mestre Erfr precisa vê-lo! Mexa-se, seu grande bobo!"
Você afasta o pirralho com um chute bem-mirado, e imediatamente começa a se arrepender,
pois a bota cai em uma poça profunda do lado de fora de sua porta.

101
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 CREDITS
2-3 COMPONENT LIST
4 BASIC INFORMATION
5 COMPONENTS OVERVIEW
6-7 CAMPAIGN SETUP
8-9 PLAYING THE GAME
10-13 BASIC RULES
14-17 COMBAT
18-21 DIPLOMACY
22 ALTERNATIVE GAME MODES
23 INDEX
24 RULES SUMMARY

COMPONENT LIST
Abaixo, você pode encontrar uma lista detalhada de todos os componentes dentro da caixa base de Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. Observe que cópias do jogo com expansões incluídas (como a expansão Niamh) conterão componentes adicionais não listados aqui.

MODELS
1 BEOR MODEL
1 AILEI MODEL
1 AREV MODEL
1 MAGGOT MODEL
3 MENHIR MODELS
1 FORE-DWELLER MODEL

TRAYS & TILES
1 GREEN TRAY
1 BLUE TRAY
1 BROWN TRAY
1 GRAY TRAY
4 CHARACTER TILES

PAPER COMPONENTS
4 STARTING LETTERS
4 ADVENTURE MAPS
30 SAVE SHEETS
OPEN & PLAY GUIDE
RULEBOOK
FALL OF AVALON EXPLORATION JOURNAL

CREDITS
Game by: Krzysztof Piskorski, Marcin Świerkot
Art Direction: Marcin Świerkot, Piotr Foksowicz
Tests and Development: Krzysztof Piskorski, Paweł Samborski,
Andrzej Betkiewicz, Marcin Świerkot, Łukasz Krawiec, Jan
Truchanowicz, Bartłomiej Kalisz, Krzysztof Belczyk, Michał Lach
Rulebook: Krzysztof Piskorski, Paweł Samborski, Andrzej Betkiewicz,
Łukasz Krawiec, Michał Lach
Illustrations: Piotr Foksowicz, Ewa Labak, Patryk Jędraszek,
Michał Peitsch, Piotr Orleański, Jakub Kaźmierczak, Andrzej
Półtoranos, Piotr Kryński
Graphic Design: Jędrzej Cieślak, Adrian Radziun, Andrzej Półtoranos
3D Graphics: Jędrzej Chomicki, Piotr Gacek, Agnieszka Pogan,
Mateusz Modzelewski, Jakub Ziółkowski
Narrative Design: Krzysztof Piskorski
Writing: Krzysztof Piskorski, Andrzej Betkiewicz, Dan Morley
Editors: Matt Click, Krzysztof Piskorski
Proofreading: Hervé Daubert, Dan Morley, Matt Click, Łukasz
Krawiec, Jan Truchanowicz, Bartłomiej Kalisz, Krzysztof Belczyk,
Michał Lach, with the invaluable help of our community,
including Frank Calcagno, Christi Kropf, Denis Poisson, Ricky
Patel and others.
Additional Testing: all who have joined us for playtests in AR-
Bar, UK Games Expo ‘19, Essen ‘18, and other events.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
All Kickstarter backers who helped us make this game a
reality, Michał Oracz for his guidance, Adam Kwapiński for his
constructive criticism, all Tainted Grail community proofreaders,
and people who spent their time and effort participating in the
development of the game.
Finally, to Jordan Luminais for being the goodest bot there is.
2

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PLASTIC COMPONENTS

10 DIALS
8 TIME TOKENS
4 QUEST TOKENS
4 HEALTH LIMITERS
90 UNIVERSAL MARKERS
25 LARGE MARKERS
1 REGULAR DIE
1 GUARDIAN DIE

CARDS:
STANDARD CARDS (556):

31 GREEN ENCOUNTERS
31 GREY ENCOUNTERS
50 BLUE BASIC COMBAT/DIPLOMACY CARDS
50 GREEN BASIC COMBAT/DIPLOMACY CARDS
30 BEOR CARDS
30 AILEI CARDS

31 PURPLE ENCOUNTERS
31 BLUE ENCOUNTERS
50 GRAY BASIC COMBAT/DIPLOMACY CARDS
50 BROWN BASIC COMBAT/DIPLOMACY CARDS
30 AREV CARDS
30 MAGGOT CARDS

4 YOU'RE GOING INSANE CARDS
4 YOU'RE DYING (CO-OP) CARDS
1 YOU'RE DYING CARD
8 ADVANCEMENT POOL DIVIDER CARDS
22 RANDOM EVENT CARDS
70 STORY EVENT CARDS

OVERSIZED CARDS (72):

63 LOCATIONS CARDS
9 HELP CARDS

SMALL CARDS (143):

42 SECRET CARDS
65 ITEM CARDS
36 SKILL CARDS
3 OTHER DIVIDER CARDS

3

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This island was never meant for humans. Looming on the border between our reality and the ancient power known as the wyrdness, it was populated by a mysterious, legendary race. Humans came here anyway, with their wooden ships, their ambitious king, and his fellowship of knights.
Running from a plague ravaging their distant homeland, they took the island piece by piece, raising menhirs of foreboding shape and mysterious purpose. The former masters of the island faded into legend.
Four hundred years later, not even their name remains; the people of Avalon call them the Fore-dwellers. Times are harsh. The Red Death is back. The menhirs are dying, and without their power, the land itself crumbles back into the wyrdness. That’s why your hometown has gathered five of its strongest and wisest heroes and sent them to find help in distant Kamelot. As these champions set out to brave the dangers of this wild land, you watch from afar.
You are NOT one of them.

INTRODUCTION
Tainted Grail is a story-rich survival and exploration game for 1-4 players, set in a grim universe that blends Arthurian legends and Celtic mythology with the unique, dark vision of Awaken Realms artists and writers.
Each player controls one of four unlikely heroes who must face impossible odds, where stronger and wiser champions have failed. Chased by the encroaching, twisted power of the wyrdness, fighting an uneven battle against depleting resources and challenging Encounters, the Characters set out to achieve the impossible – and die many times in the process.
The different Tainted Grail Campaigns are set apart by many years, revealing the long-term consequences of player actions, while a deep, branching storyline allows players to tackle problems in different ways, ensuring no two games play alike.

SIMPLE GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW
During a standard game of Tainted Grail, you will spend most of your time journeying across the dangerous island of Avalon. Your Character will Travel from one Location card to another, spending Energy and revealing more Locations. To progress further, you often must activate one of the Menhir statues scattered throughout the realm. These monuments go dark after some time, and activating them requires considerable Resources, so plotting your course will test your planning and logistics skills.
At any point, you may Explore any Location you visit. This will throw you into the middle of a non-linear, branching storyline, contained in the Exploration Journal that often changes the game world around you, swapping some of the Location cards for their different versions or granting you game-changing Statuses or Secret cards.
At some point, your day will end. At the start of each day, a new Event card will be revealed, slowly pushing time forward and providing you with new Quests.
While playing, you will also stumble upon many random Encounters. To resolve them, you will use your Combat and Diplomacy decks, using your tactical and deck building skills.
Rewards from these Encounters will help your Character advance, letting you expand and optimize your two decks, gain interesting Skills, raise your Attributes, and – eventually – reach parts of the island that you would not have reached otherwise, until you finally complete your current story Chapter or arrive at the end of the Campaign.
That is unless you first succumb to death or insanity. Their shadow will hang above you right from the start. After all, The Fall of Avalon is not a good time to be alive…
When you return, you will hopefully be wiser and better prepared!

BASIC INFORMATION
This section of the Rulebook will give you a general overview of the game and its components. If you want to, you may skip this part and head directly to the “Campaign Setup” section in order to start your first journey. You can also learn all rules by watching our instructional video at:
www.taintedgrail.com/learn
4

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COMPONENTS OVERVIEW
This page shows how Tainted Grail looks when played.
It will also give you a general idea of what each component is for.

EXPLORATION JOURNAL
Each Location card has a corresponding
section in the Exploration Journal.

LOCATION CARDS
The modular board of the game.

MENHIRS
Guardian stones of Avalon.
They limit the number of
revealed Location cards.

GUARDIAN
ENCOUNTER
A powerful beast chasing
the Characters.

INTRODUCTORY LETTERS,
MAPS, SAVE SHEETS
Additional paper hand-outs
used during the game.

DEATH AND INSANITY CARDS
Attached to Character Trays of dying
or insane Characters.

LOCATION DECK
Contains unrevealed
Location Cards.

CHARACTER TRAYS
Trays hold the Character Tile, Resources,
Attributes and Survival Tracks.

SKILL CARDS
Bought with Experience and
attached to Character Trays.

HELP CARDS
Icon glossaries, turn order, basic Actions
and other helpful information.

SECRET DECK
These numbered cards may
contain everything from
unique items to extra rules!

ITEM DECK
Standard equipment, from
a piece of armor to a coil of rope.

DIALS
Placed and rotated inside
Menhirs to indicate how
much longer they are
going to stay in play.
Dials may also be used
to track other values,
decipher Secrets or to
make a coin toss.

EVENT DECK
& DISCARD PILE
Cards that drive the sto-
ry forward or provide
various random effects.

COMBAT AND DIPLOMACY DECKS
Each Character has their own deck for solving
Combat and Diplomatic Encounters.

SKILL DECK
A pool of Skills players may choose
from when advancing their Characters.

ENCOUNTER DECKS
Four types of dangers,
some solved through Combat,
some through Diplomacy.

ACTIVE QUEST
A card containing an important Quest.

CHARACTER MODELS
Your Characters; each has a corresponding
Character Tray, Character Tile, and a set of
Combat and Diplomacy cards.

HEALTH MARKER
A special "I"-shaped piece, placed
in the Health track of the Character Tray.

TIME AND QUEST
TOKENS
Placed on various components
or used as Dial indicators.

MARKERS AND
LARGE MARKERS
Large marker has the value
of five standard markers.

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CAMPAIGN SETUP

To learn the game in the simplest way possible, we strongly encourage you to use the Open & Play guide that explains the basics in an introductory solo adventure. To set up any further Campaigns, please follow the steps below. If you come back to a Campaign in progress, you don't need to follow the full game setup below. Instead, go to the "Saving the Game" chapter in the Basic Rules section of this manual.

CHARACTER SETUP

Each player completes the following steps separately.

I) Choose your Character. Take this Character's cardboard Tile and a Character Tray of the same color.
Hint: The main difference between Characters is their Character Action and negative trait, visible on the front of their Tiles, as well as the length of Survival Tracks on their matching Character Tray, and their unique Combat and Diplomacy cards.
The expansion Character Niamh has a red Tile and may use a Tray of any color.

II) Mark the starting levels of your (Energy) and (Terror). Find the and tracks on your Character Tray. Place universal markers in the starting slots, highlighted by two red chevrons on these tracks.

III) Place the T-shaped (Health) marker in the track slot. It is also highlighted with two red chevrons.
The shape of the marker will help you remember about the effect your has on the other two tracks (see: Playing the Game).

IV) Mark your starting Attributes. You will find their starting values on the back of your Character Tile.

V) Mark your starting Resources. They are also listed on the back of your Character Tile. Place the corresponding numbers of universal markers in the Resource slots on your Character Tray.

VI) Set aside the 80 Combat and Diplomacy cards that match the color of your Character Tray. There are 50 basic Combat and Diplomacy cards that match your Character Tray, and 30 advanced Combat and Diplomacy cards with your Character's name above their title.
You may use card numbers to help you assemble this pile. For example, Ailei (color green) should gather Combat cards numbered 1-25 G, Diplomacy cards numbered 1-25 G, Advanced Combat cards with her name, numbered 1-15 G, and Advanced Diplomacy cards with her name, numbered 1-15 G.
If you're still not sure how to tell the cards apart, see the detailed card overviews in Combat and Diplomacy sections of this Rulebook.

VII) Create your 15-card Combat and Diplomacy starter decks. Pick the 15 basic Combat and the 15 basic Diplomacy cards with a banner that matches your Tray's color (see illustration below). The banner is located under the card's name. Shuffle these cards and place them to the left (Combat) and right (Diplomacy) of your Character Tray.
Characters from other Campaigns need to refer to the starter deck lists found on the back of their Character Tile.
In the Fall of Avalon Campaign, the starter cards used in this step are numbered 1-15/25.
Starter cards DO NOT have Character names on them!

VIII) Create your 25-card Combat and Diplomacy Advancement Pools. Take the 15 advanced Combat cards that have your Character's name. Then, take the 10 remaining basic Combat cards of the color matching your Character Tray (the ones without the banner, that weren't used in the previous step to create your starter deck). Shuffle these 15 advanced cards with the 10 basic cards. This is your 25-card Combat Advancement Pool. As the game progresses, you will use it to buy additional cards and improve your deck.
Now, repeat the above with the Diplomacy cards to build your Diplomacy Advancement Pool.
Place both Advancement Pools in one of the Save Compartments in the box or cover it with the "Advancement Pool" card.

IX) Place your Character Tile on the Character Tray. Setup information should face down, and your Character Action should face up.

X) Read your Character's introductory Letter. Written by your former mentor, who disappeared with the previous expedition, it will reveal more about your initial situation.
Introductory Letters also contain your unique Character Number, used rarely to break ties and unresolved votes.

XI) Take your Adventure Map. If you have no knowledge of Avalon, it will help you reach some important landmarks of the Island. Beware though, the cartographer who created the map lived over a century ago, and his drawing may no longer be accurate!

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WORLD SETUP
After all players have set up their Characters, follow the steps below.
I) Set the Starting Location. The Starting Location for the Fall of Avalon is Location card 101. Place your Starting Location in the middle of your play space and place all the Character models you are starting the Campaign with there.
Other Campaigns use Locations 645, 745, and 845 as their starting points.
II) Place one Menhir model on the Starting Location and put a Dial in the slot under this Menhir. Turn the Dial so that it shows the following number: 8 (for 1 player), 7 (for 2 players), 6 (for 3 players) or 5 (for 4 players).
This important Dial shows how many days you have left before the Menhir goes dark (see: Menhirs and Wyrdness).
III) Build the starting section of the map. Check the four Direction Keys on the four edges of your Starting Location. Find the four Location cards with the corresponding Location numbers and attach each of them to their matching Direction Key.
Example: In the Fall of Avalon campaign, you should attach Hunters’ Grove (546) to the top edge of your Starting Location (545), Warriors’ Fair (547) to its left edge, Charred Conclave (548) to its right edge, and Forlorn Swords (549) to its bottom edge.
IV) Prepare the Encounter cards. Take all Encounters and sort them by color into four piles. Each pile should contain 31 cards, including a special Encounter marked as “Your First Encounter”.
You will use these piles to build your Encounter decks in step IX.
V) Prepare the Secret and Item decks. Take all Item and Secret cards and place them in two piles next to the Encounters. You may want to sort the Secret cards by number in order to find them more easily during the game. Shuffle the Item deck.
VI) Take a fresh Save sheet.
You will use it to save your game and to mark Statuses that permanently change the way some locations and people respond to your group.
VII) Distribute Help cards. Each player should receive one Icon Guide card, and one Turn Order card with the Action list on the back. Leave the Combat / Diplomacy Help card on the table.
VIII) Optional: pick your Chronicler. Designating one player as a Chronicler helps to maintain the flow of the game and limits downtime. For the breakdown of a Chronicler’s responsibilities, see the Chronicler frame.
IX) Set up the first Chapter. Find the Chapter I Setup card and follow its instructions, starting from the front side, to build the Event deck and Encounter decks.
Then, take all Random Event cards, shuffle them and place them on the side of your play space or in the box. The Event cards will sometimes ask you to put a certain number of these Random Events on top of the Event deck. When asked to draw an Event, you always draw from the deck, and never from the Random Event pile!
After you complete each Chapter of the game, you will be asked to follow a new Chapter Setup card to prepare you for another Chapter and modify your Encounter decks, phasing out easier cards and introducing harder ones.
X) The first day of your journey has started. Go to the “Playing the Game” section of this Rulebook and begin your journey!
Hint: Exploring your home Location is a good first step that will let you check what options are available there. Hint: For the first several in-game days, keep your Order of the Day Help card handy and perform the listed steps one by one. A new player can easily forget about important actions, such as reducing each Dial or revealing a new Event card at the start of each day.

CHRONICLER (OPTIONAL)
In cooperative games with 2-4 players, we suggest one player volunteer as the Chronicler. Apart from playing the game, the Chronicler becomes Tainted Grail’s equivalent of the Game Master and is responsible for:
Reading (or re-telling) paragraphs of the Exploration Journal aloud to other players.
Performing upkeep tasks, such as revealing new Event cards and reducing all Dials at the Start of the Day.
Maintaining the Save Sheet, marking any Statuses gained by players, and checking the Statuses when asked.
Adding new Location cards and removing Location cards no longer in a range of an Active Menhir.
Dealing Item and Secret cards from their decks.
Breaking ties and making the final decision in any conflicting situations. While the Chronicler has no gameplay impact and having one is not mandatory, choosing a single person to perform this role will reduce the time spent on upkeep and will lead to fewer mistakes. Additionally, listening to what other Characters go though in their exploration helps to keep the rest of the group occupied and immersed!
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PLAYING THE GAME
This section will teach you how to play Tainted Grail. Start by following the Order of the Day and then learn all the Basic Rules.

ORDER OF THE DAY
The day is the most important time unit in Tainted Grail, and represents a full turn of the game. During the Day (stage II), Characters spend to perform Actions until they have no more or decide to Pass. After that, players perform a short End of the Day (stage III) sequence, where Characters rest, recover, read Dreams, advance, and optimize their decks. Then, a new day begins, with the Start of the Day sequence (stage I) that includes some upkeep tasks and reveals a new Event card. In short, as you play Tainted Grail, you will continuously go through three stages described below:

I) START OF THE DAY
1) Remove expired Menhirs. If a Menhir has no Dial in the slot of its base, it becomes inactive and goes dark right now. Remove any such Menhirs from the table. Any Menhirs still on the table are referred to as “Active Menhirs.”
2) Remove Locations out of the Menhir range. Each Location card in the game should be adjacent (in a straight line or diagonally) to a Location with an Active Menhir. If there are any Location cards that no longer touch a Location with an Active Menhir, discard them now (see: Menhirs and Wyrdness).
3) Reduce Menhir Dials. Reduce the Dial of each Active Menhir by 1. If a Dial was already at 1, and you can’t reduce it further, remove it from under the Menhir. Please note: the Menhir itself won’t disappear nor become inactive until the next Start of the Day!
4) Reduce Time Dials and remove Time Tokens. If there are any Dials with Time Tokens on them anywhere on the table, including on the Secret cards or next to the Characters, reduce them by 1. If a Dial can no longer be reduced, remove it from the game. Remove one Time token from every Location card that has any. Only Dials with Time Tokens should be reduced in this step. Dials with Quest Tokens move according to different rules. You also shouldn’t remove any Quest Tokens from any Location.
5) Reveal and read a new Event card. If it contains a Quest text and a red padlock symbol, you should move it to the Quest pile, next to the Event deck. Unlike regular Events that stay active for one day, Events containing Quests remain on the table until the moment specified on their cards.
6) Move Guardians. Guardians are special, roaming Encounters. If there are any Guardians on the table, roll the Direction die for each of them and move them according to the rules found in the Guardians section of the Basic Rules.
7) Discuss your plans. If you play coop, all players should take time to discuss their plans. You will win or lose together, so careful planning and logistics are necessary!
8) Equip for your journey. Make sure your Character doesn’t have more than one Item with the same keyword (see: Items) laying face-up. Flip any excess Items face down.

II) DURING THE DAY
When this stage begins, each player performs one Action, in any order the players agree on. If the players cannot decide on the order, then the Character with the lowest Character Number goes first. Each available Action in the game is marked with a special Action icon that also indicates the cost of this Action.

All Actions have this icon in front of them. X denotes the cost of the Action. Some actions may have or costs instead.
A group of two or more players sharing the same Location may agree to take the same Action together, at the same time, as a Party – see the Party rules written in blue next to each Action.
Once every player has performed one Action or taken part in one Party action, or Passed, the players may once again perform one Action each. This continues until everyone Passes or has no more to spend. When this happens, go to stage III, End of the Day.
Hint: To reduce downtime, a player involved in an Encounter might resolve it while the other players perform their own Action. Additionally, the players should plan how to spend their Exp or how to modify their Combat and Diplomacy decks in advance, in order to reduce downtime during the End of the Day stage.
The six most important Actions of the game can also be found on the Action side of the Help card. They are:

has performed one Action or taken part in one Party action or Passed the players may once again perform one Action each This continues until everyone Passes or has no more to spend When this happens go to stage III End of the Day Hint To reduce downtime a player involved in an Encounter might resolve it while the other players perform their own Action Additionally the players should plan how to spend their Exp or how to modify their Combat and Diplomacy decks in advance in order to reduce downtime during the End of the Day stage The six most important Actions of the game can also be found on the Action side of the Help card They are

1 EXPLORE – costs 1. Every Location card in Tainted Grail contains plenty of lore, secrets, or tasks, and Exploration is your primary way of discovering them. Flip your current Location card and read the text on the back. Some cards are self-contained, but others point you to specific parts of the Exploration Journal for more decisions and options. Continue Exploration in the Journal until you reach “Exploration ends.” Then, flip the Location card back and continue the game. Remember to read the “How to Use the Exploration Journal” introduction at the start of the Journal before your first Exploration! In a Party: If you Explore as a Party, the cost of Exploration scales to 1 per Party member. Most positive and negative effects will apply to every Character in the Party. On the other hand, most rewards will not scale and will have to be shared by the members of the Party. For more, see the “How to Use the Exploration Journal” section at the start of the Journal.
Hint: If flipping the card would be impractical because there are multiple models on it, go directly to the Exploration Journal! Every Location section in the Journal starts with the same text that is on the back of the card.

1 TRAVEL – costs 1. Move your Character model to any Location card connected to your current one (see: Locations). If two Locations are placed next to each other, but there are no Direction Keys connecting them, it means you can’t Travel from one to the other (usually due to mountain ranges, walls, wide rivers, and other natural features).
As you arrive in a new Location, check whether your Travel revealed any new Location cards (see: Locations). Then, check whether your new Location has a lightning symbol ( ) anywhere on its face. Anything marked with this symbol needs to be resolved as soon as you enter the Location.
Example: if the Location card has a lightning icon next to “Draw a gray Encounter” text, you must draw an Encounter from the gray deck immediately on arrival, before any other player has a chance to act.
In a Party: If you Travel as a Party, any automatic Action or Guardian Encounter triggered by your new Location must be resolved as a Party as well! The cost of Traveling scales to 1 per Party member.
Important: You can only move in straight lines. No diagonal Travel allowed!
Example: Going from Cuanacht Farmhold to Whitening will require two Travel Actions, as diagonal movement is not allowed. Additionally, when Characters arrive in the Whitening, they need to immediately resolve the section of the Whitening Location card marked with the lightning symbol.

? LOCATION ACTION – see the cost on the Location card.
Most Location cards contain one Action, clearly visible on their front. Activating this Action is possible whenever a Character is present in this Location, and is not involved in some other Action. Location-based Actions are important, as they often let you gather or exchange critical resources. Try to keep an eye on them and plan your Travels in advance! Please note that some Location Actions are marked as “once per day”. When you perform this Action, you may cover its icon with a Time Token to help you remember it was already used. Please keep in mind some locations track other rules with Time Tokens as well. It’s best not to put these other Time Tokens on the Action, to avoid mixing them up. In a Party: You may activate a Location Action as a Party. In this case, you pay the cost only once and receive the output of the Action once. However, players in the Party may help each other pay costs, splitting them any way they want, and if they trigger an Encounter, they resolve it as a Party too.
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Example: Two players use a Location Action that reads “Hunt: gain 1 Food, then draw a green Encounter”. They split the cost between themselves and pay 5 each. Then, they receive 5 unit of Food, reveal an Encounter and fight it as a Party.

? CHARACTER ACTION – its fixed cost varies per Character. Every Character has a personal Action on their Character Tile. Activating this Action is only possible outside of Encounters and Exploration.
In a Party: only your Character can use your Character Action, but Party members may help pay the cost. However, the Character performing the Action must ALWAYS pay at least 1.

0 INSPECT A MENHIR – always free. If the Location you are in has a Menhir seal next to its name (see: Locations), it contains one of these ancient monuments. Inspecting the Menhir is free and will inform you which Resources or Secret cards you need to activate this Menhir. If you decide to do this, simply flip the Location card and read the Menhir section at the bottom. If you have the required resources and meet all other criteria, you may activate this Menhir right away.
Important: please note all costs of Activating a Menhir scale up with the total number of players in the game (and not only in the Party!). Hint: Always keep in mind which Menhir you plan to activate next and what are the Resources you need to do so! Hint: If you don’t want to flip the Location card, you may also find all Menhir information in the Exploration Journal of this Location. Hint: Activating a Menhir requires the help of all players. Plan your logistics accordingly.

0 PASS – free. Your Character decides to finish their day and rest. You may Pass even if you have unspent, but this decision is irreversible – once you've passed, you won’t be able to take any more Actions until the next day!
There may be further Actions listed on your Character Tray, your Items, Skills or even Secret cards!
In short, During the Day, on your turn you may take one Action from the Action Help card, your Character Tile, or any other cards and boards currently available to your Character. Other Characters in your Location may join you. Then, players who haven't yet acted take one Action. Repeat this sequence until everyone has passed or ran out of.

III) END OF THE DAY
The day Ends when all Characters have Passed or run out of. When this happens, perform the following steps for every Character:
1) Rest. Eat 1 Food. If you do, restore 1 and lose 1. If you don’t have enough Food (or you don’t want to eat it now), drop your to 0. If your is already at 0, lose 1 instead.
Remember that Characters in the same Location may trade Food between them at any moment, as long as they are not currently involved in an Action or Encounter (see: Parties and Party Actions)!
2) Restore your. Place the marker on your track back in the starting slot. If you’re Exhausted (your marker is in one of the red slots), restore only 4 points of. Please remember that your marker limits your maximum - your marker can never be moved past your marker.
3) Advance your Character. If you have any Exp points, you may now spend them to raise your Attributes, gain new Skills or add new Combat & Diplomacy cards to your deck (see: Character Advancement.)
4) Build your Character decks. If you want to, you can customize your Combat and Diplomacy decks with any cards your Character gained from the Advancement Pool during the game. You can also remove some cards that don’t fit your playstyle, but remember that each deck must have at least 15 cards!
5) Experience Dreams. If the Location you’re in has a Dream icon, open its section of the Exploration Journal and read the Dream. If your marker is on one of the red slots (the “YOU ARE GOING INSANE” card is attached to your Character Tray), read the Nightmare instead of the Dream.
Hint: Dreams often provide helpful tips or reveal more of the lore and story.

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SURVIVAL TRACKS
These three tracks on your Character Tray are especially important, because nearly everything you do in the game affects them.
ENERGY – your basic stamina that renews each day.
Most in-game activities (see: During the Day) deplete your Energy. Wounds and afflictions limit your Energy too: when limping along half-dead, you won’t be able to do as much as you would when healthy and rested (see: Wounds).
The last two slots of the Energy track are red. If the marker reaches one of them, you become Exhausted. This will negatively influence your performance and make you regenerate less Energy (see: End of the Day). Despite that, Exhausting yourself is sometimes necessary to avoid something even worse!
HEALTH – your physical condition. When your Health runs out, you start dying. To represent this, you will be asked to attach the “You Are Dying” card to your Character Tray and enable the additional rules found on this card. You can never have more Health than 1 (Health marker should never go past the T-shaped marker).
If you have more than 1 Health (your marker is above the T-shaped marker), then you Panic in Combat and Diplomacy.
The shape of the T-shaped marker will remind you about these two crucial thresholds!
TERROR – mental trauma, stress, and insanity. If your Terror marker reaches either of the two red slots at the top of the track, you start to go insane. To represent this, you will be asked to attach the “You Are Going Insane” card to your Character Tray and follow the additional rules found on this card. Additionally, if your Terror is higher than your Health, you Panic (this will negatively impact your performance in both Combat and Diplomacy).

CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES
The six basic attributes, divided into three opposing pairs, are what define your Character. They are used during various Encounters and may open up different story events or solutions when Exploring Locations. After you raise any Attribute to 2, every subsequent point of this Attribute provides a special, useful Skill card that attaches to the side of your Character Tray, next to the Attribute (see: Character Advancement).
Aggression ———— Empathy
Courage ———— Caution
Practicality ———— Spirituality
Hint: The Exp costs of raising the Attributes are determined separately for each of the three opposing Attribute pairs. This means, for example, the more points you have in Aggression, the more expensive your Empathy upgrades become!

RESOURCES
There are five spendable resources that Characters can gather and use throughout their travels.
Food – at each End of the Day, your Character should eat one unit of Food. Without Food, you won’t be able to regenerate Energy (see: End of the Day).
Wealth – gold, gems and other riches that may help you buy life-saving Items and equipment.
Reputation (Rep) – your fame and glory; if you have many Rep points, people of the island will often go out of their way to help you!
Magic – supernatural power that might help you during Encounters, and is often required to enable Menhirs.
Experience (Exp) – spent on raising your Attributes and buying new Combat and Diplomacy cards that greatly increase your chances of survival.
Food and Wealth may be traded with Party members or any other Characters in the same Location who are not currently involved in an Action. Rep, Exp, and Magic can never be traded.

to regenerate Energy see End of the Day Wealth gold gems and other riches that may help you buy life saving Items and equipment Reputation Rep your fame and glory if you have many Rep points people of the island will often go out of their way to help you Magic supernatural power that might help you during Encounters and is often required to enable Menhirs Experience Exp spent on raising your Attributes and buying new Combat and Diplomacy cards that greatly increase your chances of survival Food and Wealth may be traded with Party members or any other Characters in the same Location who are not currently involved in an Action Rep Exp and Magic can never be traded

LOCATIONS
These oversized cards are the segments of the map of Avalon, depicting all places you will visit during your journey.
1. Location name
2. Location number – refers to the corresponding section of the Exploration Journal.
3. Legacy Location number – the number of the previous version of this Location (some actions, events or circumstances may replace a specific Location with its modified version).
4. Location Seals – each Location card may have up to three special Seals next to its name:
- MENHIR – this Location contains a Menhir you can activate. During the game, the Activate Menhir Action can only be performed in Locations with this symbol!
- DREAMS – if you end your day in this Location, prophetic Dreams (or horrible Nightmares) will come to you in your sleep.
- UNFRIENDLY SETTLEMENT – this Location will trigger an Encounter as soon as you enter it (usually a Diplomatic one). Look for specific rules on the Location card.
- FRIENDLY SETTLEMENT – Unfortunately, they are quite rare...
5. Location Action – an Action that can be performed in this Location.
6. Direction Keys – numbers that indicate the neighboring Locations.
7. Location Description – short description of the Location that will often give you hints on what to expect there.
As you Travel (see: During the Day), you will reveal more and more Location cards. To Travel between two adjacent Location cards, both must be connected to each other with Direction Keys. If two Location cards are next to each other, but there are no Direction Keys on their adjacent edges, then this route is blocked (usually by natural features such as mountain ranges, coves or steep cliffs). You must find another way! Whenever you arrive in a new Location, always follow the sequence below:
1) Reveal further Location cards. Find cards that match the Direction Keys on the edges of your new Location. Attach them to the corresponding Keys IF the Location card you are trying to attach is no further than 1 card away (including diagonally) from an Active Menhir.

BASIC RULES
Before you start your game, you should familiarize yourself with the key concepts of the Tainted Grail described in this section.
1. Your Character Model
2. Your Travel
3. Active Menhir
4 & 5. Attach these Location cards as you arrive in your new Location (their Location Numbers match the Direction Keys on the edges of your Location card AND they are within the range of an Active Menhir).
6. This Location card won’t be attached! Its Location Number matches the Direction Key BUT it wouldn’t be within the range of an Active Menhir.
7. (Image of a map with numbers 1-6, and a 10)

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2) Resolve any instant rules. If a rule on the card is marked with a Lightning symbol (⚡), you must resolve it now.

If a Guardian is present in the Location, resolve the Encounter before triggering the Location's instant rule.

SPECIAL MOVEMENT
Some cards and effects ask you to move your Character to the "low-est-numbered revealed Location", "any connected Location", and so on. This special move does not count as Travel, costs no [energy symbol] and is performed instantly. It does however reveal further Location cards and trigger any instant Actions and Guardian Encounters.

LEGACY LOCATION NUMBERS
In Tainted Grail, many Locations are transformed by the player's Actions. Sometimes your exploits will switch an entire Location card for its new, altered version. When Location cards change, their number changes as well, since they receive a new section in the Exploration Journal. However, the original Location number can still be found on the card, and is called the Legacy Location number. Use it when connecting the Direction Keys!

Example: You enter Location that has a "190" Direction Key on its right edge. You look for Location 190, but it's not available in the game anymore. You check the Legacy Location numbers and discover that Lo-cation 195 has a Legacy Key 190. You place Location 195 right next to the "190" Direction Key.

[Image of a game component with "110", "108", and "GRUBWOOD" visible]

To sum up: when you visit any Location during the game, you will reveal additional, neighboring Locations, provided they are: a) connected with a matching Direction Key, b) within the Menhir range. If the Location card with a num-ber indicated by the Direction Key is no longer available in game, check the Legacy Location number instead!

MENHIRS AND WYRDNESS
In the land of Avalon, whenever a Menhir goes dark, parts of the land soon sink into the primal force of the wyrdness – except for small, isolated pockets of reality left around disabled Menhirs and other powerful relics. To represent this, at each Start of the Day, you will be asked to discard any Locations that are no longer in range of an Active Menhir.

All Characters present on any removed Location card imme-diately lose 2 [health symbol], gain 2 [terror symbol] and are moved to the nearest re-maining Location card (if there are several Locations the same distance away, choose the lowest-numbered one). This is not a Travel Action!

Activating Menhirs requires Characters to use the Action found on the back of the Location card or in the Exploration Journal of this location. Both the costs and the Menhir setup are covered by this Action's text. Please note that Activating Menhirs is only possible in Locations that have the Menhir seal [menhir symbol] next to their name.

Characters may also extend the remaining duration of Menhirs that are still Active by simply Activating them again. Any remaining "power" left on the Menhir Dial is lost at the mo-ment of new Activation. When you extend a Menhir, do not add a new Menhir model in the Location!

If the last Menhir on the map goes out, do not remove the last remaining Location cards. The Characters may continue to play in these Locations, but they lose 2 [health symbol] and gain 2 [terror symbol] at each Start of the Day– until they die or activate one of the Menhirs.

EVENTS, QUESTS AND TASKS
The Event card you reveal at the start of the game sets you out on your first Quest. In Tainted Grail, Quests are the main branches of the story – large, important missions that always lead to the end of the Chapter and let you progress through the Campaign.

Quests are always contained on either Event or Secret cards and are marked by their special layout (see illustration) and a [quest symbol] symbol in the corner of their card. Whenever you draw a card containing a Quest, you should read it and place it in the Active Quests pile, next to the Event deck.

Example: The very first Event you draw during the game contains a Quest that reads "Gain the Menhir Rites Secret card". Place this Event next to the Event Deck, in the Quest pile. As soon as any Character has gained the Menhir Rites Secret card, follow the rules listed in the "Suc-cess" section of the Quest.

Hint: if you're not sure where to go or what to do, always start by checking your Active Quests again.

by their special layout see illustration and a quest symbol symbol in the corner of their card Whenever you draw a card containing a Quest you should read it and place it in the Active Quests pile next to the Event deck Example The very first Event you draw during the game contains a Quest that reads Gain the Menhir Rites Secret card Place this Event next to the Event Deck in the Quest pile As soon as any Character has gained the Menhir Rites Secret card follow the rules listed in the Suc cess section of the Quest Hint if you re not sure where to go or what to do always start by checking your Active Quests again

[Image of a game card with numbered sections]
1. Place this card on top of the Active Quest pile.
2. ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE
3. The time is short! The guardian menhir that has been protecting your town since the ancient days is about to go dark. Rumour has it that there's a secret druidic ritual that may help you rekindle the menhirs. You must explore the locations surrounding Cuanacht to find it!
4. QUEST
5. Earn a "Menhir Rites" Secret card. To do so you will have to Explore the locations surrounding Cuanacht (101).
6. Success: As soon as you have "Menhir Rites", remove this Chapter Part 5 card from the Event Deck and discard this card. Remember not to change the structure of the rest of the deck.
7. Hint: if this is your first game, try to return to Cuanacht at the end of this day and spend a night there to end the Primary, as Dreams often contain hints.

An example of a Story Event card with a Quest.
1. Title
2. Chapter and part - they allow you to set up the Event deck correctly.
3. Story description - story introduction to the Event that tells you what is happening.
4. Quest - explains what you have to accomplish in order to prog-ress the story further.
5. Hint - a tidbit of information that might help you to complete the Quest.

IMPORTANT: Never remove any cards containing a Quest, un-less you're clearly instructed to do so!

IMPORTANT: You should consider taking notes whenever you get a new Task. While the game provides references con-cerning Quests (in the form of their cards), remembering each Task you have found might be difficult.

IMPORTANT: Whenever you want to push the Campaign forward, follow your Quests. Tasks are also important, and may be profitable, but they will not lead you to the end of your current Chapter.

QUEST TOKENS
Many Quests and Tasks use Quest Tokens to track their progress. It is important to note that any Dials with Quest Tokens on them (called Quest Dials) are not reduced at the Start of the Day (see: Order of the Day). Only Time Dials are reduced automatically.

PARTIES AND PARTY ACTIONS
In Tainted Grail, players are free to group or split as they see fit! You may travel, fight and negotiate as a single Party, then go your separate ways, only for some of you to join back together to tackle a dangerous situation.

Whenever any Character takes any Action, other Characters in the same Location may decide to join them. If the Character performing the Action agrees, all Characters form a Party and take this Action together – the detailed rules depend on the Action.

All Characters in a Party are always referred to as Party Members.
In a Party: Party Members can trade Food, Wealth, Items and Secrets at any time, as long as the Party is not currently involved in an Encounter. Additionally, if you're in a Party with another Character, you may spend your [energy symbol] or Magic instead of another Party member! You may even cover the entire cost of the Action for all the other Party members. There's only one excep-tion: when performing the Character Action found on the Char-acter Tray, the Active Character must always spend at least 1 [energy symbol].

Hint: Traveling as a Party is safer, but when you're pressed for time, splitting might let you cover more ground, explore more and gain more rewards!

IMPORTANT: Joining an Action is possible only before it be-gins. Once the Action begins, Characters can no longer form or disband a Party, unless specific cards or rules say otherwise.

LEAVING OR DISBANDING A PARTY
Each Party Action needs to be taken and approved by all Party members. Any Character that does not want to take a specific Action with the rest of the Party must leave the Party before the Action begins. You may not leave a Party in the middle of an Ac-tion. You may leave a Party anytime it is not resolving an Action.

The only exception is when a Character in a Party cannot pay the Action cost required for each Party member. In such a case, any Character who doesn't pay is dropped out of the Party. The remaining Characters proceed with the Action.

a Party unless specific cards or rules say otherwise LEAVING OR DISBANDING A PARTY Each Party Action needs to be taken and approved by all Party members Any Character that does not want to take a specific Action with the rest of the Party must leave the Party before the Action begins You may not leave a Party in the middle of an Ac tion You may leave a Party anytime it is not resolving an Action The only exception is when a Character in a Party cannot pay the Action cost required for each Party member In such a case any Character who doesn t pay is dropped out of the Party The remaining Characters proceed with the Action

Example: An entry in the Exploration Journal requires each Party member to pay 2 [energy symbol]. Players A and B do so, while Player C cannot. Players A and B do not agree to cover the cost for Player C. Player C is dropped out of the Exploration immediately, while players A and B carry on together.

Party Members may only leave during Combat and Diplomacy if they Escape (see: Escaping Combat / Diplomacy) from the Encoun-ter or are removed due to the effect of the "You Are Dying" card.

Apart from the main Quests, your Party will meet a multi-tude of Tasks. Those are small side missions or clues that you may choose to pursue. Following Tasks is often profitable and may expand your knowledge of the world, but it is technically possible to finish the game without completing any. Tasks have no separate cards and no defined end conditions. They are es-sentially road signs that point you toward interesting places and stories. Unlike Quests, they are not tied to the Chapter and may be completed at any point – at least until your actions perma-nently change the Location card they are contained in.

Example: When visiting Titan's Steps (Location 115) players discov-er that the hermits and beggars who used to inhabit the nearby caves are gone. The Exploration Journal for this Location contains a line: "New Task: discover the fate of the hermits". If players follow the clues, they will eventually find a dark secret behind this disappearance in one of the nearby Locations...

11

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STATUSES AND SAVE SHEET
As you Travel, complete Quests and solve Tasks, you will often be asked to mark or check a certain Status (or a numbered part of the Status) on the Save Sheet.
Statuses are story-triggers that represent your impact upon the world. They are not personal. If there’s a status marked on a Save Sheet, all Characters have it. Smaller, personal changes (like being sick or having a unique magic aura) are handled with personal Secret cards.

EXPLORATION JOURNAL
Most Exploration Actions will direct you to the Exploration Journal – a thick book full of stories and interactions necessary to progress through the game. Before using it for the first time, be sure to read the “How to Use the Exploration Journal” chapter at the start of the Journal!

ENCOUNTERS
There are four types of Encounters found in the game:
The GREEN deck is mostly used in the wild and contains natural threats such as wild animals or legendary beasts. Many of these Encounters grant Food when defeated.
The GRAY deck contains dangers related to the world of men, such as brigands, rogue knights, or people driven to insanity. Many of these Encounters grant Items when defeated.
The PURPLE deck contains mysterious and supernatural threats. You will have to discover its significance yourself.
The BLUE deck is a special, non-combat deck. It is used mostly when you visit an unfriendly Settlement and it contains dangerous situations, as well as personal and diplomatic challenges.
Cards in each of these decks are divided into four difficulty levels, making the game harder as it progresses. Drawing an Encounter immediately launches you and your Party into Combat or Diplomacy, depending on the Encounter card (see: Combat and Diplomacy sections of this Rulebook).
Colorblind players can use the quarter-circles in the corners of the card backs to differentiate the decks: lower left - gray, lower right - green, upper right - purple, upper left - blue.

GUARDIANS
These dangerous enemies will keep roaming the area even after you Escape (see: Escaping Combat). If you fail to defeat a Guardian Encounter, place its card on the Location where you have triggered it. At the start of each day, roll a Guardian die:
1. Cardinal direction – move the Guardian accordingly.
2. Nothing – the Guardian does not move.
3. Discard – remove the Guardian from play, returning its card to the bottom of its Encounter deck.

If the Guardian should move to an unrevealed or unconnected Location, move it to the highest-numbered connected Location instead.
If the Guardian stays in the same Location and there are any Characters present there, immediately start the Encounter (all Characters present in this Location have to fight together).
If the Guardian enters a Location with any Character, it immediately triggers the Encounter. Once the Guardian is defeated, put its card on the bottom of its deck.
If a Character or a Party enters a Location with a Guardian, immediately trigger the Encounter. If there’s more than one Guardian there, players may choose which Encounter to trigger first.
If a Character or a Party enters a Location with a Guardian and an instant Action (denoted by the lightning icon), trigger the Guardian Encounter first and then resolve the rules on the Location card.
The Monsters of Avalon expansion contains one unique, dedicated model for each Guardian Encounter. In very rare situations, there might be more Encounters of a certain type on the board than available models. In such case, use cards to represent any excess Encounters.

ITEMS AND EQUIPMENT
Some of the Item cards available in Tainted Grail bear one of the following keywords:
Weapon
Armor
Shield
Companion
Relic
You can have any number of Items, but you may never use more than one Item or Secret with a single keyword at the same time. At the Start of the Day, if you have several Items or Secrets with a certain keyword, decide which one you use and turn the others face down. Do the same thing each time you get a new Item or Secret bearing the same keyword as another of your face up Items or Secrets. That way, you can only have one Weapon, one Shield, one Armor, one Companion and one Relic active at any given moment.
Some Items also contain a “C” symbol – these are the Craftable Items, the only ones that may be manufactured by player Characters. If a Crafting Action or an Encounter Reward asks you to “draw a Craftable Item”, keep drawing cards from the Item deck until you find the first Item with the “C” sign. Take it and shuffle the rest of the Item deck. The same applies for drawing a “Companion Item”, “Weapon Item” etc.
Characters may freely trade Items when they are in the same Location and they’re not involved in an Action or Encounter.

Secrets That way you can only have one Weapon one Shield one Armor one Companion and one Relic active at any given moment Some Items also contain a C symbol these are the Craftable Items the only ones that may be manufactured by player Characters If a Crafting Action or an Encounter Reward asks you to draw a Craftable Item keep drawing cards from the Item deck until you find the first Item with the C sign Take it and shuffle the rest of the Item deck The same applies for drawing a Companion Item Weapon Item etc Characters may freely trade Items when they are in the same Location and they re not involved in an Action or Encounter

FLIPPING CARDS
Some Items ask you to flip their card in Combat or Diplomacy to indicate they have been used. When instructed to flip the card, simply turn it face-down. At the end of your Combat or Diplomacy, remember to flip the card back!

SECRETS
Secrets are story related, numbered objects and powers that should never be a part of the standard Item deck. They may never be lost or sold, unless the rules specifically ask you to. They are also not affected by any rules that limit the number of Items (such as the “You Are Dying” card). If an effect asks you to discard Item cards, omit any Secrets, even if they have an Item-specific keyword.
Example: Disembodied Voracity eats two of your Items, and you have only one regular Item and one Secret card (that’s also a Weapon). In that case, discard only the regular Item card.
Players are free to trade Secret cards between their Characters whenever they are in the same Location and not involved in an Action. The only exceptions are the cards with the “Personal” keyword. They may never be transferred to another Character!

CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
Experience points (Exp) are the primary means of Character Advancement. You can spend them at each End of the Day to raise your Attributes, gain additional Combat or Diplomacy cards, or gain Skills.

ADVANCING COMBAT OR DIPLOMACY DECKS
Pay 2 Exp. Take three cards from the top of your Advancement Pool. Pick one of them and add it to your deck. Shuffle the two remaining cards back into your Advancement Pool.
Your Combat and Diplomacy decks should always contain at least 15 cards each.
You can swap cards you own in and out of your deck at each End of the Day. The cards that are not in your deck at the moment DO NOT return to the Advancement Pool. Place them next to your Character Tray or in the Save compartment of your Character.

ADVANCING ATTRIBUTES
The cost of raising Attributes depends on the total value of the Attribute pair (for more on Attribute pairs, see Attributes).
2 Exp: 1st point in a pair of opposing Attributes.
4 Exp: 2nd point in a pair of opposing Attributes.
6 Exp: 3rd point in a pair of opposing Attributes.
8 Exp: 4th point in a pair of opposing Attributes.
10 Exp: 5th and any further points in a pair of opposing Attributes.
Example: If your [Attribute 1] is 2 and your [Attribute 2] is 4, raising your [Attribute 1] to 1 is going to cost 3 Exp (the total value of this Attribute pair would be 7).
If your [Attribute 1] is 2 and your [Attribute 2] is 2, raising your [Attribute 1] to 7 is going to cost 54 Exp (the total value of this Attribute pair would be 9.)

BUYING SKILLS
Whenever you earn a 3rd (or any subsequent) point in any single Attribute, attach a Skill card bearing this Attribute to the appropriate edge of your Character Tray. Skill card are double-sided, containing two mutually exclusive Skills. Whenever you gain a Skill, you must choose one side and forfeit the other. All 72 skills in the game are unique, so be sure to discuss the Character advancements with other players to maximize your team’s potential.
Remember that every Skill card has a point of its Attribute printed on its face. This means, if you have two markers in the [Attribute] slots of your Character Tray, and two Skill cards, your total [Attribute] is 8.

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MORTE E INSANIDADE
À PORTA DA MORTE
Se seus pontos de vida caírem para 0 em qualquer ponto do jogo, anexe a carta "Você Está Morrendo" à sua Bandeja de Personagem, escape imediatamente de qualquer Encontro atual e resolva todas as regras adicionais encontradas na carta "Você Está Morrendo". De agora em diante, cada Ação pode ser a sua última! O status "Você Está Morrendo" dá ao seu Personagem tempo adicional para se recuperar, mas em algum momento você finalmente entregará seu espírito.

MORTE
No modo de um jogador, o jogo termina quando seu Personagem morre. É por isso que a carta "Você Está Morrendo" para um jogador é mais branda, dando-lhe mais chances de se recuperar.
No modo cooperativo, sua morte não encerra o jogo. Em vez disso, siga os passos abaixo:

* Se houver um Personagem não reivindicado na caixa, você pode reivindicá-lo, realizar a Configuração Padrão do Personagem e, em seguida, colocar seu modelo no Local revelado de menor número.
* Todos os Itens deixados pelo Personagem morto são colocados no Local onde o Personagem morreu. Eles podem ser pegos por quaisquer outros jogadores até que o Local desapareça.
* Todos os Segredos pertencentes ao Personagem morto são divididos entre os outros Personagens – da maneira que o proprietário do Personagem morto desejar, com uma exceção. Alguns Segredos raros com a palavra-chave "Pessoal" (ver: Segredos) desaparecem para sempre quando seu proprietário é morto!
* Se todos os outros Personagens estiverem em uso ou mortos quando um Personagem morre, o jogo termina em fracasso, mesmo para Personagens que ainda estão vivos. Isso dá aos jogadores um incentivo adicional para salvar uns aos outros a todo custo!
* Se o seu jogo terminar em fracasso, você pode usar a Misericórdia da Mãe-de-Todos descrita abaixo para salvá-lo.

INSANIDADE
Se sua Sanidade atingir os dois slots vermelhos superiores da trilha, anexe a carta "Você Está Enlouquecendo" à sua Bandeja de Personagem e siga suas instruções. Isso abrirá caminho para Pesadelos destrutivos e tornará a Exploração ou Viagem mais difícil e arriscada.

MISERICÓRDIA DA MÃE-DE-TODOS
Se você e seu Grupo perecerem e não desejarem começar de novo, você pode decidir que a intervenção da própria Mãe-de-Todos o salvou. Nesse caso, marque o status 'Salvo pela Deusa' em sua Folha de Salvamento e vá para o Verso 500 no Livro de Segredos. Isso o reiniciará no início do Capítulo com alguns recursos predefinidos, mas permitirá que você continue seu jogo.
IMPORTANTE: Contar com poderes superiores para mantê-lo vivo não é uma forma pretendida de jogar! Se você continuar solicitando a Misericórdia da Mãe-de-Todos, considere reiniciar o jogo usando o Modo História (ver: Modos Alternativos e Apêndice).

SALVANDO O JOGO
Recomendamos que você salve seu jogo e o armazene somente após completar um Capítulo, quando o Diário ou a carta de Evento lhe derem essa opção. Caso contrário, você pode esquecer vários detalhes da Missão ou interação em que estava no meio, e Ações "uma vez por dia" podem ser atualizadas com mais frequência do que o planejado. No entanto, em situações de emergência, você pode salvar o jogo a qualquer momento. Para salvar o jogo, basta seguir as instruções abaixo:

I) Cada jogador salva o estado de seu Personagem:
1) Escolha um diagrama de Bandeja de Personagem na Folha de Salvamento. Assine-o com o nome do seu Personagem. Em seguida, use um lápis para marcar seus Atributos, os números de seus Recursos e o estado de suas Trilhas de Sobrevivência no diagrama.
2) Se você tiver alguma Habilidade, escreva seus números únicos ao lado do Atributo ao qual elas se anexam.
3) Anote qualquer informação adicional que você considere importante, como o estado dos Marcadores de Missão ou Marcadores de carta de Segredo (se você tiver algum).
4) Remova todos os marcadores de sua Bandeja de Personagem e guarde-os na caixa.
5) Coloque todos os seus Itens e Segredos em um dos quatro compartimentos de Salvamento na caixa.
6) Empilhe todas as suas cartas de Diplomacia com todas as suas cartas de Combate. Coloque as cartas separadoras "Piscina de Avanço" em cima de suas Piscinas de Avanço de Combate e Diplomacia e empilhe-as juntas. Coloque ambas as pilhas em seu compartimento de Salvamento.

tiver alguma Habilidade escreva seus números únicos ao lado do Atributo ao qual elas se anexam 3 Anote qualquer informação adicional que você considere importante como o estado dos Marcadores de Missão ou Marcadores de carta de Segredo se você tiver algum 4 Remova todos os marcadores de sua Bandeja de Personagem e guarde os na caixa 5 Coloque todos os seus Itens e Segredos em um dos quatro compartimentos de Salvamento na caixa 6 Empilhe todas as suas cartas de Diplomacia com todas as suas cartas de Combate Coloque as cartas separadoras Piscina de Avanço em cima de suas Piscinas de Avanço de Combate e Diplomacia e empilhe as juntas Coloque ambas as pilhas em seu compartimento de Salvamento

II) O Cronista ou todos os jogadores salvam o estado do mundo:
1) Use sua Folha de Salvamento para anotar a Localização atual de todos os modelos de Personagem, modelos de Guardião, modelos de Menir e Marcadores especiais, bem como o valor atual de cada Marcador.
2) Remova todos os modelos, Marcadores e fichas e coloque-os na caixa.
3) Empilhe todos os Locais revelados em uma pilha e coloque a carta separadora "Locais Revelados" em cima deles. Em seguida, adicione os Locais não revelados à pilha, virados para o outro lado. Coloque todas as cartas de Local no compartimento de cartas grandes da caixa.
IMPORTANTE: certifique-se de que quaisquer Locais que você removeu do jogo sejam armazenados separadamente, no outro compartimento menor!
4) Armazene todos os seus quatro baralhos de Encontro atuais na caixa, atrás da carta separadora "Encontros Salvos".
5) Armazene seu baralho de Eventos e quaisquer Missões Ativas na caixa, atrás da carta separadora "Eventos Salvos".
6) Coloque quaisquer cartas restantes (Segredos, Itens, Encontros ou Eventos não utilizados) na caixa.
Para restaurar um jogo salvo, inverta este processo.

ADICIONANDO OU REMOVENDO JOGADORES
Toda vez que você configurar uma nova sessão de jogo, você pode adicionar ou remover jogadores e Personagens à vontade (dentro do limite de 1-4 Personagens).
* Certifique-se de distribuir quaisquer cartas de Segredo em posse de quaisquer Personagens removidos para Personagens que permanecem no jogo. Segredos nunca devem ser removidos da Campanha em andamento, a menos que você seja especificamente solicitado a fazer isso.
* Coloque quaisquer Personagens novos no mesmo Local que um dos Personagens veteranos. Eles são os reforços que você recebe de Cuanacht e começam o jogo com seus Recursos iniciais padrão e baralhos.

DESCARTANDO E REMOVENDO CARTAS DO JOGO
A maioria das cartas em Tainted Grail não possui pilhas de descarte separadas. Sempre que você for solicitado a descartar uma carta de Local, Evento Aleatório, Encontro, Segredo ou Item, coloque esta carta de volta no fundo de seu baralho. Cartas de Combate e Diplomacia, descartadas ou destruídas durante os Encontros, devem ser embaralhadas de volta em seu baralho de Combate ou Diplomacia assim que o Encontro terminar. No entanto, o baralho de Eventos tem sua própria pilha de descarte – ela ajuda você a controlar o tempo e garante o uso adequado do baralho.

REMOVENDO DO JOGO
Às vezes, em vez de descartar uma carta, você será solicitado a removê-la do jogo. Nesse caso, coloque a carta de volta na caixa do jogo, fora dos Compartimentos de Salvamento. Ela não faz mais parte desta Campanha e não deve retornar a nenhum baralho, a menos que você seja especificamente solicitado a trazê-la de volta.

DICAS GERAIS DE JOGO
* Explore ao redor. A maioria dos achados valiosos e muitas histórias estão disponíveis apenas através da Exploração. Às vezes você precisará explorar o mesmo lugar várias vezes.
* Tente sempre manter comida e recursos suficientes para os próximos dias.
* Inspecione todos os Menires em Locais revelados e prepare um plano para ativar seu próximo Menir cedo. Qualquer Encontro que dê errado ou uma má decisão pode atrasá-lo um ou dois dias!
* Resolver Encontros ou explorar Locais perigosos juntos pode realmente aumentar suas chances. Por outro lado, quanto mais de vocês houver, mais rápido vocês precisam se mover! Separar-se pode ser necessário às vezes para cobrir mais terreno.
* Lembre-se de que Personagens no mesmo Local podem ajudar uns aos outros, ajudando-os a pagar qualquer custo.

13

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BASIC COMBAT OVERVIEW
Combat in Tainted Grail is a turn-based confrontation between
a Character (or a Party of Characters) and an enemy, represent-
ed by the Encounter card. Together, Characters build a long line
(Sequence) of cards, with the aim of gaining enough markers in
the Combat Pool to defeat the Encounter. These markers repre-
sent the total progress Characters make against their opponent,
such as their tactical advantage, wounds they cause, and the op-
ponent’s exhaustion.
The detailed rules of Combat are described further down, but in
general, most Combat Encounters play out like this:

* All Party members draw their initial hands of cards (see
Starting Combat).
* Party members pick a Character who becomes Active and
goes first (Combat Turn, phase I).
* The Active Character may play one Combat card, adding it
to the end of the Sequence (Combat Turn, phase II, step 2).
* The Active Character may play as many additional Combat
cards as allowed by the rules (Combat Turn, phase II, step 2).
* The enemy makes an attack against the Active Character
(Combat Turn, phase II, step 3).
* If there are Characters who were not Active this Turn, one
of them becomes Active (Combat Turn, phase II, step 4). If not, the Turn ends and a new Turn begins.
Hint: you need to be careful when approaching various Encounters during your travels. Some of them might be particularly difficult for your Character. If that’s the case, you may always Escape from an Encounter (see: Escaping Combat).

COMBAT
Refer to this section of the Rulebook whenever you enter a Combat Encounter. If you’ve never played Tainted Grail Combat before, you should start with one of the Encounter cards marked as “Your First Encounter”. You can also learn Combat by watching the instructional video at:
www.taintedgrail.com/learn

STARTING COMBAT
Combat in Tainted Grail starts whenever the game asks you to
draw or pick a card from any of the following Encounter decks: gray, green, purple, and the card you draw has at least one open Key on its right edge. After drawing an Encounter card, set it in the play area,
ensuring you have plenty of space to the right - you will build your Sequence there. If the enemy has any Trait, check it now, as some Traits can take effect during this step (see: Encounter Traits). Then, all Party members make sure they’re not using more than one Item with each of the following keywords: Weapon, Shield, Armor, Companion, Relic (see: Items and Secrets). Party members may also decide not to use some of their Items in this Encounter. Set these unused Items aside for the duration of this Combat. No Items may be added once you enter Combat! After confirming their equipment, each Party Member draws a number of cards from their Combat deck:

* 3 cards if there are 1-3 Characters in Combat.
* 2 cards if there are 4 Characters in Combat.
If you don’t like your starting hand, you can discard it and draw a new hand with one fewer card. You may repeat this until you only have one card left in your hand.
When all Party members have their starting cards, go to phase I
of the Combat Turn, described on the next page.

COMBAT SEQUENCE EXAMPLE
A Sequence consists of Combat cards played during a Combat Encounter by all Party members. Every Character plays their Combat cards, adding them to one, shared Combat Sequence. Cards always form a single straight line. The bottom Keys always join together, and no Keys are ever obscured.

ESCAPING COMBAT
A player may Escape at any time during their Activation – they
lose 1
and trigger the Opportunity attack listed on the En-
counter card. Then, they place the Encounter card on the bottom of its deck, reshuffle their Combat deck and set it aside.

* In a Party: if an Active Character decides to Escape from Com-
bat, the Character triggers the Opportunity attack and leaves the Combat, as described above. The rest of the Party remains in the Encounter and proceed to step 4 – Check Readiness. When all play-
ers Escape, place the Encounter card on the bottom of its deck.

RUN AWAY
Characters are not the only ones who may flee from Combat.
Some Creatures have a special “Run Away” attack – when it trig-
gers, immediately end the Encounter and put the Encounter card
at the bottom of its deck. Characters receive no Loot or Reward.
For the purpose of any rules, forcing the enemy to Run Away
doesn’t count as winning the Encounter.

Party if an Active Character decides to Escape from Com bat the Character triggers the Opportunity attack and leaves the Combat as described above The rest of the Party remains in the Encounter and proceed to step 4 Check Readiness When all play ers Escape place the Encounter card on the bottom of its deck RUN AWAY Characters are not the only ones who may flee from Combat Some Creatures have a special Run Away attack when it trig gers immediately end the Encounter and put the Encounter card at the bottom of its deck Characters receive no Loot or Reward For the purpose of any rules forcing the enemy to Run Away doesn t count as winning the Encounter

ENCOUNTER CARD
This card represents the enemy the Characters will face during the whole Combat Encounter. It consists of several parts:
1 – Encounter Difficulty.
Each Encounter falls into one of four
difficulty categories.
2 – Guardian icon. See Guardian in the Combat Encounter Traits.
3 – Encounter Value. The resilience of this Encounter – to win, the
number of markers in your Combat Pool needs to reach this number.
4 – Card Name.
5 – Flavor text.
6 – Enemy Traits.
Special modifiers that remain active throughout
this Encounter (see: Enemy Traits).
7 – Combat Table. Determines which Attack the enemy will per-
form according to the number of markers in the Combat Pool.
8 – Opportunity. Describes what happens should the enemy use
their Opportunity attack.
9 – Reward & Loot. What you get for defeating this enemy. Rewards
apply to each player, and Loot needs to be shared between Party Members.
10 – Attribute Keys. Connecting these Keys grants various bonus-
es if you have the required level of an Attribute.

COMBAT CARD
This is an example of a Combat card.
1 – Attribute Keys.
Each of them is open and may connect to one
Bonus Key on the next card in the Sequence. Icons in the Attribute Keys correspond to Attributes on the Character Tray. If you do not have the
required level in a given Attribute, the Attribute Key won’t connect!
2 – Bonus Keys. Each of these Keys may connect to one Attribute
Key on the previous card in the Sequence.
3 – Magic Key. This Key connects if you join its left part with its
right part AND spend 5 point of
Magic.
4 – Free Key. This Key always connects for free and grants you a
bonus, specified in the second part of the Key. Each Bonus is explained
in detail in the “Combat Bonuses” frame. If the second part of this Key is
empty, you don’t receive anything.
10
1
2
4
3
5
6
7
8
9
1
2
5
3
6
4
14

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5 – **Ability**. The text part of the card containing special rules, with various timings. Only Abilities that are visible (and are not covered by other cards in the Sequence) are considered active. Passive cards (see below) are never covered, so their Abilities remain in play throughout the Encounter.

6 – **Card Number**. To make sorting through cards and building decks easier, each Combat and Diplomacy card has a unique number. The letter next to the number identifies the card's deck and color (U – blue, G – green, B – brown, Y – gray).

**PASSIVE COMBAT CARDS**
Unlike regular Combat cards, Passive Combat cards have their Ability always visible when in Sequence. To facilitate that, their Keys are on the opposite edges of the card.

**Charges**: Some cards instruct you to gain Charges – use universal markers and place them on the card. You can use “Pay x Charges” Abilities any time you want (unless their text restricts them to one of the phases).

In a Party: only the Active Character can use Charges from cards, but the owner of the card must agree.

**COMBAT TURN**
A Combat usually consists of several Combat Turns, with each Turn going through the following phases:

**I. PICK THE ACTIVE CHARACTER**

The Party members decide who will be the next Active Character. They can select any Characters who have not been Activated this Combat Turn (they have no Time Token on their Character Tray). If the Party members can't reach an unanimous decision, the Character with the lowest Character Number becomes Active.
Place a Time Token on the Tray of the Character that became Active. It will remind you this Character cannot be Activated again until the next Turn.

Keep in mind that any gameplay effects ( [icon: skull], [icon: up arrow], gain, Ability penalties) that happen during the Character Activation apply only to the Active Character!

**II. CHARACTER ACTIVATION**

**1. DELAYED ABILITIES**
Remove one Time Token from each Combat card in the Sequence that has any. If you've removed the last Time Token from a card, immediately resolve its Ability with the Time Token trigger (see: “Combat Card Triggers”). These abilities trigger only once!

**Combat Card Triggers & Icons**
Most Combat cards have an Ability. Abilities usually start with a Trigger icon that clearly indicates when you should resolve them.

[icon: down arrow] **On Placement** – resolve this Ability after placing the card in the Sequence.

[icon: hourglass] **Delayed** – put a Time Token on this card as you play it. The Ability is triggered after removing the very last Time Token from the card. The Ability does not trigger on subsequent Turns, and the Time Token does not return!
If you put another card on a card with a Time Token, and you cover the Ability, the Time Token is lost and the Ability won't trigger.

[icon: skull] **On Enemy Attack** – this Ability remains active throughout the entire step 3 of your Activation,, usually modifying the enemy's Attack.

[icon: up arrow] **Damage** – this icon means your Character has to lower their [icon: heart] by the indicated amount.

[icon: red key] **Connected Attribute Key** – this icon means the number of connected Attribute Keys of this specific type in the entire Sequence.

**2. PLAYING CARDS**
This is where you execute your plan, playing cards from your hand and adding them to the Sequence. If you fail to play even a single card, the enemy will benefit from your inaction (see: Opportunity). You may also be forced to play a card if you're affected by Panic (see: Panic).

To complete this step, follow the list below:

a) **Play one Combat card**. When playing the very first Combat card during your Activation, **you don't need to fulfill any special requirements**! This card doesn't have to connect any Keys. It just needs to line properly with the previous card in the Sequence (see: Combat Sequence Example), which will cause its bottom Key to join with the bottom Key of the previous card. After you play the card:
[icon: red dot] Check if any Attribute Keys connect to Bonus Keys. Apply these Bonuses. Remember that in order for them to connect, you need to have this specific Attribute level.
[icon: red dot] If both parts of a Magic Key Join, you may connect this Key by paying 1 **Magic** and gain its bonus.
[icon: red dot] Connect the bottom, Free Key and gain its bonus.
[icon: red dot] Check the Ability, and if it triggers now, resolve it (see Ability Triggers).

b) **Play additional Combat cards**. Each Turn, every Combat card you play after your first one **MUST connect with a [icon: key] Key**. If you have no cards that have this Bonus Key, or you can find no way to connect it, you may not play any additional cards! Resolve any cards you play just like above.

Please note: the [icon: key] icon must appear on the card you want to play (not the one before), and become connected.

you may connect this Key by paying 1 Magic and gain its bonus icon red dot Connect the bottom Free Key and gain its bonus icon red dot Check the Ability and if it triggers now resolve it see Ability Triggers b Play additional Combat cards Each Turn every Combat card you play after your first one MUST connect with a icon key Key If you have no cards that have this Bonus Key or you can find no way to connect it you may not play any additional cards Resolve any cards you play just like above Please note the icon key icon must appear on the card you want to play not the one before and become connected

c) **Check for Opportunity attack**. If you haven't played a single card this Activation, the enemy immediately makes an Opportunity attack (see: Opportunity). Afterwards, draw a card.
d) **Perform the Victory Check**. See the Victory Check frame for details.

**VICTORY CHECK**
Count the number of markers in the Combat Pool. If it's higher than or equal to the target Value printed on the Encounter card, you win! Receive any Rewards, share any Loot, and place the Encounter card on the bottom of its deck; reshuffle your Combat deck, including any played and discarded cards, and set it aside. Otherwise, go to the next step.

**3. ENEMY ATTACK**
[icon: red dot] Find the Attack on the Encounter card that matches the number of markers in the Combat Pool. Apply the result of this Attack to the Active Character.
[icon: red dot] If the enemy's Attack removes any markers from the Combat Pool, and the Combat Pool doesn't have enough markers to cover the loss, see the Negative Combat Pool section.
[icon: red dot] After modifying the Combat Pool, perform the Victory Check (see the Victory Check frame).

**4. CHECK READINESS**
[icon: red dot] Check if all of the Party Members have been Activated during this Turn (and have Time Tokens on their Character Trays). If there are no Characters left to Activate, go to the End Turn phase (III).
[icon: red dot] If there are still Characters who haven't been Activated, go back to “Pick the Active Character” phase (I).

**III. END TURN**
[icon: red dot] Discard. Discard down to 3 cards in your hand.
[icon: red dot] Draw. All Party members draw 1 card from their decks. Do not draw if your Character Panics (see: Panic). If there are no cards to draw, see: No Cards in Deck.

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● Clear Activations. Remove all Time Tokens from the Character Trays. This does not affect any Time Tokens left on Combat cards!
● Start new Turn. Go back to the start of phase I (Pick the Active Character)!

CONNECTED KEYS
For any Key to be connected, both halves of the Key need to physically join. Additionally:

- Your Character must have the appropriate Attribute level.

- You must spend 1 point of Magic if you want to connect it. Place this point on the Magic Key to indicate it is active. If you have to discard a card with a Connected Magic Key, you discard the Magic point used to Connect this Key.

- Always connects! Free Keys often contain multipliers, making them even more potent!

COMBAT BONUSES

- Place that many markers in the Combat Pool.

- Draw a card.

- This Bonus Key allows you to play additional Combat cards during step 2 of your Activation (see: Playing Cards). Ignore this Key when playing your first Combat card in the Activation. This Bonus does not multiply - if it's next to the multiplier, ignore the multiplier.

- Discard the last card of your Sequence.

2x - Multiplies the next icon.
For example, 2x + [red marker icon] means you receive 2 markers.

X - Voids the next icon.
For example, [red marker icon] + [green card icon] means you don't draw.

OTHER COMBAT RULES

PANIC
Panic takes place anytime your [red marker icon] is higher than your current [red marker icon] (the [red marker icon] marker is higher than the wings of the T-shaped limiter).
When that happens:
● Instead of playing the first card of this Turn from your hand in step 2 of your Activation (Playing Cards), play a card from the top of your Combat deck. Then, you may play any additional cards from your hand, according to the standard rules.
● Do not draw a new card at the End of Turn. Any bonus or extra cards gained from Bonus Keys, Skills or Abilities are still drawn as normal.

OPPORTUNITY
If you play no cards in step 2 of your Activation (Playing Cards), your enemy immediately performs the Opportunity attack listed on their card, and you draw 1 extra card. Then, proceed to step 3.

NO CARDS IN DECK
Whenever your Character has to draw any Combat cards and their Combat deck does not have the required number of cards, you are forced to Escape. Apply the standard Escape rules.

YOU ARE DYING!
Whenever your Character's [red marker icon] drops to 0, your Character gets a "You Are Dying" card. Among other rules, the card immediately removes your Character from the current Encounter - see its text for more details.

DISCARDING FROM AN EMPTY HAND
Whenever you have to discard a card from your hand, but you don't have any cards, discard a card from the top of your Combat deck.

NEGATIVE COMBAT POOL
The Combat Pool can never become negative. Whenever an enemy Attack or another effect asks you to remove a marker from the Combat Pool, but there are not enough markers, the player controlling the Active Character discards a card from their hand for every excess point instead. If there are no cards to discard, see: "Discarding from an empty hand" above.
Example: a player has 2 markers in their Combat Pool and one card in their hand. The Attack causes them to lose 4 markers. They discard two markers from the Combat Pool, one card from their hand and one card from the top of their deck.

COMBAT ENCOUNTER TRAITS
Ambush - the first Character Activated in this Combat discards down to 1 card in hand immediately after being Activated.
Rush - the first Character Activated in this Combat receives 2 [red marker icon] immediately after being Activated.
Defensive - each first Combat card played during step 2 of your Activation (Play Cards) adds 1 less marker to the Combat Pool.
Fast - each Character can play a maximum of 2 Combat cards per Activation.
Feint - any [red marker icon] inflicted during step 3 (Enemy Attack) can't be prevented in any way.
Guardian - if not defeated, this Encounter will roam the map (see the Guardians section of the Basic Rules).
Horde - during each Enemy Attack step, the Active Character discards 2 Combat cards from the top of their Combat deck.
Opportunist - if a Character doesn't play at least 2 Combat cards in step 2, trigger the Opportunity attack.
Rage - during this encounter, resolve step 3 (Enemy Attack) twice.
Robber - when all Party members drop to 1 [red marker icon] or less during this Encounter, they lose all their Wealth and discard all their Items. Then, end the Encounter and place it on the bottom of its deck.
Shatter - at the end of the Encounter, all Party members discard any Items (not Secrets) bearing the Weapon keyword they were using during the Encounter.
Slow - at the start of Combat, each Party member draws an additional Combat card. During the End of Turn phase, each Party member draws an additional Combat card.

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COMBAT EXAMPLE
Beor draws a gray Encounter – it’s a Vagabond. This enemy has the Fast Trait – it means the player can only play up to two Combat cards per turn.

TURN 1
The player controlling Beor draws 3 cards from their Combat deck and plays an Attack card. Beor has 2 points of [Magic], so the Key connects to a Bonus that adds 1 marker to the Combat Pool. The Free Key also connects – the player places another 1 marker in the Combat Pool.
Then, remembering they can play only two cards (due to the Fast Trait of the Vagabond), the player plays a Defend card and connects its Magic Key by paying 1 Magic. Connecting the Magic Key activates the Bonus ([Bonus Symbol]) required to play any additional cards.
There’s also a [Time Token Symbol] symbol on the card, so the player places a Time Token there. Now, it’s time for the enemy Attack.
The player looks at the Attack table of the Encounter card. The current value of the Combat Pool is 2. This means the enemy deals 2 [Damage Symbol] and removes 1 marker from the Combat Pool. However, the Defend card modifies the Attack, reducing [Damage Symbol] by 2. In the end, the Vagabond’s Attack only removes 1 Combat Pool marker.
The player draws 1 card.

TURN 2
The player removes a [Time Token Symbol] from the Defend card and draws 1 card.
Then, the player plays a Throw card. It’s the first card this Turn, so the player doesn’t need the [Bonus Symbol] bonus.
The Key and Free Key connect (the player wants to save Magic, so they don’t connect the Magic Key). The card adds a total of 3 markers to the Combat Pool – 1 from the Key and 2 from the Free Key (it has a x2 multiplier). The Ability of the card allows the player to throw Beor’s weapon or shield, but Beor doesn’t have one.
Then, the player plays an Enrage card, paying 1 Magic to connect the Magic Key – this Bonus was required for them to play the additional card. No other Keys connect. Due to the card’s Ability that triggers on placement ([Placement Symbol]), the player loses 1 [Health Symbol] and adds 1 marker to the Combat Pool for each connected key. There are 2 connected keys of this type in the entire Sequence, so the player places 2 more markers in the Combat Pool. There are now 6 markers in the Combat Pool – it exceeds the Value of the Encounter. Beor wins! The player gains the Loot and Reward listed on the Encounter card and puts the card on the bottom of the gray Encounter deck. All Combat cards used or discarded during Combat are returned to the Combat deck. Then, the player shuffles the deck and places it back on the left of Beor’s Character Tray.

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BASIC DIPLOMACY OVERVIEW
Diplomacy in Tainted Grail is a turn-based confrontation between a Character (or a Party of Characters) and an opponent, represented by the Encounter card. Together, Characters build a long line (Sequence) of cards, with the aim of pushing a marker on the Encounter card’s Affinity track to the top. In the meantime, the opponent will push the marker in the opposite direction while performing various Responses.
The detailed rules of Diplomacy are described further down, but in general, most Diplomatic Encounters play out like this:

* All Party members draw their initial hands of cards (see Starting Diplomacy).
* The Party members pick a Character who becomes Active and goes first (Diplomacy Turn, step I).
* The Active Character may play one Diplomacy card, adding it to the end of the Sequence (Diplomacy Turn, step II).
* The Active Character may play as many additional Diplomacy cards as the rules allow (Diplomacy Turn, step II).
* The opponent Responds to the Active Character (Diplomacy Turn, step III).
* If there are Characters who were not Active this Turn, one of them becomes Active. If not, the Turn ends and a new Turn begins.

Some Diplomatic Encounters allow for two alternative approaches or have several numbered Stages, each of them requiring you to “win” the Affinity track mini-game a second (or even third) time in a row, under different conditions.
Example: when surrounded by an enraged crowd that accuses you of murder, you might first be asked to calm them down using your , and then prove your innocence with your .
Hint: Apart from Escaping them, some Diplomatic Encounters give you an option to Avoid them altogether, provided you have enough Rep or Resources (see: Escaping or Avoiding Diplomacy).

Diplomacy Sequence Example
A Sequence consists of Diplomacy cards played during a Diplomatic Encounter by all Party members. Every Character plays their cards, adding them to one, shared Sequence. Cards always form a straight line. The columns of Keys always align, so that no Key is obscured.

ESCAPING OR AVOIDING DIPLOMACY
A Party may always Escape a Diplomatic Encounter – simply apply the penalty listed in the “Failure” section of the card to each Party member. If the card has an “Avoid” section at the bottom, you may decide to bypass the Encounter. In that case, you need to pay all costs and meet all requirements stated in the “Avoid” section. Then, put this Encounter card at the bottom of the Blue Encounter deck and continue the game. You can only Avoid an Encounter before you start it! Once Diplomacy begins, you are no longer allowed to Avoid. In a Party: When Avoiding, always check the highest Rep or Attribute levels (do not sum them up). The cost of Avoiding or Failure applies to each Party member separately. If Party members can’t reach a unanimous decision about Avoiding or Failing the Encounter, they must resolve it.

ENCOUNTER CARD
This card represents a typical Diplomatic Encounter. It consists of several parts:
1 – Card Name.
2 – Flavor text.
3 – Affinity Track. Many effects can push a marker on this track up or down. Some Abilities also check whether the marker is currently on green or on red.
4 – Encounter Difficulty. Each Diplomatic Encounter belongs to one of the four difficulty categories, from the easiest to the hardest.
5 – Avoid. The cost and requirements of Avoiding the Encounter (see: Escaping or Avoiding Diplomacy).
6 – Attribute Keys. Connecting these Keys grants various bonuses, if you have the required level in a given Attribute.
7 – Stages. Each stage requires you to “win” the Affinity track tug-of-war, following different rules.
8 – Diplomacy Table. Use it to determine which Response the opponent performs during the Response step.
9 – Failure. The cost of losing the Encounter. Applies to each Party member.
10 – Reward. The reward for winning the Encounter. Each Party member gains the reward listed here (you don’t need to share it).

Each Diplomatic Encounter belongs to one of the four difficulty categories from the easiest to the hardest 5 Avoid The cost and requirements of Avoiding the Encounter see Escaping or Avoiding Diplomacy 6 Attribute Keys Connecting these Keys grants various bonuses if you have the required level in a given Attribute 7 Stages Each stage requires you to win the Affinity track tug of war following different rules 8 Diplomacy Table Use it to determine which Response the opponent performs during the Response step 9 Failure The cost of losing the Encounter Applies to each Party member 10 Reward The reward for winning the Encounter Each Party member gains the reward listed here you don t need to share it

STARTING DIPLOMACY
Diplomacy in Tainted Grail starts whenever the game asks you to draw or pick a card from the blue Encounter deck, and the card you draw has at least one open Key on its right edge. After drawing an Encounter card, set it on the board, ensuring you have plenty of space to the right - you will build your Sequence there. Then, all Party members make sure whether they’re not using more than one Item with each of the following keywords: Weapon, Shield, Armor, Companion, Relic (see: Items and Secrets). Party members may also decide not to use some of their Items in this Encounter. Set these unused Items aside for the duration of this Encounter. No Items may be added once you enter Diplomacy! After confirming their equipment, each Party Member draws a number of cards from their Diplomacy Deck:
* 3 cards if there are 1-3 Characters in the Encounter.
* 2 cards if there are 4 Characters in the Encounter.
If you don’t like your starting hand, you can discard it and draw a new hand with one less card. You may repeat this until you only have one card left in your hand.
When all the Party members have their starting cards, Diplomacy begins - place a marker in the gray slot of the Affinity track and go to phase I of the Diplomacy Turn, described on the next page.

DIPLOMACY CARD
This is an example of a Diplomacy card which you will use to defeat your opponent during a Diplomatic Encounter.
1 – Attribute Keys. Each of them is open and may connect to one Bonus Key on the next card in the Sequence. Icons in the Attribute Keys correspond to Attributes on the Character Tray. If you do not have the required level in a given Attribute, the Attribute Key won’t connect!
2 – Bonus Keys. Each of these Keys may connect to one Attribute Key on the previous card in the Sequence.

DIPLOMACY
Refer to this section of the Rulebook whenever you enter a Diplomatic Encounter. If you’ve never played Tainted Grail Diplomacy before, you should start with one of the Encounter cards marked as “Your First Encounter”. You can also learn Diplomacy by watching our instructional video at:
www.taintedgrail.com/learn
In Tainted Grail, not all Encounters end in Combat. There is also a separate, blue Encounter deck for diplomatic challenges and social confrontations your Character might need to navigate. They play similarly to Combat, so if you’re already familiar with it, learning Diplomacy should be easy.

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