Game Objective

In Battle of the Gods, the gods make a wager to decide who is the most powerful. The setting is a desolate island where you must compete for the faith of the local inhabitants. The objective is simple: convert the greatest number of the Island's Followers. The first player to convert the amount of Followers determined by the number of participants wins the game.

Setup

1. Place the Island Board and the Graveyard Board in the center of the table.
2. Each player chooses one of the available decks (Christian, Greek, Norse, Egyptian, or Yoruba) and takes their respective Player Board.
3. Players shuffle their decks and draw five cards to form their starting hand.
   • Note: Each player may, once, return their starting hand to the deck, shuffle, and draw five new cards.
4. Form a pile with the Follower Meeples and place the Follower Die next to it.
5. The First Player Marker is given to the last player who read a comic book on any given Saturday.

Game Flow

The game takes place in a series of rounds, and each round is divided into three mandatory phases:

1. Initial Phase

• Roll the Follower Die: The First Player rolls the Follower Die and places the corresponding amount of Follower Meeples on the Island Board.
• Action Choice: In clockwise order, each player decides between:
  • Enter Prayer: The player draws 5 cards and sits out the current round, unable to perform any other action (including casting Spells).
  • Enter Battle: The player chooses an Entity card from their hand and places it face down on the table. They may also cast Spell cards as they wish before passing their turn.

2. Battle Phase

• Reveal Entities: All players who entered the battle reveal their Entities simultaneously. "On Play" abilities are resolved at this time.
• Compare Faith Values: Players mark the Faith Value of their Entities on their boards.
• Use of Accessories and Spells: Starting with the First Player, each player may play as many Accessory and/or Spell cards as they wish to increase their own Faith Value or decrease their opponents'.
• Maintaining the Dispute: To stay in the dispute, the player must match or exceed the highest Faith Value on the table during their turn. If they fail to do so, they are considered defeated and are out of the round.
• Round Victory: The dispute continues until only one player with the highest Faith Value remains. This player takes one final turn (if they wish) and is declared the winner.

3. Final Phase

1. Activation of "Victory" and "Defeat" abilities.
2. Activation of "At the end of the round" abilities.
3. The round winner collects the Follower Meeples from the Island and places them in their reserve.
4. All used cards are placed in the discard piles and Faith Value markers return to zero.
5. The First Player Marker passes to the player to the left.

Actions and How to Play

Players use three main types of cards to compete in the game:

• Entities: These are the creatures that represent the gods. They have a Faith Value (number in the upper corner) that defines their strength in the dispute. Each player can only have a single Entity in play at a time (unless the card allows it to be used as an Accessory).
• Accessories: Items equipped to Entities (allies or opponents) to improve or hinder their attributes.
• Spells: Cards used to affect Entities or generate various other effects in the game.

Special Abilities

• On Play: Resolved as soon as the card is played or the Entity is revealed.
• Victory/Defeat: Resolved in the Final Phase depending on the round's outcome.
• Constant/Active: Some abilities are permanent or can be activated at any time during the player's turn (if they do not have the "On Play" text).

Important Rules

• Hand Limit: The limit is 10 cards. Excess cards must be discarded at the end of the turn.
• Graveyard: When a Follower is "killed" by a card effect, they go to the Graveyard Board and do not return to the general pile.
• Tie: If the round ends in a tie, the Island's Followers accumulate for the next round.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends immediately when a player accumulates the required amount of Followers in their reserve, according to the table below:

• 3 Players: 10 Followers to win.
• 4 Players: 8 Followers to win.
• 5 Players: 7 Followers to win.

Note: For quick games or the first game, a goal of 6 Followers is recommended.

Tips for Winning

• Resource Management: Use the Enter Prayer action to draw 5 cards and better prepare for future rounds if your hand is weak.
• Faith Control: Use Accessories and Spells strategically during the Battle Phase to force the defeat of opponents who cannot match the highest Faith Value on the table.
• Graveyard Synergy: Keep an eye out for Entities that gain bonuses based on the number of cards in the Graveyard.