# Black Sonata: The Fair Youth

## General Info
- **Year Published**: 2020
- **BGG Rating**: 7.6
- **BGG Rank**: —
- **Players**: 1 (Best with: 1)
- **Duration**: 20-40 min
- **Weight**: 2.24 / 5
- **Designers**: John Kean
- **Artists**: John Kean
- **Publishers**: Side Room Games, CrowD Games, GateOnGames, Melmac Games, TGG Games, Treetato Studio
- **Categories**: Deduction, Expansion for Base-game, Print & Play, Renaissance
- **Mechanics**: Hidden Movement, Point to Point Movement, Solo / Solitaire Game

## Verdict
Loved Black Sonata and want more? This expansion packs several new modules for you to mix and match, boosting replayability and deduction challenges!More deduction and mysteryNew tracking methodsCombinable modulesExpands the base gameRequires base gameCan increase complexityHIGHLY RECOMMENDED

## Description
If you're a fan of *Black Sonata* and looking for more brain-teasing challenges, this expansion is your next move! It doesn't just throw in new tools and dilemmas to the base game; it also lets you mix and match its modules however you see fit. The 'The Fair Youth' module plunges you into a chase across London to find the titular Fair Youth. Be warned: bystanders offer clues, but if you're already at his actual location, they'll feed you a lie! Deduction is paramount to catching him, and if you play your cards right, you might even catch him and the Dark Lady together, unmasking them both simultaneously. Then there's 'Rendezvous', challenging you to discover which of seven landscape features served as a secret meeting spot for Shakespeare and his beloved. Each location queried gives you a number (1-3) indicating the distance to the secret symbol. Unravel the symbol, find the right location, and confront the Lady there! 'The Rival Poet' introduces a second pawn to mess with your plans, featuring two variants: the Elusive Poet, who flees but reveals clues if caught, and the Aggressive Poet, who hounds you and potentially ruins your schemes. Rounding things out, 'Waypoints and Traces' gives you a way to mark the Dark Lady's location within the stealth deck, while 'The Darker Ladies' swaps out the original clue cards for a slightly spicier deduction challenge, offering new characteristics for each Lady. It's designed for those who want to extend the base game's experience with more mystery and strategic depth.

## How to Play
Objective of the Game
In Black Sonata: The Fair Youth, you are trying to deduce the hiding location of the Fair Youth and catch him there. This expansion also includes other modules that can be added to the base game, offering additional deduction tasks, harder challenges, or tools to track the Dark Lady. Successfully confronting the Fair Youth adds 20 points to your score. If you also successfully confront both the Fair Youth and the Dark Lady in the same location at the same time, you add a further 10 points to your score.

Preparation (Setup)
The Darker Ladies

Replace the Dark Lady cards from the base set with the 12 Darker Lady cards.
Shuffle the Darker Lady cards and tuck the top card face down under the game board. This is the Dark Lady whose characteristics you must deduce.
Locate the two other cards with the same suit as the hidden Dark Lady.
Place one of these face down near the board and stack the location keys on top of it.
Take three other clue cards and shuffle them together with the last card from the Dark Lady's suit.
Place these face down on top of the clue mask card, then place the remaining clue cards on top.
Flip the stack over so that the mask card is on top and place this clue deck to one side of the board.

The Fair Youth

Shuffle the 11 Fair Youth cards and choose one, placing it face down next to the game board.
Set the remaining 10 cards aside – they will not be used.

The Rival Poet

After placing the player pawn in its starting location, place the Rival Poet pawn in the location with the matching color (if green, you may choose either of the two vacant locations).

Waypoints and Traces

Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.


Fluxo do Jogo
The game uses all the rules of the base game, with additional options and modifications depending on the expansions used.
The Rival Poet
Each turn now consists of three steps:

Update the Dark Lady's location.
Update the Rival Poet's location.
Take your turn as normal.

Updating the Poet's location:

The Elusive Poet will only move when the player pawn is in an adjoining location. Then he will move one step away from the player pawn if there is a valid opportunity. If there is more than one way he could go, he takes the right-most option facing away from the player pawn.
The Aggressive Poet will try to move one step towards the player pawn, taking the shortest valid route. If there are two valid routes that are equally short then he will take the right-most option facing towards the player pawn.
In both cases:

The Poet will never move into a location that has the same symbol as that shown on the current stealth card.
The Poet will not move if a fog card is showing on the stealth deck.


If the Poet cannot move according to these rules then he will remain in his current location for that turn.


Ações e Como Jogar
The Fair Youth
During your turn, you may ask a bystander which direction the Fair Youth went when he passed through your current location. To do so, place the Fair Youth card on top of the current location key, align the cards and flip them over together. In the keyhole you will see a landmark present in the next location to which the Fair Youth passed from here. You may optionally use the arrow tokens to indicate the possibilities.

The Fair Youth always travels the shortest path to his hideout, though in some cases there may be two paths that are equally short.
If you are currently in the Fair Youth's location then the bystander will mistakenly tell you which direction he went when he left the last time.
You must ask bystanders at several locations to deduce where the Fair Youth is hiding, remembering that the information gained from his current location is misleading. Then you must travel to his location and confront him.

Confronting the Fair Youth
When you believe you are in the right location, simply turn over the Fair Youth card and check the location printed there.
The Rival Poet
On your turn:

If you move into the same location as the Elusive Poet then he gives you a clue about the Dark Lady. Discard one fog card from the fog deck, take a new clue card, and move the Poet pawn to a location with the matching color.
Conversely, you may never voluntarily move to where the Aggressive Poet is. If he has moved into your location then you must use your turn to move away. You may not search for the Dark Lady, use a fog card, or even pass when in the same location as the Aggressive Poet.

Waypoints and Traces
During your turn you may use either of these cards, if available, even if you have already moved or searched in that turn. It may be best to use them immediately before searching, or after a search but before advancing the stealth deck as the Lady flees.
To mark a waypoint:

Place the ① card on the bottom of the stealth deck and put the corresponding token on one of the locations on the board, such as where you know the Dark Lady to be.
Remove the card when you encounter it on your next time through the stealth deck, and the next card will correspond to the marked location.
Then remove the token from the map. You may then use the waypoint a second time if you wish.

To trace the Lady:

Choose whether you want 3 or 5 moves warning of her position and flip the tracer card ! accordingly.
Separate the corresponding number of cards from the bottom of the stealth deck (not counting any cards with coloured borders), add the tracer card, and replace the bottom cards in the same order.
Then add the footprint token to the map.
When the tracer card comes up next time set it aside: you now know how many moves you have left to reach the marked location and intercept the Lady.
Once both card and token have been set aside you may re-use them a second time.


Fim de Jogo e Pontuação
Confronting the Fair Youth

If the location printed on the Fair Youth card matches your current location, you have found him – add 20 points to your score.
If it does not match, he has eluded you – subtract 20 points from your score.
If you successfully confront both the Fair Youth and the Dark Lady in the same location at the same time then add a further 10 points to your score!

The Rendezvous
You must deduce the landmark on the Rendezvous card before confronting the Dark Lady. When you do confront her, first turn over the Rendezvous card. That landmark must be present in your location, otherwise you lose. Then reveal the Dark Lady and check her symbols as normal.
You win only if you correctly identified the Dark Lady in a location with the correct Rendezvous landmark. If you win, add 15 points to your score.
The Rival Poet

Subtract 10 points from your final score if you used the Elusive Poet.
Add 10 points to your final score if you used the Aggressive Poet.


Dicas para Vencer

When trying to deduce the Fair Youth's location, remember that information gained from his current location is misleading. You'll need to ask bystanders at several locations to piece together his true hideout.
If you are using Waypoints and Traces, consider using the waypoint card to mark where you know the Dark Lady to be at a particular point in her flight. This can help you find her next time through the stealth deck.
When using The Rival Poet, if you're playing with the Aggressive Poet, be mindful that you cannot voluntarily move to his location and if he moves into yours, you must use your turn to move away, restricting your other actions.

## FAQ
### Do I need the base game *Black Sonata* to play this expansion?
Absolutely! This is an expansion, so you need to own the base game *Black Sonata* to use any of the modules included here.

### How many players can play with this expansion?
The expansion maintains the nature of the base game: it's designed for 1 player. You play solo against the game.

### How long does a game session take with the expansion?
Games remain quick, typically taking between 20 to 40 minutes, depending on which module you're using and your familiarity with it.

### Can the expansion's modules be played together?
Yes! One of the great advantages is that you can combine the different modules from the expansion to create even more personalized and complex challenges.

### Does the expansion add a lot of physical components?
As an expansion focused on adding challenges and mechanics, it might come with additional cards, markers, or a small board, depending on the module. Many components are designed for home printing (Print & Play).

### Is it much harder than the base game?
Some modules might present a greater challenge, especially those that add more deduction elements or interact more directly with the player. However, you can choose which modules to use and even combine them to adjust the difficulty.

### Who is this expansion recommended for?
It's perfect for those who already love *Black Sonata* and want more variety, more mystery, and more solo gaming hours with a touch of deduction and hidden movement.

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