Game Objective

In Dice Forge, players take on the roles of heroes competing to earn the most Glory Points. To achieve this, players roll their dice to collect Gold, Sun Shards, and Moon Shards. These resources are spent to acquire new die faces to upgrade their dice or to perform powerful heroic feats, both of which are the primary ways to collect Glory Points.

Setup

1. General Components: Remove the Temple from its sleeve and place it on top of the Foundations. Unfold the Islands board and place it next to the Foundations.
2. Card Setup: Sort the Heroic Feat cards into piles of 4 identical cards. Place these stacks in their designated locations around the Islands board, matching the card cost and type with the cost indicated on the location.
3. Player Setup:
   • The youngest player becomes the first player and takes the First Player token.
   • Each player takes a Hero inventory, five Resource markers (one placed on the "0" space of each reserve), and a Hero pawn (placed on their matching starting portal).
   • Each player takes one Light Die and one Dark Die (assembled in their starting configuration) and places them on their Hero Inventory.
4. Initial Gold: Players adjust their Gold reserve based on turn order: Player 1 = 3, Player 2 = 2, Player 3 = 1, and Player 4 = 0.
5. Final Touches: Place the Round tracker on space "1". Store remaining die faces on the Temple. Place Single-Use tokens, Hammer tokens, and Chest tiles in their designated locations.

Game Flow

The game is played over a series of rounds. In each round, every player takes one turn as the active player, moving in clockwise order starting with the first player. A turn consists of four consecutive steps:

1. All Players Receive Divine Blessings: All players simultaneously roll both their dice and apply the effects of the rolled faces (usually gaining resources). In a two-player game, this step is performed twice.
2. Call for Reinforcements: The active player may apply the effects of any cards they possess that have reinforcement effects, each effect once, in any order.
3. Perform an Action: The active player may perform either Action A (Make an Offering to the Gods) or Action B (Perform a Heroic Feat).
4. Extra Action: Once per turn, the active player may spend 2 Gold to perform an additional action (either Action A or Action B).

After the active player finishes step 4, their turn ends. Once all players have played, the Round tracker advances. The game ends after the final round (9 rounds for 2 or 4 players; 10 rounds for 3 players).

Actions and How to Play

Action A: Make an Offering to the Gods

The active player spends Gold to take one or more strictly different die faces from the Sanctuary. After acquiring the faces, the player must immediately Forge a Die Face. To do this, the player removes an existing face from their die using the new face as a lever, attaches the new face, and places the die back on the Hero Inventory with the newly-forged face facing up.

Action B: Perform a Heroic Feat

1. The active player chooses a heroic feat, spends the required resources, and moves their Hero pawn to the corresponding island's portal. If the portal is occupied, the active player ousts the current occupant.
2. The active player takes the top Heroic Feat card from the stack and applies its effect, if any.
3. The card is placed facedown in one of three piles based on its effect type:
   • Pile 1: No permanent effect.
   • Pile 2: Permanent effects activated throughout the game subject to certain conditions.
   • Pile 3: Permanent effects activated during step 2 when the owner is the active player.

Special Mechanics

• Ousting Another Hero: When a hero is ousted, they move their Hero pawn back to their starting portal and immediately receive a divine blessing (rolling both dice and applying effects).
• Receiving a Minor Blessing: This occurs only via card effects. The player rolls one chosen die and applies its effect.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends immediately after the final round. The scoring phase is as follows:

• Each player sums all Glory Points from their Heroic Feat cards and their Hero Inventory, including any tokens.
• The player with the most Glory Points is the winner. In the event of a tie, all tied players win together.

Tips for Winning

• Manage Your Reserves: Be mindful of the maximum limits on the Gold, Sun Shards, and Moon Shards tracks; any resources gained beyond the maximum are lost.
• Strategic Forging: Use Make an Offering to the Gods to modify your dice faces to better acquire the resources needed for high-value Heroic Feat cards.
• Control the Portals: Use the ousting mechanic to force opponents back to their starting portals, though be aware this grants them a divine blessing.