Game Objective

The objective of the game is for the investigators to survive the Disasters and solve the Mysteries plaguing the cities. Victory is achieved by completing the objectives of the active Mystery or surviving until the end of the game. If all named City spaces on the main board are devastated, the players automatically lose.

Setup

To set up the game, follow these steps:

• Each player draws a random Prelude card before setting up the game. The card's effect is resolved immediately unless otherwise specified.
• Set up the board with the named City spaces and position the Clue markers, Lead Investigator, and other components according to the base game rules.
• Distribute the Unique Resource, Disaster, and Devastation Encounter cards according to the manual's instructions.
• Each investigator receives a starting set of cards, Sanity tokens, and Clue markers, as detailed in the manual.

Refer to the manual for details on the specific setup of each component.

Game Flow

The game progresses in turns, with specific phases for each player and global events. The general structure includes:

1. Encounter Phase: Investigators encounter Monsters and resolve Combat Encounters or Mysteries. Encountering non-Epic Monsters before Epic Monsters is mandatory.
2. Disaster Phase: If Doom advances to a space with a Dread marker, a Disaster is resolved. This may devastate City spaces.
3. Mystery Phase: The active Mystery advances, requiring actions such as placing Markers, defeating Epic Monsters, or spending Clues. Effects vary according to the Mystery card.
4. Devastation Phase: If a space is devastated, all Clue markers and defeated Investigators are discarded. The space is no longer a City space.

Refer to the manual for the exact order of phases and the specific rules for each phase.

Actions and How to Play

Players can perform actions during their turn, such as:

• Unique Resources: Double-sided cards that offer unique benefits. They can be swapped using the Swap Action and used once per turn (e.g., rerolling 1 die in tests).
• Discard: Discard cards to resolve effects or gain extra Sanity during Rest.
• Devastation Encounters: When a space is devastated, investigators must draw and resolve the first card from the Devastation Encounter deck.
• Mystery: Advancing the active Mystery may require placing Markers, defeating Epic Monsters, or spending Clues. Effects depend on the Mystery card.

Refer to the manual for details on each action, restrictions, and possible combinations.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when:

• All named City spaces on the main board are devastated (automatic loss).
• The active Mystery is completed (victory, if applicable).
• The players decide to end the game (if applicable, according to optional rules).

The score is calculated based on:

• Resolution of Mysteries and challenges.
• Survival of the investigators.
• Effective use of Unique Resources and Spells.

Refer to the manual for the exact scoring and victory/defeat criteria.

Tips for Winning

1. Prioritize solving Mysteries that require placing Markers, as this reduces the Resistance of Epic Monsters.

2. Use Unique Resources strategically, especially those that allow rerolling dice in critical tests.

3. Avoid devastating City spaces unnecessarily, as this limits encounter options and can lead to defeat.