Objective of the Game

In Pagan: Beyond the Palisades, two players compete in an asymmetrical battle of wits and survival. One player takes on the role of the Witch, while the other plays the Witch Hunter.

The Witch aims to collect enough Secrets to perform a potent ritual that will allow Mother Nature to reclaim the colony. The Witch Hunter must gather Allies and support to bring the Witch to justice and prevent the fatal ritual from being completed.

Setup

Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.

Game Flow

The game is played in turns between the Witch and the Hunter. Each turn consists of the following structure:

Witch's Turn

1. Upkeep Phase: The Witch may need to pay Influence for cards in play (e.g., Guild Leader).
2. Actions: The Witch uses Action Pawns to perform various tasks such as Visiting a Villager, Readying a Villager, or Performing a Ritual.
3. Free Actions: The Witch can Consume a Brew as a free action during their turn.

Hunter's Turn

1. Upkeep Phase: The Hunter may need to pay Influence for cards in play.
2. Actions: The Hunter uses Action Pawns to perform tasks such as Visiting a Villager, Raiding a Villager, Exonerating a Villager, or Eliminating a Villager.

Actions and How to Play

Players use Action Pawns to interact with the board and cards. The available actions depend on the player's role:

Witch Actions

• Visit a Villager: 1. Carry out the I-card effect; 2. Convert up to 2 Secrets into 1 Favor; 3. Distribute Secrets to the villager or B; 4. Use the Villager Skill (twice if the villager has 2+ Favors); 5. Perform the Empowered R action if using the ≈.
• Ready a Villager: Costs 1 Secret from that villager (only using Enemy Action Pawns).
• Perform Ritual: Place an Action Pawn on a Ready Villager who is the True Witch and has at least 3 Favors.
• Consume Brew: A free action to trigger the Consume effect.

Hunter Actions

• Visit a Villager: 1. Carry out the I-card effect; 2. Gain 1 Evidence (if the villager has at least 3 Clues); 3. Distribute Clues; 4. Use the Villager Skill.
• Raid Villager: Place an Action Pawn on a Ready Villager and pay 3 Clues from villagers of the same color. This removes 1 Favor or all Secrets from that villager.
• Exonerate Villager: Pay 3 Clues, then draw a Suspect card.
• Eliminate Villager: Requires 3 Clues on the target, a Ready Villager, and at least 1 Clue on all other villagers.
• Ready a Villager: Costs 1 Clue from that villager (only using Enemy Action Pawns).

New Mechanics: Gloom and Cleanse

Gloom is a resource that benefits the Witch. It enters the game through Gloom-cards. Gloom-cards have a Gloom-limit (the maximum number of Gloom tokens they can hold). If a Gloom-card has no Gloom tokens remaining, it is Cleansed, its Cleanse effect is triggered, and it is discarded.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when one player achieves their specific victory condition:

• Witch Victory: The Witch wins by successfully performing the Ritual (placing an Action Pawn on the True Witch who is Ready and has at least 3 Favors).
• Hunter Victory: The Hunter wins by exposing and eliminating the Witch before the ritual is completed.

Tips for Winning

• Witch Strategy: Use Gloom-cards to build power, but be careful—if the Hunter manages to Cleanse your cards, you lose the benefit of the Cleanse effect and the card is discarded.
• Hunter Strategy: Use Investigation and Exoneration to manage the villagers and track down the True Witch before they can complete their ritual.