Objective of the Game

In Res Arcana: Perlae Imperii, players engage in a magical struggle to accumulate the most Victory Points (VP). The goal is to master the use of Pearls and other essences to build powerful Artifacts and Monuments to achieve victory.

Setup

Follow these steps to prepare your game:

1. Combine Components: Mix the Perlae Imperii expansion components with the base game components.
2. Pearls: Place the Pearls in the center of the essence tray. Give each player 1 Pearl (in addition to their other starting essences).
3. Monuments: Shuffle all Monuments together. Deal the number of Monuments indicated by the player count table to form the initial deck. Return any unused Monuments to the box without looking at them. Draw 2 Monuments and place them face up in the center.
4. Places of Power: Shuffle the Places of Power together, unseen, below the table. Turn over half of them several times while shuffling so that the side of each Place of Power is random. Place the number of Places of Power indicated by the player count table and return any unused ones to the box.
5. Reminder Tile: Place the Reminder tile with the Pearl side up in the center.
6. Finalize Setup: Perform the rest of the base game setup normally.

Setup Chart:

Game Flow

Play proceeds normally according to the base game rules, with the following specific adjustments for this expansion:

• Pearl Conversion: On a player's turn, they may convert Pearls from their essence pool to gain 1 Gold or any 2 non-Gold, non-Pearl essences.
• Out-of-Turn Pearl Conversion: A player may also convert Pearls from their essence pool out of turn when using a React power or when responding to a React power condition (such as being attacked by a Dragon). If a timing conflict occurs, resolve it clockwise, starting with the player holding the First Player token.

Actions and How to Play

In addition to standard actions, players must navigate the new mechanics introduced by the expansion:

Essence and Pearl Rules

• Pearl Properties: Pearls are a new essence type. Powers that produce essences of any type excluding Gold cannot produce Pearls. Similarly, discounts that do not apply to Gold do not apply to Pearls.
• Converting Pearls: When converting a Pearl, you can choose to gain 1 Gold or any 2 non-Gold, non-Pearl essences (these can be the same or different).

Special Card Types and Abilities

• Mages: The Illusionist is a Mage. Her powers are React powers used to satisfy turning a Creature, Demon, or Dragon to pay a power cost, or when using a Check Victory power with a Place of Power that earns VP for having Creatures, Demons, or Dragons in play. Note that Mages cannot be destroyed.
• Artifacts:
  • Catherine Wheel: This artifact inflicts life loss on all players (not rivals), including its owner.
  • Raven Familiar: You gain a Gold when you take it from the supply, placing it either in your essence pool or on a component. This can occur via a power, Collect ability, the Discard an Artifact action, or by converting a pearl.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the specific victory condition is met:

• End Trigger: The game ends on a victory check when any player has 13 or more victory points (instead of the standard 10).
• Scoring Pearls: During a victory check, each Pearl a player has at the end of it—whether in their essence pool or on their components—counts as 1 VP. Note: Because Pearls are worth victory points, they do not count towards breaking ties.

Tips for Winning

Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.