Game design: Seiji Kanai / Art: Noboru Sugiura. This game contains small parts. Please keep it away from small children.

Transcription

1 Game design: Seiji Kanai / Art: Noboru Sugiura This game contains small parts. Please keep it away from small children. Story Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away The galaxy was a home for innumerable worlds, and one of these worlds was on the brink of destruction. The gods were angry with the fall of men, and they unleashed their powers onto the world. Those with evil in their hearts wished for the return of the devil emperor, and huge dragons raged to devour the homes and lives of innocents. The balance of the world tipped, and people suffered from countless catastrophes. With no god left to hope for, not knowing where to send their prayers, people were at a total loss. But there was one hope left. The Heroes. Those who had withstood the battles, emerged victorious from the hardships, and developed superhuman abilities. In this time of despair, they and they alone stood up relentlessly against the waves of destruction, and sought for ways to deliver the people from the disasters. The heroes were bestowed powers almost equal to the gods themselves, but in the face of this calamity, they were like small candles in a raging thunderstorm. Yet they did not back away. They were set on to light up as much as possible in these dark times. No one knows how, or if, they came to overcome the threat of the world. Maybe the world was finally saved. Maybe they all perished, in vain. All that is left is the words of one of the heroes: "Miracles is not something you wait for. Miracles is what you achieve with your own hands." Game overview Play time: 30 minutes / 1 8 players The players play the god-like heroes, who try to save the world from various threats. In order to overcome a threat, the players must roll as many dice as indicated, and reach the indicated target combination or value. Overcoming a threat is highly difficult, and cannot possibly be achieved by simply rolling the dice. In order to reach the target, the heroes will have to change the die results. These hero powers are very mighty, but they come with a price: the lives of the heroes themselves. Only you stand between the world and its imminent destruction. Components This game contains everything needed in order to play: 16 cards / 20 dice / 1 glass bead / Rule sheet The side marked "Kanai Factory" is the back of the cards. Card overview 8 Hero cards 1 Name 2 Life Points 3 Power 4 Art 8 Disaster cards 1 Name 2 Resolve Condition 3 Icon Preparations The below is the setup for a multi-player game. Some things change according to number of players and what difficulty you want. Please refer to that section. * Each player takes one hero that they represent, at random or by choice. You and only you can control the hero you chose. Place the hero face up in front of you. * The heroes that were not used are lined up in the middle of the table. These are called the "common heroes". * Place a die on all heroes (common and personal) showing the same number as that hero's Life Points. They will be used to indicate the current number of Life Points for that hero. * Shuffle the disaster cards to a face down pile. * Determine start player in any suitable fashion.

2 Flow of the game This game is played in rounds, where each disaster is a round. The game goes on for 5 rounds, and each round is played as follows: 1. Disaster happens Draw and reveal the top card of the disaster deck. This is the current disaster. Each disaster has icons showing the conditions for the disaster to be resolved. 'D' indicates a die, and a number with - indicates die result. If there is for example a 'x4' after that, that indicates how many of that result is needed. (More details on that in the Disaster description section) Some disasters have several conditions. They must be resolved in order from top to bottom. Example: Dragon attack 6D:30+ 7D:36+ 8D:45+ First, roll 6 dice, and reach a total of 30 or more. Then, roll 7 dice, and reach a total of 36 or more. Then, roll 8 dice, and reach a total of 45 or more. The start player rolls as many dice as the condition states. These dice are called the "disaster pool". Example: Dragon attack The first condition requires 6 dice. The start player rolls and gets This is the disaster pool. 2. Select hero The start player now chooses either his personal hero or one of the common heroes and tries to challenge the disaster. Place the glass bead on that hero to show that hero is in challenge mode. Challenge is done in the following way: I. Reroll a max of 3 dice in the disaster pool (optional) Each challenge allows the player to choose up to 3 dice from the disaster pool to reroll. A "reroll" in this game is recursive: After any "reroll", if you keep at least 1 of the dice you just rerolled, you can reroll again the ones you didn't keep. It still counts as just one reroll. However, in the mid of a reroll, you can never start rerolling a die that has been "kept" (or was never part of the reroll). Rerolling is always mandatory. You never have to reroll if you don't want to. Example: The start player chooses one of the common heroes: "Miracle artificer". She can choose up to 3 dice to reroll, but the player decides to only reroll two dice: the 2 and the 4. She rolls and gets '1' and '5'. She keeps the 5 and rerolls the 1 again, and gets a 4. Now she can't reroll any more with this action, since she needs to keep at least 1 die for each recursive reroll. The disaster pool is now II. Using a power / re-challenge (optional) By decreasing the Life Points of the challenging hero with 1, the player can now either use the hero's power, or do a challenge again (with the same hero) as described above. This can be repeated as long as the hero has Life Points left. Reducing the Life points to zero is allowed, but not below zero. A hero with zero life points when the turn is finished will perish. Example: The player decides to use Miracle artificer's power to resolve the disaster. Miracle artificer's Life Points are decreased with 1. Her power is to flip up to 2 dice in the disaster pool to show the face down side. The player chooses the two 1s and they thus turn into 6s. The disaster pool is now III. Resolving the disaster (optional) If the disaster's resolve conditions are now met, the players can go on to the next step on the card. Place one of the surplus dice on the disaster card to indicate which step you are on. If there is a next step on the card, the active player immediately rolls the indicated amount of dice to form the new disaster pool. The active player can then go back to step II if he still wants to go on with the current challenging hero (going back to step I to select a new hero is not allowed). If the current step was the last step on the disaster card, the round ends (see below). Example: The disaster pool is (total 32), and the first condition on the Dragon Attack is "6 dice above 30", so it is resolved. The player announces that the first step is resolved, and places a die showing '1' on the disaster card. The next step is "7 dice above 36", so the same player now rolls 7 dice and gets The player

3 can now choose to use Miracle artificer's power again (decreasing The miracle artificer's Life Points with 1) if she wishes to. IV. Ending the challenge The player ends his turn. Tilt the use hero sideways to show that it cannot act again this round. The Disaster Pool stays the same. If the hero's Life Points have been reduced to zero at this point, it has used all its energy and dies flip the card face down. 3. Next player's turn It's now the next player's turn, going back to step 2 to select a hero to challenge the disaster with (his own or one of the common heroes). A hero that has been tilted sideways cannot be selected. If there is no hero left for a player to choose, that player's turn is skipped. If all heroes are tilted sideways and the disaster isn't resolved, the world ends and the players have lost. 4. End of round If all steps of the disaster card have been resolved, the round ends. The disaster card stays face up, so you can keep track of which round it is. All heroes are now tilted straightly again, and the game goes back to step 1, with the starting player for this next round being the player to the left of the current player. The last (fifth) round The fifth round, you reveal 2 disaster cards. Both of these disasters must be resolved before all characters have been used. The start player for the fifth round chooses which disaster to deal with first. Once started on one disaster, you cannot change to the other before the first one is resolved. Game end The game ends when the fifth round is cleared, or when the players fail in resolving a disaster (all characters are used before the disaster is resolved). If the players manage to resolve both disasters in the fifth round, the world has been saved and the players are all victors. The more heroes that are face up (alive) at this point, the grander the victory. If the players fail clearing any of the disasters, the world has perished, and all players lose. You will need to call on heroes from a different dimension, or reverse time, or in any way go back to the field of battle again. About table talk This game is a cooperative game, and all information is open. Depending on the group of players, there might be someone who quickly sees the best possible option in the current situation. However, one player dictating everything will quite heavily impact the enjoyment of the game for the other players. Also, sometimes, a less-than-optimal choice will prove to be more exciting. Depending on what you feel most comfortable with, you can apply the following rule, which is also recommended during your first plays: Up to and including round 2, everyone can always suggest actions for the others. However, round 3 and onwards, the heroes are so busy with whatever they do that all kinds of suggestions and instructions are forbidden. The difficulty level can also be adjusted according to what you feel is best. Adjusting difficulty You are free to apply the following rules should you feel it is better. Hero selection (for solitaire or multiplayer games) When playing solitaire, you are technically fully free to choose the order in which the heroes act, which makes the game quite easy. Therefore, at the start of the game, you should line up the heroes in a specific order of your choice, and you must activate the heroes in that order. That makes for a more thrilling game. On the other hand, the more players you are, the more restricted the hero order will be, and the game becomes more difficult. You can decide to have all the heroes as common heroes to make the game slightly easier. If you forbid table talk, it will still be quite a challenge, considering that each player can choose any hero to activate. Table talk Hard: No one can speak Medium: Suggestions are OK up to and including round 2. Light: Always possible Time restraint Hard: 30 minutes Normal: 60 minutes Light: None

4 To end with This challenge for a low-priced games was based on the two concepts "dice game" and "cooperative / solitaire-playable". As I had to include dice, it ended up not being as low-priced as I'd hoped, but still I also wanted to experiment with the fun of rolling dice for each player. My hope is that every one of you who try out this game will load your dice with hope and prayers for better days. Thank you for buying my game. I'd like to thank again Noboru Sugiura for her wonderful art ever since the beta version, and everyone who helped out with the test playing. Seiji Kanai Credits First print Published by Kanai Factory / Seiji Kanai Contact: kanaiseiji@gmail.com Web site: Artist's web side: Please refrain from any re-use of the art in this game. This game is based on fiction and all similarities with existing individuals or groups are purely unintentional. Extra info on the heroes and disasters High Paladin A paladin who earned the epithet of "True Hero" for his everlasting bravery and relentless slaying of evil. His graceful and flawless chivalry attitude is worthy of a god incarnate. Probably the most respected of all the heroes. Noble Saint An elven woman who served as the church high priest for centuries. The amount of miracles she has caused during her life are countless, and she is regarded as close to the gods as possible for a mortal. Her powers also allow her to feel the despair of the people strongly, hence she is most pained by the recent events. Comment: Her power cannot heal heroes above their initial Life Point value. Her rerolling power is also recursive (keep one, reroll the others again). Omniscient Magus A dark elven elder, normally living as a hermit in the deep forests. With all the knowledge he has gathered during his long life, he is generally regarded as He Who Knows All. Due to his heritage, people have thought he would never use his powers to help others. Nonetheless he has risen to help those in need. Comment: When changing dice with his power, you must change all dice in the Disaster Pool that have the number you have chosen, and you must change them in the same way (increase or decrease). For example, you can change to or 3-3-3, but not to or You can change dice from 1 to 6. You can t make 7 or 0 by this power. Invincible General A highly trained general of the proud dwarven folk, one of the currently most prosperous races. He has served as a central figure in the army for decades, and one word for him is enough for a whole army to regain their morale. His proud figure is said to know no fear whatsoever, and is unyielding spirit is one of the pillars for all the heroes. Comment: his rerolling power is as always, recursive (keep one, reroll the others again). Miracle Artificer A master artificer of the halfling. In just a few years, she learned all techniques that were known in the world, and she keeps developing new for every year that passes. She claims that there is nothing she cannot create, and no one has ever managed to prove her wrong. Treason Demon A demonic creature who found interest in life among humans after he broke out from an age-old seal. After a long time with humans, he grasped the incomprehensible concept of love, betrayed his fellow demons and swore to protect man kind for as long as he lasts. He broke all of his seals to restrict his power to stand up again whatever calamity threatens the world. Mysterious Swordmaster A sword-wielder shrouded in mystery. At all previous occasions of a catastrophe being avoided, his shadow is there. Why is unknown, but his fate is in this battle, and even if he is reduced to mist, he still reappears when next havoc threatens, still fighting as always, hence his nickname The Eternal Warrior.

5 Comment: When adding dice, they are immediately rolled and added to the disaster pool. When reducing dice, any die from the disaster pool can be removed. If no dice are left in the disaster pool, the total result counts as 0. Once added/reduces, the number of dice in the disaster pool stays until the current disaster step has been resolved. For specific die results conditions, such as 6 dice showing , any surplus dice can show any number. Immortal Witch A witch who, in the search for knowledge and magic power, managed to remove her soul from her own body, effectively becoming immortal. Her magic power has lost the limitations of the flesh and are beyond what any mortal can do. Normally, the loss of a world should be of little concern to her, yet some forbearance has brought her here to do battle. Comment: When using her power, she can target several other hero powers in a row, for example first using the die-turning power of the Miracle Artificer and then add a die using the Omniscient Magus to increase them one step. She still pays 1 Life Point per use, though. Dragon attack The three most fearsome of all drakes, have started to wreak havoc among the people who have lost the protection from the gods. Unless you defeat these, they will scorch the world. 6 dice: Total 30 or more 7 dice: Total 36 or more 8 dice: Total 45 or more Demon emperor revival The holy seal on the most powerful evil of the world is about to break. If he revives, many worlds will fall to darkness. The only way to stop this is to re-install the four magical circles in the four corners of the world. (do this four times) World balance break The balance between fire, water, wind and earth is breaking. The land is splitting apart all over the world. You must stop the huge eruption, the enormous whirlwinds, the gigantic floods, and the crumbling earthquakes. 8 dice: Total 10 or less 8 dice: Total exactly 28 8 dice: Total 45 or more 8 dice: All die show the same result Evil religion The evil cult who wishes for the demon emperor to revive, are slowly growing, spreading despair. You must defeat them before everyone loses all hope. 6 dice: Total 10 or less 7 dice: Total 10 or less 8 dice: Total 10 or less The black death A sudden outbreak of a disease plagues the lands. You must stop this killing plague and deliver the cure to all corners of the world. * This card has a line between the steps. Their only purpose is to separate the steps from each other. Start with a disaster pool and turn it into Start with a disaster pool and turn it into Meteorite strike A mass of meteorites are heading this way from faraway space. Whether by someone's design or not, they must be stopped or the world will be crushed. 1 die: Total 1 or less (5 times) 2 dice: Total 2 or less (twice) 3 dice: Total 3 or less. Crumbling moon The moon in orbit is behaving strangely. It threatens to crumble, and that shock will break the planet in two. You must stop its shuddering. 6 dice: Total exactly 33 (twice) 6 dice: Total exactly 34 Gods' wrath The gods are angry with this world. You must speak to them, convince them and calm them, lest their rage will tear the world apart. 6 dice: all show the same result 7 dice: all show the same result 8 dice: all show the same result FAQ *You may stop challenge and end turn if you didn t

6 resolve one of steps of disaster. *In disaster with (x?), treat each resolve as one step. (For example, Demon emperor revival s condition is same as;