Rune Age Rules, Summary, and Reference Cards (version 2.

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Created by Nersi

The following rules, summary of play, and reference cards are meant to be used with Rune Age and pro-
vide easy reference for players. Included is a large two-sided complete set of rules and summary of play,
as well as a two-sided half-sheet brief reference card (meant to assist players during the game).

Version 2.0: Includes additional rules from the Oath and Anvil expansion.

Printing Instructions:
Pages 2 and 3 should be printed back-to-back and trimmed down to the edges to create a single two-
sided reference card.

Page 4 should have the cards on the left and right placed back-to-back. This may be done in one of two
ways:

1. Print page 4 twice on both sides of a sheet. Then cut out the individual halves to form two two-sided
reference cards.

2. Print page 4 and cut around the edges, folding in the middle and gluing the two halves together to
form a single two-sided reference card.

Enjoy!

Please note: The rights to Rune Age and the artwork contained herein are retained by Fantasy Flight Games.

Rules and Summary of Play
Note: Rules specific to the Oath and Anvil expansion are
denoted by . drawing and resolving the top card of the Event deck during
SETUP
1. The players agree on a scenario. Place the scenario’s
objective card face up (with the victory conditions visible) in
the Central Play Area. Remove the other scenarios and their
Event cards. Refer to any scenario-specific setup rules.
2. Shuffle the Stage 2 Event cards for the scenario (denoted
by two blue gems on the bottom of the card) and place them
face down. Shuffle the Stage 1 Event cards (one blue gem)
and place them on top. (For “The Cataclysm” scneario, start
with Stage 3, then Stage 2, then Stage 1, each on top of the
previous.)
3. Refer to the three wax seals on the back of the scenario
objective card. Take the three matching types of Neutral cards
(each one bearing one of the three wax seals) and, referring to
the table below, place the appropriate number of the Neutral
cards in three stacks (one for each type of card) in the Central
Play Area. Remove the remaining Neutral cards from play.
4. Each player chooses a race. The player then takes the
cards for that race: all of the different Unit cards, the three
Strongholds, and the Home Realm.
: Add in the two new types of units per core faction.
5. Each player places his Home Realm in front of him.
6. Each player creates a Barracks by placing all of the types
of Unit cards into separate piles (one for each type) next to his
Home Realm. The three Strongholds are also placed to the side
and may be obtained (either with gold or in a battle) during
the game.
7. Using the table below, select the number of Gold cards
appropriate for the number of players and place them in three
stacks (one for each value) in the Central Play Area. Remove
the remainder from play.
8. Using the table below, randomly select the number of Cities
appropriate for the number of players. Place them separately
in the Central Play Area (do not stack them). Remove the
remainder from play. (Landmarks are used in “The Quest for
Power” scenario instead of Cities.)
Players 1 2 3 4
1 Gold 9 14 19 24
2 Gold 8 10 12 14
3 Gold 4 6 8 10
Each Neutral 2 3 4 5
Cities 2 3 4 5
Landmarks N/A 4 5 6
9. Each player draws five “1” Gold cards (from the Central
Play Area) and three of the Units from his Barracks with a
value of “1” (in the lower right corner) and shuffles them as his
deck. He then draws five as his starting hand.
10. The youngest player begins play and is the first player.
Play begins with the players all taking their turn before the first
player reveals and completes the first Event card.
Play Order
The game is played in a series of rounds. A round consists
ofall players taking their turns, starting with the first player
and proceeding clockwise. The round ends with the first player
the Event Phase. The next round then begins.
Player Turns
During their turns, the active player may take the following
actions:
1. Refresh: Turn upright all Cities, Strongholds, and Rewards.
2. Action: Take any of the following for actions, in any order
and as frequently as desired and able. (Note: the cost of cards
is listed in the lower right corner, the benefit or resource gained
in the upper left).
Spend Gold
The player may spend Gold by discarding Gold cards from
his hand to buy Units from his Barracks, one of his race’s
Strongholds, or a Special card (such as a Monument, if
included in the scenario). He may split the played Gold
among different units or discard multiple Gold cards to
buy a single card (or any combination he can afford). Any
fraction of Gold left on the discarded cards at the end of
the action, however, is lost and cannot be carried over to
another action later in the turn. (Note that a Stronghold
may be bought for 4 Gold or acquired in battle with a
strength of 2.)
Spend Influence
The player may spend Influence by exhausting Influence
cards (cards with the Influence icon in the upper left hand
corner) in his play area to buy cards in the Common Play
Area. He may split the played Influence among different
units or exhaust multiple Influence cards to buy a single
card (or any combination he can afford). Any fraction
of Influence left on the exhausted cards at the end of the
action, however, is lost and cannot be carried over to
another action later in the turn.
Play Card Action
The player may play cards from his hand that contain the
word Action by discarding the cards and performing the
steps listed on the cards. Note: Cards with the Action
ability cannot use their ability in combat; this is the only
time the ability may be used.
Combat
The player may initiate combat with a non-player card
(e.g., a city, stronghold, or event enemy); this is called
a battle. The player may also choose to attack another
player’s Home Realm or city card; this is called a siege.
Combat is explained below. Note: a player may attack as
many targets as he desires or is able, but he may not attack
the same target more than once per round.
3. Discard: The player discards all remaining cards into the
discard pile or exhaust one Influence per card to keep any card
in his hand.
4. Draw: Every player (not just the active player) draws back
up to five cards if necessary. If there are not enough cards in
the player’s draw deck, the player should draw the available
cards, reshuffle the discard deck, and then draw the remainder.
Combat
Battle
A battle is combat between a player and a non-player card
(City, Stronghold, Enemy from the Event deck). (Note that a
Stronghold may be bought for 4 Gold or acquired in battle with
a strength of 2.) Battles proceed in this order:
1. The player declares the target card of his assault.
2. The player commits Units from his hand, one at a time,
to his army. The army is comprised of all the Units, called
“participating units,” committed to this battle. The player may
commit as many Units as he wishes or is able. If the Unit has
a When Played ability, the player may (but is not obligated
to) use that ability. However, he may only do so at the moment
the card is played and before the next Unit, if any, is played.
Action abilities may not be used, though the card may still be
added to the army for its strength.
3. The player then rolls the Attrition Die if the target card
(usually an Enemy) has the Attrition Die icon on it. For
every skull on the rolled side, the player must destroy one
Unit (return the card to the pile from which it was originally
obtained). Destroyed Units will not participate in the outcome
of the battle. The player may choose which card to destroy but
must destroy the indicated number of Units if able. If unable,
then he destroys as many as he can (which may be none).
4. The player then resolves the Resolution abilities on his
army’s Units in any order.
5. The player then calculates the total strength of his army.
Victory
If this player’s army’s strength is equal to or exceeds the
target’s strength (in the lower right hand corner), the player
claims victory:
If the card is a City, Stronghold, or an Enemy that states
it can be claimed as a Reward, the player adds that
card to his play area above his Home Realm.
If the card is an Enemy without the Reward ability, it is
placed in the Event discard pile.
Defeat
If the player’s army’s strength is less than the target’s
strength, the player has failed, and the target card remains
where it is. The player may attack the target on a later turn.
6. Any Unit’s End of Combat ability is resolved. Any
wounded Units are then destroyed. The remaining Units are
placed into the player’s discard pile, regardless of whether the
combat was successful.
Siege
A siege is combat between two players. Sieges proceed in the
following order:
1. The attacking player declares the target player and card
(City or Home Realm) of his assault. Strongholds may never
be attacked.
2. The two player take turns commiting Units to their army
from their hands, one at a time, beginning with the attacking
player. The army is comprised of all the Units, called
“participating units,” committed to this siege. As each player
plays a Unit, he announces the new total strength of all the
participating Units in his army. The player may commit as
many Units as he wishes or is able. If the Unit has a When
Played ability, the player may (but is not obligated to) use that
ability. However, he may only do so at the moment the card
is played and before the next Unit, if any, is played. Action
abilities may not be used, though the card may still be added to
the army for its strength. Players continue to alternate playing
units but may pass at any time. Once a player passes, he may
not play any further Units in this siege. When both players
pass, proceed to the next step.
3. The attacking player resolves the Resolution abilities of all
his army’s Units in any order. The defending player then does
the same.
4. The players then calculates the total strength of each of their
armies. If the target is a City, then the defending player adds
that city’s auto-defense bonus (located under its Influence
value) to his strength.
Attacker Victory
If the attacking player’s army’s strength exceeds the
defender’s army’s strength, then the attacker is victorious.
If the target is a City, then the player acquires it and places
it upright (even if it was exhausted) above his Home
Realm.
If the target is a Home Realm, then the attacker subtracts
the defender’s army’s strength from his own army’s
strength. The number of damage tokens equal to the
difference is placed on the defending player’s Home
Realm.
Defender Victory
If the defending player’s army’s strength is equal to or
exceeds the attacker’s army strength, then the attack is
successfully repelled. No changes are made to the target
card’s status (e.g., if it was exhausted before the siege, it
remains exhausted).
5. Any unit’s End of Combat ability is resolved. Any
wounded Units are then destroyed (or discarded if Mythic).
The remaining Units are placed into their players’ respective
discard piles, regardless of whether the player won the combat.
Event Phase
During the Event Phase, the first player reveals the top card of
the Event Deck and resolves it based on the type of Event card.
Enemy
An Enemy card is placed next to the objective card. A player
may then engage the Enemy in battle on his turn in the same
way he may engage a City or Stronghold. He must defeat the
Enemy based on the strength in the lower right corner of the
Enemy card. If a player does not defeat the Enemy in battle,
the Enemy card remains and may be engaged on another turn.
If the card’s text states it can be claimed as a Reward by being
defeated, then the player who defeats it in a battle places it in
his play area. That player may then use the Reward’s ability
as described. If the Reward has Gold or Influence in the upper
left corner, it may be exhausted to be used during the spending
phase of that players turn (Gold used from a Reward in this
way is exhausted like Influence, not discarded).
If the card does not state it can be claimed as a Reward, it is
placed in the Event discard pile once defeated.
If the Enemy has an ability that states, “Start of the Event
Phase,” this ability takes place starting the next Event Phase
(and subsequent Event Phases if applicable).
Instant
An Instant Event card has its effect (as listed on the card)
resolved immediately. Once the Event has been fully resolved,
it is placed in the discard pile (unless stated otherwise).
If the Instant Event attacks a player’s Home Realm, play
proceeds as with a battle with the player as the defender.
1. The player commits Units from his hand, one at a time,
to his army. The army is comprised of all the Units, called
“participating units,” committed to this battle. The player may
commit as many Units as he wishes or is able. If the Unit has
a When Played ability, the player may (but is not obligated
to) choose to use that ability but only the moment the card
is played and before the next Unit, if any, is played. Action
abilities may not be used, though the card may still be added to
the army for its strength.
2. The player then rolls the Attrition Die if the Event card has
Attrition Die icon, destroying one Unit for every skull on the
rolled face.
3. The player then resolves the Resolution abilities on his
army’s units in any order.
4. The player then calculates the total strength of his army.
Victory
If the player’s army’s strength is equal to or exceeds the
Event’s strength (in the lower right hand corner), the player
successfully repels the attack.
Defeat
If the player’s army’s strength is less than the Event’s
strength, then the player subtracts his army’s strength from
the Event’s strength. The number of damage tokens equal
to the difference is placed on the player’s Home Realm.
5. Any unit’s End of Combat ability is resolved. Any
wounded Units are then destroyed. The remaining Units are
placed into the player’s discard pile, regardless of whether the
combat was successful.
If an Event card affects mutiple players, then it starts with the
first player and proceeds clockwise.
If there are no more Events in the Event deck, shuffle the
Stage 2 Event cards in the discard pile to create a new Event
deck. Stage 1 cards are not shuffled back in and remain in the
discard pile.
After the Event is resolved, all players draw back up to five
cards. A new round begins with the first player’s turn.
Winning and Losing
The player(s) win upon completion of the conditions described
in the scenario objective card.
If a player takes 20 damage to his Home Realm, he is
eliminated from the game. His Cities, Gold, and Neutral cards
are returned to the Central Play Area and may be acquired by
other players. The players’s units, Strongholds, and Rewards
are removed from play.
Mercenaries (Optional)
Mercenaries can be used in addition to neutral cards (but are
treated as such). To set them up, during Step 3 of Setup, draw
two different random “I” and one random “II” mercenaries.
Place the appropriate number (as per Neutral cards in the setup
table) below the other Neutral cards, in ascending cost order.
Mercenaries with the Siege icon cannot be used in
cooperative scenarios.
Glossary of Terms
Action: Units with the Action ability may only use the ability
if played outside of combat. This ability has no effect during
combat.
Army: All the participating units a player has played in a single
combat action.
Auto-Defense Bonus: The number on a City’s card under its
Influence value (such as “+1”). This strength is automatically
added to the defending player’s army’s strength if this City is
attacked in a siege.
Battle: Combat between a player and a non-player card (City,
Stronghold, or Enemy).
Barracks: The portion of the player’s play area that has
unbought units specific to his race.
City: Cards that may be conquered through a battle action to
provide the victorious player with Influence.
Destroy: Lose possession of that card and place the card in the
pile from which it was originally bought (the Common Play
Area or the player’s Barracks) or discarded if Mythic.
Discard: Put the card face-up in the player’s own discard pile.
Exhaust: Turn a card sidways to show it has been used. In
the case of Cities, Strongholds, or Rewards, it means that its
resource has been used and cannot be reused until refreshed.
End of Combat: The last phase of combat. Units with the End
of Combat ability use this ability after combat has been
decided but before the wounded Units are destroyed and the
other Units are discarded.
Friendly: Any participating units in that player’s play area.
Home Realm: The player’s race-specific realm, placed in front
of his play area. If it takes 20 damage, the player is eliminated
from the game.
Neutral Card: Cards with symbols that match the objective
card’s wax seals. They may be purchased with Influence.
Mythic: Units with a gold shield and white number are
discarded when destroyed, not returned to their original piles.
Neutral Card: Cards with symbols that match the objective
card’s wax seals. They may be purchased with Influence.
Opposing: Any participating units in an oppoent’s play area.
Power: Resource collected from Landmarks in “The Quest
for Power” scenario. Landmarks with a lock icon must
resolve their abilities before they grant power.
Refresh: Turn exhausted cards upright to show their resources
may be used again. Done at the beginning of a player’s turn.
Resolution: The stage of combat when the army strength
is calculated and the winner is decided. Cards with the
Resolution ability use this ability before the winner is
decided, starting with the attacking player.
Reward: A card that a player acquires that notes it is a Reward.
Gold or Influence from a Reward card are exhausted when
used, not discarded.
Siege: Combat between two players in which one is the attacker
and the other is the defender.
Strength: Represents a card’s contribution to army strength
in battle, denoted by a shield icon. If it is in the lower right
corner, it is the strength that the player’s army needs to meet
or exceed to acquire the card. If it is in the upper left corner,
it is the strength that the unit contributes to the player’s army
when played in combat.
Stronghold: Race-specific structures that may be conquered
by the player of that race to gain Influence. They may not be
acquired or attacked by other players.
Unit: A card bought from the player’s Barracks or a Neutral
Card that may be used in the player’s army. There are four
types of Barracks units (valued at 1, 2, 3, and 4 Gold), and
they are race-specific; only that player may use them.
When Played: Units with this ability use this ability only when
they are first played in combat (as the card is played). Using
this ability is always optional.
Wound: Exhaust a Unit card as the target of the ability. That
unit still contributes strength to the player’s army but then is
destroyed at the end of combat. A unit may only be wounded
once in any given combat.
 Playing Round Summary
Player Turn
1. Active player refreshes all cards (Cities, Strongholds, Rewards)
2. Player performs Actions (in any order and any number of times):
Spend Gold to buy Units, Strongholds, or Special Cards
Spend Influence to buy Gold or Neutral Cards
Play a Unit’s “Action” Ability
Combat Action against another player (City or Home Realm) or a
non-player card (City, Stronghold, or Enemy)
3. Player discards all remaining cards in his hand or spends one
Influence per card to keep in hand.
4. All players draw back up to five cards. If necessary, reshuffle the
discard deck.
5. The next player takes his turn (proceeding clockwise) until all players
have had a turn.
Event Phase
First player draws and resolves Event card.
Enemy cards are placed next to the objective and may be attacked by
players on their turns. They may be claimed if the player wins combat
only if listed as a Reward.
Instant cards resolve immediately. If it attacks the player’s Home
Realm, proceed to battle with the player as the defender.
If an Event affects multiple players, start with first player and proceed
clockwise. If the Event reads, “Start of the Event Phase,” it begins the
next Event Phase. Discard the Event unless it states otherwise.
If the Event deck is empty, shuffle the Stage 2 cards to form a new deck.
Once the Event Phase is over, all players draw back up to five cards.
Then proceed to the first player’s turn.
Combat Reference
Battle (player vs. non-Player Card)
1. Player declares target (if attacking): non-player City, Stronghold, or Enemy.
2. Player commits Units one at a time and optionally resolves any When Played
ability when the card is played.
3. Player rolls Attrition Die (if indicated on Event) and destroys one card per skull.
4. Player resolves any Resolution ability on Units in any order.
5. Player calculates his army’s strength and compares it to the opposing card’s
strength.
If equal or greater, player wins (acquires card or defends against attack)
If lower, player loses (does not acquire card or, if defending, must take the
difference as damage to Home Realm)
6. Any End of Combat abilities are resolved. Wounded Units are destroyed. The
rest are discarded.
Siege (player vs. player)
1. The attacking player declares target (City or Home Realm, not Stronghold).
2. Each player (starting with attacker) alternates and commits Units one at a time
and optionally resolves any When Played ability when the cad is played. Each
player announces his army’s total strength each time a Unit is played. Playing
Units continues until both players pass; once a player passes, he may not play any
more cards.
3 The attacking player resolves any Resolution ability on his Units in any order.
The defending player then does the same.
4. The attacking player calculates his army’s strength and compares it to the
defending player’s army’s strength (including a City’s auto-defense bonus).
If the attacking player’s total is higher, the attacking player wins (acquires
the City refreshed or, if attacking the Home Realm, applies the difference in
damage to the defender’s Home Realm).
If the defending player’s total is equal or higher, the attack is repelled (no
further actions taken).
5. Any End of Combat abilities are resolved. Wounded Units are destroyed. The
rest are discarded.