Overview

In Blood Rage, each player controls a Viking clan, with Warriors, Leader, and Ships to fight for you, and the opportunity to recruit powerful Monsters to your cause as the game progresses. Ragnarök—the long-prophesied end of the world—has come. But you will face it and earn your place in Valhalla by earning as much glory as you can before the end. You'll use gifts and boons from the gods, and earn glory by fulfilling quests, invading and pillaging the lands, crushing opponents in battle and gaining rewards. The ultimate glory is to die in battle, or when Ragnarök arrives.

Setup

You begin with three types of piece in your reserve: 1 Leader, 8 Warriors, and 1 Ship (each clan is identical). Each piece in Blood Rage has a strength (STR) stat, shown in a red circle.

You have three clan stats: Rage (starting at 6), Axes (starting at 3), and Horns (starting at 4). These clan stats can be increased by pillaging provinces or completing quests.

• Rage (red) governs how many actions you can take — different actions cost different amounts of rage
• Axes (blue) show how much glory (victory points) you gain for each victory in battle
• Horns (grey) tell you the maximum number of figures you can have on the map at one time

The game board shows the mythical terrain around Yggdrasil, the great tree that binds worlds together. There are nine provinces, or which Yggdrasil is in the centre. the other eight are divided into three regions: Manheim (yellow), Alfheim (grey), and Jotunheim (blue), which will be important in some quests. Each of the eight outer provinces has from three to five villages (spaces that can each hold a single piece). Pieces cannot occupy a province except by taking an availlable village space. The exception is Yggdrasil, which has no villages but can hold an unlimited number of pieces. Provinces are adjacent if they share a border.

Also on the map are four fjords: sea spaces between pairs of provinces. Fjords can only hold ships, with no limit to the number of ships per Fjord. Fjords are affected by any effect that affects either of its adjoining provinces.

Depending on your player count, some provinces may have already been destroyed by the onrushing Ragnarök. One province will be marked by the red Doom token, indicating that it will be destroyed at the end of the current round. Pillage reward tokens are placed in the center of all non-destroyed provinces. These show the rewards available by successfully pillaging that province: either an increase to one of your clan stats, or an amount of glory. Note that increases to Rage will only give additional actions in the following age.

Structure

Blood Rage is played over a series of three rounds, known as Ages. Each Age is divided into six phases:

1. GODS’ GIFTS
2. ACTION
3. DISCARD
4. QUEST
5. RAGNARÖK
6. RELEASE VALHALLA

Gods' Gifts Phase

If you have selected the 'card drafting' option, you will draft a hand of cards. If you have not selected this option, you will simply be dealt a hand of six cards.

With three of more players, you will begin with eight cards. Select one to keep, with the rest being passed to your left. Then choose one card from the cards passed to you by the player on your right, again passing the rest left. Repeat this until you have selected six cards in total to keep. The last two cards you decide not to keep are discarded, unshown.

With two players, the process is the same, but you draft two cards at a time instead of one.

This process works the same in the Second and Third age, however you may have cards already in hand at this point: if so, they are kept separate to the draft and cannot be passed or used during the draft, and you will have a hand of more than six cards once you're done drafting.

Action Phase

All players begin the Action phase with the amount of Rage indicated by the Rage stat on their clan sheet (6, in the first age). Each player takes one action at a time, in turn order, continuing round until all players have passed or have zero rage. [Alternatively, the round will end after all provinces have been pillaged]. If you have zero rage, you can take no actions, even ones without a rage cost. Each turn, your available actions are:

• INVADE: Place a figure from your reserve onto an empty village on the map
• MARCH: Move the figures from one province to empty villages in a different province
• UPGRADE: Place a card from your hand on your clan sheet to improve your abilities
• QUEST: Commit to a quest by placing a Quest card from your hand face down onto your clan sheet
• PILLAGE: Attack a province and plunder its bounty for your clan

lf you can't or don't want to take any of these actions, you may pass, but after passing you lose all remaining rage and may take no further actions.

INVADE: Choose a single figure in your reserve and pay Rage equal to that figure’s STR. Place it into any empty village in any outer province (not Yggdrasil). Or, if it's a Ship, place it in any fjord. Note that invading with your Leader does not cost any Rage.

MARCH: Pay 1 Rage. Choose one province (not a fjord), and move any number of your figures from that province to empty villages in another single province. The destination province doesn’t have to be adjacent, it can be anywhere on the board. You cannot move figures from two different provinces in the same action, nor move your figures to two different provinces. You can only March from any one province to any other.

UPGRADE: Choose an Upgrade card from your hand and pay Rage equal to that card’s STR. The card is then placed in the appropriate slot on your clan sheet. You have slots for up to eight upgrades: one each for your Warriors, Leader and Ship, two for Monsters, and three for your Clan. If there is more than one potential slot, choose which one to use. If there is already a card in that slot, discard the old card and replace it with the new one (upgrading your Warriors, Leader or Ship replaces the default starting 'card'). This new Upgrade card is now in permanent effect, granting you any benefits listed. When you place a Leader, Warrior, Ship or Monster upgrade, you may immediately invade with it without spending the normal Rage cost for invading.

QUEST: Take a Quest card from your hand to commit to completing it this round. This costs no Rage, and there is no limit to the number of Quests you can commit to. If you fulfil the quest, you will gain the listed benefits in this Age's Quest Phase. It will be discarded after the Quest Phase, whether completed or not. There is no penalty for failing a Quest.

PILLAGE: Choose a province that has at least one of your figures in it (or in a supporting fjord) and has not yet been successfully pillaged this phase (i.e. its Pillage token is still available). This costs no Rage, but remember that you can’t take any action if you’re down to zero Rage. A Pillaging action is resolved by following 3 steps in order:

• Call to Battle: Players may move adjacent figures to join the battle: starting to your left, each player may move in one figure from an adjacent province (even if they have zero rage; this is not an action); once all villages in the province are full, or all players have declined to move in any more figures, the battle begins (unless you are uncontested by enemies, in which case you automatically gain the rewards shown on the pillage token)
• Play Cards: Each player in the battle must secretly choose and simultaneously reveal one card: battle cards add effects or STR to their side; quests or upgrades have no effect
• Resolution: Add the STR of all figures on each side (pillager versus all other players) to the cards played on their side: highest STR wins, but must discard all cards played; losers are destroyed and go to Valhalla, but take their cards back into hand (in a tie, all players lose). If the pillaging player wins, they gain the rewards shown on the pillage token, which is flipped facedown — the winner also gains glory equal to their axes stat, whether or not they were the pillaging player

Discard Phase

Players can keep a single card (if they have any left) to carry over to the next Age. All players must discard down to one card. In the Third Age players discard all cards, completely emptying their hands.

Quest Phase

Each player reveals all Quests they have committed to. If you have fulfilled a Quest’s requirements, you gain the amount of Glory indicated on the card, and may also raise any one of your clan stats one step (on the track shown in 'Stats Details').

If you fail to fulfill a Quest, you get nothing, but you also lose nothing.

Discard all revealed Quests, whether successful or not.

Most Quests involve having the most Strength in any one of the provinces of a particular region. Add together the STR of each of your figures in that province (including the supporting fjord) and compare your total to the total STR of each other clan in that same province. If your total is greater, you fulfill the Quest. If you tie with an enemy, you fail the Quest.

Ragnarök Phase

The province that contained the Doom token is now destroyed.

There can be no more glorious death to a Viking than to be destroyed in Ragnarök. When a province is destroyed this way, all figures in that province, and in its supporting fjord, die and are placed in Valhalla. Each such figure earns its clan some Glory:

• 2 Glory in the First Age
• 3 Glory in the Second Age
• 4 Glory in the Third Age

Then, the Doom token moves to a new province. The provinces destined for destruction in this way can be reviewed in advance by clicking on the Age indicator.

Release Valhalla Phase

At the end of each Age, all figures in Valhalla are returned to their respective owners' reserve.

Any figures on the game board remain there.

End of an Age

Before moving on to the next Age, all Pillage tokens on the map are flipped back to their “reward” side.

The First Player token is passed to the player to the left.

A new Age will then begin with a new set of Gods’ Gifts. With each new Age, those gifts will grow in strength and power, offering greater glory, and leading to greater clashes on the board over less and less remaining territory as Ragnarök continues to destroy the land.

End of the Game

Once the Release Valhalla phase of the Third Age is completed, the world has come to an end, and so has the game.

Players gain a Glory bonus for increasing each of their clan’s stats to legendary levels. At the end of the game only, for each of your clan stats that has been increased to the 4th or 5th step of its track as shown under 'Stats Details', gain +10 Glory. For each of your clan stats that has been increased to the last step, gain +20 Glory.

The player whose clan has the most Glory is the winner.

Additional Information

Based on Nordic Mythology

• Odin - The Judging All-Father
• Thor - The Glorious Victor
• Loki - The Revengeful Trickster
• Frigga - Resourceful Mother Protector
• Heimdall - Surprising Brilliant God
• Ragnarök - Fate of the Gods
• Valhalla - Hall of the Dead
• Yggdrasil - huge ash tree connected to 9 worlds

Regions and Provinces

Yggdrasil center province - holy ash tree

• 3 regions with their provinces:

Alfheim grey region - land of the Elves

• Andlang province - spiritual heaven
• Gimle province - fire-shelter

Manheim yellow region - home of men

• Myrkvlor province - dark enchanted forest
• Elvagar province - ice-wave rivers
• Angerboda province - harm-bidder

Jotunheim blue region - realm of giants

• Utgard province - Outyards
• Horgr province - altar, sanctuary
• Muspelheim province - land of fire giants

Special Battle Cards

Heimdall's Eye and Heimdall's Gaze are Battle Cards with (+2) or (+3 in Age 3) and all have a filled in white circle.

These special battle cards may be added (no limit) in addition to your initial battle card to increase your total STR.

List of Monster Cards

Age 1

• Sea Serpent STR 3

- Counts as a ship

• Dwarf Chieftain STR 2

- Costs 0 rage to upgrade or invade

• Troll STR 2

- Destroys all Warriors when invading

Age 2

• Fire Giant STR 4

- Destroys all non-Monster figures when invading

• Dark Elf STR 1 (Outside Yggdrasil) / STR 3 (Inside Yggdrasil)

- Can invade Yggdrasil

• Valkyrie STR 2

- Gain 2 glory for every enemy figure destroyed in a battle she is involved in, even if she is destroyed in the battle

Age 3

• Frost Giant STR 4

- Successful pillages gain pillage rewards twice

• Soldier of Hel STR 3

- Costs 0 rage to upgrade or invade

• Volur Witch STR 3

- Can escape to Yggdrasil instead of being destroyed

List of Clan Upgrade Cards

• Frigga's Domain Rage 0 (Age 3)

- You may pay 1 rage to invade with any one of your figures in Valhalla.

• Frigga's Protection Rage 0 (Age 2)

- You may pay 1 rage to prevent a figure of yours from being destroyed.

• Frigga's Sacrifice Rage 1 (Age 3)

- As your action, you may destroy 2 of your figures to raise one of your clan stats by 1.

• Frigga's Succor Rage Rage 2 (Age 1)

- When you invade with any figure, you may invade with an additional warrior in that province for free.

• Loki's Blessing Rage 1 (Age 1)

- If you lose a battle, you may invade that province with a warrior for free.

• Loki's Domain Rage 1 (Age 1)

- Gain 1 glory for each figure you release from Valhalla.

• Loki's Eminence Rage 2 (Age 2)

- Gain 2 glory for each figure you release from Valhalla.

• Loki's Wrath Rage 3 (Age 3)

- Gain 3 glory for each figure you release from Valhalla.

• Odin's Throne Rage 2 (Age 3)

- Double the glory award for quests you complete.

• Thor's Conquest Rage 3 (Age 3)

- Gain 3 glory for each figure you have on the board at the end of the game. (which is after Ragnarok)

• Thor's Domain Rage 1 (Age 2)

- After you invade a province, you may pay 2 rage to immediately try to pillage it.

• Thor's Glory Rage 2 (Age 1)

- Gain 2 glory whenever at least 2 enemy figures are destroyed in a battle you participate in.

• Tyr's Challenge Rage 0 (Age 2)

- As your action, you may pay 2 rage to "repillage" an already pillaged province.

• Tyr's Domain Rage 0 (Age 3)

- After you reveal a quest card in combat, you may treat it as a +3 battle card.

• Tyr's Prowess Rage 2 (Age 2)

- If you win a battle, you may keep any of your revealed cards, paying 1 rage each.

• Tyr's Smite Rage 1 (Age 3)

- After you reveal a quest card in combat, you may treat it as a +5 battle card.

List of Battle Cards

• Frigga's Grace +2 (Age 1)

- If you pillage successfully, raise another of your clan stats by 1.

• Heimdall's Eye +2 (Age 2)

- You may play this card (and add its STR) after all players' battle cards are revealed.

• Heimdall's Gaze +3 (Age 3)

- You may play this card (and add its STR) after all players' battle cards are revealed.

• Heimdall's Sight +X (Age 1)

- This card has the same value as the highest revealed enemy card.

• Heimdall's Watch +0 (Age 2 & 3)

- Discard all revealed cards. Gain glory equal to the total +STR revealed. Then play new cards.

• Loki's Backstab +0 (Age 2)

- If you lose, steal 2 glory from the winning player.

• Loki's Poison +0 (Age 3)

- If you lose, take the winning player's revealed cards into your hand.

• Loki's Trickery +0 (Age 1)

- If you lose, steal 1 rage from the winning player.

• Odin's Judgement +2 (Age 3)

- Gain 2 glory for each figure destroyed in this battle (including yours).

• Odin's Smite +1 (Age 1)

- Destroy one warrior from each opponent in this province before comparing STR.

• Odin's Tide +1 (Age 2)

- Before comparing STR, each player chooses and destroys all but one of his figures in this battle.

• Thor's Ascension +1 (Age 3)

- If you win, gain 3 rage and 3 glory.

• Thor's Hammer +1 (Age 1)

- Gain 3 glory if you win this battle.

• Thor's Oath +1 (Age 2)

- If you win, raise one of your clan stats by 1.

• Thor's Primacy + 3 (Age 3)

- Cancel the text of each opponent's revealed card before it takes effect.

• Tyr's Bash + 2 (Age 1)
• Tyr's Crush +4 (Age 1,2 & 3)
• Tyr's Judgement +8 (Age 3) (5 player)
• Tyr's Rage +6 (Age 2 & 3)
• Tyr's Smash +3 (Age 2 & 3)
• Tyr's Smite +5 (Age 1,2 & 3)

List of Leader Upgrade Cards

• Lord of Axes Rage 3 (Age 2)

- If you successfully pillage with your leader, raise one of your clan stats by 1.

• Lord of Hammers Rage 3 (Age 1)

- If you successfully pillage with your leader, you may move him to an adjacent province.

• Lord of Spears Rage 3 (Age 3)

- If you successfully pillage with your leader, raise all your clan stats by 1.

List of Warrior Cards

• Brothers in Arms STR 1

- *Each pair of your warriors in a province is 3 total STR.

• Experts in Arms STR 2

- *Each pair of your warriors are now 2 STR.

• Master in Arms STR 2

- *Each pair of your warriors in a province is 6 total STR.

List of Ship Upgrade Cards

• Eternal Dragons STR 2 (Age 3)

- Gain 12 glory when a ship of yours is destroyed.

• Fire Dragons STR 2 (Age 2)

- Gain 8 glory when a ship of yours is destroyed.

• Loki's Dragons STR 2 (Age 1)

- Gain 4 glory when a ship of yours is destroyed.

List of Quest Cards

• Alfheim Glory 5,7,9 Ages 1,2,3

- Have the most STR in at least one Alfheim (gray) province. If completed, raise one of your clan stats by 1.

• Glorious Death Glory 6,8,11 Ages 1,2,3

- Have at least 4 figures in Valhalla (before Ragnarok). If completed, raise one of your clan stats by 1.

• Jotunheim Glory 5,7,9 Ages 1,2,3

- Have the most STR in at least one Jotunheim (blue) province. If completed, raise one of your clan stats by 1.

• Manheim Glory 5,7,9 Ages 1,2,3

- Have the most STR in at least one Manheim (yellow) province. If completed, raise one of your clan stats by 1.

• Widespread Glory 7,10,15 Ages 1,2,3 (5 player)

- Have the most STR in at least 2 different provinces. If completed, raise one of your clan stats by 1.

• Yggdrasil Glory 6,8,11 Ages 1,2,3

- Have the most STR in Yggdrasil. If completed, raise one of your clan stats by 1.Cards that trump other cards

• Thor's Primacy (cancels all text effects) trumps all cards even Heimdall's Watch (discard all cards) and Odin's Tide (before comparing STR, each player destroys all but one figure).
• Heimdall’s Watch trumps all except Thor's Primacy
• Loki's Poison (steal winner's cards) trumps Tyr's Prowess (win battle may keep any of your revealed cards, paying 1 rage each).
• Tyr's Prowess trumps Loki's Trickery (steal a rage) by going into effect before is activated

Based on Nordic Mythology

• Odin - The Judging All-Father
• Thor - The Glorious Victor
• Loki - The Revengeful Trickster
• Frigga - Resourceful Mother Protector
• Heimdall - Surprising Brilliant God
• Ragnarök - Fate of the Gods
• Valhalla - Hall of the Dead
• Yggdrasil - huge ash tree connected to 9 worlds
• fjord - A narrow inlet of the sea, penetrating between high banks, cliffs