Altered Glossary

7.1.2 Region types and statistics

7.1.2.a The symbol represents the Forest sub-type and statistic.

7.1.2.b The symbol s represents the Mountain sub-type and statistic.

7.1.2.c The symbol represents the Water sub-type and statistic.

1.1.7 Material

1.1.7.a Each player start the game with a deck of Altered cards. They should be officially printed Altered cards with a valid QR code pointing to https://www.altered.gg. For the purpose of the rules, the text of a card is the English text appearing on the Altered website. Note that the text appearing on the physical card may differ, if the card is printed in a different language or without text. It may also have received errata since it first printing.

1.1.7.b Tokens are used to represent Characters which are created by the game rather than represented by Cards. Players must have a way of representing the tokens that their deck can create in a way that makes clear their characteristics and status. It is possible, but not mandatory, to use the official tokens published by Equinox.

1.1.7.c Counters are markers put on cards by events in the game. Players should have a way of representing counters which make clear which counters are on which objects. Counters with the same name are indistinguishable.

1.1.7.d If a player's deck has cards that ask them to "roll a die", they should have fair six-sided dice numbered from 1 to 6.

1.1.7.e Players should have a way to represent the status of their objects in all visible zones. The Exhausted status is usually represented by laying the object in a vertical or horizontal direction. Other statuses may be represented by printed or coloured markers.

1.1.7.f Between the two of them, players need a Hero Region Card, a Companion Region Card, and three different Tumult cards (one |, one |, and one |) to represent the Adventure.

1.2.2 Objects

1.2.2.a Objects are the game pieces of Altered.

1.2.2.b Most things in a game of Altered are either objects, properties of objects or sets of objects.

1.2.2.c Objects have characteristics:

• Type (Character, Emblem, Hero, Permanent, Region, Spell)
• Sub-type
• Name
• Rarity (common , rare , unique )
• Version
• Hand Cost
• Reserve cost
• Faction (Axiom , Bravos , Lyra , Muna , Ordis , Yzmir )
• Statistics (one number for each of , , )
• Abilities
• Reserve limit (only for Heroes)
• Landmark limit (only for Heroes)
• Duration (only for Emblems)

1.2.2.d An object may lack some of these characteristics.

1.3 Game Progress

1.3.1 Starting the game

1.3.1.a The players build a common Adventure with the Hero Region card on one end, the Companion Region card on the other, and three face-down Tumult cards in random positions and orientations between the Hero Region and the Companion Region.

1.3.1.b Each player's hero expedition counter is put on the Hero Region, and each player's companion expedition counter is put on the Companion Region.

1.3.1.c Each player puts their Hero (if they have one) in their Hero zone, shuffles the rest of their cards and puts it in their Deck.

1.3.1.d In the Morning of the first day, instead of the normal daily effects, players draw six cards and put three of them in their Mana zone.

1.3.2 Day progress

1.3.2.a Each day is divided in five phases.

1.3.2.b In the Morning phase, the opponent of the first player becomes the first player (Succeed), players ready their Characters, Permanents, and Mana Orbs (Prepare), draw two cards (Draw) and may put one card from their Hand in their Mana zone.

1.3.2.c In the Noon phase, nothing happens unless one or more reactions trigger "At Noon".

1.3.2.d In the Afternoon phase, starting with the first player, players alternate taking turns until both have passed; during their turn, a player may play any number of quick actions and then either play a card or pass; once a player has passed, they cannot take more turns this day.

1.3.2.e In the Dusk phase, players sum up the statistics of all the characters in each of their expeditions. An expedition moves forward if one of its statistics is:

• one of its Region's types;
• (strictly) greater than the opposing expedition's corresponding statistic;
• (strictly) greater than zero.

1.3.2.f During the Night Phase

• Rest: All Characters in Expeditions are sent to the Reserve. Characters with the Fleeting status are discarded instead of going to the Reserve. The Anchored and Asleep statuses are removed from Characters during this phase.
• Cleanup: Players must discard excess cards from their Reserve and Landmark Zone, keeping only two cards in each of these zones.

1.3.3 Ending the game

1.3.3.a The game continues until one player's hero expedition and companion expedition meet or cross each other.

1.3.3.b At that point, count the distance between each expedition and its starting Region. If the total distance of one player's expeditions is greater than its opponent's, that player wins the game.

1.3.3.c Otherwise, tiebreakers start: all regions in the Adventure are immediately replaced by the Arena (on the back of the Companion card).

1.3.3.d During tiebreakers, all Expeditions are in the Arena, and the statistics of all Characters are summed up during Dusk.

1.3.3.e If one player wins on more Region types than their opponent, that player wins the game.

1.3.3.f Tiebreakers may last for several days.

2.2.1 Type

2.2.1.a A type is one of the following: Character, Emblem, Hero, Permanent, Region, Spell.

2.2.1.b Each object has a single type.

2.2.1.c The type of a card is written on the type line, just below the name of the card. It is the first word of the type line, before the dash.

2.2.1.d The type of a token is Character.

Remark. The tokens printed by Equinox have the word "Token" in their type line. This is for clarity and has no rules implications.

2.2.1.e The type of an object represented by an Adventure card or half a Tumult card is Region.

2.2.1.f The type of an object represented by a face-down card in the Mana zone is Mana Orb.

2.2.1.g The type of an emblem is Emblem.

Remark. The type Emblem does not appear on cards. It is reserved for temporary objects in Limbo created by reactions or effects whose impact on the game lasts longer than their own resolution.

2.2.1.h When a cost or an effect refers to "a [type]", it refers to an object in play with the appropriate type, unless it specifies a specific zone.

Example. Banishing Gate has the effect "Discard target Character or Permanent". When that Spell is played, its controller must choose a Character or Permanent in play. They cannot choose a Character or Permanent from another zone, such as the Reserve.

2.2.1.i When a cost or an effect checks whether a specific card or object is "a [type]", it checks whether that card or that object has the appropriate type, regardless of its location.

Example. Ada Lovelace has the reaction " You may put a card from your hand in Reserve. If it's a Permanent, draw a card". If a player choses to put a Permanent card in Reserve during the resolution of this reaction, they draw a card.

2.2.2 Subtypes

2.2.2.a Characters, Spells, Permanents, Regions, and Emblems may have sub-types.

2.2.2.b Heroes have no sub-types.

2.2.2.c An object may have any number of sub-types.

2.2.2.d The list of character sub-types is: Adventurer, Animal, Apprentice, Artist, Bureaucrat, Citizen, Companion, Deity, Dragon, Druid, Elemental, Engineer, Fairy, Leviathan, Mage, Messenger, Noble, Plant, Robot, Soldier, Scholar, Spirit, Titan, Trainer.

2.2.2.e The list of permanent sub-types is: Landmark.

2.2.2.f The list of region sub-types is: Forest (), Mountain (), Water ().

2.2.2.g The list of spell sub-types is: Boon, Conjuration, Disruption, Maneuver, Song.

2.2.2.h The list of emblem sub-types is: Reaction, Ongoing.

2.2.2.i The sub-types of a card are written on the type line, just below the name of the card. They are to the right of the dash; if there is more than one sub-type, they are separated by commas.

2.2.2.j The sub-types of a token are defined by the effect that creates it. They are written after the statistics of the token, separated by commas.

Example. Foundry Armorer has the reaction " Create a Brassbug 2/2/2 Robot token in target Expedition". The sub-type of the token created when this reaction resolves is "Robot".

2.2.2.k The sub-types of the hero region, companion region, and the arena are Forest (), Mountain (), and Water ().

Remark. Regions represented by face-down Tumult cards have no sub-types.

2.2.2.l The sub-types of regions represented face-up Tumult cards are described by symbols on the side of the regions.

2.2.2.m The sub-type of an emblem created as a reaction triggers is Reaction. The sub-type of an emblem created by an effect that lasts longer than its own resolution is Ongoing.

Example. Aloe Vera has the reaction "At Noonl Resupply". As the Noon phase begins, Aloe Vera's controller creates an Emblem-Reaction in Limbo with the text "Resupply". When that Reaction is played, its effect resolves, then it ceases to exist.

Example. Celebration Day has the effect "Expeditions can´t move forward this Day". When that effect resolves, an Emblem-Ongoing is created in Limbo with the passive ability "Expeditions can't move forward" and the duration "this Day".

2.2.2.n When a cost or an effect refers to "a sub-type", it refers to an object in play with the appropriate sub-type.

Example. Three Little Pigs has the reaction " If you control two or more Landmarks, I gain 1 boost". When that Reaction resolves, it only counts the Landmarks in the Landmark zone, not those in Reserve or in the Discard pile.

2.2.2.o When a cost or an effect checks whether a specific card or object is "a [sub-type]", it checks whether that card or that object has the appropriate sub-type, regardless of its location.

2.2.2.p Some effects have objects gain or lose types. These effects actually mean gaining or losing sub-types.

Example. The Kraken has the ability "All regions are and lose their other types". When the Kraken is in play, regions keep the type Region and lose the and sub-types.

2.2.4 Rarity

2.2.4.a The rarity of an object is one of the following: common, rare, or unique.

2.2.4.b The rarity of a card is indicated by a gem just above the card's name. A gray gem $cmomon indicates a common card; a blue gem indicates a rare card; an orange gem indicates a unique card. It is also written as a letter (C, R, or U) on the legal line at the bottom of the card.

2.2.4.c Heroes, regions, tokens, and emblems have no rarity.

2.3.2 Dependency

2.3.2.a Dependency is a relation between two passive abilitys.

2.3.2.b Dependency is defined through the notion of direct dependency.

2.3.2.c A passive ability [A] directly depends on another passive ability [B] if either:

2.3.2.d Applying [B] would remove the existence of [A].

Example. Character [B] has "all other characters loses their abilities". Character [A] has "All regions are Forests". Applying B removes [A]'s ability. Therefore, [A] directly depends on [B].

2.3.2.e Applying [B] changes what [A] applies to.

Example. Character A has "All Elementals have Gigantic". Character B has "All Characters are Elementals". Character C is not a Elemental. Applying [B] makes [A] apply to [C]. Therefore [A] directly depends on [B]

2.3.2.f Applying [B] changes what [A] does.

Example. Character [A] has "If I am in Forest, I am Gigantic" Character [B] has "All regions are Forests". Therefore, [A] directly depends on [B]

2.3.2.g Dependency is the transitive closure of direct dependency:

• if [A] depends directly on [B], then [A] depends on [B];
• if [A] depends on [B] and [B] depends on [C], then [A] depends on [C].

3.2.1 Adventure

3.2.1.a The Adventure is a shared, visible zone.

Remark. The Adventure is a visible zone which contains face-down cards. Players may not look at the face of face-down cards in the Adventure.

3.2.1.b During regular play, the Adventure contains eight regions in a row: the hero region on one side, six regions represented by three Tumult cards, and the companion region on the other side.

3.2.1.c During tiebreakers, all regions are replaced by a single region called the Arena.

Remark. At the beginning of the game, the three Tumult cards are face-down. The six objects they represent have the type Region due to Rule 2.2.1.e and no other characteristics.

4.1 Beginning of the game

4.1.a As the game starts, all zones are empty.

4.1.b Place the two Adventure cards representing the Hero Region and the Companion Region on either end of the Adventure.

4.1.c Shuffle three different Tumult cards (position and orientation) and place them face-down in the Adventure, between the Hero Region and the Companion Region.

4.1.d Each player put their hero expedition counter in the hero region and their companion expedition counter in the companion region.

4.1.e Each player present their deck and their Hero, face-down.

4.1.f If a player has no Hero, they may present a face-down card from outside the game (not from their deck) to disguise this fact until 4.1.h .

4.1.g Determine the first player at random.

4.1.h Each player reveals their Hero and place it in their Hero zone. If a player had a non-Hero card face-down, it is removed from the game.

4.1.i Each player shuffles their deck and puts it in their Deck zone.

4.1.j Start the first day at Noon, replacing the first Morning with the following setup:

• each player draws six cards
• each player must put three cards in their Mana zone.

4.2.4 Dusk

4.2.4.a There is one daily effect during dusk.

4.2.4.b Progress Determine the statistics of each expedition by summing the statistics of each character in that expedition. If an expedition has a greater positive statistic in a region type of its region than the corresponding statistic of its opposing expedition, it moves forward.

4.2.4.c A tie is not sufficient to advance.

4.2.4.d A statistic of 0 is not sufficient to advance, even if the opposing expedition's statistic is negative.

4.2.4.e An expedition advances only once, even if they win in more than one statistic.

4.2.4.f All successful expeditions move forward simultaneously.

4.2.4.g An expedition "fails to move forward" if it does not move forward during progress, unless tiebreakers have started.

Remark. An expedition never "fails to move forward" outside of Progress. An expedition that moved forward during a day can still "fail to move forward" if it does not move forward during Progress.

4.2.4.h An expedition "moves forward due to [statistic]" if the three following conditions are true:

• it moves forwards;
• it was in a [statistic] region;
• it had a greater [statistic] than all opposing expeditions.

Remark. An expedition may move forward due to more than one statistic at the same time.

4.3 Ending the game

4.3.a If a single player's expeditions meet on the same region, they win. This is an additive event modifier.

4.3.b If a single player's expeditions cross each other, they win. This is an additive event modifier.

4.3.c If both players' expeditions meet at the same time, or both players' expeditions cross each other at the same time, tiebreakers start.

4.3.d When tiebreakers start, turn the companion region card face-down and put all expedition markers on it. Discard all other regions.

4.3.e The new region is called the Arena.

4.3.f The Arena has the region types , , and .

4.3.g Once tiebreakers have started, expeditions cannot move forward or backward.

4.3.h The Progress daily effect of Dusk is modified as follows:
1. Each player determine a single set of statistics by adding up the statistics of each characters in both of their expeditions.
2. Compare each statistic individually.
3. If a player wins on more statistics than their opponent, they win. Otherwise, the game continues.

Remark. Tiebreakers may last for several days.

7.3.10 Move backward

7.3.10.a To move [an expedition] backward means "to move the corresponding counter from its current region to the next region in the direction whence it came (towards the hero region for the hero expedition and towards the companion region for the the companion expedition).

7.3.10.b If an expedition in its region of origin would move backwards, nothing happens.

7.3.10.c If an expedition in the Arena would move backward, nothing happens.

7.3.11 Move forward

7.3.11.a To move [an expedition] forward means "to move the corresponding counter from its current region to the next region in the direction it is going (towards the companion region for the hero expedition and towards the hero region for the the companion expedition).

7.3.11.b If an expedition would move into a region represented by half a face-down Tumult card, instead this Tumult card is revealed and the expedition moves into it.

7.3.11.c If an expedition in the region opposite to its region of origin would move forward, nothing happens.

7.3.11.d If an expedition in the Arena would move forward, nothing happens.

Clarification of the phases of a day

Morning Phase

• First Player Marker Transfer: If it's not the first day, the First Player Marker is passed to the other player.
• Straightening of Mana Orbs and Exhausted Cards: Players straighten all Mana Orbs and all exhausted cards on the board.
• Card Drawing: Each player draws two cards from their deck.
• Placement of Cards in Mana Zone: Starting with the player who has the First Player Marker, each player can choose to place a card from their hand in their Mana Zone, face down. This card becomes a Mana Orb.

Noon Phase

• Activation of "At Noon" Abilities: All effects or abilities of cards with an "At Noon" trigger are activated. The player with the First Player Marker activates and resolves their abilities first, followed by their opponent.

Afternoon Phase

• Turn by Turn: Starting with the player who holds the First Player Marker, each player plays a card on their turn or chooses to pass.
• Quick Actions: Before playing a card, a player can perform as many quick actions as they wish, such as activating exhaustion or support abilities.
• Playing a Card: To play a card, the player must exhaust a number of Mana Orbs equivalent to its hand cost (if played from the hand) or its reserve cost (if played from the Reserve).
• Passing: A player can choose to pass their turn if they cannot or do not wish to play a card. Once a player has passed, they can no longer play cards for this phase.
• End of Phase: The Afternoon phase ends once both players have passed their turn.

Dusk Phase

• Activation of "At Dusk" Abilities: All effects or abilities of cards with an "At Dusk" trigger are activated and resolved before the advancement of Expeditions.
• Comparison of Statistics: Players compare the statistics of Characters in play for each region type (Forest, Mountain, Water).
• Advancement of Expeditions: If a player's statistics in a region are higher than their opponent's, their Expedition marker advances one space for that region. Each Expedition can only advance once per Dusk phase.
• Revelation of Tumult Cards: When an Expedition marker moves onto a face-down Tumult card, it is turned face up, and its effect is resolved.

Night Phase

• Rest: All Characters in Expeditions are sent to Reserve. Characters with the Fleeting status are discarded instead of going to Reserve. The Anchored and Asleep statuses are removed from Characters during this phase.
• Cleanup: Players must discard excess cards in their Reserve and Landmark zone to keep only two cards in each of these zones.

Free for All

The Free for All mode is a four-player mode, where each player faces the others.

Setting up an Altered Multiplayer Free for All game
The setup for an Altered Multiplayer Free for All game is the same as for a Multiplayer 2v2 game, except that the placement of players around the table doesn't matter.

Victory conditions
The first player whose Hero and Companion Expeditions meet in the same Region wins the game.
If multiple players fulfill the victory conditions at the same time, first check if a player has advanced further than necessary. If so, that player wins the game. Otherwise, play a tiebreaker day in the Arena with only the players who have advanced the furthest.

Tiebreaker
Play an additional day with the following rule modifications:

• Players who didn't qualify for the tiebreaker leave the game. All other players keep their Hero and Companion Expeditions at their current position.
• From a rules perspective, Expeditions that were facing one of these players now face the other (you can then have a Companion Expedition facing a Hero Expedition).
• During Dusk, each player totals the statistics of their Characters for each type of Region in the Arena (Forest, Mountain and Water).
• For each of these regions, check if a player has a total higher than all others.
• The player who surpasses all others in the most region types wins the game.
• In case of an additional tie, play a new tiebreaker day with only the players having the best totals, until a player is declared the winner.

++Example
In this example, the fact that Bob and Camille did better than Alice in Forest and Mountain doesn't matter, because neither of them has the highest score in Mountain or Forest. Alice wins.++

First player effects
Effects that activate "if you are the first player" (Akesha & Taru, Kojo & Booda, Lindiwe & Maw) only activate if you have the first player token.

Interactions with other players
It is forbidden to show your hand of cards to another player.
Communication between players (and its limits) may vary depending on the context. A tournament may prohibit any form of communication, while another table may allow any information, as long as it is transparent and understandable by all players, and others may still allow coded messages. Players should ensure agreement at the beginning of the game.

Clarifications
When a card mentions "targeted expedition" or "targeted character", this can refer to any Expedition or Character.

When a card mentions "targeted opponent", choose one of your opponents.

When a card mentions "your opponent", it refers to all your opponents.

Multiplayer 2v2 (Game Mode)

Multiplayer mode is a fun and more social way to play Altered, where you can play with more than 2 players. It is a constructed format, which means you need to build a deck in advance and bring it to the game.

Multiplayer mode can be played in several ways:

In 2v2, you and your teammate face another team, and the team whose Hero and Companion meet first wins the game.
Free for All, you face all other players, but you can only race with two of them: the player on your right and the player on your left.

You win when you are the first to make your Hero and Companion meet.
Deck building rules in multiplayer mode
Multiplayer decks in Altered follow the standard deck building rules. Players can play with any Hero of their choice, which means that two players can choose the same Hero.

• A deck must contain a minimum of 39 non-Hero cards plus exactly 1 Hero card.
• Token cards do not count towards the deck minimum. If you have Token cards, they start outside your deck.
• All cards in your deck must belong to the same faction as your Hero card.
• You can have a maximum of 3 copies of a card with the same name, regardless of its rarity.
• You can have a maximum of 15 Rare cards in your deck.
  You can have a maximum of 3 Unique cards in your deck.

2v2
The 2v2 mode is a four-player mode, with two teams of two players.

Setting up an Altered multiplayer game in 2v2

• Form two teams, with players from the same team sitting opposite each other.
• Then randomly determine the first player.
• Place two Hero Region cards facing each other. Do the same with the Companion Region cards.
• Take two sets of Tumult cards. Form three piles, each containing two identical Tumult cards, then shuffle the three piles.
• Take the first pile: place one card next to the Hero card, and the other next to the other Hero card. Do the same with the second pile next to the Companion cards. Place the last two cards in the center, side by side.

You can now start the first day. Players take turns clockwise until everyone has passed.
Each player faces a different opponent for each of their Expeditions.
When a player reaches one of the central Tumult cards, turn both cards face up. Place the second card in the opposite direction to the first, so that the two unique region types are on each side.
The Expedition markers continue to move towards each other, following the indicated path.

Victory conditions
The first player whose Hero and Companion Expeditions meet in the same Region wins the game for their team.
If two players from different teams fulfill the victory conditions at the same time, first check if one of the players has advanced further than necessary. If so, their team wins the game; otherwise, play a tiebreaker day in the Arena.
If three players fulfill the victory conditions, the two allied players win the game.
If all four players fulfill the victory conditions and one team has at least one additional advance over the other, that team wins the game; otherwise, play a tiebreaker day in the Arena.

Tiebreaker
Play an additional day with the following rule modification: during Dusk, each team totals the statistics of its Characters for each type of Region in the Arena (Forest, Mountain and Water). The team that beats its opponent in the most region types wins the game.
In case of an additional tie, play a new tiebreaker day until a team is declared the winner.

First player effects
Effects that activate if you are the first player (Akesha & Taru, Kojo & Booda, Lindiwe & Maw) activate if one of the team members has the first player token.

Interactions with your teammate
It is forbidden to show your hand of cards to your teammate.
Communication between players (and its limits) may vary depending on the context. A tournament may prohibit any form of communication, while another table may allow any information as long as it is transparent and understandable by both teams. Some may still allow coded messages. Players should ensure agreement at the beginning of the game.
It is not possible to directly play a card in your teammate's Expedition or Landmark Zone. However, some effects or abilities may allow creating tokens, for example.

Clarifications
When a card mentions "targeted expedition" or "targeted character", this can refer to any allied or enemy Expedition or Character.

When a card mentions "in your Expedition" or a Character "you control", this only applies to your side of the board, not your teammate's.

When a card mentions "targeted opponent", choose one of your opponents.

When a card mentions "your opponent", it refers to each of your opponents.

You can only sacrifice cards you control, not those controlled by your teammate.