Altered Glossary

3.1.3 Visible or hidden

3.1.3.a Some zones are visible: they contain objects.

Remark. Adventure, Discard pile, Expedition zone, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Limbo, Reserve are visible zones.

3.1.3.b All players know the number and characteristics of objects in all visible zones.

3.1.3.c Some objects in visible zones are represented by face-down cards. These objects have no base characteristics.

3.1.3.d Some zones are hidden: they contain cards.

Remark. Deck, Hand, and Mana zone are hidden zones.

3.1.3.e All players know the number of cards in all hidden zones.

3.1.3.f Players cannot look at cards in hidden zones unless a rule, effect, or passive ability allows them to do so.

Remark. Costs and effects that use the characteristics of a card in a hidden zone reveal that card beforehand.

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.

1.2.3 Zones

1.2.3.a Zones are the game board of Altered. They are sets of cards or objects.

1.2.3.b There are ten kind of zones (Adventure, Deck, Discard pile, Expedition zone, Hand, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Limbo, Mana zone, Reserve)

1.2.3.c Three zones are shared: Adventure, Expedition zone, Limbo. There is only one of each in a game of Altered.

1.2.3.d The seven other zones are private. Each player has their own Deck, Discard pile, Hand, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Mana zone, and Reserve.

1.2.3.e Seven zones are visible: Adventure, Discard pile, Expedition zone, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Limbo and Reserve. They contain objects; players can know the number and characteristics of all objects in these zones at all times.

1.2.3.f Three zones are hidden: Deck, Hand, and Mana zone. They contain cards; players can know the number of cards in each of these zones at all times.

1.4 Golden rules

1.4.1 Can't beats can
1.4.1.a If a rule or a passive ability says that it is impossible to do something, and a cost or an effect tries to do that thing, then the thing cannot be done.
1.4.1.b An impossible cost cannot be paid.
1.4.1.c An impossible effect cannot be performed. If other parts of the effect can happen, the rest of the effect resolves normally.
1.4.1.d If it impossible to modify an impossible event, even if the modified event would itself be possible.

1.4.2 Specific beats general
1.4.2.a If a card allows a player to do something that they cannot normally do, or to do it in a different way, the card takes priority.

1.4.3 My cards, my zones
1.4.3.a If a card ownered by a player would move to a zone belonging to another player, it goes to its owner's corresponding zone instead.

1.4.4 New zone, new object
1.4.4.a Objects do not change Zones, the items that represent them does. Most effects that relate to an object in a zone will not be able to follow it to another zone, a common exception being the event which moves an object.

1.4.5 Initiative order
1.4.5.a If both players need to take decisions simultaneously, the player with initiative (the player who is currently taking their turn, or the first player during non-Afternoon phases) must decide first. If that choice involves an object from a visible zone, their opponent knows which object they have chosen. If the choice involves a card from a hidden zone, they must make their choice explicit, but they do not need to reveal the chosen card.

++Example. Ninette plays a game against Lithium. During her turn, Ninette plays Kitsune from her Hand. Kitsune has the reaction " Each player may Resupply". She must let Lithium know whether or not she chooses to Resupply before he takes his decision. However, if she chooses to Resupply, Lithium will not see Ninette's top card until after he decides whether to Resupply or not.
In his turn, Lithium plays Anubis , which has the reaction " Each player sacrifices a Character". Lithium must choose which Character to sacrifice before Ninette, and Ninette knows which Character he chose to sacrifice when she makes her choice. Both Characters are sacrificed simultaneously.++

1.4.6 Nothing is forever
1.4.6.a The interaction of some cards may lead to seemingly endless loops. In order to resolve these situations, there are limits to the number of times things can happen in a single day.
1.4.6.b A given quick action may only be played a hundred times per day.
1.4.6.c A given reaction may only activate a hundred times per day.

2.1 Objects

2.1.a Objects exist in every visible zone. Each object belongs to a single zone at any given time.

2.1.b Objects can be represented in different ways: Altered cards, tokens, Adventure cards, halves of Tumult cards, and emblems.

2.1.c Objects never change zones. When a cost or an effect "moves" an object, it moves the item representing that object, which becomes a new object with a new timestamp if it ends up in a visible zone. Effects relating to the old object do not apply to the new one (see Rule 2.1.e).

Example. Lithium has Haven, Bravos Bastion and plays Kuwat, the Dissenter from Reserve. This triggers the two reactions of Kuwat, its native " Sacrifice a Character" and the one granted by Haven " I gain 1 boost". If Lithium decide to play the reaction first and to sacrifice Kuwat, then the reaction will not boost Kuwat in the Discard pile as it is not the same object as Kuwat in the Expedition zone which triggered the reaction.

2.1.d If a token would leave the Expedition zone, it ceases to exist immediately after joining its new zone. This is an additive event-modifying rule.

2.1.e If an ability refers to a card or an object moving from any zone to a visible zone (as part of a cost, a trigger, or an effect), that ability can find the new object in its destination zone. This is an exception to Rule 2.1.c .

++Example. Moonlight Jellyfish has the reaction "When I'm sacrificed, if I'm not Fleeting — Put me in Reserve".

• If Moonlight Jellyfish is sacrificed, its reaction triggers and is able to find it in the Discard pile even though it is a different object than the one whose reaction just triggered.++

Example. Coppélia has the reaction "When I go to Reserve from your Handl You may play me for free and I gain Asleep" . Coppélia in Reserve, Coppélia in Limbo, and Coppélia in the Expedition zone are three different objects, but the effect of Coppélia's reaction in Reserve can act on the two other Coppélias as it is that effect that moved the card from Reserve to Limbo and to the Expedition zone.

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.

3.2.3 Discard pile

3.2.3.a The Discard pile is a private, visible zone.

3.2.4 Expedition zone

3.2.4.a The Expedition zone is a shared, visible zone.

3.2.4.b The Expedition zone is divided in sub-zones called expeditions: each player has a hero expedition and a companion expedition.

3.2.4.c Expeditions always exist, even if they are empty.

3.2.4.d An object that moves from one expedition to another does not change zones.

3.2.4.e Each player knows in which expedition every object in the Expedition zone is at all time.

3.2.6 Hero zone

3.2.6.a The Hero zone is a private, visible zone.

3.2.6.b Each Hero zone contain up to one Hero.

3.2.7 Landmark zone

3.2.7.a The Landmark zone is a private, visible zone.

Remark. Players may have more objects in their Landmark zone than their landmark limit. They need only to discard excess objects during Night.

3.2.8 Limbo

3.2.8.a Limbo is a shared, visible zone.

Remark. Limbo is usually not represented as a specific physical space in a game: it is a transitory zone, which only contains cards when they are played and short-lived Emblems.

3.2.9 Mana zone

3.2.9.a The Mana zone is a private, visible zone.

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

3.2.9.b When a player puts a card in the Mana zone, it enters the Mana zone face-down and Exhausted unless specified otherwise.

Remark. If that card was in a hidden zone prior to the move, that card is not revealed as it changes zones.

3.2.9.c Objects in the Mana zone have the type Mana Orbs.

3.2.9.d Players can look at the cards in their Mana zone at any time.

3.2.9.e Players can exhaust a Mana Orb to ready another Exhausted Mana Orb at any time.

3.2.9.f A mana cost can be paid by exhausting [X] Mana Orbs.

3.2.10 Reserve

3.2.10.a The Reserve is a private, visible zone.

Remark. Players may have more objects in their Reserve than their reserve limit. They only need to discard excess objects during Night.

6.1 Costs and Events

6.1.a Costs and effect are sequences of instructions that affect the game state. Paying a cost or resolving an effect consist in following these instructions.

6.1.b An effect may involve multiple steps.

6.1.c There is a separate step for each verb in an effect description, unless these verbs are said to happen "simultaneously"

Example. Spy Craft has the effect "Sabotage, then Resupply". The resolution of Spy Craft involves two steps. In the first step, the controller of Spy Craft performs Sabotage. In the second step, they perform Resupply.

6.1.d Costs always have a single step.

Example. Subhash & Marmo have the Reaction "At Noon l You may pay and put a card from your Hand in Reserve to create a Brassbug 2/2/2 Robot token in target Expedition". Paying and putting a card from Hand to to Reserve happen in the same step.

6.1.e A single step may involve multiple objects. In this case, there is a separate atomic action for each affected object.

Example. Open the Gates has the effect "Create two Ordis Recruit 1/1/1 Soldier tokens in each of you Expeditions". There is only one step in the resolution of Open the Gates. It has four atomic actions, one for each token.

6.1.f Atomic actions in a single Step happen simultaneously.

6.1.g Some steps require decisions by more than one player. Such choices are made in initiative order. If that choice involves an object from a visible zone, other players know which object has been chosen. If the choice involves a card from a hidden zone, they must make their choice explicit, but they do not need to reveal the chosen card.

++Example. Ninette plays a game against Lithium. During her turn, Ninette plays Kitsune from her Hand. Kitsune has the reaction " Each player may Resupply". She must let Lithium know whether or not she chooses to Resupply before he takes his decision. However, if she chooses to Resupply, Lithium will not see Ninette's top card until after he decides whether to Resupply or not.
In his turn, Lithium plays Anubis , which has the reaction " Each player sacrifices a Character". Lithium must choose which Character to sacrifice before Ninette, and Ninette knows which Character he chose to sacrifice when she makes her choice. Both Characters are sacrificed simultaneously.++

6.3 Reactions

6.3.a Some abilitys are Reactions. They are written "Triggerl Effect".

6.3.b Reactions are additive modifiers which apply to events matching their trigger and add the atomic action "Create an Emblem-Reaction in Limbo with the effect of that reaction".

6.3.c A Reaction that modified an event has been "activated" by that event.

6.3.d A reaction has to exist before the event that triggers it, except if it is a reaction of an object that triggers specifically on that object entering a visible zone.

Example. Régis plays Mind Apotheosis and puts Asmodeus in play while resolving Mind Apotheosis' effect. The reaction of Asmodeus triggers, even though it did not exist before the event that triggered it.

6.3.e A reaction does not need to exist after the event that triggers it.

Example. Bob plays Mana Reaping on Alice's Armored Jammer. As Mana Reaping resolves, Armored Jammer's reaction "When I leave your Landmark zone - Sabotage" triggers, even though it does not exist anymore after the event.

6.3.f A given Reaction cannot be activated more than 100 times in a single day. If a Reaction would be activated a 101st time, the event that would activate it stays unmodified.