Altered Glossary

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.

1.1.7 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.

1.2.1 Players

1.2.1.a A player is a participant in a game of Altered.

1.2.1.b In a two-player game, each player is the other's opponent.

1.2.1.c Each player in a game of Altered needs to have their own deck.

1.2.1.d Each player has a number of private zones in the game: Deck, Discard pile, Hand, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Mana zone, and Reserve.

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.

• 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.

1.4 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.

2.4.1 Statuses

2.4.1.a Objects may have one or several statuses.

2.4.1.b An object entering a new zone has no status until specified otherwise.

2.4.1.c An object's statuses do not change unless an effect causes them to change.

2.4.1.d An object that already has a status cannot gain that status.

2.4.1.e An object that does not have a status cannot lose that status.

2.4.1.f Statuses are written as a single, underlined word.

2.4.1.g Cards in hidden zones do not have statuses.

2.4.4 Boosted

2.4.4.a An object is Boosted if it has at least one boost on it.

2.4.4.b Objects never directly gain or lose Boosted. This status changes when boosts are added or removed from an object.

Remark. Characters keep their boost when they change zones, except when they leave the Expedition, so if a player plays a Boosted Character card from their Reserve, that Character enters the Expedition zone Boosted.

3.1.1 Zone

3.1.1.a A zone is a set of objects or cards.

3.1.1.b Zones always exist, even if they are empty.

3.1.1.c There are ten kind of zones: Adventure, Deck, Discard pile, Expedition zone, Hand, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Limbo, Mana zone, and Reserve.

Remark. At the beginning of the game, all zones are empty, except from the Adventure, the Hero zones, and the Decks.

3.1.2 Shared or private

3.1.2.a Some zones are shared: there is only one instance of each shared zone in the game.

Remark. Expedition zone, Adventure and Limbo are shared zones.

3.1.2.b Some zones are private: each player has one instance of each private zone.

Remark. Deck, Hand, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Mana zone, Reserve and Discard pile are private zones.

3.1.2.c If a card or an object would go to a private zone that does not belong to its owner, it goes to the corresponding zone of its owner instead.

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.

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.

3.2.9 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.

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.

4.2.5 Night

4.2.5.a There are two daily effects during night.

4.2.5.b Rest Characters in the Expedition zone are sent to Reserve.

Remark. A number of statuses (Asleep , Anchored , Fleeting ) and abilitys (Eternal) modify the Rest effect.

4.2.5.c Clean-up Each player chooses as many objects in their Reserve as their Hero's reserve limit and as many objects in their Landmark zone as their Hero's landmark limit. All non-selected objects are discarded simultaneously.

Remark. The first player must make their choice known before the second player chooses which objects to discard, and so on, in initiative order (see Rule 6.1.g ).

4.2.5.d If a player has no Hero, their reserve limit and landmark limit are equal to 2.

Remark. A player may have excess objects in their Reserve and or Landmark zone at the end of the day, if the clean-up effect has been modified, the limits have changed, or a reaction triggered off clean-up and put some objects in one of these zones.

5.3 Playing quick actions

5.3.a Playing a quick action follows the same process as playing a Spell, with the following differences:

5.3.b As internal actions are not objects, they do not change zones.

5.3.c Some quick actions have the symbol in their cost. That cost is paid by exhausting the object bearing that quick action.

5.3.d A given quick action may not be played more than 100 times in a single day.

5.4 Playing internal actions

5.4.a Playing an internal action follows the same process as playing a Spell, with the following differences:

5.4.b As internal actions are not objects, they do not change zones.

Remark. Effects of the form "Do [step A]. If you do, do [step B]" are not internal actions. Step A is mandatory, and the condition for step B is that the player was able to do step A.

5.5 Playing Reactions

5.5.a Playing a Reaction follows the same process as playing a Spell, with the following differences:

5.5.b Reactions do not change zones during the declaration of intent.

5.5.c Reaction usually do not have costs, but they may get extra cost due to some passive abilitys such as Tough.

5.5.d If a Reaction has a cost, its controller may chose to play it wihout paying its cost. In this case, the Reaction has no effect.

5.5.e When a Reaction's resolution is done, that Reaction ceases to exist.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.