Dreadgate (TCG)

Dreadgate is a two-player card game where players go head to head to push the most units through a magical gateway.

The Great Purge was a multinational effort to exterminate all magic users on Galwyndor. After decades of ruthless killing that would signal the end of the 3rd Great War, two vast armies set upon the last of the Draol, a mage named Atury. The Glyphmaster. Desperately trying to escape his fate, the Glyphmaster opened a Keldra Gateway, a complex spell that was beyond his abilities. The two armies followed Atury and his disciples into the portal, suddenly finding themselves in a strange land called Errod, which turned out to be another world entirely. Twenty years later, the Gateway has mysteriously reopened, and players must fight their way back to Galwyndor before it closes.

It is played on a 5×5 grid with players on opposites sides of the game board. Each player uses 1 of 6 possible decks, each with a different specialization (Artifice, Champion, Divine, Engineering, Hinter, Sorcery). Each deck consists of 60 cards, and players can construct their card decks accord to their own preferences, with only a few minor limitations.

Playing Area

The playing area consists of the following:

• Battlefield - a 5x5 grid with the center grid being the gateway (no gateway in Tactical format).

Each player's area consists of the following:

• Deck - their deck of cards
• Boneyard - their discard pile, consisting of units which have been killed, played cards, items, etc.
• Gateyard - their cards that have made it through the gateway.
• Sideline - any cards that are left out that do not belong on the grid (battlefield enchants, for example).

Deck Structure

Each deck consists of 36-60 cards made up of the following types:

• Legends
• Units
• Talents and Glyphs
• Inventory Items

Each starter deck also comes with 2 copies of a gateway card, one for the gateway on the battlefield and one for their Beyond. Base decks of different crafts will have different configurations. There are no real limitations on how you configure your deck except using the rules in the next section.

Card Types

There are several card types used by each craft:

Legends

Legends are special units that enable deployment of craft-specific units and abilities. Units of a specific color (craft) can be brought into play by paying with influence from a legend card or by recycling cards. Each lgend also has up to two special abilities.

Influence of any color can be used to play universal cards (brown).

Glyphs

Glyphs provide powerful magical abilities. Each craft has 5 unique glyphs to utilize.

Units

Units are the maneuver forces one must use to attack and defend, and ultimately push through the Dreadgate. Units are either of a particular craft (red, blue, green, purple, orange, or black) or universal (brown). Universal units can be brought into play easier by paying for them with influence, provided by a legend that shares the same color.

Fun fact: no unit cards share the exact same stats, and there are 8,100 possible unit cards without repeating a stat combination.

Talents

Talents are spells are unique actions for each craft that provide some advantage. Some are instant, which means they can be used at any time, whether it is your turn or not (as in response to an opponent's action). Talents come in the following types:

• Talent - a standard ability
• Enchant Talent - applies to one unit to give that unit a special ability or limitation
• Battlefield Talent - applies to multiple units on the battlefield
• Intrigue Talent - a type of ability that utilizes subterfuge
• Spell Talent - a magical ability that differs from enchant ability

Inventory Items

Inventory cards can be attached to units to provide some benefit. There are several types of these, and this is only important if another card is susceptible or targets a specific type of equipment (the card will specify). For example, spectral units can only be killed with relic weapons or spells. A unit may equip an unlimited number of items, and the battlefield may also have unlimited items. Some items are consumables, and are used up when brought into play.

• Armor - armor items that provide some advantage, usually protection
• Battlefield - items that are not intended for a specific unit to equip them
• Equipment - basic equipment items
• Exotic Item
• Musical Instrument Item - items that are specifically musical instruments
• Weapon - weapons that provide some advantage, usually with regards to attacking
• Relic - relic items that provide some advantage
• Relic Weapon - relic weapons that provide typically magical advantage
• Relic Armor - relic armor that provides typically magical advantage

Deck Construction

If a player wishes to construct their own deck, the following rules apply:

• deck contains 36-60 cards
• only 1 copy of a unique card may be present
• up to 4 copies of all other cards may be present

Decks may be constructed any way you wish outside of the above rules.

Crafts

There are six crafts or decks with specific play styles. Each is notable by its own particular color and icon.

• Artifice - black, specializes in deception and opponent control, maneuver
• Champion - green, specializes in battle
• Divine - blue, specializes in protection and healing, maneuver
• Engineering - red, specializes in machines, equipment, and battlefield control
• Hinter - orange, specializes in creatures and the power of nature
• Sorcery - purple, specializes in magic, spells and abilities

Winning Conditions

There are different win conditions for each format. Note that tracking vitality is usually done with paper, but a set of 10-sided dice is handy for tracking unit vitality.

Standard

The thematic object of the game is to get as much power through the Gateway as possible, or to prevent your opponent from using the gateway by killing their units or through abilities. This is done by adding up the power of every unit through the gateway or in the opponent's boneyard. The game is over under the following conditions:

• the power total for a player's units through to the Beyond reaches 40
• the power total for units in a player's boneyard reaches 20

For a quick game, one can go for 10 boneyard points or 20 Beyond points.

Tactical

In Tactical format, only units and equipment are used. There are no glyphs, spells or abilities, and there is no Dreadgate. Players simply do battle.

• the power total for units in a player's boneyard reaches 30

Actions

During each player's turn, they have 4 action points they can use (unless a card gives or removes a number of action points they may take). There are currently six types of actions:

• Playing a Card
  • Deploying a unit
  • Using a talent
  • Equipping an item
• Attacking
• Maneuvering
• Drawing a card

During a turn, a player may use up to all their actions, in any order. Unused AP do not carry over to their next turn. Casting spells or abilities during their opponent's turn (Instants) do not cost an action, one must simply spend talent points from their units in play. A unit may only maneuver once per turn and attack once per turn unless something gives the player the ability to do otherwise. Units brought onto the battlefield cannot maneuver or attack during the same turn.

Deploying

Deploying means placing a unit onto the battlefield from your hand. The cost to do so is equal to their vitality. Units must be placed on the far outer ring when first deployed, and may not attack or maneuver yet by default.

Attacking

If an enemy unit is within range and in an eligible attack space (your unit can attack in that direction), a unit may attack for 1 action, regardless of how far it is attacking (it does not cost extra actions to attack for a range of 3, for example). Units, unless otherwise specified, may only attack once per round.

Maneuvering

Units may maneuver into unoccupied spaces, so long as it is within maneuver range and in their maneuver direction, for 1 action. Units, unless otherwise specified, may only maneuver once per round.

Shared Space

Some units have the ability to occupy the same space as another unit. This is always written on the card using the subdue keyword or another keyword like execution. Only units with specified abilities are allowed to occupy the same space as another unit. Follow the instructions on the card. For example, a unit with subdue can simply occupy the same space as an enemy unit to render that unit unable to do anything.

Flying

Aviation units have the ability to fly. They all have two maneuver ranges, 1 while flying and 1 while grounded. A flying unit may only move through the gateway while it is grounded. All aviation units are flying by default, and a player must specify that a unit has been grounded. Once a unit has been grounded, the player must specify that it is airborne again.

Abilities

Abilities can be played for the action cost listed on the card. These are things like enchant abilities, spell abilities, intrigue abilities, etc. Some abilities apply to a single unit, and others (battlefield abilities) may apply to the whole battlefield.

Drawing Cards

Cards may be drawn for 1 action apiece. There is no limit to how many cards you can draw, so long as you have the actions to do so.

Equipping

Equipment may be attached to units (or the battlefield) for their cost listed on the card.

Stats and Icons

Each unit and hero has several stats:

• Vitality - their life total; this is also their cost to deploy them
• File:Center icon.png Direction - attack and maneuver direction indicator
• Attack - their attack power
• Defend - their defending power
• Range - how far they can attack
• Maneuver - how far they can maneuver
• File:Unique icon.png Unique - a deck may only contain 1 copy of a card with this icon

Vitality

Units and Heroes have a vitality score, shown in the upper right of the card. This is an important number. This is how many action points are needed to deploy that unit onto the battlefield, but vitality also plays a role in combat and winning the game. In combat, units take damage, which lowers vitality. When a unit's vitality reach zero, it is killed, and goes to the boneyard. Its total vitality is counted when considering a boneyard win condition. When a unit passes through the gateway, the vitality it had when it enters is the vitality that is counted when considering a gateway win condition.

• Boneyard win condition - a player wins when their opponent's boneyard reaches 20 vitality from the units there. Simply track the unit vitality scores as listed.
• Gateway win condition - a player wins when they put 40 vitality worth of units through the gateway. Simply track the units as they enter, along with their vitality at the time of entry.

Direction

Each unit can only attack and maneuver in specific directions. These are indicated by the direction indicator in the center of the card. The inner ring is the maneuver direction, and the outer ring is the attack direction.

Attack Power

This is how strong the unit's attack is. If it is higher than the defending unit's defense power, it deals damage.

Defense Power

This is how strong a unit's defense is. If this is higher than an attacker's attack power, it deals damage to the attacker. Defense also absorbs damage so that there is less vitality lost in combat.

Attack Range

How far a unit can attack. Anything beyond 1 is considered a ranged attack. Ranged attacks do not suffer return damage (like in melee), and only ranged attacks can target flying units (units with aviation).

Maneuver Range

How far a unit can move. This can be considered its speed. Not that movement only costs 1 action, so a unit with a maneuver range of 3 can move 3 spaces for 1 action.

Aviation Units

Aviation units have the ability to fly. They all have two maneuver ranges, 1 while flying and 1 while grounded. A flying unit may only move through the gateway while it is grounded. All aviation units are flying by default, and a player must specify that a unit has been grounded. Once a unit has been grounded, the player must specify that it is airborne again.

Combat

Melee Combat

When one unit attacks another in an adjacent space, this is considered melee combat. Its attack power is compared to the enemy unit's defense power. The unit with the lower score suffers the difference in damage, which comes off their vitality score. When a unit reaches zero vitality, it is dead, and goes into its owner's boneyard.

Examples

• Unit A has an attack power of 3 and Unit B has a defense power of 2. Unit B would suffer 1 damage, lowering its vitality score.
• Unit A has an attack power of 2 and Unit B has a defense power of 3. If Unit A attacked B, Unit A would suffer 1 damage, lowering its vitality score.

Ranged Combat

When one unit attacks another that is beyond an adjacent space and within their attack range, this is considered ranged combat. That unit's attack power is then compare to the other unit's defense power, same as above for melee. The only difference is, if an attacked unit's defense is higher, the attacking unit does not suffer any damage (since it is attacking from a distance).

Multiple Attackers

A player may engage an enemy unit with multiple attackers. In this instance, attack power is added together and compared to the unit's defense power. The defending player decides how the defense power is distributed to each attacker.

Examples

Unit A and Unit B both attack Unit C. A has attack of 2, B has attack of 3, and C has a defense of 4. Since attacking units have 5 attack power total, Unit C will be killed. However, since its defense is higher than both A and B's attack scores, it means that ordinarily these would suffer damage. Defending player

During an attack, the unit with the higher points (attack for the attacker, defense for the defender) wins. The other unit is killed, and removed from play. If both attack and defense are equal, nothing happens. Multiple units can attack the same target; the defending player decides how to defend. Since Unit C will die anyway, it blocks Unit A for all 4 defense power, giving it 2 damage. Unit B suffers no damage.