Prepare to dive into a new world with the release of “Altered”, a unique Trading Card Game from Equinox Studio. Altered boasts innovative mechanics, stunning visuals, and a focus on player empowerment through digital ownership.
In Altered, there’s no combat! Instead, you’ll lead two Expeditions as they discover and explore the land surrounding your native peninsula of Asgartha. One of your Expeditions will be led by your Hero, represented by the Hero Expedition marker, and the other one is led by their Companion, represented by the Companion Expedition marker. Your Expeditions will progress towards each other as the game goes on, and your goal is to be the first to have them meet up at any point on the map.
Here's a breakdown of the basics to get you started:
Each hero has a unique ability and plays a central role in your strategy. Some heroes generate tokens that should be gathered as you begin to set up.
Hand Cost - The amount of Mana needed to play from your hand
Reserve Cost - The amount of Mana needed to play from your Reserve.
Region Stats - Region stats are used to determine if a player can progress in their expedition. In this example below, the Bravos player needs increase their expedition total in either the Water or Forest Region types. If this player has more points than their opponent in either of these categories, they will then progress into the next region below, which is a Mountain Region.
Once the player has advanced to the mountain region, they will only advance further if their expedition total is higher in the mountain region type.
Adventure Cards do not reveal their regions until players can travel to them. So be sure to strategize so that you are prepared for the reveal of the next adventure card
Spell Cards are just like Character cards except they do not have region points and they go straight into the reserve when they’re played, instead of the expedition zone. Spells that are played from the reserve also gain fleeting (see below) after they are played.
Permanents remain on the board unless they are destroyed or removed. They have abilities that last throughout the game.
The Hero and Companion Adventure cards represent the starting locations. Place them on opposite ends of the Tumult area in the center of the table.
Each player places their Hero and Companion markers on the corresponding Hero or Companion adventure cards.
Shuffle and place the three adventure cards face-down between the Hero and Companion adventure cards.
Each player places their hero card in the hero zone on their side of the field
Each player will then shuffle their remaining 39 cards and place them in the deck area.
Each player will then draw 6 cards and convert 3 of them into resources.
Characters are placed in one of two expedition zones, which are represented by your Hero and Companion. Characters placed in the Hero Expedition help the Hero traverse towards their Companion. Characters placed in the Companion Expedition help the Companion progress towards the Hero.
A game of Altered is played over several rounds called Days. Each Day is composed of five phases: Morning, Noon, Afternoon, Dusk and Night.
If it’s the first Day of the game, go straight to the next phase (Noon). Otherwise, follow these steps:
Change the owner of the First Player marker.
Ready your Mana Orbs and other exhausted cards.
Draw two cards from your deck.
Starting with the First Player, each player chooses up to one card in hand to convert into a mana orb.
Activate any card with an “At Noon” trigger. Not all cards will have "At Noon" triggers, so make sure you keep an eye out for them!
Starting with the First Player, players take turns playing one card per turn.
Take as many Quick Actions as you'd like.
Play a card OR pass.
Quick Actions - Before playing a card, you may take as many quick actions as you wish. There are two kinds of quick actions:
Exhaust abilities - These are present on certain Permanent and Hero cards. Exhaust the card to activate its effect.
Support abilities - A card’s support ability is only usable if it is in your Reserve. To activate it, discard the card from your Reserve.
Playing a Card - To play a card, you must exhaust the number of Mana Orbs corresponding to its cost.
Playing a Character - When you play a Character, you decide which Expedition to place it in (Hero or Companion).
Playing Spells - When you play a spell, resolve all of the card’s effects, then send it immediately to your Reserve. If you play a spell from your Reserve, it gains Fleeting: discard it once you’ve resolved its abilities.
Playing Landmarks - When you play a Landmark, put it directly in your Landmark zone.
Passing your turn - If you cannot play a card or no longer wish to do so, you may end your turn by passing. This means that you won’t be able to take any more turns until the next Afternoon phase. Once a player has passed, the remaining player can continue taking turns. Once both players have passed, move on to the Dusk phase.
During Dusk, players compare their expedition totals to determine which Expedition markers can move forward, and which ones cannot. Starting with one Expedition (Hero or Companion), do the following steps:
Check the region type(s) of the region where your Expedition marker is currently located.
For each of these region types, add up the stats of the Characters in that Expedition, forming your expedition total.
If at least one of your totals (for the region type(s) you currently occupy) is higher than your opponent’s, your Expedition marker advances to the next region. Otherwise, your Expedition stays where it is.
Move character cards from your expeditions into your reserve. You will keep up to two cards in your reserve and up to two permanents. Any excess cards must be discarded.
Playing from Reserve - After playing a card it goes into the reserve. When you play a card from the reserve it can have different abilities or costs. When Cards are played from the reserve, they gain an ability called “Fleeting”.
Fleeting - Cards with fleeting are discarded instead of going back into the reserve
Winning the Game - The first player to reunite their Hero and Companion wins the game!
The fastest and easiest way to get started with Altered is with a pre-built starter deck. These decks are available for all six factions and are ready to play right out of the box!
Booster packs are a great way to expand your collection after the starter decks. Consider picking up a couple booster boxes to get new cards to add to your starter deck and make it even better!
There are two kinds of booster boxes available. The standard booster box and the Kickstarter exclusive booster box. In the Kickstarter exclusive box, you are going to see more rares, more uniques, more foils, and all the Kickstarter exclusive stretch goals!
Check out our Altered product catalog!
