Fantasy Realms

2017

Immerse yourself in the world of Fantasy Realms, a captivating card game where you build your realm, strategize your gameplay, and aim for the highest score!

20
minutes

2 - 7
player(s)

14+

Medium Light

About the game

Welcome to the magical universe of Fantasy Realms, a card game that transports you into a world filled with mystical creatures, powerful sorcery, and epic battles. In this game, you take on the role of a ruler in a fantastical kingdom, weaving together your own unique realm from a hand of imaginative cards.

The setting of Fantasy Realms is a vibrant, fantastical world, steeped in magic, mystery, and adventure. From desolate wastelands and enchanted forests, to towering castles and the bottomless sea, each card represents a different element of this captivating universe, complete with captivating art that brings the setting to life.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Fantasy Realms is a captivating card game where players strategically craft their fantasy realm to gather the most points. Here are the main components of the game:

Cards: The game includes a deck of 53 cards. Each card represents a unique element in the fantasy realm such as a beast, weather condition, artifact, or leader. Each card has a base score and bonus or penalty points depending on the other cards in a player’s hand. The cards are the primary game components that players interact with to build their realms and score points.

Beasts: These cards represent mythical creatures. They typically have high base scores and can offer significant bonuses when paired with certain leader or wilderness cards.
Weather: These cards can affect the scores of multiple cards in a hand, often providing bonuses to certain types of cards while giving penalties to others.
Artifacts: These cards represent powerful items. They often provide unique scoring opportunities and can interact with a wide variety of other cards.
Leaders: These cards are the rulers of the realm. They usually have moderate base scores and can provide substantial bonuses when paired with specific types of cards.

Score Pad: The game comes with a score pad to help players keep track of their points. Players use this component at the end of the game to calculate their total scores based on the cards in their final hand.

Ruler: The ruler is a simple tool to help players measure the size of their realm. Although it doesn’t directly affect gameplay, it adds a fun visual element to the game.

Instruction Manual: This booklet provides all the necessary rules and guidelines for playing the game. It also includes detailed descriptions of each card and its potential interactions with other cards.

In Fantasy Realms, players must strategically choose cards to build the most powerful realm. The game involves a high degree of strategy and planning, as players must carefully consider the potential interactions between cards to maximize their points.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Fantasy Realms is a captivating card game where players build combinations to maximize their score. The game is designed for 2-6 players and a single game typically lasts 20 minutes. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game.

Step 1: Shuffle the Cards

Start by shuffling the 53-card deck. Every card in this deck represents a different component of the realm, such as beasts, weather conditions, or landmarks. Their various combinations determine the points you can score.

Step 2: Deal the Cards

Each player is dealt seven cards to form their initial hand. These cards should be kept secret from other players.

Step 3: Create the Discard Area

Place the deck in the center of the playing area. This will serve as the draw deck. Leave space next to the draw deck for a discard pile.

Step 4: Player Roles

There are no specific roles assigned to players in Fantasy Realms. Each player will be aiming to build the most powerful realm by creating the highest scoring combination of cards.

Step 5: Initial Resources

Every player starts the game with the same resources – a hand of seven cards. The way each player uses these cards to build their realm will determine the game’s outcome.

Step 6: Random Elements

The key random element in Fantasy Realms is the draw of the cards. Each turn, players will draw one card either from the draw deck or the discard pile, and then discard one card. The discarded card is placed face up next to the draw deck.

Step 7: Start the Game

The youngest player usually goes first. However, you can decide who starts in any way you prefer. The game continues in a clockwise direction.

Remember, the goal of Fantasy Realms is to build the highest scoring hand. You do this by selecting the best combination of cards that work together and discarding cards that do not add to your overall score. The game ends when the discard pile has ten cards. Players then calculate their scores based on their hand of cards, and the player with the highest score wins.

Game flow Round and round we go

Fantasy Realms is an exciting card game where players take on the role of a ruler of a far-off kingdom, aiming to create the most powerful realm by drawing and discarding cards. The game is played over multiple rounds and ends when ten cards are in the discard area, leading to a final scoring phase.

Round Structure:

Draw Phase: At the start of their turn, each player must draw one card. This card can be drawn from the top of the draw pile or from any card in the discard area.
Discard Phase: After drawing, the player must discard one card from their hand into the discard area. This can be the card they just drew or any other card from their hand. If a player picks a card from the discard area, they cannot discard the same card in the same turn.

Players will continue to take turns, drawing and discarding cards, until the game reaches its end condition.

End of Game and Scoring:

The end of the game is triggered when there are exactly ten cards in the discard area. At this point, all players will have one final turn, after which they will move on to the scoring phase.

Scoring in Fantasy Realms is unique and quite involved. Each card in a player’s hand scores points based on its own scoring rules, usually related to other cards in the hand. A card may score points on its own, or it may score points if paired with other specific cards. Some cards may also subtract points depending on other cards in hand. The player who has the highest total score wins.

Understanding the complex interactions between cards is key to mastering the game of Fantasy Realms.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Fantasy Realms is an engaging and strategic card game where players create the most potent realm by drawing and discarding cards. Each player’s turn in the game involves a series of actions that influence their overall performance. Here’s a breakdown of what happens during a player’s turn:

1. Draw a Card

At the start of your turn, you have the option to draw a card either from the deck or the discard area. This initial step is crucial as the card you draw could significantly enhance your realm’s power or be part of your strategy to deny other players specific cards.

2. Discard a Card

After drawing a card, you must discard one card from your hand. The discarded card goes face-up into the discard area. This process helps to fine-tune your hand, ensuring that you maintain the most potent combination of cards to maximize your score.

3. End of Turn

After discarding a card, your turn ends, and play passes to the next player clockwise. This cycle continues until the game ends, which occurs when the deck runs out of cards, and there are ten cards in the discard area.

Strategic Choices and Their Impact on Gameplay

Card Selection: The decision to draw from the deck or the discard area can significantly impact your game. Drawing from the discard area could allow you to acquire a card that enhances your hand immediately. However, it also reveals your strategy to your opponents. Conversely, drawing from the deck keeps your strategy hidden but relies more on luck.

Discarding Cards: Choosing which card to discard is equally critical. Ideally, you want to discard cards that don’t benefit your realm or fit into your strategy. However, you must also consider whether the discarded card could benefit an opponent’s realm.

Combining Cards: The strength of your realm in Fantasy Realms heavily depends on how well you can combine cards. Some cards have bonuses that are activated when paired with specific cards, while others could penalize you if kept with certain cards. Understanding these relationships and building your hand accordingly is key to achieving a high score.

Timing: The game ends quickly once the deck is exhausted and ten cards are in the discard area. Keeping track of the deck’s size and controlling the discard pile’s growth can give you more time to perfect your hand.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Fantasy Realms’ ends when the draw deck is exhausted. This happens when a player draws the tenth card from the discard area, thereby depleting the draw deck. Once this occurs, all players will get one final turn before the game concludes.

Victory Conditions:

The ultimate goal in ‘Fantasy Realms’ is to amass the highest score at the end of the game. The player who can accumulate the most points from their cards is declared the winner. Points are determined based on the individual card scores and any bonus points from combinations of cards in your hand.

Actions Before Final Scoring:

Before final scoring, each player must ensure they have only 7 cards in their hand. If a player has more than 7 cards, they must discard excess cards to the discard area until they only have 7 remaining. Once all players have the correct number of cards, the scoring phase begins.

Scoring:

Individual Card Scoring: Each player adds up the base value of all cards in their hand. This is the number printed in the top left corner of each card.
Combination Scoring: Players then look for any card combinations in their hand that provide bonus points. These are listed in the text area of the cards. All applicable bonuses are added to the player’s score.
Penalty Scoring: Some cards may have penalties that subtract points from your score. If a card’s conditions result in a penalty, those points are subtracted from your total.

The player with the highest total score wins the game. In case of a tie, the player who didn’t start the game wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Fantasy Realms is a strategic card game where players aim to score the most points by creating the most powerful realm. The scoring system in Fantasy Realms evaluates the combinations of cards in a player’s hand at the end of the game. Points are awarded based on the individual card scores and bonus points are given for cards that form specific combinations.

1. Individual Card Scores: Each card in the game has a base score. This base score is the starting point for calculating the final score of a player.

For example, a ‘Flood’ card has a base score of 30 points.

2. Bonus Points: Many cards have bonus points that are awarded if certain conditions are met. These conditions often involve having certain other cards in the hand.

For example, a ‘Flood’ card gets 20 bonus points for each ‘Weather’ card in the player’s hand.

3. Penalties: Conversely, some cards have penalties that reduce the score if certain conditions are met. Like bonus points, these conditions often involve having certain other cards in the hand.

For example, a ‘Flood’ card gets a penalty of -10 points for each ‘Flame’ card in the player’s hand.

4. Tie-Breaking Rules: In the event of a tie, the player with the most cards in their hand wins. If there is still a tie, the player who went out first wins.

In summary, the scoring in Fantasy Realms is a complex system that rewards strategic planning and understanding of the card combinations. The player with the highest total score, calculated by adding individual card scores, bonus points and subtracting any penalties, wins the game.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Fantasy Realms is a captivating game about building the most potent and scoring hand. While the game rules are relatively simple, there are a few rare, special rules, exceptions, and clarifications you must understand to play the game effectively.

Rare or Special Rules:

Penalty for Dead Cards: Any card that does not score, i.e., dead cards, will result in a 10-point penalty. This rule encourages players to strategize and ensure all cards in their hand contribute to their final score.
Weather Cards: Weather cards are unique as they typically affect the scores of specific card types. For example, the ‘Storm’ card doubles the penalties for all Flame cards. These cards add a layer of complexity and unpredictability to the game.

Exceptions:

Discard Pile: Unlike many card games, the discard pile in Fantasy Realms is not shuffled back into the deck. Once the draw deck is exhausted, the game ends, making it critical to plan ahead and strategize accordingly.
Game End: The game ends immediately when the draw deck is exhausted. This rule is an exception to many card games where play continues until one player is out of cards.

Rule Clarifications:

Card Interactions: Some cards have abilities that affect other cards. For example, the ‘Dragon’ card scores an additional 50 points if paired with the ‘Dragon Slayer’ card. These interactions are critical to understand for optimal gameplay.
Card Limit: Each player can only have seven cards in their hand at any time. If a player draws a card, they must discard one. This rule encourages strategic decision-making about which cards to keep and which to discard.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Fantasy Realms is a captivating card game where players aim to build the mightiest realm by drawing and discarding cards. To master this game, it is essential to understand its strategies and gameplay. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize gameplay.

Advanced Strategies:

Plan Your Strategy Early: After drawing your initial hand, identify the combinations that will yield the most points and base your strategy on that.
Keep an Eye on the Discard Pile: Always monitor the discard pile. You might find cards that fit into your strategy or prevent your opponents from getting a card that benefits them.
Balance Between Negative and Positive Cards: It’s essential to balance your realm with negative and positive cards. Some cards might have negative points but can trigger high-scoring combinations.

Beginner Tips:

Learn the Card Combinations: Understanding the different card combinations can significantly improve your score.
Keep Your Options Open: Do not commit to a single strategy too early. Keep your options open and adapt to the cards you draw.
Practice: Like any other game, practice makes perfect. The more you play, the more familiar you will become with the cards and their interactions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Ignoring the Discard Pile: Neglecting the discard pile can be a huge mistake. Always keep an eye on it to know what cards are available and what cards your opponents might be collecting.
Sticking to One Strategy: While it’s important to have a game plan, sticking rigidly to one strategy can hinder your progress. Be flexible and adapt your strategy based on the cards you draw.
Not Considering Negative Cards: Some players avoid negative cards. However, these cards can be beneficial if used in the right combinations.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Master the Card Interactions: Knowing how the cards interact with each other can give you a significant advantage. You can plan your moves better and maximize your score.
Utilize All Your Cards: Make sure to utilize all your cards to their fullest potential. Every card, no matter how insignificant it seems, can contribute to your total score.
Adapt to Your Opponents’ Strategies: Pay attention to what your opponents are doing and plan your moves accordingly. If you can predict their strategies, you can counter them effectively.