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Meromorph Games is a game company, creators of the card games The Shipwreck Arcana and Norsaga.

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Powers

Details on individual faded powers for The Shipwreck Arcana.

Powers

This section contains details on each faded power in The Shipwreck Arcana, including how they play and frequently asked questions about them.

 

faded powers

saints

"Higher Than? Before making a prediction, the group may discard this to pick a number X and ask 'Is your fate higher than X?'"

Q: How does the Saints power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used after the active player has finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the group uses Saints, they collectively choose any number X, and then ask the active player whether their hidden fate is higher than X. The active player may respond "yes" or "no."

While the group may choose any number for X, keep in mind that the only values a fate can have are 1-7.

Also, note that if the group asks "Is your fate higher than 4?" while the active player is holding a 4, they must answer "No" because 4 is not higher than itself. They may not give any indication that this is the case.

Secrets

"1-2-3? Before making a prediction, the group may discard this to ask 'Is your fate 1, 2, or 3?'"

Q: How does the Secrets power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used after the active player has finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the group uses Secrets, they collectively ask the active player "Is your hidden fate a 1, 2, or 3?" The active player may respond "yes" or "no."

This power is similar to Songs, Spires, and Swords.

shells

"Old? After playing their fate, the active player may discard this to say whether they had that fate during their previous turn."

Q: How does the Shells power work?
A: This power can only be used by the active player, and can only be used after they have finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the active player uses Shells, they may state whether the fate they played was one they drew from the bag this turn, or one they had from a previous turn.

For example, if the active player begins their turn with one hidden fate token, and draws a second token from the bag, then plays a 2, they may use Shells to say "I did not have this 2 last turn."

  • This would let the group know that the 2 was drawn from the bag this turn, and therefore that the player's remaining hidden fate must still be the token they had from a previous turn.

  • This also means that the group knows definitively that they can continue to apply any number line deductions they made previously about that hidden fate.

Remember that, with the exception of this power, the active player is not normally allowed to confirm whether their hidden fate is one they've kept from a previous turn.

sinners

"Discard Lower: After playing their fate, the active player may discard this to discard one visible fate that is lower than their remaining fate."

Q: How does the Sinners power work?
A: This power can only be used by the active player, and can only be used after they have finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the active player uses Sinners, they may then choose any single visible fate in front of an arcana card whose value is less than their hidden fate, and return the chosen fate to the bag.

You cannot provide any additional information to the group about your hidden fate, e.g. you may not confirm how much higher it is than the discarded fate, or whether it's also higher than other visible fates.

Sometimes not using this power can provide as much information as using it. If the group has narrowed your hidden fate down to two possible options, and they know that there is a visible fate which you could discard to confirm one of the options, but you do not do so, they may conclude that you cannot. This would tacitly imply that the other option is correct.

Q: Can I discard the fate that I just played?
A: 
Yes, if it is lower than your hidden fate.

Q: Can I use Sinners if no visible fate is lower than my hidden fate?
A:
No. You can only use the power if there is a valid fate to discard.

songs

"1-4-7? Before making a prediction, the group may discard this to ask 'Is your fate 1, 4, or 7?'"

Q: How does the Songs power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used after the active player has finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the group uses Songs, they collectively ask the active player "Is your hidden fate a 1, 4, or 7?" The active player may respond "yes" or "no."

This power is similar to Secrets, Spires, and Swords.

sorrows

"Twice: Before making a prediction, the group may discard this to make one extra prediction this turn."

Q: How does the Sorrows power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used after the active player has finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the group uses Sorrows, they may make an extra prediction this turn. Only one of the predictions needs to be correct to avert doom and score 1 point.

Q: If my allies guess twice but one of the predictions is wrong, does doom advance?
A: 
Not if the other guess is correct. Doom only advances if all predictions are wrong. Additionally, doom only advances a single time, regardless of how many wrong predictions are made.

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sparrows

"Cycle: Before playing their fate, the active player may discard this to replace an Arcana card (with no fates) with the top card of the deck."

Q: How does the Sparrows power work?
A: This power can only be used by the active player, and can only be used after they draw fate tokens from the bag but before they play a fate. When the active player uses Sparrows, they choose a single arcana card that has no visible fates in front of it, place that card on the bottom of the deck, and replace it with the top card of the deck.

The active player may not confirm or deny whether they could have legally played on the replaced arcana card.

Remember, all players can always see what the top card of the arcana deck is, meaning that the new card which will replace the old one is known ahead of time. The active player can -- and should -- take this into account when deciding whether to use Sparrows.

spires

"3-4-5? Before making a prediction, the group may discard this to ask 'Is your fate 3, 4, or 5?'"

Q: How does the Spires power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used after the active player has finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the group uses Spires, they collectively ask the active player "Is your hidden fate a 3, 4, or 5?" The active player may respond "yes" or "no."

This power is similar to Secrets, Songs, and Swords.

swords

"5-6-7? Before making a prediction, the group may discard this to ask 'Is your fate 5, 6, or 7?'"

Q: How does the Swords power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used after the active player has finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the group uses Swords, they collectively ask the active player "Is your hidden fate a 5, 6, or 7?" The active player may respond "yes" or "no."

This power is similar to Secrets, Songs, and Spires.

 

 

Kickstarter Faded powers

shackles

"Within 2? Before making a prediction, the group may discard this to ask 'Was the difference between your fates 2 or less?'"

Q: How does the Shackles power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used after the active player has finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the group uses Shackles, they collectively ask the active player "Was the difference between your hidden fate and the fate you played less than 2?" The active player may respond "yes" or "no."

For example, if the active player plays a 6, the group may then useShackles to ask "Is your hidden fate within 2 of 6?"

  • If the active player responds "yes," they must have a 4 (6-4 = 2), 5 (6-5 = 1), 6 (6-6 = 0), or 7 (7-6 = 1).

  • If the active player responds "no," they must have a 1 (6-1 = 5), 2 (6-2 = 4), or 3 (6-3 = 3).

Q: What if the active player had more than 2 fates over the course of their turn?
A:
This might occur if the active player played one of their first two fates on The Feast, drew a new (third) one, and then played somewhere else.
In this case, the active player should ignore the value of the fate played on The Feast when answering. This means they will take into account only whether the hidden fate in their hand, plus the (second) fate they played during their turn (on a card other than The Feast) were within 2 of each other.

shadows

"+1: Before playing their fate, the active player may discard this to treat the fate they don't play this turn as 1 higher this turn."

Q: How does the Shadows power work?
A: This power can only be used by the active player, and can only be used after they draw fate tokens from the bag but before they play a fate. When the active player uses Shadows, they choose the fate they will not play this turn and mentally add 1 to its value. They then play their other fate as though their hidden fate has the adjusted value. This may allow them to play on arcana cards that they could not otherwise play on.

For example, the active player has 4 and 5, and the arcana card The Mirror ("Same: If both of your fates are the same, play one of them here.") is in play. The active player can use Shadows to treat their 4 as a 5 (4+1 = 5), and then play on The Mirror because both of their fates are now 5s.

Note: with this power, you can treat a hidden fate of 7 as though it’s an 8. This can allow you to create plays that would not be possible otherwise!

Q: Does the group guess the original value of the hidden fate, or the modified value of the hidden fate?
A: 
Either one, as long as they're specific. In the example, above, the group would conclude that the hidden fate must be a 5, and since they know that Shadows was used, they can conclude that the unmodified value must have been 4. They could predict "You have a 4" or "After using Shadows, you have a 5," and both predictions would be correct.

Q: If the group does not make a prediction, does the hidden fate remain modified next turn?
A: 
No. Once the turn ends, treat the fate as its original value. This may mean that the group needs you to update your number line (for example, shifting the possible values down 1).

Q: Does changing the value affect the number of ♢ on the fate?

A: No, only the value changes. For example, if you have two 3’s and you change one of them to a 4, you still cannot play on The North Wind.

Q: How does Shadows interact with cards like Dawn or The Noble?

A: When you use Shadows, you increment the value of whichever fate you don’t play. This can lead to some tricky scenarios! Let’s walk through a few of them.

First example: Dawn ("Higher: If one of your fates is higher than the other, play the higher one here."). If you have two 4s in your hand and use Shadow, the fate you keep will be incremented and become a 5. Because only the unplayed fate can become a 5, and Dawn requires the played fate to be a 5, you still cannot play on it.

Second example: The Noble ("3-4-5: If one of your fates is 3, 4, or 5, and the other is not, play the 3, 4, or 5 here."). If you have a 2 and a 6 in hand and use Shadow, you still can’t play on The Noble because you can’t play your 6 (keeping the 2, which increments to 3) and you can’t play your 2 (keeping your 6, which increments to 7).

skies

"Relocate: Before playing their fate, the active player may discard this to move one visible fate to a new arcana card."

Q: How does the Skies power work?
A: This power can only be used by the active player, and can only be used after they draw fate tokens from the bag but before they play a fate. When the active player uses Skies, they choose a single visible fate in front of an arcana card, and move it in front a new arcana card. They they continue their turn.

Note that because some arcana cards care about what fates are in front of them, this may affect whether you can play on certain cards.

Additionally, if you move too many fates in front of one card, you may cause it to fade this turn, even if you don't play another fate in front of it.

Q: What happens if I use Skies to cause multiple cards to fade in the same turn?
A: 
If your allies make a correct prediction this turn, the doom track won't advance no matter how many cards fade. However, if your allies don't make a correct prediction, you'll incur doom for each card that fades. So be careful!

storms

"Same? Before making a prediction, the group may discard this to pick a visible fate and ask 'Is your fate the same?'"

Q: How does the Storms power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used after the active player has finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the group uses Storms, they collectively choose a visible fate in front of an arcana card and ask the active player "Is your hidden fate the same as this one?" The active player may respond "yes" or "no."

Q: Can the group choose a fate that was just played by the active player this turn?
A: 
Yes.

Q: Can the group use this power if there are no visible fates?
A: 
Trick question -- this can never happen. This power is used after a fate is played and before predictions (and fading), so there should always be at least one visible fate: the one that was played this turn.

The only (current) way that there would be no visible fates is if the active player had immediately used the Sinners power to discard the fate they just played... in which case, no other powers can be used this turn, including Storms, since only one power may be used each turn.

 

Stars below faded powers

Sails

"Exile: After making a correct prediction, the group may discard this and another faded power to remove a visible fate from the game."

Q: How does the Sails power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used at the end of the turn, after a correct prediction is made, but before cards fade. When the group uses Sails, they collectively choose another available faded power to discard, as well as a visible fate to remove from the game.

The exiled fate token is set aside. It does not get returned to the bag until the game is over.

Q: What if there aren’t any other faded powers to discard?
A:
Sails cannot be used unless there is at least one other faded power to discard.

Q: If a fate is exiled from a card that would have faded this turn, does it still fade?
A:
Maybe not. Re-check its fade conditions. For most cards, this means recalculating how many moons it has and how many total pips (♢) are on the fates in front of it. For The Fall card from the Stars Below expansion, you’ll need to re-check its game text to see if its fade condition is still met.

Sands

"Amplify: Attach this to the card that replaces it. The turn that card fades, fades cause +1 doom and predictions are worth +1 point."

Q: How does the Sands power work?
A: This power is not used by the players; instead it takes effect immediately when it’s unlocked. As soon as the Sands power becomes available, attach it to the arcana card that took its place on the board. You can set Sands just below that card to indicate that Sands is attached to it.

When a card fades while Sands is attached to it, it creates a unique one-turn effect: all fades cause 1 additional doom, and a correct prediction this turn is worth 1 additional point.

Q: If multiple cards fade on the same turn as a card with Sands attached, how much doom do we get?
A:
Each card normally incurs 2 doom when fading. If one of them has Sands attached, then all fades incur +1 doom this turn. So each card that fades this turn incurs 3 doom instead of 2. If 3 cards are fading, that’s 3x3=9 doom in a single turn!

Remember, though: making a correct prediction cancels all doom that would be incurred by fading this turn. This means that even in the scenario above, you could cancel all 9 doom by guessing right!

Q: What if the card that Sands is attached to leaves play without fading?
A:
Some powers, such as Sparrows (Cycle), let the group remove an arcana card from the board. If that card has Sands attached, discard Sands just like any other faded power that’s been used. It does not cause any other effect when it’s discarded like this.

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SCIONS

"Slow: Before making a prediction, the group may attach this to an arcana card. Fates in front of that card are only worth 1 ."

Q: How does the Scions power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used after the active player has finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the group uses Scions, they collectively choose an arcana card to attach it to. Treat all fates in front of that card as though they had one pip (♢) instead of their usual number of pips. This means that 4s, 5s, and 6s count as one pip instead of two, and 7s count as one pip instead of three.

Q: Why would I want to attach Scions to a card?
A:
Remember, most arcana cards fade once the total number of pips on the fates in front of them equals or exceeds the number of moons on the card. Because Scions reduces those pips, it lets that arcana card remain in play longer. It also lets more “expensive” fates (4s, 5s, 6s, and especially 7s) be played more safely on that card.

Q: Does Scions affect fates that enter play after Scions is attached to a card?
A:
Yes. Any fate that winds up in front of the card that Scions is attached to will begin counting as one pip. This includes fates that are played after Scions is attached. It also includes fates that are moved from another card onto Scions’ card, with faded powers such as Skies (Relocate). On the other hand, if a fate is moved off of Scions’ card, it regains its usual number of pips.

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SCYTHES

"Help: Before making a prediction, the group may discard this and another faded power to ask 'Is your fate a 2 or 6?'"

Q: How does the Scythes power work?
A: This power can only be used by the group, and can only be used after the active player has finished playing fates, but before the group decides to make a prediction. When the group uses Scythes, they collectively choose another available faded power to discard, then collectively ask the active player "Is your hidden fate a 2 or 6?" The active player may respond "yes" or "no."

Q: What if there aren’t any other faded powers to discard?
A:
Scythes cannot be used unless there is at least one other faded power to discard.