Setup
Bring a 60-card deck using cards from at most two ink colors (Amber, Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Steel).
Shuffle and draw 7. You may alter your starting hand once — put any number of cards on the bottom of your deck and redraw that many.
Both players start with 0 Lore. First to 20 Lore wins.
Randomly decide who goes first; the first player doesn't draw on their first turn.
How to play
- 1
Each turn: Ready your exerted cards, gain Lore from cards that generate it at start of turn, draw a card (skip on turn 1 for the first player), then act.
- 2
You may put one card from your hand face-down into your Inkwell each turn — but only cards with the swirled cost circle are inkable.
- 3
Spend Ink (by exerting cards in your Inkwell) to play Characters, Actions, Items, Locations, and Songs.
- 4
Characters can't do anything the turn they're played (their ink is 'wet') unless they have Rush.
- 5
Quest with ready Characters to gain the Lore printed on their card. Or Challenge an opposing exerted Character to deal damage.
- 6
Locations sit in front of you and can generate Lore each turn; move Characters to them for bonuses.
- 7
The first player to accumulate 20 Lore wins immediately.
Rules to know
Ink & inking
Only inkable cards (the swirled cost circle) can go into your Inkwell. Once inked, cards can't be retrieved — inking is a permanent commitment.
Drying ink
A Character can quest, challenge, or use exert abilities only when their ink is dry — the turn after they were played (or immediately, with Rush).
Challenging
Only ready Characters may challenge, and they can only challenge exerted opposing Characters. Both take each other's Strength as damage.
Songs
Action cards with a Song icon that can be sung by exerting a Character of equal or greater cost, avoiding the Ink cost entirely.
Locations
Locations sit in play, cost Ink each turn to move Characters to, and often let a Character quest for extra Lore or gain bonuses while there.
Win conditions
Be the first player to gain 20 Lore.
Your opponent cannot draw a card at the start of their turn (deck out).
Play smarter, faster
Quest early. Deferring Lore hoping for a big turn often costs you the race.
Keep your Ink curve smooth — 22–27 inkable cards is a common ratio to avoid Ink drought.
Save Actions for windows where they actually swing tempo. Reactive answers waste less Ink.
Two-color decks lean on the ink you have. If you're stuck on one color early, don't force plays that need the other.