Reign Absolute is a tabletop card game that combines streamlined warfare rules with bluff and light memory mechanics, creating an accessible conquest game.
The protean gods have declared that only one race shall remain. Each race has heard the declaration of their deities, “Wipe all others from the face of the earth for only you are worthy of our grace”. In truth these bitter gods are merely masked aspects of the single cabal of gods that rule supreme over the lands.
Imagined as the love-child of Warhammer and Exploding Kittens, Reign Absolute is about bringing the fun and excitement of competitive fantasy-themed conquest to an audience that would otherwise be put off by a grueling set of rules and complicated setup requirements.
Play as the Human Empire, Human Raiders, Elves or Orcs and battle your opponents for survival; take risks, bluff and outwit your opponents; prove that you are the dominant force in all the land: earn your right to Reign Absolute.
Reign Absolute features a diverse range of faction, each with a different play style and unique abilities. Each faction is composed of a unique deck of unit cards along with faction rules and faction gameplay tips. Please note that the base set will only include a subset of the entire range of faction; additional faction will be made available through expansion packs.
The feudal Empire focuses its strength on a defensive formation around their liege , the King. The Empire King receives a significant defense bonus for each adjacent friendly unit. The Empire represents the baseline race for the game, making them the recommended race for beginner players.
Liege (): King
Strategy: Position units to take advantage of the King's defense bonus against aggressive races, or use naturally high strength units such as the Knight to become the aggressor against slower races such as the Elves.
The Raiders are a barbarous race with strong attack units. The Raider Liege has a very high strength value, making it a good attacking unit. The relative simplicity of the Raider's strategy makes the Raiders a good race for less experienced players, particularly those with an aggressive aptitude.
Liege (): War Chief
Strategy: Attacking initially with the high strength Chieftan grants the Raiders a unit number advantage over opponents.
This fragile race is reliant on the boons of their ancient woodland home to conquer the other races. Overall, Elf units are weaker than most races in regard to individual unit strength . However, while in play their immobile Elder Tree grants the Elf player an additional Reinforcement Card draw in the Reinforcement Phase; if uncontested for long enough, the Elves become incredibly powerful.
Liege (): Queen
Strategy: Defense of the Elder Tree is paramount. Given enough time, the ability of Elves to out-strip the Combat Reinforcement accumulation of other races more than makes up for the race's lower strength. Bluffing and exploiting opponent's reluctance to attack 'trap' units like the Scout and Dryad are solid tactics for buying time until the Elf units are sufficiently strong to attack other races.
A brutally tough race of green-skins. Overall, Orc units are stronger than most in regard to individual unit strength . The Orc race has a unique Liege setup with all units being promotable through the use of the 'Warlord' card. Being the Warlord grants a unit an Attack bonus, but also comes with a large Defence penalty. Once the Warlord unit is defeated, the Warlord card is immediately transferred to another Orc unit of the Orc player's choice.
Liege (): Warlord* (The Warlord title is not an individual unit, but a card that is placed on Orc units.)
Strategy: The Orc race's unique Liege setup means they have to be wiped out entirely before being eradicated from the game, allowing for a high risk play style.
The Undead are one of the most complex races in the game, both in their setup and gameplay. All Undead unit cards are played face-up (though each unit's Combat Reinforcements remain facedown, similar to the other races). The Undead setup consists almost entirely of Graveyards. Graveyards are immobile and have a strength of zero. However, by using the Undead's unique Action Raise, the Undead player can convert Graveyards into Skeletons, a unit of moderate strength that can quickly be enhanced to become a viable threat. Also unique to the Undead is the Dread Deck: a set of additional Graveyards that are placed after the Undead player's Reinforcement Phase. The Undead Liege , the Wraith Lord, has the unique ability of being able to respawn after being defeated in combat by discarding a Graveyard and moving the Wraith Lord to that location. Due to their complexity, we don't recommend playing Undead if there are inexperienced players in the game.
Liege (): Wraith Lord
Strategy: As the Undead Liege has high strength and can be respawned at any graveyard, it is a fantastic attack unit- as long as there are Graveyards to respawn at!
A highly defense orientated race, the Dwarfs become powerful by crafting potent relics that allow them to take the fight to the other races. The Dwarfs have an unique Action called Forge which allows them to select a relic of their choice from the Dwarf Relic Supply. This ability can be further enhanced by choosing to reveal the location of the Relic Master; this is a high risk / high reward decision as this low strength unit grants the enemy a massive boon if defeated in combat.
Liege (): King
Strategy: Their naturally high defense provides the Dwarfs with the opportunity to strengthen their forces to the point were they can attack the higher strength units from other races.
A balanced human faction, the real powerhouse of the Azuma is the Onmyóji, a potent occultist who draws an additional reinforcement card at the start of any combat she is involved in.
Liege (): Shogun
Similar to the Human Empire, the Azuma Liege gains a defensive bonus based on adjacent friendly units, allowing her to remain safe while the Onmyóji thins the enemy forces.
The Elementals are a specialised race; every unit has a strength of 4 and are differentiated by unique abilities. Effective use of these abilities will make or break the game for the Elemental player.
Liege (): Ether Lord
The Elemental Liege , the Ether Lord, grows more powerful based upon how many Elementals are in play. Early attacks with the Ether Lord can allow the Elementals to push for an early lead from which to use their specialised units effectively.
Reign Absolute is a grid based conquest game where each player has an unique set of faction units; the objective is to locate and defeat the opponent's Liege unit, at which point that player is eradicated from the game. Reinforcement Cards provide various tactical benefits and supplement individual unit's combat strength . Aside from the random draw of units during setup and the drawing of the Reinforcement Cards .
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