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Full Rules and FAQ

The Quickstart Rules and/or explainer video (here) should be enough to get you rolling. A copy of the Quickstart rules can be found here, including an FAQ that should cover any side-cases that aren't described in the Quickstart.


Components - Core Rule: Overcome - The Silver Rule - Setup - Adjusting Difficulty - Gameplay - Placement Rules - Tiebreaking - FAQ


Components

In order to play Altered Confluence, you need to have a deck of Altered TCG cards – 1 Hero and a 39-card deck. Your deck must abide by standard deckbuilding rules (no more than 3 cards that share a name, no more than 15 rare cards and 3 unique cards in your deck). However, no cards are suspended against the Confluence - you can adjust your deck to suit the difficulty you wish to play with. You also require your adventure track and any additional markers and tokens for a game of Altered.

Additionally, the following pieces are required for a game of Altered Confluence:

Note that Confluence decks typically include 55 cards - 15 cards come in both common and rare variations. You can adjust the difficulty of the Confluence by using only some or all of the rare versions of cards. For your first game, we suggest using only common cards in the Confluence deck.


Core Rule: Overcome

While in a typical game of Altered you simply need to exceed your opponent's statistics in one terrain in order for your Expedition to advance, Altered Confluence works different.

To advance an Expedition, you must Overcome each Character, Expedition Permanent, and Terrain that Expedition is faced with.

At Dusk, separately sum the [F], [M], and [O] statistics of each Character you played in one of your Expeditions. Then subtract the statistics of each Character and Expedition Permanent facing that Expedition from the totals (in any order). Each Character and Expedition Permanent that can be successfully subtracted from that total is Overcome.

If all Characters and Expedition Permanents are Overcome, the Expedition can face the terrain itself - for each Terrain present in the Tumult Region where the Expedition is located, subtract 1 more from your totals. If this can be done successfully, that Expedition advances. Repeat this process for the other Expedition.

Two new keywords appear commonly on Confluence-specific cards referencing this rule:

Persistent (Send me to Reserve at Rest only if I have been Overcome.)

Constant (I am not sent to Reserve at Rest, even when Overcome.)


The Silver Rule

While playing Altered Confluence, you must always place newer played cards to the right of older played cards - both the Confluence's and your own! The Confluence may sometimes target a "leftmost" or a "rightmost" target. These terms are shorthand for the oldest existing target and the newest existing target. By placing your cards in the correct order, you don't have to maintain this information in your head. You may not choose to change the order of cards.

When cards change zones simultaneously (such as Character being sent to Reserve all at once during Rest), you may choose the order they are placed into the new zone.

When tiebreaking, the Confluence always chooses the leftmost valid target when otherwise unspecified.


Setup

If this is your first game of Altered Confluence, ensure that your Confluence deck only includes the common (gray cabochon-marked) cards.

  1. Begin by setting up the Adventure Track as usual. Then, place one Darkness card on either side of the tumult behind the Hero and Companion respectively, each covering the back half of their respective starting card.
  2. Set up your own play space with your Hero and Deck, drawing your first 6 cards and choosing which 3 to put into your Mana Zone as usual.
  3. Place the Confluence's Hero card above the Tumult. Shuffle the Confluence deck and place it within reach. Leave room for the Confluence's Expeditions, Reserve, Landmark, Mana, Midnight, and Discard zones.
  4. Place the top 3 cards of the Confluence's deck face-down into its Mana Zone.
  5. Draw 1 card (from the Confluence's deck) into the Confluence's Hand for its first turn, keeping it face down. Then, draw a second card and put it face up in the Confluence's Reserve.
  6. Using the First Player marker, mark the Hero Expedition as the Threatened Expedition.

Adjusting Difficulty

Altered Confluence decks can be adjusted for different difficulties. 15 cards in the Confluence deck come in both common and rare variations. Once you have played against a fully common deck, you can replace common cards with their rare variants (if they have one) to increase the difficulty.


Gameplay

Altered Confluence generally follows the same gameplay steps as a typical game of Altered, but adds steps to run the Confluence deck throughout. New steps are italicized.

Morning

If it's the first Day of the game, go straight to Noon. Otherwise:

  1. Change the Threatened Expedition. You are the First Player whenever the Companion Expedition is Threatened.
  2. Ready your Mana Orbs and exhausted cards. Ready the Confluence's Mana Orbs and exhausted cards.
  3. Draw two cards from your deck.
  4. Choose if you wish to place a card from your hand into your Mana Zone.
  5. Draw 2 cards for the Confluence, keeping them face-down and in the same order. This is the Confluence's hand.

Noon

  1. Activate any card with an "At Noon" trigger.
    1. At Noon triggers owned by the Confluence are resolved in the following order: the Confluence card, Characters in Expeditions, Landmarks, then cards in Reserve.

Afternoon

  1. Staring with the first player, players take turns playing one card at a time.
    1. As always, you may use any number of quick actions before playing a card.

The Confluence's Turn:

  1. First activate any quick actions the Confluence can take.
  2. Next, if the Confluence has any remaining cards in hand, reveal the top card of its hand.
    1. If the Confluence has enough mana remaining to pay for it, it exhausts the mana and plays the card, following the card's placement rules (see below).
    2. If not, place that card face-down and readied in the Confluence's Mana Zone. The Confluence may place any number of cards into its Mana Zone per turn.
  3. If the Confluence had no cards left in hand, it instead plays the most expensive (Reserve Cost) card from its Reserve that it can afford the mana for.
  4. If the Confluence has no cards in hand and was unable to play any cards from its Reserve, it passes.

Dusk

During Dusk, you check to see if you advance either Expedition. For each Expedition, check to see if you have Overcome all Characters, Expedition Permanents, and the Terrain (see above for details). If yes, that Expedition advances.

Night

Rest

  1. Send all Characters in your Expeditions to your Reserve. If they are Fleeting, discard them instead.
  2. Send all of the Confluence's Characters into the Confluence's Reserve. If they are Fleeting, discard them instead. Remember to check for Persisent and Constant keywords.

Cleanup

  1. If you have 3 or more cards in your Reserve, you must discard the excess so that only 2 cards remain. Do the same for your Landmarks.
  2. If the Confluence has more cards in its Reserve than indicated on its Hero card, discard the leftmost excess cards.
  3. If the Confluence has more cards in its Landmarks than indicated on its Hero card, discard the lowest Hand Cost excess cards.

Midnight

  1. Advance the Darkness by 1 Region as indicated by the previously revealed Midnight card, then send that card to the Confluence's Discard.
    1. As there is no Midnight card revealed on the first turn, Darkness cannot advance during the first Midnight.
  2. Reveal the top card of the Confluence's deck and place it in the Confluence’s Midnight Zone. This is the new Midnight card.

Placement Rules

Each of the Confluence's Characters and Expedition Permanents has a placement rule indicated on the card in the bottom right corner of the art.

If a placement rule would ever be ambiguous (a character could be placed in either Expedition according to the rule), place it facing the Threatened Expedition.

    Place this character facing the Threatened Expedition.

    Place this character facing the Hero Expedition.

    Place this character facing the Companion Expedition.

    Place this character facing an Expedition in a [F] terrain.

    Place this character facing an Expedition in a [M] terrain.

    Place this character facing an Expedition in a [O] terrain.

    Place this character facing a Progressing Expedition. (A Progressing Expedition is an Expedition that would progress if Dusk were to start immediately.)


Tiebreaking

The Confluence may sometimes have to break a tie - for example, when it must choose between two cards with the same Reserve Cost to play from Reserve. The Confluence always chooses the leftmost legal target. If it must choose an Expedition, it chooses the Threatened Expedition.


FAQ

This section should contain all answers to more specific rules interactions, such as those created by mechanics such as Defender or Gigantic. Each note lists cards that may be involved in the ruling - if you wish to check for rulings about specific cards, you can use CTRL-F (CMD-F) to search for a specific card.

Additional Costs - Ascend - Asleep - Changing Terrain - The Confluence's Deck - The Confluence's Expedition - The Confluence's Hand - Defender - Expedition is Behind - First Player - Gigantic - Moving due to Terrain Type - Optional Actions - Play Limitations - Sacrifice


Additional Costs

Achilles · Grand Endeavor · Halua, Raging Leviathan · Hydracaena · Kaibara, Asgarthan Leviathan · Robin Hood · Shenlong · The Snow Queen · Son of Yggdrasil · The Spindle, Muna Bastion


If the Confluence would ever have to pay additional costs for a card (such as for Tough), it pays those costs if possible. If not, resolve the action as if it was not able to play the card at all.

Ascend

Zhen & Zephyr


When one of your Expeditions Ascends, you do not need to Overcome the terrain of that Expedition's Region in order to progress.

Asleep

Beauty Sleep · Icebound Lake · Lyra Festival · Ordis Accountant · The Sandman · Silent Night · Snoozer Shroom · Twinkle Twinkle


If a Character controlled by the Confluence is Asleep, its statistics are not calculated that Dusk. It cannot be Overcome, and thus is not sent to Reserve if it is Persistent.

Changing Terrain

The Kraken · Magic Beans · Nadir & Bubbles · Persephone


Effects that change a terrain affect only the terrain of the Tumult Region. You must still correctly fulfill all opposing Characters' and Expedition Permanents' types to Overcome them.

If an effect would add a type to a Region, you may spend points of the added type to fulfill requirements for other terrains. For example, a Region with Magic Beans would allow you to use a Spindle Harvester's single [F] statistic to Overcome one [M] or [O] statistic from the Tumult Region instead.

If an effect would cause a region's type to change and lose its other types, simply ignore all other types presented by the Tumult Region facing that Expedition. For example, The Kraken allows you to ignore all [F] and [M] statistics of the Tumult Regions.

The Confluence's Deck

N/A


If the Confluence ever has an empty deck and is required to draw a card, it shuffles its discard pile and refills its deck. If the Confluence ever has no discard pile and no deck, it loses the game.

The Confluence's Expedition

Celebration Day · Issitoq · Man in the Maze · Sakarabru · Sea Nymph · Will-o'-the-Wisp


Effects that target an opponent's Expedition affect the Darkness.

The Confluence's Expeditions are considered to be in the same regions as the player's. As always, the terrain types of that region determine the type of terrain the Confluence's Expeditions are in.

If any effect would prevent one of the Confluence's Expeditions from advancing, the Darkness cannot advance on that side.

In order for one of the Confluence's Expeditions to move forward due to a terrain type (or be limited to moving forward except by a certain terrain type), the Darkness may progress on that Expedition only if the player did not succeed to Overcome all of the Tumult Region's terrain of that type. For example, if the player plays a common Will-o'-the-Wisp to an Expedition, the Darkness can only progress on that Expedition if the player fails to Overcome all [O] statistics presented by the Confluence's Characters, Expedition Permanents, and the Tumult Region against that Expedition.

If any effect would move one of the Confluence's Expeditions back one Region, it moves the Darkness back one region (to a limit of its starting location).

The Confluence's Hand

Baku · Daughter of Yggdrasil · Geyser · Gran Bwa · Intimidation · Kitsune · Loki · Sustenance · Theseus


Each morning, cards are drawn into the Confluence's hand. These are kept face down and in the same order. The top card will be played first.

If any effect would draw a card for the Confluence, that card is placed at the bottom of the hand.

If any effect would discard a card from the Confluence's hand, it discards the top card of its hand.

If any effect would send a card from the field of play to the Confluence's hand, it is sent to the bottom of the hand.

If any effect would allow you to see the Confluence's Hand, you must shuffle the hand before turning it face-down again and continuing play.

If the Confluence has already passed and ends up with a card in its hand, that card will remain the top card of its hand after it draws cards the next Morning.

Defender

Armored Bird · Chrysalis · Gulrang & Tocsin · Mobile Armory · Monolith Archivist · Valemon · Verdantback


A Region that cannot advance due to Defender is not considered a Progressing Expedition.

An Expedition with Defender can still overcome opposing Characters, Expedition Permanents, and Tumult Regions, but cannot progress.

Any Expedition with Defender that Overcomes all opposing Characters, Expedition Permanents, and the Tumult Region prevents the Darkness from advancing on that Expedition at Midnight.

Expedition is Behind

Benzaiten · Field Reinforcements · Hound · Icebound Lake · Mesketet · Ordis Overseer · Sunisa, Dedicated Ensign


The Player's Expeditions are behind only when the Darkness is immediately behind the Expedition and will be advancing on that Expedition at Midnight (threatening game loss). Effects that would prevent the Darkness from advancing (such as Defender) do not affect this.

The Player's Expeditions cannot be tied with the Confluence.

First Player

Akesha & Taru · Lindiwe & Maw


You are the First Player whenever the Companion Expedition is threatened.

Gigantic

Altas · Eat Me Energy Bars · Halua · Halua, Raging Leviation · The Hunger · Kaibara, Asgarthan Leviathan · Koi, Playful Leviathan · The Kraken · Leshy · Simurgh · Son of Yggdrasil · Valemon


Characters with Gigantic apply their statistics once per Expedition. They may thus Overcome in both Expeditions.

Gigantic Characters controlled by the Confluence must be Overcome in both Expeditions for either Expedition to progress.

Moving Due to Terrain Type

Mighty Simbi · Rin & Orchid


In order for an Expedition to "move forward due to" a terrain type ([F], [M], or [O]), that Expedition must have spent a statistic of that terrain type to Overcome at least one of the Tumult Region's statistics. For example, when a Tumult Region that has a [F] statistic is Overcome normally, Rin & Orchid's Hero ability would trigger. Similarly, if the Tumult Region had an [O] statistic, but was Overcome with [F] due to a Magic Beans in play (see Changing Terrain above), Rin & Orchid's Hero ability would also trigger.

If the Confluence's Expeditions are ever limited in movement due to a terrain type, see "The Confluence's Expedition" above.

Optional Actions

Kitsune · Repotter Otter · Santa Claus · The Snow Maiden


If the Confluence ever "may" take an action, it does so.

Play Limitations

Santa Claus


If the Confluence would ever be limited in what it could play (for example, by Hand Cost), reveal cards from the top of the Confluence's Hand until you reach a card that satisfies the limitation. If no card is found, the Confluence skips the action. Shuffle the Confluence's Hand afterwards (returning it face-down).

Sacrifice

Anubis · Winter Nova


Any time the Conflunece is required to Sacrifice a Character, it chooses the cheapest (Hand Cost) Character in an expedition that is NOT progressing (tiebreaking with the Threatened Expedition as always).



FAN CONTENT

Altered Confluence is unofficial content created by a fan of Altered. Not endorsed by Equinox. Portions of this material are the property of Equinox.

Altered Confluence is published under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 as found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.