Rules Of The Game

2 Contents

Credits 2
Introduction 3
Objective--------------------- 3
Game Components 4
Basic Concepts 6
Game Board-------------------- 6
Clan Sheet-------------------- 7
F igures ----------------------- 8
Cards ------------------------ 8
Setup 9 CREDITS
Game Design and Development: Eric M. Lang
Prepare Your Clan-------------- 9 Art: Adrian Smith
Producers: Thiago Aranha, Percy de Montblanc
Prepare the Board-------------- 10 Graphic Design: Mathieu Harlaut
Prepare the Cards--------------- 10 Miniatures Directing: Mike McVey
Sculpting: Grégory Clavilier, Jacques-Alexandre Gillois, Jason
Last Steps-------------------- 11 Hendricks, Steve Saunders, Stephane Simon, Remy Tremblay,
Jose Roig.
The Phases of Play 12 Game Board: Henning Ludvigsen
Gods’ Gifts Phase--------------- 12 Logo: Georges Clarenko, Adrian Smith.
Rules: Thiago Aranha, Ed Bolme, Jonathan Moriarity.
Action Phase------------------- 13 Playtesting: Thiago Aranha, Viola Bafile, Ed Bolme, Nathon
Invade 14 Braymore, Laurie Cheung, Les Cheung, Christopher Chung,
M arch 15 Glenn Crawford, Susan “Vella” Davis, Robert Flick, Jason
Upgrade 16 Henke, Tim Huesken, Guilherme Goulart, Vitor Grigoleto,
Sean Jacquemain, Rob Kien-Peng Lim, June King, C. Scott
Quest 17 Kippen, Sonja Lang, Al Leduc, Adam Marostica, Jonathan
Pillage 17 Moriarity, P. Orbis Proszynski, Leif Paulson, Sean Perley,
Fred Perret, Jonathan Phillips-Bradford, Spencer Reeve,
Discard Phase ---------------- 20 Corey Reid, Stephanie Rogers, Sergio Roma, Daniel Rocchi,
David Schokking, Devin Stinchcomb, Michael Shinall,
Quest Phase------------------ 20 Steve Tassie, Matthew Tee, Lynette Terrill, Stephen Voland,
Peter Westergaard, Mark Whiting, James Wilkinson, Kevin
Ragnarök Phase---------------- 22 Wilson.
Release Valhalla Phase--------- 22 Publisher: David Preti
© 2015 ​Guillotine Games and Studio McVey, all rights reserved. No part of
End of an Age ---------------- 22 this product may be reproduced without specific permission. Blood Rage and
Guillotine Games logo ​a re trademarks of ​Guillotine Games Ltd., Studio Mcvey
logo is trademark of Studio McVey Ltd.
End of the Game 23 CoolMiniOrNot, and the CoolMiniOrNot​​
Productions Limited
logo are trademarks of CMON

Rules Summary 24 Actual components may vary from those shown. Made in China.
THIS PRODUCT IS NOT A TOY. NOT INTENDED FOR USE OF PERSONS 13
YEARS OF AGE OR YOUNGER.
 Introduction 3

Odin All-Father, in his wisdom, always

knew Ragnaršk would come. He never Objective
The goal of the game is to achieve the greatest amount of
found a way to prevent the destruction of glory before the world finally comes to its fiery end. You
Midgard. Lesser creatures can only cower gain glory through victory in battle, through pillaging,
accomplishing quests for the gods, and dying valiantly in
and wait for the end. battle. The game progresses through three Ages, as Rag-
narök slowly consumes the world. The player with the
most glory at the end is the winner.
But not you. You are a Viking, leader of a
proud and ancient clan. Even in the face
of final doom for all the world, you will
command your warriors on the field of
battle, conquering and pillaging as you
were born to do. The gods are generous in
their twilight hours, bestowing gifts and
boons upon you. Even the most monstrous
creatures of Midgard seek to find glory in
the little time they have left, and so they
too may join you in your assault. You will
use everything you have left to earn your
place in Valhalla by besting all other clans,
achieving the last victory the world will
ever know.
Life is fleeting, but glory is eternal. Now is
the time for rage!
4 Game Components

1 Age Track 1 Valhalla

Sheet Sheet

1 Game Board

4 Clan Sheets

1 Doom
Token
102 Cards
(3 decks of 34)

1 Saga 1 First Player 9 Pillage

Token Token Tokens

8 R agnarök Tokens 16 Clan Tokens 4 Glory M arkers

(4 per clan) (1 per clan)
 Game Components 5

10 Wolf Clan Figures 10 Bear Clan Figures

(8 Warriors, 1 Leader, 1 Ship) (8 Warriors, 1 Leader, 1 Ship)

10 Serpent Clan Figures 10 R aven Clan Figures

(8 Warriors, 1 Leader, 1 Ship) (8 Warriors, 1 Leader, 1 Ship)

44 Small
Plastic Bases
(11 per clan)
8 Large
Plastic Bases
(2 per clan)

9 Monster Figures
6 Title

Basic Concepts
Game Board Each of the provinces has three to five villages. Each village
can hold a single plastic figure. Because of this, each prov-
ince can only have as many figures within its borders as it
The Blood Rage game board is a map of the mythical ter- has villages. Yggdrasil has no villages, and so there is no
rain around Yggdrasil, the great tree that binds the nine limit to the number of figures that can occupy Yggdrasil.
worlds together. The land is divided into nine provinces.
The center province is Yggdrasil. There are eight outer In addition, there are four fjords situated between pairs of
provinces around it, divided into three regions: Man- outer provinces. Each fjord is said to be supporting the two
heim, Alfheim, and Jotunheim. Provinces that share a provinces that it is connected to. Any effect that affects a
border are considered adjacent (Yggdrasil is adjacent to province, also affects its supporting fjord. There is no limit
all the other provinces). to the number of Ship figures that can occupy each fjord.

Finally, there is the Glory Track running around the

edge of the board to keep track of the players’ scores.
Glory Track Each player will move his clan’s Glory marker along this
track whenever they gain more Glory.

t
cen
Adj
a
Province

Region Village
Supports

Fjord
Sup
port
s
 Basic Concepts 7

Clan Sheet
Each of the clans the players can choose to play as has The Axes stat tells you how much Glory you gain for
its own clan sheet in order to keep track of its resources, winning battles. With more Axes, your victories in battle
stats and upgrades. will be more glorious, spurring your clan farther on your
path to victory.
Across the middle of your clan sheet is your Rage Track.
Rage is your currency. When you take actions, it will The Horns stat tells you how many figures you can have
usually cost you some of your Rage. You will move your on the board at a time. With greater numbers, you can
clan token along this track to indicate how much Rage fight more battles, pillage more lands and shed more
you have left at the moment. blood.

Below the Rage Track are your clan’s stats. These are As the game goes on, you’ll have several opportunities to
Rage, Axes, and Horns. increase each of your clan’s stats. Whenever one of your
stats is increased by one step, move the respective clan
The Rage stat tells you how much Rage you will have at token one slot to the right. If you’re able to increase your
your disposal at the beginning of each round. With more stats to legendary levels by the end of the game, you’ll
Rage, you can take more actions. gain powerful glory bonuses.

Leader Basic STR Ship Basic

and Ability Clan Upgrade Slots STR and Ability
Leader Ship
Upgrade Upgrade
Slot Slot

Warrior
Basic STR R age Track

R age stat

A xes stat

Horns stat

Warrior
Upgrade Monster
Slot Upgrade
Slots
Action Guide
8 Basic Concepts
F igures Quest cards (green) represent divine quests given to your
clan. If successful, they can grant you a lot of glory.

Each of your figures — Leader, Ship, Warriors, and even- Card’s

tually Monsters — has a Strength rating (STR). At the Name
start of the game, these ratings are all shown on your Quest
clan sheet: Leaders have STR 3, Ships have STR 2, and Demand
Warriors have STR 1. Having plenty of strength on the Glory
board will help you win battles and fulfill quests. Reward

In addition, Leaders and Ships start the game with spe-

cial abilities, as detailed on the clan sheet.

As the game progresses, you may upgrade your figures

by placing Upgrade cards on the appropriate slot on your
clan sheet. These cards will tell you your figures’ new Card
STR rating and abilities. Note that Leaders and Ships T ype
still retain the abilities detailed on the clan sheet, even
if they are upgraded.
Stats
Whenever a figure is destroyed, be it in battle, victim of Reward
a special ability, or by the inescapable doom of Ragnarök,
it is placed on the Valhalla sheet that sits next to the Upgrade cards (black) upgrade several aspects of your clan:
board. There it waits for the next Age to rejoin the battle.
• Troop upgrades upgrade the strength and/or abili-
ties of your Warriors, Leader or Ship.

Cards • Monster upgrades are unique mythological beings

you can recruit to join you in battle.

Three decks of cards are included that represent the gifts • Clan upgrades are upgrades for your clan as a
of the Norse gods. Each round of the game will introduce whole that offer a variety of different effects.
a new deck. These gifts can help in a wide variety of ways.
Card’s
Battle cards (red) add to your army’s Strength in battle.
Name
Card’s
Card’s Str
Name

Str
Bonus
Card
T ype

Card
T ype
Special
Ability

Special
Ability
 Title 9

Setup
Also keep your clan’s extra 2 small bases and 2 large bases

Prepare Your Clan next to you. They will be used if you recruit any Mon-
sters.

First, each player chooses one of the available clans to play, Take your clan’s Glory Marker and place it on the Glory
by placing one of the Clan Sheets in front of them. At the Track around the board, on the “0” spot.
start of the game, all clans are equal, but they’ll soon be-
come unique with each player’s choice of upgrades. Take all of your Clan Tokens, placing one of them on the
first spot of each of the three Clan Stats on your clan
Take your clan’s Leader figure and 8 Warrior figures, and sheet: Rage, Axes, and Horns. This means all players start
make sure the small plastic bases in your clan’s color are the game with the following stats: 6 Rage, 3 Axes, and 4
attached to them. This helps easily distinguish your units Horns. Finally take your last Clan token and place it on
on the board. Take one Ship figure and make sure it’s got the Rage Track on your clan sheet. Since your starting
a sail attached in your clan’s color. Keep all of your figures Rage stat is 6, the token is placed on the “6” spot of your
near your clan sheet. This area is called your reserve. Rage Track.

Clan Tokens
Starting
positions
10 Setup
Prepare the Board
Next to the Game Board, place the Valhalla sheet and
the Age Track sheet.

Take all the Pillage tokens and place the one with the
green border on the Yggdrasil province at the center of
the board, with the reward side facing up. Shuffle the
other 8 Pillage tokens and place them randomly on the
other 8 provinces surrounding Yggdrasil, face up. The
Pillage tokens show the reward you get for pillaging that
province, as explained on page 18.

Take the 8 Ragnarök tokens and shuffle them. Place one

on each of the three Ragnarök spots on the Age Track.
The tokens should have the text side facing up, indicat-
ing what provinces will be destroyed in the course of the
game.

As a constant reminder of which province is doomed to

be swallowed next by Ragnarök, place the Doom token
on the province indicated by the Ragnarök token on the
First Age track.

Before the game begins, some provinces will already have

been destroyed by Ragnarök, leaving less usable space on
the board. Depending on the number of players in the
game, randomly take the number of Ragnarök tokens in-
dicated below and place them on the provinces indicated
on them, with the “destroyed” side facing up.

• In a 4-player game, 1 province is destroyed.

• In a 3-player game, 2 provinces are destroyed.

• In a 2-player game, 3 provinces are destroyed.

The remaining Ragnarök tokens are placed back in the

box. A province with a Ragnarök token on it is effective-
ly out of the game. No figures can ever be placed in that
province.
 Setup 11

Prepare the Cards • For a 4-player game, no cards are removed.

• For a 3-player game, all 4+ cards are removed.

Separate the cards by their card backs, creating three dif-
ferent decks: 1, 2, and 3. • For a 2-player game, all 3+ and 4+ cards are removed.

Depending on how many people are playing the game, Each deck contains eight 4+ cards and six 3+ cards. Any re-
some cards may need to be removed from each deck to moved cards are placed back in the game box. Then, shuf-
make sure the game is balanced properly. The cards that fle each of the three decks separately and place them, face
may need to be removed show on the left side a small down, on the appropriate Gods’ Gifts spots of the Age Track.
number, such as 3+, or 4+. This indicates that the card
should only be included when playing with the indicated
number of players or more.

Minimum number
of players
Last Steps
Place all Monster figures next to the board, within reach
of all players

Place the Saga token on the first spot of the First Age on
the Story Track. This is the “Gods’ Gifts – Age 1” spot. The
Saga token will be moved from phase to phase of each
Age, one Age after the other, in order to help players keep
track as the game progresses.

Finally, give the First Player token to the player who

was born furthest to the north. That player will start
the game in the First Age. The First Player token will be
passed to the player to the left at the end of each Age.
12 Title

The Phases Of Play

Blood Rage is played over a series of three rounds, known
as Ages. Each Age is divided into six phases: Gods’ Gifts Phase
During this phase, players build a hand of cards in a pro-
cess called drafting. These cards will provide them with
1. GODS’ GIFTS upgrades for troops and clan, monsters to join the fight,
quests for glory, and the raw power to win battles.

2. ACTION On the Second and Third Age, if a player has a leftover

card in their hand from a previous Age, they must first
place this card face down on their clan sheet, on top of
3. DISCARD their clan symbol.

Take the deck of cards from the Age Track of the current
4. QUEST Age and deal 8 cards to each player. The few remaining
cards won’t be used in this game session.

5. RAGNARÖK
FIRST GAME?
6. RELEASE VALHALLA For your First Age, we recommend you simply play
with the 8 cards you’re dealt, and don’t draft. After
one Age, players should be familiar enough to draft
during the Second Age.
The phases must be played in order, and a phase must be
completely finished before moving to the next one. Move Drafting works like this: Each player inspects the eight
the Saga token on the Age Track from one phase to the cards dealt to them and selects one to keep, placing it
next as they are completed, to help keep track. Once the face down on their clan sheet, on top of the symbol of
last phase of an Age is done, the Saga token is moved to their clan animal. Once everyone has placed a card on
the first phase of the next Age, until it reaches the end of their clan sheet, everyone passes the rest of their cards to
the Third Age and the game ends. the player on their left.
 The Phases Of Play 13

DRAFTING IN A 2-PLAYER GAME

Drafting is a little different in a 2-player game.
Players select 2 cards to keep (instead of 1), placing
them face down on their clan sheet, and pass the rest
to their opponent. This is done two more times until
each player has placed 6 cards on their clan sheet.
Then the remaining 2 cards are discarded.

Action Phase
This is the main part of the game, where invading and pil-
laging takes place, battles are fought, and blood is spilled.

Now each player looks at the cards they’ve been passed, All players begin the Action phase with the amount of
selects one to keep, and places it face down on their Rage indicated by the Rage stat on their clan sheet. If
clan sheet. Then everyone passes their remaining cards this is the first Age, you’ve already taken care of this by
to the left. placing your Clan token at 6 Rage during setup. In sub-
sequent Ages, if you have improved your clan’s Rage stat,
Continue picking and passing cards until each player has you will begin the Action phase with more Rage.
placed six new cards on their clan sheet. By that point, ev-
eryone will have two cards left to pass. But instead of pass-
ing them, they must be discarded without showing them.

At the end of this phase, all players should have 6 cards

in their hand, plus any card they might have saved from
a previous Age. Keep these cards secret from the other
players. You will be able to use these cards during the
Action phase.

STRATEGY TIPS FOR DRAFTING

Most cards are named after a specific god, with each
god providing a different kind of gift. If you stick most-
Example: The Raven player has improved his Rage stat two
ly to cards named after one or two gods, you should do
well. Here’s what you can expect from each god: steps during the previous Age, so he begins the next Action
phase with 8 Rage.
Odin: Judgment and punishment in and out of battle.
The player with the First Player token will go first, and
Thor: Glory and spoils for victory in battle. play proceeds in clockwise order from there.
Loki: Revenge or spoils for defeat in battle. On your turn, you must choose a single action to perform.
Frigga: Resources and support. If that action carries a cost in Rage (it usually does), you
must pay that cost and then take your action. Move the
Heimdall: Foresight and surprises. token on you clan’s Rage Track to indicate how much Rage
you’ve spent. If you do not have enough Rage to fully pay
Tyr: Great numbers for winning battles. for a particular action, you cannot take that action.
You generally should strive for a relative balance of Once your action is complete, your turn ends. The player
card types. Ignoring a card type completely (such as
to your left will then take their turn, performing a single
Quests, Upgrades, or Battle Cards) won’t make you
automatically lose, but it may cost you! action and paying any Rage cost associated with it. Play-
ers continue taking turns in order.
14 The Phases Of Play
A player who is down to zero Rage cannot perform any ac-
tion on their turn, not even an action that costs zero Rage. INVADE
All that player can do is react to other players’ actions, such Choose a single figure in your reserve and pay Rage equal
as participating in a battle started by another player. to that figure’s STR. Take that figure from your reserve
and place it into any empty village in any outer province.
Players have five options to choose from when perform- If the chosen figure is a Ship, it must be placed in any
ing an action (as indicated at the bottom of the clan fjord. You cannot use this action to place a figure directly
sheet). Players can take the same action several times in Yggdrasil; to put your troops in Yggdrasil you’ll have
throughout an Action phase, always taking a single ac- to March them there. Also note that invading with your
tion per turn. Leader does not cost any Rage.

• INVADE: Place a figure from your reserve onto an

empty village on the map.

• MARCH: Move the figures from one province to

empty villages in a different province.

• UPGRADE: Place a card from your hand on your

clan sheet to improve your abilities.

• QUEST: Commit to a quest by placing a Quest card

from your hand face down onto your clan sheet.

• PILLAGE: Attack a province and plunder its boun-

ty for your clan.

If you cannot take an action, or do not wish to, you can

choose to pass. However, when you pass, you lose all your
remaining Rage and can take no further actions.

End of the Action Phase: The Action phase immediately

ends when either all players are down to zero Rage, or
all of the provinces that are not yet destroyed have been
successfully pillaged (even if players still have Rage left).

Example: The Raven player has upgraded his Warriors. Since

their STR is now 2, he pays 2 Rage in order to Invade the empty
Utgard village with 1 of the Warriors in his reserve.

Note: Always pay attention to your Horns stat. If the

number of your figures on the board is equal to your cur-
rent Horns stat, you cannot Invade with any more figures
(Valhalla is not part of the board).
 The Phases Of Play 15

Example: The example below shows five different legal or ille-

MARCH gal March actions:
When you order your troops to March, you must pay 1
Rage. Choose one province (you cannot choose a fjord) 1: The blue player can move his 2 figures, even though the prov-
and move any number of your figures from that province inces are not adjacent. He’s unable to move all 3 of his figures
to empty villages in another single province. The des- from Gimle because Elvagar only has 2 empty villages.
tination province doesn’t have to be adjacent, it can be
anywhere on the board. 2: The yellow player can move all the figures he wants from
Angerboda to Yggdrasil. There’s no limit to the number of fig-
You cannot move figures from two different provinces in ures that can occupy Yggdrasil.
the same action, nor move your figures to two different
provinces. You can only March from any one province to 3: The brown player cannot move his figures into two different
any other. provinces with a single March action.

Note: Using the March action is generally the only way 4: The red player cannot move his figures from two different
to get your figures to Yggdrasil. There are no villages in provinces with a single March action.
Yggdrasil, so there is no limit to the number of figures
you can have there. 5: Ships can never be moved.
16 The Phases Of Play
TROOP UPGRADES
UPGRADE
Each clan sheet has slots for up to eight upgrades: one When you play a Leader, Warrior, or Ship upgrade, if
each for your Warriors, Leader and Ship, two for Mon- you have the corresponding figure in your reserve, you
sters, and three for your Clan. may immediately (before the next player’s turn) Invade
with it without spending any extra Rage.
When you Upgrade, you must choose an Upgrade card
from your hand and pay Rage equal to that card’s STR. MONSTER UPGRADES
Then place the card in the appropriate slot on your clan
sheet. If there is more than one potential slot, you choose Monsters are unique figures that can dramatically
which one to use. If there is already a card in that slot, change the course of the game. Each has a powerful and
discard the old card and replace it with the new one. This unique special ability.
new Upgrade card is now in permanent effect, granting
you any benefits listed on it; from higher Strength for When you play a Monster upgrade, take the correspond-
your troops to special abilities. ing Monster figure, attach your clan’s base to it, and place
it in your reserve. It is now yours for the rest of the game,
If your clan has two Upgrades in different slots that give counting as one of your figures. You may immediately
you the same type of benefit, both cards take effect inde- Invade with it without spending any extra Rage.
pendently. One does not cancel the other.
Your Monster can die and be sent to Valhalla like any
other figure, returning to your reserve in the next Re-
lease Valhalla phase. It can gain Glory for you during the
Ragnarök phase just like any other figure.

You can only have 2 Monsters as part of your clan at a

time. If you discard a Monster’s card in order to place a
new Monster in its Upgrade slot, the old Monster figure
is immediately returned to the game box.

Example: In order to play the Loki’s Eminence upgrade, the

Serpent player must pay Rage equal to its STR of 2. Since she
already has three Clan Upgrades on her clan sheet, she chooses to
discard Frigga’s Succor to make space for the new upgrade. Her
clan now has both Loki’s Domain and Loki’s Emminence, giving
it a total of 3 Glory for each figure she releases from Valhalla!
 The Phases Of Play 17

QUEST PILLAGE
Take a Quest card from your hand and commit to it by If you successfully Pillage a province, you will gain a re-
placing it face down on your clan sheet, on top of your ward, either by improving one of your clan stats, or by
clan’s animal symbol. It costs no Rage to commit to a gaining more glory. But first you will need to defeat in
Quest. There is no limit to the number of Quests you can battle any other clans occupying that province.
commit to during each Age, and you may commit to two
Quests of the same type (each giving its reward inde- To Pillage, choose a province that has at least one of
pendently). You may inspect your own Quests at any time. your figures in it (or in a supporting fjord) and has not
yet been successfully pillaged this phase (its Pillage to-
During this Action phase, you should try to fulfill the ken is showing the reward side up). It costs no Rage to
demands of the Quests you commit to, reaping the re- Pillage, but remember that you can’t take any action if
wards listed on them during the next Quest phase (see you’re down to zero Rage. A Pillaging action is resolved
page 20). However, there’s no penalty for failing a Quest. by following 3 steps in order:

Note: Even though it costs no Rage to commit to a Quest,

remember that you cannot take any actions if you’re 1. Call to Battle: Players may move adjacent figures
down to zero Rage; not even a free one. to join the battle.

2. Play Cards: Players in the battle reveal cards to

add STR and/or special effects.

3. Resolution: Highest STR determines the winner.

Losers are destroyed, winner gets rewards.

1. CALL TO BATTLE

Once you have declared your intent to Pillage that prov-

ince, the other players have a chance to join the battle.
Starting with the player to your left and going around in
clockwise order, each player (including you) may, if they
wish, move one of their figures from an adjacent province
into an empty village in the province you are pillaging.
Moving a figure in this way does not cost Rage, and even
players with zero Rage can do it. (Note that Ships cannot
be moved.) Once all villages in that province are occupied,
or when no one else wishes to join in, the battle begins.

Note: There are no villages in Yggdrasil, so any number of

figures can join a battle there.

If at this point there are no enemy figures in the province

or its supporting fjord, no battle takes place and you au-
tomatically Pillage the province, gaining its reward (see
next page) and flipping its Pillage token to its “pillaged”
side. Note that in this case you don’t gain any Glory for
winning battles.

Otherwise, a battle will take place, and all figures in the

province being pillaged, or its supporting fjord, must
Example: The Bear player commits to the Jotunheim! Quest. participate in it.
If during the next Quest phase he has the most STR in any of
the Jotunheim provinces, he’ll gain 7 Glory and raise one of his
clan stats 1 step.
18 The Phases Of Play
2. PLAY CARDS All losing players must destroy all of their figures that
were in the battle (including those that were supporting
Each player participating in the battle must choose one from fjords), placing them on the Valhalla sheet.
card from their hand and hold it face down in front of
them (unless they have no cards left in their hand; in that If the player who initiated the Pillage wins the battle,
case they don’t have to put a card in). Then they all reveal they have successfully pillaged the province and gain the
their chosen card simultaneously. Pillage Reward indicated in the Pillage token (see below).
Flip the token to its “pillaged” side to indicate that the
If you reveal a Battle card, its +STR bonus will be added to province cannot be pillaged again until the next Age.
the total STR of your figures in the battle. Also, any spe-
cial abilities listed on the card takes effect at this point. If the pillaging player does not win the battle, the prov-
If, however, you reveal an Upgrade or Quest card, it adds ince is not pillaged and nobody gets the Pillage Reward.
nothing to your Strength in battle and has no effect. Any player (including the pillager) can try again later in
the phase to pillage the province.
Each clan adds together the STR of each of its involved fig-
ures, and adds the +STR bonus offered by their played Battle Finally, the winner of the battle gains Battle Glory,
card (if any). This is their clan’s total STR in that battle. whether he’s the pillaging player or not. The number of
Glory points they get is equal to their current Axes stat,
Note: If a card’s special effect causes a player to lose all as indicated on their clan sheet.
the figures he had in the battle before comparing STR,
that does not mean that clan is out of the battle. The fig-
ures were destroyed in the course of battle, and the clan
might still emerge victorious if its played Battle card has
PILLAGE REWARDS
enough STR.
When you successfully Pillage this
province, increase your clan’s Rage
Some special Battle stat one step. You do not gain addi-
cards can be used to tional Rage during this phase, but you
further increase the will start with more in the next Age.
Strength of your troops
even after players have
revealed their cards. When you successfully Pillage this
These special cards province, increase your clan’s Axes
have their STR bonus stat one step. The increased Glory for
on a solid white disc, victory in battle takes effect immedi-
and they indicate in the ately and includes this battle.
card text that they can
be played after cards When you successfully Pillage this
are revealed but before province, increase your clan’s Horns
determining a win- stat one step.
ner (they can also be
played normally). The
pillaging player has the
first chance to add Strength from one of these spe-
cial cards, and it proceeds clockwise around the table When you successfully Pillage this
from there until nobody wants to play any. province, gain 5 Glory.

3. RESOLUTION

The player with the highest STR total wins the battle! In
When you successfully Pillage Ygg-
case of a tie, all participating players lose the battle.
drasil, increase all three of your clan
stats one step. 
The winner of the battle (if any) must discard all cards
he played. The losers of the battle take all of their played
cards back into their hands.
 The Phases Of Play 19

Example:
1. The Wolf clan player (red) chooses to Pillage
Andlang. She can do this despite not having any
figures in Andlang, because her Ship is in the sup-
porting fjord. The Raven clan player (blue), seated to
her left, moves his Warrior from Gimle to an empty
village in Andlang. The Serpent clan player (yellow)
would love to join this battle by moving her Leader
from Horgr to Andlang, since Horgr has already been
pillaged, but Horgr is not adjacent, so she can’t. The
red player moves a Warrior from Yggdrasil to one of
the empty villages in Andlang, then the blue play-
er moves a Warrior from Yggdrasil, taking the last
empty village in Andlang. The red player would really
like to move another Warrior in from Yggdrasil, but
there are no empty villages left in Andlang.

The red and blue players are the only ones with any
presence in Andlang, so they will be the only ones
fighting. Red has a total Strength of 3 (2 for the Ship
and 1 for the Warrior) while blue has a total Strength
of 2 (2 Warriors, each with 1 STR). They select their
cards, place them on the table, then reveal them.

2. Red reveals Tyr’s Crush, a battle card with a

value of +4. But blue had no intention of win-
ning, and simply reveals an Upgrade card, add-
ing nothing to his Strength. Red ends up with a
Strength of 7 (3+4), and blue with 2 (2+0). Red
wins the battle.

3. Both of blue’s Warriors die and are sent to

Valhalla, but the blue player keeps his Up-
grade card and returns it to his hand. Red
pillages Andlang, flips the pillage token face
down on the board, and increases her clan stat
for Axes by one step, raising its value from
3 to 4. She then gains 4 Glory for her battle
victory and discards her played battle card.
20 The Phases Of Play
Discard Phase Quest Phase
Players can only keep a single card (if they have any left) Each player reveals all Quests they have committed to.
to carry over to the next Age. All players must discard If you have fulfilled a Quest’s requirements, you gain
down to one card. the amount of Glory indicated on the card, and may also
raise any one of your clan stats one step. If you fail to ful-
In the Third Age players should discard all cards, com- fill a Quest, you get nothing, but you also lose nothing.
pletely emptying their hands. Discard all revealed Quests, whether successful or not.

Most Quests involve hav-

ing the most Strength in
any one of the provinces
of a particular region. Add
together the STR of each of
your figures in that prov-
ince (including the sup-
porting fjord) and compare
your total to the total STR
of each other clan in that
same province. If your to-
tal is greater, you fulfill the
Quest. If you tie with an en-
emy, you fail the Quest.

Example: The Serpent play-

er (yellow) reveals she has
committed to the Manheim!
Quest. She’ll succeed if she has
the most STR in any province
of the Manheim region. In
Elvagar the red player has
three STR 1 Warriors, for a to-
tal of STR 3, while the yellow
player also has a total of STR 3
due to her STR 1 Warrior and
STR 2 Ship in the supporting
fjord. Since it’s a tie, Elvagar
does not grant the Serpent
player the Quest.

However, her STR 2 Ship is also

supporting Angerboda, where
the blue player has only a STR
1 Warrior. With this the Quest
succeeds and the Serpent clan
gets the 5 Glory listed on the
Quest cards and the player de-
cides to raise her Horns stat
one step.
The Phases Of Play 21
22 The Phases Of Play
Ragnarök Phase
Take the token that’s on the current Ragnarök slot and
place it on its corresponding province, with the “de-
stroyed” side facing up. That province is destroyed forev-
er and is out of the game.

There can be no more glorious death to a Viking than to

be destroyed in Ragnarök. When a province is destroyed
this way, all figures in that province, and in its support-
ing fjord, die and are placed in Valhalla. Each such figure
earns its clan some Glory. The amount of Glory granted
is indicated on each Ragnarök slot on the Age Track. For
each of their figures (including Monsters) destroyed in
Ragnarök, the players gain 2 Glory in the First Age, 3 Glory
in the Second Age, and 4 Glory in the Third Age.

Next, place the Doom token on the province indicated by

the next Age’s Ragnarök token.

Example: The Ragnarök token indicates Gimle, so it’s taken

from the Age Track, flipped and placed on the Gimle province
on the board, destroying it. All figures in that province and
Release Valhalla Phase
supporting fjord are destroyed and placed in Valhalla. Two red At the end of each Age, all figures in Valhalla are re-
figures and two blue figures are destroyed. Since the Age Track turned to their respective owners. Move all figures on
indicated a 3 Glory reward this Ragnarök phase, each player the Valhalla sheet belonging to your clan back to your
gains 6 Glory. The Doom token is then moved to the province reserve. Any figures on the game board remain there.
indicated in the next Ragnarök phase: Andlang.

End of an Age
Before moving on to the next Age, flip
all Pillage tokens on the board back to
their “reward” side. These tokens are
not reshuffled; they stay on the same
province throughout the game.

The First Player token is passed to the

player to the left.

Then, move the Saga token down to

the first phase of the next Age on the
Age Track. A new Age will then begin
with a new set of Gods’ Gifts. With
each new Age, those gifts will grow in
strength and power, offering greater
glory, and leading to greater clashes on
the board over less and less remaining
territory as Ragnarök continues to de-
stroy the land.
 23

End of the Game

Once the Release Valhalla phase of the Third Age is com- There is one last bonus to tally, though. Players gain a
pleted, the world has come to an end, and so has the game. Glory bonus for increasing each of their clan’s stats to
It is now time to see what clan has gained the most glory legendary levels. At the end of the game only, for each of
and earned its place in Valhalla next to Odin’s throne! your clan stats that has been increased to the 4th or 5th
step, gain +10 Glory. For each of your clan stats that has
been increased to the last step, gain +20 Glory.
PLAY TIPS
Blood Rage is not just a simple area control game.
While winning battles can certainly be a path to vic-
tory, you can sometimes gain a great deal by dying.
In a suicidal battle, you can gain glory as your troops
are sent to Valhalla. And at the same time you de-
plete cards from the hand of the winner, weakening
them for future battles.

Quests can score huge amounts of glory. They’re much

too powerful to ignore. But if you collect too many
of them, you may be too weak to accomplish them.
You need to strike a balance. It’s also important to Example: The Raven player has managed to raise two of his
watch the other players as they invade and pillage. If clan stats to legendary levels. At the end of the game he gains
you can figure out which quests they are committed +10 Glory for Rage and +20 Glory for Axes, for a total of +30
to, you have a much better chance of stopping them Glory.
from completing those quests.
The player whose clan has the most Glory is then de-
clared the winner!
 Rules Summary
All players with figures in the battle choose and reveal
The Phases of each Age one card. Add your card STR bonus to your figures to-
tal STR. Highest total wins the battle. On a tie all par-
ticipants lose the battle.
1. GODS’ GIFTS All losing players return all played cards to their
Deal 8 cards to each player. Draft until each player has hands. All of their participating figures are destroyed
6 cards. Discard remaining 2 cards. and go to Valhalla.

If pillaging player wins, gain Pillage Reward and flip

2. ACTION Pillage token.

Set Rage to clan’s current Rage stat. Winning player gains Battle Glory equal to his Axes
stat and discards all played cards.
Take turns performing 1 action at a time, paying the
Rage cost associated to each action.

Players with 0 Rage cannot take any action.

3. DISCARD
Players discard their hands down to 1 card.
Continue until all players have 0 Rage or all provinces
are pillaged.
4. QUEST
INVADE Reveal and discard all played Quest cards, gaining re-
wards for completed Quests.
Pay Rage equal to a figure’s STR to move it from your
reserve onto an empty village.

Can’t Invade Yggdrasil. Ships can only Invade fjords.

5. RAGNARÖK
Leaders Invade for free. Destroy current doomed province. All figures in it and
in its supporting fjord are destroyed and go to Valhalla.
MARCH
Gain the amount of Glory indicated on the Age Track
Pay 1 Rage to move any of your figures from one prov- for each of your figures destroyed.
ince to empty villages in one other province.
Move Doom token to the next doomed province.
Ships can’t March.

UPGRADE 6. RELEASE VALHALLA

Pay Rage equal to the STR of an Upgrade card in your Return all figures in Valhalla to their owner’s reserve.
hand to place it on your clan sheet.

If you Upgrade a figure, you may immediately Invade

with it for free.

QUEST
End of an Age
Flip all Pillage tokens up. Pass First Player token to the
left.
At no Rage cost, place a Quest card from your hand
face down on your clan sheet, committing to it.

PILLAGE

At no Rage cost, choose an un-pillaged province with

End of the Game
at least one of your figures in it (or in a supporting Gain the indicated Glory bonus for each of your clan
fjord) to attempt to pillage it. stats at legendary levels.

Starting with the player to the left, players may move Player with the most Glory wins.
for free figures from adjacent provinces into empty
villages of the province being pillaged.