Exiles of Kymeria
Written by Stuart Lloyd. Illustrations from Hexographer and the Public Domain.
Printing instructions
Print page 3 on a single side, pages 4-5 on double sided paper and page 8 (the cards and token page)
to play. Cut out the cards and tokens on page 8. All other pages are rules.
Background
You never did learn the skill of obsequiousness needed for civilised life. Or maybe, the better classes
didn’t like the look of you. In the shining city of Kymeria, you were classed as scum. Your exile was
inevitable. In the wilderness, you found a ramshackle settlement of other exiles who took you in and
became your new family. Life was a struggle, but you had a family to share the struggle with. Then
came the news.
A spy from Kymeria ran into the village and told you all that the overlord had decreed that your
village was to be razed to the ground. Already an expedition force was being prepared. As fate would
have it, however, a band of mercenaries was camping near your home. Maybe they could protect you.
When the village leaders asked the mercenaries, the captain felt that they could repel the force of the
size reported, but for a steep price, which the villagers could not afford. You were not deterred and
resolved to travel into the wilderness to find the money your companions need.
Aim
The aim of the game is to obtain 5 gold and bring it back to your village (section 1 on the map) before
the Kymerian expedition force destroys it. You need to do this within a certain amount of time – how
much depends on the type of game you play.
Rules
Your character
Your character is someone who has had to leave Kymeria on pain of death.
Crimes
You need to decide what the Kymerian officials have accused you of. Each character has committed 1
of the following crimes. When you have chosen the crime that your character has committed, select an
appropriate token to represent your character. Each character has 2 tokens to represent each ability
(for the 2-player game).
Barbarity: Civilised life does not sit well with you. You have had to fight for everything you own, so
you did not take kindly to silk clad officials who had never proved themselves in battle demanding
your money. You had to flee the entire militia after you beat an impudent young noble.
Tokens for characters with Barbarity: or (see page 8).
Heresy: You devoured many books about the ways of the gods and spirits of the land eager to find a
message to improve the lives of your fellow humans. Unfortunately, you once let slip your
knowledge of something forbidden by the One God, leading to your excommunication and exile.
Tokens for characters with Heresy: or (see page 8).
Larceny: You know that stealing others’ property is against the laws of Kymeria, but for you it was
the choice between a life of crime or death by starvation. Your desire to stay alive meant you fell afoul
of the authorities and you had to escape the city.
Tokens for characters with Larceny: or (see page 8).
Resolve
Resolve is a measure of your mental and physical well-being. Your character starts with 6 Resolve
tokens - (see page 8).
You cannot have more than 6 Resolve tokens.
If you ever have 0 Resolve tokens, you have either been killed, driven mad or both. This means that
you have lost the game.
When you are told to lose Resolve, there will be 1 or more abilities stated in brackets afterwards. For
every ability that you have, you may reduce the loss in Resolve by 1. You may reduce a Resolve loss
to 0 if you have enough abilities to do so.
Gold
Gold is a measure of how much money you have. Your initial gold is 0. You record the amount of
gold you have with gold tokens - . (see page 8).
Time
Time is how many days you have left to save your village before the army destroys it. In the standard
game, you start with 18 time tokens - . (see page 8).
Every time you move from one hex to another, or when you are instructed to, remove 1 time token
from your pile. When you remove the last time token, you have lost the game. Optional rules adjust
the number of time tokens that you start with (see below)
Travel
Travel involves moving from the hex you are currently on to an adjacent hex. When you reach a hex,
remove 1 Time token, then turn to the section shown on the hex. If there is a box next to the number
and it is not ticked, then you MUST undergo the encounter on that hex. If it is ticked, or if there is no
box, you can read the passage and then decide on your next move.
Starting the game
When you are ready, look at the map below. You start the game on the hex with the village on it at
section 1.
The map
7 8
10
1
4
5 6
2
1
You are in your village. 2 □
If you have 5 or more Gold, turn to You are near the city of Kymeria. The white towers of the elites dominate the
11. skyline, hiding the poverty behind a wall.
If not, you may rest here or move If the above box is ticked, there is no encounter.
on.
If the box above is not ticked, you run into some merchants and attempt to rob
You may lose 1 time token and them. Lose 2 Resolve (Larceny). If you survive, you get 1 Gold and tick the box
restore 1 Resolve. You may do this above.
any number of times.
3□ 4 □
A young dragon lives here, jealously guarding treasure. There is a giant here that owns the Spear of Khoras.
If the above box is ticked, there is no encounter. If the above box is ticked, there is no encounter.
If the box above is not ticked, you attempt to fight the If the box above is not ticked, you attempt to steal the spear.
dragon to claim some of the horde as your own. Lose 2 Lose 2 Resolve (Heresy, Larceny). If you survive, you may
Resolve (Barbarity). If you survive, add 1 to your gold take the Spear of Khoras card.
and tick the box above.
5 □ 6 □
You come across an opulent temple. It is said that You come across the remains of a recent battle. Scores of bodies
the magical Cloak of Tanalos is in there, guarded by are scattered around the field. Some wear Kymerian uniforms,
unsleeping guardians. but most ragged exiles who must have been simply searching for
safety.
If the above box is ticked, there is no encounter.
If the above box is ticked, there is no encounter.
If the box above is not ticked, you attempt to steal
the cloak. Lose 2 Resolve (Barbarity, Heresy). If If the box above is not ticked, you loot the corpses and face the
you survive, you may take the Cloak of Tanalos wrath of the spirits of the dead. Lose 2 Resolve (Heresy). If you
card. survive, add 1 to your gold and tick the box above.
7□ 8□
You have come to the ruins of Ryleh, an ancient, eldritch
Here lie the bizarrely shaped ruins of an ancient temple to
metropolis. The city is now inhabited by vagrants, Wildfolk
a long-forgotten god. You have heard tales of curses and
and dangerous animals. You may attempt to brave the
treasure about this place.
hostile animals and people to search the ruins.
If the above box is ticked, there is no encounter.
If the above box is ticked, there is no encounter.
If the box above is not ticked, you search the temple for
If the box above is not ticked, you search the ruins trying to
valuables to steal whilst trying to protect yourself from
fight off or avoid the inhabitants. Lose 2 Resolve (Barbarity,
the curses and spirits. Lose 2 Resolve (Heresy). If you
Larceny). If you survive, you may take the Book of Skeltos
survive, add 1 to your gold and tick the box above.
card.
9□ 10 □
Soldiers patrol this area, guarding travellers heading to and There is a road here where many silk clad merchants
from the shining city. travel. They have plenty of money, but they also have
hired guards.
If the above box is ticked, there is no encounter.
If the above box is ticked, there is no encounter.
If the box above is not ticked, you attack a group of them to
rob these travellers. Lose 2 Resolve (Barbarity). If you If the box above is not ticked, you attempt to steal treasure
survive, add 1 to your gold and tick the box above. from a caravan under cover of darkness. Lose 2 Resolve
(Larceny). If you survive, add 1 to your gold and tick the
box above.
11
You return in time to pay the mercenaries and prepare for battle. When the Kymerian soldiers come, you fight hard. It is a
long day, but eventually, you prevail. Despite your victory, you know that more soldiers will come, so you prepare to leave.
With a heavy heart, you and your family take what they can carry leave the ramshackle village you called home. You
console yourself knowing that you still have your family and you still have your life. Every day you live free is a victory
over tyranny.
Optional random events Time given based on the rules
You need a 6-sided die to play with random event Your standard time limit is 18 days.
rules. Every time your character moves between hexes,
However, you might want to challenge yourself. Using random
roll the die and consult the table below to see what
events and playing co-operatively changes your time limit.
happens. Using random events changes your time limit
(see below)
Situation Time limit token modifier
Die roll Event Effect Challenge time limit in solo -5
on 6- game
sided die
1 Wolf attack! Lose 1 Resolve
(Barbarity). Time limit in co-operative -9
2 Kymerian Lose 1 Resolve game
patrol! (Larceny).
3 Evil spirit! Lose 1 Resolve Challenge time limit in co- -12
(Heresy). operative game
4 Hard going! Lose 1 Time token.
5 Merchant You may sell 1 item
for 1 Gold Random events (all games) +6
6 Kind healer Gain 1 Resolve.
Ability tests (all games) +0
Optional rules
There are many different ways of playing exiles of Kymeria. You may set yourself a challenge, play
with random events or play as a group. You may combine one or more of these options to play many
different ways.
Random events table
You may choose to play with the random events table. To do this, you need a 6-sided die. Every time
your character moves from one hex to another, before you take away your time token, roll the 6-sided
die and consult the instructions on the random events table.
Randomly determining success or failure (ability tests)
To play using randomly determined success or failure, also known as ability tests, you need a 6-sided
die. You may play with both random events and with randomly determined success or failure.
To randomly determine success for failure, roll the 6-sided die, halve the result (rounding up) and
subtract 1 from that number (giving you a result between 0-2). For every relevant ability mentioned in
the text, add 1 to that number (remember to include items that give you abilities!). If total of the
number you obtained added to your relevant abilities and items is equal to or higher than the amount
of Resolve you have been instructed to lose, you have succeeded without losing any Resolve. If it is
lower, you have failed and you must lose 1 Resolve. If you failed the test and if you wish, you may
attempt the test again. Using the ability test rule does not change your time limit.
Co-operative 2 player rules
Exiles on Kymeria can be played with 2 players co-operatively. You will need a 6-sided die to play co-
operatively. The players should share a copy of the sections on page 4-5 so that they can both see
which boxes have been ticked.
Who goes first?
Each player rolls a 6-sided die comparing numbers. The player with the highest number starts first. If
the numbers are tied, repeat the process.
Sharing hexes
If 2 characters move onto the same hex and they come across a situation where they are told to lose
Resolve, then each character who has a relevant ability reduces the Resolve loss. Then both characters
lose that amount of Resolve.
If 2 characters are on the same hex and they get an item or gold, the players can either decide who
gets the item or gold through discussion or by determining randomly in the same method as
determining who goes first.
Ticking a box for a hex
If a character ticks a box for a hex, they need to make sure that their companion knows, so that they
can act appropriately if they go to that hex.
Character death in 2-player games
If a character dies, they need to state which hex they died on. Any character who goes to that hex will
find the body and may take all the gold and possessions that the body had.
Time limits and co-operative play
Co-operative play changes the time limit (see above).
Co-operative play and random events
If 2 players play with random events, then each player takes turns at rolling the 6-sided die for the
random events table. If both characters start on the same hex and travel to the same hex, they only
need to roll the die once and then that event applies to both the characters. Random events change the
time limit (see above).
Co-operative play and ability tests
If you are playing with both co-operative play rules and the ability test rules and if both players come
across the same ability test together, then this is how you do it.
Each player rolls a 6-sided die, halves the result (rounding up) and subtracts 1 as usual (giving a
result of 0-2). As with solo rules, every relevant ability mentioned in the text adds 1 to that number
(remember to include items!). Any player who has a number equal to or greater than the amount or
Resolve lost does not lose any Resolve. Any player who has a number that is lower loses 1 Resolve. It
takes 1 player to succeed to count as a success. If both players fail, they both lose Resolve and may try
again.
Illustration credits
The map on page 3 and its symbols are made with the Hexographer program.
Other illustrations are public domain
Cover - http://www.publicdomainfiles.com/show_file.php?id=13526715017159
Spear of Khoras - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Spear_%28PSF%29.png
Cloak of Tanalos - https://www.needpix.com/photo/87178/coat-clothing-cape-cloak-mantle-wrap-
shawl-pelerine
Spear of Khoras - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Spear_%28PSF%29.png
Cloak of Tanalos - https://www.needpix.com/photo/87178/coat-clothing-cape-cloak-mantle-wrap-
shawl-pelerine
Gold token - https://pixabay.com/vectors/bag-string-gold-coins-treasure-3193388/
Resolve token - https://freesvg.org/heraldic-lion-head-silhouette
Time token - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Hourglass_%28PSF%29.png
Barbarity 1 (sword and shield) - https://www.needpix.com/photo/27135/shield-sword-weapon-
armour-sharp-chivalry-military-medieval
Heresy 1 (tree) https://pixabay.com/illustrations/tree-drawing-detailed-foliage-4099480/
Larceny 1 (key) - https://www.rawpixel.com/image/556559/vintage-key-illustration
Barbarity 2 (axe) - https://publicdomainvectors.org/en/free-clipart/Hatchet-vector-drawing/11157.html
Heresy 2 (ankh) https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-
image.php?image=183643&picture=ankh
Larceny 2 (mask) - https://publicdomainvectors.org/en/free-clipart/Thief-mask-vector-
drawing/12955.html
Cards and tokens page
Items cards Gold tokens
Character tokens Resolve tokens
Barbarity Heresy Larceny Barbarity Heresy Larceny
Time tokens
