Deabolik II

Overview

©Kalle Marjola 2009-10. All rights reserved.

Deabolik is a card game for 3-6 players, most probably best with 5. Playing time close to one hour or something.

Each player controls a Devil in Hell during a power struggle. Lucifer has left and a new Overlord must be found. The aim of the game is to have as much influence as possible when the new Overlord is selected. Is the winner the mighty new Overlord or perhaps a Devil lurking in shadows?

Components

The various cards are detailed after the game rules. Total card count is 108 (114). All cards except for Devils have identical back.

Conventions

Face-down means that the card is not shown to anybody else than the player who has it. That is the default way to deal cards. Devil is used freely in place of player. Number of hand cards and number of Soul and Influence points is public knowledge. If player cannot do some action because has no suitable hand cards, that player must show their hand to left side player to prove that, but only show as little as needed. Oath cards are always shown in such a situation in that way that only the identical bottom is revealed. Own Oath means an Oath card of the same Devil as the player controls, for example Belial with Oath of Belial. Unique, Year Event and Horde cards each form their own draw deck and discard pile and when draw deck is depleted and new ones need to be drawn (or investigated), corresponding discard pile is shuffled to become the new draw deck. Discard is public and other players can see what cards are discarded when players are forced to do that, and any player can investigate discard piles at any time.

Latest Changes

Playing the Game

Preparations

  1. Put all Influence and Soul counters on the table, readily available for all players. Each player gains one Soul counter. Shuffle Year Events and Unique cards and put as their own decks aside.

  2. Randomize as many Devil cards as there are players and put on the table, face-up. Give a random turn order marker to each player, using the smallest numbers. Remove the exceed turn order markers, Devil cards and their Oath cards from the game.

  3. Shuffle one Oath of each partaking Devil and deal to players.

  4. In reversed turn order, i.e. biggest number first, each player picks a Devil randomized in step 2 and puts it to front of her. That player also takes remaining 5 Oaths of that Devil to hand.

  5. Shuffle the Horde cards to form the horde deck and deal 2 random hordes to each player.

Each player should end up with one Soul, one Devil card, and in hand, 2 horde cards and 6 Oaths, of which one might be other than the Devil they have.

Game Year

Game is played in long turns called Years with 9 phases each, except for the last 6th turn which has only 3 phases (those with asterisk). Some phases are done simultaneously while some in one-by-one, determined by the turn order markers. While playing, players are free to negotiate and make deals, but nothing is binding and no cards or any other objects can be moved between Devils, except during specific sub-phase as explained below.

Then proceed to next turn which is played as before. However, the final 6th turn has only 3 phases: Action, Reinforcementds and Dominance.

Game End

After the shorter 6th turn, the game ends. The new Overlord of Hell is the Devil with most Influence points. If this is tied, the tied Devil who got most IP on the last turn is the new Overlord, or if neither got any, the oldest of the tied Devils.

The new Overlord immediately gains 2 Influence points (exception: in 3 player game, 1 Influence point). Thus the total number of IP dealt is 20, 7 in 3 player game, including the final Overlord bonus. Then count the final points for each Devil:

Overlord wins any ties, otherwise the one with more Oaths of the Overlord, or if still tied, more points from the Oaths of the other tied Devils, or if still tied, it is a tie.

Example: game ends with Mammon (m,m,m,a,b) with 6 IP, Asmodeus (a,a,a,m,b,l) with 5 IP, Belial (b,b,m,a,a,l) with 3 IP and Lilith (l,l,l,l,m,b,b) with 4 IP. Mammon is the new Overlord and gets +2 IP to total of 8. Thus final score is 32 for Mammon, 35 for Asmodeus, 31 for Belial and 34 for Lilith. Asmodeus wins.

Game Cards and Rulings

Devils

Devils are ordered by age (smaller number is younger). This age is used as tie-breaker in Dominance, Turn Order and Overlord determination.

Asmodeus (VI): In the Dominance phase, if Asmodeus is allied its force counts as having at least one of each number regardless of tabled cards (so having a single certain number has no effect)

Mephistopheles (V): In the Discard phase, discard any number of non-Oath hand cards and/or tabled Artifacts to gain as many Souls.

Baalzebub (IV): On your Pick Hordes sub-phase, the free horde pick can be taken from the top of the horde deck instead of from the available hordes.

* Mammon (III): Each action phase, you may choose to skip both Table Hordes sub-phases (you must skip both or neither)

Belial (II): On your Pick Hordes sub-phase, if you opt for free horde pick, you can also buy a single '8' horde from the upcoming for one Soul if available.

* Lilith (I): In the Loot phase, you can pay 1 Soul to act one step earlier than your turn order would mean.

Unique Cards

There are three types of Unique cards: Artifact, Event and Ritual cards. Artifacts are cards that are permanently on the table and never taken into hand. Ritual and Flash cards are kept in hand and played in Play Uniques sub-phase in the Action phase. If a ritual is marked as sticky, it stays on table until next discard phase; otherwise it is immediately discarded after played.

* Crystal Ball: Artifact. At any time, take a look at top card of the Game Year event deck. At the end of the Reinforcements phase, if you revealed less than 3 horde cards, you can table one more after all cards are revealed.

Soul Stones: Artifact. At the end of the loot phase, including the turn you acquired this, gain an extra Soul.

Staff of Undead: Artifact. In the Discard phase, you can keep one of your tabled horde cards on table. (This horde is counted to your card limit. If you choose to discard this Staff in discard phase, the horde must be also discarded)

* Tome of Power: Artifact. At the end of the loot phase, reveal the top card of the Unique deck. Either pay 1 Soul and get that card, or discard it. In the Discard phase, your card limit is +3, i.e. 15 (as long as you do not discard this card)

Wand of Might: Artifact. Count as one extra "9" in the Dominance phase. You or your alliance wins any ties, instead of by Devil age.


Double Cross: Event. You can play this immediately when some other Devil plays any Event card to cancel its effect as it had never been played.

Forced Agreement: Event. Can only be played if you are not allied with some other Devil. Choose target non-allied Devil and give it one of your own Oaths. That Devil is forced to alliance with you, supporting you. Cannot be used during Silence. (no Oath is moved if Double Crossed)

Quarrel: Event. Name two Devils. These two Devils cannot trade or form an alliance. Forced or Drunken Agreement is not affected. (that means, cannot trade or form an alliance between each other, but can still trade with rest of the Devils. You can leave this card on the table as reminder)

* Summon (Call of Followers): Event. Either gain 1 Soul and skip your remaining sub-phases, or play at target Devil who has actions left this year: that Devil chooses to either skip its next action turn and gain a Soul, or loses half its Souls, rounded up (choice is made immediately)

Thief in the Night: Event. Take single artifact from other Devil.

Treacherous Troops: Event. Take target horde and skip next Pick Hordes and Table Hordes sub-phases. (only genuine horde card from that deck counts)


Bury: Ritual. Discard target tabled horde. (only genuine horde card from that deck counts)

Conjuration: Ritual, sticky. In the Dominance phase, counts as extra "6", "7" and "10".

Forge: Ritual. Choose an artifact not in play or in loot. Gain that artifact. Look first from discard, then from the Unique deck and shuffle afterwards.

Furnace of Souls: Ritual, sticky. At the start of the Dominance phase, lose all your Souls. If you lost one Soul, this card counts as one "8", if 2-3 Souls, as 2x "8", if 4-6 Souls, as 3x "8" and if 7 or more Souls, as 4x "8".

Infernal Plague: Ritual. Other Devils not allied with you discard the biggest numbered Horde card on table. (only genuine horde cards from that deck count)

* Ritual of Torment: Ritual, sticky. When other devils Pick Hordes, if they want to buy hordes with Souls they must pay an extra Soul. If they opt for free pick, you choose the horde they pick. (The pick must be legal, but Baalzebub can be forced to pick from the deck. Special power of Belial is not affected)

Sanctuary: Ritual, sticky. You and your cards are immune to ritual effects, except for this one (protects against Bury, Infernal Plague, Ritual of Torment, Steal Power and Vortex of Magic when not targeted at this)

Steal Power: Ritual. Target Devil must either give you a non-Oath hand card or single tabled card of its choice. (tabled card stays on table)

* Vortex of Magic: Ritual. You can play this immediately to cancel a just played non-sticky ritual card, or on your own turn to discard any single tabled sticky ritual card or artifact. (if target has Sanctuary, you can only force discard of that card)

Year Events

Year Events are in their own deck of 6 cards. One is revealed and played each game year (except the last) in the first phase, Year Event.

Drunken Agreement: Each non-allied Devil on its second Play Uniques sub-phase can force any single non-allied Devil to support it for cost of one Oath, instead of agreeing alliance normally

! Elder Wisdom: This year, loot cards are drawn from the Horde deck, instead of Unique deck.

Leviathan: In the turn order, each Devil bids for Leviathan or passes. Each bid is in Souls and must be higher than previous; once passed cannot re-bid. The highest bidder controls this turn the Leviathan, which counts as two hordes of all numbers (6-10) in the upcoming Dominance phase. The controller must pay the bidded Soul amount as soon as it has Souls, one by one, and is at -6 victory points until has paid the entire cost.

Silence: Players cannot negotiate or discuss, except for rule questions and game mechanic announcements. In the second Play Uniques sub-phase, no trading or alliance forming is allowed, including with Forced Agreement.

Time of Virtue: No Devil gains any Souls in the Summon phase.

World War: In the Summon phase, each Devil gains an extra Soul if gets any.