©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?
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.
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.
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.
Shuffle one Oath of each partaking Devil and deal to players.
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.
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 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.
1. Year Event: Reveal the top Year Event card and handle it as needed.
2. Determine Loot: Put aside one Soul and deal Devil count Unique cards from their deck, face-up, as loot. It is possible that even after reshuffle there is not enough cards in the Unique deck; then fill the remaining from the Horde deck if possible.
3. Action*: At the start of the phase, make sure that there is X+6, where X is player count, horde cards on the center of the table. X of these cards are available hordes while the remaining 6 are upcoming, ordered by the order drawn from the deck. If you need to fill the lot, first the available ones are filled from the oldest upcoming hordes, and then upcoming ones filled from the horde deck if possible.
Then in the turn order (i.e. the Devil with smallest turn order marker going first), each Devil performs three sub-phases:
3.1 Play Uniques: the Devil can play any number of Unique cards from hand, in any order as desired.
3.2 Pick Hordes: the Devil either picks one Horde from the available ones, for free, or buys up to 3 Hordes with Souls, each horde costing one Soul. When buying Hordes, Devil can buy one from the available hordes, one from the top of the horde deck as a blind buy, and up to three from the upcoming. The blind buy from the deck is done last. Note that the hordes are not filled between Devil turns and thus the latter Devil might not be able to buy more than 2 hordes even if it has Souls to do so.
3.3 Table Hordes: the Devil must table one Horde card from hand and can table more if so desires.
After all Devils are done with their turn, the entire phase is repeated, along with filling the visible hordes, with one addition: during each Devil's Play Uniques sub-phase, that Devil can trade with other Devils and form an alliance. Trade of Souls, non-Oath hand cards, own Oath cards and tabled artifacts is permitted, but no more than 2 own Oaths to the same Devil. Tabled hordes, Influence points or Oaths of other Devils cannot be traded. It is not required that both trade partners give something; donations are accepted but the target must be willing.
The Devil can also form an alliance with single Devil it can trade with and who is not yet allied. Alliance is binding and means that the Devils work together in the upcoming Dominance phase and gain less Loot in the corresponding phase. When alliance is formed, one Devil is declared as its leader while the other is supporter. Alliance of more than 2 Devils is not permitted. It is typical that some trade is associated with alliance forming, like leader giving one Oath to supporter.
4. Reinforcements*: Each player chooses up to 3 extra horde cards and/or own Oaths to reveal, simultaneously. Oath cards are only used as decoy and are returned to hand after being revealed while horde cards stay on table and are added to Devil's force.
5. Summon: Each Devil who did not table any new hordes in the previous phase, Reinforcements, gains a Soul for answering to Summons of its followers.
6. Dominance*: Find the most powerful Devil or Alliance. It is the one with most hordes (or similar) of the same number played. The smallest numbered hordes win any tied count, and if same number tied, the army with oldest Devil on it (as leader or supporter) wins any ties (Wand of Might may affect this)
The strongest one gets 2 Influence points and one Soul. If the strongest was an alliance, the leader gets the influence points and the supported the Soul. The second strongest gets one Influence point. If it was an alliance, it goes to leader and the supporter gets nothing.
In a 3 player game, the strongest one gets 1 Influence point and Soul and no one else anything. In alliance, leader gets the IP and the supporter the Soul.
7. Turn Order: Redeal the turn order markers. The Devil who got 2 IP in the previous phase gains the biggest number, the one who got 1 IP get the second biggest number. The remaining ones are given so that the Devil with most IP in total gets the third biggest turn order and so on. If Devils are tied in IP, the older Devil gets the bigger number.
8. Loot: In the new turn order each Devil gains loot. If the Devil was alone, it gets two picks, and if it was in an alliance, just one. Each pick is either that Soul or one Unique loot card dealt. If neither is left, the Devil does not pick anything. If any cards are left over after picks, discard them.
9. Discard: All tabled hordes and sticky rituals are discarded. If any player has more than 12 cards on hand and on table, that player must discard non-Oath cards to bring card count to 12 cards if able. Note that at any other point a Devil can have more than 12 cards in hand and table.
Then proceed to next turn which is played as before. However, the final 6th turn has only 3 phases: Action, Reinforcementds and Dominance.
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.
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.
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 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.