Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin · Board game rules

How does Diplomacy work in Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin?

Quick answer

Diplomacy involves building a card Sequence to move the Affinity marker to the Green zone before the Duration runs out, using card Bonuses and resolving Enemy Responses.

Details

Diplomacy in Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin is a turn-based system where players resolve social or diplomatic challenges by constructing a Sequence of cards to influence an Affinity track. Here’s how it works:

1. Setup:

   • Draw a Diplomatic Encounter card (blue deck) and set the Duration die to the value shown on the card.
   • Place a universal marker on the starting slot (S) of the Affinity track.
   • Each Party member draws 3 cards from their Diplomacy deck. Redraw is optional, reducing hand size by 1 each time until only 1 card remains [p.27 — Diplomacy].

2. Turn Structure:

   • Phase I: Choose an Active Character (marked with a Time token).
   • Phase II: Resolve Delayed Abilities (remove tokens from Sequence cards). The Active Character plays cards:
     • The first card can be any from hand.
     • Subsequent cards require a Bonus from connected Keys (Attribute, Magic, or Free Key) [p.28 — Diplomacy Card].
     • Bonuses are gained if requirements (e.g., Attribute level, Magic payment) are met.
   • Phase III: The Enemy responds based on the Encounter card’s rules, potentially altering the Affinity track or Duration.
   • Phase IV: Repeat for other Party members.
   • Phase V: Discard down to 3 cards, draw 1, and start a new Turn [p.29 — Diplomacy Turn].

3. Affinity Track & Conclusion:

   • The goal is to move the Affinity marker to the Green zone before the Duration expires.
   • If the Duration reaches 0, resolve the Conclusion based on the marker’s final position:
     • Green: Favorable outcome.
     • Gray: Neutral outcome.
     • Red: Negative outcome [p.27 — Encounter Conclusion].

4. Avoiding Diplomacy:

   • The Party may unanimously choose to Avoid, moving the Affinity marker down 4 slots and ending the Encounter immediately. This triggers the Conclusion without further play [p.27 — Avoiding Diplomacy].

Watch out: If the Duration drops to 0 during an Action (e.g., due to an Enemy Response), the Encounter ends immediately, skipping remaining effects. Also, some Encounters have Traits like Dread (gain 1 if ≤1 card in hand) or Greedy (pay 1 Wealth or gain 1) that alter gameplay [p.31 — Diplomacy Traits].

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