Stonesaga reference sheet

Overview

• Cooperative campaign game: complete Challenges before Activity gets too high [p.21 — Game Structure]
• 1–4 players, each controlling 1–2 characters with abilities and traits [p.14 — Players & Player Count]
• Play across multiple games in a persistent valley; record progress in the Journal [p.25 — Continuing Play]
• Core loop: spend Energy on Day actions → rest and recover at Night → Activity rises each Night [p.21 — Game Structure]
• Win by completing vital Goals on the Challenge card before Activity shuts down further play [p.21 — Game Structure]
• Three reference documents: Rulebook (rules), Codex (secret entries), Quickplay Guide (first game) [p.2 — Welcome]

Setup

1. Select a Challenge card; place vital Goal cards left, set-aside Goals above it [p.20 — Set Up Challenge]
2. Place starting hex in a terrain tray; add 2 facedown hexes to fill the tray [p.20 — Determine Starting Hex]
3. Each player creates a character: roll 5d6, keep 4, assign to Might/Dexterity/Awareness/Conviction [p.14 — Character Creation]
4. Choose 1 trait (2 traits if ability sum ≤ 11); choose a mantle (one per character) [p.15 — Steps 2–3]
5. Set health and energy by character count: 4 chars = 3 HP/4 Energy; 3 chars = 4 HP/4 Energy; 2 chars = 5 HP/5 Energy [p.15 — Step 4]
6. Place character miniatures in the starting hex; set Activity and Unrest dials [p.20 — Setup]
7. Shuffle all decks (Night, Discovery, Fishing, Foraging, Delving); set aside Codex — do not open unless instructed [p.2 — Distinguishing Documents]

Turn structure

Each Round = Day Phase + Night Phase

DAY PHASE

1. Resolve 'start of Day phase' effects [p.21 — Day Phase]
2. Characters take Day actions in any order; no character takes 2 actions in a row unless all others have passed [p.21 — Action Order]
3. Before/after any action, freely exchange items and materials with characters or storage in same hex [p.21 — Day Actions]
4. When all players pass, Day phase ends; resolve 'end of Day phase' effects [p.21 — Day Phase]

NIGHT PHASE

5. Resolve 'start of Night phase' effects [p.22 — Night Phase]
6. Rest: each character gains Energy (auto + food + water + shelter/fire bonuses) [p.22 — Rest]
7. Energized: fully refilled track → gain 1 minor boost to chosen ability [p.22 — Rest]
8. Needs Met: consumed food AND water → degrade 1 injury/disease token [p.22 — Rest]
9. Starving: no food AND no water consumed → suffer 1 minor injury [p.22 — Rest]
10. Degrade perishable food (flip fresh→fermented, discard if already fermented) [p.22 — Degrade Food]
11. Remove fire tokens (spend 1 wood to keep fire in your hex) [p.22 — Tend Fire]
12. Take Night actions (granted by items; each once per character per night) [p.22 — Night Actions]
13. Reconcile inventory: discard tokens that don't fit in bag slot [p.22 — Reconcile Inventory]
14. Draw 1 Night card per occupied hex; resolve it; increase Activity as shown + Unrest modifier [p.22 — Draw Night Cards]
15. Behemoth activates (if in play) [p.43 — Behemoth Activation]
16. Check Activity thresholds for Challenge events [p.37 — Activity Events]

Actions

End of game

• Game ends when the Challenge is resolved (goals met or failed) [p.25 — Progression]
• Vital Goals must be completed to finish the Challenge successfully [p.7 — Challenge and Goal Cards]
• Epoch Goals can be completed this game or any subsequent game in the epoch [p.7 — Challenge and Goal Cards]
• If Activity climbs too high, Challenge events may make further play impossible — the group loses [p.21 — Game Structure]
• At end of game: each character retains up to 5 items and 5 material tokens for next Challenge [p.25 — Retaining Supplies]
• Record outcome code in Journal; set aside Outpost, Legend, and Mantle Power cards for next game [p.26 — Cards and Tokens]

Glossary

• Activity: Dial tracking valley disturbance; rises each Night; triggers Challenge events at thresholds; resets each game [p.4 — Activity Dial]
• Unrest: Persistent dial tracking societal strife; penalizes Energy and Activity at 6+, 11+, 16+ [p.38 — Unrest]
• Mantle: Mythic archetype board each character uses; holds items, boosts, health/energy tracks, and a mantle power [p.16 — Mantle]
• Boost Token: Placed above an ability; adds 1 (minor) or 2 (major) to a test using that ability, then degrades or removes [p.16 — Boost Slots]
• Contest: Character rolls 1d6 + ability vs. behemoth ability value; success if higher, stalemate if within 4, defeat if 5+ lower [p.42 — Contests]
• Incapacitated: Health track filled; cannot take actions; perishes at start of next Night phase [p.17 — Incapacitation]
• Legend: A deceased or aged-out character whose card can be drawn to substitute their ability or trait for one test [p.17 — Legends]
• Omen: One of five symbols (cloud, comet, moon, stars, sun); current omen set by top Night discard; used to investigate Codex entries [p.40 — Omens]
• Epoch Goal: Goal card completable across multiple games in the current epoch [p.7 — Challenge and Goal Cards]
• Processed / Unprocessed: Two states of material tokens; unprocessed (arrow icon) must be flipped via the Process action before use in some recipes [p.9 — Material Tokens]
• Depth: Number of Delving cards resolved so far in a delve; costs 1 Energy per card at Depth 7+ [p.34 — Depth]
• Obstructed Path: Moving between hexes where all routes cross a terrain feature; costs 1 extra Energy [p.24 — Move]

FAQ

• Q: Can a die be rerolled more than once? — A: Yes, once per reroll effect applied to it [p.13 — Rerolling Dice]
• Q: What happens when two specific rules conflict? — A: Apply the rule least favorable to the players, by group consensus [p.13 — General and Specific]
• Q: Can a character take two actions in a row? — A: Only if all other characters have already passed for that Day phase [p.21 — Action Order]
• Q: What if two characters tie for a condition (e.g. highest Awareness)? — A: Select one at random [p.13 — Multiple Possible Outcomes]
• Q: Can items be passed between characters at Night? — A: No; items cannot be exchanged during the Night phase [p.22 — Night Actions]
• Q: What if the Night deck runs out? — A: Shuffle the discard pile to form a new Night deck and draw from it [p.22 — Draw Night Cards]