Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon reference sheet

Overview

• Story-rich survival & exploration game for 1–4 players set in dark Arthurian/Celtic Avalon [p.4 — Introduction]
• Each player controls one hero; goal is to complete story Chapters and survive the Campaign [p.4 — Simple Gameplay Overview]
• Core loop: Travel between Locations, Explore for story, fight/negotiate Encounters, activate Menhirs [p.4 — Simple Gameplay Overview]
• Menhirs keep the map alive — when they go dark, Locations vanish and Characters suffer [p.11 — Menhirs and Wyrdness]
• Two separate card decks per Character: Combat and Diplomacy, both customizable via Advancement Pool [p.6 — Character Setup]
• Failure = all Characters dead; single-player ends on first death [p.13 — Death]

Setup

Character Setup (each player separately)

1. Choose Character; take matching Tile and Tray [p.6]
2. Mark starting Energy and Terror on tracks (red chevron slots) [p.6]
3. Place T-shaped Health marker in its starting slot [p.6]
4. Mark starting Attributes and Resources (see back of Character Tile) [p.6]
5. Assemble 15-card Combat starter deck and 15-card Diplomacy starter deck (bannered cards 1–15) [p.6]
6. Build 25-card Combat Advancement Pool and 25-card Diplomacy Advancement Pool (10 remaining basic + 15 advanced Character cards each) [p.6]
7. Place Character Tile on Tray (Action side up); read introductory Letter [p.6]

World Setup

8. Place Starting Location 101; add all Character models there [p.7]
9. Place 1 Menhir + Dial: 8 (1p) / 7 (2p) / 6 (3p) / 5 (4p) [p.7]
10. Attach 4 neighboring Locations per Direction Keys on Starting Location [p.7]
11. Sort Encounters into 4 color piles; prepare Item and Secret decks [p.7]
12. Take a fresh Save Sheet; distribute Help cards [p.7]
13. Follow Chapter I Setup card to build Event deck and Encounter decks [p.7]

Turn structure

I. Start of the Day

1. Remove expired Menhirs (no Dial = inactive, remove model) [p.8]
2. Remove Locations no longer adjacent to an Active Menhir [p.8]
3. Reduce each Active Menhir Dial by 1 (if at 1, remove Dial only) [p.8]
4. Reduce Time Dials by 1; remove 1 Time Token from each Location that has any [p.8]
5. Reveal and read new Event card; move to Quest pile if it has a Quest [p.8]
6. Roll Guardian die for each Guardian and move accordingly [p.8]
7. Discuss plans; equip (max 1 active Item per keyword) [p.8]

II. During the Day

8. Players take turns performing 1 Action each (any agreed order) [p.8]
9. Repeat until all players Pass or have no Energy left [p.8]

III. End of the Day

10. Rest: eat 1 Food → restore 1 Energy, lose 1 Health; no Food → drop Energy to 0 (or lose 1 Health if already 0) [p.9]
11. Restore Energy to full (Exhausted = restore only 4) [p.9]
12. Spend Exp: raise Attributes, gain Skills, add deck cards [p.9]
13. Customize Combat/Diplomacy decks (min 15 cards each) [p.9]
14. Read Dream (or Nightmare if Going Insane) if Location has Dream seal [p.9]

Actions

• Menhir activation costs scale with total number of players, not just Party size [p.9]
• No diagonal Travel allowed [p.8]

Actions

Diplomacy (Blue Encounters)

Starting Diplomacy: Draw blue Encounter → check equipment → draw 3 cards (1–3 Characters) or 2 cards (4 Characters) → place marker on gray Affinity track slot [p.18]

Each Diplomacy Turn:

1. Pick Active Character (Time Token on Tray) [p.19]
2. Resolve Delayed Abilities [p.19]
3. Play 1 Diplomacy card freely; additional cards MUST connect a Key [p.19]
4. Affinity Check: top slot = win Stage (or Encounter); bottom slot = Failure [p.19]
5. Opponent's Response: apply to Active Character; Affinity Check again [p.19]
6. Check Readiness → next Character or End Turn [p.19]

End Turn: Discard to 3 → draw 1 (skip if Panicking) [p.19]

Escape/Fail: Apply Failure penalty to each Party member [p.18]

Avoid: Pay cost on card before Encounter starts; cannot Avoid once begun [p.18]

Multi-Stage: Win Affinity track once per Stage; marker resets to gray between Stages [p.19]

Combat

Starting Combat: Draw Encounter (gray/green/purple with open right Key) → check Traits → confirm equipment → draw 3 cards (1–3 Characters) or 2 cards (4 Characters) [p.14]

Each Combat Turn:

1. Pick Active Character (place Time Token on their Tray) [p.15]
2. Resolve Delayed Abilities (remove 1 Time Token from each Sequence card) [p.15]
3. Play 1 Combat card freely; additional cards MUST connect a Key [p.15]
4. If 0 cards played → Opportunity attack triggers, draw 1 card [p.16]
5. Victory Check: Combat Pool ≥ Encounter Value → win; gain Reward (each) + share Loot [p.15]
6. Enemy Attack: find row matching current Combat Pool; apply to Active Character [p.15]
7. Victory Check again; then Check Readiness → next Character or End Turn [p.15]

End Turn: Discard to 3 → draw 1 (skip if Panicking) → clear Time Tokens from Trays [p.15]

Escape: Lose 1 Energy + take Opportunity attack; Encounter goes to bottom of deck [p.14]

Panic: Terror > current Health → play top card of deck instead of hand for first card; skip End Turn draw [p.16]

Negative Combat Pool: Can't remove enough markers → discard 1 card per excess point [p.16]

No cards in deck: Forced Escape [p.16]

End of game

• Win: Complete the final Chapter as directed by the Journal or Event card [p.4 — Simple Gameplay Overview]
• Lose (solo): Your Character dies [p.13 — Death]
• Lose (co-op): All Characters are dead or no unclaimed Characters remain [p.13 — Death]
• Allmother's Mercy: Mark 'Saved by the Goddess' on Save Sheet → go to Verse 500; restarts Chapter with preset resources (not intended as regular play) [p.13 — Allmother's Mercy]
• Challenge Mode: No Allmother's Mercy — death ends the Campaign [p.22 — Challenge Mode]

Glossary

• Energy (⚡): Stamina spent on Actions; resets each End of Day; last 2 slots = Exhausted [p.10 — Survival Tracks]
• Health (❤️): Physical condition; reaches 0 → attach 'You Are Dying' card [p.10 — Survival Tracks]
• Terror (💀): Mental trauma; reaches red slots → attach 'You Are Going Insane' card [p.10 — Survival Tracks]
• Panic: Triggered when Terror > current Health; first card each Activation drawn from deck top; no End Turn draw [p.10 — Survival Tracks]
• Exhausted: Energy marker in a red slot; restore only 4 Energy at End of Day [p.10 — Survival Tracks]
• Menhir: Ancient monument that keeps nearby Locations on the map; Dial tracks days remaining [p.11 — Menhirs and Wyrdness]
• Sequence: The shared line of Combat/Diplomacy cards built during an Encounter [p.14 — Combat]
• Combat Pool: Shared marker pool tracking progress toward Encounter Value in Combat [p.14 — Combat]
• Affinity Track: Track on Diplomacy Encounter card; push marker to top to win, bottom = Failure [p.18 — Diplomacy]
• Guardian: Encounter that roams the map if not defeated; rolls Direction die each Start of Day [p.12 — Guardians]
• Status: World-level story trigger marked on Save Sheet; applies to all Characters [p.12 — Statuses and Save Sheet]
• Legacy Location Number: Original number of a replaced Location card; used to match Direction Keys [p.11 — Legacy Location Numbers]

FAQ

• Q: Can I join an Action after it has started? — A: No. Joining a Party is only possible before the Action begins [p.11 — Parties and Party Actions]
• Q: Do Quest Dials reduce at Start of Day? — A: No. Only Time Dials reduce automatically; Quest Dials follow their own rules [p.11 — Quest Tokens]
• Q: Can Secrets be lost or sold? — A: No, unless rules specifically say so; they are also unaffected by Item-loss effects [p.12 — Secrets]
• Q: Does forcing an enemy to 'Run Away' count as winning? — A: No. No Loot or Reward is received [p.14 — Run Away]
• Q: Can I Avoid a Diplomatic Encounter after it has started? — A: No. Avoid must be declared before Diplomacy begins [p.18 — Escaping or Avoiding Diplomacy]
• Q: When a Location is removed due to Menhir expiry, what happens to Characters there? — A: They lose 2 Energy, gain 2 Terror, and move to the nearest remaining Location (lowest-numbered if tied) [p.11 — Menhirs and Wyrdness]