Overview

Evenfall is a card-driven engine-building and worker-placement game where players represent rival clans in a coven of witches. Over three rounds, players deploy Witches and Elders to regions to discover Places of Power, gather resources (Herbs, Potions, Knowledge), play Ritual and Specialist cards into their tableau, and compete in magical battles. Cards flow from the Outer Circle to the Inner Circle of a player’s tableau, and only cards in the Inner Circle score at game end. The player with the most victory points after three rounds wins.

Components

• 3 Region boards
• Places of Power cards
• Ritual cards
• Specialist cards
• Council Member cards
• Clan boards (double-sided: Sun/basic and Moon/advanced)
• Mana dials (1 per player)
• Witch meeples and Elder meeples (per player)
• Powerstones
• Resource tokens (Herbs, Potions, Knowledge)
• Catalyst tokens (Scythes, Orbs)
• Victory point tokens
• Solo mode components

Setup

1. Place the three Region boards centrally. Populate each Region with Places of Power cards and 4 random Powerstones.
2. Each player takes a Clan board (choose the basic Sun side for first game, or the advanced Moon side), a Mana dial, Witches, and Elders.
3. Each player receives starting resources: 3 Herbs and 3 Potions.
4. Prepare the card decks (Rituals, Specialists, Council Members) and place them in supply areas.
5. Determine a first player.

Turn Structure

The game lasts 3 rounds. Each round has 4 phases:

1. Scout Phase

Each player receives income as shown on their Clan board. This typically includes Mana and possibly Victory Points. Track Mana on the dial and VP communally.

2. Action Phase

Starting with the first player and going clockwise, each player takes a single action. Play continues around the table until all players have passed. Available actions include:

• Discover a Place of Power: Place Witches on a Region to acquire a Place of Power card. Place it in your Outer Circle (top row of your tableau).
• Harvest: Activate clan tokens to gather resources (Herbs, Potions, Knowledge) from your Places of Power.
• Play a Ritual or Specialist card: Pay the required resource cost to play a card from your hand into your tableau.
• Play a Council Member: Place a Council Member card for its special ability or end-game scoring condition.
• Transfer cards: Move cards from your Outer Circle to your Inner Circle (only Inner Circle cards score at game end).
• Build Catalysts: Spend Herbs to build Scythes (copy harvest bonuses) or spend Potions to build Orbs (advance on the Coven track for bonuses).
• Use Action Spaces: Place Witches or Elders on shared action spaces for various effects.
• Pass: Once you pass, you take no more actions this round.

3. Battle Phase

Clans fight in each Region. Players secretly bid Mana. The highest bidder in each Region wins a Powerstone. All participants receive bonuses based on bid thresholds. Powerstones enhance scoring for matching cards in your Inner Circle.

4. End of Round

Retrieve all Witches and Elders from the board. Refill card supplies. Refresh tokens and prepare for the next round.

Actions

Resource Management

• Herbs: Used to build Scythes and pay for certain cards.
• Potions: Used to build Orbs and pay for certain cards.
• Knowledge: Used to pay for powerful Ritual and Specialist cards.
• Mana: Tracked on a dial; spent in Battles and for certain abilities.

Outer Circle vs. Inner Circle

• Cards first enter your Outer Circle (top row of tableau). They provide resource generation and abilities but do NOT score at game end.
• Cards must be transferred to your Inner Circle (bottom row) to score. This transfer typically costs an action and may require resources.
• This creates a tension between using cards for their engine abilities (Outer) and locking them in for scoring (Inner).

Catalysts

• Scythe: Copies a harvest bonus, effectively doubling resource production.
• Orb: Advances your position on the Coven track, granting escalating bonuses.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Final Scoring (after Round 3)

Victory points come from:

• Specialists in your Inner Circle (VP printed on card).
• Rituals and Places of Power in your Inner Circle (VP values, doubled if matching Powerstones).
• Council Members that have met their conditions.
• VP earned during the game (from Scout phase income, Battle bonuses, etc.).

Winning

The player with the most Victory Points wins. Ties are broken by remaining Mana.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Only cards in the Inner Circle score at game end. Cards left in the Outer Circle provide no end-game VP.
• Powerstones double the VP of matching cards in your Inner Circle, making them extremely valuable.
• The Moon (advanced) side of the Clan board offers different starting abilities and income than the Sun (basic) side.
• In the Battle Phase, all participants (not just the winner) receive threshold bonuses, so participating in battles is generally worthwhile.
• Solo mode uses an automata opponent with specific rules for card play and region control.
• Players cannot exceed certain resource storage limits (tracked on their Clan boards).

Player Reference

Rounds: 3

Phase order: Scout (income) > Action (place workers, play cards, gather resources) > Battle (bid Mana for Powerstones) > End of Round (retrieve workers)

Resources: Herbs, Potions, Knowledge, Mana

Tableau: Outer Circle (abilities, no scoring) > Inner Circle (scoring)

Catalysts: Scythe (from Herbs, copies harvest), Orb (from Potions, Coven track)

Win condition: Most VP after 3 rounds (Specialists + Rituals/Places in Inner Circle + Council Members + in-game VP)