As you are playing Fate of Fantos, you will come across various Trials sent by Zodraz to test the Citadels of Fantos. At minimum of one Trial card must be drawn per round (by the First Citadel), but usually at least 3-4 will appear during any given round, depending on Harvest choices and results. A maximum of 3 Trials may be in play at any one time, and they must be drawn and played one at a time. If a new Trial needs to be drawn when the Trials Pool is full, one must be removed before drawing another (by either the active Citadel or the Reigning Tribute, if there is one).
There are two main types of Trials: Diplomacy and Cosmic. The majority are Cosmic Trials (including Zodraz himself). These include specific instructions on how to handle them, and either remain in play or are removed immediately after taking effect. Diplomacy Trials force a voting situation among all Citadels and will always feature the Diplomacy illustration. These will either take effect and remain in play, or be removed immediately, depending on the result of the vote. The bold text followed by a colon tells you at what point in a player’s turn the effects take place.
TIERS: Each Trial card has a key of bright blue dots at the bottom right corner of the art, which specifies its tier. When you are setting up the Trials Deck for your very first game, it is best to follow this tiered system. First, shuffle the five Tier 4 Trials together (including Zodraz) and place them face down at the bottom of the deck, then shuffle the Tier 3 Trials together and place them face down on top of the Tier 4 Trials, etc, continuing up to Tier 1 on the top of the deck. Building the deck this way will help beginners learn to play without being overly tested by the Trials right away. Then, as you master the game, you can choose to adjust the difficulty level by shuffling Tiers 1 and 2 together, then Tiers 1–3 together, etc. You can also lengthen or shorten the game depending on how you set up the Trials Deck; lengthen by placing Zodraz with in the last 3 Trials (instead of 5) – or even just save him for dead last – and shorten by removing some Trials.
Here’s a closer look at each of the Trials (click on the images to view them larger):
Sometimes Citadels need a little extra help…but will they get it? If it is voted into play, the Stimulus Diplomacy Trial will allow extra Labor to be taken into a Citadel’s hand during its Untask and Draw Up Phase – for a fee, of course! If this Trial is in the pool, and you already have 7 cards in your hand when it’s your turn to draw up, you cannot draw more. If you have 6, you may choose draw and pay for 1 extra. If you have 5, you may choose to draw and pay for up to 2 extra. If you have less than 5, you can draw up to 5 as normal, then you may choose to draw and pay for up to 2 extra. Shards are spent from your Reserve.
Over-harvesting has caused the Citadels of Fantos to momentarily forget their greed! Iridium Dementia is a Cosmic Trial that affects every Citadel that chooses to Harvest for its Fantos Action, and it stays in play unless it is removed to make space for a new Trial in the pool.
Will the Citadels of Fantos vote to allow overtime during Harvest? If the Overtime Trial is voted into play, each Citadel will have a chance to add a bit to their Harvest totals for as long as it remains in the Trials Pool…BUT the extra roll requires an extra Trial to be drawn in return, so be careful! Please also note that the extra roll does not apply to each harvesting Legacy, only to the harvest itself.
Sometimes the best hires are made sight unseen! If the a Citadel is displeased with the choices offered up for hire in the Legacy Pool during its Hiring Phase, the Dark Unions Trial (if voted into play) will allow the hiring Citadel to take its chances with the top card of the Legacy Deck, for as long as it remains in play. If it cannot afford to hire the revealed Legacy, or chooses not to, that Legacy is discarded, and the Citadel cannot hire until its next turn.
Chaos descends onto Fantos with this Cosmic Trial! While Riot is in play, any hired, untasked Legacy may challenge any other Legacy to a Duel during every Secondary Action Phase. The chance to Duel comes in turn order, as with other Secondary Actions: The active Citadel has the first chance to declare a Duel if it wishes (and has an untasked Legacy with which to issue the challenge), then the Citadel to its left has a chance, continuing around the table until all Citadels have completed dueling.
The Black Tongue marks the mouths of the Iridium hoarders! This Cosmic Trial takes immediate effect when drawn, and is, thankfully, removed from play when completed. If your Citadel has the most Shards in its reserve, your Legacies will suffer…and if you have any Legacies with only 1 Shard remaining, they will perish from the disease!
A terrible flu plagues the citizens of Fantos! The Iridium Fever will target the currently active Citadel’s hardest working Legacies at the end of its turn for as long as this Cosmic Trial is in play. Be careful about who you task to actions while the fever rages, as any tasked Legacies that possess only 1 Shard will perish at the end of your turn!
Et tu, Zodraz? The Ides of Zodraz is a Cosmic Trial that forces a “special” Tribute action. This means that, first, the Legacy that is acting as the current Reigning Tribute (if there is one) is relieved of its powers and disabled. Then, each Citadel is forced to choose one of their Legacies to participate in a special Tribute action. It is “special” because a currently tasked Legacy may be nominated to challenge for Tribute (normally, only untasked Legacies are able to challenge). If you choose to participate with one of your Legacies that has previously been tasked to something else, it simply remains tasked; if it is currently untasked, it must now be tasked to the Tribute action. After a new Tribute is chosen, the Trial is removed from play.
The best laid plans go up in flames! Scorching Rain is a Cosmic Trial that takes effect immediately and is then removed from play, and it can definitely ruin your day on Fantos. Resetting all Labor can change the course of the game, depending on which Citadel draws it and when. Plus, it will leave Citadels without any Labor until their next Untask and Draw Up Phase!
Are you hoping to get revenge on the Citadel to your right because its Legacies keep attacking you? Well, now’s your chance! If the Bad Blood Diplomacy Trial is voted into play, the War action is now directed at Citadels to the right (instead of the usual left), for as long as it remains in the Trials Pool. When it is removed, War goes back to normal.
The riots and plagues have wreaked havoc on hired Legacies! Vote the Reinforcements Trial into play to help Citadels that have lost Legacies and need to hire more to keep themselves competitive. This will allow any Citadel with less than 2 Legacies to hire one extra during their Hiring Phases, for as long as this Trial remains in play.
Many Shubs and Zulls will be roasted this day! The Slores will seek out the Citadels that have been hoarding Iridium and consume their excess at the end of every Citadel’s turn. A Cosmic Trial that stays in play unless removed to make space for a new Trial in the future, the Slore Frenzy may help to even the playing field…depending on how long it stays in the Trials Pool!
An ancient galactic evil has infested the Iridium Trove of Fantos, and it demands blood sacrifice! The Maloroid is a Cosmic Trial that stays in play unless removed to make space for another Trial in the future, and it is not to be taken lightly…consider your harvests carefully when it has set up residence in the Trove, as your choice will be the death of on of your Legacies!
It is time for a culling, and the Kytu are ready to make their choice! The hired Legacy, from any Citadel, currently possessing the most Shards (regardless of the Legacy’s starting value), must be surrendered to the Kytu when this Cosmic Trial is drawn. If one Citadel possesses two or more Legacies tied for the most Shards, the Citadel chooses which to discard. Luckily, this Trial is removed from play after it’s completed!
Your harvesting will be the death of you! A potentially devastating Cosmic Trial, the Astral Blight affects the Citadels that have chosen to hire Legacies with the highest Harvest stats. Its effects are felt at the end of every Citadel’s turn, for as long as it stays in play in the Trials Pool.
The Star Witch has arrived on Fantos, and she demands war! You must go to War or pay a price. This is a Cosmic Trial that remains in play for one round; it is removed from play after the Citadel that drew it completes its next Fantos Action Phase, unless a Citadel or Reigning Tribute chooses to remove it to make space for a new Trial before the round is over.
The Cosmic Warden approaches! As the ultimate Cosmic Trial, the appearance of Zodraz signals the final round of play. No new Trials should be drawn during this round (even by the First Citadel), but those that are currently in play when it is drawn will still take effect, as applicable. No Harvest is allowed during this round, either. Consider your final moves carefully, because after the Citadel that drew Zodraz completes its final Fantos action, Shard counts will be tallied and the new Ward of Fantos will be chosen by Zodraz!
