The first objective is to claim all 4 of the bloodstones - this period of the game is called The Bloodstone War. Each player starts with a bloodstone and, if they are defeated, they will drop those bloodstones upon the tile within which they were slain allowing other players to pick them up. Once all 4 bloodstones have been united by a player, the Omega Stone appears. If the player with all bloodstones cannot be stopped from claiming Omega, they win the game. This is the Omega War endgame period of the game wherein players are attempting to prevent others from claiming the Omega Stone and in turn, attempting to claim it for their own.
The Latent Combat System is an original innovative gameplay mechanic that separates a player's turn into one of two states, the Latent State and the Active State. The Latent State involves rolling dice to attain gemstones. The gemstones attained can then only be used while in the Active State.
When it is not a player's turn, they are in the Defensive State. Players are in a passive mode during this state where they react to Active players by blocking attacks using Egis gemstones.
Foci are forms of focus power born within, and are all derivative of Ylem: the original substance from which all things are made. Foci represent a surplus of innate motivations or instincts of the character in the form of gemstones, which can be used to execute the will and behavior of that character (actions). Each focus gem shows a small piece of what the character is capable of, and most likely to do. Gemstones are placed in their appropriate pools on the character playmat.
There are 5 Focus Gemstones - they are:
There are two ways a card can be used:
1) "cash it in" for
the gemstones displayed on the top margin at any time
OR
2) Be used to cast
spells called 'Focus Abilities' during a players Active State.
Nearly all cards
have a Focus Glyph and visual description of the target and effect on the card.
Those that don't are special cards which have unique uses described on the
card.
As a king in life, you play cards from the Ascendant Deck. As a Revenant in death, you play cards from the Revenant deck.
To vanquish your opponents, you must attack them with Pyre gems and/or focus abilities to inflict Dire Wounds. If a player takes too many Dire gems they will perish and return as a Revenant.
Revenants are mysterious beings that get called forth from the Traverse when a massive amount of Focus Energy passes through realities (the Traverse is the conduit space between life and death). When a player is returned to the board as a Revenant they have powerful new ways to play the game.
The omega dial is a device used to create Immolation Events on the board, which are random occurrences on the board which can help or hinder. The Omega dial also used as a countdown timer (if players wish) to artificially initiate the Omega War if nobody can claim all 4 bloodstones within the chosen number of rounds.