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Welcome to The Journey TCG!
Your party of 3 Adventurers is where it all starts!
An Adventurer's Class determines what Abilities they can use, and each
Class offers a unique advantage in combat, so explore the possibilities!
There are 8 Classes in Journey from 4 Factions. Lets take a look at an Adventurer card and how it is set up, as well as take a look at the Classes and how their Special stat differentiates them from each other.
Mage Faction
Dark Mage
Dark Mages tend to build power over time, using Focus to Boost abilities and unleash big spells!
When focusing, Dark Mages increase their Focus by the amount of their Special.
Spellweaver
Spellweavers sling spells rapidly for quick damage accumulation!
Spellweavers may use as many Ability/Item cards as they have Special, regardless of the card's Speed. These cards stay out for the entire Battle Block after use.
Divine Faction
Exorcist
Exorcists use sealing Abilities to hinder opposing Adventurers and protect allies!
At the end of any Battle Block an Exorcist takes Damage, they heal themselves = to their Special.
Ascendant
Ascendants rejuvenate Allies and strike down foes with divine power!
For the cost of 1 Focus, an Ascendant may Heal an Adventurer = to their Special.
This Exhausts the Ascendant using the Special.
Warrior Faction
Berserker
Berserkers rely on brute force to quickly decide a battle!
Berserker's Damage becomes = their Special when effected by Berserk. Berserk Adventurers cannot use Abilities.
Rogue
Rogues take advantage of the ongoing battle, swiftly cutting down the weak.
The Rogue's Damage becomes = to their Special when performing Basic Attacks against Adventurers that are lower HP than they are at that time.
Augmentor Faction
Strategist
Strategists use their knowledge to help guide the field of battle towards victory!
Each Strategist may carry cards into the next Battle Block = to their Special.
Bard
Bards use sonic strikes and lasting melodies to cut down foes or uplift Allies!
When using a Full Bard-Specific Ability, the effect happens immediately and gains counters = to the Bard's Special who used it. At the start of each Battle Block, any Bard Abilities currently in play re-activate and lose a counter. If there are no remaining counters, cycle that Ability.
Adventurers can only use Abilities from their base Faction and their Class, so build your deck with this in mind! Below is a quick image for reference of what Abilities Adventurers can use.
After choosing your Party of 3 Adventurers, it's time to build a deck to compliment their strengths! To do that, we have to understand the way Abilities, Items, and Equipment work.
Abilities can only be used by Adventurers from the same Faction / Class!
Abilities
Cards can only be played from the hand by the Adventurer, during their Action!
Keep an eye on the necessary Class/Faction to use Abilities!
There are 3 styles of Abilities, which are identified on the top left of the card:
Quick Abilities - Identified with a white colored symbol. With Quick Abilities, they tend to have smaller but stacking effect which combo into other Abilities or Actions. You may use up to 2 Quick Abilities before a third will Exhaust the Adventurer using them.
Full Abilities - Identified with a bright yellow symbol. These are often the skills your Adventurers use to move towards victory and have a significant impact in battle! These Abilities Exhaust your Adventurer after use, so use them after your Quick Abilities to have the most impact!
Hidden Abilities - Identified by a dark symbol. These are played in the shadows, magic that lingers in wait to be triggered at decisive moments of the battle! These Abilities Exhaust your Adventurer after playing just as Full Abilities, but are Played from the hand face down below your party of 3 Adventurers, where their effect is only triggered when you decide!
Items follow the same color structure as Abilities, and are used similarly! Unlike Abilities however, Items are not bound by Faction or Class!
There are a couple unique styles of Abilities as well when it comes to Full, Quick, or Hidden.
[Lasting] - An Ability with this tag in the effect text means the Ability remains in play until removed by a secondary effect
[Enhancement] - Enhancements also remain in play like [Lasting] Abilities, however these are magical buffs to your Adventurers. You can have as many Enhancements as you like on a single Adventurer, unlike Equipment which is limited to 1!
Sometimes an Ability with a tag like these will also specify who you can use them on. [Enhancement - Self] is a buff you can only use on the Adventurer that is using the Ability, while [Enhancement - Ally] means you must target a different Adventurer in your Party.
With your 3 Adventurers chosen, and a deck of Abilities, Items, and Equipment of 20-30 cards has been assembled, it's time to set up the field!
Setup
Turn Knocked Out Adventurers face down. Knocked Out Adventurers are considered removed from play!
After setting up, it's time for battle! Each player draws 3 cards, and the Adventurer with the highest Agility goes first, regardless of which Party they're in! Make use of Agility, and be aware of it, it's a silent and powerful force!
Now that the first Battle Block has begun, we will look at all the possibilities within an individual Adventurer's Action.
Combat Begin!
Basic Attack
First is the Basic Attack. A straight forward, always available action which Exhausts your Adventurer after declaring. Using an Adventurer's Damage stat, declare your target and begin damage calculation.
Physical Attack - Deals Physical Damage when performing Basic Attack.
Magic Attack - Deals Magic Damage when performing Basic Attack.
Defense - Prevents Physical Damage
Magic Defense - Prevents all non-Physical Damage (Fire, Ice, Lightning, Arcane, etc.)
Focus
Next is Focus. All Adventurers can Focus, which allows Adventurers to build power to unlock stronger Abilities or as a cost for the optional Boost; mechanic on certain Abilities to modify their effects!
Any Focus requirement is marked by a blue arrow.
Each Arrow represents one Focus that must be paid to use the following effect text.
To gain Focus, during your Adventurer's Action simply tilt your Adventurer 45° to Exhaust them and add a Focus counter to them.
However in this Example, in order to use the Ability Armageddon at all, you must pay 3 Focus first.
In this Example, you may use Dark Bond as a Full Ability, but it will Exhaust to use it this way. If you have Focus, you may use the optional Boost; effect to pay 1 and make the Ability Quick instead!
Although Boost; typically has a Focus cost, it is not specifically related to Focus! Boost; can have a variety of costs to pay to activate the Boost; effect, sometimes costing no Focus but destroying the card itself in the process of Boosting.
Step Back
Stepping Back is the last action every Adventurer can perform without additional Abilities, Items, or Effects. Stepping back is a strategic move, allowing the Battle Block to continue in the normal order of Agility without them.
Once all other Adventurers have gone, any Stepped Back Adventurers step forward and take action according to their Agility.
To Step Back, simply move your Adventurer backwards a noticeable amount, and declare you are stepping back.
You can only step back once per Adventurer per Battle Block!
This sneaky maneuver can be used to utilize different Abilities or Items in case you anticipate certain actions, or want to punish actions when/if they occur.
Equipment
Next is Equipment. To equip an Adventurer with an Equip card, during their Action simply place the Equipment underneath that Adventurer with the name of the card exposed. The opposing player may read the equip when necessary in order for fair play!
Equipping is a free action, costing nothing and taking no space in your Quick/Full Ability limitations!
You may only have 1 Equip card equipped to an Adventurer at a time. If you equip an Adventurer who already has an Equip, simply replace the Equip with the new one, and Cycle the previous!
Items / Abilities
Lastly are the Abilities and Items your Adventurers have acquired on their Journey, and will likely comprise the majority of your deck. To use Items and Abilities, show the opposing player the card, and exhaust your Adventurer according to the speed of the card. Place face down into your Cycle after use.
A game ends when all 3 Adventurers in a Party are Knocked Out, or if a player attempts to draw, and cannot.
Items and Abilities are the foundations of victory. Find synergy between Special, Agility, Class and overall Stats of your Adventurers when assembling your Party and building your deck.
Whether you are a Barbarian at heart, a disciplined Dark Mage, or a crafty Strategist type; we are all preparing to face off against the Nightking. Knowing the flow of combat, different card types, and how these all synergize will prepare your Party to face off against even the most powerful foes!
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