BHADRAKALI — The Forest Answers

Rules one-pager (prototype v1)

Players: 2–4 · Time: 30–45 min · Age: 14+
Resources: Feathers (Wilderness / Resistance) · Orders (Empire) · Signal tokens (shared win track for Wilderness)

Setup

1. Each player picks a faction deck (Wilderness, Empire, or Resistance).
   
2. Shuffle. Draw 5. Gain 3 starting resources of your type.
   
3. Place the Signal track (0–8) and the board Locations (optional in card-only play: Locations are cards).
   
4. First player: whoever last heard a raven.

Turn

1. Gain 1 resource.
   
2. Play up to 2 cards (pay cost). Characters/Units stay in play; Events/Actions resolve then discard (unless Instant).
   
3. Combat (optional): assign one attacker to an opposing Character/Unit/Location. Compare power. Higher wins; loser is wounded (−1 power) or discarded at 0.
   
4. Draw 1. Hand limit 7 — discard down.

Win

• Wilderness: reach 8 Signal or resolve Winter Symphony Trigger with 6+ Signal.
  
• Empire: reduce Bhadrakali to discarded and control War Room or deal 15 total damage.
  
• Resistance (3–4p): expose Soren (play Expose the Smile with Matty/Lizbeth condition) or help Wilderness win while George lives.

Keywords

Unique — only one copy in play. Silence — no abilities. Exhaust — tap; refreshes next turn. Instant — play on opponent’s turn.

Solo mode

Play Wilderness vs an Empire bot: bot always spends Orders on the cheapest legal Clear-Cut / Cull / Character; Signal still wins for you at 8.

Solo playtest checklist

• Bhadrakali + Tina interaction feels protective
  
• Darling + Pack snowball is strong but stoppable by Cull
  
• Empire can race before Symphony
  
• Game ends by turn ~12–15

Collectibles note

Art Deck uses the same faces without combat text. 3D prints are separate SKUs — see BHADRAKALI_GAMES_COLLECTIBLES_PLAN.txt.

Rights

No Rolling Stones / Beatles track titles on cards. Season cues may use original in-world names only.