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Official Ravine Rules
Ravine is a strategic and cooperative card game where you and your friends work together to survive the harsh wilderness after a plane crash. You'll need to forage for food, build a fire, and craft shelters to overcome the perils of the night and avoid the madness that lurks in the shadows.
Objective
Be the first group to collectively build a stable of seven Unicorns in your Stable Zones. But beware, the dangers of the Ravine and the ever-present threat of madness can hinder your progress!
Setup
1. Separate the Decks: Shuffle the main Ravine deck thoroughly and place it face down in the center of the playing area. This is the Draw Pile.
2. Deal the Baby Unicorns: Shuffle the Baby Unicorn deck and deal one face down to each player. Place this card in your Stable Zone. These are your starting Unicorns. The remaining Baby Unicorns form a face-down pile called the Nursery.
3. Neigh Pile and Heart Tokens: Place two discarded cards face up next to the Draw Pile to start the Neigh Pile (discard pile). Place a pile of Heart Tokens within reach of all players.
4. Wreckage and Bone Pile Setup (Optional): If playing with advanced rules, separate the Wreckage cards and Bone Pile cards from the main deck. Shuffle them together and place them face down as a separate deck. Draw two cards from this deck and place them face up next to the Draw Pile, similar to the starting Neigh Pile.
Gameplay
The game follows a turn structure with four phases:
Beginning of Turn (Optional): Certain Unicorn abilities in your Stable Zone might trigger at the beginning of your turn. You can activate these abilities now.
Draw Phase: Draw one card from the Draw Pile and add it to your hand.
Action Phase: This is your crucial moment to gather resources and prepare for the night:
Play a Unicorn: Play a Unicorn card from your hand into your Stable Zone.
Play a Magic/Upgrade/Downgrade Card: Use these cards to enhance your Unicorns' abilities, weaken opponents' Unicorns, or manipulate the game state.
Play an Instant Card: These one-time-use cards can be played at any point during your turn for strategic interventions.
Forage: Discard a full Heart Token (representing your search for resources) to draw a Forage card. You can discard up to 3 Hearts per turn to draw that many Forage cards.
Craft: If you have the required Forage cards, discard them to craft items like a Fire or Shelters. These provide benefits throughout the game (e.g., Fire helps at night).
Draw Another Card (Optional): You can choose to draw another card from the Draw Pile instead of taking any of the above actions if you want more options.
End Phase: Discard one card from your hand face up to the Neigh Pile. This ends your turn, and play proceeds to the next player in clockwise order.
Special Features:
Neigh Pile Power: The top card of the Neigh Pile can be used by any player during their turn (including the current player) to activate its effect. However, using it requires discarding another card from your hand.
Night Deck: After all players finish their turns, a Night card is drawn from the Night Deck and its effect is applied to all players. These challenges can range from hunger and predators to the ever-present threat of madness.
Madness: Throughout the game, players might lose Hearts (health) due to various reasons. Losing your last Heart signifies succumbing to madness and elimination. Discarded Unicorns go out of the game.
Winning the Game
The players win cooperatively if they manage to collectively build a stable of seven Unicorns (including Baby Unicorns) before succumbing to the dangers of the Ravine or madness.
Notes/Variations
The Ravine rulebook provides detailed explanations of each card type (Unicorns, Upgrades, Magic, Instant, Night, etc.) and their specific effects.
The game offers various difficulty levels by allowing players to include or exclude advanced rules like Wreckage and Bone Pile mechanics.
Communication and teamwork are crucial for success. Discuss strategies, share resources, and use card abilities effectively to overcome the challenges together.
Remember, Ravine is a game about cooperation and working together to survive the harsh wilderness. Be strategic, use your cards wisely, and help your fellow survivors overcome the perils of the night to escape the Ravine alive!
