ERTBG 1 Core Rulebook
Topics covered
ERTBG 1 Core Rulebook
Topics covered
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 05 COMBAT
Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
COMPONENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06
Combat Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
CREDITS THE TARNISHED
The Tarnished . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Setting Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Place Miniatures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Dashboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Draw Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Tri-Dials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Deal the Marching Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Tarnished Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Combat Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Profile Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Battlefield Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Elden Ring: The Board Game Initiative Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Rounds and the Marching Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Game Concept Graphic Design Class Feature and Class Quest Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Tarnished Turns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Mat Hart Alex Magher Weapon Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Turn End. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Elliott Smith Combat Cards and Decks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Playing Combat Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Design & Jessica Santoso
Development Abigail Thornton Attribute Cards and Decks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Attack Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Alex Hall Kelly Vizma Memory Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Defence Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Fraser McFetridge Armour Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Action Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Sherwin Matthews Production
Nikolas Niotis Matthew Elliott Talisman Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Buff Action Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Adam Smith Carl Matthews Trait Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Resolving Tarnished Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Buff Card Slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Status Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Editing & QA Cartographer
Richard August Tom Cartos Tarnished Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Consumables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Stuart Stockdale Flask. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Enemy Turns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Special Thanks Effigy of the Martyr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Tarnished Defeat and Failing the Scenario . . . . . . . . . 49
Sculpting
Ben Charles Extra special Placeholder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Spirit Ashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Russ Charles thanks to all of our Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Scenario Specific Combat Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Holly Woolford Kickstarter backers! Stake of Marika Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Large Encounter Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Exploration Scenarios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
THE CAMPAIGN
Gauntlet Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Setting up the Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Dungeon Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Boss Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Map Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Steamforged Games Ltd
Ltd. Setting Up Tarnished Dashboards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Bosses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Boss Set Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Co-Founders Design & Graphic Design Marketing & Playing a Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Boss Special Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Mat Hart (CCO) Development Elliott Smith Community Exploration Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Management Narrative Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Rich Loxam (CEO) Richard August Jessica Santoso Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Jordan Connolly Abigail Thornton Ben Clapperton
Executive Chairman Alex Hall Joe Thornton Tom Hart Enemies and Allies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 THE ROUNDTABLE HOLD
Simon Spalding Fraser McFetridge Kelly Vizma Steve Hough Special Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The Roundtable Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Steve Margetson Chynna-Blue Scott Ending the Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Scenario Completed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Non-Executive Sherwin Matthews Production Ben Taylor
Officers Nikolas Niotis Candy Chan Caz White Setting up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Failing a Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Ron Ashitiani Jamie Perkins Matthew Elliott Playing the Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Spending Runes and Modifying Decks. . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Steve Slatford Eric Maleco Licensing & Exploration Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Upgrading the Tarnished Starting Weapons. . . . . . . 59
Investment Director Carl Matthews Commercial
Rob Jones Editing & QA Lu Mingjing Toby Davies Tiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
ALTERNATE GAME MODES
Ginny Loveday Tom Rochford Firoz Rana The Weather Decks and the Time Token . . . . . . . . . . 30
Alternate Game Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Stuart Stockdale Jo Turner Event Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Finance & IT Solo Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Sculpting & Art John Higham Operations & Quest Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Standalone Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Ben Charles Carmen Martin Fulfilment Removed From the Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Russ Charles Vanessa O’Brien Judy Guan Hardships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Holly Woolford Salma Tagari Serena Tan
Enemy Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Suffering Damage and Defeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
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REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
E
lden Ring: The Board Game – Realm of the
Grafted King is a cooperative campaign game
for 1-4 players set in the sprawling region of the
Lands Between known as Limgrave. The glory of
this realm now faded since its fall into ruination, a
wealth of mysteries and forgotten locations nonetheless await
those bold and intrepid of soul.
Yet beware, for this kingdom is home not only to secrets but
also terrifying danger. A host of foes await to expel any soul
brave or foolish enough to intrude upon their territory, each
possessed of either martial discipline or deadly cunning, and
several both.
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REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
Tarnished
2 Trolls
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REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
Cards Components
Location Tokens Spirit Ashes
Profile cards Armour cards Class Feature cards Initiative cards Damage
Non Player 1 2 3
Spirit Candle Stake of Marika Effigy of the Martyr Merchant Character
Status Effect
Finger
Reader Crone Material Advanced Locations
Weapon cards Combat cards Attribute cards Trait cards Talisman cards
Other Tokens
A
Flask of Flask of Tarnished
Crimson Tears Cerulean Tears Placeholder Time Identifier Target Tree Sentinel
Class Quest cards Memory cards Map cards Guidance of Grace cards Hardship cards
Other Components
Spirit Candle cards Event cards Spirit Ashes cards Enemy cards Boss cards 24
Hex Tiles
Player Dashboards
Crafting Recipe cards Consumable cards Material cards Stake of Marika cards
Murmurings of the Crone cards Stonesword Key cards Weather cards Rune cards Scenario Book Encounter Book A, B, C and D Tarnished Tri-Dial Boss HP Dial
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7
the box has two dedicated sections for storing cards that
6
have hidden information, and will be revealed at specific The armoury section is also used for the cards stored in
5
2
3 4 moments during the campaign. the Roundtable Hold, which are separated by the divider.
Place the attribute and trait cards in the Roundtable Hold.
These sections are called the vault, and the armoury. Cards
that belong to these sections have a number printed on Throughout the campaign, more cards will be added to the
their bottom edge. Roundtable Hold, from various other storage sections.
The vault contains a mix of cards from several decks, Starting Tarnished Cards
such as map, event, and hardship cards. Vault cards are
identified by a number that begins with v, and range from The remaining slots are used to store the cards each
v001 to v149. Tarnished has, including weapon, combat, and attribute
cards.
The armoury is used solely for weapon, combat, and
memory cards. Armoury cards are identified by a number The cards each Tarnished begins the campaign with are
Boss HP dial x2 that begins with w, and range from w001 to w349. numbered s001 to s118, broken down as follows.
A list of these numbers can be found on the inside of the • Astrologer s001-s030
back page of this rulebook. • Prophet s031-s058
Tri-Dials x4
• Samurai s058-s088
When ordering the box, take the numbered cards and • Vagabond s089-s118
HP dial uses the 0-10 dial.
place them in the corresponding section, in numerical
FP dial uses the 0-8 dial.
order. Vault cards are hidden information, so after As you progress through the campaign, these slots can
Hand Size dial uses the 0-6 dial
adding them to the vault, do not look at them again be used to store any cards your Tarnished currently has
until instructed! equipped on their dashboard.
Box Storage
The box for Elden Ring: The Board Game – Realm of the Grafted King has several inserts and slots for placing cards.
These are as follows.
Non-Numbered Cards
When ordering the box, place the following cards in separate slots.
Large Small
Guidance of Grace Stake of Marika
Enemies Murmurings of the Crone
Boss Stonesword Key
Spirit Candle Quests Recipe
Events Consumables
Rune
Weather
Note that the order of these cards is not important, as they’ll be repeatedly accessed during the campaign.
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THE TARNISHED
At the start of the campaign each player chooses a Tarnished, then takes a dashboard, tri-dial, and the starting cards for
their chosen Tarnished.
Samurai Vagabond
Dashboards
THE TARNISHED
Dashboards help players to organise their Tarnished’s equipment, decks, and tokens during scenarios. Each Tarnished
dashboard is the same. Unless otherwise stated, a card slot that isn’t used for a deck or discard pile can only have a single
card in it.
1 2 3 4
9 8
5 6 2
14
10 11 12 13
6
2
4 4
Astrologer Initiative Prophet Initiative
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FP dial Hand Size
4 5 6
HP Hand Size
This dial represents how many health points the Tarnished This dial represents a Tarnished’s stamina and indicates
1. The name of the Tarnished’s class.
currently has. Each time the Tarnished suffers 1 or more how many combat cards their player can have in their
2. The weapons the Tarnished begins the campaign
damage, reduce the value shown on the dial by the amount hand. A player can’t have more cards in their hand than
with. Samurai Initiative Vagabond Initiative
of damage taken. If the dial shows 0, the Tarnished has been the value of their Tarnished’s dial.
3. The armour the Tarnished begins the campaign with.
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defeated.
4. The Tarnished’s maximum HP at the start of the
Maximum Values campaign.
If a Tarnished heals 1 or more HP, increase the value on their
5. The Tarnished’s maximum FP at the start of the During encounters where multiple Tarnished are present,
dial by the amount of damage healed. A Tarnished can’t At the start of the campaign, each player sets their tri-
campaign. each Tarnished will only use one initiative card, giving
increase the value of their dial above their maximum HP dials to the values found on their Tarnished’s profile card.
6. The Tarnished’s maximum hand size at the start of them each one turn per round. If a Tarnished faces combat
value. These values are the Tarnished’s maximum values. As the
the campaign. alone, their second initiative card is used to give them an
campaign continues, Tarnished can increase this value
additional turn.
FP with various traits, talismans and their class feature.
This dial represents how many focus points the Tarnished When a value on a tri-dial is adjusted, it can’t go above its
currently has. FP is used to cast sorceries and incantations, highest numerical value or below 0 for any reason.
and perform some special attacks. Each time the Tarnished
performs an action that requires FP, reduce the value shown
on the dial by the amount of FP used. If the dial’s value is
lower than the required FP, the Tarnished can’t perform
that action.
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REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
Class Feature Class Quests Weapon cards represent the weapons the Tarnished is Combat Cards
holding in their hands.
Each Tarnished has four class feature cards, ranging from In order to level up their class feature Tarnished must Each weapon card has a unique list of combat cards that
level 1 to level 4. These cards provide passive bonuses and complete class quests, which represent personal challenges are included with that weapon, and indicates the number
special rules. for the Tarnished to achieve or overcome. of combat cards that are added to the combat deck from
Note that ‘weapons’ in this context also includes shields.
this weapon when it is equipped. The cards from the
Tarnished’s equipped weapons are shuffled together to
form their combat deck.
4 1 7
2 3 1 2 When a weapon is first introduced to the campaign, the
number of cards it adds to the Tarnished’s combat deck
will match the number of available combat cards listed
on the card. As the weapon is upgraded the number of
cards in the list will often exceed this number, requiring
the Tarnished’s player to create a customised combat deck,
1 leaving some of the cards out.
Combat Cards and Decks Attribute Cards and Decks Memory Cards
There are four types of combat card - attack, defence, action, and buff action. These cards are detailed in greater depth Attribute cards represent a Tarnished’s stats, and are used Memory cards represent spells known to the Tarnished. In
in the combat encounter section. during combat encounters and when resolving hardship order to be used, they must be attached to an equipped
cards to determine the effectiveness of their actions. weapon card.
Combat cards are used during combat encounters to perform attacks, defend against incoming damage, and produce
other effects. 2 1. The card’s attribute
5 symbols.
2. The card’s rune equip
cost.
Light Strike 1 Rebuff 2 Astral Counsel 1 1 Impact 2 1
Action:
Choose a Tarnished. They look Free Buff Action:
at the top three cards of their This Tarnished may treat any
attribute deck and may discard push effects on attack cards
any number of them, then return as 1 damage instead.
2 1 the rest in any order.
1 1
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There are five types of attribute symbols. Note that cards 1. The memory’s name.
may have multiple types of symbol on them. 2. The type of memory card – Sorcery or Incantation.
Light Strike (attack) Rebuff (defence) Astral Counsel (action) Impact (buff action) 3. The increase in the number of combat cards that
are added to the combat deck from the weapon
when the memory is attached. The additional cards
Attack cards can be identified by an attack area . must be added from the combat cards listed on the
Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Common memory card.
Defence cards can be identified by an image of a shield . 4. The additional combat cards that are available to the
When allocating symbols, any attribute symbol can Tarnished when the memory is attached.
count as the common symbol instead. 5. The memory’s rune attach cost.
Combat Decks
A card’s rune equip cost indicates how many runes a
Combat decks are created from a combination of the
Tarnished must spend to add it to their deck. If the card Note that there are two types of memory slot.
available cards listed on the weapon(s) the Tarnished has
is subsequently removed, the card’s rune equip cost is
equipped. The number of cards in a Tarnished’s combat Indicates a sorcery memory.
refunded. Tarnished’s starting attribute cards do not have
deck must always be equal to the number of cards added
rune equip costs. Indicates an incantation memory.
by their equipped weapon(s).
Attribute Decks
Once created, a Tarnished’s combat deck is shuffled
Some weapons show a number of memory slots for one
and placed face down in the combat deck slot on their Each Tarnished begins the campaign with a deck made
of the two types of memory card. Each attached memory
dashboard. During scenarios, place any discarded combat up of their starting attribute cards. Over the course of the
card takes up one of these slots, and can only be attached
cards in the discard slot. If there are no cards left to draw campaign, this deck will evolve as players add new cards
to a weapon with a corresponding type of memory slot.
in a Tarnished’s combat deck, refresh the deck by shuffling and remove existing ones, customising their Tarnished’s
the discarded cards and placing them face down in the performance.
Like weapons, some memory cards require the player to
combat deck slot.
spend runes in order to attach the card.
A Tarnished’s attribute deck must always consist of ten cards.
A player can replace one of their Tarnished’s combat
To attach a memory card to a
cards with another of the weapon’s cards any time their A player can replace one of their Tarnished’s attribute
weapon, slide it underneath the
Tarnished is not taking part in a combat encounter. cards with another of their available cards any time their
weapon card.
Tarnished is not taking part in a combat encounter. 2 Glintstone Arc 1
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REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
2 1 2 1 1
5
10 Viridian Amber
Medallion
+1
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REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
TARNISHED TOKENS
The following are types of Tarnished-specific tokens that either belong to individual Tarnished, or interact with a
Tarnished’s dashboard or card on their dashboard.
THE CAMPAIGN
rules and effects.
Flask of Cerulean Tears
Restore the Tarnished’s FP to its maximum value.
They have no inherent special rules of their own, and are
most commonly used as tracking tokens on quest and
event cards, or as markers on the playing area during
exploration scenarios.
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REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
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REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
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REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
Move Craft
Interact Flask
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REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
Exploration Rules Event Cards When an event or spirit candle quest is completed, resolve
any completion text and then discard the card.
When an event card is drawn, the player that drew the
Tiles card immediately resolves the text on the card, and then If a spirit candle quest hasn’t been completed when the
discards it. If the text can’t be resolved (because the scenario ends, the card and any tokens on it are discarded.
During exploration scenarios, the playing area is made up
conditions on the card can’t be met, for example), the card
of a series of hex-shaped tiles, beginning with the starting 2 is discarded without effect. If an event quest hasn’t been completed when the scenario
tile at the onset of the scenario.
ends, any tokens on the card are discarded. The Tarnished’s
Instead of being discarded, some event cards are placed player then chooses whether to discard the card, or place
When a Tarnished is placed on a tile, their exact location
next to either a Tarnished’s dashboard or the time token, it in the Roundtable Hold, so they can retrieve and
on the tile isn’t important, provided it’s obvious which tile
and have an ongoing effect that lasts for a period of time. undertake it again during the next exploration scenario.
they are on. A tile can have any number of Tarnished on it.
These cards are considered to be in play until they are
discarded.
When a new tile is added to the playing area, it can be Class Quests
placed in any orientation, but must be along a vacant
If the text requires the players to make a choice, they are Quests from class quest cards are personal. Their text
edge 1 of another tile (typically the tile the Tarnished is
free to discuss it amongst themselves, but the player that only affects the Tarnished that the quest belongs to, and
currently on), as shown in the example image.
drew the card always makes the final decision. the conditions on the card can only be completed by that
1 Tarnished.
Each tile contains a number of locations 2 that Tarnished
Although all event cards share the same back, some event
can interact with while on the tile. A tile may also contain
cards have a small symbol, which will be required for When a class quest is completed, resolve any completion
one or more barriers 3 . Tile artwork is purely cosmetic.
specific rules interactions during the campaign. These text and then remove it from the game. This will usually
cards are otherwise treated as normal. involve collecting the next sequential class quest card from
Locations are represented by a faded symbol inside a
the vault, which replaces current one. Any other cards
circle, matching one of the locations on pg. 35. When a
tile is added to the playing area, place tokens matching its 3 Quest Cards retrieved from the armoury or vault are placed in the
Roundtable Hold.
locations on the tile.
There are four types of cards that provide quests –
2 Guidance of Grace, event, spirit candle, and class quest. If a class quest hasn’t been completed when the scenario
Locations are always added with their active side face
ends, any tokens on the card are discarded. The card
up, except for Site of Grace and dungeon tokens.
remains next to the Tarnished’s dashboard, ready to be
24 Guidance of Grace Quests
undertaken during the next scenario.
Barriers are represented by a wall or cliff-face with a red
Guidance of Grace quests are universal. Their rules text
shadow on their outer edge, and are always situated along
affects every Tarnished taking part in the scenario, and
one or more of a tile’s edges. Multiple Conditions
Note that a Tarnished can place a tile that touches the conditions on the cards can be completed by any
one or more edges that includes barriers, provided Tarnished. If a Tarnished simultaneously fulfils the conditions for
A Tarnished can’t move across an edge that includes a
those barriers are not on their current tile. multiple quest cards, they can only apply the token or
barrier. When a Tarnished explores, they can’t place a tile
There is no limit to the number of Guidance of Grace rules from one card (i.e., if a Tarnished has two quest cards
along an edge of their tile that includes a barrier.
cards that can be in play at any time. that both require them to place an objective token when
they interact with a material location, they can only add a
The Weather Decks and the Time Token When a Guidance of Grace quest is completed, the card token to one of the quest cards when doing so).
is discarded.
The weather decks and time token represent the passage of When a deck has been exhausted because all of its cards
time during the scenario. There are two weather decks (a have been discarded, do not refresh it. If a player would If a Guidance of Grace quest hasn’t been completed when the
Removed From the Game
day and a night deck), each with their own unique back. draw from a deck, but the draw pile has been exhausted, scenario ends, the card and any tokens on it are discarded.
The text on some cards or rules instruct players to remove
flip the token to the opposite side, and draw from the
one or more cards from the game. When a card is removed
At the end of each turn, a player draws from one of the other weather deck instead.
Event and Spirit Candle Quests from the game, it is discarded and returned to the box for
weather decks. The deck they draw from is determined by
the remainder of the campaign.
which side of the time token is face up. If the day side is If a player is required to draw a card from a weather Event and spirit candle quests are personal. When a
face up, the player draws from the day deck. If the night deck and both decks have been exhausted, the players Tarnished undertakes one of these quests, its card is placed
Once a card has been removed from the game, it can’t be
side is face up, they draw from the night deck. immediately fail the scenario. next to their dashboard. The card’s rules text only affects
returned.
that Tarnished, and the conditions on the card can only be
completed by that Tarnished.
only has a single section, they resolve that instead. Gatefront Ruins
Note that resolving a hardship doesn’t cost an VI
action.
Combat Encounter 1
Rewards E
2
3 Corpse Material Card x1,
Beast Material Card x1
A
Initiative Cards: 3
3
If the section does have a challenge level, the Tarnished
4 draws two attribute cards and allocates each of the Combat Encounter 2
32 33
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
If a Tarnished is defeated on the playing area, discard If a Tarnished is defeated and there isn’t an active Site of Merchant
a Stake of Marika card. The Tarnished’s player then Grace token on the playing area, or the players don’t have
The Tarnished’s player references the merchant
chooses a Site of Grace location with an active token, and a Stake of Marika card to discard, they fail the scenario.
text in the Enemies and Allies section of the
places their Tarnished on that location’s tile. The player’s
scenario brief, which will instruct them to
Tarnished then rests, as described on pg. 35.
turn to a specific merchant entry.
34 35
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
COMBAT
rules which can be found on either the
scenario brief or the scenario’s Guidance of
Guiding Statue
Grace cards.
The Tarnished’s player discards the location’s
Dungeon token, then looks at the top two tiles from
the active tile stack, returning each tile to the
Dungeon locations are always placed with
top or bottom of the stack in an order of their
their locked side face up when they are added
choice.
to the playing area. Tarnished can’t interact
with dungeon locations.
Church
Dungeon locations always have scenario specific rules The Tarnished’s player discards the location’s
which can be found on either the scenario brief or the token, then keeping each card face down,
scenario’s Guidance of Grace cards. searches the event deck backs until a card
with the NPC symbol is found, and places
that card on top of the deck.
Special
Special locations are unique to certain
scenarios, and have their own dedicated
tokens. Special locations always have scenario
specific rules which can be found on either
the scenario brief or the scenario’s Guidance
of Grace cards.
36 37
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
Each combat encounter has a brief in either the scenario book or the encounter books, which details which cards Each side of the grid is divided into horizontal rows and
to retrieve, which enemies to set up, any additional special rules that affect the encounter, and any rewards for vertical lanes, dividing each into individual squares. Rows
completing it. in the Tarnished area and some rows in the enemy area
have row symbols 4 adjacent to them, which provide
special effects to miniatures in that row.
Setting Up
On the battlefield grid, horizontal movement is spatial,
representing the physical area to either side of the model.
Follow the steps below, in order, when setting up a combat
Vertical movement represents the miniature changing its Critical Hit
encounter.
Godrick Soldier 4 Godrick Soldier 3
battle stance, rather than representing the area ahead or
behind the miniature.
Side Slash
1 1 1
Place Miniatures 3 3 3
All movement is measured in squares. A square can only
Place the enemies shown on the brief in the corresponding 3 2
squares of the battlefield grid 1 . Each player then places Vagabond Initiative Astrologer Initiative
Flask
Rounds and the Marching Order The player flips an active flask token on their Tarnished’s
dashboard to the exhausted side, and resolves the effect as
Combat encounters are divided into rounds, during which Once a miniature has finished its turn, its card is exhausted
listed on pg. 22.
each miniature takes a turn. and rotated 90 degrees. Play then continues to the card
with the highest initiative that is not exhausted. This
At the start of each round, shuffle the Tarnished initiative process is repeated until each card in the marching order Summon
cards and enemy cards together, then deal them in a row has been exhausted.
Once per encounter, the player adds a spirit ashes to the
above the grid. This is called the marching order and will
combat encounter, as described on pg. 50.
determine the order in which miniatures take their turns Note that a Tarnished with multiple initiative cards in
during the round. the marching order will take a turn each time one of their
cards has the highest initiative. Turn End
Initiative in the marching order is read from left to right.
The card with the highest initiative is the card furthest to After all of the Tarnished’s actions have been resolved,
the left, and the one with the lowest initiative is furthest Tie-Breakers their turn ends and their initiative card is exhausted. Play
to the right. Sometimes two miniatures will be equidistant when then continues to the card with the highest initiative that
determining the closest target, or an attack will have is not exhausted.
At the start of each round, the miniature with the highest multiple eligible targets. In these instances, always use the
initiative takes the first turn. miniature with the highest initiative as the tiebreaker.
40 41
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
the lane.
Poison – The enemy suffers the poison status
effect and gains a number of tokens equal to the
If the squares shown in the attack area are , the The top profile of the Catch Flame +1 attack requires two
S166
value shown.
©BNEI / ©FromSoftware, Inc
Tarnished’s player must choose one of the enemies in the faith symbols. If the player can’t allocate two symbols to
attack area to be hit. the profile, it has no effect.
Blood Loss - The enemy suffers the blood loss
1. The name of the attack. status effect and gains a number of tokens equal
2. The attack’s FP cost, if it has one. to the value shown.
Tarnished’s attack areas will almost always
3. The card’s block value.
be one of the folowing. The Chain Special Rule
4. The attack’s attack area. Stagger - The enemy suffers the stagger status
5. The attack’s special rules, if it has them. effect and gains a stagger token. Some attack cards feature the chain symbol. After
6. If the card has the chain special rule, the This attack hits the first enemy in the resolving a combat card that features the chain
corresponding symbol will appear here. Tarnished’s lane. Special - Resolve the attack’s special effect as symbol, the player can immediately play another
7. The card’s attack profile(s). detailed on the card. combat card that features a chain symbol as part
of the same action.
Attack cards are used during Tarnished turns by performing
This attack hits each enemy in the Tarnished’s
the play action.
lane.
FP Cost
If a card has an FP cost, the player must reduce the value of
The attack hits the first enemy in the
their Tarnished’s FP tri-dial by that amount when the card
Tarnished’s lane, and both adjacent lanes.
is played. If the dial’s value is lower than the required FP,
the card can’t be played.
There are three different symbols for FP, indicating This attack hits the each enemy in the
whether the card is a sorcery, incantation, or ability. The Tarnished’s lane, and both adjacent lanes.
differences between these symbols is largely cosmetic, and
is only relevant when a specific rule refers to a sorcery or
incantation specifically.
The player chooses one of the three lanes shown,
and the attack hits the first enemy in that lane.
42 43
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
Defence Cards Action Cards Buff Action Cards Resolving Tarnished Attacks
Defence cards are used to avoid receiving damage from Action cards confer a variety of special effects. Buff actions confer persistent effects on the Tarnished When a Tarnished performs an attack, their player resolves
attacks by enemies. they are played on. the following steps in the order shown:
bosses in differently, as described below: Each behaviour line will show one or more action symbols,
or a special rule detailed in text. Action symbols on a
If a Tarnished is suffering stagger at the start of their turn, 1. Consumable Name behaviour line are resolved from left to right. If an enemy
their player must discard one card from their hand for 2. Consumable Rules Text 5 3 can’t perform an action symbol for any reason, do not
each stagger token their Tarnished has, and then discard resolve any of its effects.
the tokens. Until the end of that turn, they treat their A Tarnished can spend an action during their turn to
maximum hand size as being one lower for each token resolve the text on a consumable card in their inventory. G 2 Some action symbols on a behaviour line are separated by
discarded. ©BNEI / ©FromSoftware, Inc
a vertical divider, which indicates two sets of symbols. The
Discarded inventory cards are returned to the box at the enemy will always perform the set of action symbols on
If an enemy is suffering stagger at the start of their turn, end of the scenario. the left of the divide unless they can’t resolve any of the
1. The type of enemy
discard the tokens, then the enemy’s turn immediately symbols, in which instance they will perform the set of
2. The card’s identifier letter, if there are multiple enemy
ends. action symbols on the right of the divide instead.
miniatures of the same type.
3. The enemy’s HP value.
Unlike normal enemies, bosses have their own unique Behaviour lines are resolved from top to bottom. Once an
4. The enemy’s armour value.
rules for resolving stagger, which will be detailed on the enemy has resolved a behaviour line, it resolves the next
5. The enemy’s behaviour line(s).
corresponding boss scenario brief. line down, and so on, until it has resolved each behaviour
line. Then its turn ends.
Enemy Identifier Letters
If an enemy performs an action symbol with the stop
With exception of some unique enemies, all enemy
symbol , after the action has been fully resolved, the
cards have an identifier letter, used to help distinguish
enemy’s turn immediately ends without resolving any
them during encounters, and to provide enemy scaling
further action symbols.
throughout the game.
46 47
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
Behaviour Types Resolving Enemy Attacks Tarnished Defeat and Failing the Scenario
There are three types of enemy behaviours, each with their own action symbols. They are special, movement, and attack. When an enemy attacks, resolve the following steps in the If a Tarnished ‘s HP reaches 0 during a combat encounter,
order shown: they are defeated. If a Tarnished was defeated during their
Special Attack own turn, their turn immediately ends.
1. Determine which Tarnished will be hit by the attack.
Unlike other behaviour types, special behaviour is always Enemy attacks are always shown as two symbols adjacent
If multiple Tarnished will be hit, each player resolves If a Tarnished is defeated, discard a Stake of Marika
shown as rules text rather than symbols. When resolving to each other.
the following steps individually in initiative order. card. Their player then resets the Tarnished’s HP to its
the text, resolve as much as is possible. If the entirety of
the text can’t be resolved, the enemy doesn’t perform the 1 2 2. The Tarnished’s player chooses whether to defend maximum value, and places the Tarnished’s miniature in a
against the attack or not. If the player chooses not to vacant square of their choice on the Tarnished area of the
behaviour.
defend, skip to step 9. battlefield grid. Finally they draw up to their Tarnished’s
the combined block value of the discarded cards. No If a Tarnished is defeated and the players don’t have a Stake
The following are enemy movement symbols.
other effects on these cards are resolved when they of Marika card to discard, the players fail the scenario.
are discarded.
The enemy moves one square towards the The first symbol 1 indicates the attack area, relative to 4. The player can play a defence card from their hand. If
battleline. the enemy’s position necessary, the player reduces their Tarnished’s FP tri-dial
by the cost shown on the card. If the dial’s value is lower
If an attack area shows , the attack hits the first than the required FP, the player can’t play the card. If
The enemy moves one square away from the Tarnished in the lane. the player doesn’t play a card, skip to step 9.
battleline. 5. The player draws a card from their attribute deck.
If an attack area shows , the attack hits each Tarnished a. If a rule allows the player to draw additional
in the lane. cards, they do so now, choosing which card(s) to
use, and discarding the others.
The enemy moves left one square.
If no Tarnished are in the attack area, the enemy doesn’t 6. Allocate the attribute symbols on the attribute card
attack. to the profiles on the defence card. Each attribute
symbol can only be allocated once, and must match
The second symbol 2 indicates the damage the attack the profile to which it is allocated, with exception of
The enemy moves right one square.
inflicts. symbols allocated to the common profile.
7. Determine the effects of the defence profiles that had
Some attacks also show a status effect symbol to the an attribute symbol allocated to them.
The enemy moves horizontally towards the
right of the damage symbol, and/or a movement symbol a. Each profile can be used multiple times, if
closest Tarnished, up to the number of squares
3 shown in the symbol. Determine the closest
beneath it. These are additional effects that are resolved
when the enemy attacks, even if the damage of the attack
multiple symbols are allocated to it.
b. If the effects of a profile are separated by a
Tarnished by counting the number of lanes
was reduced to 0. vertical divider, choose either the effects on the
between the enemy and the Tarnished.
left or the right to apply.
c. Effects are cumulative (i.e., when calculating
If multiple arrow symbols are shown as part of the symbol, Common enemy attack areas include the following.
how much damage is reduced, add all defend
the enemy moves an equal number of squares to the
effects together to form a total)
number of arrows. If an enemy’s movement is obstructed This attack hits the first Tarnished in the
8. Reduce the attack’s damage value by the total defend
by a miniature or because it would leave the battlefield enemy’s lane.
value. If the attack’s damage value has been reduced to
grid, it doesn’t move.
0, skip to step 10.
9. Apply the attack’s remaining damage value to the Tarnished.
This attack hits each Tarnished in the enemy’s 10. The Tarnished suffers any status effect(s) shown next
Dealing the marching order above the battlefield grid
lane. to the damage symbol on the enemy card.
will mean the arrow symbols are pointing the direction
11. Once the attack has been resolved against each
the enemy will move and make the cards much
Tarnished that was hit by the attack, resolve the attack’s
easier to read.
effects that affect enemy miniatures (such as movement
This attack hits the first Tarnished in the
action symbols) in an order of the Tarnished’s player’s
enemy’s lane, and both adjacent lanes.
choice.
48 49
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
BOSSES
Bosses are particularly powerful enemies the Tarnished will have to face throughout the campaign. They’re significantly
more resilient than regular enemies, and are capable of making extremely dangerous attacks.
Bosses are enemies, but also have several special rules, detailed in this section.
Bosses appear in combat encounters as part of dungeon and boss scenarios. Each encounter has a brief in the scenario
book, detailing the boss, including its health points, armour, special rules, and the number of behaviour cards it adds to
the marching order.
Boss Set Up
Gauntlet Scenarios Dungeon Scenarios Boss Behaviour Deck Minimum Stakes of Marika
Unlike normal enemies, bosses add multiple cards to Scenario briefs featuring a boss each have an entry that
Gauntlet scenarios feature combat encounters where Dungeon scenarios feature a variant of gauntlet combat
the marching order each round, and take multiple turns. indicates the minimum number of Stake of Marika cards
the Tarnished must face one or more waves of enemies, encounters, where the Tarnished must face multiple waves
These cards are drawn from a behaviour deck, unique to required, modified for the number of Tarnished taking
appearing at the start of each round. of enemies that culminate in the appearance of a boss.
the boss. part in the encounter.
Gauntlet scenarios are successfully completed when all Like gauntlet scenarios, dungeon scenarios are successfully
In some cases, the same enemy miniature can have several If there are fewer than this number of Stake of Marika cards
enemies have been defeated, and no others will be added completed when all enemies have been defeated, and no
different behaviour decks. These are differentiated by in the Roundtable Hold, the players gain Stake of Marika
in subsequent rounds. others will be added in subsequent rounds.
an identifier letter. Each scenario brief will detail which cards until they have the minimum number required.
deck(s) to use during that encounter.
Adding Additional Enemies Adding the Enemies and the Boss
At the start of the encounter, shuffle the boss’s behaviour It’s helpful to remove any Stake of Marika and
Gauntlet combat encounter briefs will indicate placement Follow the rules detailed in the gauntlet scenario section cards to form the boss behaviour deck, and place it face Murmurings of the Crone cards from the Roundtable
for enemy miniatures during set-up as normal. They will for adding enemies. down next to where the marching order will be dealt, with Hold and place them somewhere visible to each player as
also have rules entries for placing additional enemies. enough space for a discard pile. reminders during the encounter.
If a boss enemy can’t be placed on the grid because other
Each entry will detail the enemies that are added and enemies are in the squares it would occupy, make way for
which square to place them in, and when to do so. When the boss by placing those enemies in the closest vacant
an enemy is added to the encounter, shuffle its card(s) with squares to their current position. If there are multiple
the other enemy and Tarnished initiative cards before the enemies and/or multiple vacant squares, place enemies in
marching order is dealt. an order and squares of the players’ choice.
52 53
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
Boss Special Rules Bosses and the Stagger Status Effect Murmurings of the Crone Cards
Each boss has unique stagger status effect rules, detailed Each scenario brief featuring a boss has a unique
Boss Health Boss Behaviour Cards on the scenario brief. Murmurings of the Crone entry, representing the wisdom
(or not, as the case may be…) imparted to the Tarnished by
Unlike other enemies, a boss’s starting HP is determined Unlike normal enemies, bosses add multiple cards to the
Unlike normal enemies, bosses must gain a number of the Finger Reader Crones during their travels.
by the number of Tarnished taking part in the encounter, marching order each round, and take multiple turns.
stagger tokens before the status effect is resolved. This
as shown in the scenario brief.
number is detailed on the scenario brief and is dependent During these encounters, a Tarnished can discard a
The scenario brief will detail how many cards are added
upon the number of Tarnished taking part in the Murmurings of the Crone card to resolve the entry’s
Boss health is tracked via each round. When gathering the cards for the marching
encounter. rules. After resolving the entry, the card is discarded and
a boss dial, and counted order at the start of each round, draw this number of cards
returned to the box.
down from its starting HP. from the boss’s behaviour deck and shuffle them together
When a boss gains a stagger token, place it to the side of
If there is more than one with any enemy and the Tarnished initiative cards.
the battlefield grid. When the boss has gained a number
boss in the encounter, use
of stagger tokens equal to or higher than this number, Astute players will no doubt have noticed that they
a separate boss dial for each. At the end of each round, discard the boss behaviour cards
discard the stagger tokens and resolve the effect. can use more than one card during the same encounter,
currently in the marching order.
if they have them…
Large Bases When drawing cards, if there aren’t enough cards in the
deck, shuffle the discarded behaviour cards and place them
Most bosses have large bases, which occupy four squares face down to refresh the deck, then draw the remaining
instead of one. Some other enemies have large bases. cards.
The attack areas for miniatures with large bases are shown
in the same way as those of other enemies, but feature a
larger enemy symbol to represent the squares their base
occupies.
54 55
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
NARRATIVE SCENARIOS
Elden Ring: The Board Game – Realm of the Grafted King Each narrative scenario has an introduction section,
is as much a story as it is a game and players will soon find followed by a series of numbered entries. Narrative text is
themselves exploring their surroundings and overcoming detailed in italic font, and rules text is included normally.
challenges not only with tiles and combat, but in narrative
text as well. Some narrative scenarios have a short briefs, if there is any
specific set up required.
Setting Up
Set-up for narrative scenarios is more straightforward They then choose one of their number to be the narrator,
than other scenarios. Players should set up their Tarnished who will read the text out loud to the other players during
dashboards as normal, and check if there are any special the scenario.
rules they need to follow.
56 57
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
58 59
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
If playing with a single Tarnished, the quest rules amend Agheel Lake 40 1
to allow the Tarnished to undertake multiple quests from Godrick Knight 40 1
the same deck at the same time. In addition, the Tarnished
can fulfil multiple quest conditions with a single action, Groveside Cave 40 1
rather than being restricted to a single card.
Coastal Cave 50 1
Standalone Mode Demi-Human Chiefs 60 2
Each scenario can be played individually, should the Towards the Fort 70 2
players wish. To do so, collect all the map cards from the
ALTERNATE vault, select one and turn to the corresponding page in the
scenario book.
Fort Haight
Stormgate
75
85
2
GAME MODES
The table details how many runes each Tarnished should
have for each scenario and which level their class feature Stormhill 95 2
should be.
Stormhill Cliff Face 100 3
When selecting equipment, Tarnished have access to their
starting weapons, everything in the armoury, the attribute Highroad Cave 110 3
and trait cards in the Roundtable Hold, and the additional
Stormfoot Catacombs 130 3
armour and talisman cards included in the vault.
Limgrave Tunnels 150 3
If the players are attempting a boss encounter, they gain
a number of Stake of Marika cards corresponding to the Tree Sentinel 170 4
minimum number listed for the number of Tarnished
taking part. The players can choose whether to also retrieve Castle Tunnel Approach 180 4
a Murmurings of the Crone card or not, depending
on whether they’d like the challenge of attempting the Margit, the Fell Omen 180 4
encounter without one.
Murkwater Catacombs 80 2
Ambush 70 2
60 61
REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING REALM OF THE GRAFTED KING
CARD ORDER
Poison Flail +2 205-218
Glintstone Stars Memory 219-222
Rejection Memory 223-226
Magic Forked Hatchet +2 227-240
Crystal Barrage Memory 241-244
Golden Halberd +2 245-256
Astrologer’s Staff +1 257-272
Scripture Wooden Shield +1 273-281
Finger Seal +1 282-295
Rickety Shield +1 296-304
Uchigatana +1 305-316
Red Thorn Roundshield +1 317-325
Longsword +1 326-337
Heater Shield +1 338-349
62 63