Fatefell is a fun, tarot-based card game inspired by the characters and sinister machinations of Fritz von Ehrlichmann, the main antagonist of the graphic novel The Solstice Treaty. Designed for 2–4 players, the game features 60 beautifully rendered cards illustrated by Jacopo Cigarini, the artist of The Solstice Treaty.

Overview

  1. Fatefell is a 2–4 player game.
  2. The game includes:
    1. 48 ARCANA CARDS
    2. 12 FATE CARDS
    3. 1 FATE COIN
  3. Fatefell is played over four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
  4. During each Season, draw, swap, and discard cards as you try to build the lowest-scoring hand.
  5. Record your score at the end of each Season.
  6. After Winter, add your four Season scores together. The player with the lowest total score wins Fatefell.


Know your Cards

  1. Fatefell is played with 48 ARCANA CARDS and 12 FATE CARDS.
  2. There are 24 unique Arcana identities. Each appears on two cards: one Character Card from The Solstice Treaty and one matching Skeleton Card.
  3. Every Arcana Card has a value from 1–12 and is marked with either a SUN or a MOON.
  4. Cards Match by identity. A Character Card Matches only its corresponding Skeleton Card.
  5. For example, The Lovers Character and The Lovers Skeleton are a Match. Both have a value of 1 and a Moon.
  6. The Emperor Character and Skeleton also have a value of 1, but they have a Sun. The Lovers and The Emperor do not Match.
  7. A genuine Character/Skeleton Match scores 0 points. Any card that is not part of a Completed Match scores its printed value.
  8. Your goal is simple: make Matches, keep your other cards low, and finish with the lowest score.


Set up Spring

  1. Start with the 48 Arcana Cards. Keep the Fate Cards separate for now.
  2. Deal 4 Arcana Cards face down to each player in a 2 × 2 layout.
  3. Secretly look at your bottom 2 cards. These are your REVEALED CARDS.
  4. Do not look at your top 2 cards. These are your HIDDEN CARDS.
  5. Return your Revealed Cards face down to their original positions.
  6. Randomly select 6 Fate Cards and shuffle them into the remaining Arcana Cards. This becomes the DRAW PILE.
  7. Turn over the first card and place it face up beside the Draw Pile. This begins the DISCARD PILE.
  8. You’re ready to play.


Take Your Turn

  1. You may look at your Revealed Cards at any time before you draw a card. Once you draw, you may not look at them again until your next turn.
  2. You may not look at a Hidden Card unless a rule or Fate effect specifically allows you to.
  3. DRAW — Take the top card from either the Draw Pile or the Discard Pile.
  4. If you draw a Fate Card, reveal it immediately and follow the Drawing Fate Cards rules.
  5. If you draw an Arcana Card, secretly look at it and choose either:
    1. SWAP — Replace one of the cards in your layout with the card you drew (face down). Reveal the replaced card and place it face up on the Discard Pile.
    2. DISCARD — Reveal the card you drew and place it face up on the Discard Pile without changing your layout.
  6. You may replace either a Revealed Card or a Hidden Card.
  7. At the end of your turn, you may declare a Match if you believe two of your cards belong together.


Declare a Match

  1. At the end of your turn, you may declare two of your face-down cards that you believe form a Match.
  2. Turn both cards face up.
  3. A Match must be the Character and Skeleton versions of the same Arcana identity. Two different Arcana with the same printed value do not Match.
  4. If the two cards Match, leave them face up in their existing positions. They are now a COMPLETED MATCH.
  5. A Completed Match:
    1. Scores 0 points.
    2. Remains face up.
    3. Cannot be swapped or replaced.
    4. Is protected from Fate Cards.
  6. Do not draw replacement cards for a Completed Match.
  7. If the two cards do not Match, you have declared a FALSE MATCH:
    1. Return both cards face down to their original positions.
    2. All other players may look at 1 of their Hidden Cards.
  8. You are never required to declare a Match, even if you know you have one. Until you declare it, however, those cards are not protected and may still be swapped, replaced, or affected by Fate Cards.


Drawing Fate Cards

  1. If you draw a Fate Card, reveal it immediately.
  2. Spin the Fate Coin and use your finger to stop it on either a Sun or Moon icon. If you do not have the Fate Coin, any heads/tails coin will work.
  3. If you land on SUN, resolve the Sun instruction on the Fate Card.
  4. If you land on MOON, resolve the Moon instruction on the Fate Card.
  5. Sun effects are generally good for the player who drew the Fate Card. Moon effects are generally bad for that player or helpful to their opponents.
  6. Completed Matches are always protected from Fate Cards.
  7. If a Fate Card tells you to “bury” one of your Arcana Cards, that means you need to put it in the bottom of the Draw Pile.
  8. After resolving the effect, set the Fate Card aside.
  9. Draw again and continue your turn normally.


Ending Spring / Score

  1. Spring ends when a player completes both of their Matches or when the Draw Pile runs out.
  2. If a player completes both Matches, each other player gets 1 final turn.
  3. When Spring ends, turn all remaining face-down cards face up.
  4. Score each player’s 4 cards:
    1. Each Completed Match scores 0 points.
    2. Every card that is not part of a Completed Match scores its printed value.
  5. Add the values of your unmatched cards. This is your score for Spring.
  6. Record each player’s score. Your score carries forward into the next Season.
  7. Collect all of the cards and prepare for Summer.


Play the Next Seasons

  1. Fatefell is played over four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
  2. Set up and play each new Season exactly as you played Spring.
  3. The only change is the number of Fate Cards shuffled into the Draw Pile:
    1. Spring — 6 Fate Cards
    2. Summer — 8 Fate Cards
    3. Autumn — 10 Fate Cards
    4. Winter — 12 Fate Cards
  4. At the end of each Season, score your cards and add that score to your running total.
  5. After Winter, add together your scores from all four Seasons.
  6. The player with the lowest total score wins Fatefell.


Advanced Play

  1. Once you are comfortable with Fatefell, you can use the additional markings on the Fate Coin to make each game less predictable.
  2. Before each Season, you may spin the Fate Coin to randomly determine which Season you will play.
  3. You may also spin the Fate Coin to randomly determine how many Fate Cards will be shuffled into the Draw Pile: 6, 8, 10, or 12.
  4. You may use either option independently or use both.
  5. In Advanced Play, each Season also has its own special rule:
    1. Spring — No additional rules.
    2. Summer — Each turn, you may either draw from the top of the Draw Pile or draw one of the top 3 cards from the Discard Pile.
    3. Autumn — Start the game with 2 Discard Piles. You can discard onto either when ending your turn and take from either when starting your turn.
    4. Winter — At the start of the Season, check your Revealed Cards. You may not check your cards again for the rest of the Season.
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