FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Gameplay
Do I shuffle and reset the Action Cards between encounters?
Does my Ally’s Health and Armor reset between encounters?
YES.
Are Status Effects still in effect after encounters?
NO.
If I have a Negative and Positive Status Effect on an Ally which happens first?
Negative then Positive. If this does not make sense or conflicts in a specific case, the answer should always be, which way benefits the enemy? That is the answer. If neither of these work out, it’s up to you to decide which way it goes.
Can Allies switch their turn order?
YES, switching the turn order is allowed.
Can Allies trade loot?
YES, BUT not during encounters. There is one item in the game that cannot be traded, but the details for that item are on that card.
When I Pull a story card how do I know what card to go to after that?
If the card does not give you any direction you go back to the previous story deck card you came from and proceed from there with the next instructions (usually in red).
When an Ally dies during an Ally’s turn does the replacement character get a turn immediately?
NO, they cannot perform an action until after the enemy’s turn.
When an Ally dies and another Ally comes into play can that character receive the death move status effect?
YES. But it won’t take effect until their turn (next round) or the enemy’s turn depending on the status effect.
When it isn’t specified which Ally takes damage or dies in an event outside of an encounter (combat), do I get to choose who gets it?
NO. You always use a Selection Roll to decide. Come on now, you don’t get to choose who dies!
When an enemy spawns does it immediately get a turn?
NO, unless stated otherwise (Mega Glob is an example of one that attacks as soon as it’s spawned). A spawned enemy cannot perform any actions till the following turn.
Can enemies spawn more than once?
NO, an enemy can only spawn once in the current game. If they die there is no coming back.
Can I split up damage on enemies?
NO, damage cannot be split up.
Can I split up Recoup, Rest or Kickbacks?
NO, you cannot split them up.
Can Recoup, Rest or Kickbacks go to another Ally?
YES, this is a divisive rule, but there are good reasons for this, Kickbacks are one of them. Consider this, Cedany was designed to Rebuild Armor for her teammates. She is one of the only resources to build a shield wall. That is the purpose of her Kickback’s. That being said, if you take issue with this thematically, feel free to decide an Ally cannot give HP or AP to another Ally.
When it says, “Increase Ally Armor Thresholds by 1” what does that mean?
It means that ALL allies Armor Thresholds increase by 1. This is a group increase, not just for the current active party. It persists for the entire game.
After an encounter, if my threshold increases do I automaticaly reset it at that new amount?
YES, It is reset at the new max threshold at the time of the increase.
Can an Ally choose to sacrifice themself?
YES! There may be times you want to do an action that costs 4 HP and you only have 4 HP. Take one for the team!
If I sacrifice an Ally by spending all their HP on an Action can a Kickback save them?
Sadly, NO they have already died before the Kickback could occur. What a hero. The Kickback in this case would be canceled and could not be given to any Ally.
Where should I put the cube markers when a character gets a Status Effect?
It’s recommended that you place them directly on top of the Character Card. One for each turn the effect lasts. If a character gets an additional Status Effect start a new pile on the card with a different color cube marker.
When should I use the Status Effects Tracker Card?
You may never need to use it. It’s provided for those tense moments when there are too many Status Effects in play.
When BUBBLE is triggered how does that work?
When Bubble is triggered place 3 cubes on the Ally you want to receive it regardless of the armor threshold. During the next enemies turn, that Ally has 3 additional armor points. As soon as the enemies turn is over any of those 3 armor points remaining are removed.
When CHANT is triggered how does that work?
When Chant is triggered – during the enemies next turn, the Ally that is given Chant cannot be damaged.
When SURGE is triggered how does that work?
Surge is a free Action Bar 1 Attack. When say, Millicent rolls an 8, she does 1 DMG, and gets to do Needle Dart again immediately. It pays to roll 8.
In Chapter 4, the Globs have an action called Globsplosion. The rule for this action states “Globsplosions only damage Allies. After Globsplosion Discard Glob.” Does that mean the Glob that did the Globsplosion dies?
YES it dies. The Globsplosion does not damage other enemies, only Allies. Sadly for the Glob, it kills itself in the process.
In Chapter 4 does Mega Glob’s – Mega Globsplosion hurt The Lurker if it’s still alive?
NO, the main rules state that attacks with the star icon only affect opposing targets in play. One could argue that the Mega Glob and the Lurker are clearly not friends and are opposing targets, but what the rule is distinguishing is Allies or Bad Guys. If an ally performs an attack that hurts all opposing targets, it hurts all the bad guys. Same goes for them.
How do the Key Dice work to open the doors?
At the 3 doors, you roll one die for each Key that you have. You may open Door 1 or Door 2, if any of your symbols match any listed on the doors. It’s not about getting the combinations, you just need to match one. For Door 3 you need to match 2 different symbols listed on the card.
Wait, I have 6 Keys- I should be able to roll 6 Key Dice but the game only came with 4?
First off, congrats. I have never got all 6 keys before, very impressive. In this case roll the 4 key dice you do have. Chances are you can open any of the 3 doors. If you can’t, roll 2 of them again.
During the Mirror Man encounter in Chapter 6, how does DMG effect the Action Cards?
Each Action Card is a “Mirror” that is treated like a singular enemy. If you hit it for 6 DMG and “break” it (since it takes 4 damage to do so), the extra 2 damage DOES NOT spill over to the next “Mirror” Action Card. Sorry guys, it’s not that easy!
Rangitaki has double attacks for all her actions. For the Mushroom Man Encounter- are you saying if either of her action rolls miss another Mushroom Man spawns? If so, that isn’t awesome.
3/4 oz. frozen concentrated pineapple/ grapefruit juice (I use separate cans of concentrate)1/2 oz. lemon juice2 oz. golden Puerto Rican rum (e.g. Bacardi)1/4 oz. rock candy syrup (Trader Vic lingo for saturated simple syrup. 1:1 simple syrup is fine)1 c shaved ice or crushed iceBlend in a mixer and serve in a highball glass (or vintage Trader Vic Voodoo glass) with cracked ice. Garnish with mint and fruit stick.
Resting
How do I Rest?
Can Resting fail?
Yes, if the Ally Resting rolls a 1, Rest fails. The Rest Meter is then reset.
If I roll an 8 and my Rest Meter is full how many Hit Points do I get?
You would get 3 for the Recoup Roll and 3 for Resting- a total of 6. The Rest Meter is then reset.
Can Rest be used for the secondary Recoup rolls, such as Cleanse, Rebuild, Chant or Highjinks?
NO, Rest can only be used to Heal.
General
Why are there yellow and clear cube markers included?
There may be times when a character has more than 2 Status Effects at the same time. You might want to add an additional color besides red and black to keep better track of the craziness.
Why are there unlabeled meters on the Status Effects Tracker Card?
I included 2 additional unlabeled meters in case you want to count/track something unlisted.
Do items with counters – like Twins’ Mask/Do-Over (Card #22) reset after an encounter?
Nope, it has 3 shots for the entire game. Use them wisely.
Why are there cube marker spots for Keys and Coins on the Ally Threshold Counter Card?
Keys and Coins are hidden throughout the game. This is an extra place to keep track of them for fun. It’s there to scratch that itch if you are a completionist and want to feel special for tracking them down.
Is there a particular ending that is better than all the rest, or a “I have won the game ending?”
Is there a Hard Mode? Any rule varients to try out?
Is there a 3 Player Mode?
What really happens if I peek at cards that didn’t come into play during a session?
I would highly recommend not finding out.
How many Story Cards & Action Cards are included with the game? The Sleeve packs came with more sleeves than I have cards…
There are 128 Story Cards, the Story Card Sleeve pack comes with 130 (2 Extra). There are 24 Action Cards, the Action Card Sleeve pack comes with 25 (1 Extra).
Where is the Mirror Card(s) Kickstarter stretch goal?
Don’t go looking for them, but…they are cards #98 & #99.
Where is the Vista Card(s) Kickstarter stretch goal?
Again, don’t go looking for it and wreck it, but…there are two: #97 and #100.
My game looks like portions of it were printed on a bad color xerox in the 80’s. What’s going on?
The entire game is distorted and beat to different degrees based on, “certain things.” It’s a messy game and made to look as such. A splatter of red here, a streak of gray there, by design. I think it’s best for the gaming experience to leave it at that…stop here if you’re with me.
Is there a Print & Play version?
No, there will never be a Print and Play version of Spire’s End.
You stated on the Kickstarter that you were influenced by cool stuff like Monkey Island. Are you just baiting people, I don’t get it?
I listed influences that I thought about when making this game. I have loose references to Monkey Island, Planet of the Apes, Land of the Lost and more baked in there (for better or worse). It’s not about the look of the game. It has more to do with themes and moods, things I wanted to evoke.
There a components list somewhere?
Is there anything different in the 2nd Printing of Spire's End?
Not much, just a few typos and rule clarifications.
Are the stretch goals included in the 2nd Printing of Spire's End?
Yes, the stretch goals were all incorporated into the game, it's seamless. There isn't a version of the game without the stretch goals.
Hildegard
Is Hildegard only one player?
The primary focus is 1 Player, BUT there is also a 2 Player Mode with some added layers to make things interesting. Storywise - it's told as if it's a party of one, similar to the last game.
Is Hildegard a stand alone game?
Yes. It's a stand along game set in the Spire's End world. You don't need to have played Spire's End to enjoy Hildegard but for those that have... you will be rewarded.
How many characters do you control?
You play as Hildegard, so just the one.
Is Hildegard the sequel to Spire's End?
No, it takes place before the events of Spire's End. It's another game set in the Spire's End world.
Does Hildegard have the same combat system as Spire's End?
No, the combat system is very different. This game is much faster with less back and forth between you and the enemy.
Will Hildegard be on Kickstarter, if so when?
The current plan is Summer 2021.
Is it still a "choose your path" style game, like Spire's End?
Yes! I would say even more so. The focus is heavy on choices, it's more of a literal game book translated into a deck of cards.
Will Hildegard have the same size cards?
No, Hildegard is different in this regard. The cards will be much smaller, poker size, BUT there will be 4 times the cards. Currently the card count is planned to be around 400.
Will Hildegard still have that black and red aesthetic?
No, Hildegard has it's own unique look and tone. I am taking a break from the blood and guts for a bit.
Is the artist that illustrated Spire's End doing the art for Hildegard?
No. Benjamin Wiesemann did do some concept art for Hildegard (which was great!), but ultimately it's was decided that each game should have it's own unique voice.