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Ancients

Unique Ability

Dematerialization (Doom Phase): Relocate any or all of your own Units from one Area to a single other Area, anywhere on the Map.

Setup

Set up after all factions other than Tcho-Tcho, Windwalker, and Opener; 8 Power, 6 Acolytes, and a Controlled Gate in any Area containing no game symbol (you may still place in an area containing one of Yellow Sign's three Speelbook Glyphs, if desired).

The Ancients do not have a Glyph on the Map. Instead, they set up in any Area that contains no other Glyph or game symbol, unless it is in some way related to Movement (you may set up in an Area containing one of Yellow Sign’s three Spellbook Glyphs, if desired). This means that they cannot start on the Map in another Faction’s Start Area. The Ancients set up before the Tcho-Tcho, Windwalker, and Opener.

Here are the specific rules per Map:

  • Primeval Map: The Ancients may not set up in an Area with a Glacier Glyph.
  • Dreamlands Map: The Ancients may not set up in an Area with a Citadel. However, they may set up where there is a Tunnel.
  • Yuggoth Map: The Ancients may not set up in the Slime Sea, the Slime Sea Overlook, or anywhere on the Green Pyramid or the Laboratory, as all of these Areas are marked.
  • Library of Celaeno Map: The Ancients may not set up in a Special Collection room (they may still set up in an Area with a Stairwell or Archway).
  • Shaggai Map: The Ancients may not set up on the Worm That Gnaws in the Night Area (but who would want to?)

The Cathedrals

When performing the Create Gate Action as the Ancients, you may construct either a Cathedral OR a Gate. As with Gates, you must have a Cultist in the selected Area. A Cathedral can be placed in the same Area as a Gate, following these restrictions:

  • Only one Cathedral can be placed in an Area containing:
  • Only one Cathedral can be placed in an Area containing:
  • Only one Cathedral can be placed in an Area containing:
  • Only one Cathedral can be placed in an Area that does not contain any of these:

Unlike a Gate, you do not “Control” a Cathedral. It always belongs to you, even if you have no Units in an Area. These are not Units, and they do not participate in any Battles.

Spellbooks Requirements

A Cathedral is in an Area marked with this Glyph:

A Cathedral is in an Area marked with this Glyph:

A Cathedral is in an Area marked with this Glyph:

A Cathedral is in an Area without any of these Glyphs:

As your Action, each enemy Summons their lowest cost Monster at their Controlled Gate for free.

As your Action, each enemy Summons their highest cost Monster at their Controlled Gate for free.

Unit(Tot)

Cost

Combat

Unit(Tot)

Cost

Combat

Notes

Acolyte(6)

Cultist

 1 0

Un-Men(3)

Monster

 3
(0 with Festival) 		0

Spellbook: Festival
Spellbook: Festival

Reanimated(3)

Monster

 4
(1 with Brainless) 		2

Spellbook: Brainless
Spellbook: Brainless

Yothan(3)

Terror

 6
(3 with Extinction) 		7

Spellbook: Extinction
Spellbook: Extinction

Cathedral(4)

Building

 3
(1 if not built adjacent to another Cathedral) 		n/a

You may use the Create Gate Action to Create Cathedrals instead of Gates.

Spellbooks, Worship Services, Consacration, Unholy Ground

Special: If all 4 Cathedrals are in play, you may Awaken and Independent Great Old One without your own Great Old One (when Awakening Cthugha this way, just pay 6 Power).

You may use the Create Gate Action to Create Cathedrals instead of Gates.

Spellbooks, Worship Services, Consacration, Unholy Ground

Special: If all 4 Cathedrals are in play, you may Awaken and Independent Great Old One without your own Great Old One (when Awakening Cthugha this way, just pay 6 Power).

Brainless (Ongoing)

Reanimated now cost 1 Power to Summon. They may only Move, Capture, or declare Battle if they share an Area with one or more of your non- Reanimated Units. This is not optional.

Consecration (Doom Phase)

When you perform a Ritual of Annihilation, gain 1 Elder Sign if at least one Cathedral is in play. If all four Cathedrals are in play, gain 2 Elder Signs instead.

Extinction (Ongoing)

Yothans now cost 3 Power to Summon. When a Yothan is Killed or Eliminated, remove it permanently from the game. This is not optional.

Festival (Ongoing)

Un-Men now cost 0 Power to Summon. When you Summon an Un-Man, also select an enemy to gain 1 Power. This is not optional.

Unholy Ground (Post-Battle)

If there is a Cathedral in the Battle Area, you may choose to remove a Cathedral from anywhere. If you do, an enemy Great Old One in the Battle must be Eliminated by its owner.

Worship Services (Gather Power Phase)

Gain 1 Power for each Cathedral that shares an Area with an enemy Gate. Those enemies each gain 1 Power.

Playing as The Ancients

The Ancients represent the decadent humans who dwell underground in the cavern of K’n-yan. Sensing the doom of the surface world, they have emerged to seize their opportunity for power. Uniquely, they are not led by a Great Old One.

Obviously you must focus on constructing Cathedrals, but you must balance Cathedral creation with Gate construction and building your army. You need sufficient combat effectiveness to place Cathedrals without much interference. You’ll need a Monster to protect your Gate, so Mindless or Festival are good first Spellbooks, but Extinction is terrifying. Unholy Ground can protect you if your foes go for early Great Old One strategies.

Don’t pay full price for creatures–always get their Spellbooks first, despite any perceived disadvantage. You’re far better off in the long run.

Because you don’t have any Great Old Ones, you enjoy major Power savings in the early game, this is ultimately negated by your need to spend 4-10 Power on Cathedrals, but as this is spread out over time you (unlike other Factions) never lose a whole Action Phase to an Awakening. And of course, your indestructible Cathedrals earn extra Power, eventually paying for themselves.

Your great weaknesses are that you have no Great Old Ones, and that you must travel around the Map. Your strategies must be based around this. Please notice that with Yothans, you have more Combat dice than any Great Old One. You have opportunities for diplomacy with other players, as they will typically want you to place your Cathedrals in Areas with their Controlled Gates. You also have the Un-Man Power that you can use to your advantage.

Festival

This not only gives you a useful Monster, but lets you engage in social engineering. Abuse this authority, but remember that your Un-Men are not actually free.

Brainless

Reanimated need to be placed properly, and they are inflexible. Because they’re so cheap, it’s often worth Killing them in place of your Cultists–a Reanimated Pained off by itself is nigh-worthless.

Extinction

Your other Units are cheap, so look ahead to keep your Yothans protected.

Worship Services

As with Festival, use and abuse this to your advantage by offering to build Cathedrals in Areas where other players will return the favor.

Consecration

Not necessary until you are ready for Rituals of Annihilation.

Unholy Ground

An excellent defensive Spellbook in the mid-to-late game, it is often better used as a threat than as a weapon.

Thwarting the Ancients

You can’t get rid of Cathedrals, but you need not make it easy to build them. Fortunately, the Ancients player usually telegraphs his intentions with a Cathedral construction team. When the Ancients start giving you extra Power via Un-Men or Cathedrals, use some of that Power to prepare your countermeasures. When he marches into a new Area it is easy to drive him out, or at least to force him to spend Power on an attack to drive you out. By hitting his Gates, you will deny him the Doom he needs in the late game. He doesn’t have any reliable, good means of earning extra Elder Signs until late in the game, so if you keep pace with Gates, you should be able to keep ahead in Doom.