Description

HOW TO PLAY
EleMasters is a 2-8 player game that fosters a blend of competitive and co-op play. The objective of the game is to bond as many Atomo cards as you can on your turn, in order to win.

SETUP
Place the Octomic Ring in the center of the table.
Shuffle the full deck of Atomo Cards.
Deal each player their Hand (9 minus # of players).
All player hands remain face up in front of them as ‘in play’.
Place the remaining cards face down on the center of the Octomic Ring as the Atomo Deck.
Player with the highest Valectron count in their hand starts, then counterclockwise.

• Long game option: When the Octomic Ring runs out of Atomo cards, reshuffle the discard pile as a new set. Repeat until there are no more summoned Atomo, or no more bonds can be made by any player.

SCORING
The objective, is for each player to Bond as many cards as possible, so that you get to claim them for your Point Deck.
3pts/per Atomo card in your point deck.
1pt/per Valectron on each of those Atomo cards in point deck.
1pt/per Bond made with your point deck during end game scoring.

ROUNDS
The Active Player starts their turn by flipping the top card of the Atomo Deck over to reveal it as the Summoned Atomo for that round.

• Point Deck cards are not ‘in-play’ to bond to.

As the active player searches for bond combos, the other players should be verifying the bonds being attempted, as well as suggesting bonds that will help themselves as well as the AP. In this way, the game is both co-op as well as competitive.

At the end of each players turn, they should draw enough cards from the Atomo Deck to refill their hand.

Four modes teach you the game by starting simple, then adding mechanics which you can mix and match as you like:

Beginner: Basic Octets.
Casual: Phases to cool & heat Atomo’.
EleMagi: Radioactive Isotopes add stabilization complication.
EleMaster: Use correct bond types to ionize Atomo’ for more bonding options on your turn.

BEGINNER MODE
"Octets"

Rules:
• Form an Octet of Valectrons
• Ignore all other modifiers

“Valectron” is EleMaster slang for “Valence Electron”.
For this mode, you just want to create a total of 8 (an Octet) Valectrons around the Summoned Atomo.

To bond a card to the Summoned Atomo, place a hand card from yourself or another player onto a BondBloom (the glowing mineral leaves on the edge of the Octomic Ring). You can bond up to four cards.

For a successful bond, the total of Valectrons around the Summoned Atomo, plus the Valectrons around each bonded Atomo must equal a total of 8. No more, no less.

If you bond, place all the bonded cards into your point deck. If you can’t make a bond, discard the Summoned Atomo, return all hand cards to their owners, then end the round and let the next player start their turn.

• In this Beginner mode, if the Summoned Atomo drawn has eight already, you simply add it to your point pile as an automatic point and that ends your turn. This does not apply in the other game modes.

CASUAL MODE
"Phases"

Rules:
• Form an Octet of Valectrons
• Use Phase modifier

Here’s where we harness some of the core concepts of chemical bonding through the ‘EleMagic’ of the Octomic Ring.

Each Atomo has it’s own default ‘phase’ on it which refers to the Heat Energy it contains at standard Earth temperatures, which determines the ‘state’ it’s in.

For example, “H2O” with low heat energy makes it a Solid we call Ice. Add more heat energy and it ‘melts’ into the Liquid we call Water. Add even more heat energy, bringing it to a boil and this begins to break it down into the Gas we know as Steam or Vapor.

The higher the heat energy, the more likely it is to lose valectrons, and thus its bond.

Adding an Atomo’s phase to its matching color on the ring, has no effect. However, if you add an Atomo to a color with more Heat Energy it loses -1 Valectron per phase increase. Likewise, you can add +1 Valectron for each phase downward you go as well.

This starts to give you more flexibility in working with the available cards in play.

ELEMAGI MODE
"Radioactivity"

Rules:
• Form an Octet of Valectrons
• Use Phase modifiers.
• Radioactive Atoms must be stabilized.

If you don’t see the decaying skull, it’s not a radioactive Atomo, and you can ignore this. However, if an Atomo card does have the Decaying Skull on it, this means it is radioactive and must be stabilized in order to use it.

If the summoned Atomo is radioactive, ALL bonds must be made through the plasmagic (yellow) blooms which makes it a stable isotope.

• If you have no cards yet in your point deck, you must discard one from your hand after refilling.

ELEMASTER MODE
"Metal & Bond Types"

Rules:
• Form an Octet of Valectrons
• Use Phase and Radioactive modifiers.
• Use the correct Bond Types (below).

Metal Types:
Each Atomo has one of three Metal Types on it. These determine which cards can bond with the Summoned Atomo, based on the BondBloom you use.

Bond Types:
Each of the BondBlooms is able to perform one of three main Bond Types. You must use the correct pairing of Atomo, or the Bond will not work.

If the bond does work though, it adds or subtracts a set number of Valectrons from the bonding Atomo (no partials):
Ionic: +/- 1 Valectron
Covalent: +/- 2 Valectrons
Metallic: +/- 3 Valectrons

WORLD
EleMasters begins in the world of the Fractal Forest, where science and sorcery collide. Through the Octomic Ring, you can communicate with Atomo', the spirits of Atoms and particles. In learning to wield that ring, you as an EleMage can teach the Atomo' how to alter and bond elements of the periodic table. Train with your fellow EleMagi and then together take this expertise with you to save the world.

-description from designer