Shen, Version 0.1 Beta Simplified Testing Rules 11/11/2025 Note: The version 1.0 set of rules that will be released with the Official Play Tester Recruitment Kickstarter later this year will use a full deck of cards with many card types, not just Avatar cards provided with the miniatures and used in these simplified rules. Combat results, capturing Shen tokens, and other things will dictate how many cards a player loses. Combat will not be all or nothing like in these simplified rules, and the higher combat result will mean the losing player loses cards even if they don't lose an Avatar. If you run out of cards in your deck, you lose. Thus, the Anchor Point Capture win condition, or total annihilation of the opponent's Avatars, used in these simplified rules below are secondary ways to win along with whittling your opponent's deck down. Introduction: The objective is to deploy your clan avatars to reclaim fragments of the shattered material plane and merge them with your growing realm. You must plant your realm stone on a fragment, then channel your Shen (spirit) power into it while also gaining a physical foothold to defend it by sending clan avatars to fight and secure anchor points to attach this fragment to your growing realm. As the Celestial of your clan your influence at these fragments is remote and finite, and other clans, long separated by the planar shattering, also vie for spiritual and physical dominance to expand their realms.You must secure the anchor points that will allow you to add this planar fragment to your ever-growing realm. You must maintain a flow of Shen power into these unclaimed planar fragments until your Shen dominates, and guide and support your clan’s avatars as they push back your opponent’s encroachments.What you need to play:A square gridded board. A standard chess or checkerboard with squares around 50mm is perfect.Each player will need:A set of 80 Shen counters or stones of a different color than your opponent.Eight or more Avatar Miniatures and their corresponding Trait cards.Ten or more standard six-sided dice.A set of anchor point counters.Two Realm Stones corresponding to your home realm and or secondary realm.   Everything other than the board and dice can be downloaded and printed from Makerworld.com Rules:You and one other player will vie over a gridded playing field representing a planar fragment you are trying to claim for your home realm.Each player constructs a force of avatars up to an agreed upon number. We suggest 4 for a short starter game. Establish the game scenario by placing an even number of Anchor Point counters on any vertexes on the board. Half should be yours and half should be your opponents’. The default, and most balanced scenario places an anchor point at the each of the 4 corners of the square game board. Two anchor points are recommended for a small starter game. Anchor points cannot be placed next to another anchor point. Roll 2d6 and the player with the highest total goes first. In case of a tie, reroll.  Starting with the first player, each player sets their realm stone in any empty vertex on the board, then places up to 4 Shen counters, one on each empty vertex around your realm stone to represent the center point of your physical and spiritual presence. Realm Stones cannot be placed next to another Realm Stone or an Anchor Point. The type of Realm Stone you place sets your home Realm. Playing avatar cards from other Realms will be more difficult until you establish a secondary realm.   Keep avatar cards in your hand until they are played. Note: If you don't want to print out the digital files then you can just refer to the files online. Physical cards will be released with the Kickstarter. Starting with the last player to place their realm stone, each player then takes a turn by doing one of the following: Place one Shen counter on any empty vertex where that counter, and any of your counters that are now attached to it, has at least one empty vertex next to them. Then remove any opponent’s Shen counters that are now surrounded and captured unless they are connected to their own realm stone. Play a card from your hand. Cards (i.e. manifesting an Avatar is the only card type used for the simplified rules here) can be played on any space or vertex where you have as many or more Shen counters than that card’s power. Spirits are the only Avatar type that can be manifested to a vertex. This includes up to four counters around the space or up to five on and next to a vertex. Cards not associated with your Home Plane, as noted by the clan icon on each card, cost one more Shen to play.  When an Avatar is played, Manifest (i.e. place on the board) its miniature/counter to an empty space where you have as many or more Shen counters (0-4) in that hex as their Cost to Manifest (Number at top center of each card). Avatars that have Spirit in their name are manifested onto a vertex of the spirit path (the lines around the spaces where Shen counters are placed). These Spirits are manifested onto a vertex where you have as many or more Shen counters (0-5) as their Cost to Manifest (This includes the vertex and the up to 4 vertexes connected to it).   Manifested Avatar’s trait cards are placed face up next to the board in front of you with their trait bar and card text visible to all players. Manifested Avatars enter play Exhausted (Rotate their card 90 degrees to show it cannot be Activated until Refreshed).  Refresh a clan avatar by rotating one of your Avatar cards back 90 degrees from its Exhausted position to its Ready position. Claim an Anchor Point if you have a Ready Avatar in a space or vertex next to an Anchor Point. Turn that Avatar’s card 90 degrees to show it is now Exhausted. Place one of your six large counters on that hex to show you have claimed it. Previously claimed Anchor Points can be claimed by other players. Establish a second Realm Stone by replacing a Shen counter with your Realm Stone on any vertex where you have 5 Shen counters (one on the vertex and the 4 around it). This can establish a secondary Realm to play if you place a realm stone different than your original one, thus negating the 1 extra Shen cost associated with playing avatars from other realms other than your home realm. If you place the same Realm Stone as your home Realm, so that you have two of the same type, then playing cards from that Realm now costs one less Shen than normal. Use an ability of a Ready Avatar. Turn that avatar’s card 90 degrees to show it is now Exhausted. Abilities can be used if that Avatar is in a space or vertex which is surrounded by as many or more Shen counters than its ability’s power. A Shen counter on the same vertex as an Avatar on the Spirit Path counts towards this total.  Make a Ranged Attack from one of your Ready Avatars by targeting any other Avatar 1-4 spaces away. Turn your attacking Avatar’s card 90 degrees to show it is now Exhausted.  Roll one dice per Ranged Attack Power (The number that is furthest to the right on an Avatar’s Trait Bar) and one for each of your Shen counters around target space. Compare that attack result to the target’s defense result roll of one dice per Defense Power (The number that is in the middle of an Avatar’s Trait Bar) and one for each of their Shen counters around target space. Ranged attacks are not allowed to or from a vertex. If the attack result is twice the defense result, then the defending Avatar is removed from the game and their trait card is placed face down.  Move an Avatar by moving one of your Ready Avatars one space (or vertex if they are Walking the Spirit Path), or more if their card text states they can. Avatars can move straight or diagonally. An Avatar is not Exhausted by moving into or through empty spaces or Vertices. Exhausted Avatars cannot move until they are refreshed. Combat begins as your Avatar moves into a space or vertex occupied by an opponent’s Avatar. Turn your attacking Avatar’s card 90 degrees to show it is now Exhausted.  Each Player rolls one dice for each of your Avatar’s power, either Attack (the number furthest to the left on an Avatar’s Trait Bar) or Defense, one for each of your Shen counters around that attacked space or vertex, and one for any power generated in any other way.  Compare the total attack result to your opponent’s defense result to determine the Combat Result. The winner of the combat is the player with the higher Combat Result. Re-roll if there is a tie. If the attack result is twice the defense result then the defending Avatar is removed from the game. The winner places their Avatar in the attacked hex/vertex while the loser must retreat by moving their Avatar one empty hex/vertex away. If there is no empty space/vertex to retreat to, place that Avatar next to that player’s Realm Stone. If no space/vertex is available around a Realm Stone, their Avatar is removed from the game. The winning Avatar’s Ability (attacking or defending) may now be resolved if that Avatar is in a space or vertex which is surrounded by as many or more Shen counters than that ability’s power. A Shen counter on the same vertex as an Avatar walking the Spirit Path counts towards this total. Players can only resolve one Avatar’s ability per combat.  Winning the Game:A player wins when they claim all Anchor Points or if they are the only player left with avatar cards still in play.