Playing a Simplified Game

For anyone looking for a more simplified introduction to the game, you may consider the following modifications to the standard game:

1. Skip the Event Phase and Market Phase. Players should not build any of their gateport fortress advancements. If you draw a relic related to these phases, discard it and draw a new relic in its place.

2. Have all players carry out the Build Phase simultaneously. In cases where players want to build a spire on the same Source Well, this should still be resolved in turn order.

3. After declaring your marks in turn order during the Prep Phase, have all players carry out the rest of the phase simultaneously. Players should not consider what units other players are selecting, and instead focus on their own deployment stack.

Playing a Longer or Shorter Game

A standard game of Cloudspire consists of 4 waves. However, players may optionally choose to make the game shorter by playing fewer waves or to lengthen the game by adding waves.

If adding waves to the game, add 2 Source to the Income Phase and 2 CP to the Prep Phase for each additional wave played. In Wave 5, each player receives 13 Source and 13 CP, in Wave 6 each player receives 15 Source and 15 CP, etc.

Solo and Co-op

Cloudspire can be played as a solo campaign, or a 2-player cooperative experience. See the Solo Scenarios and Cooperative Scenarios books respectively, for further details on these modes of play.

Team Play (2 vs. 2)

Team Play is an alternative way to play a 4-player game of Cloudspire. In this mode teams of two factions face off against each other.

Set-up follows the standard rules with the following exceptions: Teammates may sit either opposite each other or beside each other at the table.

Turn order must alternate between teams, so establish a turn order if teammates are sitting beside one another. The first player designation should also pass in this order.

Gameplay follows the standard rules of play with the following exceptions:

• When selecting a mark, you may not select the same mark as your teammate.

• Factions on the same team are friendly to each other. Their spires and units will not attack each other, and they cannot select each other's fortress as their marks.

The game ends immediately if any faction's fortress gate is defeated, with the defeating faction's team being declared the winner. Otherwise, the game ends after 4 waves of play. Each team will add their fortress's power together, and the winning team is the one with the highest total fortress power.

Endless Mode

Endless Mode is an alternative way to play Cloudspire as a solo player. In this mode, you will play one faction and try to last as long as possible against wave after wave of ever-growing opponents from three other factions.

See the Solo Scenarios book for further details on this mode of play.

Continue Reading