4 - Rounds and phases

Voidream is played over a series of rounds, until one player is left bastionless or their mind is torn apart by Nightmare. Each round is divided in three mandatory phases:

  • The beginning phase, where exhausted cards are readied, and the mind card is refreshed.
  • The main phase, where players take turns playing one action each until both pass.
  • The Nightmare phase, where one player must face the threat of Nightmare.

During the round, players may enter any number of conflict phases. When a conflict is resolved, the round will continue from the same point where the conflict was initiated.

Beginning phase

The beginning phase proceeds in the following steps:

  • The active player is determined:
    • For the first round of the game, the player at the highest depth (higher value on top of their deck) is the active player. In case of a tie, one player must secretly place their mind card face down on the table, covered. Their opponent must guess whether the numbered or the spent side is face up. If they guess right, they become the active player.
    • For subsequent rounds, the player that faced Nightmare last round becomes the active player.
  • Simultaneously, players ready (turn upright) any exhausted cards, and turn or flip their mind card until the upright number matches their depth.
  • All "When the round begins" effects trigger.

Main phase

The main phase consists of alternating turns, starting with the active player. During your turn, you may perform one of the following actions:

  • Activate an activated ability printed on any of your cards (marked with the diamond "A" symbol), provided you can pay the costs and resolve the entire effect line.
  • Reduce your mind card by 1 to play an arcanum, of value equal or higher than your depth. Note that turning the mind card happens before playing the arcanum, and any text on the mind card that turns upright becomes effective immediately.
  • Reduce your mind card by 1 to play an inverted arcanum, of value equal or higher than your depth. After the empowered effect resolves, you return all previously discarded arcana to your hand, then send the arcanum you played to the Void pile, where it's lost forever.
  • Reduce your mind card by 1 to unveil face down cards, discarding one arcanum per card. (Some card effects allow you to place cards face down, veiled. You can take an action to play any number of them at once, discarding one arcanum for each card you flip face up.)
  • Pass the turn.

Whatever option you choose, other cards in play may cause triggered abilities (marked with the exclamation mark symbol) to fire. If multiple of those abilities trigger simultaneously, you (as the active player) choose the order in which they resolve.

Once your chosen action has ended, and all triggered abilities as a consequence of it have resolved fully, your turn ends and your opponent becomes the active player. The main phase continues in this way until both players pass consecutively. When both players pass during the main phase, play proceeds to the Nightmare phase.

Nightmare phase

The rippling effects of the Dreamer's power draw the attention of Nightmare. In the Nightmare phase, the Dreamer showing least control over their mental and emotional state must face the threat of insanity.

First, the player who must face Nightmare is chosen:

  • If there's only one player with an empty hand, that player is chosen to face Nightmare.
  • Otherwise, the player with the highest value in their mind card is chosen to face Nightmare.
  • In case of a tie, the last player to pass is chosen to face Nightmare.

Then, the chosen player proceeds to face Nightmare, by avoiding or entering it:

  • The chosen player may discard an arcanum from their hand. If they do, Nightmare is avoided, and the next step is skipped.
  • If the chosen player can't discard a card, or decides not to discard one, they enter Nightmare.
  • After Nightmare is fully resolved, "When the round ends" effects trigger.

Entering Nightmare

When dreams have the ability to shape a world, Nightmare is the Dreamer's biggest fear. Entering Nightmare may have catastrophic consequences on their mind and surroundings. No sane Dreamer would voluntarily enter Nightmare... Then again, sanity is not a requirement for greatness.

When you enter Nightmare, you must follow these steps:

  • Return all discarded arcana to your hand, as your mind hastily wrestles for control.
  • Move one arcanum from your hand to the Void. If you can't, your mind is torn apart by insanity and you immediately lose the game.
  • Initiate a dusk conflict (which will be explained later), declaring every ready entity you control as an attacker. During this conflict, you're considered in Nightmare, which other card effects may reference.

When the Nightmare dusk conflict resolves, play continues to the start of next round. Whether you avoided Nightmare by discarding a card, or chose to enter it, you become the next active player.

Conflict Phase

The struggle for control over the Dream is represented by Voidream's two kinds of encounter; dawn and dusk conflicts, represented by sun and moon symbols respectively.

  • Dawn conflicts are honest, noble and fierce. From a coordinated attack by the Court's mobile assault forces to a contest of wits between two Maze researchers, the dawn conflict pits Dreamers and entities in direct opposition, putting the extent of their forces on display.
  • Dusk conflicts, in contrast, are treacherous and sinister. Poisonous words whispered by an advisor, an ambush in the dark or a betrayal by a close friend could be represented by a dusk conflict. You should not face dusk conflicts alone, but you'd do well in choosing your allies carefully.

Conflicts can be entered from any of Voidream's other three phases. If a card effect calls for a conflict to be initiated, the current phase ends immediately and play transitions to a conflict phase. When the conflict ends, play returns to the phase it initiated on.

Note: If a card ability calls for a conflict to start while a conflict is already taking place, it has no effect.

Dawn and dusk conflicts proceed in an identical way until the end, where they differ on the way they resolve. The following steps are common to both kinds of conflict:

Conflict Phase Common Steps

  • The attacking player (the player who is initiating the conflict) declares any number of ready entities as attackers. Those entities are pushed forward in the playing area to that player's conflict area. Note that it's not necessary to control any entities to initiate a conflict; the Dreamer is capable of fighting alone.
  • The attacking player chooses dawn or dusk, if the effect that initiated the conflict does not specify one.
  • The defending player chooses any number of ready entities as defenders. These entities are pushed forward to that player's conflict area.
  • At this point, the conflict is considered initiated, and any effects that trigger when a conflict is initiated do so now.
  • Players take turns playing actions, among the same four actions available during the main phase, until both players pass consecutively.

Note that entering a conflict doesn't disrupt the turn order. You have access to the same usual actions, though some card effects are be restricted to be played inside or outside conflicts.

If an entity enters play during a conflict, it does so outside of the conflict, unable to participate. An exception to this is unveiling entities (flipping them face up): when an entity is unveiled it may join an ongoing conflict immediately, as if it had been declared attacker or defender.

Resolving Dawn Conflicts

When both players pass consecutively during a dawn conflict, the conflict is resolved following these steps:

  • The attacking player rolls (moves the top card of their deck to the bottom).
  • Each side's total dawn score is calculated. The dawn score is the sum of:
    • The player's depth (value at the top of their deck).
    • The dawn value of each of their ready participating entities.
    • Any positive or negative dawn modifiers provided by other card effects.
  • The side with the higher dawn score is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the conflict is considered a draw.
  • The winner deals an amount of damage equal to the difference in scores. The way this damage is distributed among entities is decided by the winner (read the section on damage for details.)
  • All participating entities are exhausted, and the conflict ends. Play continues in the previous phase, preserving turn order as usual (the first player who passed is now the active player.)

Resolving Dusk Conflicts

When both players pass consecutively during a dusk conflict, the conflict is resolved following these steps:

  • The attacking player rolls (moves the top card of their deck to the bottom).
  • Each side's total dusk score is calculated. The dusk score is the sum of:
    • The player's depth (value at the top of their deck).
    • The dusk value of each of their exhausted participating entities.
    • Any positive or negative dusk modifiers provided by other card effects.
  • The side with the lower dusk score is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the conflict is considered a draw.
  • The winner deals an amount of damage equal to the difference in scores. The way this damage is distributed is decided by the loser (read the section on damage for details.)
  • All participating entities are exhausted, and the conflict ends. Play continues in the previous phase, preserving turn order as usual (the first player who passed is now the active player.)

To summarize the three differences in how dawn and dusk conflicts are resolved:

  • In dawn conflicts, ready entities contribute to the score, where in dusk conflicts, exhausted entities do.
  • In dawn conflicts, the highest score wins. In dusk conflicts, the lowest score wins.
  • In dawn conflicts, the winner distributes the damage among the loser's entities. In dusk conflicts, it's the loser who decides how they take damage, distributing it among their own entities.

These three differences have far reaching consequences on how conflicts must be approached. Dawn conflicts benefit from a keen, awake mind at high depth (represented by a high value on top of the deck), while dusk conflicts draw from the twisted creativity of the subconscious. Dawn conflicts benefit from bringing many entities to contribute, but their violent nature puts everyone at risk as it is the winner decides who suffers the brunt of the damage. In contrast, dusk conflicts are best faced with a trusted crew that will not turn against the Dreamer, so they can share the pain.

Dealing Damage

Whether it's ego, flesh or stone, the price of conflict must be paid. The winning Dreamer will deal to the loser an amount of damage equal to the difference in conflict scores. However, depending on the type of conflict, either side will have the chance to choose exactly how that damage is allocated.

  • In dawn conflicts, the winner chooses how the loser takes damage.
  • In dusk conflicts, the loser chooses how they take damage.

Regardless of who makes the call, allocating damage must follow these rules:

  • Damage must first be distributed among the loser's participating entities. An entity may take damage up to its stability value, and not more.
  • If an entity takes damage equal to its stability, it is destroyed and sent to the loser's Dream discard pile.
  • If an entity takes damage lower than its stability, the damage has no effect. Damage does not carry over between turns.
  • After there are no remaining entities, and only if the attacker won, all damage remaining becomes Dream damage and it's dealt to the defender's Dream deck. If the defender won, skip the next two steps.
  • If the defender has an active construct on top of their deck, it takes Dream damage up to its stability. If it takes damage equal to its stability, it is destroyed and sent to the Dream discard pile.
  • If the defender does not have an active construct, they discard a card from the top of their deck for each point of Dream damage, until all damage is dealt. If this process uncovers an active construct, proceed to the previous step.

Some cards in Voidream will allow you to deal damage directly, even outside of conflicts. These effects will always specify whether the damage is dealt to an entity, or whether it's Dream damage, dealt directly to the opponent's deck or any constructs protecting it. Damage only accumulates during a turn, so it is possible for multiple triggered effects to combine and deal enough damage to take down a powerful entity or construct. However, as soon as the active player changes, all damage is cleared.

If an entity or construct has its stability value reduced to 0, it is immediately destroyed.