Learn the Game
DeckNForge is a 3–5 player legacy card game. You are a wizard. Your deck is your band. Every game leaves permanent marks the next wizard inherits. Below is the quick-start. For the full rules, head to Downloads.
The 60-second pitch
- Each wizard brings their own deck (their band).
- Aces and Jokers become Monsters. Js, Qs, Ks are Heroes. Pip cards are Items.
- A dungeon is 6 sequential boss fights. Wizards pool monsters; 6 are drawn as Bosses, the rest become Minions.
- Wizards play cards face-down (Plot), reveal simultaneously, and add the values to damage the Boss.
- Whoever lands the killing blow keeps the Coppers. Everyone else gets a small assist.
- Between games, decks Fade, Drift to a new wizard, and get Turned with new inscriptions.
Card breakdown (per band)
| Card | Count | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Aces + Jokers | 6 | Monsters (removed from combat deck) |
| J / Q / K | 12 | Heroes |
| 2–10 | 36 | Items |
| Combat deck | 48 | All non-Monster cards |
A round, in 9 steps
- Plot. Every wizard plays 1 card face-down.
- Reveal. All cards flip simultaneously.
- Tactics. Each wizard, clockwise from the active wizard, may take ONE Tactic — paid by discarding cards.
- Damage. Sum revealed values + inscription effects. Apply to the Boss. All revealed cards are committed for the rest of the dungeon.
- Killing blow. If Boss HP ≤ 0, the wizard with the highest revealed face value takes the kill (suit tiebreak ♠ > ♥ > ♣ > ♦).
- Boss attack. Boss deals ATK to all wizards. Take it, or commit cards summing to strictly more than ATK to dodge.
- Pressure check. If 0 damage was dealt this round, ALL wizards take 2.
- Minions strike. Active Minions attack each wizard.
- Refill. Each wizard draws up to 2 (capped at 12-card hand).
Tactics (cost cards, not coppers)
| Tactic | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Spike | 1 card | +3 to your revealed card |
| Foil | 2 cards | −3 to another wizard's reveal (min 1) |
| Snipe | 1 Hero | Swap your reveal with another's |
| Brace | 1 card | Take 0 boss damage this round |
Suit Convert (buffs)
Instead of dealing damage, sacrifice a played Item:
| Suit | Effect |
|---|---|
| ♠ Spade | +1 shield per Spade lost in this dungeon |
| ♥ Heart | Heal HP equal to ⌈face ÷ 2⌉ |
| ♣ Club | Draw 2 cards |
| ♦ Diamond | Plunder Coppers equal to face value |
Heroes (J/Q/K) cannot be Converted.
Killing the Boss
- Killer earns +3 Coppers, +1 per overkill (cap +5c), and chooses one: Rally (all heal 5), Surge (Killer draws 3), or Momentum (next Boss starts at HP −10).
- All other wizards get +1c (assist).
- All wizards: +1 Glory toward the band. Killer: +1 personal Glory.
- Legend kill? Next Fading draws 2 Blessed cards — choose 1 to fade, the other survives.
Boss HP scales with players
| Players | Boss HP × | Starting hand | Inscription budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (Solo) | ×1 | 14 | 40c |
| 2 | ×2 | 12 | 30c |
| 3 | ×3 | 12 | 30c |
| 4 | ×4 | 12 | 30c |
| 5 | ×5 | 14 | 30c |
The Post-Game Cycle
- Fading. Each wizard shuffles their Blessed cards, draws 1, crosses out its inscriptions.
- Drifting. Decks pool. Draft order = personal Glory this game. You may pick your own.
- Turning. Spend Coppers on new inscriptions in your inherited deck.
Coppers follow the wizard. Glory etches onto the band's box. Bands fade into legend when no Blessed cards remain.
Inscription tiers
Spent in The Turning. 1 inscription per card max. Mythic only on Heroes — and Mythic is earned, not bought.
| Tier | Cost | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 5c | Sharp, Sturdy, Glint, Quick, Bright |
| Uncommon | 10c | Echo, Banner, Blood Money, Vampiric, Thorns |
| Rare | 20c | Ascension, Doublestrike, Phoenix, Wizard's Will, Pierce… |
| Mythic | Earned | Royal Decree, Legend Etched, Tower's Memory, The Patron, Untouchable |
Ready to play?
Print the player rules, grab a deck, and open the tracker on your phone.
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