About Nocturn, from BoardGameGeek:
Nocturn is a game that combines two genres — strategy and horror. It takes place in the underworld where players take control over one of the nations struggling to survive among the dead realm. Players establish Houses and grant them lands, obtaining more Lords for their wars and intrigues. Through these Houses they also call armies or build mighty cities and strongholds for their nations. Their goals are simple: expanding borders and finally subjugating each other. During the gameplay the fifth player will lead diffrent force. Death, the original sovereign of the realm. In an attempt to recapture his lands, now lost to the living, he will pose a major threat to all the other players.
Easy to play/Difficult to master
The game can be played using Short Campaign rules (for 3 players, game time ~150 min) or Long Campaign rules (for 4-5 players, game time ~180-240 min). The basics of Nocturn are simple to learn and a game can start even with only one person fmailiar with rulebook and other players having only general idea about it. Gameplay favors not the players who blindly memorize all the rules but rather those who can scheme and think outside the box.
The possibilities on how to play Nocturn are only up to player imagination.
As a player you can shut your nation inside a massive well defended valley surrounded by the mountains, waiting for an outside world to degrade into chaos. You can play as an agressor, focusing on conquering other players cities and strongholds while building few yourself. Or if you want to scheme in darkness, submit early in the game to the neigbour and deceive stronger players while engaging in secret actions destabilizing the world everywhere but in your lands. Still, you have to remember the World is constantly evolving around you with each passing turn. It may happen that your well devised plan will crumble - your Court taken by other stronger player, forcing you to wonder around with few loyal troops left, selling your services to whoever would give you a glimpse of hope.
Nocturn is played for 10 turns. Each consists of three Phases:
1) Darkness Phase
During this phase Rulers ressurect their dead Lords.
– Death plays Darkness Cards and Omen Cards (Long Campaign).
2) Action Phase
During this phase players, one after another, execute actions using their Action Tokens.
Available actions for them are:
-Moving Lords of the chosen House,
-Building up to 2 new Fiefdoms,
-Developing existining Fiefdom,
-Collecting Tributes form Houses,
-Calling Lords to arms,
-Buying new Technologies.
3) Siege Phase
During this phase, players may assault besieged enemy strongholds or relieve allied ones.
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