Let’s learn to read the cards! At the uppermost left corner of the card are four (4) CARD VALUES, which can be represented as any number from 1 – 9 and the letter “A”. The Letter "A" represents the value 10. These Card Values determine the strength of the respective sides of each card. Example: the top number refers to the top of the card; the left number the left side of the card, etc. ​ On the bottom right of the card is another value; the Archetype. This value is always a letter. Archetype is important in considering deck-building options. The game features several Esoterix Anomalies, or modifiers, that reference the Archetype of a card. Now that you can read the cards, let’s learn the rules:

Like most TCG’s out there, deck building is a primary component of the game that takes place before the first dice are rolled or the first card is drawn. Playing Esotera, you will build a 40-card deck from your Esotera card collection. A well-balanced deck can accommodate any of the Esoterix Anomalies that may be rolled to thwart your opponent’s vast array of strategies. ​ Deck building is more than just picking the best 40 cards in your collection. You must consider the format of your match, tolerance for luck-based outcomes, personal strategy, game play preferences, favorite art, and other factors. With your 40-card deck in hand, you are ready for an Esotera match.

Match Overview An Esotera Match is played in a particular format and has several parts. There are many different formats within the Esotera game space but the following core elements are present in each: Turns, Rounds, Esoterix Anomalies.

Players take turns playing cards from their hand with the goal of capturing their opponents cards and having the most cards under their control once all spaces are filled. Card control is determined by player card alignment. An example is on the next page for reference. Players may play their cards in any orientation, so long as they maintain their card alignment

A round consists of both players playing cards from their hand, which was previously defined as a turn, until the play area is filled and either a win or tie state is achieved. A tie occurs when both players control the same amount of cards, including any card(s) in hand.

The winner of a round will be the player with the most cards in their pre-determined orientation: Vertical or Horizontal. The winner of the round goes second in the next round, even in the case of a tie-breaking round. Rounds can end a draw. A draw occurs when Player 2 has four (4) cards within the play area, in their designated orientation, and one (1) left over in their hand. Continue playing the match. A tie-breaker round format can be used if all regular match format rounds have been played without a clear winner. Other play formats, and certain Esoterix Anomalies that deal with card draw can alter the winning conditions accordingly! ​ Winning the Match ​The player that wins the most rounds, including any tie-breaking rounds, is the winner of the match! ​ Try Esotera Now! ​You know how the cards work, how to play the game, and how to win. Flex your new skills with the Esoterix Anomalies Chart and Poker Format Table. Playtest this game and give us your feedback! Exploring the formats will give you a better understanding of the game sequence.

You know the Esoterix Anomalies now it’s time to pick a format and play a match of Esotera!

Capture Call Standard ( S ) - High numbers capture lower numbers Inverse ( I )- Lower numbers capture higher numbers

Speed - ​3 rounds for a best 2 our of 3 play style. Additional rounds called Tie Breakers can be used to determine a definitive winner. Recommended Capture Call as follows: (S, I, S), (S, S, S), (I, I, I), or (I, S, I). Each round should have 0 - 2 Anomalies to maximize the playing experience! Esotera - 5 rounds for a best 3 out of 5 play style. The 1st 2 rounds will have 2 Esoterix Anomalies, the 3rd and 4th rounds will have 4 Esoterix Anomalies, and the 5th Round will have: Cascade, Balance, and Stasis as the Esoterix Anomalies. Rounds 1 and 3 shall be Standard, 2 and 4 shall be Inverse, 5 shall be determined fairly between the players. Tie Breaker Rounds may be utilized with the following conditions: 4 Anomalies, Inverse, and Dead Zone in the center square, or center leftmost square depending on grid size. This Format is intended to test your deck-building skills! Sudden Death - This is a single round that can be played with 2 or more players, in a winner takes all scenario! Sudden Death is most commonly played with Destruction Play Format, and a specific number of "points" designated before gameplay begins. In this sense, this format is often referred to as "Race to #", whereby each captured card is considered a point, and the first player to reach those point totals, or has a dominant board state, whichever happens first, is the winner!

Vanilla - No additional format or mechanics rules! Just play the game using the Match Format and Capture Call! Destruction - Intended for multiple players, but can be 2 player variant. In lieu of capturing a card utilizing Standard or Inverse formats, the card is removed from play. Additionally, all players continuously draw cards until a dominant board state is achieved, or the decks run out of cards. Winner shall be the one with the most board control! Dead Zone - Players determine a fair method for determining which square(s) are dead zones, which prevent cards from being played on those spaces. King of the Hill - The center square is the Hill on a 3 x 3 grid, and for all other configurations, the center leftmost square shall be considered the hill. Players vie for control over the Hill per round! The number of cards in player control shall not be considered for winning or losing. Constructed - Players play using Standard or Inverse Rules, with the additional caveat that a hand may not contain more than 1 card with the value "A", and must have a minimum of 4 different archetypes which may include Kalaban. 10 Card Special - Players shall still build 40 card decks, but may use up to 4x of the same card in the deck build. Evolution - Intended for multiple players, but can be 2 player variant. In addition to capturing a card utilizing Standard or Inverse formats, the player may play a card on top of an existing card, following the same orientation to "Evolve" it so long as they share an Archetype. The Evolved card is the topmost card of the stack, and gains +1 to all values of the card for each subordinate card in the stack! Tic Tac Toe - When playing on a 3 x 3 grid, if all numbers on a given side are the same, and the player is in control of all 3 cards, then that player wins outright regardless of any other board state! In lieu of a Tic Tac Toe, normal win condition rules apply. Sudoku - When Playing on any grid, if a player at any point in time of the round has cards in their control that have at least 1 of every number and the letter A, they win the round!

Thanks to players like you letting your creativity, and competitive spirit shine, the world of Esotera is as expansive as ever! See below for the latest Esoterix Anomalies to add to your next session of gameplay!

Table for Esoterix Anomalies: Betrayal - Trade a random card with an opponent. Light – Each players builds a hand from a single Archetype Dark – Opponent choose which archetype to build a hand Destiny - Cards are played from the top of the deck. Fate - Opponents decide the order in which you play. Cascade - captured cards can cause other cards to capture Chaos – When playing a card discard remaining hand, and draw a full hand Order – Players may choose to discard cards from their hand to draw from the deck Balance - Cards clashing with the same numbers capture. Stagnate – Cards that are already on the board can capture cards that are placed adjacent. Any other capturing still occurs Stasis – All cards must be played facing the same direction Gravity Well - once per round each player may roll, or otherwise determine, a side of the board. All cards in play must move towards that side, maintaining orientation. Wormhole - Once per round, swap the location of 2 cards owned by the same player, maintaining orientation Doppelganger - Once per round, a player may replace a card on the board, controlled by the same player, while maintaining orientation from their hand. The replaced card is removed from the board in the current round. False prophet - The first card played in the round, by either player, can only be capture by a value of "9" or greater. Hidden Truth - The first card played in the round, by either player, can only be captured by a value of "2" or lesser. Surrounded - players cannot play on the corner squares until 2 other spaces have been played Fortified - players must play in 1 of the corner squares for their first turn of the round Growth - when you play a card, choose a card that shares an archetype. That card gets +1 to all values for the rest of the round Decay - when you play a card, choose a card of a different archetype. That card gets -1 to all values for the rest of the round Confusion - Once per round you may rotate one opponent card's orientation, before placing your own Terror - Once per round, your opponent may choose to change the orientation of the card you just placed, potentially preventing a capture Blessing - Each player may draw a card at the beginning of their turn, for the duration of the round Curse - Each player must discard and draw a card at the beginning of the turn, including the their first turnb, for the duration of the round Intermission - Instead of starting with a full hand, players draw half the number of cards, rounded up, for their first turn, and draw 1 card at the start of their turn for the remainder of the round