Today’s special article is part of the Custom Rules series. Click here to see other custom rules we’ve put together!

Capture the Artefact was a game mode found on page 26 of the original Shadespire rulebook, wherein players battled over a prime objective – a single fancy token in the dead center of the board that led to something of a King of the Hill situation. I had played this back then a half dozen times, and despite that being 7 or 8 years ago now, still remember ever one. They were riotous fun, and I hope to recreate this in a pale shadow for Embergard if I can.

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Custom Rules: Capture the Artefact – Embergard/Spitewood Edition

Every so often, the warbands in Embergard or the Spitewood stumble across a great treasure of the fallen city/ancient civilization. Be it a relic uncovered in the mines, a tremendous vein of Emberstone, a prize of untold value left behind by the doomed inhabitants of the city, or something else, these treasures spell a violent future for those that have uncovered them. Inevitably, other warbands in the cursed mines will earn of its discovery, and fight over its possession as these warrior struggle to find a way to escape the city with their prize intact.

Capture the artefact gives you a new way to play games of Warhammer Underworlds: Embergard or Spitewood. Instead of relying solely on your Objective deck to determine your goals in each round, there is a precious artefact in the center of the battlefield that will invariably become the focus of the fiercest fighting as the warbands struggle to control it.

Placing the Artefact

In a Capture the Artefact game of Warhammer Underworlds: Embergard/Spitewood, you will use your 5 treasure tokens as usual, but will need a sixth token, bauble, coin, or other indicator to represent the Artefact. This will be referred to as the Artefact Indicator. After placing the board, but prior to placing Treasure Tokens, players will place the Artefact.

In a standard two-player game of Capture the Artefact, the player who did not place the board will place the Artifact Indicator. They must place it in any hex in neutral territory, other than an edge hex. Then, Treasure token placement proceeds as normal. Treasure tokens CAN be placed within two hexes of the Artefact, but cannot be placed in the same hex as the Artefact.

In Multiplayer Free-For All, the player who chose their territory last will place the Artefact. They may place it in any hex in neutral territory on any board. In a three-player situation, the Artefact Indicator may be placed in the Scrum (this is, in fact, greatly encouraged) though not in a starting hex, stagger hex, or blocked hex. Then, Treasure token placement proceeds as normal. Treasure tokens CAN be placed within two hexes of the Artefact, but cannot be placed in the same hex as the Artefact.

In Teams Multiplayer, the Team that did not orient the first board will place the Artefact. Players from the team musta agree to its placement. They must place it in any hex in neutral territory on one of the two boards, other than an edge hex. Then, Treasure token placement proceeds as normal. Treasure tokens CAN be placed within two hexes of the Artefact, but cannot be placed in the same hex as the Artefact.

The Embergard/Spitewood Artefact

The Embergard/Spitewood Artefact is a Treasure Token (and a Feature Token) for all other purposes. As such, it will score you cards related to holding treasure and Upgrades specifying feature tokens take effect on the Artefact. While it counts as a Treasure Token, its value is Zero for the purposes of tiebreakers and any cards that specify token numbers.

Additionally, this Artefact cannot be delved or flipped – it stays on its face if you are using a token, and for any other Artefact Indicator, the Artefact remains in place and otherwise takes no effect beyond the ruled listed here. Should a warband use an ability such as Desecration from Khagra’s Ravagers that would usually require flipping the token to remove, a warband can ‘un-desecrate’ or otherwise undo the effect in a power step instead of playing the card, as though they had delved. You cannot ‘delve’ the Artefact for the purposes of scoring delving related cards, however.

In every End Phase, if a fighter is holding the Artefact:

• The fighter holding the Artefact may become inspired if they were not inspired already, should the controlling player wish. If inspired in this way, that fighter cannot be uninspired for the rest of the game.
• The warband holding the Artefact gains 3 Glory Points.

This article was part of the Custom Rules series. Click here to see other custom rules we’ve put together!

Wrap

What do you think? I’ve kept the rules largely the same. Should the inspiration be permanent and/or optional? Is 3 Glory for holding the Artefact too much? Is it not enough? Have I missed some silly rules interaction? Are there certain effects or cards that should or shouldn’t be possible on the Artefact? Should I change it to be spelled Artifact because I’m an American and it just feels right? Let me know your thoughts (and please, include any battle reports) at SpentGlory@gmail.com and until next time, I hope you enjoy spending some Custom Glory earned on the Embergard/Spitewood Artefact!