Frequently Asked Questions

Pathogenesis FAQ

Where can I get Pathogenesis

WIBAI Games launched its first Pathogenesis Kickstarter campaign on the 28th of September 2016 and delivered to backers in June 2017. WIBAI Games launched its second Pathogenesis Kickstarter campaign on the 13th of Febuary 2019 and started delivering to backers in November 2019. Pathogenesis will soon be available for retail sale as of November 2019.

Who is somersault18:24?

Luk and Idoya of somersault18:24 are passionate about science. They also have a passion for art, illustration and animation. They have launched their company with the ambitions mission to bridge the gap between the artistic, visual arts and the world of science. They produce high quality scientific illustrations, images and animations with 3D modeling software, computer graphics and photography. Check out their amazing work on their website or browse the extensive collection of science inspired jewelry in their Etsy store.

How much of the science do I need to understand to play Pathogenesis?

None! Just like you don’t need to understand the feudal system of medieval Europe to play Dominion and you don’t have to be able to write a dissertation about vampires, werewolves and ghouls to enjoy Nightfall, you don’t need to understand how bacteria cause infection or how your body defends itself to play Pathogenesis. The game was designed to be a GAME that is fun and challenging to play – for everyone. Thomas Deeny will be making sure that the iconography and layout of the cards makes the game intuitive to play regardless of what kind of background you have in biology.

How many players can Pathogenesis have?

The base game will play 2-4 players in competitive game play and there are solo, co-operative and team variants for 1-4 players.  Jamie is also in the process of developing a streamlined version of game play for the classroom.

How long does Pathogenesis take to play?

The game should play in under an hour.  The length and difficulty of each game can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the endurance of the body (how much damage must be done before the body dies will determine the length of play) or the efficiency of the immune system (when the immune deck runs out the body wins – the more cards there are in the immune deck, the easier it is for the pathogens to win.  The fewer cards there are, the faster the body will end the game and the more difficult it is for the pathogens to win)

Transylvania: Curses & Traitors FAQ

Where can I buy Transylvania: Curses & Traitors

On the Transylvania: Curses & Traitors Page!

Just use the "Add to Order" on the right hand side of the page.

How do I have a shorter game of TCT?

If you are seeking a shorter game of Transylvania you can limit the number of board tiles used.

This will increase the speed of the game as the Adventurers will explore the whole board more quickly (thus repopulating all of the Discovery Tokens faster). This also decreases the total space allowing Monsters to catch their prey more easily.

We recommend removing 4 tiles. When removing tiles, choose board tiles that do not have secret passages. Secret passages allow for easier movement over the board for Adventurers.

This is a great rule to play with new players or for your first game.

When do card modifiers take effect on my Adventurer?

Modifiers on cards go into effect the instant a card is Examined. The reverse is also true. As soon as a card is removed from the table the modifiers are instantly removed.

In addition, cards on the Church Tile are considered to be Examined by all players.Cards that modify Health on Church Tile follow the same rules as cards examined in front of players.

Modifiers on cards held in your hand will not benefit or hinder your Adventurer. For example, if your current health is 2 and you Examine the Voodoo Doll. This card has a +2 Health modifier. You immediately add 2 Health to your Adventurer. Play continues and your Adventurer takes 2 damage from an event, leaving you with 2 Health. At this point, if you were to remove the Voodoo Doll from the table, you would lose 2 Heath and your Adventurer would die as their Health would become zero.

When are discovery tokens populated on the Church Tile ?

Discovery Tokens are populated on the Church Tile:

  1. Each time an Adventurer regenerates on the Church Tile
  2. When the last board piece is placed

Discovery Tokens are not placed on the Church Tile to begin the game.

Discovery Tokens never stack.  Only the empty Discover Token spaces are filled.

How can player who is a Monster win the game?

Monsters must kill half the number of players in the game, rounded up.

In a 3 and 4 player game, a Monster needs 2 kills to win.

In a 5-6 player game, a Monster needs 3 kills to win.

How do Adventurers access locked areas?

An Adventurer with an Examined Skeleton Key card may remove any locks on the board.

As long as the Skeleton Key remains Examined, it may be used an unlimited number of times.

An Adventurer with an Examined Skeleton Key card may go through both ends of a Secret Passage, removing locks from both sides.

Locks removed by the Skeleton Key are removed from the game and all other players may now access the Discovery Token and/or Secret Passage that was unlocked.

When the Skeleton Key card leaves the table (is no longer Examined) this ability goes away.

Can Adventurers examine multiple copies of the same card?

In the rules, there is nothing that states that Adventurers may not Examine multiple of the same card.

Therefore, a single Adventurer may Examine as many Torch cards as they like, or if they are lucky enough 2 Bible cards.

Players may want to establish their own house rule, possibly allowing the stacking of Torch cards but not more powerful cards like the Bible.

Can Zombie tokens enter the Church Tile?

Zombie tokens may not enter the Church Tile (and live).

Zombie tokens have zero Health. The instant they are damaged they are removed from the board and go back into the Zombie player's stock.

A sneaky Zombie strategy is to "suicide" zombie tokens on the Church Tile, pulling those tokens off the board and back into their hand for future redeployment.

How do Zombie minions work when attacking?

Example 1:  The turn passes to the Zombie.  The Zombie already has 2 minions on the board.  The Zombie chooses to move both minions and 1 of them reaches an Adventurer (the Sleuth).
The Zombie chooses to drop 2 more minions and chooses to have them move to the same space as the Sleuth (zombie tokens may stack). The Zombie then moves herself to the Sleuth's space so that space has the Sleuth, the Zombie, and 3 Zombie tokens.
It is the Zombie's turn and the Zombie chooses to have all 3 minions attack the Sleuth (who by some miracle lives) and then finally chooses to attack the Sleuth herself and this time the Sleuth dies.

Example 2:  The turn passes to the Abbott.  The Abbott sees the Zombie who is on the same space as a Discovery Token (on top of an Event space).  There are 2 zombie minions on this space as well.
The Abbott moves onto this space and may choose the order of operations.  The Abbott first attempts the Discovery Token and is successful, drawing the Bible Discovery Card.
Smartly, the Abbott Examines the Bible. Now the Abbott must draw the Event Card and resolve it.  After resolving the Event, the Abbott chooses to attack the main Zombie, and avoid attacking all those Zombie minions. The Abbott kills the Zombie and wins the game!

How do cards placed in the center of the Church Tile work?

Event Cards that are placed in the center of the Church Tile work like Examined Cards for the Adventurers but do not affect Monsters. The instant a card is placed on the Church Tile, all modifiers on these cards affect Adventurers immediately. However, cards on the Church Tile do not count towards the limit of 4 Examined Cards for Adventurers.

The instant a card is removed so are the effects and modifiers. This includes health. If a card is placed on the Church Tile causing Adventurers to lose Health, the moment the card is removed the Adventurers all regain that Health. When a new card is placed on the Church Tile any previous cards on that space are discarded.

When performing skill checks and when moving, Adventurers should note modifiers from cards on the Church Tile.

How does an Adventure transform into a Monster?

There are 2 ways to transform into a Monster

  1. Dying with a Transformation Card or Necronomicon: If an Adventurer dies while holding one of these cards, transforming is non-negotiable. When a player dies they discard all Examined Event Cards. Their Examined Discovery Cards go into a pile placed near the board. A number token is placed on top with the matching token placed on the board where they died. Their hand is kept secret until their next turn. At the start of their next turn they reveal their hand. If they possess a Transformation Card or Necronomicon they must transform into a Monster (if that Monster is still available). There may be only 1 of each type of Monster.
  2. Transforming through card combination: Transforming through a card combination (say the Werewolf Transformation Card and Full Moon) is the choice of the player. However, Adventurers holding a combination that would make them a Monster may not win the game with Knowledge Cards so it would make more sense to become a Monster and have the opportunity to win the game. Transformation must be declared on a player''s turn to be complete.

Example: The Scientist has an Examined Full Moon card and is holding the Werewolf Transformation Card.The Scientist is no longer able to win the game by turning in Knowledge Cards at the Church. The Scientist may declare on any turn that they are the Werewolf and transform but they choose not to. They play another turn as the Scientist and choose to discard the Examined Full Moon and are no longer able to Transform into the Werewolf. However, the Wolf Moon is placed on the Church Tile stating that any player holding a Werewolf Transformation Card is now a Werewolf (if they declare so on their turn). The Scientist dies on their turn believing their fate is secured as the Werewolf. However, play passes to the Templar who draw several Discovery Cards during their turn, including the other Werewolf Transformation Card. The Templar declares they are the Werewolf and transforms. When play passes back to the Scientist they may not become the Werewolf and instead regenerates as a new Adventurer on the Church Tile.

When can an Adventurer Examine a card during their turn?

Adventurers may Examine 1 Discovery Card (by choice) at any point during their turn (except for after rolling dice). Players may not roll dice, determine they didn't like the roll, and then Examine a card in hopes of adding dice to their roll.

An Adventurer may turn over a Discovery Card or draw an Event Card and then choose to Examine a Discovery Card to help them with that challenge prior to rolling. Some Discovery Cards, like the Raven, force an Adventurer to Examine them. This does not count towards the limit of 1 Examine per turn.

An unlimited number of Event Cards may be Examined on an Adventurers turn.

Why did the game come with blank cards?

We included some blank cards in case people lost a card or two. Or if people wanted to create their own cards for more fun!

How much health can an Adventurer have?

All Adventurers begin the game with 6 Health. An Adventurers Health may be increased beyond 6 by Event Cards and/or Discovery Cards.

An Adventurers Health may also go beyond 6 by ending their turn on the Church Tile. Adventurers add 1 Health if they end their turn on the Church.

How many Monsters can there be in the game?

There may be only 1 Vampire, 1 Werewolf, and 1 Zombie in the game. All 3 may exist at the same time, but only 1 of each.

Adventurers holding Transformation Cards for Monsters that are now on the board, may discard those cards on their turn and draw a new Discovery Card.

Example: The Inventor is holding 2 Vampire Bit Transformation Cards. The Secret Agent transforms into the Vampire. On the Inventors turn he may discard both Vampire Bite cards for 2 new Discovery Cards.

How does the Earthquake Event Card work?

There is a mistake in the text of the Earthquake Event Card.

The card should state:

  • 0-3: The player to your right controls the earthquake
  • 4-6: You control the earthquake

Can you play TCT in single player, two player, or co-op modes

Transylvania: Curses & Traitors is a competitive (non-coop) adventure for 3-6 players. We currently do not have single player, two player, or co-op rules. If we decide to make an expansion for TCT, all of these options will be considered.

2 player suggestions:

Although we designed the game for 3-6 players (it is a really great social game) it is possible to play the game with 2 players. One possible solution is for each player to play their own Adventurer and then co-play or share a third Adventurer.

Another possible solution is for each player to play 1 Adventurer and greatly restrict how many board tiles are used (maybe just 8). If this is the case, make sure to use board tiles that have matching secret passages. If both players transform into Monsters, they will have to fight it out for the victory.

Can players discard more than 1 card in a turn?

The Answer to this question is yes.

On a player's turn they may bump as many cards back to their hand as they wish, and then discard down to 4 at the end of their turn, thus allowing them to discard more than 1 card per turn.

However, here are some important rules to keep in mind:

  • No card may be discarded (or bumped to your hand) on the turn that it was drawn.
  • Event Cards may never be bumped back to your hand, only discarded.
  • Curse Cards (and the cards they are attached to), like the Raven and Shattered Mirror, may never be bumped back to your hand.
  • Adventurers may only Examine one Discovery Card per turn (by choice).
  • Transformation Card may not be discarded.

Also keep in mind modifiers from cards are only active and useful on Examined cards (modifiers from cards in your hand do not help you). Therefore, if a player chooses to bump all of their Examined cards to their hand, they will have no useful cards to help them gain valuable dice for Discovery Tokens and Events. They will also be limited to Examining new cards at one per turn, so bumping a lot of cards to your hand is generally not a very useful strategy.

Can Adventurers make a Determination Roll if they gain a Discovery Card from an Event Card?

The answer is yes.

An Adventurer may make a Determination Roll if they attempt at least 1 Discovery Token and fail to gain any Discovery Cards from those rolls.

If the Adventurer gains a Discovery Card from an Event Card, this does not count towards the Determination Roll.

What do you do if you have 5 transformation cards in your hand?

If you happen to find yourself unlucky enough to have 5 Transformation Cards in your hand, make a house ruling on what should happen next.

There are really 2 options as to how to play this scenario. The first is that your Adventurer must transform into a Monster at the end of the turn as discarding down to 4 cards is not possible.

The other possibility is allowing that player to discard 1 transformation card (which goes against the object of those cards).

The players should choose which option they think fits their group the best.