GENERAL GAMEPLAY

What is Axion Forge?

Axion Forge is a skirmish-style trading card game that blends dynamic positioning, strategic deckbuilding, and tactical resource management. Players battle using cards that represent creatures, equipment, structures, and more with the goal of being the first to reach one of several different victory conditions.

How do I win?

There are three ways to win: reduce your opponent’s Life Force to zero, earn Trophy points equal to the starting Life Force total by destroying Trophy-bearing cards or meeting specific card conditions, or complete special victory objectives.

How long does a game usually last?

Games typically last 30–60 minutes, depending on the experience level of the players and the complexity of the decks.

How many players are needed?

The standard format is for two players, but there is a Free For All and Team Mode available for three and four players.

What do I need to start playing?

Each player needs a deck of at least 50 cards, a way to track Life Force, Trophies, and various tokens such as dice or counters.

DECKBUILDING

How do I build a deck?

Decks require 40–60 cards and may contain up to three copies of each card. There are also rarity limits:

Common/Rare: Unlimited.

Mythic: Maximum 6 cards per deck.

Ultra: Maximum 3 cards per deck.

Can I mix Factions?

Yes. However, most cards synergize best within their own Faction.

Do I need different resources to play specific cards?

No, all cards can be played using Sparks. For more powerful cards, you may need Forges or other methods to create Cores and Prisms.

SETUP & TURN STRUCTURE

How do I start playing?

Put your Catalyst into play along with its Energy Counters and Draw 5 cards from your deck. Choose a starting player who skips their initial draw phase.

What does a turn look like?

Each turn has three phases:

Start Phase: Deactivate cards and Draw one card.

Action Phase: Perform three Actions like deploying, repositioning, or activating abilities.

End Phase: Resolve end-of-turn effects and discard down to a maximum of seven or Draw up to a minimum of two cards.

Can I perform the same Action more than once?

Yes. You can repeat Actions if you have enough resources or cards to do so. However, Activated cards may not be Activated again until they are Deactivated at the start of your next turn.

What if I run out of cards in my deck?

You can continue to play, however any time you cannot draw a card, take one Life Force damage.

RESOURCES & FORGES

What are the different resources?

There are three primary resources in Axion Forge:

Sparks: Basic energy required to play almost any card.

Cores: Generated by Forges to power advanced effects and pay upkeep costs for special cards.

Prisms: Rare and powerful resources needed for game-changing effects.

How do I get Sparks?

It costs an Action to Deploy a Source card. Playing Sources outside the Battlefield where they remain for the rest of the game. Activating a Basic Source adds one Spark to your resource pool until the end of your turn. Some cards and effects may award additional resources as well.

Can I save Actions or Sparks between turns?

No, unless explicitly stated by a card effect. Sparks added to your resource pool are lost at the end of your turn along with Actions.

What are Forges?

Forges are resource generators and refineries. They are played to the Battlefield like other cards where they can be attacked. Forges generally produce Cores and Prisms as Counters that persist between rounds, but may have various other effects too.

What happens to my resources when a Forge is destroyed?

If a Forge is Destroyed while storing any resources, anything occupying adjacent positions is damaged based on the type and amount of resources lost;  Sparks deal 1 damage each, Cores deal 2, and Prisms deal 3. Unoccupied positions damage your Life Force.

PLAYING CARDS

How do I play cards?

Use one of your three Actions per turn to Deploy a card to the field if the position you want to play it to is not occupied. If the card has a Spark cost, you must be able to add enough Sparks to your turn's resource pool (generally by Activating Sources already in play).

Can I attack with a card as soon as I play it?

No, cards cannot Activate on the same turn a card is played. However, passive and Intrinsic attributes go into effect automatically. 

Can I play cards face down?

Yes. Face down cards are considered Inactive. They only cost one Spark to play this way, have zero Attack, two Defense, and have limited Actions they may take. To flip a card face up, pay its full cost minus one. 

Can I play multiple Sources per turn?

As long as you have Actions to spend, you may play as many cards as you would like. Activating existing Sources is generally free and does not cost an Action.

How many cards can I have in play?

You may have five cards on your Frontline, three on your Backfield, and as many Sources as you want. Creatures may have one Augment attached to them, and Tokens can share spaces with other cards and Tokens.

CARD TYPES

What types of cards are available?

Axion Forge features several card types, each with a distinct role in gameplay.

Sources – The primary resource cards used to Deploy other cards.

Forges – Generate advanced resources like Cores and Prisms for high-cost effects.

Creatures – The main combat units that attack, defend, and use Abilities.

Relics – Provide passive effects and enhancements.

Structures – Often immobile cards that offer battlefield control and strategic benefits.

Artifices – Instant effects that trigger one-time abilities.

Augments – Attachments that enhance Creatures with new traits or stat boosts.

Traps – Cards that activate automatically when specific conditions are met, generally played face down.

Catalysts  – Special cards put into play at the start of the game with limited Energy Counters to spend on their abilities.

What are Subtypes?

Subtypes provide additional identity to cards, such as Human, Golem, or Machine. Some Abilities specifically target or benefit certain Subtypes, creating unique synergies for deck-building strategies. For example, an ability that affects all "Humans" would take effect on a "Human Engineer" as well as a "Human Soldier", or subsequently, a "Machine" Creature and a "Machine Factory" Structure may both benefit from the same effect.

What are Trophy cards?

Trophy cards aren’t a separate type but are marked with a Trophy icon. Destroying a Trophy card awards points to the player who destroyed it. Collecting enough Trophies (equal to the starting Life Force) wins the game. 

POSITIONING & TARGETING

Can I play my cards anywhere?

No. Each card has a position grid indicating its valid placements. Cards may only be played from your hand to the green "Initial" spaces. If a position is occupied, you may not play another card to that space unless explicitly stated.

Green: Initial positions (Deployment).

Grey: Neutral positions (movable).

Red: Restricted positions (not allowed, returns to your hand if moved to).

How does targeting work?

Cards have arrows indicating valid ranges.

Green: Close-Quarters that can target one row ahead.

Orange: Ranged targeting that bypasses one row ahead.

Blue: Guard directly adjacent allied positions.

Can I move my cards once played?

Yes. Repositioning is one of your available Actions. However, some cards have restricted positions that limit their movement. Initial (green) spaces are treated as Neutral spaces once played. A card with Restricted (red) positions may not occupy that spot; if moved to a Restricted space, it is returned to your hand.

What does "Adjacent" mean?

"Adjacent" refers to cards positioned immediately left or right of each other. Cards in front or behind are not considered adjacent.

Can I target my own cards?

No, unless an ability text explicitly allows it.

ABILITIES

How do abilities work?

Abilities sometimes require an Action to use and often require a cost to trigger such as Activating and/or additional resources. Each ability type has unique mechanics:

Basic Attack: Compare Attack vs Defense values.

Intrinsic: Passive abilities that are always active.

Power: Activated for a one-time effect.

Focus: Ongoing effects while the card remains Activated.

Cast: Direct magical effects on cards or players.

Tactic: Movement-based abilities to reposition cards.

Counter: Automatic reactions triggered by specific events.

Ultimate: Game-changing effects with one-time use per game, per card.

How many abilities can a card use each turn?

A card may only Activate once per turn, unless otherwise specified.

Can abilities target any card?

No. Abilities follow the same Range rules as Attacks unless explicitly stated otherwise.

What order are abilities are resolved in?

Ultimate > Counter > Intrinsic > Power > Attack > Tactic > Cast > Focus > General.

What are the symbols on the right side of my cards?

While not technically abilities, some cards do have special Traits. Each is different and provides a specific effect at all times while in play. Refer to the rulebook for the specifics of each Trait.

COMBAT

How does attacking work?

When attacking, compare your card’s Attack value with the target’s Defense value:

If the Attack is equal to or greater than the Defense, the target is Destroyed.

If the Attack is less than the Defense, the target survives, but takes damage for the rest of the turn.

When defending, Ready Creatures can choose not to defend and may choose to lower your Life Force by the attacker's full attack damage instead. Everything else must defend itself.

Do damaged cards remain damaged?

Yes, damage is cumulative until the end of the turn. However, all cards are restored to full Defense at the end of each turn unless stated otherwise.

How do I attack an opponent’s Life Force?

Damage an opponent's Life Force by targeting an empty position on their battlefield or if your card’s ability specifically allows it.

Can I attack the same target with multiple cards?

You may direct attacks towards any target your cards have the Range for.

What are the different arrows on cards?

Close-Quarters (green arrows): Can only target enemies directly ahead of them by one row.

Ranged (orange arrows): Skips over a row and can target Backfield units or the enemy Frontline when positioned in the Backfield.

Guard (blue arrows): Redirect the target of an attack on an adjacent card to itself.

How do I Guard?

If a card is not Activated and has blue Guard arrows, Activate it on your opponent's turn to Guard an adjacent card. This changes the target from the original card to the Guarding card. You may also Guard unoccupied positions to prevent Life Force damage.

TROPHIES

What are Trophies?

Trophies are points earned by destroying specific cards or through certain card abilities. You need as many Trophies as the starting Life Force total. In most games, this is 25 Trophies.

How do I earn Trophies?

Trophies are earned in two primary ways:

Destroying Trophy Cards: Cards with a Trophy icon and number grant that many points when Destroyed.

Abilities: Some cards grant Trophies when Activated or through other methods.

Can I get Trophies without Destroying a card?

Trophies are only awarded when a card is Destroyed, not Discarded, Sacrificed, or Banished.

What happens if I Destroy multiple Trophy cards in one turn?

You earn the full Trophy value of each Destroyed card. If you destroy three cards with 2, 3, and 5 Trophies, you gain 10 Trophies at the end of your turn.

Can I lose Trophies once I’ve earned them?

Generally not. Once you've earned a Trophy, it’s permanently added to your total unless a card effect states otherwise.

Can I Destroy my own cards for Trophies?

Whoever Destroys a Trophy card gains its Trophies, regardless of ownership. However, you cannot typically target your own cards to attack.

CARD STATES & STATUS EFFECTS

What can I do with a face down card?

Face down cards are Inactive. They have zero Attack, 2 Defense, cannot accept Augments, use Abilities, or Guard. However, they can be flipped face up and Readied for the full cost of the card minus one Spark, rotated to Reinforce, or Retreat back into your hand.

What is a Reinforced card?

A Reinforced card (face down and rotated) reduces all individual Basic Attacks to one damage per source while Inactive. This costs 1 Spark to perform.

How do I use an Activated card?

Face up, normally oriented cards are in a Ready state. Only cards in a Ready state may Activate. Any cards you wish can Deactivate by rotating counterclockwise 90° at the start of your turn. 

Can I Activate a card multiple times at once?

Not unless explicitly stated. However, a card can sometimes be Activated twice making it Exhausted, requiring two turns to fully become Ready again. Activating three times causes the card to become Broken.

What happens when a card is Broken?

Broken cards are immediately destroyed and deal 1 Life Force damage to their owner.

What is Forced Activation?

Forced Activation rotates an opponent's card against their will without the benefit of using an ability. If it’s already Activated, it becomes Exhausted or Broken.

What does Silence do?

Silence prevents activated Abilities from being used but doesn't affect passive abilities or Basic Attacks.

Can I un-Banish a card?

Banished cards are permanently removed from play for the rest of the game.