Theurgy is live (Divine workings)
Update: Theurgy has launched on Kickstarter and the campaign will run for 29 days. You may pledge for the standard (mortal) or the deluxe (divine) edition of the game.
Our preview post below was published on February 28.
In Theurgy, a 1-6 players area majority game, you are a god. Your cult, however, has waned, and it is up to you to reclaim the faith of the unbelievers so that you can be worshiped once again all over the land. It will launch on Kickstarter on March 1.
In Theurgy, you take control of one of the six available deities, each with its own special ability. Your goal is to build temples to establish your cult, with the number of temples that you need depending on the player count. You can reduce this required number by fulfilling a secret, personal objective, or by building a temple in the capital at the center of the board.
The board is made of hexagonal tiles, initially populated by unbelievers. Only on your two starting tiles are the people still faithful to you. You also control two powerful acolytes who can perform conversions, defend your followers from enemy conversions, or defeat monsters.
On your turn, you can play one of four available actions, provided you have not already chosen this action on your previous turn. The first action allows you to move your acolytes and followers on the map, and have your acolytes convert anyone to your cause, or slay a monster. With the second action, you place a faith token on the vertex of a hexagon or oust an opponent player’s faith token if you surround it with a great number of followers. These faith tokens play a critical role in the third action, that you perform on a hexagon to build a temple: first, each player present on the hexagon can convert other players’ followers if they have a greater number of surrounding faith tokens; next, the player with the most followers can erect a temple (replacing an enemy temple if one was already standing there). Finally, a fourth action allows you to accomplish miracles, that is, play a powerful card from your hand, or summon a monster. Monsters have specific abilities, and their sight also cures people of their skepticism, which cancels your faith tokens when you attempt the building temple action.
If at the end of your turn, you meet the required number of temples, you win the game and finally establish your cult on the land.
The solo mode is played just as the multiplayer mode, except that you are battling against a chosen number of AIs (from 1 to 5). AIs are characterized by a Relationship (if given the opportunity, they target first the player currently holding their Relationship token, then any player in clockwise order) and a Priority track (they will preferentially act on specific tile types). The Relationship marker moves clockwise each time the AI successfully builds a temple. On their turn, the AI alternates between three actions: a combination of the first two player actions (move and place a faith token), then performing a miracle/summoning a monster and finally building a temple. The personal objective (obviously no longer secret) of the AI is to control the three tiles of any given type.