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It’s better to let professionals

draw first blood…
Every year all tribes gather for the Great Thing. Supervised
by feared judges and in the face of ruthless deities, each and
every person who feels harmed or wronged may exercise his
rights on the bloodied sand of the Arena of the Righteous. Such
person may challenge the wrongdoer to single combat and seek
retribution for any crime. Or at least that’s what the Ancient
Code states…
But we’re not barbarians anymore, right? There’s no point
risking your life for a petty feud. If you have a few gold coins
to spare and you’re feeling lucky, you may always hire a thug
who will settle the matter in the Arena in your stead. And
if your enemy isn’t a complete dork, he or she will also get
enough money for a warrior willing to prove you’re wrong.
Then, your quarrel will be resolved rightfully and stylishly
and the crowd will stop feasting and drinking to witness the
epic combat that is about to happen.
However, only the wealthiest of chieftains can afford to hire full
teams of Ragers, highly professional and devoted champions,
ready to fight for three days of the Great Thing in the name of
their master to determine the fate of whole tribes!
The time has come for you to channel their rage!

Box contents
• This rulebook
• 55 cards, including:
- 22 Combat Cards
of the Accusers (red)
- 22 Combat Cards
of the Defenders (blue)
- 5 Patron Cards
Learn how to play
with our video - 6 Cheers Cards
presentation!

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Introduction
Ragers: Champions of the Arena is a game of wits and bluff
for 2 players. Each player becomes the head of a team of
Ragers – powerful fighters who settle disputes between
tribes during the Great Thing that lasts for three days.
During the game, players play cards depicting brave
warriors and representing different types of attacks and
special actions. This way they gain Glory Points (GP) over
three rounds of fighting. Finally, the player who gains the
most GP becomes victorious.
Each day of the Great Thing is devoted to a different patron
deity and each day bloodthirsty spectators expect daring
feats of strength and cunning, so conditions of combat are
changing constantly. It is up to the players to choose the
best strategy that will appease the crowd and enable them
to outsmart their opponent.

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Card description
Combat Cards
Combat cards depict the Ragers, the champions of the
Arena bred for war and bloodshed. They are ready to fight
in anyone’s name as long as he or she can afford service
of a true team. Each team is comprised of eight different
warriors. Each warrior can step up on the bloodied sand
a certain number of times according to the tenets of the
Ancient Code.
Combat Icons

Glory
Points
Value

Attack Card Special Card Card Back

Combat cards are divided into two identical decks differing

only in color and artwork of Ragers. Among combat cards
you will find Attack Cards (with a triangle banner) and
Special Cards (with a rectangular banner). Additionally,
all combat card backs show how particular attacks affect
each other.

Patron Cards
Each Great Thing lasts for three days and each day has a
different patron deity chosen among the most honored
gods. When a new day of fighting starts, a new patron card
is drawn and revealed. It changes the conditions of combat.

Patron Icon Card Back

Card Effect

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Cheers Cards
For ages the cheering crowd has been the proverbial ninth
warrior of the Arena of the Righteous. Cheers cards give
each player a chance to gain additional GP depending on
his ability to use skills of certain Ragers.
Required
Combat Icons Card Back

Glory
Points
Value

Forbidden Combat Icon

However, the crowd’s mood changes more quickly than a

whim of a courtesan, so each day of fighting a new cheers
card is drawn and revealed. These cards feature combat
icons that must be used or the ones that should be avoided
in order to win the crowd’s favor.

Game Setup
1. Separate the cards into the following decks: the Patrons
Deck, the Cheers Deck and 2 separate Combat Decks.
Shuffle all decks thoroughly and place them face-down
on the table so that both players can easily reach them.
2. Players choose who will play the Accusers (the red
combat deck) and the Defenders (the blue combat
deck). Then each player takes his deck and places it
within easy reach.
3. Each player draws 5 cards from his combat deck. These
cards form his hand. Players should keep any cards in
their hands secret from their opponent.

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Playing the Game
The game is divided into 3 days (rounds) of ritual combat.
During each round players simultaneously place combat
cards until at least one of them has 5 combat cards (face-
up or face-down) in front of himself. At the end of each
round the winner of the current round is determined and
any GP gained by players are counted. The final winner is
the player to gain more GP than his opponent at the end
of the 3rd round or to have at least a 10 GP advantage
over his opponent in any earlier round (i.e. the player
with cards in his GP stack worth at least 10 GP more
than the opponent’s cards).

Game Round
Preparation Phase:
1. Reveal 1 patron card and 1 cheers card.
2. Discard up to 1 combat card and refill your hand
to 5 cards.
Combat Phase (repeated until at least one player has
5 combat cards in front of himself):
1. Place 1 face-down combat card.
2. Draw 1 combat card.
3. Reveal and resolve combat cards of both players.
Resolution Phase:
1. Determine the outcome of the round.
2. Check cheers cards.
3. Count GP (if this is the end of the 3rd round, determine
the final winner), then set aside all scoring combat and
cheers cards.
4. Discard the revealed patron card, all remaining revealed
combat cards, and, possibly, cheers cards that brought
GP to both players.

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Game Round in Detail
Preparation Phase
At the beginning of a new round draw the top card from
the patron deck, reveal it and place it face-up on the table
next to the deck. This card will affect the rules of combat
for the whole round.
The detailed description of all patron deities watching over
the Arena of the Righteous can be found on pages 18-19.
Next draw the top card from the cheers deck, reveal it
and place it face-up on the table. This card indicates what
the crowd that came to watch the fight desires. In the 1st
round only one cheers card can be in the game, but if its
requirements are not met, it will be left on the table and
in the 2nd and the 3rd round new cheers cards will appear.
Each cheers card gives both players a chance to gain
additional GP and requires playing (or avoiding) certain
combat cards. Meeting any requirements shown on cheers
cards is checked during the Resolution Phase.
At the end of the Preparation Phase each player can discard
1 combat card from his hand and then draw combat cards
so that he has exactly 5 cards in his hand.
Important: A combat card may be discarded even in the
1st round of the game.
Important: If, at any point of the game, any combat deck
is exhausted and a player cannot draw a new combat card,
he must use cards left in his hand. Combat decks are never
reshuffled.

Combat Phase
This phase is repeated until at least one player has 5 combat
cards in front of himself.
At the beginning, each player simultaneously chooses
1 combat card from his hand and places it face-down in
front of himself in the middle of the table, exactly opposite
to the card placed by the opponent (any subsequent cards
will be placed in a row to the left or to the right of the first
cards). Then each player draws 1 card from the top of his
combat deck to refill his hand (players should always have 5
cards in their hands). Finally, each player reveals his combat
card and effects of both cards are resolved.
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There are two kinds of combat cards: attack cards and
special cards. Each of the three attack types defeats exactly
one attack type, but yields to another attack type according
to the following diagram:

Each type of special card has a unique rule that affects the
game in some way. The detailed description of all combat
cards can be found on pages 13-16.
Once both combat cards are resolved, the Combat Phase
is repeated by placing and resolving the next combat card.
The player commanding the Accusers (the red deck) should
place his cards in a row going from right to left, while the
player commanding the Defenders (the blue deck) should
place his cards in a row going from left to right. The
direction of the card placement is additionally indicated
by the position of the banner and the facing of each Rager.
The Combat Phase is repeated until at least one player has
5 combat cards (face-up or face-down) in his row. Once this
happens, proceed to the Resolution Phase.

Resolution Phase
First, players should check the outcome of the current
round. Any round may end in one of the following ways:
• One Winner: A player wins the current round if his last
placed attack card defeats the last placed attack card of his
opponent. The position of the attack card in the row does
not matter, neither does the fact that the card is - or is not -
placed directly opposite of the opponent’s attack card. The
winning player gains GP for each attack card in his row
featuring the winning combat icon and for his special
cards. The losing player gains no GP for his combat cards
(but may still gain GP for cheers cards).

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• Draw: If the last placed attack cards of both players are
identical (or one player copied the last attack card of his
opponent using a Chancer special card), the current round
ends in a draw. In this case, each player gains GP for each
attack card in his row featuring the drawing combat
icon and for his special cards (and, potentially, for cheers
cards).
• Two Losers: If no player has an attack card in front of
himself, no one gains GP for combat cards or for cheers
cards (as each cheers card requires at least one revealed
attack card to meet its requirements).

Examples of Combat Resolution

One Winner: This round is won by the Accusers,

because the last attack card is a Prodder and she
defeats the last Basher of the Defenders.

Draw: This round ends in a draw, because both

players placed a Slasher as their last attack card.

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 Two Losers: No player gains GP because neither
has successfully played at least one attack card.

Next, players should check if any of them has met any

requirements of the revealed cheers card(s). In order to
do this, both players compare the combat icons from all
of their placed combat cards with the combat icons shown
on the revealed cheers card(s). If any icons match, a given
player may gain additional GP.
Important: Requirements of some cheers cards can only
be met if a player has not placed a certain special card
during the current round, as indicated on the particular
cheers card. Additionally, even if a player involuntarily
copies his opponent’s card with a Chancer special card
and that card’s combat icon should be avoided, such player
cannot meet the requirements of a given cheers card.
If only one player meets the requirements of a given cheers
card, he sets such card aside – GP provided by this card will
be added to his GP total. If both players meet requirements
of the same cheers card, such card brings no GP and should
be discarded at the end of this phase.
Any player may meet requirements of any number of
cheers cards in one round as long as his placed combat cards
feature proper combat icons. Players may use the same
combat icon more that once when checking requirements
of different cheers cards.

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 Example of scoring GP for cheers cards

1 player scoring: The player commanding the Defenders meets

the requirements of the cheers card shown because he has placed a
Basher and a Deadeye this round while avoiding a Veteran.
It means that this player additionally gains 3 GP.

No additional GP: Both players have placed

2 Bashers this round. It means that both meet
requirements of the revealed cheers card. It also
means that neither of them gains additional GP.

Next step is to count GP for the current round. Players

do this by setting aside combat cards and cheers cards
that have brought them GP in the current round (thus
forming their GP Stacks) and they add their GP values to
obtain their scores. Then they check the difference in their
scores. All GP gained during the 1st round are kept for the
following rounds. Players should remember about their GP
when counting scores for the following rounds.
Important: If, after counting GP at the end of any round,
one player has at least a 10 GP advantage over his opponent,
such player immediately wins the game!
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 Example of scoring for a round

The player commanding the Defenders wins the round thanks

to Prodders. He gains 3 GP for his last Prodder placed and
another 3 GP for the second Prodder in his row. Additionally,
he has managed to meet the requirements of the cheers card
worth 2 GP because he has successfully played 2 Prodders
this round. All in all, he gains 8 GP, while the player
commanding the Accusers gains 0 GP. The winning player
forms his GP stack: he sets aside both Prodders and the
cheers card thus recording his current score.

At the end of the round all used cards should be discarded

from the game:
• The revealed patron card should be returned to the box.
• If the requirements of any cheers card have been met by
both players, such card should be returned to the box.
• Each player takes his combat cards that have not brought
any GP and places them on his discard pile next to the
combat deck so that only the top discarded card is visible.
Any player may look at his discarded combat cards at any
point of the game to check the number of card copies he
has used, but he cannot look at his opponent’s discard pile.
After the current round ends, if no player has the advantage
of 10 GP or more over his opponent, players should
proceed to the next round. If the last, 3rd round has just
ended, players should count the final score and determine
the winner of the game.

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Winning the Game
The game is won by the player who has at least a 10 GP
advantage over his opponent at the end of any round. If
such situation does not happen, at the end of the 3rd round
both players should count their GP totals - the winner is
the player who has more GP.
In case of a tie, the winner is the player who has more
cheers cards in his GP stack.
If there is still a tie, the winner is the player who has more
combat cards left in his combat deck.
If there is still a tie, the winner is the player who is the
commander of the Defenders (the blue team) – the
Accusers have not managed to exact their revenge in
three days, so whoever hired them must suffer the painful
consequences of his false accusation.

Other Rules
Combat Cards
There are two kinds of combat cards in the game:
• Attack Cards (3 types, 4 copies each): They can be
recognized by a special icon set in a triangle banner.
These are basic cards enabling a player to win a round of
combat. If, at the end of a round, a player does not have at
least one face-up attack card placed in front of himself, he
automatically loses a given round. Each attack type has its
own combat icon, defeats one other attack type and yields
to the other attack type. Combat card backs show how
attack types affect each other.
Important: When determining the outcome of a given
round of combat only the last attack card placed by a player
is taken into consideration no matter when and where it
was placed. However, when counting GP, all copies of the
attack card that brought a victory or a draw count.

Basher
The most heavily armed of all Ragers, he mocks
Human weaklings, but cannot stop thrusts made with
deadly precision by lithe Elven spear-maidens.
Effect: Defeats a Slasher, but yields to a Prodder.

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 Slasher
Quick and agile, he can easily evade attacks made
by long-shafted weapons of Elven warriors, but he is
incapable of piercing sturdy armor and thick hides of
Orcish brutes.
Effect: Defeats a Prodder, but yields to a Basher.

Prodder
She can handle blind fury and heavy swings of Orcs,
but seems powerless to stop wild strikes of unpredictable,
yet dexterous Human fighters.
Effect: Defeats a Basher, but yields to a Slasher.

• Special Cards (5 types, 2 copies each): They can be

recognized by a special icon set in a rectangular banner.
Each of these cards has a unique ability that affects other
combat cards. An ability must be resolved immediately
after revealing a special card. All abilities are described
below.

Chancer
Nothing can surprise a seasoned Goblin warrior –
take out your warhammer or load your crossbow, but
expect a swift counterattack. It’s a pity no one really
appreciates the greenskins’ resourcefulness…
Effect: Copies a combat icon and all effects of a combat card
placed directly opposite as if the player placing a Chancer
placed exactly the same combat card as his opponent. It
means that when copying a Deadeye, the player using
a Chancer would have to place
another face-down combat
card and when copying a
Veteran, he would have to
place a new combat card
on top of his Chancer.
Additionally, a Chancer
cannot copy GP – it is
always worth 0 GP.

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 Cheater
Strange forces permeate our world, but only a few can
tap them in face of a grave danger. It is the Cheater’s
role to pacify the most powerful enemies.
Effect: Negates the opponent’s combat card placed directly
opposite. The negated card’s effect is not resolved and the
card should be immediately turned face-down. It still takes
one space in the opponent’s row, but it is ignored when
checking requirements of cheers cards or for any other
purposes. If both players reveal a Cheater (or a Cheater and
a Chancer) simultaneously, both cards are considered
negated and should be turned face-down.
Deadeye
Some fights can be ended in no time, really. An
accurate bolt hitting a weak armor joint or piercing
an eye of a charging warrior quickly discourages other
daredevils from attacking.
Effect: Forces the player to immediately place a new combat
card from his hand. The new card should be placed face-
down next to a Deadeye card (therefore the number of
cards placed in front of the player increases by 1), but it is
not resolved. If placing this card results in a player having
in front of himself 5 combat cards, the current Combat
Phase immediately ends and players should proceed to the
Resolution Phase.
Important: Immediately after resolving a Deadeye card,
but before placing a new combat card next to it, the player
should draw a combat card, so that he has 5 cards in his hand.
He should do the same after he places a new combat card.
Important: Any combat card from a player’s hand can be
placed when resolving a Deadeye, except the Rager type
forbidden by the revealed patron card. However, remember
that such card is never resolved – it only takes one space in
a player’s row.
Important: Resolving a Deadeye results in a “break” in the
opponent’s row of combat cards. That is why during the
next Combat Phase new cards should be placed opposite
each other according to normal rules and ignoring the
face-down combat card placed when resolving a Deadeye
(i.e. players should “skip” the break formed by that card).
A Deadeye effectively shortens the current round, but
has no other effects. 15
 Stopper
It matters not if a Stopper uses a heavy Dwarven
pavise or an Elven war net woven by daughters of
Arianna - he must protect his allies and enable them to
launch an efficient assault.
Effect: Affects a card that will be placed during the next
Combat Phase (i.e. the one directly adjacent to a Stopper).
Such card’s GP value is doubled and additionally that card
cannot be negated using a Cheater special card.

Veteran
There is no other place as dangerous as the Arena of the
Righteous and those who claim to be its Veterans have
survived tens of fierce fights.
Effect: Forces the player to immediately place a new
combat card from his hand. A new card should be placed
face-up on top of the Veteran card (therefore the number
of cards placed in front of the player is not changed)
and resolved normally. If both players reveal a Veteran
simultaneously, they place new cards face-down and reveal
them according to normal rules (but keep them on their
Veteran cards).
Important: Immediately after resolving a Veteran card, but
before placing a new combat card on it, the player should
draw a combat card, so that he has 5 cards in his hand.

Examples of placing special cards

Negating a card with a Cheater

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Using a Stopper (the GP value of the Slasher is doubled
and it cannot be negated by the opponent’s Cheater)

Placing a new card for a Deadeye

Placing a new card on a Veteran

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Patron Cards
Below you can find effects of all patron cards. Players do
not need to read the whole section now – once a given
patron card is revealed from the deck, check how it affects
the game.
Gharan-zul
Gharan-zul was a bloodthirsty and brutal
Orcish chieftain who became a legend among
his people, thus earning his place in the pantheon.
He scorns weaklings who dare to use bows and
arrows on the sacred sand of the Arena.
Effect: Players cannot place Deadeye
special cards this round.
Greybeard
Greybeard, the wise and implacable father
of all Dwarves, believes only in cold steel
and impenetrable chainmails. Shamans and
wizards with their petty tricks are strange to this
venerable deity.
Effect: Players cannot place Cheater
special cards this round.
Solennos
Humans devote their prayers and their victories
to Solennos. As the youngest and the shortest-
lived of all races, they value intuition and
instinct, often ignoring hard-earned experience of
their elder cousins.
Effect: Players cannot place Veteran
special cards this round.
Arianna
Arianna, the Elven queen ruling the Heavenly
Spheres, understands the need for justice, yet
she averts her eyes from unnecessary bloodshed.
When she guards the Arena, all combats end
earlier than expected.
Effect: The current round ends when at
least one player has 4 combat cards placed
in front of himself (instead of 5).
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 The Nameless
No race favors the Nameless. When he watches
over the Arena, only the skills and the ferocity
of fighters matter.
Effect: Nothing happens.

Credits
Game Design: Rafał Rogusz
Game Developer and Producer: Marek Mydel
Cover Art: Tomasz Larek
Card Art: Tomasz Larek
Graphic Design: Mateusz Szupik
Rulebook: Marek Mydel and Michał Walczak-Ślusarczyk
Editing: Aleksandra Miszta
Proofreading: Zuzanna Kmak and Wiktor Marek
English Translation: Marek Mydel
Publisher: Galakta
Playtesters: Stanisław Błaszkiewicz, Wojciech Dębiak,
Michał Guzik, Jan Jewuła, Agnieszka Jurowicz, Mateusz
Kulis, Dariusz Kułak, Grzegorz Laskowski, Wiktor Marek,
Artur Mars, Aleksandra Miszta, Marek Mydel, Anna
„Narmo” Owarzany, Marcin Podsiadło, Lech Psztyk,
Dominik Rogusz, Jakub Saltarski, Piotr Stankiewicz,
Karol Suski, Mateusz Szupik, Michał Walczak-Ślusarczyk,
Jakub Wiśnicki, Michał Woźniczko.
Our special thanks to Vincent van Doorn for his advice and help
with the rulebook.

The Author would like to express his gratitude to his beloved

wife who has supported, motivated and encouraged him to keep
working and to Jakub “Dejlajt” Wiśnicki, a two-time Polish
champion of the duplicate poker, for lots of helpful suggestions and
interesting advice.
GALAKTA
ul. Łagiewnicka 39
30-417 Kraków
tel. 12 656 34 89
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 Special cards reference

Chancer
Copies a combat icon and all effects of
a combat card placed directly opposite
as if the player placing a Chancer
played exactly the same combat card as
his opponent (with all consequences).
A Chancer cannot copy GP – it is
always worth 0 GP.
Cheater
Negates the opponent’s combat card
placed directly opposite. The negated
card’s effect is not resolved and the
card should be immediately turned
face-down.
Deadeye
Forces a player to immediately place a
new combat card from his hand. The
new card should be placed face-down
next to a Deadeye card (therefore the
number of cards placed in front of
the player increases by 1), but it is not
resolved.
Stopper
Affects a card that will be placed
during the next Combat Phase
(i.e. the one directly adjacent to
a Stopper). Such card’s GP value is
doubled and additionally it cannot be
negated using a Cheater special card.
Veteran
Forces a player to immediately place a
new combat card from his hand. A new
card should be placed face-up on top of
the Veteran card (therefore the number
of cards placed in front of the player is
not changed) and resolved normally.

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