How do I play cards and use decks?

As an introduction to this topic, check out the elements, card type and play procedure topics first.

To recap:

Most of the objects involved in Nine Worlds are cards. Some other props are required to record values and primaries - counters, dice and models are perfect for this. Whatever players are happy to make us of. The emphasis of the game is on the cards.

Cards that are not in play start in a deck. Decks placed on the table are referred to as libraries. Players do not own or control libraries, they are common pools of cards that can be drawn from by any player when a procedure allows it.

There are several types of card, with each super-type belonging in its own library. Some libraries are used at game creation and then removed, such as the Avatars. Others remain in the game for its duration - everything else.

Libraries can be interacted with in a few ways:

• Draw one or more cards: each time a card is drawn, the top card of the pile is taken by the player.
• Search for a card: Pick up the library and look through it for the desired card. Then shuffle the library.
• Shuffle library.
• Place into library: Place the card(s) on top / on the bottom of the library, as specified.
• Shuffle into library: Place the card(s) on top of the library and then shuffle the library.

Cards can exist in other places:

• A player's hand is one or more cards held by the player, hidden from other players. They are not in-play, but can be drawn from when allowed to play a card.
• A world (or realm) is part of the play area that permanent cards are placed into. Cards in play areas can be interacted with, although various restrictions apply, such as the requirement to be in the same world (of which there may be up to nine!).
• The void, or Ginnungagap, is a temporary place that cards are placed when attempting to play them. This area is used to allow other players to respond to the play attempt. Once the card is resolved, it is taken from the void and put into play.

As such, cards have a number of states:

• In a library
• In a hand
• Within the void
• In play
• Spent

Spent cards are those that have expired, been destroyed, or a one-off effect that's concluded. Spent cards are placed next to their parent library, face-up and are shuffled into the library when no more cards can be drawn from it (empty).

Some spent cards override this procedure and will be placed somewhere else, such as certain creatures that are instead placed in Hel or Valhalla when killed.

Playing cards

To play a card, it is either taken from a player's hand and placed into the void, or is drawn from a library and placed into the void. When in the void, the card is usually placed face-up (there are exceptions) for all players to see.

Once placed in the void, initiative is temporarily given to another player, to whoever is sat clockwise from the active player. That player may chose to respond and play a single card into the void, potentially targeting cards in the void, as long as the card has the attribute: fast.

Once the player with initiative either passes or has played a card, the cycle is repeated until the active player regains initiative. The active player may then play one further card before resolving the void.

Each card played into the void must be placed on top of the previous card. When cards have stopped being played, each card in the void pile is resolved one at a time, from the most recent to the first played.