A dark fantasy card game of relic hunting, Hoards and hexes for 2–8 players. Play solo against cunning AI rivals, pass one phone around, or host a table that friends join from any phone.
Void SerpentComet LanternEmberheart StaffStar SapphireBook of Echoes
The Grand Hunt
Rival Patrons. One hunt. One ascends.
Across the magical places of the world, the relics of power have been scattered: staffs that hold storms, potions brewed from moonlight, blades that cut the dark itself. Twelve Patrons have set out on a scavenger hunt to find them.
Gather relics of one kind into a Hoard and its power is yours. Every relic on your table feeds your Essence. The first to gather enough Essence ascends, a god among mortals.
But the others are hunting too. A whispered Pilfer lifts a relic from your table, a Plunder carries off a whole Hoard, and every round the hunt moves to a new place that bends the rules.
Stormcaller Staff5PilferVenom Hound
New player's guide
Your first hunt, in nine pictures
Everything you need to play your first game. Glim, the little spark in the corner of the game, will walk you through it again at the table.
1
The goal: Essence
Every relic on your table is worth 1 Essence. Fill a Hoard (a Full Hoard) and it pays its size again as bonus Essence; the rare Staffs and Rings pay 6. Reach the table's target to ascend and win.
Draw 2 cards (5 if your hand is empty). Then make up to 3 moves, in any order. Tap End Turn when you're done.
Draw 2
Relic to a Hoard
Coin to purse
Cast a spell
Up to 3 moves
End turn
3
Build Hoards
Relics of one kind go into the same Hoard. There are seven kinds, from two Staffs to four Potions. Staffs and Rings are rare: no two-type wild fits them, so only their own relics (or a Mimic) fill them, and a Full one is worth 8 Essence. Fill one and draw 2 cards at once, and its Full Hoard power is yours, like Quickening (an extra move every turn) or Monster Raid (Ward can't stop your Plunder).
A Full Hoard is safe from Pilfer, but not from Plunder.
Restorative unlocked: whenever you play a Ward, draw a card.
4
Wild relics
Five wild relics each belong to two of the common Hoards, and four Mimics fit any Hoard. A two-type wild counts as a true relic of either Hoard, so it can even fill one by itself. A Mimic can't: Mimics alone never fill a Hoard, they need a relic or a two-type wild beside them. When a relic turns up, you choose where the wild moves.
Venom Hound
5
Hexes and Wards
Spells that hit a rival are hexes: Tribute, Toll of Bells, Pilfer, Plunder, Glamour and Stonebind. Keep a Ward in your hand. When someone hexes you, block it with the Ward, even on their turn.
5Pilfer
5WardBlocked
6
Coins and paying
Coins go into your purse. When a rival makes you pay, it comes from your purse first, then from relics you choose off your table. No change is given. A spell put in the purse becomes coins worth its printed value, for good.
1Copper Spark2Silver Moon5Gold Sun8Starstone10Void Crown20Dragon Sovereign
Purse
7
The hunt moves on
Every round the hunt reaches a new place that bends the rules for everyone: the Gilded Market makes Tribute richer, the Sanctum seals every hex, the Hollow Moor's fog snuffs out every Warding Circle. Plan around it.
Round 3
8
Choose a Patron
Each player is a Patron with one special ability: the Scholar takes 4 moves a turn, the Cutpurse can Pilfer from a Full Hoard, the Oracle peeks at the top of the deck. Let Fate deal you one, or pick your favourite.
9
The end of the hunt
The first time the draw pile runs out, the discard pile is shuffled into a new one. The second time, that round is the last: when it ends, the Patron with the most Essence ascends. Usually someone gets there first.
Draw pile
ReshuffleReshuffleLast round
Tips from old hunters
Keep one Ward in hand. A Plunder can take a whole Full Hoard and the game with it.
Watch the leader. Pilfer and Plunder move Essence: steal from whoever is closest to ascending.
Coins pay your bills; spells win games. Only bank a spell you can't use.
A Key opens every protection for a turn. Save it for the Hoard you really want.
Check the place before you move. In the Sanctum, hexes are sealed; in the Thieves' Warren, nothing is safe.
The relics
Seven Hoards, seven powers
Every relic is one of a kind. Tap any card to see it up close.
Staffs
Rare · A Hoard of 2 · Full: +6 bonus Essence
Emberheart StaffStormcaller Staff
Steady Hand Stonebind can't be cast on you.
13Full8Tribute each rival pays
Plants
A Hoard of 3 · Full: +3 bonus Essence
GallowrootThornbloomMirewort
Green Thumb Grow a Ward, Beastcall and breaking Stonebind cost you 5 instead of 10.
1224Full7Tribute each rival pays
Gems
A Hoard of 3 · Full: +3 bonus Essence
MoonstoneStar SapphireEmber Ruby
Quickening You get 1 extra move every turn.
1122Full3Tribute each rival pays
Rings
Rare · A Hoard of 2 · Full: +6 bonus Essence
Ring of AshRing of Tides
Tailwind Moving magical items between your Hoards is free (no move).
Restorative Whenever you play a Ward, draw a card.
112234Full8Tribute each rival pays
Monsters
A Hoard of 4 · Full: +4 bonus Essence
WraithShadow StalkerKrakenVoid Serpent
Monster Raid Ward can't block your Plunder.
122335Full8Tribute each rival pays
Blades
A Hoard of 3 · Full: +3 bonus Essence
VoidbrandMoonsteel BladeSunforged Sword
Sharpened Your Pilfer can take a relic even from a Full Hoard.
1123Full5Tribute each rival pays
Wild relics
Crystal Bloom
Plants or Gems
Starlight Phial
Gems or Potions
Venom Hound
Potions or Monsters
Fang Dagger
Monsters or Blades
Thornblade
Blades or Plants
Mimic
Any Hoard at all
The magic
Spells written in the stars
The deck grows with big tables: from five players up it shuffles in more coins and spells (the counts here are for two to four). The relics, wilds and charms stay one of a kind.
4Tribute
Tribute ×5
Choose one of your Hoards. Every rival pays you its tribute: the more relics you hold in it, the more they pay.
Hex · a Ward can block it
4Toll of Bells
Toll of Bells ×4
Every rival pays you 2.
Hex · a Ward can block it
5Pilfer
Pilfer ×9
Take one relic from a rival, unless it sits in a Full Hoard (the Cutpurse may take from a Full Hoard).
Hex · a Ward can block it
5Plunder
Plunder ×3
Take one of a rival's Full Hoards, wilds included. Ward can block it; a Hoard under the Warden's circle cannot be taken.
Hex · a Ward can block it
5Glamour
Glamour ×4
Bewitch a rival into a trade: swap one of your unprotected relics for one of theirs.
Hex · a Ward can block it
2Windfall
Windfall ×4
Draw 2 cards.
Aims at nobody
4Rummage
Rummage ×4
Take any one card from the discard pile into your hand.
Aims at nobody
5Ward
Ward ×8
Cancel a hex aimed at you. Play it any time, even on a rival's turn.
Reaction · play it on anyone's turn
5Stonebind
Stonebind ×2
Bind a rival's Patron in stone: their ability is off until they pay 10 on their turn (paying is not a move).
Hex · a Ward can block it
4Salt Tithe
Salt Tithe ×1
Every rival pays you their smallest coin. A Ward blocks it, rival by rival.
Aims at nobody
5Mirror Ward
Mirror Ward ×1
Cancel a hex aimed at you and cast it back at its caster. Play it any time, like a Ward.
Aims at nobody
5Hollowing
Hollowing ×1
Choose a rival's Full Hoard. It grants no power and no bonus Essence until your next turn. Ward can block it.
Aims at nobody
Charms
Painted relics you cast like spells. They aim at nobody, so no Ward can stop them.
Clockwork KeyMoon KeyCinder Key
Keys ×3
Unlock: until your turn ends, your Pilfer, Plunder, Glamour and Beastcall reach into Full Hoards, Warding Circles and Bulwarks.
Book of EchoesStar AtlasLich's Grimoire
Tomes ×3
Echo: cast one of the last three spells in the discard pile again, as your own. It stays where it lies.
Comet LanternWill-o'-LanternFirefly Jar
Lanterns ×3
Lantern-light: look at the top 5 cards of the draw pile and take one into your hand. The rest go back as they were.
Dawnward AegisIvywall AegisMoonwrought Aegis
Aegiss ×3
Bulwark: until your next turn begins, no relic can be taken from your table. Only a Key unlocks it.
Gale FeatherStorm GlassZephyr Bell
Winds ×2
Second Wind: take 2 more moves this turn (casting it is one of them).
Fallen ShardComet ToothSky Iron
Shards ×2
Starfall: draw 3 cards, then discard 1 of your choice.
Sexton's BellBone ChimeMourning Bell
Bells ×1
Grave Call: take a relic from the Ash Heap straight onto your table.
Smoked LensWidow's VeilNight Cowl
Veils ×1
Eclipse: the place's rule is suspended until your next turn.
The rivals
Twelve Patrons, twelve voices
Each speaks their spells in a voice of their own.
Sera Vale
the Warden · Circle of the Oak
Warding Circle. before ending your turn, choose one Hoard. Its relics can't be taken by rivals.
Pip Tumble
the Lucky Fool · Circle of the Oak
Fool's Luck. when a rival casts a hex at you, draw 1 card.
Ada Quill
the Scholar · Circle of the Raven
Studied Hand. take 4 moves a turn instead of 3.
Vex Marrow
the Cutpurse · Circle of the Thorn
Light Fingers. your Pilfer can take a relic from a Full Hoard.
Bram Hollis
the Herbalist · Circle of the Lantern
Grow a Ward. once per turn, pay 10 to grow a Ward card into your hand. Free — costs no move.
Isolde Fen
the Dreamer · Circle of the Raven
Dreamwalk. at the start of your turn, draw 3 cards instead of 2.
Mags Crowe
the Hexer · Circle of the Thorn
Evil Eye. once per turn, a rival holding 4+ cards must discard a card of their choice. Ward can block it. Free — costs no move.
Rook Ashby
the Scavenger · Circle of the Lantern
Rummager. at the start of your turn, take your 2 cards any way you like: both from the draw pile, one from each, or both from the discard pile.
Old Thessaly
the Alchemist · Alchemists' Guild
Transmute. once per turn, burn a card from your hand (it goes to the discard pile), then draw a card from the draw pile. Free — costs no move.
Hob Greaves
the Beastmaster · Wildwardens
Beastcall. once per turn, pay 10 to take a Monster or Plant relic from any rival, even from a Full Hoard. Ward can block it. Free — costs no move.
Madame Orla
the Oracle · The Veil
Second Sight. once per turn, look at the top card of the draw pile. Keep it, or discard it to the discard pile.
The Hollow King
· Hollow Court
Unmaking. pay 50 (purse and relics) to strip a rival Patron's ability for the rest of the game. Uses your whole turn and can't be blocked.
Corvin Ashe
the Cartographer · Circle of the Raven
Wayfinder. once per turn, look at the next place the hunt reaches. You may swap it with the one after. Free — costs no move.
Wren
the Mimic-born · A Mimic
Many Faces. your Mimics each score 1 extra Essence, and moving a Mimic between your Hoards costs no move.
Brother Ilex
the Keeper · The Sanctum
Sanctuary. while you hold no hex in your hand, your Full Hoards can't be Plundered.
Nell Brightwater
the Tidecaller · The Drowned
Undertow. once each round, you may pay a bill with cards from your hand instead of your purse.
Aurelia Dusk
the Duellist · Hollow Court
Riposte. when a hex aimed at you is Warded, its caster discards a card.
Grisha Volk
the Ironmonger · Circle of the Thorn
Usury. whenever a rival pays you, they pay 1 more.
The Pale Child
· Hollow Court
Hollow Voice. once per turn, choose a rival's Full Hoard. It grants no power until your next turn. Free — costs no move.
The hunt
Nine places that bend the rules
The Hollow Moor
A dead moor under a dark moon. The fog drinks lantern light and every circle drawn in chalk forgets its shape.
Every Warding Circle on the table fades at once.
No Warding Circle can be raised again until the hunt moves on.
Full Hoards still protect their relics from Pilfer.
The Gilded Market
A market of a thousand gilded stalls where debts are collected with interest and the scales tip toward the greedy.
Tribute collects 1 more from each rival.
Toll of Bells collects 1 more from each rival.
Rivals may still answer with a Ward.
The Thieves' Warren
Tunnels under the city where the cutpurses' guild keeps its halls. Down here no lock holds and nothing stays in its case.
Pilfer can take a relic even from a Full Hoard.
Not even a Warding Circle stops a Pilfer here.
Plunder works as usual.
The Sanctum
A temple older than the kingdoms, where no spell may be raised against another. The wardens throw hexers into the night.
No hex may be cast at a rival here: Tribute, Toll of Bells, Pilfer, Plunder, Glamour and Stonebind are sealed.
Windfall, Rummage, the charms and Patron abilities still work.
Sealed spells can still go in your purse.
The Lost Vault
A vault lost for an age, its doors fallen open. Relics and coin lie heaped in the dust for whoever reaches in first.
Every player draws 2 cards as the round begins.
If the draw pile runs dry, this becomes the last round.
The Toll Bridge
A bridge over a black river, kept by a hooded collector with an iron box. Every purse pays to cross.
Every player loses the smallest coin in their purse to the discard pile.
Banked spells are not taken, only coins.
The Windswept Pass
A high pass where the wind runs faster than thought. Hands move before eyes, and deals close before they are spoken.
Everyone has 4 moves on their turn this round.
It stacks: the Scholar and a Full Hoard of Gems each add one more.
The Shifting Maze
A maze whose walls walk. Turn a corner and what you carried is in your neighbour's hands.
Each player passes one loose relic to the player on their left.
Relics in a Full Hoard or the Warden's circle stay put.
A relic moves only one seat, all at the same time.
The Moonwell
An old stone well in the wilds where the full moon drowns itself each night. It is said to give to whoever has least, and to keep what the greedy throw in.
As the round begins, the player with the least Essence draws 3 cards.
If several share the least, each of them draws 3.
Everyone else draws as usual on their turn.
The Starfall Field
A meadow where stars come down to die. Relics lie in the craters, still warm.
Filling a Hoard draws 3 cards instead of 2.
Every way of filling counts: a placed relic, a wild, a Pilfer, a Glamour.
The Ember Forge
The forge that made the Blades. It still remembers them, and holds whatever is set on the anvil for a round.
A relic placed this round can't be taken by Pilfer or Glamour until the next round.
Plunder of a Full Hoard works as usual.
The Bone Orchard
Trees grown from grave-goods. Nothing is thrown away here; it goes in the ground and comes up as fruit.
Rummage costs no move.
Everything else costs what it always does.
The Clockwork Spire
A tower that keeps time for the whole world, badly. When it runs backwards, so does the table.
Turns go the other way round the table this round.
Each player still takes one turn in the round.
The Beast Fens
Hob Greaves's wetlands, loud with things that bite. Set a Monster or a Plant down and something hands you a card.
Placing a Monster or a Plant relic draws a card.
Wilds placed as Monsters or Plants draw nothing.
The Drowned Library
Shelves under a lake. The Tomes read themselves, and reading costs nothing.
Tomes (Echo) and Lanterns cost no move.
The spell a Tome echoes still costs nothing more.
The Glass Desert
Sand fused to glass by something that happened once. Mimics count for nothing here; Thessaly likes that.
Mimics count as nothing this round: they fill no Hoard.
They still score their 1 Essence on the table.
Two-type wilds work as usual.
The Salt Road
The merchants' road, taxed by the mile. Tribute here is collected from the richest rival only, and doubled.
Tribute collects from the rival with the fullest purse only, at double the rate.
Toll of Bells is unchanged.
The Candle Vigil
A chapel where the dead are sat up and given candles. Hold too many cards and the Vigil keeps the rest.
At the end of a turn, a hand over 6 cards loses its smallest cards down to 6.
The cards lost go to the Ash Heap.
The Starwell
Corvin Ashe's observatory, the roof open to the whole sky. Lanterns see further here, and so does everyone.
A Lantern shows the top 8 cards instead of 5.
The Weeping Gate
It cries for everyone who went through and did not come back. Nothing kept here can be kept.
Plunder can't be Warded.
A Warding Circle or a Bulwark still holds.
The Tidecaller's Shoal
Nell's shoal, where the sea pays its debts. Spend your last coin and the tide brings two cards in.
Paying a bill with the last coin in your purse draws 2 cards.
The Whispering Court
The Circles' council hall, where everything is overheard. A Glamour can't be Warded; everyone already knows.
Glamour can't be Warded.
The Hollow Road
The road to the Court. Nobody takes it twice. Whoever leads loses a relic to the ditch every turn.
At the end of each turn, the player in the lead loses their least valuable loose relic to the Ash Heap.
A tie for the lead spares everyone.
The Thrall Hall
Where the nine who ascended stand and wait. Full Hoards grant nothing; they have seen what full looks like.
Full Hoards grant no power.
They still score their bonus Essence.
The Hollow Court
The throne under the dead sun. Unmaking is cheap here, and every third round the fog comes down.
Unmaking costs 30 instead of 50.
Every third round the Moor's fog falls: every Warding Circle fades and none can be raised.
Download RelicQuest.exe and double-click it. If Windows says it protected your PC, click More info, then Run anyway.
Play. It opens full screen in its own game window (F11 leaves full screen; closing the window ends the game). Its icon in the system tray brings the window back or quits.
Friends join from anywhere: host a table and pick Use Home Wi-Fi for friends in the room, or Host over the Internet for friends anywhere. Nothing to install for them.
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. Nothing to install; the first start takes a few seconds.
Download it; your Mac unpacks it to Relic Quest.app. Drag it to Applications if you like.
Open it. The first time, macOS can't verify it: open System Settings, Privacy & Security, click Open Anyway, then open it again.
If macOS says it is damaged and can't be opened, that is the same check being stricter: open Terminal and paste xattr -cr "/Applications/Relic Quest.app" (or the path where you put it), then open it again.
Play. It opens full screen in its own game window (Control-Command-F leaves full screen; Command-Q quits). Host a table on your Wi-Fi, or Host over the Internet for friends anywhere.
macOS 11 or newer, Apple Silicon and Intel. If it won't start, the reason is in ~/Library/Logs/Relic Quest.log.
