Engineered with the ability to warp reality, The Infinity Engine was humanity’s

greatest achievement. Corrupted by this immense power, the Engine’s creators

subjugated the nations of the world.

After a millennium of slavery, a resistance rose up and destroyed the device. The
veil of reality was torn open as shards of the engine rained down upon the cities of
mankind, grinding civilization to dust.

From the hidden places of the world, Homo sapiens’ four successors have emerged,
each led by a champion who wields the power of the shards.

Homo Deus. Human and machine hybrids come together for one purpose: to survive.

Wraethe. A collective who took refuge in The Void. It’s dark and terrible energy is
forever bound to their deteriorating bodies.

Undergrowth. Hidden away in the shard-warped forests, the Undergrowth fights to

reclaim the world for their nature god.

The Order. Spiritually connected to the digital plane, these monks collect and preserve
all knowledge.

The shards are drawn to one another, their might and influence growing as the
distance between them shrinks. In the end, only the one who reunites the shards will
wield the godlike power of the Infinity Engine.

War between these factions is inevitable.

Which side will you choose?

2
GETTING STARTED
In Shards of Infinity, players compete to gain mastery of the Infinity Shard, a small
fragment of a weapon of unlimited power. You must either be the first to master this
powerful artifact, or you must destroy anyone else who has one before it is too late.

Each turn, you will play cards to gain resources. Gems ( ) allow you to recruit
Allies and Champions. Use Power ( ) to attack enemy Champions and players.
Mastery ( ) lets you unlock new abilities from your cards, leading to ultimate
control of the Infinity Shard. The last player with Health ( ) remaining wins
the game.

Contents
ǷǷ 4 Character Cards with Health and Mastery Tracker
ǷǷ 128 Cards, including:
ǷǷ 88 Black-Bordered Center Deck Cards
ǷǷ 40 White-Bordered Starting Deck Cards (Four 10-card starting decks of 7
Crystal, 1 Blaster, 1 Shard Reactor, 1 Infinity Shard)

SETUP
Shards of Infinity can be played with 2-4 players.

Randomly determine which player goes first. From there, play proceeds in a
clockwise direction.

Each player has a character card to track their Health ( ) and Mastery ( ). Each
player begins the game with 50 . Players begin the game with different amounts of
—the player going first starts with 0 , while each other player gets 1 more
than the previous player.

Example: If there are 4 players, the player going first starts with 0 , second gets 1 ,
third gets 2 , and the last player gets 3 .

Each player has a starting deck consisting of seven Crystals, one Shard Reactor,
one Blaster, and one Infinity Shard. Players shuffle their own starting deck and then
draw five cards (leaving five cards remaining in their deck).

Shuffle all black-bordered cards face down to form the center deck. From the center
deck, flip six cards face up in a row between all players. This forms the center row.
Place the center deck on one side of the center row.

3
BOARD SETUP
CENTER ROW

CENTER DECK

PLAY ZONE CHARACTER CARD

STARTING HAND
(5 Cards)

STARTING DECK
(Remaining 5 Cards)

4
GAMEPLAY
General Rules
To play a card from your hand, place it face up in front of you in your Play Zone.
Cards in the Play Zone don’t go to your discard pile until the end of your turn.

At any time, if your personal deck is empty and you need to draw a card or reveal a
card from the top of your deck, shuffle all cards in your discard pile to replenish your
deck. If you need to draw multiple cards and your deck runs out in the middle of the
draw, shuffle the discard pile to replenish the deck and draw any required cards.

Cards you recruit during your turn are placed into your discard pile.

Whenever a card leaves the center row, replace it immediately from the center deck.
This happens before anything else occurs.

At the end of each turn, discard any cards left in your hand. Then draw 5 new cards
for your next turn.

Some cards may have text that contradict these rules. If card text ever contradicts
the rules, follow the card text instead.

Turn Breakdown
Each turn is broken down into three phases.

1. Play Phase
During the Play Phase, you may take the following actions in any order.
ǷǷ Play cards from your hand to gain , , , , as well as other effects.
ǷǷ Exhaust Champions to gain their effects.
ǷǷ Recruit any number of Allies, Champions, or Mercenaries by paying their
cost. Once recruited, place them into your discard pile.
ǷǷ Fast-play any number of Mercenaries by paying their cost and putting
them into the Play Zone, gaining their effect immediately.
ǷǷ Once per turn, you may use your Character’s focus ability by spending 1 to
gain 1 .
ǷǷ Use to destroy Champions.

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2. Attack Phase
ǷǷ Assign any remaining to attack your opponents. Damage does not have to
be assigned evenly between opponents.
ǷǷ After all damage is assigned, players who are attacked may reveal any
number of cards with Shields ( ) from their hand to prevent damage equal to
the number in the icon of the revealed cards.
ǷǷ Reduce each player’s by the total assigned to them, minus any shield
reduction they used.
ǷǷ Any players with 0 or less are out of the game.

3. End Phase
During the end phase, the following actions are performed in order.
ǷǷ Put each fast-played Mercenary on the bottom of the center deck.
ǷǷ Put each Ally from your Play Zone into your discard pile. Champions remain
in play.
ǷǷ Place all unplayed cards in your hand into your discard pile.
ǷǷ Draw 5 cards from your personal deck.
ǷǷ End the turn.
You now know all the rules of the game! If you are familiar with deckbuilding games,
you can try playing now, or read on for more details.

6
CARD TYPES
Character Cards
Character cards represent each player in the game. Character cards are used to
track your and totals. Whenever you take damage (see Attacking Champions
and Players on page 11), you reduce your dial that amount. If your dial gets
to 0 , you lose. You cannot go above 50 .

Each Character Card has a Focus ability. To Focus, exhaust your character card (by
turning it sideways) and pay 1 to gain 1 . Exhaust powers, including Focus, may
only be used once per turn. Gaining can unlock special abilities on your cards
(See Mastery Threshold Bonus below). If you get to 30 , you are ready to unlock the
ultimate power of the Infinity Shard. You cannot go above 30 .

Name

Health
Tracker

Focus Mastery
Ability Tracker
Focus abilities
may only be used
once per turn.

7
Ally Cards
You can recruit Allies when they are in the center row by paying their cost and
putting them into your discard pile.

You can play any number of Ally cards from your hand each turn. When you play an
Ally from your hand, gain the effect listed on the card. If an ally has multiple effects,
perform them in the order listed. Allies stay in front of you in your Play Zone until
the end of your turn, and then go to your discard pile.

Name Gem Cost

Number of
gems you
must spend
to recruit
this card.

Faction &
Card Type

Effect Rarity
What the card
Each mark
does when
indicates a
played or
copy of the
in play.
card in the
center deck.

8
Mercenary Allies
When you recruit an Ally, it becomes a part of your deck for the rest of the game,
but you need to wait until you draw it to gain its effect. Sometimes, you need an
effect immediately, and that is where Mercenaries come in.

In addition to having the option to recruit a Mercenary just like other allies, you may
fast-play a Mercenary instead. To fast-play a Mercenary while it is in the center row,
pay its cost, gain its effect immediately and put it into the Play Zone. At the end
of each turn, all fast-played Mercenaries move from the Play Zone to the bottom
of the center deck (NOT your personal deck). You may only fast-play a Mercenary
once and you may not recruit a Mercenary after it is fast-played.

Mercenary Allies that are fast-played count as an Ally played that turn. This means
that fast-play Mercenaries can help you meet requirements for Unify and Dominion
effects.

Name Gem Cost

Number of
gems you
must spend
to recruit or
fast-play
this card.

Mercenary
Indicator

Faction &
Card Type
Effect Rarity
What the card
Each mark
does when
indicates a
played or
copy of the
in play.
card in the
center deck.

9
Champion Cards
Champions are recruited just like Allies and go to your discard pile once recruited.
Unlike Allies, once a Champion has been played it stays in your Play Zone from turn
to turn. Champions go to the discard pile only when they’ve been dealt damage
equal to their or destroyed by a card’s effect.

You can play any number of Champion cards from your hand each turn. After you
play a Champion from your hand, you may exhaust it to use its effect any time
during your turn. To exhaust a champion, turn it sideways to indicate it has been
used, then follow the instructions after the word exhaust. Each champion may only
be exhausted once per turn. At the end of your turn, reset all Champions you control
so they are ready to be used again on your next turn.

To attack a Champion, use the gained during your turn and deal damage to
it as though it were a player. In order for a Champion to be destroyed, a player
must deal damage equal to the Champion’s in a single turn (Champions do not
track damage from turn to turn). When a Champion is destroyed, it is put into its
controller’s discard pile. It may be drawn and played again on a future turn.

Name Gem Cost

Number of
gems you
must spend
to recruit
this card.

Champion
Faction & Health
Card Type

Effect Rarity
What the card
Each mark
does when
indicates a
played or
copy of the
in play.
card in the
center deck.

10
GAME ACTIONS
Playing Cards
Playing a card means to take it from your hand and put it in front of you in your Play
Zone.

When playing an Ally card, announce its effect, and follow the instructions on the
card in order from top to bottom. Any choices required by the card must be made
at that time and any conditionals must already be met for additional effects to be
gained. or generated can be used until the end of your turn. You do not have
to pay any costs to play Allies from your hand

Example: Reactor Drone says, “Gain 3 .” When you play Reactor Drone, you gain the 3
immediately, but you can wait until later in the turn to decide how to spend your .

Champions are played just like Allies, except Champions remain in the Play Zone
and can be exhausted on each of your turns. Every effect written after exhaust and
below it will occur once a Champion is exhausted.

Gaining Mastery ( )
Gaining is a way to make your cards more powerful.

Once during your turn, you may spend 1 to gain 1 . This is called your Character
Focus ability.

Your total is tracked on the bottom right of your Character Card. Card effects
may grant additional in a turn. You can have a maximum of 30 .

is not spent to gain card bonuses. When you gain , it is gained permanently
for the rest of the game.

Mastery Threshold Bonus

Some cards have a Mastery Threshold Bonus.

When playing a card with a Mastery Threshold Bonus,

you are granted the bonus ability when you play the card
if you have at least the amount of listed on the card.
You do not need to spend in order to gain a Mastery
Threshold Bonus.

Example: If you play Infinity Shard while you have 10 , you gain 3 instead of 2 . If
you have 20 , you will gain 5 , and if you have 30 , then you will gain Infinite .

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Cards only check for a Mastery Threshold Bonus at the time they are played or
exhausted. gained later in the turn will not impact them.

If a card played gains and has a Mastery Threshold Bonus, the the card
provides will count towards the Mastery Threshold Bonus.

Example: if you have 9 and play Fungal Hermit, you would gain 1 , making your
total 10 . This would make it so you get the Mastery Threshold Bonus from Fungal
Hermit, and you would gain 5 .

Attacking Champions and Players

During your turn, cards you play may produce Power ( ). is used to attack
Champions and players.

To attack a Champion, use enough to equal the Champion’s total. When

you destroy a Champion, put it into its controllers discard pile. You may attack
Champions at any time during your turn. Be sure to remember that damage dealt to
Champions does not carry from turn to turn, so only attack a Champion if you have
enough to destroy it that turn.

To attack a player, use your remaining at the end of the turn. Though Champions
can be attacked at any time, all damage to enemy players must be done at once at
the end of your turn. You may divide your among your opponents any way you
choose.

Using Shield Cards ( )

Cards with Shields ( ) are used to prevent damage to you.
These cards will have a on the left side of the card.

To use a card’s , reveal it from your hand when you would be

dealt damage to reduce the amount of damage taken. You may
reveal any number of cards with from your hand to prevent
damage.

Example: John is attacking Sarah for 7 Damage. Sarah has Command

Seer in her hand. Since Command Seer has 5 , she reveals it and only
takes 2 damage, reducing her damage wheel from 50 to 48.

Cards with are not discarded when used to prevent damage during an opponent’s
turn, but remain in your hand and can thus be used as a in a future turn and/or
played as normal during your turn. A may NOT be used to prevent damage to
your Champions.

12
Gaining Health ( )
Some cards allow you to gain . Once is gained, increase your on your
Character Card by the amount stated. Player cannot go above 50 .

Banishing Cards
When a card tells you to banish a card from your hand and/or your discard pile, you
may put a card from that zone into your banished pile. Cards in your banished pile
are no longer in your deck and are removed from the game. If a card allows you to
banish a card from your hand, you may not banish a card that you’ve already played
that turn, as that card is no longer in your hand. Banishing your weaker cards,
especially some of your starting cards, allows you to draw powerful cards more
often.

Ending Your Turn

After you are done playing cards from your hand, recruiting/fast-playing Allies and
recruiting Champions, place any remaining cards from your hand and any Allies in
your Played Zone into your discard pile. Any unspent and disappear and do
not carry over to your next turn. Draw five cards to replenish your hand. When you
end your turn, play passes clockwise around the table.

Game End
A player is eliminated when their is reduced to 0. When only one player remains,
that player is declared the winner!

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F.A.Q.
Q: If I play Cache Warden and it gains me my 10th , do I draw a card from its
bonus?
A: Yes. You will first gain 1 from the top half of the card effect, putting you to 10
or more. This will allow you to then draw a card.

Q: When I exhaust Systema AI, do I gain the Mastery Threshold Bonus listed
beneath the exhaust text?
A: Yes. Once you exhaust a Champion, everything after and below the exhaust text
occurs.

Q: Can I use Shields to defend Champions?

A: No. are only used to prevent damage to players.

Q: If I fast-play a Spore Cleric, does it count as an Undergrowth Ally played for

purposes of Unify and Dominion?
A: Yes. When you fast-play a card, it is as though you played it from your hand.
Spore Cleric will count towards Unify / Dominion bonuses.

Q: Can Thorn Zealot’s Unify ability be used to destroy Li Hin, The Shattered?
A: Yes.

Q: Do I discard shield cards from my hand when I use them to prevent damage?
A: No. To use a , you reveal the card from your hand. The card will stay in your
hand for you to play as normal on your next turn. In multiplayer games, you may
use the same shield card to prevent damage from different opponents.

Q: Can I use multiple shield cards to prevent damage?

A: Yes. You may reveal any number of cards with to prevent damage.

Q: If I banish a card from my hand, may I still use it to gain its effect?
A: No. You get a card’s effect when you play that card. Once you play it, it’s no longer
in your hand.

Q: Can I use a Crystal to gain 1 and then banish it with Shade?

A: No, cards you play remain face up in front of you until the end of your turn and
only then go to your discard pile. If you want to banish a card from your hand, you
won’t be able to get the effect from it first.

Q: Where do cards go when they’re banished?

A: Cards that are banished go to the banish pile. This pile essentially is a removed
from game zone.

14
GLOSSARY
Allies: Allies are the champions you can recruit to aid you. When you play an Ally
from your hand, you gain the effect listed on the card. It goes to your discard pile at
the end of your turn.

Banish: When a card is banished, it is placed in the banish pile (removed from the
game).

Champions: After you play a Champion from your hand, you can gain benefits from
it every turn. Champions remain in play until destroyed by an opponent.

Destroy: Destroy means to put into the discard pile from play and generally refers
to Champions.

Exhaust: An Exhaust ability may be used once during your turn at any point of
your choosing. We recommend turning your card from vertical to horizontal to help
track when you use a card’s Exhaust ability. You may use any number of different
Exhaust abilities in a single turn.

Fast-Play: You have the option to fast-play Mercenary Allies in the center row. This
means that when you pay their cost, you have the option to gain their effect
immediately. If you fast-play a Mercenary, it goes to the bottom of the center deck
at the end of the turn.

Gems ( ): are the resource used to recruit cards.

Health ( ): If your Health becomes 0, you are out of the game. You can’t be above
50 Health.

Mastery ( ): makes your cards more powerful. You cannot spend and you
do not lose it at the end of the turn, rather builds up from turn to turn.

Mecenary: When you pay the cost of a Mercenary, you may recruit it to your
discard pile or fast-play it.

Power ( ): is used to attack enemy players and Champions.

15
CREDITS
Lead Game Design
Gary Arant and Justin Gary

Additional Game Design / Development

Ben Lundquist, Jason Zila

Project Management Lead

Gary Arant

Graphic Design
Ryan O’Connor

Illustrations
Aaron Nakahara, Digital Art Chefs, Rod Mendez, Thien Nguyen

Creative Development
George Rockwell, Ryan O’Connor, Justin Gary, Gary Arant

Flavor Text
George Rockwell, Ryan O’Connor

Special Thanks
Bryan Hughes, Theresa Duringer (and all who playtested with her at Temple Gates
Games), Glover Parker, Randall Parker

16