How to Play

Primal: The Awakening

1-4 players 60-90 min 8.6 Board Game Geek Rating

Players cooperatively hunt massive monsters across campaign sessions in this 1-4 player miniature game. Combat emphasizes tactical positioning, card combos, and teamwork against unique boss creatures with distinct behaviors and weaknesses. Victory requires completing mission objectives while customizing hunter abilities and equipment through defeated monsters and story progression.

Published 2024

Primal: The Awakening

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Complete the Prologue
Read the base manual (How to Play) and finish the Prologue scenario before starting the campaign
2
Mark the Aggression Track
Place a mark on the first square of the Aggression track on the Campaign sheet
3
Select Campaign Difficulty
Choose difficulty by adjusting the Defeat track: Normal (all squares available), Hard (3 squares), or Extreme (2 squares)
4
Prepare Character Sheets
Each player takes a Character sheet and collects all components related to their chosen hunter from the Prologue rewards
5
Collect Prologue Rewards
Each player receives: 2x Fire Element cards, 1x Bones, 2x Scales, 1x Blood, 1x Zima, 1x Cyricae herb, 1x Baethanis herb
6
Unlock Starting Forge Cards
Add the Fire Forge Level 1 card and Alchemist Level 1 card to available forge options
7
Record Party Experience
The group starts with 1 Experience (shared among all players)
8
Prepare the Quest Deck
Combine all Quest cards from the base game with any expansions, then reveal Quest cards 1 and 2 as initially available
9
Prepare the Contract Deck
Combine all Contract cards from base game and expansions, then reveal Contract card 1 as the first active contract
10
Set Up the Questboard
Place the Quest deck, Contract deck, and Archive area, with available Quests and active Contracts displayed face-up

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Event Phase
Check if there are Events on the current Aggression track position and resolve them by reading the corresponding manual page
2
Questboard Phase
Select an Active Quest from available Quest cards based on the Monster you want to hunt and Trophy needed
3
Check Contract Completion
Review active Contract cards to see if conditions are met; spend required resources as a group if necessary to claim rewards
4
Garrison Phase
Perform any number of actions simultaneously with other players: forge equipment, repair equipment, create potions, heal wounds, and level up your deck
5
Forge Equipment
Spend required Element card plus common resources from your personal Resource deck to craft items from unlocked Forge cards
6
Observe Class Restrictions
Only craft Weapon cards matching your Hunter's class; all other equipment types are available to everyone
7
Repair Depleted Equipment
Spend 1 common resource card (from that item's recipe) to remove a Deplete token from equipment
8
Create Potions
Spend Herb cards according to Alchemist card recipes to gain Potion cards
9
Heal Wounds
Consume herbs as indicated on the Alchemist card to remove 1 Wound card from your deck (maximum 1 per session)
10
Level Your Deck
Add Action and Mastery cards with Exp values equal to or lower than current Party Experience
11
Build Your Deck
Follow Weapon card restrictions specifying exact numbers of Attack, Maneuver, Parry, and Dodge cards; include 1 unlocked Mastery card
12
Read Quest Introduction
Take the Active Quest card and read its introductory text
13
Find Scenario Instructions
Locate the corresponding Scenario page in the manual for narrative and setup rules
14
Set Monster Aggression Level
Prepare Monster components matching the current Aggression value from the Campaign sheet
15
Apply Special Rules
Follow any scenario-specific rules which override standard rules (alternate victory/defeat conditions, unique events)
16
Choose Player Equipment
Select Weapon, Armor, Helm, up to 3 Consumable cards, and 1 Accessory card from crafted/rewarded equipment
17
Consider Elemental Matchups
Check Monster strengths and weaknesses against your equipment's element to apply damage modifiers
18
Apply Weapon Bonuses
If Monster is Weak X to your Weapon's element, gain +X damage; if Strong X, suffer -X damage penalty
19
Calculate Armor Protection
When receiving elemental damage, reduce damage if your Armor/Helm is Strong against that element; increase if Weak

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Complete the Scenario
Fulfill the victory conditions specified on the Scenario page to successfully finish a Quest
2
Collect Rewards
Upon victory, receive resources, elements, herbs, Experience, Achievements, and unlock new Quests/Forge cards as listed
3
Advance the Aggression Track
Move forward 1 space on the Aggression track after each successful scenario
4
Archive Completed Quests
Mark completed Quests with an X on the Campaign sheet and unlock new ones (marked with a circle)
5
Reach the Campaign Finale
When the Aggression track reaches the 11th square, trigger the campaign ending based on accumulated Achievements and progression
6
Fail a Scenario
Lose combat or fail scenario-specific conditions to fail the Quest
7
Mark Defeat Track
Advance 1 space on the Defeat track after each failed Quest
8
Campaign Ends on Full Defeat
If the last square on the Defeat track is marked, the campaign ends and must restart from the beginning
9
Retry After Failure
Return to Garrison and begin a new session from Event Phase without advancing the Aggression track (some important Quests cannot be retried)
10
Record All Progress
Track information on Campaign and Character sheets including unlocked Forges, completed Quests, Trophies, Achievements, and resources
11
Mark Quest Status
Use X for archived Quests and circles for unlocked available Quests
12
Restore from Sheets
When resuming, gather components based on saved information: rebuild Quest deck, collect Equipment cards, and take Upgrade cards matching Party Experience

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

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