Eclipsed — Rules
Eclipsed — Rulebook v1.0
A meld game for 2–4 players
Overview
Eclipsed is a card game on a redesigned 52-card deck of four elemental suits — ☀ Solar, ⚡ Arc, ◉ Void, and ❄ Stasis. Two suits align to Light; two to Dark.
Each round three Edict cards define the rules: one drawn by fate, one contributed by each player from their hand. Turns are draw-and-discard. Declare melds when they score enough to be worth it. Race to go out — because unmelded high cards become deadwood when the round ends.
First to 50 points wins.
The Deck
Suits
| Suit | Element | Alignment | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☀ Solar | Fire | Light | Amplify |
| ⚡ Arc | Lightning | Light | Threshold |
| ◉ Void | Gravity | Dark | Negate |
| ❄ Stasis | Ice | Dark | Preserve |
Ranks
| Rank | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Traveler (Ace) | High (15) or low (1) — declared at time of play |
| 2–10 | Number cards | Standard rank |
| 11 | Scout | Court — bridges alignment in runs |
| 12 | Sage | Court — doubles Edict bonus on its meld |
| 13 | Warden | Court — Void-immune; meld scores minimum 3 pts |
The Edict System
Setting Edicts each round
- Flip 1 card from the deck — fate Edict
- Each player contributes 1 non-face card from hand — contributed Edicts
- Three Edicts are active. Contributed cards leave the player’s hand permanently.
Face cards (Scout, Sage, Warden) may not be contributed — fate flip only.
Suit families
| Suit | Family | Rank controls |
|---|---|---|
| ☀ Solar | Amplify | Bonus pts on Solar melds (max +5/card) |
| ⚡ Arc | Threshold | Minimum cards required in meld (max 5) |
| ◉ Void | Negate | Exact card count that scores 0 (still played) |
| ❄ Stasis | Preserve | Cards held back from melding (max 2) |
Solar Amplify Edicts
| Card | Effect |
|---|---|
| ☀2–10 (capped +5) | Solar melds +rank pts |
| ☀Scout (11) | Top meld ×1.5 |
| ☀Sage (12) | All melds +5 pts |
| ☀Warden (13) | Best meld ×1.5 |
Arc Threshold Edicts
| Card | Effect |
|---|---|
| ⚡2–5 | Melds under rank cards score 0 (burned — still played) |
| ⚡Scout (11) | First declarant this round +8 pts |
| ⚡Sage (12) | Must cover 3+ suits in declared melds to go out |
| ⚡Warden (13) | Only best meld scores this round |
Void Negate Edicts
| Card | Effect |
|---|---|
| ◉2–10 | Melds of exactly rank cards score 0 (burned — still played) |
| ◉Scout (11) | Opponent’s top meld −6 pts at round end |
| ◉Sage (12) | Court cards in melds cost −2 pts each |
| ◉Warden (13) | Pairs score 0 this round |
Stasis Preserve Edicts
| Card | Effect |
|---|---|
| ❄2–3 (capped 2) | Hold back rank lowest cards — cannot be melded |
| ❄Scout (11) | Best last-round meld scores +6 pts again |
| ❄Sage (12) | First declared meld is Void-immune |
| ❄Warden (13) | Warden melds +5 pts, Void-immune |
Conflict resolution
- Arc + Void active: Void wins, Arc suspended
- Arc + Stasis active: Stasis wins, Arc suspended
Light/Dark meter
Count Edict suit alignments at round start:
- 2+ Light suits → meter starts Light 1
- 2+ Dark suits → meter starts Dark 1
- Mixed → Neutral
Meter amplifies relevant Edict bonuses (+2 at extreme positions). Shifts one step as aligned cards are played.
Round Structure
Setup
- Deal 8 cards to each player
- Flip fate Edict; each player contributes 1 non-face card
- Set Light/Dark meter from Edict suits
- Apply Stasis hold-back if active
- Flip 1 card to seed discard pile
On your turn
- Draw — top of draw deck OR top of discard pile
- Declare (optional) — play melds face-up; cards score now and leave hand
- Discard — place 1 card face-up on discard pile
Going out (minimum 2 turns played)
Go out at the end of your discard step if:
- Hand is empty, OR
- 10+ pts declared this round, OR
- 2+ melds declared this round
Going out bonus: +5 pts
Round ends immediately. Opponent scores declared melds only.
Deadwood
Unmelded cards in the non-going-out player’s hand:
| Ranks 2–4 | Ranks 5–9 | Ranks 10–13 | Traveler |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | −1 pt each | −2 pts each | −1 pt |
Burn to clear: If unmelded cards carry 3+ pts deadwood risk and you hold a burned meld (score 0 from Edict), you may play the burned meld to remove those cards. 0 pts but clears deadwood liability.
Melds
Sets (matching rank)
| Meld | Required | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Pair | 2 matching ranks, same alignment | 1 pt |
| Triad | 3 matching ranks | 3 pts |
| Full Element | 4 matching ranks, all 4 suits | 8 pts |
| Court set | 3+ matching court ranks | 5 pts/card |
Runs (consecutive ranks, 3+)
| Meld | Required | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Pure run | 1 suit | 1/card |
| Radiant run | ☀+⚡ only | 1/card |
| Resonant run | ◉+❄ only | 1/card |
| Cross-align run | Mixed Light+Dark | 1/card −1 (min 1) |
| Court run | Courts only | 2/card |
| Transcendent run | 4 suits, 5+ cards | 3/card |
Court abilities in melds
| Court | Ability |
|---|---|
| Scout (11) | Bridges Light/Dark alignment — run may cross alignment |
| Sage (12) | Doubles Edict bonus on this meld |
| Warden (13) | Void-immune; meld scores minimum 3 pts |
Winning
First to 50 points wins. Match totals never go below 0.
| Format | Win condition |
|---|---|
| Standard (2 players) | 50 pts — ~5–7 rounds |
| Quick | 35 pts — ~4–5 rounds |
| Long match | 75 pts or best of 3 to 50 |
Design notes
- Suits echo Destiny’s elemental system: Solar/Arc (Light), Void/Stasis (Dark)
- Court cards echo Guardian classes: Scout→Hunter, Sage→Warlock, Warden→Titan
- Validated across 40 simulations: avg 5–6 rounds/game, 7–10 pts/player/round, 10–11 turns/round
- Balance: equal win rate across both suit alignments with Solar Amplify capped at +5