Setup: Each Player takes a Player Mat and a Poise Marker. Everybody starts with 10 Poise.

Shuffle the deck and deal each Player seven cards. Leave space for a Discard pile. Randomly choose who goes first.

Item & Restoration cards can be used before or after an Exchange has been resolved, or in lieu of an Exchange.

BEGIN AN EXCHANGE

Items: You may have only 1 Item in play at a time, and you must discard it before you put another Item into play. To put an Item into play, put the card on your Item space on your Player Mat. You may change your Item cards any number of times, provided that it is your Turn and you are not currently resolving an Exchange. An Item remains in play until you choose to, or are forced to, discard it. Poise Restoration Cards: You may play any number of Poise Restoration Cards on your turn, provided you are not currently resolving an Exchange. Regain the amount of Poise indicated on the card and discard the Poise Restoration card.

Objective: To be the last person standing. Attacking Player may play one Attack Card against another player.

Poise: This is how calm, cool and collected you are. If you cant Block an Attack using cards, then the Attack will cost you Poise. As long as you have Poise left, no Attack can finish you. Any Attack that brings you to less than one Poise will leave you with No Poise. If you have No Poise, the next Attack that would cause you to lose points of Poise will remove you from the game.

Is the Attack card a Response card?

Yes

Block Attacks. To play a Response Card, place the top edge of the Response Card vs. the top edge of the Attack Card you want to block. Some Response Cards fully block and attack, others only provide defense, reducing the damage of the Attack its blocking.

WHEN THE EXCHANGE ENDS

No
Remove Response cards. To play a Press Attack, discard both it and one Response Card that blocks one of your Attacks.

Calculate the damage from All Attacks, Attack Enhancement and Items.

Is the Attack card a Press Attack?

Yes

ON YOUR TURN: At the beginning of your turn, you may discard any (and all) cards from your hand. Draw cards from the deck until you have seven cards in your hand. You may not play any cards until you have finished drawing cards. If you draw the last card in the deck, shuffle the discard pile and use this as the new deck. You may initiate one Exchange and play any number of Item and Poise Restoration Cards.

No
You may play a Fancy Move to execute an amazing fencing maneuver. To play a Fancy Move Card, follow the instructions on the card, and then discard it.

Resolve the effects of cards that are on The Field (such as Disarm, etc.)

Is the Attack card a Fancy Move?

Yes
Attack Enhancements must be played at the same time as the Attack that youre enhancing. You may play any number of Attack Enhancements, but you may not use the same Attack Enhancement more than once in a single Attack.

Calculate Defense (from cards, and items still in play)

No

Does the Attacker have any Attack Enhancement cards?

Calculate each players Poise loss, and move Poise Markers.

Yes

No
OFF YOUR TURN: You may only play a card if youre Attacked. Place an Attack Card on The Field with the top edge facing towards your opponent.

Play any Attack Enhancements in a column, extending from the bottom edge of the Attack Card so that the top edge of the Enhancement touches the bottom edge of the Attack it is enhancing, or the bottom edge of another Attack Enhancement (if there is more than one). After you play all the cards you want to play, declare that your turn is over. The player to your left goes next.

Discard all cards used in the Exchange.

After the initial Attack, you may not play more Attacks during an Exchange unless a card explicitly says so.

Opponents alternate, each playing one card (Response, Press Attack or Fancy Move). The Exchange continues until one Player does not or cannot play a card.