[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":453},["ShallowReactive",2],{"game-en-ascension-pirates":3,"overlays-en-ascension-pirates":452},{"id":4,"title":5,"accent":6,"age":7,"backdrop":8,"bggUrl":9,"body":10,"categories":27,"components":31,"cover":32,"deepDive":33,"description":16,"duration":174,"extension":177,"faq":178,"industryLegend":31,"lastReviewed":214,"leaders":31,"locale":215,"manualUrl":216,"mechanics":217,"meta":221,"navigation":222,"path":223,"players":224,"publisher":227,"quickStart":228,"resourceLegend":31,"rulesVersion":411,"seo":412,"sourceFiles":413,"sourceNotes":415,"stem":416,"strategies":417,"summary":448,"videoLanguage":31,"videoUrl":31,"weight":449,"year":450,"__hash__":451},"games\u002Fen\u002Fascension-pirates.md","Ascension: Pirates of the Abyss","#0E7490","13","\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fship-spaces.webp","https:\u002F\u002Fboardgamegeek.com\u002Fgeeksearch.php?action=search&q=Ascension%3A+Pirates+of+the+Abyss&objecttype=boardgame",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":23},"minimark",[13,17,20],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Ascension: Pirates of the Abyss is a standalone Ascension expansion that swaps\nthe map for the Fractured Sea. Your deck works as usual —runes to buy, power to\nfight—, but now each player has a ship that determines where crew can be used.",[14,18,19],{},"That twist forces you to read the table differently: center-row cards sit on\nboth sides and your ship only reaches the adjacent ones. Moving, anchoring and\nboarding turn a simple purchase into a positioning decision.",[14,21,22],{},"The rest is classic Ascension: thin your deck, chain purchases and finish with\nmore honor than anyone else. Thukal the Kraken and treasures add a dose of risk\nfor anyone sailing too close to the Abyss.",{"title":24,"searchDepth":25,"depth":25,"links":26},"",2,[],[28,29,30],"Deck building","Pirates","Fantasy",null,"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fcover.webp",{"title":34,"intro":35,"phases":36},"Your deck, your crew and the honor clock","You can already play cards and end your turn. Games are decided elsewhere: in what you buy with runes, when you switch from economy to power and how you use the ship so your crew is not wasted money.",[37,92,136],{"id":38,"label":39,"steps":40},"currencies","Runes, power and crew",[41,56,74],{"title":42,"text":43,"images":44,"check":49},"Two economies in one hand","Runes buy the future and power cashes the present. Every card you play tips the balance: buying heroes and artefacts makes your deck stronger in later rounds, while defeating monsters turns power into immediate honor without polluting the deck, because the monster never enters your discard. Early on almost everything should be runes; late on almost everything should be power, because you will not live long enough to enjoy another purchase.",[45],{"src":46,"alt":47,"label":48},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fhero-card.webp","Hero card anatomy: name, faction, cost, effect and honor value.","Hero card",{"question":50,"options":51,"answer":54,"explanation":55},"What is the advantage of defeating monsters over buying cards?",[52,53],"Honor is immediate and the card never enters your deck","The monster goes to your discard and gets shuffled in",0,"Monsters leave the game: you score now and your deck stays lean.",{"title":57,"text":58,"images":59,"check":68},"Artefacts stay, heroes cycle","An artefact in play stays there turn after turn: it never returns to your deck or discard, so it is a permanent engine that also adds its honor at the end. Heroes cycle instead: you draw them again and can reuse them. When two purchases look similar, the artefact wins if the game will run long; the hero wins if you need the ability now and your deck is still unbuilt.",[60,64],{"src":61,"alt":62,"label":63},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fartifact-card.webp","Artefact card anatomy: cost, faction, effect and honor value.","Artefact card",{"src":65,"alt":66,"label":67},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fguia-figuras-2.webp","Standing figures beside the board area the step describes.","Figures",{"question":69,"options":70,"answer":54,"explanation":73},"What makes an artefact special?",[71,72],"It stays in play and acts every turn","It is drawn twice per cycle","Artefacts never go back into the deck: their effect repeats without being redrawn.",{"title":75,"text":76,"images":77,"check":86},"Crew only counts where the ship is","Crew is not a second rune: it is a rune with coordinates. It only buys or defeats cards next to your ship, so its real value depends on where you placed yourself last turn. Before stacking crew, look at which cards will be in reach and whether you can sail towards them; if the ship sits far from the interesting row, every point of crew is a dead resource.",[78,82],{"src":79,"alt":80,"label":81},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fboard.webp","Board diagram for Ascension: Pirates of the Abyss showing ship spaces, the centre row, the honor pool and the Abyss.","The board and its zones",{"src":83,"alt":84,"label":85},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fguia-cartas-2.webp","Game cards face up in a fan, none covering another.","Cards",{"question":87,"options":88,"answer":54,"explanation":91},"What decides how much crew is worth?",[89,90],"The ship's position and the adjacent cards","How much honor is left in the pool","Crew only works in and around the ship's space: no position, no value.",{"id":93,"label":94,"steps":95},"deck","Building a deck that does not clog",[96,110,122],{"title":97,"text":98,"images":99,"check":104},"Ten cards means two turns per lap","You start with ten cards and draw five, so the first lap through the deck is almost always the same. Every card you buy lengthens that lap and every card you banish shortens it. A small deck of good cards sees its best cards more often; a deck bloated with cheap buys sees filler. Banishing Apprentices and Militia is not a luxury: it is how purchased cards reach your hand at all.",[100],{"src":101,"alt":102,"label":103},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fstarting-hand.webp","Starting hand of 5 cards and the personal 10-card deck: 7 Apprentice, 2 Militia and 1 Buccaneer.","Starting hand and deck",{"question":105,"options":106,"answer":54,"explanation":109},"What does banishing basic cards achieve?",[107,108],"Your best cards show up more often","More honor in the pool","Less filler means a higher density of useful cards in every hand.",{"title":111,"text":112,"images":113,"check":116},"Buy for honor, not only for effect","At the end you count the printed honor on every card you own, including the ones you never played. That makes high-honor cards worth points even when their ability is mediocre. The right question is not only “does this help now?” but “how much honor does this add per rune spent?”. A five-rune card with four honor competes with two two-rune purchases worth two honor each.",[114],{"src":115,"alt":84,"label":85},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fguia-cartas-3.webp",{"question":117,"options":118,"answer":54,"explanation":121},"Which cards score at the end, besides the ones you played?",[119,120],"Every card in your deck, hand and discard","Only the artefacts in play","The honor of all your cards counts, wherever they sit in your area.",{"title":123,"text":124,"images":125,"check":130},"The row belongs to everyone","Only six cards are visible and any player may buy or defeat them. Taking the card a rival needs is worth as much as buying your own, even if you never use it. The row refills as soon as a card leaves, so the information changes before your next turn: do not plan two purchases around the same six cards, plan around what you want to own when your next hand comes.",[126],{"src":127,"alt":128,"label":129},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fcenter-row.webp","Six centre-row cards with heroes, constructs and monsters, each showing its cost and honor value.","Centre row",{"question":131,"options":132,"answer":54,"explanation":135},"Why can a purchase you do not need be good?",[133,134],"Because you deny it to a rival from the shared row","Because it raises the honor pool","The row is shared: denying a key card is a real defensive play.",{"id":137,"label":138,"steps":139},"clock","The map and the endgame",[140,156],{"title":141,"text":142,"images":143,"check":150},"Honor is a countdown","The game ends when the pool runs out: thirty per player. Every monster you defeat and every honor card you buy pushes that end closer. If you trail on honor, you want a longer game and more economy; if you lead, you want the pool empty as soon as possible. Ignoring that count is the usual way to lose a game that looked won.",[144,148],{"src":145,"alt":146,"label":147},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fhonor.webp","Honor reserve area of the board with the pile of red honor tokens.","Honor reserve",{"src":149,"alt":84,"label":85},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fguia-cartas-1.webp",{"question":151,"options":152,"answer":54,"explanation":155},"What suits the player trailing on honor?",[153,154],"A longer game and a better deck","Draining the pool fast","A longer game lets economy purchases overtake someone who only cashed immediate honor.",{"title":157,"text":158,"images":159,"check":168},"Sail two turns ahead","The ship moves once per turn and crew only reaches adjacent cards, so positioning is a two-turn decision: today you sail, tomorrow you buy. Treasure cards share the map with the row, and boarding grants honor that never passes through your deck. If the row offers nothing, moving towards a treasure or an expensive card you want to pay for with crew beats buying filler for the sake of buying.",[160,164],{"src":161,"alt":162,"label":163},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Ftreasure.webp","Two treasure cards and the honor they add at the end of the game.","Treasure cards",{"src":165,"alt":166,"label":167},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fguia-barco-3.webp","Ships on the board, each bow pointing at the space it moves to.","Ships",{"question":169,"options":170,"answer":54,"explanation":173},"How long does a good ship position last?",[171,172],"Until your next move: you have to plan it","The whole game, since the ship never moves","The ship moves once per turn, so today's position is bought for tomorrow.",{"min":175,"max":176},40,60,"md",[179,183,187,190,194,197,200,203,206,210],{"category":180,"question":181,"answer":182},"setup","How much honor goes into the reserve?","30 points per player: 60 for two players, 90 for three and 120 for four. The game ends when the last token of that reserve is taken.",{"category":184,"question":185,"answer":186},"turn","Can I buy or defeat cards in any space?","With runes and power, yes, wherever your ship is. Crew is the only resource limited to the space adjacent to your ship.",{"category":184,"question":188,"answer":189},"When do I refill the center row?","Immediately, as soon as a card leaves the row and before resolving any other action. The row must be full when a player has a decision to make.",{"category":191,"question":192,"answer":193},"special","What does Anchoring do?","When you buy or defeat a center-row card with the Anchor symbol while your ship is adjacent, resolve that effect immediately. If the card is not in the center row, Anchoring does nothing.",{"category":191,"question":195,"answer":196},"How do I defeat Thukal the Kraken?","With power or crew, like any monster. When defeated, you place it in front of you and use its ability; it is not replaced by another card. While it is in the Abyss, ships that pass through or end their turn there must put 1 treasure under it.",{"category":191,"question":198,"answer":199},"What happens if the Kraken boards my ship?","Choose 1 of your treasures and put it under the Kraken card. Whoever defeats that monster takes the treasure.",{"category":191,"question":201,"answer":202},"How do treasures work?","When a treasure card appears in the center row, keep revealing until you find a non-treasure card; treasures stay underneath. Buying or defeating that card gives you all the treasures below it.",{"category":184,"question":204,"answer":205},"Can I move my ship more than once?","Once per turn you may move it to a connected space. Some cards allow extra moves before or after that normal move.",{"category":207,"question":208,"answer":209},"scoring","Which honor counts at the end of the game?","All heroes and artifacts you own (including hand, deck, discard and artifacts in play), the honor tokens you took and the treasures you control.",{"category":211,"question":212,"answer":213},"end","What if the honor pool runs out before the round ends?","The game ends at the end of the current round, after the last player. Leftover tokens can still track points earned before the end.","2026-10-23","en","https:\u002F\u002Fjuegos.tcgfactory.com\u002Fjuegos\u002Fascension-piratas-del-abismo\u002F",[218,219,220],"Deckbuilding","Hand management","Card drafting",{},true,"\u002Fen\u002Fascension-pirates",{"min":25,"max":225,"best":226},4,[25],"Stone Blade Entertainment",{"pitch":229,"pitchCheck":230,"setup":236,"turn":308,"mistakes":376,"winning":404,"winningCheck":405},"Ascension: Pirates of the Abyss is a deck-building game for 2–4 players. You start with 10 basic cards and a pirate ship. Each turn you play heroes to generate runes, power and crew, buy heroes and artifacts, and defeat monsters for honor. Runes and power work anywhere on the board, but crew only reaches the space next to your ship. You can also board rival ships and use Anchoring when you buy or defeat a card with that symbol in its space. The player with the most honor when the honor pool runs out wins.",{"question":231,"options":232,"answer":54,"explanation":235},"When does the game end?",[233,234],"When the honor reserve runs out","When the center deck runs out","The game ends when the honor reserve is empty.",[237,247,258,275,285,295],{"text":238,"images":239,"check":241},"Each player takes a starting deck of 10 cards (7 Apprentice, 2 Militia and 1 Buccaneer), shuffles it and draws 5; the other 5 stay in the deck.",[240],{"src":101,"alt":102,"label":103},{"question":242,"options":243,"answer":54,"explanation":246},"How many cards does each player draw at the start?",[244,245],"5","10","You draw 5 and leave 5 in the deck.",{"text":248,"images":249,"check":252},"Each player picks a ship and its crew dial. The first player starts with 0 crew, the second with 1, the third with 2 and the fourth with 3.",[250],{"src":251,"alt":166,"label":167},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fguia-barco-1.webp",{"question":253,"options":254,"answer":54,"explanation":257},"How much crew does the third player start with?",[255,256],"2","0","Starting order gives 0, 1, 2 and 3 crew.",{"text":259,"images":260,"check":269},"Place Heavy Infantry, Mystic and the Cultist in their fixed board slots, and Thukal the Kraken in the Abyss.",[261,265],{"src":262,"alt":263,"label":264},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fkraken.webp","Thukal the Kraken card with its cost and honor reward.","Thukal the Kraken",{"src":266,"alt":267,"label":268},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Ffixed-cards.webp","The cards that are always available: Heavy Infantry, Mystic and the Cultist, next to the center deck.","Fixed cards",{"question":270,"options":271,"answer":54,"explanation":274},"Where is Thukal the Kraken placed?",[272,273],"In the Abyss","In the center row","Thukal goes to the Abyss, not the center row.",{"text":276,"images":277,"check":279},"Shuffle all black-bordered cards into the center deck and reveal 6 cards: 3 on each side of the board, forming the center row.",[278],{"src":127,"alt":128,"label":129},{"question":280,"options":281,"answer":54,"explanation":284},"How many cards are revealed in the center row?",[282,283],"6","4","Three are revealed on each side of the board.",{"text":286,"images":287,"check":289},"Put 30 honor per player into the honor reserve: 60 for two players, 90 for three and 120 for four.",[288],{"src":145,"alt":146,"label":147},{"question":290,"options":291,"answer":54,"explanation":294},"How much honor is used with 3 players?",[292,293],"90","60","It is 30 per player: 60, 90 or 120.",{"text":296,"images":297,"check":302},"Randomly choose the first player. On their first turn, each player places their ship on any ship space on the board.",[298],{"src":299,"alt":300,"label":301},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fship-spaces-board.webp","Fractured Sea board with the ship spaces marked and the crew dial below.","Ship spaces",{"question":303,"options":304,"answer":54,"explanation":307},"Where does each player place their ship on their first turn?",[305,306],"On any ship space","In the middle of the board","The ship enters any ship space on the board.",[309,320,333,347,361],{"title":310,"text":311,"images":312,"check":314},"Play your cards","Play heroes from your hand to gain runes, power, crew or honor. Artifacts stay in play and their abilities can be used every turn.",[313],{"src":46,"alt":47,"label":48},{"question":315,"options":316,"answer":54,"explanation":319},"What are runes used for?",[317,318],"Buying cards","Defeating monsters","Runes buy cards; power defeats monsters.",{"title":321,"text":322,"images":323,"check":327},"Buy heroes and artifacts","Spend runes to buy cards from the center row, the Mystic or Heavy Infantry. Bought cards go to your discard pile.",[324],{"src":61,"alt":325,"label":326},"Artifact card anatomy: cost, faction, effect and honor value.","Artifact card",{"question":328,"options":329,"answer":54,"explanation":332},"Where does a bought card go?",[330,331],"Your discard pile","Your hand","Bought cards go to the discard pile and are shuffled in later.",{"title":334,"text":335,"images":336,"check":341},"Defeat monsters","Spend power to defeat monsters and collect their honor reward. Refill the empty center-row slot immediately.",[337],{"src":338,"alt":339,"label":340},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fmonster-card.webp","Monster card anatomy: power cost, reward and honor value.","Monster card",{"question":342,"options":343,"answer":54,"explanation":346},"Which resource defeats monsters?",[344,345],"Power","Runes","Power is spent to defeat monsters.",{"title":348,"text":349,"images":350,"check":355},"Move the ship and use crew","Once per turn you may move your ship to a connected space. Crew buys or defeats cards adjacent to your ship; it cannot be used at a distance.",[351,354],{"src":8,"alt":352,"label":353},"Pirate ship sailing the Fractured Sea with sails full and energy shots firing.","Ship and crew",{"src":149,"alt":84,"label":85},{"question":356,"options":357,"answer":54,"explanation":360},"How many times per turn can you move your ship?",[358,359],"Once","Twice","The ship moves once per turn to a connected space.",{"title":362,"text":363,"images":364,"check":370},"Anchor, board and end the turn","Anchoring triggers when you buy or defeat an adjacent card with that symbol. Boarding lets you take a treasure from another ship in your space. Then discard your hand and played heroes and draw 5.",[365,366,368],{"src":161,"alt":162,"label":163},{"src":367,"alt":166,"label":167},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fguia-barco-2.webp",{"src":369,"alt":66,"label":67},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Fascension-pirates\u002Fguia-figuras-1.webp",{"question":371,"options":372,"answer":54,"explanation":375},"When does Anchor trigger?",[373,374],"When buying or defeating an adjacent card with that symbol","When moving the ship","Anchor fires on buying or defeating an adjacent card bearing it.",[377,386,395],{"title":378,"text":379,"check":380},"Thinking the ship limits every purchase","Runes and power buy and defeat cards in any board space. Only crew is limited to the space adjacent to your ship.",{"question":381,"options":382,"answer":54,"explanation":385},"Does the ship limit all your purchases?",[383,384],"No: it only limits crew","Yes, everything is bought on the adjacent space","Runes and power work anywhere; only crew is limited to the adjacent space.",{"title":387,"text":388,"check":389},"Not refilling the center row in time","Whenever a card leaves the center row, refill it immediately, before resolving anything else. The row must be full when someone has to make a decision.",{"question":390,"options":391,"answer":54,"explanation":394},"When is the center row refilled?",[392,393],"Immediately when a card leaves","At the end of the turn","The row is refilled at once, before anything else resolves.",{"title":396,"text":397,"check":398},"Never banishing basic cards","Apprentices and Militia water down your deck. Banishing them early makes you draw your strong cards more often and speeds up your whole economy.",{"question":399,"options":400,"answer":54,"explanation":403},"Should you banish Apprentices and Militia?",[401,402],"Yes, they dilute the deck","No, they are your best cards","Banishing basic cards speeds up your deck economy.","The game ends when the honor pool runs out (30 per player), finishing the current round. Add the honor of all your heroes and artifacts (hand, deck, discard and in play), the tokens you took and the treasures you control. The player with the most honor wins; ties go to the last player in turn order.",{"question":406,"options":407,"answer":54,"explanation":410},"Who wins?",[408,409],"Whoever has the most honor from cards, tokens and treasures","Whoever has the most cards in their deck","When honor runs out, total honor decides.","Spanish rulebook (TCG Factory, 2023)",{"title":5,"description":16},[414],"reglamentos-pdf\u002FASC015_Rulebook_ES_v1.pdf","Summary built from the Spanish rulebook in the rules folder. Card anatomy images come from that manual, so their text is in Spanish; setup photos show the components in play.","en\u002Fascension-pirates",[418,422,425,428,432,435,438,442,445],{"level":419,"title":420,"text":421},"beginner","Buy Mystics early","Mystics are cheap, give runes and speed up your economy. Two or three early Mystics turn mediocre hands into double-purchase turns.",{"level":419,"title":423,"text":424},"Hunt monsters for honor","Killing monsters does not just score: it also clears the center row and refreshes it. Spend spare power on kills in the first rounds.",{"level":419,"title":426,"text":427},"Banish Apprentices and Militia","Every basic card you remove makes your deck faster. It is the cheapest upgrade in the game and the one you notice from the third turn on.",{"level":429,"title":430,"text":431},"intermediate","Manage the crew dial","Crew carries over between turns. Save it to buy expensive adjacent cards or to defeat a big monster without spending power.",{"level":429,"title":433,"text":434},"Park the ship for next turn","One move per turn is little: pick the space thinking about next turn's center row and about staying close to the Kraken if you plan to fight for it.",{"level":429,"title":436,"text":437},"Use Anchoring","Buying an Anchor card from an adjacent space is a double action. Before moving, look for Anchor cards in the row and park next to them.",{"level":439,"title":440,"text":441},"advanced","Control the honor clock","The pool ends the game, not your deck. If you lead on honor, pushing the end is good; if you trail, you need the round to last so you can buy high-honor cards.",{"level":439,"title":443,"text":444},"Stack treasures for the count","Treasures add honor at the end and some have permanent effects. Boarding a ship with treasures or defeating monsters guarding them can decide the tiebreak.",{"level":439,"title":446,"text":447},"Set up the final round","When few honor tokens remain, make your last turn your best: hold cards that give honor and avoid buying zero-honor cards you will never play.","Build your deck, sail the Fractured Sea, defeat monsters and bank more honor than anyone else.",2.3,"2023","XNxIqdk9Pwn0R8eu6NdgcOAwkS6Unz-1AZ2u5KkGWcg",[],1792930449348]