How to Play Aeon’s End: The Nameless
How to Play Aeon’s End: The Nameless – Mastering the Board Game Basics

“Aeon’s End: The Nameless” is an expansion to the cooperative deck-building game “Aeon’s End,” where players take on the roles of powerful mages defending the last stronghold of Gravehold from the encroaching darkness. The Nameless introduces additional nemeses, a new breach mage, and fresh cards in the form of gems, relics, spells, and minions to bolster the core game. This expansion not only enhances the gameplay but also offers new challenges and strategic depth.
In “Aeon’s End,” players must meticulously plan their actions and collaborate closely with each other to fend off The Nameless. Each player begins with a unique starting deck that reflects their chosen mage’s abilities. Mastery of the game involves shrewd management of these decks, as players strive to optimise their card order, employ powerful synergies, and ultimately protect Gravehold from destruction.
Key to the game is the variable turn order, simulating the unpredictability of The Nameless’ assault, while the game’s deck management rules forbid the shuffling of the discard pile, demanding deliberate card play. The expansion offers a rich tableau, where the proper selection of gems, relics, and spells from the random supply piles is crucial and provides replayability, ensuring no two games are precisely the same.
Overview of Aeon’s End
Aeon’s End is a strategic cooperative deck-building game designed by Kevin Riley, recognised for its innovative gameplay and replayability. It invites players to defend the remnants of humanity, in the underground city known as Gravehold, from the monstrous entities called The Nameless. The game supports 1 to 4 players, allowing them to assume the roles of breach mages, each with unique abilities and starting decks.
In terms of gameplay, Aeon’s End distinguishes itself with a non-shuffling mechanic where discarded cards are turned over to form a new draw pile, preserving the order and introducing a strategic element to deck management. Each game consists of player turns interspersed with the nemesis turns, determined by a variable turn order deck, which keeps the anticipation high and challenges players to adapt their strategies.
The core game has been expanded through several expansions, such as Aeon’s End: The New Age. These expansions introduce fresh content, new mages, nemeses, and extend the lore of the universe, enhancing the depth and strategy for returning players.
The action phase in Aeon’s End is where players can cast spells, acquire new cards, and prepare their defences against the nemesis. Players must collaborate and deploy their strategies to outmanoeuvre The Nameless and protect Gravehold.
Finally, the artwork in Aeon’s End received praise for its thematic consistency and ability to immerse players into its post-apocalyptic world. The quality of design adds to the table presence, rounding out the overall gaming experience.
Essential Components
In ‘Aeon’s End: The Nameless’, the players’ ability to manage the essential components effectively will determine their success in safeguarding Gravehold from the Nameless. Understanding what each component does and how it interacts with the gameplay is crucial.
Cards and Decks
The heart of ‘Aeon’s End’ lies in its cards, which represent various abilities, spells, gems, and relics that players use to fend off the nemeses. Each player begins with a set of starter cards, which are upgraded throughout the game using aether, the game’s currency.
- Gems: These cards provide aether, allowing mages to acquire new cards.
- Relic cards: Offer special abilities or one-time effects for added strategy.
- Spells: Cast through breaches, these are the primary means for dealing damage to nemeses.
Each mage also comes with unique cards that reflect their personal abilities and breach specialisations. The nemesis deck is composed of nemesis cards that introduce unique challenges, minions, and attacks to overcome.
Game Mats
Players organise their cards and tokens on player mats, while the game tracks the well-being of Gravehold and the nemeses on separate nemesis mats.
- Player mats include spaces to organise cards, breaches, active spells, and resources.
- The nemesis mat conveys vital information about the nemesis’s life and current effects active against the players.
Life and Power Tokens
Keeping track of health is done with life tokens for the mages and life dials for Gravehold. Power tokens signify the current build-up of a mage’s special ability.
- Charge tokens: Collected through playing certain gems or relics, these are used to activate a mage’s unique ability.
- Life tokens/dials: Used to indicate the current health levels of both the players and Gravehold. If a mage’s life tokens deplete, they become exhausted – if Gravehold’s life dial reaches zero, it is destroyed and the game is lost.
Players must use their charges and life judiciously, as losing them can have dire consequences for the team’s success.
Setting Up the Game

Setting up ‘Aeon’s End: The Nameless’ involves preparation of the nemesis, assigning the players their mages, and organising the game area efficiently. Each step is crucial for a smooth start to the gameplay.
Preparing the Nemesis
In ‘Aeon’s End: The Nameless’, the nemesis represents the forces attacking Gravehold. Players must create the nemesis deck by following these steps:
- Choose a nemesis to face and place its corresponding large nemesis card in the play area.
- Construct the nemesis deck using the chosen nemesis’s specific cards and the basic nemesis cards; these should be shuffled together unless the specific nemesis rules dictate a certain arrangement.
Player Setup
Mages are the characters that players control in the game. To set up the players:
- Each player chooses a mage, places their character mat in front of them, and takes their unique starting cards, including gems, relics, and spells.
- Players build their personal starting deck following the order indicated on their mage’s mat, placing the leftmost card on top and the rightmost card on the bottom.
Game Area Organisation
The game area consists of communal elements critical for gameplay:
- Gravehold: Place the Gravehold mat with its life total visible to all players.
- The Nameless: Set aside space for the nemesis and any minions it may summon during the game.
- Supply: Organise the gems, relics, and spells available for purchase into separate piles.
Ensure the central play area remains clear and accessible for all players to interact with the collective game components effectively.
Gameplay Mechanics
In “Aeon’s End: The Nameless”, the gameplay mechanics centre around a cooperative deckbuilding experience where players take on the roles of breach mages. These mages must work together using a turn order deck, deckbuilding strategies, and carefully planned actions to defend Gravehold from The Nameless.
Turn Order and Phases
Turn Order: The turn order in “Aeon’s End: The Nameless” is not set. Instead, players shuffle a turn order deck to determine the sequence of play. This deck includes cards for each player and the nemesis, introducing an element of unpredictability into the game.
Phase Structure: Each turn is divided into several distinct phases:
- Beginning Phase: Resolve any start of turn effects.
- Main Phase: Here, the player may perform any number of actions in any order, including playing gems, relics, and spells, or using their breach mage’s abilities.
- Casting Phase: Active spells prepped in previous turns may be cast.
- End Phase: Resolve any end of turn effects.
Performing Actions
During the Main Phase, players have the option to perform several actions:
- Play a Gem: Using gems generates aether, which is the currency used for buying new cards.
- Play a Relic or Spell: Relics provide various effects, while spells can be prepped to breaches or cast for immediate or later effects.
- Gain a Card: Players spend aether to add new cards to their deck, enhancing their abilities.
- Open or Focus a Breach: Breaches are used to cast spells; they can be opened for permanent use or focused to reduce their opening cost.
- Prep a Spell to an Open Breach: This is a preparation for casting phases in following turns.
Casting Spells
In the Casting Phase, players may cast spells that were prepped to their breaches during previous turns. Each breach can hold one spell, and casting follows specific rules:
- A spell must have been prepped to a breach in a previous turn to be cast.
- Immediate Cast Spells: Some spells have effects that take place immediately upon casting.
- Delayed Cast Spells: Others may be placed on top of the draw pile to be drawn and potentially prepped again.
This structure for casting spells from opened breaches forms an integral part of the game’s strategy, as players must balance between immediate effects and setting up for future turns.
Advanced Playing Strategies

Mastering “Aeon’s End: The Nameless” is not just about knowing the rules, but also about applying effective strategies to overcome The Nameless. Enhanced deck management and optimum use of breaches are pivotal for a successful defence of Gravehold.
Deck Management
Deck management is the cornerstone of any deck-building game, and “Aeon’s End” is no exception. A player must be judicious in developing their deck. It’s not the size of the deck that matters, but the quality and synergy of the cards it contains. A small, well-curated deck often trumps a larger, unfocused one. Therefore, they should aim to acquire cards that work well together rather than indiscriminately adding new cards.
- Trimming the Deck: One should resist the temptation to buy new cards every turn. Instead, focus on removing weaker cards that no longer serve the evolving strategy.
- Cycling the Deck: Being aware of the deck’s order without shuffling allows players to plan their future turns, strategising when to draw and play specific cards.
Utilising Breaches
Breaches are a unique feature in “Aeon’s End” that dictate a mage’s ability to cast spells. Players should use them strategically to maximise their offensive capabilities.
- Opening Breaches: They should prioritise opening new breaches to increase the number of spells they can cast each turn.
- Focus on Synergy: Assigning the right spells to the appropriate breaches can enhance their effects, so players should consider the positional bonuses of each breach when casting spells.
Understanding the nuanced mechanics of deck management and breaches can lead to more sophisticated strategies that are crucial in the more challenging expansions like “The Nameless”.
Understanding the Nemesis

In “Aeon’s End: The Nameless”, players must be vigilant against the Nemesis, a force that continually threatens the last stronghold of Gravehold. Knowing how to manage the Nemesis turn and understanding the diversified array of Nemesis cards and effects are crucial for a team’s success.
The Nemesis Turn
During a Nemesis turn, the game escalates as the Nemesis takes actions to thwart the players’ defence of Gravehold. The Nemesis turn revolves around drawing and activating Nemesis cards, which can spawn Minions, unleash Attacks, or create Power effects that build up over time. The activation of these cards can introduce Tokens, representing various detrimental effects or conditions that players must handle.
- Minions are persistent threats that must be defeated or they will inflict damage to Gravehold or the players with each Nemesis turn.
- Tokens are typically used to track the effects on the board, such as damage counters or conditions applying to the Nemesis or Minions.
Nemesis Cards and Effects
Nemesis cards form the core of the Nemesis’s arsenal and guide its actions. These cards can be classified into different categories:
- Minions: Creatures that players must deal with promptly to prevent ongoing harm.
- Attacks: Immediate challenges that must be resolved when drawn.
- Powers: Cards that require a set number of turns to activate, offering players a chance to thwart them but leading to severe consequences if left unattended.
Each Nemesis card will affect the game state in distinctive ways:
- Minions may have abilities that activate each turn or when certain conditions are met.
- Tokens, such as curse or damage tokens, can be introduced by these cards and represent ongoing statuses that impact gameplay.
By understanding the patterns and potential threats of the Nemesis, players can strategise and optimise their turns to protect Gravehold and defeat the Nemesis.
Winning and Losing Conditions

In “Aeon’s End: The Nameless,” players must work together to ensure the survival of Gravehold and to exhaust the nemesis. The fate of the game lies in maintaining the life total of the city of Gravehold, as well as depleting the nemesis deck. The delicate balance between offensive strategies and defensive tactics is crucial for achieving victory or facing defeat.
Protecting Gravehold
To achieve victory, players must protect Gravehold, the last bastion of humanity. Gravehold has its own life total, and if it is reduced to zero, the players lose the game. The team must balance the management of their resources to defend Gravehold effectively.
- Key Defence Strategies:
- Prioritise spells and relics that can restore or prevent damage to Gravehold.
- Coordinate with fellow players to optimise defensive efforts across turns.
Depleting the Nemesis Deck
Another path to victory is to completely deplete the nemesis deck. The game ends immediately in the players’ favour if the following conditions are met:
- The nemesis has no cards in its deck.
- It has no minions or powers in play.
- The nemesis’s life total is reduced to zero.
Managing the players’ collective resources and abilities is essential. One should always keep an eye on the nemesis deck, working to negate its effects and destroy its minions and powers before they can overwhelm the players.
- Strategic Offensive Tactics:
- Develop a versatile market of gems, relics, and spells offering both offence and defence.
- Collaborate to chain powerful combinations that weaken the nemesis efficiently.
Expansions and Variations
Aeon’s End: The Nameless adds depth to the base game by introducing several new elements that can be tailored to enhance gameplay experience. Players can infuse these components to increase complexity and replayability.
Incorporating Expansions
When adding expansions like The Nameless or others such as The Depths to the base game of Aeon’s End, players should follow a step-by-step process to integrate new content seamlessly:
- Cards: Shuffle the new gem, relic, and spell cards into their respective decks.
- Nemeses: Add the new nemeses to the pool from which to draw enemies for each game.
- Breach Mages: Incorporate the new breach mage(s) into the selection available to players.
- Randomizer Cards: Utilize the included randomizer cards to ensure a varied setup for each game.
The New Age expansion is particularly significant as it introduces an expedition system, which allows players to experience a series of linked games known as campaigns, adding a dynamic progression and narrative to the cooperative deck-building gameplay.
Variable Game Setup
Aeon’s End is well-regarded for its variable turn order, which keeps players engaged and strategising constantly. Each game round begins with players shuffling their turn order cards, creating an unpredictable sequence that demands adaptability.
The base game, along with expansions, comes with different game setup variations:
- Standard Setup: Follows the base game rules with a fixed market setup and selected nemesis.
- Randomized Setup: Players can use randomizer cards to determine which cards will be available in the market, adding an element of surprise and requiring on-the-fly strategy adjustments.
By combining the expedition system from expansions like The New Age with randomised elements, players ensure that no two games are the same, significantly enhancing the game’s longevity and appeal.
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ section aims to address common questions surrounding Aeon’s End: The Nameless, assisting players in understanding specific mechanics and strategic elements of the game.
Clarifying Rules
1. Gravehold: How does Gravehold’s damage mechanic work?
- Gravehold possesses its own life points. If its life points drop to zero due to Nemesis attacks, the players lose the game.
- It’s crucial to balance defending Gravehold with defeating the Nemesis.
2. Breach Abilities: What are the special abilities of breaches?
- Breaches are the primary means for a player’s mage to cast spells.
- Some breaches offer additional abilities, such as extra damage, upon opening or when a spell is cast from that breach.
3. Using Spells: How can players optimise spell usage?
- Players should focus on preparing spells in their breaches during their turn.
- Casting spells is typically done at the start of a player’s turn, but some abilities allow spell casting at different times.
Gameplay Queries
1. Building a Mage’s Deck: What is the strategy for selecting gems, relics, and spells?
- Players should purchase cards that complement their mage’s unique ability and enhance their deck’s synergy.
- Balancing the deck with a mix of gems (for buying power), relics (for various effects), and spells (for dealing damage) is key.
2. Dealing with Nemesis Cards: What strategies are effective against Nemesis cards?
- Players need to quickly assess the threat level of each Nemesis card and decide the order in which to address them.
- Cooperation among players to strategise the defeat of Nemesis cards is vital, sometimes prioritising immediate threats over long-term planning.
Remember, each game will vary, and adapting strategies to the evolving situation is the essence of mastering Aeon’s End: The Nameless.
Closing Thoughts
‘Aeon’s End: The Nameless’ stands out as a robust extension to the base game, offering a significant contribution to the cooperative deck-building experience. Designed by Kevin Riley, the game’s strategic depth is enhanced by introducing formidable nemeses that demand collaborative tactics and adaptability.
Players find that the new adversaries, such as The Wayward One and Blight Lord, present fresh challenges requiring innovative strategies. Each nemesis behaves distinctively, changing the dynamics of every encounter and heightening replayability.
The artwork enriches the thematic lore of Aeon’s End, creating an immersive environment. This enhances the overall narrative and draws players into the struggle to defend Gravehold against The Nameless.
Strategy is paramount; players must consider their collective approach to spellcasting and resource management while navigating the evolving threats. The game rewards teamwork, planning, and fluid adjustment to the nemesis’s actions.
Incorporating ‘The Nameless’ into a gaming repertoire promises Aeon’s End enthusiasts an extended exploration of the universe, where the backbone of success lies in unity and strategic finesse. The expansion is a testament to the game’s evolving complexity and Kevin Riley’s commitment to delivering engaging cooperative experiences.