Naga Raja

Each player receives a temple board, placing it so the side with three entrances faces them. Players then take their matching relics (yellow or gray backs), shuffle them face down, and randomly place them around the paths of their temple, excluding the entrance spaces. The room tiles are shuffled into a face-down pile between players, with the trap tile set aside. The top room tile is flipped face up, and if it has an amulet symbol, an amulet token is placed face down on it. The deck of cards is shuffled, and each player is dealt five cards. Each player also receives a player aid. Finally, players toss two brown fate sticks, and the player with the highest total number of pips (fate points) becomes the 'guide' (first player) and takes the scroll token. If there's a tie, those players re-roll until the tie is broken.

The primary objective in Naga Raja is to be the first player to accumulate 25 or more victory points from a combination of revealed relics and collected amulets. Alternatively, you can win if your opponent collects three cursed relics, as this immediately causes them to lose the game. Players must carefully balance their pursuit of points with the risk of uncovering cursed relics.

Each round of Naga Raja consists of four distinct steps. First, in the 'Call of Fate' step, the guide secretly chooses one or more cards from their hand to play face down, indicating how many cards they played. The other player then does the same. Second, in the 'Confrontation' step, players reveal their chosen cards. They then collect fate sticks from the supply matching the symbols on their played cards. Players then take turns, starting with the guide, to discard a stick showing a 'naga' symbol to play a card from their hand, resolving its effect. This continues until both players pass consecutively. Third, in the 'Exploration' step, the player who won the room tile (the one with the most fate points remaining on their sticks) places it into any empty space in their temple, rotating it as desired. The tile must be placed adjacent to an entrance or another already-placed room tile, sharing at least one full edge. If a path is formed from an entrance to an amulet, that amulet is collected. If a path is formed to a relic, the relic is flipped face up. If a path to a face-up relic is broken, it's flipped face down again. Fourth, in the 'New Deal' step, the guide passes the scroll to the other player. The new guide draws three cards, keeps two, and gives one to their opponent. Finally, a new room tile is flipped face up, and a new round begins.

Victory points are primarily earned from relics. When a path is created from an entrance to a relic, that relic is flipped face up and its point value (ranging from 3 to 6) is added to the player's score. Some amulet tokens, when collected, also provide 1 or 2 secret victory points. These amulet points are kept hidden from the opponent until the end of the game or when a player reaches 25 points. While cursed relics (worth 6 points) contribute to a player's score, collecting three of them results in an immediate loss. Players must track their total points, including hidden amulet points, to determine when they reach the winning threshold.

The game can conclude in one of three ways. The game ends immediately if any player reaches a total of 25 or more victory points, including any hidden amulet points they have collected. That player wins. The game also ends immediately if a player has three cursed relics (identified by their red backs and '6' point value) face up in their temple. In this scenario, that player loses, and their opponent wins. Finally, if a player places their ninth room tile into their temple, and neither of the other two end conditions have been met, the game ends. In this case, players reveal all their hidden amulet points, and the player with the highest total victory points (from relics and amulets) wins. If there's a tie, the player who placed the ninth tile wins.