How to Play Force of Will

Use your J/ruler character and generate will to convoke resonators and play chants, to contest against your opponent’s forces!

In this turn-based game, players trade off amassing the game’s resource, called will. They use that will to convoke resonators to battle, use spells for support, equip themselves with unique regalia and, eventually, use their most powerful ability: [Judgment]. Doing so, their character joins the battle as well. They are powerful allies that can turn the tide of the battle, so players will need to choose wisely when to use [Judgment]! The goal of a game of Force of Will is to attack the opponent, decreasing their life points from 4000 to 0, and win the game!

Your J/ruler

This card is your character. It starts the game with the Ruler side face up. Each Ruler has its own unique abilities. When you pay your Ruler’s [Judgment] cost, it flips over to its J-ruler side, and joins the battle in the field with your resonators!

 Zones of the game

1.    Deck

These are the cards that you have chosen to use before starting the game. You have to use at least 40 cards and no more than 60 cards to build a deck. Shuffle them before the game begins and put them in a face-down random pile.

2.    Magic Stone Deck

This deck is where you have your magic stone cards. They are used to play other cards and abilities. You have to use at least 10 cards and no more than 20 cards to build a magic stone deck. When you call a magic stone, put the top card of this deck into the field, ready to be used. Shuffle them before the game begins and put them in a face-down random pile.

3.    Ruler Area

Here is where your ruler is at the beginning of the game (Ruler, or rulers! Some characters have partners and you can use more than one at the same time! You can use your ruler to call a magic stone, to use their abilities or to do [Judgment], so they can help you in battle. Each ruler is unique: choose the one you like most before the game begins!

4.    Field

This area is where everything happens during a game. Resonators and J-rulers battle in this area, magic stones are placed here when they are called and where you place your cards when they are played, even if is only temporary.

5.    Graveyard

When a card has a single use, or is discarded or destroyed, this is the area where should be placed. Put those cards in a face-up pile here, where they will be until the end of game. Any player can look at cards in graveyards, to know what has been used during the game!

6.    Extension Rule Area

This is the area where you put your extension rule. You cannot have more than one extension rule here at the beginning of the game. This kind of cards changes the rules of how certain rulers are played.

7.    Item Area

This is the area where you put your items. Usually, this area is empty. Sometimes, cards, rules or effects create different items, like crystals, gems or will coins. If anything instructs you to create items or put cards in the item area, this is the place where they should be placed.

8.    Removed area

This is a special area. Sometimes, a card has an effect as powerful that after being used, other cards (or even the card itself) is removed from the game. Those cards are placed here, in a face-up pile, where they will be until the end of game. Any player can look at cards in removed areas, to know what super powerful cards have been used during the game!

Not in the Game Area

1.    Hand

These are the cards you have that are ready to be played. Each turn you draw a new card from the deck, and there is no limit to how many cards you can play. But remember to keep cards in your hand hidden to your opponent!

2.    Cards outside of the game // Expelled

Every card that you are not using is considered a card outside of the game. In 2024 we have created a new action called “Expel”. When a card is “expelled”, it is placed with every other card you have outside of the game, and there are no ways and will never be ways to use them again during the game.

Basic Glossary

How to play cards and abilities

By resting one magic stone, you produce will. Use this will to play cards in your hand by paying their cost, to play activate abilities of cards you control, or to pay a [Judgment] cost.

Using Will to Play Cards and Abilities

This card, “Flashfreeze”, has a total cost of two (you can check it on the upper left part of the card). The attribute cost is one light will and one water will, and the free cost is zero. This means that to play this card, you have to produce one light will and one water will.

To play this card, we will need to rest two different magic stones: one that produces light will and one that produces water will. Once we have the two will needed, we can use them to pay the cost of the card and play it.

Calling Magic Stones

To call a magic stone, you have to rest a recovered J/ruler (ruler, or J-ruler) card you control to put the top card of your magic stone deck into the field, recovered. You can call a magic stone only during your turn, only once per turn, and only if you haven’t used [Judgment] this turn.

What can you do with Will

1.      Play a Resonator, an Addition or a Regalia

By paying the cost listed on the upper left part of the card, you may play any of those cards. When you do, you will put them into the field under your control. Usually, you can only play Resonator cards, Addition cards and Regalia card during the main phase of your turn.

2.      Play a Chant

By paying the cost listed on the upper left part of the card, you may play a chant. Resolve the card following its instructions from the top of the card’s text to the bottom of the card’s text, then put it into your graveyard face up.

3.      Play an Activate Ability

Some cards may have abilities that can be played voluntarily by paying an activation cost. Those abilities are called activate abilities. Those abilities follow the format of “Cost: Effect”.

Chase (To)

“To chase” is an action involving playing an activate ability or playing a [Quickcast] spell in response to another spell or another ability. This way, you can play a card or an activate ability that interacts with one card or one ability your opponent is trying to play. Be careful! Your opponent can chase your card or activate ability with one of their own! There is no limit to cards or abilities that can used to chase other cards or abilities.

When both players choose to pass instead of chasing a card or an ability, the last card or the last ability played will resolve, and so on, until there are no more cards or abilities are being played.

Doing a Judgment process

[Judgment]

If a Ruler you control has a [Judgment] ability, you can perform its judgment process. This is an action involving paying the [Judgment] cost of that ruler and putting it into the field, with their J-ruler side face up.

Remember: A ruler can play a judgment process if it is recovered in the ruler area, is not astral and has not gone through a judgment process this turn.

A J-ruler is your character during the game and the back side of a ruler card. They can:

·      Battle like any resonator.

·      Call magic stones. But not in the same turn it was put into the field by a judgment process.

Battle

A player, during their turn and during their main phase, can declare battle. This is an action involving attacking or blocking with J/resonators.

To battle, choose a recovered J-ruler or resonator and rest it. Now, that J/resonator is considered attacking. You have to choose where are you attacking. You may choose:

·      A rested J-ruler or resonator your opponent controls with ATK and DEF.

·      Your opponent.

The card or player being attacked are also involved in battle. Now, your opponent may choose to rest a recovered J-ruler or resonator they control to block. That J-ruler or resonator is considered blocking.

Remember: Only one J-ruler or resonator may attack or block during each battle.

1.      Attacking your Opponent

If a J-ruler or resonator you control attacks your opponent directly, it deals damage equal to its ATK to them. Your opponent then loses that much life.

Example: You choose to attack your opponent with “Group of Explorers”. Your opponent chooses not to block them. As “Group of Explorers” have an ATK of 400, your opponent loses 400 life.

2.      Attacking a rested J-ruler or resonator

If a J-ruler or resonator you control attacks a rested J-ruler or resonator, they battle each other. The attacked ruler or J-resonator is considered the attacked object. Each of them deals damage equal to their ATK to the other simultaneously. Then:

·      If a resonator is dealt damage equal to or more than its DEF, it is destroyed and its controller puts it into its owner’s graveyard.

·      If a J-ruler is dealt damage equal to or more than its DEF, it is destroyed and its controller puts it into the ruler area, with its ruler side face up. It is considered Astral and cannot do [Judgment] for the rest of the game.

3.      Blocking an Attack

While you are attacking, regardless if you are attacking your opponent, a J-ruler or a resonator, your opponent may choose to rest a recovered J-ruler or resonator they control to block.

If your opponent blocks with a J-ruler or a resonator, the attacking J-ruler or resonator battles the defending J-ruler or resonator. The battle like the same way that an attacking J-ruler or resonator and an attacked J-ruler or resonator would battle.

Let’s see an example of a battle:

The attacking resonator, “Group of Explorers” has 400 ATK and 400 DEF. It is attacking “Lunya, Master Guide”, that has 400 ATK and 400 DEF. Both resonators deal 400 damage to each other simultaneously. As both resonators have 400 DEF, both resonators will be destroyed and put into their owner’s graveyard.

Let’s see another example:

The attacking resonator, “Vulture Gimmick of Aradia” has 700 ATK and 500 DEF. It is attacking “Group of Explorers”, that has 400 ATK and 400 DEF. Both resonators deal damage equal to their ATK to each other simultaneously. “Vulture Gimmick of Aradia” will deal 700 damage to “Group of Explorers”, and “Group of Explorers” will deal 400 damage to “Vulture Gimmick of Aradia”. As “Group of Explorers” has been dealt more damage than its DEF (700 damage and only 400 DEF), it is destroyed and put into its owner’s graveyard. But “Vulture Gimmick of Aradia” has been dealt less damage than its DEF (400 damage and 500 DEF), so it will take the damage and remain on the field, rested. That damage will be on “Vulture Gimmick of Aradia” until end of turn.