Overview of the game
Here you will find a brief overview of the game, the placement of the components and a brief outline of the progress of the game. The markings on the photo show more details.
OMEGA HUMANS
This is where the dice, some coins, omega humans and their upgrades, a few souls and neutral humans are located at the start of the game, before they are brought into play during the game. Every human being and every soul is magnetized for an easy and comfortable combination of different miniatures.
"HELL" - Omega REALM
This is the deployment zone for demons of all levels, the chosen champion and the idols.
ALPHA HUMANS
This is where the dice, some coins, alpha humans and their upgrades, a few souls and neutral humans are located at the start of the game, before they are brought into play during the game. Every human being and every soul is magnetized for an easy and comfortable combination of different miniatures.
"HEAVEN" - Alpha Realm
This is the constellation zone of the angels of all levels, the chosen champion and the idols.
COMBAT DECK
Whenever a battle takes place between the realms, it is fought with battle cards in which the opposing armies, disguised as dice, move towards each other. Whoever places the last die in the last row wins the battle. The battle is decided by skill and tactics and only partly by luck.
ARMY BOARD
Each player controls four army boards that are positioned outside the game board. Three of them represent the monsters, one of them represents the champion. Each board is marked with a bust of the respective miniature. The army boards contain the artifacts, humans, souls, coins, level markers and mercenaries that are carried by the army of the respective monster or champion.
Highway to Hell - Stairway to Heaven
The highway to hell and the stairway to heaven drain resources from the game. But the longer they get, the faster all the monsters and human beings in the game move.
Mystical Locations
Scouts, occultists and farmers can discover mystical locations. These generate resources and upgrades and each of the locations has abilities that can drastically influence the course of the game.
Monsters invading from the realms
Angels and demons are monsters that invade the earth, "the pit", from the realms. They are designed to take up no space on the playing field. The "stackability" of monsters and humans provides tactical depth and a comfortable gaming experience.
COINS AND BUILDINGS
Each player can build up to four temples and four citadels during the game. Temples increase the available actions in the game. Citadels are powerful bulwarks against monsters. No angel or demon can cross them.
COINS and CARD BOXES
Various elements can be stored on the sides of the realm areas, such as cards, coins, temples or citadels.
GENERAL REGIONS OF THE GAME
"The Pit" consists of three areas. The middle playing field, which consists of three individual game boards. This is Earth, our home, where we love, kill and compete for resources. The earth lies between the raised game boards (the box in which the game is located). The raised boards symbolize heaven and hell. This is why the game is also called "The Pit", because humans live in the pit between heaven and hell.
PRE GAME
Before the game, each player chooses a side. Angel or demon. Each player chooses 3 out of 8 angels or 8 demons. In addition, each player chooses one of 8 champions. These monsters and champions are the only ones who can take part in the game. There are monsters with three different levels of strength. Small, medium and large. A player can choose any monster of his realm he wants up to a maximum of 3 monsters. A player can choose to play with three small monsters if they so choose (playtesting still in progress). Each choice has its own strategic advantages and disadvantages.
All coins, miniatures and monsters are placed on the game board.
Each game of "The Pit" begins with a mini-game that prepares the battlefield. The first temple is placed first. The riskier the temple is placed, the more coins the player receives, which can be spent on locations in the subsequent mini-game. The closer the locations are placed to the opponent's sphere of influence, the cheaper they become.
There are 54 different locations in "The Pit". Around 10 to 12 are drawn at random per game. This means that you can play hundreds or thousands of games before the same combination is drawn and these will still be placed on other areas. No matter how many games are played in the lifetime of a player of "The Pit", it can be assumed that no game will be played on an identical battlefield.
EARLY GAME
In the early course of the game, humans, the followers of the monsters (angels & demons) spawn from the first temples and spread across the map. As they explore locations, they search for artifacts to sacrifice to their monsters and champion. Humans can build new temples and citadels and use certain powers. Players draw a certain number of resource cards, which are gradually reduced as the game progresses. If a player forgoes a resource card, they can place it on a road, which increases the movement ability of monsters and champions.
If a player occupies a location and gains dominance over it, they may use its special abilities and exploit its resources before the next turn begins. Locations are often home to neutral humans, the Pagans. These are a means to an end for the followers of angels and demons in order to obtain the most important resource in the game: Souls.
MID GAME
If a human is killed on earth, in the pit, a soul is created. There are two different outcomes depending on wich kind of human was killed:
1. If a Pagan is killed, the player who killed him receives this soul.
2. If a follower of a monster is killed, its soul is transported to its own realm.
The soul is placed in one of the realms in the same line in which your human lost his life. The soul can then glide through the realm and join the army of one of the monsters. The bigger the monster, the more souls are needed to enable the monster to break through the border between the realms (Heaven & Hell) and Earth, the Pit, and join the battle on Earth. The souls and humans that the monster absorbs into its army act as its life points. Because a monster is only as strong as the people who believe in it.
Monsters are destructive creatures that have a decisive influence on the war on earth. Each monster has eight hidden abilities, four of which can be used in any game, depending on the opponent.
LATE GAME
During the late game, more and more monsters come into play and start fighting each other. Large numbers of humans flock to the armies of angels and demons and form a meatshield against the attacks of the enemy monsters.
One deck of cards controls the fate of "The Pit": the Armageddon Clock.
In both realms there are hourglasses that can be sent to earth by souls. When one of these hourglasses is activated, the player draws an Armageddon Clock card that grants him certain powers or a one-time effect. The Armageddon Clock deck also contains the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Once all four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have been drawn, all humans on Earth and all weak monsters in the realms are killed.
SHOWDOWN
Each player chooses one of their activated monsters, all others are destroyed and the final showdown between the survivors takes place.
A player can only win early if he manages to complete his road (the Stairway to Heaven or the Highway to Hell), break the barrier of the opposing realm, enter the opposing realm with his monster and slay a monster on his own ground.
The player who wins the showdown wins the game. No abstract victory points, everything comes down to a final battle, the last kill decides the game.