Quick answer
Hoplomachus Victorum: Pandora's Ruin introduces three new game modes—Faces of Evil, Dark Days, and Strange Sands—that add fresh challenges and scions to your Victorum campaign.
What Pandora's Ruin adds to your game
This expansion doesn't just add more enemies. It changes how you approach each session. Faces of Evil pits you against new scions that behave differently than the usual foes. Dark Days makes the enemy presence felt throughout the entire journey, not just in specific encounters. Strange Sands lets you revisit familiar locations but with altered layouts and threats, so your map knowledge gets tested.
The Rivals system introduces a recurring opponent that adapts to your progress. If you're looking for a campaign that feels less predictable, this expansion delivers that variety without overhauling the core rules.
Before you start: what to expect
Pandora's Ruin is an expansion, so you need the base Hoplomachus: Victorum game to play. The new content fits into the existing campaign structure, meaning you can insert these modules at different points rather than playing them all at once.
One trade-off: the added complexity means longer setup time if you use all three modes in one session. New players might want to introduce one module at a time to avoid decision overload.
How to play the Pandora's Ruin expansion
- 1. Choose your first module: Select Faces of Evil, Dark Days, or Strange Sands to start. Each module has its own setup instructions in the rulebook. Don't mix all three at once—pick one per campaign session to keep the rules manageable. Common mistake: trying to play all modules simultaneously and forgetting which rules apply to each encounter.
- 2. Set up the scion deck for Faces of Evil: Shuffle the new scion cards separately. During the game, when you encounter a scion, draw from this deck instead of the base game's scion pool. The new scions have unique abilities that trigger on their turn, so read each card carefully before placing the token. Checkpoint: after drawing a scion, verify whether its ability activates immediately or at the start of the next round.
- 3. Activate Dark Days events: At the end of each round, draw a Dark Days card and resolve its effect. These events can affect movement, combat, or resource gain. Keep the card face-up until the next draw so everyone remembers the active modifier. Common mistake: forgetting to draw a Dark Days card after a round ends, which breaks the intended difficulty curve.
- 4. Explore Strange Sands locations: When your hero enters a location marked as Strange Sands, flip the corresponding tile to reveal altered terrain and enemy placements. Treat these as new encounters with their own victory conditions. You can retreat from a Strange Sands location without penalty if you haven't engaged. Checkpoint: before moving into a Strange Sands tile, confirm you have enough actions left to handle a potential fight.
- 5. Track the Rivals progress: The Rivals opponent gains strength as you complete modules. After finishing your first module, place the Rivals token on the campaign tracker. Each subsequent module adds a bonus to the Rivals' stats. Defeat the Rivals after the third module to win the expansion campaign. Common mistake: ignoring the Rivals tracker until the final module, then facing an unexpectedly strong opponent without preparation.
Product details
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Hoplomachus: Victorum - Pandora’s Ruin: Fight against new scions in Faces of Evil. Remain steadfast through Dark Days as the presence of the enemy is felt throughout your journey. These modes give you distinct gameplay challenges that change how you prioritize movement and resource management compared to the base game.
Hoplomachus: Victorum - Pandora’s Ruin
