Players are secretly assigned the role of a character belonging to one of three factions: Shadows, which are supernatural creatures of the night, Hunters, which are humans attempting to exterminate the Shadows, and Neutrals, which are unaffiliated characters who are caught in the crossfire with individual victory conditions.

At this point all players who have fulfilled their objectives are declared winners, whether they are part of the same faction or even alive.

First, shuffle the six area cards and place them randomly on the designated spots on the game board.

Next, shuffle the White, Black, and Hermit decks separately and place them face down on the marked area on the side of the board.

Once you have your character card, read over it to see your affiliation, your special ability, and your victory condition.

Listed below are the six area cards and what action players may choose to perform when they land on them.

The White deck contain equipment cards that benefit the user through defensive and supportive means.

The Black deck contains equipment cards that benefit the user through offensive means.

Some Black equipment cards have the ability to modify a player's attack range.

A player wins if they fulfill the victory condition stated on their character card at any time during the game.

If a player's character is dead but their victory condition is fulfilled by the end of the game, they are still considered to be a winner.