Riftforce Board Game
Draft four elemental guilds, deploy matching cards across five locations, activate powerful combinations and score Riftforce by destroying enemies or controlling uncontested spaces.
Riftforce is a two-player tactical card game by Carlo Bortolini. Each player selects four of ten asymmetrical elemental guilds and battles across five locations. Each elemental can be deployed, used to trigger a special power or discarded as the cost of activating allies.
This guide explains the three actions, matching symbols and values, all ten guild powers, scoring controlled locations, endgame timing and the Beyond expansion.
What makes Riftforce different?
Powerful attacks require discarding a card with a matching number or guild symbol. A card that looks weak on its own might be exactly what you need to activate three different allied abilities. The game rewards building an efficient four-guild combination and knowing when to score locations rather than attack.
Game at a Glance
Play
Deploy up to three elementals that match in number or symbol.
Activate
Discard a card to trigger up to three matching elementals.
Check & Draw
Score controlled locations and replenish to seven cards.
Win
Finish with the most Riftforce after the 12-point trigger.
Setup and choosing four guilds
Riftforce is a head-to-head card duel designed by Carlo Bortolini and illustrated by Miguel Coimbra. Each player commands four elemental guilds, each with a summoner and nine elemental cards. There are ten base-game guilds.
Shuffle the ten summoner cards and remove one at random. Deal one random guild to each player, then display the remaining seven summoners. Players alternate choosing additional guilds until each has four; the leftover guild is removed. Combine the 36 elemental cards belonging to your four guilds into your personal draw pile and draw seven.
Lay out the five Rift locations between players, the shared damage supply and score track. The player who did not receive the start marker places the top card of their deck at the middle location before the other player takes the first turn.
The three possible actions
| Action | What you do | Key rule |
|---|---|---|
| Play | Deploy up to three elementals from hand | They share a symbol or number |
| Activate | Discard one card to activate up to three deployed elementals | Targets match discarded card’s symbol or number |
| Check & Draw | Score locations you exclusively control, then draw to seven | Only legal when your hand contains fewer than seven cards |
Take exactly one of these actions per turn. The central tactical puzzle is deciding whether to grow your board presence, deal damage or collect Riftforce and restore your hand.
Play action: same number or same symbol
Choose one to three elemental cards from your hand. Every chosen card must have the same elemental symbol or the same printed number. You can place them all at one location or spread them one per location across adjacent spaces. You cannot place two at one location and a third at a different location in the same Play action.
For example, three cards with value 5 from different guilds may be played together. Three Fire cards of different values may also be played together. The two end locations are not adjacent to each other.
Cards already in play do not restrict the values or guild symbols you may deploy later. Place newcomers at the end of your row at that location so the ordering of elementals remains visible.
Activate action: how matching and damage work
Discard one elemental from hand, then choose up to three elementals already on your side of the Rift that either all match the discarded card’s number or all match its guild symbol. They can be at different locations.
Resolve each chosen elemental’s guild power separately and fully before activating the next. Most powers place damage on an enemy. When total damage equals or exceeds the target’s printed life value, that elemental is destroyed and its opponent earns a Riftforce point. Extra damage does not carry over.
Example: discard a value-6 Water card. You may activate up to three deployed Water elementals, or up to three deployed elementals of value 6—even if they belong to different guilds. You may not combine two Water elementals and one value-6 Fire elemental unless all three share the same chosen matching condition.
Check & Draw: scoring empty enemy locations
This action is legal only when you have fewer than seven elementals in your hand. First, count the Rift locations where you have at least one elemental and your opponent has none. Earn one Riftforce for each such location. Then draw from your personal deck until you have seven cards in hand.
Your opponent does not score their controlled locations on your Check & Draw turn. If the deck runs out, shuffle your discard pile and keep drawing.
A location controlled by both players scores nothing in this check—even if you have more cards or higher total strength there.
The ten elemental guilds
| Guild | Identity | Practical role |
|---|---|---|
| Fire | Heavy damage with allied splash risk | Strong attacks, careful positioning |
| Earth | Immediate entry damage and additional activation damage | Pressure crowded locations |
| Light | Damage plus healing | Preserve durable front lines |
| Plant | Damage adjacent enemies and pull them | Disrupt location control |
| Water | Attack, move and attack again | Mobile pressure |
| Ice | Damage front and back enemy positions | Threaten grouped defenders |
| Shadow | Move freely and score bonus points on kills | Finish damaged targets |
| Crystal | High damage but worth bonus Riftforce when destroyed | High-risk attacker |
| Thunderbolt | Targeted damage and a repeat on successful kill | Chain elimination |
| Air | Move and strike several neighboring fronts | Area pressure |
Every elemental belonging to a guild uses the same ability printed on its summoner card. The original game does not require memorizing different text for every individual elemental.
Elemental numbers, health and destruction
The number printed on an elemental is both its starting health and a matching value used for Play and Activate actions. Every guild contains four value-5 cards, three value-6 cards and two value-7 cards.
Damage tokens do not reduce an elemental’s printed number for activation purposes. A value-7 elemental carrying four damage still matches value-7 cards—not value-3 cards. When an elemental is destroyed, its owner discards it, and its damage tokens return to the common supply.
Normally a destroyed opposing elemental earns one Riftforce, but several guilds modify this: Shadow receives a bonus when its power eliminates an enemy, and losing a Crystal yields an extra point to the opponent.
How the five locations affect strategy
There are five locations in a straight line. Elementals may be played in groups or across adjacent locations; some abilities shift cards between them. A controlled location needs at least one of your elementals and zero opposing elementals.
This means spreading a small force can earn points quickly through Check & Draw, but a thin position can be contested with just one enemy card. Conversely, piling many elementals into one location can improve combat potential while leaving other locations free for your opponent.
Watch the first enemy at a location—the elemental nearest to the Rift—because many guild powers target that position. Movement abilities can place an elemental at the back of a different row, changing who will be attacked next.
How does Riftforce end at 12 points?
Reaching 12 Riftforce triggers the end, but you must finish your current action completely. If the player who began the game triggered the end, the second player gets one more action. If the second player triggered it, the game ends immediately. This guarantees equal turns.
Compare the final totals. The player with more Riftforce wins, even if both players have 12 or more. If tied, each player takes one additional action and scores are checked again; repeat until there is a winner.
Eight useful Riftforce strategy principles
- Draft complementary guilds. Combine ways to damage, maneuver and repair rather than selecting only high-damage guilds.
- Use Check & Draw proactively. It is both card recovery and a scoring action when you control open sites.
- Don’t expose every location. Your opponent needs only one elemental to stop your location scoring.
- Plan matching values in your hand. A value-5 card can activate multiple guilds together when their symbols differ.
- Finish damaged enemies efficiently. Avoid wasting four damage on a target with only one health remaining when another ability can do the job.
- Respect Crystal’s drawback. Destroying one grants its opponent extra Riftforce, accelerating the end.
- Watch the turn-parity rule. Reaching 12 as first player does not necessarily give you the last action.
- Look beyond a single kill. Removing an opponent from a location may generate repeated scoring opportunities on later Check & Draw turns.
These are editorial deductions from the published rules rather than claimed personal playtesting.
Riftforce: Beyond expansion and player counts
Riftforce: Beyond introduces eight more guilds, expanding the available combinations from ten to eighteen when combined with the original set. It also provides rules for one to four players, including solo and team-based modes, through its added components and setup instructions.
The original base game is strictly for two players. Do not confuse the expanded player count of Beyond with the basic Riftforce box. Players who want to learn the classic duel should start with the base game before adding new guilds and variants.
Riftforce FAQ
How many players can play Riftforce?
The base game supports two. The Beyond expansion introduces options for one to four players.
How long does the game take?
Approximately 30 minutes.
Do you need to match number and symbol when playing?
No. Cards must all share a number or all share a guild symbol.
Can you play three cards to any three locations?
No. If split across locations, those locations must be adjacent and receive one card each.
How many cards do you begin with?
Seven cards from a personal 36-elemental deck.
Can an elemental with damage activate using its remaining health?
No. Matching uses its original printed number.
Can both players score a location during one Check & Draw action?
No. Only the active player can gain Riftforce from locations then.
Can you use Check & Draw with seven cards in hand?
No. Your hand must contain fewer than seven elementals.
What is the target score?
Reaching twelve starts the endgame sequence, with equal turns ensured.
What happens in a tie?
Each player takes an additional action until one has a higher total.
Does the base box include solo?
No. Solo rules require Riftforce: Beyond.
Rules sources and editorial scope
- La Boîte de Jeu: publisher listing, credits and specifications
- Riftforce official English rulebook (PDF)
- Riftforce searchable rules reference
- Riftforce: Beyond expansion rulebook
Rules checked October 11, 2026. Strategy tips are original editorial interpretation and not claimed personal playtesting. This guide summarizes mechanics rather than reproducing the full publisher rulebook. Editorial policy and corrections.