Vanguard Charge
Conquest · Attack strength 8
Violet’s Revenge / the Purge
Violet’s Revenge
Every card is a case file.
A Gothic Forensics edition of the 52 Cards of War. Violet’s supernatural morgue gives the four domains new visual identities: the hunt, the autopsy slab, the investigation and the barricade.
From the design record
Shadow Mapwork
Intelligence · Reveal a hidden location
Unbreakable Line
Fortification · Full block
Typeset reference specimens · not finished card artwork
The world & variant
Where it belongs
The documented deck is a themed legacy War-card design. The separate asymmetric horror game and current Veiled Dominion rules retain their own authority.
Explore the variant indexThe companion
Violet / Violet_88
Violet’s legacy Discord bot is retired. An opt-in browser persona and the Violet_88 gamemaster are documented proposals, not services connected here.
Read the companion recordThe visual language
Design & artwork
Purple, luminol blue and industrial black. Engraved titles, clinical rules text, evidence tags and a slab-and-scalpel back are specified; a full illustrated set was not verified.
The card reference
All 52 Cards of War.
Preserved from the legacy dice/card/chess design. RP, HP and Phase III belong to that system; these are not the current four-player Veiled Dominion rules.
Open the complete 52-card text reference
Skirmish Strike
Attack str. 2. Weakest blade, but costs nothing in return.
Raiding Party
Attack str. 3. On success, opponent discards 1 card at random.
Flanking Thrust
Attack str. 4. May target any piece, ignoring normal movement range once in Phase III.
War March
Attack str. 5. If blocked, you still advance 1 square in Phase III.
Iron Assault
Attack str. 6. Opponent's block card must exceed this value, not just match it.
Siege Blade
Attack str. 7. On win, gain +1 bonus to confirmation dice roll.
Vanguard Charge
Attack str. 8. Play with a second Spades card to combine their values.
Blood Oath
Attack str. 9. If this attack is blocked, opponent must reveal 1 hidden piece.
Conqueror's Edge
Attack str. 10. On victory, immediately draw 1 card from the discard pile.
Ember Spark
Recover 1 RP. Kindle the flame — small but certain.
Field Dressing
Recover 2 RP or draw 1 card. Choose before playing.
Healer's Touch
Recover 2 RP and grant one Pawn a +1 shield buff in Phase III.
Rallying Cry
Recover 3 RP or remove one negative status from your pieces.
Valor's Gift
Draw 2 cards. Opponent may also draw 1 — generosity is its own weapon.
Mender's Grace
Recover 4 RP. If you have no cards left after playing, draw 2 instead.
Lifeblood Surge
Recover 4 RP and restore 1 previously spent Phase I upgrade token.
Undying Resolve
Recover 5 RP. Your next chess piece that would be captured survives with 1 HP instead.
Phoenix Rite
Recover all lost RP from this phase. Once per game — the full restoration.
Whisper Network
Peek at the top card of the draw pile. Replace or leave it.
Scout's Report
Peek at 1 random card from opponent's hand without revealing it.
Spy's Glance
Look at any 2 cards in opponent's hand. Do not reveal.
Courier Intercept
Look at opponent's entire hand for 5 seconds. No stealing.
Shadow Mapwork
Force opponent to reveal 1 hidden chess piece's location (not type).
Agent Extraction
Steal 1 specific card from opponent's hand (name the card; if absent, steal random).
False Orders
Steal 1 random card and swap it for 1 card from your hand.
Black Cipher
Steal 2 random cards from opponent's hand. Opponent draws 1 in compensation.
Grand Betrayal
Steal up to 3 cards of your choice. Opponent may only play defense cards next turn.
Wicker Shield
Block str. 2. Fragile but fast — can be played as a reaction instantly.
Leather Guard
Block str. 3. If this fully absorbs an attack, draw 1 card.
Iron Buckler
Block str. 4. Reduce any attack to 0 if within 2 of this card's value.
Tower Shield
Block str. 5. Hold as a Phase III armor buff instead: +1 to one confirmation roll.
Bulwark Wall
Block str. 6. On full block, counter for 1 RP damage back to attacker.
War Phalanx
Block str. 7. May protect a chess piece from capture once in Phase III.
Fortress Gate
Block str. 8. If held in hand at Phase III start, fortify one chess square permanently.
Ironclad Aegis
Block str. 9. After blocking, immediately play any 1 card from hand for free.
Unbreakable Line
Block str. 10. Full block guaranteed regardless of attack value. Discard after use.
The Lieutenant
Deploy a Pawn one square forward on the board (pre-staging) immediately. Works for any suit.
The Strategist
Draw 3 cards, keep 2, discard 1. Intelligence wins wars before they start. Works for any suit.
The Warlord
Double your next attack, OR gain Iron Resolve: immune to 1 capture in Phase III. Works for any suit.
The Wild Fate
Declare any suit. Use as pip 1 or 14. Or hold as Last Stand: nullify 1 check in Phase III. Works for any suit.
The Lieutenant
Deploy a Pawn one square forward on the board (pre-staging) immediately. Works for any suit.
The Strategist
Draw 3 cards, keep 2, discard 1. Intelligence wins wars before they start. Works for any suit.
The Warlord
Double your next attack, OR gain Iron Resolve: immune to 1 capture in Phase III. Works for any suit.
The Wild Fate
Declare any suit. Use as pip 1 or 14. Or hold as Last Stand: nullify 1 check in Phase III. Works for any suit.
The Lieutenant
Deploy a Pawn one square forward on the board (pre-staging) immediately. Works for any suit.
The Strategist
Draw 3 cards, keep 2, discard 1. Intelligence wins wars before they start. Works for any suit.
The Warlord
Double your next attack, OR gain Iron Resolve: immune to 1 capture in Phase III. Works for any suit.
The Wild Fate
Declare any suit. Use as pip 1 or 14. Or hold as Last Stand: nullify 1 check in Phase III. Works for any suit.
The Lieutenant
Deploy a Pawn one square forward on the board (pre-staging) immediately. Works for any suit.
The Strategist
Draw 3 cards, keep 2, discard 1. Intelligence wins wars before they start. Works for any suit.
The Warlord
Double your next attack, OR gain Iron Resolve: immune to 1 capture in Phase III. Works for any suit.
The Wild Fate
Declare any suit. Use as pip 1 or 14. Or hold as Last Stand: nullify 1 check in Phase III. Works for any suit.
Source record
CARD-DESIGN-GUIDE.md; CARD-TEXT-DATABASE.md; Roomy transition; Violet_88 proposal.
Read the public source · See reconciliation notesContinue through the collection
Connected decks
Rules & court documented
The Sealed Deck
Four suits. Four ways to hold power.
Veiled Dominion / Daddy’s Little MortisEngine source · service retired
Float Cards
Two hidden choices. One reveal.
Sewers & Shadows / Violet’s card tablePaper-playtest module
Break the Grid
Change the response. Or change the system.
Break the Grid / Inpatient Corridors