In an effort to increase base game difficulty and make your decisions even more compelling, I’m introducing one new system (with a loss condition) and another additional loss condition. I'd love for you to test these rules and share your feedback. If we like the changes, I’ll officially incorporate them into the base game and update the files accordingly.

Instability

In the base game of Awaken the Ancients, players are free to perform an Awakening Ritual as long as the required combination is present anywhere on the Ancient, regardless of any other seeds placed there. This makes the ritual forgiving, and ideal for first-time players.

The Instability system offers a way to slightly increase the game’s difficulty by penalizing extra, unused seeds during rituals. It encourages cleaner setups, tighter decisions, and more efficient use of seeds without requiring a major shift in how the game is played.

How It Works

When you perform an Awakening Ritual, check the Ancient you are awakening:

• For each seed on that Ancient that is not part of the ritual's combination, increase Instability by 1.

• If Instability reaches 7, the Grove falls into chaos and you lose the game.

This means you can still awaken Ancients with extra seeds present, but doing so repeatedly will increase the risk of losing. Smart planning now involves not just creating the right combinations, but avoiding unnecessary excess.

How It Integrates

• Instability is tracked globally, not per Ancient.

• Use a token, dial, or tracker to record the current Instability value. The official change would include a new Instability tracker card.

• The Awakening Ritual and all other base rules stay the same, this simply adds a cumulative risk to suboptimal rituals.

Impactful Seed Loss

In the base game, removing a seed from the Grove limits your flexibility and can even make awakening certain Ancients impossible. However, once you’ve completed the necessary combinations using that seed type, further removals carry little risk beyond reduced options and lower final score.

This rule introduces a persistent, type-based threat: once a seed type has been removed, any additional removal of that same type will end the game — regardless of which rituals remain. This creates a more constant tension and makes every removal feel dangerous, not just the first.

How It Works

Whenever a seed is removed from the game, check its type:

• If a seed of the same type is removed again later, you immediately lose the game.

• This applies regardless of whether that seed type is still needed for future rituals.

How It Integrates

• No new components required, simply track which seed types have been removed.

• Encourages careful planning and discourages unnecessary removal.

• Works independently of Instability for an added challenge.