Thornwatch is an adventure-based card game for 2-4 players and a Game Master. Players are Icons of the Thornwatch: scarred veterans of the Eyrewood who now live as ghosts that are summoned by the ancient ritual of tying a knot of thorns around a birch tree. The Icons summoned to a particular tree do not necessarily know each other or the true nature of the problem they've been called to resolve; all they know is that they've answered the call and they're bound to see it through.In game terms through the play of Attack Ability Tactic and Synergy cards the Icons engage foes to resolve the "knot" that summoned them with the knot giving players clues as to what their mission might be. Each player represents a character who fits in one of four classes Guard Blade Sage Greenheart and each character has a deck that features moves and abilities specific to your character.During the game which lasts 2-4 hours depending on whether you're playing a single adventure or a campaign you'll move characters on a map specific to the adventure and (most likely) encounter others that you must defeat in combat. When you suffer damage you shuffle wound cards into your deck. Those cards stay in your hand once you draw them and if you hold more wounds than your character's wound threshold you die. You're a ghost though so death isn't permanent; instead you add a random Scar card to your deck with each Scar having some negative effect on you.