Playing as the Shaper, a player can control one Spirit representing Bliss or Gloom on its own. The Shaper variant can be used in three‑ or two‑player games. In a three‑player game, one player can play a Shaper against a full team of two, while in a two‑player game, two Shapers can face each other.

As a Shaper, it is a bit more difficult to cover the whole board, but it is compensated by the fact that all resources and Ambition of a side are concentrated in one hand. Therefore, apart from the game setup, the Shaper’s gameplay does not differ from that of a normal Spirit — the standard rules apply everywhere. Shapers can be played in the basic game as well.

NOTE: If you are playing with fewer than four players but already have some experience in Cerebria, instead of playing a Shaper, you can also play the standard 4-player setup and control two Spirits at once. It is a challenging but rewarding experience!

CHANGES IN PLAYER SETUP:

• The Shaper chooses a side (Bliss or Gloom), and one Spirit belonging to the chosen side. Place that Spirit’s board in front of the player.

• The Shaper has one Emotion deck with 16 Mild Emotions. Just like in the standard game, you may use the basic Bliss/Gloom deck, the recommended deck for your Spirit, or build your own deck.

• The Shaper starts with the same resources as normal Spirits: 4 Willpower, 2 Essence, and a starting hand of 2 Emotion cards.

CHANGES IN MAIN BOARD SETUP:

1. Player order

• When setting up the player order in a three‑player game, use 2 Player Order markers for the Shaper’s Spirit ‑ the Shaper will take a turn after each player of the opposing team. The Shaper should always go second and fourth. Similarly to the standard game, the starting player is unable to use the Absorb Ability on their first turn.
• In a two‑player game with two Shapers, randomly determine the starting player. Flip the starting Shaper’s Action Tracker token face down to indicate that they cannot use their Absorb Ability on their first turn, and give them 2 additional Willpower.

2. Place Spirits and Starting Emotions:
• Place your first Starting Emotion as usual. On your second turn to place a Starting Emotion, place it as though you had a second Spirit Figure on one of the remaining spaces. (In a 2‑Shaper game, the first player chooses from three empty spaces, leaving only two for the other player.)