Terms

Afterlife: Final repository for the Soul Energy of all beings after they die.  Visions of Zosimos' game boards represent slices of the afterlife that the players compete for.

Alchemist: A wielder of arcane knowledge who manipulates chemicals and energies that can change the world around him to his liking.  You will pick the role of a specific alchemist and use his powers and skillsets to create a Homunculus.

Discard Pile: All cards that are defeated or used up in the game then go onto the discard pile.  Cards in this pile are considered "in play" in that other cards have an affect on them.

Ego Pool: The Ego Pool is the combined Alchemist, Ego, and Elemental cards used to create your Homunculus.  Each of the three cards used has a numerical value assigned to it that increases as your Homunculus gains experience.

Elemental Alignment: Many cards have an elemental alignment attached to them.  This only has bearing when a specific ability targets or ignores encounters, Homunculi, and other spells that are attached to that Elemental Alignment. 
    NOTE: A Homunculus' Elemental Alignment is always determined by its Body Card.

Encounter Cards: Encounter Cards are cards you draw from your war deck into your hand and play from your hand onto the Game Boards.  Creature Encounter Cards are units on the battlefield that move and attack at your behest.  Event Encounter cards are battlefield-wide effects that can only be removed by the rules stated on the card itself.  Boss Encounter Cards are tied to specific Hexes on each Battlefield, are AI controlled and are not initially part of your deck - they have a small chance to drop a copy of themselves once they've been defeated. 

Homunculus: An artificial person, created through alchemy and powered by infusing the minds and souls of the dead with bodies created from the base elements of the universe.  In game, you'll create a Homunculus who acts as your avatar in the Afterlife.  It will be the piece you use to travel across the game board, collecting items and defeating challenges, and will be what you face your enemies with in The Final Confrontation.

Out-of-play Pile: Cards placed in this pile are considered "out-of-play" and cannot be used in any fashion for the rest of the current game.

Spell Cards: Spell cards are supplemental War Deck cards that can be used to effect gameplay.  Instant Spells have one-time effects or damage and are placed in the Discard Pile immediately after use, as well as be used at any time.  Persistent Spells tend to have lasting effects on a targeted card or Homunculus.  You may only play Persistent Spell cards during your turn. 

Trap Cards: Trap Cards are one-shot cards that are invisible to all players on the board EXCEPT to the trap's controller.  When another player (or creature encounter they control) steps onto a trap card, the trap card makes an attack against the appropriate pool.  If the attack is successful, the card's effects are placed into play.  If the trap fails, there is no effect.  In both cases, the trap is immediately placed into the discard pile.

War Deck:  The War Deck is created outside an active game and contains what Terrain, Encounter, Spell, and Trap cards the player plans to use in-game.  War Decks have a size limit based on the length of the game being played: short games are limited to 60 cards; medium length games are 80 cards; and long games are 100 cards.  All decks must have a minimum of 45 cards.  Players can make any number of decks and reuse cards between decks, so long as the number of a specific card used in a deck doesn't go over the total number the player actually owns.