9th Circle

In 9th Circle, players assume the role of Demon Lords. Using Minions to take control of various Realms of Hell, these Demon Lords seek to gain favor with Malacoda. The more Favor a player has with Malacoda, the more powerful they will become. When any Demon Lord reaches 25 Favor, Malacoda is pleased, and the one with the most Favor at the end of the round wins the game.

Gameplay is divided into rounds consisting of four phases. The first phase involves sending minions to the board and influencing their movement. In the second phase, realm dominance is determined for each of the 8th Circle realms. The third phase requires players to exercise powers in a clockwise order from Malacoda. Finally, in phase four, the players score and award favor for the 9th Circle sacrifices and 8th Circle shades.

The game concludes at the end of the round when one Player attains at least 25 Favor OR immediately upon Malacoda returning back to the Realm he started in, his patience having run out. The Player with the most Favor wins the game.