The one-week Kickstarter to fund illustration by Len Peralta raised nearly twice our goal, adding bonus illustrations and three bonus Heroes! Visit the Lester Smith Games page on DriveThruCards for this deck and others.
The free rules here work with a standard poker deck, so you can discover for yourself how the game plays.
These rules came to me in a dream one night. A bit of family playtesting, and here they are for you!
A fighter, a wizard, a priest, and a thief walk into a dungeon. The dragon says, “Sounds like a party!”
This game uses a standard poker deck to represent 2-4 fantasy heroes battling their way through an underground complex to find treasures and rescue captives. Who will emerge with the most loot and followers?
HOW TO WIN
At game’s end, the player with the most points of diamonds (treasure) and hearts (followers) wins! (Each card counts as its number value; Jacks count as 11 and Queens count as 12.)
GAME PREP
- Shuffle the four King cards and deal one to each player. These are used to identify which character each will be playing.
- Spades King is the Fighter, who can play two attack cards each turn and kill more than one monster at a time.
- Clubs King is the Wizard, who can make a mass attack on monsters anywhere.
- Hearts King is the Priest, who can heal a wounded follower or rescue a follower from the discard pile.
- Diamonds King is the Thief, who can steal the lowest numbered treasure card from the player with the most treasure cards.
These powers are explained in more detail later.
- Shuffle the rest of the deck and place it within easy reach of all players.
- Begin play with the Fighter, going clockwise around the table for player turns.
PLAYER TURN
Each player goes through these 7 steps on their turn.
- Draw: Bring your hand to 5 cards.
- Followers: You may play 1 follower (heart card) from your hand to the table in front of you.
- Monster(s): You may play any number of monsters (club cards) from your hand, adding 1 monster to each player of your choice and any number on yourself.
- Attack: You may play 1 attack (spade card) on the monster in front of you (if there is one).
- If the attack is equal to or greater than the monster, the monster is killed.
- If the attack is less than the monster, the monster is weakened—place the attack card on the monster to show how many points remain to it.
- Counterattack: If any monsters remain in front of you, they damage your followers. Compare total remaining monster health to total follower health, and discard that many points of follower cards.
- If any monster points remain, discard that many cards from your hand, then discard the monsters.
- If instead, any follower points remain, keep that many points of follower cards and discard the rest. If needed, use a monster card to cover part of a follower card, leaving that follower’s remaining health uncovered. Discard the other monster cards.
- Treasure: You may play 1 treasure (diamond card) from your hand for each monster killed (see “Kings and Jokers” below). If you cannot play a treasure card for a monster, turn up the top card of the draw pile instead: if it is a treasure or follower, play it in front of you; if it is an attack, put it in your hand for later; if it is a monster, play it in front of you (it will affect your next turn).
- Discard 1 or more cards if desired.
KINGS & JOKERS
Kings remain in front of players, identifying them for the duration of the game. Jokers are a special attack that take the place of a normal attack.
- Spades King: The Fighter can play 2 attack cards (in step 4) and add their values. Whether 1 or 2 attack cards are played, their total attack value is compared to the total monster cards value, possibly killing 1 or more and weakening another. Mark any remaining weakened monster as usual.
- Clubs King: The Wizard may (in step 4) either attack normally or use a single attack card to kill more than one monster anywhere in play, even in front of other players. In this mass attack, compare the attack card’s value to each monster individually—if the attack value is equal to or greater than the monster’s value, that monster is killed, otherwise it is not affected.
- Hearts King: The Priest can (in step 2) either go through the discard pile to rescue a follower and play it or heal a follower by discarding the monster on it. This action is in addition to playing a follower as usual.
- Diamonds King: Once per turn, the Thief can steal a treasure from another player instead of turning up the top card of the draw pile (step 6). This must be the lowest value treasure from the player with the greatest number of treasure cards (not the greatest total value). In case of a tie, the Thief must take the single lowest valued card among the tied players.
- Jokers count as magical attacks that kill all monsters in front of you. Play a joker in step 4 instead of a spade, then place it on the discard pile.
ENDING THE GAME
- Play through the draw deck once, then shuffle the discards to make a new draw deck.
- Play through this second draw deck, then allow each player one last turn with the cards remaining in their hand.
- Count the total points of treasure and followers together for each player. The player with the most points wins.
Design: Lester Smith. Playtesting: Christine Hofpar, Christopher Hofpar, Cristian Hofpar, Jennifer Smith, Karalyn Smith, Katheryn Smith; Chibi Illos: Peileppe www.peileppe.com (except Thief & Priest assembled by Lester Smith).
Copyright © 2017 Lester Smith Games
