Bôken
Bôken Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Components
- Introduction
- Gameplay
- Terminology
- Card Organizer
- Removable Storage
- Setup
- Hero Sheets
- Using a Hero Sheet
- Acolyte Card
- Movement
- World Map
- Peaceful Mini-Maps
- Hostile Mini-Maps (Dungeons)
- Narrative Location Cards
- Quests
- Items
- Skills
- Abilities
- Allies
- Lvl Up
- Free Actions
- Battle
- Traps and Challenges
- KO and Game Over
- Sub-Bosses and Bosses
- Score
- Saving
- Pure Solo Mode
- Taking Notes in Bôken
- Variants
- Lanoth Rankings
- Scenario
- Icons
Components
- Magnetized game board (World map) with 15 magnetic tokens
- Magnetized Hero Sheets x2
- Party tokens x2
- Removable card organizer
- Removable storage
- Encounter card holder
- Hide Encounter cards x2
- Transparent KO'd Enemy card
- 1 Movement die + 1 Mount die
- Battle dice x2
- Standard six-sided dice (D6) x2
- Magnets for mini-maps and Markers x10
- Large Encounter cards x22
- Small Item cards x110
- Game Over cards x15
- Quest cards x83
- Skill cards x31
- Large Location cards x19
- Acolyte card x1
- Exploration cards x10
- Sleeves
- This rulebook
Components note
The illustrations of the components shown in this rulebook are based on 3D prototypes. The end product that you receive may have some minor differences.
Introduction
Bôken recreates the experience of a classic console JRPG (Japanese Roleplaying Game) from the 80s and 90s as a board game. A one- to two-player adventure game blending classic JRPG mechanics with board game strategy. In a two-player game, each player controls one hero each, while solo players can play as one hero or both at once.
Gameplay
Before starting the campaign, which lasts from 15 to 30 hours, you need to choose your hero(es). Use Exploration cards to explore the kingdom of Lanoth by moving the party token on the world map and on mini-maps. The end of your movement triggers a battle if you end it on a terrain space (on the world map). With strategy and a little luck, you can win battles and receive rewards, including experience points, to make your heroes stronger. Becoming more powerful will help you face stronger monsters as you continue your quests.
If you find yourself on a Location space on the world map, you can reveal the corresponding Location card and explore that Location by continuing your movement on a mini-map. These mini-maps may be peaceful places such as towns and villages, or hostile places such as dungeons.
In peaceful places, you may interact with NPCs (Non-Player Characters) by stopping on an adjacent space. You may then draw a Quest card as indicated above the NPC to discover what this character has to tell you.
You may also visit shops to buy rare items, rest at the inn, visit the healer, etc. The quests you receive gradually reveal your destiny and set short- and medium-term objectives until your ultimate objective is revealed. Once that final quest is complete, the game will tell you if you are victorious.
You can pause a game of Bôken at any time outside battle. The game has been designed to be easily paused (saved), stored, and continued later. This makes it easy to play sessions of any length.
The game is full of surprises that you will discover throughout your adventure. Once your final quest is complete, you can choose to restart the game: either in solo mode if you used two heroes in the previous game, or try to improve your final score.
This score is based on the number of times you are defeated, usually after a battle (Game Over), and your level when you face bosses and sub-bosses.
Terminology
- NPC: NPCs are non-player characters. As you explore the world of Lanoth, you will meet characters and creatures you can interact with.
- HP: Short for "Hit Points", which are life points.
- MP: Short for "Mana Points", also known as mana.
- XP: Short for "Experience Points".
- LVL: Short for "Level", which is your hero's level.
- SP: Short for "Stamina Points", your hero's endurance.
- G: Short for "Gelos", the currency of the kingdom of Lanoth.
- DP: Short for "Difficulty Points".
- D6: A standard die with 6 sides numbered 1 to 6.
- DIRECT DAMAGE: Direct damage is damage which cannot be reduced by any means (armor, skill, or other means).
- DISCARD A CARD: Discarding a card means that you must put the card in the discard pile (in the card storage box).
- STORE A CARD: When instructed to "store a card", put it in the card organizer, keeping the cards in numerical order.
Warning!
This is a narrative game, which means it is strongly recommended that you do not read the front of the cards (Item, Location, Skills, Encounters) until the game tells you to. The back and front of Quest cards include information which should only be revealed at the right time. Keep the Hide Quest card on top of the Quest deck.
Golden Rule
In the event of any disagreement between the text on a card and the rules in this rulebook, the text on the card takes precedence. For example, you cannot normally attack during the enemy turn. However, if an item card says "discard this card when an enemy attacks you to...", you may then do so.
Card Organizer
Skill, Item, Quest, and Game Over cards must be placed in the card organizer in their respective compartments (feel free to protect them by putting them in the card sleeves provided with the game!). You can then take out or put away the card organizer for storage and setup. This card organizer is larger than needed so the cards can be protected with sleeves and to allow space for future expansions.
Quest and Item cards are numbered, so they must not be shuffled. They must be stored in ascending order, beginning with the lowest number which must be at the front. The Skill cards are not numbered, but are in a specific order. You may choose to shuffle them or leave them as they are for your first game.
Compartments: Game Over cards; Hero A save; Revealed Skill cards; Quest cards; Item cards; Hero B save; Item discard pile; Skill cards; Party cards save; Item cards; Quest cards; Quest discard pile.
Removable Storage
The compartments at the front of this box allow the Encounter and Location cards to be displayed so that they are accessible during the game. The compartments at the back are for storing game components at the end of a session.
- During the game, revealed Location cards are placed here vertically and turned on their sides when you pack the game away.
- When you put the game away, you store Encounter cards, the Encounter card holder, Hide Encounter cards, and the transparent KO'd Enemy card flat in the box's rear compartment.
- The dice are stored here when you put the game away.
- Encounter Cards (during the game).
- Unrevealed Location Cards (during the game): turn them sideways when putting the game away.
Setup
Bôken can be played solo or as a two-player co-op adventure. In a co-op game, players work together to win. If you play solo, you can control two heroes just like in a two-player game. However, if you play solo using a single hero (pure solo mode), the setup is slightly different to the setup described in this section. Pure solo mode setup is explained at the back of this rulebook.
Bôken has been designed to be quick and easy to set up. Simply take the components out of the box and put them on the table. For your first game with two heroes, set up the game as shown in Figure A.
- Put the hero sheets in front of the player(s) controlling them (one per player or two in solo mode). There are two types of hero in the Bôken base game: A and B. Their type is shown next to their portraits on their respective hero sheets. Hero A is a warrior, while Hero B is a mage.
- Take all the Starter item and Starter skill cards. Give all the Starter skill: A cards to Hero A and Starter skill: B cards to Hero B. Do the same for the Starter item cards. You may then shuffle the remaining Skill cards (although this is not required), then put them back in the card organizer. However, do not shuffle the Item cards.
- Each player receives a battle die and a D6.
- Put the world map on the table (the party token will be put on a specific space on the world map after you read the scenario introduction text at the end of this rulebook).
- Put the removable card organizer here.
- Put the removable storage box containing the Encounter and Location cards here in card holder mode.
- Put the Encounter card holder here, with the A and B battle tokens, and put the Hide Encounter and KO'd Enemy cards to one side.
- Take the Acolyte card and place it where all players can see it with the Normal Mode side face up.
- Shuffle the 10 Exploration cards and put the deck face down in reach of all players or on the game board.
Finally, choose a name or names for your hero(es) and write them down in a notebook or on a piece of paper.
Grey spaces must be kept clear for items or elements that you may acquire or put there later. They are used for the following:
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- Pile any Quest cards you acquire during your adventure here.
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- Pile any party Ability cards you acquire during your adventure here.
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- Pile any Item cards in your shared bag here.
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- Put individual Ability cards you acquire here.
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- Pile revealed Location cards here, or put them in the back right compartment of the removable storage box (6).
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- Pile any remaining Skill cards here.
Hero Sheets
For your first game, put the tokens on your hero sheets as shown in Figure A (Hero A and Hero B have different HP and MP). When you pause your game, you can put the hero sheet away and the magnets on the tokens make sure everything stays in place.
- LVL BAR (level): These spaces show your hero's current level and your current maximum HP and MP. At the beginning of your adventure, the LVL token must be placed on the first space (LV1).
- HP BAR (health points): This bar shows your hero's HP. When the heart token lands on the same space as the poison token, your hero is KO'd. The HP token can never move to a space beyond the poison token. If it reaches or would pass the poison token, stack them on top of each other. At the beginning of your adventure, the heart token must be placed on the position corresponding to your hero's maximum health points at that level. At level 1, this is 18 HP for Hero A and 14 HP for Hero B. The poison token must be placed on space 0 on the HP bar. HP can never go below 0.
- MP BAR (magic points): This bar shows your hero's MP. This MP can be spent to use magic (skills) or other techniques. At the beginning of your adventure, the MP token must be placed on the space corresponding to the maximum MP for your hero's level. At level 1, this is 5 MP for Hero A and 7 MP for Hero B.
- XP BAR (experience points): This bar shows the experience points you gain during the adventure. When this bar reaches the "LVL UP" position, your hero goes up to the next level. At the beginning of your adventure, the XP token must be placed on the "XP" space (before space 1).
- SP BAR: This bar shows your hero's stamina (fatigue). When the stamina token lands on space 0 "HP-4", your hero immediately takes 4 direct (unblockable) damage. At the beginning of your adventure, the SP token must be placed on space 5.
- G BARS (money): The G bars show your Gelos (in-game money). The bar on the left shows single digits, and the one on the right shows tens. For example, if you had 24 G you would put the left token on the 4 and the right token on the 20. At the beginning of your adventure, the two tokens must both be on space 0. A hero can have a maximum of 99 G.
- BASIC ITEM COSTS: The cost of an item is shown by a number and the letter "G" in a yellow circle above it.
Using a Hero Sheet
During the adventure, your heroes gain levels (LVL) and their HP and other stats also change depending on damage taken and other factors. Each stat (LVL, HP, MP, XP, etc.) has its own status bar with a magnetic token. The token's position on the bar shows the stat's current value. When one of the stats changes, simply move the token to show the new value. For example: If Hero A has 18 HP and takes 3 damage, you would move the HP token to the left until it shows 15 HP.
Max HP and MP
Your hero's level determines their maximum HP (health points) and MP (magic points). For example, at level 1, Hero A has a maximum of 18 HP and 5 MP. Heroes can never exceed the maximum HP and MP for their level. If Hero A's health falls to 15 HP after damage and they are then healed for 10 HP, they will only heal up to their maximum of 18 HP.
Poison Token
At the beginning of the game, the poison token is placed on space 0 on the HP bars to show the minimum health points a hero can have. If the hero's HP token lands on the same space as the poison token, the hero is now KO'd. When a hero is poisoned, move the poison token and increase its value by the number of stacks of poison received. For example, if the poison token is on space 0 and the hero takes 2 stacks of poison, move the poison token to the 2 HP space. The hero will be KO'd if their HP falls to 2 or less.
SP
SP (Stamina Points) are your hero's endurance. When you suffer fatigue, your SP reduces. If your SP reaches 0, you immediately take 4 direct damage (-4 HP). In addition, if a hero's SP is already at 0, each new point of fatigue deals 4 additional direct damage.
Example: Hero A has 2 SP remaining and takes 3 fatigue. They spend 2 SP, which leaves them at 0 SP, meaning they take 4 direct damage. There is still 1 point of fatigue to apply; as the hero's SP is already at 0, they take another 4 direct damage for a total of 8 damage.
Another example: Hero B is already at 0 SP and takes 3 points of fatigue, they therefore take 4 x 3 = 12 direct damage.
Level Bonus
There is a small yellow square with a number above each space on the LVL bar. These numbers are level bonuses. Their main purpose is to provide bonuses to your attacks in battle. You can add this bonus to certain attacks, which is explained in more detail in the battle section of this rulebook (p.29). However, while this bonus is sometimes equal to your level, it may also be different. For example, at LVL1 you have a level bonus of 1, at LVL2 a bonus of 2, but at LVL3, the bonus is still 2, as shown on the hero sheets.
Acolyte Card
You receive the Acolyte card at the beginning of the game. This card has two sides, and which is used depends on the game mode. It is recommended that you begin with the Normal Mode side face up. If you would prefer to play on Easy or Hard mode, please check the variants chapter on page 42 of this rulebook.
In battle the Acolyte can perform the effect shown on their card during the hero turn (see p. 31).
You may meet other allies during your Bôken adventure. However, the Acolyte is not considered to be an ally, and is therefore not affected by rules applying to allies.
The Acolyte also has no health points (HP) and therefore cannot be injured by enemies.
Movement
Party Tokens
As you explore the world of Lanoth, you use a "party token" to move across the various maps (world map and mini-maps). Both the solo campaign and two-player campaign use a single token for movement. This token represents your whole party, which always moves as a group. The token used for movement represents the hero at the front of the party. This will be covered in more detail later, but the hero at the front of the party is much more likely to be targeted during battle. Outside of battle, you may change the party token at any time.
Example: Hero B has been selected to represent the party. Hero B is therefore at the front of the party and is the most exposed to enemy attacks.
Exploration Cards
You move your party token by drawing Exploration cards.
There is also a variant where you can move using dice instead of cards. This variant is explained on page 42 of this rulebook.
Exploration cards show the possible movement options, depending whether you are on:
- a hostile map (world map or dungeon),
- a peaceful mini-map (towns, villages, etc.).
They also show the number of movement points available if using a mount (horse or other mount). They also help determine which enemies are generated during battle and which party will have the initiative (whether heroes or enemies attack first).
To move, reveal the top card from the Exploration deck (composed of 10 cards) and put it face up next to it (on top of any other revealed cards).
When the draw pile is empty and you need to draw a new card, all heroes lose 1 SP. Then, turn over all revealed Exploration cards (without shuffling) and draw a new card.
The heroes may choose to shuffle the Exploration deck at any time during the game, even if it is not empty. All heroes must spend 1 SP to do this. Whenever you rest in a village, you must reshuffle this deck, as explained later in this rulebook.
Exploration Cards Explained
- MOVEMENT: The icon on the left of the card shows your movement. The red number is for movement on the world map and in dungeons (hostile areas). The black number is for movement on peaceful mini-maps. Some cards have a "B" underneath these numbers. This means that in a hostile area, you must reveal a specific Encounter card at the end of your movement (explained in a later section). If you reveal a card with a fatigue icon instead of movement values, all heroes immediately lose 1 SP. Then, draw another card to move.
- USING A MOUNT: If you have a Mount card, use the numbers on the right of the Exploration card instead of the ones on the left. These numbers are all in red, because you cannot use a mount on a peaceful mini-map. You also cannot use a mount in dungeons. If you draw a card with a fatigue icon in the Mount section, check your Mount card. If it states that the icon has no effect, simply draw another card.
- TRIGGERING BATTLE: Dice icons show which enemies to spawn. When you draw an Encounter card (battle at the end of your movement), you must also draw a new Exploration card to determine which enemies spawn. As a result, you will not know which enemies you will face until you end your movement. "Initiative" on an Exploration card shows which party goes first in the battle: enemies or heroes. Options are shown for the various game modes (easy, normal, hard). Normal mode is the default mode.
- TIPS: This text provides useful information and reminders of various rules.
Moving the Party Token
After drawing an Exploration card, you will receive movement points. You may then spend these to move your party token. You do not have to spend all of this movement, but any unused points will be lost. For example, if you received 4 Movement, you may then choose to move only 1, 2, or 3 spaces. You may then move onto any space adjacent to the one you are already on, but you can never move diagonally. In addition, some spaces may be obstacles, which prevents you from moving onto them.
World Map
The world map, or game board, represents the kingdom of Lanoth. You can access various places from this main map, including villages and dungeons which may have their own mini-maps. There are four types of spaces on the world map:
- Terrain spaces
- Location spaces
- Objective spaces
- Obstacle spaces
Terrain Spaces
There are 5 types of terrain in Bôken: Plains, Forest, Haunted forest, Hill, Desert.
Encounter cards. When you stop on a terrain space at the end of your movement, you must draw an Encounter card which matches the type of terrain your party token is on. For example, if you stop on a Forest space, you must draw a Forest Encounter card. This triggers a battle. If you received an Exploration card with a B on it during your movement, you must reveal an Encounter card which matches the terrain and is marked with a B. If this is the first time you have revealed an Encounter for this terrain type, you must reveal a normal Encounter card (without a B), even if you drew a card with a B.
Example: You reveal an Exploration card with B8 (3/8 B). As you are currently on the world map, you use the red number which gives you 3 Movement. You end your movement on a Plains space and must therefore reveal the "Plains B" Encounter card. If this is the first time you revealed a Plains card in this adventure, you must reveal a normal Plains Encounter card (without a B). When you end your movement on a Plains space in future, you must reveal a "Plains B" Encounter card if you draw a "B" Exploration card.
Encounter difficulty varies depending on the type of terrain you land on. This makes some areas harder to reach than others. You can travel almost anywhere at the beginning of the game, but it can be risky. You will need to learn from your mistakes. B Encounter cards also often spawn more powerful monsters.
Exception: Plains Spaces
When all heroes have reached level 4 or above, you may ignore Encounters on Plains spaces.
Location Spaces
Location spaces represent places such as villages, towers, castles, caves, etc. Each Location space is associated with a Location card. To check if a space is a Location, look at the icons on the backs of your Location cards. The space is a Location if it has a matching icon.
Location spaces are "safe" spaces where you do not need to draw Encounter cards when you stop there. Instead, you may search for the associated mini-map (with a matching icon) and reveal it, or continue your travels by drawing another Exploration card.
By revealing a mini-map you automatically enter the corresponding Location. This is explained in more detail in the mini-map section (see p.17 & p.20).
Quest Objectives
Some spaces on the world map are marked with a padlock followed by a letter. These spaces are "quest objectives". In Bôken, you will receive quests which will require you to visit specific places, often with a specific padlock reference. To complete these quests, you will need to travel to the space with the corresponding padlock icon.
For example, if a quest requires you to visit padlock A, you need to stop on the space with this padlock to fulfil the quest condition.
When you arrive on a quest objective for a current quest, you do not draw an Encounter card at the end of your movement (and therefore do not trigger a battle). Instead, you may trigger the event linked to this quest.
For example, if a quest card says: "To turn this card over, travel to A", when you land on the "Quest A" objective, you may turn over the Quest card instead of drawing an Encounter card (see Quest cards, p.21).
If you do not have a quest which requires you to visit a "quest objective", you must treat this space as a normal space and reveal the corresponding terrain card if you end your movement there.
While there are many "objective" padlocks on the world map, there may be others hidden on Location cards or elsewhere.
Obstacle Spaces
Obstacle spaces block your movement: you cannot cross them or stop on them. On the world map, mountains are the only spaces treated as obstacles.
Peaceful Mini-Maps
Each Location space on the world map has an associated Location card. These cards allow you to explore these places more extensively. There are 3 types of Location card:
- Peaceful mini-maps
- Hostile or dungeon mini-maps
- Narrative Location cards
Moving on Mini-Maps
Hostile and peaceful mini-maps are maps you can move around on in the same way as the world map. When you move onto a peaceful mini-map, you use the black number on the Exploration card for movement, while the red number is used for movement on the world map and hostile mini-maps (dungeons).
You do not draw an Encounter card at the end of your movement (and therefore do not trigger a battle), which allows you to immediately draw another Exploration card to continue moving. You must draw a card because this affects your fatigue. Heroes become fatigued as you empty your Exploration deck, both due to fatigue icons or when you are required to turn over a card. These cards represent the passage of time, even when you are on a peaceful mini-map.
Revealing a Mini-Map (Entering/Exiting)
To find the Location card which matches the Location space you occupy on the world map, check the icons on the backs of the Location cards. For example, if you stop on a given Location space on the world map, you may then reveal the Location card with the matching icon. If this map is a mini-map, you may enter it and continue exploring that Location.
To do this, put the Location card on the world map and attach it using the small magnetic pins (see Figure A). Then put your party token on the Location's entrance space, indicated by the double arrow icon.
To leave, move onto any accessible empty space at the edge of the mini-map (see Figure B). When you are on a space at the edge of the mini-map, you may then put your party token on the corresponding Location space on the world map. All remaining movement is then lost (you cannot use any remaining movement to move on the world map).
IMPORTANT: When you leave a mini-map, move its card to make a new pile of revealed Location cards (see Figure 14, p.9). This is important, because you can then teleport there using the "Teleport potion" basic item which allows you to teleport to a previously-explored Location!
Small Magnetic "Pins"
The small magnets are used to attach mini-maps to the world map. They are also used as markers. You can use these magnets when specific effects (skills, items, etc.) require you to place a marker. During the game, you can store these magnets by attaching them to one of the edges of the world map.
Obstacles on Mini-Maps
Like the world map, some mini-map spaces have obstacles, meaning that you cannot stop on or travel through them. You cannot enter a space occupied by an NPC. The same rule applies to any scenery occupying a space, such as trees, posts, and statues. Some mini-maps may also have chests or pots you can interact with. These elements are also obstacles. You can only move onto empty spaces, and small decorative elements such as flowers and grass are not obstacles.
Interacting with NPCs
To interact with an NPC, you must stop on an adjacent space, but not diagonally. Next to the NPC is a black speech bubble with an icon. Generally, you will find this icon followed by a number, representing a quest reference. This means you may now take that Quest card. The card will show you the dialog with the NPC.
Warning! Most mini-maps also have NPCs with red speech bubbles. These red speech bubbles show a specific LVL (level). This means that you can only interact with these NPCs when all heroes are at or above the required level. (Example: all heroes must be at level 5 or above to interact with an NPC whose bubble shows 5. Diagonal placement is incorrect; adjacent placement is correct.)
Some NPCs may have a padlock icon followed by a letter, like on the world map. This means that when you interact with this NPC, you are on a quest objective. For example, if a quest requires you to go to padlock H to turn over the associated Quest card, and this padlock is above an NPC, you must be on a space adjacent to this NPC to complete the quest.
Interacting with Buildings and Other Objects
On mini-maps, you will often encounter buildings and other items with various panels above them. This means you can interact with these objects.
To interact with a building with a panel, you must put your party token on the arrow icon at the building entrance (do not put the party token on the building). To interact with objects (pots, chests, etc.), you must also be on an adjacent space with the icon.
Placement is especially important when exploring a dungeon, because you may have to use more movement if you stop directly on the object instead of an adjacent space, making the game harder.
Info Panels
The "INN" panel shows this building is an inn. When a hero interacts with this panel, you must shuffle the Exploration deck. All heroes may then spend the amount of G (Gelos) required to heal any poison and up to their maximum HP and SP. Remember, the price shown is the cost per hero.
The panel with the "+" allows you to talk to a healer who will fully restore all MP and any exhausted skills (see the "Boost" section on p.25). The price shown is also the cost per hero in need of healing. When a hero interacts with this panel, you must shuffle the Exploration deck.
On most mini-maps, "INN" and "+" are together, meaning you can perform all these actions at the same place. If you perform several actions, you only shuffle the Exploration deck once.
You will also find the "Shop" on many mini-maps. This allows you to buy or sell Item cards. When you interact with this panel, you may reveal the Item cards shown in the panel (Item cards are the small numbered cards with the feather icon). When these cards are revealed, their purchase and sale price is shown on the bottom right. To buy an item, pay the cost in black text (the purchase price) on the card and put it near your hero sheet (with your equipment or in the shared bag, see "Items Cards" on p.22). Once you have completed your purchases, put the remaining cards (the ones you did not buy) back in their place in the card organizer. You can always come back and buy them later.
To sell an item, check the resale value (in white text) on any Item card you have. Discard the card and put it in the "discard" section of the card organizer and take the amount of G shown in exchange. Remember, any sold cards are put into the discard pile and do not return to the Item card deck.
In addition, ALL SHOPS allow you to buy any card in the "DISCARD" section of the Card organizer, AS LONG AS its purchase price is in a blue circle. Various items that you can buy or find in the world of Lanoth are available at shops after they have been discarded.
You will also see this panel has a money bag icon. This represents the basic items listed on your hero sheet. You can buy as many basic items as you wish from shops, in addition to Item cards. The price of these items is shown on your hero sheets. However, each hero may only carry two of each basic item, and they cannot be sold.
Like the speech bubbles above NPCs, you can find this type of panel above certain buildings and items such as pots or chests. If this panel contains a quest icon followed by a number, this means you can take the Quest card with the matching number. If it contains a feather icon, you can take the corresponding Item card.
Hostile Mini-Maps (Dungeons)
Revealing a Dungeon
Dungeons are hostile mini-maps. Peaceful mini-maps are identified by a star symbol followed by a number at the top of the card next to the title and on the exit/entrance space (Figure A). [Transcriber's note: printed as such in the English rulebook; context indicates the star symbol marks dungeons.] In addition, the panel with the dungeon name is red, unlike on peaceful mini-maps where the title is blue.
When you reveal a dungeon card, you must put your party token on the entrance/exit space, indicated by an orange double arrow icon (the ones on peaceful mini-maps are white). Entering a dungeon does not immediately trigger a battle.
As with peaceful mini-maps, put dungeon mini-maps into the pile of revealed Location cards when you leave.
Movement and Encounters in Dungeons
The paths in dungeons are bounded by walls. These walls are impassable, you cannot move through or onto them. All the rules for obstacles on peaceful mini-maps also apply to dungeons.
Unlike peaceful mini-maps, dungeons use the red movement value (like the world map). At the end of each movement in a dungeon, you must reveal the Encounter card for that dungeon, triggering a battle (unless you are interacting with an object). The corresponding Encounter card will have a star icon followed by a number matching the one on the entrance space or next to the dungeon name.
Note that there are no B Encounter cards in dungeons. If you draw a B, you must reveal the normal Encounter card.
Interacting in Dungeons
When you interact with an object in a dungeon, you do not draw an Encounter card (no battle). Dungeons often contain chests, pots, quest panels and quest padlock icons. Interacting with any of these works in the same way as on any other mini-map: they are treated as obstacles and you must move onto an adjacent space with the icon to interact with them.
Narrative Location Cards
Some Location cards are not accessible at the start of the game and certain conditions must be fulfilled before you can enter them. For these Locations, you will reveal a "narrative" Location card.
These cards may be split into two or more sections (A, B). The first section A must only be read the first time it is revealed. The subsequent sections B contain actions you can take, and you can do these as many times as you wish.
You may also find quest objective padlocks in these sections, which means that you may treat it as if you are occupying a space containing a quest objective padlock.
One of these sections usually also contains a condition which allows you to explore the Location in more depth by revealing a "Location X "B"" card. A Location B card is a Location card linked to another Location card, often in the form of a mini-map.
Example: You reveal a narrative Location card and one of the sections reads: "If you have Item X, you may reveal the Location Y B card." You may then explore this location by revealing the new Location Y card, as long as you have the "key", in this case Item X.
As with other mini-maps, put the narrative Location cards into the pile of revealed Location cards when you leave these Locations.
Quests
Quest Cards
In Bôken, quests are represented by Quest cards. These cards have a quest icon followed by a number. You generally receive these from NPCs on mini-maps.
When you receive a Quest card (usually from a quest panel), take the card with the corresponding number from the card organizer without turning it over (keep it so only the blue side is visible).
Then put this card next to your hero sheet, or between both hero sheets if using two heroes. You must keep this card until it is resolved and the card tells you to discard it or put it away. There is no limit to the number of Quest cards you may have.
The back of a Quest card has the quest introduction and a mission with specific requirements to fulfil. Generally, the card will tell you to turn over the card to reveal the front parchment illustration (Figure C) when a specific condition has been fulfilled. The front will then show the quest's resolution or any continuation.
Example: On a Quest card, an NPC explains that he is searching for treasure. The card may then give you a condition such as: "To turn over this card, visit [a padlock]." Once you have found the padlock and travelled to it, you may then turn over the Quest card. The front of the card may say: "Congratulations! You've found the treasure! Take Item 7 and discard this Quest card." Or it may say: "You find a secret passage: take Quest 2 and discard this card." The second example is a multi-stage quest, where it tells you to draw a new Quest card.
Quest Cards (Rumors)
Some Quest cards will give you "rumors" instead of tasks to complete. For example, they may give you hints, tips, or narrative. After reading the front of the card, it will normally tell you to turn it over (without any preconditions) to read any remaining text. Often, it will then tell you to store it in the card organizer after reading it, instead of discarding it. You can return to talk to the NPC again later if you have forgotten anything.
You can also take notes in a notebook during the adventure, which is highly recommended.
When you store a Quest card (or Item card), simply return it to the correct place in the card organizer according to the number on the card.
Other Types of Quest Card
The front of some Quest cards may also include sub-bosses or acquirable abilities. These will be covered in more detail later in this rulebook.
Items
Items are objects you can acquire during the game. There are two types of items: basic items and Item cards. Basic items are items written on your hero sheet with dedicated tokens, while Item cards are numbered cards which are stored in the card organizer. They are smaller than the other cards and have the feather icon on the back.
Item Cards
There are three main types of Item card: weapons, armor, and other, which can include consumables, talismans, etc.
Regardless of the item type, a hero can only carry 5 equipped Item cards at once. To equip an item, put the card on top of the relevant hero sheet, as you did with the starter Item cards during setup. Equipped cards are cards which you can quickly access during a battle, and it is therefore important to have at least one weapon and one piece of armor equipped at all times.
All other Item cards which are not equipped go into the shared bag. The shared bag is either next to the hero sheet or between the two hero sheets if using two heroes. To show a card is not equipped, turn it 90° horizontally to differentiate it from equipped items (Figure 12, p.9).
Item Cards Explained
- A. Item illustration
- B. Item number (also shown on the back)
- C. Item type (Weapon, Armor, Item)
- D. The hero who can equip/use this item (either Hero A or Hero B). If no hero is specified, either hero can equip it.
- E. Item name
Weapons and Armor
Weapons and armor are used to attack and defend in battles. In battle, select the "Attack" action to use your weapon to attack (explained on p.31). Roll your battle die to determine if you perform a normal hit, a critical hit, or a super critical hit. Then check the card for the weapon you used to see your attack damage. The battle die and weapon card show symbols for normal hit, critical hit and super critical hit.
For example, if you attack using the "Bastard Sword" (Figure A) and you roll a normal hit on your attack die, you will have an attack of 4 against your enemy. If you roll a critical hit, you attack for 5 + X. The X value in the yellow square corresponds with the level bonus shown at the top of your hero sheet. Remember, this bonus is not always the same as your level. For example, if you are LVL 3, a critical hit with the "Bastard Sword" will give you an attack of 5 + 2 (level bonus), for a total attack of 7. As you can see, a normal hit with the "Bastard Sword" does not allow you to add a level bonus. A normal hit will always be an attack of 4, regardless of your level.
Some weapons also allow you to perform magic attacks. There are four types of attack in Bôken: physical attacks (non-magical), fire attacks, water attacks, and electric attacks (see battle section on p.33 for more detail). When a weapon has one of these magical elements, an icon is shown next to its attack value (Figure B, critical hit and super critical hit section). If the icon is followed by the same icon crossed out, this means that you may choose to perform this attack as a physical attack only (without magic). For example, if you perform a critical hit with the "Mage Staff", you can choose between a fire attack 2+X or a physical attack (without fire) 2+X.
Armor allows you to reduce the damage you take from enemies. For example, if an enemy has an attack of 5 and you are wearing a "Mage Robe" (Figure C), you can reduce the damage you take by the armor value shown in the top row of shield icons on the armor card. The bottom set of icons is used when you choose the "Defend" action. When you select this action, you must use the bottom row of shield icons on your armor card, which offers better defense than the top row. This will be explained in more detail in the battle section of this rulebook.
Each set of shield icons has four defense values, shown in different colors. These are the types of defense your armor grants against each type of attack. There are four defense types, each corresponding to one of the four attack types: physical defense against physical attacks, fire defense against fire attacks, water defense against water attacks, and electric defense against electric attacks. You must reduce the damage from an attack using the defense that matches the type of attack targeting you.
For example, if an enemy attacks you for 3 fire damage, and your fire defense from the Mage Robe is 1, you then take 3 - 1 = 2 damage (2 wounds or -2 HP).
If an enemy targets you with an attack with multiple elements, you must choose the weakest defense from the relevant elements. For example, if the enemy has an attack of 7 with two elements and you have the Mage Robe (Figure C) equipped, you must use your blue defense which is 0. If the blue shield had the same defense value as the red shield, you could choose between the two (which can be helpful against some effects).
Enchanting Weapons and Armor
Most weapons and armor can be enchanted to make them more powerful. However, the heroes' starter weapons and armor (the ones you had at the beginning of the adventure) cannot be enchanted. The Enchant ability is an ability you can discover as you explore the world of Lanoth. You do not begin the game with this ability, you will need to acquire it before you can use it on your items.
When a weapon or piece of armor is "enchantable", a box at the bottom of the card will show a green stone icon and "Enchant", followed by an Item card number (Figure A). This means that you can use this stone to enchant this item, but only if you have the enchant ability. The rules for enchanting weapons are explained on the Ability card when you acquire it.
Other Items
Unlike weapons and armor, which are generally only usable by a specific hero (shown at the top right of the card), other items can be used by either hero. Some are persistent items which grant various bonuses, while others are "consumable" and are lost (stored or discarded) after use.
These items are very easy to use, simply read the text on the card for details (Figure B). However, always remember to check whether you need to discard or store the card after using it! Some cards must be discarded, which means they must be put in the "discard" section of the card organizer, and can often be bought again at shops. Cards which must be "stored" must be put back in the item section of the card organizer in the correct order.
By default, when you use an item (for example, an item that heals 10 HP), the target of the effect is counted as the character which used the item, unless the card states that the effect applies to "a target hero". In this case, you can choose which hero will receive this effect.
Skills
Skill Cards
Skills are usually used in battle, though they can also be useful in other situations. With few exceptions, you must always spend MP to use a skill.
The skills that a hero has at the beginning of the adventure are "starter skills". As they level up, heroes gain more powerful skills to choose from.
The skills you acquire later are different from starter skills because they have two options. Each Skill card has two sides. When the blue side is facing up, the card shows the skill exclusive to hero A, and the other side (purple) shows the skill exclusive to hero B, which has a different power. When a hero chooses a skill, they may only use the power exclusive to that hero. This also means that the other hero can no longer acquire their skill from this card.
Skill card parts: A. Skill icon; B. Skill name; C. MP cost to use this skill; D. Skill effect triggered after paying the mana cost; E. Boost (explained below).
Boost
Skills have boost effects which are shown in a box under the card's main effect (Figure E). Boosts grant the effect described and cost no MP. Boosts do not use a battle action (see "Hero Turn" on p.31).
You can use as many boosts as you like at the same time, and you can even use a boost on the same card as a skill just activated for its main effect.
When you use a boost, you must turn the card face down. This card is now exhausted, and you cannot use it again until you are able to refresh any exhausted skills.
Remember, when visiting a healer (when you see this panel), you can refresh any exhausted skills (turn them face up), by paying the cost shown in the panel. (see p.17)
Example: You are in battle and decide to use the "Mighty Blow" skill to attack your opponent. You spend 3 MP and perform a 5+X attack. You are LVL 1, and your level bonus is +1. Your total attack against your opponent is 5+1=6. You choose to boost this attack. You have several Skill cards with an "Attack +1" boost. You turn over your "Chain" Skill card, which has an "Attack +1" boost, and you also turn over your "Mighty Blow" card (which you already used for its main effect) which also has an "Attack +1" boost to make your attack even more powerful. Your total attack is now 5+1+1+1=8! However, because you turned over these cards you are no longer able to use these skills until you have rested at the inn or refreshed your exhausted skills some other way.
A boost can also be used to strengthen a normal attack with your weapon, not just for a skill.
Retry
Some skills have the "Retry" icon next to their MP cost. This means that you can replay this skill as many times as you like, paying its MP cost each time. Most skills have a specific effect, but some require you to roll a D6 for a random result. The "Retry" icon allows you to retry to attempt a better result. When you "Retry" a skill the effects do not stack. You are retrying the skill to attempt a different result.
Example: You use a skill with the Retry icon, which costs 3 MP. You spend 3 MP and this skill requires you to roll a D6. If you roll 1 to 3, you have an attack of 3, and if you roll 4 to 6 you have an attack of 10. You roll and get a 3, but you are not happy with this result. You decide to spend another 3 MP to reroll the die, but you roll another 3. You try again, spending another 3 MP, and this time you roll a 5 which grants you 10 attack. You attack your opponent for a total of 10.
Reaction Action !
Some skills and items have an exclamation mark icon !. This means you can use that skill or item at a specific time shown on the card (often during the enemy turn). These are usually skills which give you a defense bonus or allow you to counter-attack.
Whenever you see this symbol, it means that action does not use your battle action for the turn (see "Hero Turn" on p.31).
Gaining New Skills
As soon as a hero levels up (LVL UP), they gain a new skill. They may then draw 2 random Skill cards from the card organizer and choose one to keep. This process will be explained in the LVL UP section (p.27). Remember, each skill has a specific effect for Hero A and a different one for Hero B. When a hero chooses a skill, the other hero's effect on that card is no longer available. Choose your skills wisely.
Maximum Number of Skills
A hero can only have 4 Skill cards equipped at once. Equipped skills are skills which you have selected for battle. Once a battle has begun, you will only have access to your 4 equipped Skill cards, even if you have more. Any remaining Skill cards must be put underneath the equipped Skill cards to form the "Skill card pool", placed horizontally (see Figure 15, p.9).
You can change your equipped skills at any time outside battle and at the start of a battle.
Abilities
As you play, your heroes will also gain new abilities. Abilities are often quest rewards and are always found on the front of a Quest card. When you receive one of these cards, you can keep it until the end of the game.
There are two types of ability: individual abilities and party abilities. Individual abilities must be placed in a pile next to your equipped Skill cards (see Figure 13, page 9), while party abilities must be placed in a pile between the two heroes. Party abilities can be used by either hero.
The card's effects are written on the card. Most abilities can be played in addition to your battle action (when it is a battle ability), which essentially gives you extra actions (see p.31 for more detail).
Allies
Ally Cards
Some Quest cards have an "Ally card" on the front. As you explore the world of Lanoth, you may encounter allies who will accompany you for the rest of your adventure.
Allies support you with an additional battle action. This means that each hero may perform one action per battle turn (see "Hero Turn" on p.31). If you are using two heroes, you have two actions per battle turn, plus an action for your Acolyte and one for your ally.
Unlike heroes, who can choose from different types of action during battle, allies have only one type of action. To play your ally, roll a battle die and check their card to see which action they take. For example, if you roll a critical hit and you have the ally in Figure A, they deal 1 direct damage (which cannot be reduced) to the target enemy.
Ally card parts: A. Ally name; B. Ally portrait; C. Ally effects by die roll.
Unlike heroes, you can choose which enemy to target with an ally's attack, after rolling the battle die.
Ally Card Limits
When you gain a new ally, put their card between the two hero sheets (in a two-player game) so that it can easily be seen. You can have an unlimited number of allies. However, you may only have one ally (in addition to your Acolyte) active in battle, and you can choose which one at the start of the battle. If you have multiple allies, pile them with the active ally on top.
Lvl Up
Lvl Up (Introduction)
You receive experience points (XP) from beating enemies and completing quests. When one of your heroes' XP reaches the "LVL UP" space on their hero sheet, that hero goes up a level. Levelling up makes your heroes more powerful and able to take on more powerful enemies.
Underneath the "LVL UP" on your hero's XP bar is another box which reminds you what you need to do when you level up. This box is just a guide, you do not need to put your XP token there.
Lvl Up and XP Bar
When you gain XP past the LVL UP space, you must continue to assign any remaining XP by returning to the 1 XP space.
Example: The LVL UP space is space 10 on the XP bar. If you have 8 XP and gain 3 XP, this will move your token to space 1 on the bar. If you gain 4, this will move your token to space 2, etc. Don't forget to do the level up (LVL UP) process each time you level up.
Levelling Up
As shown by the gold arrow (Figure A), every time the XP token stops on or passes the "LVL UP" space, you gain a level, heal, and gain a new skill.
- LEVELLING UP: To level up, move your level token one space to the right (Figure B). Like the HP and MP bars, the LVL bar (Figure B) shows the maximum HP and MP you can have at this level when all your stats are full. The yellow squares at the top also show the level bonus you get when you attack (attack +x). Remember, these bonuses are not always the same as your level!
- HEAL: When you level up, recover your hero back to their full HP, MP, and SP, remove any Poison (remember to take the new maximum limits into account), and refresh any exhausted Skill cards by turning them face up.
- SKILL: Then draw two random Skill cards from the card organizer. You can choose to keep one Skill card from the two you drew, which you then add to your existing Skill cards, turning it so the side corresponding to your hero is at the top (blue for hero A and purple for hero B). Remember, when a hero chooses a Skill card, the other Skill on the card will no longer be available for the other hero. After choosing your Skill card, put the other card into the back compartment of the Skill card section of the card organizer (Figure C, "Unchosen Skill cards compartment"). The next time a hero levels up, they may also choose from any previously unchosen Skill cards stored in this compartment in addition to the two random Skill cards they draw. For example, if both heroes are Level 2, there will be two unchosen Skill cards in this compartment. When the next hero levels up, they can choose from the two random Skill cards they draw and from the two other cards that were not chosen previously, for a total of four Skill cards to choose from.
Free Actions
Free actions can be taken at any time outside of battle. These include:
- Freely exchanging basic items or Item cards between heroes and with the shared bag.
- Exchanging Gelos (G).
- Using basic items or Item cards (to heal yourself, for example).
- Changing the lead hero (the hero token used as the party token).
- Using a skill (a healing skill, for example) even if the skill is not equipped. Remember, you cannot use a skill if it is exhausted (face down). An equipped skill is a skill available for battle (four maximum), while skills in your pool are ones which you have over this limit.
Battle
Revealing an Encounter Card
Battle is a core element of Bôken and a key part of your adventure. You will need to use strategy and teamwork to overcome your enemies.
Battles are normally triggered when an Encounter card is revealed. Remember, you must reveal an Encounter card every time you stop on a terrain space on the world map or on a space in a dungeon (see p.14 & p.18).
When you reveal an Encounter card, put it on the Encounter card holder (Figure D).
Encounter Card Holder
The Encounter card holder gives you a place to put Encounter cards and track enemy HP and the DP (difficulty points) of certain challenges. It has three columns, each divided into numbered spaces that allow you to track the HP or DP for the enemy or challenge at the top of the relevant column (Figure E). Each column displays numbers up to 19, because Encounters cannot normally exceed 19 HP or 19 DP. To determine and track HP and DP, put a battle token on the number corresponding to the Encounter's HP or DP. For example, if the enemy assigned to the left column has 4 HP, put the battle token on space 4 of this column as shown in Figure E.
If a special enemy (boss or sub-boss) has more than 19 HP, the small white numbers on the top right of each space from the second column onwards allow you to track any health above 19 HP. In this case, spread the HP or DP across multiple columns. For example, for an enemy with 38 HP you would put the battle token on space 38 in the second column (in white above the 18). If the enemy reaches 0 HP (after taking 38 damage), the token moves to space 0 in the first column. This is only possible when you are fighting one enemy, because you need multiple columns available.
Columns: Column 1 (left encounter column), Column 2 (middle encounter column), Column 3 (right encounter column). Hero A battle token shown.
Generating Encounters
After putting the Encounter card in the card holder, you must determine which of the three enemies to generate. First, reveal an Exploration card. Then look at the box to the top left of each enemy to see which ones correspond to the dice icons on the Exploration card.
For example, the Encounter card shows that rolling a 1 or 2 spawns a "SLIME", rolling a 3 or 4 spawns a "CROKLIN", and rolling a 5 or 6 spawns a "GLUGLU".
Encounter card parts (Figure A): Enemy HP; Flee value; Generate Encounter; Encounter name; Enemy attack; Battle rewards; Bonus rewards.
The blue die (always on the left) on an Exploration card shows the enemy spawned for Hero A, and the purple die shows the one spawned for Hero B. The heroes each put their respective battle tokens on the HP track for the enemy they spawned.
For example, a SLIME was generated for Hero A with a 1, and a CROKLIN for Hero B with a 3. Hero A puts their battle token on space 4 (Figure B) in the first column (which is assigned to the SLIME) because the SLIME has 4 HP (Figure A). Hero B puts their battle token on space 6 in the second column, because the CROKLIN has 6 HP. Then, put the Hide Encounter card on the enemy not involved in the battle (Figure C).
REMEMBER: Enemies assigned to Hero A or B are only used to determine rewards at the end of the battle. During battle, the heroes can attack any enemy and enemies can attack any hero regardless of which one they are assigned to.
The maximum number of encounters in a standard battle is two enemies, the heroes generate one enemy each. However, if there is only one die on the Exploration card, this means that only one enemy can be generated for that battle.
Preparing for Battle
Once the encounters have been generated, each hero chooses the equipment and skills they want to use in battle. Players also choose which ally they want to take with them (if they have any).
To do this, you can exchange items between the heroes or with the shared bag before equipping them and change your equipped skills. Any skills or items you equip must comply with the following: a maximum of five equipped Item cards per hero, four equipped skills per hero, and a single ally (+ the Acolyte) for the whole party. In addition, your five Item cards can include only one weapon and one piece of armor.
Once this is done, you are ready for battle!
Battle Turns
Battles take place over multiple turns, alternating between the hero turn and the enemy turn until all members of one side are knocked out (0 HP). To determine which group goes first, check the Exploration card you revealed to generate the enemies. If it shows "Hero initiative", then the heroes go first. If it shows "Enemy initiative", then the enemies go first.
During the hero turn, each hero, the Acolyte, and the ally (if there is one) can take one action in the order you choose.
Hero Turn
On their turn, the heroes can perform one of the following seven actions. For example, a hero can't attack then use an item or skill on the same turn.
Attack; Use an Ability; Use an Item; Use a Skill; Defend; Reshuffle; Flee Battle.
Battle Action: Attack
When a hero chooses this action, they can use their equipped weapon to attack (a hero cannot perform this action without a weapon equipped). First, choose an enemy to attack (unlike allies). Then, roll a battle die and check the weapon card to determine the strength of the attack (see Weapons and Armor, p.23).
Battle Action: Use a Skill
When a hero chooses this action, they can use one of their equipped skills by paying its mana cost to trigger its effect (see Skills, p.24). Some skills may require you to roll a die (shown on the Skill card). As with the Attack action, you must choose your target before rolling the die.
Using boosts from Skill cards (see p.25) does not count as a battle action. On your turn, you may turn over as many Skill cards as you wish to use their boosts. Boosts can also be used after rolling your attack die (once your attack strength has been determined).
Remember, some skills have this exclamation mark icon ! next to the skill description. This means you can use this skill at a specific time, giving you what amounts to a second battle action (often during the enemy turn).
Battle Action: Flee Battle
Flee battle is an action you can take on your turn. If a hero successfully flees, the whole party escapes with them. If you are playing with two heroes, you have two chances per turn to flee.
To flee, the hero must roll a D6 and compare the result to the highest flee value among the remaining unbeaten enemies. For example, if you are facing the two enemies in Figure A, the flee value is 4+ for the CROKLIN and 3+ for the GLUGLU. If both enemies are still active, you will need to roll a 4 or higher to flee.
If you are successful, store the Encounter card. You will not receive any rewards from the battle (even if you beat some of the enemies).
The Flashroom basic item can be very useful, as it allows you to automatically flee a battle.
Battle Action: Use an Ability
This action allows you to use one of your Ability cards, if you have any. However, most abilities state they can be used in addition to your battle action, without using up your action for your turn. If you have several abilities with this option, you can use them all during your turn. These abilities can be powerful, and allow you to perform multiple additional actions during the same turn.
Battle Action: Defend
When a hero chooses this action, they switch to defensive stance until their next turn. In defensive stance, they can use the values shown in the bottom row of their armor values instead of the values in the top row (see Figure B: normal armor values vs. defensive stance armor values).
Battle Action: Use an Item
When a hero chooses this action, they can use one equipped Item of their choice. This can be an Item card or a basic item. As with Skill cards, some items can be used in addition to your battle action. This will be stated on the card. A hero may spend 1 SP to use an item from the shared bag instead of using an equipped item.
Battle Action: Reshuffle
When a hero chooses this action, they can do the following:
- Exchange any number of Item cards and/or basic items with the other hero or for items in the shared bag.
- Exchange equipped skills with skills in the pool.
- Exchange their current ally for a new one by putting the new ally on top of the old one.
You may perform several (all) of these actions during the "Reshuffle" action.
Additional Action: Move to the Front
In addition to performing one of the other seven battle actions, a hero may spend 1 SP at any time during their turn to move to the front of the party. Moving to the front makes the hero easier for enemies to target. As you will see, enemies have a 4 in 6 chance of attacking the hero at the front of the party, compared to a 2 in 6 chance of attacking the hero at the back. Some skills are also more powerful when you are at the front of the party.
If you move to the front, swap the party token on the map to reflect the change. Remember, the lead hero can be changed at any time outside of battle without spending any SP.
Assigning Damage
Enemies have their own defense values shown underneath their illustrations (see Figure D). Apply any damage reduction based on the shield color that matches the type of attack you are performing. For example, in Figure D, if you perform a fire attack of 6, you deal 6 - 3 (red shield) = 3 damage to that enemy. This enemy is resistant to fire, so a physical attack (without magic) would be better to maximize damage.
As with the heroes' Item/Armor cards, the grey shield icon on the enemy cards represents their defense against physical attacks, the red shield against fire attacks, the blue shield against water attacks, and the yellow shield against electric attacks.
Enemy Turn
Enemies attack one at a time, beginning with the one furthest to the left on the Encounter card. To begin the enemy attack, roll a hero's battle die: this roll determines whether the enemy performs a normal attack or a critical hit. Enemies have no super critical hit, so any result that would normally be a super critical hit is just a critical hit. Then, check the Encounter card to see which attack corresponds to the result of the die roll.
For example, in Figure C, if you roll the battle die for the CROKLIN and get a normal hit, it performs an attack of 6 (physical). If you roll a critical hit or super critical hit, it performs an attack of 7 (physical) plus two stacks of poison.
You will see the letters A, B, or the number 1 in the top right on each side of the battle dice. These determine which hero will be targeted: "A" refers to Hero A, the "B" refers to Hero B, and the "1" refers to the lead hero. For example, if you roll this result for the CROKLIN, it performs an attack of 7 with two stacks of poison against Hero A.
When all enemies have attacked, the next hero turn begins and the heroes can take their battle actions in any order they choose.
Taking Damage
When an enemy attacks a hero, remember to reduce the damage by your armor value (if you have armor equipped) as shown in the Weapons and Armor section (p.23).
Effects of Enemy Attacks
Enemy attacks often also have effects represented by icons (Figure A). When an attack has effects, resolve them from left to right: first the attack itself, then each of the effects one by one, if there are multiple effects.
If an ability or skill allows you to take an action after being attacked by an enemy (e.g. a counter-attack), resolve all the effects of the enemy attack before using your ability or skill.
The physical, fire, water and electric icons are not effects, but types of attack which show which armor color you should check when calculating damage.
You will find the meaning of all these icons on the back of this rulebook and on the removable storage box.
Winning the Battle
When an enemy's HP reaches 0, that enemy is KO'd. When this happens, put the transparent "KO'd Enemy" card over it (see Figure B). Once all enemies are vanquished, you win the battle and receive your rewards.
Battle Rewards
When you win a battle, each hero receives rewards from the enemy they generated at the start of the battle, regardless of which one they defeated.
Each enemy has two rewards sections at the bottom of the Encounter card. The top section shows the rewards you receive automatically, and the bottom section shows the bonus rewards you can receive by rolling a D6.
In the top section, you generally receive G (Gelos) and XP. As shown in Figure C, XP is often followed by "-LV". This means that you receive the XP shown, minus your current level. For example, if the section shows "3 XP-LV" and you are Level 1, you will receive 3 - 1 = 2 XP. At Level 2, you will receive 1 XP, and at Level 3 or higher you will not receive any additional XP. This system encourages you to face more powerful enemies to continue gaining XP.
The top section of the third column in Figure C shows a quest objective padlock icon followed by the letter "Q". This means that if you win the battle, you will find yourself on the Q quest objective. If you have a Quest card which requires you to reach quest objective Q in order to turn it over, you can do this once you have won the battle. Ignore this icon if you do not have the associated quest.
Now take a look at the "bonus rewards" section at the bottom. Once you have received all the standard rewards, each hero can roll a D6 to try and receive bonus rewards from the enemy they generated. If the die result is equal to or higher than the one shown in this section, the hero wins the bonus rewards. These rewards can include basic items such as a healing potion (Figure C) or Item cards, shown in the first column with the "Item 59" icon. If you win this type of item, you can take the corresponding card from the Item card deck.
If you gain an Item card as a reward but cannot find it among the available Item cards, check the discard pile. If the item has a resale value in a blue circle, you can take it from the discard pile. If not, you do not gain that Item card.
If only one enemy was generated, you must choose which hero receives the rewards, as well as the XP and any bonus rewards.
And if a hero is KO'd during battle, but the other hero manages to beat all the enemies, the KO'd hero can still receive rewards and any bonus rewards from their assigned enemy.
Traps and Challenges
Traps
Some Encounter cards feature traps or challenges instead of enemies (Figure A).
Traps have no HP. The difference between traps and enemies is that when you generate a trap, it always acts before the hero turn. Like enemies, traps attack using a battle die. Once the trap has attacked it is considered to be beaten. Put the KO'd Enemy card on top of it, then immediately begin the hero turn if they have the initiative.
Challenges
Challenges (Figure B) act during the enemy turn. Like with enemies, you must roll a battle die for a challenge to act on its turn.
Instead of HP, challenges have DP (difficulty points) which work in exactly the same way as HP. Each challenge has a section above the illustration which shows how to beat that challenge.
It is impossible to flee battle with an unbeaten challenge, even by using an item that normally allows you to flee battle. This is indicated by the crossed-out flee icon.
KO and Game Over
KO
When a hero's HP falls to 0 or the HP token reaches the poison token space, that hero is "KO'd". The HP token can never move beyond the poison token. If it reaches or would pass the poison token, stack them on top of each other. A KO'd hero can no longer participate in the battle and cannot be healed during that battle.
When a hero is KO'd, all enemies attack the remaining hero, regardless of the result of the battle die.
A KO'd hero can be healed after the battle is over by healing their HP with an item, a skill, or any other method that heals HP. As long as their HP remains on the same space as the poison token, the hero stays KO'd and cannot participate in any battles.
Game Over
Game Over occurs when all heroes are KO'd. When this happens, the battle ends immediately and you must draw a Game Over card. You will find these in the discard section of the card organizer. All heroes recover all HP, MP, SP, and exhausted skills, and heal poison, like after a LVL UP. You can then either leave the party token on its current position, or move it to any other Location space on the world map where you have already revealed the mini-map (and which is therefore available in the explored Locations deck).
Game Over cards add penalties to your final score (-2 points per card), and you must keep them until the end of the game. The game includes a total of 15 Game Over cards, which is the maximum number of Game Overs you can get before completely losing the game. If the party already has 15 Game Over cards and would receive another, the game is lost: you must restart the game from the beginning. However, the game is designed to be ended without reaching the maximum number of Game Over cards, as long as you manage your progression carefully. It is completely normal to receive several Game Over cards during the game.
Sub-Bosses and Bosses
When fighting a sub-boss or boss, you do not draw an Exploration card to determine initiative: the heroes always have the initiative in these battles.
When fighting a sub-boss or boss, Item cards you play and which would then normally be stored or discarded must be put aside (on the main board, for example). If you lose the battle (if you fled or received a Game Over card), you can pick them back up without putting them in storage or discarding them. If you win the battle, follow the normal instructions for each card: store it or discard as appropriate.
Sub-Bosses
Sub-bosses are powerful enemies that you encounter during your adventure. They are found on the backs of specific quest cards, so be careful not to turn over a Quest card without fulfilling the conditions on the front first.
When you reveal a sub-boss, you can put their card in front of the players or on the Encounter card holder. Their HP is normally much higher than that of ordinary enemies. You must then track their HP across several columns on the Encounter card holder (see p.29).
All the normal rules for battle apply during these battles. The main difference is that instead of rolling a battle die to determine their attack, you roll a D6 instead. Three sections underneath the enemy portrait show the attacks they perform depending on the result of the D6 roll. To determine which hero is attacked, the D6 has the letters A, B, and the number 1, the same as the battle dice.
The red 5 and 6 dice icons on Sub-Boss cards show that they are critical hits. This can affect the use of certain effects which trigger when an enemy performs a critical hit.
When you win a battle against a sub-boss, check the section at the bottom right of the card, which shows what you need to do after winning. Normally, this will be to discard the card and receive a new Quest card in exchange which will show any rewards you receive.
If you lose the battle or choose to flee, refer to the section at the bottom left of the card. Generally, you will need to turn over the card and put it back with your Quest cards so you can come back and face it again when you are ready.
When you return to fight a sub-boss you lost against previously (fled the battle or were KO'd), you must face them at their full HP.
Boss
Bosses are the most powerful enemies you will encounter in Bôken. Defeating them often unlocks elements essential for fulfilling your destiny.
Unlike sub-bosses, bosses are found on Encounter cards, and the conditions for revealing them are stated on your Quest cards. When you reveal a boss, the Quest card will show any rules specific to that boss. Bosses usually have three phases, each represented by a different column (see Figure C) and each with their own HP, attacks, and defense.
The first column usually corresponds to the boss's phase 1, the second column to phase 2, and the third column to the final phase. Unless otherwise instructed, when you reveal a boss Encounter card, avoid looking at the phase 2 and final phases and cover them with the Hide Encounter cards so that you are only fighting phase 1. Once you have beaten phase 1, move on to the next one by moving the Hide Encounter card from phase 2 to cover phase 1, and continue likewise for the final phase. Reset the boss's HP as needed for each phase.
Beating one phase and beginning the next doesn't count as a new battle. This means that the heroes do not automatically go first in the new phase, instead the battle continues normally, as if you were fighting the same enemy. If there is an Acolyte or ally that hasn't yet taken their action, they may continue taking their turn in the next phase. If all heroes have already taken their turn, it is then the boss's turn. In addition, any excess damage and effects such as paralysis that were dealt as part of beating a phase are not carried over to the next. For example, if the boss's phase 1 has 3 HP left and you deal it 5 damage, the phase is beaten, but the 2 remaining damage is not carried over to the next phase. Likewise, if you paralyzed the boss with an effect, this effect immediately ends when the battle moves to the next phase.
Unlike standard Encounter cards, boss portraits are at the bottom of the card. The top shows the boss's special ability which triggers when you see the special ability (skull) icon after one of its attacks.
When you beat the boss's final phase, you win the battle. Whether you win or lose the battle (Game Over or flee), carefully read the info on the Quest card which generated the boss, as it will tell you what to do depending on the outcome of the battle.
When you return to fight a boss you previously lost against (fled or KO'd), you must start the battle from the beginning of the first phase. The boss is completely healed.
Note: Some bosses have different HP depending on whether you are playing in solo or co-op mode. This will be noted below its HP if applicable.
Score
When you beat a sub-boss or boss, you gain points which vary depending on your heroes' levels. The lower your heroes' levels, the more points you receive, as the battle difficulty is higher. If you win the battle, the Quest card will tell you how many points you receive. Write these points down somewhere.
At the end of the game, add up the points you have written down and subtract any penalties received from Game Over cards to calculate your final score. This is purely to evaluate your performance in the game, giving you a score you can try to beat by optimizing your strategy the next time you restart the game from the beginning.
You can also ignore the score if you would prefer to play a more relaxed game. Even if you do this, you must still take Game Over cards when appropriate, as you can only have a maximum of 15. Another way to evaluate your performance is to only count the total number of Game Over cards you received.
Saving
You can save your game any time outside of battle to pause and come back to it later. The magnetized hero sheet and board system and the card organizer make it quick to put the game away and get it back out again. Follow the steps below to save the game and put it away:
- A. Put all the cards belonging to Hero A (Skills, Items, and Abilities) in a single pile. If you have any exhausted (face down) Skill cards, leave them face down in the pile of cards. Put all these cards at the back of the first compartment (left side) of the removable card organizer.
- B. Do the same for Hero B and put their cards in the second compartment of the first section of the removable card organizer.
- C. Finally, put all the cards shared between the two heroes into a single pile. Shared cards are Quest cards, party Ability cards, Ally cards, Item cards in the shared bag, Exploration cards (with revealed cards turned face down to easily tell them apart), and Game Over cards. Put the pile of cards in the third compartment of the first section of the removable card organizer.
- D. Put all your battle tokens (tokens on the Encounter card holder) back on your hero sheets and put the two hero sheets at the bottom of the box.
- E. Put the removable card organizer and the other removable storage box on top.
- F. Lay the Encounter cards flat in the removable storage box. Turn the Location cards 90° so they are horizontal, then put any revealed Location cards into the back compartment to keep them separate. Put the Encounter card holder and the Hide Encounter cards on top of the Encounter cards and put the dice in the middle right compartment.
- G. After closing the removable boxes, put the rulebook and world map with the party token on top.
To help maintain the feel of the game and encourage you to take notes, only look at revealed Location cards when you are in that Location. However, when you continue the game after a break of 8 hours or more, you are allowed to check these Locations at the start of the session. Remember, you can never check the Location cards for Locations that you have not yet explored!
Pure Solo Mode
You can play Bôken solo using one or two heroes. "Pure solo" uses only one hero. Playing pure solo mode is a slightly different experience to playing with two heroes, mainly in terms of battle strategy. You will also notice several differences depending on which hero you choose, adding replayability. There are also several other things that change when playing with one hero.
Setup (Pure Solo Mode)
- At the beginning of the game, choose one of the two heroes. When you receive your starter Skill cards, you can choose from both the Hero A and Hero B cards, regardless of which hero you have chosen to play. You can mix the two and take several Hero A cards and several Hero B cards. You can take 4 starter Skill cards instead of 3. Once you have chosen your starter skills, put the rest of the starter Skill cards into the discard pile.
- When you receive your starter Item cards, you choose between both the Hero A or Hero B Item cards. However, you may only choose one weapon and one piece of armor from the four cards available. Put the remaining starter Item cards into the discard pile.
- Finally, take Quest card 77, which is a starter ability that allows you to take two battle actions during your turn instead of one.
Equipment (Pure Solo)
In pure solo mode, the heroes can use any item type, regardless of whether it can normally only be used by Hero A or Hero B.
Generating Encounters (Pure Solo)
When generating encounters, follow the same steps as when playing with two heroes. You can battle up to two enemies on your own. In addition, in solo mode enemies always attack your hero regardless of the result of the battle die. Use your own battle token and the battle token for the unused hero so you have enough to track enemy HP or DP.
Battle / Skills (Pure Solo)
At the beginning of a battle, you can adjust the orientation of your Skill cards to choose Skills marked as Hero A or Hero B (blue or purple). However, once you have chosen which skills to use, you cannot change them again during battle, unless you take a "Reshuffle" action.
There is no such thing as an "unequipped" skill in pure solo mode. When an effect allows you to use an unequipped skill, you can choose between the effect of a skill belonging to either Hero A or Hero B.
Encounter Rewards (Pure Solo)
When you win a battle, you only win the rewards from one enemy. You must choose which enemy's rewards to take. The same applies for any bonus rewards. However, for bonus rewards, you may choose to receive them from an enemy different to the one you received the automatic rewards from.
For example, if you beat a SLIME and a GLUGLU, you can choose to receive the automatic rewards from the GLUGLU to gain 2G and 3XP-LVL, then roll your die to try and receive the bonus rewards from the SLIME.
Lvl Up (Pure Solo)
When you level up (LVL UP), draw 3 Skill cards instead of 2 (you can only keep one). You can then orient the card whichever way round you choose.
Notes (Pure Solo)
The concept of lead hero and hero at the back of the party does not exist in pure solo mode. If a card requires you to be at the front or back of the party to trigger an effect, you are considered to fulfil the condition for both cases.
Tips (Pure Solo)
When choosing your starter skills, it is recommended that you choose at least one skill able to deal magic damage (such as the "Fireball" skill). Some enemies have high defense against physical attacks, and choosing this ability will help you to be more versatile.
Taking Notes in Bôken
It is strongly recommended that you take notes during the game. This can be especially helpful for remembering what you find on the various mini-maps, such as rumors, Item cards that you discover in shops, NPCs you plan to revisit later on, and quest objectives that you haven't yet fulfilled. You can also write down your scores from beating sub-bosses and bosses so you can add them up at the end of the adventure.
Variants
Here are a few optional variants you can try. You can choose just one, or combine several for a different game experience. You can also add or remove a variant during the game.
Variant 1: Movement Dice
This variant replaces Exploration cards with dice. There is no initiative system in this variant: heroes always have the initiative in battle.
Follow the steps below to play this game variant:
Put the Exploration cards into the discard pile. Instead, you will have a movement die and a special die for mounts (if you have a Mount card). The icons on these dice are the same as the ones on the Exploration cards and have the same meanings: the red number is the amount of movement on the world map and dungeon mini-maps, while the black number is used for peaceful mini-maps (towns, villages, etc.). Like when using the cards, if you roll a "B" on the dice, you must reveal a B encounter at the end of your movement (if your party token lands on a space which triggers a battle).
If you roll a fatigue icon, all heroes lose 1 SP, you can then reroll the die but you lose 1 additional SP for each new fatigue rolled. This is why the dice must still be rolled even in villages, as you may roll this icon.
In battle, each hero rolls a D6 to determine which enemy they generate (which is then assigned to that hero for rewards). If both heroes generate the same enemy, you only fight one opponent.
And remember, in this variant the heroes always have the initiative in battle.
Variant 2: Easy Mode
This mode is ideal for playing with children who do not like losing (though you might still lose occasionally). If playing this variant, turn the Acolyte card over to show the "EASY MODE" side.
If using Exploration cards (rather than movement dice), when enemies would normally have the initiative, you will see the following: "Initiative: Heroes on easy mode".
In Easy Mode, when an enemy performs a Super Critical hit, treat this attack as a miss (the enemy does nothing) instead of a critical hit.
If you are playing with a child, it may be helpful to combine the "movement dice" variant with this simplified easy mode.
Variant 3: Hard Mode
To play on hard mode, you must use Exploration cards (and not the movement dice variant). On two Exploration cards, when heroes would normally have the initiative, you will see the following: "Initiative: Enemies in hard mode".
This mode can be very difficult, as even normal mode can be quite challenging at times. You can make the game even tougher by removing the Acolyte card from the game.
Variant 4: Zero Tolerance
In this mode, you cannot take any Game Over cards. You lose the game if both heroes are KO'd. You must then reset the game and start again from the beginning.
Variant 5: Traveler's Rest
This variant can be used if you are playing the "Movement dice" variant. In this variant, you do not need to roll a die when you are on a peaceful mini-map (town, village, etc.). Simply put your party token next to the object or NPC you want to interact with.
Variant 6: Perfect Recall
You may check any previously-explored mini-maps at any time to find information you have forgotten to note down.
Lanoth Rankings
At the end of the game, add up your points and subtract any penalties from Game Over cards, then check the table below to see how you did.
| Points | Ranking |
|---|---|
| 0 - 9 points | Tragic legend |
| 10 - 19 points | Amateur champion |
| 20 - 29 points | Mother's hope |
| 30 - 34 points | Struggling savior |
| 35 - 39 points | Accidental hero |
| 40 - 55 points | Local legend |
| 56 - 69 points | Hero of the twilight |
| 70 - 79 points | Hero of prophecy |
| 80+ points | The one who made the final boss weep |
Scenario
After the game is set up, read the following to begin the adventure.
One hundred and fifty years ago, King Kard bravely vanquished the evil mage Muoh, restoring harmony to the land of Lanoth. Over a century later, this peace now seems to be at an end.
Wandering monsters roam dangerously close to villages and terrify the local inhabitants. Mysterious illnesses spread as oracles mournfully prophesy the end of days.
Driven to seek the truth, you leave your quiet village life behind as you set off to explore the kingdom of Lanoth.
As you set foot in this unfamiliar land, a long-forgotten fireside tale resurfaces in your thoughts. The famous Babelico tower is so close!
- All heroes receive 3 XP.
- All heroes receive 1 Health potion, 1 Teleport potion, 1 Flashroom, 1 Mana seed, and 1 Meat (the five basic items, in the order of the icons page).
- Put the party token on the world map, on the space marked with an X in Figure A.
- IN EASY MODE, each hero also receives 10G and +1 of each of the five basic items (Health potion, Teleport potion, Flashroom, Mana seed, Meat).
Let the adventure begin!
Icons
Basic Items
- HEALTH POTION: The target hero may heal up to 15 HP.
- TELEPORT POTION: Teleport your party (even if you are in a dungeon) to a Location space which you have already revealed the mini-map for. Cannot be used in battle.
- FLASHROOM: Allows you to immediately flee battle.
- MANA SEED: The target hero may recover all their MP.
- MEAT: The target hero may recover all their SP.
- ? (green gem): You will have to find out!
Battle Effects
- POISON: For each Poison icon you take, move the Poison token up 1 space on your hero sheet.
- ? (heart icon): You will have to find out!
- FATIGUE / HUNGER: For each Fatigue icon you take, reduce your SP by 1.
- FLEE (X): You must roll a number equal to or higher than X on a D6 when you try to flee a battle.
- DIRECT DAMAGE: Damage from attacks with this icon cannot be reduced by armor or any other means.
- MP-X MANA ABSORPTION: You lose the amount of MP shown.
- SPECIAL ABILITY (BOSS): Represents the boss's ability.
- REACTION ACTION (!): Does not use your battle action for the turn. May be performed at the time shown on the card.
- all AREA ATTACK: This attack targets all members of the opposing party (enemy or hero).
- EXHAUST (X+): Roll a D6 after performing an attack with this icon. If the result is equal to or greater than X, you must exhaust (turn over) a skill of your choice. You do not have to choose an equipped skill.
- NUMBER OF PLAYERS (X): The number shown is multiplied by the number of heroes. KO'd heroes are included in this number.
- MULTIPLE COUNTER: Reduces damage from fire, electric and water attacks.