Cutthroat Caverns: Fresh Meat
Cutthroat Caverns: Fresh Meat Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
New Main Deck Cards
Fresh Meat contains 13 new cards for the Main Deck. Go ahead and shuffle them into the main deck immediately. Included are 2 new Action Cards, 5 new Attack Cards and 6 new protected attack cards. Here are a few notes of introduction on each.
"Strike and Evade" Protected Attack Cards
There are six new protected attack cards, one for each character. As in other versions, if your Character Portrait appears on the bottom of the card, you have the option to play the card for double damage and Protected. Additionally, when a creature is hit by 'Strike and Evade', it will not attack you that Round. If the creature would attack multiple players, it continues to do so. Only you are ignored. However, Players may still redirect damage through My Hero and Human Shield to you as normal.
Strike of Destiny
This is a Protected Attack that any character may use. You will note, however, that the attack cannot be rotated to any value higher or lower than its face value of 35. All modifications that do NOT rotate the card (Focus Strength, Slip Behind, Rally, etc) modify the attack normally.
Playing EDGE OUT on Strike of Destiny is legal and prevents the attack from hitting, but at a cost to the player who played Edge Out.
If I Can't Have It…
Find yourself unable to kill a creature and need to make sure it is still around for you to kill next Turn? This attack makes sure you get another shot.
Impressive Move
A fun new way to gain a point of Prestige by having the single hardest swing of the Round.
"Single Attack" means a 'separate attack' as defined by the game. So a Rider, like Slip Behind, attached to another Attack card still counts as a single attack, even though there are two cards, whereas, Double Strike counts as two separate attacks.
Snicker-Snackt
For you Lewis Carroll fans, yes, the card name is inspired by the Jabberwocky and, yes, I added a blasphemous 'T' because it just sounded cooler. This card provides for an attack of at least 60 damage, if not more. Note: Only Attack Cards with an Attack Value printed are considered. Attack Cards without an actual Attack value, like Focus Strength, Double Strike and Slip Behind, are not used and simply discarded.
Venom Strike
This should be self explanatory, but as an example: Player 3 attacks with Venom Strike, adding 25 damage to the damage stack with the card. Players 4, 5 and 6 attack. After their attacks, before the creature attacks, Venom Strike does 30 more damage (10 for each player attacking after Venom Strike) to the creature. If that damage is enough to kill it, Player 3 scores the kill.
Takin' One for the Team
This Action card provides another way to gain Prestige, by taking a creature attack due another Player. The damage and effects of that attack may not be redirected by any means.
Unwitting Assist
You can change their Attack card - and while that should help you, it remains their attack, not yours.
New Relics Cards
These 11 new Relics can be used right away. You will likely be able to use a few without playing with the Event deck, as certain creatures and Reputation abilities (discussed in a moment) provide alternate ways to gain them. You may even use them in isolation, without the other Relics in your collection, so you see all the new stuff first – or simply shuffle them into your collected Relics deck.
General rules regarding Relics can be found in Relics & Ruin and Tombs & Tombs and are available on our website.
New Event Cards
We introduced the Event deck in Relics & Ruin in order to add replay value, by giving Encounters the potential of playing differently from game to game. Given that, we recommend NOT using the Event deck for your first play with the new Encounters. You will want to get a feel for the new creatures without modification, additional complication or lethality. Trust us. They are a joy all their own.
A few Event cards are introduced in the CUSTOM CRAWLS, including a new Event type inspired by our Adventure Module books, TRAP. Should a Trap activate, these Events are resolved before the Encounter begins, rather than modify the Encounter itself.
NOTE: There are not enough new Event cards to form a full Event Deck by themselves and nearly half are the new Traps. When you are ready to use a full Event deck, shuffle the new ones together with the others from your collection.
NOTE: Use Summoning Gate at your own peril. It's fun, but is intended for the larger blended set of Encounters and Events from all expansions.
General rules regarding Events can be found in Relics & Ruin and Tombs & Tombs and are available on our website.
New Characters… With Reputations That Precede Them
The Character Reputation cards found in Fresh Meat allow players to begin the game with skills that make them truly unique. Before the game begins, players may decide, as a group, whether to use the Pre-generated Characters or conduct a draft of Reputation cards to customize their own characters.
Think of Reputation cards as titles, conferred upon your character for their most notable traits. For example… Vasha, the Fierce or Orn the Irritable – also known as Orn the Unrelenting.
Included in this set are twelve, two-sided character cards, including six familiar faces from the base game and six all new characters. On one side is a pre-generated character. On the other is a customizable version that you can use to custom create your own character. Even though there are now twelve characters, the game still only supports six players.
NOTE: If you are playing a 'new' character that was not in the base game, place a character token of a base game character not currently being used by another player on your character card as a reminder of which Attack card Character Portraits you will use for Protected Attacks.
Example: you are playing the War Witch. No one is playing Vasha, so you place her token on your character. When you play an Attack Card with Vasha's portrait on it, the War Witch may play it as Vasha would, double in strength and protected.
Pre-Generated Characters
One side of each character card shows a Pre-generated Character with a preselected set of Reputations, themed to the character. The matching Reputation cards are given to the player controlling that character and are placed face up beside their character card.
Because each of your Reputations has a cost that diminishes your Life Point total, not everyone will start with the same Life Points. The more powerful your Reputations are, the lower your Life Point total. Note that the Life Point tracks have been adjusted for you, given the Reputations set for your character. A player may not gain life higher than their starting life points.
To select a Character, draw Initiative and have players choose one, starting with Player #1 – or just assign them at random.
Custom Characters / Drafting Reputations
Of course, the beauty of this system is that you don't have to play the characters as we've thematically outlined them. You can, as a group, decide to customize your own characters. This is done through the drafting of Reputation Cards before the game begins.
There are two styles of drafting, Quick and Standard.
Quick Draft: Shuffle the Reputation cards and deal 5, face down, to all players. Players may choose any number of these Reputations for their character, but for each they take, there is a cost in Life Points, shown on the card as Build Points. It is never mandatory to take a Reputation card, even if everyone else does. You may simply begin with 100 Life Points and no Reputation. The Build Points of the abilities range from 0 to 25 Life Points. It is important to know that you may not heal yourself higher than your starting life total, so choose wisely.
Example: the Reputation, "…the Heir & Master" will allow you to begin the game with any Relic you choose and prevent it from being stolen, but at the cost of 20 Life Points. You will start with 80LP and may not heal yourself higher than that life total.
Card text as printed on the Reputation cards shown in the booklet: "…the Heir and Master" – At the beginning of the game, look through the Relic deck and select one Relic for yourself. This Relic may not be stolen by another player. (Cost 20.) "…the Calculating" – Once per Encounter, you may risk 5LP, 10LP, 1 Prestige or 2 Prestige. Flip a coin. Heads, gain your wager. Tails, lose your wager. (Cost 5.)
Higher costs are assigned to more powerful Reputations or to those that have more utility throughout the game, where lower cost Reputations may have less utility or come with an element of randomness or even a cost to use.
Example: the Reputation, "…the Calculating" allows you to gamble your life or Prestige to gain more – but is not a sure thing. The risk of using it is reflected in its 5 cost.
Once everyone has set their Reputations and starting Life Points, the game may begin. Character Reputations are not secret and can be reviewed by all. After all, your character's reputation precedes you. Place all unused cards back in the box.
Custom Characters / Drafting Reputations (Cont.)
Standard Draft: The standard draft takes slightly more time, but provides players with a wider array of choices with which to hone their characters.
Shuffle the Reputation cards and deal 5 face down to all players. Each player looks at their five cards and chooses one. Choosing a card in the draft does not necessarily mean you must use the card or pay its cost. In fact, you must participate in the draft, even if you have no intention of using any of the Reputation cards this game, in which case, you should probably choose those cards you do not wish others to have.
After choosing one of the five cards, pass the remaining four Reputation cards to the player on your left. Players then choose one of the four cards, passing three to the left – and so on, until all cards have been chosen.
This will leave each player with 5 drafted Reputation cards. Players each then decide which of their drafted cards they will use to build their character.
As in the quick draft, once everyone has chosen their Reputations and set their starting Life Points, the game may begin. Character Reputations are not secret and can be reviewed by all. Place all unused cards back in the box.
Note: When using Character Reputations, the one-use abilities from Deeper & Darker are not used.
Note: Some Reputations have cards or tokens associated with them. Hand those to the owner of the Reputation after the draft.
Card text as printed on the Reputation cards shown in the booklet: "…the Defiant" – During the game, any 'negative' cards targeting you by other players add +1 Prestige to the Encounter. This Prestige is only awarded to YOU if you can score the kill. No one else may claim the extra Prestige. (Cost 5.) "…the Irritable" – Place 2 generic tokens on this card. When you are targeted by a "negative" card by another player, you may gain 1 token OR "Jack 'em in the Face" – Sacrifice up to 3 tokens to do 5 points of damage, per token, to that player. (Cost 15.)
NEGATIVE CARDS/EFFECTS: Certain cards refer to "negative" cards targeted at you by other Players. A negative card is defined as any card that acts on a player in an unwanted or damaging way. Critical Miss, Edge Out, Trip, My Hero, Human Shield, Mixed Signals, Plan B, Unintentional Strike, Stab & Grab, I Think He Called You Ugly are all typical examples of an unwanted effect. Cards like Twist the Knife, Not So Tough and Rally do not count, unless they have been played to draw an attack from a creature who targets Players who swing hardest in a Round. Tougher Than He Looks and Crowd only qualify if you would have scored a kill otherwise or if it was played to draw the attack of a creature targeting the lightest swing and you are hit as a result. Alchemist Fire, while nasty, does not target you directly and is not counted. Nor is simply playing a standard Attack card that scores another player the kill before you. Sure, it's unwanted, but it is not directly targeting you. These guidelines should be applied to any in game ruling on the matter.
Custom Crawls: The Best Introduction to Fresh Meat
CUSTOM CRAWLS are preloaded dungeons designed to help introduce all the new materials in a way that gives each component its due. You can play them in any order, but we've ordered them in a way that gets you into the action quickly.
Crawl #1: Fresh Meat
The caverns tempt a fresh band of foolish mercenaries into its depths, each uniquely trained in advancing their own cause, each known across the realms by reputation. But the dark denizens are unlike anything encountered before and will put those precious reputations to the ultimate test. Ahead lies a set of rusted Mine cars that will convey you down into the darkness, providing your first opportunity to prove your mettle. Trust No One.
- Randomly assign a Preset Character to each Player and hand them the matching Reputation cards listed.
- No Event Deck will be used this game.
- The dungeon is set. Encounters are predetermined and sequenced for you.
- Minecar Madness
- Plated Lizard
- Blink Dogs
- Soul Eater
- Death Drinker
- Cursed Naiad
- Shadowmancer
- Goblin Bomber
- Humility & Shame
Crawl #2: Crucible of Heroes
Warriors are forged in the fires of adversity and each of you has seen their share before the journey into the Undercity of Dra'achen. To see the light of day once more will greatly depend upon on your iron will and the skills you bring with you. May your unique training prove the difference in delivering you from the deep.
- Conduct a Reputation draft to set your character for the game.
- Select Events are preset before certain Encounters, but no Event deck is used.
- The dungeon is set. Encounters are predetermined and sequenced for you.
- Rock Elemental
- EVENT: "What's that whistling sound?" / Spitting Drake
- Ravenous Imp
- Djinn of Wishes
- EVENT: "Oi, What's that – and why are you glowing?" / East Flow Dragon
- Thornclinger, afterwards 'draw' Arena of Souls
- Vampiric Spirit
- Treasure Spore
- Rebeast
Crawl #3: The Dead Will Rise
True evil cannot be killed – only beaten back and subdued, destined to rise again. Still, it cannot be left unchecked. Someone must stand before it, lest it overrun the whole of the world. Grip your weapons tightly. Bolster your courage. And remember, the greatest of evil destroys from within.
- Conduct a Reputation draft to set your character for the game.
- Select Events are preset before certain Encounters, but no Event deck is used.
- The dungeon is set. Encounters are predetermined and sequenced for you.
- EVENT: "It'll take great strength to coax this treasure from the rock" / Bugaboo
- Hate
- Endless Horde of Undead
- Spite
- EVENT: "This puzzle box may hold many things – including a trap" / Trolgg
- Vampiric Spirit
- Boogens
- Rebeast
- Fear
New Encounters - Notes & Clarifications
As of this printing, there are now 105 Encounters in Cutthroat Caverns.
FRESH MEAT introduces 23 new, challenging, deadly Encounters, many of which were inspired by fans in our latest "Create an Encounter" contest, including the winning entry, REBEAST, by Chris Cleroux. All of the ideas submitted were ingeniously nasty in their own right and after much play testing and a bit of balancing, we are proud to present the 'best of the best' within this box. There is only so much space on the cards. The following should help answer any questions before they arise.
Endless Horde of Dead
- This Encounter sends an almost endless stream of zombies at you for the rest of the game. I'll be honest, I love James Ridgway's insane encounter – but was unsure if it should have been an Event or a Quest card instead. It so drastically changes the play strategy and difficulty of every creature to follow it, we recommend first playing it only with creatures you know well. Our Custom Crawl: The Rise of the Dead was designed for that very purpose.
- When an Undead is put into play, place the Undead token with the "Approaching" side face up, showing that it will not attack in the first Round it appears. At the beginning of the following Round, flip the token to the "Attacking" side.
- During the actual Endless Horde of Dead Encounter, a Player may attack any Undead token in play, even those in front of other Players. On subsequent Encounters, a Player may choose to attack the current Encounter or an Undead token, if one is in front of them. A Player may not ignore the current Encounter to attack an Undead in front of another Player, unless that Player asks them for help. Once the current Encounter is defeated, all remaining Undead must be killed. At that point, a Player may attack any Undead in play.
- You may run out of tokens. Replenish them by swapping out +1 Prestige tokens for them.
Arena of Souls
- Attacks from other Players directed at you, even in spirit form, are not creature attacks.
- Eventually, the battle will go down to two Players facing off. At that point, it is important to know that Human Shield, My Hero and I Think He Called You Ugly cannot be played to redirect an attack back upon the attacker.
Rebeast
- The innovative overkill mechanic made this Encounter our contest winner and it requires a completely new end game strategy to kill, as 'killing it' may just kill you as well. Make no mistake, this creature is lethal and open to abuse from other party members who may force your attack to be stronger than you intended. It may be wise to slow the final Rounds to a snail's pace. Or don't and risk it. FUN!
- When damage is reflected back on you from an 'overkill', you may not redirect that damage to another player. Period.
- If REBEAST drops to exactly 0 Life Points and still has counters on it, it respawns with 10LP + 2x the value of the killing Attack. ex. If a 20 damage attack takes it to exactly 0 LP, it gains 50 LP.
- When the last Prestige is removed, the encounter is over. No overkill damage applies to the final blow in this case.
Crumbling Caverns / Portals & Portents
- These are two Non-Combat Encounters that have the potential to add more Encounters to the game. If you are playing only the Encounters from Fresh Meat, we advise placing one, Portals & Portents, back into the box for now to reduce the odds of them both coming up in a single game. Try the other next time – or shuffled into the total deck of 105 Encounters.
- In CRUMBLING CAVERNS, players may not specifically state what their card was, but may influence the vote of the party with a strong warning or encouragement to move forward, based on the card they drew. By contrast, in PORTALS & PORTENTS, the Encounters are read to everyone before your one minute debate on how to build your three piles begins.
East Flow Dragon
- Yes, if you get another match immediately in your redraw of cards, you may use them right away.
- "Matching" refers only to whatever appears in the card's title (inside the Red burst, Blue Oval or Green Gem) It must match exactly. Things outside of the title don't matter.
- Example: Attack 5 is NOT a match to Stab & Grab 5.
- Attack 20 and Attack 20 ARE a match, even if they have different Character Portraits.
- Attack 10 and Attack 10 with Holy Water text ARE a match.
Goblin Bomber
- Yes, multiple bombs may be in front of a single Player – but beware eliminating players too early.
Death Drinker
- In Adventure Module B1 & B2, we introduced a new type of Encounter card called a BOSS Encounter. Boss Encounters, when revealed before the final Encounter of the game, do something bad to the party, laugh with evil glee and then drop to the bottom of the Encounter stack to be faced as the final BOSS encounter.
- There is only ever one BOSS in a game. Should you encounter others, fight any subsequent Boss Encounters as they are revealed, using only the text of how they function as a 'final' encounter.
- However, if for any reason the BOSS, after being placed at the bottom of the deck, ends up being reshuffled, repeat its nasty effect if reencountered before the final Encounter.
- While it has some similar wording, Arrogance is not a BOSS Encounter. Emperor Lich from Tombs & Tomes will become a Boss Encounter in future reprints.
Humility & Shame
- Yes, when the creatures look for which Player did the most or least damage to a creature, they look overall at all attacks done, regardless of which creature you had swung at.
Blink Dogs
- Yes. Blink Dogs attack players immediately when they are first put into play.
- No. A Blink Dog does not attack at the end of a Round. Only when it moves to a new Player.
- I Think He Called You Ugly Too – allows the Player to send the dog to a Player he or she chooses.
Cursed Naiad / Spitting Drake
Six HOLD/STRIKE cards come in this set and are used for these two Encounters. Both allow you to secretly decide if you will Hold Off your 'Set' attack this Round. As you set your attack, hide the Hold/Strike card underneath your set attack, with your choice face up. When you reveal your attack, your choice to Hold or Strike is revealed underneath.
Treasure Spore
- The Treasure Spore (main Encounter) is distinct from the Protospore creatures (tokens) and they attack differently. First, the Treasure Spore attacks the last Player to damage it. Then, if there are any Protospores in play at the end of the Round, the tokens heal, removing any damage on themselves. In addition, each token heals the Treasure Spore for 30 LP each. Finally, Protospores all attack Player #1 on the next Initiative draw.
- If the Treasure Spore is 'killed' while Protospores are still in play, the Treasure Spore does not die. Instead, discard all Protospore tokens and heal Treasure Spore 30 LP for each discarded.
- Yes, killing Treasure Spore not only gains Prestige, but a Relic as well. This is in addition to any Treasure EVENT card that may be active at the time.
Rock Elemental
- If all Players lose their Turn, players draw a card before the Elemental attacks again immediately.
Shadowmancer
The first Round of attacks go through without problem. When Initiative is drawn for subsequent Rounds, the new Player #1 must beat the previous Player #1's attack.
Example:
| Round 1 Damage Stack | Round 2 Damage Stack | Round 2 Attack Result |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 50 | Attack hits for 50 damage |
| 50 | 30 | 30 Attack misses. Player hit for 15 LP (max amount) |
| 40 | 30 | 30 Attack misses. Player hit for 10 LP (difference) |
| Focus Strength | 10 | Attack hits for 10 damage |
| Attk spoiled by Crit Miss | 40 | Attack hits for 40 damage |