Cutthroat Caverns: Relics & Ruin
Cutthroat Caverns: Relics & Ruin Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
15 Encounter Cards • 25 Event Cards • 20 Relic Cards • 5 Wereboar Cards • 2 Token Sheets
This is an Expansion Pack and not a complete game. You will need a copy of Cutthroat Caverns to play.
Cutthroat Caverns: RELICS & RUIN is the second expansion to our critically acclaimed game of dungeon delving and cooperative-backstabbing. In this set, you will find even more challenging Encounters and a whole new set of game mechanics that will greatly enhance the game and extend the replay value exponentially.
NEW RULES/MECHANICS
The Event Deck
RELICS & RUIN comes with 25 Event Cards that give a context to each Encounter and makes playing even the most familiar Encounters new again. It may be that the room the Encounter takes place in has a nefarious effect all its own, that a once familiar creature will be enhanced in some unusual way, a side challenge between players has been proposed, or other game enhancing effects. Most will make the Encounters far more challenging or deadly. But as risk goes up, so do the rewards. For other Event cards will open a pathway to unique power items and far greater riches in the form of Relics.
Two Types of Event Cards:
- Event! - Event cards change game play conditions during Encounters by adding additional challenges to the creatures you face in battle. They all begin with a character quote that gives flavor to the Event and a set of rules that govern how the Event will play out.
- Treasure! - These Event cards indicate that treasure has been discovered in the Encounter. In almost all cases, these Relics can only be claimed at the end of an Encounter by meeting the specific conditions of the card. Typically, earning a Relic ends up becoming a competition all its own.
All Event Cards also have an 'Activation' track located just under the artwork on the card. The circles represent the numbered Encounters you will face during the game, from Encounter #1 to Encounter #10 and higher. This is used in determining if an Event Card will trigger in a given Encounter.
A few have a 'star' in the lower corner. This signifies an Event that, in certain circumstances, could be very deadly indeed. Shuffle them into the deck at your own peril.
Playing with the Event Deck:
Shuffle the Event Cards thoroughly, breaking up clumps of Event! and Treasure! Event Cards so they are well blended. Place the Event Deck face down near the Encounter Deck in the center of the table.
During the game, whenever an Encounter Card is revealed to be faced by the party, read the Encounter to the group as you normally would, taking care to note the TYPE of Encounter you face. If the Encounter is creature-based, draw an Event Card and place it face up next to the Encounter card.
NOTE: Event Cards are NOT drawn for Trap, Boon, Challenge or other non-creature / non-combat based Encounters. If you forget and draw one anyway, discard it without effect.
Next, note what number Encounter you face (as shown on the Monster Tracker) and see if that number appears on the Activation track of the Event Card. If it does not, discard the Event without effect. If it does, read the Event aloud to all players and take a moment to understand the implications for the creature you face this Encounter.
Each Event card will specifically state when the effect goes into play, though as a general rule, Events! activate immediately and Treasures! are resolved at the end of an Encounter. You will quickly see how the addition of this mechanic turns even the most familiar Encounters into new and interesting challenges for the group.
Relic Cards
Relic cards confer powerful abilities to their owners, other Relics gain them Prestige and some grant both. Make no mistake, Relics are the very stuff of legend and will open up many new possibilities for players.
Unlike standard 'Items' in the Base Game, which are discovered amid all the Attack and Action Cards of the Draw deck, Relic Cards can only be claimed through use of the Event Deck.
Note: In game terms, 'Relics' are 'Items'. As such, they can be stolen by 'Stab & Grab' and otherwise be affected by cards that interact with Items. 'Items', though, may not necessarily be 'Relics'. The Items (green jeweled cards) from the Base Game, for example, are not Relics.
Relics must be earned. Each Treasure! Event Card will outline the specific parameters for how Players will be awarded Relic Cards in this Encounter. You may find that this creates an interesting situation as you face the Encounter, in that it sets up a dual goal... laying the final blow on the creature AND meeting the requirements for earning a Relic.
When a Player comes into possession of a Relic, he/she places it face up next to their character card, as they would any Item. It may be used at anytime, given the limitations proscribed on the Relic Card itself. Many have continuous effects. There is no limit to the number of Items a Player may have.
New Glossary Items
Negative Prestige: This set includes tokens for Negative Prestige and introduces the concept of losing Prestige through certain actions, effects or items. It is now possible to have less than zero Prestige. Negative Prestige tokens are placed into your Prestige Pile as any other Prestige tokens or cards would be.
Poison, Poisoned: This is a new game condition, which is introduced for the first time in the Encounter 'Venom Slinger'. When poisoned, a player receives a poison token to place on their character sheet. At the end of every Round, Players with a Poison token are damaged for 5 points for each Poison token they have. Additionally, Poisoned players are weakened - and have all their attacks modified by Minus 10 damage for each Poison token.
So yes, if in the course of an Encounter a player is poisoned numerous times, they take an additional Poison token for each occurrence. As described above, the effect of these tokens are cumulative. The real tough part of all this is that Poison has a lasting effect, potentially beyond the Encounter in which they were Poisoned. A Player may only remove one Poison token at the end of every ENCOUNTER. This is a very dangerous situation indeed.
It should be noted that a My Hero or other means of redirecting damage can be used to redirect an attack and avoid getting a Poison token, but once poisoned, the damage resulting from having a Poison token cannot be.
Active, Activated, Activation: Drawing an Event card does not necessarily mean it will have an effect. To be 'Activated', it must be drawn during a creature-based Encounter and the Encounter Number (from the Monster Tracker) of the Encounter you face must be listed on the Event Card's Activation Track.
FAQ
Vampyre
This is a classic version of vampire lore, harkening back to the black and white film days. This means that even though other Players may be seeking to hurt you, you won't be trying to slay your enslaved friends as monsters. In fact, Players who have been made Vampires have not become "Creatures". They are still Players, still get dealt Initiative Cards and act on their regular Turn in Initiative order. They won't be playing Attack Cards, but simply select an 'unturned' Player (one without a Vampire token) to damage for 5 points. They can, however, play Action cards normally. ("must protect...the master")
Like a classic Vampire, when the main Vampyre dies, all the players who were turned into vampires revert back to their normal state. Of course, they keep the life they gained by drinking your blood - and the Negative Prestige tokens for trying to kill you.
Wereboar
In stark contrast to Vampyre, a Player transformed into a Wereboar at the end of the game is no longer a 'Player', that person is now a 'Creature'. As such, they can no longer win the game by having the most Prestige. They become an exact duplicate of the Wereboar Encounter and must be slain by the party for there to be a Prestige winner. But, since Wereboars walk as humans much of their lives, a Player transformed into one has one chance yet to win the game - by killing the rest of the party. Note: A Player transformed into a Wereboar cannot have their Items taken, nor can they use them in their feral state.
Card Interactions with Gluttony
Amulet of Mentalism: This Item adjusts your max hand size to an 8 cards. You may still draw up to 14, but not over 14 cards.
Event Card: "We fight in too close a quarters" - This adjusts the base hand size of all players to a 4 card maximum. Like Amulet of Mentalism, players can still draw up to 14 cards - but it will power up Gluttony that much more.
Event Card: "A Blessing of Daylight" - This increases every Player's hand size by one, regardless of any other effects or limits. Therefore Players may draw up to a maximum of 15 cards. The first card drawn to increase your hand size, as stated on the Event card, is Free and does not trigger Gluttony's effect. Whether a 15 card hand is really a blessing has yet to be seen.
"Bring the Chest. We'll solve the riddle later."
Just to restate and clarify, when setting the 'combination' for the riddle lock, only Attack Cards with Attack Values in the red burst are used. Keep flipping from the draw deck until three different Attack Values are revealed, discarding all the rest. (If an Item is discarded in this way, it is not removed from the game) Write the three values down and reshuffle the Draw deck and all the discards back together. This will assure that there is a good chance of drawing those values again in the subsequent Encounters.
To count as a match, only the Attack Value is considered, not the name of the card. But you must play the 1st Attack Value before you can be credited for playing the others. They must be played in sequence to advance along the track. Use your character tokens to show your progress along the track. The player to successfully play all three cards in sequence first, scores the loot.
NOTE: At the time of this product's printing, a set of updated rules for the Base game was released. If you do not have the Core Rules Version 2.0, they may be downloaded at www.smirkanddagger.com. You will also find card addenda for Attack, Action and Encounter Cards listed in this area. No major rules changes have occurred, but the expanded rules and rewordings on some of the cards add clarity and consistency to the game.