Damnation: The Gothic Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
  • Video Guide
• Components
• Setup
  • The Arrival
• The Turn
  • The Black Die
  • 1. Before Movement
  • 2. Movement
    • Movement Example
  • 3. Resolution
    • Landed on a Space Adjacent to Another Villain
    • Power of Adjacency
    • Attack a Player
    • Combat Example
    • Land on a Secret Door
    • Land on a Trap
    • Land on an Arrow Space
• Rooms
  • Standard Rooms
    • The Great Hall
    • The Master Bedroom
    • The Torture Chamber
    • The Dungeon
    • The Kitchen
    • The Cemetery
    • The Courtyard
    • The Trophy Room
  • Special Rooms
    • The Moat
    • The Gate
    • The Dark Tower
• Room Card Types
  • Icons
• Villains
  • Talent Tokens
  • Using Talents
    • Passive Talents
  • Soul Tokens
• Slain Villains
  • Who's Responsible
  • Deathknell Cards
  • The Fall
  • Winning the Game
• The Haunt
  • The Haunt Board
  • The Haunt Deck
  • Push Your Luck
  • Death
  • Resurrection
  • 666
  • Death with 666
  • Haunt Example
• The Vampire
  • Vampire Turns
  • Vampire Powers
  • Undead
  • Bite
  • Repel The Vampire
  • Example Turn
• Game Variants
  • Two Player Variant
  • Gothic Variant
• Traps
• Other Rules
  • Unblockable Damage
  • Being Sent to a Room
  • Line of Sight
  • Soul Token Limits
  • Contradictions
• Hints and Tips
• Room Overview
• Reference
  • Know your Tools
  • Fear your Environment
  • Know Your Fate

Overview

Damnation: The Gothic Game is a gothic horror themed battle royale for 2 - 8 players, where the final survivor is declared the winner.

A game proceeds through three stages as the castle becomes an increasingly hostile place. The first stage is the Arrival, the second 'the Descent', in which players scavenge for resources and attempt to Slay each other, and the third and final stage being 'the Fall', in which the Castle begins to crumble around any surviving players, a sure sign that the end is nigh!

During the game, each player will control a Victorian era inspired Villain, and will take turns exploring the rooms of Dracula's Castle in search of powerful cards that can be used to help them in their goal to survive.

Each game will generally last somewhere between 60 - 75 minutes.

Video Guide

Would you prefer to learn the rules by watching a video? Blackletter Games has prepared a how to play video, accessible by visiting www.blacklettergames.com/how-to-play-damnation. This page will also have a link to rules clarifications that are requested.

Components

• 1 Castle Board
• 9 Villain Boards
• 9 Villain Standees: The Wanderer, The Gentleman, The Lost, The Collector, The Aristocrat, The Professor, The Occultist, The Stranger, The Vampire
• 8 Deathknell Cards
• Room Decks: Master Bedroom (10 cards), Cemetery (10 cards), Courtyard (10 cards), Dark Tower (10 cards), Dungeon (5 cards), Great Hall (10 cards), Kitchen (10 cards), Torture Chamber (10 cards), Trophy Room (10 cards), Vault (5 cards)
• Other Decks: Castle Deck (10 cards), Vampire Deck (6 cards), Heirlooms Deck (24 cards), Haunt Deck (9 cards)
• Dice: 1 Black Die, 2 Movement Dice (D6)
• Tokens: 1 Vampire Tracker Token, 8 Health Tracker Tokens, 10 Soul Tokens, 24 Talent Tokens
• 21 Traps: 8 Bear Traps, 7 Trap Doors, 4 Saw Blades, 1 Secret Door, 1 Oubliette
• 1 Rulebook

Setup

1. Lay out the castle board, shuffle each deck and place next to the board.
2. Randomly place one Deathknell card face down in each of the five Deathknell spaces located at the top of the castle board. The remaining cards can be placed to the side.
3. Randomly place the trap tokens face down on each space marked with a trap icon. The remaining traps tokens should be placed face down near the castle board.
4. Set aside the Vampire Board and shuffle Vampire cards. Place these, along with the Vampire time tracker to the side of the castle board. Place The Vampire standee in The Vault.
5. Players should then take turns to roll 2d6 to determine who goes first, with play going clockwise around the table, starting from the player with the highest total. The game can now enter its first stage: The Arrival.

The Arrival

Villains cannot use Actions or Talents, including 'Ransack', during The Arrival phase. Players cannot target other Villains with Attacks, Actions, or Talents under any circumstances. If the player draws an Event that would involve other players, it only applies to the player who drew the card.

In turn order:

1. Each player draws three cards from the Heirloom deck, adding them to their hand without revealing them.

2. Each player must then choose the Villain they will play as for the duration of the game. They should then receive their chosen Villain's standee and corresponding board, a Health tracker and three Talent tokens.

3. Each player will then decide on their starting location* by choosing an Heirloom card from their hand and placing it face down in front of them.

   Note that each Heirloom card has a location listed on the top right hand corner of the card. This is the room that players can start from.

   Once all the cards have been placed, all players reveal them at the same time, placing their Villain's standee in the corresponding room on the board. These cards are then returned to each player's hand.

   *Alternatively, a player may have their Villain begin from The Gate (see p16).

4. In turn order, each player draws the top two cards from the deck belonging to the room their Villain is in. They must keep one and discard the other to the bottom of the deck.

Once all players have done this, the Arrival phase is complete.

5. Each player should then place their Talent tokens face up on the Talent spaces marked on their Villain board, and place their Health tracker on the space marked '10'.
6. Place the Soul tokens to the side of the castle board. The remaining Health tokens and Talent tokens can be returned to the box.
7. Ensure all players are aware of the risk of entering The Torture Chamber and The Great Spiral Staircase - see pages 15 - 16.

PLAY BEGINS

The Turn

A player's turn is broken into five phases, structured as follows:

1. Before Movement
2. Movement
3. Resolution
4. Other Actions
5. End of Turn

• When starting a turn inside a room players must move their Villain out of the room if able.

The Black Die

The Black Die represents the lighting conditions and random events that can be found in The Castle. Depending on what is rolled, additional rules for the player's turn are applied as follows.

Darkness. The Villain must stop on, and trigger the first trap they pass for the duration of their movement phase.

In addition, until the end of their turn, that player's Villain may attack a Villain in a Standard Room instead of drawing a card.

Candlelight. The player may add or remove 1 from their movement total this turn.

Brazier. The player may add or remove up to 2 from their movement total this turn.

Castle Event. Before moving, the player immediately draws the top card from The Castle deck and follows the rules written on the card.

A player's roll can never be reduced to less than 1.

1. Before Movement

Once a player's turn begins they can play any number of Action cards and Talents prior to moving, provided the cards or Talents they are playing don't state they cannot be played at this time.

2. Movement

When ready to move, the player whose turn it is rolls a single Movement Die and the Black Die together to determine their Villain's movement for the turn.

The Movement Die will determine the number of spaces that Villain must move: their movement total.

• Villains must move the exact number of spaces shown on the Movement Die without changing direction, unless they enter a room.
• A Villain entering a room ends their movement phase.
• A Villain's movement total can never be reduced to less than one.
• A corridor space can only contain one Villain. If a Villain would end their movement on a space containing another Villain, they must move in a different direction. A room may hold any number of Villains.
• If no legal move is possible the player must suffer 2 damage and roll the movement die again.

Once the Villain has moved, move on to the next step: Resolution.

Movement Example

The player controlling The Wanderer rolls the Movement Die and the Black Die together and rolls a 1 and the Candlelight symbol.

The player has a movement of 1, but the Candlelight effect means they can add or remove 1 from that result, meaning they can move either 1 or 2 spaces. The movement roll can never fall below 1, even with the Candlelight effect in play.

In the example above, The Wanderer could move to one of the five highlighted locations: A - E.

While the lowest movement total possible is 1, there is no maximum. For example, Villains can move more than 6 through the use of cards, Talents and The Black Die effects.

3. Resolution

After a Villain has finished moving apply the appropriate action below depending on where they've ended their movement:

Landed on a Space Adjacent to Another Villain

On landing next to another Villain, the player may choose one of the following:

1. If you do not attack you may claim Power of Adjacency.
2. If you do not claim power of adjacency, you may Attack a Villain.

Unless otherwise indicated, Villains may not gain Power of Adjacency, or attack while inside a room. On the occasion a Villain may attack another Villain in a room, the player must decide whether to attack or to draw a room card - they cannot do both.

Power of Adjacency

You control the adjacent Villain's movement on their next turn.

• The player rolls to move their Villain as normal, but you decide the direction they move, including whether to enter a room.
• If the player whose Villain is being controlled has cards or Talents that affect movement, for example the Fate Talent that allows a player to re-roll, these can be played as normal.
• If more than one Villain declares Power of Adjacency over another single Villain, then the most recent Villain to have declared Power of Adjacency is responsible for controlling the targeted Villain's movement.

Attack a Player

To attack, the player must play ONE Weapon card from their hand. Reveal the card and check that the target is within the Weapon's range. Then check whether the Weapon's effect is relevant to Attacking with it, and follow the process below before discarding the played Weapon card.

• The target Villain suffers damage equal to the Damage number specified on the Weapon card, and must reduce their Health accordingly.
• Players may choose to play Action or Protection cards that enhance or affect an attack.
• Some Weapons have a range greater than 1. These Weapons can be used to attack a Villain from the number of spaces equal to, or less than the range value. When a Villain attacks from range, the targeted Villain must be in line of sight (see p25).
• A Villain cannot attack another Villain that's inside a room from outside a room, or vice versa.
• Unless otherwise stated, a player can only attack once per turn, even if they have multiple Weapon cards in their hand.

Combat Example

If The Wanderer did not want to use the Power of Adjacency, they may want to attack instead - provided they have a Weapon card they can use.

After declaring they intend to attack, that player would then reveal the Weapon card they are using. (In the example, the Weapon card has a Damage of 6.)

If the Aristocrat has no way of preventing this Damage, they take 6 damage and reduce their Health tracker accordingly.

However, on this occasion that player has a Protection card they decide to use in response: Leather Apron. (In the example, the Protection card has an Armour value of 5.)

This reduces the damage suffered by 5, which means that The Aristocrat takes only 1 Damage.

Both players then discard any cards that have been used that aren't Relics. For more information on Relics see Page 18.

While attacking Villains can only attack with one Weapon card each turn, the defending Villain can use any number of Protection cards in response.

Land on a Secret Door

If you finish your movement on a Secret Door space you can then place your Villain on any unoccupied Secret Door and finish your movement there instead.

Land on a Trap

If the Villain lands on a trap they must flip the token over and follow the rules for the type of trap they have landed on. These rules are explained on Page 23.

Traps that have been flipped over remain in play and will trigger again when a Villain lands on one.

Land on an Arrow Space

If the Villain lands on an arrow space they are moved to the adjacent space indicated by the arrow. There are occasions where this would result in a player re-entering a room, in which case they should follow the instructions for entering that room.

There are also two arrow spaces outside one of the entrances to The Cemetery. Landing on either of these will move the Villain to The Cemetery.

Enter a Room

Villains enter the various rooms in The Castle via the door symbol. Entering a room ends a player's movement.

Upon entering most rooms the player will simply draw the top card of the matching room deck, however some rooms have more unique functions, as detailed in the Rooms section.

Land on an Empty Corridor Space

There is nothing to resolve. Advance to the next turn phase.

4. Other Actions

The player now has another opportunity to play any number of Actions and Talents they would like to, provided the cards or Talents they are playing don't state they cannot be played at this time.

5. End of Turn

Once the player has finished playing their cards and Talents, take the following steps:

• Activate any effects that state they take place at the end of a Villain's turn, such as Strange Claw.
• Discard down to the Villain's hand limit, which is 6. Place any discarded cards face-down at the bottom of their respective decks.
• Play passes to the next player.

Rooms

The various locations of Dracula's Castle are represented as rooms upon the board. Each room will have different rules for players to follow upon entry.

Rooms are divided into two categories: Standard Rooms and Special rooms. Standard Rooms are displayed on the map with a door symbol next to the name, while Special Rooms will feature a cross symbol.

Certain cards and Talents will refer to whether a room is Standard or Special. Aside from that, they both function the same way.

Certain rooms on the board feature text to remind players of important information.

Standard Rooms

The Great Hall

The scene of countless feasts, this is one of the most accessible rooms in The Castle.

Upon entering this room, draw the top card from The Great Hall deck.

The Master Bedroom

Once the resting place of choice for The Master of Castle, it has long been abandoned.

Upon entering this room, the Player should immediately refresh their Villain's Fate Talent token and then draw the top card from The Master Bedroom deck.

The Torture Chamber

Beware the horrors of this room. Home to The Iron Maiden, which if drawn will result in instant death. Enter at your own risk!

Upon entering this room, draw the top card from The Torture Chamber deck.

Villains who enter The Torture Chamber have a chance of drawing The Iron Maiden, which will Slay anyone who finds it.

The Dungeon

Rat infested cells are typically best avoided, and this section of The Castle is no exception.

Upon entering this room, draw the top card from The Dungeon deck.

The Kitchen

The Crones have made the kitchen their home. This room is at the heart of the castle, which might serve to leave the unwary exposed.

Upon entering this room, draw the top card from The Kitchen deck.

The Cemetery

A haunted cemetery spans almost the length of The Castle, making it a quick, if somewhat risky means of travel.

Upon entering this room, draw the top card from The Cemetery deck.

The Courtyard

A large rubble strewn courtyard with all manner of useful items left abandoned. The perfect location for an ambush...

Upon entering this room, draw the top card from The Courtyard deck.

Unlike other rooms, players can attack when entering The Courtyard. As per the rules stated on Page 11, if a player chooses to attack in The Courtyard, they do not draw a card.

The Trophy Room

The home of countless trinkets and artifacts 'acquired' over many centuries. Beware the traps!

Upon entering this room, draw the top card from The Trophy Room deck.

Special Rooms

The Moat

A dark moat protects The Castle. Beware the strong currents as well as The Creature that calls it home.

Unlike other rooms, The Moat cannot be entered directly. It is generally entered after landing on a trap. Upon entering The Moat, the Villain suffers 2 unblockable damage and misses the rest of their turn.

On the Villain's next turn, instead of rolling to move as normal, they must roll a single die to escape The Moat.

Roll a D6:

• 1-3: The Villain is unable to escape The Moat and suffers 1 Damage. Roll again.
• 4: The Villain moves to The Cemetery.
• 5: The Villain moves to The Vault.
• 6: The Villain moves to an empty Secret Door space.

If the Villain fails to escape after three attempts, they must move to The Cemetery.

Villains may never attack one another in The Moat, regardless of the effects of any cards.

The Gate

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

The Gate is an optional starting location for any player who does not wish to use an Heirloom to determine their Villain's starting location. Villains that begin from The Gate draw an additional Heirloom card.

The Dark Tower

The Master of The Castle hatches his plots and schemes from this location. Entrance is barred to all who fail to come with a gift.

A Villain can only enter The Dark Tower if they are in possession of a Soul Token (p19). On entering, the player must discard a Soul token in exchange for drawing the top 2 cards from The Dark Tower deck. The player may then decide which card to keep, returning the other to the bottom of the deck.

The following turn, after rolling to move, the player chooses an empty secret door space to leave from.

• Players may discard multiple Soul tokens in this room. If players discard multiple Soul tokens, they may draw and keep an additional card for each Soul discarded.

The Great Spiral Staircase

Madness consumes any foolish enough to enter this place.

Villains entering The Great Spiral Staircase must continue to move down towards the centre with every move. On reaching the last space, that Villain is Slain.

In order to reverse their descent and travel up and out of this room, the player must roll a 6 on the movement die. While in this room:

• Players do not roll The Black Die.
• Villains cannot be targeted by other Villains.
• Multiple Villains can occupy the same space.
• Cards and Talents that can be used to affect a Player's movement roll, for example the Fate Talent, do count towards rolling a '6'.
• Villains can leave using any of the three doors, but they must have rolled a 6 to reverse their descent. They cannot leave on the way down!

The Vault

Resting place to The Master... Villains can "donate" blood to temporarily become The Vampire at this location.

On entering The Vault, if The Vampire isn't currently active, that Villain suffers 4 Unblockable Damage and becomes 'The Vampire,' at which point their turn ends. Follow the rules for The Vampire (p23 of this rulebook). If The Vampire is currently active, then the Villain entering this room draws the top card from The Vault deck.

Room Card Types

There are six different types of cards that can be encountered while exploring The Castle: Event, Action, Weapon, Protection, Curse, Vampire. Each card can only be used once, unless otherwise indicated, after which they are discarded to the bottom of the deck from where it was drawn. Each card type in the game has its own unique frame to make it easy to see what type of card it is.

Event. Event cards represent the random encounters that will be experienced by the Villains as they explore the rooms of the castle. Upon drawing an Event, it should be revealed to all the players and read out immediately.

Actions. Action cards are flexible, in that they can be used at various points in the game. Unless otherwise stated, a player can only play Action cards on their own turn.

Curse. Curse cards are similar to Events in that they should immediately be revealed and read out to the other players. Unlike Events, Villains must retain Curses. They do not count towards a Villain's hand limit.

Weapons. These cards are generally used to initiate attacks and damage other Villains. They will feature symbols to represent different rules that relate to that Weapon, as explained in the Icons section (p18).

Protection. Protection cards are used to reduce the damage suffered during the game. Like Weapons, they will feature symbols to represent different rules for the card. Protection cards can be played at any time.

Vampire. On becoming The Vampire, the player should draw three cards from The Vampire deck. These can only be played by The Vampire, and should be shuffled back into the Vampire deck once The Vampire returns to The Vault.

Icons

Weapons and Protection cards will feature icons located at the top of the card which explain additional rules.

Relic. Relics are hugely powerful cards because unlike other cards, they aren't discarded after use. Finding a Relic as quickly as possible is highly encouraged as a good strategy.

Damage. The value next to this icon indicates the amount of Health a Villain loses when Attacked with this Weapon.

Range. The number next to the Range symbol indicates how many spaces away a player can attack from, provided they have line of sight (p25).

Reveal. Cards that feature this symbol must remain face up in front of the player for as long as they possess the card. Revealed cards do count towards a player's hand limit.

Armour. This symbol will typically only appear on Protection cards and describes the amount of damage that is reduced by using this card.

Alternative Effects. Many Weapons and Protection cards will offer players alternative uses. For example, The Ancestral Sword. Using the alternative effect of a card will result in the card being discarded, unless otherwise stated.

Villains

In Damnation: The Gothic Game, each player takes control of a villain, each one having access to unique talents, which can be used to help them survive the night.

Talent Tokens

Each Villain begins the game with three Talent tokens. These are placed face (star side) up in the slots on the Villain's board marked with a star. These tokens can be used to activate the specific Talent that it's linked to. Talent tokens cannot be moved, and the maximum number that can be held is three.

Using Talents

Each Villain (not The Vampire) in Damnation: The Gothic Game has access to five Talents. Two of these will be unique, while the other three are shared by every Villain in the game. The Villain board will explain the rules for how Talents can be used and the effects that they have. The Villain board has Passive Talents (1) and Active Talents (2).

In order to activate a Talent, the Villain must have an unspent Talent token placed in the corresponding slot on the Villain board. Once used, the Talent token is flipped over to its reverse side to indicate the Talent is spent.

Some effects will instruct a player to refresh a Talent token. To do this, the player selects a spent Talent token and flips it over, which indicates that it is available to be used and spent during the player's turn.

Passive Talents

Each Villain has a unique 'Passive' Talent which does not require a Talent Token to activate. Passive Talents can be used any number of times.

Passive Talents are different in that they don't require Talent tokens to activate. When and how Passive Talents can be used is explained on each Villain's board.

Soul Tokens

Soul tokens can be gained in a number of ways but are typically used in one of two ways:

• A player may discard Soul tokens at any point during their turn to refresh one Talent token for each Soul discarded.
• Soul tokens may be traded at The Dark Tower (p16) in exchange for drawing powerful cards.

Any number of Soul tokens can be held by a Villain.

Slain Villains

Damnation: The Gothic Game is a brutal game of last player standing. During the course of the game, one by one, each Villain will be Slain until only one remains - the winner!

A Villain will generally be Slain in one of two ways:

• Their Health is reduced to '0'.
• They are informed that they have been 'Slain' - for example, reaching the final space of The Great Spiral Staircase or drawing The 'Iron Maiden' card.

Who's Responsible

If a Villain is responsible for Slaying another Villain their player receives:

• A Soul token, and any Souls that were held by the Slain Villain.
• That Villain's cards, apart from any Curses, which should be returned to the bottom of their original decks.

Responsibility for Slaying a Villain is determined when:

• A Villain has made an attack that results in that Villain's Health reaching 0.
• The Vampire has damaged a Villain, which has caused their Health to reach 0.
• A Villain has used the Power of Adjacency to move a Villain into a Trap, which directly results in a Villain being Slain, or their Health reaching 0.
• A Villain has used a Talent that directly results in another Villain being Slain.

If no player is directly responsible for another Villain being Slain then their cards and any Soul tokens they possess are placed in The Cemetery. A Villain who enters The Cemetery can collect these when entering The Cemetery instead of drawing a room card.

Deathknell Cards

When a Villain is Slain, their player chooses an unrevealed Deathknell Card from the top of the board to flip over. Each one of these cards introduces a deadly new rule to the game, which comes into effect immediately.

The Fall

When all five Deathknell cards are revealed, The Fall is triggered.

• During a player's 'End Of Turn' their Villain suffers one damage.
• Villains can no longer gain Health.
• Any Villain that enters The Vault is Slain. For clarity, this doesn't apply to The Vampire when he returns to The Vault.

Winning the Game

When there are only two Villains in play (including The Vampire), if one is Slain, the final remaining player is immediately declared the winner - the Slain Villain's player doesn't reveal a Deathknell card.

The Haunt

When a Villain is Slain, it is not the end. Instead, the Villain becomes a Revenant and returns to haunt the castle.

The Haunt Board

When a Villain is Slain they flip their Villain board to the Haunt side and place their Health Tracker Token face down at the bottom of their Resurrection Track.

The Haunt Deck

Haunt players interact with the game in a different way from Villains and the Vampire, using a deck of cards called the Haunt Deck to see outcomes that lead them to resurrection.

On the Revenant player's turn, shuffle all the Haunt cards and deal three face up. If they have a set of matching cards, they can end their turn and apply the effect.

Push Your Luck

If there isn't a pair, or even if there is and the player chooses to, they can draw another card from the Haunt deck face down and replace a face up card before revealing it. A player may do this a maximum of twice as they seek to make a pair.

Death

If the player reveals Death cards as part of their initial draw of three cards, these are ignored.

If the player chooses to 'push their luck' as described above, and the card they reveal is the 'Death' card, their turn is immediately ended and any existing pairs are ignored. The player decreases their Resurrection tracker by one and reveals a Deathknell card if able.

Resurrection

If a player is able to move their Tombstone token to the top of the Resurrection track, on their following turn:

• Switch back to the Villain side of the board and follow the rules for entering the game as outlined in The Arrival (p8), ignoring step 2.
• The Villain returns to the game on 4 Health.

666

Three cards from the Haunt deck are marked with the number '6'. These count as ordinary cards unless the player is able to match all three. If this happens, the player immediately moves their Resurrection tracker to the top of the track. If a Villain returns in this way, the player may choose to have their Villain begin from any Standard room, regardless of the Heirlooms they draw.

Death with 666

If the Death card marked with a '6' is drawn when a player is 'pushing their luck' and this directly results in a complete '666' then the player should follow the rules for '666' outlined above. In addition, they should also reveal a Deathknell card if able.

There is an example of a typical Haunt turn on p22.

Haunt Example

The player shuffles and deals three cards face up from the Haunt deck. They draw Death and two Vengeance.

The Death card is ignored because it's part of their opening draw. As they don't have any pairs they decide to 'push their luck'.

They decide to replace the Blood card, drawing another card placing it face down, before revealing it...

Curses! They've drawn a Death card, which brings their turn to an end. They must now reduce their Resurrection tracker by 1 and reveal a Deathknell card.

The Haunt deck contains 9 cards: 2 Death, 2 Blood, 2 Madness, 3 Vengeance. Of those, a Blood, Death and Vengeance card is marked with a 6.

The Vampire

When a Villain is instructed to become The Vampire:

• The Villain's player sets aside their Villain board and places their standee in The Vault. For as long as they remain The Vampire, the player's Villain in The Vault cannot be targeted by any cards or effects, including Damage from The Fall.
• They take possession of The Vampire board and place the Vampire standee in the location where they became The Vampire.
• Place the Vampire Timer token on space '5' on the Vampire board.
• Shuffle and draw 3 cards from the Vampire deck.

The Vampire is now active in the game. The Vampire player can no longer use their original Villain's Talents and can only use Vampire cards.

The Vampire is unlike other characters in the game and uses the following rules:

Vampire Turns

To move, The Vampire player rolls two D6 and keeps the highest result as their movement total. The Vampire can move any number of spaces up to their movement total, including '0'.

Once each turn, The Vampire player may choose to discard a Vampire card to add that card's 'movement modifier' to the movement total.

The Vampire cannot use Secret Doors, enter rooms, trigger traps, gain Power of Adjacency, activate Push spaces, and does not roll the Black Die.

If The Vampire begins their turn inside a room, they must leave if able.

At the end of The Vampire's turn, reduce The Vampire Tracker by 1. On The Vampire's final turn, providing they have the movement, they may enter The Vault. If this happens, the player returns The Vampire board, cards and standee to their original locations. On their next turn, the player will resume play with their original Villain.

If by the end of their final turn the Vampire is not in the Vault, they are Slain. If this happens, return The Vampire standee to The Vault. The Vampire can never be permanently removed from the game.

If there are any Villains present in The Vault when The Vampire returns to it, they are all Slain (apart from the Vampire player's original Villain).

Vampire Powers

When becoming The Vampire, the controlling player draws three cards from The Vampire deck. Any number of these can be played on The Vampire's turn, which are then discarded.

At the end of their turn if they have less than three cards in their hand the Vampire player draws one card.

Undead

The Vampire is immune from damage, Power of Adjacency, cards, talents and all other effects, except for those that specify the Vampire as their target.

Bite

While moving, The Vampire may choose to stop on a space adjacent to a Villain and deal 7 Unblockable Damage to them. If 1 or more damage is dealt, increase the Vampire Turn Tracker by 1. If The Vampire successfully Slays a Villain, instead, increase the tracker by 2.

Repel The Vampire

If a card is played that 'Repels' The Vampire, The Vampire must roll a D6 and move that many spaces in the direction of the repelling player's choosing. The Vampire may not enter a room or Bite another Villain during this movement. If a card is played that grants protection from The Vampire, The Vampire must end their turn on the closest adjacent space to the player from the direction they moved.

Example Turn

Step 1. Roll 2 movement dice - your movement total is equal to the highest. You may discard a single Vampire Power from your hand to increase your movement total by the movement bonus displayed on that card.

Step 2. Move any amount of spaces up to your movement total. Each movement must be into a corridor space unless an effect allows you to do otherwise. You ignore all Castle features and effects such as Traps and Secret Doors.

If you move into a space next to a Villain you may Bite them, dealing 7 Unblockable Damage.

During this step you may play any of the cards from your hand to apply their effect and then discard them (unless their effect requires them to remain in play).

Step 3. If you have less than 3 cards, draw 1 card from the Vampire deck.

Reduce the Vampire Tracker by 1 and pass the turn to the next player.

Game Variants

The following variants can be used to create different gameplay experiences. These are entirely optional.

Two Player Variant

This version of the game has been optimised for two players. Apply the following rules:

• Each player controls two Villains instead of one. During The Arrival, after making their first Villain selection, each player will choose a second Villain to control during the game.
• Players will use a joint hand of cards that can be used for both Villains, with a hand limit of 7.
• During the Arrival each player draws four Heirlooms instead of three. When initially placing their Villains, they will perform Arrival step 4 (p8) once per Villain. As a result each player will typically start with between 4 and 6 cards.
• Players will alternate turns with their Villains. For example:
  • Player 1, Villain 1
  • Player 2, Villain 1
  • Player 1, Villain 2
  • Player 2, Villain 2
  • Player 1, Villain 1
  • etc.
• Ignore rules for 'The Haunt'. Once a Villain is Slain, they are removed from the game unless an in-game effect states otherwise. E.g. The Revenant Deathknell card.

Play continues until one player's Villains have both been Slain.

Gothic Variant

This game variant has been developed to offer a more brutal battle royale experience.

• Begin the game with the following Deathknell cards active and in play: Carnage and Hunter's Moon.
• When all five Deathknell cards are revealed, ignore rules for 'The Fall'.
• Ignore the rules for 'The Haunt'. When players are Slain, they are eliminated from the game.

Traps

During the game, Villains may land on traps while exploring The Castle. The rules for landing on the various traps found in Damnation: The Gothic Game are explained below:

Bear Trap. The Villain ends their movement and suffers 3 Damage.

Trap Door. The Villain moves to The Moat.

Saw Trap. The Villain ends their movement and suffers 5 Unblockable Damage.

The Oubliette. The Villain is Slain.

Secret Door. This space acts as a Secret Door for the remainder of the game.

Players only trigger traps they land on, not that they pass while moving - unless Darkness has been rolled on the Black Die.

Other Rules

Unblockable Damage

Certain cards and situations will describe Damage as being 'unblockable'. In this instance, this Damage cannot be prevented or reduced through the use of 'Protection' cards.

Being Sent to a Room

On occasions, Villains will be instructed to 'move to a specific room'. When this happens, unless otherwise stated, the player interacts with this room as normal - i.e. they must draw a card, or they might be able to attack.

Line of Sight

Line of Sight is established when a straight line can be drawn between the corridor spaces separating two or more players. Line of Sight is always shared between Villains in the same room.

Line of Sight / Range can never extend between a Corridor and a Room.

Soul Token Limits

In the unlikely event that all Soul tokens are being held by players and someone would gain a Soul token, they do not gain a Soul token.

Contradictions

If the rules written on a card contradict those in the rulebook, the card takes precedence.

Hints and Tips

• Never leave yourself exposed near The Great Spiral Staircase - especially the western door. Unless you have a fiendish plot in mind of course!
• Avoid saving all your Talent tokens. Use them as you need them!
• Play to your Villain's strengths. Some are suited to a more aggressive playstyle than others!
• Over time you will learn the contents of the rooms. Try to find cards that complement other cards in your hand, or your Villain to give you a big advantage.
• There are times when The Vampire will be more effective than others. Keep an eye on Villain's movement related Talents. Once they are spent, you'll have a much better chance of hunting them down.
• Learn to balance using The Vampire's powers, with saving them for a devastating turn.
• Becoming The Vampire just before The Fall is a hugely powerful play as The Vampire is immune to Fall Damage.
• If you find a Relic early on the game, playing aggressively might allow you to capitalise before others are able to build their defences.
• Don't be afraid to use Ransack aggressively if you need to catch up, particularly in the safer rooms like The Bedroom, The Kitchen and The Great Hall.
• Always keep your eyes open for opportunities. As the game continues, players will be forced into making decisions that leave them vulnerable.

Room Overview

The Cemetery

• The Vampire can sometimes enter The Cemetery
• Chance of gaining Soul tokens

The Courtyard

• Can be attacked by other Villains in this room
• Good chance of Weapons and Protection card

The Dark Tower

• Trade Soul tokens to draw powerful cards

The Dungeon

• Anti-vampire cards found here
• Dangerous to explore

The Great Hall

• Relatively safe, early in the game
• Several cards relating to Power of Adjacency found here

The Kitchen

• Relatively safe
• The entrance can sometimes be locked!

The Master Bedroom

• Relatively safe to explore
• Beware The Brides!

The Torture Chamber

• Powerful Weapons for here
• High chance of negative cards
• Drawing the Iron Maiden means instant death!

The Trophy Room

• Contains powerful cards
• Beware of traps and curses!

The Vault

• Enter here to become The Vampire in exchange for Health
• Explore while The Vampire is in play to search for powerful cards

Reference

Know your Tools

• Damage: When attacking a Villain with this Weapon, they lose Health equal to its Damage.
• Range: You may use this Weapon to attack a Villain within this many spaces, providing you have line of sight.
• Protection: Reduce an amount of Damage you receive by up to the indicated amount.
• Relic: Unlike other cards, you do not discard this card after using it.
• Visible: This card should be played face up as soon as it's drawn, and remains face up.

Fear your Environment

• When a Villain finishes their movement on a Trap, they trigger it (p25) and probably won't enjoy the result!
• When a Villain finishes their movement on a Push Space, they move one space in the indicated direction.
• When a Villain ends their movement on a Secret Door, they may move to any other empty Secret Door.

Know Your Fate

• Candlelight: You may add or remove 1 from your movement total.
• Brazier: You may add or remove up to 2 from your movement total.
• Castle Event: Immediately draw the top card from The Castle deck.
• Darkness: Stop and trigger the first trap you pass. You may attack a Villain in a Standard Room this turn instead of drawing a card.