Dark Is the Night
Dark Is the Night Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Game board
- Huntress token
- Monster movement tab
- Tokens:
- Flaming arrow (x2)
- Bell trap
- Ham
- Monster feint
Overview
In this game one player plays the Huntress and the other plays the Monster. Each aims to destroy the opponent. The Huntress is represented by a token that can move only among the 8 squares around the campfire. The Monster moves among 12 squares in the darkness. Because its movements are hidden in the dark, the player controlling the Monster uses the movement tab and keeps the value written on it secret from the Huntress.
Setup
Place the game board in the middle of the table so that it is convenient for both players. Decide who plays the Huntress and who plays the Monster. Give the Monster player the movement tab and the monster feint token. Give the Huntress player the Huntress token and the remaining equipment tokens.
Start of the Game
At the start of the game the Monster, in secret from the Huntress, chooses the square it starts on. It may choose any of the 12 squares hidden in the darkness. The Monster marks its starting position on the movement tab and keeps it secret from the Huntress.
[Diagram: the board, with squares 1-8 around the campfire numbered 1 to 8 and the 12 dark squares numbered 1-12 around the edge.]
Next, the Huntress chooses the square she starts on. She may choose any of the eight numbered squares around the campfire. Place the Huntress token on the chosen square.
Finally, the Monster announces the general direction in which it starts. DO NOT REVEAL THE EXACT LOCATION. For example, if the Monster starts on square 9, it must tell the Huntress that it is in the south.
Now the game begins with the Huntress's turn.
Basic Rules
These rules apply to both the Huntress and the Monster.
- One successful strike by the Monster kills the Huntress, and the game ends.
- Both the Huntress's and the Monster's turn consists of a move and an action. First comes a MANDATORY move, then an OPTIONAL action.
- When moving, the Huntress and the Monster must move exactly one adjacent square, and may not jump over a square or skip one.
- On their first turn neither the Huntress nor the Monster may attack. On the first turn they may only move.
- All tokens are single-use. Remove them after use.
- Adjacency is horizontal or vertical. Diagonal squares are not considered adjacent.
Rules for the Monster
This section applies ONLY to the Monster.
The Monster has one attack, similar to the Huntress's basic attack. The Monster may attack the square directly in front of it.
The Monster may move only among the 12 squares hidden in the darkness. The square it moved to is secretly marked on the movement tab. The Monster moves only among the numbered squares. The four corner squares in the darkness are not available to it.
Monster Feint Token
Once per game, the Monster may use its token to confuse the Huntress. The token uses up the Monster's entire turn: the Monster does not move any further that turn.
Immediately before using it, the Monster tells the Huntress where it is.
After that, the Monster may move 1 or 2 spaces in either direction. The Monster may also stay in place.
After the Monster has played the feint token, its turn ends. This gives the Monster five possible placements at the end of the turn. The chosen square is secretly marked on the movement tab.
[Diagram: a feint token example. The Monster may use a feint to move to any dark square marked with a check mark, or may choose to stay in place and not move at all.]
Rules for the Huntress
This section applies ONLY to the Huntress.
- The Huntress has tokens representing items. With their help the Huntress can track down and destroy the Monster. The Huntress also has a sword with which she can attack the Monster in the darkness.
- The Huntress may not enter the darkness.
- The Huntress may not use more than one token per turn.
- The Huntress may not pass through the campfire.
- The Huntress may not move diagonally.
Two tokens may be played on the same square. For example, the Huntress may place the ham on a square she previously illuminated with a flaming arrow.
Huntress's Arsenal: Basic Attack
On her turn the Huntress may attack the square in the darkness directly adjacent to her. When in a corner, adjacent to two squares in the darkness at once, the Huntress may choose which of them she attacks.
The Huntress may attack a square in the darkness instead of using an item.
Bow
The Huntress may use the bow and arrows to shoot in a straight line into the darkness. The Huntress has two arrows for the bow, represented by arrow tokens. Each arrow may be used in two ways:
If the Huntress makes an ordinary shot, the arrow flies in a straight line across the whole board to a square in the darkness. If the Monster is on that square it is destroyed, and the game ends.
If the Huntress is on a square bordering the campfire, she may choose to shoot through the fire across the whole board. This arrow does no damage to the Monster, but it illuminates the square it hit until the end of the game. If the Monster steps onto an illuminated square, it must announce its location to the Huntress.
[Diagrams: arrows fired in a straight line from the Huntress's square to dark squares across the board, marked with check marks.]
Bell Trap
The bell trap may be placed on any square in the darkness, regardless of the Huntress's location. The trap stays in place until the Monster steps on it. If the Monster steps on the trap, or the trap is placed on the square with the Monster, the Monster announces this. The trap then breaks and is removed from the game.
Ham
Like the bell trap, the ham token may be placed on any square in the darkness. After that, the Monster must immediately move one square closer to the ham. If the distance is equal in both directions, the Monster chooses which direction to move. After the Monster has moved, it tells the Huntress how far from the ham it is. The square with the ham counts as one of those squares, but the square the Monster stands on is not counted.
If the ham lands on the square the Monster is on, the Monster does not need to move. The Monster tells the Huntress that it is on the ham.
At the moment the Monster announces the distance to the ham, the ham token is removed from the game.
The Monster's movement toward the ham is part of the Huntress's turn. After the Huntress's turn is over, the Monster is free to move as it wishes on its own turn.
[Diagrams: examples of the ham being placed, the Monster stepping one square closer, and the Monster being two steps from the ham; and examples of valid (check) and invalid (cross) squares for the Monster's move toward the ham.]
End of the Game
After the Huntress uses her last token, the game continues for 5 more turns. That is, as soon as the Huntress has used her last token, only 5 turns remain until sunrise and the end of the game. If the game ends at dawn, it is declared a draw. Since the darkness no longer hides the Monster, it goes off to its lair. The Huntress packs up her camp and goes home.