Dark Romance

Dark Romance Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

2 Rulebooks
4 Win Condition Boards
4 Win Condition Sliders
20 Relationship Coins
60 Banner Markers
60 Choice Markers
4 Relationship Boards
2 Future Boards
42 purple-backed Scene Cards
42 green-backed Scene Cards
10 Role Cards
11 Scenario Cards
18 Courtier Cards
1 Fate Board
3 Fate Markers
2 Suspicion Markers

An emotional roller coaster

Dark Romance is inspired by tales of Gothic horror and, much like those stories, is meant to first give you the chills and then a feeling of catharsis. Due to this theme of often intimate horror, please allow us to say a few words of warning:

Deception, supernatural manipulation and a stake right through the heart. This is a game of looking the other player squarely in the eyes and whispering: "Trust me!" But beware: Trusting each other can lead to sharing a moment of triumph, but also to having your heart ripped out by a monster.

In Dark Romance, the two players secretly take on the roles of different characters. Both players should realize that some of these characters might not be looking for the love of their life and are instead employing trickery and manipulation to bring about the demise of their counterpart. It is this atmosphere of uncertain danger in each game of Dark Romance that will cause the two of you to experience a thrilling cinematic tale, taking you on a roller coaster of emotions, sometimes ending in a blissful union of hearts, other times in a vengeful execution.

Setting

Dark Romance is a game about trust, the attribute that is central to any tale of love. Yet it is also a game about the justified fear of falling victim to a monster.

Overview of the game

In Dark Romance, the two of you are courting each other, but none of you is certain which outcome of your romance will spell bliss or doom. Taking turns, you each choose an action, to which the other player reacts in one of two ways.

These actions and reactions create the captivating story of your courtship, a story you are encouraged to embellish with your own words (much like you would in a role-playing game), letting you glean a lot of information about each other. You both try to interpret this information in the hopes of steering your relationship in the preferred direction.

When an outcome has been reached, it is time to reveal your secret roles and to learn whether your romance has ended in a joint victory or in a terrible tragedy ... at least for one of you.

Setup – Tutorial Mode

For your first game, set up Scenario 1: The Beginning ... as follows. This scenario eases you into the gameplay and dynamics of Dark Romance.

Place 1 Relationship Board on the table between you.
Take 1 Win Condition Board and 1 Win Condition Slider each. For this scenario, use the sides with 3 rows and 3 columns.
Place 1 Relationship Coin each on the matching starting spaces around the edge of the Relationship Board, except for the Manipulation Coin (which is not used in the Tutorial).
Shuffle all purple-backed Scene Cards without any Manipulation symbols (24 Scene Cards from the Dark Romance deck) and place them in a face-down stack on top of the purple Future Board. The purpose of the Future Board is to distinguish the draw deck from the face-down discard pile.
One player reads the text on the back of Scenario 1: The Beginning ... aloud. Then turn over the Scenario Card and place it on the table showing the setup information.
Place the Courtier Cards listed on the Scenario Card (Maidservant and Healer) next to the Scenario Card. Together with the Henchman printed on the Scenario Card, there are 3 Courtiers in play for the Tutorial.
Shuffle the following 6 Role Cards: Count, Countess, Vampire, Vampiress, Demon Hunter, Demon Huntress. Each player draws one and keeps it secret. Leave the other Role Cards (Swindler, Swindleress, Tragic Poet, Tragic Poetess) in the box.

The full game: Once you've played a few games in Tutorial mode and feel that you have a good grasp of the basics of Dark Romance, feel free to explore the other scenarios and game modes; see pp. 8-9 Setup – Advanced Mode.

Setup – Advanced Mode

Once the two of you have played a few games in Tutorial mode and feel like you have a good grasp of the rules and strategies of the game, you can progress to Scenario 2: Date or Deposition? From now on set up the game like this:

Place 1 Relationship Board on the table between you.
Take 1 Win Condition Board and 1 Win Condition Slider each and turn them to the Advanced side (with 5 rows and 5 columns).
Place 1 Relationship Coin on the 5 matching starting spaces around the edge of the Relationship Board (the Manipulation Coin, too).
Shuffle all 42 purple-backed Scene Cards (including the ones showing Manipulation symbols) and place them in a face-down stack on top of the purple Future Board.
One player reads the text on the back of Scenario 2: Date or Deposition? aloud. Then turn over the Scenario Card and place it on the table showing the setup information.
Place the Courtier Cards listed on the Scenario Card (Healer, Maidservant, Innkeeper, Chambermaid and Barber) next to the Scenario Card.
Shuffle the following 8 Role Cards: Count, Countess, Vampire, Vampiress, Demon Hunter, Demon Huntress, Swindler, Swindleress. Each player draws one and keeps it secret.

Leave the Tragic Poet and Tragic Poetess Role Cards in the box for now. These characters can be difficult to play and to detect, so we recommend only adding them from scenario 3 onwards, once you are familiar enough with the dynamics of the other 8 characters.

Setup – Expert Mode

Please note: We strongly recommend playing scenario 2 several times before exploring the rest of the scenarios. Adding just 2 more Role Cards and switching out a few Courtiers might not seem much, but trust us: it dramatically impacts the strategies and dynamics of the game. Now, instead of 16 role combinations, there are 25, and each new set of Courtiers opens up entirely new avenues of gathering information and manipulating the game state.

Setup for scenarios 3 and up is the same as for scenario 2 except that you use all 10 Role Cards (including the Tragic Poet and Tragic Poetess), and you use the Courtiers as described on the Scenario Card.

Please note that in 4 out of 5 role combinations, a Tragic Poet(ess) can only fulfill their win conditions on the other player's turn.

Component Overview

Scene Card anatomy

Scene title. The title describes the scene the two of you are experiencing. Feel free to come up with colorful stories to embellish this experience in as much detail as you like!
Left reaction to the scene. The non-active player chooses one of the two options separated by the vertical bar as their reaction to the current scene. Each reaction shows 1 or 2 symbols. If the non-active player chooses a reaction showing 2 symbols, they move both indicated Relationship Coins one step closer to the Center (in any order). In this example scene, the reaction on the left shows Romance and Temptation.
Right reaction to the scene. In this example scene, the reaction on the right shows Temptation and Rejection.
Scene category. Each scene belongs to one of 3 categories: Feelings, Words or Deeds. The category of each scene is indicated by the symbol in the banner at the top of the Scene Card. For example, this scene belongs to the Words category.

As the active player, you can use these category symbols to visit one of the Courtiers, i.e. make use of their ability (see p. 11 Visiting Courtiers).

Win Condition Board anatomy

On the Win Condition Board, you can see which role needs which symbol to win against which other role. Find your role in the left column of the Win Condition Board. Then align the Win Condition Slider with that row to see which symbol you need against which other role.

For example, if you are the Vampiress, you need the left symbol (Temptation) to win against the Count/Countess, the middle symbol (Rejection) to win against the Demon Hunter/Huntress, and the right symbol (Romance) to win together with the Vampire.

The Win Condition Slider. Place the Win Condition Slider on the table below the Win Condition Board or move it up and down the Board to make it easier to see which symbol you need against which other role. If you do move the Slider, though, you may want to pick up Board and Slider off the table and hold them upright so as not to let the other player see where you align the Slider.

Flow of the Game

You take alternating turns until, at the end of a player's turn, at least one Relationship Coin occupies the Center of the Relationship Board. On your turn, you can (optionally) visit one or more Courtiers (see p. 11) and you will always initiate a romantic scene to which the other player must react:

On your turn (i.e. when you are the active player), draw 2 Scene Cards from the shared draw deck. These represent the two ways in which you can try to court the other player.
Choose one of these two Scene Cards to play face up on the table. Discard the other one face down.
Tell the other player how the two of you came to find yourselves in this romantic scene. The illustration and title of the cards are open to interpretation and are meant to inspire you to tell each other different stories with every game you play.

The story of your courtship. Embellish the story as much as you like: Why did you eavesdrop on the other player? Which delicious morsels have you prepared for the "Blindfolded Tasting"? Embellishing the emotional roller coaster of your wild romance lets each flirt take new and amusing turns. The more creative you let yourselves become and the more you immerse yourselves in your roles, the more engaging your shared experience will be.

The other player (the non-active player) now chooses how to react to your courtship – i.e. they choose the symbol(s) to the left or to the right of the vertical bar at the bottom of the Scene Card. They then push the Relationship Coin(s) indicated by their chosen reaction, in any order, one step closer to the Center of the Relationship Board (the ruby). The order only matters if it would make two Coins reach the Center simultaneously (see p. 12 (In)direct Victories).
The non-active player now tells you how the scene plays out thematically based on their reaction.

How does the other player react to your chosen scene? One player could say that she thinks your exciting proposal of a "Blindfolded Tasting" has just the right level of boldness for her. Or she could reject it because you chose foods that do not agree with her delicate sensibilities.

Mark the chosen reaction (left or right) with a Choice Marker. This makes it easier for you to mentally revisit your opponent's reactions from previous scenes. Leave the Scene Card face up in front of you (the active player).

Note: Each Scene Card has a banner at the top showing one of three category symbols: Feelings, Words and Deeds. With each Scene Card you play, you collect one of these symbols. You can use these symbols to visit one or more Courtiers during your turns (see p. 11 Visiting Courtiers).

After your Scene Card is resolved and you have finished visiting Courtiers (if any), it is the other player's turn. Now, they will be the active player and you will be the non-active player; which can be decisive for the Tragic Poets (see p. 18).

Keep taking turns in this way until at least one Relationship Coin occupies the Center at the end of a turn. If more Relationship Coins reach the Center during the same turn, place later ones on top of earlier ones. Whichever Coin ends up on top determines the outcome of your relationship.

Visiting Courtiers

As the active player, you can spend category symbols you have collected (Feelings, Words, and Deeds) to ask the Courtiers in play for advice about your complicated romance.

On your turn (not on your opponent's) you may visit any number of Courtiers (even the same one multiple times). Each Courtier shows the number and type of symbol(s) you need to spend in order to visit that Courtier. Cover symbols you spend with Banner Markers. Then resolve the Courtier's ability. You cannot spend symbols already covered by Banner Markers. You cannot play a Scene Card and then immediately spend its category symbol to visit a Courtier before the non-active player has resolved their reaction to that Scene Card.

Example: Vampiress Mary draws two Scene Cards, but does not find either one helpful for her strategy. She wonders whether she should spend a symbol from one of her earlier Scene Cards in order to visit the Monk, which would allow her to draw two new Scene Cards.

She decides against it and plays the Scene Card "Words Captured in Ink", hoping to learn more about her opponent Edgar.

After Demon Hunter Edgar decides to push Boldness, Mary spends 3 Words symbols on her played Scene Cards to visit the Maidservant and with her help pushes Romance.

She could have pushed Temptation instead, which would probably help her more, but she hopes to throw Edgar off the scent and make him believe that she is a Count(ess); if he does, he will likely choose Rejection more often, which would be ideal for Mary's true role.

Will Edgar take the bait?

For an explanation of all Courtier abilities, see pp. 22-24 Courtier Cards explained.

End of the Game

The game ends at the end of a turn (after resolving the Scene Card and visiting any Courtiers) if at least one Relationship Coin occupies the Center of the Relationship Board.

Your courtship's outcome has been determined. Reveal your Role Cards and refer to the corresponding rows and columns of the Win Condition Board to see whether you have achieved a union of kindred souls or whether it was ultimately only one of you who benefited from this relationship.

For details on the different win conditions, see pp. 14-18 Roles & Win Conditions.

(In-)direct Victories, Draws, and Special Cases

Direct victory (2 points) with more than one Relationship Coin in the Center:

Sometimes, two or even more Relationship Coins (with the help of a Courtier) reach the Center during the same turn. If during the same action you push more than one Coin (e.g., if your chosen reaction shows two symbols), you choose the order in which you push them. If at the end of a turn, multiple Relationship Coins occupy the Center, first check whether the top Coin means victory for one or both of you. If it does not, check the Coin second from the top, etc.

If both would win with Romance and the Romance Coin is in the Center, you share the victory (2 points each).

Indirect victory (1 point) with no winning Relationship Coin in the Center:

Sometimes the Relationship Coin(s) in the Center bring neither of you victory. However, in such cases, there can still be an indirect winner:

After checking all Coins in the Center without being able to determine a winner, check the other Coins one by one from closest to furthest away from the Center until you find a single winner (1 point). Should the Coins of your two winning conditions be equidistant from the Center, the game ends in a draw (0 points). Why not resolve the draw by playing another round of Dark Romance?

Indirect victory with shared win conditions (1 point each):

If both of you would win with Romance (e.g., Count vs. Countess) but Romance has not reached the Center, you still score an indirect victory if Romance is closer to the Center than Rejection (1 point each). If not, you have failed to recognize your soul mate and you both lose (0 points).

The game ends on the Tragic Poet's turn with no direct victory by the opponent:

The Tragic Poet can only score a direct victory on the other player's turn (except in a game of Poet vs. Poetess). But what happens if the game ends on the Poet's turn without the other player scoring a direct victory?

In this case, check whether the Coin that the Poet needed to reach the Center on the opponent's turn (e.g., Manipulation against the Swindler/Swindleress) has reached the Center on the Poet's turn. If it has, the Tragic Poet loses, and the other player scores an indirect victory (1 point). If it has not, apply the normal rule for determining an indirect victory (1 point), i.e. check whose would-be winning Coin is closer to the Center. This is the only way in which a Poet can win on their own turn against a role other than another Poet.

Example: Direct victory with multiple Coins. During the Demon Huntress's turn, the Countess first pushes Temptation to the Center, then Rejection. The Demon Huntress then visits a Courtier to push Boldness to the Center as well. When resolving the Coins from top to bottom, Boldness does not bring either player victory. With the Rejection Coin below, however, the Demon Huntress wins the game.

Example: Indirect victory. The Swindler pushes Manipulation to the Center, but as he is playing against the Vampiress, this brings neither of them a direct victory. So they check how close the other Coins are to the Center. Temptation (on space 3) is closer than all the others. As Temptation is the Vampiress's win condition against the Swindler, she scores an indirect victory.

Example: Indirect victory with shared victory condition. The two Vampires have pushed Temptation to the Center, when they would actually both have needed Romance to win. But all is not lost. As Romance is on space 4 and Rejection only on space 2, the two Vampires have at least scored an indirect victory together.

Roles & Win Conditions

Finding a suitable romantic partner at court is not an easy task – especially since villains and monsters who mingle with the crowd have entirely different intentions. To make the best decisions in this tangled web of flirts, you must suss out the intentions of your partner so that, depending on your role combination, you can find happiness together or at least outwit them.

This means that your win condition does not only depend on your own role, but on that of the other player as well.

The Counts

Searching for love. You have money, standing and an impeccable education. The only thing missing for a happy life is the right partner. Luckily you have recently met a fascinating person. Could they turn out to be the love of your life?