Dead End
Dead End Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Content
- 20 location cards
- 6 escape mean cards
- 24 character cards
- 40 weapons and event cards
- 30 zombie cards
Aim of the Game
The aim of the game is to get Mean of Escape (Jeep, Helicopter or Sailboat) and gather three Location cards with the symbol of one of those three vehicles to flee. Another option is to gather any six Location cards and escape by foot, less comfortable but as effective as any other option.
The first group of survivors which flees wins the game; sometimes fleeing is impossible, so that you'll have to count the Locations to see who wins, but more on this later.
Game Concepts
Capacity: the maximum number of cards that can be placed on a Location card on the game table, and that can be any type (except for other Location cards).
Weapon card: a card that gives a bonus to a character's strength some can be played as an Event card too. Each character can carry up to one weapon.
Event card: a card that can be played anytime.
Location card: cards that represent interesting places to visit to escape. Some belong to Escape Routes with a vehicle or have some other particular detail. There are always (number of players plus one) cards in play.
Escape Means card: card that represents the vehicle needed to escape through a certain Escape Route. Three kinds: Jeep, Helicopter and Sailboat. The fourth Escape Mean is by foot, but there is no card to denote it.
Character card: card that represents a typical survivor. It has a Strength value and occasionally a special text.
Zombie card: a card which entails a challenge for the group of survivors that enter a Location. Has a Strength value that the survivors have to level or exceed to prevail over the zombies.
Zombie Extra card: a zombie card that can be used as a normal Zombie card or as an Event card when a group of survivors enters a Location and whose Strength adds to the value the survivors must level or exceed whether there are zombies in that Location or not.
In play: any visible card on the game table which has an effect on the game.
In hand: the card a player has in her hand remains hidden, and can only be played on a Location until reaching its maximum capacity. Event cards are an exception, and can be played anytime.
Survivors group: the characters on the player's side on the game table. The starting number is three, and the maximum four, although some cards can modify this.
Main deck: Composed by all non-Location cards, players draw from this one.
Location deck: the deck of all Locations.
Escape route: allows quitting the town and winning the game. Basically, it is the sum of a Mean of Escape with three locations with the corresponding route symbol, or otherwise, any six Location cards for fleeing by foot.
Card Types
Character Cards
Typical survivor cards with a Strength value that will have to oppose to the zombies' when entering a Location. Some of the characters have extras described in the text, as de +1 to Strength the Firefighter gets if he's got hold of an Axe, or the -3 to Strength the Pregnant Woman receives against the Baby Zombie.
If a Survivors Group successfully enters a Location in which these Characters are placed then they can join the group or be discarded.
Location and Escape Means Cards
Location cards characterize interesting places to visit in order to escape. Some belong to Escape Routes with a vehicle or have some special trait, such as allowing to immediately play Weapon or Escape Mean cards, or the Cemetery location that allows every player to play a Zombie card as if it were a Zombie Extra card against the Survivors Group which enters the room. There always the number of players plus one cards in play.
The Escape Means are cards that represent the vehicle needed to escape through an Escape Route. There are three kinds: Jeep, Helicopter and Sailboat, depicted with the corresponding symbol. The fourth Escape Mean is by foot, but there is no card to denote it.
If a Survivors Group successfully enters in Location in which an Escape Mean card is placed then the player can pick it up and place it with her other "collected" Locations and Escape Means.
Event and Weapon Cards
The Weapons Cards correspond to bonus to a survivor character's permanent Strength. Each character can only carry one weapon. Some Weapon Cards can be played as such or as Event Cards, and discard at any time, even if they're in play. Weapon cards can only played ONE way or the other. For example, a gun can be played as a Weapon and add +1 to Strength to a character. Or it can be played as an Event to get rid of a Zombie Card up to Strength 3 and then discard it, but then it won't get the character the +1 bonus.
If a Survivors Group successfully enters a Location in which a Weapon card is placed then the player can be allocate it to one of its characters. Event Cards are put in the player's hand.
Event Cards can be played anytime. Most of them are self-explanatory. Zombie Extra Cards are Event cards if played as such or normal Zombie Cards if placed face down at a Location. With the exception of the Zombie Player (see below), Zombie Cards can never be put on a player's hand when found at a Location. They're a threat you must destroy!
Infection Cards are a special Event Card you place on a character you chose (usually another player's one). The infected character cannot use the text from her card (for good or worse) and has Strength 1, regardless what she had before. The Doctor and the Nurse cancel the effect of a certain number of infected cards, even if they themselves are infected, provided one of the infection card cancelled is theirs. The Infection Cards are thus placed under the Character Card and have no effect, but the death of the Character providing the annulment, or the need of the character to remove other Infections may activate them again. Vaccines cancel the Infection Card and discard them.
Game Preparation
Recommended player number is from 2 to 5.
Remove the Characters from the main deck and randomly deal 3 to each player. Then put the remaining characters again into the deck and shuffle it. Deal 5 cards to each player. Shuffle the Location deck and place face up on the table as many Location cards as there are players plus one.
Game Table
Place the Location deck at the table centre, and by its side, the Main deck. Discards are placed face up at the corresponding deck's side.
Also at the centre place the available Location cards side by side. The cards "inside" the Location are put face down under the Location in such a way it is possible to effortlessly count them. When a Location is full (has as many cards as its Capacity) turn it 90º to avoid confusion: you can now enter the Location.
The characters each player controls are placed face up before him. If a Survivors group gets a Weapon, it is placed under the character carrying it, so that it is possible to see the card name and value of the weapon that appears at the top end of the card. A character cannot carry more than one weapon.
The game table diagram on the sheet shows the layout: the Locations deck, the Main deck and discards at the centre, the Locations in play, and one characters group for each player (Player 1 to Player 4) around the table.
Game Sequence
- You must do ONE of the following actions: place a card at a Location or enter a full Location. You must perform either one or the other action, unless the player has no cards in her hand and there are no available locations to enter (i.e., there are no full locations).
- You may do ONE of the following actions: place a second card at a Location; discard your hand and draw five new cards; or draw another card from the main deck and add it to your hand.
- If you have more than five cards in your hand then you must either use them (if they're event cards) or discard them until you reach a maximum of five.
- The player on your left starts her turn.
Entering Locations
Locations have a Capacity number, the maximum number of card that can be placed in it. For a location to be available its capacity must be full.
When a player chooses to enter a location, reveals the cards placed beneath, which can be of any type. Then, compare the total Strength value of zombies in it (plus any Zombie Extra played by any player) with the Survivors group's Strength (adding any Weapon and/or Event card the player may wish to play).
If the total Strength of the survivors group equals or bests than the zombie's, the player can keep the Location card and any other card present as well (events, weapons, characters), putting in game weapons and characters and adding to her hand the Event cards.
If the total strength is less than the zombie's, these overwhelm the group and eat one of the characters, chosen by the player (unless the "Behind you" card is played, in which case the character is chosen randomly). If the eaten character had a weapon, it is not lost and can be reallocated to another character in the group. Other cards played (Infected, Leader) are discarded along with the character. Defeat notwithstanding, the player can keep one Location, Escape mean, Character, Event or Weapon card present in the Location, as she sees fit. If a player loses her last character entering a Location but there finds another character she can still continue playing normally.
If someone plays "Abandoned" Event card, the player collect no card (nor location card), but he has to fight the zombies yet.
Location and Escape mean cards are placed apart face up before the player, weapons and characters are added to the group or else discarded if they cannot join, and the Event cards added to the player's hand.
Some locations have special extra features such as allowing to play certain cards directly from the player's hand (Gun Shop, Drive-in, Docks…). This effect activates as the player picks up the Location card and ends when the next player starts her turn.
As soon as someone picks up a Location thus removing it from game, it is immediately replaced with another from the Location deck, until reaching the maximum number of Locations – number of players plus one. If the Location is discarded by a player overwhelmed by zombies, it is placed at the bottom of the Location deck.
After Death
When a player's last character is lost to the zombies, she can still continue playing, seeking to damage the other players and perhaps win (if she can prevent other players of escaping and score more Locations).
A player whose characters have all gone dead plays as a Zombie. Her gaming sequence is slightly different:
Zombie Player Sequence
- You must do ONE of the following actions: place a card at a Location or close a full Location. The Zombie Player does not have to fight whatever there is inside a Location, and thus always collects the Location and adds to her hand every zombie card present at the Location. The other cards are discarded.
- You may do ONE of the following actions: place a second card at a Location; discard your hand and draw five new cards; or draw another card from the main deck and add it to your hand.
- The Zombie Player can have up to ten cards in her hand, and will have to either discard or use the excess cards.
- The player on your left starts her turn.
The Zombie Player can enter a Location and close it, reflecting the fact that it is now zombie-full and impassable. When she enters a Location, she places it by her side on the table among the ones she picked up in life.
Endgame
The game goal is to quit the zombie-infested town with your survivors group. To that end you can choose from three Escape Means: the Jeep, the Sailboat or the Helicopter, or trying to escape by foot.
The Escape means allow you to escape if you have collected three necessary Locations with the corresponding Route Symbol. This means you have entered the Location and collected the card. The Escape Means cards are played normally (that is, placing them face down at a Location and entering there to pick them up), and once collected they are placed alongside the Locations gathered.
The first player to escape will win the game. If every player dies or the Location cards run out before anyone manages to escape, then you'll have to employ the point system to settle on who wins the game.
In this case, each player adds the capacity of every Location she has collected. If she's got an Escape Means, she adds +1 to each Location with this symbol. If she's got more than one Escape Means she must choose one of them to receive the bonus.
The players who became Zombie Players add the total capacity of their Locations but cannot use the bonus from the Escape Means.
In the event of a tie, the player who has more characters alive, or the one whose final character died last wins.