Ding Dong
Ding Dong Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Component List
- 9 Character Cards
- 9 Player Boards
- 51 Kids Cards
- 36 House Cards
- 1 Halloween Store Board
- 9 Weakness Cards
- 1 First Player Token
- 30 Decor Tokens
- 50 Candy Meeples
- 45 Prank Tokens
- 1 Scoring Board
- 26 Money Tokens
Set Up
- Place Prank Tokens: Place all Prank tokens (Toilet Paper, Egging, and Ding-Dong) in a pile at the center of the table.
- Place Treats: Place all Treats (Yellow, Blue, and Red) in the Treats pouch.
- Place Decorations: Place all Decorations (Pumpkins, Spider-webs, and Ghosts) in the Decorations pouch.
- Prepare Kid Cards: Create a deck of non-zombie kid cards based on the player count with the (3+ symbol) and shuffle in 3 zombie cards. Place the deck in the center.
- Distribute Player Boards and Character Cards: Each player receives a Player board, a matching Character card, starting Treats, Decorations, and Money tokens as per their Character card. Each player also gets a score cube. For example, Player 1 (Alice) takes Florence's character card and receives 1 house card, 3 candies, 1 Decoration, and 3 Money tokens.
- Weakness Cards: Distribute one Weakness card to each player, kept face down.
- First Player Token: Give the First Player token to Player 1 (Alice).
Rounds
Round 1
Player 1 character Florence (Alice):
- Draws a Kid Card: Alice draws a kid card showing a Vampire who likes Red and Yellow candy and is scared of Pumpkin Decorations.
- Action 1: Alice plays her character (Florence) card that allows her to draw a free Decoration. She draws a Spider-web Decoration.
- Action 2: Alice gives the Vampire a Red candy. She places the candy on the kid card and moves the Vampire to Player 2 character Mrs. Jackson (Bob).
Player 2 character Mrs. Jackson (Bob):
- Receives the Kid Card: Bob now has the Vampire in front of him.
- Action 1: Bob plays the house card "Bag of Treats" that allows him to draw two Treats and keep 1. He draws a Red and a Blue, and keeps the Blue.
- Action 2: Bob decides to let the kid play a Prank. He takes a Ding Dong Prank token and the Vampire card is discarded. The round ends.
First Player Token: The First Player token moves to Player 2 (Bob).
Round 2
Player 2 character Mrs Jackson (Bob):
- Draws a Kid Card: Bob draws a kid card showing a Witch who likes Yellow candy and is scared of Spider-web Decorations.
- Action 1: Bob plays the house card Last Year's Treats to remove one candy from Player 3 (Charlie).
- Action 2: Bob decides to scare the Witch by spending a Spider-web Decoration. He takes the Witch card and advances his points cube on the track.
- First Player Token: The First Player token moves to Player 3 character Mr. Wilson (Charlie).
Round 3
Player 3 character Mr. Wilson (Charlie):
- Draws a Kid Card: Charlie draws a kid card showing a Pirate who likes Blue candy and is scared of Pumpkin Decorations.
- Action 1: Charlie plays the house card Scary Quiet and moves the kid to Player 1 (Alice).
Player 1 character Florence (Alice):
- Receives the Kid Card: Alice now has the Pirate in front of her.
- Action 1: Alice plays the house card Revelation targeting Charlie to learn their weakness.
- Reaction: Charlie plays the house card Security Alarm that prevents Revelation from resolving. Charlie's weakness will remain a mystery for now.
- Action 2: Alice does not have another Blue candy, so she decides to let the Pirate play a Prank. She takes an Egging Prank token and the Pirate card is discarded. The round ends.
- First Player Token: The First Player token moves to the Halloween store to indicate the start of the Shop phase.
Shop Phase
All players:
- Top Up Balance: Charlie increases their balance by 3 Money tokens and draws a House card.
- Buy Candies: Alice spends 3 Money tokens to buy 2 candies from the Treats pouch.
- Buy Decorations: Bob spends 2 Money tokens to buy 1 decoration from the Decorations pouch.
The game continues with subsequent rounds following similar actions until all kid cards are resolved and the game ends.
FAQ
1. When a kid is bribed and sent to a different player, does the other player have to deal with it the same way?
Answer: Yes, the other player has to deal with the kid the same way. The new player can play cards, bribe, or take other actions as required.
2. How exactly is a kid discarded?
Answer: A kid is discarded when they are scared with the correct Decoration or when they perform a Prank and the token is taken.
3. Is it possible to select the "nextdoor neighbor" effect on both the right and left side, or is it limited to the player on the left side?
Answer: The "nextdoor neighbor" effect can apply to either the right or left neighbor.
4. On Last Years Treats "Remove an opponent's candy" - is this from the kid card or the opponent's play area?
Answer: It is from the opponent's play area.
5. If the child receives the desired candy, will I pass the child card to the player after me or to any player?
Answer: You pass the child card to whichever player you want to.
6. After receiving the trick from the child because I couldn't do anything else, should the child card be discarded or do I pass it on to the player after me?
Answer: The child card should be discarded.
7. When I get a Kid with full candy, can I give a candy again? Or do another action (scare, prank, cards)?
Answer: If the kid already has the candy, you may choose another action such as scare, receive prank, or play cards.
8. Playing a House card is an additional option? After candy, prank, or scare?
Answer: Yes, playing a House card is an additional option, but needs to happen while the kid card is in front of your player board.
9. Can I play a House card when kid card is on another player?
Answer: You can play Shenanigans and Reactions when it is any player's turn, but you can only play actions when it is your turn.
10. When scaring the kid, do you spend all decorations they are afraid of, or just one? Do the spent tokens go back to the pouch?
Answer: You spend only one decoration they are afraid of, and the spent token goes back to the pouch.
11. What exactly is a round of the game and what a turn?
Answer: From the moment a kid card is drawn until that card is either claimed or discarded, is one full round. As long as the kid is in front of a player's board, that is their turn. When the kid moves to a different player, that starts that player's turn. In most rounds not all players are going to have a turn.