Dirge: Carnage in Crimson
Dirge: Carnage in Crimson Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Place the battlefield mat in the centre of the play area. Each player chooses a starting side (the red spaces). Place the red and black markers to one side, within reach of both players. Each player takes a reference card and a die. Set the twelve creatures to one side of the play area. Shuffle the twelve creature cards into a face-down pile.
Players roll their dice to determine who picks the first creature. The higher roll goes first.
Choosing Creatures
Before combat begins, the players choose and place their creatures. The player who won the initial roll takes a card from the pile, takes the corresponding creature and places it on any red starting space of their side. The other player then does the same. Players continue alternating in this way until each has six creatures and their corresponding cards.
Once a creature has been placed on the battlefield, it cannot be moved until the game begins.
Each player takes six red wound markers and places one wound marker on each card, on the leftmost space of the bottom row of the card.
Players roll their dice again to determine who takes the first turn.
It is not recommended to choose creatures at random.
Playing the Game
Turns pass from one player to the other. Each player has four (4) actions to use on their turn. Once these four actions have been carried out (or the player decides not to use any further actions, or is unable to do so), that player's turn ends. Players continue taking turns until one player has no creatures on the board.
End of the Game
The game ends when the last creature of a player is destroyed. That player loses the game.
The Creatures
There are twelve creatures in Dirge, representing mythological monsters. Each creature has a stat card that contains all the vital information for that creature.
Sides
Each creature has a front side, a back side, and two flanks. The front of a creature is marked in red; the back side is the opposite side, and the other two sides are the flanks. The facing of a creature is important for several aspects of combat.
Characteristics
Speed: How far a creature can move. A creature can move a number of spaces equal to or less than its Speed.
Strength: The attacking power of a creature. When a creature attacks, its Strength determines how much damage it inflicts on other creatures.
Range: The reach of a creature's attack. A creature cannot attack another creature outside its Range. Creatures with a Range of one (1) can only attack creatures adjacent to their front side.
Toughness: How resistant a creature is to damage. When a creature is attacked, the damage it receives is reduced by its Toughness. The first number represents the Toughness of the creature's front, while the second represents the Toughness of its flanks. All creatures have zero (0) Toughness on their back side.
Evasion: How well a creature can dodge attacks. The first number represents the creature's Evasion against frontal attacks, while the second represents its Evasion against attacks on its flanks. All creatures have zero (0) Evasion when attempting to evade attacks on their back side.
Special Abilities
Each creature has two special abilities, represented by two icons on the creature's card. Some abilities are passive and take effect all the time, others require extra actions to activate, and others trigger when certain events occur. The effects of these abilities are explained on the player's reference card.
Wounds
Each creature has a set number of wounds it can endure before being destroyed and removed from the battlefield. These are represented by the icons with the creature's silhouette at the bottom of the card.
When a creature receives damage, its red wound marker moves toward the dark red space (from left to right). A creature is destroyed when the damage received forces the player to move the wound marker off the last space on the right.
Let's look at the Sphinx card. The Sphinx is slow, with a Speed of 2, but has a great frontal Toughness of 6, which makes it very resistant to attacks. In addition, it has a frontal Evasion of 3, and you must plan carefully to inflict 5 wounds on it in order to kill it. It has a rather weak Strength of 3, and a Range of 1, which limits it to attacking only creatures adjacent to its front.
The Sphinx's special abilities and its Toughness make it a strong candidate to be your support creature.
Like the Sphinx, each creature has its own strengths and weaknesses.
A Turn in Dirge
In Dirge a turn is divided into two steps.
Step One
At the start of a player's turn (this does not happen on the first turn of the game), the player removes one (1) of their black action markers from each of the cards corresponding to their creatures and places them on the black action marker pile.
Step Two
The player takes four (4) black action markers from the pile. These will be their action markers for this turn. They distribute these actions among any creatures they wish to take actions with this turn, one creature at a time, and take these actions with the chosen creatures. Each black marker represents one (1) action.
Actions cannot be given to creatures that began Step Two with a black marker on their card. Unused black markers are returned to the pile. Once a player has used their actions, their turn ends.
Actions
Dirge is played by the players managing actions each turn to protect their creatures and destroy those of their opponent. Once a creature has received its action markers for the turn, that creature cannot be used again that turn. In addition, a creature cannot be given the same action twice in the same turn.
Move = One (1) Action
When a creature is given a movement action, the creature can move a number of spaces equal to or less than its Speed and/or change its facing direction. Creatures cannot move diagonally. Creatures cannot move through a space occupied by an opposing creature, nor end their movement on a space occupied by any creature.
Attack = Two (2) Actions
When a creature is given an attack action, it attacks a creature within its Range. A creature cannot change its facing to attack. A change of facing only occurs when a creature has been assigned a movement action, or as a result of a special ability.
Special Ability = Several Actions
Some special abilities require placing action markers on the creature's card in order to be used. A player may choose to use one of their creature's own special abilities, or combine it with any previously chosen ability. The player then places the appropriate number of action markers on the creature's card, and carries out those actions.
Example: It is Jimmy's turn. Jimmy removes one action marker from each of his cards. He takes four action markers. He places two markers on his Cyclops and moves it two spaces, then uses the Cyclops's special ability "Push" to move his opponent's Uat 1 space. He places two action markers on his Gorgon and attempts to attack the Uat. Once the combat is resolved, Jimmy's turn ends.
Combat
When a creature is given an attack action, combat is resolved as follows.
Attack
Choose a creature to attack that is within range. Two creatures are involved in combat: the attacking creature and the attacked creature.
Evasion
If the attacked creature has an Evasion greater than zero (0) on the side from which it is attacked, the player who controls the attacked creature rolls a six-sided die. If the result is equal to or greater than the creature's Evasion, the attacked creature has successfully dodged the attack (the attack has failed), and combat ends.
Applying Damage
If the attacked creature has no Evasion points, or fails its roll, the attack succeeds and damage is applied. To determine how much damage the attacking creature has inflicted on the attacked creature, subtract the Toughness of the attacked creature from the Strength of the attacking creature. The result equals the amount of damage the attacked creature receives. The red marker on the card of the attacked creature moves to the right a number of spaces equal to the amount of damage received. If the damage is enough to destroy the attacked creature, the attacked creature is removed from the board and all markers are removed from its card.
Range 3 Creatures: Centaur and Gorgon
These two creatures have a Range of three (3). They may attack creatures that are adjacent to their front side, or attack creatures that are not adjacent and are up to three (3) spaces away. If a Range 3 creature attacks an adjacent creature, combat is resolved as explained above.
If a Range 3 creature attacks a non-adjacent creature, however, there are some differences in combat, as described below:
- The attacking creature must be facing the direction of the attacked creature.
- No line of sight is required — these creatures are expert archers.
- The attacked creature is treated as if it were attacked on a flank.
Apart from these three differences, when a non-adjacent creature is attacked by a Range 3 creature, combat is resolved as a normal attack.
Remember: a creature has different Evasion and Toughness values for each of its sides.
Recommended Creatures for the First Game
- Player 1: Cyclops, Sphinx, Gorgon, Phoenix, Minotaur and Warrior Priest.
- Player 2: Giga, Desert Preacher, Mummy, Centaur, Manticore and Uat.
Example: Jeb's Minotaur is attacking the flank of Jimmy's Cyclops. The Minotaur is the attacking creature and the Cyclops is the attacked creature.
The Cyclops has an Evasion of 6 on its flank. Jimmy rolls the die and gets a 6! However, the Minotaur has the special ability "Quickness" (Rapidez), which subtracts one from the Evasion result. So the Minotaur's attack succeeds!
The Minotaur's Strength is 5 and the Toughness of the Cyclops's flank is only 1. The Minotaur inflicts 4 damage on the Cyclops, and Jimmy moves the wound marker 4 spaces to the right on the Cyclops's card.