Drakskatten
Drakskatten Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
The box contains:
- 1 game board
- 50 marker tokens
- 65 monster cards
- 71 treasure cards
- 12 injury cards
- 6 playing pieces
- Detailed rules are printed in the lid of the box.
Setup
Lay out the game board.
Sort the treasure cards and the monster cards into two separate piles. Shuffle each pile, place them face down, and put them in their places on the game board.
Each player chooses a colour.
Each player rolls one die, and the player who rolls the highest begins the game at any staircase of their choice. Play then proceeds clockwise. The rules below follow the order in which the various events occur in the game.
The Game Board
The game board shows a labyrinth beneath an old castle. There is a staircase going down into the labyrinth at each corner. Each player chooses a staircase to start from, and must finish at the same staircase.
The large squares are rooms and the small squares are corridors. The rooms are provided with doors and sometimes also with secret doors. See the key on the game board for all of the symbols.
Movement and Turn Order
In each turn, the player may choose ONE of the following options:
a) Only move.
b) Stand still for one turn and search for a secret door.
c) Fight any monsters present.
d) If the die allows, move to a door, enter the room and stop there. The player must then also draw a monster card and fight the monster.
During normal movement, one die is used (you do not need to use the full value of the roll). You may only move horizontally or vertically, never diagonally.
Special rules apply when you are injured (see Injuries).
Doors
Doors are of course the only way into a room.
ORDINARY DOORS are unlocked and can be passed through directly.
SECRET DOORS must be "searched for". To find a secret door, a player must begin their turn in a square adjacent to a secret door. The player may not move; the entire turn is spent searching. To find the door, the player must roll a one, two or three with one die. If the player succeeds, they immediately move to the square on the other side of the door.
If a player returns to a secret door they have used before, they must search for it again. They have "forgotten" where the door was.
Rooms
When a player enters a room, they draw a monster card to see whether the room is inhabited. If the card shows that it is, combat occurs in the same turn. This happens automatically every time a player enters a new room. At the start of each new turn, the player may then choose whether to continue fighting or to flee the room. If the monster card shows that the room is empty, or when the player has defeated a monster, a marker token is placed in the room to show that it is empty.
If the player flees the room, it is still inhabited and no token is placed there. However, the monster card is removed, and when the next player enters the room they draw a new card. A player who flees a room may not return to the same room without first having visited another room.
If all of the rooms were to be filled with marker tokens, these tokens are removed and the rooms are empty again.
Monster Cards
Each monster card shows a monster and its name. The card also has two values.
A DEFENCE value (FÖRSVARS-värde), which is used when the player attacks the monster. The higher the DEFENCE value, the easier it is to defeat the monster. See Combat.
An ATTACK value (ANFALLS-värde), which is used when the monster attacks the player. See Combat.
Combat
Combat occurs when a player enters a room, or remains in a room from the previous turn.
In a combat, the player always strikes first. If the monster is not defeated, it may strike back; otherwise the monster card is removed from the game. To defeat the monster, the player must, using two dice, roll equal to or less than the monster's DEFENCE value. If the player succeeds, the monster is defeated immediately and cannot attack the player.
If the monster can attack, the player rolls two dice and adds the monster's ATTACK value (if it is higher than 0). The result is read from the table below.
MONSTER ATTACK TABLE
| Two dice + attack | Result |
|---|---|
| 9 or less | MISS. Nothing happens. |
| 10-11 | LIGHT INJURY. You lose 1 treasure card. Move 3 squares each turn. |
| 12 | INJURY. You lose 2 treasure cards. Move 2 squares each turn. |
| 13 | SEVERE INJURY. You lose 3 treasure cards. Move 2 squares each turn. |
| 14 or more | DEATH. Start over. |
The player and the monster may attack only once each per turn. This is repeated until the monster is defeated or the player dies, or until the player flees the room. A player may not attack that turn, but instead rolls one die and leaves the room as normal.
Injuries
Injuries are received in combat with monsters according to the table above.
When a player is injured, they take an injury card corresponding to the injury and follow the instructions on the card. If the player has already received some treasure cards, they lose one or more of them.
Dice are no longer used for movement; the player moves according to the card instead.
If a player who has a LIGHT INJURY receives another one, these are exchanged for an INJURY. If a player who has an INJURY receives another one, these are exchanged for a SEVERE INJURY. If a player who has a SEVERE INJURY receives a new injury of any kind, the player dies and must start again from the beginning. However, a LIGHT INJURY does not affect a player who already has an INJURY.
Treasure
TREASURE CARDS are received after the player has defeated a monster. Immediately after this, the player rolls one die, adds the monster's ATTACK value, and reads the result in the table below.
TREASURE TABLE
| One die + attack | Number of treasure cards |
|---|---|
| 1 | No card |
| 2-3 | 1 card |
| 4-6 | 2 cards |
| 7-8 | 3 cards |
| 9 or more | 4 cards |
Treasures take the form of bags of silver coins, precious gems or magic items. The value in silver coins of the bags and gems is stated directly on the card. Magic items have no value in silver coins. They are, however, very valuable aids in the hunt for treasure.
Magic Items
Some treasure cards are so-called magic items, which have special properties. They work as follows:
-
Magic Sword. Subtract one from a dice roll when defeating monsters. A roll of 9 is enough to defeat a monster with a DEFENCE value of 8 if the player has this card.
-
Magic Amulet. Subtract one from a dice roll when a monster attacks a player.
-
Healing Potion. Heals all injuries. The player's injury cards are removed when the healing potion is used. This card may only be used once and is removed after use.
-
Flying Carpet. Each time the owner of this card is to move, they may roll TWO dice instead of one. REMEMBER! Since the carpet carries the player, any injuries do not matter. The player uses two dice and does not concern themselves with what is written on the injury card.
-
Crystal Ball. When a player ends a turn next to an ordinary door, or a "discovered" secret door, they may look through the door using the crystal ball. Therefore, draw a monster card and roll for any treasure cards at once. The player sees all of these cards without entering the room. If the player wants to enter the room the next turn, these cards are kept. Otherwise the cards are removed and the player must go to another room.
-
Poison Powder. When the poison powder is thrown at a monster, it always hits, and the monster is defeated immediately. This card may only be used once and is then removed.
-
Sticky Floor. This card causes the monster to get stuck to the floor of the room so that it cannot attack. The player may, however, walk around the monster and take its treasure, if any. Roll for treasure cards in the normal way.
Winning the Game
The player who first collects silver coins and precious gems to a value of 1,500 silver coins, and who with their treasure returns to the staircase where they started, wins the game.
Variants and Further Play
If you want to vary the game more, it is good to invent more and harder rules.
If you still feel it is too limited and want more detailed rules, you should absolutely try Drakar & Demoner from Äventyrsspel. In that game there are no limits other than your imagination.