Dream Heist Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
• Object of the Game
• Scoring
• The Mission Card
• Playing the Game
• Moving Between Dreams
• Planting Ideas
• Limbo
• Ending the Game
• After the Mark Wakes Up

Components

1 game board 5 Player Pieces (top, ring, bishop, red die, poker chip with stand) 2 white dice 50 Idea Cards 35 Subconscious Cards 25 Mission Cards 5 Clockwork Cards 125 wood blocks (25 of each color) 1 Rules Booklet

Game Setup

Place the board in the center of the table. Each player chooses their playing piece and then the set of colored blocks that they would like to have. Each player then places one of their blocks onto the scoring track near the number 1, on the top left corner of the game board. Deal one of the Clockwork Cards to each person playing; put any extras back in the box.

Next, separate the cards into 3 decks (Idea, Subconscious, and Mission Cards) and shuffle each deck separately. Deal 1 mission card to each player and then place the remaining mission cards back in the box. Deal 4 Idea cards to each player; this represents their team and what they are good at. Place the remaining, shuffled Idea cards on the game board in the Extractor section on the left side of the board. Place the shuffled Subconscious cards below the Idea cards in the Forger section on the left side of the board (none of these cards are dealt to begin the game).

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to be the player with the most points at the end of the game. Points are scored in the following ways:

• Planting ideas in sections of the Mark's mind.
• Completing your main mission.
• Avoiding Limbo.
• Having the Mark carry out your mission after he wakes from the dream.

Scoring

Points are calculated as follows:

• One point is received for each block planted on level 1. Two for each block on level 2. Three for each block on level 3, and four points for each block on level 4. When scoring these points, move your scoring block down the track after each set of blocks that you plant.
• Once the game has ended, if you have completed all 4 phases of your main mission, you receive the point value listed on your mission card.
• You lose 10 points if you are stuck in Limbo at the end of the game.
• You receive 15 points if the Mark carries out your mission after he wakes.

The Mission Card

Mission cards require all four phases to be completed on a different dream level to receive the bonus points in the top right corner of the card. To complete a given phase, you must plant the number of blocks listed on that corresponding colored stripe. The four different phases can be completed in any order. You must complete each phase in a different dream level but the order of dream levels does not matter either. For instance, the card to the right could be completed in the following manner:

• Extractor – 2 blocks planted in level 4.
• Architect – 3 blocks planted in level 1.
• Inception – 2 blocks planted in level 3.
• Forger – 4 blocks planted in level 2.

Each phase has the correct number of blocks planted, and has been planted on a different dream level. The order of phases planted and the order of dream levels planted in does not matter. This player would receive 25 bonus points after the game has ended.

Playing the Game

All players start with their playing piece in front of them. The first player rolls both white dice and begins counting spaces from the word FIRST on the outermost white path. Every time you enter a new level, you may move clockwise or counterclockwise. So, for each player's first turn, they count out the correct number of spaces clockwise and counterclockwise, starting at the word FIRST. Then, they decide which direction to move their piece based on what space and section they would like to land on. Each player must continue moving in that same direction for the rest of the time they are in that level. If you have decided to move through the First level in a clockwise direction, turn your clockwork card to have the Clockwise side facing up, as a reminder. All players must enter the game in the first dream level and will put their playing pieces on the board after they have rolled and decided which direction to travel.

On Your Turn you can do one of the following:

• Roll both white dice and continue circling the current level you are in.
• Attempt to move to the next or previous dream level.
• Play a subconscious card.

Rolling the dice will force you to move to a new space. The different spaces force the following actions:

• White Circle—Draw Idea Card

• Lightning Bolt—Plant Idea

• Triangle—Draw Subconscious Card

• Black Circle—Nothing happens

• You can always attempt to move to the adjacent dream level. If you are on level 1, you can only move to level 2. If you are on 2, you can move to level 1 or 3. If you are on level 3, you can move to level 2 or 4. If you are on level 4, you can only move to level 3. To do this, announce what dream level you are attempting to move to and then roll both dice. If you roll the proper number, you then decide which direction you would like to circle the new dream level, beginning count at the top center of the level. Move your playing piece the number of spaces rolled on your attempt to enter the level. Remember to adjust your Clockwork card according to your chosen direction as a reminder. If you do not successfully enter the new level, your turn is over and you do not move.

• Certain subconscious cards will allow you to switch dream levels or directions or places with other players. You may turn in a subconscious card of this nature on your turn instead of rolling dice or switching levels.

Moving Between Dreams

Dream levels represent dreams within a dream. To move to the different levels, you must roll the following:

• Dream level 1—a multiple of 2, or the number 7 (2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12)
• Dream level 2—a multiple of 2 (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12)
• Dream Level 3—a multiple of 3 (3, 6, 9, 12)
• Dream Level 4—a multiple of 4 (4, 8, 12)

Planting Ideas

To plant ideas, you must land on a space with a Lightning Bolt. Once you have done so, you may turn in idea cards of the correct section that you are in and place the corresponding number of blocks on the dotted circles in that section. For example, if you have 3 Architect cards in your hand and land on a lightning Bolt space inside of the Architect section (on any dream level), you may turn those 3 cards in and plant 3 building blocks on the dotted circles in that section. You must always plant at least 2 blocks when planting ideas.

Sections have limited dotted circles and the available spots for planting blocks decreases as you go deeper through the dream levels. Each Level has two sections of each of the four phases (Architect, Forger, Extractor, and Inception). You may only plant blocks in one of the two sections per phase, per dream level. For example, if you plant blocks on the right side of the board in the Forger section on Level 2, you may not plant any blocks in the Forger section on the left side of the board on level 2. However, you may plant in the Forger sections on other dream levels (just one Forger section per dream level).

You may plant ideas to complete the phases of your main mission, to simply gain points, or to prevent other players from using spaces. For example, you may realize that a player is attempting to plant ideas in the Extractor section on level 1, so you go to one of the sections and plant blocks there, making it more difficult for your opponent to complete his or her mission.

Exception—Dream Level 4 may only consist of ideas planted from your mission card. Since it is the deepest level and all spaces are Lightning Bolts, you may not attempt to plant ideas here simply for points or to block other players. You may only plant a phase of your mission in Level 4.

Limbo

Players are sent to Limbo for two reasons:

• Another player rolls and lands on their space.
  • If you roll the dice and move to a space that is already occupied, the player who was previously occupying that space is sent to Limbo and you take their space. On their next turn, the person in Limbo must try to escape by using a Subconscious Card or rolling the correct number to return to the dream level that they were in when they were sent to Limbo. If they don't roll the correct number, they must remain in Limbo and attempt to escape their next turn. If they roll the correct number, they enter the level they were previously in and follow the standard rules for entering dream levels.
• The player did not return to the first dream level in time for the Final Kick (after the 15 turn countdown, the player was not on the first dream level). They remain here unless they have a Subconscious Card to leave Limbo, which they may play after the Mark wakes up.

Ending the Game

Once a player has completed all four phases of his or her mission, each on a different dream level, that player immediately announces that they have completed their mission and places one of his or her extra blocks on the number 15 on the score track. At this time, The Final Kick begins. Each time the player who has completed their mission takes a turn, he or she moves their block down a number. There are now 15 turns remaining in the game before the Mark wakes up from the dream. This means that each player has 15 more turns to attempt to complete their mission and retreat to the first dream level. After the block has countdown to the number 1, all players have one turn remaining. If, after completing this final turn, a player is anywhere except for dream level 1, they are lost in Limbo and must place their playing piece in the center of the board. This player did not wake from the dream and is lost forever in the unknown.

After the Mark Wakes Up

Following the Final Kick, after all players have had 15 turns, the Mark wakes from his dream. At this time, whoever is trapped in Limbo loses 10 points from their score. Next, each player announces whether or not they finished all phases of their mission in different dream levels. If they have successfully completed their mission, they receive the point value in the corner of the mission card. Players who have successfully completed their mission still receive the points on the mission card even if they are trapped in Limbo.

The last stage of the game is to determine which mission the Mark will actually carry out now that he is awake. Only the players who have successfully completed their mission are in for this stage, as their ideas were fully planted in the dream world and are much more plausible to the Mark than an unfinished dream idea. If there is only one person who has completed their mission, they receive 15 more points, as the Mark will carry out this player's idea now that he is awake. If more than one person has successfully completed their mission, take all of the blocks from level 4 that correspond to the players who have completed their mission. (Remember, there may be blocks in level 4 that belong to players who did not finish their mission. These blocks are not included in this stage.) Place all of the blocks into the pouch and draw one at random. The player whose block is chosen receives 15 points and the Mark will carry out this person's idea. This stage uses level 4 because it is the deepest dream level and the most likely to influence the Mark.