Dreamers
Dreamers Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
20 Dream cards, 13 Nightmare cards, 3 Identity cards, 3 Gate cards, 1 First-Player card, 5 English Game-Rules cards, 5 French Game-Rules cards.
Game Objective
If you are the Dreamer, you must open the three Gates to leave the Dream World or expose the Master of Nightmares.
If you are the Master of Nightmares, you must prevent the Dreamer from leaving the Dream World without being exposed.
Cards Descriptions
- Dream cards: They represent the dreams that the players will get from their memory in order to fight the nightmares. On the left side of the card is displayed its value (numbered from 1 to 10). On the right side (within a dreamcatcher) is the dream modifier. The deck of Dream cards is called the Memory deck.
- Nightmare cards: They represent the nightmares that terrorize the Dreamers. On the left side of the card is displayed its value (numbered from 6 to 16).
- Identity cards: They represent the two types of identities that both players may be assigned at the start of the round. The Identity deck contains two Dreamer cards and one Master of Nightmares card.
- Gate cards: They represent the three Gates the Dreamers need to open to exit the Dream World. The black & white side represents the Gate closed; the coloured one when it is open.
- First-Player card: It determines the first player. It is given from one player to another at the end of each turn.
Setup
- Shuffle the deck of Dream cards and place it near the play area.
- Shuffle the deck of Nightmare cards and place it near the play area.
- Shuffle the 3 Identity cards and place them face down next to each other.
- Place the 3 Gate cards next to each other with their black & white side up.
- Deal the First-Player card to one of the players.
General Presentation
A game is played over 5 rounds. Each round has a certain number of turns. At the end of each round, both players respectively collect points. At the end of the 5 rounds, the player with the most points wins the game.
Part of Dreamers is all about tension, deception, betrayal, and backstabbing. Indeed, at the start of each round, each player randomly collects an Identity card. Depending on their cards, players will have to follow their instincts in order to cooperate or compete. Watch out, your feelings may betray you...
If both players draw the Dreamer Identity card, they both will have to open the 3 Gates in order to leave the Dream World and win the round.
If a player draws the Master of Nightmares Identity card, they will have to prevent the second player (a Dreamer) to leave the Dream World while avoiding being exposed! As for the Dreamer, they will either have to leave the Dream World or expose the Master of Nightmares.
Gameplay
A game is played over 5 rounds.
Start of round
- Deal the First-Player card to one of the players.
- Starting with the first player, both players randomly pick up one of the three Identity cards, look at theirs, then place them face down in front of them. Players secretly keep their identity until the end of the round.
Each round is played in several turns; each turn has 6 Phases.
Turn Phases
1 – Memory Phase
Each player draws Dream cards until having 3 cards in their hands.
2 – Nightmare Phase
The first player draws the top card from the Nightmares Deck and places it face-up in the centre of the table. The Nightmare card displays a value between 6 and 16. This is the exact value to reach with the Dream cards to counter this nightmare.
3 – Dreams activation phase
The first player plays a Dream card from their hand, placing it face-down next to the Nightmare card. Depending on the value of their Dream card, the first player announces "close", "far", or "medium". If, according to them, the value of their Dream card is close to the value of the Nightmare card, they will say "close", if the value is far, they will say "far", if it is at an intermediate level, they will say "medium". Players may lie.
The second player also play from their hand a Dream card face-down next to the Nightmare card. The second player does not have to announce "close", "far" or "medium".
The first player turns over the two Dream cards.
- If the sum of the values of the two Dream cards is strictly equal to the value of the Nightmare card, the players open a Gate. Players flip a Gate card over from its black & white side to its coloured side and proceed directly to the Accusation phase.
- If the sum of the values of the two Dream cards is not equal to the value of the Nightmare card, the players move on to the Modification phase.
4 – Modification Phase
In this phase, players may modify the value of a Dream card by playing a Modifier effect.
Modifier Effect: Every Dream card has one, except those with a "skull". Modifiers add, subtract, or multiply the value of a Dream card.
The first player can play a Modifier effect. To do this, all they have to do is to play a card from their hand on the Dream card they wish to modify (their own or that of the second player). They can only play a Modifier effect if the modification leads to the exact value of the Nightmare card. Otherwise, they cannot play a Modifier effect. The Modifier effect only applies to one of the two Dream cards on the table.
Example: If Leo plays a "-3" Modifier effect on a Dream card with a value of 8, the Dream card's new value is 5.
If the first player cannot or does not wish to play a Modifier effect, it is the turn of the second player to have this possibility.
If the Modifier effect allows the value of the Nightmare card to be reached, the players open a Gate.
5 – Accusation phase
In this phase, the first player (only them and only if he has the identity of the Dreamer) may, if they wish, accuse the other player of being the Master of Nightmares. To do this, they must play a Dream card from their hand containing a "Skull" in place of the Modifier effect.
If the first player accuses the second player, the round ends! If there is no Accusation, go directly to the Handover phase.
Following an Accusation, both players reveal their Identity cards. If the accused player is the Master of Nightmares, they are exposed and the first player wins the round. If they are a Dreamer, both players lose the round and the accusing player loses 1 point on their score.
After an Accusation, go to the scoring sheet and start a new round.
6 – Handover phase
The first player gives the First-Player card to the second player, who becomes the first player. A new turn can start.
End of Round and End of Game
A round ends if:
- The 3 Gates are open.
- The first player accused the second player.
- During the Memory phase, players can no longer draw cards from the Memory deck until reaching a hand of 3 Dream cards each.
At the end of each round, the players count their points and re-shuffle the Nightmares deck and the Memory deck. At the end of the 5 rounds, the player with the most points wins the game. If there is a tie, players may play a 6th round to break the tie.
Turn Summary
- Memory Phase: Players draw Dream cards.
- Nightmare Phase: Players reveal a Nightmare card.
- Dream Activation Phase: Players play Dream cards.
- Modification Phase: Players may play a Modifier effect.
- Accusation phase: The first player may accuse the second player.
- Handover phase: The second player becomes the first player.
Scoring Sheet
- If both Dreamers open the 3 Gates, both players gain 2 points.
- If the Dreamer accuses another Dreamer: the accusing Dreamer loses 1 point AND gives the accused Dreamer the possibility to choose their Identity for the new round!
- If the Dreamer accuses the Master of Nightmares, the Dreamer gains 2 points.
- If the Dreamer opens the 3 Gates, while the second player is the master of Nightmares, the Dreamer gains 3 points.
- If the Master of Nightmares prevents the Dreamer from opening the 3 Gates, the Master of Nightmares gains 2 points.
- If the two Dreamers do not open the 3 Gates, the two Dreamers gain no points and lose no points.
Official Variants
The purpose of these variants for the game Dreamers is to bring new game sensations, as well as avoiding foul play in some cases.
Full Victory
In order to win a game, you must have more points than your opponent and have a minimum of 5 points!
The 6 winning-points
A game no longer requires 5 rounds; instead, the first player to get 6 points wins the game. (Can be combined with the "Mad Accuser" variant)
The Mad Accuser
If a player wrongly accuses his opponent more than twice, he immediately loses the game regardless of the scores. (Can be combined with the "The 6 winning-points" variant)
That'll teach you!
If one player is the Dreamer and leaves the Dream World while the second player is the Nightmare Master, the Dreamer wins the game immediately regardless of the scores.
Blindfolded reigns chaos!
Players no longer announce "Far", "Close", or "Medium" when placing a Dream card.