Dungeon Brawler
Dungeon Brawler Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Deck Contents (143 Cards)
- 77 Loot cards: 20 Torches; 12 Elements (3 each); 20 Actions; 15 Combos; 5 Armors; 5 Familiars
- 51 Dungeon cards: 19 Non-Monster cards; 28 Monster cards; 4 Bosses
- 15 Other cards: 11 Heroes (8 Player, 3 Ally); 4 Life Potions
Overview
Dungeon Brawler is a cooperative card game for 1-4 players. Each player will take on the role of a heroic adventurer. Your team's goal is simple: survive the dungeon and defeat its terrifying boss!
Cards (Loot card, Hero card, Dungeon card) show: 1. Card Name; 2. Cost; 3. Keywords; 4. Hit Points (HP); 5. Instructions; 6. Flavor Text.
Setup
Each player chooses their hero by selecting a card with the player hero keyword. Each player must choose a hero with a different color card. There are always exactly 4 heroes in a game of Dungeon Brawler - for each player less than 4, grab 1 card with the ally hero keyword.
Then, the players create their hero decks by taking 5 "Torch" cards and the 3 element cards matching their hero's color and shuffle them, face down. Once all the hero decks are created, return any unused starter, player hero, and ally hero cards to the game's box; they will not be used for the remainder of this game. Players then start their hand by drawing 5 cards from their hero deck. You may show your hand to the other players. Leave a space next to each player's hero deck for their score pile and their discard pile.
Shuffle all the cards with the dungeon keyword into a pile, face-down. Without looking at them, take the top 7 cards of the pile and shuffle them along with the "Boss Door" card. Place those 8 cards underneath the pile to create the dungeon deck. Draw 4 cards and place them in a horizontal line to the left of the dungeon deck. This line is called the dungeon.
Shuffle all the cards with the loot keyword, face-down, to create the loot deck, and place it directly below the dungeon deck. Draw 4 cards, placing 1 under each card in the dungeon. This is the loot row.
Randomly place all 4 hero cards (player and/or ally) in a horizontal line to the left of the dungeon (collapsed side down). This forms the party. Place all the "Life Potion" cards in a row under the party. This is the party supply. Flip one "Life Potion" card face-down (the rest should be face-up).
Spaces
After setup, there should be two rows of 8 cards. The top row has 4 cards in the party, then 4 in the dungeon. Each of these cards occupies a space. The leftmost card of the party occupies space 1; the one to its right occupies space 2, and so on until space 8. The bottom row has 4 potions, then 4 loot cards.
Rounds & Turns
Dungeon Brawler is played over a series of rounds. Each round is composed of two phases: the action phase followed by the loot phase.
Action phase: Beginning with the card in space 1, each card takes a turn, as described below. After a card takes a turn, exhaust it by raising it up an inch, to denote that it has taken its turn this round. Then, the leftmost, unexhausted card takes a turn, and so on, until all cards in the party and dungeon are exhausted.
When it is a card's turn, if that card is not a player hero, look at what space that card is occupying and follow the instructions listed on that card for that space. If there are any decisions to be made, the players make those decisions, so long as they satisfy the instructions. If there are no instructions listed for the space that card is occupying, simply exhaust it, it does nothing this round. Each card usually takes one turn per round. If a card shifts right or left during the turn, it does not gain or lose a turn. However, should a card be refreshed during a round, it does gain a turn. Player turns are described below.
Loot phase: In any order they choose, the players may buy up to one card from the loot row. To do so, that player must have a number of cards in their score pile equal to or greater than the cost of the card being bought. Additionally, at least one of the cards in the score pile must be the same color as the card being bought. (Gray cards are neutral and have no color requirement.) The bought card is added to the player's hand and the loot row is advanced. If a player does not (or cannot) buy a card during this phase, they may draw a card. Either way, all cards in the score pile are shuffled into that player's discard pile.
As a round ends, refresh all exhausted cards by moving them back down. A new round begins.
Player Turns
When it is a player hero card's turn, the player controlling that hero follows the following steps, in order:
- Draw Step
- Activation Step: a. Move; b. Action
- Discard Step
Draw Step: The player must draw one card.
Activation Step: The player may perform a move and an action, in any order. To move, a player moves their hero card 1 space, in either direction. To perform an action, a player either chooses an action on their hero card, or plays a card with the action keyword (plus any combos).
All chosen action or card instructions must be followed, in the order listed, even if that player does not wish to. Some instructions allow decisions, using words like "may" or "up to". After playing and resolving an action card, additional cards with the combo keyword may then be played. (You cannot play combo cards off a hero action.) Combo cards say +X ATK, meaning the attack it is modifying adds X damage to all targets. Playing combo cards is optional and they cannot be played unless an action card has already been played that turn. Follow the effects and added damage of combo cards as they are played (this includes any spoils the card may have triggered).
All played action and combo cards are added, face up, to that player's score pile.
Discard Step: If the player has more than 5 cards in their hand after their activation step, they must discard until they have 5.
Attacking
Some cards (usually monster and action cards) will instruct the players to perform attacks. They say "Attack" followed by a number (and targets in parentheses). The number is how much damage the attack deals and the targets are what defenders the attack affects. Cards without HP values are not affected by attacks. It is possible for an attack to affect zero cards. Some cards may have a minimum range, maximum range, or both. Range is the distance, in cards (dungeon and/or party, measured from the attacking card), that the attack may target. When a player attacks, his hero card is the attacking card.
Example: Drelia's attack has a range of 3-4. She can attack the monsters with checks, but not the ones with X's.
If the defender is a dungeon card or ally hero: Use damage tokens to show the total damage it has taken. Damage is cumulative; future attacks will add to this total. If the total damage a card has taken ever meets or exceeds its HP, that card is defeated. If defeated by a player hero, that hero's player follows the effects listed under that card's spoils. (That hero may then continue to play combos.)
If the defender is a player hero: the hero's player discards 1 card from their hand per damage dealt. If the player ever has no cards in hand, and must discard more due to damage, that player's hero collapses, which is explained below.
Collapsed Heroes
When a hero collapses, their card is flipped over (to the "collapsed" side) and moved to space 1. All damage is removed. While collapsed, heroes are ignored by hero and dungeon card effects, cannot be dealt damage, draw cards, or buy cards. They still count as a card when determining range. When it is a collapsed hero's turn, they automatically attempt to quaff a potion. To quaff a potion, that hero's player flips 1 face-up potion card in the party supply face-down, draws 5 cards and flips their hero card back over. They are no longer collapsed. This concludes that hero's turn; they may not take any actions until their next turn. If there are no face-up potion cards to quaff, the heroes lose the game.
Moving
When a card moves, it shifts a number of spaces in one direction. Any cards it "shifts over" slide down in the opposite direction. Dungeon cards must stop moving when they reach either end of the dungeon, even if they would otherwise move further. Similarly, heroes may never move beyond either end of the party.
Ally Heroes
Mercenary adventurers, ally heroes have a few differences from player heroes. An ally hero's HP, minus any damage, is considered its current number of "cards in hand". If an ally hero defeats a monster, the monster is simply destroyed; do not follow its spoils.
Advancing Rows
If, at the end of a turn or after a card is bought, there are less than 4 cards in either the dungeon or the loot row, they must be advanced. To advance a row, shift all remaining cards in that row all the way to the left, removing any gaps. Then, draw cards from the matching deck, 1 at a time, placing them to the right of the rightmost card in the row, until there are 4 cards. If a monster card is drawn, it is placed into the dungeon exhausted. If the loot deck runs out of cards, shuffle any destroyed loot cards to form a new one.
Bosses
Once you reach the Boss Door card, it will spawn a random Boss to fight. Bosses always enter the dungeon "enraged" side down. When it has taken damage equal to its HP, flip it over to the "enraged" side. It retains any damage it has taken. The players win (collectively) if they can defeat the enraged boss.
Difficulty
To make the game more difficult, only flip 2 potions face-up during setup. To make the game easier, flip 4. Of course, you could always flip 1... or none.
Glossary
Destroy: When a card is destroyed, it is removed from the game entirely. If a player cannot destroy as many cards as instructed, that player destroys as many cards as possible.
Discard: Unless stated otherwise, a player discards cards by choosing cards in their hand and placing them into their discard pile, face-up. If a player cannot discard as many cards as instructed, that player discards as many as possible.
Draw: Unless stated otherwise, a player draws cards by adding the top card of their hero deck to their hand. Whenever 1 or more cards would be drawn from a hero deck and it is depleted, shuffle that hero's discard pile to create a new hero deck and resume drawing.
Exhaust: When an unexhausted card is exhausted, move it up an inch. It may not take a turn until it is refreshed.
Gain: When a player gains a card, it is added directly to their hand.
Permanent: Permanent cards can be played anytime on a player's turn. They stay face-up in front of the player, affecting the game. A player may only have one of any type of permanent. (The type is in parentheses after "Permanent".) If they play a new permanent of the same type, the one already in front of them is placed in their score pile.
Refresh: When an exhausted card is refreshed, move it back down. It is no longer exhausted, and will take another turn this round.
Score: Unless stated otherwise, a player scores cards by choosing cards in their hand and placing them into their score pile, face-up. If a player cannot score as many cards as instructed, that player scores as many as possible.
FAQ
What can I do with a monster card I've drawn? It can be discarded due to damage, card effects, or if you have more than 5 cards at the end of your turn. Other than that, it dilutes your deck, so buy more cards!
Can I move in-between playing action or combo cards? No, you cannot.
Can I buy as many loot cards as I can afford? Only one per loot phase.
Does the added damage from combos hit all targets? Yes! Boom!
Can I use an attack that would target or deal damage to a non-monster? Yes, you simply ignore any damage that would be dealt to cards with no HP.
I discard as soon as I have more than 5 cards, right? No, you only discard at the end of your turn. You can have any number before that.
How can I buy a card that's not my hero's color? A monster you defeat is scored, opening you up to new possibilities.
When I play a card I stole or was given, whose score pile does it go to? The new owner's.
What if I need to draw a card and my deck and discard are empty? You cannot draw any more; the excess drawing is lost.
How do I pick a random boss? Shuffle the cards under the table and pick one.
What do the colors mean? They are 4 points of an elemental compass. Discipline is the opposite of Harmony. Chaos, the opposite of Order.