Dungeon Twister
Dungeon Twister Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Object of the Game
- Contents
- Number of Players
- Game Set-up
- Order of Play
- Phase 1: Playing an Action Card
- Phase 2: Using All or Part of Your Actions
- Reveal a Room
- Rotate a Room
- Moving a Character
- Initiate Combat
- Group Combat
- Wounded Characters
- Use a Character's Special Ability
- Use an Object
- Objects
- Carrying Wounded Characters
- Moving a Character out of the Labyrinth
- Jump Cards
- Pit Traps and Wounded Characters
- Phase 3: Recycling Action Cards
- Finishing a Game
- Optional Rules
- Character Descriptions
- Object Descriptions
- Game Board Pieces Description
- Glossary
- Quick-Reference Screen
- Credits
Introduction
Dungeon Twister will allow you to control a group of captured adventurers in the Dungeon of the rich and powerful Wizard. He teleported you into his catacombs simply to amuse himself by watching you fight to escape from his infernal mechanical labyrinth. But you are also going to have to fight to survive the attacks of your adversaries, for they too are trying to escape.
Object of the Game
- The first player who earns 5 Victory Points (hereafter referred to as VP) is the winner.
- You earn 1 VP when you eliminate an opponent's character.
- You earn 1 VP when one of your characters escapes from the labyrinth.
- If one of your characters escapes from the labyrinth with the Treasure, the Treasure is worth 1 extra VP.
- The Goblin is worth 2 VP upon his escape from the labyrinth (other characters earn only 1 VP).
- You can only escape from the labyrinth by crossing through the starting line of the opponent.
- Each player must place in front of himself, and outside of the labyrinth, the characters he has eliminated, his Treasures and the characters he has successfully freed from the labyrinth, so that the VP earned are always visible to the other players.
Contents
A basic set contains:
- 8 square rooms.
- 2 starting lines (1 per player).
- 2 quick-reference screens.
- 2 sets of tokens (one per player) including each 8 characters and 6 objects.
- 2 sets of 8 cardboard figurines and 16 plastic bases.
- 2 decks of cards (16 cards per player) each containing 9 Combat cards, 3 Jump cards and 4 Action cards (icons: Actions, Combat, Jump).
- Several "broken" and "open" Portcullis markers.
- Several markers to keep track of Actions carried out during play.
- 1 rule book.
Number of Players
A basic set allows you to play a 2-player game. Each Dungeon Twister expansion box offers new rooms, new characters and new objects. The rules laid out here are designed for experienced players. You will find a simplified version of the game at the end of the rules.
In Dungeon Twister, no Action, movement or shot can be performed diagonally!
Game Set-up
Shuffle the 8 rooms without looking at them and place them face down to build a rectangular board with a length of 4 rooms and a width of 2 rooms. Each player chooses a color and places his starting line in front of him at the end of the labyrinth.
Each player unfolds that color's screen in front of him and hides behind it the 14 tokens matching his color (8 characters and 6 objects). He also takes the 16 cards matching his color and place them in front of him in one face down pile. These 16 cards are always considered as being in the hand of the player. Each time the player must play a card, he may choose the card he wants from his deck of remaining cards. Players never draw cards at random.
Choosing Your Starting Team
Each player now secretly chooses his starting team of 4 characters from the 8 characters available to him. When he has made his choice, he places them, face down, on the starting line, on the 4 large dots corresponding to his color.
Placing the Remaining Tokens
Randomly determine who will go first in this phase. Starting with the first player, players take turns placing one of their remaining tokens face-down in the room of their choice. A token can be placed in any room as long as the maximum number of tokens for this room is not exceeded. This means that there can be different colored tokens in the same room. All tokens must be placed face-down. Players continue until all the remaining tokens have been placed. When finished, the maximum capacity of each room will be reached. It is strictly forbidden to look at any token that has already been placed in a room (even your own!).
Once all the tokens have been placed, each player simultaneously reveals the 4 characters on his starting line. The screens can now be laid down and from now on are used as a player's quick-reference guide.
Once again, randomly determine who will go first. Players take turns alternatively.
Order of Play
A player's turn consists of the following 3 phases:
- Play an Action card.
- Use all or part of his Actions.
- If he has no Action cards in hand, he gets back his 4 Action cards.
The player playing his turn is called the Active Player.
Phase 1: Playing an Action Card
The Active Player chooses an Action card from his deck and places it face-up in front of him. All of a player's Action cards must be stacked together face-up, so that only the last card played is visible. At the end of a turn, if a player has no more Action cards, he gets his 4 Action cards back (see Phase 3). This is called a completed Action Card Cycle.
During the first turn, the first player can only play a "2 Actions" card. Then, during the entire duration of the first Action Cards Cycle, a player can only play a card whose Actions number is inferior, equal or superior by 1 to the highest Action card played since the beginning of the game. This rule only applies to the first Action Card Cycle.
Example: Mike goes first and must play his "2 Actions" card. Allison goes next and can play her "2 Actions" or "3 Actions" card. She decides to play her "3 Actions" card. Mike can now play any card up to his "4" Action card. If Allison had only played her "2 Actions" card, then Mike could have only played his "3 Actions" card.
As soon as a "4 Actions" card has been played, any player can play any Action card for the rest of the game.
Phase 2: Using All or Part of Your Actions
The Active Player can carry out as many Actions as are indicated on the Action card he just played. He is never required to use all of them. Unused Actions are lost and cannot be saved for the next turn. A "4 Actions" card allows a player to use 4 Action Points (AP). These AP can be split between different characters or all used for one character.
Using 1 AP allows you to:
- Reveal a room.
- Rotate a room.
- Move one character.
- Initiate Combat.
- Use a character's Special Ability.
- Use an object.
Golden Rule #1: an Action must be fully resolved before starting a new one.
Reveal a Room
A room can only be revealed (turned face-up) if one of your characters has direct access to it before it is revealed. All characters on your starting line have direct access to the first two rooms adjacent to the starting line. So, both these rooms can be revealed for 1 AP each.
Remove all the tokens on the room to be revealed. Slide the room to the side from the board's structure, flip the room and replace it in the structure face up. The player revealing the room first places all the tokens that were on this room except the objects matching his own color. These objects are placed by his opponent after the revealing player has placed all the other tokens. All tokens are placed face-up, no more than one per square. Each token must be placed on an empty floor square or on a Rotation Gear.
Example: The Warrior and the Cleric can reveal room #1. The Wizard can reveal room #2. The Wall-Walker cannot reveal any room as two walls are between her and rooms #1 and #2. The Mekanork cannot reveal any room as he is standing on a Rotation Gear and is therefore adjacent to no unrevealed room.
To reveal a room, the room is slid away from the board's structure, then flipped by lifting the side that was pulled away, and replaced in the structure revealed.
Rotate a Room
Each room in the labyrinth is equipped with a complex wheels and gears mechanism allowing it to rotate. The Rotation Gear which triggers this movement is represented by a colored spinning arrow and a number within a square of each room. Such squares are called Rotation Gear.
For 1 AP, a character standing on a Rotation Gear can rotate the room 1/4 of a turn in the arrow's direction. He can spend 2 AP to rotate 1/2 of a turn, or 3 AP to rotate 3/4 of a turn, etc.
All rooms are matched as colored pairs (they are also numbered for easier identification), rotating in opposite direction from each other. A character standing on Rotation Gear #1 can also choose to remotely rotate the other room bearing the same number for 1 AP for each 1/4 of a turn. The targeted room will rotate in the direction of the arrows printed on its own board. In short, to know which way the room rotates, look at the arrow printed on the rotating room. 1 AP only allows you to rotate one room at a time! You can never rotate two rooms at the same time.
To rotate a room, slide the room out of the board's structure. Rotate the room and put it back into the structure. When a player rotates a room, he is not allowed to change his mind if the new game situation isn't to his liking. None of the tokens in the room change place during a rotation.
Moving a Character
You can use 1 AP to move one of your own characters. The white number on the left on each character token (Speed) shows how many squares a character can move for 1 AP (for example, the Thief can move 5 squares with 1 AP).
You are never forced to use all of your movement points. You can also give more than one AP to the same character in order to have it move several times, although one movement must be fully completed before another can start (first Golden Rule).
During his movement, a character can:
- Move to any adjacent square (including moving backward).
- Move through objects and wounded characters (friendly or enemies), even stop on objects and friendly wounded characters.
- Move through unwounded characters of the same color, but not stop on them.
- Move through or stop on a Rotation Gear.
- Move through an open or broken Portcullis.
During his movement, a character cannot:
- Move diagonally.
- Move through or stop on a Pit Trap.
- Move through or stop on an enemy character.
- Move through a closed Portcullis.
- Move through a wall.
At the end of his movement, (therefore at the end of an Action and before starting a new Action) a character cannot:
- Stand in the same square as another non wounded character (regardless of his color).
- Stand in the same square as a wounded enemy character.
- Stand on a Pit Trap.
- Stand in the same square as 2 other tokens (regardless of their nature).
Golden Rule #2: at the end of any Action, there can never be more than two tokens in the same square.
Broken or Open Portcullis markers are not affected by this rule as they sit between two squares.
Example: a character carrying an object can pass through a friendly character also carrying an object, but he can't stop there.
Initiate Combat
You need to spend 1 AP to initiate Combat. A character can attack any adjacent enemy character. You cannot initiate a Combat through a closed Portcullis or a wall.
Each player selects a Combat card from his hand and places it face-down in front of him. Both cards are then revealed simultaneously. Each player adds the card's value to his character's Combat value (black number on the right on his character token).
The player with the highest total wins the Combat and the opponent's character is wounded. Wounded characters are placed face-down.
In the case of a tie, nothing happens and the player whose turn it is can decide to spend 1 new AP to initiate a new Combat.
All used Combat cards are removed from the game. Gather them in a single face-down pile. Players are not allowed to look at these cards. The "Combat +0" card is the only card that the owner always gets back.
The Active Player cannot attack again a character that has been wounded during this turn, even if another character did the wounding.
Group Combat
If more than 1 character is adjacent to one or more of his opponent's characters, all living (unwounded) characters must participate in the Combat. The attacking player adds the Combat value of all his adjacent characters and the defending player does the same. Although more than one character is attacking or defending, each player only plays one Combat card for his team. When the Combat is over, all the loser's characters involved in the combat are wounded and placed face-down.
Example: the blue player uses 1 AP and declares that his Warrior is attacking the yellow Wall-Walker. Since the blue Mekanork is also in contact with the Wall-Walker, the blue player adds the Combat value of his Warrior and his Mekanork (3 + 2 = 5). The blue Cleric cannot participate in this Combat since he is not in contact with any yellow character. The yellow player's Wizard and Wall-Walker must participate in this Combat because they are in contact with the blue Mekanork. So, the yellow player adds the Combat value of his Wall-Walker and his Wizard (1 + 1 = 2). Certain of his victory, the blue player plays a "Combat +0" card. The yellow player plays a "Combat +4" card. The yellow player wins with a total of 6 against 5. The blue Warrior and Mekanork tokens are wounded and placed face-down. Since he is wounded, the yellow character adjacent to the blue Warrior does not participate in the group Combat.
On the other hand, should the blue Warrior have attacked the wounded yellow character, the group Combat would have included all 3 yellow characters.
Wounded Characters
When a character is wounded, the object he was carrying is left in the square with him. A wounded character cannot carry out any Actions. His Combat value is 0 but he is still permitted to play a Combat card if he is attacked during following turns. If a wounded character loses a Combat, he is removed from the game. The player who killed him removes the character token from the board and places it in front of him as proof of having earned 1 VP. A wounded character cannot attack or participate in group Combat. He can only defend himself if he is directly attacked (you can only attack one wounded character at the same time). If a wounded character wins a Combat, the attacking character or characters are wounded.
Use a Character's Special Ability
Most characters have one or more Special Abilities. Some of them are permanent and do not require the player to spend AP to use them; others require 1 AP to be activated. Refer to the character description to learn about each character's Special Abilities. Unless otherwise specified, a wounded character cannot use his Special Abilities, even if they are permanent Abilities.
Use an Object
Some objects also have permanent Special Effects that do not require the player to spend AP to use them; others require 1 AP to be activated. Objects with permanent Effects always stay on the board. Objects that require AP to have their Effect activated are removed from the board once they are used. A wounded character cannot use an object requiring AP activation since he is not permitted to carry out an Action.
Objects
Each character can only carry one object or one wounded character of his own color. To pick up an object or a wounded character, simply pass through or stop on the square containing it. This doesn't require the player to spend any AP as it is part of the character's movement. A character can also drop an object or wounded character in a square while carrying out a movement. This also does not require the player to spend any AP. But, the second Golden Rule must still be followed and no object or wounded character may be left on a Pit Trap (unless it is a Rope) or on any other forbidden square. There can never be two objects on the same square.
A character moving through a square occupied by a wounded character (friendly or enemy) and an object can pick up the object for no AP. If one of your characters moves through another character of the same color, you can take, give or trade objects and/or wounded characters as you wish between the two characters. This does not cost any AP. However, at the end of any Action, the second Golden Rule must always be followed (1 character + 1 object or 1 character + 1 wounded character maximum per square).
Blue characters can use and carry Yellow objects and vice versa.
Objects or wounded characters are always placed underneath the token of the character carrying it. At any time, any player can look at a token underneath a character, friendly or enemy.
Example: the Yellow Thief is carrying a Rope. The Yellow Wizard is carrying a Speed Potion and is 4 squares away from the Thief. The yellow player spends 1 AP to move his Thief 5 squares. The Thief moves over the Yellow Wizard. During her movement, the Thief gives the Wizard her Rope and takes the Speed Potion. This action does not cost the player any extra AP, since this is part of the player's movement Action.
The Thief can move through the Wizard but not stop there. She cannot give him the Rope but can trade the Rope with the Speed Potion, and keep moving.
Carrying Wounded Characters
Wounded characters can be carried like objects by characters of the same color. All rules applicable to objects are applicable to wounded characters. If a character carrying a wounded one loses a Combat, the wounded one is removed from the game (+1 VP for the winner) and the carrier becomes wounded himself.
Moving a Character out of the Labyrinth
As soon as one of your characters moves into any of the 10 squares on your opponent's starting line, he exits the labyrinth. Remove it from the game and place it in front of you to symbolize 1 VP. It is not possible to stay on your opponent's starting line or to move once on it. On the other hand, your characters can move, rest or initiate Combat on your own starting line.
You can exit the labyrinth by moving through an opponent's wounded character standing on his starting line. You can also initiate Combat against an opponent's character standing on his starting line, as long as your attacking character is still in a room and still in the labyrinth.
If a character leaves the labyrinth while transporting a wounded character, the wounded character is safe (remove from the game) but is not worth any VP.
If a character leaves the labyrinth while transporting an object, this object is removed from the game unless it is the Treasure which is worth 1 VP (place the Treasure in front of you to keep track of your extra VP.)
Jump Cards
Each player starts the game with 3 "Jump" cards. You can use a Jump card to allow any of your characters to jump over a Pit Trap. Your character can jump over the Pit Trap and land on a square directly behind it. A Jump card allows you to move two squares: the first square crossed must be the Pit Trap and the character must then land on a valid square adjacent to the Pit Trap. A valid square is any square where the character can complete his movement while obeying the second Golden Rule.
Playing a Jump card costs 1 AP. The used Jump cards are removed from the game after use and placed face-down with the used Combat cards.
It is not permitted to jump over a Pit Trap that is occupied by a living or wounded character.
Pit Traps and Wounded Characters
Only the Thief or a character carrying a Rope can stand on a Pit Trap square. A Thief who is wounded on a Pit Trap dies immediately. A wounded character standing on a Pit Trap carrying a Rope can stay on the Pit Trap as long as he is not killed or picked up by a friendly character. If a character carrying a Rope is wounded on a Pit Trap and another character moves through this square and takes the Rope, then this wounded character dies and the player who took the Rope gains 1 VP for the character he killed. It is not allowed to cause one of your own characters to die this way.
Phase 3: Recycling Action Cards
If the Active Player no longer has any Action cards in hand, he gets all of his Action cards back. This player has just carried out a complete Action card cycle. This is called "recycling".
Finishing a Game
The game is over when a player earns his fifth VP. The Active Player can then use all his remaining Actions while finishing his turn. He can thus continue to earn VP as long as he is able to. The winner is the player with the greatest number of VP at the end of this turn.
Optional Rules
Using the Cardboard Figurines
As soon as a character is revealed, you can replace his token with the matching cardboard figurine. When a character is wounded, replace his figurine by the corresponding token, face-up. The figurine can be used again as soon as the character is healed.
Playing with a Timer
During a game of Dungeon Twister, choices and possibilities are tremendous and luck is almost non-existent. Because of this, players can spend a great deal of time trying to figure out the best strategy.
After a few games, we strongly advise you to play Dungeon Twister in turns of 2 minutes or less. If you haven't carried out all of your Actions by the end of the 2 minutes, the remaining Actions are lost.
If after revealing a room your opponent has to place objects corresponding to your color, he has 5 seconds to do so, starting from when you have placed everything you were required to in this room. After the five seconds are up and your opponent has not placed the objects, you get to place the objects yourself.
During a Combat, once you have placed your Combat card face-down, your opponent has 5 seconds to place his own Combat card. If he doesn't do this within 5 seconds, it is considered that he played his "Combat +0" card.
You get 1 extra minute if one of your character drinks a Speed Potion.
Playing with Higher Victory Scores
If you wish to play longer games, we suggest you to change the number of VP necessary to win from 5 to 6, 7 or even 8. Longer games bring a different dimension to game play and allow you to use more characters and objects. A 5 VP game is definitely quicker, but you sometimes don't get the chance to use some characters. Players must agree before the beginning of the game whether they should play for 5, 6, 7 or 8 VP.
A Beginner's Game (Simplified Rules)
The labyrinth is made up of 6 rooms (3 pairs). The starting lines are used according to the Standard Rules. Each player uses 6 characters and 4 objects. Remove the Wall-Walker, the Mekanork, the Speed Potion and the Armor. Each player must place 4 of his characters on his starting line. Each player must place his 4 objects and the 2 remaining characters on the board, two tokens per room. The game is played to 5 VP.
Handicap
Because Dungeon Twister is not based on luck, it can be truly difficult for a beginner to win against an experienced player. It is strongly encouraged that a handicap is given to the experienced player (like in a game of Go).
The experienced player can play the game with only 4 to 7 characters, depending on the difference in skill between the two players. 4 characters must always be placed on the starting line. During a handicap game, the maximum token capacity of a room may not be reached. For a greater handicap, the handicapped player can also remove some higher value Combat cards from his deck (for example, he might remove the "Combat +5" and "Combat +6" cards).
Let's take the example of a very experienced adult player and a beginning child player. The adult could start the game with 5 characters and all his cards, except the "Combat +5" and "Combat +6" cards.
When playing a game with a handicap, a player still wins with 5 VP.
Handicap Table
| Players Level | Number of Characters Played | Combat Cards Removed |
|---|---|---|
| Very Experienced Player against Experienced Player | 6 | — |
| Very Experienced Player against Good Player | 5 | — |
| Very Experienced Player against Beginner Player | 6 | +5 & +6 |
| Very Experienced Player against Newbie | 5 | +5 & +6 |
| Experienced Player against Good Player | 6 | — |
| Experienced Player against Beginner Player | 5 | +6 |
| Experienced Player against Newbie | 4 | +6 |
| Good Player against Beginner Player | 6 | — |
| Good Player against Newbie | 6 | +6 |
Character Descriptions
Cleric
Speed: 4. Strength: 2.
Healing — The Cleric can heal a wounded character on an adjacent square for 1 AP. Flip the wounded character token face-up. The healed character is not allowed to do anything else during this turn. The Cleric cannot heal himself and cannot heal a wounded character that he is carrying: he must drop the wounded character on an adjacent square before healing him. The Cleric cannot heal a character through a closed Portcullis. The Cleric is allowed to heal an enemy character (although there isn't much in it for him in a 2 players game!).
Goblin
Speed: 4. Strength: 1.
Underdog — The Goblin does not have any Special Ability, but he is worth 2 VP for his owner when he escapes from the labyrinth.
Mekanork
Speed: 3. Strength: 2.
Craftsmanship — A Mekanork standing on a Rotation Gear is able to rotate the room in the direction of his choice by using 1 AP per 1/4 of a turn. He can also rotate the matching room (same color, same number) in the direction of his choice. Only the colors and numbers concern the Mekanork, he never takes the direction of the arrows into account.
Thief
Speed: 5. Strength: 2.
Deactivating Pit Traps — The Thief can move over and stop on Pit Traps during her movement. While the Thief stands on a Pit Trap, other characters of the same color can move over the Pit Trap without any difficulty. This Special Ability does not work if the Thief is wounded on a Pit Trap (if the Thief is wounded on a Pit Trap and is not carrying a Rope, she dies immediately).
Lock-picking — The Thief can open a closed Portcullis for 1 AP. The Thief must be on one of the two squares adjacent to the Portcullis. Place an Open Portcullis marker on the Portcullis. All characters can now cross this Portcullis. The Thief can close an open Portcullis for 1 AP. The Thief must be on one of the two squares adjacent to the Portcullis. Remove the Open Portcullis marker from the Portcullis. No character is now allowed to cross this Portcullis until it is opened again or broken.
Troll
Speed: 2. Strength: 4.
Regeneration — When wounded, the Troll can regenerate for 1 AP. Flip his token face-up. A Troll cannot regenerate during the turn he was wounded. During the turn he regenerates, the Troll cannot carry out any additional Action. The Fireball immediately destroys the Troll and he cannot regenerate. Evidently, this Special Ability works even when the Troll is wounded.
Wall-Walker
Speed: 4. Strength: 1.
Walks through Walls — The Wall-Walker can walk through a wall for 1 AP. She must be in front of the wall, spend 1 AP and move to the adjacent square on the other side of the wall. This does not count as a movement, but is considered a separate Action. This Special Ability does not allow her to reveal a new room from the other side of a wall. This Special Ability does not allow her to cross a closed Portcullis.
A Wall-Walker can move through a double wall for 1 AP. A double wall can appear with two adjacent rooms.
Warrior
Speed: 3. Strength: 3.
Breaks Portcullis — A Warrior standing in front of a closed Portcullis can break it for 1 AP. The Warrior must be on one of the two squares adjacent to the Portcullis. Place a Broken Portcullis marker on the Portcullis. The Thief cannot close this Portcullis. All characters can now cross this Portcullis.
Wizard
Speed: 4. Strength: 1.
Levitation — The Wizard has the permanent Special Ability of Levitation which allows him to move over Pit Traps and enemy characters (alive or wounded) during his movement (this does not require the player to spend any AP). However, he cannot stop on a character or on a Pit Trap (he must stop on a valid square and follow the second Golden Rule). This magic Ability qualifies him as a flying character.
Magic User — The Wizard is a Magic User. He can use Scrolls. Scrolls are special objects that you will find in future expansions.
Object Descriptions
Armor
The Combat value of a character wearing Armor is increased by 1 point (for defense only). This means that he can only use this bonus when he is attacked. A wounded character who is wearing an Armor uses this advantage if attacked.
Fireball Wand
Only the Wizard can use the Fireball Wand (for 1 AP). Remove the Fireball Wand token from the game after use. The Fireball immediately eliminates the first character (living or wounded) in the line of sight of the Wizard using the wand (the player using the Fireball Wand chooses the direction of fire). The Fireball cannot cross walls, closed Portcullis, or characters (wounded, alive, friendly or enemy). On the other hand, the Fireball can travel over Pit Traps, objects, Rotation Wheels and through open or broken Portcullis. A character other than the Wizard can carry the Fireball Wand but cannot use it. The Fireball does not affect objects but if it hits a character carrying a wounded character, both characters are killed.
Example: the Troll can move over the Pit Trap. He can also pickup the Rope and continue his movement carrying it. The blue Warrior can move over the Pit Trap where the Cleric stands as they are both the same color (blue).
Rope
A character carrying a Rope can move over and stop on Pit Traps during his turn. Any character can move through or stop on a Pit Trap as long as a Rope is on this square. To place a Rope over a Pit Trap, you need to have at least two valid squares adjacent to the Pit Trap at the moment you place the Rope. A valid square is a square on which a character can stand. A character that moves through a Pit Trap containing a Rope can pick up the Rope during his movement, without spending any AP (he picks up the Rope while leaving the Pit Trap).
Speed Potion
A character carrying a Speed Potion can drink it for 1 AP. This character immediately receives 4 AP that he must use during the current turn. Unused AP are lost at the end of the turn. It is possible to alternate this character's Actions with your other characters' Actions. Keep two separate records: one for Actions used from the Action card since the beginning of your turn and another one for Actions you earned from the Speed Potion. Remove the Speed Potion from the game when you drink it (just before using the 4 AP granted by it).
Sword
The Combat value of a character carrying a Sword is increased by 1 point (for attack only). He cannot use this bonus for defense (when he is defending himself).
Treasure
A Treasure earns a player 1 VP if one of his characters is carrying it when he leaves the labyrinth. Place the Treasure in front of you with your other VP.
Wall
In general, the labyrinth walls are solid and cannot be broken. Even the Fireball cannot destroy them. The Wall-Walker can use her Special Ability to walk through them. The walls block line of sight.
Game Board Pieces Description
Floor Squares
This is the basic square in Dungeon Twister. When a room is revealed, objects and characters can be placed on this type of square.
Portcullis
Portcullis can be opened by the Thief or broken by the Warrior. As long as they have not been opened or broken by the aforementioned characters, characters cannot pass through them. A closed Portcullis blocks line of sight.
Rotation Gear
Each room contains a Rotation Gear. The Rotation Gear square is where a character can rotate the room he is standing in (or the room with the same number if this room has already been revealed). When a room is revealed, objects or characters can be placed on this type of square.
Starting Line
This is where you place 4 of your characters at the beginning of the game. This is also the area your opponent must reach to escape from the labyrinth. Even though the starting line squares are blank, they are not considered floor squares.
Pit Trap
Pit Trap squares are obstacles and characters cannot move through them. One can use a Jump card to jump over them, or use the Rope to swing over them. A Thief can use her Special Ability to move over them.
Glossary
Active Player: the player whose turn it is.
Adjacent: in Dungeon Twister, two squares are only considered adjacent if they touch each other by a side (and not by a corner). In short, no Action, movement or shot is allowed diagonally. Never. Never, never, never. Don't push it; begging won't help!
Empty square: square that does not contain a token or marker.
Line of sight: a straight line between a character and his target. A line of sight does not go through walls, characters (alive or wounded) or closed Portcullis. A line of sight can pass through an object, a Rotation Gear or a Pit Trap.
Markers: markers are everything that is not a character or an object. For example: open or broken Portcullis. The second Golden Rule does not apply to markers.
Obstacle: game element that a character can cross using a Jump card or using a character or object's Special Ability. A Pit Trap is an obstacle. Obstacles do not block line of sight.
Tokens: characters and objects are tokens. There can never be more than 2 tokens on the same square (1 character and 1 object or 1 character and 1 friendly wounded character for example) at the end of an Action. Cardboard, pewter or resin figurines are considered tokens if they replace characters or objects of the game.
Turn: in Dungeon Twister, the word turn is used to represent one player's turn (phase 1, 2 and 3). A complete Action Card Cycle for two players is therefore composed of 8 turns (4 turns for the blue player and 4 turns for the yellow player).
Quick-Reference Screen
The basic set includes 2 quick-reference screens (one per player), printed with a condensed summary of the core rules for play at the table. Its text is reproduced here for completeness.
Object of the Game
- The winner is the first player who earns 5 victory points (VP).
- You earn 1 VP when you eliminate an opposing character.
- You earn 1 VP when one of your characters escapes from the labyrinth.
- The Treasure is worth 1 extra VP if one of your characters escapes from the labyrinth carrying it.
- The Goblin is worth 2 VP when he escapes from the labyrinth (instead of 1 VP for the other characters).
Order of Play
During his turn, a player must complete the 3 following phases in the following order:
- Play an Action card.
- Use all or some of his Actions.
- Get his 4 Action cards back in hand if he does not have any left.
1st Golden Rule: An Action must be fully completed before starting another one.
Using 1 AP allows you to:
- Reveal a room.
- Rotate a room.
- Move a character.
- Initiate a Combat.
- Use a character's Special Ability.
- Use an object.
2nd Golden Rule: There can never be more than two tokens in the same square at the end of any Action.
Move a Character
During his movement, a character can:
- Move into any adjacent square (characters can move backwards).
- Move over objects or wounded characters (friendly or enemy) even stop on objects and friendly wounded characters.
- Move over characters of his own color, but not stop on them.
- Move over or stop on a Rotation Gear.
- Cross over an opened or broken Portcullis.
On the other hand, a character cannot:
- Move diagonally.
- Move over or stop on a Pit Trap.
- Move over or stop on an enemy character.
- Cross over a closed Portcullis.
- Pass through a wall.
At the end of a character's movement, he cannot:
- Stand on the same square as an unwounded character (regardless of this character's color).
- Stand on the same square as a wounded enemy character.
- Stand on a Pit Trap.
- Stand on the same square as two other tokens (regardless of their nature).
The screen's special-ability icon legend reads: Object must be removed from the game after use; Lock-picking; Magic User; Flying; Breaks Portcullis; Regeneration; Craftsmanship; Deactivating Pit Traps.
Credits
Dungeon Twister was created by Christophe Boelinger, published by Asmodee Editions LLC and illustrated by Wayne Reynolds and Thierry Masson. ©2005 Asmodee Editions. Dungeon Twister is a trademark of Asmodee Editions SARL.
The author would like to thank the many players who set off on the Dungeon Twister adventure. This experience has created some great memories and made a dream come true for some of us. Also a huge thanks to all the fans in France, the US and all around the world. I wish to have the creativity and be able to keep entertaining you through this game for as long as you will feel like playing it. Thank you, all of you and I hope we'll keep "twisting" rooms together for many years to come… Raphael "Shadow" Puch, Olivier "Red Dragon" Grassini, Yves "Mekanork" Ley, Phillipe "élékinésiste" Maurel, Guillaume "No timer" Angousturès, Loic Maitrehut, Croc, Didier Guiserix, Charly Morelli, Stephane Martin, Jérome and Karine L'hurriec, Anita Teixeira, Bernard Torrès, Benoit Mordelet, Dimitri Locatelli, Cyril Anaya, Monsieur Phal, Jason Guillamot, Illia Racunica, Matthieu Gitton, Laurent Wozniak, Sylvie Damentko, Laurent Viallard, Daniel Sainz, Christophe Bolognino, Patrice "Uzul" Giorgi, Michel Léger, François Joubaud, Olivier Lavaud, Jérôme Gayol and L'entre Jeu, Christian Concas, Christian Schriek, Stephane Abello, Nicolas Anton, Lise Ley, Simba and Julie Valentin, Christophe Peres, Christine Hernandez-Davo, Fabienne Roussel, Bruno Cathala, Eric and Catherine Esiwczak, Laveau Etienne, Fourage Jerôme, Feynas Paul, Lacurie Geofrey, Simon Lefebvre, Jean Marc and Christine Guicheney, Marc Ladent and Sylvain Brel.