Dying Light: The Board Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Winning and Losing
• Component List
• How Do You Start Playing?
  • TTS module
  • Manual Game Setup
  • Board Setup
  • Scenario Elements
  • Player Area
• Round Order
  • Activation Phase
  • Exposure Phase
    • Exposure decks
  • End Phase
• Activating Runners
• Runner Actions
  • Tempo
  • Type of Actions
  • Run (Move action)
    • Zones and Areas
  • Climb (Move action)
  • Jump (Move action)
  • Attack (Combat action)
  • Defend (Combat action)
    • Desperate Defense
  • Interact (Utility action)
  • Use (Utility action)
• Risk
• Fatigue
• Using Boosts
• Momentum
• Environmental Features
• Wounds
• Equipment
  • Gear
    • Passive Momentum Boost
    • Preventing Harmful Effects
  • Items
    • Weapons
    • Consumables
• Skills
• Activating Enemies
  • Infected Cards
  • Exposure Phase enemy Activation
  • 1. Spawning
    • Spreading
  • 2. Moving
  • 3. Attacking
• Day and Night
  • Night Activation
  • Chase
• Golden Rules
• Miscellaneous
  • Range
  • Move actions vs Move X effect
  • Enemies vs. Infected
  • Upgrading dice
  • NPC
  • Knock down
  • Cleave
  • Elimination
  • Areas & Zones

Game Overview

Dying Light the board game is a narrative adventure cooperative game. In the full game, you will play a series of campaigns, each consisting of several scenarios. You will be able to choose which campaign you want to play first, second and so on. What you achieve in scenarios, including character development and game world development, may transfer and influence game play of other scenarios/campaigns.

In this demo game, you will play a single scenario. Each player will control one character, called a Runner. Using a set of custom Action Dice, Skills, and Equipment each Runner will perform a series of activities in a 3D environment in order to complete game objectives detailed on Scenario Cards.

Winning and Losing

Scenario objectives and win conditions will differ in the full game. Each scenario will tell you its objectives and story through a Scenario Book and separate scenario deck.

To win the game you must meet the final objective of the scenario. You will do so by gradually exploring the game world and visiting various points of interest that will be placed around the map by a deck of narrative Scenario Cards.

You lose the game immediately when one of the player characters gets eliminated. Additionally, each scenario may have its own loss conditions, such as a time limit.

Component List

• 12 Basic Runner Dice
• 6 Parkour Runner Dice
• 6 Combat Runner Dice
• 13 Buildings for assembly
• 4 Momentum Dice
• 4 Damage Dice
• 4 Risk Dice
• 4 Runner Miniatures
• 4 Runner Cards
• 32 Biter Miniatures
• 12 Viral Miniatures
• 4 Howler Miniatures
• 4 Volatile Miniatures
• 5 Activation Cards
• 4 Infected Cards
• 11 Scenario Cards
• 4 Help Cards
• 4 Exposure Decks (8 cards each)
• 4 Starting Skill Cards
• 16 Wound Cards
• 4 Starting Weapon Cards
• 6 Common Item Cards
• 7 Epic Item Cards
• 4 Chase Cards
• 12 Gear Tokens
• Other Tokens: Common Loot, Epic Loot, Inhibitor, Electricity, Fire, Rough Terrain, Nest, Round Marker, Exposure, Event 1, Event 2, Event 3, Objectives, Jump Pad, Spear, UV Spot
• 4 Character Boards
• 4 City Board Tiles

How Do You Start Playing?

TTS module

Choose one Runner per player to control. In this demo scenario, the Game Board and all of the Runners are already set up for you.

Manual Game Setup

Setup and organize all the game elements as shown in the game setup image. Any other game components that you do not use can be placed back in the box. Each player chooses one Runner to control.

When the game is set up and you are ready to begin, carefully read the #S01 Scenario Card. Then, start the first round (Round 7 on the Round Tracker) of the game. You will find detailed information on how to proceed with Rounds in the Round Order section.

Board Setup

1. Connect 4 Board Tiles as shown in the setup image.
2. Assemble and place all the cardboard buildings.
3. Place Walls in the correct arrangement (along the white lines).
4. Place all the tokens shown in their exact Zones.
5. Place chosen Runner miniatures in the starting Zone.
6. Place the exact number of Biter miniatures in the Areas shown in the setup image.

Scenario Elements

1. Take all Scenario cards and place them nearby in a deck. Then reveal card #S01.
2. Find an Inhibitor card (Epic Item) and put it aside along with Inhibitor Tokens.
3. Form the Activation deck (take the Enemy Activation card and for each player - one Runner Card with a color referring to their chosen miniature ring colors.
4. Place the Round Tracker with the Round Marker token set on Round 7.
5. Find the Biter Infected Card, put it face up near the game board. Put other Infected Cards face down, next to it.
6. Place Chase Cards face up in a pile.
7. Place 4 Exposure tokens at hand.
8. Shuffle all Wound Cards to form a Wound Deck and place it near the Infected Cards.
9. Place Event Tokens near the Round Tracker.
10. Shuffle both Item Decks: Common (green) and Epic (purple).
11. Place 4 Damage Dice.
12. Place 4 Risk Dice near the Infected Cards.

Player Area

1. Place the Character Board in the center of your player area.
2. Choose one Runner Card and place it on the Board. Take your Runner miniature and one colored ring.
3. Take the starting Skill Card indicated at the back of your Runner Card (ignore the Dice image in this Tutorial).
4. Choose one set of starting Gear (3 tokens with the same upper-left corner symbol).
5. Choose one of the four starting Weapon Cards.
6. Take one Exposure Deck (8 different cards), shuffle it and put it face down in your player area.
7. Leave some space for the Exposure discard pile.
8. Take one set of Runner Dice: 3 Basic, 1 Combat, 1 Parkour, 1 Momentum.

During the game you will find Items (9) and suffer Wounds (10) - leave some space to place those cards.

The Character Board has: an Action Track, Fatigue Slots, Cooldown Slots, and a Momentum Spot.

Round Order

Each Round consists of three Phases, starting with the Activation Phase, moving on to the Exposure Phase, and finally to the End Phase. For each Phase, please follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Activation Phase

1. If it is Day, Activate each Runner, one at a time and once only, in any chosen order (see Activating Runners later on this page). Repeat these steps until all Runners have been activated.
   • If it is Night, draw an Activation Card instead. Then, activate the Runner that corresponds to the color on the card or resolve Night Activation abilities if the Infected Activation Card is drawn (see Night Activation). Repeat these steps until all Activation Cards have been drawn and all corresponding characters have been activated.
2. Proceed to the Exposure Phase.

Exposure Phase

1. Check the Exposure Value in every Area with Runners.

   The Exposure Value is a sum of:

   • Exposure generated by performed Actions (see values 1, 2 or 3 above dice slots on the Action Track).
   • Exposure Token (+1 to the Value).
   • Other game effects and abilities.

   If there is more than one Runner in an Area, add their Exposure Values (for the purpose of determining which Area will be resolved first).

2. Starting with the Area with the highest Exposure Value, each Runner in that Area draws the number of Exposure Cards equal to their Exposure Value and resolves them (see Activating Enemies).

   With several Runners in an Area, all the cards are drawn separately (each Runner from their respective Exposure Deck), but executed simultaneously.

3. Move to the next highest Exposure Value Area and draw and execute the Exposure Cards. Repeat the process until all Runners have drawn and executed their Exposure Cards.

   In case of tied Exposure values, players collectively choose the order of drawing and executing Exposure Cards for each Area.

   Whenever you run out of Exposure Cards in your deck when having to draw Exposure Cards, put all the discarded cards back in the deck and reshuffle them.

4. Proceed to the End Phase.

Exposure decks

After any Exposure Cards have been drawn and their effects implemented, discard them face up in your play area, forming a discard pile. However, if a Reshuffle symbol is present on any Exposure Card that you draw, place all your Exposure Cards back to the deck (including the discard pile) and reshuffle it.

End Phase

1. If there are any knocked down Infected on the board, stand their miniatures up.
2. All Runners who have the Momentum Die in their player area check their Action Track. If their Tempo Value is 4 or more, they keep their Momentum Die. Otherwise, the Momentum Die is removed to the game supply.
3. Advance the Round Marker on the Round Tracker. If the Round Marker advances into a space with an Event token, execute the Event.
4. If it is Night, shuffle all the Activation Cards to form a new Activation deck.
5. Proceed to the next Round.

Activating Runners

When you activate a Runner, please follow the step-by-step instructions below.

1. Gather all the Action Dice from your Action Track, Cooldown Slots, Momentum Spot, and all of your unused Dice from the previous Round. Then, if there are any dice in your Fatigue Slots, move them to the right, into the Cooldown Slots (they are unavailable to you for this Round).

   • If this is the first Round of the game, take all your Action Dice (besides the Momentum one) and proceed to the next point.

2. Roll the Action Dice and keep the results. This is your active Action Dice pool.

3. Perform actions by spending your active Action Dice from the pool until you spend all of them or decide to pass.

   You may pass even if you did not spend all of your Action Dice. All unused dice may be used in the Exposure Phase to defend yourself.

4. When you spend all of the Action Dice or declare a pass, your activation ends.

Runner Actions

You perform Runner actions by spending your Action Dice. Each action has a cost expressed in Action Dice. To pay the action cost, take the appropriate number of dice from your Action Dice pool and place them one by one on your Action Track.

You may (but do not have to) use Boosts from the dice that you spend to cover the action cost, to enhance it with some beneficial effects (see Using Boosts).

Tempo

Tempo is an indicator of how many actions a Runner performs and how smoothly. The Runner's Tempo value is equal to the number of Action dice placed on his Action Track. Therefore it is determined by the last Action Die spent (the rightmost one). We call it the Tempo Die.

Tempo has three fundamental rules that you must follow:

• When paying for actions with dice, you must always place them in the first space to the RIGHT of the Tempo Die. If your Action Track is empty, you place the Action Dice starting from its leftmost space.
• Tempo Die cannot be Fatigued or removed from the Action Track due to any game rule or ability, unless the ability refers specifically to the Tempo Die itself in some way. Whenever you have to Fatigue or remove the Tempo Die from the Action Track, do one of the options below instead:
  • Fatigue or remove any other die from your Action Track.
  • Fatigue or remove any die from your Active dice pool.
• If your Tempo value hits 4 (by placing an Action Die in the fourth slot of the Action Track), and your Momentum Die is outside your player area, immediately put it on the Momentum spot.

Type of Actions

There are three types of Actions: Move, Combat, and Utility. Each one of them can be performed by spending any kind of Action Dice (regardless of the die color and/or type).

Note that all Move and Utility actions can generate Risk (see Risk).

Here is a detailed description of all the actions you can perform:

Run (Move action)

This is your standard way of moving around the board. When performing this action, move your Runner to an adjacent Zone. The Zone you are moving to must be on the same or lower level.

• Adjacent Zones are those that share a common border.
• If there is an Obstacle (i.e. a Wall) in between your current and target Zone you must use a Climb Action instead.

Cost: 1 Action Die. Risk: 1 Risk per enemy when moving out of an Area.

Zones and Areas

• Every Area contains one or more Zones.
• Some Areas have only one zone, like buildings or others.
• Some can have two, three or even four Zones.

For example: A Runner is on the rooftop of a level 1 building. They want to move to an adjacent Zone on the ground level. They use the Run action to move to the target Zone. The action cost is 1 Action Die. Then, they decide to move forward to attack the Biter near the wall. Two more Run Actions are performed, each costing 1 Action Die.

Climb (Move action)

This is your standard way of climbing up buildings or climbing over Obstacles. When performing this action, move your Runner to an adjacent Zone that is higher than the Zone you are moving from. By using the Climb action you can also move your Runner to an adjacent Zone, even if there is an Obstacle between the Zones.

Cost: 1 Action Die + 1 Action Die for each level you are climbing up and/or for each Obstacle you are climbing over. Risk: 1 Risk per enemy when moving out of an Area.

For example: A Runner is in a Zone on the ground level. They want to climb (1) an adjacent level 2 building. The action cost is 3 Action Dice: 1 die for the base cost and 2 dice for the level difference. The same Runner could climb the other adjacent building (2). In this case, the cost of the Action would be 2 Action Dice (1 die for the base cost and 1 die for the level difference, since this is a level 1 building).

Jump (Move action)

This is your standard way of jumping between rooftops. When performing this action, move your Runner from the Zone you are in to any Zone 2 Zones away. Essentially, you 'jump over' one Zone and land in a Zone adjacent to the Zone you 'jumped over'.

• You may Jump only to Zones that are on the same or lower level than the zone you are jumping from.
• Additionally, the zone you are 'jumping over' must be on a lower level than the Zone you are jumping from (it is impossible to 'jump over' a Zone from one flat terrain to another).
• You ignore all the features of the Zone you jumped over, including all the Obstacles and Infected present there.

Cost: 2 Action Dice. Risk: 1 base Risk +1 per enemy when moving out of an Area.

For example: A Runner is on the rooftop of a level 1 building and they want to get to the left side of the board. The Area next to it is occupied by Infected. If the Runner does not want to risk more than it is necessary to avoid the enemies, the best option is to jump. Spending 2 Action Dice and rolling 1 Risk Die, the Runner can jump to one of the level 1 buildings nearby (1). This is possible, because only one Zone separates his current location from the building's rooftop. This way, all the Infected between the Zones are ignored. The other option is to jump over the fence, straight to the left side of the current location (2). This gives a similar effect and will protect the Runner's position during the Exposure Phase (Biters cannot cross Obstacles or climb the buildings). The third option (3) of jumping down and simply running is impossible because the targeted landing Zone is too far (three Zones away from the Runner's current location). Jumping down into a closer Zone is a possible option, however not a smart one unless you are prepared to face the Biters during your next action.

Attack (Combat action)

This is your standard way of getting rid of your enemies. For a melee attack, pick one enemy in your Area. For a ranged attack, pick one enemy in any Area in Range of your weapon. Then, roll the Damage Dice indicated by one of your weapon's Attack. Total the rolled Damage and compare it to the Toughness of the enemy you are targeting. If the total is equal or greater than their Toughness (see Infected Cards), remove the enemy from the board, back to the miniatures supply. If it is lower, nothing happens.

You may additionally spend any one Critical roll (slashed Skull symbol) to eliminate any Biter or Viral in your Area (you may repeat this as many times as you have Crits rolled). This happens before dealing the damage and does not have to be applied to the initial target of your Attack.

Cost: 1 Action Die for a Standard Attack. You may additionally Fatigue 1 Action Die (see Fatigue) to perform the Weapon's Special Attack instead (see Weapons). Risk: No.

Defend (Combat action)

This action allows you to more efficiently defend from attacking enemies. As such, you perform this action during the Exposure Phase only (as opposed to all the other actions, which are performed during the Activation Phase). After you calculate the Attack power of the attack performed against you (see Activating Enemies), you may use this action to reduce the number of Wounds you would potentially suffer.

Cost: 1 Action Die for 1 point of Defense. You may spend any number of Action Dice from your pool on this action. Risk: No.

Desperate Defense

Additionally, you may Fatigue any dice from your Action Track, adding 1 point of Defense for each die Fatigued this way.

Interact (Utility action)

This action allows you to interact with game objectives, board features (like opening gates, turning switches on and off and so on) and also pick up objects from the board. Using this action, you may interact with one feature in your Zone (pick up one Item Card, activate one switch etc.). The effects of this action depend on the feature you are interacting with and will be described in the feature's description (usually on Scenario Cards); if you use this action to pick up objects, remove the object from the map and add it to your inventory.

Cost: free; you do not spend any Action Dice to perform this action. Risk: 1 Risk per enemy in the Area you are performing this Action.

Use (Utility action)

Take advantage of any Consumable item from your inventory. When performing this Action, select one item from your inventory and then execute all of the effects listed on its card/token (see Items).

Cost: free; you do not spend any Action Dice to perform this action. Risk:

• Focus: 1 Risk per enemy in the Area you are performing this Action.
• Quick: Risk free.

Risk

Each time you perform any Move or Utility action you have to check for Risk. First resolve the Action, then follow the instructions below.

• Check whether the Action itself generates Risk (i.e. the Jump Action gives you +1 Risk).
• Check whether there were any enemies and/or any environmental Features in the Area you were moving out of (using the Move action), or in the Area in which you performed an Utility action.

Note that using Quick Consumables does not generate Risk.

If any of these is positive, you generate Risk. Total the number of Risk from:

• Action performed (if any),
• Enemies (1 Risk for each enemy, except knocked down enemies),
• Environmental Features that generate Risk (see Environmental Features).

The result is the value of your total Risk. Roll the number of Risk Dice equal to it, up to the number of Risk Dice available in the game (4).

Before the roll you may subtract one Risk (from your total Risk) for each Evade Boost on the dice you used for the Action (see Using Boosts).

Apply the results of the roll (see below).

If you roll more than one symbol of the same kind, you apply the effect only once.

Your Risk roll may have the following results:

• Safe: nothing happens.
• Exposure: take one Exposure Token and place it next on the top of your Exposure Deck. You draw one additional Exposure Card during the next Exposure Phase. Remove the token afterwards. If you already have an Exposure Token and have to take another one - trigger the Chase instead (see Chase).
• Fatigue: Move one Action Die from your Action Track to the Fatigue slot (see Fatigue).
• Wound: Take 1 Wound (see Wounds).
• Spawn: immediately spawn one Biter (if it is Day) or one Viral (if it is Night) in the Area you moved into (or in the Area you are in if the Risk was caused by an Utility action).

For example: During a nighttime Round, A Runner jumps out of an Area with two Infected and a Fire token (1). This action generates four Risk - one for each Enemy, one for the Fire token and one for using the Jump action. Before rolling the Risk Dice, the Runner uses the Evade Boost and decreases their Risk by one (2). This leaves them with three Risk to handle. They roll 3 risk dice. The rolled result is two Exposures and one Spawn. The player controlling the Runner takes their mini and moves it into the Zone he was jumping to. Then, they take one Exposure Token (3). It does not matter that they rolled two Exposure symbols, as the effect is only applied once. Next, they spawn one Viral (4) in the Area they jumped to.

Fatigue

Each time you have to or want to apply the Fatigue effect, move one Action Die from the Action Track to any free Fatigue Slot (two red dice slots under the Action Track).

You can never Fatigue the Tempo Dice. If you are told to, you must fatigue any other dice from the Action Track or your active dice pool.

If a game effect requires you to Fatigue a die and there are no free spaces on your Fatigue Slots, you take one Wound.

You may never voluntarily fatigue a die if there are no free spaces on your Fatigue Slots.

Fatigued Dice will not return to your Active Pool next round. They will be placed in Cooldown slots on the Character Board instead.

Using Boosts

Boosts are icons/symbols that appear on Action Dice. When you spend Action Dice to pay the action cost, you may (but do not have to) use any number of Boosts from spent dice to enhance the performed Action with a beneficial effect.

Below, you will find a complete list of Boosts and their effects.

• Evade: For each dice with the Evade icon used for an action, reduce the Risk of that action by 1.
• Jump Boost: you may use this Boost to enhance a Jump action. When you do, decrease this Jump cost by 1 Action Die.
• Climb Boost: you may use this Boost to enhance a Climb action. When you do, decrease this Climb cost by 1 Action Die.
• Power: you may use this Boost to enhance an Attack action. When you do, you may perform your weapon's Special Attack without Fatiguing an Action Die.
• Block: you may use this Boost to enhance a Defend action. If you do, add 1 additional point to your Defense.
• Push: you may use this Boost to enhance any action. When you do, move one enemy from the Area you are in into an adjacent Area that is on the same level or lower (you can do it either before or after resolving the action).
  • This may reduce the Risk value of this current action!
  • If you use this Boost after performing an Attack Action, possible Environmental feature effects will stack with the damage you did with this Attack.

For Example: If you Attack Biter, deal 3 damage to it (1 short of killing it), and use a Push after (provided by the Action Dice you've spent for this Attack) to move the Biter into a zone with Fire (its effect reduces the Toughness of all Infected inside the Area) - the Biter will be killed (3 damage will be enough for his lowered Toughness).

Momentum

Momentum is your tempo advantage and beneficial status, that you can gain and maintain by performing Actions.

Whenever you place an Action Die in the Momentum Slot of your Action track (you reach the Tempo value of 4), immediately take a Momentum Die if you do not already have one in your pool and place it on the Momentum Spot on your Character Board. You will be able to roll and use it as an Action Die next Round (see Activating Runners).

Whenever you have the Momentum Die in your possession (be it on the Momentum Spot, in your Dice pool or on your Action Track), you are considered to have Momentum.

Besides the extra Action Die to spend, the Momentum status allows you to use your Skills and Gear more efficiently (see Gear, and Skills).

Whenever you take two or more Wounds at once, immediately remove the Momentum Die from your play area. You will be able to regain it by reaching Tempo 4 again.

You also lose the Momentum (and the Momentum Die along with it) whenever at the end of the Round (see End Phase) your Tempo value is 3 or less.

For example: A Runner is performing their actions. They pay the action cost with an Action Die and place it in the Momentum Slot of their Action Track (1). They immediately take the Momentum Die from the game supply and place it on the Momentum Spot on their Character Board (2). They do not roll the die - it cannot be used this turn.

Environmental Features

When moving around the board you might encounter various interactive features like Fire, UV Spots or Loot Containers. These are Environmental Features. They are represented by tokens/cards placed on the game board.

There are three kinds of Environmental Features in the game: Utilities, Hazards, and Passives. Utilities are features that usually provide the players with positive effects, and which generally (but not always) require an Interact Action in order to activate them. Hazards are features that are generally dangerous for players (and sometimes enemies as well), and which become active under various circumstances. Passives are features that also activate under certain circumstances, and are referenced during the game.

In the prototype you will find the Environmental Features:

• Fire (Hazard)
  • Add 1 Risk when leaving an Area with Fire.
  • Reduce the Toughness of all Infected in an Area with Fire by 1.
• Jump Pad (Utility)
  • Spend 1 Action Die to Jump to any Zone 2 Zones away, regardless of the height difference (ignore everything in between). You must still roll for Risk.
• Loot Bag (Utility)
  • Use an Interact Action to draw a Loot Card from the corresponding Loot deck.
  • Keep the token in your play area, as it will serve as crafting material in between Scenarios.
• Throwing Spear (Utility)
  • Use an Interact Action to make a Range 2 attack with 2 Damage Dice. After use, remove this feature from the game.
• UV Spot (Passive)
  • Runners do not draw Exposure Cards during the Exposure Phase if they are in an Area affected by a UV Spot.
  • If a Runner moves into an Area affected by a UV Spot, their Chase Card is immediately discarded.
  • Infected cannot enter an Area with a UV Spot.
  • If the UV Spot becomes active when there are any Infected in the Area, all of them immediately Spread (see Spread).
• Nest (Passive) ("Remember to camp their spawn")
  • This feature indicates the spawn point for Infected (see the Round Order and Activating Enemies sections).

The full version of the game will contain more features to interact with, like gas tanks which you can set on fire to turn them into deadly traps or bridges that you can build and use to traverse rooftops without the risk related to jumping between them.

Wounds

Taking wounds can happen as a result of being attacked by enemies, as a result of rolling Risk Dice and as a result of certain Scenario Cards, or any other specific game effects.

There are two types of Wounds you may have: Light (face-down Wound Card) and Heavy (face-up Wound Card).

Whenever you take any number of Wounds, apply them one after another (not simultaneously).

For each Wound you are dealt:

• If you do not have a Light wound, draw a new Wound Card, and place it face down (as a new Light Wound).
• If you have a Light wound, flip it (it becomes a Heavy Wound) and immediately apply its effect.

Whenever you take two or more Wounds at once, remove the Momentum Die from your play area (Dice Pool, Action Track, Fatigue or Cooldown slots, Momentum Spot).

You have to remove it even if it is a Tempo Die (your last placed die on the Action Track).

Characters are eliminated upon taking the fourth Heavy Wound.

For example: A Runner already has one Light Wound (1). They take 3 more Wounds as a result of an attack. The first Wound is applied by flipping the existing Light Wound face up, making it Heavy (1). The Runner must then immediately resolve the newly revealed effect of this Wound. The second Wound forces the Runner to draw a new Light Wound, and the third one is applied by flipping the new Light Wound to become a Heavy Wound (3), leaving the Runner with two Heavy Wounds.

Equipment

Equipment is represented by both Gear Tokens and Item Cards. Gear Tokens represent your Runner's outfit, while Item Cards represent their Weapons, Consumables, and other types of items.

Gear

Gear Tokens are placed with their undamaged side (see below) up in matching slots on your Character Board (a jacket is placed in the slot with a jacket symbol and so on).

Gear Tokens passively provide you Boost effects for your Momentum Die, and may be used to prevent some of the negative effects that take place in the game.

Passive Momentum Boost

When you spend a Momentum Die to cover the cost of an action, you may add any number of Boosts from your Gear Tokens to this action (one Boost per each Gear Token). This effect does not use (flip) the Gear Token.

For example, Runner B has Shoes equipped. They decide to attack an Infected. They spend the Momentum Die to cover the action cost of the attack. Since the Shoes have a Power Boost symbol, the Runner may use it to enhance their attack (in addition to any other Boosts from the Momentum Die).

Preventing Harmful Effects

Some negative effects you must resolve, like Risk Dice results or Wounds, can be neglected by using Gear. Whenever an icon of the harmful effect matches the icon on your piece of Gear, you may use that Gear to ignore one symbol of the matching effect.

To use a Gear Token:

• If it is undamaged, flip it to the damaged side.
• If it is damaged, remove it from your player area (however, it stays with you, outside the player area. You will be able to repair it in between Scenarios).

Possible prevent symbols:

• Exposure: Ignore getting an Exposure Token from Risk Dice.
• Fatigue: Ignore getting a Fatigue effect from Risk Dice or any other game feature.
• Armor: Ignore getting a Wound from Risk Dice, or prevent 1 Wound from an enemy attack (declare before the enemy attack roll, see Infected Attack).

You may use one Gear Token multiple times to prevent an effect (e.g. flipping the token to prevent 1 Wound, and then immediately removing it to prevent 1 more, preventing 2 Wounds in total).

Items

Item Cards can be placed anywhere in your player area. They are considered "ready to use." The only exception are Weapons. You must put your active Weapon into the Weapon Slot in your Character Board to use it.

Weapons

• There is no limit of the Item Cards you can have.
• Switching Weapon Cards is an Use Action free of Risk (Quick).
• Exchanging Items between the Runners is an Use Action with possible Risk (Focused).

Your Weapon Card lists the types of the possible Attacks you can make. Each Attack (Standard or Special) determines the number of Damage Dice to roll when you perform it (and in some cases additional effects to trigger with it).

Weapon card parts: Weapon Name (1), Image (2), Standard Attack (3), Special Attack (4).

Consumables

Consumables are one-time use items. You must perform a Use action to use a Consumable. When you do, simply execute the effects described on the Item Card and discard it (to the Item discard pile).

Note that there are two kinds of Consumable-related effects - Quick and Focus.

• Focus effects force you to perform a Risk roll if any Risk-generating features are in your Area (such as enemies or a Fire Hazard), after using the item.
• Quick effects do not generate any Risk.

Consumable card parts: Consumable Name (1), Image (2), Type (Quick or Focus) (3), Use Effect (4).

Skills

Skills are special abilities that Runners can take advantage of. They are represented using Skill Cards. Your starting Skill is listed on the back of your Runner Card. Take the corresponding Skill Card during the setup, and place it in your player area.

In the full game, as your Runner gathers experience, they will be able to unlock more Skills. You will get to freely choose which Skills to acquire out of a deck of Skill Cards.

Each Skill grants you a passive ability and a Momentum bonus. Unless otherwise stated, Skills can be used any number of times, as long as they meet their trigger and/or cost.

Skill card parts: Skill Name (1), Image (2), Passive Ability (3), Momentum Bonus (4).

A passive ability is an enhancement of your capabilities that is always active, and which you can always use without paying any cost. Note that the description of the passive ability explicitly states what kind of action the Skill enhances.

A Momentum bonus is an enhancement that is only active when you have Momentum. This bonus always refers to the initial passive ability of a given Skill.

Activating Enemies

Enemies activate during the Exposure Phase as a result of drawing Exposure Cards (in the case of common enemies). They may also trigger their special Night Activation ability during the Activation Phase of Nighttime Rounds as a result of drawing an Enemy Activation card.

• Common enemies include Biters, Virals, and Volatiles.
• Special enemies include Howlers.

In the full game there will be more common and special enemies with their own behavior patterns, mostly Infected, but also the Bandits.

Every type of enemy has its own reference card (in this demo scenario we will use only Infected enemies, thus you will find only Infected enemy cards).

Infected Cards

An Infected Card has its artwork (1), name (2), and various characteristics:

• (3) The Attack Power shows how many Wounds one Infected of that type deals to the attacked Runner.
• (4) Toughness indicates the minimum amount of damage that needs to be dealt in order to kill this Infected.
• (5) The Agility symbol marks the ability to move into adjacent Areas regardless of the height difference or obstacles (in other words, the enemy can Jump and Climb like Runners).
• (6) Possible additional traits and Night Activation ability, triggered at Night, by the Enemy Activation Card.

Exposure Phase enemy Activation

All common enemies are activated during the Exposure Phase of each Round. After the Exposure Cards have been drawn for any given Area with an Exposure Value - the enemies (according to the symbols on the Exposure Cards) will: Spawn, then Move, and then Attack.

Keep the exact order of these commands.

1. Spawning

When you have drawn your Exposure Cards, total the number of Spawn symbols (Infected Skulls). The total indicates the number of Biters (during Day) or Virals (at Night) to spawn. Take a number of appropriate miniatures equal to the total number of Spawn symbols and place them in the nearest Nest (see Environmental Features).

• If two or more Nests are at the same distance, the players choose one.
• If you run out of Viral minis, spawn Volatiles instead.
• If you spawn Volatiles and run out of Volatile minis, nothing happens.

There is a limit to the number of the Infected present in the Area during the Spawn procedure in this Area. If you would have to place a 7th Infected miniature in an Area, put the spawning procedure on temporary hold and Spread all the common Infected that are already in it (see Spreading section below). Then, resume the spawning procedure.

Spreading

When Spreading Infected, move 1 enemy out of the Area you are performing the Spread from to an adjacent Area with the lowest number of enemies. Then, continue clockwise, Area by Area, and always moving 1 enemy out. Start with Volatiles, and once you run out of them, move Virals, then Biters. Proceed until you return to the first Area you Spread into. This concludes Spreading. As a result, you should move 1 enemy into every adjacent Area (assuming it was possible for the Infected to get there - see Biters and their inability to climb, etc.)

Note that certain game effects may additionally instruct you to Spread the Infected in an Area. In this case, execute the Spread immediately and continue playing.

For Example: A player has to Spawn 2 Infected in a Nest Area. Since there are already 6 Infected miniatures there, they have to perform a Spread. There are several empty adjacent Areas, so the player targets one of their choice (1) and moves the first Viral into it (in accordance with the Volatile-Viral-Biter priority). Then, a second Viral is moved clockwise (2). Because of the Biters' inability to climb or jump, they cannot be moved to the next two zones (3 and 4). Therefore, they are moved into the next Area available to them on the same level (5). With the last Biter moved out of the Nest (6), the Spread is over, and the player may continue Spawning Infected.

2. Moving

Now, total the number of Move symbols (foot) on drawn Exposure Cards. You will move that many enemies from adjacent Areas into the Area where the Exposure Cards are currently executed.

• Infected cannot and will not move out of an Area when there is a Runner there.
• Infected cannot move through the Obstacles nor change the level they occupy (climb/jump) unless they have a special Agility symbol on their Card (see Infected Cards).
• Enemies move by Areas. They completely ignore Zones. You can place their miniatures anywhere in the Area they are in.
• Enemies are considered to be in the entire Area for the purpose of player Attack Actions as well.

Begin with Volatiles. Starting from the adjacent Area with the most Infected, move one Volatile to your Area. Then continue checking adjacent Areas clockwise for Volatiles, and if they are present, always move one into your Area and proceed to the next clockwise Area. Continue until there are no more Volatiles in any adjacent Area or until you have moved as many enemies as you have Move symbols on the drawn Exposure Cards.

When there are no more Volatiles to activate (or there were none in the first place), proceed to Virals. Activate them in the same way as described above. Starting with the most crowded adjacent Area, move one Viral into your Area and proceed to the next clockwise Area.

When you run out of Virals, proceed to Biters and apply the same procedure as before. Note that Biters cannot move into Areas that are higher than the Area they are currently in. If a Biter is supposed to 'move up', do not activate it. Continue until there are no more Biters to activate or until you have moved as many enemies as you have Move symbols on the drawn Exposure Cards.

For Example: A Runner resolves their Exposure cards with 4 Movement symbols (1), which means, that 4 Infected will move towards them. The Area to start is the most crowded Area - the Nest just below their position (2). According to the priority, first Movement belongs to Volatile (3). Then, going clockwise (with no other Volatiles present), one Viral comes to Runner as well (4). Biter from the Area behind cannot Climb - thus it is ignored (5). Two Volatiles from the Area with Fire also cannot Move - there is another Runner in their Area (6). Going back to the Nest Area, one more Viral jumps into the Runner's spot (7). The fourth Movement is lost, since there are no other Infected able to move into Runners Area.

3. Attacking

Next, all enemies in your Area attack. If there are several Runners in the Area, the players collectively choose which enemies attack which Runner. After the decision is made, each attack is calculated separately.

• Firstly, an attacked Runner may use a Defend action to increase their Defense (see Defend action).
• On top of that, they can use any Gear or other Skill/Equipment to increase Defense further.
• Then, add the Attack values of each attacking Infected.
• Next, roll one Damage Die and check result. If the number on the Dice is equal or lower than number of attacking Infected, add +1 to the Attack Value of the Infected. If the result is greater than the number of attacking Infected, do not add anything. On the Crit result add 2 to the Attack value of the Infected at Night (do not add anything if it is a Day).
• Then, subtract the Defense of the attacked Runner (if any) from the combined Attack value of the Infected.
• The final result is the number of Wounds the attacked Runner must take.

For example: A Runner is attacked by one Volatile and two Virals. They spend one Action Dice to Defend (with a Block Boost symbol) to add 2 to the Defense value (2). Then they increase the Defense by another 1 by flipping their Jacket to the damaged side (2). Their total Defense is 3. The Volatile adds 3 to the Attack, and the two Virals add 2, so the total Attack Value (3) of the Infected is 5. The player rolls one Damage Dice (4), and the result is 5. No additional Attack Power this time. 5 total Power minus 3 Defense means that the Runner suffers two Wounds.

Day and Night

There are Daytime and Nighttime Rounds in the game. You can check whether it is currently Day or Night by checking the position of the Round Marker on the Round Tracker. Day and Night Rounds influence the Spawn procedure for Infected, determine their activation order (both already described earlier in this document) and which side of Exposure Cards to use.

Whenever the Round Marker goes from round 7 to round 8, execute the Day-Night transition as follows:

• Each player reshuffles all of their Exposure Cards creating a fresh Exposure deck and rotates it 180 degrees. From now on, the Night-related side of the card must be used.
• Turn all the remaining Infected Cards face up.
• Follow the Night-related procedure during each Exposure Phase (the priority order of Spawning and Moving the Infected).
• Spawn one Howler in each Nest (this is the placement of the Special Infected procedure and it can vary depending on the scenario).
• Form the Activation deck by shuffling together one Enemy Activation Card with Runner Activation Cards (the number of those cards and their color corresponds to the number of the players and their chosen colors).
• Starting from the next Activation Phase, use the Activation deck to determine the Activation order instead of deciding it by yourself.

Night Activation

During the Activation Phase of Nighttime Rounds, as a result of drawing a special enemy Activation Card, enemies can trigger a Night Activation ability (described on their Infected Card).

This Activation order is as follows:

1. Special Infected (Howlers in this demo scenario)
2. Volatiles
3. Virals
4. Biters

Chase

When you trigger a Chase (see the Risk), immediately take a Chase Card and follow the instructions given there. You end the Chase and immediately discard the Chase Card when you end your Activation Phase in any Area free of Infected. Note that it is therefore possible to trigger a Chase and end it in the same Activation Phase, effectively avoiding it in the last possible moment!

Golden Rules

When reading this document, there are several golden rules to always have in mind.

• If a game introduces an effect that can be implemented in several ways, the players collectively choose how to implement the effect. For example: If the game instructs you to spawn an Infected in the Nest closest to a Runner and there are several Nests equidistant from this Runner, the players choose where to spawn it.
• Rules written on game components override rules written in this manual. For example: If the manual states that you activate and move enemies only in adjacent Areas, and a drawn Exposure card says that you move Virals in Range 2, the card takes precedence.

Miscellaneous

Range

When the game refers to Range X, it means 'a distance of up to X Areas from the source of the effect.' For example, when the game mentions a Range 2 ranged attack, it means that the target of an attack can be up to 2 Areas away from the attacker (including the Area the attacker is in).

Move actions vs Move X effect

A Runner performs various Move actions in order to move around the board. As already explained, Move actions generate Risk. However, sometimes the game will refer to a Move X effect - for example, on some Skill Cards. Effects do not generate Risk, so if an effect orders you to Move X without explicitly saying that it is an action, simply move your Runner by the X number of Zones without generating Risk.

Enemies vs. Infected

All characters hostile towards Runners are enemies. Infected are a type of enemy. Infected include: Biters, Virals, Volatiles, and Howlers.

In the full game there will be more types of enemies and more types of Infected.

Upgrading dice

Basic Runner Dice can be upgraded into a specialized ones: Combat or Parkour. When a game effects allows you to upgrade your die, simply remove it from your play area and replace it with the die of the indicated type from the supply. For example, if the game tells you to upgrade 1 Basic Die to 1 Combat Die, remove 1 gray Basic Die from your play area and exchange it for one red Combat Die.

The newly upgraded die replaces the Basic one, so it is placed in the exact place or slot the Basic one occupied. However, the newly gained die first must be re-rolled before it can follow the procedure above.

NPC

NPCs (Non-Player Characters) are characters that will appear on the board due to various game effects, usually as a result of Scenario Cards. A Scenario Card that spawns the NPC will contain all the rules regarding them, including rules on how to interact with them.

Knock down

When the game tells you to knock an enemy down, simply lay down their miniature. Knocked down miniatures are temporarily treated as non-existent. They do not generate Risk, cannot Attack, Move and so on. There is one exception to this rule - you can Attack a knocked down enemy. Knocked down enemies will stand up during the closest End Phase.

Cleave

Weapon with this keyword allows you, after killing the initial target, to apply spare damage from your Attack roll to other enemies in your Area.

Elimination

Characters are usually Eliminated from the game when they take the fourth Heavy Wound. Other scenario rules can also cause the elimination. Whenever a player character is eliminated - the game immediately ends and it is lost.

Areas & Zones

Area is a part of the game board, bordered by solid white lines. An Area can be divided by dotted lines into two or more Zones.

Zone is a part of an Area (divided by dotted lines) or a single-part Area (for example: every building is a one-Zone Area).

Infected do not take Zones into consideration in any way. They always move, spawn, attack in reference to Areas.