Fury of Dracula (1987)
Fury of Dracula (1987) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Summary of Play
- Components
- Set-Up
- Starting the Game
- Sequence of Play
- Movement
- Dracula's Movement
- Dracula's Action Phase
- Hunters' Action Phases
- Encounters
- Combat
- Restrictions on Combat
- Wounds
- Blood Points
- Castle Dracula
- Event Cards
- Hunter Groups
- Victory
- Valour Points
- In Search of the Real Dracula
- Credits
- Reference
Introduction
Extract of conversation with the Dutch Professor Van Helsing, from Mina Harker's journal, 5 October 1890:
"But will not the Count take his rebuff wisely? Since he has been driven from England, will he not avoid it, as a tiger does the village from which he has been hunted?"
"Aha!" he said, "your simile of the tiger good, for me, and I shall adopt him. Your man-eater, as they of India call the tiger who has once taste the blood of the human, care no more for other prey, but prowl unceasing till he get him. This that we hunt from our village is a tiger too, a man-eater, and he never cease to prowl. Nay, in himself he is not one to retire and stay afar. In his life, his living life, he go over the Turkey frontier and attack his enemy on his own ground; he be beaten back, but did he stay? No? He come again, and again, and again."
It is now 1898. Only eight years ago the most evil Count Dracula travelled to London in a bid to create an empire of Un-Dead! In this he was stopped by a small band of God-fearing people who managed to thwart his plans and destroy him within the very shadow of Castle Dracula. Or so they thought…
Somehow the Lord of Vampires has survived to plot his terrible revenge upon an unsuspecting living world. And now, nearly a decade later, he is abroad once more spreading his vile plague. This time, however, he has learned from his past mistakes and is acting with even greater cunning than before.
Many scientific men do not understand the recent spate of mysterious deaths, but there are a few who know. Of this handful, three have joined together once more, bound by oath, to finish properly a job started eight years ago. This time Count Dracula will be destroyed!
But Dracula is no fool. He will not be an unwitting target this time. There is an old score to settle and the Count has vowed that the mortal fools shall know the vengeance of Dracula!
Fury of Dracula is a boardgame for 2-4 players. One player is always Dracula, while the remaining players are his Hunters: Dr John Seward, Professor Abraham Van Helsing and Arthur Holmwood, Lord Godalming. These brave men have sworn to search for signs of the Prince of Darkness so that they may find and destroy him before he establishes a Vampiric empire.
Summary of Play
This is not a game of four players pitted each against the other. It is a battle of wills with all the Hunters united against Dracula. If he wins, all the Hunters lose; if he is defeated, they all win.
Play proceeds along the following lines:
Dracula always goes first in each turn. During his Movement Phase, he may move by Road between towns or by Sea. Dracula carries out his movement in secret, unlike the Hunters, who move on the mapboard.
If Dracula enters a town with a Hunter then, during his Action Phase, he must attack that Hunter. If there isn't a Hunter in the town, Dracula can place an Encounter Chit in the town. This Encounter is some event or threat that a Hunter will have to face later in the game - often a 'booby trap'. Dracula then takes a replacement Encounter Chit and his turn ends.
The Hunters then have their turns in a set order. Each Hunter can move by Road, Rail or Sea. During a Hunter's Action Phase, he can search the town he is in for Dracula or any Encounter Chits. This can involve combat and/or injury for the Hunter, but only by searching is it possible to find out where Dracula is lurking, thanks to the Count's secret movement. Once any Encounters are dealt with, the Hunter can take new Weapon Chits and Event Cards. Play then passes to the next Hunter.
The game ends in victory for Dracula if and when he has six of his Vampire Encounter Chits anywhere in Europe at any one time.
Dracula should always try to stay one (or more!) step ahead of the Hunters, while placing Encounters in their paths to wear them down or even kill them. He must also place Encounters to protect his Vampires.
As a team, the Hunters must find Dracula by searching, guesswork or luck and destroy him. At the very least, they must stop his evil spreading by slaying any of his Vampires that they discover. Hunters will do best by co-operating, otherwise they will not be able to search properly for Dracula and will probably be defeated.
Hunters do score individual points during the game for certain heroic deeds, and these can be totalled to find out who was bravest in dealing with The Fury of Dracula!
Components
In your copy of Fury of Dracula you should have:
- 1 Sheet of Counters (including Bite, Knife, Blood Points, Excommunication, Wound, and Cross counters)
- 60 Event Cards
- 1 Strategy & Movement Screen (SM Screen)
- 3 Vampire Hunter Playsheets
- 1 Dracula Strategy & Movement Chart (SMC)
- 1 Combat Action Board (CAB)
- This Rulebook
- 1 Four piece Jig-Board showing a map of Europe
- 4 Playing Pieces
- 2 Dice
Players may also find a pencil and paper helpful for making notes during the game about their discoveries, triumphs and defeats.
If any of the components are damaged or missing, please write to:
Dracula Components, Games Workshop Ltd, Chewton Street, Hill Top, Eastwood, Notts, NG16 3HY.
Counters
There are twelve types of counter in Fury of Dracula. These are:
- Bite Marker - If a Hunter is bitten by a Dracula or a Vampire he places one of these counters on his playsheet. If he dies or is bitten again he becomes a Vampire. There are three Bite Markers.
- Blood Points Marker - This is used on the Blood Point Track to show how many Blood Points Dracula has at any one time.
- Blood Death Marker - This counter is used instead of the Blood Points Marker if Dracula's Blood Points ever fall below 0. Dracula is destroyed if this marker ever reaches the 12 box on the Blood Point Track.
- Encounter Chits - Dracula places these counters on his Strategy & Movement chart. Encounters are creatures and occurences that the Hunters can meet as they search Europe for the Count: Rats, Fog and Vampires, among other things…
- Harker - Vampire (a 'non-player Hunter') - It is possible that Jonathan Harker might become a Vampire. If this happens Dracula takes this chit for use as an encounter in a later turn.
- Heavenly Host Markers - The Hunters can 'seal off' towns with the aid of Holy wafers. Placing one of these four counters on a town stops Dracula entering or passing through it.
- Local Rumours Marker - Dracula places this counter on the Strategy & Movement Chart to show the last town that he was in. Local Rumours follow Dracula around Europe, and are always one town behind him.
- Wound Marker - One of these counters is used on each playsheet to keep track of the Hunter's wounds. When the Wound Marker reaches the 12 box that Hunter is killed.
- Daytime Marker - The time of day (whether it is day or night) is important when Dracula fights. This counter is used to indicate the time during combat.
Combat Chits
There are three sets of combat chits: one set for Dracula, one set for Agents of Dracula and another for the Hunters. These represent weapons and tactics which can be used in combat. During play you can refer to section 1 of the reference pages for more information on the combat counters.
Example chits: Claw (Dracula), Fist (Agent), Escape B (Hunter, basic), Pistol (Hunter, weapon).
Event Cards
Each Event Card has, on the front, a Card Title and its Effects text (for example, the Hypnosis card: "Any bitten Hunter may play this, or agree to it being played on him. He must miss a turn (the card is played at the start of his turn) and roll dice: 1-2 = No effect, his turn and this card are wasted. 3-6 = Dracula must declare where he is, his next move, and how many Vampires he has presently deployed." — marked Keep).
On the back, if the card is backed with a cross, it is taken by the Hunter. If backed with a bat, it is given to Dracula.
There are sixty Event Cards in the game. Each one represents some special or chance occurence which can help or hinder a player. If the card has a Cross on the back it is taken by one of the Hunters. Cards with a Bat on the back are given to Dracula. Cards with Keep on them may be retained by the player for later use. All others must be played immediately.
Hunter Playsheets
There is a Playsheet for each Hunter, which has a portrait of the Hunter, and a Wound Track for keeping track of injuries. Each playsheet includes other important information about the Hunter for use during the game, and boxes for storing Cards and Chits that the Hunter currently holds. Each playsheet shows the Hunter's Portrait, Name, an Event Card Box, Initiative Modifiers, a 'Bitten' box, the Wound Track, and a Combat Chit Box.
Strategy & Movement Chart (SMC)
The Strategy & Movement Chart has one box for each Town and Sea sector on the map. Sea sectors are listed across the top of the chart, while the Towns are arranged in alphabetical order, rather than in a geographical pattern. Dracula carries out movement on this chart rather than on the map of Europe. Dracula also places Encounter Chits on the SMC for the Hunters to meet in later turns. There is also a Blood Point Track to keep track of Dracula's Blood Point level. The SMC is kept hidden from the Hunters at all times.
SM Screen
This screen is used to hide everything Dracula does from the other players. The charts and tables on the screen are for use during the game. There is a small version of the mapboard printed on one side to help Dracula when moving round the Strategy & Movement Chart.
Combat Action Board (CAB)
The Combat Action Board gives all the charts and tables essential for combat, and boxes for player to place their combat chits when a fight occurs. It comprises Combat Chit Boxes, Combat Tables, and the Day/Night Chart.
Map
All movement by the Hunters is carried out on this map of Europe. It is always possible for the Dracula player to see where the Hunters are at any time, while he moves in secret on the SMC.
The map uses the following symbols: Small Town, Large Town, Port, Road, Railroad, Sea Sector Boundary, and East/West Boundary.
Playing Pieces
There are four playing pieces in the game, one for Dracula and one for each Hunter, Lord Godalming, Dr Seward and Van Helsing.
Set-Up
Assemble the board by slotting the four pieces together. Place it within reach of all players.
Separate all the Event Cards, shuffle them and place them face down near the Hunters to form the Draw Pile.
Punch out all the counters and separate them into their different groups. The counters are explained later in the rules.
Place the Combat Action Board beside the map in full view of the players. Put the Daytime Marker nearby for use during combat.
Remove the reference pages from the centre of this rule book by carefully bending the staples open, lifting out the required pages, and then shutting the staples again. The reference pages have information about the Event Cards and Encounter Chits which will need to be consulted during the game.
The Set-Up diagram shows the table arrangement: Dracula sits behind the SM Screen with his Dracula Combat chits, Agent Combat chits, the C.A.B., the Encounter Set, Encounter Pool, SMC, Screen and Weapons Pool. In front of the Screen sit the Mapboard, the Event Draw Pile, and the three Hunter playsheets — Van Helsing, Dr Seward and Lord Godalming — arranged around the board.
The Dracula Player
Decide who is going to play Dracula.
If you are going to play Dracula you must not cheat. Everything you do is carried out in secret, so there can be a temptation to 'bend the rules'. After all, who's going to know if you move too far, or… Don't do it. You don't need to cheat. Fury of Dracula gives you plenty of opportunities to be devious without cheating. Besides which, do you need to cheat to beat mere mortals? Thought not.
You need to know the rules fairly well. You should sit slightly apart from the Hunters, perhaps at one end of the table. Place the SM Screen between yourself and the other players, and hide the Strategy & Movement Chart behind it.
Put all the Encounter Chits into an opaque container (such as a coffee mug) and mix them thoroughly to form the Encounter Pool. Take five Encounter chits at random from the Pool and place them face up beside the Strategy & Movement Chart. These five are the Encounter Set.
Put the Blood Point Marker in the 12 box of the Blood Point track on the SMC. Finally take your playing piece, the Dracula Combat Chits, the Agent of Dracula Combat Chits, the Blood Death Marker, the Local Rumours Marker and one die and stack them behind the SM Screen.
The Hunter Players
The Hunter Playsheets are placed on the table in a set order. From Dracula, and going clockwise, Lord Godalming is placed first, followed by Dr Seward and then Van Helsing. The playsheets should be visible to all the players including Dracula.
This arrangement also determines the order of play for the individual Hunters.
Choose which Hunters you want to control, and sit near the appropriate playsheet. It does not matter who controls which Hunter as long as all three are controlled. Take the correct playing piece for your Hunter.
When there are only two players in the game, one will control Dracula and the other will control all three Hunters; when there are three players one will again control Dracula while the other players each have one Hunter. One Hunter player can be given complete control of the 'spare' hunter or the Hunter players can come to some agreement about exactly how the Hunter should be used.
Each Hunter should then be given three different Basic Combat Chits, one each of Dodge, Fist and Escape. These are placed face down in the Combat Chit box on each Hunter playsheet.
Mix up the Weapons Chits in an opaque container to form the Weapons Pool. Each Hunter takes one Weapon Chit from the Pool in order (Lord Godalming first, then Dr Seward and finally Van Helsing). These Chits are kept secret from Dracula and placed face down with the other Combat Chits. Dracula can know how many Combat Chits are on each Hunter playsheet, but not what they are. Weapon Chits can be shown to the other Hunter players.
Any other counters are set aside until needed.
Starting the Game
Starting with Lord Godalming and continuing clockwise (then Seward followed by Van Helsing), each Hunter chooses a Town to start in. Place the playing piece in that Town on the board. Hunters may not start between Towns or in Sea sectors. A Hunter can start in the same Town as another Hunter.
When Dracula has seen where the Hunters are starting he puts his playing piece in one Town box on the Strategy & Movement Chart. Dracula may not start in the same Town as a Hunter. His location should be kept a secret.
Play then begins with with Dracula's first turn.
Sequence of Play
During each turn the following phases occur:
Dracula Movement Phase; Dracula Action Phase
Lord Godalming Movement Phase; Lord Godalming Action Phase
Dr Seward Movement Phase; Dr Seward Action Phase
Van Helsing Movement Phase; Van Helsing Action Phase
Each phase must be completed before going onto the next, and they must happen in the correct order. When all the phases are complete a new turn starts with another Dracula Movement Phase.
Movement
In his Movement Phase, Dracula or a Hunter may Move or Pass. Hunters can move by Road, Rail or Sea. Hunters can also move about in groups - see Hunter Groups - Movement. Dracula may only move by Road or Sea. Dracula and the Hunters can only move once each during a turn.
Road Movement
All land movement and Encounters take place between or in Towns. The Map key shows the symbols for Towns, large Towns and Ports. In these rules 'Towns' refers to all three types of space.
Dracula or a Hunter can move from the Town he is presently in to any one other adjacent Town which is connected by a Road. His Movement Phase ends and his Action Phase takes place in the new Town which he just entered.
Example - Van Helsing is in Paris. He may move to Le Havre, Brussels, Strasbourg, Geneva, Clermont-Ferrand or Nantes by Road. He may not Road Move to Marseilles (which is conected to Paris by Rail) or Amsterdam (which is two Towns away). To get to Amsterdam, Van Helsing has to move to Brussels in this turn and then move to Amsterdam during his next turn.
Sea Movement
All Sea Movement involves Sea Sectors. These are clearly shown and labelled on the Map: for example English Channel.
Sea Moves are similar to Road moves, but instead of moving from Town to Town, Dracula and the Hunters move by sailing from Sea Sector to Sea Sector. Dracula or a Hunter may only move to one Sea Sector or a Port during a Movement Phase.
A sequence of Sea Moves (a sea journey) consists of embarking at a Port (moving from a Port to a Sea Sector), sailing from Sea Sector to Sea Sector and then disembarking at another Port (moving from a Sea Sector to an adjacent Port).
Every time Dracula moves from a Port to a Sea Sector (embarks) he loses a Blood Point. He does not lose points for moving between Sea Sectors or for moving to a Port from a Sea Sector.
Sequences of Sea moves must begin and end at different Ports, and a single Sea Sector may not be entered more than once. During a sequence of Sea moves, Dracula or a Hunter may not return to the Port where they started or any Sea Sector they have visited. Dracula and the Hunters must move to an adjacent Sea sector or Port when they are in a Sea Sector. They may not Pass while in a Sea Sector. This represents the fact that the Hunters are only passengers on a ship which has a route and definite ports of call to make.
Example - Van Helsing could not use Sea Moves to go from Amsterdam to Amsterdam without disembarking at another Port. He could not enter the Atlantic Ocean in one turn, move to the North Sea and then go back to the Atlantic Ocean without disembarking in a Port and starting another sequence of Sea Moves.
When Dracula and the Hunters use Sea Movement they do not need to decide on a destination Port in advance. Providing they do not return to a Sea Sector or their starting Port, they are free to take any route.
If Dracula or a Hunter ends a Movement Phase in a Sea Sector there is no Action Phase immediately afterwards. Play passes clockwise immediately. Hunters cannot search Sea Sectors and cannot do anything even if Dracula is in the same Sector!
Example 1 - Travelling from Dublin to Amsterdam takes four turns by Sea Movement. Van Helsing embarks from Dublin to the Irish Sea (1), moves from the Irish Sea to the Atlantic Ocean (2), moves from there to the North Sea (3) and finally disembarks into the Port of Amsterdam (4). Only when Van Helsing arrives in Amsterdam does he have an Action Phase.
Example 2 - Travelling from Dublin to Liverpool takes two turns: embarking from Dublin to the Irish Sea (1) and then disembarking to Liverpool (2).
Example 3 - If Van Helsing had moved into the Bay of Biscay from the Atlantic Ocean he would have to disembark in his next turn at an adjacent Port (Nantes, Bordeaux or Santander). He cannot return to the Atlantic Ocean, nor can he Pass this turn without moving in the Bay of Biscay. He can only disembark at one of the adjacent Ports.
Rail Movement
Only Hunters may use Rail Movement. Dracula can never travel by Rail. A Hunter can catch any number of trains during a game, but only one per turn.
If a Hunter starts his Movement Phase in a Town with a Railroad link to any other Town he may attempt to catch a train. The Hunter need not decide on a destination Town before he starts moving.
When a Hunter is trying to catch a train he rolls a die and looks at the Railway Station Chart printed on the SM Screen. If the result is that the Hunter caught a train he is committed to using it. He cannot, at this point, decide to move by Road or Sea instead. If the Hunter manages to catch a train which travels further than he wants to move he does not have to move the full distance. He can get off at any town along the way. The extra 'stops' are wasted (the Hunter gets off the train) and may not be 'saved' for later turns.
The Hunter has an Action Phase in the Town where he stops, not in any Town(s) he may have passed through.
Finally, Hunters travelling in the Eastern part of Europe (marked by the East/West Boundary line on the Map) may only move a maximum of two Towns by Rail Movement. This applies even when only part of the journey is in the East.
Example 1 - Van Helsing catches a Slow Train in Strasbourg. He can go to Frankfurt or Zurich.
Example 2 - Van Helsing catches a Fast Train in Stutgart, so he may now go to Frankfurt, Zurich, Cologne, Leipzig or Milan.
Example 3 - Van Helsing catches the Strasbourg Express. He now has the choice of Frankfurt, Zurich, Cologne, Leipzig, Milan, Brussels, Berlin or Nuremberg. However, even though the Express could, at a casual glance, take Van Helsing three stops to Geneva, Genoa or Florence, he cannot go to these Towns. This would mean travelling via Milan, which is in the Eastern half of Europe. Journeys via Milan can only be through a maximum of two Towns.
Passing
Dracula and the Hunters may Pass instead of moving. This is not the same as simply 'not moving' (see the next section). Hunters may be prevented from Passing by an encounter from a previous turn, such as Fog. No-one can Pass when in a Sea Sector or when forced to miss a turn.
When Passing Dracula can exchange any number of the five Encounter Chits in his Encounter Set for new ones from the Pool of chits (in the coffee mug). Dracula remains in his current Town.
Hunters may swap any number of Weapon Chits for new ones in a similar fashion.
In both cases, chits are discarded before new ones are taken from the relevant Pools. It is not possible to swap one of the new chits for another, then change another and another and so on. Dracula and the Hunters may only swap chits once each per turn, and must Pass again next turn to swap more chits.
Not Moving
During a Movement Phase, Dracula and the Hunters need not move to a new Town (though they must always move when in a Sea Sector). This is not the same as Passing (see above). A player who does not move has a normal Action Phase - Dracula, for example, may place an Encounter in a Town which does not have one already.
However, a Hunter who does not move may not take any Event Cards or Weapon Chits from his current Town, even though he must face any Encounters that are present.
Dracula's Movement
Dracula makes all his moves in secret using the Strategy & Movement Chart. This is hidden from the Hunters by the SM Screen. Dracula can always look at the main map and know the Hunters' locations.
Dracula moves his playing piece around the Town and Sea Sector boxes on the Strategy & Movement Chart rather than on the map, although a small copy of the map is printed on the SM Screen as an aid to movement. Even though he does not move a piece on the map, Dracula must obey all the rules on Movement - he can only use Road Movement between adjacent Towns, and must follow all the Sea Movement rules. Dracula can never travel by Rail.
When it is his turn to move, Dracula looks at the map to find the location of the town box he currently occupies. He decides where he wants to go, following the general movement rules. Dracula then moves his playing piece to its destination Town or Sea Sector box on the Strategy & Movement Chart. Finally, Dracula moves the Local Rumours marker (see the next rules section).
Dracula always loses one Blood Point (move the Blood Point Marker down one box on the Blood Point Track) when he embarks on a sequence of Sea Moves. He only loses one point for embarking, not one point for each Sea Sector entered.
Dracula's playing piece does not necessarily move between adjacent boxes on the chart. These are arranged in alphabetical order, not in a geographical pattern. Often Towns that are physically close on the map are not close together on the Strategy & Movement Chart.
Local Rumours
Wherever he goes, Dracula leaves a trail of terror, suspicion and rumour in his wake. Tales of tall strangers, wolves and sinister death follow his every step… These are represented by the Local Rumours Marker.
When Dracula moves his piece on the Strategy & Movement Chart the Local Rumours Marker is placed in the Town box he has just left. Dracula can only start his Action Phase after the Local Rumours Marker has been moved.
The Local Rumours Marker only moves when Dracula moves. If he passes or does not move the Marker remains stationary for that turn.
The Local Rumours Marker is never placed in a Sea Sector box. If Dracula uses Sea Movement the Local Rumours Marker remains in the Port from where he embarked. While Dracula moves from Sea Sector to Sea Sector and/or disembarks at another Port it remains stationary. It only moves to the Port of disembarkation when Dracula leaves that Port.
At the start of the game the Local Rumours Marker is not placed in a box. It is only put on the Strategy & Movement Chart when Dracula leaves his starting Town.
The Local Rumours Marker is an important clue for the Hunters. If they find it during an Action Phase, Dracula must be nearby.
Example - The Dracula playing piece is in the Barcelona box on the Strategy & Movement Chart. Looking at the playing board, Dracula can see that Van Helsing is currently in Saragossa and that Dr Seward is in Toulouse. Dracula decides to move, but does not want to fight the Hunters at this stage of the game, and if he stays in Barcelona he may be attacked next turn.
He cannot move to Alicante, which is only connected to Barcelona by Rail. His only option is to use Sea Movement. He embarks and moves his piece into the Mediterranean Sea box. He also moves the Blood Point Marker down one box.
Finally, Dracula moves the Local Rumours Marker to Barcelona. His move has now ended. The Local Rumours Marker will only leave Barcelona when Dracula leaves his Port of disembarkation.
Dracula's Action Phase
If Dracula has Passed or has moved to a Sea Sector he does not have an Action Phase. Play passes to Lord Godalming, as it does when Dracula ends his Action Phase.
If Dracula has not Passed and is in a Town box, he can carry out certain actions:
Attacking Hunters
Dracula must attack any Hunters in the Town. The only exception to this is if Dracula and the Hunter(s) fought in that Town during the last turn. Dracula can only attack, he can do nothing else during his Action phase. See Combat for more details on how to attack.
Dracula should put his playing piece on the map while combat lasts, and only replace it on the Strategy & Movement Chart when the fight is over.
Doing Nothing
If Dracula Passes during his Movement Phase he can do nothing during his Action Phase. Further, if he is in a Town box with an Encounter Chit and without a Hunter in the Town he can also do nothing. He cannot deploy another Encounter Chit in the Town on top of the one that is already there.
Dracula can also choose to do nothing - he does not have to place an Encounter Chit during his Action Phase.
Placing an Encounter
Dracula can place an Encounter in his current Town if it is empty. There can be no Hunters present (or Dracula would have to attack them) or an Encounter Chit already in the Town box on the Strategy & Movement Chart. He cannot place an Encounter if he Passed during his Movement phase.
Dracula has five Encounter Chits at any time in his Encounter Set. These are kept face up (but hidden from the Hunters) by the side of the Strategy & Movement Chart. Dracula may place any one of these Encounters in the Town box with his playing piece. He may then draw a random replacement from the Encounter Pool (in the coffee mug). This chit is added to the others in the Encounter Set. Normally, there should be no more than five chits in this Set.
There is one potential exception to this rule of five chits - when a Hunter becomes a Vampire, the Encounter Set may have six Encounters in it for a short time. If Dracula does end up with six Encounters in the Set, he will place one Encounter Chit without taking a replacement. When there are only five Encounters in the Set he can take replacements for any he places on the Strategy & Movement Chart. See Wounds - Bites for further details of how this situation might come about.
Encounter Chits remain in the Town where they are placed until discovered by the Hunters. They do not move about like the Local Rumours Marker.
There can only ever be one Encounter Chit in each Town box. Dracula can place an Encounter Chit in any empty Town. It does not matter if there was an Encounter in the Town during a previous turn, providing that it has since been removed.
Finally, Dracula can only place Peasants and Szgany Encounters in Towns that are in Eastern Europe and Hoax Encounters in Western Europe. Wolves can never be placed in a Town in the British Isles.
For more information on Encounter Chits see the SM Screen and the rules section marked Encounters.
Hunters' Action Phases
A Hunter who is in a Sea Sector or who Passed during the Movement Phase does not have an Action Phase. Play proceeds to the Movement Phase of the Hunter on the left of the inactive Hunter or Dracula.
Each Hunter's Action Phase follows a pattern, which is set out below:
Searching
A Hunter must search the Town he is in for any Encounters that Dracula has placed - the Encounter Chits that Dracula puts on the Strategy & Movement Chart during his turn. The six Vampires that Dracula needs to place to win the game are Encounters, and they can only be found by searching Towns.
The Hunter simply asks Dracula if there is an Encounter in the Town. Dracula must show the Encounter Chit to the Hunter if there is one in the Town box on the Strategy & Movement Chart.
If the Hunter has found an Encounter Chit follow the instructions on the SM Screen, and see the next section of the rules - Encounters.
Meeting Dracula
After the Hunter has dealt with any Encounters, Dracula must show his playing piece or the Local Rumours Marker if either of these is in that Town box. Only if there is no Encounter, Dracula piece or Local Rumours Marker in the town can Dracula tell the Hunter the town is empty. Some Encounters (such as the Bats) allow Dracula to keep his presence, and that of the Local Rumours Marker, a secret.
If Dracula is present the Hunter must decide whether or not to face him in Combat. This is always optional for the Hunter - he may not have the courage or the proper weapons. Dracula cannot refuse combat. See the Combat rules for details of how to fight.
The Dracula playing piece or the Local Rumours Marker is placed on the Map in the appropriate Town until Dracula's next Movement Phase. Then it is returned to the Strategy & Movement Chart. It does not matter if Combat occurred or not, Dracula's playing piece is always put on the map when a Hunter finds him.
New Weapons and Events
The Hunter may take new Weapons Chits and Event Cards at the end of his Action Phase. This is possible only if he is still in the Town and he has dealt with all his discoveries - for example, he hasn't been chased out of the Town by Bats.
In a Small Town the Hunter can only take one Weapon Chit or Event Card. In a Large Town the Hunter can take one or two items. These can be two Weapons, two Events or one of each. The Hunter must declare what he wants before he takes anything: 'I'm going to take an Event Card', 'I want two Weapon Chits' or 'I want one Event and one Weapon', for example. This decision cannot be changed. The Hunter doesn't have to take anything, but it is often sensible to do so.
Hunters in Castle Dracula cannot take new Weapon Chits or Event Cards.
Weapon Chits are taken at random from the Weapons Pool (which is, in example, a coffee mug). Event Cards are taken from the bottom of the Event Draw Pile. If the Event Card has a bat printed on the back the Hunter gives it to Dracula without looking at it. The Hunter can use the card if it has a cross printed on it. See the Event Card rules for more information.
A Hunter can only take Events or Weapons from a Town once per visit. If a Hunter does not move out of Town he cannot take any items in later Action Phases. If he leaves the Town and then returns later in the game he can take more Weapons and/or Events. If the Hunter moves to a new Town he is free to take any items after any encounters.
Hunters can never have more than three Weapon Chits at any one time. These are kept face down on the Hunter's playsheet. If, when drawing Weapons Chits, the Hunter has more than three the extra ones must be discarded. The Hunter is free to choose which Weapon Chit(s) to discard to bring the total held back to three.
Discarded Weapons are not returned to the Weapon Pool. They are put to one side and, when the Weapon Pool is empty, they are remixed to form a new Pool.
Encounters
When a Hunter searches a Town and discovers an Encounter - ie, there is an Encounter Chit in the relevant Town box on the Strategy & Movement Chart, Dracula shows the Encounter Chit to the Hunter. He then follows the instructions given on the SM Screen for that particular Encounter. Encounters cannot be avoided unless the Hunter has an appropriate Event Card.
Once the instructions have been followed and all the results of the Encounter applied the Encounter Chit is discarded. It does not go back into Dracula's Encounter Pool (in the coffee mug).
However, there are exceptions to this general rule. Fog or Storms stay on the map until they lift from the affected area. Szgany and Vampires who are not killed or destroyed remain in the relevant Town box on the Strategy & Movement Chart, where they can be discovered again during another Action Phase if their Town is revisited.
If the Hunter stays in a Town where there are undefeated Szgany he must fight them next turn. He may not Pass or take new Weapons and/or Events. It is up to the Hunters to note where Szgany and Vampires remain so that they can be avoided or finished off in a later turn.
Discarded Encounter Chits are put to one side. If the chits in the Encounter Pool run out the discards are put into the container and mixed up. This forms a new Encounter Pool for Dracula.
The Hunters can work out where Dracula has been by finding Encounters. This might help them to work out where he is at present. Dracula has to have been in a Town at some point to place an Encounter there.
Combat
In Fury of Dracula many situations can result in combat. The Hunters cannot fight each other, but they can fight Dracula or his Agents (Szgany or Servants). Combat always includes the Dracula player, who controls the Agent involved, or because Dracula is directly involved in the fight.
Combat takes place during any Action Phase, and is fought over a number of rounds. Each round the Hunter and Dracula choose a Combat Chit (representing a tactic or Weapon), roll dice to see who has Initiative (effectively, who 'moves first') and cross-references choices on a table to find out what has happened.
The Combat Sequence
Both Dracula and the Hunters pick up their Combat Chits. The Hunter can only take Combat and Weapon Chits that are currently in the box on his playsheet. See Restrictions on Combat - The Hunters below for more details. Dracula can only take up certain Combat Chits from the ones he has available behind the SM Screen. See Restrictions on Combat - Dracula & His Agents below for more information.
The Combat Action Board (CAB) is turned so that the correct side is face up. If Dracula himself is in combat the Combat Action Board should be colour side up; if his Agents are involved the black and white side should be showing.
There are two tables on each side of the CAB, one at each end. They are used to determine the result of a round of combat, and the results printed on the tables are not identical. The table used depends upon who wins initiative in that round (see below).
If Dracula is directly involved in Combat he rolls a die. If the result is a 1, 2 or 3 the combat occurs during the Day, otherwise it takes place at night. The Daytime marker should be put on the Sun or Moon box as a reminder. The time is very important to Dracula. If combat takes place during the day he can only use Claw, Dodge and Escape - Human Chits.
The Combat Round
Dracula and the Hunter select one Combat Chit from those available to them. These choices are made in secret and not revealed until later. The Hunters can help each other with this decision if they wish.
These chits are then placed face down in the appropriate box on the Combat Action Board (ie Van Helsing places his Combat Chit in the Van Helsing box etc). There are three Agent boxes on one side of the CAB because it is possible for the Hunters to meet more than one Agent in Combat. See Hunter Groups - Combat for more information.
Both players then roll a die each to see who wins initiative. Whoever rolls the higher number has initiative for that round of combat. The table at their end of the Combat Action Board will be used to find out the result of the round. The tables are labelled clearly (eg 'Agents won initiative'). Ties are rerolled, and initiative modifiers still apply.
Example - Dracula has attacked Dr Seward in Amsterdam. Combat chits chosen, Dracula rolls a '6' and Seward rolls a '3'. The 'Dracula vs Hunters' Table (labelled 'Dracula won initiative') will be used to find the result of combat for this round.
The number rolled can be changed up and down by Initiative Modifiers and some Event Cards. The Initiative Modifiers are listed on the SM Screen.
The Combat Chits are flipped over, revealing the player's choices. The tactic or weapon chosen is found on the Hunter column and Agent/Dracula lines of the table. The result of the round is given in the box below the Agent/Dracula choice and on the same line as the Hunter's choice.
The result in the box is a note such as 'H.Dod' or 'Mort'. The explanations of all the results are listed in the Combat Results Key on the SM Screen. Follow the instructions given in that explanation.
Unless the intructions given for the combat result state that combat ends another round begins. Dracula and the Hunter start again by choosing another Combat Chit.
Once combat is over play continues as normal.
After Combat
Opponents can be left in the same Town after combat ends.
A Hunter in a Town with an Agent must fight it during his next Action Phase unless he leaves during his Movement Phase. The Agent remains in the Town box on the Strategy & Movement Chart and is not removed until it is killed. It must be fought by any Hunter who subsequently enters the Town.
Dracula may not attack any of the Hunters again until they leave the Town where the combat took place. However, a Hunter may stay in the Town and attack Dracula during the Hunter's own Action Phase.
Example - Dracula moves to Vienna and attacks Dr Seward. Things go badly, and the Count is forced to escape in mist form. His turn ends. Seward doesn't move from Vienna and, during his Action Phase, decides to attack Dracula.
Restrictions on Combat
No-one may choose a Dodge Combat Chit for the first round of combat.
No-one may use the same Combat Chit in two successive rounds of combat. However, Hunters who have two identical Weapon Chits can use them one after the other.
Example - Dracula used Fang in the last combat round. He must choose another chit in this round, but can use Fang again in the next Combat Round.
Example - Lord Godalming has two Rifle Chits. He uses one in the first round, then switches to Dodge, but he could have used his other Rifle instead.
It is quite possible that Dracula or the Hunters may find that their choices in combat are limited. This can happen to Dracula, for example, when he attacks a Hunter only to find that it is daytime! Hunters can be limited in their choice of weapons. Combat still has to take place.
Dracula & His Agents
The Combat Chits for Dracula are listed in section 1 (Agents) and section 2 (Dracula) of the reference pages. Dracula keeps all his Agent and Dracula Combat Chits behind the SM Screen until they are needed for Combat. He then selects the Chits he is entitled to use before starting combat.
If combat takes place during the day Dracula can only use Claw, Dodge and Escape - Human Chits.
If Dracula is Repelled or loses any Blood Points he may only use Dodge or one of his Escape chits in the next round.
Some of Dracula's Agents cannot use all the Agent Combat Chits. The Chits an Agent can use are listed on the SM Screen and on the counter for that Agent. Agents can never escape. They fight to the death or until combat ends. There are three sets of counters for those occasions when more than one Agent is involved in Combat. See the rules under Hunter Groups - Combat for more details.
Example - A Szgany counter has 'Pistol, Knife' listed on it. In this case, the Szgany Agent can use Dodge and Fist (which are automatically available) plus Pistol and Knife. Dracula should take those chits before starting combat.
The Hunters
The Hunter Combat Chits are listed in alphabetical order in section 3 of the reference pages. Some Weapon Chits are special and not just used in combat. The Heavenly Host, for example, can be used to 'seal off' Towns, preventing Dracula from moving to them.
Hunters always have available their Basic combat chits (with a 'B' on them) - the Fist, Dodge and Escape chits. These represent the tactics they can use without any Weapons - no extra gear is required to punch someone or run away! These three chits are never lost for any reason, although Hunters can lose Weapon Chits.
Some of the Weapon Chits must be discarded after they have been used. If the result on the Combat Action Board is printed in italics the Weapon must be discarded and cannot be used again - it has been used up in the fight.
Hunters can only use Weapon Chits which are listed on the current side of the Combat Action Board. Garlic, for example, is of little use against Dracula's human Agents, so it cannot be used in combat against them!
An Example of Combat
Lord Godalming has just searched Vienna and, after dealing with a Wolves Encounter, has found out that Dracula is in the same Town. Godalming has Dodge, Fist and Escape Combat Chits (as always) plus Stake, Holy Water and Rifle on his playsheet. He also has Advance Planning, Dawn Raid and Great Strength event cards. He decides to attack.
Dracula is down to 10 Blood Points and has the Devilish Power and two Trap Events cards.
The battle commences!
At the start of Round one Dracula is about to roll the die to see what time it is when Godalming plays his Dawn Raid card. The fight is to take place during the day! Dracula chooses to play his Devilish Power Card, which cancels the Dawn Raid. The die roll must be made as normal, and the result is a '5'. Combat is taking place at night. Dracula would heave a sigh of relief if he still breathed!
Both players choose a Combat Chit and place it face down on the Combat Action Board. Godalming chooses the Stake, while Dracula puts his Strength chit down.
The players now roll for initiative. Lord Godalming is at -1 for fighting Dracula, so he plays his Advance Planning event Card, which gives him a +1 (effectively cancelling his -1). However, now that they are on an even footing Dracula decides to play both his Trap cards. This gives him a +2 to his die roll.
The dice are rolled. Godalming gets a '6' and Dracula gets a '4' which, with his +2 modifier, gives him a '6' as well. The dice are rerolled, and the Count rolls a '6' +2 = 8! Godalming cannot match this, and Dracula has won the initiative.
Both Chits are turned over. The Dracula vs Hunters ('Dracula Won Initiative') is consulted and the choices cross-referenced. The result is Sna. Dracula snatched the Stake out of Godalming's hand and smashed it. The Stake is discarded, and another round begins.
Dracula selects Fang and Godalming decides to use his Holy Water.
This time there are no modifiers to initiative. Dracula rolls the die and gets a '2', but Godalming beats him with a '4'. This time the Hunters vs Dracula table will be used.
The chits are revealed and cross-referenced on the new table. This time the result is 4Bld. Godalming has cast his Holy Water straight into Dracula's teeth! However, the result is printed in italics so the Holy Water must now be discarded. Dracula moves his Blood Point Marker down to the 6 box and snarls at his tormentor. Another round of combat begins.
Because Dracula has just lost Blood Points he can only Dodge or Escape this round. Lord Godalming realises this and, because he has no weapons left that can harm the Count he plays his Escape Chit.
Dracula chooses Dodge, as he wants to continue the fight and doesn't know that Godalming has run out of effective weapons.
Dracula wins initiative, with a roll of '4' to Godalming's result of '1'. The combat result will be found on the Dracula vs Hunters Table.
Nevertheless, when the chits are revealed the result is H.Esc. Godalming escapes and the combat is over. Dracula has been thwarted in his immediate aim of continuing the fight and significantly weakened.
Wounds
Hunters can be wounded during play. Whenever a Hunter is wounded the Wound Marker is moved up the Wound Track on the Hunter's playsheet. The Wound Marker starts in the '0' box. When (or if) it reaches the '12' box the Hunter dies.
A Hunter who dies is out of the game. Discard all his Event Cards and Weapon Chits and remove his playing piece, playsheet and other counters from the game. The player who controlled the Hunter is also out of the game unless he also controls another Hunter.
If a Hunter dies while he has a Bite Marker on his playsheet he becomes a Vampire. See the next rules section.
The death of a Hunter can also affect Dracula's victory. See Victory - Dracula Wins!
Bites
If a Hunter is bitten by Dracula or a Vampire he should put one of the Bite Markers in the 'Bite' box on his playsheet. If he is bitten again or dies when there is a Bite Marker on the playsheet he becomes a Vampire.
Once a Hunter has become a Vampire he is treated as if he had died, except that his playing piece is given to Dracula. It is then placed in the relevant Town box (where the Hunter died) on the Strategy & Movement Chart. If there is an Encounter in the Town Box it is removed and put back into the Encounter Set, so for a time there will be six Encounter Chits in the set rather than five.
A Hunter-Vampire is treated as a Vampire Encounter Chit for all purposes - victory, the Seduction Event Card etc.
Finally, Dracula gets a bonus to his initiative die roll in combat when facing a Hunter who has been bitten.
Blood Points
Dracula starts the game with 12 Blood Points, ie the Blood Point Marker is in the '12' box of the Blood Point Track on the Strategy & Movement Chart. Blood Points are a measure of his unnatural strength.
Blood Points are lost through combat, when certain Event Cards are played and each time Dracula embarks at the start of a sequence of Sea Moves. Dracula moves the Marker down one box every time he loses a Blood Point.
If Dracula has less than two Blood Points left, he cannot move by sea unless he is forced to return to Castle Dracula by being reduced to 0 or fewer Blood Points while in the British Isles.
Dracula is drained of power when the Blood Point Marker reaches the '0' box. If this happens he must flee to Castle Dracula. He must also tell the Hunters that his Blood Points have fallen to zero.
Fleeing
When Dracula is forced to flee he must move towards Castle Dracula by the most direct land route. Dracula does not reveal his route to the Hunters.
His route is worked out by counting Towns that must be passed through. The apparent length of Roads does not matter. Each move that Dracula makes when fleeing must move him a Town closer to Castle Dracula. When there is a choice of routes of equal length Dracula can take any of them. In other cases he must take the shorter route. He may still place Encounters in Towns while he is fleeing.
Dracula may only use Sea Movement if he is in the British Isles when he is forced to flee.
If Dracula flees he can no longer win. It even doesn't matter if Dracula manages to place his sixth Vampire on the Strategy & Movement Chart while he is fleeing to the Castle - victory has slipped through his fingers.
When Dracula arrives at the Castle, he must attack any Hunters who are present. A Hunter may attack Dracula if he arrives in Castle Dracula on the same turn as the Count. All combat is handled normally, except that if Dracula survives or escapes he remains in the castle, even if he does so in bat form.
If Dracula survives all three Hunter Action Phases in Castle Dracula he manages to hide in the labyrinthine catacombs beneath the castle during his next Movement Phase. There he remains for a century or so, metaphorically licking his wounds … See Victory - The Hunters Win!
Blood Death
Dracula can lose so many Blood Points that the Blood Points Marker is moved 'below' the '0' box. When this happens, swap the Blood Point Marker for the Blood Death Marker, and move this new counter back towards the '12' box. Further losses of Blood Points are recorded in the same way, by moving the Blood Death Marker up the track.
Example - Dracula has only 1 Blood Point left and is fighting Van Helsing. The Professor uses his Holy Water and wins initiative. Dracula had chosen Claw, so the result is 3Bld. 1 - 3 = -2, so Dracula puts the Blood Death Marker on the '2' box. He then thinks about escaping…
Dracula dies when the Blood Death Marker reaches the '12' box, as surely as if he had been staked through the heart. The game ends immediately.
Regaining Blood Points
Dracula can consume one of his Vampires instead of moving or Passing. A Vampire Encounter Chit is taken off the Strategy & Movement Chart and discarded. Dracula may immediately move the Blood Point Marker up by two boxes (but it may never move beyond the '12' box). However, Dracula cannot regain Blood Points once the Blood Death Marker is in use.
Dracula can consume a Vampire anywhere on the Strategy & Movement Chart. He does not have to be in the same Town box. By consuming a Vampire Dracula may turn a stalemate into a minor victory for the Hunters. See Victory - Stalemate.
Castle Dracula
Castle Dracula is a special place with its own special rules. It is possible to move between Klausenberg and Galatz without entering the Castle.
A Hunter in Castle Dracula cannot take any new Weapons or Events at the end of his Action Phase.
If a Hunter discovers a Vampire in Castle Dracula he must always encounter it, whether he wishes to destroy it or not. Furthermore, if the Hunter has a Crucifix or Host it may not protect him. Roll a die. On a 5 or 6 the Hunter is bitten by the Vampire. If he has no protection the Hunter is automatically bitten. The Hunter must encounter the Vampire in his next Action Phase if he is still alive and stays in the Castle.
Dracula gains a +1 to his initiative roll in each and every combat round fought in the Castle.
Finally, if Dracula ever voluntarily spends three successive turns in the Castle the game ends. The Hunters gain a minor victory - see Victory - The Hunters Win!. This does not happen if Dracula is forced to remain there by the playing of Event Cards.
Event Cards
Hunters make take Event Cards during their Action Phases. If the card has a bat printed on the back the Hunter gives it to Dracula without looking at it. The Hunter looks at any cards with a cross printed on the back and follows the instructions on the card.
Event cards are always taken from the bottom of the Draw Pile. Once they are played they are discarded and stacked face-up in a convenient spot. The top card of the Draw Pile is never taken. Once it is reached it and the discards are shuffled to form a new Draw Pile.
Each card has a title, rules showing how it affects play and instructions as to when it may be played. The cards are largely self-explanatory, but notes are given in Section 4 of the reference pages.
Event Cards must be played immediately unless they have Keep printed on them. Dracula keeps Event Cards behind the SM Screen, while the Hunters keep theirs face down on their playsheets. Event Cards should be kept secret (other Hunters can be shown them) until they are played.
Dracula and each of the Hunters may never have more than three Event Cards at any one time. If, for any reason, someone ends up with more than three cards the extras must be discarded or played immediately. The card holder chooses the cards to be discarded or played.
Hunters cannot give each other Event Cards, and only Hypnosis and Good Luck can be played with any effect for another Hunter. The details of these cards are given in the reference pages.
Sometimes Event Cards will seem to contradict each other. Where the contradiction is clear the cards cancel each other, and neither has any effect. In other less clear-cut situations you should use common sense. Remember that the special cases outlined on Event Cards always take precedence over the ordinary rules. Once played, cards are always discarded, they may never be taken back.
Example - Dracula plays the Hour of Darkness card at the start of combat, while Van Helsing plays Dawn Raid. Neither card affects play, and the die for the time of day is rolled as normal. Both cards are discarded.
Finally, some Event Cards have slightly different effects when played on Hunter Groups. These cards are covered in section 5 of the reference pages.
Hunter Groups
Hunters can move and act in groups. If two or three Hunters start a turn together in the same Town they can form a group. They may not move or act as a group if one of the Hunters has already moved during a turn. If two Hunters or more move to the same Town in the same Turn they can be a group during their future turns.
Hunters in a group may swap Weapon Chits at the very start of the group's Movement Phase.
Groups split up as soon one Hunter moves independently again.
Example - Lord Godalming joins Van Helsing in Paris. The two cannot move together during Van Helsing's Movement Phase. If Van Helsing passes and remains in Paris they can act as a group next turn.
Hunter Group Movement
A group moves once per turn, not in every member's Action Phase. The group can move during any one member's Movement Phase. Simply move the playing pieces at the same time. If the group Passes all its members can discard Weapon Chits and take new ones.
Example - Godalming and Van Helsing have formed a group. They can move in either Hunter's Movement Phase, but not both. In effect, this group can move before or after Dr Seward has had a turn.
If a group tries to catch a train only one die roll is made, with a single result affecting all the Hunters (eg all the Hunters catch a Slow Train).
Group Action Phase
A Group of Hunters only has one Action Phase, just as it only has one Movement Phase. This Action Phase must happen immediately after the group has moved.
Groups do not take more Event Cards or Weapon Chits from a Town than does an individual Hunter (ie one item for a Town, two for a Large Town). The group members decide among themselves on how many and what items are taken and on which Hunter gets them. The exact arrangement does not matter, as long as all the players involved are happy with the decision.
The effects of Encounter Chits can be slightly different when they are discovered by a Hunter Group. These changes are given on the SM Screen.
Group Combat
All the Hunters in a group must fight. None of them can be 'kept in reserve' or 'kept out of trouble' while others engage in combat. The normal Combat rules are used, but they are slightly changed to take into account the fact that there are more than two people involved.
Each Hunter places a Combat Chit in the appropriate box on the Combat Action Board. The Hunters can choose any mixture of Chits, providing they obey the normal rules (eg no Dodge Chits in the first round of combat).
Only one initiative roll is made by the Hunters, and the result is applied to them all. When there are different modifiers the Hunters use the best one for the whole group. If all the modifiers (including Event Cards and the like) are equal, it does not matter who makes the die roll.
Example - Seward and Godalming are fighting Dracula. Seward makes the initiative roll because Godalming has a -1 modifier when fighting Dracula.
Any Hunter may play an Event Card that will affect the outcome of combat - even Advance Planning when a different Hunter is making the initiative die roll (see below).
If Dracula is involved he must declare one of the Hunters as his target, even if he chooses Dodge or an Escape chit. This is done after everyone has put down a combat chit, but before any initiative die rolls.
Combat Chits are revealed as normal.
If Dracula won initiative apply the result to his declared target as normal. The results of Combats with other Hunters are treated as Par (Parried), regardless of what they should have been.
If the Hunters win find all the results by cross-referencing all the Hunters' choices with Dracula's Combat Chit. The Hunters can choose any one of the results to apply as normal. The other outcomes are treated as Par (Parried) results. If the Hunters choose H.Esc the whole group escapes.
If the target Hunter is bitten (Bite), hypnotised (Hyp) or killed he takes no further part in combat. Any other Hunters still in the fight must carry on until the combat ends in escape or death.
The Hunters may have to fight more than one opponent. This can happen, for example, if a Hunter Groups discovers a Szgany Encounter. Each member of the group is then attacked by a separate Agent, and the combats are resolved side by side. If a Hunter kills his opponent he can team up with one of his fellows to fight another opponent. The same is true for the Agents of Dracula.
Example - Seward and Van Helsing discover a Szgany Encounter and meet two Szgany Agents ('Szgany 1' and 'Szgany 2'). Seward fights Szgany 1, while Van Helsing fights the other. Sewards Kills his foe in the first round, while Van Helsing is less fortunate. In the next round Seward and Van Helsing team up on the Agent…
The system of declared targets and choosing results is used in the case of an outnumbered Hunter or Agent. The outnumbered person can only attack one of his opponents, while they can choose which result they would like to apply to him.
An Agent may only attack one Hunter until its target is killed, then it may attack another Hunter. Hunters are similarly restricted in attacking Agents. An outnumbered Hunter or Agent cannot change targets each round (as can Dracula). A Hunter or Agent must continue to fight the opponent they originally faced until one of them is dead.
Only after all combat is finished may any survivors carry on with their Action Phase as normal.
An Example of Multiple Combat
Van Helsing and Lord Godalming discover a Szgany Encounter and must fight. No-one has any useful Event Cards.
Van Helsing has Stake, Holy Water and Pistol, while Godalming has Knife Garlic and Dogs (these are face up on his playsheet). Both, of course, have Fist, Dodge, and Escape chits. The Hunters are unwounded.
The Szgany have Dodge and Fist plus Pistol and Knife as these were on the Encounter Chit. Dracula takes sorts through the Agent Combat Chits and takes two of each, making sure to keep the two sets apart.
The battle commences.
Van Helsing places the pistol in his box on the Combat Action Board. Lord Godalming chooses his Knife.
Dracula places a Knife from one set of Combat Chits in the 'Agent 1' box, as this Szgany is attacking Van Helsing. He places a Pistol chit from the other set (separate Agents use separate sets of combat chits) in the 'Agent 2' box. This Szgany is attacking Lord Godalming.
The dice are rolled for Initiative. Dracula rolls a '4' for the Agents.
Lord Godalming has the best modifiers to the die roll: +1 for being Lord Godalming when fighting Agents, and another +1 for the Dogs, giving +2 overall. He rolls a '1' +2 = 3, which still isn't enough to win initiative. The combat results will be found on the 'Agents vs Hunters' Table.
The combat chits are revealed. Van Helsing suffers one wound, while Godalming takes two. A new round of combat begins.
This time Van Helsing chooses Stake, while Godalming uses his Fist. Szgany 1 chooses his Pistol, while Dracula places a Knife for Szgany 2.
This round initiative is on straight dice rolls. The Hunters get a '6', easily beating the Agents' '2'. The Hunters vs Agents Table will be used.
The chits are revealed. Van Helsing mortally wounds his opponent. The Stake is discarded immediately, and Dracula puts all the Agent's combat chits to one side. He is out of combat. Godalming only manages to parry the other Szgany's Knife attack. A new round begins.
This time the Szgany is outnumbered. Van Helsing places his Pistol chit on the CAB, and Godalming puts down his Knife. Dracula puts the Szgany's Pistol chit in the 'Agent 2' box.
The Hunters then roll a '5' for initiative. Dracula can only manage a '3'. Again the Hunters vs Agents table will be used.
Both results are Mort. The Szgany is dead. Had the results been different, the Hunters could have chosen which one they wanted to apply.
Victory
The game ends as soon as any of the victory conditions listed below are fulfilled.
Dracula Wins!
Dracula wishes to establish his evil empire before the world becomes aware of his activities. Only three Hunters oppose him now, but more may follow in their footsteps. There is also the matter of revenge for past wrongs…
Dracula wins a Supreme Victory if…
…There are six Vampire Encounters on the Strategy & Movement Chart at any one time and at least one Hunter has died or become a Vampire.
Dracula wins a Major Victory if…
…There are six Vampire Encounters on the Strategy & Movement Chart at any one time.
Dracula wins a Minor Victory if…
…There are three Vampire Encounters on the Strategy & Movement Chart at any one time and two or more Hunters are dead or have become Vampires.
Stalemate
A Stalemate occurs if the Hunters manage to destroy six Vampires, but not Dracula. The Hunters cannot defeat the architect of evil, yet they can block his every move. His future world of Vampirism is held at bay.
However, if Dracula consumed one of his Vampires to regain Blood Points the Stalemate becomes a Minor Victory for the Hunters. Dracula's self-defeating action indicated that they had just gained the upper hand in the apparent impasse.
The Hunters Win!
The Hunters must destroy Dracula once and for all, preferably with no loss of life. If Dracula flees this is only a temporary respite. He can wait the centuries out until there is no-one left who knows of his evil…
The Hunters win a Minor Victory if…
…Dracula survives all three Hunter Action Phases in Castle Dracula.
…Or Dracula willingly spends three consecutive turns in Castle Dracula. His base cowardice has found him out.
…Or a Stalemate is broken as Dracula consumed one of his own Vampires.
The Hunters win a Major Victory if…
…Dracula is destroyed by any means, but one or more Hunters dies in the struggle.
The Hunters win a Supreme Victory if…
…Dracula is destroyed by any means and all the Hunters survive.
Valour Points
Fury of Dracula is a game of co-operation for the Hunters. Their doom - and that of the World - is certain unless they work together to defeat Dracula. But for players who have to know who really 'won' the game (although all the Hunters won), we have included this system of Valour Points.
Valour Points are completely optional. They do not have to be recorded, and they do not have any effect on victory, but they are useful if you like to compare how well (or badly) players have done in a game.
You will need paper and pen to keep a running tally of each Hunter's Valour Points. These points are awarded to individual Hunters for their actions.
The Hunter with the highest total at the end of the game is the bravest - even if he is dead!
| Deed | Points |
|---|---|
| For surviving a Rats Encounter (unwounded) | 1 |
| For surviving a Wolves Encounter (unwounded) | 1 |
| A Servant Encounter flees from the Hunter | 1 |
| For killing a Servant Encounter in combat | 2 |
| For killing a Szgany Encounter in Combat | 3 |
| For destroying a Vampire Encounter | 4 |
| For attacking Count Dracula * | 5 |
| For each Blood Point that the Hunter causes Dracula to lose in combat | 5 |
| For destroying Dracula | 10 |
| For entering Castle Dracula ★ | 3 |
| For performing a Heroic Leap ✳ | 15 |
* The Hunter only receives these points if he attacks Dracula. If the Count attacks him the Hunter gets nothing.
★ These points are only given the first time the Hunter enters the Castle. It does not matter how many times he re-enters the Castle, or what happens there.
✳ The Hunter always gets these points for playing the Heroic Leap Event Card. The result does not matter.
In Search of the Real Dracula
In many ways it was inevitable that I would get round to designing a Dracula boardgame. Indeed, the first game I ever made, way back in 1975, was a fun affair called 'Kill the Count' which basically had you running all over Castle Dracula (felt pen tracks on a sheet of corrugated cardboard) with a stake in a bid to nail the fanged villain. The game did its job and at some stage I even went to the trouble of making a second edition.
Being a horror fan I've always been disappointed at the lack of decent horror games available in the shops. Dracula in particular, has been relegated to two divisions: the family variety involving such delights as plastic fangs, silly masks etc; and the 'hobby' variety, mini games only one step removed from the family games in their childish tackiness - with one notable exception which had all the excitement of a trip to the launderette.
Terrifying.
Well, I decided to have a go again. No more running around Castle Dracula but a deadly serious treatment of a rich fantasy character whose gaming potential had so far remained largely untapped. The game was going to be half of a two game set: 'Dracula - Fact and Fiction', the other being a dry historical simulation of Vlad The Impaler's military and political campaigns against the Turks (Vlad being the character upon which Dracula was based). A session of heavy note writing followed before I ran out of time and had to shelve the project. This was in 1985.
Some time later, I mentioned the project to Marc Gascoigne whose enthusiasm gave me the impetus to turn my notes for Dracula into a finished game (poor Vlad is still in note form). This project was completed around the summer of '86 and sent into Workshop who decided that they couldn't use it in its present form though they were sold on the game itself. Great system, great mechanics but not sure about the subject. The game was put on hold in favour of stronger products. I could either wait for an indefinite period until a suitable gap appeared on the production schedule or convert it into a more usable subject and have room made on the schedule for it. In fact, some time was spent discussing conversions into more 'popular' subjects - something set in the Warhammer Fantasy World, a 2000 AD character, something for Warhammer 40K etc.
But now, in the autumn of '87, I'm glad to see that the game is out, with minor revision, as The Fury of Dracula after all, and a lot sooner than I expected at that. It had become generally felt that the strength of the design would carry the potentially risky subject, and that it would be a shame to convert the game when it captured the gothic atmosphere so well. On a personal note, I would like to add that a lot of this atmosphere may have been lost were it not for the marvellous effort which everybody concerned with the production of the finished game has made. Thanks are due all round.
And that's the reality behind the Dracula myth. Till next time…
Stephen Hand October 1987
Credits
Designer: Stephen Hand Rules Editor: Mike Brunton Graphic Design: Bil Sedgwick Board Art: Colin Dixon Counter Art: Dave Andrews Character Illustrations: Martin McKenna, Colin Dixon, Dave Andrews Paste-up: Heidi Allman, Dave Clemmett, Dave Oliver Playtesters: Mandy Wootton, Andrew Colclough, Colin Hand, Matthew Tudor & Co, Alan Merrett, Graeme Davis, Bil Sedgwick, Jervis Johnson, Sean Masterson, Charles Elliot, Tim Pollard Special Thanks to: Graeme Davis
PRODUCED BY THE GAMES WORKSHOP DESIGN STUDIO: Managing Director: Bryan Ansell; Studio Manager: Richard Ellard; Production Manager: Alan Merrett; Print Buyer: Bob Malin; Projects Manager: Paul Cockburn; Development Manager: Jervis Johnson; Art Manager: John Blanche; Design: Mark Craven, Charles Elliott, Brian George, H, Bil Sedgwick, Production Supervisor: Anthony Barton; Designers/Developers: Jim Bambra, Mike Brunton, Matt Connell, Graeme Davis, Phil Gallagher, Richard Halliwell, Stephen Hand, Rick Priestley, Sean Masterson; Copywriter: Tim Pollard; Photographer: Phil Lewis; Artists: Tony Ackland, Dave Andrews, Ian Cooke, Colin Dixon, Mike McVey, Sid; Typesetting: Dawn Duffy, Lindsey D le Doux Paton; Finished Artists: Heidi Allman, Katy Briggs, David Clemmett, Tony Osborne, David Oliver, Nick Ord, Lucie Richardson, Adrian Udall, Graham Verity, Richard Wright; Administration: Julie Byron, Elaine Cottam, Annette Faulkner, Heather Nicholson, Susan Smith.
If you have any questions about the rules to The Fury of Dracula, please write to us, including a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Try to word your questions so that they can be answered with a yes or no. We would also welcome suggestions, comments, or complaints on any aspect of the game, although we regret that we can't guarantee a reply to all the letters we receive. Send any questions or comments to:
The Fury of Dracula Questions, Games Workshop Design Studio, 14-16 Low Pavement, Nottingham, NG1 7DL
Reference
Carefully remove these pages from the centre of the rulebook. On them you will find detailed information on such things as Event Cards, Combat Chits etc. Until players are familiar with the game they will have often have to refer to this pullout, so it should be made available to all the players.
1 - Agent Combat Chits
The Agent Combat Chits come in three sets of five different counters (the Hunters may face up to three Agents at one time).
- Dodge - All Agents have this basic chit, representing an attempt to Dodge the Hunter's Attack.
- Fist - All Agents have this basic chit. It represents all manual combat such as punching, grappling etc.
- Knife - A fierce looking dagger used for stabbing, slashing etc.
- Pistol - A weighty revolver used for shooting at the Hunters. Less powerful than a rifle, but still quite effective.
- Rifle - Again, used for shooting at the Hunters, but generally causing more damage than the pistol if it hits.
2 - Dracula Combat Chits
There are eight Dracula Combat Chits. If the fight takes place during the daytime, Dracula may only use the Claw, Dodge and Escape (Human) chits.
- Claw - Dracula savagely assails the Hunter with his powerful, talon-like hands. Basically, he is attempting to rip the Hunter to shreds.
- Dodge - Dracula attempts to get out of the way of the Hunter's oncoming attack. This is a very useful strategy. Dodge may never be selected for the first round of combat.
- Escape - Escaping is very special for Dracula in that he has three escape forms. That is to say, he can literally change shape, with the physical form he adopts, affecting his chances of escape. Each form of escape is a different tactic (each being a separate chit). So, if Dracula fails to escape in Human form one round, he may still try to escape as either Mist or Bat next round.
- (Bat) - Dracula assumes bat form and flies away from combat. This is a risky form of escape and may go tragically wrong for the Count, but when it does work it is the most useful as it allows Dracula to fly out of Town.
- (Human) - Dracula makes a break for it in his more usual mortal guise. This is the most basic form of escape, and the least 'powerful' of the three.
- (Mist) - This form of escape is almost impossible to prevent as Dracula dissolves into a swirl of mist and simply flows away.
- Fang - Dracula attempts to finish off the Hunter with his dreaded, insidious bite!
- Hypnosis - Dracula uses his blazing red eyes and his indomitable presence in a bid to overpower the Hunter, causing him to fall into a deep trance where he stands (or at the very least stall and confuse him). When this works it is devastatingly powerful (if a little risky for Dracula to attempt). The will of the Hunter is eroded, and he is forced to throw aside his weapons and, worse still, bare his pulsing jugular vein!
- Strength - As opposed to the cutting edge of his claws, Dracula uses his supernatural strength to disarm and/or crush the Hunter.
3 - Hunter Combat Chits
There are thirty nine Hunter Combat Chits in total. Nine of these counters have a small 'B' printed on them. These are the Basic Combat Chits. All the others are Weapons. Some of the Weapons are special and some may be used once only.
BASIC COMBAT CHITS
- Dodge - The Hunter tries to Dodge the oncoming attack.
- Escape - The Hunter attempts to flee from the scene of combat by any means open to him.
- Fist - The Hunter punches/grapples with his opponent. This is generally the weakest form of attack but is not totally useless.
WEAPON CHITS
-
Crucifix - The Hunter defends himself with this Holy symbol cast in silver. The Crucifix is good for defence against all Vampires and may even harm Dracula.
-
Dogs - This special chit is not a weapon as such. If the Hunter wants to use any Dogs Chit he draws, he must, either when he draws it or at the start of any Movement Phase, reveal the chit and place it face up on his playsheet. It does count towards the limit of three Weapons.
The value of having Dogs is twofold: first, Dogs protect the Hunter from the Rats Encounter Chit, and second, the Dogs always give the Hunter owning it a +1 modifier to his Initiative Roll for the first round of combat.
It must be remembered that having the Dogs Chit face down on your playsheet is not enough. It must have been revealed at some point, because if it has not been the Hunter does not receive any of its benefits. The Hunter can, if he passes, discard the Dogs just like any other chit if he decides later on that he does not want to keep it.
-
Garlic - This one-use-only chit is not a weapon as such. At the very start of combat with Dracula (even before rolling for Daytime), the Hunter player should reveal this chit. Playing it means that the Hunter has prepared the scene of combat in advance, smearing all the obvious exits from the place with cloves of garlic - thus trapping the Count until he can find a hole in the barrier.
In game terms using Garlic means that the Dracula Player may not attempt any of his three Escape strategies for the first three rounds of combat. Once the combat is over, the Garlic Chit is discarded. Players themselves will have to keep track of the number of rounds they have been fighting for.
-
Heavenly Host - This can be used in one of two ways: First as an excellent escape defence against Dracula (use as normal in combat) and, second, as a barrier to Dracula's movements. The Host can be used any number of times in combat but may only be used once if placed to serve as a barrier. The following rules are concerned with the latter option:
At the start of his Movement Phase, a Hunter with a Host chit may reveal it (placing it on his playsheet), whilst declaring that he is placing a barrier of the sacred wafer over the Town he is in. One of the Host Markers is then taken and placed on the mapboard, over the Town which the Hunter has chosen. The Host Weapon Chit itself, is kept face up on the Hunter's playsheet but does not count towards the limit on three weapons for that hunter.
Dracula may never enter a Town which is so protected by a Host Marker, and if the Host should be placed on a Town where he already is, Dracula must leave that Town on his next Movement Phase.
The Host may not be placed on Castle Dracula, Galatz or Klausenberg (and, obviously not in a Sea Sector). Once placed, a Host Marker may not be moved. If the Hunter who placed it later feels that it is not doing anything useful where it is, he may, at the start of any Movement Phase declare that he is removing the Host from the board. In this instance, the Host Marker is simply taken off the mapboard (put back with the other Host markers) and the Host Weapon Chit is discarded.
-
Holy Water - The Hunter deftly opens his silver hip flask and hurls the sacred fluids towards the evil Vampire. When Holy Water touches Dracula, it burns him causing severe Blood Point loss.
Also, instead of being used as a normal weapon, Holy Water can be used to treat Vampire Bites. If, at the start of his Movement Phase, the Hunter has a Bite Marker on his playsheet, he may miss his turn, discard the Holy Water chit and roll a dice:
If he rolls a 1, the Water actually burns the Hunter because of his vampiric taint. He keeps the Bite Marker and gains a Wound.
If he rolls a 2 or 3, the Water has no effect and is wasted.
If he rolls 4-6, the Holy Water gets rid of the foul mark of evil and so the Bite Marker is discarded.
-
Knife - The knife is a vicious hand-to-hand weapon which is quite useful to have, for as well as being good in mortal combat, knives can be used to destroy Vampires and, with a degree of good fortune, even Count Dracula himself.
-
Pistol - This weapon is very useful against agents, but of little value against Dracula himself - except that it may repel him occasionally.
-
Rifle - Similar to the Pistol, the Rifle has an advantage in that it can be used to stave off some of Dracula's fiercest attacks.
-
Sacred Bullets - The player does not need a separate firearm Weapon Chit (such as a Pistol) to use Sacred Bullets. It is accepted that the Hunter has a small custom made gun specially designed to fire this unusual ammunition.
The sanctified cartridges can injure mortal and Un-Dead alike but only come in limited numbers. However, it is possible that the Hunter has more than one round of these and so it is not a one-use chit as such:
Each time this weapon is used up (ie the result found on the Combat Table is in italics), the Hunter should roll a dice, and if he rolls 1-3, he has more Sacred Bullets left and may keep the chit to use again in a later round. If he rolls 4-6, he runs out of bullets and so the chit must be immediately discarded, just like any other one-use-only chit.
-
Stake - The surest way to destroy Dracula is by using a stake against him in combat. The Stake is also effective against Agents of Dracula as its sharp tip will kill mortals and Un-Dead alike. Also, this weapon can be used to destroy any Vampire Encounter Chits that the Hunter comes across.
Finally, should this weapon actually hit a foe in combat it is used up, though if the enemy is the Count himself, this doesn't really matter as you will have won the game!
4 - Event Cards
-
ADVANCE PLANNING - This card should be played after Combat Chits have been selected, but before making Initiative Rolls. Any number of these may be played in combat, and if more than one is played in the same round the modifiers are cumulative.
-
CHARTERED CARRIAGE - If Dracula plays or has played the False Tip-off Event Card during the same Movement Phase, then both cards cancel one another out and the Hunter makes a roll on the Railway Station Chart as normal.
-
CONTROL STORMS - Three Sea Moves range means two Sea Sectors (Sailing) and then one Port (Disembarking). For example, Athens is three Sea Moves away from the Mediterranean Sea. Dracula need not move the Hunter the whole three, if he does not wish to do so.
The affected Hunter(s) must now have an Action Phase in their new Port of call.
-
ESCAPE ROUTE - The avoided Encounter Chit stays where it is on the SMC. This card is played before combat is entered into. If using this card to avoid Dracula, the Count also remains in Town. As opposed to the normal rules, he and the Hunter may attack, if both he and the Hunter are still in the Town during Dracula's next Action Phase, as they did not fight during the first encounter.
-
EVASION - Though Dracula makes the move in secret the Event Card must be played openly as usual. Thus the Hunters will know that he may be using the Evasion Card (though he may bluff and stay where he is etc) but they won't know where he has moved to and so on. Also the Dracula playing piece is instantly relocated and, rather misleadingly, the Local Rumours Marker is also moved instantly into the newly vacated box - still one step behind! Once Dracula moves out of the new Town, the Rumours will 'jump' into place, in the Town he leaves behind.
Example: if Dracula is in London (and the Local Rumours are in Manchester), and as a result of this card Dracula goes straight to Szeged, the Rumours are put in London. When Dracula moves out of Szeged, the Local Rumours Marker is put into the Szeged Town box.
-
EXCELLENT WEATHER - A Hunter who plays this card could, instead of just embarking, embark and then sail three Sectors; or embark, sail two Sectors and then disembark etc.
-
FALSE TIP-OFF - If a Hunter plays or has played the Chartered Carriage Event Card during the same Movement Phase, then both cards cancel one another out and the Hunter makes a roll on the Railway Station Chart as normal.
-
GREAT STRENGTH - If a Hunter plays this after being Hypnotized by Dracula in combat, the combat still ends and the Hunter still discards all his Weapon Chits. This card merely stops him from being bitten. If a Hunter uses this against a Bite combat result, then the combat continues.
-
HEAVENLY HOST - Play of this card allows the Hunter to move any one Host Marker on the board from one Town onto any other Town - even if the Hunter playing this is not the same as the Hunter who originally deployed it and who still has the Host Weapon Chit face up on his playsheet. Using this card does not allow the Hunter to place a Host marker on either Castle Dracula, Galatz, or Klausenberg.
If no Host Markers are on the board, then the fourth bonus Host Marker is used. If Dracula is in the chosen Town, he must state so aloud, place his playing piece on the map, and leave the Town in his next Movement Phase (putting his playing piece back on the SMC).
-
HEROIC LEAP - This card may only be played if the Hunter himself is doing the attacking, and not if the Hunter is being attacked by Dracula (ie during his Action Phase the Hunter finds and then chooses to attack Dracula). Normal combat is not fought. The instant the Hunter decides to attack, he plays this card and the instructions are followed. Initiative, Daylight etc are not rolled. Should Dracula negate this with his Devilish Powers card, the Hunter is still committed to a confrontation and so normal combat must take place. A Hunter may not start combat in the ususal fashion and then later decide to play this card during that combat. He either uses this card or attacks as normal.
If Dracula and the Hunter both survive the confrontation, there is no further combat of any nature - they both remain in the same Town.
If this card is played on Dracula when he has '0' or less Blood Points (before the leap), then the leap results in the Vampire's immediate destruction (even if he does not fall to '-12' Blood Points) and the game ends.
-
HIRED SCOUTS - This card only reveals the presence and identity of Encounter Chits. Dracula should not reveal the presence of either Local Rumours or himself if in any of the named Towns.
-
HOUR OF DARKNESS - There is no point in the Dracula Player playing this if the combat involves Agents and Hunters because the time of day has no effect on such combat. This card is only worth using if it is the Lord of the Un-Dead himself who is fighting against the Vampire Hunters.
-
HYPNOSIS - Any Hunter may play this when any Hunter is currently bitten. If the player of the card is not the same as the bitten Hunter, the latter must agree to being Hypnotized. The card is played at the start of the bitten Hunter's turn, who must then miss his turn. The Hunter who plays this card (if not the same as the bitten Hunter) does not miss his turn.
If Hypnosis works, the Dracula playing piece is put on the mapboard in the Town where Dracula currently is, and stays there until Dracula's next Movement Phase when it is returned to the SMC as usual.
Also, Dracula must immediately state where he intends to move to during his next Movement Phase, and he must stick to this choice. However, Dracula can not be held responsible if, for reasons beyond his control (such as a Hunter Event Card), he cannot carry out the move declared.
Finally, the Dracula Player must tell the Hunters how many Vampires he currently has on his SMC, but not where they are. He does not mention any Vampires in the Encounter Set or the Discards.
-
JONATHAN HARKER - Jonathan Harker was one of the key characters in the original Dracula novel who, for the purposes of this game, is otherwise engaged. However, although he cannot join the Hunters in their deadly pursuit he does search the Town where he lives for the evil Count Dracula. If the Hunter Player drawing this correctly guesses Dracula's whereabouts, the Dracula Player places his playing piece in the named Town on the mapboard and combat ensues.
Treat the fight as normal Hunter vs Dracula combat. Harker should have the Dodge and Fist Basic Combat Chits (the Hunter player drawing this card, who incidentally, fights for Harker, should use his own basic combat chits for this), and three Weapon Chits, taken at random from the Weapon Pool. At the start of combat, Harker has 6 wounds (someone should keep a note of this). Harker may never Escape - hence the reason why he does not have the Escape Combat Chit.
When the combat finishes, no matter what the outcome, the Weapon Chits are returned to the Pool.
No Hunter Event Cards may be played to help Harker, but Dracula may play his. Also Harker has no Initiative modifiers. Should Harker lose in any way (ie be bitten, hypnotized, or die of wounding) he becomes a Vampire! If he wins (Dracula forced to escape or even destroyed) then the Event Card is discarded and nothing further happens.
If Harker is turned into a Vampire, the Dracula Player should take the special Harker - Vampire Chit and place it with his Encounter Set for deployment in a later Action Phase. This is an exception to the usual five chit Encounter Set limit, but Dracula may not pass or take any more Encounter Chits until he has less than five again. The Harker Vampire counts as an Encounter Chit Vampire for all purposes for the purposes of Victory Conditions. Should Dracula win the game, Harker is not counted as a Hunter for the purposes of Victory Conditions.
-
MISHAP - If more than one of these are drawn at the same time, the extra are ignored. The Hunter must only miss one turn.
-
NEWSPAPER REPORTS - Dracula should place his playing piece in the Town where he is, on the mapboard until his next Movement Phase, when it is returned to his SMC.
-
PRE-WARNED - If the discarded Encounter Chit is a Szgany and Dracula plays the Szgany Reinforcements Event Card, then the Hunter must still face the second identical Szgany even though he managed to avoid the first one. The Hunter gains no Valour Points for fleeing from the possible confrontation.
-
RAGE - The snatched Weapon Chit is immediately discarded. Then roll the dice openly so that all players can see the result. Dracula may not attempt to use any of his Escape chits until the rolled number of combat rounds have been fought. Somebody should keep a note of the number of rounds fought etc. If a Hunter involved has already played Garlic, Dracula may not play this event card at any time during this combat.
-
RE-EQUIP - The Hunter choosing a new weapon may search through the Weapons Pool for one of his choice. This choice is not revealed to the Dracula Player. The discard is not returned to the pool. It is placed with the Weapon Chit discards.
-
SEDUCTION - This card works regardless of the Hunter's weapons etc and should be played as soon as the Vampire Encounter Chit is revealed. The Hunter should not reveal any of his Weapon Chits. Just follow the instruction below:
The Vampire is returned to the Encounter Set for later re-deployment. This is an exception to the usual 5 chit Encounter Set limit. However, Dracula may not pass or draw fresh Encounter Chits until he has less than five again. As a result one turn will pass with Dracula deploying an Encounter Chit without taking a replacement.
If this is played when a Hunter encounters a Hunter-Vampire, the Hunter-Vampire does not return as usual to the Encounter Set. He is left in the Town.
A Hunter playing the Great Strength Event Card is not bitten but the Vampire is still returned to the Encounter Set.
-
SENSATIONALIST PRESS - If this is played, the Dracula Player does not put the Dracula playing piece on the mapboard, as he usually does with Newspaper Reports. Instead, the Dracula Player merely announces two Towns, one of which is his location.
-
SENSE OF EMERGENCY - If more than one of these are drawn at the same time, the extra are ignored. The Hunter may only have one extra turn.
-
SHIPPING AGENTS - Once played, this card stays face up beside the mapboard as a constant reminder.
After each Movement Phase in which Dracula has used Sea Movement, the Dracula Player must state clearly what he has just done: ie 'Sailing', 'Disembarking' or 'Embarking'.
Should the Dracula Player ever have the Devilish Powers Event Card, he may play it causing the Shipping Agents to be made useless and discarded.
-
STORMY SEAS - This card may not be played on any Sea Sector where there is a Hunter.
If Dracula is in the chosen Sea Sector, he must say so, and place his playing piece on the mapboard, in the Port he has been forced into - where it stays until Dracula's next Movement Phase, when it is returned to his SMC. By an 'Adjacent Port' is meant one which borders the affected Sea Sector (eg London is adjacent to the English Channel). The block takes effect from the start of the Movement Phase of the Hunter playing this, until the start of not his next Movement Phase, but the one afterwards.
-
SUPERSTITIOUS CARRIERS - What this card represents is some local peasants who are delivering Dracula's coffin somewhere, suddenly becoming afraid. Following traditional lore, they throw the Count into a river or some such, in the belief that the clear running water will destroy him. This card may be played no matter where Dracula is (his location is kept a secret). Quite simply the Hunter drawing this card rolls a dice and Dracula may or may not, depending on the roll, lose Blood Points. Irrespective of the result, the card is then discarded and play continues as normal. Use of this card in no way entitles the Hunters to find out where Dracula is.
-
SZGANY REINFORCEMENTS - When facing the second Szgany a whole new combat begins. First round Initiative Modifiers apply again and the combatants may choose as their first round strategy the same combat chit used in the last round of the previous combat. This does not count as using the same chit in two successive rounds - which is not allowed.
-
TRAP - This card should be played after Combat Chits have been selected, but before making Initiative Rolls. Any number of these may be played in combat, and if more than one are played in the same round the modifiers are cumulative.
-
VAMPIRIC INFLUENCE - A Hunter cannot be held responsible for changes to his declared movement plan which are beyond his control. That said, a player intending to catch a train must indicate his route allowing for the fact that he may be travelling upto 3 Towns.
-
WALPURGIS NACHT - If Dracula plays this, he may do nothing else whatsoever during the turn, even if a Hunter is in the same Town.
-
WILD HORSES - The Hunter may not be moved into a Sea Sector. If he is moved into a Town where there is an Encounter Chit, the Hunter must encounter it immediately as if searching the Town. Only after this is done, may the Hunter take Events/Weapons. If there is no Encounter Chit, then the Hunter just takes Weapons etc.
5 - Group Events
The instructions in Section 4 above have to be modified or clarified when it comes to those instances where Event Cards are played on or by Hunters in a group. Such notes are provided below.
- CHARTERED CARRIAGE - If a Hunter in a group plays this, the whole group gets the benefit.
- CUSTOMS SEARCH - All the Hunters in the group lose their weapons and miss their next turn.
- ESCAPE ROUTE - The whole group escapes from combat and does not take any Weapon Chits or Event Cards.
- EXCELLENT WEATHER - The whole group benefits from this card as long as they sail together.
- FALSE TIP-OFF - The whole group is affected by the playing of this card.
- MISHAP - The whole group misses its turn.
- PRE-WARNED - Neither member of the group faces the discarded Encounter Chit.
- SEDUCTION - Only one Hunter from the group is bitten, the Dracula Player chooses which one. The rest are unaffected, and the Vampire Encounter Chit is returned to Dracula's Encounter Set as normal.
- SENSE OF EMERGENCY - The whole group gets an extra turn.
- SZGANY REINFORCEMENTS - Each Hunter in the group must face another identical gypsy, separately.
- WILD HORSES - The whole group is moved away by Dracula.
"You think to baffle me, you - with your pale faces all in a row, like sheep in a butcher's. You shall be sorry yet, each one of you! You think you have left me without a place to rest; but I have more. My revenge is just begun! I spread it over centuries, and time is on my side!"
Copyright © 1987 Games Workshop Ltd. All Rights Reserved.