Kill the Overlord
Kill the Overlord Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Contents
- 8 Character Role Cards
- 7 Elimination Tokens
- 8 Expansion Character Role Cards
- 1 Execution Order Card
- 42 Plot Cards
- XX Gold Tokens
- Instruction Booklet
Card Text and Printed Rules
Text on cards may sometimes contradict this rulesheet. In these cases, text on cards overrules text on the rulesheet.
Overview and Objective
Kill the Overlord is played over a series of Executions, called a Round. Each Execution starts with the Overlord passing the Execution Order to another player. That player must play a plot card from his hand to pass the Execution Order to another player (including back to the Overlord). Players continue passing the Execution Order until one player is no longer able to play cards to defend himself. That player is introduced to the headsman and the Execution ends. If the executed player is the Overlord, then the Round also ends. Players change character roles and collect income. Then a new Round begins with a fresh Execution.
The first player with 40 gold and the role of Overlord wins! The Overlord can also win if he is the last character remaining at the end of an Execution.
Key Terms
Active Players—Active Players are players that have not yet been executed during the current Round. Cards affect only Active Players. Players that have been eliminated during a previous Execution do not participate in future Executions during that Round. Throughout these rules, the word 'player' infers Active Player.
At Rest—The Execution Order is 'at rest' when the plot card moving it has been fully resolved. Some cards can only be played when the Execution Order is 'at rest'.
Execution—An Execution begins the Overlord passing the Execution Order to another player. The Order is passed between players until one player becomes executed. The Execution then ends.
Round—A Round is a series of Executions ending when either the Overlord becomes executed or the Overlord is the last remaining character (in which case he wins).
Setup
First, remove the expansion cards from the game. These are card containing a red cross symbol (e.g. Treachery plot and 8 character role cards.)
Take the character role cards for the appropriate number of players in your game. For your first game we suggest using the following roles:
- 4 Players—Overlord, Captain, Squire and Peasant
- 5 Players—As above, add the General
- 6 Players—As above, add the Knight
- 7 Players—As above, add the Slave
- 8 Players—Use all of the base roles
Perform the following before beginning the game:
- Randomly distribute the ranks you are including in the game to each player.
- Give each player 5 gold.
- Shuffle the deck of plot cards to form a plot deck. Place the plot deck on the table within easy reach of all players.
- Place the elimination tokens on the table within reach of players.
Playing the Game
Kill the Overlord is played over a series of Rounds. Each Round consists of one or more Executions during which players use cards from their hand to pass the Execution Order to other players. The Execution ends when one player is no longer able to pass the Execution Order. The Execution ends, and a new one begins with the Overlord passing the Execution Order to another player. Executions continue until the Overlord is eliminated or is the last player remaining (and wins the game).
Each Round, perform the following steps in the order listed. Each step is performed only once except for the Execution step.
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Draw—Each player draws up to two plot cards. The maximum hand size for most characters is four cards, so players that start a Round with three cards only draw one more, and players with four or more cards draw none.
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Income—Each player takes income from the treasury as indicated by coin symbol on their character role card. Skip the income step during the first Round of the game.
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Coronation—Check to see if the Overlord player has 40 gold. If so, then he is the winner and the game is over. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
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Execution—The Execution step is described in more detail below under the section Playing Plot Cards. In short, the player with the Execution Order must play a card from his hand to pass the Order to another player. A player that cannot pass the order becomes Executed and is eliminated from the Round.
If the eliminated player was the Overlord, the Round ends.
Otherwise the eliminated player puts his character role card in the middle of the table and takes the lowest-numbered elimination token. Then the Overlord passes the Execution Order to another Active Player and another Execution step begins.
Repeat the Execution step until the Overlord is eliminated or is the last character remaining (and wins the game).
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Change Character Roles—Assuming the Overlord was Executed and the game is not over, players change roles as described below:
a. First, the highest-ranked Active Player takes the highest-ranked character card from the center of the table (e.g. the player with the highest numbered shield symbol). He then places his old character card on to the center of the table.
b. Then in order of decreasing rank, each other Active Player does the same - taking the highest-ranked character card from the center of the table, then placing their current character card back on the table. Note that the character card taken by a player may be one placed on the table by a previous player.
Playing Plot Cards
At the start of each Execution, the Overlord passes the Execution Order to any other player. The Overlord does not spend a card to pass, but passes the Execution Order for free as its special ability.
That player must pass the Execution Order to another player. Shield plot cards are the most common way to pass the Execution Order, but some characters may have abilities that let them pass it by other means. The Overlord is not exempt from being passed the Execution Order.
There are 4 different kinds of plot cards.
Shield cards (reddish). These reddish shield cards are the most common way to pass the Execution Order to another player. They often contain gauntlets pointing the direction that the card can be passed. When Played: You have the Execution Order.
Book cards. The book cards can be played on your turn, only if you have no shield plot cards in your hand. When playing a book card, you must reveal your hand to all players to show that you have no shield cards. Some book cards contain key symbols. These are called 'key cards' and can be discarded to provided by players to change the fate of some book cards. (sic — printed as such) Unless it is canceled with a Retaliate card (see below), the book card causes the end of the Execution. When Played: You have the Execution Order and no shield cards.
Retaliate cards. Retaliate cards can be used to cancel another plot card as it is played. The plot card is discarded, and has no effect. The Execution Order does not move. Retaliate cards can be chained together to cancel other Retaliate cards. When Played: Another player passes the Execution Order using a plot card.
Plead Guilty. Plead Guilty is a way to take the Execution Order to yourself. While this can be a risky play, the player gains 1 gold and also draws a card to replace the played Plead Guilty card. Plead Guilty can only be played on shield plot cards. When Played: It must be played while the Execution Order is At Rest. In other words, the 'then' text on the shield plot card has been resolved, but the player with the Execution Order has not yet tried to pass it to another player. Players must allow sufficient time for Plead Guilty to be played before passing the Execution Order. A few seconds is sufficient. Playing Plead Guilty works as if the player that the Execution Order is taken from has passed the Order.
Examples of Play
Playing Shield Plot Cards
The Overlord has been passed the Execution Order by the General. She'd like to play the Martyrdom book card in her hand, as she could use the extra gold. She cannot, however, as she has a shield card in her hand.
She plays Capitalize to give the Execution Order to the Peasant. No Retaliate is played to cancel the plot card, so the Overlord takes 2 gold from the Treasury per the 'then' clause on the Capitalize card.
Playing Plead Guilty
The Captain has been passed the Execution Order with a Vicimize card. He discards a card rather than give up 1 gold (the 'then' clause on the Victimize card causes players to discard a card or give 1 gold to the player passing the Execution Order).
The Squire realizes that she must help. If the Captain were to be eliminated, then there would be no one but her to stop the Overlord from winning! Since the Execution Order is 'at rest' (the 'then' clause has been performed), the Squire can play Plead Guilty to take the Order to herself.
Taking the Execution Order using Plead Guilty is as if it were passed to her by the Captain, so the Squire must discard a card per the Captain's special ability. She does, and then draws a card and gains 1 gold from the bank, per the instructions on the Plead Guilty card. Now to deal with the Overlord...
Playing Retaliate
The Peasant plays Revolution in an attempt to shake things up and raise his lot in life. The Advisor, who stands a good chance at becoming the Overlord next Round definitely does not want to see the roles be changed as a result of a Revolution. She therefore plays Retaliate. The Revolution card is discarded and the Execution Order stays with the Peasant, who must play another card to pass it.
Playing Uprising
The Advisor stands to become the the Overlord next Round if he can just keep himself alive. Unfortunately he's presently got the Execution Order. Since he has no shield cards in his hand, he plays Uprising to pass the Execution Order to the Overlord.
Uprising lets any player discard a key card to eliminate the Overlord. If no other player discards a key card, then the Advisor will be eliminated. The Advisor bet correctly that nobody likes the Overlord - the Squire discards another Uprising card to eliminate the Overlord and end the Round. Note that the Squire discarded the Uprising even though she had red shield cards in her hand, since discarding Uprising is not the same as playing it.
Expansion Rules
After playing a few games with the basic cards, feel free to add in the expansion cards (cards with the red cross symbol) using the rules below.
Using Alternate Characters
The characters with the cross symbol can be used instead of the basic characters. All of the rules are the same, but these characters are slightly more difficult to play due to their special abilities. Characters from both sets can be mixed at the players' discretion.
Using Treachery Cards
The Treachery cards are a second set of key cards that can be used for a slightly more advanced game. Use 3 Uprising and 3 Treachery cards. Place the unused Treachery and Uprising cards in the box - they will not be used.
Common Questions
Q: Can I discard a key card from my hand even though I have shield plot cards?
A: Yes. You cannot play a key card (or any other book card) to pass the Execution Order, but you may discard it from your hand.
Q: When I play Plead Guilty, who is considered to have passed me the Execution Order?
A: When you plead Guilty, the player who currently has the Execution Order immediately sends it to you without playing cards. If this player is the Captain, for example, you must still discard cards.
Q: Can I choose not to rank up?
A: No, players must rank up according to the rules explained in the Change Character Roles section. Some cards, like (sic — the sentence ends here in the printed rules sheet)
Q: What happens if the Slave cannot pay his negative income?
A: They pay as much as possible at the time.
Q: Can I freely show other players my cards?
A: No. You can tell others what you have, but you cannot reveal a card until you are playing it. It is up to other players to decide whether they trust your word. You can use this tactic to lure players into playing an Uprising you don't intend to join, or to keep the Execution Order away by bluffing that you have Martyrdom or Revenge. There's no rule against lying.
Q: Do I have to show everyone else how much money I have?
A: Yes. Your wealth is public knowledge, and must be counted and announced upon request.
Q: Is there any difference between using the male/female roles or Execution Order?
A: No, these are purely aesthetic. Also, there is no difference between the male and female executioners on the Execution Order.