Legend of Heroes

Legend of Heroes Rulebook

Table of Contents

Starter Game Rules

Read These First.

Reading the Rules

If you don't want to read all of these Starter Game rules at once, you can start playing straight away after Setting Up and reading the rules for Moving Around and Exploring Rooms. You can read the rules for Dangers in the Dungeon later when they are needed during the game. If you want to play the game on your own, read all these rules first and then the special rules for Playing Solo.

Setting Up

Lay the board out on a table. The board shows the rooms and corridors of the Dungeons of Legend.

Key to the board: Dungeon Entrance (purple); Doorway Square (red); Corridor (yellow); Room (beige).

Separate out the five kinds of Action cards (Rooms, Features, Monsters, Hazards and Treasures) from the pack and shuffle each pile. Put the rest of the pack on one side for a minute.

Deal one Room card (face down) onto each room space on the board. The two Room cards left over are not used, so put them on one side (this is the start of the Discard Pile). Put the other four piles of Action cards (face down) next to the board.

Pick up the main pack again, separate out the Fighter cards and give one to each player (there is no advantage in having any particular one). The card shows the Fighter's name and what he looks like; it goes on the table in front of the player with the coloured "non-wounded" side face up.

The other Hero cards (Clerics, Rogues, Magic Users and Dwarves) and the Spell cards are only used in the Expanded Game, so put them on the Discard Pile along with any unused Fighter cards.

Let each player try rolling one of the special 20-sided LEGEND OF HEROES dice. They work just like ordinary dice - your score is the number on the top. (Example: in the illustration on the right the score would be 8.) The player with the highest score goes first in the game.

In turn, each player chooses a coloured token to represent their Fighter as he explores the Dungeon, and puts it on a red doorway square next to one of the five purple dungeon entrance circles. Only one Fighter can start from each entrance.

Moving Around

During the game, players take turns to move their Fighters.

You do not use the dice to move. Each turn your Fighter moves from one of the red doorway squares to another. The only restrictions are that the two doorways must be linked by a corridor or room (with no other doors in between), and that you cannot move to the same doorway as another Fighter.

(Example: in the situation below the Fighter can move through the room to A, or along the corridor to B or C, but he cannot move straight to D or E.)

If your Fighter's move takes him through a room containing a Room card or any other Action card (Feature, Monster, Hazard or Treasure), then he must pause to explore the room.

Exploring Rooms

When your Fighter enters a room containing an Action card, the player on your right picks it up and reads out the title and description. This player is called the Narrator. (Note: if very young children are playing, then any older player can be the Narrator.)

Most Action cards lead on to another Action card. When the Narrator reaches the bottom of a card, the red arrow tells him what kind of card to pick up next (from the appropriate pile). In this way, the Narrator reads through a series of cards to reveal the dangers and rewards which await your Fighter.

The description on each card follows on from the previous one so that the series of cards reads like a story.

(Example: if the Narrator picks up the Map Room card followed by the Troll card, he should read out: "Map room. Strange maps of every description hang on all four walls of this room, and others lie heaped on the floor. You enter, but find you are not alone. Facing you is a... Troll, which grins evilly as it attacks.")

When the Narrator comes to the bottom of a card with an "End of Room" box, then the exploration of that room is finished. You move your Fighter to one of the doorways leading out of the room (your choice - you can go to the same doorway that you came in by if you like). The Narrator puts the used Action cards on the Discard Pile and your turn ends.

When the Narrator draws a Treasure card, he reads the title and description as usual and draws another card if the red arrow tells him to. Then he gives you the Treasure card to keep. Treasure cards are not put on the Discard Pile.

There are special rules for dealing with Monster and Hazard cards. These rules are in the Dangers in the Dungeon section below. If you want, you can wait until you encounter a monster or hazard before reading these rules.

Ending the Game

The game ends when all the rooms have been explored. Add up the values (in Gold Pieces) of the treasures which each of the Fighters has collected, and the player with the most is the winner.

Dangers in the Dungeon

Monster and Hazard Cards

When the Narrator draws a Monster or Hazard card, he reads out the first part of the description (above the picture) and puts the card face up next to your Fighter so that the boxes line up.

Now it's up to your Fighter to try to overcome the danger. Read off the number on the Monster/Hazard card next to the red dot on your Fighter card. (Example: for Brand against the Troll the number is 12, and against the Falling Slab it is 10.) Then roll one of the dice.

If your Fighter's roll is the same as or more than the number, then your Fighter has killed the Monster or overcome the Hazard. The Narrator reads out the rest of the description and draws another card if the red arrow tells him to.
If your Fighter's roll is less than the number, then:
- If the danger is a Hazard, your Fighter is wounded. This ends your turn (see Being Wounded below).
- If the danger is a Monster, your Fighter's attack has missed and the Monster attacks back. The Narrator finds the number on your Fighter card next to the red dot on the Monster card. (Example: for the Troll against Brand this number is 13.) He then rolls one of the dice. If the Monster's roll is the same as or more than the number, then the Monster has hit and wounded your Fighter (see Being Wounded below). If the Monster's roll is less than the number, then it has missed and your Fighter attacks again. If your Fighter misses, then the Monster attacks again, and so on until he either kills the Monster or is wounded. No matter how many attacks this takes, they are all contained within your one turn.

Being Wounded

If your Fighter is wounded:

You turn your Fighter card over to show the "Wounded Fighter" side.
Your Fighter retreats to the same red doorway square that he came into the room by.
The Narrator puts the Monster or Hazard card which wounded your Fighter face down on the room space, and puts the other used Action cards (but not Treasure cards, which you keep) on the Discard Pile.
Your turn ends.

Note: the exploration of the room can be continued later; see Partly Explored Rooms below.

You do not miss a turn after being wounded. At the start of your next turn your Fighter has recovered from his wounds - turn the Fighter card back over and carry on as usual.

Partly Explored Rooms

Any Fighter can enter a partly explored room and take up the action from where it was left off. The first thing he has to do is deal with any Monster or Hazard card left there.

In the turn after your Fighter has been wounded, he can either go straight back into the room or move away to try somewhere else. If you move away, you can return to the room later, but this may give other players the chance to go in and finish the exploration while you are away.

Note: if another Fighter was waiting at one of the other doorways to the room during your turn, he will have the chance to slip in before your turn comes round again.

Playing Solo

Legend of Heroes is a very easy game to play on your own. You explore the Dungeon in the normal way, but the game ends after your Fighter has been wounded eight times (tick them off on a piece of paper). After he has suffered eight wounds, your Fighter is so exhausted that he has to leave the Dungeon, so add up how much treasure he has found. Next time you play, your object is to collect more treasure while only being wounded the same number of times.

Expanded Game Rules

Read the Starter Game Rules First.

The Expanded Game builds on the Starter Game, adding new challenges and extra excitement to your adventures. If you have not played the Starter Game, you may want to try it first before attempting the Expanded Game.

What's Different About the Expanded Game?

In the Expanded Game there are rules for Using Magical Spells and new rules for Being Wounded. However, the most important difference is that, instead of just a solitary Fighter, each player now takes a group (called a "Party") of five heroic companions on an exploration of the Dungeons of Legend. Each of the five Heroes has his own special powers and abilities:

Fighters and Dwarves are good at fighting most kinds of Monsters,
Clerics are good at fighting some Monsters and can heal wounded Heroes,
Rogues are very good at dealing with Hazards, and
Magic Users can cast magical spells.

The way to win is still to have the most treasure at the end of the game when all of the rooms have been explored.

New Rules

The Expanded Game uses many of the same rules as the Starter Game. The important new rules are printed in italics and marked with a star (*). (The italic and star marking is not carried through in the text layer of the source, so the new rules below are not individually marked.)

Setting Up

Lay the board out on a table. The board shows the rooms and corridors of the Dungeons of Legend.

Key to the board: Dungeon Entrance (purple); Doorway Square (red); Corridor (yellow); Room (beige).

Separate out the five kinds of Action cards (Rooms, Features, Monsters, Hazards and Treasures) from the pack and shuffle each pile. Put the rest of the pack on one side for a minute.

In turn, each player chooses a coloured token to represent their Party of Heroes as they explore the Dungeon, and puts it on a red doorway square next to one of the five purple dungeon entrance circles. Only one Party can start from each entrance.

Separate out the Spell cards from the pack, shuffle them and deal one to each player. Put the left-over Spell cards in a pile (face down) next to the board. This is the Spell Pile.

Separate out the five kinds of Hero cards (Fighters, Dwarves, Clerics, Rogues and Magic Users) from the pack and give one of each kind to each player. There is no advantage in having any particular ones, but you must have one of each type. Any Hero cards left over go on the Discard Pile.

Sorting the Party

As your Party of Heroes explores the Dungeon, it is important to know which of them is at the front of the group (the "Leader").

To show which Hero is at the front, lay out your five Hero cards in a row with the coloured, non-wounded sides up. Put the Hero that you want to have in the lead at the right-hand end. During the game there will be plenty of opportunities to change which Hero is leading. (Hint: to begin with, most players put their Fighter or Dwarf at the front.) Put the Spell card (face up) near the Magic User.

(Illustration caption: "A Party of Heroes with Rolf as the Leader.")

Moving Around

During the game, players take turns to move their Parties of Heroes.

You do not use the dice to move. Each turn your Party moves from one of the red doorway squares to another. The only restrictions are that the two doorways must be linked by a corridor or room (with no other doors in between), and that you cannot move to the same doorway as another Party. (Example: in the situation below the Party can move through the room to A, or along the corridor to B or C, but they cannot move straight to D or E.)

If your Party's move takes them through a room containing a Room card or any other Action card (Feature, Monster, Hazard or Treasure), then they must pause to explore the room.

Exploring Rooms

When your Party enters a room containing an Action card, the player on your right picks it up and reads out the title and description. This player is called the Narrator. (Note: if very young children are playing, then any older player can be the Narrator.)

The description on each card follows on from the previous one so that the series of cards reads like a story. (Example: if the Narrator picks up the Map Room card followed by the Troll card, he should read out: "Map room. Strange maps of every description hang on all four walls of this room, and others lie heaped on the floor. You enter, but find you are not alone. Facing you is a... Troll, which grins evilly as it attacks.")

When the Narrator comes to the bottom of a card with an "End of Room" box, then the exploration of that room is finished. You move your Party to one of the doorways leading out of the room (your choice - you can go to the same doorway that you came in by if you like). The Narrator puts the used Action cards on the Discard Pile and your turn ends.

There are special rules for dealing with Monster and Hazard cards. These rules are in the Dangers in the Dungeon section below.

Ending the Game

The game ends when all the rooms have been explored. Add up the value (in Gold Pieces) of the treasures which each Party has collected - the player with the most is the winner.

Dangers in the Dungeon

Changing Leader

When the Narrator comes to a red arrow telling him to draw a Monster or Hazard card, he must tell you what type of card (Monster or Hazard) is coming and give you a chance to change your Party Leader before he draws the card from the pile.
You do not have to change Leader, but if you want to, then decide which Hero you want to be the new Leader and swap the two cards.

Making Brand the New Party Leader

Monsters

When the Narrator draws a Monster card, he reads out the first part of the description (above the picture) and puts the card face up next to your Party Leader so that the boxes line up.

Now it's up to your Leader to try to fight the Monster. Read off the number on the Monster card next to the red dot on your Leader's card (Example: for Brand against the Troll the number is 12), and roll one of the dice.

If your Leader's roll is the same as or more than the number, then your Leader has killed the Monster. The Narrator reads out the rest of the description and draws another card if necessary.
If your Leader's roll is less than the number, then your Leader's attack has missed and the Monster attacks back. The Narrator finds the number on your Leader's card next to the red dot on the Monster card (Example: for the Troll against Brand this number is 13) and rolls one of the dice. If the Monster's roll is the same as or more than the number, then the Monster has hit and wounded your Leader (see the new rules for Being Wounded below). If the Monster's roll is less than the number, then it has missed.
After the Monster has attacked back (and whether or not it hit your Leader), you can retreat from the room if you want to by putting your Party back on the doorway square from which they came into the room. The Narrator puts the Monster card face down on the room and the other used Action cards on the Discard Pile, and your turn ends.
If you did not retreat, you can change Leader if you want to by swapping his card for one of the other Heroes. Now your Leader attacks the Monster, and so on until the Monster is killed or you retreat. No matter how many attacks this takes, they are all contained within your one turn. You have the option to retreat or change Leader after each of the Monster's attacks.

Using Magical Spells

In a fight with a Monster your Magic User can attack in the same way as the other Heroes, but he is not very good at it. The best way for Magic Users to attack is by using Magical Spells.

Your Magic User can only cast a Magical Spell if he has a Spell card and if he is at the front of the Party. Instead of putting the Magic User and Monster cards next to each other, you put the Spell card (face up) between them so that the boxes line up. Then roll one of the dice.
The spell table on the Expanded Game sheet shows, in the spell table, the result for each roll. Its heading reads "Spell (roll 7 or more)", and its result columns read "No Effect" and "Success". The spell names and the numbers in the table are not legible in the text layer of the source and are not transcribed here (see the source note above).
If the Magic User's roll is less than the number given under the spell name, then the spell has automatically failed. (Example: an Ice Storm spell fails if your roll is less than 7.)
If the Magic User's roll is the same as or more than the number, then the Monster has been overcome by the spell unless it is immune to its effects. To check for this, read what is written on the Spell card in the box next to the red dot on the Monster card. "Success" means that the Monster is overcome and the fight is over. "No Effect" means that the Monster is unaffected and can attack the Magic User in the usual way. (Hint: it is wise to make sure that a Monster is not immune to a spell before you cast it.)
Whether or not your spell is successful, it can only be used once. After it is cast, put the Spell card back with the others in the Spell Pile and shuffle them.

Regaining Spells

A Magic User who has cast his spell can learn a new one by taking time to read his spell books. To give him time to do this, you must miss a turn. At the end of the turn you take the top card from the Spell Pile and put it with your Magic User.
A Magic User can only have one Spell card at a time.

Hazards

Hazards are treated very much like Monsters. Put the Hazard card next to the Leader so that the boxes line up and read off the number next to the red dot on the Leader's card. (Example: if Brand is facing the Falling Slab the number is 10.) Then roll one of the dice.

If the Leader's roll is the same as or more than the number, then he has overcome the Hazard. The Narrator reads out the rest of the description and draws another card if necessary.

The Expanded Game rules text ends here in the source upload. The rest of the Hazards section, the Expanded Game's new Being Wounded rules (referred to in the Monsters section above), and the spell table are not present in the source and are not transcribed.