Orcs Must Die! The Board Game: Unchained Edition Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components List: Order Edition
• Components List: Unchained Edition
• Summary of the Game
• Game Set-Up
  • Rift Display Set-Up
  • Difficulty Selection and Map Set-Up
  • Place the Invading Orc (or Soldier) Army
  • Choose and Place Heroes
  • Select Rift Lord
  • Game Mode (difficulty adjustment)
• Game Level
• How to Play
• Hero Upgrade Phase
  • Boost Rift Skull Pool (Rift Lord Only)
  • Heal (only at Rift)
  • Revitalize
  • Upgrade Weapon
  • Purchase Gear
  • Place Trap
    • Support Traps
• Minion Phase
  • Step 1: Minion Movement
  • Step 2: New Wave Enters the Map
  • Step 3: Traps Fire
  • Step 4: Minions Enter Rift
  • Step 5: Minions Attack
  • Step 6: Stand Stunned Minions back up
• Hero Action Phase
  • Attack
  • Move
  • Recover from Stun
  • Special Actions
  • Special Tiles
• Upkeep Phase
  • Level Preparation
  • New Rift Lord
  • Courage Skulls (Rivalry only)
  • Player Resurrection
  • Restock Rift Display Shop
• How to Attack (and Read) Dice
  • Dice Key
  • Stun Results
  • Stun Vulnerability
  • Wild Results
  • Combining Results
  • Healing Dice
  • Hero and Minion Death
  • Traps
  • Running Out of Dice
• Understanding Minions
• Understanding Hero Cards, Gear and Weapons
  • Your Hero Card
  • Gear Basics
    • Amulets
    • Rings
    • Trinkets
  • Weapon Basics
• Tiles
  • Traps Per Tile Type
  • Teleporter
  • Acid Bath and Lava Lake (Easy)
  • Trapsburg (easy)
  • Gas Chamber (hard)
  • Caltrops (hard)
• Bosses!
  • How to Choose a Boss
  • Where are My Bosses?
  • Notes on Bosses
  • Bosses and Rivalry Games
• Rivalry Mode
  • Basics of Rivalry
  • Rivalry Game Set-Up
  • Enemy Rift Lords!
  • Phases and Sequence of Play
  • Endless Levels!
  • Minion Behavior
  • Rivalry Attacking
  • Rivalry Traps
  • Rivalry Move
  • Ranged Attack
  • Victory in the Rival Game
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Glossary
• Maps (Map Book introduction)
  • Make Your Own Maps

Components List: Order Edition

This component list includes all the pieces in the core game, Orcs Must Die Order The Boardgame! It does not include the components found in the companion Unchained Game nor any expansion packs.

• 4 Hero Cards
• 29 large Die-Cut Tile Maps
  • 17 Standard Tiles
  • 1 Rift
  • 2 Crossroads
  • 1 T-Junction
  • 2 L-Junctions
  • 1 Teleporter
  • 1 Acid Bath
  • 1 Lava Lake
  • 1 Trapsburg
  • 1 Caltrops
  • 1 Gas Chamber
• Map Book
• Rift Display
• Order Minion Guide
• 21 Dice: 10 White Battle Dice, 2 Red Fire Dice, 2 Yellow Lightning Dice, 2 Purple Arcane Dice, 2 Blue Frost Dice, 3 Green Health Dice
• Die-Cut Tokens: 1 Level Marker, 4 Hero Health Markers, 4 double-sided Hero Ultimate Tokens
• Tokens: 1 large Rift Lord Token, 1 Rift Health Marker, 60 Skull Tokens
• Cards:
  • 12 Weapon Cards (3 per Hero)
  • Army Deck of 42 Cards
  • Gear Decks: 54 Cards (14 First Level, 20 Second Level, 20 Third Level)
  • Trap Decks: 42 Cards (14 First Level, 14 Second Level, 14 Third Level)
• 57 Figures
  • 4 Heroes (Cygnus, Gabriella, Ivy, Maximilian)

Components List: Unchained Edition

This component list includes all the pieces in the core game, Orcs Must Die Unchained The Boardgame! It does not include the components found in the companion Order game, nor any expansion packs.

• 4 Hero Cards
• 29 large Die-Cut Tile Maps
  • 17 Standard Tiles
  • 1 Rift
  • 1 Crossroads
  • 1 T-Junction
  • 2 L-Junctions
  • 1 Teleporter
  • 1 Acid Bath
  • 1 Lava Lake
  • 1 Trapsburg
  • 1 Caltrops
  • 1 Gas Chamber
• Map Book
• Rift Display
• Unchained Minion Guide
• 21 Dice: 10 White Battle Dice, 2 Red Fire Dice, 2 Yellow Lightning Dice, 2 Purple Arcane Dice, 2 Blue Frost Dice, 3 Green Health Dice
• Die-Cut Tokens: 1 Level Marker, 4 Hero Health Markers, 4 double-sided Hero Ultimate Tokens
• Tokens: 1 large Rift Lord Token, 1 Rift Health Marker, 60 Skull Tokens
• Cards:
  • 12 Weapon Cards (3 per Hero)
  • Army Deck of 42 Cards
  • Gear Decks: 54 Cards (14 First Level, 20 Second Level, 20 Third Level)
  • Trap Decks: 42 Cards (14 First Level, 14 Second Level, 14 Third Level)
• 57 Figures
  • 4 Heroes (Ball & Chain, Bloodspike, Midnight, Sir Winston)

Summary of the Game

This is the officially licensed board game adaptation of the original Orcs Must Die! video game series produced by Robot Entertainment. You and your friends are Heroes defending your fortress from invading Waves of Orcs (or Soldiers) and their grotesque allies. You will build up your Hero's abilities over time by adding useful weapons and Gear, and you can improve your fortress's defenses by laying traps. But beware, your enemy grows stronger over time too!

If you can weather and survive all the Waves of attacks from all the Armies you will face before your Rift is destroyed, you win!

Game Set-Up

When playing the Rivalry game (with two Teams), please also read the Rivalry Game Set-Up section later in this rule booklet.

Rift Display Set-Up

Place the Rift Display where all Heroes can see it. Shuffle the 1st Level Gear and Trap decks and place them side-by-side near the Rift Display. Leave the Second and Third Level Gear and Trap decks to one side for now.

On the Rift Display track, place the Rift Health marker on the appropriate box for your number of players: 10 for a four player game, 8 for three players, and 6 for two players.

Place the Level marker on the First Level box.

Place a single Skull Token on the big skull image on the Rift Display. This is the first Skull in your Rift Skull Pool.

Difficulty Selection and Map Set-Up

Choose a Map layout from those provided in the Map Book. Lay out the appropriate Map Tiles as indicated.

Important: Maps are divided into difficulty ratings. Be sure to choose one your Group prefers.

Place the Invading Orc (or Soldier) Army

At the start of the game, you are on Level 1. The Map will tell you how many Armies will be invading on Level 1 (usually only 1 Army at the start). Take the deck of Army Cards and shuffle them. Then, deal out exactly 3 Army Cards for each Army the Map has. (Throughout the game, each Army will always start with exactly 3 Cards). Place this Army of 3 Cards, face down, next to its start Tile. If there are 2 Armies on the same start Tile, place them side by side, never combine them.

Choose and Place Heroes

Each player chooses a Hero, and takes that Hero's figure, Hero Card, and three unique weapon Cards and places it near his seat. He can set his Hero figure anywhere on the Map. The weapon Cards should be set to one side. Set your Health marker to its maximum. Each player takes 1 Skull Token to put it on their Hero Card. This is the first Skull for your Hero's own Skull Pool, not to be confused with the Rift's Skull Pool (on the Rift Display). Place your Ultimate Token on your Hero Card.

Select Rift Lord

Select the first Rift Lord in any way you choose. (One easy system is for everyone to roll 4 battle Dice, and the person with the most Sword results is "it".) He or she takes the Rift Lord Token.

Game Mode (difficulty adjustment)

Of course all Maps come with a Difficulty rating, but you can further fine-tune your overall gameplay experience by choosing whether to play in Standard or Challenge mode.

• Standard Mode: Ultimate Tokens start face-up.
• Challenge Mode: Ultimate Tokens start face-down. This bumps up a Map's difficulty by about 1 Level (i.e., from Beginner to Moderate, from Moderate to Hard, etc.)

Game Level

Many game elements are affected by the current Game Level. The Level starts at 1, and rises through the game until it reaches 3. These Levels are symbolized by colored gems.

• White Gem: This is a First Level item, unit, etc.
• Green Gem: This is a Second Level item, unit, etc.
• Blue Gem: This is a Third Level item, unit, etc.

Minions upgrade automatically when the Level changes. Weapons, Traps, and Gear do not. It is possible for a player to continue using a First Level weapon during the Third Level of play, though it may not be wise.

How to Play

Each full game of Orcs Must Die! consists of 3 Levels. You and your friends must weather all 3. If your Rift survives until all enemies are eliminated, you win! Otherwise, you lose.

Each Level plays out by cycling through the following four Phases, in this order:

1. Hero Upgrade Phase
2. Minion Phase
3. Hero Action Phase
4. Upkeep Phase

Keep cycling through the Phases until it is time for the next Level, which happens when there are no more Army Cards to turn over for that Level.

Hero Upgrade Phase

The Hero Upgrade Phase is taken simultaneously, all players on the Team participating at once. Any disputes (for example, who gets to buy a coveted Gear) are resolved by the Rift Lord. If any player wants to spend Skulls from the Skull Pool, the Rift Lord must permit it. Players may do as many types of Upgrades as desired, but may only do each one a single time!

There are six types of Upgrades players can do:

• Boost Rift Skull Pool (Rift Lord only)
• Heal (Only when at the Rift)
• Revitalize
• Upgrade Weapon
• Purchase Gear
• Place Trap

Boost Rift Skull Pool (Rift Lord Only)

The Rift Lord may transfer any or all Skulls from his personal store of Skulls on his Hero Card to the Rift Skull Pool.

Heal (only at Rift)

All players on the Rift Tile can roll a number of Heal Dice equal to the current Level and apply the result to himself. This means you roll one die in Level One, two Dice in Level Two, and three Dice in Level Three, adding all results together. A player may not Heal more than his max Health; excess Health is wasted.

War Mage's Tip: You can roll the Heal Dice even if uninjured, hoping to earn a Skull. It's worth a shot!

Revitalize

Any player can choose to discard three Skulls per player on his Team, from the Rift Skull Pool, to Revitalize the Team. When this is done, all Heroes on the Team flip their Ultimate Token face-up (if face-down), and your Rift's Health increases by 1 (unless it is already at its maximum). Only a single player may do the Revitalize Upgrade during a given Hero Upgrade Phase.

To clarify: if your Team has 2, 3, or 4 players, it costs 6, 9, or 12 Skulls respectively to Revitalize. These Skulls must be spent from the Rift Skull Pool (which is on the Rift Display).

Upgrade Weapon

Heroes may choose to Upgrade their available weapon by paying the current cost in Skulls, and replacing the old weapon. You may only buy a Weapon that is available in the current Level (or a previous Level). You must buy weapons in sequence.

For example, if it is the 3rd Level, and you have never Upgraded your Weapon, you must first Upgrade to the 1st Level Weapon. Then, on the next Hero Upgrade Phase, you may Upgrade to your 2nd Level Weapon, and so forth.

War Mage's Tip: I always buy my currently best Crossbow before the next Level starts so I don't have to buy more than one Weapon per Level!

Purchase Gear

Heroes can pick Gear from the Cards in their Team's Rift Display by spending Skulls equal to the cost. Players can spend their own Skulls, or they can use Skulls from the Team's Skull Pool (or a combination thereof).

When you purchase Gear, place it on your Hero Card, discarding any Gear it replaces. You have limits on Gear placement; you can only have one Amulet, one Ring, and one Trinket (the slots are labeled on your sheet). Remember, you can only do this Upgrade once, so you cannot buy both a Ring and a Trinket, for example. You can only buy 1 Gear during the Hero Upgrade Phase.

War Mage's Tips: I'm an exciting exception; I can mix and match Amulets, Rings, and Trinkets as I please! But I'm still limited to three pieces of Gear at a time.

When Gear is purchased, leave its slot on the Rift Display empty for now. It will refill during the Upkeep Phase.

Place Trap

Pay for any Trap on the Rift Display display and place it on your Hero's current Tile (exception: you may not place traps in special Tiles). You must pay for the Trap by discarding Skulls equal to its cost. You can either use your own Skulls, or you can spend Skulls from the Rift Display's Skull Pool (or a combination thereof).

If a Tile already has all the Traps it can hold, you may discard an existing Trap to place a new one. More than one Hero may place a Trap on the same Tile (if it can hold that many), but each Hero may only place a single Trap per Hero Upgrade Phase. The number of Traps each tile can hold is explained in the Tiles section.

If Trapsburg is part of your Map, discard any traps it currently has, and place 2 new ones on it from the Traps Deck for free.

When a Trap is placed, leave its slot on the Rift Display empty for now. It will re-fill at the start of the Upkeep Phase.

Support Traps

Some traps are labeled as "Support Traps". They go between Tiles, and can affect either Tile. There can only be 1 Support Trap between 2 Tiles.

Figure 2: This shows the 2 Traps on each Tile, as well as a Support Trap between each pair of Tiles. This shows all possible Trap locations for the Straight Shot 2 Map in a four-player game.

Figure 3: The same as the previous illustration, but for a 3-player game. Note that only the Start Tile can hold 2 traps.

Figure 4: Ditto, but for a 2-player game. None of the Tiles can hold more than 1 Trap. But they still support 1 Support Trap between each Tile.

Minion Phase

When all players are finished Upgrading, begin the Minion Phase. The Minion Phase has six distinct steps, which must happen in order:

1. Enemies already on the Map move from their current Tile closer to the Rift. Move enemies on Tiles closest to the Rift first, then work backwards.
2. The new Wave enters. Reveal the top Card of each Army, and place the new Minions as though entering from off-Map.
3. Traps Fire.
4. Enemies in the Rift vanish, damaging it. (Gnolls or Lions in the Rift do not vanish).
5. Remaining non-stunned enemies attack as Groups, each Group attacks a single Hero.
6. Stand Stunned enemies back up.

Step 1: Minion Movement

Advance all Minions on the Map, except Stunned Minions, who can be identified by the fact they lie on their sides! Most Tiles have one arrow pointing to one of its sides. Minions always move through the arrow. Three Tiles (the T-Junction, L-Junction, and Crossroads) have two (or even three) exit arrows. Such Tiles are pre-printed with rules for how to split Minions as they move through the Tiles.

Figure 5: Illustration of a Map showing movement. See the example for details.

In the preceding illustration, a Minion on the central Start Tile first moves to the C Tile, and then to the Rift. A Minion on the top Start Tile moves to the A Tile, then the B Tile, then to the Rift. These Minions cannot take any other path (Gnolls and Lions are exceptions).

Figure 6: A Gnoll Group on Tile A could move to Heroes on B, C, D, or E, or chosen by Rift Lord. If no Heroes are within reach, they should move towards the Rift.

Remember that stunned Minions neither attack nor move!

How to Move Minions: It is easiest to remember who has and has not moved if you move Minion Groups in sequence starting with those nearest to the Rift. Move Gnolls and Lions last of all, because a decision must be made for each such Group. Remember Kobolds and Satyrs Move two Tiles at 2nd and 3rd Level, so advance them two Tiles immediately. After all other Minions have been moved, move all on-Map Gnolls and Lions. These Minions MUST move to a Hero's Tile if at all possible. They can even move backwards to achieve this. If a Gnoll or Lion Group has more than one possible target, the Rift Lord chooses the victim. If no Heroes are close enough for the Gnolls or Lions to reach, they move towards the Rift.

Step 2: New Wave Enters the Map

Flip over one Card from each Army. Read the Card and draw that many Minion figures from the pool, according to how many Heroes you have. Place all the Minions of that Wave as though they arrived from just off-Map. For example, if Minions with a Move of 2 are just entering the Map, they treat the Start Tile as their first Tile of movement, and progress to the second Tile.

Again, remember that Gnolls and Lions move towards Heroes, so even though they have a Move of 2, they may stop in the first Tile, if a Hero is there.

Example: It is a four-player game on the very first turn of the Straight Shot Map. Since two Armies are attacking, there are two Army stacks of 3 Cards each. One Card is drawn from each of these two Armies. Reading the "Four Heroes" results on each Card, the Cards generate 3 Crossbow Orcs, 2 Gnolls, and 1 Ogre, plus 2 Orcs and 3 Gnolls. Since this is the 1st Level, any Greater Minions drawn are replaced by 3 Orcs, so this is done for the Ogre. The final total is therefore 5 Orcs, 3 Crossbow Orcs, and 5 Gnolls all entering the first Tile, a frightening total!

A Hero stands on the Start Tile, and another on the next Tile in. Though the Gnolls entered on two separate Cards, they become a single Group immediately when they are placed on the Map. The Gnolls have a Move of 2, so may either stay on the Start Tile, attacking the Hero there, or they can move to the second Tile to attack that Hero. The Rift Lord decides where they end up. If no Heroes are on either Tile, the Gnolls just move 2 Tiles towards the Rift.

Figure 7: When new Minions enter, most would simply stop in the Start Tile A. Kobolds or Satyrs would move to B. Gnolls and Lions could stop in A (if there is a Hero) or move on to B.

If you do not have enough figures to place all the new Minions listed on the Cards, replace all missing figures with an equal number of Minion figures of the same category: you must replace lesser Minions with lesser, and greater Minions with greater. Replace all missing Minions in the following order:

1. Lesser Minions (Order Edition): Orcs > Crossbow Orcs > Kobolds > Gnolls
2. Lesser Minions (Unchained Edition): Soldiers > Crossbowmen > Satyrs > Lions
3. Greater Minions (Order Edition): Hobgoblin Shaman > Trolls > Ogres
4. Greater Minions (Unchained Edition): Dwarf Shaman > Bears > Giants

Example: The players must place 6 Crossbow Orcs, but only have 2 in their supply. They must make up the difference with Orcs instead. Unfortunately, they only have 3 Orcs in the supply, so after placing those 3 Orcs, they must now place a Kobold. (If they were out of Kobolds, they'd have to place a Gnoll!)

If you have two Start Tiles and need to choose replacements between them, you can mix them up between the Start Tiles as your Team chooses.

Example: Through a bout of bad luck, the players already have 3 Trolls on the Map. When the next Wave is drawn, two more Trolls are supposed to appear, but we only have 1 Troll figure left. The Rift Lord must replace one of the Trolls with a Hobgoblin Shaman; he can replace either Troll however.

War Mage's Tip: Notice that Minions with a Move of 2 can "skip over" traps, thus avoiding them. You have to plan traps carefully to catch a Kobold.

Step 3: Traps Fire

After all the Minions have moved, go Tile by Tile, and fire all traps with potential targets. Most traps simply produce a specific kind of damage. In each Tile, trap damage can be added together to kill Minions. If the trap results can be combined more than one way, the Rift Lord makes the decision. Some traps are discarded after they fire; these traps do not have to fire, if you want to save them for a later Wave. Traps can be used to target enemy Heroes, Minions, or Bosses.

Example: The Spike trap produces a Sword each time it fires. During the 1st and 2nd Levels, this is enough to kill an Orc by itself. At 3rd Level, two Spike traps in the same room can combine to kill an Orc.

War Mage's Tip: Remember, stunned enemies don't attack!

Add 1 Skull to the Rift Display's Skull Pool for each lesser Minion killed by traps (or 3 per greater Minion).

A full explanation of how Traps deal damage is found in the How to Attack (and Read Dice) section.

Step 4: Minions Enter Rift

Minions in the Rift do not attack, but are removed from the Map, and damage the Rift.

• Orc, Crossbow Orcs, Soldiers and Crossbowmen inflict 1 damage on the Rift each.
• Kobolds and Satyrs inflict 2 damage on the Rift each.
• All Greater Minions inflict 3 damage on the Rift each.
• Bosses inflict a variable amount of damage on the Rift (see the Boss's description for details).
• Gnolls, Lions, and Heroes (in Rivalry Mode) cannot directly damage the Rift.

Crossbow Orcs and Crossbowmen: These cunning fiends can attack either into their own Tile, or the Tile next closest the Rift. They cannot shoot at the Tile "behind" or to either side, only ahead. If they have more than one potential target, the Rift Lord chooses. Sometimes this ability to attack into the next Tile can be used to the players' advantage, though.

Step 5: Minions Attack

Each Group of Minions with a potential target MUST attack. Each Tile is done at a time, in any order. All Groups in that Tile attack independently, i.e., all Orcs in a Tile attack together, then all Crossbow Orcs, etc.

When a Minion Group attacks, they must target a single Hero. (Excess damage is ignored, if the Hero is killed.)

Example: A Troll, 4 Orcs, and a Gnoll are in a Tile with Maximilian and Gabriella. The Team decides to have the Troll attack first, targeting Gabriella, because Maximilian is down to 2 Health. The Troll inflicts 3 damage, though, dropping Gabriella to only 2 remaining Health as well. The Team then decides to have the 4 Orcs attack Maximilian and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the Orcs inflict 3 damage, killing Maximilian (the extra point of damage is ignored). The remaining Gnoll must now attack Gabriella, because Maximilian is no longer available as a target, what with being dead and all.

If more than one Hero is a potential target, the Rift Lord chooses who gets attacked.

The Rift Lord chooses in what order Minion Groups attack, and he can see the results before choosing the next victim.

All Minions in a particular Tile must finish all attacks before the Rift Lord chooses a new Tile.

A full explanation of how Minions deal damage is found in How to Attack (and Read Dice).

War Mage's Tip: Minions Stunned by a trap miss their next Attack. A Minion Stunned by a Hero's attack actually misses his next Move and Attack, which is better.

Step 6: Stand Stunned Minions back up

They are no longer Stunned.

Hero Action Phase

During the Hero Action Phase, each Hero takes his turn, one at a time, starting with the Rift Lord. The Rift Lord is always the first player to take his turn, after which the turn sequence proceeds clockwise around the table. Each Hero does as many actions as he likes, in any order, but can only perform each type of Action once (for most Heroes, this means you do one attack and one move). When it is back to the Rift Lord, the Hero Action Phase is done, and play moves to the Upkeep Phase.

Note: There are five types of Actions available to a Hero: Attack; Move; Recover from Stun; Hero Special Actions; and use Special Tile.

Attack

If you are in a Tile containing enemies, roll Dice equal to your Attack and add bonuses from your Gear and abilities. Compare results to the enemy units, and divide them up as you wish. Each enemy you kill earns you 1 Skull. Greater enemies are worth 3 Skulls each!

In a Rivalry game, killing Heroes doesn't earn you any Skulls, but they are still worth killing: you can damage their Rift's Health by 3, or heal your own Rift by 3 (your choice) when this happens.

Note: A full explanation of how Heroes attack is found in How to Attack (and Read) Dice.

Move

Move a number of Tiles equal to or less than your Move (printed on your sheet; some Gear increases Move). Heroes, like Minions, must move across Tile sides with an arrow connecting them. However, unlike Minions, Heroes can move either direction across the arrows. Note that you cannot do part of your Move, then Attack (or take any other action), then continue with the rest of your Move. You must complete your Move before going to your next Action.

Figure 8: Diagram showing player move.

Example: In the preceding diagram, a Hero can move from Tile B to Tile A or back again. However, he cannot move from Tile C directly to Tile A, because no arrow points to the relevant side of either Tile, even though the Tiles sit adjacent to each other on the table.

Recover from Stun

A stunned player must either give up his Attack or his Move for this turn. He can do any other actions he likes.

Special Actions

A Hero's Ability, Rivalry, or Ultimate can be an Action. This can be performed in addition to Moving and Attacking. However, a Hero cannot choose to give up a Special Action in order to Recover from a Stun.

Special Tiles

The Acid Bath and Lava Lake Tiles allow you to perform the Push Action. This is detailed in Tiles. (Like a Special Action, you cannot give up a Push Action to recover from a Stun.)

Upkeep Phase

The Upkeep Phase is the preparation of the board and decks for the next round. There are five parts to the Upkeep Phase that must occur. The first time playing, we recommend doing them in order so that everyone is aware of what has been affected. However, it is possible for all the players to simultaneously upkeep the game state to help move things along.

• Level Preparation (only if it is time for a new Level to start)
• The Rift Lord Token passes to the next player
• Courage Skulls (only in a Rivalry game)
• Resurrection
• Restock Rift Display Shop

Level Preparation

If the Army decks are empty because the third Army Card of each Army has been revealed, it's time to start the next Level (Exception: when we have finished the 3rd Level in a co-op game). At this time, perform the Level Preparation segment. Always do the Level Preparation before doing any other steps in the Upkeep Phase (the rest of which may be done in any order).

Move the Level Marker up to the next Level on the Rift Display. Deal out the Armies per the Map. Remember, each Army always consists of 3 Cards. If a Level consists of more than one Army, do not pile their stacks together. Keep each Army's stack of 3 Cards separate, even if they will move onto the same Start Tile.

Figure 9: This shows the Army set up for the 2nd Level of the Bident 2 Map. See how there are three separate Cards in each Army. One Army is next to Start A, the other by Start B.

Once the decks are ready, set them near the entry Tiles. For example, on the Straight Shot 2 Map, in the 2nd Level, two Armies set up in front of Tile 1. In the 3rd Level, three Armies set up there.

Once you have prepared the new Armies, the following occurs:

1. All Minions Level up to the next Level (including those that invaded previously and are still on the Map).
2. Each player and the Skull Pool receives bonus Skulls equal to the Level number (i.e., two Skulls at the start of the 2nd Level, or three at the start of the 3rd).
3. Purge the Rift Display: discard all Gear and Trap Cards from the Rift Display (they will be replaced during the Restock step).
4. The Heroes' current Level weapons are now available for purchase.

Remember: In a co-op game, when the 3rd Level Army decks are used up, no new Level Preparation happens. Just keep cycling through the four Phases, always skipping the Level Preparation segment of the Upkeep Phase. If you kill off the remaining invaders before they destroy the Rift, you win the game!

War Mage's Tip: Since each Level is three Waves this means that if your Rift is 4 or more Tiles from the starting Tile, enemy Minions rise to the Second Level before they get to the Rift! Kill them while they are weak!

New Rift Lord

The Rift Lord Token is passed to the player sitting to the left of the current Rift Lord (clockwise). He becomes the new Rift Lord for the rest of the Round. In a Rivalry game, the player to the left might be on the enemy Team!

Courage Skulls (Rivalry only)

In a Rivalry game, any Hero in the enemy fortress at this time earns 1 Skull per Level (i.e., 1 Skull during the First Level, 2 in the Second, etc.). This is, obviously, only in the Rivalry game, because there is no "enemy fortress" otherwise. (This is in addition to the Skulls each Hero gets if there was a Level Preparation this Upkeep Phase.)

Player Resurrection

A player who is dead takes his figure off the Rift Display and places it anywhere on the Map. He reappears at full Health. In a Rivalry Game, you can still Resurrect anywhere on the Map, which includes the Enemy Fortress!

Restock Rift Display Shop

Fill all empty Trap and Gear slots in the Rift Display with new Gear drawn from the appropriate Level's decks. If a deck runs dry, the Card is NOT replaced.

How to Attack (and Read) Dice

When your Hero Attacks, roll the number and type of Attack Dice per his current Weapon, plus any additional Dice from his Gear or Ability. Total the results, and combine and apply them as you see fit among all potential targets. A Hero can split results among multiple targets.

When a Minion Group attacks, roll their combined total of Dice all at once. This attack is always aimed against a single Hero. If that Hero is killed, extra damage is lost. Minions mostly attack with Battle Dice. Some use other types in addition to, or instead of Battle Dice.

Each unit has a certain Vulnerability, given as an icon, or a combination of icons, which kills it (for a Minion) or inflicts 1 damage (for a Hero or Boss).

Some Vulnerabilities require you to score two icons (e.g., a Sword PLUS another Sword must be rolled to kill a 3rd Level Orc). Yet other Vulnerabilities show two icons, but require only one of them (e.g., Ivy takes 1 damage when either a Brain OR a Speed is rolled).

Dice Key

Icons (Vulnerabilities):

• Blank (miss): Nothing happens
• Sword: Score 1 Sword hit (or combine two Swords for a wild result).
• Speed: Score 1 Speed hit (or combine two Speeds for a wild result).
• Brain: Score 1 Brain hit (or combine two Brains for a wild result).
• Stun: Stun any unit (or score a Wild against an already stunned victim).
• Wild: May be used as a Brain, Speed, or Sword (or a Wild, for enemies with that Vulnerability).
• Heal: Heal 1 wound.
• Skull: Earn 1 Skull.

Stun Results

Stuns are special. For each Stun rolled, you can Stun one enemy of your choice. Lay a Stunned enemy on his side. A Stunned Minion will recover during the Stun Recovery segment of his turn. A Stunned Hero recovers on his own Turn, but gives up either his Attack or Move for the turn.

Stun Vulnerability

A Stun result applied to an already stunned unit counts as a Wild.

Wild Results

Wild results appear on certain Dice. A Wild can be treated as a Sword, a Speed, or a Brain (or as a Wild, for enemies with that Vulnerability). A Wild cannot be turned into a Stun, a Heal, or a Skull result.

Combining Results

Any two identical results can be combined into a Wild. For example, two Brains can be combined into a Wild, but a Brain + a Speed cannot be combined. When Minions attack, you must combine their results in a way that inflicts the most possible damage on its designated target.

Stuns don't "combine". Instead, the first Stun on a target Stuns it. Each subsequent Stun on the same target counts as a Wild.

Attack Example 1: A Group of Orcs is attacking Cygnus, and roll 2 Sword results. The two Swords must be combined into a Wild, inflicting 1 damage. If the Orcs had rolled the 2 Swords against Maximilian or Gabriella, the results would NOT be combined into a Wild, because those Heroes have a Sword Vulnerability; they would instead just take 2 damage from the 2 Swords.

Attack Example 2: Maximilian is attacking during the 2nd Level. The Tile contains 2 Orcs and a Kobold. His roll gives him a Sword and two Speeds. He can use the Sword to kill an Orc, and he can either use one of the Speeds to kill the Kobold, or he can combine the two Speeds together (to become a Sword) to kill the other Orc, his choice.

Healing Dice

A Heal result heals the player 1 Health point. Some sides of the Healing Dice give more than 1 Health, and some even add a Skull or two to the player's pool instead.

Hero and Minion Death

When a Hero's Health reaches 0, he dies. Follow these steps:

1. Lower the Rift Health by 3.
2. Place the Hero's figure on the Rift Display. He will re-appear during the next Upkeep Phase.

Minions do not have Health. Instead, when Traps or a Hero scores sufficient results to equal that Minion's Vulnerability, it is immediately killed. When a Hero kills a Minion, he gets a Skull (or 3 Skulls for a greater Minion).

Traps

Traps normally do not roll Dice but rather automatically apply a damage result such as a Sword or a Speed. If a trap (or a special Tile, like the Lava Pool) kills a Minion, the Skull goes to the Rift Display Skull Pool.

Running Out of Dice

Battle Dice Limit of 10: You never roll more than 10 Battle Dice. If a huge Group of enemies (or a Hero) is able to roll more than 10 Battle Dice, just roll 10 and ignore the extras.

Example: 7 Orcs are attacking as a Group during the 2nd Level, so they nominally would get to roll 14 Dice. Instead, they roll only 10 Dice. The remaining Dice are lost.

Dice limit of 2 per Special Dice type: You never roll more than 2 of any special Dice (example: Fire Dice). If an enemy Group or a Hero is able to roll more than 2 of a given special die, ignore the extra Dice; they are lost.

Example 1: Maximilian has accumulated so much Gear he theoretically gets to roll 3 Lightning Dice. Since he can only roll 2 of any particular special die, he can only roll 2 Lightning Dice, and loses the third.

Example 2: During the 3rd Level, 3 Trolls attack as a Group. In theory, they should roll 12 Battle Dice, and 3 Lightning Dice. However, instead they only get 10 Battle Dice and 2 Lightning Dice, due to the Dice Limit rule.

Dice limit of 3 per Healing Dice: Likewise, you may never roll more than 3 Healing Dice.

Understanding Minions

All Minions have an Attack, a Vulnerability, and a Size. Some also have special abilities. Minions have their stats laid out on the Minion Sheet. Their classification never changes, but Attack and Vulnerability improve with later Levels.

Bosses are not Minions.

• Size: All Minions are either Lesser or Greater.
• Attack: This is a number (i.e., 1, 2, etc.) representing the Battle Dice each Minion gets for its attack. Some Minions roll special Dice as well as or instead of Battle Dice. For example, a Troll adds a Lightning die to its Battle Dice. A Hobgoblin Shaman rolls only Arcane Dice.
• Vulnerability: Shown in the form of icons, which match various Dice faces. To kill the Minion, you must score that icon or combination of icons on your Dice. You must match all the icons of a Minion's Vulnerability to kill it. Example: A 3rd Level Gnoll requires 1 Sword result and 1 Speed result to kill.

Combat Example: Bryan is attacking a 2nd Level band consisting of three Orcs and a Hobgoblin Shaman. He rolls 3 Battle Dice plus a Fire die. He rolls a Sword, a Speed, a Brain, and a Double Sword (this last from the Fire die). The Speed is useless, sadly, since none of the enemies in that Tile have a Speed on their defense. The Shaman annoyingly increases the difficulty of Vulnerability of all other enemies in his Tile by a Sword, so he uses his Brain and doubles up two of the Swords into a Wild to kill the Hobgoblin Shaman (who requires two Brain results to kill). Because the shaman's boost is still in effect for the rest of this attack, he cannot use his remaining Sword to kill an Orc. He could have instead used two of his Swords to kill a single Orc, but then couldn't have killed the Hobgoblin Shaman. His final result is 3 Orcs left standing.

Understanding Hero Cards, Gear and Weapons

Your Hero Card

Your Hero Card is where you keep all your Hero's stuff! (Figure 10 is a numbered Hero Card diagram.)

1. Image: A reminder of who you are. Also a handy spot to store Skulls you've acquired.
2. Name: Your Hero's name, and faction, in case you forget.
3. Vulnerability: Always in the form of an icon (or two). An enemy attack result which matches your Vulnerability costs you 1 Health.
4. Move: How many Tiles you can Move with the Move action.
5. Health Track: A series of boxes ranging from 0 to your maximum. Your Health marker drops down the scale when you are damaged, and slides back up when you are healed.
6. Weapon: Your starting weapon is printed on your sheet. When you Upgrade Weapon, place your new weapon on this slot, so it covers your original weapon.
7. Gear Slots: Place Gear you buy in these slots: the Gear must go in the matching slot. For example, Heroes can only carry one Amulet (exception: Maximilian).
8. Ultimate Token Slot: Keep your Ultimate Token here, so everyone can tell at a glance whether your Ultimate is ready for use or flipped face-down.
9. Ability: Every Hero has a unique Ability. Some Heroes (such as Maximilian) have an ongoing effect which requires no decision-making. For others (such as Hogarth), the player has a choice. A player can always choose not to use his Ability.
10. Rivalry: Every Hero has a Rivalry ability which only takes effect during a Rivalry game. Even if your Rivalry ability has a conceivable use outside of player-vs-player interaction, you cannot use it in a cooperative game.

Gear Basics

Gear is obtained by purchase from your Rift Display during the Hero Upgrade Phase. All Gear is classified as an Amulet, a Ring, or a Trinket, and can only be placed in the appropriate slot. You may not place Gear in your Weapon slot.

Amulets

Most Amulets improve your battle ability by adding Dice or icons to your attack. Unless the Amulet specifically states otherwise, this is always done automatically at the time that you roll Attack Dice. I.e., you cannot roll first, then decide to use an Amulet. You can state, before you roll, that you are not using an Amulet (for example, that you do not wish to use the Arcane Bubble Blower to replace one of your Dice with an automatic Brain icon). If you do not so state, you are assumed to be using the Amulet.

Rings

Most Rings either increase your defense, or they give you Skulls.

Trinkets

Trinkets do a wide variety of wacky bonuses. They can increase your speed, or give a one-time boost, or even heal you.

Weapon Basics

Weapons act a lot like Gear. You have a Weapon slot (comparable to your Amulet, Ring, or Trinket slot). On the Hero Card is already a printed weapon, which is what you use at the game's start. You have 3 weapons through which you can upgrade as the game progresses. These are the only Weapons available to your Hero.

Tiles

Maps are composed of specific Tiles which fit together. There is no limit to the number of units (Heroes or Minions) on a given Tile.

Traps Per Tile Type

1. Standard Tile: These have no text other than their name (and excepting the Rift), and can hold different numbers of Traps depending on the player number. In a 2 player game, each Standard Tile can hold 1 Trap. In a 3 player game, each can also hold 1 Trap, but the Start Tiles can hold 2. In a 4 player game each can hold 2 Traps.
2. Rift: The place you must defend! Holds 0 Traps.
3. T-junction and L-turn: These Tiles split up Minions when they Move through it. These Tiles always hold 2 Traps.
4. Crossroads: An unusual Tile with 3 exits. Always holds 2 Traps.
5. Teleporter: Holds 0 Traps
6. Acid Bath (Easy): Holds 0 Traps.
7. Lava Lake (Easy): Holds 0 Traps.
8. Trapsburg (Easy): Players cannot place Traps here, but it will automatically have 2 (each Hero Upgrade Phase).
9. Gas Chamber (Hard): Holds 0 Traps.
10. Caltrops (Hard): Holds 0 Traps.

Start Tiles are not an actual separate type of Tile. Any Tile can be a Start Tile, depending on the specific Map. They are normal Tiles in every way, except they are where Minion Armies invade from; the only way to know if a particular Tile is a "start Tile" is by looking at the diagram of the Map you are using.

When making your Map, you can always replace any Standard Tile with a special Tile (except of course the Rift) if you desire.

You'll notice that the Special Tiles are described as "easy" or "hard." The easy ones make the Map more benign to the players. They give you a slightly better chance to win. If your Team has found a particular Map to be a challenge, try replacing one of its Tiles with an easy Tile.

Tiles that we describe as "hard" make the Map more difficult to beat. If your Team thinks a given Map is too simple, try replacing one or more of its Tiles with a hard Tile. For a real challenge, put the Gas Chamber adjacent to the Caltrops!

Teleporter

A Hero in the Teleporter Tile can move from it to any other Tile, and then keep moving if he has Move points left. The reverse is not the case. Example: a player on the Cubicle 1 Map is in the Teleporter, and chooses to move to the T-Junction. He is now 5 Tiles from his Rift.

While the presence of a Teleporter does, technically, make Maps slightly easier for the players, its impact is minor. Mostly the purpose behind a Teleporter is just to make a large Map more accessible.

Acid Bath and Lava Lake (Easy)

A Hero in a Lava Lake or an Acid Bath Tile can perform the Push action.

Choose the unit you wish to Push into the hazard. The pushed unit immediately dies. Because the unit was, technically, killed by the environment, rather than a player, all resulting Skulls go to the Rift Display Skull Pool.

It takes a single Hero to push a lesser Minion. To push a Hero or a greater Minion, at least two Heroes must be present in the Tile. While only the active Hero performs the Push action, another Hero must agree to help with the action, and BOTH suffer any adverse result.

Bosses cannot be Pushed.

You suffer different results depending on whether it was an Acid Bath or Lava Lake.

Lava Lake: All Heroes involved in the Push take 1 damage as the lava splashes onto them.

Example: Maximilian is in the Lava Lake, along with his Unchained foes Blackpaw and Bloodspike. Kobold King moves into the room and does a Push, killing Maximilian. He needs one player to help him Push, and chooses Bloodspike, so both Bloodspike and Kobold King take 1 damage. Blackpaw is untouched. Since Kobold King did the Push, he had to take 1 damage, and couldn't (for example) select Blackpaw to take it on his behalf.

Acid Bath: All Heroes involved in the Push lose 1 piece of Gear, as the acid splashes and corrodes your stuff. A Hero may choose to "downgrade" his weapon a step instead of discarding Gear. A Hero must have a piece of Gear to discard (or Weapon Card to discard), or he is killed.

Trapsburg (easy)

Each Hero Upgrade Phase, place 2 traps (for free) from the current Level in Trapsburg, drawn randomly from the trap deck. If a "discard" trap in Trapsburg gets used, immediately replace it free.

You cannot place purchased traps in Trapsburg; you can only get the free random ones. If you run out of Traps, Trapsburg doesn't get replacements.

War Mage's Tip: The best way to use Trapsburg is to analyze what it has, and try to design your own trap network around it.

Gas Chamber (hard)

You receive 1 damage when you end your turn in the Gas Chamber. You can move over it safely, however.

When Lesser Minions end their turn in the Gas Chamber, one such Minion dies, chosen by the Rift Lord. NOTE: not one per Group! Just one Minion in total dies. So wait till all the Minions Move to choose who dies.

Caltrops (hard)

You receive 1 damage when you move through the Caltrops Tile without stopping. If you end or begin your turn here, however, you are safe.

When Lesser Minions move through the Caltrops Tile without stopping, one such Minion is chosen and dies, chosen by the Team. (This normally only affects Satyrs, Lions, Kobolds, and Gnolls, unless other Minions are moved by some other means.) Again, only one such Minion dies, regardless of whether multiple Groups ran through the Tile. In a complex turn, you may have to keep track of who did what.

Bosses!

You can add further to the excitement and challenge of the game by adding Bosses. Bosses are added to specific Waves (depending on the Boss). When it is time to place a Boss, he can be placed in any Start Tile, chosen by the Rift Lord. He can even be placed in a Start Tile which is not currently being used by an Army.

Each Boss has a Card that describes his abilities and effects: how he attacks, and his special rules. Bosses, unlike Minions, have Health Points. Just as with a Hero, matching the Boss's Vulnerability with an attack roll does not kill him, but instead inflicts 1 point of damage. Use a Skull Token to track the Boss's Health Points. When a Boss is at 0 Health Points, he dies. Bosses provide 5 Skulls when killed, and damage the Rift as per Boss.

Note that the Boss Health Points vary with the number of players.

War Mage's Tip: Players should choose all the Bosses they want to use in a game before they play, and not change their mind later on!

How to Choose a Boss

Bosses appear at one of three times:

• During the first Wave of the 2nd Level.
• During the first Wave of the 3rd Level.
• In the Endgame, in the round following the last Wave of the 3rd Level.

One Boss can appear at each of these times, but you are not required to have one in all three time periods! The easiest solution is for players to vote for which Boss they want to use at each time. In case of a tie, let the game's owner (or the Rift Lord) break the tie.

Where are My Bosses?

Mr. Moneybags is a Kickstarter exclusive Boss, available for people who backed this project from the start. If you are not an original backer, you cannot get his figurine, but you can download his Boss Card and statistics from the Petersen Games website (www.petersengames.com), and substitute some other figure to get the same effect.

The Boss Pack, published by Petersen Games, contains four additional Bosses: Earth Lord, Fire Lord, Veyetality, and Swiftyhooves.

In addition, all Heroes have downloadable stats from the Petersen Games website. This lets you use out-of-play Heroes as Bosses!

Finally, the downloadable Cthulhu Must Die! package from the Petersen Games website lets you use Great Old Ones from the Cthulhu Wars game as Bosses. Even if you don't own Cthulhu Wars, you can still use the stats we provide, with some other figure from your collection to represent the Boss.

Notes on Bosses

Though Mr. Moneybags can be a threat, usually he actually makes the game easier for players. Place him for extra fun, and to boost players on a hard Map.

The other Bosses can be used against either the Order or the Unchained, and dramatically increase the game's difficulty.

In the case of Swiftyhooves and Veyetality, the type of Minions spawned depends on whether they face Order or Unchained Heroes! Yes, you can use an Order "Hero Boss" against a Group of Order Heroes.

Bosses and Rivalry Games

Petersen Games does not recommend using Bosses during a Rivalry Game, but hey, it's your game. Knock yourself out.

Rivalry Mode

Combining Order and Unchained Editions to play Team vs. Team

Basics of Rivalry

You'll play with two fortresses (Maps), and Minions spawn normally in each fortress. However, Heroes can move between fortresses, and try to herd their Minions to the Rift, or defend against the enemies. You can also attack enemy Heroes.

Rivalry Game Set-Up

Divide the players into two Teams: Order and Unchained. Each Team needs an equal number of Heroes. If one Team has fewer players, one of their players has to manage two Heroes to even up matters. You can play up to 8 players in Rivalry (four per Team).

Players must choose Heroes in secret, and not reveal them to the enemy Team until all have made their final decision.

Each Team sets up their own Map. They should choose identical Maps. In theory, you could each pick different Maps, ensuring that they were identical in terms of difficulty. But usually little balance issues crop up, making the Maps not "truly equal", so you do this on your own cognizance. Petersen Games recommends using identical Maps.

War Mage's Tip: Some players like to set up one of the camps "in reverse" so to speak, so their Rifts are at opposite ends of the table. This is not strictly necessarily, but looks cool.

Enemy Rift Lords!

There is still only a single Rift Lord at a time! This means that in the Rivalry game, half the time your Team does not have a Rift Lord. When the Rift Lord position changes, sometimes it switches to a player from the enemy Team (if he is sitting to the current Rift Lord's left).

Don't despair. You need not abide by his decisions. All choices made for your Team (for example, who gets attacked by an enemy Minion Group, or whether a Hero can spend Skulls from your Skull Pool) can be made by unanimous decision of your own Team.

However, if your Team cannot reach a decision in a reasonable amount of time (say, 20 seconds), the enemy Rift Lord does get to make this choice for you! So play nice.

War Mage's Tip: Please note that if your team doesn't have a Rift Lord, then no one on your team can use Boost Skull Pool during the Hero Upgrade Phase. This may seem rather sucky, so prepare for it, and be ready to exploit the opportunity when the Rift Lord finally passes to your side.

Phases and Sequence of Play

The sequence of play is almost precisely the same as the normal sequence of Phases.

Both Teams perform the Hero Upgrade Phase at once. Note, if your Team does not have a Rift Lord during this Phase, then you cannot add Skulls to your Rift Display! During the Minion Phase, both Teams can proceed at the same time.

During the Hero Action Phase, the Rift Lord takes his turn first as usual, followed around the table clockwise. Sometimes every player on the opposing Team will take their turn before any players on your Team. But as the Rift Lord moves from player to player, this will change.

Both Teams perform The Upkeep Phase simultaneously. Remember to include the Courage Skulls during this Phase: any Hero in the enemy fortress earns 1 Skull per Level (i.e., 1 Skull during the First Level, 2 in the Second, etc.).

Endless Levels!

Unlike the normal game, in Rivalry the Levels never end! When the 3rd Level is "over", because you ran out of Army Cards, set up a new Group of Armies, identical to the old 3rd Level, and keep going. Heroes and your Skull Pool do NOT receive more bonus Skulls with these extra Levels, nor is your Rift Display's shop purged!

Minion Behavior

Minions appear just as in the normal game, moving into the enemy Team's starting Tiles as if they came from just off-Map. Friendly Minions don't attack Heroes on their own Team, but move as in the co-op game, controlled by game rules.

Gnolls and Lions still have to move to attack enemy Heroes, if possible, and when they have a choice, it is still made by the Team they are attacking. For example, the Order Team gets to choose which of their Heroes a Gnoll pack targets, if it has a choice. As always, if the Team cannot reach a decision, the Rift Lord chooses for them (even if he is on the other Team). However, Gnolls and Lions cannot cross over into their own Team's fortress. If all the Heroes of the opposing Team are outside of the fortress, Gnolls and Lions simply have to move toward the Rift.

IMPORTANT: Under normal circumstances, the Army Cards should last through any Map. However, in a particularly epic Rivalry game, it's possible that you might run out of Cards. If this happens, shuffle all the discarded Cards and draw new ones. More likely is that in a long game you may run out of Gear or Trap Cards.

Rivalry Attacking

Heroes attack as in the normal game. When a Hero attacks, he can divide up his results among the enemy Heroes and Minions as he sees fit.

Example: It's Hogarth's turn, the 2nd Level, and he attacks. In his Tile is Bloodspike, a gnoll, and two orcs. Hogarth rolls 2 Speed results and a Stun. He chooses to combine the two speeds to kill one orc, ignoring the gnoll, and uses the Stun on Bloodspike.

When a Hero is killed, whether by an enemy Hero, Minion, or Trap, that Hero's Rift is not automatically damaged by 3, per the normal rules. Instead, the opposing Team can choose to Heal its own Rift by 3, OR to have the killed Hero's Rift damaged by 3. (If the Team cannot decide, the Rift Lord still gets to make the decision as usual, even if he is on the enemy Team).

Rivalry Traps

Your Team chooses what targets a particular Trap under your control affects when it fires; whether Minion or Hero. Traps CAN damage Heroes. However, Heroes are not Minions, and are not affected by instant-kill traps. For example, Bloodspike cannot be killed by an Arrow Wall trap, which "kills 1 Orc." Even though he is, technically, an orc. He is a HERO Orc!

You can only place Traps in your own fortress, never the enemy's.

Rivalry Move

In a Rivalry game, all Start Tiles are considered adjacent to every other Start Tile, including your own.

Figure 11: A Hero with Move 1 in the Start A Tile (colored pink) could move to ANY of the other three Start Tiles (colored blue). A player with Move 2 could move from Start A clear to any of the green Tiles. Either directly or by passing through a Start Tile.

Ranged Attack

Heroes who can attack into another Tile cannot attack from his fortress into the enemy fortress. (Even though Start Tiles are "adjacent" for movement.)

Victory in the Rival Game

It's easy! When your enemy Rift drops to 0 Health, you win immediately! If both Rifts drop to 0 at the same time, your Teams rejoice in your shared victory. Or you can immediately start a second game as a play-off. It's up to you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I buy a trap, then hold it in my hand for a while before placing it? A. No. Traps must be placed immediately when purchased. This does mean that you cannot buy a trap if your Hero is in a special Tile. (Exception: support traps, which are placed on the border between Tiles.)

Q. The Unchained Traps "Pop Quiz" and "Boulder Chute" say that first a Hero in the Area takes 1 Damage before the rest of the trap's effect. In a Rivalry Game, can you choose a Hero on the enemy Team to take the damage? A. Yes.

Q. When a weapon, trap, or ability says it kills an "Orc", can it be used to kill a crossbow Orc? A. It can kill any Minion with the word "Orc" in its name. Likewise, something that says it kills a "Human" can kill a Soldier or a Crossbowman. All such weapons, traps, and abilities can only kill a Minion, never an enemy Hero or Boss. For example, Dobbin the Prospector's upgrade weapon lets him kill an Orc each time he attacks. He can't use this to kill Bloodspike or Ball & Chain, though. Similarly, a trap that kills Satyrs can't kill Swiftyhooves, the Satyr Boss.

Q. Can I decide not to fire a trap which has to be Discarded upon use? A. Your Rift Lord (or your Team, if the Rift Lord is an enemy) decides whether or not to fire any particular trap. So you can save a Discard trap for later.

Q. Who decides where a Hero is sent by the Flip Trap? A. The Team who placed the trap (normally the Unchained, but possibly the Order if Maximilian purchased it). If they cannot agree, the Rift Lord decides.

Q. Can Maximilian place a trap in the enemy fortress? A. No.

Q. Do I HAVE to use the power of a particular trap or support trap? A. No, firing a trap is always optional. However, if you DO choose to use a particular trap, you must use ALL of it. For example, if you use the Hobgoblin Tool Kit on your Pound Pounder, you cannot turn 2 of the Pound Pounder's Wild results into Heals, and leave the other as a Wild. It's all or nothing.

Q. Who gets the Skull produced by a Coin Forge trap? A. Your Rift Display Skull Pool.

Q. Does the Screaming Skull produce Skulls when its owner is killed? A. Yes!

Q. Does the Shaman boost stack (i.e., do two Shamans add two Swords to Vulnerability)? A. No. Also, the Shaman only boosts non-Shaman Minions, i.e., they don't boost Shamans, Heroes, or Bosses.

Q. When a Shaman is killed, when does his boost stop taking effect? A. It ends AFTER the segment in which he died. For example, if traps kill a shaman, the other Minions present still get the Shaman's boost for the rest of that Trap Fire segment.

Q. If two Groups of the same Minion type are in the same Tile, do they join? A. Yes. For example, if two bands of Gnolls each targeted the same Hero, they would join into a single Group, and thenceforth move and fight together. Also, if a Group is split up (for example, by the T-junction), they remain separate from then on.

Q. The Fire Lord Boss has a Stun Vulnerability, which is only found on the Frost die. Can I use a Wild to substitute for the Stun? A. No. You must have an actual Stun result visible on a die (or a Trap, or Gear) to fulfill this unique Vulnerability requirement. He can be a real challenge, and we suggest once you know he is coming to prepare for him.

Q. Are a Boss or a Greater Minion injured in any way by the Caltrops Area or the Gas Chamber? A. No. Bosses are also immune to the Acid Bath and Lava Lake (though Greater Minions are not).

Q. When a Hero adds enemies to an incoming Wave (for instance, Tundra or Blackpaw), which Start Tile does he place them in? A. He must place them with one of the incoming Army Cards. For example, he cannot place them on a Start Tile which doesn't have an incoming Army for the current Level.

Q. How many Skulls does The Bride spend to discard an enemy trap that costs 0 Skulls? A. Half of zero, or zero. Remember, discarding the trap is an Action, so she can only do it to one trap per turn.

Q. Can Cygnus split his attack between his Tile and an adjacent one? A. Yes. If he rolls enough hits, he can even split it between multiple adjacent Tiles.

Q. Can the Maximilian or the Ancestor use one of their "Dice of their choice" as a Heal die? A. Yes in both cases.

Q. Can Scarecrow buy and place a Trap on his Hero Card in any slot? A. Yes, but he cannot move it to a new slot once placed, so if it is in his Ring slot, he cannot buy a Ring until he discards his trap.

Q. Can Sir Winston apply the Health boost from his weapon to another Hero in his Tile? A. Yes.

Q. Who gets the Skull when Ball & Chain's captive Minion is killed? A. No one.

Q. Ball & Chain's Ultimate description says that her "Geared" lesser Minion can have damage applied to him "only if it would kill him". What does this mean, exactly? A. It means she cannot use her geared Minion to shrug off damage. For example, say that during the Third Level, she has a geared Lion (who requires 3 Sword Hits to kill) and an enemy inflicts 4 Swords on her. She could choose to take all 4 Sword hits on herself, OR she could apply 3 hits to the Lion (killing it), and then 1 more to herself. She could not choose to take 2 Sword hits on herself, and 2 on the Lion (not killing it).

As another example, if she has a geared Soldier during the First Level, and the enemy rolls 2 Brains, she could either combine the two Brains into a Wild and hit herself, or she could use one of the Brains on the Soldier, killing it, and then the remaining Brain is wasted. She is never required to apply any damage to her Geared Minion, for example, if she had a Geared Soldier during the Third Level, and an enemy Group rolled a Brain and a Speed, she could apply those to herself (doing nothing) instead of to her Soldier (killing him).

If an enemy Hero attacks Ball & Chain, then he can choose whether to apply part of his attack to the geared Minion or not at his option; she does not make the choice in this case. He could, theoretically, apply non-killing damage to the Minion in this case, but it's not clear why he would.

Q. If Bloodspike is in the same Tile as Adventurer, and is (as usual) on the opposite Team, what is his Vulnerability? A. Bloodspike's ability takes precedence. His Vulnerability to Greater Minions and Bosses is two Swords. Unfortunately, his Vulnerability to enemy Heroes and lesser Minions is still determined by Adventurer's Rivalry ability.

Q. If Kobold King uses his Ultimate, but is in the same Tile as Adventurer, and on the opposite Team, what is his Vulnerability? A. Ultimates take precedence over Rivalry abilities. Therefore, his Vulnerability is two Speeds until the next Upkeep.

Q. If a Stun is the least common icon rolled against Adventurer, does it also inflict damage? A. Yes. Plus, he is Stunned. Note he is always Stunned when a stun is rolled, even if Stuns aren't the least common icon, since this is not "damage".

Q. If Blackpaw or Kobold King are stunned, can they give up just one of their Move/Attack actions for stun recovery, and still have two left? A. Yes. So Blackpaw could, for example, give up his Attack and then Move Twice, or give up one Move and then Move and Attack. If Kobold King gives up his Move, he cannot Attack twice, because the two Attacks must be in different Tiles (so he may as well always give up one of his Attacks). This rule also applies to gear that grants additional Moves or Attacks.

Glossary

• Army: A stack of three Army Cards: draw 1 Card per Army per turn during the Minion Phase to generate incoming Waves.
• Group: Any number of Minions of the same type in a Tile. For example, if a Tile contained 4 orcs and 2 crossbow orcs, it would have two Groups. If the Tile had 12 orcs (but no other Minions), that would count as a single (terrifying) Group.
• Hero: Your persona in the game. Each unique Hero consists of a figure, three weapon upgrade Cards, and a Hero Card showing his characteristics and abilities.
• Level: Each game consists of 3 Levels which must be progressed through. This term also can refer to the Level of toughness for the Heroes, the War Room, and the enemy Minions, which "Level Up" when the game transitions to a new Level.
• Minion: Creatures that are not directly controlled by players. They appear on the Map when Army Cards are drawn.
• Rift: The core of your fortress. You must defend it against the enemy Minions. Like a player, it has Health. If your Rift's Health drops to 0, you lose!
• Start Tile: Any Tile in which an enemy Army may enters during the course of the game. On many Maps, some Start Tiles are only used during certain Levels.
• Tile: The "rooms" or "spaces" which are laid out upon your tabletop to create your game Map.
• Wave: A Card or Cards, drawn from the top of an Army stack. Each Wave consists of one Card drawn from each separate Army deck. For example, in the 2nd Level of the Map "Zigzag 1", there are two Armies at different Start Tiles, so an individual Wave actually consists of two Cards, one from each Start Tile.

Maps (Map Book introduction)

The Maps are subdivided into five Levels of difficulty: Beginner, Moderate, Hard, Nightmare and Hell.

Remember that in addition to the Maps' fundamental difficulty, you can play on either Normal or Challenge mode by choosing to start with your Ultimate Token face-up or face-down respectively. A Beginner Map at Challenge mode might be harder to beat than a Moderate Map at Normal mode!

• Beginner Maps: We recommend using one of these Maps for your first play of Orcs Must Die! The Boardgame.
• Moderate Maps: While we call these "moderate" they are actually quite challenging.
• Hard Maps: These are for players who want more of a challenge, or for more experienced Teams.
• Nightmare Maps: These are for the truly dedicated; they may not seem fair, but for a skilled Team, and with a little bit of luck, they can be beaten. We promise!
• Hell Maps: Okay, these Maps are absolutely unfair. They pose a threat even to the most experienced players.

Make Your Own Maps

Last, feel free to create your own Maps. You always need a Rift, and at least one Start Tile. You will also have to determine how many Armies appear at each Start Tile for each Level.

The individual Map layouts in the Map Book are diagrams only (Tile layouts and Army counts per Level) and are not transcribed here.