The Princess Bride Adventure Book Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Game Overview
  • On Your Turn
• Story Cards & Completing Challenges
• Special Cards
• Miracles
• Completing Chapters
• Interruptions & Replaying Chapters
• Bookmarking Your Game
• Ending the Game
• Chapter Setup
  • For All Chapters
  • Chapter 1: As You Wish
  • Chapter 2: Escape by Sea
  • Chapter 3: Cliffs of Insanity
  • Chapter 4: Fire Swamp
  • Chapter 5: It'll Take A Miracle
  • Chapter 6: Have Fun Storming the Castle
• Credits

Components

7 Character Miniatures: Westley, Princess Buttercup, Prince Humperdinck, Count Rugen, Vizzini, Inigo Montoya, Fezzik.

Game Book — the Adventure Book Game board/story book.

Rulebook

4 Reference Cards

Cards: 40 Story Cards, 30 Special Cards, 20 Plot Cards.

Counters:

• Chapter 1: 6 Chore Counters
• Chapter 2: 1 Ship Counter, 1 Mystery Ship Counter
• Chapter 3: 3 R.O.U.S. Hazard Counters
• Chapter 4: 4 Flame Spurt Hazard Counters, 4 Lightning Sand Hazard Counters, 3 Wound Counters
• Chapter 5: 2 Brute Squad Counters, 1 Westley Confidence Counter
• Chapter 6: 1 Humperdinck Confidence Counter, 3 Locked Door Counters
• All Chapters: 5 Challenge Completed Counters, 5 Miracle Counters, 1 Replay Counter

Setup

1. Open the book to Chapter 1 and place the book in the center of the playing area. Set the Replay counter beside it with the Grandson's side face-up.
2. Find the Challenge Completed counters and place them to the right of the book.
3. Remove all Special cards from the Story deck. Special cards are indicated by the crown icon on the bottom of the card front. Shuffle the Special deck and Story deck separately. Place the Story deck above the book. Place the Special deck to the right of the book.
4. Shuffle the Plot deck and place it to the left of the book.
5. Give each player a Reference card.
6. Leave the other materials in the box for now. You'll use different components for each chapter. Follow each chapter's setup instructions as you proceed through the game.

Game Overview

In The Princess Bride, players cooperate to advance the plot and tell all six chapters of the story despite interruptions from a sick Grandson. Instead of each player controlling a single character, players work together to complete challenges by moving characters and discarding Story cards from their hand.

On Your Turn

On your turn, do the following five steps in the order listed below. Use the Player Reference cards for a handy reminder of the steps.

1. Move

You may move a single character one or two spaces or move two characters a single space each. Players may move in any direction.

2. Storytelling

In this step, you may complete any or all of the following actions in any order:

• Once per turn, trade one card in your hand with one card from any other player. You may only do this once per turn.
• Discard any number of cards and move one character 1 space per discarded card. You may do this more than once on your turn.
• Complete a challenge or challenge(s) by meeting the requirements and discarding cards from your hand (see Story Cards & Completing Challenges).
• Any player may play Special cards (see Special Cards).
• Use a Miracle to draw three cards from the Story deck, or draw one card from the Special deck (see Miracles).

3. Draw

Draw two cards from the Story deck. If the Story deck runs out of cards, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.

4. Plot

While you're telling the story, you'll have to deal with a number of interruptions from the Grandson. Discard the top card of the Plot deck and refer to your current chapter's Plot Table section to see what happens. Depending on the number of the Plot card you've drawn, something unique will happen in each chapter.

5. Discard

If you have more than six cards in your hand, discard down to six.

Your turn is over. Play proceeds to the left.

Story Cards & Completing Challenges

There are five types of Story cards. Each is represented by an icon: Courage, Revenge, Adventure, Intrigue, Love.

To finish a chapter and move on to the next one, you must complete all of that chapter's challenges.

To complete the challenge, all of the listed requirements must be met, and the current player must discard Story and/or Special cards with the icons listed on the challenge. If an effect or cost indicates "any" card, players may discard any card from their hand to fulfill that requirement.

When completing a challenge, place a Challenge Completed counter on the challenge. When a player completes a challenge, they receive the reward listed under each challenge.

For example, to complete The Shrieking Eels challenge, players must move Buttercup into the water and Fezzik to the railing, and discard one Courage and one Adventure card from their hand (it takes both to survive the Eels). As a reward, the active player moves Buttercup to Fezzik's space and draws a Special card (see Special Cards).

Special Cards

Many challenge rewards instruct the player to draw cards from the Special deck. These cards either have special effects or are wild cards that can be used in place of any Story card to complete a challenge.

When a player plays a Special card, they read it aloud then place it into the Story deck discard pile. Whenever the Story deck is reshuffled, the discarded Special cards are shuffled into it.

Special cards may be discarded in the same way as a Story card in order to move. They can also be discarded to fulfill "any" card requirements or special chapter requirements (see individual chapters).

Miracles

Miracles are marked by a star on the board. To pick up a Miracle from the board, a character must move through or land on that space. Players keep Miracles from chapter to chapter until they decide to use them. Miracles belong to the players as a group and can be used at any time by any player. To use a Miracle, simply discard the token and either draw three cards from the Story deck or draw one card from the Special deck.

Completing Chapters

Once you've completed all of a chapter's challenges, remove all pieces from the board. All players discard their hands. Turn to the next chapter and follow that chapter's setup instructions as listed at the end of this booklet.

Interruptions & Replaying Chapters

At the end of a player's turn, if they can't draw a Plot card because there are no more left in the deck, the chapter has been interrupted! The Grandson stops the story out of exasperation, and you must try again. Each chapter also has one or two unique ways to be defeated, as explained in each chapter's rules.

The first time a chapter is interrupted, flip over the Replay counter, clear off the board, and start the chapter over. The second time a chapter is interrupted, the game ends and you are defeated. The Grandson stops listening and returns to his video game.

To restart the chapter, remove all pieces from the board. Each player discards their hand. Follow the setup instructions for the chapter and play it again.

Bookmarking Your Game

If you want to pause the game, follow these steps:

1. Finish your current chapter, then mark the next chapter in the book.
2. Take all players' hands, the Story deck discard pile, and all the Special cards you've collected so far, and shuffle them all together. Keep this separate from the Special cards you haven't yet collected.
3. Place any Miracles you have collected but not used with your Story deck.
4. When you wish to resume your game, follow the initial setup, ignoring the part instructing you to remove Special cards from the Story deck. Then, set up your next chapter and you're ready to play where you left off!

Ending the Game

If you complete all chapters, you win the game and, true love prevails! If a chapter is interrupted, and you have already flipped the Replay counter to the Grandpa's side, you lose the game.

Chapter Setup

For All Chapters

At the start of each chapter, shuffle the Story deck, then deal four Story cards to each player. Shuffle the Plot deck and place it next to the book. Then, set up the chapter according to its instructions below before reading through the chapter rules and challenges.

Chapter 1: As You Wish

1. Follow the instructions for all chapters (see For All Chapters).
2. Place Westley in the Barn, and Buttercup in the Farmhouse.
3. Place one Chore counter on the Wood, Horse, and Well spaces.
4. Place the remaining Chore counters on the List of Chores.
5. Place a Miracle counter on the star space.
6. Read through the rules and challenges for this chapter.
7. Whoever most recently completed a chore goes first.

Chapter 2: Escape by Sea

1. Follow the instructions for all chapters (see For All Chapters).
2. Place Fezzik, Inigo, and Buttercup on the Start space.
3. Place Vizzini on space 2.
4. Put the Ship counter on space "S" and the Mystery Ship counter on space "M" on the Map Track.
5. Place a Miracle counter on the star space.
6. Read through the rules and challenges for this chapter.
7. Whoever was most recently on a boat goes first.

Chapter 3: Cliffs of Insanity

1. Follow the instructions for all chapters (see For All Chapters).
2. Place Inigo, Fezzik, Vizzini, and Prince Humperdinck on their respective start spaces as indicated by their portraits. Place Westley on the Start space.
3. Place Buttercup on her portrait on A Battle of Wits.
4. Place a Miracle counter on the star space.
5. Read through the rules and challenges for this chapter.
6. Whoever most recently went hiking goes first.

Chapter 4: Fire Swamp

1. Follow the instructions for all chapters (see For All Chapters).
2. Place Westley and Buttercup on the Start space.
3. Place a Miracle counter on the star space.
4. Place the three Wound counters on the Damage Track with the exclamation side face-up.
5. Mix up the Hazard counters face-down.
6. Place one Hazard face-down in each exclamation space, then flip each face-up.
7. Read through the rules and challenges for this chapter.
8. Whoever most recently saw a rodent goes first.

Chapter 5: It'll Take A Miracle

1. Follow the instructions for all chapters (see For All Chapters).
2. Place Fezzik on the Start space.
3. Place a Miracle counter on the star space.
4. Place one Brute Squad on space 5. Place the other Brute Squad on the Barracks.
5. Place Buttercup and Prince Humperdinck on their respective start spaces as indicated by their portraits.
6. Place Inigo on his portrait on Fezzik Revives Inigo. Place Westley on his portrait on Where is The Man in Black?.
7. Read through the rules and challenges for this chapter.
8. Whoever most recently ate chocolate goes first.

Chapter 6: Have Fun Storming the Castle

1. Follow the instructions for all chapters (see For All Chapters).
2. Place Fezzik, Inigo, and Westley at the Start space.
3. Place Buttercup, Count Rugen, and Prince Humperdinck on their respective start spaces as indicated by their portraits.
4. Place one of the three Locked Door counters on each lock space.
5. Place the Prince Humperdinck Confidence counter and Westley Confidence counter to the side of the board.
6. Read through the rules and challenges for this chapter.
7. Whoever most recently visited a castle goes first.

Credits

Game Design: Ryan Miller; Game Development: Steve Warner; Illustration: Medusa Dollmaker (Asunción Macián Ruiz), Lucas Torquato, Ryan Smith; Graphic Design: Andry Laurence; Editing: Sharon Turner Mulvihill, Cassidy Werner; Playtesters: Brandon Hauss, Monica Hauss, Holly Hetherington, Clementine Holter-Mehren, Johann Holter-Mehren, David McDonald, Robert Miller, Shirley Miller, Irene Robertson, Ted "Dorzim" Warner, James Watson. Special thanks to S. Morgenstern.

© The Princess Bride Limited. All Rights Reserved. • © 2020 Ravensburger