Run, Fight, or Die!
Run, Fight, or Die! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
The game comes with the following components:
- 7 Custom Dice (5 Action Dice, 1 Bonus Die, and 1 Event Die)
- 4 Action Boards
- 25 Follower Cards (Townspeople)
- 18 Location Cards
- 16 Loot Cards
- 24 Mutant Zombie Boss Cards
- 20 Mutant Boss Wound Tokens
- 25 Wound Tokens
- 60 Zombie Walkers (miniatures)
- 16 Fleeing Cards
- 1 Mutant Zombie Boss (large token)
- 1 double-sided Action & Event Reference Sheet
- 1 Rulebook
- 16 Event Cards
- 6 Player Character Cards
Action Board
The 3 Zones represent the distance Zombies are from you, the player. The symbols on the board indicate the dice icons most commonly used in each Zone.
- Zone 3 — "They see you..."
- Zone 2 — "They are coming..."
- Zone 1 — "They are on you..."
The symbols in each Zone show which dice results can be used for actions in that Zone.
Character Card
Each player takes a Character Card, which shows the character's portrait, their unique ability, and their Dice Combo Bonus.
Event Cards
Event Cards are triggered by Location Cards or by die rolls. Other Events happen immediately upon being drawn. If an Event Card is a Hold Card, it stays with the player until they use it. If a Permanent Event Card appears, it stays in play and changes the game for all players until another Permanent Event replaces it.
Bonus Action Die
The BLACK Bonus Die is rolled when a Follower, Location, or Event requires you to do so.
Note: The Bonus Die has 2 Zombie symbols on it.
Action Die
There are 5 Action Dice, which players roll each turn to determine their actions.
Event Die
There is 1 Event Die, which is rolled every turn together with the Action Dice, and is resolved immediately after each player's first roll.
Loot Cards
Loot Cards are revealed when acquired. They often have multiple uses, tracked with Wound tokens. The tokens sit on the card, indicating how many more times it can be used. Discard a token each time you use the Loot Card. Such Loot Cards are discarded once no Wound tokens remain on them.
Follower Cards (Townspeople)
The main goal of all players is to rescue townspeople, turning them into Followers, and bring them to safety. Each Follower Card gives Victory Points, as well as Bonus abilities or Penalties that help or hinder players.
Location Cards
As players move through town, fighting and fleeing from Zombies, they encounter locations. Some offer safety, gear, and shelter to recover from wounds; some are dangerous. Some Locations trigger an Event, or let a player collect Loot.
Note: The Town Line Location Card is special, because it can lead to the end of the game (see page 9).
Fleeing Cards
Fleeing Cards depict you running from Zombies. A Fleeing Card is drawn if a player wants to reroll ALL Zombie symbols. A player may do this once per turn, and only if they still have rerolls remaining.
Mutant Zombie Boss
The Mutant Zombie Boss can be summoned by certain Event, Location, or Loot Cards. When it appears, place the large Mutant token in front of the player who summoned it. The Mutant will attack every player at the end of their turn until players collect all of the Mutant's Wound tokens.
Mutant Boss Cards, Wound Tokens, and Fleeing Cards
A Mutant Zombie Boss Card is drawn at the end of each player's turn if the Mutant is active. The cards speak for themselves. Mutant Wound tokens double as both its Hit Points and as the player's Victory Points.
A Fleeing Card is drawn if a player decides to reroll all Zombie symbols. Players may do this once per turn.
Town Line Location Card
Before the game begins, players may look at the Town Line Location Card. Determine the end-of-game conditions according to the number of players, as shown on the card. Then shuffle the Town Line card in with the other Location Cards.
Setup
Choose a Character: Each player takes 1 Character Card. You may do this randomly or by choice. Players also take an Action Board. The Action Boards are all identical. The Character Card sits at the base of the Action Board, directly beneath the words "THEY ARE ON YOU!"
Set Up the Zombies: Each player places 9 ZOMBIES on their Action Board as follows:
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2 Zombies in Zone 1
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3 Zombies in Zone 2
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4 Zombies in Zone 3
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Followers: Shuffle and place the Follower Cards face down in the center of the play area, within reach of all players.
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Locations: Shuffle the Location Cards and place them in the center of the play area next to the Follower deck.
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Events: Shuffle the Event deck and place it next to the Follower and Location decks.
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Loot: Shuffle the Loot deck and place it next to the Event deck.
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Fleeing Cards: Shuffle the Fleeing deck and place it next to the Event deck.
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Zombie Miniatures and Wound Tokens: Place the Zombie miniatures and Wound tokens in separate piles. This will be the Zombie reserve and Wound token reserve.
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Reference Sheet: Place the Action & Event Reference Sheet near the play area for quick access by all players.
Mutant Zombie: Place the Mutant Zombie (the "1 VP" tokens) next to the board. Shuffle the Mutant Zombie Boss Cards and place them next to it. Stack the Mutant's Wound tokens near the Mutant Zombie.
First Player: Decide who will be the first player. We recommend it be whoever has seen zombie movies. Otherwise, use whatever method you prefer — youngest player, oldest player, whoever shouts loudest... Regardless of how you decide who goes first, give that player 5 Action Dice and 1 Event Die.
1 BLACK Bonus Die: Place the Bonus Die next to the Zombie reserve for easy access.
You're Ready to Play
The following steps are performed by each player on their turn. When a player finishes their turn, they pass the dice to the player on their left (clockwise), and that player begins their turn. Play continues until one of the end-of-game conditions is met (see End of Game Conditions).
Each player's turn is divided into several phases. Each phase must be completed by the player before moving on to the next phase.
Turn Overview
Action Phase:
- Initial Dice Roll: Roll 5 Action Dice AND 1 Event Die.
- Resolve the Event: Apply the Event Die and set it aside.
- Rerolls: Players have 2 rerolls
- Zombie symbols lock, or trigger a Fleeing Card.
- Resolve the Fleeing Card.
- Resolve Actions: Perform the Actions rolled.
Check End of Game Conditions:
- A player with 5 Followers declares the last turn. All players get one final turn, INCLUDING the player who declared the last turn.
The game ends immediately if:
- Any Character (player) dies.
- Town Line: (see page 9 for details).
- 20 Mutant Wound tokens have been collected (the "1 VP" tokens).
Zombie Advance Phase
- All Zombies on the player's Action Board advance 1 Zone.*
- Zombies advancing onto the Character Card deal Wounds to the character, then are discarded.
- If the Mutant Zombie Boss is active, it attacks the current player.
* In the Special Expansion, Zombies may move differently.
Hunt Phase
- Add 3 Zombies (Event Cards may affect this number).
- Add 1 Zombie for each Zombie symbol rolled on the dice.
Action Phase
In the Action Phase, players roll dice and perform actions as noted below. The default number of rolls is 1 initial roll plus 2 rerolls, unless a player's character or a card states otherwise.
Initial Dice Roll: The player takes 5 white Action Dice and 1 gray Event Die and rolls them together.
Resolve the Event: The first thing a player must do is look at the Event Die (gray) and resolve the Event. Each Event is described below. Events apply only to the player who rolled them.
Event Die Actions
ALL QUIET: During the Hunt Phase, do not add 3 new Zombies this turn. Ignore Full Moon, if in effect. However, you still add Zombies for rolled Zombie icons, Fleeing Cards, and effects from other cards. This Event is not immediate. Place this die next to the Zombie reserve as a reminder that you will not get the usual 3 Zombies during the Hunt Phase.
AMBUSH: The player takes 1 Wound as a result of a Zombie ambush. Add 1 Wound token to the Character Card.
AMULET: The Amulet allows the player to flip any one non-Zombie die to any other face, OR reroll all Zombie symbols from the initial roll, without drawing a Fleeing Card.
CHARGE: The player must immediately advance any 3 Zombies on their Action Board forward 1 Zone. Any Zombies advanced from Zone 1 onto the Character Card deal 1 Wound each, and are then removed and discarded.
NURSE: Immediately heal 1 Wound OR move any 2 Zombies back 1 Zone.
ZOMBIES RISE: Immediately add 1 Zombie to Zone 2 and add 1 Zombie to Zone 3.
Rerolls: The player may now reroll Action Dice up to 2 times, unless a Location, Follower, or Ability increases or decreases the number of rerolls. Any dice may be freely rerolled — except Zombie symbols — even previously kept dice, as long as the player still has rerolls remaining. A player is not required to use their rerolls; they may stop at any time.
Action symbols are not resolved until the player has used their rerolls, or has declared that they have finished rolling the Action Dice.
- Zombie and Fleeing Symbols: Once per turn, a player may reroll all Zombie symbols, if they first draw and resolve a Fleeing Card.
After drawing and resolving a Fleeing Card, the player may reroll all dice showing the Zombie symbol. To do this, the player must still have rerolls available.
- Resolving a Fleeing Card: Every Fleeing Card represents the character fleeing from the Zombie symbols rolled on the Action Dice. In most cases the card immediately adds Zombies to the player's Zone 3 (you do not wait for the Hunt Phase to add them). These new Zombies will advance forward at the end of the Zombie Advance Phase.
Resolving Actions: If the player decides not to reroll the Action Dice, or has used all of their allotted rerolls, they perform the actions that let them fight, run, search for Followers, and move to a Location.
NOTE: Character Dice Combos. A Combo often allows you to ignore the Zombie symbols rolled as part of that combo (do not place those extra Zombies during the Hunt Phase). Non-Zombie symbols rolled, if not ignored, may be used both for your combo and for regular actions!
Action Dice Icons
BAT: Each Bat symbol kills 2 Zombies in Zone 1. The Bat cannot be used in other Zones unless allowed by an ability, Location, or item.
RUN: Each Run symbol lets the player move any 1 Zombie back one Zone. Zombies moved back from Zone 3 are removed and returned to the Zombie reserve.
SEARCH (for Survivors): Depending on the number of symbols rolled, perform the following action:
- 1 Symbol: Take 1 Location Card.
- 2 Symbols: Take 1 Follower Card OR 1 Location Card.
- 3 Symbols: Take 2 Follower Cards, choose one, and discard the other.
- 4 Symbols: Take 2 Follower Cards, choose one and discard the other. Then take 1 Location Card.
- 5 Symbols: Take 2 Follower Cards and keep both OR steal a Follower from another player.
GUN: Each Gun symbol deals 1 damage to any 1 Zombie (enough to kill a Walker) in any Zone, or deals 1 Wound to the Mutant Zombie Boss.
BOOK OF THE DEAD: Depending on the number of symbols rolled, perform the following actions:
- 1 Symbol: Take 1 Event Card.
- 2 Symbols: Perform one of the following actions:
- Take 1 Location Card.
- Take 1 Loot Card.
- Heal 1 Wound.
- 3 Symbols: Perform one of the following actions:
- Clear any 1 Zone of all Zombies AND take 1 Event Card.
- Take 1 Follower Card.
- Heal 2 Wounds.
- 4 Symbols: Perform one of the following actions:
- Swap one of your Followers for any other player's Follower.
- Clear any 1 Zone of all Zombies.
- Heal ALL Wounds.
- 5 Symbols: Perform one of the following actions:
- Steal 1 Follower from another player.
- Clear any 1 Zone of all Zombies AND take 1 Follower Card.
- Take 2 Follower Cards and keep both.
- Heal ALL Wounds AND take 1 Loot Card.
ZOMBIE: These symbols cannot be rerolled without a special ability, without the Amulet result on the Event Die (see Resolve the Event, above), or without resolving a FLEEING CARD. Take a Fleeing Card — the player must still have rerolls remaining to do this. Resolve the actions on the Fleeing Card, then reroll ALL Zombie symbols along with any Action Dice you want to reroll. You may do this once per turn.
Taking Cards
Often a player will draw 1 or more cards as a result of their actions. The information below describes each type of card in a little more detail. All decks are reshuffled to form a new deck whenever they run out.
FOLLOWER CARDS: When you gain a Follower, you draw a card from the Follower deck, as indicated. The following rules apply to Followers when you acquire them.
- Followers have 3 possible symbols:
- Bonus,
- Penalty, and
- Special. A Special symbol has neither a Bonus nor a Penalty.
- Followers added to you remain with you until the end of the game, unless discarded because of an Event, card, ability, or die result.
- Players must apply the Penalty and Special abilities of any Townsperson who becomes their Follower. Players may choose not to use Bonus abilities.
- Any player who has 5 Followers at the end of their turn may declare the end of the game during the Check End of Game Conditions phase. This declaration is optional, but if made, all players (including the player who declared the end of the game) get one more turn, ending after the player who declared the last round gets to take their following turn.
LOCATION CARDS: Location Cards are placed face up next to the player's Character Card. The following rules apply to Locations.
- Some Locations require you to take Event or Loot Cards. Resolve these cards according to the instructions.
- The text on a Location will activate according to its instructions, usually at the start of your next turn. Only 1 Location may be played per turn.
- Locations are active for 1 turn. After the player at that Location begins their next turn, and resolves any Location instructions, if any, the Location is discarded.
Town Line Location Card: If the Town Line Card is drawn, it may lead to the end of the game. See End of Game Conditions (page 9) for more detail. If the Town Line Card does not end the game, shuffle it and all other discarded Location Cards to form a new deck.
EVENT CARDS: An Event Card is drawn when a Location has an Event symbol, or as a result of an Action Dice roll. If the Event is a "HOLD CARD," the player takes the card and may play it on a later turn, once the condition on the card is met. Current Events sit next to the Event deck and apply to all players. Current Events remain active until their reset condition is met, as indicated on the card (usually when a new Event occurs). All other Events are revealed and resolved immediately upon being drawn.
LOOT CARDS: Loot Cards are acquired when a Location has a Loot symbol, as well as through Action Dice, Event Cards, or Fleeing Card symbols. Loot sometimes provides 1-3 uses, and is then discarded. Use Wound tokens to track how many times a Loot Card that can be used more than once has been used.
Zombie Advance and Hunt Phases (Detailed)
Zombie Advance Phase: After all Actions are resolved, the active player advances all Zombies on their Action Board 1 Zone forward. If the Mutant Zombie Boss is active, it attacks. In the base game there is no gameplay difference between male and female Zombies.
ZOMBIE ADVANCE: Move all Zombie Walkers forward 1 Zone, beginning with the Zombies in Zone 1.
CHARACTER WOUNDS: If any Zombies advance from Zone 1 onto the Character Card, the player takes 1 Wound for each Zombie that moved onto the Character Card. After adding Wound tokens to the Character Card (1 per Wound), the Zombies that moved onto the Character Card are discarded to the Zombie reserve.
MUTANT ZOMBIE BOSS: If the Mutant Zombie Boss is active, the player draws 1 Mutant Card and resolves it.
Hunt Phase: After all Zombies have advanced, the player adds new Zombies to their Action Board in Zone 3. In addition, the player will add 1 additional Zombie for each Zombie symbol rolled on their Action Dice, after rerolls. Follow the instructions below to complete this phase.
- Add 3 Zombies (unless a current Event states otherwise) to Zone 3.
- Add an additional Zombie for each Zombie symbol rolled on the Action Dice, after rerolls. These Zombies are added even if the All Quiet Event Card is in effect.
- Advance the Mutant Zombie Boss, if active, to the next player.
Check End of Game Conditions
When ending their turn, a player checks whether any of the end-of-game conditions listed below have been met.
CHARACTER DEATH: If a player takes their last possible Wound and their Character is killed, the game ends immediately (EXCEPTION — see Important Note on this page). Proceed to Final Scoring.
A PLAYER DECLARES THE END OF THE GAME: If a player has collected 5 Townspeople as Followers, they may declare that they have reached the edge of town, triggering the end of the game. If they declare the end of the game, all players get 1 final turn, including the player who declared the end of the game.
IMPORTANT NOTE, IF A PLAYER DIES AFTER THE PLAYER WHO DECLARED THE END OF THE GAME: If a player with 5 Followers declares the end of the game, and afterward any other Character dies, this does not immediately end the game. The remaining players still get 1 final turn after the player declares the end of the game in this way.
ALL 20 MUTANT WOUND TOKENS HAVE BEEN COLLECTED BY PLAYERS: If the last Mutant Boss Wound token has been collected, the game ends immediately (the Zombie curse has been lifted).
THE TOWN LINE LOCATION SAVES THE TOWNSPEOPLE: When the Town Line Card is drawn, the game ends if the total number of Followers matches the number required for the number of players in the game (see below). Proceed to Final Scoring.
- 2 Players: 7 Followers
- 3 Players: 9 Followers
- 4 Players: 11 Followers
- +2 Followers for each additional player beyond 4.
Final Scoring - Victory Points
When the game ends by any of the conditions listed above, each player scores their Victory Points as follows.
- Score 1 Point for each Health point (Hit Point) remaining on your Character (subtract the Wound tokens on your character from 5).
- Note: When scoring, all characters have a maximum of 5 Hit Points.
- Score the point value listed on each of your Followers.
- Score 1 Point for each Mutant Boss token you have ("1 VP").
- If your character has died, you lose! Dead characters cannot win the game.
The player with the most Victory Points is the winner. In case of a tie, the tiebreaker is the player with the most Followers. If it is still a tie, the win is shared between the tied players.
Other Rules
Mutant Zombie Boss
The Mutant Zombie can appear in the game in several ways: from Fleeing Cards, Event Cards, and Location Cards. After it appears, the following rules apply.
When it appears, place the Mutant Zombie Boss in front of the player who summoned it. Give the Mutant its starting Wound tokens (the "1 VP" tokens) depending on the number of players. 1-2 Players = 3 Wound tokens; 3 Players = 4 Wound tokens; 4 Players = 5 Wound tokens.
The Mutant Zombie Boss can only be attacked using Gun symbols, or Book symbols if the player has the Book of the Dead Loot Card. Also, the Athlete may throw their Bat at the Mutant for 1 damage each.
A player receives 1 Wound token (the "1 VP" token) from the Mutant Zombie Boss for each Gun symbol (and Book symbol, if the player has the Book of the Dead Loot Card) they use to attack it. If the last Wound token is taken, the Mutant Boss is removed from the game until it appears again.
If the Mutant Zombie Boss is already active, and a card or Event summons it again, ADD Wound tokens to its current health instead, equal to its starting Hit Points minus 1 (HP - 1). So, in a solo game, for example, you might add 2 Wound tokens to its health from the reserve.
Solo Rules
Objectives
Note: Many cards have "Solitaire" instructions. If a card has Solitaire instructions, follow them and ignore the main text on the card.
Your goal is to find the Town Line and be strong enough to survive beyond the edge of town. If your Character dies before you draw the Town Line Location Card, you lose the game. Even if you reach the Town Line, you must also have enough Followers and remaining health to prove that you can survive beyond Hokenville, or you lose the game. Remember: You may draw and keep only 1 Location Card per turn, regardless of your dice results. Also, any card or ability that lets you discard and redraw, or manipulate Location Cards in any way, must be ignored in a solo game.
Setup
Set up your Action Board and the board of your chosen Character as described in the main rules.
- Discard the Shy Girl (Follower Card) and Campfire for the Dead (Event Card). They are not used in solo play.
- For your first game, start at the HARD difficulty level. After you have won 3 games at this level, you will be ready to try the game at the VERY HARD level. You need to win at the VERY HARD level 2 times to move on to the TOO HARD level.
HARD: You must reach the Town Line with at least 9 SURVIVAL POINTS. The Mutant Zombie Boss does NOT participate in the game, so remove the Playground Location Card from the Location deck. During the game, ignore any cards that summon the Mutant Boss and draw another.
- Shuffle the Town Line Location Card with 2 randomly chosen Location Cards. Place them face down on the table. Take 4 more Location Cards, without looking at them, and place them on top of the first 3 cards. These 7 cards — with the Town Line somewhere among the bottom 3 cards — form the deck you built.
VERY HARD: You must reach the Town Line with at least 11 SURVIVAL POINTS. In addition, after finding the Town Line, and ending that turn, you must survive one more full turn, ignoring any dice results that would force you to take a Location Card. The Mutant Zombie Boss does NOT participate in the game.
- Prepare the same way as the HARD level, but place 5 random Location Cards on top of the starting 3, to form a deck of 8 cards.
TOO HARD: You must reach the Town Line with at least 12 SURVIVAL POINTS. In addition, after finding the Town Line, and ending that turn, you must survive one more full turn, ignoring any dice results that would force you to take a Location Card. THE MUTANT ZOMBIE BOSS PARTICIPATES IN THE GAME.
- Prepare and follow the rules for the VERY HARD level, with a deck of 8 cards. When the Mutant is activated, it starts with 3 Wound tokens. If the Mutant is activated again while already in play, add 2 Wound tokens with each activation.
SOLO RULE MODIFICATION: When playing at the HARD and VERY HARD levels, remove the Mutant Zombie Boss from the game. If you draw a card that activates the Mutant, discard it and draw another. (Alternatively, you may check each deck before setup, and remove all cards that activate the Mutant.) The Playground Location Card must be removed before building your Location deck if you are not playing at the TOO HARD level.
Some Followers, if they join your team at the start of a solo game, may make your game nearly impossible. Only in a solo game, you may choose not to take any Follower into your team; simply discard that Follower. However, if you take them onto your team, you're stuck with them — you cannot discard them later. Also, any Follower with an ability to pass to another player is likewise discarded (for example, the Heroic Dog).
Solo play requires careful thought. Keep in mind that in order to draw a Location Card, you need to roll 1 or 2 Follower symbols, OR exactly 4 Follower symbols, OR exactly 2 Book of the Dead symbols (see the Reference Card). As in the main rules, you cannot split symbols.
END OF THE GAME (SOLO RULES): When you draw the Town Line Location Card, finish your turn by performing any additional actions, then advance the Zombies on your Action Board. Play one more full turn if you are playing at one of the two harder difficulty levels. Then the game ends. If you survived, your Survival Points are counted exactly as Victory Points are in the main game:
Total remaining health (maximum of 5) + the point value of your Followers + points scored for damaging the Mutant Zombie Boss (TOO HARD level only).
WINNER! If you have enough Survival Points for your chosen difficulty level, you win the game. Otherwise, you are too weak to survive, and you perish at the edge of Hokenville.
Credits
Game design by Richard Launius. Editing and creative writing by Daniel Booth. Development by Jason Maxwell and Shane Myerscough. Rulebook by Mat Hobson. Graphic design by Julia Semionova and Andre Garcia. Artwork by Edu Torres, Andre Garcia, Jason Rumpff, and Cristian Popa.