Spell Smashers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
Game Setup
The Basics
How to Play
Round End
End of the Game
Defend the Town — Solo Mode
Gameplay Reference
Credits

Components

1 Town Board
5 Player Boards
84 Letter Cards (57 Consonants, 27 Vowels)
24 Wound Cards
36 Modifier Cards
4 Boss Monster Cards
24 Gear Cards
29 Quest Cards
5 Player Aids
26 Monster Tiles
1 Round Marker
30 Ale Tokens
55 Coins
15 Potion Tokens (5 Elixirs, 5 Antidotes, 5 Tonics)
1 Tiebreaker Marker
5 Ready Tokens
5 Monster Crests

Game Setup

The Town Board

Place the town board on one side of the play area. The town board has a round track and 5 named locations: SHAMAN, TAVERN, GUILD, ARMORY, and ALCHEMIST.
Position the round marker on the "1" space of the round track.
Place the ale tokens ("1" side up) in a stack near the TAVERN.
Shuffle the quest cards into a face-down deck and place it at the GUILD.
Shuffle the gear cards into a face-down deck and place it at the ARMORY.
Separate the potion tokens by type (elixirs, antidotes, tonics) and place them in separate stacks near the ALCHEMIST.

The Supply

Shuffle the consonant cards into a face-down deck and set the deck near the town board. Leave room for a discard pile.
Shuffle the vowel cards into a face-down deck and set the deck near the town board. Leave room for a discard pile.
Create a supply with all of the coins.

The Monster Row

Take a number of monster crests equal to the number of players, then place them in a row on one side of the play area.
Locate the starting modifier cards. (They are marked with a star in the upper-right corner.) Shuffle these starting modifier cards and draw a number of cards equal to the number of players. Then place 1 card face up below each monster crest. Return the rest of the starting modifier cards to the box.
Shuffle the regular modifier cards into a face-down deck and set it to the side. Leave room for a discard pile.
Shuffle the wound cards into a face-down deck and set it to the side. Leave room for a discard pile.
Shuffle the monster tiles into a face-down stack. Then draw a number of monster tiles equal to the number of players, and place 1 face up on top of each modifier card. Make sure that all information from the modifier cards remains visible.
Place coins on each monster crest equal to the total coin values shown on the monster tile and modifier card.

Player Loadouts

Take a player board and a player aid, placing them both in front of you.
Take a ready token and place it in front of you, "not ready" side up.
Draw 4 consonant cards and 3 vowel cards as your starting hand.
The player who most recently used a dictionary (or fought evil monsters) takes the tiebreaker marker.
Take your starting coins from the supply, based on your position in clockwise seating order from the tiebreaker marker: the player with the tiebreaker marker takes $0, next player takes $1, next player takes $2, next player takes $3, next player takes $4.

The Basics

Before you set off on your quest to rid the world of all evil (and become rich and famous in the process), you should get to know the basics of Spell Smashers.

Player Boards

A successful adventurer is an organized one! Your player board represents your backpack, and it has spaces and slots to help keep your cards and other items organized.

Gear: On top of your player board, there is space for 1 active weapon card and 1 active armor card. The rest of your gear goes in a face-up stash along the left side of your player board.

Completed Quests: As you complete quests, flip them face down and tuck them under the bottom edge of your player board.

Monster Trophies: When you deal the final blow to a monster in battle, you collect that monster tile as a trophy. Place your monster trophies face up at the top edge of your player board.

Items: Keep your coins, ale, and potions along the right side of your player board.

Monster Tiles

These are the monsters that you will fight in battle. Each monster tile has a health value. A monster's health is represented by a dwindling pool of coins placed at that monster crest.

When you battle a monster, you take coins equal to the amount of damage you dealt. When the last coin is taken, the monster is defeated.

If you defeated a monster by dealing the final blow, you also collect the monster tile as a trophy. In all future battles, you'll be able to use the letter from that monster trophy as part of your word. In addition, the monster trophies you collect are worth 3 VP each at the end of the game.

Each monster tile also has an attack strength. When you battle a monster, you receive a number of wound cards, drawn at random from the wound deck, equal to their attack strength. This happens even when you defeat the monster!

Modifier Cards

These are the cards that are paired with the monster tiles. When a monster tile is added to the monster row, a modifier card is drawn at random and placed underneath it.

Each modifier card has a health bonus, which adds to that monster's total health, and a trait that changes the rules slightly when you battle that monster. When a monster is defeated, the associated modifier card is discarded.

Wound Cards

These cards each feature a combination of letters. You can use them as part of your word, just like letter cards, but the combinations can prove tricky to include. Each time you face a monster in battle, you must draw a number of cards from the wound deck equal to that monster's attack strength. This happens even when you defeat the monster!

Wound cards count toward your hand size, and normally you cannot get rid of them except by using them in words or by use of antidotes. However, if you end a battle with 5 or more wound cards in your hand, you must visit the SHAMAN that round to get rid of them, giving up a monster trophy as penalty. (Try to avoid having to do this!)

Letter Cards

These cards are the basic building blocks for forming words as you battle monsters. Each letter card has a damage value. You add together the damage values of all the cards in your word to determine how much total damage you deal to the monster.

Each card in your word also deals a specific damage type: fire, earth, or water. Some cards even deal "wild" damage, which lets you choose which type you want it to be! Certain modifier cards and gear cards also interact with damage types, to increase or decrease the total damage of the words you form.

Gear Cards

These cards are weapons and armor that you can purchase at the ARMORY, powerful items that you carry into battle to deal extra damage or protect yourself from monsters.

While you can purchase as much gear as you want, you can only have 1 weapon card and 1 armor card active each round. You may swap out your active gear at the start of each new round. Your active gear goes in dedicated slots on your player board, while your inactive gear goes in a stash off to the left side of your player board.

You can also score bonuses for your gear. At the end of the game, you score 1 VP for every 2 gear cards you have.

Quest Cards

Quests are personal challenges that you can complete during battle. During each round of the game (except the final round), you automatically receive 1 new quest, but you can get more by visiting the GUILD. You can have up to 2 incomplete quests at a time, which you keep hidden from your opponents.

Once you complete the challenge listed on your quest card, reveal it to your opponents, then tuck it face down under the bottom edge of your player board. At the end of the game, you will score the listed VP for each of your completed quests.

How to Play

The game takes place over 7 rounds. Each round has 3 phases, which occur in order:

Prepare Words
Battle Monsters
Visit Town

1. Prepare Words

At the start of this phase, each player chooses their active gear for this round: 1 weapon card and 1 armor card, maximum. Those cards should be placed in the active slots on their player board. Any other gear they have must be set aside for now.

Each player then forms a single word, using the letter cards in their hand, as well as any wound cards or monster trophies they have. All players can do this simultaneously. When a player is done forming their word, they flip their ready token so that it is "ready" side up.

Note: In rare cases, it is possible that you are unable to spell any legal word, given the letters available to you. (Make sure you draw vowels!) When this happens, reveal your hand to your opponents to verify. Discard all of your letter cards and 1 wound card of your choice, then refill your hand to 7 cards, drawing from the consonant and vowel decks, in any combination. If you still cannot spell a legal word, you must skip the BATTLE MONSTERS phase.

When all players are ready, simultaneously they all reveal the cards used in their word, saying aloud the word and how many letters it has. If you wish, say it with enthusiasm, like an adventurer's battle cry (e.g., "MACE for 4!" or "HAMSTER for 7!").

Which words are legal? A legal word cannot be a proper noun, cannot require apostrophes or dashes, and must be at least 2 letters long. It is helpful if you all agree on a dictionary before play begins. Consult that dictionary to resolve any spelling disputes.

What if my spelling is wrong? If your word is determined to be an illegal word or a wrong spelling, after consulting the dictionary of choice, then you must simply spell a different legal word, using the letters available to you. Calculate the length of your new word as normal.

Determine each player's initiative by counting the number of letters (not cards!) in their word. The player with the highest initiative (i.e., longest word) is first in initiative order, and the player with the lowest initiative (i.e., shortest word) is last. If multiple players are tied for initiative, ties are broken in clockwise order from the player who currently has the tiebreaker marker.

Example A: Determining Initiative. The players have just revealed their words. Ambie spelled LANTERN (7 letters), Blake spelled SPIRE (5 letters), Corinne spelled BLUE (4 letters), and Devon spelled CHARM (5 letters). The tiebreaker marker is currently with Devon. For the upcoming battle, the initiative order will be Ambie > Devon > Blake > Corinne.

2. Battle Monsters

In this phase, each player must battle a monster. (You may NOT refrain from entering battle.) This occurs in initiative order: the player with the highest initiative first, the player with the lowest initiative last. When it is your turn to battle a monster, carry out these steps:

Choose a monster. This must be from among those currently in the monster row. You may choose any monster that has not yet been defeated, even a monster that someone else has already battled this round. As you choose, pay attention to the modifier cards; they can make some monsters easier (or harder!) for you to defeat.
Deal damage. Each letter card, wound card, and monster trophy in your word has a listed damage value. Add together these values from all cards in your word to determine the total damage that you deal to the monster. Pay attention to the monster's modifier, your active gear, and the damage types, which may increase or decrease the damage.
Gain rewards. From the monster crest, take coins equal to the total damage you dealt to the monster, placing them in your personal supply. If you dealt more damage than the monster's remaining health, that is overkill; take all the coins that remain, forfeiting the rest. If you take the last coin, you defeat the monster: discard the modifier card, but collect the monster tile itself as a trophy. If there are any ale tokens on the monster crest, take all of those too, as long as you dealt at least 1 damage to the monster.
Suffer wounds. The number of wounds you suffer is equal to the monster's attack strength. For each wound, draw the top card of the wound deck and add it to your hand. In future rounds, you will be able to use wound cards in your words — and you will want to do so, because you lose 1 VP for each wound that is still in your hand at the end of the game!
Complete quests. If you completed a quest during the battle, reveal the quest card to your opponents, then tuck it face down under the bottom edge of your player board. It is even possible to complete both of your current quests at the same time.
Discard your word. Discard all letter cards and wound cards that you used in your word, placing them in the discard piles. (Be sure to separate the consonants and vowels.) However, your monster trophies and active gear are never discarded in this way.

At the very end of this phase, after all players have battled monsters, pass the tiebreaker marker to the player who was last in initiative order this round. (If any player was unable to spell a word and had to skip this phase, they receive the tiebreaker marker instead.)

Example B: Battling a Monster. Blake chooses to battle the Rash Centaur, which has 11 health. The Rash Centaur has a weakness to fire, which means that any fire damage dealt to it is doubled. So Blake's word, SPIRE, deals 10 damage: S(1) + P(3x2) + I(1) + R(1) + E(1). Plus her active weapon, the Starting Stick, deals +1 damage if her word has 5+ letters — which it does! With exactly 11 total damage, Blake defeats the Rash Centaur. She takes all 11 coins and collects the monster tile as a trophy. The Rash Centaur's attack strength is 1, so Blake suffers 1 wound.

3. Visit Town

In this phase, each player draws 2 new quest cards from the quest deck, keeping 1 and discarding the other to the bottom of the quest deck. You may have a maximum of 2 incomplete quests at any time. If you ever exceed this limit, discard any 1 incomplete quest card to the bottom of the quest deck.

Then, each player visits 1 building of their choice: SHAMAN, TAVERN, GUILD, ARMORY, or ALCHEMIST. Players may all do this simultaneously. (Exception! If you have 5 or more wounds, you must visit the SHAMAN; you may not choose to visit a different building.)

Shaman: "Heal your wounds — for a hefty price." Discard all wound cards in your hand, placing them in the wound discard pile. As penalty, you must also give up 1 of your monster trophies, removing it from the game. If you do not have a monster trophy to give up, you can visit the SHAMAN without penalty.

Tavern: "Boast about your battle scars." Pay $3, then gain 1 ale token for each wound card you currently have in hand. (You always pay $3 total, no matter how many wound cards you have.) Each ale token you have is worth 1 VP at the end of the game.

Guild: "Need another job?" Draw 2 cards from the quest deck. Keep 1 of them and return the other to the bottom of the quest deck, face down. If this puts you over your limit of 2 incomplete quests, discard an incomplete quest, returning it to the bottom of the quest deck, face down. (Remember: Keep your quests hidden from your opponents until you complete them!)

Armory: "Buy powerful gear." Pay $5 to draw 2 cards from the gear deck. Keep 1 of them and return the other to the bottom of the gear deck, face down. Place the gear card you just bought in the "extra gear" slot along the left side of your player board. (Remember: You can swap out your active gear at the start of each new round.)

Alchemist: "Stock up on versatile potions." Purchase 1 or more potions at their listed prices. Keep your potions in a personal supply along the right side of your player board. You may only have 1 potion of each type in your possession at any time. Potions are returned to the ALCHEMIST after use.

Elixir ($2) – When you battle a monster, use an elixir to change the damage type of any 1 card or monster trophy in your word.
Antidote ($3) – At any time, use an antidote to discard 1 letter card or wound card from your hand, then draw a new letter card to replace it.
Tonic ($5) – When you battle a monster, use a tonic to change 1 individual letter on any of your cards or monster trophies to another letter of your choice. That card's damage value and damage type do not change.

Example C: Visiting Town. The players are visiting town, and have already drawn their new quests. Ambie has 5 wounds, so she must visit the SHAMAN to discard them all, giving up a monster trophy as penalty. Blake visits the ALCHEMIST and spends $7 to buy an elixir and a tonic. Corinne wants a new weapon, so she visits the ARMORY, spending $5 to buy the Avaricious Axe. Devon has 3 wounds, and he decides to boast about them at the tavern, spending $3 to gain 3 ale tokens.

Round End

At the end of each round, there are several steps that need to be carried out to prepare for the following round:

Refill hands. Each player must draw back up to 7 total cards in hand. It may be easiest to do this in clockwise order, starting with whoever has the tiebreaker marker. Remember, your wound cards count toward your hand size! Each card you draw must come from the consonant deck or vowel deck — your choice. You may draw 1 card at a time, deciding after each draw which deck to draw from next. If you already have 7 or more letter cards in hand (which is possible if you gained a lot of wounds) do not draw any new cards, but do not discard any either.
Add ale tokens. For each surviving monster, add 1 ale token (from the TAVERN) to the monster crest. The first player to deal at least 1 damage to a monster collects all the ale tokens that have accumulated on that monster crest.
Replace defeated monsters. For each monster crest that is currently unoccupied (because the monster was defeated this round), draw and place a new modifier card, then draw and place a new monster tile on top of that. Finally, place coins on the monster crest equal to the total coin values of the monster tile and modifier card.
Advance the round marker. Move the round marker forward on the round track.

End of the Game

During the final round (round 7), the VISIT TOWN phase is skipped. Proceed immediately from the BATTLE MONSTERS phase to end-game scoring. Tally each player's victory points (VP) for these 6 categories:

monster trophies = 3 VP each
gear cards = 1 VP per 2 cards
completed quests = listed VP
ale tokens = 1 VP each
leftover coins = 1 VP per $5
remaining wounds = -1 VP each

The player with the most victory points wins! In the case of a tie, the tied player with the most remaining wounds wins. If the tie persists, all tied players share the victory.

Example D: Final Scoring. Corinne is calculating her score at the end of the game. She has 4 monster trophies (12 VP), 3 gear cards (1 VP), 4 completed quests (7 VP), 5 ale tokens (5 VP), $31 in leftover coins (6 VP), and 2 remaining wounds (-2 VP). Her final score is 29 VP.

Defend the Town — Solo Mode

Goal of the Game

It seems your group's looting and adventuring have attracted the ire of the monsters of the realm. Now, the town is being attacked by hordes of hideous minions controlled by a vicious boss monster. The townsfolk have called upon you, their most valiant hero, to save them! You must survive 6 waves of monsters and then defeat the boss monster. Can you alone vanquish the evil before the town is destroyed?

Solo Game Setup

Town and Supply. Flip the town board to the SOLO side. From the gear deck, remove all gear cards marked with the multiplayer symbol. Leave the quest deck in the game box. Otherwise, follow the standard setup for the town and the supply.

Monsters. Shuffle and place the wound cards as normal, but leave the monster crests and modifier cards in the game box. Shuffle the monster tiles into a face-down stack. Draw 2 monster tiles and place each monster in the zone indicated on the back of that tile. If the second monster drawn would go in the same zone as the first, discard it and draw another monster, until both starting monsters are in different zones. Place coins on each monster equal to its total health. Shuffle the boss monster cards, then draw 1 and place it off to the side, face up. Return the other boss monster cards to the game box.

Player Loadout. Take a player board and player aid. Leave the tiebreaker marker and all ready tokens in the game box. Draw 4 consonant cards and 3 vowel cards to form your starting hand, as normal. Do not take any starting coins.

The solo town board is divided into 4 zones: Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, and Zone 4.

Solo How to Play

The game takes place over a series of rounds until you have won or lost. Unlike in the multiplayer game, there is no round limit. Each round has 3 phases, which occur in order:

Prepare Word
Battle Monsters
Visit Town

1. Prepare Word

Form a single word, using the letter cards in your hand, as well as any wound cards or monster trophies you have.

Important! In solo mode, your monster trophies are one-time use only. After you have used a monster trophy in a word, flip it face down. You cannot use it again, but you will still score for it at game end.

2. Battle Monsters

Instead of choosing a single monster to battle, you choose 1 of the 4 zones. Calculate how much damage you deal. You may split that damage however you like among the monsters in that zone. All of the damage from your word must be assigned (if possible).

From each monster, take as many coins as the amount of damage you dealt to that monster. If you take the last coin from a monster, you also collect that tile as a monster trophy.

Finally, suffer wounds equal to the attack strength of each monster that you dealt damage to. If you dealt damage to multiple monsters, you gain wound cards equal to their combined attack strengths.

3. Visit Town

Visit 1 building of your choice. However, you may not visit a building that has been destroyed or that is currently occupied by a monster.

Elixir ($2) – When you battle a monster, use an elixir to change the damage type of any 1 card or monster trophy in your word.
Antidote ($3) – At any time, use an antidote to discard 1 letter card or wound card from your hand, then draw a new letter card to replace it.
Tonic ($5) – When you battle a monster, use a tonic to change 1 individual letter on any of your cards or monster trophies to another letter of your choice. That card's damage value and damage type do not change.

Carpenter's Guild: "Repair the fortifications." You may perform either or both of the following actions:

Pay $10 to remove 1 wound card from any building.
Pay $6 to discard 1 monster tile from play. You do not collect it as a monster trophy, and all coins are returned to the supply. (The boss monster cannot be discarded this way.)

Wizard's Shop: "Look into the future!" Draw the next 4 monster tiles from the stack and look at them. Then, return them to the top of the stack, face down, in any order that you wish.

Solo Round End

At the end of each round, follow these steps to prepare for the next round:

Refill hands. Draw back up to 7 total cards in hand. Remember, your wound cards count toward your hand size! Each card you draw must come from the consonant deck or vowel deck — your choice.
Advance the round marker. Move the round marker forward on the round track.
Add monsters. Draw 2 monsters and place each in the zone indicated on the back of that tile. Do this 1 monster at a time, advancing monsters as needed. If the next round is round 7, the boss monster arrives instead (see Arrival of the Boss).

Monster Movement

Advancing Monsters. In the solo mode, monsters behave differently. There is no monster row; monsters in play each occupy 1 of 4 zones. Within each zone, there are 2 positions: outside town and inside town. When a monster is added to an empty zone, it is placed outside town (i.e., next to that side of the town board). When the second monster is added to a single zone, the first monster advances to inside town (occupying the building in that zone).

Attacking Buildings. When the third monster is added to a single zone, the building in that zone is attacked and destroyed. When this happens, discard the monster that was occupying the building (returning all coins to the supply). Then, draw a wound card and place it face up so that it covers that building. Finally, the monster that was outside town in that zone advances to inside town, and the newly drawn monster is placed outside town.

If a monster would attack a building, but that building is already destroyed, choose a different building that must be destroyed, placing the wound card on that building instead. Then discard the attacking monster and continue advancing monsters, as normal.

Arrival of the Boss Monster. If you are heading into the boss round (round 7), instead of adding a new wave of monsters, retrieve the boss monster and place it in its indicated zone. Each boss monster has lots of health and a powerful trait.

Example E: Adding Monsters. At the end of the round, Ezra must add 2 new monsters. He draws the first monster, the Wyvern, and places it outside town in zone 3 (the zone indicated on the back of the tile). Ezra then draws the next monster, the Revenant, which should be placed outside town in zone 2. However, the Minotaur is already in that position. Ezra first advances the Minotaur to inside town, placing it on the ARMORY, then places the Revenant outside town in zone 2.

End of the Solo Game

The game can end in 3 different ways. Remember: Unlike the multiplayer game, there is no round limit. You play until you win or you lose.

If all 4 buildings in town are destroyed, the town is overrun by monsters. You lose!
If the boss monster destroys a building, it levels the entire town. You lose!
If you are able to keep at least 1 building intact and defeat the boss monster, you save the town from siege. You win!

Scoring System. Want to see how you stack up against your previous wins? Losses go unscored but, if you win, total your points and try to beat your high score for each boss monster!

monster trophies = 3 VP each
intact buildings = 5 VP each
gear cards = 1 VP per 2 cards
leftover coins = 1 VP per $5
difficulty bonus = 6 VP (advanced) or 12 VP (extreme)

Difficulty Levels

In solo mode, you can tailor the difficulty to match your experience and desired level of challenge. There are 3 difficulty levels.

Standard Difficulty. This is the standard solo mode.

Advanced Difficulty. During even-numbered rounds (rounds 2, 4, and 6), draw a random modifier card and place it underneath the first monster drawn. Make sure to add the extra coins and to observe all other rules associated with the modifiers.

Extreme Difficulty. Same as advanced difficulty. In addition, draw and place 4 monsters (instead of 2) during setup, discarding and redrawing until all 4 starting monsters are in different zones.

Gameplay Reference

Round Sequence

Prepare Word
Battle Monsters
Visit Town

Town Buildings

Shaman: Discard all wounds from hand, then give up 1 monster trophy.
Tavern: Pay $3, then gain 1 ale for each wound you have in hand.
Guild: Draw 2 quest cards. Keep 1, discard the other to bottom of quest deck.
Armory: Pay $5 to draw 2 gear cards. Keep 1, discard the other to bottom of gear deck.
Alchemist: Purchase potions. (max: 3)

Potion Effects

Elixir ($2): Change the damage type of any 1 card or monster trophy in your word.
Antidote ($3): Discard 1 letter or wound card, then draw 1 letter card to replace it.
Tonic ($5): Change any 1 letter in your word to another letter.

End-Game Scoring

monster trophies = 3 VP each
gear cards = 1 VP per 2 cards
completed quests = listed VP
ale tokens = 1 VP each
leftover coins = 1 VP per $5
remaining wounds = -1 VP each

Monster Modifiers

Resistance: Each card or monster trophy in your word that matches this damage type deals zero damage against this monster.
Weakness: Each card or monster trophy in your word that matches this damage type deals double damage against this monster.
Bite Back: This monster has +1 attack strength in battle if any of the cards or monster trophies in your word match this icon.
Extra Vicious: This monster has +1 attack strength in battle.
Legendary: When this monster enters play, add 1 ale token to its monster crest immediately.
Well Equipped: When this monster enters play, place the top card of the gear deck face down on its monster crest. The card is claimed by the first player who deals damage to this monster.
Disarm: When you battle this monster, discard 1 of your active gear cards, placing it face down on the bottom of the gear deck.
Health Aura: Immediately add extra health to all other monsters in play. (Monsters can go above their starting health as a result of this.)
Last Gasp: Suffer +2 wounds when you defeat this monster.

Credits

Game Designer: Christopher Chung. Developer & Solo Mode: T.C. Petty III. Illustrator: Mihajlo Dimitrievski. Graphic Designer: Cold Castle Studios. Editor: Dustin Schwartz. Production Artist: Cold Castle Studios.