Stranger Things: Upside Down
Stranger Things: Upside Down Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Stranger Things: Upside Down is a cooperative game in which 2 to 4 players take on the role of the series' protagonists. At the start of the game, players choose a Character and 1 of the 2 Seasons to play, each with its own board, actions, and unique sets of cards. Characters use Action cards to move through iconic Hawkins Locations, get Items, control their Fear, and to beat the value of token stacks in order to gather Allies, escape a secret government agency, help Eleven and be aided by her Powers, and fight the horrors coming from the Upside Down. They perform their actions over a series of turns until they reach their ultimate goal: to stop the Upside Down forces and rescue Will... or get terrified trying.
Components
- 6 Characters: Lucas Sinclair, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Jim Hopper, Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers
- 1 Eleven Tracker
- 7 Foes: 1 Demogorgon, 4 Demodogs, 2 Patrol Standees
- 1 Double-Sided Game Board
- 25 Scene Cards – Season 1
- 8 Ally Cards – Season 1
- 27 Scene Cards – Season 2
- 8 Ally Cards – Season 2
- 6 Character Dashboards
- 15 Item Cards
- 48 Action Cards
- 77 Double-Sided Level Tokens
- 4 Fear Trackers
- 2 Plastic Stands
Basic Concepts
Game Board
Each Season of the game is represented by a different game board side. The boards feature Hawkins on the top half and either the Upside Down (Season 1) or the Tunnel System (Season 2) on the bottom. Although each side is different, both share the same basic elements:
- Season: Indicates the Season of the respective board.
- Locations: Iconic Locations from the series. Each Location is associated with at least 1 action.
- Location action: Lists the action(s) that can be performed in that Location. Depending on the type of action, they may or may not have slots associated with them (see pg. 11).
- Level token slots: Slots for Level tokens associated with a Location action or with a Foe (see pg. 6). Slots with stack sizes (numbers on the slots) are filled during setup (see pg. 8 and pg. 9).
- Slot group: A group of any number of slots enclosed by a box and identified by name.
- Ally card slots: Slots for Ally cards, always associated with the Recruit Ally action (see pg. 13) and with a token slot.
- Eleven Powers: Powers that can be activated through the Help Eleven action (see pg. 13). Each Power has its own description and an associated token slot.
- Roads: Locations are connected by roads that Characters and Foes use to move. Locations directly connected by roads are adjacent to each other. Characters moving through the labeled Upside Down roads always gain 1 Fear (see pg. 10).
- Act track: Determines the minimum number of Scene cards that players reveal at the end of their turn (see pg. 11). The track advances each time the Action deck is reshuffled. If the tracker ever advances past the 3rd act, the game is immediately lost (see pg. 11).
Characters and Character Dashboard
Each Character has a starting Location, Fear track, basic movement, and a unique ability, all listed on their Character dashboards. Eleven is not a Character and is not playable. She keeps track of the acts on the game board's Act track and aids Characters with her Powers (see pg. 7).
- Starting Location: Location in which each Character starts the game.
- Movement: The number of Locations the Character may move to during their turn. A Character's movement may be increased by using Action cards (see pg. 10).
- Ability: Unique ability of each Character. Unless associated with specific actions or turn steps (see pg. 10), abilities are always in effect during the game.
- Fear track: Represents how afraid a Character is. Characters gain Fear as the game progresses through Scene cards (see pg. 11), moving through Upside Down roads, or failing when performing contested actions (see pg. 13). For each Fear gained, advance their Fear tracker 1 space to the right. If 1 or more Characters reach the last space of their track, they become Terrified and the game is immediately lost.
Action Cards
Action cards represent the Characters' determination. Characters use Actions cards to increase their movement and perform actions. Players may show or discuss their Action cards at any time. Each Action card may have up to 3 different effects:
- Friends icon: Present on some cards. Each Friends icon adds +1 to the Character's total action value if they're in the same Location as at least 1 other Character.
- Action value: Present on all cards. The action value of each card may vary from 1 to 3. The total action value of the cards played by a Character during each turn step is used to determine their total movement and action result (see pg. 11).
- Danger icon: Present on some cards. It increases the dangers that the Characters are submitting themselves to. Characters draw 1 extra Scene card at the end of their turn (see pg. 11) for each Danger icon they have played.
Scene Cards
Scene cards represent dangerous events that the Characters go through. Each player draws Scene cards at the end of their turn and performs their listed effects. Scene cards may move Foes, give Fear, remove Allies, eliminate Eleven Powers, and create or increase stacks, among other effects.
Unless stated otherwise, if any choice on how to resolve effects is given, the active player (the player currently taking their turn) chooses how to proceed.
Whenever a Scene card effect moves Foes, always take the shortest path. If there is more than 1 option available, the active player chooses 1.
Level Tokens
Level tokens (token) are placed in slots on the board, creating stacks to represent challenges that the Characters must overcome. The back of all tokens are the same: blue with an exclamation point. Their front, however, may be of 2 different types:
- Numbered: Feature red values that vary from 0 to 5.
- Demogorgon: Feature a red Demogorgon face and no fixed value. Their value is determined by the number of stacks in the Demogorgon slot group (0 to 8). Demogorgon tokens are only used in Season 1.
Unless stated otherwise, tokens are always placed facedown (blue side up) in the slots. However, some game effects may instruct players to reveal tokens. In such cases, flip the top token of the indicated stack(s). If the top token is already revealed, nothing happens. If a game effect instructs players to look at tokens, check the value of the indicated token(s) and return them to their stack in the same order as before, without revealing them.
Some stacks are created during setup (see pg. 8 and pg. 9) while others are created via Scene cards' effects (see pg. 11).
In addition, throughout the game, more tokens may be added to existing stacks. Unless stated otherwise, tokens are always added facedown to the top of the stack. If a stack has the top token revealed and more must be added, place the new token facedown on the bottom of the stack instead.
If a game effect instructs players to add any number of tokens to a stack, making it go over the maximum limit of 4, place tokens until the limit is reached and return the remaining ones facedown to the pool. Each Character gains 1 Fear for each token that can't be added to the stack. Tokens may only be added to existing stacks. If a game effect instructs players to add tokens to an empty slot (without any stacks), simply don't add any tokens.
Example: At the end of her turn, Nancy reveals the Growing Vines Scene, requiring her to add 1 token to each Vines stack. The stack in the Western Tunnels has 4 tokens, the stack in the Eastern Tunnels has 1 token, currently revealed, and the Nest slot is empty. Nancy then proceeds to resolve the card. Since the Western Tunnels has already reached the stack limit of 4, Nancy returns the token to the pool and each Character in play (in this case, her and Joyce) gains 1 Fear. She then places 1 token facedown on the bottom of the Eastern Tunnel stack, as the top one is revealed. Nancy can't place a token in the Nest because there is no stack in that slot.
Stacks
Stacks are the piles of tokens formed in token slots. Stacks can contain from 1 to 4 tokens (empty slots do not count as a stack). During the game, Characters use their Action cards to beat the total value of specific stacks and have them removed from the board in order to perform actions and win the game (see pg. 11).
Foes
Foes are the enemies that move around the board, threatening the Characters. Unless stated otherwise, Characters can never move through Locations with a Foe. However, if a Character starts their turn in a Location with a Foe, they may leave the Location. In addition to blocking movement, Foes may also force Characters to gain Fear and discard Action cards through the effects of Scene cards (see pg. 5) and prevent Characters from performing actions (see pg. 10).
Each Season has its specific Foes. The Demogorgon and Patrols are used in Season 1. Demodogs are used in Season 2.
Ally Cards
Allies are friends, family members, and acquaintances that can be recruited through the Recruit Ally action (see pg. 13) to assist the Characters. Ally cards are placed randomly in Ally slots on the board, along with the number of tokens listed on their stack size in the associated token slot. Each Season has a set of 8 Allies.
Once recruited, Allies are stored below the Character dashboard and are not discarded when used. Each Character can have any number of Allies, limited only by the number of Ally cards for each Season. Allies cannot be traded among Characters. Allies are always in effect during the game, unless associated with specific actions or turn steps.
Item Cards
Items are useful objects that assist Characters by adding bonus values to perform specific actions (see pg. 10). Items are acquired from a deck of Item cards via the Get Item action (see pg. 12). Once acquired, Items are stored below the Character dashboard and are not discarded when used. Each Character can have up to 2 Items, and both can be used simultaneously by the Character as long as both provide bonuses to the action being performed. Unless stated otherwise, Characters can only use their own Items, even if sharing a Location with another Character, and cannot trade Items among each other.
Eleven Powers
Present on the board and with associated token slots, Eleven Powers can be activated through the Help Eleven action (see pg. 13) and provide the Characters with powerful effects in exchange for their assistance. Each Power can be activated once per game. Once activated, all tokens associated with the Power are returned to the token pool. Powers without a stack associated with them cannot be activated.
Season 1 Setup
- Place the game board in the play area with the Season 1 side faceup.
- Take the Season 1 Scene cards and Ally cards and shuffle them separately, forming individual decks, and place them facedown next to the board, within reach of all players.
- Shuffle the Item cards and the Action cards separately, forming individual decks, and place them facedown next to the board, within reach of all players.
- Shuffle all numbered tokens (excluding the 5 Demogorgon tokens) facedown, creating a pool, and place them next to the board, within reach of all players.
- Take 7 random tokens from the pool. Without revealing, shuffle them with the 5 Demogorgon tokens facedown. Then, take these tokens and randomly place them in the Rescue Will slots, creating 3 stacks of 4 tokens.
- Place the indicated number of facedown tokens from the pool in all game board numbered slots, creating stacks (Eleven Powers, Hawkins Laboratory, Patrols, and Demogorgon group slots). Then, reveal the top token from the Hawkins' stacks.
- Draw and place 1 Ally card faceup in the Hawkins School and Byers House Ally slots. Then, place a number of facedown tokens in their associated slots, creating stacks as indicated by each Ally stack size. Finally, reveal the top token of the stacks.
- Place the Demogorgon in the Upside Down School Location.
- Place 1 Patrol standee in the Hawkins Castle Byers Location and 1 in the Upside Down Laboratory. Make sure that the plastic stands are attached to the standees.
- Each player:
- Chooses 1 Character and takes their respective figure, Character dashboard, and 1 Fear tracker. Return unselected Characters, dashboards, and Fear trackers (if any) to the game box.
- Places their Character in the starting Location indicated on their dashboard.
- Places the Fear tracker on the start space of the Fear track on their Character dashboard.
- Draws 5 cards from the top of the Action deck.
NOTE: If Lucas is in play, his player also takes 1 Item card from the top of the Item deck. 11. Place the Eleven tracker on the 1st space of the Act track on the board.
Season 2 Setup
-
Place the game board in the play area with the Season 2 side faceup.
-
Take the Season 2 Scene cards and Ally cards and shuffle them separately, forming individual decks, and place them facedown next to the board, within reach of all players.
-
Shuffle the Item cards and the Action cards separately, forming individual decks, and place them facedown next to the board, within reach of all players.
-
Shuffle all numbered tokens facedown, creating a pool, and place them next to the board, within reach of all players.
IMPORTANT! Demogorgon tokens are not used in Season 2.
-
Place the indicated number of facedown tokens from the pool on all numbered slots creating stacks (Eleven Powers, Laboratory, Rescue Will, Western Tunnels Vines, Demodogs, and The Gate group slots). Then, reveal the top token from the Hawkins' stacks.
-
Draw and place 1 Ally card faceup in the School and Byers House Ally slots. Then, place a number of facedown tokens in their associated slots, creating stacks as indicated by each Ally stack size. Finally, reveal the top token of the stacks.
-
Place 1 Demodog in the Eastern Tunnels and 1 in the Nest Location. Place the remaining 2 Demodogs next to the board, within reach of all players.
-
Each player:
- Chooses 1 Character and takes the respective figure, Character dashboard, and 1 Fear tracker. Return unselected Characters, dashboards, and Fear trackers (if any) to the game box.
- Places their Character in the starting Location indicated on their dashboard.
- Places 1 Fear tracker on the start space of the Fear track on their Character dashboard.
- Draws 5 cards from the top of the Action deck.
NOTE: If Lucas is in play, his player also takes 1 Item card from the top of the Item deck.
-
Place the Eleven tracker on the 1st space of the Act track on the board.
How to Play
Once players have chosen a Season to play, they take their turns in clockwise order. The player who most recently rode a bike goes first. A player currently performing their turn is the active player.
Each player turn has 4 steps, to be performed in order:
- Move
- Perform Action
- Refill Hand
- Reveal Scenes
1. Move
The active player may move their Character. A Character's movement value (the number of Locations they can move through) is determined by their dashboard and may be increased by playing 1 or more Action cards before moving. Add the value of the cards played (if any) with the Character's basic movement and move through the roads a number of Locations up to the total movement value. Keep the cards played next to the Character's dashboard to keep track of the number of Danger icons played during the turn.
The player may decide not to use the total movement value. However, any leftover movement is lost (it does not carry over to the next steps). If, at any point during their movement, the Character enters a Location with a Foe, their move step ends immediately and any leftover movement value is lost. Unless stated otherwise, Characters may only leave Locations with a Foe if they start their turn already in the same Location.
Once the Character reaches their intended Location, runs out of movement, or enters a Location with a Foe, their turn proceeds to the next step.
REMEMBER: Characters moving through certain roads connecting Upside Down Locations gain 1 Fear for each road they move through.
Example: Lucas starts his turn in the Police Station Location with the Demogorgon, Hopper, and Mike. He wants to reach the Upside Down Laboratory. The shortest and ideal route to the Location would require 3 movements and there would be no Fear gain. However, there's a Patrol in the Hawkins Laboratory, which would force Lucas to end his move step immediately without reaching the intended Location. He then plays 2 Action cards: a value 1 card with a Friends icon and a value 2 with a Danger icon. His total movement is 5: his Character's 1 movement plus 4 (3 from the cards' values and 1 for the Friends icon, since he's in a Location with other Characters). He decides to move through a longer path, using 4 of the 5 total movement value. He stops in the Upside Down Laboratory, gains 1 Fear for moving through the Upside Down road, and loses the rest of his movement value (1).
2. Perform Action
If the Character ends their move step in a Location without a Foe, the active player may perform 1 action listed on the Character's current Location (or in the case of Mike, his ability). Actions allow players to gain Items, recruit Allies, lose Fear, and activate Eleven Powers, among other options. Performing a Location action is optional.
However, if the Character ends their move step in a Location with at least 1 Foe, they cannot perform a Location action. Instead, they must perform 1 Fight action (see pg. 14).
To perform any action, play at least 1 Action card and add any bonuses from Items, Allies, and/or abilities to determine the total action value. Keep the cards played next to the Character dashboard, along with the cards played during the move step, if any. Then, perform the action (see pg. 11).
Once the perform action step is completed, play moves to the next step.
3. Refill Hand
The active player draws Action cards from the top of the deck until they reach 5 cards in hand. If there aren't enough cards in the deck, shuffle the discarded cards back into the deck, along with the cards separated next to the Character dashboard (making sure to first take note of the total number of Danger icons played), and move Eleven 1 space to the right on the Act track. Then, the player continues refilling their hand.
4. Reveal Scenes
The active player draws and resolves Scene cards. Determine the number of Scene cards to reveal by adding the current Act number (1, 2, or 3) with the total number of Danger icons on the cards played during the turn (0 to 5). Action cards discarded by a game effect do not count towards the number of Scene cards to reveal. Deduct from the total amount any Danger icon bonus the active player may have (such as Laboratory empty slots or Ally effects).
Then, reveal from the top of the Scenes deck and resolve 1 Scene card at a time. Discard each Scene that is resolved into a discard pile. If, at any point, an End of the Day Scene card is revealed, resolve its effects and reshuffle the discard Scene pile back into the deck without revealing any further cards.
Once the player is done revealing Scene cards, either by revealing the total number required or an End of the Day card, their turn is over. If the Action deck wasn't shuffled during the Refill Hand step, discard the Action cards played during the turn into an Action discard pile next to the Action deck. Then, play moves to the next player in clockwise order.
IMPORTANT! Whenever a game effect instructs players to remove a card from the game, place the card back in the game box. The card will no longer be available during the remainder of the game.
Example: Lucas played 1 Danger icon during his move step and 1 Danger icon during his action. He would have to draw 4 Scene cards, 1 for each Danger icon plus 2 since Eleven is on the 2nd act space.
However, there is 1 empty slot in the Hawkins Laboratory, which allows him to ignore 1 Danger icon, and Officer Powell is his Ally, also allowing him to ignore 1 Danger icon.
He will then reveal and resolve 2 Scenes, 1 at a time.
Demodog Spawn
When playing Season 2, Demodogs may be spawned by Scene cards. Every time a Demodog is spawned, create 1 stack of 3 tokens in an empty Demodog slot and place 1 Demodog figure currently off the board in the listed Location. If all 4 Demodogs are on the board, nothing happens. Proceed to resolve the card's other effects, if any.
Winning or Losing
Stranger Things: Upside Down is a cooperative game. Players either win or lose as a group. As soon as players complete the following goals, the game ends immediately in victory:
- Season 1 goal: Save Will by removing all stacks from the Rescue Will slots.
- Season 2 goal: Save Will and close the Gate, in this order. First, remove all stacks from the Rescue Will slots. Then, remove the stack from The Gate.
Players immediately lose the game if 1 or more Characters become Terrified and/or if the Action deck would be reshuffled while Eleven is already on the 3rd act space.
Actions
Actions are performed by the Characters during their turn, according to the Location they're in, abilities (in Mike's case), or the presence of Foes. There are 2 types of Actions:
UNCONTESTED: Characters resolve the action without any obstacles. CONTESTED: Characters must beat the value of stacks in order to resolve the action. Otherwise, the action cannot be resolved and the Character gains Fear.
Uncontested Actions
There are 3 uncontested Actions, each with unique effects.
Calm Down and Calm Down +2
Lose an amount of Fear equal to the total action value.
- Locations: Scrap Yard and Hawkins Castle Byers (Season 1) and Pumpkin Patch (Season 2). The Scrap Yard Location also adds 2 to the Character's action value.
Get Item and Get Item +2
Draw a number of Item cards equal to the action value from the top of the Item deck. Choose 1 to keep and shuffle the rest back into the deck. All Hawkins' Locations and the Upside Down Laboratory allow Characters to perform the Get Item action. The Main Street Location also adds 2 to the Character's action value.
REMEMBER: Characters can have up to 2 Items at any time. If a player would get a 3rd Item, they must choose 1 to discard.
Example: Nancy is in the Main Street Location. She plays 1 card with value 3 and gains 2 more from the Location. She proceeds to draw 5 Item cards from the top of the deck. She chooses to keep the Gasoline and shuffles the rest of the cards back into the deck.
Gather Info
Reveal the top token of as many stacks as the action value (if possible).
- Locations: Police Station (Seasons 1 and 2).
Example: Hopper is in the Police Station Location. He plays 2 cards: One with value 1 and the other with value 2.
He proceeds to reveal the tokens on top of 3 different stacks and chooses the 3 Rescue Will stacks.
Contested Actions
Contested actions require the player to beat a stack in order to be resolved. To beat a stack, the action value must be equal to or higher than the total sum of the token value in the stack. Otherwise, the action fails, it is not resolved, and the Character gains Fear.
When performing a contested action, perform the following steps, in order:
-
Play Action cards and determine the total action value.
-
Check all the tokens in the stack associated with the action (see pg. 4) by turning them faceup (the top may already be revealed) and tally their value. Note that the stack associated with the Close Gate action also has bonuses added to its value (see pg. 15).
REMEMBER: Each Demogorgon token value is equal to the number of stacks in the Demogorgon slot group.
-
Compare the total action value with the stack's total value:
- If equal or higher: The action is a success. Discard the respective stack from the slot, returning all its tokens facedown to the pool. Then, proceed to resolve the action.
- If lower: The action failed and cannot be resolved. Instead, perform the following steps, in order:
- Gain Fear equal to the difference between the action value and the stack's.
- Turn all tokens in the stack facedown and shuffle them. Randomly remove 1 token and return it to the pool, without revealing its value.
- Return the stack with the remaining tokens facedown back to its slot.
IMPORTANT! If the stack only has 1 token, the Character succeeds even if their total action value was lower than the token's. They proceed to discard the token and resolve the action. However, they still gain Fear.
There are 7 contested Actions, each with unique effects and stacks to beat.
Recruit Ally
Each Ally has only 1 stack associated with them. Beat the Location's respective stack.
- Success: Discard the stack. Take the Ally card associated with the Location and place it faceup below the Character dashboard. It starts to take effect immediately (in the same turn). Then, draw the top card from the Ally deck and place it faceup in the empty Ally slot. Place the number of facedown tokens indicated on the Ally card stack size in the associated slot, creating a stack. If the Ally deck is depleted, no more Allies can be placed and recruited in the Location.
- Locations: Hawkins School and Byers House (Seasons 1 and 2).
Help Eleven
Choose 1 unused Eleven Power (Powers with a stack) available in the Location and beat its respective stack.
- Success: Discard the respective stack. The chosen Eleven Power immediately activates and cannot be activated again for the rest of the game.
- Locations: Upside Down Laboratory (Season 1) and Wheeler House (Seasons 1 and 2).
Investigate the Lab
Choose any 1 stack in the Laboratory and beat it.
- Success: Discard the respective stack. Each empty slot in the Hawkins Laboratory allows Characters to ignore 1 Danger icon when revealing Scene cards (see pg. 11), regardless of the Location they're in. It takes effect immediately, in the same turn.
- Location: Hawkins Laboratory (Seasons 1 and 2).
IMPORTANT! If a card creates stacks in an empty Hawkins Laboratory slot, it does not affect the number of Scene cards drawn during that same turn (the active player still gains the empty slot bonus), only in future ones.
Rescue Will
- Season 1: Each Rescue Will action has only 1 stack associated with it. Beat the Location's respective stack.
- Season 2: Choose any 1 stack in Hopper's Cabin and beat it. All stacks in Hopper's Cabin must be discarded before players can perform a Close Gate action.
- Success: Discard the respective stack. All Rescue Will slots must be empty to win the game (see pg. 11).
- Locations: Upside Down School, Byers House, and Castle Byers (Season 1) and Hopper's Cabin (Season 2).
IMPORTANT! In Season 1, Demogorgon tokens in a beaten stack are discarded back to the pool as usual. This means that the tokens, initially only present in the Rescue Will stacks, may eventually be added to any stack in the game through the effects of Scene cards (when adding tokens or creating stacks).
Fight
A Fight action is performed in any Location with a Foe. Foes are always fought 1 individual at a time. If there is more than 1 Foe in a Location, choose 1 to Fight. The action resolution differs for each Foe:
Demogorgon - Season 1
Choose any 1 stack in the Demogorgon group slot and beat that stack. If all Demogorgon slots are empty, the player must still fight it. In this case, play at least 1 Action card and immediately succeed.
- Success: Discard the respective stack and move the Demogorgon to an adjacent Location. If all Demogorgon slots were initially empty, move the Demogorgon a number of Locations equal to the action value. The Demogorgon can never be eliminated or removed from the board.
Patrols - Season 1
Patrols have only 1 stack associated with them. Beat the stack in the Patrols group slot.
- Success: Discard the stack, move the Patrol to any Location on the board, and immediately refill the Patrols slot with 4 facedown tokens from the pool. Patrols can never be eliminated as a result of a Fight, but may be removed from the board as a result of the Psionic Blast Power (see pg. 13).
Demodogs - Season 2
Choose any 1 stack in the Demodogs group slot and beat that stack.
- Success: Discard the respective stack and remove the eliminated Demodog figure from the board. Although Demodogs can be eliminated in a Fight or removed due to game effects, more Demodogs may also be spawned during the game, returning them to the board (see pg. 11).
NOTE: If a Character is in a Location with a Foe, they must perform a Fight action. In the rare event the player has no Action cards in hand, consider their action value 0.
Example: Hopper is in the Police Station with the Demogorgon. He decides not to move and therefore must perform a Fight action. He plays 5 action cards for a total of 9 action value.
Then, he chooses 1 stack from the Demogorgon and reveals its 4 tokens: 2 tokens value 1, 1 token value 3, and 1 Demogorgon token, which values 4, since there are 4 stacks in the Demogorgon slot group. The stack total value is also 9. The action was a success!
Hopper discards the respective stack and moves the Demogorgon to the Scrap Yard.
Remove Vines
The Remove Vines action is exclusive to Season 2. Each Remove Vines action has only 1 stack associated with it. Beat the Location's respective stack.
- Success: Discard the stack. Vines stacks interact with Scene cards. By removing them, Characters reduce their chances of gaining Fear. In addition, tokens in the Vines stacks add value to The Gate which must be beaten in order to win the game.
- Locations: Western Tunnels, Nest, and Eastern Tunnels (Season 2).
Close Gate
The Close Gate action is exclusive to Season 2 and can only be performed after Will has been rescued (see pg. 13).
The stack value is equal to the total value of The Gate stack plus the quantity of tokens in each Vines stack (0 to 12) and Demodogs on the board (0 to 4).
- Success: Discard the stack. The Gate slot must be empty in order to win the game (see pg. 11).
- Locations: The Gate (Season 2).
Example: Joyce is in The Gate Location and performs a Close Gate action. Knowing that the top token value is 2, since it was already revealed by a game effect, she plays 4 action cards. Since Jonathan is her Ally and he counts as a Character in her Location, she gains 2 Friends bonus value, for a total action value of 10. The Gate stack starts the game with 4 tokens. She reveals the tokens from the stack. The stack value is 8.
There is a total of 4 tokens across the Vines stacks, 3 in the Western Tunnels and 1 in the Nest (the Eastern Tunnels slot is empty), and there is 1 Demodog on the board, so the Gate total value is 13. She failed.
Joyce gains 3 Fear, shuffles the tokens in the stack, removes 1, and places the stack back into the slot.
Summary
Choose a Season to play and perform its setup. Then, start the game.
Player Turn
Each player turn has 4 steps, to be performed in order:
- Move
- Perform Action
- Refill Hand
- Reveal Scenes
1. Move
Move through the roads a number of Locations up to the Character total movement value.
- Add the value of Action cards played (if any) with the Character's basic movement.
- Unless stated otherwise, if the Character enters a Location with a Foe, their move step ends immediately.
- Characters may only leave Locations with a Foe if they start their turn already in the same Location.
2. Perform Action
Perform an action depending on the Location and Foes.
- If the Character ended their move step in a Location without a Foe, they may perform 1 Location action.
- If the Character ended their move step in a Location with at least 1 Foe, they must perform a Fight action.
3. Refill Hand
Draw Action cards from the top of the deck until 5 cards in hand are reached.
4. Reveal Scenes
Draw and resolve Scene cards, 1 at a time, equal to the Act number plus number of Danger icons played during the turn.
If an End of the Day card is revealed, resolve its effects and stop revealing cards. Reshuffle the discard Scene pile.
REMEMBER: If a game effect instructs players to add tokens to a stack making it go over the maximum limit of 4, each Character gains 1 Fear for each token that can't be added to the stack.
Types of Actions
UNCONTESTED: Are not associated with stacks and are resolved without any obstacles. CONTESTED: The value of the stack associated with the action must be beaten to be resolved.
- Play Action cards and determine the total action value.
- Tally the stack value.
- Compare the total action value with the stack's total value:
- If equal or higher: The action is a success. Discard the stack and resolve the action.
- If lower: The action failed and cannot be resolved. Instead:
- Gain Fear equal to the difference between the action value and the stack's.
- Shuffle the stack and randomly remove 1 token.
- Return the stack facedown back to its slot.
Winning or Losing
The game ends immediately in victory:
- Season 1: When Will is saved by removing all stacks from the Rescue Will slots.
- Season 2: When, in order, Will is saved and the Gate is closed. First, remove all stacks from the Rescue Will slots. Then, remove the stack from The Gate.
The game ends immediately in defeat if any of the following happens:
- If 1 or more Characters become Terrified.
- If the Action deck would be reshuffled while Eleven is already on the 3rd act space.