Temple of the Beastmen Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Object of the Game
• Setup
• Sequence of Play
• Turn a Tile
• Move
• Draw Cards
• Conduct Combat
• Pick Up Items
• The Character Sheets
• The Cards
  • Play Cards
  • Hold Cards
  • Item Cards
• Special Locations
• Optional Rules
• Solitaire Play
  • Setup
  • Turn Sequence
  • Stairways
  • Losing a Turn
  • Visiting the Temple
  • Victory
• Common Questions
• Strategy Hints

Components

• 48 Map Tiles with which you will construct the levels of the High Martian kraag, making a new map every time you play. Five tiles represent the descending levels of the kraag's central shaft, open spaces with stairways cut into the walls. These tiles are numbered from 1 (the highest level and main entrance to the kraag) to 5 (the lowest and darkest level). These tiles each have four passages leading from their centers. Fourteen tiles depict corridors—some straight, some curved, some branched. The remaining 29 tiles represent the kraag's rooms and chambers, many of which are labeled as special locations. Each room tile has one to three corridors leading to its edges.
• 96 Cards, including 46 play cards that represent the dangers in the complex, 22 hold cards that you can play to help yourself or hinder another player, and 28 item cards representing the treasures and slaves inside the kraag.
• 10 Character Sheets that identify the abilities and goals of the adventurers assaulting the kraag.
• 80 Counters to mark the position of treasure, slaves, and beastmen on the map.
• 6 Pawns which represent the adventurers' parties as they delve into the complex. (Or players can use the figures from the Victorian Adventurers miniatures set. Those figures match characters from Temple of the Beastmen.)
• 1 Six-Sided Die to resolve combat and searches for secret doors.
• 1 Rule Book which explains the rules and contains listings of the cards and their effects, as well as descriptions of special location tiles.

Object of the Game

Each player in Temple of the Beastmen will explore the various levels of the High Martian kraag, seeking to gain victory points in the form of treasure and slaves. As well, each player's character has a special goal that, if accomplished, can add a relatively large number of victory points to that player's total. Finally, characters who escape from the kraag early can gain extra victory points. Once the game has ended and each player has totaled his victory points, the person with the highest total wins.

Setup

The five shaft tiles are set out in numerical order, face up on the table (or whatever playing surface you are using), ideally about 10 inches apart. (Staggering the shaft tiles can help to conserve room on the table.) The rest of the tiles are shuffled, then eight are set out face down around each of the shaft tiles. The three remaining tiles should be set aside face down, to prevent anyone discovering which tiles they are. The final layout should look like the illustration below.

Tile Layout: five shaft tiles, numbered 1 through 5, each surrounded by eight face-down tiles (illustration).

Players then roll the die to determine order of play. High roller will play first, then the player to his left, continuing clockwise around the board.

To begin play, each player in turn draws a character sheet at random to determine which adventurer he will play, chooses a pawn, and takes three S counters to represent the servants he starts with. Character sheets should be laid face up upon the table, so that everyone knows which adventurers are being used, and what their goals and abilities are. Unused character sheets are set aside.

The 96 playing cards are shuffled and placed face down on the table, where they are handy for play.

After this preparation is completed, the first turn begins.

Sequence of Play

Each player in turn will perform the following steps, in the order they are listed below.

1. Turn a Tile.
2. Move.
3. Draw Cards.
4. Conduct Combat.
5. Pick Up Items.

There are, however, three cases in which a player will not follow the sequence above:

• If he plays a card from his hand instead.
• If he loses a turn.
• Or if his character begins the turn on a tile with beastmen.

In each of these cases, the player performs none of the actions above except Conduct Combat (if that action is applicable).

The individual steps of a turn are described fully below.

Turn a Tile

The player looks at the tile his pawn is on to determine to which adjacent tiles its passages lead. He then chooses one of those tiles and lifts it to determine what is on its face, without letting other players see. If the player intends to move his pawn to the tile (and is able to do so, as explained under Move, below), he turns the tile face up, with one of its two arrows pointing toward the central shaft tile. (See the illustration of tile facing, below.) If he will not be moving his pawn onto the tile this turn (because he cannot or because he chooses not to), he must place the tile face down again.

Tile Facing: a tile is turned face up with one of its two arrows pointing toward the central shaft tile. Correct and incorrect examples are shown in the printed rulebook.

Move

The player may move his pawn one tile. (He does not have to move the pawn if he does not wish to.) He may move to any adjacent tile that is face up, provided that the tile his pawn begins on and the tile he wishes to move to are connected.

Connected Tiles: A shaft tile is considered to be connected to the shaft tile directly above it and the one directly below it.

Note: Up from shaft tile number one leads outside the kraag, and down from number five does not lead anywhere.

A stairway card also connects a tile to the corresponding tile directly above or below it, depending upon if it is an up stairway or a down stairway.

Note: An up stairway from any room on level one leads outside the kraag, and a down stairway from any room on level five does not lead anywhere.

Other tiles are considered to be connected only if they are adjacent and both have matching passageways. The illustration below demonstrates this.

Connected Tiles: examples of adjacent tiles that are and are not connected by matching passageways (illustration).

Secret Doors: There is one special case in which a player can move his pawn from one tile to an adjacent, unconnected tile, and that is if the player has found a secret door. If the tile the player's pawn begins on or the tile to which he wishes to move it has a passageway facing in the desired direction, and if the player rolls a 6 on the die, he has found a secret door and may move to the desired tile. However, if he ever wishes to use that secret door again (to move back on the next turn, for instance), he must still roll a 6 to do so. Secret doors are not remembered from turn to turn.

Passageways that lead to the edge of the board may also have secret doors that lead out of, or into, the kraag. As with other secret doors, a player must roll a 6 each time he wishes to use one.

Trying to use a secret door to enter a tile that began the turn face down poses a special problem. First, it must be remembered that a player can only look at a face-down tile if a passage leads to it from the tile his pawn is on. Next, a player should not turn up the face-down tile unless he first successfully makes his roll. This prevents the identity of the tile from being revealed to the other players prematurely.

If a roll for a secret door fails, the player can still move his pawn in another direction, to a connected tile. He cannot attempt to use a secret door to another unconnected tile that turn. Only one test for a secret door can be made in a turn.

Leaving the Kraag: It is permissible for pawns to leave the kraag during play, whether through the upper end of the central shaft, through stairways from tiles on level one, or through secret doors on any level. On the turn following the one in which the pawn left the kraag, it must reenter unless the player loses a turn as a result of a card played on him or unless he plays a card himself instead of moving. When a pawn leaves the kraag, it need not reenter in the same place it left; it can reenter at any entrance (even a secret door if he makes a successful roll).

If a character leaves the kraag with less than three servants, he will be reissued enough servants to bring him up to three before reentering. (This can be an excellent way to restore some fighting strength if you've been taking a real beating.)

Any items a character takes out of the kraag when he exits, he must bring back in with him when he reenters. (There is no safe place to leave items outside.)

Draw Cards

If a player moves his pawn onto a room tile (not a shaft tile or a corridor tile), he must draw cards from the deck. There are three different situations that dictate how cards are to be drawn:

• If the room tile is not marked as a special location and if it has never been entered before (the player turned it face up just this turn), then the player draws two cards, discards the one of his choice, and follows the instructions on the other. The card that the player chooses to discard has no effect on play: if it is an event, it did not occur; if it is a creature or item, it is not present in the kraag.
• If the room tile is marked as a special location and if it has never been entered before, then the player draws cards according to the instructions for that special location. (Instructions for special locations are given on page 13.)
• If the room tile has been entered before, whether marked as a special location or not, then the player draws only one card and follows its instructions.

Card Play: In general, every card can be played only once and is then discarded (on a discard pile near the draw pile). As explained above, some cards will be discarded without ever being played. Cards are always discarded face up. Cards that are not immediately discarded take effect as described below.

Any hold cards drawn should be added to the drawing player's hand, without being shown to other players. These cards may be played later by the drawing player, in lieu of taking a normal turn. Once played, hold cards are discarded.

Any play cards and item cards drawn take effect at once. The drawing player turns such cards face up so all players can see them, and the instructions concerning each card are followed. Some play cards will cause events to happen; other play cards and all item cards will cause counters to be placed on the board. After the event occurs or the counter is placed, the card is discarded.

Exact instructions for play of all cards are listed under The Cards on page 10.

Conduct Combat

If any beastmen are in the tile with the player's pawn, combat occurs.

Note: Combat occurs even if the player has lost his turn or has played a card instead of taking a turn.

To determine the outcome of combat, fighting strengths are determined and compared.

The beastmen's fighting strength is equal to the number of High Martians indicated on the counter (or counters, if more than one) in the room, plus the number of the level on which the room is found (it gets darker the deeper into the kraag an adventurer goes, and the beastmen fight better in darkness than the adventurers do), plus one if the battle is taking place in a shaft tile (since the beastmen have room to fly and the adventurers are perched precariously on the stairway).

The adventurer's fighting strength is equal to the roll of the die, plus the character's combat ability (listed on his card), plus the number of servants in his party, plus any bonus from items the party is carrying.

When fighting strengths are compared, one of four possible results may occur:

• If the adventurer's fighting strength totals more than the beastmen's fighting strength, the beastmen are defeated, and their counter is (or counters are) removed from play.
• If the adventurer's fighting strength equals the beastmen's fighting strength, a stalemate is reached for this turn, and combat will continue on the player's next turn.
• If the adventurer's fighting strength is less than the beastmen's, the adventurer loses the combat. The player removes one of his servant counters from play. (If he has no servants, he loses another type of item counter instead; if he has no such items, he loses a card from his hand instead; and if he has no cards, he loses his next turn instead. Characters never die.) Also, the player's pawn must exit the tile on which combat occurred. The pawn must return to the tile from which it moved at the beginning of the turn, or, if it began the turn on the tile in which combat took place, the player can move it to any connected, face-up tile.
• If a 1 is rolled on the die, the adventurer automatically loses the combat. He loses a servant, other item, card, or turn, and must move his pawn from the tile, exactly as explained in the paragraph above.

Example: Slippery John Grimes and his three servants are facing two beastmen in a room on level four. The beastmen have a fighting strength of six (two plus four). Grimes' player rolls a five, adds Grimes' combat ability of plus one, and adds three for his servants, for a total of nine. The beastmen are defeated.

Running from Combat: A player always has the option to try to avoid combat, rather than to fight it out. To avoid combat, the player rolls the die, and if the number rolled is higher than the number of members in his party (adventurer plus servants), he moves his pawn as if he had lost the combat, but he does not lose an item, card, or turn. Only one attempt to run from combat may be made per turn.

Ranged Combat: Some weapons allow a player to conduct combat at a distance. Two adventurers are identified as able to conduct ranged combat (with pistols), and spears may be found while exploring the kraag. Using ranged combat, a character can attack beastmen on a connected tile.

A ranged combat attack can only target one beastmen counter at a time. If more than one beastmen counter is in the tile, the player whose character is making the attack must indicate which of the counters is being attacked. A fighting strength is calculated for that counter, as per normal combat rules (add the number of beastmen on the counter to the level number of the tile the counter occupies).

The character conducting the attack calculates his ranged fighting strength by rolling the die and adding his combat ability. The character does not add to the total the number of servants in his party, but each spear used in the attack adds one to the total. The player conducting ranged combat must declare how many spears he is using before rolling the die.

If the adventurer's total ranged fighting strength exceeds that of the target counter, the counter is removed from the board. If his total ranged fighting strength is less than or equal to that of the target, there is no effect to either side. A character cannot conduct ranged combat if beastmen are on his own tile.

Note: Since regular combat, sneaking away from combat, and ranged combat all take place during the Conduct Combat phase, it is possible for a character to run from combat, then conduct ranged combat from an adjacent space. It is also possible for a character to run from one combat only to enter another combat. But since a character may only attempt to run from combat once each turn, he would be forced to conduct the second combat.

Also note that if a character cannot escape combat, he must fight. He cannot simply choose to lose combat; he must make a combat roll and determine the effects.

Pick Up Items

Any items that are on a tile with the player's pawn at the end of the turn may be picked up (as long as no beastmen are on the tile as well). Slaves become the adventurer's servants, increasing the size of his party. Each servant can carry one item, as can the adventurer himself. If more items are available than the party can carry, the player can switch items around as he desires, leaving the counters for any excess items on the tile in which his pawn is located.

Note: As explained earlier, if the player played a card this turn, if he lost this turn, or if he began the turn with beastmen on the tile with his pawn, he may not pick up items this turn.

The Character Sheets

The character sheets represent the adventurers that the players will play during the course of the game. Each character has special abilities and goals, as described below.

Lieutenant Arthur: Lieutenant Arthur has entered the kraag of King Gnaashriik to rescue the British ambassador to Umbra, center of the Umbran Spice League.

The lieutenant has a +1 combat ability and can conduct ranged combat with his pistol. He gains 17 victory points for rescuing the ambassador. If the pawn representing Lieutenant Arthur enters a tile with a party containing the ambassador, the ambassador must be given to the lieutenant.

Exception: Major Bagley is not subject to this rule.

Major Bagley: Like Lieutenant Arthur, Major Bagley seeks to rescue the British ambassador to Umbra from the clutches of King Gnaashriik.

The major has a +2 combat ability, and he gains 16 victory points for rescuing the ambassador. If the pawn representing Major Bagley enters a tile with a party containing the ambassador, the ambassador must be given to the major.

Exception: Lieutenant Arthur is not subject to this rule.

Miss Lucy: Miss Lucy has been a slave in the kraag of King Gnaashriik for several months. The barbarity of the beastmen has steadily worn upon her, and she has finally decided to take her chances at escaping. She intends to take with her whatever slaves and treasures she can.

Miss Lucy has a -2 combat ability, and because of her time in the kraag, she can discover secret doors on a roll of 5 or 6. She gains two victory points for each level on which she visits at least one room. She begins on the tile representing level five of the central shaft with no servants.

Sir Reginald Colton-Haynes: Famous for his archaeological expeditions to exotic locations, Sir Reginald has come to Gnaashriik's kraag following rumors of an ancient temple full of secrets from the age of Seldon II.

Sir Reginald has a -2 combat ability, but due to his archaeological knowledge, he finds secret doors on a roll of 4, 5, or 6. He has two major goals: He gains five victory points for entering the temple tile, and he gains 10 victory points for recovering the ancient tablets. If the pawn representing Sir Reginald enters a tile with a party carrying the ancient tablets, the tablets must be given to him.

Dr. Eberwein: Crumbling texts in the city archives of Syrtis Major started Dr. Eberwein on a journey to an ancient tomb searching for an artifact purported to have arcane powers. But the tomb was looted recently by King Gnaashriik's minions. Dr. Eberwein has come to Gnaashriik's kraag hoping to recover the artifact.

The doctor has a -1 combat ability, and he carries a special gadget that can detect secret doors on a roll of 5 or 6. Dr. Eberwein gains 18 victory points for recovering the artifact, and he can use it for a +2 combat bonus. He can also use it for ranged combat an unlimited number of times. If the doctor enters a tile containing a party that has the ancient artifact, the artifact must be given to him.

Mrs. Gates: While travelling the canals between Parhoon and Gorovaan, Mrs. Gates and her son were passengers on a small vessel that was attacked by High Martians. The boy was carried off by the beastmen, and Mrs. Gates put together a band of adventurers to rescue him.

Mrs. Gates has a +0 combat ability and can conduct ranged combat with her pistol. She gains 18 victory points for rescuing her boy. If the pawn representing Mrs. Gates enters a tile with a party containing the boy, the boy must be given to her.

Reverend Phelps: Reverend Phelps has come to King Gnaashriik's kraag hoping for a chance to talk with the king to convince him of the error of preying upon the more civilized races of the Martian lowlands. Gnaashriik is in no mood to parley with missionaries, particularly those who would invade the sanctity of his kraag.

The reverend has a -1 combat ability, and he gains 15 victory points for speaking with King Gnaashriik (staying in the tile to conduct combat with him). But Phelps loses one victory point for each beastman his party kills.

Slippery John Grimes: Slippery John Grimes is an opportunist in the purest sense of the word. Discovering that others were assaulting the kraag of King Gnaashriik, Grimes decided to follow and pick up whatever he could in the confusion. He is not above taking items from fellow humans, if he is able.

Slippery John has a +1 combat ability, and he can attack each other character once, taking an item of his choice if he wins. Nothing else is lost by either contestant in such combat. Also, Grimes need never surrender the ambassador, the boy, the ancient tablets, nor the ancient artifact to their respective characters.

Captain Timmons: Captain Timmons' aerial vessel, the Dawn Victory, has been grounded with damage to its lifters near King Gnaashriik's kraag.

In a desperate attempt to gain liftwood for the repairs, the captain has led a small party into the kraag, searching for the beastmen's shipyard.

Captain Timmons has a +0 combat ability, and he gains three victory points worth of liftwood for each party member who visits the shipyard.

(Keep these party members separated from any others, and remember that those carrying liftwood cannot carry items.)

Uumotaak the Bold: War leader of a brave clan of steppe Martians, Uumotaak the Bold has entered the kraag of King Gnaashriik to battle the High Martians inside.

Uumotaak has a +1 combat ability. He gains one victory point for every three Martians he defeats and full points (eight victory points) for killing King Gnaashriik and his guards.

The Cards

The three types of cards in Temple of the Beastmen are play cards, hold cards, and item cards.

Play Cards

Play cards take effect as soon as they are drawn from the deck. They include such things as High Martian parties, traps, and stairs. These cards are further explained below.

Note: If a card calls for you to lose a turn, your present turn ends after you finish drawing cards, and you lose the entirety of your next turn. You still must fight any beastmen in your tile during the interim.

Beastmen: Beastmen come in parties of two through six members. When you draw a beastmen card, place a counter representing exactly that number of beastmen on the board in the tile with your character. If you draw more than one beastmen card at the same time, place an appropriate counter for each of them on the board.

Example: You draw a Five Beastmen card and a Two Beastmen card. Place a Five Beastmen counter and a Two Beastmen counter on the board.

Cave In: Remove a tile from the board. That tile is impassible from now on. Characters trapped by its removal (whether trapped in the collapsed tile itself or in an area of the kraag that is only accessible through such a tile) may pass through the caved-in tile if they successfully roll as if searching for a secret door. Such rolls can be made once per turn.

Special: If a player spends five consecutive turns without being able to roll successfully to escape, on the sixth turn his character escapes automatically.

Eerie Mists Arise: If you draw this card, you lose a turn while your character works his way through thick, dank mists.

King Gnaashriik and His Personal Guard: Treat this card like any other beastmen card.

Beastman War Party Passes By: This represents a force of several dozen beastmen. When you draw this card, you must choose a tile in which it takes effect. All characters who occupy that tile lose a turn hiding from the war party.

Short Cut: When you draw this card, complete your present turn, then take another full turn.

Stairway Down: Place this card next to the tile on which your character is located. There is now a permanent stairway leading down to the corresponding tile on the next lower level. Characters may also come up this stairway from that tile to the one marked by the stairway.

Stairway Up: This card is played just like a Stairway Down card, but it leads to the corresponding tile one level up.

Trap: There are several trap cards, each causing the loss of a different number of followers. The poison dart traps each kill one follower; knives kill two followers; spears kill three followers; boulders kill four followers; and the pit of stakes kills five followers. If you do not have as many followers as indicated on the card, you lose those you have, and you also lose a turn.

Unspeakable Horror: A hideous creature from aeons past lurks in the kraag, slipping its obscene form through crevices too narrow for humans or Martians. If you draw this card, your character has encountered the horror. All your followers are either eaten by the horror or die of fright. Your character also loses a turn from shock. However, you gain five victory points because of the experience (and you should retain the card to keep track of the points at the game's end).

Any beastmen or slaves encountered in the same tile did not see the horror, so they do not suffer the same effects. Beastmen will combat your character, and slaves will be there for him to pick up when he regains his senses.

Confusing Echoes: Odd shapes in the rock around your character cause strange echoes. You lose a turn while your character tries to decide if the sounds are his own or an enemy's.

Hold Cards

Hold cards, when drawn, become part of a player's hand and are kept secret from the other players until the owning player decides to use them. When a hold card (other than Secret Door) is played, it takes the place of the player's normal turn. That player may not turn a tile, move his pawn, draw cards, or pick up items on that turn, although he may be required to conduct combat if beastmen are on the same tile as his pawn. Hold cards must be discarded when played.

Bomb: This card enables you to destroy items and creatures in one room or corridor tile, either the tile your character occupies or another that is connected to it. (The bomb is ineffective in shaft tiles, where the large open area disperses its force.)

To determine how many counters are to be removed from play, roll the die twice and add the results. If other adventurers are in the tile where you toss the bomb, you can divide the damage among them as you see fit, but they decide exactly which of their counters are lost. If no other adventurers are in the tile, you decide exactly which counters are removed.

It is possible to toss the bomb through a secret door. First play the bomb card, then roll to find the secret door (or play a Secret Door card). If you fail, the bomb goes off in your own tile, destroying counters there. Remember, if you play the bomb in your own tile and there are not enough counters other than your own to take up the loss, you must lose some of your own counters.

Example: Miss Lucy is standing in a corridor tile, and she tosses the bomb down a stairway connecting her tile to a room tile one level below. That room contains two beastmen counters (a Three Beastmen counter and a Four Beastmen counter), as well as Reverend Phelps (who has four servants and a spear) and Dr. Eberwein (who has nothing but the ancient artifact). The Miss Lucy player rolls the die twice for a total of five and decides that Dr. Eberwein should lose one counter, Reverend Phelps should lose three, and one of the beastmen counters should be removed. The Miss Lucy player decides to remove the Four Beastmen counter; the Reverend Phelps player decides to discard his spear and two of his servants, and the Dr. Eberwein player is forced to discard his ancient artifact.

Five Beastmen in the Shaft: When you decide to play this card, five beastmen show up for a surprise attack in the shaft tile of your choice and conduct one round of combat with the adventurer you indicate (during his next turn). After that, they disappear. No counter need be placed on the tile for this event. Also, because it is a surprise attack, these beastmen cannot be moved by use of a Move a Beastmen Counter card.

Four Beastmen in the Shaft: Play of this card follows the same procedures as for the Five Beastmen in the Shaft card.

Move a Beastmen Counter: When you use this card, you can move any single beastmen counter one tile, per normal movement rules. (Beastmen never use secret doors.)

Scattergun: When you play this card, roll the die once and remove that many creature counters (beastmen, slaves, and/or other players' party members) in any connected tile, even a shaft. You, as player of the card, get to choose the exact counters to be removed. Note that nonliving items are undamaged.

It is possible to fire a scattergun through a secret door. First play the scattergun card, then roll to find the secret door (or play a Secret Door card). If you fail, you may retain the scattergun card and play it again later, but, of course, everyone now knows that you have the weapon.

Secret Door: Find a secret door without making a roll. (Play of this card does not force its player to lose a turn.)

Secret Stairway Down: Hold this card until you desire to use it, then play it exactly like a Secret Door card in the tile your character occupies. It provides a stairway down that lasts only one turn.

Secret Stairway Up: Play this card in the exact same manner as a Secret Stairway Down card, and it will provide you with one-time access to the tile above you.

Item Cards

Item cards represent slaves and treasures found in the kraag. When a player draws an item card, he places the counter that matches that card on the tile in which his pawn is located. During the Pick Up Items phase of a player's turn, if no beastmen remain on the tile with his pawn, the player may pick up any items located there and add them to his party.

Slaves (who become servants), the ambassador, and the boy all become followers, members of the adventurer's party. Other items must be carried. The adventurer and each of his servants can each carry one item. The counters for any excess items remain on the tile in which the party is located. During the Pick Up Items phase, a party can pick up and drop any number of items, allowing the player to choose what will remain in his character's party.

There are nine different types of item cards, described as follows:

Ambassador: Taking the ambassador safely out of the kraag gains your character two victory points (more if your character is one of the army officers). The ambassador does not add to a party's combat abilities, and he will not carry any items. Whenever followers in a party die, the ambassador will be the last to do so (with the exception of the boy).

Ancient Tablets: If your character safely carries the ancient tablets out of the kraag, he gains four victory points (10 if he is Sir Colton-Haynes).

Artifact: The artifact is an ancient relic from a long-dead civilization and still contains some arcane energies. It is worth six victory points to your character if he carries it out of the kraag (16 points if your character is Dr. Eberwein, who can also use it to add a bonus of two to his combat rolls).

Boy: Escorting the boy safely out of the kraag is worth five victory points to your character (18 points to his mother, Mrs. Gates). Like the ambassador, the boy does not add to your party's combat value, nor will he carry any items. Whenever followers in your party die, the boy will be the very last to do so.

If you purposefully destroy the boy, you lose five victory points.

Jewels: There are four different bags of jewels, worth two, four, six, and eight victory points, respectively, to your character if he takes them out of the kraag.

Liquid Fire: Located here and there within the High Martian kraag are barrels of Martian liquid fire, normally used in combat between sky galleons. From these barrels your character makes small firebombs that can momentarily chase back the darkness in the kraag, negating the advantage the beastmen have in combat. Each such counter can be used once in combat, and it negates the level bonus to the High Martians' combat strength for that combat only. Liquid fire can be used for both normal and ranged combat. Any of your unused liquid fire counters are worth one victory point each when the game ends.

Slave: Slaves (the S counters) become servants to the adventurer who rescues them. Each such servant adds one to your party's combat strength, can carry one item, and is worth one victory point at game's end.

Spear: Several High Martian spears are lying about within the kraag. Each spear your party carries adds one to its combat strength and is worth one victory point at the game's end. You can use a spear an unlimited number of times in normal combat, but if you use it in ranged combat, immediately after the attack you must place it in the target's tile.

Wise Old Slave: This old fellow cannot carry an item or add to your combat, but he knows the kraag well and can find secret doors on a roll of anything but 1. Whenever followers in your party die, the wise old slave will be the last to do so (with the exception of the ambassador and the boy).

Special Locations

Many of the rooms carved out in the beastmen's kraag have special functions. To reflect this fact, special rules apply to drawing cards the first time these rooms are entered.

Armory: Slaves are never allowed in the armory. Usually all that can be found there are beastmen and equipment. To simulate this, draw and discard until a total of two cards arise that are either items (other than slaves) or beastmen (not War Party or Beastmen in the Shaft cards).

Barracks: Only beastmen will be encountered in the barracks. For this reason, draw and discard until two beastmen cards (not War Party or Beastmen in the Shaft cards) appear.

Dining Hall: The dining hall is frequented by both beastmen and slaves. When you enter it, draw three cards to discover what you encounter. None of these cards are discarded; all take effect.

King's Chambers: The busiest part of the entire kraag is the king's chambers. If you are brave enough to enter there, draw until three beastmen cards (not War Party or Beastmen in the Shaft cards) appear. All cards drawn until then take effect; none are discarded.

Shipyard: The shipyard is not a busy location, but it is better patrolled than some. When you enter it, draw two cards and both take effect. Captain Timmons (the navy officer) can take three victory points worth of liftwood per party member he leads here.

Slave Pen: The beastmen never let their slaves keep important equipment. Therefore, when you enter a slave pen, draw two cards and discard any item drawn other than slaves.

Storage: You never know what you might find stored in the storage room, but it doesn't see much traffic. When you enter it, draw two cards and discard any beastmen (not War Party or Beastmen in the Shaft cards) and slaves that turn up.

Temple: A holy place to the beastmen, the temple is only entered during important festivals, and it is always off-limits to slaves. To simulate its importance, when you enter, draw five cards and discard any beastmen (not War Party or Beastmen in the Shaft cards) and slave cards among them.

Throne: After the king's chambers, the throne room is the most frequented haunt in the kraag. When you enter it, draw five cards; they all take effect.

Treasury: Slaves are never allowed in the treasury. When you enter it, draw three cards and discard any slaves cards you find.

Optional Rules

The following add a bit more flexibility and complexity. They should be used only if all players agree. Some, none, or all may be used.

Favorite Characters: You will find that each play of Temple of the Beastmen is very different. The variances in tile mix, cards that never make it into play, and characters drawn contribute to this sense of mystery. However, after several plays, players may begin to have favorite characters. You can have the players choose characters from a face-up pile at the beginning of the game, rather than drawing randomly. The high roller chooses first, followed by the person to his left, etc.

Player Cooperation: Players can agree to any deals they might care to make; they can even join together in fighting beastmen. Deals are subject to the following rules.

• Cards and items can only be traded between players if their pawns share the same tile. (Players may, of course, agree to a deal while pawns are on different tiles, but for any exchange of material to take place, the pawns must be together.)
• Joint combat against beastmen can only be conducted once all cooperating players have moved their pawns to the same tile. The first player with a pawn on the tile delays his combat phase until the combat phase of his ally. If more than two are allying, the first players all delay their combat phases until the combat phase of their last ally.
• A player might move his pawn into a tile with beastmen, trusting an ally to enter and help him, only to discover that the ally has changed his mind, leaving the first player in the lurch. Thus, the first player's delayed combat phase takes place immediately, before the treasonous ally finishes his turn. (Or, the first players in an alliance might wait until later allies enter the tile, then roll to slip away from combat, leaving the later players in the lurch.)
• The combat strength of an alliance is equal to the roll of one die, plus the combat ability ratings of all the allies, plus the total number of servants involved, plus any weapon bonuses. If the alliance loses the combat, each member of the alliance suffers the normal effects of defeat (according to the normal rules). It is up to the members of the alliance to decide who rolls the die.
• If all characters in an alliance are capable of ranged combat, the alliance can conduct ranged combat. If one of the characters is incapable of ranged combat, the alliance cannot conduct ranged combat.
• Deals concerning trading cards or items and splitting up treasures left in the tile by the beastmen must be settled before the first member delays his combat phase. Once any player in an alliance has delayed his combat phase, no new players can enter into the alliance.

Sneaking Past the Beastmen: When a player seeks to run away from combat and manages to roll a 6 on the die, he can move his pawn past the beastmen in the tile, rather than having to retreat his pawn to the tile it came from. Even parties with six or more members can sneak past the beastmen in this way.

Combat Between Characters: Players may desire to have their characters attack another character to make him drop an important item or to prevent him from proceeding in a particular direction. During his turn, a player may decide to have his character attack another character in the same tile if no beastmen are in the tile as well. Combat strengths are determined normally, and the loser of the combat suffers the normal effects of defeat. If this forces him to drop an item in the tile, he chooses what he will drop; the attacker can pick it up during his Pick Up Items phase.

Note that if this rule is used, Slippery John Grimes cannot only conduct combat like any other character—he can still use his special ability to attack each other character once.

Note: the printed text reads "cannot only conduct combat"; transcribed as printed.

Continuous Searching for Secret Doors: If this rule is used, each consecutive turn a character spends searching for the same secret door, the task grows easier. Reduce the number needed by one each turn. A roll of 1 always fails, however.

Level Six: Stairways down from level five can be considered to lead to the extra three tiles normally not in play. Such tiles are considered to be on level six for purposes of combat, and they give Miss Lucy the opportunity to gain another two victory points. Each stairway leads to one, and only one, tile. A Secret Stairway Down card may be used to reach level six, but if the character does not find a Stairway Up and does not have a Secret Stairway Up card, he is trapped in that tile and automatically loses the game.

Solitaire Play

With a few modifications to the rules, Temple of the Beastmen makes an excellent solitaire game.

Setup

The player chooses a character (an army officer, the thug, or the Hill Martian nomad is suggested) and a pawn, and takes three servant counters. The Secret Stairway cards are removed from the deck, and the rest of the cards are shuffled and placed face down, close at hand. The map tiles are also shuffled and placed in a stack face down, close at hand; the shaft tiles are set aside with the unused characters and pawns.

The first map tile is turned face up and set out on the playing surface, and the pawn begins play on it. It is assumed that the character has found a stairway leading down to this tile from outside the kraag, and the tile is marked as the entry point by placing a Secret Stairway Up card next to it.

Turn Sequence

Solitaire turn sequence is:

1. Place a Tile.
2. Move.
3. Draw Cards.
4. Conduct Combat.
5. Pick Up Items.

Turn steps are described below.

1. Place a Tile: Each turn, the player chooses which direction he will move his pawn. If there is no tile already placed in that direction, he draws the top tile from the stack and places it there. The arrow on the side of the new tile must face toward the tile on which the pawn begins the turn.

2. Move: Once a tile has been placed, the player must move his pawn to it if it has a corridor connecting to the tile the pawn begins the turn on. Use of secret door rolls or cards are always at the player's discretion. If a tile cannot be entered at present, it is still placed face up, and if the character manages to enter it later, it is considered newly entered for purposes of card drawing. The final layout of tiles will wander into patterns quite unlike that of the basic game.

3. Draw Cards: This phase is performed much as in the basic game. However, a few cards require special handling. Each Beastmen in the Shaft card takes effect immediately, in the room the pawn is in, since no shaft is on the board. The Cave In card automatically applies to the room for which it was drawn. Cards that require the player to lose a turn do take effect, as below.

4. Conduct Combat: Combat is conducted normally. However, if a character loses a combat and has no servants, items, or cards to lose, instead of losing a turn he is dead. (Likewise, a trap card will kill a character if he does not have at least one servant to lose to it.)

5. Pick Up Items: Picking up items is conducted normally.

Stairways

Since there are no shaft tiles, only stairways can provide movement up or down. Stairways up from the level on which the pawn began play lead outside the kraag. Stairways down from that level do not lead to the same lower levels; they lead to separate levels at similar depths. Stairways up from lower levels also lead to separate upper levels of similar depths. Thus it is possible to start play on level one, go down a set of stairs to level two, return up the same stairs to the original level one, take another set of stairs down to a different level two, take yet another set of stairs up to a new level one, and so on.

Losing a Turn

Each time the solitaire player loses a turn or takes a turn to play a hold card, he loses one victory point from his final total. An easy way to keep track of this is to place one discarded card into a special pile each time such a turn is wasted. At the end of the game, these cards can be counted to determine victory points lost.

Visiting the Temple

The temple tile is more difficult to enter in the solitaire game than in the basic game. For this reason, a character that enters it gains a bonus of five victory points.

Victory

There are several different levels of victory that can be achieved in the solitaire game.

• Survival: Cheer up. At least you didn't die an ignominious death.
• 10 Victory Points: Not bad, but you can surely do better, maybe with a different character.
• 35 Victory Points: Congratulations—a commendable achievement.
• 60 Victory Points: Careful planning, insightful strategy, and a really large dose of luck pay off nicely.
• 85 Victory Points: Unbelievable! You might want to be tested for psychic powers.

Common Questions

Can I play cards on characters who are outside the kraag? No, characters outside the kraag are safe from card play.

As Slippery John Grimes, can I exit the kraag and attack other characters outside? No, characters outside the kraag are safe from attack. (This also applies to the optional rule for fighting other characters.)

Can I stay in a room and draw a card? No. You must enter a room to draw.

Can I use a Secret Door card to look at a tile if there is no passageway leading to it? No. This is explained under Movement.

Can I use a Secret Stairway Down from outside the kraag to enter a tile on the first level? Yes.

Do Shortcut cards negate the turn loss required by a Confusing Echoes, Eerie Mists Arise, or Unspeakable Horror card that is drawn in the same turn? Yes.

If there is a stairway leading from a tile and that tile is later Caved In, can a trapped character use the Stairway to escape? Yes, if the player makes the necessary roll.

As Miss Lucy, if I leave the kraag, am I issued three servants on the turn in which I return to it? No.

Can I look at a face-down tile that is connected to my tile by a Stairway or Secret Stairway? Yes, and if you turn the tile back down, you need not enter it.

As Slippery John Grimes, can I steal a card from another player's hand? No, you may only steal items (counters).

As Slippery John Grimes, can I steal a servant from another player? Yes, because servants (slaves) are items.

If my character is outside the kraag, can I roll for a secret door to enter a face-down tile? No, only if a tile is face up (and has a passage leading off the board, of course) may you roll to find a secret door into the kraag.

Strategy Hints

The following bits of advice may help you to play Temple of the Beastmen most successfully.

• Try to play in character, taking into account your adventurer's strengths and weaknesses.
• Remember to leave the kraag for more servants if you have fewer than you began the game with (unless you're Miss Lucy).
• Searching new, unmarked rooms is safest. Even on the fifth level, having the option to discard a card allows you to avoid many dangers.
• Keeping another player from attaining his major goal will not necessarily prevent him from winning, but it may give you the edge you need. When you can, discard or destroy other players' major goals, but remember that they will be looking to do the same to you.
• It is generally not a good idea to build up too many victory points early on. This makes you a tempting target for other players to gang up on.
• Toward the end of the game, if you are ahead, try to use the rest of the deck up quickly. That way you can draw play to a close before other players have a chance to catch up with you.
• Also toward the end of the game, keep an eye out for a quick exit from the kraag. The extra victory points gained for early exit can make quite a difference.
• Most importantly, remember that the purpose of the game is for everyone to have fun.