The Cursed Menagerie Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Character Card / Role Card
• Object Card
• Ghost Card
• Game Setup
  • Character Setup
  • Game Setup
• Turn Structure
  • Initial Dice Roll
  • Role Abilities
  • Form the Dice Pool
  • Stats and Health
  • Spend Dice
  • End the Turn
• General Icons
• Ability Icons
• Capture Bonus Icons
• Completing Challenges
  • Challenge Requirements
• Capturing an Object
• Revealing a Ghost
• Defeating a Ghost
• Additional Game Modes
• Capture Bonus
• Winning and Losing

Components

• 13 Object Cards
• 9 Ghost Cards
• 3 Character Cards
• 3 Role Cards
• 1 Player Aid Card
• 1 Investigation Log

You must provide 6 six-sided dice, 7 small cubes, and a writing implement.

Character Card / Role Card

1. Character name
2. Role name
3. Ability spaces
4. Luck track
5. Resolve track
6. Knowledge track
7. Health track
8. Starting health
9. Starting values
10. Stat abilities (reroll / adjust / active dice)
11. Role bonus values

Object Card

1. Object Name
2. Effect
3. Challenges
4. Prestige
5. Capture bonus

Ghost Card

1. Ghost name
2. Class / Type
3. Abilities
4. Prestige
5. Challenges

Game Setup

Character Setup

Choose a Character Card and place it on the table. Choose a Role Card and place it directly under your character. You will use this character and role throughout the campaign, so set the others aside.

Game Setup

1. Shuffle the Object Cards and deal 6 cards face down in the pattern shown below.

   • 1 Object: Class 3 Ghost
   • 2 Objects: Class 2 Ghosts
   • 3 Objects: Class 1 Ghosts

2. Shuffle the Class 1 Ghost cards and deal one to each Object facedown to the first row. Set aside any extra cards. Repeat this for Class 2 Ghosts placing them on the second row of Object cards. Deal 1 Level 3 Ghost on top of the top-most.

3. Carefully flip over each stack of object and ghost without revealing the ghost, so the object is face up with the ghost hidden underneath it.

4. For each stat (Luck/Resolve/Knowledge), add your character's starting value to your role's modifier, and place a cube in that track space. If the total is less than the values shown on the track, place the cube on the bottommost space. If the track has multiple spaces with a matching value, use the lowest space matching that value.

   In this example the player determines their starting stats to be 2 Luck, 5 Resolve and 5 Knowledge (placing the cube on the lowest space with a '5' value).

5. Place a cube in the topmost space of your character's health track.

6. Choose which object you'll attempt to capture from the first row. Shift it up to reveal only the bottommost ability of the Ghost Card underneath.

Turn Structure

Initial Dice Roll

Roll a number of dice equal to your current Knowledge minus dice on your Ability spaces (Saved Dice). Resolve any ghost abilities or object effects that modify your initial roll.

Example: Knowledge 5 minus 2 Saved Dice gives 3 dice to roll.

Role Abilities

During your turn, you may place one or more unused dice from your dice pool into the Ability spaces on your Role Card (These are referred to as Saved Dice), and immediately gain the effect listed on that space (see icon reference). Unless otherwise specified, dice on Ability spaces are unaffected by ghost abilities/object effects that modify your initial roll.

Form the Dice Pool

You may roll any Saved Dice, or keep their values and add them to your dice pool, as-is. You may adjust your dice using the following in any order:

• Reroll any number of dice for free, up to once per turn.
• Spend 1 Luck to reroll any number of dice. You may repeat this by spending additional Luck.
• Spend 1 Resolve to increase or decrease one die by 1 (you may not change between 1 and 6). You may repeat this by spending additional Resolve.

Note: If you roll any dice using the actions above, those rolls are not affected by ghost abilities and object effects that modify your initial roll.

Stats and Health

As your stats and Health change throughout the game, shift their cubes one space to represent each point gained or lost. If you would decrease a stat (for example, to pay for an action) but you have 0 in that stat, lose 1 Health instead. If your Health is at its lowest heart and you lose any more Health, you lose the game and your campaign.

Spend Dice

You may spend dice in your dice pool to perform any of the following in any order.

• Complete one challenge on an object or ghost, up to once per turn (see Completing Challenges).
• Use a Role Ability by placing any die on a space. Then activate the Ability shown on that space.

You may spend Luck and Resolve, including any gained from the actions above, to adjust dice as described in Form the Dice Pool.

End the Turn

If you fail to complete a challenge during a turn, you lose 1 Health at the end of the turn. You may now add unused dice to your Role Ability spaces (see Role Abilities) before beginning the next turn.

General Icons

• Luck: Spend Luck to reroll 1 or more dice.
• Resolve: Spend Resolve to change the value of one die by 1.
• Knowledge: Determines the size of your dice pool.
• Health (heart icon) and Prestige (star icon) are listed in the printed icon key without a separate description; see Stats and Health and Winning and Losing.

Ability Icons

Ability spaces offer a choice between two different effects. For example, when you place a die on the space shown to the left, you may either Flip the placed die (for use on the next turn) or gain 1 Luck.

• Increase the placed die by 2 (if possible).
• Set the placed die to any result (if possible).

Capture Bonus Icons

• Die faces 1 to 6: May be used as a die with the value shown. This value may not be modified, and this cannot be spent on an Ability.
• Flip 1 die in your dice pool.
• Gain 1 Health.
• Gain 2 Luck.
• Ignore 1 ghost ability this turn.
• Gain 2 Resolve.
• Ignore the object's effect this turn.
• Gain 1 Knowledge.

Completing Challenges

Each challenge shows a requirement; you must spend dice in your pool that match the requirement to complete the challenge. You may not complete more than one challenge each turn (but may complete them in any order).

Challenge Requirements

• Dice Sequence: Matched by a sequence of dice with consecutive values. For example, this challenge requires 4 dice with consecutive values, such as 2-3-4-5 (6-1-2-3 are not considered sequential).
• Matching Set: All dice must match in the quantity indicated. For example, this challenge requires 5 matching dice, like 2-2-2-2-2 or 4-4-4-4-4.
• Exact Dice Set: Matched by a set of dice with the specified value. For example, this challenge requires 4 dice showing 3.
• Threshold: Matched by a set of dice equal to or greater than the value indicated. For example, this challenge requires any combination of 4s, 5s or 6s.

When you complete a challenge, immediately gain 1 in Luck, Resolve, or Knowledge. Place a token on the challenge to show it's completed.

When you complete an object challenge, carefully shift the Object Card up to reveal the next ghost ability. If you complete the third challenge on the object, completely reveal the ghost card (see Revealing a Ghost).

Capturing an Object

To capture each object, you must first complete its challenges to reveal the ghost haunting it. Once captured, you may use an Object's Capture Bonus (see Capture Bonus) effect at any time.

Revealing a Ghost

When you complete an object's third challenge, set that object aside. Its object effect is no longer active, but all three ghost abilities are still active. You may now attempt to complete the ghost's challenges.

Defeating a Ghost

When you complete all of a ghost's challenges, you defeat it. Resolve this as follows:

1. First, record the captured object in the Acquisitions Catalog of your Investigation Log. When setting up subsequent games in the same campaign, remove captured objects before shuffling the remaining objects together.
2. Next, make notes about the defeated ghost under Paranormal Observations, as you may face them again. Ghosts are not removed between games.
3. Refer to the Prestige on the captured object and defeated ghost, and add their values to your Prestige total on the Investigation Log.
4. Reset your character's Knowledge stat (do not reset your Luck, Resolve or Health).
5. Choose the next object to attempt to capture. You must face all objects in your current row before moving up to the next row of objects.
6. Carefully shift the object up to reveal only the bottommost ability of its ghost. If you've captured all objects in the game, you win!

Additional Game Modes

Campaign Mode: In this mode, instead of stopping after you win your first game, play another round with the following card setup. If you capture the additional 7 objects, you win the campaign!

• 1 Object: Class 3 Ghost
• 3 Objects: Class 2 Ghosts
• 3 Objects: Class 1 Ghosts

Arcade Mode: Setup one row of 3 objects. Select ghosts using a deck including ALL ghosts levels. You may spend 3 Prestige to escape an Object that is too difficult. If you run out of Prestige or lose all health, you lose. If you clear all 3 objects, setup a new row. See how many objects you can capture!

Challenger Variant (Any mode): Face off against all Objects in the row at once. You can apply dice to ANY Object or Ghost challenge but you must also deal with all effects that are in play.

Beginner Variant: If you win a Challenge you may gain 1 Health (instead of Luck/Resolve/Knowledge).

Capture Bonus

When you capture an item, you may use its bonus effect (below its Prestige icon) once (during the current game or in a subsequent game). When you use a bonus, mark it used in your Acquisition Log.

Winning and Losing

If you lose all your Health, you lose the current game and your game ends.

Win a game by capturing all of the objects before losing. In a standard game you will need to collect 6 objects (Campaign you will collect 13 objects).

Regardless of how your game ends, compare your Prestige against the table below:

Prestige	0-35	36-60	61+
Rank	Novice	Expert	Savior