The Hunger: High Stakes Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• New Setup
  • Organizing the Board
  • Prepare the Missions
  • Prepare Your 1st Turn
• New Concepts
  • Event Cards
    • Event Card Anatomy
  • Attack Value
  • Threats
    • Adding a Werewolf
  • Threat Card Anatomy
  • How Threats Work
  • When Threats Attack You
  • How to Defeat Threats
  • End of Game
• Glossary Add-On

Components

• 180 cards
  • 36 starting cards (6 per player)
  • 48 Wound cards (8 per player)
  • 6 You are Injured cards (1 per player)
  • 28 Hunt cards (8 Humans, 8 Familiars, 12 Powers)
  • 1 Rose card
  • 16 Threat cards (8 Werewolves and 8 Vampire Hunters)
  • 9 Spawn location cards
  • 36 Event cards (15 Game Event, 20 Turn, and 1 15th Turn)
• 10 Mission tiles
• 28 Damage tokens
• 6 Bonus tokens

New Setup

When you play with the expansion, please make the following modification during Setup. You shouldn't play with the expansion if it is your first game. If you know the game, the changes are in frames like this one.

1. Place the game board in the middle of the table and the Hunt Track to the right. Assemble the Hunt Track based on the number of players.
2. Each player chooses a Vampire and takes their sheet, starting deck, Vampire token and Score token, which they place on the "0" space of the Score Track.
3. When you play with High Stakes expansion each player takes the six card Starting decks from it instead of the main game.

The six starting cards pictured in the rulebook are Vampire Strength, Vampire Thirst, The Hunger, Vampiric Rage, Vampiric Claws and Gloom Stalker.

4. Each player takes 8 Wound cards of their color and places them on a "You are Injured!" card to create a pile face up near their Vampire sheet.

"You are Injured!" card text: At the beginning of the game, add 8 Wound cards of your color on top of this card. If at any time you have no Wound left on this card, you are injured: Until you Heal, lose 1 Victory Point every time you should add a Wound due to an Attack or a Hunt effect.

Wound card text: Draw 1 card. Heal if you Hunt at least 1 Human. [red cross icon]: Lose 2 Victory Points at the End of the game if you haven't Healed it.

Transcription note: the rulebook does not explain the red cross icon on the Wound card; it is transcribed here as a symbol.

5. Shuffle the new Hunt cards with the original Hunt cards (without the Roses) to create a Hunt deck that you place near the Hunt track.

Organizing the Board

6. Shuffle the Bonus tokens face down and place 1 face down on every Chest space. Keep the rest of the tokens near the board to create a Reserve. Flip the tokens that are on the open Chests.
7. Place the Damage tokens near the board.
8. Place the 4 Rose cards (including the Rose Sword) face up on the Labyrinth.
9. Draw 3 cards from the Hunt deck and place them face down on the Tavern.

Transcription note: the source prints a small circled "5" after "Hunt deck" in this step. It appears to be a step cross-reference to step 5 and is not transcribed as a rule.

10. Place the Moon token on the first space of the Turn Track.
11. Prepare an Event deck:
    1. Take the "15th Turn" card.
    2. Shuffle all the Turn cards and draw 13 that you place face down on top of the 15th Turn card to create an Event deck. Put the rest of the Turn cards back into the box.
    3. Shuffle the Game Event cards and draw one that you place face up on top of the deck. This event will last for the entire game. Put the rest of the Game Event cards back into the box.
12. Place Castle tokens on the Castle depending on the number of players (the numbers are the Victory Point values on the tokens):
    • 2 players: 10 / 6
    • 3 players: 10 / 6 / 4
    • 4 players: 10 / 8 / 6 / 4
    • 5/6 players: 10 / 8 / 6 / 4 / 2

Prepare the Missions

If you are playing a 2- to 4-player game, put the Missions marked "5+" back into the box.

13. Mix the Missions with the beige background and place 2 chosen at random on the Public Mission spaces face up. Then shuffle all of the remaining Missions together.
14. Each player draws 2 Missions, chooses 1 and discards the other back into the box without showing it.
15. Place the corresponding number of Missions on each Crypt space: Mountains (6), Plains (5), and Forest (4). Put the remaining Missions back in a Reserve near the board without looking at them.

Important: When you play with this expansion, please note that some Missions may be worth more than 10 at the end of the game if you don't pay attention to your opponent's play.

Prepare Your 1st Turn

16. Each player shuffles their deck and draws 3 cards.
17. The first turn's Playing order depends on the Vampires' Speeds: Each player adds up the Speeds on their cards. Vampires with the lowest Speed will play first and the fastest will play last. In case of a tie between Vampires, the oldest player will play first. Place your Vampire tokens on the Castle in turn order, with the slowest Vampire on top.
18. Prepare the Hunt Track: Draw 2 Hunt cards for each row and place them face up in column 2 and 3.
19. Prepare the Threat deck: Shuffle all Vampire Hunters and Werewolves together and put them face down in a pile near the Hunt deck.
20. Take one Spawn location of each color (discard the green in a 2-player game) and randomly add Spawn locations until you have one per row (total of 5 in a 4-player game): Place them under the Hunt track face-up. When you know the game, you can increase the difficulty by adding more Red locations or reduce it by removing one color (green).

New Concepts

The Hunger - High Stakes Expansion will add several new concepts to the game.

Event Cards

Carpathian Mountain nights differ frighteningly. The Event Cards allow players to adapt to game-changing rules and unexpected incidents. The 15 cards also control game timing.

• At the beginning of the game, you add a random Game Event card that modifies the entire game and affects all players. Follow the instructions on that card DURING THE ENTIRE GAME. Keep it face-up near the Board.
• Starting on the second turn, you will draw and reveal 1 Event card at the beginning of each turn and follow its effect until the end of the turn. Most of the Event cards will make you add a Threat.
• The card for the 15th Turn is always the same. You don't draw a card for the extra turn if any Vampire has an umbrella.

Event Card Anatomy

• Name: the title at the top of the card.
• Effect: the instructions for the card.
• Threat Spawn color: the icon at the bottom of the card. See Threats below.

Example Event card "Werewolf Attack": All Vampires in the Forest add 2 Wound to their discard and draw 1 card. Its Threat Spawn color is red.

Attack Value

Attack is a new concept that allows you to defeat Threats, improve your Hunts, or attack your fellow Vampire.

When you have Attack on one or more cards from your Playing area, you add them together to calculate your Attack Value at the same time you calculate your Speed during Step 2 of your turn.

Note: You can't use your Attack when you are in the Castle, but you can use it in the Cemetery.

You can use Attack after you move in 3 different ways:

1. Defeat one or more Threats: You can spend as much of your Attack value as you want to wound any Threat in your Playing area (See p.7 How to defeat a Threat). This is optional. You may keep some or all of your Attack value to Hunt.
2. Improve your Hunts: You can add none, part, or all your remaining Attack value to your Speed to improve your Hunt. This doesn't give you an extra Hunt and you don't need to have Speed to use it that way. For example, if you have 2 Speed and 2 Attack, you can move 2 and hunt for 2, or move 1 and hunt for 3, or hunt for 4.

IMPORTANT! The following rule replaces the "pushing" rule when you finish your turn on the same space as a Vampire from the main game.

3. Attack another Vampire: If you finish your move on other Vampires, you can Attack them by spending at least 1 Attack. You can only attack one Vampire at a time. If you land on several Vampires, you choose which one to attack. If you do:

   • You can push the Vampire 1 space in any direction.
   • They discard as many cards from their deck as the Attack value you spend on the Attack. You gain 2 Victory Points for every Human discarded this way.

   Example: Yoko Chiyako spends 3 Attack attacking Don Gervasi. She decides to push Gervasi one space, then Don Gervasi discards the top 3 cards from his deck revealing 2 Humans. Yoko gains 4 Victory Points.

Threats

Werewolves and Vampire Hunters are attracted to the Vampire. Threats can only be added by Event cards. When you draw an Event card, refer to the Threat Spawn color at its bottom:

If it's 0, it's a safe night, no Threat this turn.

If a Spawn location card of the same color is available under the Hunt track: Add 1 Threat. If all Spawn locations of that color are already occupied by Threats, you don't add any this turn.

If a Spawn location is available, the player with the fewest Victory Points draws the first card from the Threat deck. (If a tie exists, the last player in turn order draws.) Next, place the Spawn Location on the right of the row from the Hunt track of their choice. Add the Threat card on top of it.

Example: Event shows red. The corresponding Spawn location is available, therefore Fred, as the player with the least Victory Points, draws 1 Threat: Paradox Hilbert, and decides to add the Spawn location in front of the second row. Then he places Paradox Hilbert on top.

Adding a Werewolf

When you place a Werewolf, they eat all Humans on column 1 of their row, if any. Add them under the Werewolf card. These Humans will no longer affect the game except for Mission scoring or End of Game bonuses (like Roxane).

During Upkeep if any Humans arrive on column 1 of their row, they eat them. Familiars and Power cards are not affected by Werewolves.

Threat Card Anatomy

• Attack Value: Number of Wound cards you add when they attack you.
• Victory Points: that you earn as soon as you defeat the Threat.
• Bonus: you gain when you defeat the Vampire Hunter.
• Life: Number of Wound tokens you need to defeat the Threat.
• Effect
• Type of Threat: Werewolf, or Vampire Hunter.

How Threats Work

You don't choose to attack Threats while they are defending the Hunt track. All Threats have Defend, which means they will attack you if you Hunt a card from their row. If you do, place the Threat card in your Playing area and put the Spawn location back under the Hunt track. This Spawn location is now available.

Threats don't stop you from hunting, but they attack you when you do. They attack even if it is an extra Hunt you get due to a well, a Mission, a card, or bonus effect. In the case of several Hunts you can get several Threats in the same turn if several of the rows you are hunting are defended by Threats.

Threats are Permanent, which means they stay in your Playing area until you defeat them. You can't discard them by any effect.

This is the only way to get a Threat from the Hunt track. You can have several Threats in your Playing area, but it is probably not a good strategy.

When Threats Attack You

WHEN YOU ADD A THREAT IN YOUR PLAYING AREA: When you hunt a row defended by a Threat, they attack you immediately. Add them to your Playing area and add a number of Wound from your Wound pile to your Discard equal to their Attack value.

Example: Julian decides to Hunt the Power Blood Frenzy, but its row is defended by Lady Hawke. He takes the Power card and adds it to his discard. Then, he places Lady Hawke in his Playing area and adds 2 Wound from his Wound pile to his discard.

EVERY TIME YOU NEED TO SHUFFLE YOUR DECK: When you shuffle your deck because it's empty or due to an effect, any Threats in your Playing area add a number of Wound from your Wound pile to your Discard equal to their Attack value before you shuffle it.

If you ever need to add a Wound and your Wound pile is empty, lose 1 Victory Point for each Wound you can't add.

Example: Julian has to shuffle his deck but still has Lady Hawke in his Playing area. He must add 2 Wound from his Wound pile to his discard because her attack value is 2 but has only 1 Wound left. He adds his last Wound to his discard before shuffling his deck, and loses 1 Victory Point.

How to Defeat Threats

On your turn, after moving but before hunting, you can spend any Attack you have to deal damage to any Threat in front of you. Decide how much Attack you want to spend on one or several Threats and add 1 Damage token for each Attack value you spend on the targeted Threats. You cannot attack a threat in the same turn they arrive in your playing area.

If you defeat a Threat, immediately gain their Victory Points and place them in your Digest pile. You don't gain the Victory Points Bonus from Plains or Forest.

• If you defeat a Vampire Hunter, take any bonus they give, as described on the card text. Depending upon the Vampire Hunter, the bonus could be a Bonus token or a new Mission.

  Note: You don't gain the 2 Bonus token Attack from the Bonus token. They are included on their Victory Points.

• If you defeat a Werewolf, also digest all the Humans they have eaten beneath them. Hunting effects from eaten Humans don't trigger when you defeat the Werewolf and you don't gain their Victory Points. They still count as a Human of their faction in regards to some Missions or End of the game Victory Points.

  Example: Julian defeats Hugo who has eaten 2 Humans. He gains 3 + 2 = 5 Victory Points. They all go in his Digest pile. At the end of the game, Julian will gain Baron Christien's and Eli's End of the game Victory Points effects.

End of Game

At the end of the game, add your Missions and End of the game Victory Points as usual.

• Be careful, with Werewolves eating Humans, and Vampire Hunters giving Bonuses, some Missions can be worth more than 10. Be aware of your opponent's actions and avoid their surprise tactics.
• Humans digested at the same time you defeat a Werewolf count for any Missions or End of the game Victory Points.
• If you have undefeated Threats at the End of the game or when you enter the Castle, they attack you one last time, then exile them.
• Each Wound you still have in your Deck, Hand, Discard or Digest makes you lose 2 Victory Points.

Glossary Add-On

• Bonus token Attack: Use to add 1 or 2 to your Attack value.

• Attack: You can split your Attack value to defeat Threats, to add it to your Speed but only to Hunt and/or to Attack another Vampire if you are not in the Cemetery or in the Castle.

• BFF: (Best Friends Forever) When you Hunt this card, hunt 1 extra card at no cost on the Hunt track from the same Faction.

• Champion: Gain as many Victory Points as your total Attack value when you Hunt that card. You don't need to use your Attack when you hunt the card to gain the Victory Points. (For example, if your total Attack value is 3 when you hunt a Champion, you gain 3 even if you didn't spend any on the Hunt.)

• Defense: (Only Threats have a Defense ability) The Threat attacks the first Vampire who hunts a card on their row, even if it is a free Hunt or an extra Hunt from a Mission or card effect.

• Draw several cards trigger effect (updated info): You must always trigger all effects from one card before using another card's effect.

  For example, if you play Vampiric Will, you can discard 2 cards and draw two cards. If the first card drawn is a Wound, you don't activate its effect until you finish Vampiric Will's effect. You can't draw 1 card due to the Wound, then discard it and draw an extra card to finish Vampiric Will. You're able to discard the Wound as a second effect of the Vampiric Will. However, you won't trigger its effect and draw a card.

  Transcription note: in the source, the card type in this example is shown as an icon, not a word. It is transcribed as Wound, as read from the icon on the page.