The Shining Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Objective
  • Learning Without the Corrupted
  • Corrupted Variant Objective
• Setup
• Components
  • Willpower Tokens
  • Shining Cards
  • Health Tokens
  • Event Cards
  • Role Cards (Corrupted Variant Only)
• Gameplay
  • Months and Rounds
  • Moving/Action
  • Moving
  • The Elevator
• Shining Phase
• Possessed
  • 1. Move
  • 2. Attack
• Cleanup Phase
• Winning and Losing
• Strategy Tips
• Room Actions
  • Kitchen
  • Office
  • Room 237
  • Caretaker's Apartment
  • Colorado Room
  • Gold Room
  • Hedge Maze
  • Garage
• Playing with the Corrupted
  • Setup
  • Hidden Information
  • Accusations / The Corrupted Revealed!
  • Corrupted Grievously Wounded
  • Winning and Losing
  • Corrupted Strategy
• Quick Reference
  • Months and Rounds
  • Shining Phase
  • Possessed Move
  • Possessed Attack
  • Cleanup Phase

Contents

• Game Board
• 5 Movers
• 52 Shining Cards
• 16 Event Cards
• 5 Role Cards
• 68 Willpower Tokens
• 15 Health Tokens
• 2 Dice
• 1 Month Tracking Cube
• 1 Room 237 First Player Keychain
• Instructions

Objective

The Shining is a game of survival and suspense. Players are Caretakers exploring the Hotel, attempting to gain enough Willpower to withstand its corrupting influence each month. Those who fail become temporarily Possessed, attacking, and possibly killing, other players. Collectively, you win if you ALL survive to the end of the fourth month.

Learning Without the Corrupted

The Shining is most exciting when the Corrupted role is used, but the game also works as a fully cooperative experience. If this is everyone's first time playing, you may want to try learning the game without the Corrupted role. Simply add in the role when you are ready. See PLAYING WITH THE CORRUPTED (p. 9).

Corrupted Variant Objective

One of you plays the role of the Corrupted, who has already succumbed to the terrible forces of the Overlook, and secretly acts against the other players. The Corrupted wins if ONE Caretaker dies.

Be careful: if the Caretakers fail to identify the Corrupted before the end of the fourth month, then the Corrupted will sabotage the snowcat, preventing escape, and forcing the Caretakers to survive a fifth month before the snow thaws and help arrives.

Setup

1. Place the board within easy reach of all players.
2. Shuffle the Shining and Event decks separately and place them face down near the game board.
3. Create the Willpower Pool. Randomly draw 13 Willpower tokens per player and place them face down in a single pool next to the board. Return the remaining tokens to the box; they won't be used this game.
4. Place one Willpower token drawn from the Pool face up onto each of the spaces marked with a solid circle on the ground-floor locations. In a 4-player game, fill the extra space in the Office. In a 5-player game, also fill the extra space in the Kitchen.
5. Place the Month Tracking Cube on the first space of the month tracker.
6. Place the dice near the board within easy reach of all players.
7. Each player chooses a Mover and places it in the Office.
8. Each player takes three Health tokens.
9. Randomly determine a first player and give them the Room 237 First Player Keychain. Play will proceed clockwise.
10. Deal two Shining cards face down from the bottom of the deck to each player. Do not look at your cards.
11. If playing Corrupted variant, count out 1 fewer Caretaker Role cards than players, shuffle in the Corrupted Role card and deal 1 to each player. Keep your Role secret.

Components

Willpower Tokens

Willpower tokens represent the mental resolve you need to overcome the corrupting force of the Overlook Hotel.

You must try to collect enough Willpower tokens from the Hotel locations and the Willpower pool to avoid becoming Possessed and attacking other players. The number on each token represents the Willpower gained. If the total value of the Willpower tokens you collect in a month equals or exceeds the value of your combined Shining cards, you will overcome the visions this month.

Some Willpower tokens have an additional effect:

Whiskey Tokens. Each Whiskey token provides Willpower equal to the total number of Whiskey tokens you have collected.

EXAMPLE: 1 Whiskey token is worth 1 Willpower, 2 Whiskey tokens are worth 2 Willpower each (for a total of 4), 3 Whiskey tokens are worth 3 Willpower each (for a total of 9).

Weapon Tokens (Knife/Axe/Bat). These tokens have a high Willpower value but are risky to take. They may make you more dangerous during the Shining phase.

Certain Room actions may force you to discard Willpower tokens from the game or return them to the pool. Either way, tokens must be placed face down.

The Willpower pool is the collective morale of the group, which players draw mental strength from. The pool is limited; once exhausted it will become very difficult to avoid becoming Possessed, and players will lose an additional Health token when attacked.

Shining Cards

Shining cards represent the horrible visions of the past you witness at the Overlook. The back of each card shows a number range, such as 3 - 5. A number in this range is printed on the front of the card but remains hidden until the Shining phase. The higher the number, the more traumatic the vision, and the more Willpower it takes to overcome.

At the end of each month you will turn all your Shining cards face up and total them together.

Health Tokens

Health tokens represent your physical stamina. Health can be lost when a Possessed player attacks another player, when using the elevator, or when moving to a distant location after the Willpower Pool is depleted. If a Caretaker loses all of their Health tokens, the game ends in an immediate loss.

Event Cards

Event cards are drawn by the first player at the start of each round and trigger different effects at The Hotel (for example, "The Kitchen may not be entered this round."). They also determine the number of rounds played in a month.

Role Cards (Corrupted Variant Only)

Role cards are dealt at the beginning of the game. One player will play as the Corrupted and the others will play cooperatively as Caretakers.

The Corrupted Role card reads:

• YOU WIN: If any Caretaker dies.
• YOU LOSE: If all Caretakers survive the 4th or 5th month.
• To accuse, reveal this card if accused, or after losing 3rd Health token.
• While revealed: All players (including you) gain +1 Willpower for the rest of the game. You may only move to adjacent locations. You cannot be attacked.

Gameplay

Months and Rounds

Each month contains either two or three rounds. A round consists of each player taking one turn.

1. The first player (with the Room 237 Keychain) takes the top card from the Event deck and reads it aloud, before placing it face up for all players to see. An Event's effect is active for one round only.
2. Starting with the first player and continuing clockwise, each player moves and takes Room actions to collect Willpower from the board and the Pool.
3. After each player has taken a turn, a new round begins. The first player discards the current Event card face up next to the deck, then draws a new Event card.

If the color of the new Event card matches the color of a previously discarded Event card: this will be the final round. Each player takes one more turn before the Shining phase.

Moving/Action

On their turn, each player moves to a new location and performs the location's action(s).

Moving

• You MUST move to a new location on your turn; you may not stay where you are.
• Movement takes place through hallways, up and down the stairs, or by using the elevator.
• You may not move through or end your turn in a location blocked by the Event card.
• Moving to an adjacent location is free. To move farther, you must discard one token from the Willpower Pool for each location you move to after the first. Longer trips expose you to more horrifying visions, and gradually deplete the collective will of the group.
• If the Willpower Pool is empty, you must give up a Health token for each additional room you move to; the strain on your already depleted Willpower wounds you physically!
• Regardless of how many locations you move through, you may only move once, and take the action of the location on which your Mover ends.

EXAMPLE: Moving from the Colorado Room to the Caretaker's Apartment is free.

EXAMPLE: Moving from the Colorado Room through the Office to end in the Gold Room costs one Willpower token from the Pool (discard one from the pool at random).

The Elevator

Rooms connected by the elevator are considered adjacent for purposes of movement. But the Hotel's elevator is haunted, so you must roll the white die to use it. If you roll the elevator doors icon, you are wounded and must discard one Health token; you have been scarred by the horrifying vision of a cascading wave of blood! (You are unharmed by any other roll.)

Shining Phase

At the end of each month play proceeds to the Shining phase. Have you collected enough Willpower to avoid being Possessed by the Overlook Hotel?

Starting with the first player and continuing clockwise, each player, in turn order, resolves their Shining cards as follows:

1. Determine your total Willpower by adding up the numbers on the Willpower tokens you have collected this month.
2. Determine your Shining total by flipping your Shining cards face up and adding all the Shining numbers together.

If your Willpower total is equal to or higher than your Shining total: you have fought off the horrors of the Overlook Hotel this month!

EXAMPLE: At the end of the month, Jen has collected a Willpower token with a value of 4 and two that show a Whiskey. The Whiskey tokens are worth 2 each (1 for each Whiskey). Jen's total Willpower is 8. She flips her Shining cards face up, revealing a 5 and a 3 for a total of 8. Jen's Willpower is equal to her Shining total; she avoids becoming Possessed this month!

If your Willpower total is lower than your Shining total: you are temporarily Possessed by The Overlook Hotel! Move and attack as detailed in the "Possessed" steps that follow.

Possessed

Possessed players fall victim to the Overlook's evil influence and attack a fellow player as follows:

1. Move

• Move to the location of the player nearest to you, ignoring any Event cards blocking access to locations. Do not discard Willpower tokens from the pool if you move more than one space.
• If you already share a location with another player, remain where you are. If more than one player is closest to you, you must choose which player to attack.
• You may not use the elevator.
• If you are in the Hotel, you may not move to the Hedge Maze; if you are in the Hedge Maze, you may not move into the Hotel.

2. Attack

Roll the black AND the white dice:

• Black die: Attacked player loses one Health token if the result shows a blood splatter.
• White die: Attacked player loses one Health token for each weapon token the Possessed has collected that matches the die result. (Elevator doors have no effect.)
• Willpower Pool: If the Willpower Pool is depleted, attacked players lose one additional Health Token when attacked (regardless of the results shown on the dice).

EXAMPLE: Dexter has two Willpower tokens: one Bat and one Axe. During the Shining phase, he becomes Possessed, and moves from the Kitchen to attack the closest player, Jen, in the Gold Room.

EXAMPLE (continued): He rolls both dice: the black die shows a blank, but the white die shows an Axe. Because Dexter has one Axe, Jen loses one Health token.

Cleanup Phase

Once all players have completed the Shining phase, prepare for the next month:

1. Each player discards their Shining cards and collected Willpower tokens from the game.
2. Return all face up Event cards to the bottom of the Event deck.
3. The first player passes the Room 237 Keychain to the player on their left.
4. Replenish the Willpower tokens on the ground floor locations as you did during setup, drawing from the Willpower Pool. Unclaimed tokens from the previous month remain on their locations.
5. Deal each player two new Shining cards, face down from the bottom of the deck. Remember not to look at the fronts of your Shining cards.
6. Advance the Month Tracking cube.
7. Check for victory (see WINNING AND LOSING below).

Winning and Losing

Players win the game if they all survive until the end of the fourth month. For a more challenging game, you may try playing a full five months.

• Players lose the game immediately if anyone dies.

Strategy Tips

• The Willpower Pool gets smaller as the game progresses. You must work together to balance the group's need to conserve enough Willpower to last the winter, with each player's need to avoid becoming Possessed.
• Carefully consider the number range on each of your Shining cards; these give you an idea of how many Willpower tokens you need to collect before the end of the month.
• Tokens showing weapons add more Willpower but make you more dangerous to other Caretakers.
• If you think a certain player is likely to become Possessed, you may suggest they hide in the Hedge Maze. Or perhaps you could hide in there yourself...
• If you think you've collected enough Willpower to avoid becoming Possessed, you may want to move to a location with no tokens remaining to help conserve the Pool.

Room Actions

Each location in the Overlook has associated actions. Follow the instructions printed on the room. Unless otherwise indicated, you must perform all actions in the room you end in.

Kitchen

Take one Willpower token from this location. Then, you may move any other player's mover one space to an adjacent location not blocked by the Event card. The moved player does not take the location's associated action. (You may perform the Kitchen's action even if there are no Willpower tokens remaining there.)

Office

Take the Willpower token with the lowest value from this location. Then, look at the top card of the Event deck. Choose whether to return this card to the top or the bottom of the deck. (You may perform the Office's action even if there are no Willpower tokens remaining there.)

Room 237

Draw two Willpower tokens from the Pool and look at them. You may keep any Weapon tokens. Mix the rest back into the Pool face down.

Caretaker's Apartment

Draw two Willpower tokens from the Pool, look at them, and choose one. You may give this token to any player or keep it for yourself. Discard the other token face down.

Colorado Room

Add one Willpower token from the Pool to this location. Then, take any token from this location.

Gold Room

Take the Willpower token with the highest value from this location.

Hedge Maze

You can only attack and be attacked by other players in the Hedge Maze. During the Shining phase, any players in the maze cannot move into the Hotel; any players in the Hotel cannot move into the maze.

Garage

Not a room that may be entered like others in the Hotel. This is where you track the passage of months. After the Cleanup phase, advance the time tracking cube forward one month.

Playing with the Corrupted

Once you're familiar with the game, you may wish to add an additional layer of intrigue, unease, and danger by introducing the Corrupted variant. Using these rules, one player will secretly work against the rest, and will win the game alone if any other Caretaker is killed.

Setup

Setup the game as normal, adding this final step:

Count out a stack of Caretaker Role cards equal to the number of players. Return ONE card from the stack to the box (along with any unused Caretaker Role cards), then shuffle the Corrupted Role card into the stack. Each player looks at their Role card without revealing it to the other players. You are free to tell the truth or lie about your Role, as long as you don't show your card to anyone else.

Play the game as normal with the following additions:

Hidden Information

When playing with the Corrupted, all information is suspect. When a player is looking at Event cards while performing the action in the Office, they may not show the card to anyone. They may talk freely about what the card says (and they may choose to lie), but they may not reveal the card.

Similarly, when looking at Willpower tokens while performing the actions in Room 237 or the Caretaker's Apartment, a player may not show the tokens to anyone until they decide which ones to keep. In the Caretaker's Apartment, return the discarded token to the box without revealing it.

Accusations / The Corrupted Revealed!

You may begin to suspect a fellow player of being the Corrupted. Successfully identifying the Corrupted before the end of the fourth month allows Caretakers to avoid playing a difficult and dangerous fifth and final month.

Careful! Only ONE accusation can be made per game. Once a player has been officially accused, the opportunity is lost for everyone for the rest of the game (even if the identity of the Corrupted becomes obvious).

The Corrupted cannot make an accusation, though they can act as though they might make one, to deceive the other players.

At any time during your turn you may turn your Role card face up and accuse another player of being the Corrupted. At this point, the accused must turn their Role card face up. This will cause one of two situations to occur:

1. Correct Accusation: The Corrupted Revealed!

Once the Corrupted player is revealed, play continues with the following modifications:

• All players receive +1 to their Willpower totals during the Shining phase for the rest of the game.
• The Corrupted player can no longer be the target of an attack by a Possessed player.
• The Corrupted player can only move one location per turn.
• The Corrupted can still win if any Caretaker dies.

2. False Accusation

Wrongly accusing a fellow player hurts the Caretakers. The Corrupted remains hidden and paranoia wreaks havoc. Play continues with the following modification:

• All players, including the Corrupted, receive +1 to their Shining totals during the Shining phase for the rest of the game.

Corrupted Grievously Wounded

The Corrupted does not die like a Caretaker; instead, they stagger bloodily through the Overlook, driven by a ceaseless tenacity!

If the Corrupted loses their final Health token, they must:

• Immediately reveal their Role card.
• Continue play as if a correct accusation has been made (see previous).

A revealed Corrupted player continues to play as normal on their turn (with the above modifiers). They are still dealt Shining cards, move to locations, and collect Willpower.

In the event that the Corrupted is falsely accused but later loses their final Health token, the +1 Shining penalty and the +1 Willpower bonus cancel each other out and are not applied for the rest of the game.

Winning and Losing

If at any time, a Caretaker (other than the Corrupted) loses their third Health token, the Corrupted wins.

If all Caretakers survive the fourth month, check for victory:

• If the Corrupted has been revealed: The Caretakers escape the Overlook in the snowcat and win the game!
• If the Corrupted has NOT been revealed: The Corrupted sabotages the snowcat! Move the Month Tracking Cube to the fifth month. Caretakers must survive through the Shining phase of this final month to win.

Corrupted Strategy

• When taking the action in Room 237, the Corrupted may return weapon tokens to the Pool if they wish.
• The Corrupted can try to win by deliberately scoring a low Willpower total at the end of the month, OR by collecting all the high-value Willpower tokens, making it more likely that the Caretakers become Possessed and kill each other!
• The Corrupted can use the Event deck to their advantage, manipulating or lying about the card on top with the Office action.
• The Corrupted should try to avoid being accused through bluffing, lying, or casting suspicion on other players!

Quick Reference

Months and Rounds

1. The first player turns over an Event card.
2. In turn order, each player moves to a new location and takes the Room action there.
   • Roll the white die to use the elevator. If you roll the elevator door icon, you are wounded and must discard one Health token.
3. After each player has taken a turn, a new round begins.
4. After the final round in a month, proceed to the Shining phase.

Shining Phase

1. Determine your total Willpower. 1 Whiskey token = 1 Willpower; 2 Whiskey tokens = 4 Willpower; 3 Whiskey tokens = 9 Willpower.
2. Flip your Shining cards face up and determine your Shining total. If your Willpower total is equal to or higher than your Shining total, you have fought off the horrors of the Overlook Hotel this month! If lower, you are temporarily Possessed.
3. Play passes to the next player.

+1 to all Shining Totals if there has been a false accusation. +1 to all Willpower Totals if the Corrupted is revealed.

Possessed Move

Move to the location of the player nearest to you. If you are in the Hotel, you may not move to the Hedge Maze; if you are in the Hedge Maze, you may not move into the Hotel.

Possessed Attack

Roll both dice. Black die: attacked player loses one Health token if the result shows a blood splatter. White die: attacked player loses one Health token for each weapon token the Possessed has collected that matches the die result. If the Willpower Pool is depleted, attacked players lose one additional Health Token when attacked.

Cleanup Phase

1. Each player discards their Shining cards and collected Willpower tokens from the game.
2. Return all face-up Event cards to the bottom of the Event deck.
3. The first player passes the Room 237 Keychain to the player on their left.
4. Replenish the Willpower tokens on the ground floor locations, drawing from the Willpower pool. Unclaimed tokens from the previous month remain on their locations.
5. Deal each player two new Shining cards face down from the bottom of the deck. Remember not to look at the fronts of your Shining cards.
6. Move the Month Tracking Cube to the next space.
7. Check for victory.