The Walking Dead: Don't Look Back Dice Game

The Walking Dead: Don't Look Back Dice Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Object of the Game

Score more points than each other Survivor and you win! Your point totals grow by killing Walkers and by being the first Survivor to escape from each Location. Each Walker kill earns you 1 point. If you are the first Survivor to escape a Location, you gain points equal to the number of players in the game. For example, if 3 players are in the game, you collect 3 points if you are the first Survivor to escape. One player acts as scorekeeper, tracking each Survivor's points and health.

4 Oversized Survivor Cards
4 Character Pawns with Bases
24 Search Cards
10 Dice
1 Game Board
4 Large Location Tiles
1 Escape Route Token
24 Walker Tokens
1 Scorepad

Game Set-Up

Decide as a group how long of a game you wish to play. Each Location takes about 15 minutes to play. For your very first game, we recommend two Locations.
Place the game board in the middle of the table.
Shuffle the 4 Locations face down and make them into a face-down stack.
Take the top tile of the Location stack and place it face up in the middle of the game board.
Read the text on the Location tile out loud.
Each player chooses a Survivor. You play the game as that Survivor.
Write each Survivor's name in one of the slots on the Scorepad.
Write down the starting Health of each Survivor in the slot below each Survivor's name. That amount is based on the number of Locations you are playing:

Number of Locations	Starting Health
1	6
2	10
3+	14

Add Walkers to each Sector. Point to a Sector, roll 1 die, and then add that many Walkers to that Sector. Use the Walker tokens provided. Each Walker token has a 1 on one side and a 3 on the other. Continue rolling for each of the six Sectors. Remove the dice from the board when this step has been completed. The Camp and The Farm have extra rules about where Walkers start out written on their tiles. With those Locations, Walkers will only initially appear at odd or even numbered Sectors, respectively.
Grab your Survivor's pawn and place it on the tile in the middle of the board, but not on the text at the bottom of the tile.
Shuffle the Search deck and place it face down next to the board within easy reach of each player.
Each player rolls 2 dice, with the high roller choosing who goes first.

Now you're ready to go!

Your Survivor Card

Each Survivor has a unique Special Ability that will help you score the most points and survive! In addition, each Survivor has an "Improvised Weapon" ability listed on their card. This is an attack you may make against Walkers in your space even if you don't have any Weapon cards. You may use it only once per turn (just like any other Weapon), but it is always an option throughout the game. It sometimes is the correct attack to make even when you do have other Weapon options. An "Improvised Weapon" could be a stick, a broken bottle, or a folding chair. More on combat later.

The Game Board

Six Sectors surround the center space, numbered 1 through 6. When you need to determine a random Sector, roll 1 die. The random Sector is then whatever number you roll.

The center space is adjacent to each Sector. Each Sector is adjacent to the Sector to its left and right, as well as the center space.

Example: Sector #1 is adjacent to Sectors 6, 2, and the center space.

Locations

The Survivors start the game in the central Location. Each Location has a special ability which is in effect no matter where your Survivor is on the board. Some of them affect where starting Walkers are placed. Others have effects that happen throughout play while that Location is on the map. No matter the effect, read it aloud at the start of each Location board. You may need to reference it several times while on that board.

At the bottom of each Location is the Sector Overload rating of that Sector. The higher it is, the safer the central Location is. When the number of Walkers in a Sector exceeds the Overload number, the excess Walkers break in to the central Location at the end of the current player's turn.

Example: On The Farm Location map, Carl draws a More Walkers card, rolling a 2 for the Sector and a 6 for the number of Walkers that appear. If Sector #2 already contains 3 Walkers, the final total is 9 Walkers. Carl finishes his turn. As the Sector Overload rating of The Farm is 5, 4 of those 9 Walkers enter The Farm Location, assuming he killed no Walkers in Sector #2.

Formula: 9 Walkers minus 5 Overload Rating equals 4 Walkers entering the Location at the end of the turn.

This leaves 5 Walkers in Sector #2. A Sector can have any number of Walkers on it during a player's turn. At the end of each player's turn, Walkers in excess of the Sector Overload number enter the central Location.

Taking Your Turn

When it is your turn, perform each of these three steps in order.

Draw a Search card. If it's a Weapon, place it face up next to your Survivor card. If it's not a Weapon, do what the card says to do, and then discard it.
Choose one of the following Actions:
- Pass
- Move
- Combat
End of Turn:
- Move all Walkers in excess of the Sector Overload number into the Location.
- If you share a space with any Walkers, you will lose Health (see "Losing Health at End of Turn" below).
- The player to your left now starts his turn.

Pass

After drawing, if you don't wish to Move or engage in Combat, you may Pass to the next player.

If there aren't a bunch of Walkers around, you may not wish to use up a precious one-use Ranged Weapon. It might be smart to wait for the right moment to unleash a hail of bullets at a horde of Walkers.

After Passing, proceed to the End of Turn step. You will still lose Health from Walkers in your space when you Pass.

Move

If you don't wish to engage in Combat or Pass, move your Survivor from his current space to an adjacent space.

If you are in the central Location, you may move to any Sector. Each Sector is adjacent to the central Location.
If you are in a Sector, move to an adjacent Sector or the central Location.

Note that you can't fight during the same turn in which you Move. Moving can get you out of trouble. If you are sharing a space with Walkers, move into an adjacent space free of Walkers to maintain your Health. If a Sector has overloaded and you are in the central Location, Moving can be the difference between life and death. Walkers inside the Location are much more dangerous than Walkers in the Sectors. More on losing Health later.

Combat

Weapons allow you to roll Combat Dice. Choose one Weapon you have in front of you, and then roll the number of Combat Dice indicated. If no Walkers are in your space or an adjacent space, you can't engage in Combat. If even 1 Walker is in a space you can hit, you may roll for Combat. You may only use one Weapon each turn.

Killing Walkers with Weapons is the main way you score points. You score only for actual Walker kills. If you roll 3 hits and only 2 Walkers are present, you kill 2 Walkers and score 2 points.

However, keep track of the total number of hits you rolled that turn, as it is important for some Weapons.

You don't choose where you are attacking before rolling. The dice dictate where you can target your attack. The space you occupy on the board is also a factor:

Are you inside the Location? If so, your attack can land in any Sector. The central Location is adjacent to each of the Sectors, so you can target them all. You may also target Walkers who are inside the Location with you.
Are you in a Sector? If so, your attack can land in your current Sector or an adjacent Sector, but not the central Location.

When attacking Walkers that are in a Sector, you want to roll multiples of the same number. Rolling [dice showing the Sector #4 number, as pictured in the source] will kill 3 Walkers in Sector #4, if you are close enough to Sector #4 to target it.

When attacking Walkers that are inside the central Location, you want to roll a straight. Rolling [dice showing a sequential run, as pictured in the source] will kill 3 Walkers inside the Location.

Choosing a Target

Perhaps your dice roll corresponds to a space with Walkers in it, and you occupy or are adjacent to that space. After rolling, choose one target number, but only where Walkers are present. If you can choose a target number, you must do so. You cannot choose to fail.

Each die you rolled that resulted in that target number counts as one "hit." If you are in the central Location and Walkers are present, you may make those Walkers your target. In that case, each die that is part of a straight counts as one "hit."

If you roll no hits with your dice, your attack fails. Proceed to your End of Turn step.

Example of Killing Walkers in a Sector

Rick is in Sector #2 and decides to fire a Handgun, rolling six dice. He rolls [six dice, as pictured in the source]. He must now choose ONE target number (one of the values on the dice he rolled). The two [dice showing the number of Sector #6] cannot be chosen, as Rick is not adjacent to Sector #6. There are no Walkers in Sector #2, so he cannot choose the [die showing the number of Sector #2] he rolled. It would have been a legal target if Walkers were present there. Rick is adjacent to Sector #3, and he rolled [two dice showing the number of Sector #3]. Rick chooses Sector #3 as his target number, which gives him 3 hits. Remove 3 Walker tokens from Sector #3, and Rick scores 3 points.

Example of Killing Walkers Inside the Location

Daryl is in the central Location. He chooses to fire a Handgun, rolling six dice. Daryl rolls [six dice, as pictured in the source].

The only sequential numbers he rolled are 2 & 3, which gives him 2 hits. Remove 2 Walkers from the Location, and Daryl scores 2 points. He cannot create two separate straights.

Any single die is at least a one-die straight inside the Location.

Saving Dice

After rolling your dice and determining where your attack lands, set aside the dice that are "hits" (dice that contribute to kills in the space you targeted). This is called "saving" dice. The other dice are all "misses." If you are happy with your results, you will want to "hold." When you hold, you are voluntarily ending your Combat step to kill Walkers and score points.

In Rick's first Combat example, he rolled [dice diagram, as pictured in the source] with a Handgun and killed 3 Walkers in Sector #3, scoring 3 points. In game terms, Rick chose Sector #3 as his target Sector, "saved" his [dice showing the Sector #3 number], and then decided to "hold." Saving dice inside the Location works a little bit differently. You save sequential dice, like [a straight]. You cannot save a [non-sequential pair]. You would only be able to save the [single die showing the lowest number of the straight].

But what if Rick rolled a [dice diagram, as pictured in the source] with his Handgun while in Sector #2? The only legal targets are the Walkers in Sector #3, as all of his other dice correspond to Sectors that are out of range ("misses"). If one of the dice had been a [die showing the Sector #1 number], he would have the option to attack Sector #1 or #3. So far, Rick has only 1 hit with the single [die showing the Sector #3 number] that he rolled. This is not a very good attack!

Rick "saves" his lone [die showing the Sector #3 number] and then has a choice to make. Rick could say "hold." If he does, he voluntarily ends his Combat step with 1 hit rolled. He kills 1 Walker in Sector #3, scores 1 point, and then proceeds to his End of Turn step.

Or he could re-roll all of the dice that missed.

Re-Rolling Dice

If you have played any classic dice games, you may be familiar with this next concept. After saving all of the dice that apply to your targeted space, you may choose to risk your current hits to re-roll the remaining dice (all of the misses).

If any of the dice you re-roll contribute to kills against your targeted space ("hits"), you have improved your attack! You may now "hold" or press your luck again and re-roll the remaining misses.
If you roll no hits with your re-rolled dice, your attack has failed. You lose your current hits and kill no Walkers. You then proceed to your End of Turn step. Any dice you saved are lost. You cannot choose to "hold" after a re-roll that produces no hits.

In the example on page 8, if Rick chooses to re-roll, he re-rolls the five dice that are not contributing to kills in his targeted Sector #3. If he rolls [a die showing a number that is not a legal target], his attack fails. Rick loses his 1 hit, discards the Handgun, and proceeds to his End of Turn step. Note that the number he rolled does not contribute to his attack against Sector #3, his targeted Sector. Even though a Walker lurks in Sector #1, he can't shoot in two directions at once. Only additional dice showing the Sector #3 number will keep his attack going.

If he rolls a [die showing the Sector #3 number] instead, he has rolled 2 additional hits! He may now say "hold," or risk his 3 hits in hopes of rolling even more. Odds say that he should hold and kill 3 Walkers, scoring 3 points.

Taking Risks

If you have fallen behind in the point standings, you might need to take some risks and re-roll more often. Be mindful of the odds. Rolling dice against your targeted Sector is more difficult than adding to a straight inside the Location. If you have lots of misses to re-roll, your odds are good of adding to the attack. If you only have 1 or 2 misses, re-rolling is a big gamble.

Melee Weapons

Melee Weapons can hit Walkers in your current space or an adjacent space. If you choose to attack with a Melee Weapon:

After saving all of the dice that apply to your targeted space, you must immediately move your Survivor's pawn into that space before re-rolling or saying "hold."

Ranged Weapons

Ranged Weapons can hit Walkers in your current space or an adjacent space. If you choose to attack with a Ranged Weapon:

After saving all of the dice that apply to your targeted space, you may immediately move your Survivor's pawn into that space before re-rolling or saying "hold." This is your only chance to make this free combat move. You can't wait and move later on. Ranged Weapons can kill many Walkers in one volley, and you don't have to move into the space you targeted.

Combat Movement

Fighting is an opportunity to gain a free move into the space you target. But what if your attack fails? If you score zero hits, you can't make this free move. This may be disastrous if you are inside the Location and an overloaded Sector is about to spill a lot of Walkers into that Location. If few Sectors contain Walkers, your odds are low of rolling dice that correspond to where Walkers prowl. Consider a Move instead of risking a failed Combat.

Your Health

If your Survivor's Health reaches 0, he dies! Prevent this by killing lots of Walkers and not lingering in spaces where they are present. However, being in spaces where Walkers are present gives you more Combat options. Dying does not mean you can't win! Dead or alive, the player with the most points wins. If your Survivor dies, discard all of your cards and remove your pawn from the board. You do not return if the Survivors move on to a new Location. Your Health does not reset between Locations, so be careful out there!

Losing Health at End of Turn

During your End of Turn step, only your Survivor loses Health. Other Survivors do not lose Health during your End of Turn step.

In a Sector: Out in the Sectors, there is plenty of open space to run and very few places for Walkers to pop out of and surprise you. During your End of Turn step, if you are in a Sector with Walkers, lose 1 Health, no matter how many Walkers are in your space with you.

Example: In the image on the previous page, Rick is in Sector #3 with 2 Walkers. During Rick's End of Turn step, he loses 1 Health.
Inside the Location: Indoors, there's nowhere to run. There is the ever-present danger of Walkers around the next corner or behind the next door. During your End of Turn step, if you are inside the Location with Walkers, lose 1 Health per Walker present. Walkers inside the Location are very dangerous, but are also easier to kill.

Example: In the image on the previous page, Daryl is inside the Location with 2 Walkers. During Daryl's End of Turn step, he loses 2 Health.

Escaping From a Location

To escape, someone needs to draw the Escape Route card from the Search deck. Then clear the Sector where the Escape Route token is present. If you clear it while in that Sector, you immediately escape and earn 1 point per player in the game.

In clockwise order, the other Survivors now escape from the current board. This happens during the same turn in which the first Survivor escaped.

Survivors inside the Location step from there into the Escape Route Sector and leave without issue. Survivors in the Sectors move from their Sector to the Escape Route Sector, and cannot enter the center space to do so. They must travel on the shortest path to the Escape Route Sector only through the Sectors. For each Sector you enter on your way out that contains 1 or more Walkers, lose 1 Health.

In the example on the previous page, Daryl cleared out Sector #6 and escaped, scoring 2 points for being the first Survivor to escape in this 2-player game. Rick is in Sector #2 and must travel through Sector #1 to escape. Since Sector #1 has Walkers, Rick loses 1 Health, and then enters the empty Sector #6 and escapes. He scores no points for escaping, as he was not the first Survivor to escape.

Proceeding to the Next Location

When you escape from a Location, the Survivors move to the next Location unless it was the final Location of the game. Clear all of the Walkers from the board, remove the current Location tile from play (back in the box is best), and then you are ready for the next Location.

Note that escaping from a Location does not mean simply leaving the central Location tile and moving into a Sector. Escaping from a Location means you have found the Escape Route and have exited the board.

Here's the procedure for continuing to the next Location:

Each Survivor may keep ONE Weapon card in front of them. Discard the rest.
Shuffle all other cards back into the Search deck. It becomes the new Search deck for the next Location.
Grab a random Location tile from the face-down stack of unused ones and place it in the center of the board. Read the text on the Location aloud.
Add Walkers to the Sectors as described in the Set-Up rules on page 2.
The player with the fewest points decides who goes first on the new board. If there's a tie, the tied Survivor with the lowest Combat Dice Weapon chooses who goes first. Going first is typically bad if there are Sectors that are already overloaded during the Set-Up. If none are overloaded, going first is often best.

Running Out of Search Cards

The first time any player needs to draw a card from the Search deck and cannot, time has run out for the Survivors and things have gone from bad to worse!

When this happens:

Add 3 Walkers to each Sector.
In clockwise order, each Survivor inside the Location must immediately move to a Sector of their choosing.
Remove the Location tile from the board as well as any Walkers on it. It has become hopelessly overrun with Walkers. Survivors may no longer enter the center space. There is no longer a Sector Overload, so Walkers won't leave their Sector anymore.
Continue with the game as usual, but players will no longer draw any cards for the remainder of this board. Hopefully you held on to some Weapon cards to clear out the Escape Route Sector.

Scoring and End of Game

When a Survivor escapes from the final Location of the game, the game ends. The player with the most points is the winner! If there is a tie, those tied players share the victory. If you are behind on points and being the first player to escape won't score you enough points to win, you might want to kill Walkers in other Sectors until you have enough points to jump ahead by escaping first. Likewise, if you are winning, you might want to escape as quickly as possible to secure your victory.

Even if a Survivor dies, that player still wins the game if he has the most points at the end of the game.

Specific Card Clarifications

Carl: His special ability works once during each Location. If you play a 2-Location game, his ability will apply the first time he would draw from the first Location's Search Deck, and the first time he would draw from the second Location's Search Deck.

Flashbang Grenade: The Walkers you choose need not be in the same space, and need not be moved into the same space.

Handgun: If your initial roll results in no hits, your attack does not end. Instead, re-roll all 6 Combat Dice and proceed as if nothing had happened. The Handgun text only works on your initial roll. If you roll no hits on a subsequent roll, your attack fails.

Katana: Hits that don't kill Walkers still count as hits toward keeping this Weapon. This means you need not kill 4 Walkers, but it may be worthwhile to try to roll at least 4 hits. Note that hits only occur against legal targets. Rolling seven [dice showing the same number, as pictured in the source] scores you zero hits if no Walkers are in Sector #5. If even 1 Walker had been in Sector #5 with that roll (and it was a legal target), you score 7 hits. You kill 1 Walker, score 1 point, and keep your Katana.

Knife: When civilization breaks down, so, too, can good men. When using this Weapon, you don't announce that you are using it against a fellow Survivor before rolling. Roll first, and then let the dice determine where your attack lands. If you roll no hits, you keep the Weapon, as you never had a chance to save any dice against a fellow Survivor. If another Survivor occupies a legal target space for your attack, you may now choose to resolve your attack against that Survivor. Rolling hits against another Survivor works exactly the same way as it does against Walkers. You may even re-roll your misses as usual. However, if your re-roll fails, the attack ends. You cause no Health loss, and you still discard the Knife for attacking a fellow Survivor because you saved a die against them.

Knife Example: You are inside the Location with one fellow Survivor. Another Survivor occupies Sector #4. You roll [dice diagram, as pictured in the source] with the Knife. You could target either of the other Survivors with this roll, or use it against any Walkers in a legal target space (1, 2, 4, or inside the Location). If you want to use the Knife to attack another Survivor, with that roll you could move into Sector #4 and subtract 2 Health from the Survivor there with the [die showing the Sector #4 number]. Or you could stay inside the Location and cause 2 Health loss to the Survivor there with the [die showing the number you rolled].

Looting: If you are playing solo, gain a random Weapon card from the discard pile instead.

Michonne: Her special ability gives her a "free" re-roll of one die when using a Melee Weapon. If she rolls 7 Combat Dice with the Katana and rolls 3 hits, she may immediately re-roll 1 of the misses. Only after this re-roll does she choose a target space.

Rifle: This Weapon allows you to attack from any Sector into the Location. Remember that you don't decide where to attack before rolling. Roll first, and see if you have enough sequential dice to make a good attack against the Walkers inside the Location. If you choose to attack Walkers in the Location, you may then move into the Location or stay in the Sector.

Shotgun: Since you must clear the Escape Route Sector in order to escape, the Walker you add to your space after using this very noisy Weapon will prevent you from escaping.