Tin Helm Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Objective
• 2.0 Contents
• 3.0 Setup
• 4.0 Exploration
  • 4.1 Turn Sequence
  • 4.2 Dungeon Icons
  • 4.3 Food
  • 4.4 Shards
• 5.0 Combat
  • 5.1 Enemy Card Icons
  • 5.2 Combat Sequence
• 6.0 Ending a Level
• 7.0 Ending a Game
  • 7.1 Scoring
• 8.0 Errata

1.0 Objective

You are an adventurer trapped in the stronghold of the Red Cloth. These once peaceful clerics have been corrupted by vile magic. You must locate all three Shards of Brahm to release the clerics of their spell and to find your way out of the dungeon. If you cannot do so by the end of the fifth level of the dungeon, you also become corrupted and lose the game.

2.0 Contents

• 7 Rule Cards
• 12 Dungeon Cards
• 8 Enemy Cards
• 8 Loot Cards
• 4 Trapping Cards*
• 4 Race/Class Cards
• 4 Tracking Cards
• 3 Reference Cards**
• 3 Purple Shards of Brahm
• 5 Tracking Cubes
• 2 Dice
• 1 Meeple

* Look like Loot Cards, but have an item on each side.

** These white cards are double-sided and titled Altar, Grove, Etc.

3.0 Setup

1. Separate all cards and bits by type.

2. Place all 4 Tracker Cards face-up in a 2x2 grid.

3. Find the Race/Class Cards. The side with the portrait is the race side and the other is the class. You must first pick a race to play as. Once you have done this, flip the remaining 3 cards to the class side and pick a class. Your adventurer is the combination of your race and your class.

4. Determine your total starting health by combining the values indicated on both cards next to the heart icon. Place a red cube on the health tracker to show your starting health.

5. Determine your total starting energy by combining the values indicated on both cards next to the lightning icon. Place a green cube on the energy tracker to show your starting energy.

   During play your health and energy may never exceed these starting values.

6. Check to see if your adventurer starts with any food by looking for a value next to the ration icon on the race card. If you do start with food, place the blue cube on the corresponding value. If you do not, place the blue cube below the space with a value of 1.

   You may never have more than 5 food.

7. On the bottom of your class card you will find your starting Trappings. Locate those two cards and place them next to your adventurer cards.

8. Place the meeple on the dungeon tracker showing you are on level 1.

9. Place the other red cube on the pile of bones on the dungeon tracker. You may use the tracker below to track enemy health during combat. Place the white cube on the favor tracker below the space with the value 1. You start with zero favor.

10. Place the reference cards, enemy deck, and loot deck in a place easily reachable. The enemy and loot decks should be face up, as you will be searching for specific cards during play.

11. Lastly, place the two dice near your adventurer cards, and then shuffle all 12 dungeon cards and place them in a central location with the map sides facing up. You are ready to play.

HINT: Take a moment to read your race's special ability and the powers related to their Trappings. This will help you make wise choices during play.

4.0 Exploration

Tin Helm is played in rounds called "levels," which represent areas of the dungeon you are exploring. Each level is made up of six turns called "rooms," which represent locations within each level. The end of the level is triggered after you resolve the sixth and final room within that level. Your dungeon deck should be in a single stack in front of you with the room side (map) face-up to begin a new level.

4.1 Turn Sequence

Looking at the top card you must determine if you want to resolve this room or skip it. Take note of the icons in the lower portion of the card, as they will give you an idea of what is in the room.

RESOLVE: So you have decided to resolve the top (first) card. Take this card from the top of the deck and place it just to the side of the dungeon deck, keeping the room side face-up. Now take the next card in the deck and flip it to its result side and place it next to the first card. This is called creating a room. You now have the first card room-side up and the second card flipped to the results side. Now you must resolve each icon on the room card by referring to the corresponding icons on the result card. Icons must be resolved from left to right. More on how each icon works will be discussed later.

SKIP: So you have decided to skip the top (first) card. You now must take the top card from the deck and flip it to its result side and place it to the side of the dungeon deck. Now take the next card in the deck, keeping it room side up, and place it next to the result card. Now you can resolve the second card using the results on the back of the first card.

When resolving a room, icons are always resolved from left to right.

Because there are twelve cards in the dungeon deck, and creating a room requires two (room side of one and result side of the other), each level will consist of six rooms.

4.2 Dungeon Icons

Let's look at the six different icons you will run into in the dungeon and how you resolve them.

• ENEMY - Determine which enemy you are fighting and locate the corresponding enemy card. Engage in combat.
• TRAP - Check the result card to determine what type of damage, and how much, and adjust your tracker the indicated amount.
• RANDOM ENCOUNTER - Check the result card to see what random encounter you must face (sometimes an enemy). If it is an enemy, find that enemy card and engage in combat. For other random encounters refer to the double-sided reference cards for details as to how to resolve.
• LOOT - Refer to the result card to see what loot you have found. Locate the loot card and place it by your character. Sometimes you will find an empty chest, or worse, a mimic! If you find the mimic, locate the enemy card for the mimic and engage in combat.
• CAMPSITE - You may either rest or search at the camp. If you rest, you gain 2 health and 1 energy. If you search, you gain 1 food.
• WATER - You can always look for food when you find water. Roll 1 die and if the result is either a 5 or a 6, you gain 1 food.

4.3 Food

At any time you may eat 1 food to raise either your health or your energy by 1.

4.4 Shards

You win as soon as you have 3 shards. You can locate shards in 5 different ways:

1. By defeating the Possessor
2. By finding the Shrine.
3. By trading a Turnip to the Pigman.
4. By having enough favor when you locate the Altar.
5. By finding one in a chest.

5.0 Combat

The first thing you will have to do to engage in combat is to locate the enemy card of the foe you are fighting.

Take note of their special power in the lower portion of the card.

5.1 Enemy Card Icons

These are the icons on an enemy card and what they mean.

• HEALTH - To determine the enemy's health take the value next to the heart icon and add the current dungeon level. You may use the enemy health tracker to keep track of their health.
• ATTACK - The value next to the dagger icon is bonus damage this enemy will inflict if they successfully hit.
• DEFENSE - Subtract the value next to the shield icon from your attacks.
• FAVOR - If you defeat the enemy you gain favor equal to the value next to the Ankh symbol. Adjust your favor tracker.
• UNDEAD - If an enemy card has a skull icon in the bottom right corner it tells you this foe is undead.

5.2 Combat Sequence

In combat you will always get to attack first, except when an enemy's special power says otherwise.

If an enemy is defeated by your first attack, they do not attack you back!

Before you roll dice to attack you must decide how much energy you want to expend on your attack. On your class card you will see a chart that looks like this: Each value has a lightning icon next to it. The more energy you spend the more force you will put behind your attack. In the example above if you spend 1 energy you will add 2 bonus damage to a successful hit.

Once you have decided on how much energy you want to spend, adjust your energy accordingly and then roll both dice. Doubles always miss and you will do zero damage. In all other cases subtract one die from the other. This equals the raw attack value. Now take this raw attack value and add the bonus damage dealt from the energy you spent and this sum is your total attack damage. Check to see if your enemy has any defense and subtract that. Now subtract that from the health of your enemy. If they have zero or less health, you have defeated them and you gain favor as indicated on their card. If you fail to defeat them, they get to attack you.

If you have no energy to spend or do not wish to spend energy, you may always conduct a zero-energy attack, striking the enemy for 1 damage and ignoring defense values. Bonus damage may be applied to this attack, but does not ignore defense values.

Enemies attack by rolling the dice. Doubles are always a miss, unless otherwise indicated. Subtract the results of both dice and that is the damage they deal to you. Make sure to add any bonus damage. If you have a shield you may subtract 1 damage. Now adjust your health tracker accordingly. If you have zero or less health, you are dead and the game ends. If you are still alive you get to attack again.

Damage: (Attack die − Attack die) + Bonus damage − Defense

Rolling doubles for any attack results in zero total damage dealt, regardless of bonus damage modifiers.

Combat continues in this back and forth manner until either the enemy is dead or you are.

6.0 Ending a Level

Once you have worked your way through the entire twelve-card dungeon deck, you find the door to the next level. Follow the steps below:

1. Move the meeple one space down on the level tracker. You must find 3 shards before the end of the fifth level or you lose.
2. Feed your hero by consuming 1 food. If you have no food, you suffer 3 damage to your health.
3. Shuffle the dungeon deck and create a new pile of cards, room side up, to form the next level of the dungeon. You are now ready for the next level.

7.0 Ending a Game

The moment you gain your third shard, the curse is lifted and the game ends. You are victorious! Check your score below. If at any point you run out of health or you complete the 5th level of the dungeon before gaining your third shard, you lose. Check your score below.

7.1 Scoring

Tally your score using these parameters:

1. 10 points for each shard.
2. 2 points for each favor.
3. Points equal to the sum of your health, energy, and food.
4. Subtract double the value of your ending dungeon level.

Scoring: 10 × (shards) + 2 × (favor) + (health + energy + food) − 2 × (dungeon level)

The result is your final score.

8.0 Errata

Gill Net

Text: When fishing, you may roll 3 times instead of 1. Each success gains you 1 food.

Correction [UNOFFICIAL]: When you find water, you may roll 3 times instead of 1. Each success gains you 1 food.

Mimic

Text: When you defeat a mimic, you gain fate points equal to the dungeon level you are on.

Correction [UNOFFICIAL]: When you defeat a mimic, you gain favor points equal to the dungeon level you are on.

Shield

Text: Reduce damage from attacks by 1. Discard the shield if you take 6 or more damage in a single blow.

Correction [UNOFFICIAL]: Reduce damage from attacks by 1. Discard the shield after reducing damage if an enemy's attack value is 6 or more in a single blow.