Valor & Villainy: Lludwik's Labyrinth Rulebook

Table of Contents

Game Overview
- Hero Objectives
- Villain Objectives
Introduction to Game Components
- Hidden Campaign Components
Table Setup
- Map Setup
- Deck Setup
Character Setup
- Hero Setup
- Villain Setup
Sequence of Play
Hero Round — The Hero Step
- Action Overview
Move Actions
- Region Defenders
Action Rolls
Additional Actions
Sidekicks
Hero Round — The Level Up Step
The Villain Round
The Final Battle
Additional Rules
- Game Terms
Special Abilities
Advanced Rules
Campaign Mode
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Reference

Game Overview

Hero Objectives

The Heroes must explore to uncover the mysteries of the Labyrinth, whilst keeping the Villain's Minions at bay. As each day passes, the Heroes will gain Experience Points based on their shared achievements, and try to become mighty enough for the fourth day, when (typically) a Villain will emerge to duke it out in a Final Battle for Victory!

To win most scenarios, the Heroes must:

Defeat the Villain in this Final Battle by reducing them to 0 Health!

Villain Objectives

Each session, the game rules will control the Villain, who will operate from hiding, manipulating Minions and casting Spells to realize their evil vision! Each time a Hero is Defeated (by reaching 0 Health), the Villain will gain Health and Experience Points, which they will use to significantly improve their powers!

Heroes will lose most scenarios if:

The Villain Defeats 3 of the Heroes during the Final Battle.

Introduction to Game Components

A 6 Hero boards
B 1 Build-a-Boss board
C 1 Approach of Doom board
D 6 Hero standees, 3 Sidekick standees, 1 Labyrinth standee, 11 Standee bases
E 2 Defender markers
F 1 Initiative token
G 6 Novice Action dice (white), 6 Adept Action dice (yellow), 6 Master Action dice (red), 3 Mini Sidekick Health dice
H 12 Map Border pieces
I 1 Base Camp & 4 Starting Region tiles — (Initial tiles for Setup denoted by icons)
J 22 Labyrinth Region tiles — (Random Draw tiles used while Scouting, denoted by icons)
K 4 Sideboard Region tiles — (Keep in the box until called for; denoted by icons)

Mini Starter Cards

L 20 Red Mortality Spell cards (attack & healing)
M 20 Green Wild Spell cards (summoning & buffs)
N 10 Treasure cards

Full-Size Starter Cards

O 5 Chump Minion cards + cover card
P 20 Tutorial Story & 6 Tutorial Event cards
Q 4 Hero & 2 Villain Loot Stash cards
R 2 Hero Hoard cards
S 12 Quick-Rules Aid cards
T 2 Elementals & 1 Frank — Sidekick Reference cards

Tokens

7 Health (HP) / 7 Action markers
54 Novice dice tokens (white)
84 Adept / Master dice tokens (yellow / red)
30 XP tokens
30 Plus-One tokens
20 Shield tokens
3 Soul tokens
6 Dojo Crystal tokens
6 Pairs of Scouting markers
30 One / 10 Five Bounty tokens

If you sleeve your game, you need the following sizes: 160x (57.5mm x 89mm), 310x (41mm x 63mm). For the best fit, we recommend using Mayday Games 100 packs. Use the provided sleeves when sleeving the Event card packets.

Hidden Campaign Components

These contain hidden content which you should only open when the Campaign instructs you to. If you'd like to inventory all the game content, you can see a full list of what it includes (with spoilers!) on Campaign book Pg.70.

U 1 Deck Box & 17 Dividers
V 1 Base Camp booklet
W 105 Event Packet sleeves (15, 50, 30, 10)
X 259 Mini Sideboard cards
Y 279 Full-Size Sideboard cards
Z 10 Sealed Envelopes

-- STOP! -- Before reading on to the rules, we recommend you open the Campaign book, and read the section "Which way to play?" on page 2.

Table Setup

-STOP!- Before carrying out these steps, refer to the Mission you are playing in the Campaign book. That Mission will introduce you to the components it requires, then refer you back here when it is setup time.

Map Setup

Assemble the 5x5 Map border by matching each piece to the other with the same letter on it (A:A, B:B).
Find 5 Starting Region tiles (with Green IDs). Place Base Camp in the center & the others around it in the orientations shown above.
Find the Sideboard Region tiles (with red IDs). Keep them in the box, to be used only when called for.
Shuffle the remaining Labyrinth Region tiles to form the Labyrinth deck.
Place the Sunshield beside the Map.
Place a Sunshard & Bounty token in each location shown on the setup diagram.

Deck Setup

Setup the Hero & Villain Loot Stash cards & Hero Hoard card which match your Hero Count.
Shuffle & setup the Mini decks: Treasure Deck / Green Wild Spells / Red Mortality Spells.
Sort the double-sided Minion cards by their bottom-right Chump, Elite & Boss icons. Shuffle each set and place their cover card on top to form the Minion decks.
- Set the Cover cards to their Easy Mode side, only if you want an easier game with less Minions (See Pg.T for more on Easy Mode).
Draw 1 Chump Minion from the bottom of its deck (or 2 if 4+ Heroes). Place them on tile T1.
Prepare Event packets for the Act you are playing:
- Gather your Act's specific Event Cards (according to Campaign Book).
- Sleeve each Event card with its "A" side exposed using the Sleeve type which matches the top left Tier icon on those cards. Where there are multiple Events with the same name, sleeve them all together in a single Sleeve (with the "A" side exposed).
- Set any Special or Conclusion Events aside for now.
- Arrange the other Event packets into 3 piles according to their Tiers. Shuffle each pile, then stack them face-down as follows: TOP > I > II > III > BOT (Place them beside the map.)
- If you are playing Quest Mode, use random Events from the Quest Pool, as specified by your Mission's Quest Mode setup instructions.

Character Setup

Hero Setup

Each Player chooses a Hero, collects a set of Rules Reference cards, places their Standee on Base Camp, and sets up their board as follows:
- Place a Health marker at the top of their Health bar.
- Place a Plus-One token on each Power Action, which is the row (or rows) on your board with a symbol on it.
- Place an Action marker on bottom of the Action bar (This indicates the Hero's available Action Points).
- Heroes have Unique Abilities; if your Hero starts with Spells, draw those Spells face-down into your private Spell hand.
- (If unlocked) Collect a starting Talent card for your Hero.

IMPORTANT — In a 1 Hero game, the Hero always begins with the Treasure: 045 Bruno the Horse. See "Solo Mode" Pg.T for more details.

Villain Setup

Setup the Villain for your current Act, using their Build-a-Boss board insert.
- Place a Health marker on the space marked for your Hero Count.
- Place an Action marker on bottom of the Action bar.
- The back of each Villain's Build-a-Boss insert has setup instructions.
- Set the Villain's starting Dice / Plus-One tokens according to the insert.
- Then place the insert (portrait-side up) within the Build-a-Boss board.
Place the Approach of Doom board next to the Villain & the Villain's Standee on its "Start" space.
- This track marks the 4 Days of the game. As the Villain finishes their Rounds, their standee will advance 1 Day along the track and complete the steps outlined on that row.
Give the Initiative token to the Hero left of the Villain's board, making them the Lead Hero.

Now find the mission you are playing in the Campaign Book. Look for the mission icon and resume setup there.

Sequence of Play

Gameplay goes in Rounds. Hero Round / Villain Round / Hero / Villain, and so on.

In the Hero Round, all Heroes (and their Sidekicks) take their Turns (in a Hero Step), Then Treasures are revealed & Equipped, and Experience Points (XP) are awarded (in a Level Up Step).
In the Villain Round, players execute the A.I. Villain's Actions (in a Villain Step), Then every Minion will act (in a Minion Step). Then the Villain earns Experience Points and advances The Approach of Doom track (in a Level Up Step).

Hero Round — The Hero Step

The Hero Round begins with the Hero Step, where the Lead Hero (with the Initiative token) can set the token on "Charge" to go first, or "Hold" to pass the Turn clockwise and go last. As each Hero ends their Turn, the next clockwise Hero acts, until every Hero has acted and the Hero Step ends. Every Hero has Action Points listed on their board which they'll spend on their Turn to do a number of things in any order.

Action Overview

Move: 1 Action, allows you to Move up to 3 spaces around the Map. (See Below)
Each Once/Turn:
- Melee: 1 Action. Allows you to attack enemies in your Region. (Pg.F)
- Ranged: 1 Action. Allows you to attack enemies in an adjacent Region. (Pg.G)
- Magic: 1 Action. Allows you to cast any number of Spells from your Hand. (Pg.H)
- Power Surge: 1 Action. Allows you to draw 2 new Spell / Feat cards. (Pg.J)
Looting: Free Action. Allows you to collect undefended Treasures in your Region. (Pg.J)
Scout: Free Action. Allows you to reveal all Halls adjacent to your Region. (Pg.I)

Move Actions

As many times as they like during their Turn, a Character can perform a Move Action by spending 1 of their Action Points. Each Move Action allows them to make up to 3 orthogonal steps (not diagonal) onto adjacent Region tiles. A Character cannot leave a Region with enemies in it. Once it's begun, a Move must be ended before an Action can be spent to do anything else. Since Scouting and Looting are free Actions, they can be done in the middle of a Move Action, without ending your Move. (Except if you reveal an Event, see Pg.I)

(Ex: Rowan spends 1 Move Action to make 3 steps along adjacent Halls in the Labyrinth. She spends a second Move Action to make 2 more steps, and must stop because she is now in a Region with an enemy and cannot leave it.)

Region Defenders

As Characters Move, Hero & Sidekick standees go on the left side of a tile, and Minions go in a stack on the right. The first time each Round that a Region with multiple Characters in it is attacked, a Defender must be chosen there to take the attacks for that entire Round.

For Heroes & Sidekicks, this is denoted by placing the Defender marker beneath their standee.
For Minions, the top Minion of the stack is automatically chosen as the Defender. (A Villain is considered to be at the bottom of any Minion stack they are a part of)

Attacks targeting a Region must damage the Defender there. If they're Defeated or somehow forced to leave the Region they are defending, a new Defender must be chosen and will take any remaining damage. (For Minions, this is always the next one down the stack)

Every Level Up Step, Defender markers are cleared and new Defenders will be assigned as future attacks occur. As Minions move or are Spawned into a Region, the last one to enter will lay on top of the stack as Defender.

Action Rolls

In addition to Movement, there are 4 types of Action Rolls that Characters can perform. They are: Melee, Ranged, Magic, and Corruption.

A Character is allowed to enact each of these Action Rolls once per Turn, and each Roll will cost them 1 of their Action Points to perform. Each row on their board represents their skill at each Action type, indicating the number of Novice, Adept and Master Action dice they get to roll when taking that type of Action.

Making an Action Roll begins with gathering all of your Action dice (and Bonus dice if applicable [Pg.K]), rolling them and totaling the Hits shown on their faces as a Hit Pool. After your roll is made, you may then decide how you wish to spend those generated Hits. You do not need to declare your intention before rolling the dice. You will then spend the Hits you generated differently depending on the type of Action Roll.

Melee Rolls

After generating your Hit Pool during a Melee Action, you may then target the Defending enemy in your Region and spend Hits from your pool to deal them damage. If your damage is enough to Defeat them, and there are other enemies in the Region, you may spend any remaining Hits to continue assigning damage to other Characters until you run out or choose to stop.

(Ex: Rowan spends 1 Action to Move into the Wounded Gnome's Region, then her second Action to make a Roll. She scores 5 Hits, and spends 4 Hits to Defeat the Minion. The remaining 1 Hit cannot be used.)

Damaging Minions

Minions have a Fresh and Wounded side. When first deployed, they are always laid Fresh side up.

In order to harm a Minion:

You must deal them damage equal to their top Health to Defeat them outright
Or their bottom Health to flip them over and Wound them
Damage that does not meet either of these values will have no effect on the Minion and is never retained for future attacks. (Note: Healing has no effect on Minions.)

Defeated Minions are placed on the shared Hero Loot Stash card (regardless of who Defeated them) to be cashed in during the Hero's ensuing Level Up Step.

Plus-One Tokens

During any Action Roll, a Hero may spend 2 of their generated Hits to gain a Plus-One token and place it on the slot for the Action Type being rolled. These are stored up Hits taken as tokens on your Character board. During subsequent Action Rolls (or Tests) of that type, a Hero can spend any of their Plus-One's after the roll to add +1 to their generated Hits per token spent!

A Hero may spend as many Hits as they wish to gain Plus-One's, and can stack multiple tokens on a single row, though they cannot possess more than 4 Plus-One's collectively at one time. (If they would gain a fifth, they may choose to discard another to make space for it). Minions can never gain Plus-One's.

A Hero can make an Action Roll for no other purpose but to gain Plus-One's! For example, they could roll their Melee dice with no enemy in their Region just to store some Plus-One's up for later.

Damaging Heroes

The Heroes track damage a little differently. Every point of damage dealt to them is recorded by moving a Health marker down their Health bar. The number the marker highlights indicates their current Health. When a Hero is reduced to 0 Health, they are knocked out and Defeated.

Paying Health — Some effects cause a Hero to pay Health. This is a cost, not "damage". It must be paid in full and cannot be prevented by abilities which "prevent damage" (IE Shields). Players can Defeat themselves by paying this cost, but they can never pay more Health than they have.

Defeated Heroes

Defeated Heroes must place their standee on the Villain Loot Stash (and if they were Defeated on their own Turn, their Turn ends).

A Defeated Hero remains in the Villain Loot Stash until the end of the Villain Round, when the Level Up Step occurs, and they are cashed in by the Villain for 3 Bounty. While in a Loot Stash, Defeated Heroes cannot be targeted, or make use of any Spells, Feats or Treasure cards (they can participate in their Level Up Step as normal).

Once they have been cashed in, the Defeated Hero is brought back to Base Camp for aid. Place them in the Base Camp Region (Or Battered Base Camp, in the Final Battle), remove all statuses they have (Shield / Doom / Poison) and restore them to max Health.

Normally a Hero is only brought back once they've been cashed in. However they can be brought back early if:

Their Turn would come up and they are still in the Stash.
-OR- There are no Heroes anywhere on the Map when they are Defeated.

In either case, add 3 Bounty tokens to the Villain's Stash and return the Hero who was Defeated to Base Camp immediately. (This will not cause them to miss their Turn, though it does mean the same Hero could potentially be Defeated twice in one Villain Round.)

Heroes don't lose Level Ups or Treasures for Defeat. Their Sidekicks (if any) are unaffected. However, the Villain gains a lot of power, so Heroes should avoid Defeat at all costs.

Ranged Rolls

Ranged Action Rolls work the same as Melee, with the exception being that you can choose one of the 4 Regions adjacent to your own as the target of your attack, and you may never target your own Region. After choosing your target tile, everything else proceeds exactly the same as a Melee Action.

(Note: Regions next to yours which are separated by a Wall, are not considered adjacent. A Character can perform a Ranged Action against adjacent Regions, even if they are occupied with an enemy in their own Region.)

(Ex: Coach makes a Ranged Roll and scores 5. She'd have just enough to Defeat the Hound on her tile, but cannot target her own Region. She chooses a nearby Region as her target, and uses 1 Hit to Defeat the Wounded Gnome there and buys 2 Plus-One tokens with the remaining 4 Hits, since she cannot spread damage across multiple Regions.)

Magic Rolls

After generating your Hit Pool during a Magic Action, you may choose to spend your Hits to cast any number of Spells from your Hand for their cost (on the top right of the card). Once any Spell is cast, resolve its effects, then discard it face up beside its Spell deck in a discard pile (Pg.T). Then you may continue spending Hits from your Pool or choose to stop. Once you do anything other than cast Spells you must end your Magic Action. So for example, you couldn't Move in between Spells.

There are two types of Spells: General & Reaction Spells.

General Spells — These Spells look like scrolls and can only be cast during the Player's Magic Action. Their effects are explained on the card. Here are a few examples:

Elemental Spark has multiple costs listed. This means you can choose which cost to pay as you cast it, and then you use the corresponding value in the text below to resolve it. (In this case, if a Player spent 4 Magic Hits to pay for the Spell, they would place an Elemental Sidekick in their Region tile with 3 Health or give those Health to one or more Elementals on the Map. Sidekicks are explained Pg.K)
Fragile Mortality instructs you to attack a Region tile. Just like a Melee or Ranged attack, damage targets the Defender, then if they are Defeated it can carry down a stack to potentially affect multiple enemies in the Region! (Note: Hits from a roll can be used to cast Spells or buy Plus-One's. Damage which then may result from a Spell cannot buy Plus-One's. Each Spell is a new attack, so multiple Spells from 1 Magic Action cannot stack damage together to meet a Minion's Wound value.)
Beating Heart, and many Red Mortality Spells require a player to pay Health as well as Hits to cast. (If a Player spent 3 Hits and 1 Health to cast Beating Heart, they could choose any friend OR enemy on the Map, and cause them to either heal or pay 4 Health) A Hero can pay Health down to 0 (though they cannot pay more Health than they have). In this case they resolve their Action. Then after it ends, if they are still at 0 Health, they are Defeated.

Reaction Spells — These Spells are denoted by the lightning bolt symbol above the Spell's name. They can only be cast at the time the Spell's text describes. This is often in response to something during another Player's Turn such as when you take damage or somebody begins taking their Actions.

Many Reaction Spells are 0 cost, so they can be cast for free (even if you have no Magic dice)! Some have a Plus-One / Discard as their cost, meaning you must either pay 1 of your Plus-One's from the Action type that is specified, or discard a Spell or Feat card from your hand in order to cast the Spell.

Each group can play this how they prefer, but for speed of play, we'd recommend you do not share the exact Spells in your hand openly. To strategize, you could instead say "If you move here, I can help you!"

(Ex: Dredgar makes a Magic Roll and scores 4. He then looks at his Spells and decides to cast Mortal Coil at its mid-level, spending all 4 Hits. He uses the Spell to perform a 5 damage attack in a nearby Region, dealing 4 damage to Defeat the top Minion, and the remaining 1 to Wound the bottom one!)

(Ex: Isabella makes a Magic Roll and scores 6. She then looks at her Spells and decides to spend 3 Hits to cast Elemental Spark at its mid-level [creating a 2 Health Elemental] and she ALSO spends 3 Hits and 1 of her Health to cast Beating Heart at mid-level [healing herself for 4 Health])

Additional Actions

Scouting

As many times as they like during their Turn, a Hero (not Sidekick) can Scout all adjacent unexplored Halls, which branch off their Region. This is a Free Action, which can even be done mid-Move (only ending that Move if an Event is revealed, see below). To Scout they do as follows:

They reveal the bottom Region from the Labyrinth deck. They then must place it to fill any one of the Halls being Scouted (their choice). They may flip or rotate the tile how they like provided:
- The tile's long and short sides align with the other tiles and;
- No Hall anywhere on the Map is blocked by a Wall (factoring in Map Wrapping below).
If the tile can't fit any Scouted Hall (trying all sides & rotations), set it aside in a stack & reveal a new tile.
- Step 1 is repeated until a tile that can fit is found.
- If the whole Region deck is drawn and nothing fits, the Scouter instead locates a special Dread End Sideboard tile from the box and places it instead. (If the Dread End also will not fit, place it anyways, treating each blocked Hall as a Wall.)
- Once a tile is placed, put the set aside tiles back on top of the Region deck (without shuffling).
- If any Sunshards / Bounty (Pg.R) were in the space, place them on the newly revealed tile.
Repeat 1 & 2 until all Scouted Halls are revealed.
Draw a Treasure for each Treasure icon, & a Minion for each Minion icon, then stack them on the right side of the Region like so: Bot > Chump > Elite > Boss > Top.
If 1 or more Event Icons are revealed, draw only 1 Event card, and place it on the first Region where an Event icon appeared. The Scouter ends any ongoing Move Action (in the tile they Scouted from) & immediately resolves the Event (in the tile where it occurred). If there are no more Events, ignore Event icons.

(Ex: Welliam Scouts and there are 2 unrevealed Halls in his Region. He takes the bottom tile from the Labyrinth deck and decides to place it North. He rotates it so that it points toward the Sunshard. He then reveals the bottom tile again, and this time must place it East. He cannot rotate it, since there is only one way it can fit. There are 2 Event icons, so he will resolve 1 Event on the tile which was placed first.)

(Ex: Isabella Scouts and there is 1 unrevealed Hall in her Region. She takes the bottom tile from the Labyrinth deck, and there is no way it can fit without causing a Hall to meet a Wall. She takes the bottom tile again and this time it can fit. She is the only Hero in the game, so she ignores all of the icons on that tile [they are only used in games with 4+ Heroes]. She places the unused tile on top of the Labyrinth deck [without shuffling])

Hero Count Icons

If a Region has a Hero Count Icon next to one of its icons, that icon ONLY applies to games with the listed number of Heroes playing (or more).

Map Wrapping

The wonky Labyrinth wraps from edge to edge. Meaning Regions at one end of the Map are adjacent to those on the opposite end, and Characters are free to Move, Scout and place tiles across these Map borders.

Closing off the Map

The Map is Closed Off when no tile can be Scouted, because every Hall (even those wrapping across Map Borders) meets another Hall, or a Dead End.

When this occurs, the Approach of Doom skips to day 4, and the day 4 entry is read from the campaign book immediately.

Heroes should not rush into the Final Battle. Avoid Scouting if the board is already full of Minions, or if the Round is about to end.

Illegally Placed Regions

If a Player notices a Region placed illegally (IE one of its Halls meets a Wall), treat those blocked Halls as Walls and immediately award the Villain Experience for your mistakes!

Resolving Events

Each game, you'll assemble a set of Event packets during setup. Each packet consists of 1 or more Event cards (which share a title), placed within 1 card sleeve which matches their Tier. Set the side "A" Event exposed in the sleeve.

When an Event occurs, you'll draw the top Event packet, read it aloud, and resolve instructions. If Minion or Treasure icons exist, place them in the Region where the Event is occurring (just like in step 4 of Scouting). Then, follow the instructions at the bottom for what happens next.

(Ex: "Flip to B - Put in Stash" means pull the cards out of the Event packet and re-assemble it with side-B exposed. Then place it in the Hero Loot Stash to be read later.)

(Ex: "Mark Hero as 2" means give the Scouting Hero the 2 marker.)

Many Events have an instant effect, then move to the Hero Stash for later. Every Level Up Step, the Lead Hero reads each Event in the Stash (in any order). If they come to a choice, they read the options (plus any info in brackets IE "Test 5") & stop to let the Players decide & make Tests if required (see Pg.R), Then they resolve the corresponding results.

When an Event ends, it is placed in the Event Archive section of the Deck Box. It's important that the side it ended on, is the side that's exposed in the packet as it enters the box.

Looting!

When Scouting, some Regions & Events place Treasures, which are items the Heroes can Equip! As many times as they like during their Turn, a Hero/Sidekick can Loot (as a free Action) to pick up Treasures in their Region, provided there are no enemies in that Region. These are placed face-down in the Hero Loot Stash to be revealed and Equipped in their ensuing Level Up Step. (See Pg.K)

Power Surge Actions

Once per Turn, any Hero may spend 1 of their Action Points on a Power Surge to draw 2 cards from any of the available (non-Villain) Spell and/or Feat decks. They must draw both cards, before looking at either one.

Sidekicks

Some Spells and Heroes can create Sidekick allies.

To do so, find the Sidekick's stat reference card and place their standee on the Map with a Mini Health dice on it, denoting its Health (they max at 6 Health). Sidekicks take damage like a Hero, moving this dice as damage occurs. A Sidekick's attack will roll 1 dice for every Health they have, so the bigger they are the bigger their attack!

As each Hero ends their Turn, they proceed to act with their Sidekick, performing its Actions just like a Hero does (using the stats on its card), except:

Sidekicks cannot Scout, gain Plus-One's or receive Healing.
Sidekicks are not considered Heroes for the purposes of Spells and effects which target Heroes specifically.

Note: A Hero can only create a Sidekick for themselves, and may only have 1 at a time. They may remove their existing Sidekick, to place a new one. Heroes cannot create more Elementals than the 2 supplied with the game at any one time.

Note: When a Sidekick is Defeated, they are returned to the box (not the Stash). They award no Bounty, and can be summoned again later.

Note: If their controller is Defeated, a Sidekick is unaffected & remains on the Map.

As each Hero acts, the next clockwise Hero follows, until all have acted and we proceed with the Level Up Step.

Hero Round — The Level Up Step

The Level Up Step marks the end of a day, when our Heroes commune together around the Lonely Fire. They will have party encounters, trade and equip Treasures and earn Experience Points to spend on Level Ups! It proceeds as follows:

The Lead Hero resolves any Events in the Stash.
Draw cards, if the Unique Abilities on your Hero board instruct you to do so.
Discard down to 6 cards (the default Hand size), if you have more than 6 in your Hand.
Clear Defender markers (See Defenders Pg.E).
Pass the Initiative token and the Campaign Book clockwise.

Then the Heroes reveal each Treasure in their Loot Stash, and can Equip, trade, and return Treasures to and from the Stash however they like.

Treasures

Players have 3 slots along the bottom of their Character board, which can each hold 1 Treasure of the indicated type. To Equip a Treasure, a Player can take it and slide it under the slot on their board. If that slot is full, they may return a Treasure to their Loot Stash in order to Equip the new one.

There are three types of Treasures:

Offense Treasures have an Action type indicated on their card and apply their bonuses during Action Rolls of that type. Offense Treasures (and also certain Spells & Abilities) provide Bonus dice, indicated by the dice symbol with the "+" on it. During the specified Action, the Player may add these Bonus dice to their Action Roll for free, along with any other dice they would normally roll. Bonus dice are not marked on your Hero Board.
Defense Treasures and Items apply their bonuses constantly as long as the Treasure is Equipped. Some Items have one-use effects and then are discarded to the Treasure deck's discard pile (Pg.T).

With the Treasures now revealed, Players can freely Equip them from the Loot Stash, trade amongst each other, or return Treasures they no longer want to the Stash.

(If Players can't agree who takes a Treasure, the Player with the Initiative token may decide.)

(While Defense Treasures like Power Shield can be traded in the Level Up Step, they can't give bonuses to multiple Heroes per Round.)

Gaining Level Ups

Once the Heroes have equipped & traded Treasures, every Unequipped Treasure & Defeated Minion left in the Stash must be cashed in for Experience Points (XP)!

Heroes add up the Bounty icons on all cards in their Loot Stash & return them to their discard piles (Pg.T). They add that many Bounty tokens to the Hero Hoard card (Which tallies all Bounty for end-game rewards, see Pg.U), then they determine the XP each Hero earns by consulting their Loot Stash card (Which converts Bounty earned each Turn into XP for each Hero).

Where the Loot Stash shows a dice symbol, this means in addition to the 2 XP, the Lead Hero rolls 1 dice & every Hero gains the result as XP!
Minions always go to the Hero Stash, regardless of who Defeats them.

Then each Player simultaneously spends their XP how they like on Level Ups, for the costs specified below:

Dice Level Ups are tracked by placing Dice tokens on your Character board (either covering up icons / blanks, or replacing existing tokens). For example, you can Spend 1 XP to fill a blank with a new Novice dice, or 3 XP to fill a blank with a Master dice (1 Buy a Novice / 1 turn Novice to Adept / 1 turn Adept to Master).
Action Level Ups are tracked by moving the Action marker along your Action Bar at the right side of your board. The number the marker highlights indicates your total Actions available. When you upgrade your Actions, you increase the Action Points you will have available every Turn for the rest of the game!

Any XP you don't spend is stored by placing XP tokens on your Character board to be spent in later Level Up Steps.

The Villain & Heroes each use different Loot Stashes depending on the number of Heroes playing. Use the correct ones and return the others to the box.

Progressing the Game

As the Hero Level Up Step ends, the Hero Round is over, and the Villain Round begins.

The Villain Round

The Villain is controlled by the game, and the Lead Hero (Pg.E) will carry out their actions according to the automated steps described below. Where there are any decision ties, use the Golden Rule (Pg.N) to settle them.

First the Villain acts in a Villain Step.
Then all Minions on the Map act in a Minion Step.
Then the Villain gains Experience in a Level Up Step.

Villain Round — Villain Step

For the first half of the Game (before the Final Battle) the Villain Round always consists of the same 2 Actions (regardless of how many Action Points the Villain has):

The Villain makes a Magic Action Roll.
Then the Villain makes a Corruption Action Roll.

(In the second half of the game [The Final Battle], rounds resolve differently, see Pg.P)

Villain Plus-One Tokens

After rolling any Action Roll, the Villain always adds all the Plus-One's they have on the row being rolled.

Every Villain has the "Boss" special rule, meaning:

They gain Plus-One's like a Hero, except each Plus-One costs only 1 Hit to acquire.
They can hold up to 6 Plus-One's at one time. (If a 7th is gained, the Lead Hero must choose 1 to discard from a different row to make space.)
"Boss" also gives them Evade & lets them ignore Move obstacles. (Like Rockfalls. They do not ignore Walls.)

Villain Magic Roll

Gather all the Villain's Magic dice and roll them. Total their Hits (adding any Plus-One's they have).
Flip over Villain Spells, creating a row from right-to-left. As each Spell is revealed, the Villain pays the highest cost they can afford to Cast it (though they don't resolve it yet) subtracting that cost from the pool of Hits they generated.
Continue to flip Spells until all the Hits have been spent, or a Spell is revealed which they cannot afford (even at its lowest cost). If the last revealed Spell could not be afforded, it is placed in the Discard pile (Pg.T).
If any Hits remain at this point (EX: There were 2 left and a Spell was revealed which costs 3), then every 1 of those Hits becomes 1 Plus-One token on the Villain's Magic row (See Villain Plus-Ones).
The Villain resolves each cast Spell, starting with the one revealed last to the one revealed first. Each Spell describes how it should be executed. When a Spell's targeting presents tied options, refer to the Golden Rule to break the tie (Pg.N).

Villain Unique Spells — Each Villain has a Unique Spell which they bring to the battle. This Spell is placed on top of their Spell deck during setup, and they will cast it every Action because each Unique Spell costs 0. Unlike other Spells, a Unique Spell is always returned to the top of the Spell deck when resolved (and not the Discard pile).

(Ex: The Villain's Roll scores 8 [7 +1 from a Plus-One]. The first Spell flipped costs 0, so they flip another. It has multiple costs, so they pay the highest they can afford [4]. They still have 4 Hits remaining, so they flip another card and cast it for 3. They still have 1 Hit remaining, so they flip another card, which they cannot afford so it is discarded. Their remaining 1 Hit becomes a Plus-One token and they resolve Spells starting with the one which was flipped most recently.)

Villain Corruption Roll

Gather all the Villain's Corruption dice and roll them. Total their Hits (adding any Plus-One's they have).
Spend from the generated Hit Pool to Spawn Minions from the Minion decks, referencing the costs on the top of each deck.
- Always Spawn the largest Minion possible.
- Always spend Hits until they cannot afford more.
If any Hits remain which are not enough to Spawn anything, then every 1 of those Hits becomes 1 Plus-One token on the Villain's Corruption row.

Placing Spawned Minions

Draw the Minion from the bottom of its Minion deck.
Place the Minion on the Portal Region which is closest to the Hero with the least Health. (The tiles with Portal artwork on them)
- Prefer North > then East options if tied.
- Place it on top of its stack (if any) on that tile.
- (Note: Placing a Minion, is not considered moving it)

(If there are no Minions in a deck, swap Minions in the Hero Stash for Bounty tokens, take those Minions along with the discard pile and reshuffle the Minion deck. If there are still none, spawn 1 size smaller if possible.)

(Ex: The Villain's Roll scores 8 [6 +2 from Plus-One's]. They spend all 8 Hits to spawn a Boss Minion. Rowan is the lowest Health Hero, so the Minion is placed on the nearest Portal to her, which turns out to be on her own tile.)

Villain Round — Minion Step

During the Minion Step, each Minion will Act, and attack the Heroes using their Actions and Abilities.

When a Minion's Turn begins, move it to the top of its stack (if any) and go through the steps below. It performs each step as many times as required in order to satisfy the step's goal. Once it has been satisfied (or if it cannot be done), the Minion will skip to the next step. This repeats until the Minion is out of Actions, or it can do nothing and its Turn ends.

These Minion Steps are as follows:

Choose a Target, using the Golden Rule.
Move in!
- Find the nearest Region which would bring the Minion's Power Action in range of its Target. (For Melee, in range means in the Target's tile. For Ranged, it is any tile adjacent to the Target.)
- Spend Actions Moving toward that Region until it is reached, or the Minion runs out of Actions. Like Heroes, each Action spent Moving allows the Minion to move up to 3 spaces. (Prefer to take the shortest path, then prefer to take North turns over E>S>W.)
- A Minion cannot leave a tile with their enemies. So if step 2 is not possible, skip to 3 > then 4.
Fight!
- Spend 1 Action to Roll the Minion's Power Action, if any enemy is within range of it (this might not target the same enemy targeted in earlier steps). Settle ties with the Golden Rule.
Move in & Fight more!
- If a Minion has a second Combat Action, spend an Action to Fight! with it (if it is within range of any enemy), otherwise spend Actions to Move in! until it is within range, then spend an Action to Fight! with it.

(Note: While a Minion is carrying out its Turn, it is pulled to the top of any stack it is a part of. When it ends its Turn, it is left on the top of its stack. This can cause the stack order to get altered as Minions move on and off of one another.)

For Damaging & Defeating Minions see Pg.F.

The Golden Rule

I prefer the option closest to me / which is furthest North / then East.

(To settle ties for the A.I. read this until only 1 option exists, then stop. If it doesn't break a tie it's Hero choice.)

The Lead Hero starts the Minion Step by finding the Minion furthest North (then East) who has not Acted, and performing its Actions (start with Minions on top, if a stack exists). Do this until every Minion on the Map has Acted.

Some Minions will have 2 Power Stats. This simply means they prefer neither, and prioritize whichever targets they are closest to and within range of already (breaking ties with the Golden rule).

Minion Example A — (Ex: 1/ Teslo targets the closest enemy [Elemental, because it prefers East > West] 2/ Teslo's Power Action is already in range, so he skips to 3/ Teslo "Fights!", performing an attack against Elemental [for five damage] 4/ Teslo has a second attack also, so he spends an Action to "Move in!" onto Elemental to bring it into range, he spends a final Action to "Fight!" making a Roll [for two damage]. Teslo is out of Actions and his Turn ends.)

Minion Example B — (Ex: 1/ Pea-Shooter chooses Thaddy as its target. 2/ He tries to "Move in!" to bring Thaddy in range of his attack. Normally, he could not leave a tile with an enemy, however he has Evade, so he moves to Rowan's tile to become adjacent to Thaddy. 3/ Pea-Shooter "Fights!" by spending one Action to attack Thaddy, rolling five damage! He has no remaining Action Points, so his Turn ends.)

Minion Example C — (Ex: 1/ Bomb-Squad targets the closest enemy [Rowan] 2/ Bomb-Squad spends one Action Point to "Move in!", attempting to move into her Region to bring its Power Action in range. 2/ Bomb-Squad has not yet satisfied step 2, so it spends a second Action to "Move in!" toward Rowan's Region. Along the way it always prefers to take North >E>S>W paths. Bomb-Squad is out of Actions and its Turn ends. It places a Bomb token in its Region because of its "Bomb" ability. It rolls a dice right away to check if that Bomb explodes.)

Villain Round — Level Up Step

The Villain Level Up Step proceeds as follows:

Clear Defender markers (See Defenders Pg.E)
Cash out the Villain Loot Stash, to determine the XP & Health the Villain earns (just like on Pg.L)
- Defeated Heroes are worth 3 Bounty, and return to Base Camp with full Health. (More on Pg.G)
- Defeated Sidekicks are worth nothing.
- When the Villain gains Health, this can set them above their starting Health (though they can't go above the top of the meter).
- Unlike the Heroes, the Villain uses their own chart to spend their XP:
  - The Villain only spends in increments of 2 XP to buy dice Level Ups, saving leftovers of 1 as tokens. Each time they spend 2 XP, they earn 1 dice Level Up for each dice row on their board, done as follows:
  - When Leveling Up an Action row, the Villain must first fill a row with Novice dice, before earning any Adept dice.
  - Then fill a row with Adept dice before earning any Master dice.
  - Once a row has only Master dice, further XP has no effect on that row (though it may Level other rows).
Advance the track on The Approach of Doom board and enact any effects specified.

(Ex: If the Golem earned 6 XP, they would spend it to buy three dice Level Ups for each row.)

The Final Battle

Game rounds proceed in this way, Hero Round / Villain Round. Each Villain Level Up Step The Approach of Doom track advances one Day.

As the Heroes Scout the Map they will encounter Events (see Scouting Pg.I); in most Missions, revealing the final Event card or reaching Day 4 on the Approach of Doom will place a Villain on the Map and immediately instigate the Final Battle for victory!

The Mission being played outlines instructions for how to set up the Final Battle, though in most cases:

Heroes win as soon as the Villain has 0 Health.
The Villain wins by collecting 3 Soul tokens.
- At some point during the Final Battle, Events often instruct you to flip the Approach of Doom & Loot Stashes to side B. Side B of the Villain Loot Stash states that the Villain will earn 1 Soul token during their Level Up Step when 3 Bounty is cashed out from a Defeated Hero.
- Therefore the Villain will win these games once 3 Heroes are Defeated and cashed out while the Villain Stash is on its Final Battle side (B).

After the Villain has been placed on the Map, their Rounds play out a little differently (outlined on the back of the Approach of Doom board). Instead of making a Magic and Corruption roll, they now enact their Turns like so:

Villain Attack Protocols (details to follow)
Minion Step (as Normal)
Level Up Step (The Villain gains +1 Action every Villain Level Up Step! Instead of earning XP & Health as Bounty Rewards, the Villain now earns Soul tokens.)

After each Villain Round, the Heroes proceed to start a new Hero Round and play alternates until one side achieves victory!

Attack with the Villain

As the Villain begins its Turn during the Final Battle, the Lead Hero reveals a number of Battle cards equal to the Villain's current Action Points. They then proceed to resolve the Attack Protocols on each card in reverse order, to carry out the Villain's attacks (so the last one flipped gets resolved first).

A Villain Battle card has the following features:

Attack Protocol — Instructions to carry out if this card was revealed as one of the Villain's Attack Actions.
Defense Protocol — Instructions to carry out if this card was revealed as a Defense to an attack.
Defending vs — Denotes the type of attack the Villain is guaranteed to have some kind of defense against. (A Defending Villain is strong, but very often still worth attacking.)
Vulnerable vs — Denotes the type of attack the Villain is guaranteed to have no defense against AND an attack of this type has a 50% chance at a critical hit (crit).
The attack type which is not shown on Defending vs or Vulnerable vs is unknown, and will have a defense 50% of the time.

The Lead Hero executes Attack Protocols for the Villain, carrying out the top half instructions on each revealed Battle card from top to bottom. The cards describe the Villain's action, and can even break rules if specified (ex, Villain attacks can sometimes target their own tile). A Villain's Action Points are only used to determine how many of these cards they play each Turn.

When a Villain moves, they take the shortest path to their destination, preferring to travel N > then E > S > W directions. If 2 destinations are viable for a Villain, they prefer North > then East options.

When a Villain makes an Action Roll, they spend Hits from their roll until every enemy in the target Region(s) have been Defeated. They will then spend every leftover Hit to buy Plus One tokens. If nobody is in range at all, they will still roll to gain tokens.

Damaging the Villain

An attacker can damage the Villain in increments of 5 (damage of less than 5 has no effect & does not wound the Villain). After an attack causes the Villain to lose Health (not Shields), the attacker must reveal the top card from the Villain Battle deck & examine the Defense Protocol on its bottom half.

If the symbol of their attack type is connected to a block of text, read and resolve that text. If it is not, there is no defense. A defense always triggers after the Villain has lost Health (so any Shields gained would apply to future attacks).

If the attack was made with a Reaction card, it had no type (such as a Bomb explosion), or it was made by an ally of the Villain, there is no defense.

Remember that a Villain is always considered to be at the bottom of any Minion stack they are a part of. Typically before you can target them, you must clear away Minions on their tile first.

Level Up Step (Final Battle)

In the Final Battle, the Villain Level Up Step is as follows:

Clear Defender markers (See Defenders Pg.E).
The Villain gains +1 Action! (And no other rewards. If they can't gain +1 each Hero must pay 5 Health.)
The Villain cashes out each Defeated Hero, Respawning them & adding 1 Soul token to the Approach of Doom track!

Additional Rules

Game Terms

Action Roll: When a Character rolls their dice to perform a Melee / Ranged / Magic / Corruption Roll (including for Tests), this is considered an "Action Roll". Spells which specifically effect "Action Rolls" can only be used to alter these types of dice rolls.

Adjacent: Refers to the 4 Region tiles next to your own (excluding your tile & diagonals). Tiles which are separated from you by Walls are not adjacent.

Ally / Friendly: Anyone who is not opposing you. Heroes and Sidekicks are allies to each other. Minions and Villains are allies to each other.

Archive / Event Archive: Refers to a divider section in the Deck Box where Events are stored once resolved.

Base Dice: Refers to the dice icons on the Character's board (including Level Ups, but not including bonus dice from effects or Treasures).

Bounty tokens: These can be collected during a Loot Action (Pg.J) as though it were a Treasure, and are placed in the Hero Loot Stash. In the ensuing Level Up Step, they will be cashed in for +1 Bounty.

Closest: Refers to the distance which requires the least movement points to get from A to B (abiding by normal movement restrictions).

Character, Someone, Anyone: Refers to any Minion, Hero, Sidekick or Villain in the game.

Forced Movement: If anyone is "moved" to a location, they do so by the most direct route possible. Break directional ties by preferring North turns, then E/S/W. These moves have Evade.

Golden Rule: I prefer the option closest to me / which is furthest North / then East.

In Range: A Character is able to attack their Target. For Melee, "in Range" means the Target's Region. For Ranged it means any Region adjacent to the Target.

In View: A Character is able to draw a straight Orthogonal path to their Target across revealed tiles (and wrapping borders), without passing over a Wall or a Mountain tile.

Lead Hero: This is the Hero with the Initiative token. They may go first (Charge) or last (Hold) in the Turn order. If an effect targets the Lead Hero and they are not on the Map, use the Golden Rule to choose a new target.

Melee & Ranged Feats: These are very similar to Spell cards with a few notable exceptions.

Characters gain Melee / Ranged Feats by choosing to draw them during a Power Surge.
All Feat cards are Reactions which can be played whenever the card specifies.
The Melee deck features fighter-like abilities, such as tanking damage, cleaving enemies and forging wargear!
The Ranged deck features rogue-like abilities, such as snipe shots, agile dodges, and snatching Loot!
When a Feat costs a Plus-One, it can be paid for using a Plus-One from Melee or by discarding any card [Spell or Feat].

Minion: Refers to any Character drawn from the Chump, Elite, or Boss decks.

Nearby: Refers to your own Region tile as well as the 4 tiles next to it. Tiles which are on diagonals or separated from you by Walls are not nearby.

Attack a nearby Region: Make an attack in yours or an adjacent Region, damaging the Defender first, then carrying over (if extra). (Not AOE unless specified.)

Paying Health: Some effects cause a Hero to pay Health. This is a cost, not "damage". It must be paid in full and cannot be prevented by abilities which "prevent damage" (I.E. Shields). Players can Defeat themselves by paying this cost, but they can never pay more Health than they have.

Plus-One OR Discard: You either pay a Plus-One from the specified Action type, OR discard any other card from your hand (Spell or Feat).

Quest Pool: Refers to a section in the Deck Box where you put Quest Event cards and draw from them during Quests.

Round: Refers to all of the Hero & Sidekick Turns & their Level Up Step, or the Villain's Turn, their Minion's Turns, and their Level Up Step.

Sunshards: Sunshard tokens can be Looted like Treasure and are placed in the Sunshield. Every Mission has a significant bonus for collecting these Shards (typically providing protection as the Final Battle begins).

Testing Actions: Action Tests are called for by many Events, representing Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence challenges for your Hero. When called to make a Test, a Character makes a Test Action Roll. This is done exactly like a normal Action Roll (Pg.F), applying all the same item Bonuses, and even spending Plus-One's or cards to enhance it if you wish. (Unless specifically stated, any bonus that can apply to a normal Action Roll, can also apply to a Test.) The Tester then compares their Hit total with the Test Difficulty. If they match or exceed the Difficulty, the Test is passed. Otherwise the Test is failed. Hits generated during a Test can never be used for any other purpose but to pass the Test (they cannot buy Plus-One's).

Turn: When any Character starts taking their Actions and finishes.

Special Abilities

Characters, Minions, Treasures, & Spells can have Special Abilities on them. These provide the bearer with some unique skills which they can use as defined below. (Note: Unless specifically stated, abilities do not stack. Always use the best bonus available.)

Area of Effect (AOE): Rather than targeting the Defender of a Region, an AOE attack must target everyone there instead! The damage must be dealt in full to everyone in the Region, friend or foe, though the Character causing AOE damage never damages themselves.

Bomb (ability): As the Acting Character ends their Turn, they may place 1 Bomb token in their Region as a free Action.

Bombs: After 1 or more Bomb tokens are placed, the Lead Hero must roll 1 dice. On a Hit, every Bomb explodes!

Each exploding Bomb deals 2 AOE damage (to friend & foe) in every nearby Region (the Bomb's Region and adjacent ones), then it is removed.
When multiple Bombs are adjacent to each other, they combine this damage together, dealing it in full to every Region nearby that Bomb Chain. (In the printed example, Rowan would suffer a 4 damage attack from the 2-Bomb chain, and a separate 2 damage attack from the single Bomb.)
There are 5 Bombs. If placing 1 or more Bombs would require a 6th, first explode all Bombs (before placing any), then place the new Bombs.

Villain Reward (XP or Health): As the Acting Character ends their Turn, the Villain may gain an XP OR Health.

Black Artifice Spells: These are used by A.I. Villains, and Heroes can't normally draw them. Some effects force Heroes to draw them, representing the Villain getting into their heads. A Hero treats a Black Spell in their hand like any other. They can get rid of them in three ways: 1) Cast them (rarely good) 2) Discard them for a "Discard" cost / effect, 3) Discard them at the end of a round (if they have more than 6 cards). Each time a Hero discards a Black Spell, they must pay 1 Health.

Dodge (X): After becoming the target of an attack, a Character with Dodge may roll the indicated dice (X) on the ability. For this attack, they will reduce any damage they'd receive by their roll. After this roll, a Player can decide not to spend Hits to damage the Dodger, though they cannot choose a new target. (Note: Dodge does work against AOE attacks, though it does not work against Pay effects.)

Doom (ability): As the Acting Character ends their Turn, any Hero in their Region becomes Doomed.

Doomed: A Doomed Hero flips their Health marker to its purple side. The next time they'd take at least 1 damage (after all damage prevention occurs), double it and remove Doomed. If a Doomed Hero gains Doomed again, this has no further effect. If a source heals you for Health, you may instead heal 0 Health & remove all negative statuses (ex: Doom). If you are Defeated, remove all negative statuses.

Evade: During Moves, a Character with Evade can leave Region tiles containing enemies.

Poison (ability): As the Acting Character ends their Turn, any Hero in their Region gains 1 Poison token.

Poison: When a Hero gains a Poison they place 1 Poison token covering any 1 non-Poisoned dice icon on their board. Poisoned dice cannot be rolled. After they perform a Non-Test Action Roll, they remove the Poison tokens from the Action row that was rolled. This means: a Poisoned dice will have to miss 1 Action roll, and then it will be active again (though it can potentially miss many different Test rolls). Note, you can still spend XP to Level up a dice underneath a Poison token as normal. If a source heals you for Health, you may instead heal 0 Health & remove all negative statuses (Doom & Poison). If you are Defeated, remove all negative statuses.

Rockfall (ability): As the Acting Character ends their Turn, they may place 1 Rockfall token in their Region as a free Action. (They will not damage themselves with this placement.)

Rockfalls: When an attacker places a Rockfall token, they deal 2 AOE damage to everyone else in the Region (not themselves). There are 5 Rockfalls. If placing 1 or more would require a 6th, instead deal all Map tiles 2 AOE damage & place no new Rockfalls. Anyone moving onto a Rockfall must end their Move. (They lose unspent movement, but can Move away with further actions.) During their Turn, any Hero can spend 1 Plus-One OR Discard a Spell or Feat card to remove a Rockfall in their tile (this does not cost an Action).

Shield tokens: Up to 4 Shield tokens can be stacked on top of a Character's Health marker. Before they take any damage (after other damage prevention occurs), they must spend a Shield, which then prevents up to 2 of the damage. They must spend Shields until no damage or no Shields remain. (So a 1 damage attack will still break a Shield, even though it did not prevent a full 2 damage.) If a Character "pays Health" or suffers "damage which cannot be prevented" they must move their Health marker down without expending any Shields.

Stoneskin: These Minions can't be Defeated outright. They must be Wounded by one attack (or Pay effect), then Defeated by another. Unlike normal Minions, when a Stoneskin Minion is Wounded, they are moved to the bottom of their stack, and if any damage remains in the attack it can be assigned to other enemies there. Spells which "Defeat" Characters directly (IE Dark Sacrifice), can affect Unwounded Stoneskin Minions.

Advanced Rules

Unique Abilities & Dojo Tiles

Heroes have Unique Abilities on their boards. This Ability can be upgraded by locating one of the Jailer's Dojo Regions in the Labyrinth. Each Hero (once per game) may decide to Train while they are at a Dojo tile as a free Action, allowing them to upgrade their Ability OR gain 1 XP. They do not need to end their Move to do this, and can do it while Minions are present on the Dojo! They can only Train at 1 Dojo each game (even if there are 2). To Train their Unique Ability, a Hero places a Dojo Crystal in the slot beside the power & then gains the benefit listed. Prior to gaining this Crystal, the ability beneath the "Once Trained:" heading is not in effect.

Adding Players

If a new Player arrives and wants to join. No problem!

The Player chooses an available Hero and sets them up exactly as they would at the start of a game (including bonuses from Base Camp upgrades if applicable). They then spend 3 XP for each day The Approach of Doom track has advanced.
Exchange the Loot Stash cards with ones reflecting the adjusted Hero Count.
Consult the Villain's Health bar and adjust their current Health to reflect the new Player count. (Accounting for any gains their Health may have undertaken thus far in the game)
As the next Hero Round begins, place the new Hero's standee on the Base Camp tile and continue play!

Removing Players

In the case where a Hero Player has to leave:

Remove the Player's Hero (and Sidekick if any) standee from the Map at the start of the next Level Up Step (Hero or Villain).
Place their Treasures in the Hero Loot Stash & exchange the Loot Stash cards with ones reflecting the adjusted Hero Count.
Adjust the Villain's Health to reflect the new Player count (as it was earlier described in "Adding Players").

Discard Piles

As cards from any deck are spent, they are placed face-up beside their deck to form a discard pile. Should any of these decks run out, they are shuffled and set up again as a draw pile.

Easy / Hard Mode

The difficulty of each Villain can be configured into Easy or Hard mode, by following the custom setup steps on the back of each Build-a-Boss insert. The steps are numbered. Use the numbers to determine the degree of easy or hard you want to apply. (For example, you can play partial Easy Mode "2", by just applying steps 1 & 2.)

Rerolls

Rerolls allow you to take dice from a roll and roll them again. The new result now stands. Sometimes, stacking effects can cause a dice to be rerolled multiple times. In such cases, the order of the rerolls occur as follows: 1: Base Action Roll 2: Treasure Rerolls 3: Friendly Spell Rerolls 4: Enemy Spell Rerolls

Talent Cards

Once you have unlocked these cards in the Campaign, every Hero can begin the game with one Talent card (which has their portrait on the back). This is in addition to any Spell / Feat cards they would normally start with.

Talent cards have unique backs, because they should never be shuffled into the Spell decks. They have one use each game, and then should be returned to the box. If a Hero has unlocked 2 Talent cards, they may select 1 each game to begin that game with.

Solo Mode

When playing Solo Mode, the game scales down right to 1 Hero. The main setup exceptions are:

Your Hero begins the game with the Bruno the Horse treasure (outlined in setup steps).
Both you and the Villain use the 1 Hero version of your Loot Stash cards.

IMPORTANT: Remember, when a Hero is Defeated and no Heroes are on the Map, they Respawn at Base Camp immediately (and 3 Bounty is added to the Villain Stash). This rule is important in Solo mode, as it means one Hero can potentially be Defeated more than once each Villain Round.

Campaign Mode

Valor & Villainy: Lludwik's Labyrinth is a Campaign game consisting of 8 Acts, which progress a developing storyline. Heroes will make decisions each Act which unlock Spells, items, and surprises which are added to their arsenal for the rest of the Campaign.

To start a Campaign, the players will begin filling out a page in the Order Without Borders Base Camp book, filling in their party name and members. This book records their progress in the campaign and keeps track of their permanent Base Camp upgrades. Then open the Campaign Book, read the Introduction aloud, and proceed to set up the Tutorial.

This Campaign is designed to teach you what you need to know when you need it, however feel free to read ahead here to familiarize yourself with the rules.

Discovered Cards

At many moments in the Campaign, the game will instruct you to Discover a card, like this example:

Discover card 021, Ghost Walk!

This means you should go and find the Discovered card within one of the numerically ordered Sideboard decks.

The Mini icon means it will be in the Mini Sideboard.
The Full-Size icon means it will be in the Full-Size Sideboard.

If it was discovered during a game, the Hero who found it may immediately equip it, or add it to their hand. (If the party found it, they may choose 1 Hero to gain it.) If it was discovered after a game, shuffle it into the deck where it belongs.

Once Discovered, the card remains unlocked for all subsequent games! (It will be returned to its deck, and not the Sideboard when the game is cleaned up.)

Unlocked Envelopes

When instructed to Unlock an envelope, like this example:

Unlock envelope!

Players must find the envelope with the matching icon and open it. The contents of the envelope remains unlocked for all subsequent games!

Note: It's a good idea to keep the envelopes around and undamaged, so you can reset the Campaign later.

The Hero Hoard

The Hero Hoard stores Bounty gained throughout each Act, which is used by the Order to improve their Base Camp at the end of each Act. These improvements will give the Heroes starting bonuses for all subsequent Campaign Acts.

As Minions are Defeated and Treasures are collected, they are placed in the Hero Loot Stash. Each Level Up Step, they get cashed in for XP (Pg.K) and their value in Bounty is added as Bounty tokens to the Hero Hoard.

At the end of each Act of the Campaign, Heroes collect their currently equipped Treasures, as well as every card in their Loot Stash, and add up their Bounty values. They add that many Bounty tokens to the Hero Hoard. Then the total Bounty in the Hoard translates into Supplies using the chart shown on the Hero Hoard card. Use the column on the chart that shows the highest Bounty amount that was met or exceeded during this Act. Record your Supplies in the Base Camp book. They can be stored here until you choose to spend them on Base Camp Upgrades.

Note: Instead of translating cards cashed out from the Loot Stash into Bounty tokens for the Hero Hoard, it is a bit faster to toss cashed out cards into the Hoard directly, to total their values later at game end. The Bounty token method is there so at higher Player counts you cannot run out of Minions. Use either method as you prefer.

Base Camp Upgrades

Any time in-between Acts, the Order may collectively decide to spend their Supplies to purchase any of the Base Camp upgrades listed in the Base Camp book.

They pay the Supply cost.
They fill in that space in the booklet.
They gain the benefit listed beside it.

Base Camp will apply each of its purchased bonuses at the start of every future Campaign Act. You can purchase each of the listed upgrades once, and all of these bonuses are cumulative. For clarifications on these upgrades, see the FAQ on Pg.W.

Cleaning up a Campaign Session

To clean up, return Heroes, Villains & tiles to the box.
- Return each Hero's Level Up tokens, Spells, Treasures, Sunshards and Sidekicks to the box. These things are not carried forward into your next missions.
Return Discovered cards to their decks (and not the Sideboard). They will now come up in future games!
Unlocked Envelopes remain opened.
Base Camp upgrades & Supplies do persist between games, and are written in the Base Camp book.
Unless otherwise directed, Event packets remain in their sleeves, and get placed in the Event Archive section of the Deck Box with the last side which was read exposed.

Completing a Campaign

Once you have completed the final Act of the Campaign (Act 8), you will be directed to read "What's Next?" on page 66 at the back of the Campaign book. Here you can choose to continue playing in Quest mode, or to reset the Campaign.

Resetting the Campaign

For instructions on how to fully reset your Campaign, see "What's Next?" on page 66 at the back of the Campaign book.

Facing Judgment

(The rulebook flags this section as containing spoilers.)

Starting with Act 5 onward, The Order Without Borders must remember their vow to be the King's top squad of do-gooders and generally helpful folk. They shall Face Judgment, to determine if their actions in the dark would honor the late King's wishes.

To "Face Judgment", Players take out the previously resolved Event packets from the Event Archive section of the Deck Box. These packets will have been placed in the box with the last card-face which had been read exposed. For each Event in the Archive, examine this exposed card-face.

Each Valor icon present on the bottom of a card is worth +1.
Each Villainy icon present on the bottom of a card is worth -1.

Total your score & return the resolved Event packets to the Archive without changing their exposed sides.

If the total is below 0: The Order are decreed Dastardly Villains!
If it's 0 or above: The Order are decreed Knights of Valor!

Record your scores in the Base Camp book. This Decree will affect certain Events within the game. Once you have a Decree, it remains in effect until the next Act, when you'll Face Judgment again. Your score does not carry forward, and will be recounted each time.

Quest Mode Note: Even if you are not playing an ongoing Campaign, you can still Face Judgment when required by reviewing the Event Archive in the deck box to determine a Judgment Score (which by default is 0).

Frequently Asked Questions

See valorandvillainy.com/faq for our living Q&A page to ask your own questions or see some answers!

Valor & Villainy Expansions

Lludwik's Labyrinth is fully cross compatible with every other Valor & Villainy title.

If you are playing the Campaign, feel free to:

Use Heroes from any game to play the Campaign.
Use Spell decks from any game in the Campaign.

If you are playing in repeatable Quest Mode (Pg.66):

You can add the Treasure from any game into your deck.
You can mix in Minions from any game into your decks.
- The Campaign is balanced with a particular set of Minions and Treasures, as you unlock them for each Act. We only recommend merging them with Minions of Mordak cards in Quest Mode.

The Campaign unlocks starting Talent cards for each Hero. It also comes with a full set of these cards to be added to the Heroes and Villain from Minions of Mordak. (Note: Mordak's "Comet Storm" Talent applies to the "Mordak" Villain from Minions of Mordak. "Mordak!" from Antagonist's Arsenal has a different portrait, and his own Unique Spell; Void Storm / Void Squall.)

The Villains from each game work on the Maps provided in their box. The Antagonist's Arsenal is a small expansion which provides the components needed to use Lludwik's Labyrinth Villains on the Hawkemoor Map, or Mordak in the Labyrinth. It also allows for 1vMany mode for the Lludwik's Labyrinth Villains, and Co-op mode for Mordak.

Many different Spells refer to Map tiles which are only present in the Labyrinth or in Hawkemoor. If you are using content from one game in the other, some translation is applied to make these Spells compatible on either Map. The ruling is as follows:

If a card text states "Lake", or "Portal", both would actually mean "Lake or Portal". (For example, a Spell which reads: "Each Hero on a Lake suffers 3 damage" would actually mean "Each Hero on a Lake or Portal suffers 3 damage")
If a card text states "Mountain", any tile with 1 or More Rockfalls is also considered to be a "Mountain tile" for the purposes of these cards.
- Note, this is not vice versa. If a card states "Rockfall", it does not also apply to Mountains. (For example, a card which reads: "Add +1 to your result for each Mountain tile" would actually mean: "Add +1 to your result for each Map tile that is a Mountain or contains any Rockfall tokens")

Base Camp / Hawkemoor: Anything which refers to the Base Camp tile in the Labyrinth, can refer instead to Hawkemoor Keep when playing in Hawkemoor. The same is true for Battered Base Camp / Ruins of the Throne.

Card Set Icons: If you've intermixed Valor & Villainy games together, you can sort them by their set icons: Minions of Mordak, Lludwik's Labyrinth, Antagonist's Arsenal.

Minions of Mordak FAQ

Gust & Summoned Minions — When using Gust and abilities which control a Minion "like a Hero", in Minions of Mordak it means they can Scout like a Hero would. In Lludwik's Labyrinth -only a Hero is allowed to Scout-.

Shifting Sands — When playing on the Labyrinth Map, this card should read: "Choose 2 revealed Regions. Exchange the positions of everything in those Regions."

Ultimate Price — An A.I. Villain will never choose to sacrifice one of their Minions when this Spell is cast. Ultimate Price will cancel the Spell it is cast on, refund that Spell's cost to the Villain and they will continue to flip Spells until all of those Hits are spent.

Summon Illusion — A Hero can Spawn the Minion from this Spell on any of the Portal tiles in the Labyrinth (or Border tiles if in Hawkemoor).

Base Camp Upgrades

Fortified Camp: As each game begins, locate the Fortified Camp map tile from the Sideboard tiles. Use this improved tile instead of the normal Base Camp tile.

Reliquary: As each game ends (including the game where you purchase the Reliquary), your party may collectively select 1 of the Treasures they possess (either equipped to a Hero, or in the Stash). Record that Treasure's name in the Base Camp book. As the next game begins, you may locate that Treasure, and equip it onto any of the Heroes (or add it to your Stash). Each time a game ends, you may swap the named Treasure for a new one. If your recorded Treasure is lost during a session, you must record a new one when that session ends.

Hero Abilities

(In the printed rulebook, the entries below marked with a card icon rather than a Hero name are ability clarifications which are not attributed to a specific Hero.)

Rowan — Beast Within: When Rowan casts a Green Spell on any Hero (including herself), that Hero gains a Plus-One token on a row of their choosing (& +1 if upgraded). A Green Spell which affects multiple Heroes (ex, Lion's Roar) can trigger Beast Within once for each of those Heroes!

Welliam — Resourceful Vulture: Each time Welliam defeats anyone (including a Hero or Sidekick), he may heal any Hero on the Map for +1 Health.

Welliam — Dojo Power: When Welliam's Unique Ability is upgraded, any time a single source instructs him to pay an amount of Health (not take damage) he instead pays that amount minus one. For example, if he cast Annihilation, he could alter 3 dice and only pay 2 Health instead of 3 Health. This could also reduce pay effects from Villain Spells.

Isabella — Stampede: At any time, Isabella may pay Health to create an Elemental in her Region with 1 Health, or give any Elemental +1 Health. She can do this as many times as she has the resources to pay for it! Once she has trained at the Dojo, all Elementals (even those controlled by another Hero) benefit from +1 Action and the upgraded bonus.

Dredgar — Franken-Friend: Each time Dredgar defeats anyone (including a Hero or Sidekick), he may create the Frank Sidekick in his Region with 2 Health, or give Frank +2 Health, wherever he is. Remember, a Hero may dismiss an existing Sidekick to create a new one.

Sir Thaddy Croaks — Sticky Fingers: Whenever you Loot a Treasure, you look at it right away, and get 3 options:

Equip it immediately. (You may unequip an existing Treasure and move it to the Stash to make room)
Place it in the Stash (like a normal Loot)
Discard it, and draw the top Treasure at random and place it face-down in the Stash instead (without looking).

Coach — Fuel for the Fire: One time during each of her Turns, Coach may discard any 1 Spell or Feat card from her hand, to gain 1 Plus-One on any row she chooses.

Muscular Masterpiece: You cannot buy dice upgrades for 1 XP like other Heroes. Instead, you may pay 2 XP to upgrade all 3 of your dice rows the same way (For example, to buy a new dice in each row). As well, you can freely move your tokens from one row to another. So for example, you could roll just to gain Plus-One's, and then use those to add to your roll. In some events it is possible to gain a dice token to place on your board. After this has occurred, level up each row as equally as you are able when spending XP.

One-Ton Sledge: You may choose to roll each of your Melee rows as 2 separate attacks in one Turn (Spending 1 Action each time) or together as one big attack (Spending 1 Action). Any Bonuses you have (from Weapons or Flesh of Stone) apply each time you make a roll. So by splitting your attacks, you can potentially benefit from Bonuses twice. Your Plus-One tokens in Melee can be moved from one row to another as you like. If an effect allows you to make a second Melee attack in a Turn, it refreshes ONE of your rows, so that it can be used again (not both).

Flesh of Stone: You gain 1 Shield token as you start each of your Turns. Each time you make a Melee Action Roll (or Test) you may also roll 1 bonus dice for each Shield token you have!

Mama Mia: After you roll your dice during each of your Action Rolls, for every dice you rolled (including Bonus dice from Treasures) which rolled an unmodified natural "2", you may take a dice one level lower, and roll that as well, adding its result to your Hit Pool. If your Mama Mia dice also roll a 2, they will Mama Mia yet again! (For example: You roll one dice and score a "2", then you roll one dice and score a "2", then you'd roll a dice as well!) Any dice which were rerolled or modified by an ability do not trigger Mama Mia.

Make-a-da-Pizza: Once during each of your Action Rolls, you may spend 3 Hits from your Hit Pool to heal 1 nearby Hero for +2 Health (or +4 Health if upgraded). You can heal yourself with da-Pizza.

Spell & Feat Cards

Burning Truth: While you hold this Spell, you must pay 3 Health as you end each of your Magic Rolls. Once you cast it, you do not have to pay any Health. You must be honest about this, since Spell hands are typically hidden.

Wicked Lifts: You must stack the dice, one at a time on the tip of any finger (not thumb!). You may steady the top dice as you are placing it, but must allow the stack to stand freely before placing the next dice.

Distributing Health: When a Spell calls you to distribute Health (such as Petals of Life), you may assign 1 point of healing to any Hero until you have reached the amount you are allowed by the Spell. These resolve together as a single source of healing, and not multiple instances of 1 Health.

Quests

Nightmare Moves: When the Nightmare Moves, if a path exists to the closest Hero it will always move along that path to close the distance. If no path exists it will spend 2 moves as necessary to walk through walls and get closer to the Hero. It prefers the path that requires the least number of moves, then prefers North (then ESW) passages. If the Nightmare has 1 move remaining and no way to connect to the nearest Hero, it will only continue to move if that brings it closer to the Hero.

Quick Reference

Hero Step (Pg.E)

Move: 1 Action to Move across 3 Region tiles.
Scout: Free Action to reveal all unexplored Halls in your Region.
Loot: Free Action to collect undefended Treasures in your Region.
Each Once/Turn:
- Melee: 1 Action to roll dice. Spend Hits as damage in your Region.
- Ranged: 1 Action to roll dice. Spend Hits as damage in 1 adjacent Region.
- Magic: 1 Action to roll dice. Spend Hits to cast any number of Spells from your Hand.
- Power Surge: 1 Action to draw 2 Spells / Feats.
Plus-One's: Spend 2 Hits during any Action Roll to gain a Plus-One for that Action Type. Spend a Plus-One after any Action Roll to add +1 Hits to your Pool! (Max 4 Plus-One's across your board).
Sidekicks: As each Hero ends their Turn, they may act with a Sidekick, if they have one (Pg.K). Sidekicks cannot Scout / gain Plus-One's / or Heal.

Hero Level Up Step (Pg.K)

The Lead Hero resolves any Events in the stash.
Each Hero should draw cards (if their ability says).
Each Hero must discard down to 6 cards.
Clear Defender markers (See Defenders Pg.E).
Pass the Initiative token clockwise.
Reveal & Equip Treasures in the Hero Loot Stash.
Determine the XP each Hero gains as follows:
- Add up Bounty Values of cards left in Loot Stash & move those cards to the Hero Hoard.
- Consult Loot Stash to determine XP gained this Turn.
- Each Hero may spend XP on Level Ups.

Villain Step (Pg.M)

Make Magic Roll. Total the Hits, adding all Plus-One's.
- Flip a Black Spell & pay its highest affordable cost.
- Flip until all Hits are spent, or a Spell is unaffordable (Discard it).
- Turn each leftover Hit into a Plus-One.
- Resolve Spells (last flipped to first).
Make Corruption Roll. Total the Hits, adding all Plus-One's.
- Spend Hits to Spawn the biggest Minions possible.
- Spawn on the Portal tile closest to the least Health Hero (prefer North then East if tied).
- Turn each leftover Hit into a Plus-One.

Minion Step (Pg.N)

Each Minion on the Map Acts (Ones furthest North-East, and those on top of their stack will Act first).

Villain Level Up Step (Pg.O)

Clear Defender markers (See Defenders Pg.E).
Cash out the Loot Stash to determine XP and Health the Villain gains this Turn.
- Each Defeated Hero is cashed in for 3 Bounty, then Respawns at Base Camp (see Pg.G). Sidekicks are worth no Bounty.
- Unlike Heroes, the Villain spends XP in increments of 2 to earn 1 dice Level Up for each of their Action rows. (Each row must fill Novice dice first, then Adept, then Master.)
- Save any leftover XP tokens.
Advance The Approach of Doom & resolve effect listed.

Villain Round — Final Battle (Pg.P)

Flip 1 Battle card per Villain Action.
Resolve Attack Protocols (last flipped to first).
Minion Step (as above).
Level Up Step The Villain gains +1 Action! (Bounty yields no rewards.)