Wastelandia: A Co-op & Solo Boss Battler
Wastelandia: A Co-op & Solo Boss Battler Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Battle Book (1) + Kickstarter Edition Bonus Battle (1)
- Power Cubes (40)
- Power Cube Board (1)
- Dice (13)
- Baddie Ability Board (1)
- Baddie Ability Bag (1)
- Baddie Ability Tokens (6) — A, A, B, B, C, C
- Fear Tokens (35)
- Baddie Ability Trackers (2)
- Health Trackers (7) — Baddie (3), Player (4)
- Used Ability Tokens (5)
- Turn Order Tokens (4) — 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
- Scavenge Expansion Board (1)
- Scavenge Expansion Tokens (13)
- Player Boards (6) — Brilliant Brigid, Crazy Carl, Deadly Dorothy, Basher Blake, Reckless Ralph, Wicked Willow
- Weapon Cards (18) + Kickstarter Edition Weapon Cards (4)
- Item Cards (18) + Kickstarter Edition Item Cards (4)
- Reward Cards (21) + Kickstarter Edition Reward Cards (4)
Introduction
It Happened...
199X: Some genius had the idea to make an army of military robots. Wouldn't ya know it? They turned on humans!
The 'Death Bots' became self-aware of their own termination, so they hacked the nuclear codes and bombed the crud out of everyone in order to survive.
Few humans are left, and the Death Bots intend to eliminate the rest. They even made robots of their own - 'Clanks' - who roam the suburban wasteland in search of survivors.
But robots aren't the only things roaming Wastelandia...
Who Are Ya?
You're part of a ragtag crew of teenagers who have banded together. You just want to kick back with some chill vibes, but Wastelandia is full of crud munchers who are constantly trying to bully you around.
You and your buds will have to stand up for yourselves against all kinds of crumbums in four grueling boss battles!
What Are You Doing?
Play co-op or solo!
When battling bosses, you'll roll your dice, and then divide the dice among the abilities on your player board to use their effects.
Your Goal
To complete a battle, you'll need to defeat the baddies (bosses) before running out of time.
The Journey
After each battle, you'll loot, gaining a new ability.
How To Win
Complete 4 battles to win the game!
It's wicked hard!
Setup
Global Setup
Global setup is the same for all player counts.
1. Battle Book
Place the book where all players can view it. Open it to pp. 1-2.
2. Baddie Health Token
The bosses in this game are called "baddies." Place a Baddie Health Token to indicate their starting health. If their health is over 30, flip the token over to show the +30 side. The starting amount will depend on your selected difficulty. You'll choose a difficulty on page 6.
3. Fear Tokens
Place near the Battle Book. All baddies begin each battle with 0 'fear' unless stated otherwise. All players start the game with 0 fear.
4. Power Cube Tracker
Place near the Battle Book.
5. Power Cubes
Place 12 green cubes on the Power Cube Tracker to form the team's supply. This amount might be adjusted based on your chosen difficulty. Place the remaining cubes nearby to form the reserve supply.
6. Baddie Ability Board
Place near the Battle Book.
7. Baddie Ability Tokens
Place the tokens (A,A,B,B,C,C) inside the bag.
8. Baddie Ability Trackers
You can use this to help track the baddie's active ability in the Battle Book.
Individual Setup
9. Player Boards
Each player will choose a character to play as. You can look at the player boards and choose, or you can roll a dice to randomly select a character.
Characters (matched to dice faces): Wicked Willow, Reckless Ralph, Crazy Carl, Deadly Dorothy, Bashin' Blake, Brilliant Brigid.
Solo Mode
You'll set up 2 characters and play as both.
10. Health Tokens
Each player starts with 15 health (heart). Higher difficulties might lower your starting health.
11. Dice
Each player starts with 5 dice. The rest of the dice can be set aside. You might use more later.
All The Rest
12. Cards (Weapon, Item, Reward) and Tokens
These can be set aside until after the first battle is complete: Weapon Cards, Item Cards, Reward Cards, Turn Order Tokens
13. Optional Mini-Expansion
After playing the game several times, you can choose to play with the 'Scavenge' Mini-Expansion. See page 19 for details.
Choose Your Difficulty
Novice Gamers
It's recommended to play your first game at "Newbie" difficulty. When you're ready, try increasing the difficulty!
Seasoned Gamers
It's recommended you play your first game at "Baddie Buster" difficulty. Can you work your way up to "Wasteland Legend?"
| Difficulty Level | Modifiers |
|---|---|
| WIMPY — Newbie | All baddies = "Wimpy" health. |
| WIMPY — Wimpster | All baddies = "Wimpy" health. All players start with -3 health. |
| TOUGH — Baddie Buster | All baddies = "Tough" health. Start the game with -2 power cubes. |
| TOUGH — Mucus Muncher | All baddies = "Tough" health. All players start with -5 health. |
| TOUGH — Crud Cruncher | All baddies = "Tough" health. All players start with -5 health. Start the game with -3 power cubes. |
| FIERCE — Pretty Aiight | All baddies = "Fierce" health. Start the game with -2 power cubes. |
| FIERCE — Hella Dope | All baddies = "Fierce" health. All players start with -7 health. |
| FIERCE — Wicked Tight | All baddies = "Fierce" health. All players start with -8 health. Start the game with -3 power cubes. |
| ELITE — All That and a Bag of Chips | All baddies = "Elite" health. All players start with -6 health. Start the game with -4 power cubes. |
| ELITE — Friggin Legit | All baddies = "Elite" health. All players start with -8 health. Start the game with -5 power cubes. If there is one baddie remaining during a battle, then it will do its ability twice. |
| ELITE — Wasteland Legend | All baddies = "Elite" health. All players start with -10 health. Start the game with -6 power cubes. All optional challenges are mandatory. If there is one baddie remaining during a battle, then it will do its ability twice. |
Elite — Advanced Loot Mode
If you're experienced with the game and playing on 'elite' difficulty, then start the game with the Loot Phase before playing the first battle. You'll gain the 'regular reward' on your reward card during this first Loot Phase.
If you run out of empty spaces on your player board for ability cards later in the game, then choose to cover up an old ability with the new loot or just discard the new loot.
Gameplay Overview
Your Goal
Attempt to complete 4 battles.
How To Win
Complete a battle by reducing all baddies' health to 0 in 6 turns or less.
Game Over
If any player's health is reduced to 0, all players lose the game.
[ OR ]
If you fail to finish a battle in 6 turns, all players lose the game.
Turn Structure
- The first player in turn order will roll their dice and then use them to activate as many abilities as they can/want on their player board.
- Baddies will act at the end of the player's turn.
- The next player in turn order will then roll their dice and use them to activate as many abilities as they can/want on their player board.
After Each Battle
If you complete a battle, you will progress to the Loot Phase. This is when each player will gain a new ability and reward before the next battle.
Your Turn
Players will take turns battling the baddies. Players can choose any turn order for the 1st battle. Each player's turn has 5 steps. Sounds like a lot, but it's very simple!
Step 1: Reveal Baddie Ability
Draw a token from the bag, and place it on the Baddie Ability Board.
- The letter on the token tells you which baddie abilities are active this turn. Ex. You drew an 'A' token, so all of the baddie 'A' abilities are active.
- Normally a baddie ability will activate during step 5, at the very end of your turn. However, if you see the keyword "QUICK", then the baddie will have some effect during steps 2-4 of your turn.
Step 2: Roll Dice
Roll all of your dice.
- You start the game with 5 dice.
- You can gain a maximum of 7 dice at any given time.
Step 3 (Optional): Dice Re-Roll
You can choose to spend 1 Power Cube.
- Spending 1 Power Cube lets you select any amount of dice, and then roll them again.
- Any dice that are rerolled must be kept or rerolled again but never revert back to their previous values.
- Your team will share the Power Cube supply, so manage these together!
Why would you reroll your dice? The abilities on your player board require you to place specific dice to use them. Pages 11-13 will teach you about the different types of abilities and how to use them. Steps 3-5 continue on pp. 14-16.
Step 4: Activate Player Abilities
See "Use Player Abilities" (p. 15).
Step 5: Activate Baddie Abilities
See "Baddie Abilities" (p. 16).
Weapons
You'll need to use damage and fear abilities to defeat the baddies.
Damage
How to defeat baddies
Dealing damage reduces the health of the baddies or player it's dealt to.
Complete battles by reducing all baddies' health to 0.
Reading a damage ability card (example: "Stick — Huck It!"):
- The dice-value icon shows what dice value must be placed to use the ability. Any value dice can be used for the "Stick."
- The damage icon shows the amount of damage dealt by the ability.
- When you see ROLL, this means you must roll all dice placed on that ability in order to determine its effect. For this ability, rolling a 4 or higher means the ability deals 1 damage. Rolling a 3 or lower means the ability has no effect.
- The person icon shows the number of baddies that damage can be applied to. You can choose which one!
- The ability name (e.g. "Stick") is just for flavor!
Tip: Test your luck! You can spend a Power Cube to reroll dice when rolling for an ability. Just like the reroll phase, you can do this as much as you want! But remember, you can only reroll the dice that you just rolled for that ability.
Fear
Scare baddies first to deal more damage
Every time damage is dealt, additional damage is dealt equal to the amount of fear the targeted baddie or player has.
Players and baddies can have a maximum of 10 fear.
Example: If you deal 1 damage to a baddie who already has 4 fear, then the total damage dealt would be 5.
Reading a fear ability card (example: "Minion Armor — Body Slam"):
- The "=" symbol means that you must place any two matching dice.
- Sometimes you'll see 'X.' Read the text on the ability to determine the value of X. For this ability, X is the value of the dice you placed on the ability: roll any one of your dice — if it's lower than the value on this ability, then you're dealt 3 fear.
Tip: Fear tokens. Use the fear tokens or dial to track the amount of fear on each baddie and player.
Tip: Order matters! Discovering the best order to use your abilities is the game's core puzzle. For example, it's smart to deal fear before dealing damage in order to deal more damage.
Items
Health
Stayin' alive
Health cards allow you to gain health.
All players start with 15 health, but your maximum is 30.
Your health doesn't reset between each battle, so healing early could help you later.
If any player's health is reduced to 0, the entire team loses!
Reading a health ability card (example: "Golf Bag Rockets — Diversion"):
- An 'odd' value must be placed to use this ability.
- Some abilities require you to spend a Power Cube from the team's supply.
- This ability (heal 2X, target: all) allows you to heal all players. X = dice value placed on this ability.
Dice Manipulation
Control your fate
These abilities help you to mitigate bad luck by changing the dice in some way. Many dice manipulation abilities allow you to change dice values and then reuse the dice.
Reading a dice-manipulation ability card (example: "Super Hi-Tops — Assist"):
- Some abilities have an effect that can help your teammates on their turns! For this ability: put 2 Power Cubes from the reserve supply on this ability. All other players can spend a Power Cube from this ability to change their dice value by 1.
Tip: One-time use. Each ability can only be used once per turn. You can use the "USED" token to keep track of abilities you've used.
Power Cubes
Test your luck
These abilities help you gain Power Cubes.
The keyword 'showing' refers to all of the dice the active player has, regardless of whether they've been used on this turn.
Example ability, "Blades — Speedster": gain Power Cubes equal to X, where X = total even value dice you have showing. So if all 5 of your dice were 'even' numbers, then this ability would allow you to gain 5 Power Cubes.
Special Item
Some fancy stuff
These abilities have a variety of cool effects!
Some abilities will require all players to roll one of their dice. Just like any other time you roll dice, players can spend a Power Cube to reroll.
Example ability, "Bag of Stuff — Roll the Dice!": All players must roll 1 die and apply the effect — each 1-2 rolled: remove 5 health and gain 2 Power Cubes; each 3: remove 5 fear; each 4-5: gain 5 health; each 6: gain 2 Power Cubes.
Basic Abilities
The bare necessities
All players have the same Basic Abilities that can be used once per turn like all other abilities.
- Healing (even dice, target: you) — Gain health equal to the dice value placed on this ability.
- Courage (odd dice, target: you) — Remove fear equal to the dice value placed on this ability.
- Power (any dice) — 1 Power Cube. If you place a 6, then gain 2 Power Cubes instead. Add Power Cubes to the team's supply by moving them from the reserves onto the Power Cube Tracker Board.
Your Turn: Step 3 — Optional Reroll (Continued)
Should I Reroll My Dice?
Now that you know what your abilities do, think about which abilities you'd like to use.
If you don't have the dice values to use those abilities, then consider spending 1 Power Cube to reroll any amount of dice.
You can reroll as many times as you want, as long as you've got some Power Cubes left to spend!
Tip: Plan ahead. Once you begin using your abilities, you can no longer spend Power Cubes on your unused dice. So make sure to use any Power Cubes before you begin to play out your abilities.
Example
You'd like to use your Battle Kart, Spiked Gloves, and Tri-Pod Turret. To best use those abilities, you need a 1, a 2, and a 3.
From your 1st roll, you keep two of the dice you need. Then you spend a Power Cube to reroll your other 3 dice, hoping to get any of the values you still need.
Lucky you! You rolled and got the dice you needed. You decide to keep those 3 dice and move on to step 4.
Use Player Abilities
How Do I Use My Stuff?
- Place your dice on your abilities to use their effects.
- Each ability and each die can only be used once.
- Use your abilities in any order.
- Use as many abilities as you can/want.
Example
During step 3, you planned to use the Battle Kart, Spiked Gloves, and Tri-Pod Turret.
You decide to use the abilities that deal fear first in order to maximize the damage with your Tri-Pod Turret.
Dealing Fear: Battle Kart
You use your Battle Kart. It deals 2 fear to all baddies, and it has an additional effect in the card description. It says that all players roll one of their dice. Each player who rolls a 2 or less must gain 2 fear. You decide to roll your die and you end up with a 6, so no fear!
You decide to place that newly rolled 6 on your Power ability to gain 2 Power Cubes for the team's supply.
Tip: Keep rolling! Power Cubes can be spent anytime the game tells you to roll dice. This includes when you roll dice for an ability.
Dealing Fear: Spiked Gloves
The Spiked Gloves deals fear equal to the amount of 1s and 3s you have showing. The two dice you placed on your Battle Kart are either a 1 or a 3, so your Spiked Gloves deal 2 fear to one baddie.
Dealing Damage: Tri-Pod Turret
With your last dice, you use your Tri-Pod Turret. The amount of baddies it deals damage to is equal to the amount of 3 dice you have showing. So if you include the 3 placed on your Spiked Gloves earlier with the 3 placed on the Tri-Pod Turret, you can deal 2 damage to two different baddies.
Remember to include any fear dealt to the baddies earlier when applying the damage!
Baddie Abilities
Here They Come!
Do you remember the token you revealed in step 1? Now each baddie will use its ability that matches the letter drawn. Baddie abilities are resolved in the following order:
- Any non-fear or non-damage abilities.
- Fear abilities.
- Damage abilities.
Example
Neither baddie has been defeated, so they'll both do their "A" ability ("Shin Kicks"): 2X damage, target: you, where X = total of a specific pair of dice values you have showing.
Your Dice
Of your five dice, two of them match the values counted by the ability. 2 damage x 2 (matching dice) = 4 damage.
Each baddie will deal 4 damage to you, so you'll reduce your health by 8.
Yikes! This shows that it's important to consider the baddie ability when playing your turn.
Loot Phase
After each battle.
Get New Stuff
After each battle, go to pp. 31-32 of the Battle Book. Follow the instructions for the Loot Phase.
You'll gain a new ability, reward, and Turn Order Token before the next battle.
Turn Order
Turn order for battles 2, 3, and 4 will be determined by which loot you select during the Loot Phase.
Next Battle
Read the instructions at the bottom of page 32 to figure out which battle you'll take on next!
Battle Book — Loot Phase (pp. 31-32)
Take a stroll down Looters Lane and grab some gear for the road!
After each battle, all players will gain new loot, a reward and your turn order for the next battle.
Setup
Shuffle the Reward Card deck, then draw 4 and place them face-up on the spaces above. Repeat with the 4 Turn Order Tokens.
Shuffle the Item Card deck, then draw 2 and place them face-up on the spaces above. Repeat with the Weapon Card deck.
Looting
Each player will select 1 set of loot (Loot Card, Reward Card, Turn Order Token). Place the new cards and token on your player board. Players can select in any order.
If you should ever run out of empty spaces for a Loot card, then you can cover up any other ability on your board or discard the new card.
Apply the Reward card effect immediately and discard, unless stated otherwise.
After the Loot Phase, any unselected cards are discarded. Any unselected Turn Order Tokens are set aside for the next Loot Phase.
Moving to the Next Battle
Roll a dice and go to the next battle that matches the dice value rolled.
IMPORTANT: Your Power Cubes, Health, and Fear do not reset after each battle.
- Battle #2 — 1-2: Thieves (pp. 3-4); 3-4: Cult Recruiters (pp. 5-6); 5-6: Mutant Mischief (pp. 7-8)
- Battle #3 — 1: Punkville (pp. 9-10); 2: Big Bad Bully (pp. 11-12); 3: Bomber Boy (pp. 13-14); 4: Raiders (pp. 15-16); 5: Mutant Grizzly (pp. 17-18); 6: Slime King (pp. 19-20)
- Battle #4 — 1-2: Death Bots (pp. 21-22); 3-4: D-1000 (pp. 23-24); 5-6: D-800 (pp. 25-26)
Final Battle? Did you complete the optional challenge for battle #4? If so, you can go to page 30 to take on the ultimate challenge...
You're ready for battle! Flip to the next page for some strategy tips if you want!
Tips & Strategies
Sequence Matters
The order in which you use each ability matters.
Example: You might have an ability that deals extra damage for every specific pair of dice values you have showing. If you plan to place one of those values on your Stick, you might use your Stick first in hopes that you roll a 3 or 4 to enhance the other weapon.
Prepare for the Baddies
Look at all the abilities you'll be facing during the battle. This information can help you plan your choices.
Example: The baddies might have an ability to deal damage to all players, so you might make sure that every player has enough health to survive!
Stack Fear Early
Fear on baddies does not decay. It's helpful to stack fear on baddies early in a battle to deal more damage later.
Predicting Baddie Abilities
As a battle progresses, consider which baddie abilities have already been drawn to help you predict and plan for what's next.
Use Your Power Cubes
Using a 6 on your 'power' ability is a good way of gaining Power Cubes. Also, there are a lot of rewards between each battle that might allow you to gain some.
Turn Order
Going early in turn order can be important if a particular player needs to heal or remove fear. Consider this during the loot phase!
Balancing Health & Time Limit
There's a balance between staying alive and attacking the baddies. You've only got 6 turns to complete a battle, so don't get so focused on your health that you run out of time!
Use Abilities to Change Dice
You might want to change a dice value to enhance an ability or avoid a baddie attack. Using a Power Cube could change your dice, but abilities that have 'ROLL' can be a way to get a "free" reroll.
Scavenge Board
Optional Mini-Expansion
This mini-expansion allows you to gain a perk that you can use at any time. These perks can be shared with any player, and on any turn, offering a huge layer of teamwork and flexibility that goes beyond the base game.
Setup
If you choose to play with the Scavenge Board, place the board near the Battle Book. At the start of each battle, randomly fill any open spaces on the Scavenge Board with Scavenge Tokens. Place the tokens face-down.
How to Use
Like all player abilities, the active player can spend the required resources (2 Power Cubes or a 6) to use the ability (drawing a token from the card).
Unlike most player abilities, the token can be used immediately or it can be saved and used on any other turn - even during a different battle.
Overview of Tokens
- Damage = 1 — When you're dealt damage, reduce the amount received to 1.
- Fear = 1 — When you're dealt fear, reduce the amount received to 1.
- +3 Power Cubes — Gain 3 Power Cubes.
- +5 Health — Gain 5 health.
- -3 Fear — Remove 3 fear.
- Gain a die with the 1 side showing.
- Gain a die with the 2 side showing.
- Gain a die with the 3 side showing.
- Gain a die with the 4 side showing.
- Gain a die with the 5 side showing.
- Gain a die with the 6 side showing.
- +1 target — +1 additional target when using any damage or fear ability.
- ±1X — Add or subtract 1 from a dice after rolling it.
Quick Start Guide
Standard Game Setup
Get ready for battle!
Global Setup
- Open the Battle Book to the first battle.
- Place the Baddie Health Token on the Clank Bot's health track, pointed towards "Tough" (15 health).
- Setup the Power Cube Board. Place 12 green cubes on the track and set the remaining cubes to the side.
- Place the 2 A, B, and C tokens in the Baddie Ability Bag, and then give it a shake!
Individual Setup
- Choose any character.
- Each player gets 5 dice.
- Place the Player Health Token to 15.
During Battle
Battle time!
Each Turn
- Reveal Baddie Ability: Reveal 1 Baddie Ability Token from the bag. Check the baddie abilities for "quick."
- Roll Dice: Standard amount is 5 (7 is max).
- Optionally Reroll Dice: You can choose to spend Power Cubes from your team's supply to reroll dice.
- Use Abilities: Place as many dice as you can/want to your abilities on your player board to activate them.
- Baddie Abilities: Unless a baddie ability says "quick," it will activate during this step, at the end of the turn.
Completing a Battle
- Defeat all baddies in 6 turns or less and without any player's health being reduced to 0.
- If the battle is completed successfully, then move on to the Loot Phase before the next battle.
Between Each Battle
These steps will happen after each completed battle.
Loot Phase
- If you complete a battle, go to the last pages of the Battle Book (pp. 31-32) to do the Loot Phase.
- You'll gain a new ability, a reward, and your turn order for the next battle.
Go to the Next Battle
- Page 32 of the Battle Book will guide you to the next battle. You'll roll a dice and go to the next battle that matches the dice value rolled.
- Complete 4 battles to win the game!