Wonderland (Zenescope)
Wonderland (Zenescope) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 2 Dice (one red, one green)
- 4 Cheshire Tokens
- 40 Real World Event Cards
- 40 Wonderland Event Cards
- 50 Goal Cards
- 4 Double-sided Board Sections
- 36 Boss Cards
- 24 Item Cards
- 15 Madness Tokens
- 6 Goal Tokens
- 6 Player Pawns
- 6 Character Cards
Set-Up
The Wonderland game board consists of four different board sections, each of which has a "Real World" and a "Wonderland" side. Find the board sides with "The Liddle Residence", "The Empire State Building", "The Queen's Garden" and "The Forest" and arrange them as shown in the diagram below:
(Diagram: the four board sections arranged in a 2x2 grid, with The Empire State Building top-left, The Liddle Residence top-right, The Forest bottom-left and The Queen's Garden bottom-right.)
Note: Each board section is always oriented so that the grid-of-squares symbols are facing in the same direction.
After setting up the board, shuffle the Character cards and deal one to each player, who places it face up in front of him or her. Then shuffle the Goal cards and deal four to each player face down. (Players may look at their Goal cards at any time, but they are to be kept secret from other players.) Finally, shuffle the Real World Event, Wonderland Event, and Item decks and set them to one side of the board.
Next, each player places their player pawn onto the game board. In a 2-4 player game all players start on the board labeled "The Liddle Residence". Each player then rolls a red die, and a green die. Each row on a game board section has a corresponding red number and each column has a corresponding green number. Place the player's pawn on the row indicated by the red die and the column indicated by the green. This process is illustrated in the diagram below.
(Diagram: The Liddle Residence board section. The column numbers along the top are green-die values and the row numbers along the right edge are red-die values; the arrows show the column and row being followed to the starting square.)
In a game with more than four players the procedure is the same, except that the players are divided evenly between "The Liddle Residence" and the "Empire State Building" board sections. Which players start on which board section is determined randomly.
Finally place one Cheshire token on each game board section using the same method as was used for player pawn placement.
Taking a Turn
Play begins with a random player and moves clockwise around the table. On each player's turn he or she rolls one die and moves up to that number of spaces on the game board. You may always move at least one space on your turn, regardless of any changes in your movement roll based on game events or character abilities. In addition, unless you are on a Boss space, or a Warp! space you must move at least one space on your turn.
Movement
When you move your player pawn you may move in any direction (up, down, right, left) but you may not move diagonally. Players may not move immediately back into a space that they just left during the current movement action. In addition, players may not move through any of the walls or barriers on the game boards.
A player moving onto an Event space may choose to end their movement there and complete that Event. Players that move onto a Boss space, a Warp! space, a space occupied by a Cheshire token, or a space occupied by another player's pawn must stop their movement in that space.
Players may only move between adjacent board sections if both of those board sections have the same side facing up. If one board section is on the "Real World" side and the other is on the "Wonderland" side a player cannot move between them until one board is flipped over.
Event Spaces
When a player ends their move on an Event space, that player gets a chance to draw and complete an Event card. To do this, the player draws the top card from the Event deck that corresponds to the side of the board section they are on ("Real World" or "Wonderland") and reads the instructions. If the player successfully completes the Event, they gain the reward listed on the Event card. Many Event rewards include the option for additional movement. This movement is handled in the same way as if that player had rolled that number on their die to begin their turn except that any bonuses or penalties to die rolls do not apply. (Note: this means that a player can land on more than one Event space in a turn as long as they keep succeeding in winning Events.)
Warp! Spaces
Some spaces on the board are marked "Warp!". A player landing on a Warp! space may attempt to flip the board section they are on from the "Real World" to the "Wonderland" side, or vice versa. To do this, the player draws the top card from the Event Deck of the board side they are currently on and follows the instructions. If the player succeeds at the Event, the board flips and the player also collects the appropriate reward. (Note: Any movement granted by the Event reward is taken after flipping the board.)
When a board section is flipped the following actions occur: First set aside all player pawns and the Cheshire token (if applicable) from the board section. Then flip the board section over to its opposite side. Remember to keep the grid-of-squares symbol in the same position and pointing in the same direction as the other boards.
After flipping the board section, all player pawns that were set aside are placed onto the new board side in a random space determined by rolling the dice in the same way they did when they started the game. Finally, if the Cheshire token was still in play on that board section, it too is replaced in the same manner.
After a board is flipped the player whose turn it is may find themselves randomly placed on either a Boss space, a Cheshire token, or another player pawn. If this occurs the player must immediately deal with that space as if they had landed on it by movement. If the player is successful they may then continue their turn using any movement reward granted by the Warp! event. However if they fail to defeat the space their turn ends and any movement reward is lost. (Note: If it's not your turn you do not interact with a space you land on via a Warp!)
If the active player is randomly placed on an Event or Warp! space they may forego any movement reward and choose to remain on that space and encounter it as normal. (Note: A player landing on such a space may choose to encounter it even if they did not receive any movement reward as part of the Warp! event).
Boss Spaces
When a player ends their move on a Boss space they MUST fight the Boss (Note: the Cheshire token on each board section is also considered a Boss space). Each Boss has a special ability as noted on their card. To fight the Boss, the player rolls both dice (if appropriate) and another player rolls both dice for the Boss. After applying all Item abilities (see below: Item Cards) and other effects, if the player's total is equal to or higher than the Boss's total, then that player wins. If the player's total is lower than the Boss's total, then the Boss wins.
When you win a fight with a Boss you may look through the Item deck and/or the Item discard pile and take one Item of your choice. In addition, you take a copy of the card for the Boss that you have just beaten to show that you have defeated it (Note: If you defeat the Cheshire token you take that copy of the token as well). You may only defeat each Boss once, and once you have acquired a Boss's card you treat that Boss space as if it were blank. If you lose a fight with a Boss you skip your next turn.
Encountering Another Player
If you land on a space occupied by another player's pawn you fight that player. When fighting against another player, each player rolls two dice and notes the total. This total may be affected by Items (see below) or other abilities. After all effects have been applied, the player with the highest total wins and may take an Item card of his or her choice from the losing player. In the event of a tie, the players fight another round of combat. This is treated as a separate fight and the die rolls are not affected by any items used to modify the results of the initial roll. If you lose a fight with another player your turn ends, though you do not skip your next turn.
Item Cards
The various objects acquired by the players in their travels are represented by Item cards. These cards can have a number of abilities and not all of them may be positive. Item cards are typically gained as the result of winning Events, Boss fights, or defeating another player in a fight. Any time you search the Item deck you should shuffle it afterwards. In addition anytime you are instructed to discard an Item for an effect you should place it in a separate discard pile rather than replacing it in the Item deck.
Certain Items say that they may be discarded to modify the results of a die roll. This is done after a player knows the result of the die roll. If two players are fighting and wish to use such Items, the player with the lower die total begins by using an Item and may continue until they no longer have the lower total. Then the other player may play an Item and this process repeats until neither player chooses to use an Item.
(Figure: "Boss combat with Item use" shows two example Boss rolls: dice totalling 8, and dice 6 + 1 with an Item adding +3 for a total of 10 (6+1+3=10); the Item used is shown in the Discard pile. "Player combat with Item use" shows "You" rolling 8, which an Item raises by +3 (8 + 3 = 11), against "Opponent" rolling 9, which an Item raises by +3 to 12 (9 + 3 = 12) and a further effect reduces by 3 (12 - 3 = 9). The caption reads "11 > 9, You Win!" and a "Drink Me" Item card is shown as discarded.)
Multiple Encounters
Sometimes a player will move onto a space with multiple board elements and/or player pawns. In this case, players resolve the various encounters in the following order:
- Fight any other players in the space (going in clockwise order if there is more than one).
- Fight Cheshire.
- Fight any other Boss, or encounter the Event or Warp! space.
If a player loses a fight their turn ends immediately and any other encounters are not resolved.
Madness
Some Events may cause a Character to gain or lose Madness. Madness is represented by Madness tokens, which are placed onto a player's Character card. A Character card with one or more Madness tokens is considered under the effect of Madness. That Character's regular abilities are disregarded in favor of its Madness ability (listed on the Character card). Also, some abilities (Characters or Items) may only apply if a Character has one or more Madness tokens. While a player may have more than one Madness token, the effects of the tokens are not cumulative unless the effect specifically states that it applies for each Madness token a Character has.
(Figure: "Madness token and Madness ability". The example is the Queen of Hearts Character card. Its Goal is "Win 4 Events in one turn." Its regular ability, "If you roll doubles in a combat, you win that combat," is crossed out. Its Madness ability reads: "If you roll doubles on any roll you may choose to roll again.")
Goals and Winning the Game
Players win the game by completing three Goals. These can be one of the Goal cards a player was dealt at the start of the game or a special Goal indicated on that player's Character card. When a player completes a Goal he or she reveals the appropriate Goal card and places it in front of their Character card. You must reveal the card on the turn you complete the Goal to get credit. When a player completes the Goal on their Character card they indicate this by placing a Goal token on their card. Each Goal may only be completed once.
Wonderland FAQ
Q: If I win an Event that rewards additional movement while on a Warp! space and then land on a Boss space after the board flips, do I still get to move after combat?
A: No - combat ends your turn regardless of outcome.
Q: If a player and I tie in combat, do I still get any normal Item bonuses from cards like Callie's Axe when we re-roll?
A: Yes, static bonuses from Items still apply. Temporary bonuses, such as the +3 granted by Eat Me Cake, no longer apply to the new combat roll.
Q: If, after applying all of my Item and Madness modifiers, I would move 0 spaces or less on my turn, what happens?
A: All players have to move at least one space each turn, unless they start their turn on a Boss or Warp! space.
Q: What happens if I draw Cheshire's Lament while there is no Cheshire token on my board?
A: You fail the Event automatically.
Q: If I draw Long-Range or Scaredy Cat, does the player I pick have to move to my space to engage in combat?
A: No - the player remains in their space, but combat occurs otherwise normally.
Q: What happens if I have Madness tokens while carrying The White Knight's Armor?
A: Because The White Knight's Armor states that you are unaffected by Madness, use your character's normal ability instead of their Madness ability.
Q: If a player enters a Boss space with another player in it, do those two players have to fight each other first or does that player have his encounter with the Boss first?
A: The players must enter combat before the person whose turn it is can attempt to fight the Boss. Note that if that player loses combat his or her turn ends immediately.
Q: In combat, am I supposed to use Eat Me Cake or other combat modifiers, before or after I roll for combat?
A: Cards that can be discarded for a combat bonus are used after both players roll for combat. See the section on Item cards for more details.
Q: If I have Callie and one of my goals is to "Bring Violet to Callie's Apartment" and I complete that goal, can I count that as having completed two goals?
A: Yes - if two of your goals overlap, you only need to complete it once. Both goals will count towards the three you need to win the game!