Quick Start Guide

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Setup

Shuffle the decks, and set aside space for a discard zone next to each of them. Put out at least 100¢. The game starts with 2 shop slots, 2 monster slots, and 1 room slot (if playing with the room deck). These slots should be filled, giving the starting shop items, monsters (any event cards drawn during setup should be put on the bottom and replaced), and room. If playing with bonus souls, select 3 at random to be the active bonus souls for the game.

Deal a random character card and matching starting item card to each player, as well as 3 loot cards and 3¢. Characters start the game deactivated (turned sideways). Starting items start the game charged (turned upright).


Turn Structure

Start Phase

  1. The Recharge Step. The active player recharges (turns upright) objects they control.
  2. Abilities that trigger at the start of the turn trigger, then priority passes.
  3. The Loot Step. The active player loots 1, then priority passes.

Action Phase

The active player may:
Play a loot card.
Declare an attack.
Declare a purchase.
End the turn.

The active player has priority by default, and may also activate any abilities they control. Priority passes after they do, as well as after each of the above. The stack must be empty for a player to declare an attack or purchase, or to end the turn.

End Phase

  1. Abilities that trigger at the end of the turn trigger, then priority passes.
  2. The active player discards down to their max hand size (10 by default).
  3. If playing with the room deck, and if a monster died during the turn, the active player may put a room into the discard.
  4. The turn ends and is passed to the next player. Everything with an HP stat heals to full HP, and effects that last till the end of the turn end.
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Purchasing

The active player may purchase either the top card of the treasure deck or a shop item in a shop slot for 10¢. Any empty slots must be refilled.


Bartering

Players can trade ¢ and favors with each other (e.g. Player 2 can ask Player 1 to reroll their dice roll for them for 4¢). Both players must agree to a trade. Items and loot cards can’t be traded. Bartering doesn’t use the stack.


Attacking

The active player can attack either the top card of the monster deck or one of the monsters in a monster slot. If a player attacks the monster deck, they reveal the top card and put it in a monster slot, covering the monster in it. If it is an event, its abilities trigger as it enters play, and it is put in discard when they have resolved.

During an attack, the attacking player makes attack rolls with a D6. If the roll resolves as equal to or higher than the target’s evasion, they hit and deal combat damage. If it resolves as lower, they miss and take combat damage. The attacking player keeps rolling until either the target dies, or they do!


Death

When a monster dies, it is moved to discard and the active player gains its rewards. They also gain it as a soul if it has a soul icon. Any empty slots must be refilled.

When a player dies, they pay the death penalty. This means that they:
Destroy a non-eternal item they control.
Discard a loot card.
Lose 1¢.
Deactivate their character and items.

The turn also jumps to the end phase if they are the active player.

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Priority

Priority determines which player can act at any given time (e.g. to play a loot card or activate an ability). While a player has priority, they can take as many (or as few!) actions as they want before passing priority to the next player. When each player passes priority in succession (i.e. no one wants to do anything else), the game progresses: the top loot, ability, or roll on the stack resolves (its effect is carried out), or the game moves to the next step or phase.

Remember that most of the time it is not necessary to religiously keep track of the priority!


Abilities

Static Abilities

Always true whilst in play and don’t use the stack.

Triggered Abilities

Put onto the stack when their condition is met. If multiple trigger simultaneously, abilities controlled by the game go on the stack first, then those controlled by players, in turn order.

Activated Abilities

Can be activated when the object’s controller has priority, which puts them onto the stack.
abilities have deactivating (turning sideways) the object as a cost and can only be activated if the object is charged (turned upright).
abilities can be activated as many times as the owner can pay the cost.

Replacement Effects

Modify how things work and don’t use the stack. Typically use “instead” or “prevent”, or start with “as”. Only happen once per event.

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Card Types

Treasure Cards

Gain +× treasure means you put × cards from the top of the treasure deck into play under your control. When in play, treasure cards become items.

Loot Cards

Loot × means you put × cards from the top of the loot deck into your hand. Players may play loot cards from their hand when they have priority and a loot play available or through abilities.

Monster Cards

When in play, monster cards become either monsters, which have stat blocks, or events, which don’t.
Similarly, character cards become characters and room cards become rooms while in play.


The Stack

Loot, abilities, and rolls don’t affect the game straight away but are put on the stack where they wait to resolve (leave the stack and have their effect carried out).

Each thing added to the stack is added to the top. This means the stack resolves from the top-down, i.e. last in, first out. Priority passes between all players before each thing on the stack resolves (meaning players can add to it again at each step). However, whilst any individual thing is resolving, it cannot be interrupted. If something is canceled, it is removed from the stack without resolving.

It can be helpful to think of the stack as a physical pile of cards. In the example below, the Butter Bean! (played last) will resolve first and cancel the ability of Sleight of Hand, all before the ability of The Relic resolves.

Last played, first to resolve

First played, last to resolve

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Dice Rolls

Put the roll onto the stack.
Loot and abilities can modify or reroll the roll. Priority passes.
Abilities that trigger when a number would be rolled trigger. If they do, go back to step 2.
Any static abilities that modify the roll are applied, then the roll resolves and can no longer change.
Abilities that trigger when a number is rolled trigger.


Game Zones

In-Play

Includes all characters, items, and souls players control and the top objects in the shop, monster, and room slots.

Hand

Each player has a hand zone where they keep their loot cards. Each player can only look at their own hand.

Cards that are in decks, in discards, are covered in a slot, or are outside the game are also not considered in play.

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Information on this page is transcribed from the official PDF file with minor edits to grammar for clarity.