In Dungeon Dice  players battle monsters and try to collect more dice than their friends. Players equip dice, drink dice potions, and kill dice monsters. If you’ve killed enough monsters, grab a level-up die. You get the idea.

 

In the game, players take turns drawing monster dice from a bag. To defeat a monster, players roll their dice and compare them to the monster’s dice. The totals change as players use abilities and attempt to aid or sabotage one another. With each victory, players earn more dice from bags full of potions, weapons, and magical artifacts. Players race to collect enough impressive dice to gain a claim on the throne, thereby winning the game.

The Game

The king of Elorim has been killed.  No surprise, really.  The kingdom is overrun by monsters.  Fortunately for you, this means there is a vacant throne.

The previous king was eaten, and the king before him was burnt to a crisp.  The people have unanimously decided that the next king must know how to hold a sword.

This is where you come in.  You may be a bit green, but you did stab a slime once that was creeping into your kitchen.  You might have a chance to prove yourself.

Unfortunately, every half-wit, braggart, and two-bit warrior in the kingdom has the same idea.  If you are to prove yourself in battle, you will have to do it before anyone else or *cough cough* die trying.

Players are in a race to gain Fame and claim the throne.  The first player to obtain 4 Fame wins the game.  Fame is earned by defeating high level monsters and by obtaining magical artifacts.  Artifacts award one Fame point.  Red monsters award 1 Fame point.  Black monsters award 2 Fame points.  The Gold Dragon awards 3 Fame points.

Pre-game, each player grabs one Level die and two random Treasure dice.  Players may only equip two arms worth of weapons and one piece of armor.  Other dice may be used without restriction.  Dice from the potion bag may only be rolled once, and are then returned to the bag.  This includes potions, curses on other players, and keys, among other things.

Players take turns grabbing a random monster from the monster bag.  That player has ‘found’ a monster and he may choose whether or not to confront it.  Before he decides, he may invite one other player to join him in the fight.

Each monster icon also depicts a number.  This is the monster’s level.  Once combat begins, roll a number of Monster Level dice equal to the monster’s total.  This represents the monster’s total strength.

Once the active player enters combat, there is no escape.  Either the hero rolls higher than the monster and gets items and experience, or rolls lower than the monster and takes a wound.  Helpers automatically get experience, and may also receive items in exchange for their service.

All players in a combat roll their dice and compare to the monster’s total.  Secondly, all abilities are played.  In general, armor is played first, and then the active player decides the order of remaining abilities.  If the monsters are required to make a decision, the first player to the active player’s left (who is not in combat) makes decisions for the monster.  For example, the active player could not choose to have a monster reroll a combat that it is already winning.

Monster abilities affect only the active player, not their helpers in combat.   For example, if two players defeat a slime together, only the active player recovers a wound.

Dice may be traded at any time.  However, equipment may not be changed during combat.  When two heroes feel they have equal claim on a treasure, they may roll off.  For example, Player 1 finds a locked treasure and Player 2 has a key.  They may agree to roll a die with equal chances.  On the other hand, Player 2 might only agree to help if he has a 2 in 3 chance of receiving the treasure.  If Player 1 agrees, they roll a die and agree who wins on each number (1-3, 1-4, etc.).  Roll-offs play a key roll in bartering.

When a player reaches 3 experience, he gains a second Level die.  At six experience, he may gain a third Level die and gain 1 Fame.  When a character loses a fight and takes a wound, he temporarily loses 1 Level die.  This may be replaced by consuming a healing potion, or by resting.  If a player chooses to rest, he may skip his turn in order to regain one lost Level die.

If a monster awarding Fame is slain, the active player keeps that die as a trophy.  Like all other dice, these trophies may be traded and bartered for any reason.

What do the all the different symbols mean?

Below is a brief explanation of each symbol.  For in-depth explanations, please see the symbols section in the complete rules here.

What are the different monsters?