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The King’s Armory -PnP Draft- Instruction Manual
Welcome to The King’s Armory!
Greetings Heroes!
Welcome to the King’s Armory! The amazing King welcomes you to his military force. Before
you set out to defend the castle against the invading hordes, we strongly suggest that you read through
the majority of this rule and strategy guide. We’ll let you know when you’ve read enough to start hosting
a game. Once you have done that, send out the Call to Arms to your Heroic friends and brace yourself
for a good time working together to save the kingdom!
John Wrot!
The Rules of the Kingdom!
Section A: Getting Started
Game Components
(Red Components = with all Gamer Achievements)
Game Board ~1 Castle Gate
~16 (49!) Double-Sided Map Tiles Towers & Tokens
~6 (29) Straight Tiles ~7 (11) 3-Dimensional Towers
~8 (14) Elbow Tiles ~9 Bleed Tokens
~2 “T” Tiles ~9 Burn Tokens
~(1) “4-Way” Tile ~9 Slow Tokens
~16 (24) Border Tiles ~4 Stun Tokens
~1 Path Entrance Tile ~4 Bless Tokens
~1 Castle Exit Tile Statistic & Wave Cards
~2 (5) Forest Corner Tiles ~7 (12) Hero Stat Cards
~2 Castle Corner Tiles ~14 (19) Hireables Stat Cards
~2 Long Forest Tiles ~7 (12) Boss Stat Cards
~3 Short Forest Tiles ~1 (3) Wave Card
~1 (3) Short Castle Tile Cards, Dice, & Misc
Spinners Card Decks
~7 (12) Heroes ~36 Coin Cards
~42 (57) Hireables ~16 (16-18) Reinforcement Cards
~4 Level 1, 2, 3 Foot Soldiers ~14 (24) Equipment Cards
~4 Level 1, 2, 3 Archers ~7 (13-14) Armory Cards
~2 Level 1, 2, 3 Sorcerers Dice
~2 Level 1, 2, 3 Psionicists ~7 (12) Hero Matching d20s
~2 Level 1, 2, 3 Clerics ~1 Monster Matching d20
~1 Healer’s Guardian ~1 Wave d12
~1 Sword Golem Custom Minatures
~7 (12) Bosses ~12 32mm scale Miniatures, 1 for each Hero
~85 Monsters Manual
~17 Level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Variety ~This instruction manual (Expanded)
p. 1 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Objective
Through cooperative use of strategy, wise Tower, Hero, and Hireable placement, and clever application of
attack assignments to defend the castle against every Foe that the game throws at you. Victory is
achieved only when every Monster is defeated.
Arranging Game Play
Set up for beginners: X for a map arrangement guide, and for tips on
Before game play, remove all die-cut pieces how to arrange maps of varying difficulties.
from the cardboard supports. After removal and
complete assembly, discard the extra cardboard When arranging the map tiles, follow these
supports (please make sure you didn’t miss simple rules:
anything). One path tile connects to the Entrance.
All Spinners must be assembled before play; One path tile connects to the Exit.
see Diagram X: Building Heroes & Monsters. An unbroken path connects those 2 tiles.
Towers may be assembled before or during
play. We recommend that you assemble 4 or 5 For details on use of the “T” and “4-way”
before play and leave the rest flat until you’re tiles, consult Section X: Map Designs.
sure you’ll need them for any particular play
session. (“T” tiles must always have the leg direction
You can alter The King’s Armory map size be the connecting direction to the Entrance or
and path design from game to game. It is the Exit; the other sides must never be allowed to
suggested that you start with one of the Standard do so, or non-functional Route-Loops may be
Single-Route Maps for Beginner’s play listed in generated.)
Section X: Map Designs.
Table Arrangement:
Game Length Selection: Shuffle all 4 Card decks thoroughly and place
Game length - 5 or 7 Waves face down on their correspondingly labeled
Border piece.
Difficulty Level Selection: Set all Spinner Pieces to full Hit Points.
There are 3 major difficulty level factors: Sort all Monsters by Level (color coded) and
1) Path design - Split vs. Single set into 6 piles, with images down, in level order:
2) Path design - Longer vs. Shorter Yellow (1), Green (2), Blue (3), Purple (4), Red
3) Monster Full Entry (standard) vs. Delayed (5), Grey (Boss) near the Entrance Border piece,
Entry (easier) along with the Wave Card, Monster d20, and
Details can be found in Section X: Difficulty Wave d12. For now, the Boss Statistic Cards
Selection. remain in the box. You’ll use them during the
Final Wave.
Assembling the Map: Place the Hireable Stat Cards near the Exit
The map Border is used to keep the path tiles Border piece. The Hireable Spinners remain in
from coming apart during game play, so we the box until they’re recruited. This is also a
recommended that you first fully construct the good place to keep your 5 assembled Towers,
Border to suit the size of the game you intend to while the rest may remain in the box until
play. The Standard game has a 4x4 map needed.
arrangement (a full 16 tile game). See Diagram
p. 2 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
All Bleeding, Burn, Slow, Stun, and Blessing Finally, place the Castle Gate Spinner on the
Tokens, sorted by type, are also placed in a Exit Border piece.
convenient location near the Exit Border Piece.
Hero Selection, Player Seating, & Tower Arrangement
Fortunately for us, the King’s Spritely Once you’ve chosen your seating
Messenger-Scouts have tipped us off to the arrangement, each Player takes two Equipment
presence of the incoming Hordes, giving us the Cards from the top of the Equipment Deck,
chance to prepare for battle. starting with the Player closes to the Entrance
Border Piece, and proceeding clockwise around
Hero Selection: the table. This Equipment starts locked, and
Each Player chooses which Hero he or she therefore is not yet active; you will have a
would like to play, then takes the appropriate chance to unlock them between Waves. The
Hero Statistics Card, Spinner, and corresponding remaining cards remain as they were.
d20. Choose wisely, as you will have to
compensate later for any strengths you have not You may now place your starting Tower(s),
chosen. Any un-played Heroes should remain in determined by Number of Players (found on the
the box. Wave Card), on any Open Terrain, but never on
the Border or the Path. See Section X: Game
The Hero played by the Player sitting next to Balance, for quantity of starting Towers. Once
the Entrance Border Piece in a clockwise the Towers are in place, each Player places
direction will go first each round (and remaining his/her Hero on the map. Heroes begin on or
Players will take actions in a clockwise within 2 spaces of any Tower. Each Tower can
direction), so choose your seats wisely. See host up to 3 Allies (Hero or Hireable) at a time.
Section: X for some sweet tips on Player/Hero
Seating.
Section B: Game Play Overview
Wave 1 - Start - and Foe’s 1st Turn
Rolling for Monsters: 1 randomly selected Monster from that level pile
Once all set up is complete, the Monsters start and places it on the map on one or the other side
entering the board. The Player closest to the of the entrance:
Entrance becomes the Monster Controller (MC).
With the Wave Card in hand, the Monster -If an ODD number is rolled the Monster enters
Controller will determine which level Monster on the Left side.
enters the board as follows. -If an EVEN number is rolled the Monster enters
on the Right side.
How to determine Monster level:
The Monster Controller rolls the d12 and Note: Advanced Players may share this
consults the roll against the Wave Chart for responsibility, with the primary Player rolling,
Wave 1. This will indicate which level Monster while the Player to his right grabs and moves the
will enter the board. That same Player then takes Monsters onto the board.
p. 3 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Monster Turn Rules: possible. They will always attack in the
Each Monster gets an Upkeep, a Movement following order of Attack Priority:
and an Attack each Turn, in that order. After the
Upkeep phase (to be discussed below in Section Attack Priority:
C: Combat), Movement always happens next if 1) The Ally Tanking them.
possible, and the Attack last; simply put: the 2) The closest Ally.
‘Upkeep, Move, Attack’ rule. 3) The Ally that deals the same damage type.
4) The Ally directly on the Monster’s Route.
Monster Movement: 5) The Ally that is on the Path.
Consult the Monster’s Movement Rate and 6) The Ally closer to the Path.
Monster Arrow Color. The Monster will move 7) The Ally closest to the Armory, directly.
that many spaces along the path following its
matching Path Arrow Color. This overall If no Ally is in range:
predetermined path is called the Monster’s 8) The Castle Gate.
Route.
If no viable Target is in Range:
-If the Monster Arrow is Red, its route will 9) No attack; end turn.
follow the Red Path Arrows, ignoring the Yellow
ones. The vast majority of the time, the Monster’s
-If the Monster Arrow is Yellow, its Route will Target will be determined by Attack Priority #3,
follow the Red Path Arrows by default, unless though it is conceivable to make it to #7. If by
there are also Yellow Path Arrows on the same some majestic chance you’ve still managed to
tile, in which case it will ignore those Red Path arrange a tie at this point, roll for it!
Arrows and follow the Yellow Path Arrows
instead. Once you’ve determined the Monster’s target,
the MC rolls the black Monster d20 and adds the
If a Monster… Monster’s Hitroll bonus to it. If it is equal to or
…runs into an Ally before it completes its full greater than its Target’s Dodge Value then it has
movement, it will ignore him and run past if not successfully hit. It Deals the listed amount of
Tanked; his goal is the Armory. “Damage” to the Ally, who then reduces that
…lands on another Monster, he will bump Dealt Damage by his or her appropriate Damage
backwards to the last open space on his route. Resistance Type, resulting in Actual Damage, or
(Exception: Flying Monsters, which will stack 1 Damage Taken. Adjust the Ally’s Spinner to
high on top of a ground Monster; no 2 flying show his or her remaining Hitpoints.
Monsters may share a space so they follow the
bump-back rule in such an event.) Once each Monster attacks, the MC repeats
…lands on an Ally, place him under the Ally’s the above steps for the total # number of
Spinner. Monsters due to arrive this Wave, as indicated on
…is Tanked, he will stop in the square he was in the Wave Card. (If playing with Delayed Entry,
when Tanking was declared (may be before, on, only half of the Monsters, rounded up, will enter
or past the Ally). this turn; the 2nd half will enter at the start of the
Foes’ 2nd turn.)
Every time a Monster is finished his Movement
he will attack if possible. Once all Monsters have arrived and have
attacked (if possible), it’s time for the Allies to
Monster Attacks: swarm upon them and dish out the punishment!
Every Monster (except “Castle Only”
Monsters) will attack at the end of every turn if End of Foe Turn 1.
p. 4 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Wave 1 - The Players’ Turn
At this stage of the game only Heroes are on
the Board, therefore we will address Equipment, Each Player has a Hero has a certain number
Reinforcement Cards, Hireables, and Team of Actions, or Action Points (you’ll note most
Management during Wave 2, after we’ve had a have 3). Each Hero also has a specific list of
chance to make some income! Attacks Options and Special Actions. Every
Hero has a total of 4 of these, with at least 1 in
Player Turn – Any Wave: each category. Each one has an assigned Action
The Player closest to the entrance (clockwise) Cost, or A.C. When the total A.C. of the actions
always goes first. He must take all of his actions in a Player’s turn equals the Hero’s Action Point
and those of any Ally which he is in charge of, in total, that Hero’s turn is complete. (In later
any reasonable manner furthering the destruction Waves the same will hold true for Hireables.)
of the Foes; it is never permissible for any Ally
to ignore the Monsters, not take actions, or to Hero Turn Summary:
simply move repeatedly to waste actions. If a Typically, a Hero’s turn will involve
Player can take a Thematic Character action, see Movement, an Attack, and a Special Action. If
Section X: Thematic Character Rules, toward the the Hero starts in range of the foes, s/he need not
destruction of the Monsters, they must. If any take a Movement action, but may make any
given Ally is not capable of taking action series of Attacks or Special Actions furthering
towards this goal, the controlling Player may the destruction of the foes. Once a Hero’s
pass what remains of that Ally’s turn. More Action Points are all used up, his turn is over and
detailed rules apply by Hero; see Section: X for the turn passes to the person on his left. Each
details. When that Player is finished, the Player Player takes his/her turn in order around the table
to his or her left now takes his turn. until all Players are finished. (Note: some
Heroes have the Ability to make certain Actions
Player’s (singular) Actions: out of turn normal turn order, and some can even
-It is recommended that when reading through act during the Monster’s turn.) Once the last
this section for the first time, you refer to the Player’s turn is finished the Monsters get their
Hero Statistics Cards, or the sample Hero next turn.
Statistics Card Diagram in Section X, for
reference. End of Players’ Turn 1.
Wave 1 - Foe’s Next Turn
The Foe’s second turn works much like the Monster Turn Priority:
Foe’s first turn except: (1) The next Player in 1) Closest to the Armory by Spaces on route
queue (the one seated in the chair to the left of 2) Highest Movement Rate.
the previous Monster Controller) becomes the 3) Flying.
new Monster Controller; (2) No new Monsters 4) Red Arrow.
are rolled; (3) Monsters may now be denied a 5) On the Route headed to right side Exit Path.
Movement if already Tanked; And, (4) now
they’re getting close enough to be a real threat to Monster Order:
the Armory!
p. 5 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
The Monsters take their turns according to the full damage to the Castle; it has no Damage
above list until all Monsters have taken their Resistances. Then, the Monster and dies as the
turn. Armory Dwarves and Gnomes unleash their
creations against them.
Remember: when moving, Monsters will not stop
to fight Allies unless Tanked or their Movement If a Monster with a Ranged attack stops in
rate stops them within range to attack. range of the Castle Gate with no Ally to attack,
it will shoot the Castle Gate instead, dealing full
Each Monster performs: Upkeep, then one damage. All Monsters always move before
Movement if possible, and then one Attack if attacking, and therefore even ranged attackers
possible. Always: Upkeep, Move, then Attack. and flyers will move into the Castle to try to get
the Armory weapon, thus dealing their damage
If a Monster makes it onto the Castle Gate and dying at the hands of the furious Dwarves
Border piece, it will automatically move into the and Gnomes.
Armory. When they move into it, it will deal its
Finishing Off the Wave
Play continues going back and forth between 2) All Heroes are defeated - With no leadership,
the Players’ Next Turn and the Foes’ Turn the Hireable run for their lives, and the Castle is
until one of the following conditions are met: left defenseless - Game Loss.
3) The Castle Gate has been reduced to 0
1) All Monsters are defeated - With a Hitpoints - The Monstrous Hordes enter the
successful defense the Wave has ended; Allies Armory, activate the Armory Card, and use it
may return to their Towers for recuperation, and directly against the King and Castle, destroying
prepare for the next wave - Move on to everything and taking over the Kingdom - Game
“Between Waves” Section. Loss.
Between Waves
Congratulations! You just survived your first Looting the Monsters that were coming to
Wave of attacks from the enemy Hordes! Now attack your castle is a way of life in this
it’s time to recover, and to prepare for the next kingdom. Draw the appropriate # of Coin Cards
Wave, which is going to be bigger and more for your Wave, including any difficulty bonuses,
difficult! as indicted on the Wave Card. Coin Cards come
in values of 50, 100, 150, or 250 Gold, with 100
Step 1: Heal! being the average draw per card.
All Allies heal the number of Hit Points equal
to their Heal Rate. If a Hero has died during the Step 3: Spend the Gold!
previous Wave, s/he is revived with a number of You may now spend the Gold on a wide
Hit Points equal to his/her Heal Rate. If a variety of options:
Hireable has died during a wave he does not ~Building New Towers (100g)
revive and cannot be re-hired. ~Selling unwanted Towers (+50g each)
Note: You must have enough Towers to host
Step 2: Get Gold! all of your Allies at the start of the new Wave.
~Hiring Hireables (various costs)
p. 6 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
~Upgrading Hireables (various costs)
~Unlocking your Hero’s Equipment (150g) Each Player may only have up to two pieces of
~Buying new Equipment Cards (100g) Equipment worn at a time. Extra equipment may
~Selling unwanted Equipment (+50g) be set aside for future use, or sold. At this time
~Hiring Reinforcement Cards (150g) between Waves (and at this time only), Players
~Funding the creation of The Armory Card may swap unlocked pieces of Equipment with
(various cost by difficulty level). each other, equipping themselves for the
upcoming battle as they see fit. Unlocked
When buying new Equipment Cards, Equipment that is no longer wanted by the
Reinforcement Cards, or the Armory Card, it is Players may be sold for +50gs during the
always a blind purchase, taking the top card off “Spend the Gold!” phase between waves.
the appropriate deck. If a card is seen by Locked Equipment may never be swapped or
accident, that deck should be shuffled. sold.
Step 4: Make Change & Shuffle the Deck Step 6: Reposition Allies
After spending, if you choose to save any Place each Hero and Hireable on or within 2
money for the next round, make change for all spaces of any Tower, with a max of 3 Allies per
the remaining Gold you have by turning it all Tower. You must have enough Towers to host
into 100g Cards, and at max one 50g card, and all Allies in order to start the new Wave or,
place all other cards back in the Coin Deck and starting with the most recently hired Hireable,
shuffle it. (This allows you a chance to redraw you must have them sit out of the next Wave, 1
those 50gs, as well as those rare 250gs!) by 1, until you are down to enough Allies for the
number of Towers. It is not recommended that
Step 5: Equip Heroes you let this happen. Heroes may never sit out; if
If you have unlocked any Equipment for your it occurs that this seems necessary, go back to
Hero, you may now also Equip it on the Hero for the “Spend the Gold!” phase and fix it.
whom it has been unlocked for, gaining the listed This is also the time to reorder the seating
bonus! arrangements at table if you feel the need to re-
order your Player queue, as this can not be done
If any Player has already unlocked both pieces mid Wave.
of Equipment, s/he now has the option to buy a Note: If you do rearrange seating, it is
new piece of Equipment from King’s Dwarves possible to loose track of the Monster Controller
by taking the top card off of the Equipment Deck order. It is fine to leave it assigned to the next
at the listed cost. New equipment purchases are Player chair, even if it means a Player dodges
blind, but come at a reduced cost and enter play their chance at it, or has to do it twice in a row.
unlocked. This new Equipment, as with all
unlocked Equipment, is immediately available to Step 7: Start the Next Wave!…
swap with any Hero’s unlocked equipment
regardless of which Hero made it possible.
Middle Waves
The rest of the Waves proceed in the same the management of these elements can be found
manner with a few minor adjustments, including: below in Section X: Purchased Help. At the end
the addition of the Hireables; bonus effects from of each Wave, return to the Between Waves
Equipment; and potential for special events from section to recoup and upgrade your defenses.
the Reinforcement and Armory Cards. Rules on
p. 7 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Final Wave & Boss Entrance!
The final Wave starts and functions the same addition to the general Boss rules outlined in
as every other wave, rolling for the Monsters and Section X: Boss Details. The special rules on
fighting them until they’re all defeated. their Statistics Card should be fairly simple to
However, on the Foe’s 2nd turn, after all other follow by the time you’ve made it to this point in
Monsters have taken their turn, the Boss (or 2!) play, but you can also find detailed descriptions
shows up! The Boss is randomly selected from in the same Section X: Boss Details.
the pile of possible Boss Monsters, but before he
enters the map the Monster Controller should 5 Wave Game vs. 7 Wave Game:
retrieve from the game box that particular Boss’s If you are playing a 5 Wave the Boss Monster
Statistics Card. After noting his special rules arrives exactly as described above.
(including possible Monster additions!) follow
the unique instructions for his behavior, his If you are playing the full 7-Wave version, the
special actions, immunities, additions, and rule first Boss Monster arrives exactly as described
modifications as outlined on the Statistics Card, above. On the Foe’s 3rd turn, a 2nd Boss
roll a simple Even-Odd check for entrance path Monsters enters the board. The 2nd Boss will
and then place him at the Entrance. He will now always enter on the opposite side (even/odd) that
move and take his attack(s) as indicated. Barring the first did.
any special notes to the contrary, Bosses follow
all the same rules of behavior that regular If you’ve managed to survive this far, defeat
Monsters do, including the “Upkeep, Move, the Boss(es), and finish off all of the minions
Attack” rule. before they destroy the Castle Gate, you have
just won the game! And you deserve a
Any unique rules that apply to any given Boss mammoth congratulations!
are described on the Statistics card and are in
Recap and Summary of Game Order
1) Set up, Hero Selection, and Seating.
2) Wave 1.
3) Between Wave.
4) Middle Waves (repeat)
5) Between Waves (repeat)
6) Final Wave & Boss Entrance.
7) Win or Loss
Victory & Defeat Conditions:
Condition for Victory:
1) Kill every Monster on every Wave, including the Boss(es), while at least 1 Hit Point remains on the
Castle Gate.
p. 8 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Conditions for Defeat:
1) All Heroes die in a single Wave.
2) Castle Gate reduced to Zero Hitpoints.
p. 9 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Section C: Combat!
Overview: action, and must be done from/into one of the 8
Heroes and their Hireables exist to defend the directly adjacent squares.
Castle even at cost of life and limb; therefore
Players have full control over the Allies on their Step 2: Tanking
team so long as those choices fall under the Clever use of Tanking -the ability to stop an
parameters for the behavior of any given Ally. enemy from taking a movement action its next
Thematic Character Rules and behavioral turn- is imperative to the success of your
requirements will be discussed at the very end of campaign. Tanking too soon can get you killed;
this section; they rarely need to be enforced. Tanking too late can get everybody killed.
Finding the correct balance is key. Tanking can
Each action in combat will consume a number may be done as a Passive Action, thus it costs no
of Action Points, with each Ally having a certain Actions Points, and may be declared at anytime,
# of Action Points available per turn. You can even in the middle of the Foe’s movement,
find this # listed on their Statistics Card (SC) allowing you Tank them in the space you think
next to “Actions:”. Monsters, save for certain best. Use this power wisely, as each Ally can
Bosses, do not have Action Points; they simply only tank so many Monsters at a time; this
get one movement if possible, and one attack if quantity can be found on each Statistics Card
possible. Even Monsters that deal damage twice under: “Tank:”
do so in a single attack. To this end, in this
section, we will focus on the Allies and will only Step 3: Making an Attack or Using a Special
mention Foes where they function differently. Action
Attacking the Monsters with a clever plan of
At the start of each Player’s turn, or even attack is the only road to victory. Special
before it, one should develop a plan of action: Actions grant unique affects, and we’ll discuss
Where they need to get to, and who they need to them in Section X. For now, let’s take a look at
try to hurt, hold, help, or heal; taking into how to attack, step by step.
account each Action’s Action Cost, which can be
found under “A.C.” in both the Attack Options, “Primary Attack”:
and Special Actions Charts. Every Hero has at least 1 Attack Option listed
on their SC; the top Attack Option is referred to
Step 1: Movement as their Primary Attack. Some Heroes have only
For the cost of 1 Action, any Ally may move a 1 Attack Option, in trade for more Special
number of spaces equal to his/her Movement Actions, some have 2 and 2, or 3 and 1;
Rate, over path or open land; but may not regardless, the first Attack Option is always the
venture onto any Border, save for the Castle Exit “Primary Attack”.
space and its Parapets. Diagonals never apply to
movement. Towers must be walked around. Let us assume for the purpose of the following
Entering and Exiting a tower costs 1 entire example that Midnight the Sorceress is using her
Primary Attack: “Lightning Bolt”.
Attack Breakdown
First: Choosing a Target. AOE indicated, the attack focuses on a single
All attacks must choose a Target, or an target. Single Targets must be within the listed
intended AOE (Area of Effect). If there is no Range, counting each space individually; AOEs
p. 10 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
must fit entirely within your Action’s listed actions hit automatically, and no roll need be
Range. Each Attack’s Range can be found made to do so; rules for Range still apply.
under: “Rng” on the Attack Options Chart.
Example Attack: Midnight chooses the Bridge Fourth: Dealing Damage and Damage
Troll as her Target, who is just within Range. Resistance.
(Diagram X-X) On your Attack Options chart you’ll find a
column for Damage. Your Damage is always
Second: Determine Attack Type. defined by your Attack Type, so a Melee attack
All attacks have one of 3 types: Melee (M), would deal “X Melee Damage”, and a
Ranged (R), or Supernatural (SN), this can be Supernatural attack would deal “X Supernatural
found on the Attack Options Chart under Damage”. We will take Midnight’s Lightning
“Type”. Strike Damage of 3, and “Deal” that to Bridge
Melee Attacks - deal more damage on average Troll. The Bridge Troll will now apply his
than other attacks, but usually have a Range of 1; Supernatural Damage Resistance of 1 (Diagram
certain Monsters and Hero bonuses may have a X-X) to that Damage, reducing it to a net
Melee Range of 2. Melee attacks, regardless of “Damage Taken” of 2. The attacking Player may
range, cannot hit Flying creatures or Allies in now adjust the Monster’s Spinner to reduce his
Towers, unless uniquely stated. Melee attacks, Hit Points by 2, revealing his new Remaining Hit
along with Tanking, are the only actions that, at Point Total. That Player is now free to take
Range 1, may target at a diagonal. (Diagram X- his/her next action, or if s/he out of actions,
X). his/her turn is over.
Ranged Attacks - tend to deal the least Damage
but have the longest Range. These attacks can Note: The minimum net Damage Taken on any
hit flying creatures and Allies in Towers. successful attack that Deals at least 1 point of
Supernatural Attacks - have mid-level Damage Damage is always 1, regardless of the
and mid-level Range. These attacks can hit supremacy of the defender’s Damage
flying creatures and Allies in Towers, unless the Resistances; unless the target is stated to be
stated Range is 1; they also have the most unique Immune to that Damage Type.
effects when rolling Critical Hits.
Tip: You’ll note that in our example, it was
Third: Rolling to Hit. wise to have Midnight choose to attack the
Now that we have a selected a target and made Bridge Troll because his Melee and Ranged
certain that he is within Range, it is now time to Damage Resistances are very high, while his
“Roll to Hit.” Grab your Hero’s personalized Supernatural Damage Resistance is rather low.
d20 and roll it. Add your Hitroll value to the
number rolled (referred to as the “Natural Roll”), Fifth: Critical Hits/Failures and Special
for your Total Hitroll, and compare the total to Attack Events
your target’s Dodge Value, found on its Monster From time to time when rolling your Hitroll,
Spinner (See Diagram X-X). If your Total Hitroll you will roll the d20 and it will land on a Natural
is equal to, or greater than, its Dodge Value, then 20. In this event, for all Monsters, and most
you successfully hit! If you missed, that is the Hero actions, this will result in a Critical Hit.
end of that action and attack. If you hit, move on Certain Hero Attack Options result in a Critical
to the next step. Hit on other numbers; you can find these on the
Example: The Sorceress rolls a “Natural 5”, and Attack Options Chart on the Ally’s Stats Card
adds her Hitroll bonus of 7, for a total of 12; under “Crit #s”. In the event of a Critical Hit,
equaling the Monster’s Dodge Value, she hits. apply any listed “Crit Mod” bonuses, and
Note: Some Heroes and Monsters may have a possibly any additional “Special” bonus if it is
Hitroll of “Auto” for a particular action, these preceded by “Crit:”.
p. 11 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Thrower,” hit an Area of Effect. This is listed
Critical Hit Modifiers, or Crit Mods, usually under the “Special” heading on the Attack
come in the form of a damage multiplier, listed Options Chart. AOE is always listed as Width
as “x1.5” or “x2”. These modifiers apply to the by Length. In the case of the Volley of Arrows it
Base Damage, resulting in a greater ability to is an even 3x3 area, whereas the Flame Thrower
overcome Damage Resistances; alternately, Crit is 1x3; that is 1 space wide, by 3 spaces long.
Mods may list Bleed, Burn, Slow, or Stun Every space of the AOE must fit within the
effects. Under the heading “Special” in the Range of the attack in order to use it. AOE
Attack Options chart, there may be additional attacks hit everything in the area and do not
critical effects; the most common being Bleed, discriminate friend from foe unless otherwise
Burn, Slow, or Stun. noted.
Bleed:
Example: Valcor, when attacking a Bridge Certain attacks will cause Bleed damage on
Troll, expects to deal his minimum of 1 Damage Critical Hits. If Bleed damage is done, place the
(4 Base damage on his attack minus the Bridge listed number of Bleed tokens on that Monster’s
Troll’s 3 Melee Resistance). In the event that Spinner. At the start of each Foe’s individual
Valcor rolls a Natural 19 or 20 on his roll to turn, during their upkeep phase, it will take a
attack, his 4 Base Damage is multiplied by his point of Bleed damage equal to the # of Bleed
Crit Mod of x2 for net 8 Damage dealt to the tokens on them. Bleed tokens are not removed
Bridge Troll, minus its 3 Melee Resistance, until the Monster is dead. Any given Monster
results in 5 net Damage Taken by the Troll. In may have up to 3 Bleed tokens at a time.
addition, the Troll will receive 1 Bleed from Burn:
Valcor’s “Special” of “Crit: 1 Bleed”. Rules on Certain attacks will cause Burn damage on
BBSSB can be found just below. Critical Hits. Burn works exactly like Bleed,
except that there is a maximum of 2 Burn tokens
Note: Monster Crits are always a x2 Damage at a time, and a combined maximum of 4 total
modifier, unless otherwise noted for a Boss. This Bleed and Burn tokens on any given Monster at
modifier effects all damage dealt, including a time.
double hits, and AOEs. Bleed and Burn Combined:
When there are a total of 4 Bleed and Burn
Alternately, from time to time you may roll a tokens on any given spinner, the addition of one
Natural 1. This is a Critical Miss. It type will remove one of the others, as added
automatically fails. That means that even if your bleeding will snuff out the fire, while added fire
Total Hitroll (in this case, your Hitroll # plus 1) will cauterize a wound; this is always limited by
is well above the Target’s Dodge Value, this is a the max of 3 Bleed or 2 Burn at a time.
completely failed action. This rule is true for all Slow:
Allies and all Monsters. Certain attacks will cause a Slow Effect.
When an attack deals a Slow effect, place 1 Slow
Allies and Monsters with a Hitroll of “Auto” token on the target’s Spinner. For every Slow
cannot fail, nor crit because no die is rolled,. token applied, the effected target’s Movement
They cannot choose to roll unless a unique card Rate is reduced by 2, to a minimum of 1. Slow
or event states otherwise. tokens are not removed until the Monster is
dead.
Sixth: Special Attack Types & BBSSB (Bleed, Stun:
Burn, Slow, Stun, and Blessing) Certain attacks will cause a Stun Effect.
Area of Effect (AOE): When an attack deals a Stun effect, place 1 Stun
Certain attack types, such as The Ranger’s token on the target’s Spinner. During that
“Volley of Arrows” or the Sorceress’s “Flame target’s upkeep phase, deal any Bleed and Burn
p. 12 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
damage first, then remove the Stun token and a time, but once it is removed the Foe can be re-
skip the rest of their turn; all actions are lost. stunned.
Only 1 Stun token may be on any given target at
Greetings Heroes!
At this point of the rules you should be able to begin hosting a game! Below you will find
more detailed rules on each component, and the rules for more specific and unique situations, such
as Monsters labeled as Siege Equipment, unique Movement types, and tips for how to balance your
forces.
So at this point, if you’re the type to do all your research first, read on! Or, if you’ve been
itching to start, go ahead and throw this manual aside. But don’t chuck it too far; you will need it to
answer those tricky questions about terms you haven’t stumbled upon yet.
Let’s go keep that Gate!
John Wrot!
Section D: Detailed Rules by Component:
Towers:
~Must sit on open ground, never on the path or a Border.
~Each Tower can host a maximum of 3 Allies at a time. (Heroes do not need to be assigned during
Waves, but must be at the outset of each Wave. If a Hero is near a Tower mid-Wave, no hosting slot is
consumed; if a Hero is on a Tower that takes 1 hosting slot.)
~The two Castle Gate Parapets count as Towers. They can house a max of 1 Ally each.
~Action Point Cost to Enter or Exit a Tower is 1. You may enter from any of the 8 directly adjacent
spaces to any of the 4 spaces on it (if 2 spaces away, 1 Movement Action to get to it, and 1 more Action
to enter); Exit from any of the 4 spaces on it to any of the 8 directly adjacent ground spaces.
~A Tower is considered “Valid” for new assignments if it has at least 1 empty hosting slot available.
~Towers do not block line of sight; your Allies are skilled enough to shoot over them without penalty.
~Allies with a Ranged Attack type gain +1 Range when on a Tower.
Hireables:
~Must be assigned to a Tower and must remain on, or within 2 spaces, of it.
~Are under the control of a specific Player each Wave. Each turn, that Player chooses the order in which
his/her Team members take their actions. Once any Ally begins taking actions, s/he must finish all of
them before the next Ally on the same team may begin.
~Can move from 1 Tower to another valid Tower if they can make the entire trip in 1 turn. Assigning to a
Tower is a passive action (zero A.C.), and can be done once within 2 spaces of it (this immediately uses
one hosting slot).
~Can be upgraded. They will gain Level 2 and 3 Bonuses when the indicated cost on their Hireable Card
is paid. Hireables gain various Stat bonuses by leveling up; if stat says “V,” it upgrades by level. The
upgraded number is listed next to the new level’s cost. Upon leveling up, if the Hireable has any damage
on him/her, s/he will heal their Heal Rate again upon leveling. Hireables can only be upgraded between
p. 13 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
waves during the “Spend the Gold!” step. Hireable may be upgraded twice in a row, and this will result in
a net two additional healings.
~Control of Hireables may only be changed between Waves during the Reposition Allies Step.
~There are only so many of each Hireable allowed during the course of a game. 4 Foot Soldiers, 4
Archers, 2 Sorcerers, 2 Psionicists, and 2 Clerics. If a Hireable dies, s/he does not revive between waves,
and that Hireable cannot be replaced, so you must remove him/her (Level 1, 2, and 3 version) from the
game; so use caution when sacrificing Hireables!
Coin Cards:
~Come in 4 values: 50g, 100g, 150g, and 250g.
~Usually spent during the “Spend the Gold!” Between Wave phase, but Reinforcement Cards may be
purchased in an emergency mid battle.
~Left over Coin at the end of the Between Waves phase must always be exchanged for 100gs (and a max
of a single 50g, if necessary).
Equipment:
~Equipment cannot be worn until it is unlocked (200g).
~Each hero can possess and wear a max of 2 pieces of Equipment at a time.
~Grants indicated bonus; most are passive, though some add a new Attack or Special Option.
~Specific rules stated on Equipment Cards override general rules where there is contradiction.
~Equipment can only be unlocked, bought, swapped, equipped, or sold between Waves.
~Only Players with unlocked Equipment can swap; only unlocked Equipment can be swapped; swapping
equipment is always 1 for 1; no Player can be forced to swap Equipment that he controls.
~New equipment cannot be bought until at least 1 Player has unlocked both of his starting pieces of
equipment.
~Extra equipment belongs to the Armory, and is available for any Player; the Player that bought it gets
first rights if interested.
Reinforcement Cards:
~ Can be bought at any time, even in the middle of a Wave, and even during the Foe’s turn.
~You may have up to 3 Reinforcement Cards at a time, and can never sell them. If you have 3 in hand,
you must use one before you can purchase another.
~Can be held to be played any time, even in the middle of a Monster’s turn, unless otherwise indicated on
the card.
Armory Cards:
~May only be purchased between Waves.
~The moment an Armory Card is purchased, immediately replace the Armory Card Border space with a
new randomly selected Armory Card …the gnomes are always at work, and the King never rests!
~You may have only 1 Armory in hand at a time, and can never sell it. If you have 1 in hand, you must
use it before you can purchase another.
~Can be held to be played any time, even in the middle of a Monster’s turn, unless otherwise indicated on
the card.
~Armory Card cost varies by game length. During a 5 Wave game Armory Cards cost: 1,000 Gold;
during a 7 Wave game Armory Cards cost: 1,200 Gold.
p. 14 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Bosses:
Overpowered, strong, awesome, and usually funny. Each has their own special rules indicated in on their
Boss Statistics Card.
General Rules for all Bosses:
They are Unblockable (including by Valcor’s Personal Phalanx), and Immune to Insta-kill, Destruction,
Removal, & Stun.
Slow effects are always at -1 effectiveness to a min of Move Rate of 3.
If they have 2 attacks, rolls them each separately, possibly at separate targets as indicated.
Miscellaneous Terms Not Yet Discussed
Short Glossary of Unique Rules (short form):
”U” in movement = Untankable, thus can not be tanked.
“+” in movement = Will take own movement turn, AND if a ground Monster is behind them they will be
pushed along for that Monster’s entire movement. If the “+” foe and pushing Monster are assigned to
different arrow colors, then they will push it, until they detours onto their own color. It is possible for a
single “+” foe to be pushed by multiple Monsters in 1 turn.
“F” in movement = Flying; immune to Tanking and Melee attacks.
“CO” in Hitroll = Castle Only. They never attack, they b-line it to the castle to deal heavy damage.
“Siege” = Attack Priority: Castle Only. Immune to Instakill, Stun, and Bleed. Untankable.
“Imm” in Dam Resistance = Completely immune; 0 damage always.
“Insta-kill” is a fun term for Instantly Killed. The subject of an Insta-kill dies immediately, regardless of
the # of HP remaining.
“Destroyed” is a form of Insta-kill that is effective vs. Siege Equipment.
“Removed from the Board/Map/Game” does not count as Insta-kill and therefore bypasses immunities
to Insta-kills. Monsters that are immune to being removed from the board are also immune to lesser
versions of Insta-kills.
Thematic Ally Behavior Rules:
~Offensive Allies: Valcor, Ranger, Cyrus, Midnight, Asphar, Epoch (add-on Hero), Pirate (Gamer
Achievement Hero, Foot Soldiers, Archers, and Sorcerers must pursue attacking at least 1/rnd.
~Offensive Allies who primarily do damage at range (Ranger & Midnight) need not leave the safety of a
Tower to pursue dealing damage unless there are 5 or fewer Monsters remaining on the board.
~The Healer & Druid (Gamer Achievement Hero) must attack at least 1/rnd if there are 5 or less Monsters
on the board.
~Berserker (Gamer Achievement Hero) must attack at least 2/rnd unless sprinting, in which case he must
attack at least once.
~If there is only 1 surviving Hero in a Wave, s/he may break all above rules and run for cover to allow the
Hireables to finish the job, or allow the Monsters to smash into the Castle taking the loss. This is only to
prevent a Game Loss. This exception aught not be followed on the Final Wave. ; )
p. 15 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Tips and basic strategy guide.
Strategy:
~Arrange Player seating according to the strengths and abilities of the Hero each Player has selected.
Heavy damage dealers should go first, support characters do well to go last.
~First thing after wave 1, hire what you can’t do with your starting Heroes. For instance, if you can’t deal
damage at range flyers will get past you unharmed; so hire an Archer or Sorcerer. If you can’t tank very
many monsters, you’re going to get overrun fast; so hire a Foot Soldier or Psionicist. Etc.
~Sometimes it will be in the best interest of the Armory to chase down a foe that is not near you, but is
closer to the Armory.
~Certain Heroes combine well together…
~The Healer and Valcor make a fierce team.
~The Mage can stack enchantments with Cyrus, to double bypass enemy resistances.
~The Ranger’s Wolf and Amos the Mage can stack slow effects together.
~The Sorceress can tank some of the heaviest damage dealers without fear, while other put
put down the hurt.
~Psion’s ability to Teleport others can keep any Hero always in Range.
~The wizards can do serious damage together if Midnight lights them on fire, then Amos
slows them!
~Playing the Mage? Put yourself last in the Player queue, he can act out of turn!
~Use leveling as a method to heal your Hireables.
~Good timing of use of each Reinforcement Card is key. Use them only when it is most advantageous or
necessary.
~Don’t try to buy the Armory Card too early; you’re going to need the support first.
~Try to swap equipment to appropriate Heroes, for maximum effect.
~100g is the average value per draw of the coin deck… plan accordingly!
Rule variants to Come:
~Solo Play - Borderline self explanatory…
~Player vs. Player - One to two Players share control over the Monsters, allowing them to break the
rules!
~Ettin Heroes - Players play two Heroes each, but the foes get bonuses as well!
Scenario Options to Come:
~Mining for Gold - Extra gold to start (50g per player), and bonus gold for certain achievements. Great
for beginners and young’ns.
~Heavy Stones - Expensive towers that host more allies, and a repairable Castle Gate.
~3 Stars - Receive bonuses for taking no Castle Damage, but penalties if you do!
~Running the Gauntlet - Survival mode, see how long you can survive against endless Monsters with no
income!
~Understaffed and Underpaid - For the hardcore Player only!
p. 16 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Greetings Heroes!,
Valcor has informed us that the Hordes are assembled on the horizon! The time has come to
take what you have learnt and defend the castle once again!
Together, we will claim our victory! For the King and for our Family!
John Wrot!
p. 17 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
PnP vs. Final Game Difference Notes:
The largest difference here is going to be in the Map Quality and the Monster Spinners, so let’s cover
these first.
Map:
~The map will be printed slightly larger to compensate for die cuts, making each space exactly 1.25
inches in the final version. The image files are currently prepared for that type of cut, but to fit neatly 2+
per PnP page, they have been scaled to exactly 5 net inches; making the squares slightly off size.
~The map will be 1.5mm Punchboard (the thickness of 4th Edition Catan tiles), what is considered
“industry standard”. With the “Tile Tectonics” Gamer Achievement we will thicken them to 2mm so they
are heartier and have more ‘damage resistance’. ; )
~The Border will be full puzzle connector quality, and easily link together. With the PnP, the puzzle nubs
won’t fit on a standard sheet of paper at this scale (especially with common printer margin limitations), so
we left them out. In the full version: no tape!
~The Border will have full Graphic Design on the Border Corners to cleanly label the location of each
card deck.
~Best of it, it won’t cost you an arm and a leg in ink and art supplies to assemble! (And a lot less time!)
Monster Spinners:
~Each Monster has his own unique full color art. None of that “recolor him and pretend he’s different”
stuff. And each spinner will feature the full-color art making each Monster easily discernable at a glance;
this speeds up play, as you don’t have to keep rechecking which monster is which.
~Spinners will be comprised of 2 separate pieces of 2mm Punchboard, stacked, with a black connector
piece holding them in place at the very center. All art has been designed with this in mind, leaving all the
important artsy details around the outer edges (Take note the curve of the Sorcerer’s energy between his
hands ; ).
~Spinners will have all Monster statistics right on the spinner, as the PnP does, except that in the full
version each statistic will have high quality, easy to read contrast, with each number on top of its own
color-coded symbol for very fast image/color reference. Finally, certain statistics (attack type, for
example) will be replaced altogether with a symbol or color, creating less to read, and more room for the
beautiful art.
~Spinners ‘spin’ for a reason. No more pencils! As each being is injured, simply spin the top disc, to
reveal remaining HP on the bottom. The bottom HP set will be color coded, for fast reference and
detection.
~”y” and “r” are replaced with a simple colored arrow, making movement even easier to track and
anticipate.
~ These changes facilitate much faster game play, as each Monster will be quickly identified, easily read,
easily tracked, and easily reset to full HP upon removing from the board. Yay! No more erasers!
The Manual:
~Will be full color and come with a mess of extra diagrams, making play easier and faster to learn.
~It will also have several pages of pre-arranged Scenarios with unique map designs, pre-set Monster sets,
and special Gold income/spending rules, for the scenario lover in all of us… And a related Campaign
Mode…? ; )
~It will also feature a “Survival Mode” scenario! See how long you can survive with and without
Hireables and income!
~Complete and detailed Glossary section; with a quick reference information page.
p. 18 of 19The King’s Armory -DRAFT- Instruction Manual
Other differences:
~All Heroes will come will their own full art Spinner (no stats covering any art!), and artistically designed
Statistic Cards that will have the same Color & Symbol coding as the Spinners! This will make Attack
Type to Damage Resistance Type connections faster and cleaner. They’ll also be a lot more pretty to look
at. (!)
~Card decks will feature all the beautiful card art, both in background and individual art.
~BBSSB tokens will be made of punchboard with cute little (professionally done) images on them.
~The full game will come with all of the required dice (each one unique and color coded for each hero),
that can be used for any of your other games. They’re going to be very nice! As will all the components,
top tier is what we consider our only option.
Greetings Heroes!,
Thanks for reading! We really hope that you’ve enjoyed your jaunt through our manual!
What you have just read is our draft manual, and does not yet include any art, color, diagrams,
alternate play Scenarios, Statistic Card Details, nor the final formatting. We thank you for
understanding that.
With that being said… we are excited to hear your feedback! We, as always, look forward to
your comments, suggestions, and resends of this manual back to us
(KeeperoftheGateGames@gmail.com) with your highlighted changes! We take what you have to say
very seriously.
I say it again: Together, as a family, we will claim our victory! Let’s do this together!
For the King, and for Family,
John Wrot!
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