Bright Future Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Component Overview
  • Character Cards and Tokens
  • Items
  • Supplies (a.k.a. Resources)
  • Food
  • Quests
  • Infection Token
  • Tunnel Cards
  • Map Cards
  • Location Cards
  • Codes
  • Two-sided Game Board
  • Scenario Recommendation
• Tunnel of Power
  • Story
  • Game Goal
  • Game Setup
  • Character Setup
  • Turn Sequence
    • 1. Tunnel Phase
    • 2. Contact Phase
    • 3. Location Phase
    • Mercenary Rules
  • Survival Mode
  • Single Player Mode
• Tunnel Fever
  • Story
  • Game Goal
  • Game Setup
  • Character Setup
  • Turn Sequence
    • 1. Tunnel Phase
    • 2. Map Phase
    • 3. Infection Phase
    • Mercenary Rules
  • End of Turn
  • Hardcore Mode
• Skills and Effects
  • Character Abilities
  • Mercenary Abilities
  • Anomaly Effects
  • Settlement Features
  • Some Weapon PvP Effects
• Arena
  • Story
  • Game Goal
  • Game Setup
  • Turn Sequence
  • Attack and Defense
• Quick Rules: Tunnel of Power
  • Game Goal
  • Tunnel Phase
  • Contact Phase
  • Location Phase
  • Defeat
• Quick Rules: Tunnel Fever
  • Game Goal
  • Tunnel Phase
  • Map Phase
  • Infection Phase
  • Mercenary Actions
  • Defeat
  • End of Turn

Component Overview

• 12 Character Cards
• 36 Location Cards: 12 Settlements, 12 Outposts, 12 Anomalies
• 48 Item Cards: 24 Human and 24 Mutant Weapons and Armor
• 9 Tunnel Cards and 16 Map Cards for the Tunnel Fever Scenario
• 7 Tunnel Cards and 1 Tunnel Explorer Card for the Tunnel of Power Scenario
• 106 Tokens: 60 Supply Tokens, 15 Food and Quest Tokens, 12 Character Tokens, 1 Infection Token, 18 Code Tokens
• 1 Two-sided Game Board
• Rulebook

Character Cards and Tokens

Every character has an unique ability that can affect the course of the game and your in-game tactics.

Items

You are a hero! You can defeat any foe barehanded, but such effort would cost you dearly in supplies. Using the right item for the right job will significantly decrease your losses.

Supplies (a.k.a. Resources)

The pre-war money is now useless paper. Medical supplies and ammo are much more important if you want to survive down there. They serve both as your health points and as currency for purchasing items.

Food

You can't heal yourself by eating! However, in a post-apocalyptic world a shipment of food is a valuable commodity: if you bring it to a large settlement, you can sell it for the supply value on the back, or barter it for something else.

Quests

Certain locations can reward you with a quest token if you do something. A quest token represents a favor or even some followers. Just like food, it can be traded for the supply value on the back, or bartered for a better reward.

Infection Token

Used only in the Tunnel Fever scenario, this token shows how much of the underground population, human and mutant, was killed by the disease. You must stop it, or you will face our extinction.

Tunnel Cards

The Tunnel Cards represent your knowledge of the underground labyrinths and of the dangers ahead. They are the most important cards in the game; using them, you can plan your game and manage your encounters.

Map Cards

Used only in the Tunnel Fever scenario, with these cards you can build the game map. They represent the places you have discovered and mapped out.

Location Cards

The Anomaly, Outpost and Settlement cards represent places of interest you can visit underground. They provide certain rewards and special options, but they also might be highly dangerous.

Codes

Usually found inside Anomalies, in both scenarios these tokens are the key to victory. The Anomalies represent some natural phenomenon and cannot be reasoned with. You must always fight your way to the codes.

Two-sided Game Board

A different side of the game board is used according to the chosen scenario: Tunnel of Power or Tunnel Fever.

Scenario Recommendation

• New players: Tunnel of Power
• Experienced players: Tunnel Fever

Tunnel of Power

Story

These shelters where you survived the Apocalypse and dwelled for the last few decades were never meant for permanent habitation. Slowly, irradiated water seeped in. Most people have resigned to their fate and just plug the leaks wherever they can, but everyone knows that eventually they're going to get flooded.

Your last hope lies in the legendary Tunnel of Power, where an old, enormous Soviet bunker is hidden, chock-full of food and supplies. A recent earthquake exposed the tunnel and an impossibly thick door to a secret elevator with a terminal beside it. Could this be the entrance to the mysterious bunker? Whoever manages to open it will ensure a bright future for their friends and family!

Game Goal

In this scenario you will try to be the first player to open the legendary shelter in the Tunnel of Power. To do that, you must visit anomalies and gather enough access codes there. You can also obtain those by completing quests in some settlements.

• You will need to visit settlements and outposts in order to obtain supplies, items and mercenaries. When you feel ready, you will enter the Tunnel of Power, deal with both of the encounters there and, if you have the correct codes, open the vault door and win the game.
• Using the Tunnel Cards, the players choose the location they visit and their place in the turn order of all players in that location. Before activating the location you have chosen, you could encounter other adventurers, or their mercenaries.
• In this scenario, the first player changes every turn. Being first player gives you more tunnel cards, but is also a great disadvantage: since you pick your location and your character's turn order first, the other players can easily plan out how to attack, ambush or avoid you.

Tunnel of Power is an "open information" game: everything the players have (items, codes, mercenaries) stays on the table and can be viewed by all players.

• The first player who gathers the required access codes and opens the blast door in the Tunnel of Power location, WINS.
• In case you lose all supplies, you are defeated for this turn and wounded: stop your current turn and gain no reward from the encounter (if any). Start the next turn with the same cards and tokens and with 6 supplies.

Game Setup

1. Place the game board.
2. Shuffle all Settlement cards and place them at board position I as a deck of random Settlements.
3. Shuffle all Outpost cards and place them at board position II as a deck of random Outposts.
4. Shuffle all Anomaly cards and place them at board position III as a deck of random Anomalies.
5. Shuffle the Item cards. Place 6 of them face up near the game board; this is the Market.
6. Put the remaining Item deck nearby (face down).
7. Next to it will be the Item discard pile (face up).
8. Shuffle the code tokens and put them face down near the board. This is the code pile.
9. Take 3 codes and put them face up on the board. This is the initial access code combination for the vault door.
10. Each player takes 30 supplies. Place all the remaining supplies, food and quest tokens in a pile near the game board.
11. Place the Tunnel cards for Tunnel of Power somewhere nearby.

Character Setup

Determine the first player and give him or her the Tunnel Explorer card. If the players cannot agree on that, the one who has been underground most recently (subway, tunnel, or, why not, a nuclear shelter) goes first.

Everyone, starting from the Tunnel Explorer and going clockwise (this is the player order), do the following:

• Draw 6 item cards from the item deck without looking at them.
• All items you have are your Inventory. You can carry up to 6 items at a time and if your Inventory exceeds 6 items, by the end of the turn you must discard items until there are 6 left.
• Item cards are race specific (blue border: Human; green border: Mutant). This means human characters cannot use mutant items, and vice versa. Items not for your race can only be stored as part of your inventory and traded later in a Settlement.
• Decide which of those initial items you want to keep, subtract their supply cost from your supplies and discard the unwanted cards to the discard pile.
• Pick a character and place his or her card near your item inventory. Take your character token. All characters have a male and female side with the same ability. Pick the gender you enjoy more.

The character card, item inventory, supplies and mercenaries may be reviewed by any player, at any time.

Turn Sequence

Each turn consists of three phases:

1. Tunnel Phase: Starting from the Tunnel Explorer, everyone chooses a Tunnel Card and plays the special option on it, places their character token on the game board, and gives the remaining cards to the player on their left. Placing the token means you have chosen a tunnel leading to a certain location type and determines your play order for the remainder of the turn.
2. Contact Phase: Now following the order of just placed character tokens, the players announce their PvP actions towards characters in the same location tunnel. You may attack a player who is ahead of you and you may leave an ambush to a player coming after you.
3. Location Phase: Again, in order of placed character tokens, any players who weren't defeated in the Contact Phase must visit the chosen location, resolve any encounters there and gain the rewards it offers (if still not defeated).

If you are defeated or you finish playing the location, take back your character token.

1. Tunnel Phase

The Tunnel Explorer shuffles all seven Tunnel Cards for Tunnel of Power and keeps a certain number of them according to the player count:

• 5 players: 6 cards to choose from, 1 stays face down.
• 4 players: 5 cards to choose from, 2 stay face down.
• 3 players: 4 cards to choose from, 3 stay face down.
• 2 players: 3 cards to choose from, 4 stay face down.

Then everyone, starting with the Tunnel Explorer, consecutively picks a Tunnel Card and plays it:

1. You may play the Special action of the card.
2. Choose one location/turn order combination from the available options on the picked Tunnel Card and place your character token in the corresponding slot number on the game board.
3. Give the remaining Tunnel Cards to the player on your left.

After everyone has played their Tunnel Cards, the first player gives the Tunnel Explorer card to the player on their left (that player will be the Tunnel Explorer in the next turn).

The order of the character tokens set in this way will be used in the next phases of the turn as initiative order to determine the attacks/ambushes and location encounters.

Example: If your Tunnel Card is the Utility Tunnel, you may choose between placing your character token either at the Tunnel of Power with turn order 2, or at an Outpost with turn order 3.

2. Contact Phase

Skip this phase for location tunnels with no character tokens or only 1 character token.

You can interact only with a player in the same location tunnel, if their character token is placed before or after yours (empty slots between character tokens are not taken into account).

Starting from the Settlement and following the location order (Settlement, Outpost, Anomaly, Tunnel of Power), the players announce their combat actions, if any:

• Announce whether you will attack the player before you in the same location tunnel (see RULE SHEET, Combat Rules: PvP).
• Announce whether you will leave a mercenary as an ambush for the player after you in the same location tunnel (see RULE SHEET, Combat Rules: Locations). Normally you may set only one ambush per turn.

Example: the Devourer, the Stalker and the Mole are in positions 1, 3 and 4, respectively. If you are Devourer, you can only leave an ambush for the Stalker. If you are the Stalker, you can attack the Devourer and leave an ambush for the Mole. If you are the Mole, you can only attack the Stalker.

• If two players agree not to attack or ambush each other, they can trade: give and receive a maximum of one card (item, mercenary) or token (code, food or quest token) per turn.

After everyone is done choosing and playing their Contact actions at a certain location, they play the Location Phase there.

3. Location Phase

In this Scenario, each visitor who reached the location undefeated by an ambush or another player's attack, plays the card effects of the same location.

Settlement. The Settlements are places where your character may rest and earn or find some useful items.

The first visitor reveals the top Settlement card and takes both options shown on the card; the succeeding visitors play the same Settlement and pick a single option.

Example: On the card there is shown "4 supplies" and "1 Rat food token". If you're the first visitor, take 4 supplies and 1 Rat token. Each other player who came here will have to choose between 4 supplies and a Rat token (worth 6 supplies, but normally there is no trade option, so you can't sell it at the same Settlement). However, if the Settlement offers only a supply choice (5/4), the first visitor takes 9 supplies and everyone else 5 supplies.

Everyone may use the optional choices on the right, if they meet the requirements for them.

The last visitor for the turn discards the Settlement card.

Outpost. The Outposts are military groups who are protecting their borders in the tunnels. Normally they don't like outsiders.

The first visitor reveals the top Outpost card:

• If the Outpost belongs to the opposite race (human/mutant) or you run into it at the Tunnel of Power (Location Tunnel IV), it is hostile to you and you have to fight it (see RULE SHEET, Combat Rules: Locations).
• If the Outpost is not hostile to you, it is considered friendly. It can be hired and become your Mercenary (take the card and see Mercenary Rules below) or bribed (during this turn, they will attack any succeeding players as a hostile Outpost, regardless of their race). To hire or bribe the Outpost pay the hiring price in the bottom left corner of the card.
• If you survive the encounter (because the Outpost is friendly or you fought and defeated it), you gain a reward. The first visitor takes two free items from the market (draw items from the Item deck to replace them) or from the top items of the Item deck; each other visitor picks only one item. You don't have to fight and you cannot hire an Outpost which was either defeated or hired by a previous visitor in the same turn.

The last visitor for the turn discards the Outpost card.

Anomaly. The Anomalies are dangerous locations near the Tunnel of Power where is likely to find access codes for the old Vault Door of the governmental complex.

The first visitor reveals the top Anomaly card:

• The Anomalies are always hostile and you have to fight them to move across (see RULE SHEET, Combat Rules: Locations).
• Anomalies cannot be defeated; each visitor must fight them.
• If you survive the encounter, take the reward. If you're the first visitor for this turn, you have a choice:
  • pick a code from the game board and draw a random code from the pile to replace it, or
  • take a random code from the pile.
• If you aren't the first visitor, you may only take a random code from the pile, except if there are no codes remaining, in which case you may take the code from the game board.

The last visitor for the turn discards the Anomaly card.

Tunnel of Power. The Tunnel of Power has turned into a fighting ground for all kinds of adventurers and treasure seekers who try to get the riches of the legendary state bunker. And the unimaginable forces unleashed by the nuclear ICBMs converted the complex, once a residence of the communist party, into a breeding place of various apocalyptic horrors.

• Consecutively fight an Outpost and an Anomaly and take the rewards, following the same rules as above. The Tunnel of Power is a separate location, so you have to reveal a new Outpost and a new Anomaly to play it.
• The Outpost you meet here is always hostile, regardless of your race.
• The last visitor of an Outpost and the Anomaly for the turn discards the cards.
• If you reach the Vault Door and you own the current code combination, YOU WIN. All other players are graded according to the count of codes they have gathered.

Note: If the code pile is empty and the players took codes from the game board, then it may contain fewer than three codes. In this case it will be easier to unlock the vault door. If no codes are remaining on the board, the first player to reach the bunker wins.

If you don't succeed and you're still alive, you carry on with your next turn as normal.

Example: The current code combination is 3-3-1 and you have 1-1-2-3. You're missing a 3 which you need to win. Despite that, you decide to enter the Tunnel of Power, hoping that you will find that 3 you need in the last Anomaly before the Vault Door.

Mercenary Rules

You may use a Mercenary group once and then discard them:

• As an Ambush, in order to attack a player coming after you at the same location (the player must fight him as a hostile Outpost). If the Mercenary is defeated, the player may attack you with any active weapons they have. If the Mercenary wins, they may attack the next player in the same tunnel after the defeated player, following the same rules.
• For Protection, against a player who comes after you and wants to attack you with their weapons (the player must fight him as a hostile Outpost). When the Mercenary is defeated, the player may actually attack you with any active weapons they have.
• For his Special Ability, according to the text effect. Ignore the text marked with TF and the icons in orange (they are used in the scenario Tunnel Fever).

Survival Mode

If all players agree, they can play Tunnel of Power in Survival mode: any player who loses his or her supplies, loses the game and immediately leaves the struggle. The number of Tunnel Cards used in the Tunnel Phase must be adjusted accordingly.

The first player to open the Vault Door or the last player alive wins the game.

Single Player Mode

You can try playing Tunnel of Power alone with a few simple rule modifications:

• In the Tunnel Phase, draw only 2 Tunnel Cards, play one of them and set your character token on the game board according to the usual rules.
• Draw another Tunnel Card from the deck and choose one of its location/turn order options which has not been taken yet, then put another random Character token on the corresponding place on the game board (dummy character). If the places corresponding to all options of the Tunnel Card are already taken, do nothing.
• From now on, this character becomes an obstacle, blocking one of the location/turn order combinations. You cannot attack or ambush them, but during the turn when they are placed, you can use your ability on them if it requires another character (Shapeshifter ability) or consider the Market as the dummy character's item inventory (Thief ability).
• Play the Location Phase of your turn.
• Repeat: for your next turn, draw two Tunnel Cards and if the location/turn order options of both cards happen to be blocked, you miss your turn (but you still draw a Tunnel Card for a dummy character). If there is only one possible choice of location/turn order, you have to accept it and play it.
• If all token slots in the Tunnel of Power are taken or all character tokens are placed and you still have not won the game, you LOSE.
• Awesomeness Score:
  • Easy: win before depleting all the character tokens (with 11 other character tokens placed).
  • Normal: win placing a maximum of 9 other character tokens.
  • Hard: a maximum of 7.
  • Lucky Badass: a maximum of 5.
  • Impossibru: a maximum of 3.

Tunnel Fever

Story

A deadly epidemic is ravaging the population of the tunnels, humans and mutants alike. A group of legendary adventurers tries to stop it in a world without hospitals and health facilities.

To save the remnants of humankind, the heroes must enter the filthiest and most dangerous tunnels to collect samples of the disease, and then use the knowledge obtained to warn the healthy families, and quarantine or even slaughter the infected. A few doctors can still be contacted and provided with enough medicines to help them, and somewhere there is even a microbiologist capable of creating a vaccine.

But will they have enough time, or will the disease spread too quickly and kill everyone?

Game Goal

In this scenario, you will explore the tunnels and build the game map as you move along. During each player's turn, you will play special effects and resolve encounters on the map, but the infection will also spread to new groups of people, affect more people in the infected groups or mutate into new strains. There are three ways to stop it:

• by sending well-informed mercenaries who can prevent the infection from spreading further or even kill the infected people.
• by searching the tunnels for settlements where the few surviving doctors and scientists reside and providing them with the medicaments or disease samples they need.
• by destroying the infection breeding places in the anomalies.

Each turn, some of the tunnel population will die depending on how far the infection has spread. The disease will also become more resilient over time, represented by placing new infection codes on top of the others.

You must cleanse all codes from the infection area before all the population dies out.

• If all codes are removed from the infection area, EVERYONE WINS.
• If the Infection token reaches the skull space of the population counter, EVERYONE LOSES.
• In case you lose all supplies, you are defeated for this turn and wounded: stop your current turn and gain no reward from the encounter (if any). Instead of playing an Infection Phase, directly lose 1 Population. Start the next turn with the same cards and tokens and with 6 supplies.

Game Setup

1. Place the game board.
2. Choose a game difficulty:
   • Contagion: Set two random codes face up in two slots of the infection area.
   • Outbreak (normal difficulty): Fill up each code slot of the infection area with a random face up code.
   • Epidemic: Fill up each code slot of the infection area with a random face up code, and then place another code on top of the two codes with the lowest value.
   • Pandemic: Fill up each code slot of the infection area with a random face up code, and then place another code on top of each code.
3. These are the current infection codes. Shuffle the remaining codes and place them face down nearby: this is the Code Pile.
4. Put the Infection token in the starting position (12) of the population counter.
5. Shuffle all Settlement cards and set four of them face up at the corresponding places near the game board. These are the Settlements where a Doctor or a Microbiologist can be found. Set the remaining Settlements at a convenient place nearby face down as a deck of random Settlements.
6. Shuffle the Outpost cards and find a convenient place to set them face down as a deck of random Outposts.
7. Shuffle the Anomaly cards and find a convenient place to set them face down as a deck of random Anomalies.
8. Shuffle the Item cards and place 6 of them face up near the game board: this is the Market.
9. Put the remaining Item deck nearby (face down). Next to it will be the Item discard pile (face up).
10. If there are four players in the game, shuffle the Map deck and place it in a convenient spot near the game board. If there are less than four players, set aside all four cards with a numbered Settlement, shuffle the non-Settlement cards and remove from the game 2 of them for each player missing. Shuffle the remaining cards with the 4 Settlement cards and place them as a Map deck.
11. Each player takes 30 supplies.

Character Setup

Determine the first player. If the players cannot agree on that, the one who has been underground most recently (subway, tunnel, or, why not, a nuclear shelter) goes first.

Everyone, starting from the first player and going clockwise (this is the player order), do the following:

• Draw 6 item cards from the item deck without looking at them.
• All items you have are your Inventory. You can carry up to 6 items at a time and if your Inventory exceeds 6 items, by the end of the turn you must discard items until there are 6 left.
• Item cards are race specific (blue border: Human; green border: Mutant). This means human characters cannot use mutant items, and vice versa. Items not for your race can only be stored as part of your inventory and traded later in a Settlement.
• Decide which of those initial items you want to keep, subtract their supply cost from your supplies and discard the unwanted cards to the discard pile.
• Pick a character and place his or her card near your item inventory. Take your character token and place it in any of the starting slots of the game board. All characters have a male and female side with the same ability. Pick the gender you enjoy more.

The character card, item inventory, supplies and mercenaries may be reviewed by any player, at any time.

Turn Sequence

The first player shuffles all nine Tunnel Cards for Tunnel Fever and deals everyone 2 random cards. All players, starting from the first player and going clockwise, play one of them.

Each player turn consists of three phases:

1. Tunnel Phase: Play the special effect of the card you pick (yellow text).
2. Map Phase: Visit and activate any number of locations on your current Map Card. You may move to one additional Map Card and visit and activate any number of locations there too.
3. Infection Phase: Play the Infection effect of the disease (orange text).

1. Tunnel Phase

Carry out the yellow text instructions from your chosen card. If it leads to a location, reveal the top card from the corresponding random Settlement/Outpost/Anomaly deck (if not already revealed), play its effects and take the reward shown on the Map Card.

Tunnel Card effects

• Trade Routes, Patrol Schedules, Warning Signs: Reveal the top 2 cards of a Location deck and choose which one to activate. The other stays revealed so your teammates will know what to expect in the next encounter of that type.
• Local Guide: Reveal the top card of all three random location decks (if not already revealed).
• Secret Passage: Reveal and activate the top card of any location you like.
• Freelancer: Reveal the top Outpost and if you want, you may hire them regardless of their race. If you don't hire them, you may place them back on the deck revealed for all players. You may also use your character ability on them (Courtesan, Queen, Devourer), but you don't fight them and you take no reward.
• Caravan: Allows you to change all 6 items in the Market.
• Handcar: Move across 1 or 2 locations without activating them, and then continue with the Map Phase (see below), starting from the last location you skipped.
• Shelter Map: Allows you to replace all numbered Settlements which were activated and discarded, with new Settlements, so a player can visit them again (see below).

Settlement. The Settlements are places where your character may rest and earn or find some useful items.

Reveal the top random Settlement card and pick a single option from the options on the left. You may use the optional choices on the right, if you meet the requirements for them. Then discard the Settlement card.

Outpost. The Outposts are military groups who are protecting their borders in the tunnels. Normally they don't like outsiders.

Reveal the top Outpost card.

• If the Outpost belongs to the opposite race (human/mutant), it is hostile to you and you have to fight it (see RULE SHEET, Combat Rules: Locations).
• If the Outpost is not hostile to you, it is considered friendly. It can be hired and become your Mercenary (take its card and see Mercenary Rules below). To hire the Outpost pay the hiring price in the bottom left corner of the card.
• If you survive the encounter (because the Outpost is friendly or you fought and defeated it), you gain a reward: take a free item from the market (draw another from the Item deck to replace it) or the top item from the Item deck.

Then discard the Outpost card.

Anomaly. The Anomalies are dangerous locations which breed disease carriers or create conditions for the spreading of an infection.

Reveal the top Anomaly card.

• The Anomalies are always hostile and you have to fight them in order to move across (see RULE SHEET, Combat Rules: Locations).
• Anomalies cannot be defeated; each visitor must fight them.
• In this scenario, the codes represent knowledge for the symptoms of the disease.

If you survive the encounter, you may take a sample of the disease in the form of a random code from the code pile. If the code pile is empty, pick a code among the visible codes in the infection area.

Then discard the Anomaly card.

2. Map Phase

• You may stay in place.

• You may move your character token across locations on the same Map Card you're starting your turn on, if they are connected by a tunnel drawn on the Map Card. Whenever you pass through a location, reveal the top card from the corresponding random Settlement/Outpost/Anomaly deck (if not already revealed), play its effects and take the reward shown on the Map Card.

  You may pass through a location multiple times, but you can only activate it once per turn. You don't activate the location where your character token starts the turn or where another character token is present.

  Note: During your first turn you cannot do that. You can only travel to another Map Card and place it near your starting position (see below).

• Once per turn you may travel to another Map Card:

  • You may move your character token into an unexplored Tunnel (no Map Card connected to it): draw a Map Card and place it vertically, adjacent to your current Map Card. You can't place a new Map Card on top of the game board or on top of another card. Place your character token on the new card's corresponding Tunnel icon.
  • You may move your character token towards an already revealed Map Card, if it's connected to yours by a Tunnel, OR
  • You may use a Shaft to climb a ladder and make your way through the radioactive wasteland on the surface: pay the supply cost and instantly move to another Shaft already discovered on the map.

  Whenever you move on a new Map Card, you may stay on the Tunnel Entrance or Shaft where you just appeared, or move across any number of locations on it, following the same rules.

  Once you travel to another Map Card, you cannot go back in the same turn.

Example: In the last turn you (the Mole) finished playing that Anomaly on the right. You can go up or down without any encounter and draw a new Map Card to explore. But instead, for some reason you decide to activate that Outpost on the left. Then you explore a Map Card in that direction and draw the one outlined in red. There is only one way to put it, otherwise it can't connect to yours.

Continuing the same turn, you can activate another Outpost and turn left (downwards), or the Anomaly and turn right (upwards), or even both. Remember: you can use your items only once per turn! If you pick the Anomaly, this means in the next turn you will be able to go through one of those three Tunnels without any encounter, or "jump" through the Shaft to another explored Shaft at the cost of 2 supplies.

• Whenever you enter the same map as another player and there are no locations between you two, you can trade: you may give and receive a maximum of one card (item, mercenary) or token (code, food or quest token) per turn.

Location types present on the Map Cards:

• Outpost: same rules as above (see Tunnel Phase).
• Anomaly: same rules as above (see Tunnel Phase).

Numbered Settlement. The numbered Settlements provide you with additional options which are shown on the game board:

• Local Medic. You can give the good doctor some medicaments and he will discard from the infection area a fixed code number: 1, 2 or 3, for each 3, 6 or 9 supplies you give him, respectively. The doctor can discard more than one code in a single turn, but only of one type which is visible (topmost) in the infection area, and you pay supplies for each code discarded. Discarded codes are returned to the code pile and shuffled with the others. For this action you don't need to have, nor discard a code.

  Note: If using Doctors or Mercenaries you manage to clear an infection slot completely, it still can be re-infected later.

• Microbiologist. You can give the specialist (discard to the code pile) a sample of all top codes currently visible in the infection area, and he will create a cure: turn the top code of any infection slot you choose face down and discard the codes under it to the code pile. This code slot is now closed, and the infection cannot spread on it anymore. If you have enough codes, you can create more than one cure in a single turn.

  Example: If the current codes are 1, 2, 2, 3, then you need to have one 1, two 2's and one 3. But if you expend a Mercenary with a Destroy action and discard both 2's (and there are no more codes underneath), to create the vaccine you will need only 1 and 3.

Discard the numbered Settlement after finishing with it. You cannot activate it again, nor use the special options on the game board, until you reset it and place a new Settlement card using the Shelter Map tunnel card. Until then this location on the map is considered an empty tunnel.

3. Infection Phase

Play the Infection effect of the card (orange text).

Contamination: The infection spreads to new groups of people. Draw a random code and place it in an infection slot with the lowest count of code tokens. You can prevent this if you send someone to warn the nearest healthy groups (see Mercenary Rules below).

Example: All four code slots in the infection area are full, and one of them contains two codes. You can place the new code in any of the other three slots.

Outbreak: The infection spreads within the settlements it has already reached, creating more and more disease carriers. Draw a random code and place it in an infection slot with the largest visible code number. You can prevent this if you send someone to quarantine the infected (see Mercenary Rules below).

Example: The top codes in the infection area are currently 1, 2, 2, 3. You draw a code, and it is 2: it goes on top of the 3 and the current combination becomes 1, 2, 2, 2.

Mutation: The infection strain mutates and changes the disease symptoms. Replace one of the visible codes that have the lowest value with a random code. You cannot prevent this, but there is some chance the change is for the better.

Example: The top codes in the infection area are 2, 2, 3. You have to replace one of the 2's with a random code ... which turns out to be 1. Yay!

If no codes left: If the code pile is empty and you can't prevent the new infection effect, you lose 1 population. In this case, you can prevent an infection by sending a Mercenary with the corresponding action without having any code (see below).

Mercenary Rules

You may use a Mercenary only once and then discard him:

• For his Special Ability, according to the text effect. Pay attention to the text marked with TF and the icons in orange.
• For a Special Action against the infection:

Warn: used only to prevent a Contamination. The mercenary warns the population about some symptoms of the disease and stops its spreading. Discard the newly drawn code from a Contamination if you have the same code (don't discard your code).

"You there, Merc! Take this list of symptoms to Serdika and tell them to stay out of the western tunnels. They'd better do it."

Example: You draw a code 2. You currently have codes 1 and 2, so you can send a mercenary having a Warn action to convince the population not to accept these infected people in their settlement.

Quarantine: used only to prevent an Outbreak. The mercenary takes measures to quarantine the affected population, if you know the symptoms. Discard the newly drawn code from an Outbreak if you have the same code (don't discard your code).

"Listen, I need you to guard this station. No one enters, no one leaves, no matter how angry, hungry, or pitiful."

Example: You draw a code 1 to outbreak in a slot already containing a code 3. You currently have codes 2 and 3, so you can't stop the outbreak ... but actually it suits you, because it decreases the sum of the codes (the code 1 covers the 3).

Hunt: used before or after the Infection Phase. The mercenary hunts down and eliminates potential disease carriers, if you know the symptoms. Discard a visible code if you have the same code, and lose 1 Population (don't discard your code).

"You know Andrey, sells shrooms at the Fungi Farm. I need you to find and contain him. He's easy to spot, rash from head to toe. ...Just ... just do what's necessary. Then find his family."

Example: The current codes are 1, 2, 3, 3, and you have codes 2 and 3. You can send a mercenary with Hunt to clear the 2 or one of the 3's.

Destroy: used before or after the Infection Phase. The mercenary purges the affected population of an entire settlement, if you know the symptoms. Discard all visible codes of a type which are the same as a code you have (pick only one code number: say, all 2's), and lose 2 Population (don't discard your code).

"This is getting out of hand.... Go to the Rat Farm and do what it needs to be done. Burn it all! Leave nothing."

Example: The currently visible codes are 1, 2, 3, 3, and you have codes 2 and 3. It could be wise to send a mercenary with Destroy to clear both 3's.

• Discarded codes are returned to the code pile and shuffled with the others.

End of Turn

After everybody has played their turn, sum up the values of the topmost, currently visible codes in the infection area (i.e. ignore the codes covered by another code) and decrease the Population by 1 for each 3 points in the sum total. If it reaches the skull space, you LOSE.

Example: The codes in the infection area are currently 3 + 2 + 2 = 7. You lose 2 population.

Hardcore Mode

If you feel like you need more painful realism in your game, apply the following rules to your chosen difficulty setting:

• If you lose all your supplies, you cannot continue playing until another player comes and gives you at least 1 supply via trade (so if you're playing alone, you lose the game). In this mode you don't lose Population when wounded, but while waiting to be saved, each turn you will continue to draw tunnel cards and play only their Infection effect (see Infection Phase).

Skills and Effects

Character Abilities

• Courtesan, Queen and Devourer: The Courtesan ability works only in friendly human encounters. If you come across hostile humans (the Tunnel of Power outpost, Cannibal Cult or Stadium Station battle), you cannot use your ability. On the contrary, Queen and Devourer abilities work even in this case, only on mutants. These three abilities can also be used on a Tunnel Card having a Freelancer option. Using your ability does not prevent you from taking the reward from an Outpost.

  Note: Devouring a mutant encounter in Tunnel Fever allows you to discard a code from the infection area of the game board, without losing population, but you still have to own the same code. Otherwise, you only take the supplies.

  You can devour any mutant encounter, including a Freelancer or someone you just saved from the Subterranean Spiders.

• Soldier and Carapace: Your ability to re-activate an item can be used only after a battle; you cannot use the same weapon or armor twice in the same encounter.

• Stalker and Shapeshifter: when using your ability to pass through an encounter without playing it, this means you can see (Tunnel of Power) or reveal to all players (Tunnel Fever) the card before deciding whether you activate it. If you decide not to activate the card, put it back and take no reward.

• Little Girl/Boy: your ability can stack with certain anomalies which allow the same effect. This means that if some weapons or armor can have a x2 effect in an Anomaly (but have to be discarded), for you they would have x4 effect when you discard them.

• Mole: in the Tunnel Phase you always take +1 Tunnel Card to choose from. In Tunnel Fever, draw 3 cards instead of 2; in Tunnel of Power, draw an additional card from those left face down by the Tunnel Explorer, without passing it on. This card is solely for you and it's discarded if not used.

• Thief: in Tunnel of Power, if you decide to use your ability on a player, then after you steal a random item from them, the player can put up a fight: attack you with one or more of their weapons and after they finish attacking, you can also attack with one or more of your weapons. You can even use the stolen item, if it is for your race. You can also steal from another player in Tunnel Fever, if both of you are at the same Map Card and there are no locations between you, although it may not be very nice.

Mercenary Abilities

• Gigamutant: In Tunnel of Power, you can discard the Gigamutant to defeat an Outpost. If the Outpost/Mercenary was set as an ambush by another player, the Gigamutant attacks that player afterwards.

  In Tunnel Fever, when you encounter a hostile Outpost, you can discard the Gigamutant to instantly defeat it and use the effect of the Destroy action for half the cost (-1 Population). You still need the relevant code for the Destroy action to work.

• Incinerators: You can discard them to instantly defeat a special encounter in a Settlement, if any (as in Cannibal Cult, Abandoned Farm or Stadium Station) and take both reward options.

  In Tunnel Fever this ability also triggers the effect of the Destroy action at the normal cost of 2 population. You still need the relevant code for the Destroy action to work.

• Marauders: In a Settlement, you can discard them to double a reward option. If any rule allows you to take both reward options, you can double them both.

  In Tunnel Fever this ability also triggers the effect of the Destroy action at the normal cost of 2 Population. You still need the relevant code for the Destroy action to work.

• Creeper: In Tunnel of Power, you can discard him to attack any player at your location. This doesn't count as an ambush, so you can send both an ambusher and the Creeper.

  In Tunnel Fever, you can discard him to Hunt or Destroy even during another player's turn. You still need the relevant code for the Hunt or Destroy action to work.

• Spitter: In Tunnel of Power, you can discard them to change your initial choice of location right after the Tunnel Phase ends: when everybody has placed their character tokens, you can decide to visit a Settlement, Outpost or Anomaly instead of the location you're in.

  In Tunnel Fever, if the map you're on and an adjacent map have no tunnel connection, but the adjacent map has a tunnel leading to your Map Card, you can discard the Spitter to reach its tunnel.

• Underdogs: In Tunnel of Power, you can discard them to change your initial choice of turn order right after the Tunnel Phase ends: when everybody has placed their character tokens, you can move your character token to another turn slot within the same location.

Anomaly Effects

• Man-eating Plants, Radiotrophic Fungi and Mutated Thorns: Obligatory effect. If you lose a certain amount of supplies, you must discard an item and sometimes gain an item from the market.
• Insect Swarm: Obligatory effect. The attack power of the Anomaly is increased, based on how many items you have. You can first discard items and then calculate its attack power.
• Walking Dead: Obligatory effect. The damage you take is multiplied for each point of attack power you couldn't reduce by your weapons and armor.
• Subterranean Spiders and Radioactive Contamination: These Anomalies give you an option to take double damage, but acquire an additional reward (a mercenary; an item). For example, if using your items you reduce the damage to 2, you may decide to take it double (4) and gain the bonus reward.
• Explosive Gas and Rat Hordes: You can discard a mercenary or a food token and take the reward without receiving any damage or using any items.
• Reptiloids and Anomalous Colloid: In order to reduce the Anomaly's attack power, you can double the attack or defense power of one or more of your weapons/armor which are usable at this Anomaly, but you will have to discard any item you use this way.
• Radioactive Worms: You can pay a fixed amount of supplies and take a code in addition to the reward you gain from the Anomaly.

Settlement Features

• Hydroponic Farm, Rat Farm and Fungi Farm: You can choose between 4 supplies and a food token. In addition, you can trade 1 food token of a type for 2 food tokens of another. You can also discard any number of items/mercenaries and gain a food token for each of them.
• Abandoned Farm and Cannibal Cult: You can choose between 4 supplies and a free item. In addition, you can activate the top Anomaly/Outpost as a hostile encounter and receive a quest token as a reward. You can also trade a quest token for a large amount of supplies.
• Refugees: You can choose between 4 supplies and a free item. In addition, you can trade any food token for a quest token. You can also trade a quest token for a large amount of supplies.
• Stadium Station: You receive 5 supplies (unless a specific rule allows you to take 5+4). You can buy/sell items and sell tokens. You can play the top Outpost as a hostile encounter and if you receive less than 3 damage, take a code as a reward.
• Haven and National Palace of Culture: You receive 5 supplies (unless a specific rule allows you to take 5+4). You can buy/sell items and sell tokens; some of the items are bought and sold for half price, depending on their race. You can also trade a quest token for a code.
• University: You receive 5 supplies (unless a specific rule allows you to take 5+4). You can buy/sell items and sell tokens. You can also trade a quest token for a code. You can replace a code from the game board with one of the codes you have or with a random code from the code pile.
• Serdika Station and the Mausoleum: You receive 5 supplies (unless a specific rule allows you to take 5+4). You can buy/sell items and sell tokens; in Serdika all items are traded for an increased price. You can also trade food or quest tokens for a large amount of supplies.

Some Weapon PvP Effects

• Machete, Shotgun, Toxic Grenades, Molotov Cocktails: Against a player these weapons provide an additional attack. The attacked player may defend with the same armor (if it provides the correct defenses) or with another armor (becomes inactive too).
• Chainsaw: In order to increase this weapon's attack you may choose to make inactive some of your active items (as if you have just used them).
• Handgun: Instead of attacking with this weapon, you may use it instantly to prevent an enemy weapon's PvP effect.
• Combat Rifle: Use normally for 5 attack or use twice for 4 attack against the same armor.
• Gas Grenades, Parasites: If you deal enough damage with this weapon, you may make active again another previously used item, and potentially use it again in the same combat.
• Flamethrower: Use normally for 5 attack or use for 7 attack allowing the enemy to stack two armor cards' bonuses.
• Claws: If you deal at least 3 damage, for each 3 damage dealt make one active enemy item inactive for this turn.
• Tail: Use normally for 5 attack or use for 4 attack, increasing your next weapons' attack.
• Net: Instead of attacking with this weapon, you may use it instantly to reduce an enemy weapon's attacks of all types.
• Mutagen Spores: If you deal enough damage with this weapon, you may use an enemy player's active weapon against them (if the enemy has one). This turns the weapon inactive.
• Acid Blood: Instead of attacking with this weapon, you may use it when defending to make the enemy take 1 damage for every 2 damage you receive.

Arena

Story

How much is life worth without some fun? And if every day is a struggle to stay alive, why not bet a bit more?

As one of the oldest subway stations in the city, the Stadium keeps the competitive spirit alive ... but not the competitors. Yet the daily bloody show attracts plenty of merchants, spectators and revelers from all other tunnels.

Game Goal

The first player who loses all their supplies loses the game. The other player WINS.

Game Setup

• Shuffle the item cards. Each player draws 6 cards.
• Place the deck with the remaining item cards between the two of you, face down.
• Each player takes 20 supplies.

The players determine the first player to attack. If they cannot agree on this, the first player is the player who went underground most recently (subway, underpass, why not a nuclear shelter).

In player order, each player takes a look at their item cards and announces their race: human or mutant. A human player cannot use mutant cards, and vice versa.

Then the first player makes the first turn.

Turn Sequence

You have 3 action points (AP) per turn and you can use them in any order you like. 1 AP costs:

• Drawing the top item card from the deck. There is no inventory limit for the Arena.
• Equipping an item from your inventory by placing the item in front of you, face up. Equipped weapons and armor are active from this moment.
• Announcing an attack with one of your equipped weapons, if it is active. Move forward your weapon of choice.

You may discard any 2 cards to receive 1 additional AP for the turn.

Attack and Defense

Any attack is resolved during the defender's turn, along with the PvP effect of the weapon. During their turn, the defender will lose supplies equal to the attack power of each weapon attacking them, and for each attack they can use one of their active armor cards to reduce the damage received.

• Using the defense values of an equipped active armor card does not require AP, but the defender can use AP to play an armor card from their inventory.
• If the PvP effect of a certain weapon provides an additional attack, the defender may use defenses from two different cards for each attack separately or from a single card which provides defense against both attacks.
• Using a weapon PvP effect which can counter something (damage or PvP effect) costs AP and the weapon can't be used to initiate an attack during this turn.

Any card used for attack or defense becomes inactive (put it sideways) and cannot be used again until the next turn of the same player. In the beginning of that turn, all used cards become active again.

Example: On the table Cindy has Parasites and attacks with them (1 AP), places the Proboscis from her inventory (1 AP) and attacks with it too (1 AP). In his turn George defends with the Heavy Shield from the Parasites (2 dmg taken) and cannot defend from the Proboscis (3 dmg which Cindy receives as health), because the Gas Mask doesn't provide melee protection. Since the damage is calculated in his turn, to defend from the Proboscis George can use 1 AP to place another melee armor from his inventory. In this case he will be left only with 2 AP to place a weapon and attack with it.

Quick Rules: Tunnel of Power

Game Goal

Gather the required access codes and open the blast door in the Tunnel of Power.

Tunnel Phase

Following the current player order, the first player takes the Tunnel Explorer card, draws Tunnel Cards as indicated there and picks one of them:

1. If you want, play the Special action.
2. Choose one location/turn order combination and place your character token in the corresponding slot on the game board.
3. Give the remaining Tunnel Cards to the player on your left.

Contact Phase

Following the current location order of the placed character tokens and starting from the leftmost location, announce your combat actions:

• Will you attack the player before you.
  • The defender may send a mercenary as a meat shield: the attacker must defeat them first.
  • After that, the attacker may use some or all of their weapon cards on the defender.
  • Then the defender can attack back with some or all of their weapons.
• Will you leave a mercenary as an ambush for the player behind you.
  • The succeeding player immediately resolves the battle.
• Any used items are placed sideways to indicate they cannot be used again until the end of the current turn.

Location Phase

Following the current location order of the placed character tokens and starting from the leftmost location, activate the locations:

• I. Settlement:
  • The first visitor takes both options and plays any optional choices available.
  • The succeeding visitors activate the same Settlement, pick one option and play any optional choices available.
• II. Outpost: If the Outpost belongs to the opposite race, fight them. If not, for their hire cost you can hire them (take them as Mercenaries) or bribe them (make them hostile to any succeeding players). Any succeeding players encounter the Outpost if it wasn't defeated or hired by a preceding player.
  • Loot: two free items for the first player; one free item for the succeeding players (even if the Outpost was hired, bribed or defeated).
• III. Anomaly: All players fight the same Anomaly (pay attention to its special effects, if obligatory).
  • Loot: a choice of code for the first player (if taken from the board, replace it with a random code); a random code from the code pile for the succeeding players. If there are no codes in the code pile, a code can be taken only from the game board.
• IV. Tunnel of Power: Activate and fight a new Outpost (always hostile here) and a new Anomaly, and take the rewards following the same rules.
  • When you get to the Vault Door, if you own the current code combination, you win.

Defeat

If you lose all your supplies, stop your turn. Start the next turn with 6 supplies.

Quick Rules: Tunnel Fever

Game Goal

Remove all codes from the infection area, before all the population dies out.

Tunnel Phase

Draw two Tunnel cards and pick one of them.

• Play the Special effect of the card (yellow text) and take the reward, if any.

Map Phase

Move your character token and activate any location you pass through on the current map and a maximum of one map connected to it by a tunnel or a shaft:

• Settlement 1-3: Pick an option and play any optional choices available.
  • You may discard from the infection area a visible code number 1, 2 or 3 for each 3, 6 or 9 supplies you give the good doctor, respectively.
• Settlement 4: Pick an option and play any optional choices available.
  • You may discard a copy of all currently visible codes to permanently close a code slot (turn the top code face down and discard the others to the code pile).
• Random Outpost: If it belongs to the opposite race, fight them. If not, you can hire them for their hiring cost (which allows you to use them once for their mercenary ability or for an infection action).
  • In both cases you get the loot: a free item from the market or from the deck.
• Random Anomaly: Fight it and pay attention to its special effects (if obligatory).
  • Loot a random code from the code pile. If the pile is empty, pick a code from the game board.
• If you want, pay 2 supplies and move to another Shaft on the map.

Infection Phase

Play the Infection effect of the card (orange text). If the code pile is empty, so you can't draw a new code, decrease Population by 1.

Mercenary Actions

At any time of the turn, you can use one or more mercenary infection actions to prevent or discard infection effects (discard the used Mercenary):

• Warn: Prevent one Contamination if you have a copy of the new code.
• Quarantine: Prevent one Outbreak if you have a copy of the new code.
• Hunt: Decrease Population by 1 and discard a code if you have a copy of it.
• Destroy: Decrease Population by 2 and discard all codes of a single type which are the same as a copy you have.

Defeat

If you lose all your supplies, stop your turn and decrease Population by 1. Start the next turn with 6 supplies.

End of Turn

After everybody has played their turn, sum up the currently visible codes in the infection area and decrease the Population by 1 for each 3 points in the total sum. If it reaches the skull space, you lose.