Castle Panic: The Dark Titan Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Game Setup
  • Hand Size
  • Order of Play
• Special Terms and Mechanics
  • Hit Cards
  • Color Cards
  • Banish
  • Boiling Oil
• Castle Cards
  • Barrage
  • Cavalier
• Monster Tokens
  • Agranok and Heralds
  • Boom Troll
  • Dark Sorceress
  • Elite Monsters
  • Plagues
  • Wither
• Support Tokens
  • Using Support Tokens
• Victory Points
• Overlord Version
• Solitaire Game
  • Notes for The Dark Titan
• Alternate Rules
  • Less Panic
  • More Panic

Overview

Ages: 8 and Up. Number of Players: 1 to 6.

The objective of The Dark Titan is the same as that of Castle Panic. Players must defeat all the Monsters and have at least 1 Tower standing to win the game.

Components

(The Dark Titan requires the full version of Castle Panic to play.)

• Agranok Token: The Dark Titan
• 5 Agranok Cards: Different versions of Agranok, each with their own difficulty (pp. 26–27)
• 17 Monster Tokens: New threats to Castle Bravehold (pp. 27–28)
• 3 Support Tokens: Helpful bonuses for players (not Monsters but in the Monster pile) (pp. 28–29)
• 1 Dark Sorceress Token: A powerful Mega Boss Monster (p. 27)
• 6 Reference Cards
• 5 Castle Cards: New help for the players (pp. 25–26)
• 1 Cavalier Token: A piece that players move on the board to fight Monsters (pp. 25–26)
• 1 Plastic Stand: The Cavalier's stand

Game Setup

The Dark Titan setup is very similar to the setup for Castle Panic. The only changes will be to the Castle deck and Monster bag. Place Walls and Towers on the board as you would normally and then follow the directions below.

If playing with Castle Panic only:

1. Remove the following Monsters from the game. They will not be used with this expansion.
   • 3 Goblins
   • 4 Orcs
   • 3 Trolls
2. Add all the Monster tokens and Support tokens from The Dark Titan expansion to the Monster draw bag.
3. Place the same starting Monsters as usual (3 Goblins, 2 Orcs, 1 Troll), with 1 in each arc of the Archer ring. (Players choose which Monster to place in which arc.)

If you are combining The Dark Titan with any of the other expansions, there will be additional changes made when setting up the game. See the Setup Chart on pp. 47–48 for more details.

Alternate ways to set up the game are included in the Alternate Rules section on p. 29.

Prepare the Agranok card: Players can either choose a version of Agranok they wish to fight or draw a version at random. See pp. 26–27 for details on the different versions.

• If drawing at random, shuffle the Agranok cards and draw 1 card facedown. Do not look at the front of the card.

• Regardless of how a card is chosen, place it facedown near the board and put the Agranok token (8-point side up) on the card in the space indicated. The remaining Agranok cards will not be used in the game and should be returned to the box.

• Place the Cavalier token in its plastic stand and set it aside.

• Shuffle the new Castle cards into the Castle deck.

NOTE: If playing a solitaire game, do not add the Barrage card. Also do not add the Stand Together card, or Basilisk Monster if including The Wizard's Tower.

• Set aside the Dark Sorceress, but include her Harbinger token with the Monster tokens.
• Deal out Castle cards. Hand size and card trading limits are unchanged from Castle Panic.

The Order of Play is unchanged; however, the Cavalier acts after Phase 4 and before Phase 5. See also Cavalier, pp. 25–26.

Hand Size

Players	Cards	Trade
2	6	1
3–5	5	1
6	4	2

Order of Play

1. Draw up
2. Discard and draw 1 card (opt.)
3. Trade cards (opt.)
4. Play cards 4.5. Move the Cavalier
5. Move Monsters
6. Draw 2 new Monsters

Special Terms and Mechanics

Hit Cards

Boiling Oil cards are NOT hit cards.

Color Cards

In this expansion, new Plague tokens and the Support tokens interact with cards by their Red, Green, or Blue color. Color cards are any card (Castle or Wizard) that use color in their title, including "Any Color" cards. Blue Archer, Any Color Knight, Red Fireball, and Green Boiling Oil are all examples of color cards.

Banish

This expansion introduces the term "banish" to the game. Whenever a card is banished, it is removed from the game and returned to the box, not the discard pile. A banished card cannot be used again until the next time the game is played.

Boiling Oil

• Blue Boiling Oil: Damage all Monsters in the Blue Swordsman ring for 1 point.
• Green Boiling Oil: Damage all Monsters in the Green Swordsman ring for 1 point.
• Red Boiling Oil: Damage all Monsters in the Red Swordsman ring for 1 point.

Note: Boiling Oil damages Elite Monsters with no roll required and can be used against Flying Monsters. Boiling Oil cards are NOT hit cards.

Castle Cards

Barrage

• Choose 1 ring or 1 color.
• Starting with the current player and continuing clockwise, all players may immediately play as many Hit cards of that type as they wish. (Hit cards cannot be combined with a Special card during Barrage.)
• If choosing a color, this would include "Any Color" cards.
• If choosing a ring, this would include Hero cards.
• If a player slays a Monster during a Barrage, he or she keeps it, not the player that played Barrage.

Cavalier

This horse-mounted warrior is controlled by the players as he moves on the board, fighting Monsters wherever he encounters them.

Placing the Cavalier: When the Cavalier card is played, place the Cavalier token in any arc of the Swordsman ring. (There can be only 1 Cavalier in play at a time.)

Using the Cavalier

• The Cavalier acts between phases 4 and 5—AFTER a player has played all their cards but BEFORE the Monsters move. (Think of it as phase 4.5.)
• He can move and attack, or attack and move, but he cannot fight or move twice.

Moving the Cavalier

• Movement is 1 space only—forward, backward, left, or right (not diagonal)
• He may enter the Forest and Castle rings.
• He moves through Walls and can be in the same space as a Tower. When moving through the Castle ring, he must move clockwise or counter-clockwise. He cannot move through the middle of the board.

Fighting with the Cavalier

The Cavalier fights only 1 Monster on his phase (regardless of how many Monsters are in the space) by dealing 2 points of damage to the Monster and taking damage equal to the Monster's health before the fight.

• The Cavalier does not have to fight, even if he is in the same space with Monsters.
• If the Cavalier only takes 1 point of damage, it is negated and the Cavalier stays on the board. He will fight at his full 2-point strength next turn.
• If the Cavalier takes 2 or more points of damage, he is destroyed and removed from the board. (He can return to the game if a player plays the Cavalier card again.)
• The Cavalier does not require a die roll to damage an Elite Monster.
• If a player uses the Cavalier to slay a Monster, he or she keeps that Monster as a Trophy.
• The Cavalier does not fight Monsters who enter or leave the same space as him during Phase 5 or 6.
• The Cavalier is destroyed by Boulders.

Cavalier Fighting Examples: The rulebook illustrates three examples. In each, the Cavalier deals 2 points of damage to a Monster and takes damage equal to that Monster's health, shown as 1, 2 and 3 points respectively. The 1-point example is negated and the Cavalier stays on the board; in the 2- and 3-point examples he takes 2 or more damage and is destroyed.

Notes for The Wizard's Tower (as printed on p. 26; these apply only when The Wizard's Tower is also in play):

• If the Cavalier is ever in the path of a fire-breathing Monster when it breathes fire, the Cavalier is immediately destroyed, no matter what his health is, and the fire continues.
• The Cavalier cannot be damaged or caught on fire by the players.
• The Cavalier fights a "variable" Monster (e.g., Cyclops) at the Monster's current health. However, if the fight occurs in that Monster's special vulnerable ring, the Monster is destroyed.
• If the Cavalier slays the Boom Troll, the Cavalier is destroyed as well.
• The Cavalier CAN attack flying monsters.
• If the Phoenix dies in the same space, it destroys the Cavalier.

Monster Tokens

Agranok and Heralds

There are 5 versions of Agranok, represented by the 5 Agranok cards. Each version is a different level of difficulty. The difficulty is indicated by the number of red pips on the front of the card, with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the most difficult. If playing with younger or new players, we recommend choosing the Level 1 version. More experienced players will want to pick a higher level.

Agranok's Health Points

• Agranok is a two-sided token with his starting side showing 5–8 points of health and his wounded side showing 2–4 points.
• When Agranok is at his lowest health (2 points), he cannot be injured by a single damage point. He must take 2 points of damage in the same Phase to be killed.
• Agranok takes NO damage when he destroys a Castle structure.

Summoning Agranok and Placing Heralds

Agranok is not drawn like a standard Monster token. Instead, he is summoned into play by his Heralds. There are 5 Heralds in the game. The first 3 will be used to summon Agranok.

• When the first 3 Heralds are drawn, they are not placed on the board. Instead they are placed (in order) onto the numbered Herald spaces on the Agranok card.
• Each time a Herald is placed, there is an immediate effect that must be resolved. The Herald effects printed on the Agranok card are: 1st Herald: All players discard 1 Hit card of their choice. 2nd Herald: All players discard 1 Special card of their choice. 3rd Herald: Roll for a Giant Boulder.
• When the 3rd Herald is placed, resolve its effect and then roll the die and place Agranok in the Forest.
• Once Agranok is brought into play, the 3 Herald tokens that summoned him are discarded and the Agranok card is flipped faceup.

The Fourth and Fifth Heralds

• A Herald drawn while Agranok is on the board is placed in the Forest as a 2-point Monster. Then players roll to cause Agranok's effect, unless Agranok is in the Castle ring.
• A Herald drawn after Agranok has been destroyed is treated as a regular Monster with 2 points of health and no special effect.

Agranok's Effects and Movement

• Agranok moves 1 space following normal Monster movement rules on Phase 5.
• Levels 2–5 of Agranok feature random effects that trigger after he moves on Phase 5.
• After moving Monsters, roll the die and resolve the resulting effect as indicated on the Agranok card.
• Agranok does NOT roll after moving if he
  • does not move,
  • moves himself by die roll,
  • is moved by another Monster token/Card effect, or
  • is in the Castle ring.
• When levels 3 and 4 of Agranok cause the placement of a discarded Herald, players do NOT roll to cause another of Agranok's effects.

The per-level effects are printed on the Agranok cards themselves and are not reproduced in this rulebook.

Damaging Agranok

• Slay cards played against Agranok do not kill him but instead cause 4 points of damage and are Banished from the game. This includes any card that uses the term "slay," such as Barbarian, Nice Shot, Wizard's Quake, or Hammer of Light.
• Any time Agranok is flipped to his wounded side, ALL players must immediately discard 1 card from their hand at random.
• Agranok takes NO damage when he destroys a Castle structure.

Slaying Agranok

• When his health is at its minimum of 2 it takes 2 points of damage in the same Phase to slay him. (e.g., 2 Hit cards)
• If Agranok is destroyed, he turns into smoke and returns to the Void. So, no player may claim his body as a Trophy.
• Agranok is not affected by Boulders of any type.

Notes for The Wizard's Tower (as printed on p. 27; these apply only when The Wizard's Tower is also in play):

• Agranok can be set on fire like any other Monster and takes fire damage after movement, even if he moves himself.
• Once his health has reached its minimum of 2, the resulting 1 point of damage from a single fire token after movement is not enough on its own to destroy him. So, Agranok would remain at 2 points of health.
• If Agranok had more than 1 flame token on him those points would be enough to slay him.
• Wizard's Quake does affect Agranok (see Damaging Agranok).

Boom Troll

This Troll has a huge explosive strapped to his back.

• When the Boom Troll is slain, it self-destructs, causing 1 point of damage to all Monsters in the same space as the Boom Troll.
• If this Monster hits a Castle structure, it self-destructs, destroying ALL Castle structures (Wall, Tower, and Fortify token) in that arc as well (not the whole color).
• If the Boom Troll is slain in the Swordsman ring or Castle ring, it does not cause any damage to the Castle.
• If slain by the Cavalier, the Cavalier is destroyed as well.
• If a player slays the Boom Troll and the explosion destroys additional Monsters, he or she keeps those Monsters as Trophies as well (only in Master Slayer version).

Dark Sorceress

This powerful magician casts a crippling spell on the players and functions as a Mega Boss Monster.

• When her Harbinger token is drawn, all players must discard 1 card of their choice.
• The Harbinger token is then discarded, and the Dark Sorceress token is placed by a die roll in the Forest.
• As long as the Dark Sorceress is on the board, the normal hand size is reduced by 1.
• The Dark Sorceress is not affected by Giant Boulders, Flaming Boulders (if playing with The Wizard's Tower), or the Trebuchet (if playing with Engines of War).
• If playing by Master Slayer rules, she is worth 5 victory points.

Elite Monsters

These highly trained Monsters are the backbone of Agranok's army. They are veteran warriors who can dodge attacks.

• When a hit card is played against them, the player must roll the die. On 1 or 2, the attack misses and the hit card is discarded. Otherwise, the attack is successful, and the Monster is damaged as normal.
• If an attack using a hit card and a Special card (such as Nice Shot or Enchanted) is made against an Elite Monster, the player must declare use of the Special card BEFORE rolling the die.
  • If the attack fails, both the hit card and the Special card used are discarded with no effect.
• Rolling to hit an Elite is only required when playing hit cards.
• Players do not roll when attacking Elite Monsters with Wizard Cards, the Barbarian, Boiling Oil, or the Cavalier. These attacks are always successful against Elites.
• When an Elite and a Support token fight, they damage each other for 1 point. There is no need to roll.

Plagues

• Blue Plague: All players must discard all Blue color cards (Color Cards, p. 25).
• Green Plague: All players must discard all Green color cards (Color Cards, p. 25).
• Red Plague: All players must discard all Red color cards (Color Cards, p. 25).

Note: "Any Color" and Hero cards ARE affected by color Plagues.

Wither

Banish the top card from the Castle deck.

• If the Castle deck has run out, shuffle the deck and then Banish the top card.
• Remember, Banished cards are removed from the current game entirely, not just discarded.

Support Tokens

There are 3 Support tokens in the game: Reserve Squad, Stonemason's Cart, and the Supply Wagon.

• These tokens are new components that represent friendly forces, which provide special help to the players if they reach the Castle ring.
• Although they are triangle shaped, are included in the Monster pile and feature the same back as a Monster token, Support tokens are NOT Monster tokens.
  • Drawing a Support token DOES still count towards drawing a Monster token on Step 6 of the Order of Play.
  • Support tokens cannot be damaged or caught on fire by the players.

Placing Support Tokens: When drawn, Support tokens are placed in the Forest by a die roll.

Moving Support Tokens: Support tokens DO NOT move during the Move Monsters phase.

• During a player's Play Cards phase, he or she may discard any color card (p. 25) to move a Support token 1 space back, forward, left, or right (not diagonally).
• If the color of the discarded card matches the color the Support token is currently in, the player moves the Support token 2 spaces in any combination of directions.
• Color cards discarded to move a Support token cannot also be used to hit a Monster.
• Players may discard as many color cards as they wish to move a Support token.
• Support tokens moving past a Monster must fight that Monster.
• Since they are not Monster tokens, Support tokens are NOT affected by any movement or healing effects from Monster tokens.

Fighting with Support Tokens: Any phase a Monster token and a Support token are in the same space (except the Castle ring), they immediately do battle.

• Each token inflicts 1 point of damage on the other, so each token loses 1 health.
• If multiple Monsters and/or multiple Support tokens are in the same space, each Support token fights only once.
  • Players choose which Monster(s) is/are fought and in what order the Support token(s) fight.
• Support tokens hit by Boulders are always destroyed.

Using Support Tokens

Once a Support token reaches the Castle ring, it is removed from the board (without fighting any Monsters present) and immediately gives the players its benefit.

• Reserve Squad: The current player distributes points of damage equal to the current health of the Reserve Squad to any Monster anywhere on the board, including the Forest and Castle rings.
• Stonemason's Cart: The current player builds a number of walls equal to the current health of the Stonemason's Cart.
• Supply Wagon: Each player, starting with the current player, draws a number of cards from the Castle deck equal to the current health of the Supply Wagon. (Exceeding the normal hand size is allowed.)

Victory Points

• Boom Troll: 3 points
• Dark Sorceress: 5 points
• Elite Goblin: 2 points (starting health +1)
• Elite Orc: 3 points (starting health +1)
• Elite Troll: 4 points (starting health +1)
• Agranok: 0 points (remember that he is discarded when he is slain)
• All Other Monsters: equal to their starting health

Overlord Version

• Playing with Agranok at Level 1, 2, or 3 (not 4 or 5) and letting the Overlord choose one of those at random is recommended.
• When the Overlord draws a Support token, he or she must include it as one of the tokens played that turn. The Overlord cannot keep a Support token in his or her hand.
• In the rare event that the Overlord draws all 3 Support tokens at once, he or she must play all 3 that turn.

Solitaire Game

• The card Barrage has no effect in a solitaire game, so we recommend removing it.

Notes for The Dark Titan

These notes are printed in the Solitaire Game section of the Big Box rulebook (p. 38). They refer to Engines of War pieces such as the Catapult, Ballista, Keep, Siege Engines, Encampments and Field Equipment, and apply when those are in play.

Players

• Do not roll when attacking Elite Monsters with Catapult or Ballista. These attacks are always successful against Elites.

Agranok

• Damaged for 2 points by Catapult attacks (3rd point can be distributed to another Monster in the same space)
• Damaged for 1 point by Ballista attacks, whether he is the target or behind it.
• Affected by Field Equipment.

Monsters

• Boom Troll DOES destroy the Keep.

Support Tokens

• Barracks and Forward Camp do not control placement of Support tokens.
• Are NOT affected by Field Equipment OR Catapult or Ballista attacks.
• DO fight Siege Engines and Encampments.
• The Supply Wagon DOES allow drawing from the Resource or Castle deck.

Alternate Rules

Less Panic

• Burning the Midnight Oil: If Boiling Oil is played on a Monster currently on fire, it causes 1 additional point of damage to that Monster.
• Slippery Slope: Boiling Oil may be played in the Castle OR Swordsman ring.
• Sigh of Relief: When Agranok is destroyed, all players draw 1 card from the Castle Deck.

More Panic

• Demolition Man: If the Boom Troll hits a Castle structure at full health, his explosion destroys all structures in BOTH arcs of the color he is in.
• The Gang's All Here: Include additional Harbinger tokens to the draw pile.