Dice Horde
Dice Horde Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Game Setup
- Game Flow
- Detailed Description of Basic Dice Actions
- 4. (Step 2) Player Actions
- Detailed Description of Basic Player Actions
- Tower Attacks
- Tower Special Abilities
- 5. (Step 3) Main Tower Attack
- 6. (Step 4) Ruler Actions (Optional)
- Dice Special Abilities
- Final Notes
- Changes in the Demo Version
- Full Game Contents
Game Setup
To play, you will need:
A. The Tower Sheet.
B. The Ruler Sheet.
C. 13 six-sided dice:
C1. Place 4 dice of each of the three different colors to the left of the Tower Sheet. These dice form the Dice Pool.
C2. Place 1 die above the Tower Sheet. It will be used to roll for and track the rounds.
D. Something to write with.
Optionally, before starting the game, you may color the elements of the Tower Sheet and the Ruler Sheet so that they match the colors of the dice used in the game (you may also do this in any graphic design software before printing them).
Elements to be colored:
- The dice on the left side of the Tower Sheet.
- The dice on the Ruler Sheet.
Example: You are playing with green, yellow, and red dice, so you assign each color to a selected type of die.
Game Flow
1. Dice Appearing on the Horizon
Mark the appropriate round, then move the indicated dice onto the Tower Sheet, placing them next to the corresponding flags and setting their values to those indicated by the current round. They have just appeared on the horizon and are heading your way!
Example: In round one, the following dice appear on the horizon: 1 die A, 1 die B, and 2 dice C. You therefore place them next to the corresponding flags on the Tower Sheet.
NOTE: If new dice of a given type would appear on the Horizon but their pool is empty, all dice of that type currently in play heal. If a die already has the maximum value (6), it moves 1 segment forward instead.
Example: Two B dice should appear on the horizon, but there are already 3 B dice in the game. The first die appears on the horizon as normal, and for the missing die, all B dice gain +1 (including the new die that appeared on the horizon!).
In some rounds, no new dice appear on the Horizon, but dice already in play may still perform other actions, such as movement.
2. Rolling to Determine the Round Segment
Each round, you roll the thirteenth die. Then, mark the drawn segment on the Tower Sheet by placing the die on that segment and writing down the current round number. In the first round, count the segments in order, starting from the top-left segment.
Example 1: The die shows 2, so you count two segments, place the die on the appropriate segment, and write down the round number (1).
In subsequent rounds, you begin counting from the segment selected in the previous round. If you reach the last segment, return to the beginning and continue counting, skipping any segments that have already been used.
Example 2: In the third round, the die shows 3. While counting (starting from the segment marked with round two), you reach the last segment and continue counting from the first one. Along the way, you skip the second segment (X), which was used in the first round. As a result, the segment drawn for the third round is segment three.
After selecting the segment, resolve its four steps one by one, in order.
3. (Step 1) Dice Actions
The first step determines which actions the dice perform during the round. If multiple symbols are shown under a given die type, each die of that type performs all of those actions, in order from top to bottom.
Dice of the specified type (e.g. B) that are on the path resolve their actions first, from the weakest (dice with the lowest values) to the strongest (dice with the highest values). Dice on the horizon activate afterward.
Example: During the activation of B dice, the die with a value of 2 moves first, followed by the die with a value of 4, and finally the die with a value of 3 located on the horizon.
If there are multiple dice of the same type and value on the path (for example, two B dice with a value of 2), the die closest to the kingdom gates resolves its actions first.
Example: Both B dice have a value of 2, so the die closest to the gates moves first.
If both dice are at the same distance from the gates, the die located on the space with the lowest number activates first.
Example: Both B dice have a value of 2 and are on the same segment, so the die on space 1 activates first.
REMEMBER: Each die resolves all of its actions immediately (for example, movement and attack).
Once all dice of a given type (e.g. B) have resolved their actions, the next die type (e.g. A) resolves its actions following the same rules - from weakest to strongest etc. The example below should clarify any remaining doubts:
Example: The segment drawn this round indicates that A dice (yellow) activate first. There are three such dice on the path with values 1, 3, and 3. The yellow die with a value of 1 resolves its actions first. Next, the die with a value of 3 located on space 1 activates, followed immediately by the other A die with a value of 3.
These are all A dice on the path, so the A dice on the horizon activate next - again from weakest to strongest, meaning the die with a value of 3 first, followed by 4.
Next, the B dice (red) resolve their actions. The die on the path with a value of 4 activates first, followed by the die on the horizon with a value of 3.
Finally, the C dice (green) activate in the following order: the die with a value of 2, then the die with a value of 3. Thankfully, there are no more dice on the horizon!
After resolving actions for a given die type, cross it out to avoid confusion. Trust us - you really don't want them attacking more times than they should.
Now that you understand the hierarchy of these strange creatures, let's take a closer look at their behavior!
Detailed Description of Basic Dice Actions
Movement
These pesky creatures are trying to break through the gate! Each time a die crosses the gate, you mark the damage indicated on its die flag (you will read more about it shortly). For now, simply remember that each die crossing the gate ALWAYS deals at least 1 damage and then returns to the dice pool. If the gate loses all of its durability points, you lose the game and the kingdom falls into chaos. We definitely don't want that!!
A die's value determines how far it can move. Detailed information can be found on the die flag for that die type.
Example: All A dice with values 1-2 move 1 segment during a movement action. Dice with values 3-4 move 2 segments, while dice with values 5-6 move as many as 3 segments.
The path is divided into segments, and each segment consists of 4 numbered spaces. Dice ending their movement in a segment occupy the spaces in order - from the first to the fourth.
If a die is supposed to end its movement on a segment where all spaces are already occupied, it stops on the previous segment. However, during movement, a die may jump over full segments if it has enough movement points to end its move on an empty space.
Example: A green die with a value of 3 is supposed to end its movement on a segment that is already completely full, so it stops on the previous segment. If it had 1 additional movement point, it would jump over the occupied segment and end its movement on the next one.
Attack
Next to the movement value on the flag is the attack strength. The lower part of the flag shows information about the die's special ability or type of attack. Descriptions of the abilities of each die type can be found at the end of this rulebook.
Mark damage received by circling heart symbols next to the attacked tower. If all heart symbols are marked, the tower is destroyed and can no longer be used.
If all towers that a die could attack during its round are already destroyed, the die moves 1 segment forward instead of attacking.
Healing
The healing symbol means that all dice of the given type currently in the game (both on the horizon and on the path) increase their value by 1.
If a die already has the maximum value (6), it instead moves 1 segment forward.
4. (Step 2) Player Actions
The second step offers two sets of actions to choose from: the upper set and the lower set. You may choose only one of them, and you may resolve the actions it contains in any order.
Just like with dice actions, we recommend crossing off completed player actions.
Detailed Description of Basic Player Actions
Building a Barricade
You may place barricades on the path to slow down dice. Each barricade in a column subtracts 1 movement point from any die attempting to jump over it. If the die succeeds, it continues moving (provided it still has movement points remaining).
If a die is supposed to attack while it is in a segment containing a barricade, the barricade belonging to that segment becomes the attack target. It does not matter whether the die is on space 1, 2, 3, or 4. Barricades belonging to a segment are those located to its right.
A barricade has 1 durability point.
Example 1: An A-type die with a value of 3 begins its movement just before a barricade. This die type has 2 movement points, so it jumps over the barricade and ends its movement just behind it, as the barricade required spending 1 additional movement point.
Example 2: An A-type die with a value of 3 begins its movement just before a double barricade. Since it has 2 movement points and such a barricade subtracts exactly that amount, the die cannot jump over it. The die's movement ends, and as its second action (attack), it destroys one of the barricades.
If the die dealt 2 damage, it would destroy both barricades at once.
Placing a Trap
You may also set traps. To do so, circle the trap symbol on a chosen space. That space must not currently be occupied by a die.
When a die ends its movement on a trap, it takes 3 damage (meaning that if its next action is an attack, it will be weaker). Once a trap is triggered, mark its center to indicate that it has been used.
Example 1: A die with a value of 5 stops on a trap space. You reduce its value by 3 and mark the trap as used. If the die is to perform an attack in the same turn, that attack will already be weakened.
Example 2: A die with a value of 3 stops on a trap space and is therefore defeated. Mark the trap as used and place the die in the Graveyard without changing its value.
More information about defeating dice and the Graveyard can be found in the section on tower attacks.
Upgrading a Tower's Statistics
This action allows you to increase one selected statistic of any tower by 1 level. Simply mark one of the dots and immediately apply its effect.
Each tower has three statistics:
- red - increases damage dealt,
- green - allows the tower to attack more dice on the selected segment,
- blue - increases attack range to additional segments.
Specific examples of their use will be discussed later, during the explanation of tower attacks. For now, let's return to defense! After all, the best defense is an attack... or something like that...
Increasing a Tower's Armor Level
Armor protects your towers from attacks. Each shield symbol marked next to a tower reduces the damage it receives by 1.
Armor applies separately to each attack - if a tower is attacked by two dice, the damage from each attack is reduced individually.
Example: Two yellow dice (A) attack a green tower. Fortunately, the armor completely reduces the first die's (with a value of 2) attack. However, its stronger companion (with a value of 3) manages to break through, dealing 1 damage. That is still far less than the 3 damage the tower would have taken without armor!
Oh Lord, bless our armorers!
Attacking with a Tower of the Indicated Color
Flags are assigned to specific tower types. When you are instructed to activate a tower of a given color, you may choose any tower with the corresponding flag.
If all towers of that color have already been destroyed, you cannot perform this action.
Attacking with Any Tower
A multicolored flag allows you to choose any tower along the path and perform an attack with it.
Tower Attacks
Attacking is very simple! Follow these steps:
- Choose the tower you want to activate.
Which tower you may activate in a given round depends on the color of the flag shown on the round segment.
Example: You choose to activate a red tower. One of them has been destroyed, so you may choose either of the remaining two. You decide on the one in the top row.
- Choose a segment within its range.
Range is measured in segments. The segment in which an active tower is located is at range 1. Adjacent segments to the left and right are at range 2, the next ones at range 3, and so on.
Example: The selected tower has an upgraded range, giving you access to two additional segments at range 2. You choose the segment with four dice.
- Choose targets.
By default, each tower may choose one target (one die). After upgrading this statistic, all chosen targets must be located on the same segment.
Example: Thanks to advanced technology, you may attack two different targets. You choose the green three and the red three.
- Deal damage!
Each die chosen as a target takes damage equal to the red statistic value of the activated tower.
Example 1: Your tower deals 3 damage to each selected die, sending both of them to the Graveyard with their values unchanged. Well done!
If, during a single attack, you deal damage to a die that is equal to or greater than its hit points (value), place it in the Graveyard without changing its value.
If you deal less damage, subtract it from the die's value; the die remains on the path with reduced hit points.
A tower always deals the maximum possible damage - that is, if its red stat is upgraded to level 3, the tower always deals 3 damage.
Example 2: You deal 2 damage to a yellow three and a green two. The three is reduced to 1 and remains on the path, while the two is placed in the Graveyard with its value unchanged.
As you can see, tower attacks are very simple and intuitive (right?). However, things become much more interesting once you start activating your towers' special abilities!
Tower Special Abilities
Special abilities are powerful tools of destruction that will often save your skin! However, you must use them wisely, as the number of their charges is very limited.
You gain access to a special ability once your tower has received the required amount of damage. Under certain durability points, there is an arrow pointing to a sign, which indicates the preparation of a special ability charge. Circle the sign when you receive the damage.
Remember that a tower has a limited number of durability points. If it loses all of them, it is destroyed, and any unused special ability charges are lost. Mark a large X on the tower to indicate that it has been destroyed.
Example: A green tower has received 2 damage. The first point of damage activates the first special ability charge - circle the sign to mark it.
Special Ability Charges
When attacking with a tower, you may choose to use its special ability. To do so, mark an active charge inside the sign, then resolve its effect.
During a single attack, you may activate a special ability only once, even if you have multiple active charges.
If the effect affects multiple dice, the order in which you resolve it is your choice. If you are unsure, resolve the effect according to the numbers of the spaces on which the affected dice are located.
Effects of Tower Special Abilities
Green
The most basic of our tower abilities. The effect is really simple: add +2 damage to the attack against one targeted die.
Example: Your green tower's base attack value is 1, but after using its special ability, it deals a total of 3 damage to one targeted die.
Yellow
If you liked the power of the green tower, pay close attention - the yellow one is even stronger, but it demands sacrifice.
This tower may lose any number of durability points to deal 2 additional damage for each point lost, distributing that damage freely among all targeted dice. Feel the power?!
Example: You choose to sacrifice 3 durability points. Three dice first take 2 standard damage each: the green four becomes a two, the yellow three becomes a one, and the red five becomes a three. Their combined value is now 6, exactly the amount of additional damage you may distribute to finish them off for good!
On top of that, you unlock another charge of this powerful ability. Not bad!
Blue
An unassuming tower whose potential must be developed with the right sense of timing. Its special ability allows it to deal damage to all dice located on the path from the blue tower to the chosen target. More precisely, the projectile deals damage to all dice on the segments preceding the segment on which the chosen target is located. The amount of damage dealt to dice along the way is equal to the damage dealt by the tower (red statistic).
So if the path becomes too crowded, the blue tower is very effective at clearing the traffic jam!
Example: Your blue tower has a range of 3 and can choose 2 targets, dealing 2 damage to each. You decide to attack a yellow four and a red four, both located 3 segments away. Along the way, the projectile deals 2 damage (based on the tower's red stat) to all dice it encounters. First, a yellow three in the first segment takes 2 damage, followed by a green two, which is removed from the board. In the second segment, a red two is destroyed, and a green four loses 2 hit points. Finally, in the third segment, the projectiles strike the chosen targets - the red and yellow fours - each taking 2 damage. The green three standing on the same segment was lucky and took no damage, as it was neither a direct target nor located on a segment along the way to the target.
Red
What does red make you think of? There's a reason this tower bears that color... Its special ability causes a defeated die to EXPLODE, dealing damage to all other dice on the same segment. The damage equals the value of the destroyed die. Destroy a weak one - its neighbors take 1 damage. Smash a ferocious four - and all dice on the segment take 4 damage. MUAHAHAHA!
Example: Returning to the tower attack training example: your tower may choose 2 targets, dealing 3 damage to each. This time, however, you also have a special ability ready. You first attack a yellow four, reducing it to 1. Then you attack a red three, destroying it and triggering the special ability. As a result, all remaining dice on that segment take 3 damage. Your Graveyard now holds: a red three, a red two, a green three, and a yellow one. Your subjects' admiration knows no bounds!
5. (Step 3) Main Tower Attack
During this step, you perform an attack with your Main Tower. In the early rounds of the game, there is a good chance that it will not perform any action, as its range is too short to reach enemy dice (just one segment). Over time, however, you will upgrade it and the enemies will move closer, giving you much more room to maneuver.
6. (Step 4) Ruler Actions (Optional)
On the Ruler Sheet, you will find several actions you may perform. The primary one is the Graveyard, which fuels all the others. You may perform any number of actions, as long as you have sufficient resources - such as skulls, spell scrolls, and others - obtained from the Graveyard.
Tip: During this step, you may repeatedly defeat dice, convert them into resources, spend those resources, and attack again. This allows you to gain additional dice, which you can then spend again, and so on. Just remember to clear the Graveyard at the end of the round! We don't know if these creatures might rise again after some time, so it's best to get rid of them promptly!
Ruler Actions
Graveyard
This is where everything begins (although for your enemies, it is usually the end...). All defeated dice are placed in the Graveyard. You must then decide whether to convert them into skulls or colored essence.
Skulls
If you choose to gain skulls, you receive a number of skulls equal to the value of the die in the Graveyard. Circle the appropriate number of skull symbols, then return the die to the pool.
Skulls are used to craft armor, traps, barricades, and even to upgrade your towers. The price list can be found next to the skull treasury.
Traps, barricades, and armor usually have fixed costs. However, tower upgrades cost an amount of skulls equal to the level of the upgrade you are purchasing.
Example: You purchase tower upgrades to level 2 and level 3, paying a total of 5 skulls (2 skulls for the level 2 upgrade and 3 skulls for the level 3 upgrade).
Additional Tower Attacks
When you gain a skull marked with a flag symbol, circle that symbol at the top of the Ruler Sheet. In any round (including the current one), you may spend that symbol to activate any tower, including the Main Tower.
Colored Essence
Instead of skulls, you may collect colored essence, which allows you to upgrade the Main Tower and obtain spell scrolls.
To do so, discard any one die from the Graveyard, then mark an empty die symbol of the same color (type). The die's value does not matter.
Example: There are two dice in your Graveyard: one green and one yellow. You decide to convert the green die into colored essence and the yellow die into skulls.
Upgrading the Main Tower
Once you gain 3 essence tokens of different colors, you may upgrade your Main Tower. It has the same statistics as regular towers, so this process should feel familiar!
This is the only way to upgrade the Main Tower - you cannot purchase its upgrades using skulls.
Spell Scrolls
When you obtain 4 essence tokens in the correct combination, you gain access to a Spell Scroll. To use it, cross out the scroll symbol in its center.
Each Spell Scroll contains 2 spells. Whenever you use a scroll, you must choose one of them.
Spells shown in the upper part of the scroll may be cast on any target and at any moment during the Ruler Actions step.
The spell shown in the lower part of the scroll may be used during the activation of any tower. It may also be cast during Step 2!
Spell Descriptions
- Upper: Add a shield to any tower.
- Lower: During a tower attack, deal damage to all dice and towers in the targeted segment.
Dice Special Abilities
Each die type has different statistics and unique special abilities.
Attacking the Most Developed Tower
The die attacks the most developed tower within a range of two segments (the segment it occupies and one segment ahead). If multiple towers share the same development level, the die attacks the tower located in the same segment as itself.
If both towers are in the same segment as the die (or neither is), the die attacks the closest tower (if the die is in the upper row, it attacks the upper tower, if it is in the lower row, it attacks the lower tower).
Example 1: The blue, yellow, and red towers each have 3 development levels (marked with red dots). The die therefore attacks a tower in its own segment - either the blue or yellow one. Among those two, the blue tower is attacked, as it is closer.
Example 2: If the most developed towers were the red and green ones (neither in the die's segment), the green tower would be attacked, because the die is in the upper row and the green tower is closer than the red one (which is in the lower row).
Armor-Piercing Attack
The die attacks the tower it stops next to, ignoring armor (if any).
Dual Tower Attack
The die attacks both towers in the segment where it stops.
Final Notes
If a situation ever arises in which a die can attack more than one tower, it always targets the tower closest to the die. This means:
- First, a tower in the same segment as the die.
- If there are still two towers, the closer one is the tower adjacent to the die (upper or lower).
- The same rule applies to towers located outside the die's segment (left or right).
- Dice never attack the Main Tower - as it does not have durability points.
Changes in the Demo Version
- The game lasts 6 rounds instead of 9.
- On the round segments, in the lower part of the Player Actions, there are two flags instead of one. This means you may activate one of these two.
- This is only a demo version, intended solely to showcase the main mechanics. It's possible that after a few playthroughs, you might discover a winning strategy. In the full game, this issue should not occur. Due to its limitations (shortened playtime and the road along which the dice move), the demo version required us to make certain compromises. Nevertheless, we believe that before you grow tired of playing it, it will provide you with at least a few exciting games!
Full Game Contents
The full game will include:
- 4 Tower Sheets (with more different enemies!)
- 4 Ruler Sheets (with unique spells!)
- Stretch goals! (in our previous game it was 5 additional maps and 5 additional heroes + campaign mode!)
Transcription notes: emoji and the designers' sign-off and promotional links (BGG forum, Kickstarter) have been omitted; the designers' names are credits and are not reproduced.