Dice Hunters of Therion
Dice Hunters of Therion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Heroes of Therion
The Bears of Borbelholz Forest are among the greatest warriors. Their strength is great, but their goodness and helpfulness are even greater.
High in the air above the Aggertal Valley dwell the noble Falcons. They are proud fliers and the best archers in all the land.
The shallow shores of Ebersbach are home to the Otters. They may be small, but when they fight they are as fast as they are ferocious, and they can sneak up on any enemy unseen.
The cold and stony paths of the Eisernhardt Mountains are no match for the Ibexes. As cartographers, they know each and every area of Therion like the backs of their hooves.
Components
- 4 Hero Mats
- 7 Warrants
- 36 Dice (12 each in white, yellow, and red)
- 2 Duel Markers (for the 2-player game)
- 48 Coins (values: 1, 5, 10, and 20)
Each die face shows one of these symbols: a single sword, a double sword, a coin, a yellow die, a red die, or an X.
The following are rules for 3–4 players. For the changes you'll need to make for a 2-player game, see the "2-Player Rules" section.
Setup
- Each player picks one of the four Heroes and takes the corresponding Hero Mat.
- Each player takes 9 dice: 3 white ones, 3 yellow ones, and 3 red ones. You'll all start with the white dice. Place the yellow and red dice on the corresponding spaces of your Hero Mats for now.
- Sort the Warrants by value (the "5" goes on top, the "15" goes on the bottom, and all the "10"s go in between) and place them in the center of the table, Villain side up.
- Get the supply of coins ready where all of you can easily reach them.
- Each player rolls their 3 white dice. Check who has rolled the most swords. That player pushes their dice into the middle of the table, near the Warrants. If there is a tie, the tied players reroll all of their dice until one player has the most swords (even if another player had originally rolled more swords).
Note: Any unused dice and Hero Mats go back in the box.
Playing the Game
Play Dice Hunters by taking turns in a clockwise direction. At the start of each turn, check whether you've captured a Villain (see "Capturing a Villain"). Then roll your dice up to three times. Depending on your results, carry out different actions: a single sword and a double sword let you chase a Villain. If no other player outbids you before the start of your next turn, you earn a reward. A coin earns you coins. For a yellow die and a red die symbol you get new dice, but you can lose them again if you roll an X. Then your turn ends, and the next player is up.
The left-hand neighbor of the player who put their dice next to the Warrants during setup goes first.
Rolling the Dice
The dice you have available at the start of your turn make up your current party. Your party always consists of at least 3 white dice, but it can grow over the course of the game.
Roll all the dice in your current party. Then, you may roll any of your dice two more times, choosing freely which dice in your party you want to reroll for each roll. After the third roll, your result is determined. However, you can stop rolling after the first or second roll if you choose.
Example: Mascha starts the game and rolls her 3 white dice. She chooses to reroll one of the dice with a single sword and the one with a coin. Then she rerolls the 2 dice with a single sword and a coin. After her third roll, her result is fixed: she has rolled 6 swords (counting single- and double-sword faces together).
Carrying Out Actions
Depending on the symbols your dice show after your last roll for the turn, carry out all the matching actions. After that, your turn ends, and the next player takes their turn.
Here are the actions:
1. Chasing a Villain (single sword, double sword)
Give chase to the villain and don't let anyone overtake you! Only the most determined heroes will catch their prey.
If there are no swords near the Warrants in the center of the table at the moment, simply put all the swords you rolled there.
If another player's swords are already there, count the number of swords you've rolled. If it's higher than the number of swords already in the middle of the table, you've outbid the other player. They must take their dice back and you put yours next to the Warrants instead. Now you're chasing the villain!
Example: With her 6 swords, Mascha outbids Phil's 4. Phil takes back his 2 dice and Mascha puts her 6 swords in the center of the table.
If the number of swords you've rolled is equal to or lower than the number already in the center of the table, you've failed to outbid the other player. Keep your dice — you're not chasing the Villain.
Note: Only one player's dice can be next to the Warrants at any one time.
Example: Mascha's turn ends and Emmitt is up next. After three rolls, Emmitt has achieved a double sword, a double sword, and a coin. 6 swords are not enough to outbid Mascha. Emmitt cannot give chase to the Villain, and Mascha continues to be in pursuit.
If your dice are still in the center of the table at the start of your next turn (because nobody managed to outbid you), you've captured the Villain (see "Capturing a Villain")!
2. Collecting Coins (coin symbol)
Collect the coins the Villains have dropped while running away.
Take one coin (value 1) from the supply for each die showing a coin symbol after your last roll.
Example: Besides the 6 swords, Emmitt has also rolled a coin symbol. For this coin symbol, he takes 1 coin (value 1) from the supply.
The Great Treasure!
While the others give chase to the villains, you'd rather go looking for treasure.
If the dice in your party don't show any swords after your last roll, you receive twice as many coins as you've rolled.
Example: On her second roll, Iva rolls two coin symbols and a yellow die symbol. She stops rolling. Since she hasn't rolled any swords, she gets twice as many coins as she rolled, so she takes 4 coins (value 1) from the supply. In addition, she grows her party by 1 yellow die with the yellow die symbol (see "3. Your Party Grows").
Note: You may exchange your coins for larger or smaller denominations from the supply at any time.
3. Your Party Grows (yellow die symbol, red die symbol)
Your heroism doesn't go unnoticed and you gain more support.
Each die showing a yellow or red die symbol after your last roll grows your party. Starting on your next turn, you get 1 additional die (yellow or red respectively) for each of these symbols you've rolled. Take the corresponding die or dice from your Hero Mat and add them to your current party.
If you don't have any dice of the correct color on your Hero Mat, skip this action.
Example: After his last roll, Phil has the following result: yellow die symbol, yellow die symbol, and single sword. He takes 2 yellow dice from his Hero Mat and adds them to his current party. On his next turn, Phil will get to roll 5 dice in total.
Your Party Shrinks
These villains can be terrifying! Quicker than you may think, some members of your party may run away!
If you roll an X on any of your red or yellow dice at any point, those dice leave your current party immediately. Put them back on your Hero Mat. You can't reroll them, even if you still have rerolls available for your turn. Any dice you lose in this way can rejoin your party that turn if you grow your party again, and you can roll them on your next turn as usual.
Capturing a Villain
You've captured a villain! Hand them over to the Queen's Guard and earn your reward.
You're starting your turn and your dice are still next to the Warrants? Take your dice back and add them to your current party. In addition, take the top Warrant from the stack and place it next to your Hero Mat, face down. The coins pictured there are your reward. At the end of the game, they are added to the coins you've collected.
Now the next Warrant on the stack is up for grabs. Over the course of the game, you'll distribute all 7 Warrants, one after the other.
Continue your turn as usual by rolling the dice and carrying out your actions.
Note: Put any swords you roll this turn next to the Warrants again and give chase to the next Villain.
Example: It's Mascha's turn again. The swords she rolled are still next to the Warrants, as no other player has managed to outbid her since her last turn. Mascha has captured the Villain! She takes her dice back and puts the Warrant next to her Hero Mat, face down. The 5 coins pictured are her reward. Then, she continues her turn as usual.
The End of the Game
You've captured all the villains and made Therion safe again!
The game ends immediately when one of you takes the last Warrant. Count the coins you've collected (including those on your Warrants). The player with the most coins wins — not just riches, but glory, too! If there's a tie, you have more than one winner.
Example: Emmitt has captured the last Villain. The game ends immediately, so he doesn't get to roll his dice anymore. Everyone counts the coins they've collected. Phil has caught 1 Villain and received 10 coins as a reward. In addition, he has won 45 coins by rolling his dice during the game. In total, then, Phil has collected 55 coins. Mascha has earned 53 coins (25 + 28), Emmitt has 57 coins, and Iva has 59 coins. Iva has won the game!
2-Player Rules
If you're playing Dice Hunters with 2 players, apply the following changes to the rules:
Setup
Take a Duel Marker and choose which character that you would like to play. Take the corresponding Player Mat.
Take the 7 Warrants and put any 2 with value "10" back in the box. Create the ordered stack from the remaining 5 warrants as usual.
Playing the Game
To earn a reward, you must manage not to be outbid by the other player twice in a row.
Here's how you do it:
At the start of your turn, check if the swords you've put next to the Warrants on your last turn are still there, as usual. If this is the case, take your dice back into your current party and place your Duel Marker next to the Warrants instead. You haven't captured the Villain yet!
Continue your turn by rolling the dice and carrying out the corresponding actions. Any swords you roll go next to the Warrants and your Duel Marker so you can keep chasing the Villains. If you don't put any swords there this turn, the other player can outbid you with as little as 1 sword!
If the other player outbids you, take your dice and your Duel Marker if you've already put it next to the Warrants.
However, if both your sword dice and your Duel Marker are next to the Warrants at the start of your turn, you've captured the Villain. Collect your reward as usual, then take your dice and your Duel Marker back.
Examples of 2-Player Gameplay
- Mascha has rolled her dice. She puts her swords in the middle of the table. In addition, she gets 1 coin and 1 red die.
- It's Phil's turn and he rolls his dice. He can't outbid Mascha, but he earns 2 coins and a yellow die. 3a. Mascha takes her dice back and places her Duel Marker in the middle of the table. She's still chasing the Villain. 3b. Mascha rolls her dice again and puts swords in the middle of the table. She also earns 2 coins but loses 1 red die.
- Phil rolls his dice. He gets 1 coin and a red die. However, he can't outbid Mascha, so she will capture the Villain on her turn.