Dwarves: Dig, Delve, Die
Dwarves: Dig, Delve, Die Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Rules
The Dice Are Dwarves
The dice are dwarves. Each die represents one dwarf.
The Deck Is the Mine
The deck of cards is the mine.
Winning
The first player to five gold wins.
Setup
- Put Delve & Dig to the left of the shuffled mine.
- Everyone draws one die.
On Your Turn
- Draw 1 new die, then roll all your dice.
- Put each die on any face-up card.
- You must place all of your dice.
- You can stack multiple dice on a card.
- Only stack dice of equal or higher value.
- Only one stack per card.
Digging
- After all dice are placed, the lowest visible valued dice dig.
When a die digs:
- Take that die. Leave the rest.
- Do what the card says.
- If tied, dice dig from left to right.
- When all of the low dice have dug, your turn is complete.
Delving
Dice on Delve & Dig reveal new cards.
- New cards resolve when dug up.
- Place them in a line to the right of the mine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Official FAQ published by Imbalanced Games: "Dwarves: Dig, Delve, Die! FAQ".
Player Count and Dwarves
Can we play with more than 6 people? How about only 2?
Dwarves plays best with 3-6 players, but more or less is fine. If you play with 2 people, remove the Orc Blockade before starting. If you play with more than 6 players, find additional tokens to track gold as you may need more than is provided in the standard game.
The number of Dwarves, 20, should never be increased, regardless of number of players. The number of Dwarves is balanced to the number of cards not the number of players.
Turn and Placement
What happens if I have no Dwarves to roll on my turn?
Skip the normal rolling step and just resolve the lowest face up die in the mine.
What happens if I cannot place the Dwarves I rolled legally into the mine?
Any Dwarves that cannot be placed into the mine are returned to the draw pile.
If one card has several dice with the same number stacked on top of one another, do I resolve all of them? Or only the top one?
You only ever resolve and remove the top Dwarf of a stack when a card activates. After resolving the top Dwarf, leave the other Dwarves behind so they can be resolved on a later turn.
Drinking Game Version
If we don't want to play the drinking game version of Dwarves which cards should we remove?
All the cards that mention your "MUG" should be removed when not playing the drinking game version. These are: Crown of Kings, Chalice of Courage, and Bearded Skull.
Who drinks when the Bearded Skull resolves?
Everyone! It's a race! The first person to slam down their empty mug gets the next turn.
Iron Army
Can I take Dwarves from other players with the Iron Army? What about taking Dwarves from the mine?
Dwarves can be taken from anywhere with the Iron Army: the draw pile, the mine, other players, anywhere.
Remember if you use the Iron Army to take a Dwarf that was going to resolve, that Dwarf no longer resolves and the card's effect does not happen unless the Dwarf below the one removed has the same number, so you can use the Iron Army to stop cards deeper in the mine from activating. Alternatively, you can cause cards to happen by removing a Dwarf off the top of a stack and revealing a die with the same number that is resolving.
Can I take Dwarves from the middle of a stack with the Iron Army?
Yes, just be careful when replacing the stack to keep the other dice in the same order.
Ties and Turn Order
What happens if 2 players have 4 gold when the Cache of Golden Ale resolves? Is it a tie?
If multiple players earn gold, they always do so in turn order.
For example:
- There are three players: A, B and C.
- The turn order is A > B > C.
- A has 3 gold while B and C have 4 gold each.
- A is the current player and resolves the Cache of Golden Ale. B would win because B gains 1 gold before C since they are next in the turn order.
What happens if there are not enough dice to pass out one to everyone from the Dwarven Brothel?
Like other ties, this situation resolves in turn order. The active player would take a die if possible and then passing out dice would go around the table until the draw pile is empty or everyone has received one.
What if multiple people are tied for poorest when the Shrine of Udin resolves?
When the Shrine of Udin resolves, everyone who is poorest earns 1 gold. Gold is given in turn order, so if everyone is at 4 gold, players earn gold in turn order.
Throne of Kings and Titans Forge
Can the dice added to the mine by the Throne of Kings resolve on the same turn the Throne resolves?
If the dice are the same number that is currently being resolved and they are placed deeper in the mine, then yes they would resolve on this same turn. For example, 4s are the lowest number showing and there is a 4 on the Throne [printed as "Thorne" in the FAQ]. If you roll two more 4s, you have the option, assuming they can be stacked legally, to place those 4s on later cards within the mine and resolving those cards as well.
What happens if you are resolving 1s and hit the Titans Forge?
You set all the rest of the top Dwarves in the mine to 1. Since 1s are resolving, resolve all other cards with Dwarves on them lower than the forge.
If I'm resolving a number higher than 1 and hit the Titans Forge do I start resolving the other cards since 1 is lower than the number?
Once you start resolving, you never change what number is being resolved. Even if a card affect makes the number on later dice lower, they don't resolve this turn.
Goblin Warrens and Labyrinth
Can you steal gold from the draw pile with Goblin Warrens?
No. The Goblin Warrens card only allow you to take gold from another player. If no one has gold, nothing happens when the Warren resolves.
Do you have to change the mine order when the Labyrinth resolves?
All cards must do something. However, you can change the mine order to be exactly the same as it was if you want.
What happens to the Dwarf stacks on cards rearranged by the Labyrinth?
Dwarves on rearranged cards remain in place. The Labyrinth changes the order of the revealed cards in the mine, nothing else.
What card resolves next after the Labyrinth?
The card to the right of the Labyrinth resolves next. Remember, the Labyrinth can move itself so it can skip resolution or cause cards that already resolved to resolve again.
Survey Team and Cave In
Can I pick a card with Survey Team?
Yes. You can look though the face down cards making up the mine's deck, draw any card that you want, add it to the mine, and resolve it.
Does Cave In kill the Dwarf stack on Delve & Dig?
No. Cave In only kills the Dwarves on the cards returned to the deck and you never Cave In Delve & Dig.