Escape the Dark Castle: The Collector's Box
Escape the Dark Castle: The Collector's Box Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Character Flaw Cards
The years of wrongful incarceration have taken their toll on the prisoners and each of them has developed a character flaw. These flaws give them each a special ability to draw upon once during the quest.
To play with character flaws, replace the 'Choose Characters' stage of setup with this one:
- Lay out all the characters in a grid along with their character dice
- Shuffle the flaw cards and deal one, face up, onto each character card
- From the combinations created, each player should choose one character they would like to play, taking their card, character die, and flaw card.
A character can only have one flaw, and flaws cannot be transferred between players. If you choose to play using flaws, we recommend also playing with Death Dice.
Death Dice
Death dice are a special kind of chapter dice, for those seeking an extra challenge.
If you choose to play with death dice, we recommend playing with character flaws (see Character Flaw Cards above).
To incorporate death dice into your game, simply roll them during combat setup instead of normal chapter dice whenever you see this symbol. The symbol is an image in the source and is not reproduced as text here.
After being rolled, death dice should be placed in the row of chapter dice below the chapter card as normal. From that point on, they become 'chapter dice' for the purposes of all other game rules.
For example, if the text of an item card read 'remove a chapter die of your choice' you could remove a death die.
Shields
Death dice showing the shield result represent the enemy being armoured, or extra tough. These can be removed by:
- Rolling a DOUBLE (of any type)…
…or 2) Two characters combining two matching SINGLES.
Split Doubles
Death dice showing a 'split DOUBLE' result can be removed by two players combining their results in the same round to match the traits shown.
You can split and combine character dice results to remove multiple death dice. The source gives an example from a 4-player game, in which all of the chapter dice (including the death dice) would be removed. The example is an image and is not reproduced as text here.
Certain item cards can also be combined with a character die roll to remove a death die.
There are two chapters in the game in which death dice cannot be used. For these cards, use normal chapter dice instead. The source does not print the names of these two chapters in text form.
New Start Cards
During setup, shuffle your start cards together and select one at random to place on top of the castle deck (without looking at it). Now you'll never know how your adventure will begin.
New Boss Cards
Now you have an even greater host of devious bosses to thwart your escape. Shuffle all your boss cards together during setup to increase variety. Who will you face this time?
The text of the New Boss Cards is printed only on the cards and is not reproduced in this rulebook.
Epilogue Cards
During setup, place these two cards side by side, face down, above the castle deck. When the game ends, turn over the corresponding card and read it aloud to bring narrative closure to your quest. The Death Book (sold separately) replaces the Defeat epilogue card.
The text of the Epilogue Cards is printed only on the cards and is not reproduced in this rulebook.
The Living Stone
This rare and powerful relic should be shuffled into the item deck during setup, and the die set aside until called for.
The 'YOU' Token
This is a convenient visual reminder of which character turned each chapter card. During play, when you have decided who will turn the next chapter card, give them the you token to make this clear before turning it.
Health Trackers
Players may choose to use the health trackers and skull markers provided, as an alternative to the scorepads and pencils from the core set. On the trackers, you will notice three links in the chain are broken. This is a quick way to identify starting HP, where the number of breaks represent the number of players in the game.
Reference Cards
These handy reference cards serve as a reminder of what common symbols in the game mean, and serves as a reminder of key rules. This is especially useful for new players learning the game for the first time. We recommend dealing one of these to each new player as a play aid.