Final Girl Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• The Feature Film Game System
  • Why Final Girl?
• Core Box Components
• Game Overview & Objective
• An Overview of the Game Boards
  • The Player Board
  • The Killer Board
  • The Location Board
• Setup
  • Core Box
  • Feature Film Box
• Gameplay
  • The Game Turn
• The Action Phase
  • Action Cards
  • Horror Rolls
  • Resolving Action Card Effects
  • Movement
  • Saving Victims
  • Final Girl Cards
  • Searching for Items
  • Resting/Healing
  • Attacking
  • Gaining/Losing Time
  • Discarding Action Cards to Gain Time
  • The Horror Level
  • Ending the Action Phase
• The Planning Phase
  • Zero Cost Cards
• The Killer Phase
  • Resolving Terror Cards
  • Killer Actions
  • Targeting
  • Moving
  • Attacking
  • Attacking a Victim
  • Attacking the Final Girl
  • Defending Against an Attack with a Reaction Card
• The Panic Phase
  • Panic
• The Upkeep Phase
  • Revealing the Finale
• Game End
• Additional Rules
  • Items
  • Holding Items
  • One-time and Limited Use Items
  • Weapons
  • The Final Health Token
  • Adrenaline Rush
  • Bloodlust
  • Dark Powers, Epic Dark Powers, and Minor Dark Powers
  • Victim Overflow Boards and Tokens
  • Events
  • Special Victims
  • Tokens
  • Discarding/Drawing/Playing/Removing
  • Game Ambiguity
• Enemies, Killers, and Minions
  • Minions
  • Attacking a Minion
  • The Killer Phase (with Minions)
  • The Panic Phase (with Minions)
• Turn Summary
• Action Cards Reference
• Icon Reference
• Credits

The Feature Film Game System

Final Girl is a one-of-a-kind product. It cannot be played with the Core Box alone and requires at least one Feature Film box to enjoy the game. Each Feature Film contains a unique Killer and Location, and the system was designed so that if you own multiple Feature Films you can experience ANY Killer with ANY Location!

Below is a list of the first five Feature Film boxes, available separately from the Core Box:

• The Happy Trails Horror – Featuring Hans the Butcher and Camp Happy Trails
• The Haunting of Creech Manor – Featuring the Poltergeist and Creech Manor
• Carnage at the Carnival – Featuring Geppetto and the Carnival of Blood
• Slaughter in the Groves – Featuring Inkanyamba and the Sacred Groves
• Frightmare on Maple Lane – Featuring Dr. Fright and Maple Lane

The Feature Film boxes have been carefully engineered to provide you with an easy to use modular system that reduces time spent on setup and cleanup after the game. Each Feature Film box has the following features:

• The first time you open a Feature Film, you will find 2 new Final Girl cards. We recommend transferring these cards to the Core Box with your other Final Girl cards since they can be used in any game regardless of the Killer or Location.
• The cover on the Killer side of the box is removable and the reverse is used as the Killer board. Inside the box on the Killer side is a rules sheet and a removable plastic tray that contains all of the cards and components you will need for that Killer.
• Likewise, the cover on the Location side of the box is removable and the reverse is used as the Location board. Inside the box on the Location side is a rules sheet and a removable plastic tray that contains all of the cards and components you will need for that Location.
• All of the cards are marked with an icon indicating which Killer/Location they go with for your reference when putting them away. Help cards are kept separate.

This system allows you to quickly choose a Killer and a Location from the same or different Feature Films and keep everything well organized from game to game! If you haven't already, we invite you to open and explore your Feature Film box now. You can return here once you've looked at what's inside.

Why Final Girl?

Whether it's a young babysitter fending off a Samhain slasher, a crewman trying to survive an alien threat, or even a woman evading the killer of her nightmares, the "final girl" trope is rooted in the very fiber of horror. The term, coined by Carol J. Clover, has seen an abundance of iterations, many of which you will find in this game. The trope calls for a female protagonist making a stand against all odds, typically as the last survivor of her formerly merry band of misfits, and ultimately reclaiming her power by transforming from helpless victim into the Final Girl.

Core Box Components

• This Rulebook
• 1 double-sided Player board (normal and Extreme Horror Mode)
• 23 Action cards
• 6 Custom Dice
• 2 Killer meeples / Horror markers
• 1 Final Girl meeple
• 9 black and 2 white Final Health tokens
• 3 Victim Holding boards and 3 matching tokens
• 1 Bloodlust marker
• 21 Victim meeples
• 3 Special Victim meeples
• 25 Health markers
• 8 Tracking markers
• 1 Time marker

Game Overview & Objective

You are the Final Girl, facing off against a horrific Killer. You will be moving around the location to search for helpful items, save victims, and to confront (or run away from!) the Killer. Meanwhile, the Killer will be wreaking havoc in many ways, but most of all by killing innocent victims and attacking you! The game only ends one of two ways: either the Final Girl destroys the Killer, or the Killer slays her! In the rare instance that both die at the same time, the Final Girl has won, making the ultimate sacrifice to rid the world of a vile monster.

NOTE! These rules will teach you the core rules for Final Girl. However, each Killer and Location may have additional rules, so please review any Feature Film rules before playing.

Your strategy is completely up to you, but don't lose sight of your ultimate goal: taking down the Killer! It is not required that you save any of the victims and unfortunately (as is often the case in the movies), some victims are just beyond help. Better them than you! Saving victims does have its benefits, however. When rescued, they will provide you with valuable bonuses, and if you save enough of them you will unlock an Ultimate Ability unique to your chosen Final Girl!

An Overview of the Game Boards

Before getting into gameplay, it is important to have a high-level understanding of how the Player, Killer, and Location boards work. The concepts mentioned here will be explained in greater detail later in the rulebook.

The Player Board

1. Health Track. The left side of the board has the Final Health token space and the health track.
2. Horror Track. In the middle of the board is the Horror track. When Horror increases or decreases you will move the Horror marker (one of the Killer meeples) accordingly. This is called the Horror Level, and it determines how many dice you will roll when making a Horror Roll.
3. Time Track. This is where you will track your Time, a crucial resource which is used to both perform actions and purchase new cards during the Planning phase.
4. Hands and Backpack. Any items you find will be placed in either of these slots, to the right of the board.
5. Dead Victims. Any Victims killed during the course of play go here.
6. Final Girl card. Place your Final Girl Card here, below the board.
7. Extreme Horror Mode. Use this side of the board for a more challenging game. The Horror track is harsher and you only have 5 Time per turn.

The Killer Board

1. Starting Stats. The Killer's starting Horror Level and health.
2. Health Track. The left side of the board has the health track and the Final Health token space.
3. Finale. The Finale card goes here. It will start the game facedown, but may be revealed later.
4. Dark Power. The Dark Power card goes here. It will start the game facedown, but may be revealed later.
5. Killer Action. This is the initial action the Killer will perform at the start of every Killer phase.
6. Bloodlust Track. This is used to track the Killer's strength and speed. At the beginning of the game, the Bloodlust marker starts at the bottom of the track, when the Killer is at their weakest. Whenever a victim dies, the Killer's Bloodlust will increase and the Killer will become more powerful.
7. Movement Value. How many spaces the Killer can travel in a single move.
8. Attack Value. How much damage the Killer does in a single attack.
9. Special Effects. One-time effects that will occur immediately when the Bloodlust marker reaches that level. This could be increasing the Horror Level, revealing the Killer's Dark Power, or something else.
10. Final Effect. This is the effect that will repeatedly trigger when Bloodlust has reached its maximum level and continues to increase.
11. Minor Dark Powers. Any Minor Dark Power cards drawn from the Terror deck are placed in these slots.

The Location Board

1. Spaces. Every Location is made up of various interconnected spaces. A space is adjacent to another space if the two are connected by a line. For example, on the Location board for Camp Happy Trails, Makeout Point is adjacent to the Cliff but it is NOT adjacent to the Cabins, even though they are visually next to one another.
2. Search Spaces. Spaces with the search icon and highlighted in orange can be searched to find useful items.
3. Exit Spaces. Spaces with the exit icon and highlighted in green are where Victims can be saved.
4. Named Spaces. Some spaces are named and may be referenced by a Location's Event, Terror, or Item cards. Otherwise, they are just like any other space for gameplay purposes.
5. Item Decks. Each Search space will have an accompanying deck of Item cards, which are placed in these slots.
6. Setup Card. Place the randomly chosen Setup card for the Location here. The Final Girl icon is where the Final Girl will go, the Killer icon is where the Killer will go, and the numbers indicate how many Victims will go in each space.
7. Panic Numbers. The numbers in between adjacent spaces are used to determine which direction victims will panic in.

Setup

1. Choose a Killer and a Location from among the Feature Films you have. Remove the Killer and Location boards (remember, these are on the reverse side of the box covers!) and their associated component trays in preparation for setup.

Core Box

2. Open the Core Box and choose a Final Girl card or pick one randomly. If this is your first time playing, you will find the Final Girl cards in the Feature Film boxes, but they should be stored in the Core Box for future games.
3. Take the Player board out of the Core Box and place it on the table, choosing either normal difficulty or Extreme Horror Mode on the reverse side of the board (for your first few games, we recommend normal difficulty). Place your Final Girl card below the player board faceup with the Victim Saved spaces showing.
4. Take the six custom dice out of the Core Box and place them to the side.
5. Take the Action cards out of the Core Box. Set the six Zero Cost Action cards aside; this is your starting hand. You can easily identify the Zero Cost cards by the gold hourglass icon with the number "0" in the lower right corner of the card.
6. Sort the remaining Action cards into respective piles by name and place them in a tableau in two rows as shown. Some piles will have two cards while some piles will only have one. This is called the Action Tableau.
7. Set the Victim meeples, the Special Victim meeples, and the three Victim Holding boards and their matching tokens aside for now. Also, remove any meeples, markers or tokens remaining in the Core Box and keep them available for use during the Feature Film box portion of the setup and/or during gameplay.

Feature Film Box

8. Place the chosen Killer board on the table above the Player board. Then, place the chosen Location board directly to the right of the Killer board.
9. Shuffle the Killer's Finale cards (those with card backs of the Killer's upper body) and place one face down so that it lines up with the art on the board. Then, shuffle the Killer's Dark Power cards (those with card backs of the Killer's lower body) and place one facedown below the Finale card. Place the remaining Finale and Dark Power cards back in the plastic tray.
10. Take the Killer's Terror cards and the Location's Terror cards and shuffle them together into one deck. Then, deal out 10 of these cards facedown to form the Terror deck and place it to the right of the Location board. Set the remaining Terror cards off to the side.
11. Shuffle the Location's Item cards together and deal out three piles of four facedown cards each above the Location board. Then, flip the top card in each pile faceup. Place the remaining Item cards back in the plastic tray.
12. Shuffle the Location's Setup cards and draw one. Setup the Location board as shown on the card using the components from the Core Box. The Final Girl icon indicates the starting space of your Final Girl meeple, the Killer icon indicates the starting space of one of the Killer meeples, and the spaces with numbers indicate how many yellow Victim meeples go in that space. Keep the Setup card faceup above the Location board for future reference. Put the remaining Setup cards back in the plastic tray.
13. VERY IMPORTANT! Take the nine black Final Health tokens from the Core Box and mix them around facedown (the sides with the +1 icon should be showing). Place one on the circle on the bottom left side of the Killer board and one on the circle on the upper left side of the Player board WITHOUT LOOKING AT THEM! Place the remaining black Final Health tokens back in the box WITHOUT LOOKING AT THEM!
14. Place Health markers in the space on the left side of both the Killer and the Player boards so that each has a number of Health markers equal to the maximum health shown on their board and card respectively (including the black Final Health token!). For example, Laurie has 5 health (as indicated on her Final Girl card), so she should have 1 black Final Health token and 4 normal Health markers on her board. Hans has 12 health (as indicated on his Killer board), so he should have 1 black Final Health token and 11 normal Health markers on his board.
15. Place the Bloodlust marker at the bottom of the Bloodlust track on the right side of the Killer board.
16. Place the Time marker on the blue '6' space on the Player board.
17. Place the second Killer meeple on the circular Horror track on the Player board. This meeple is now the Horror marker. The Killer's starting Horror Level is indicated by the number next to the Horror icon found in the upper left corner of the Killer board.
18. Shuffle the Location's Event cards and place them facedown next to the Location board. Draw the top card and follow the instructions on the card (possibly adding new Victims, introducing an effect on gameplay, etc.).

You are now ready to begin the game!

Gameplay

The game is played in turns, each consisting of five phases. You will play until either you or the Killer are dead!

The Game Turn

A turn in Final Girl has 5 phases:

1. The Action phase
2. The Planning phase
3. The Killer phase
4. The Panic phase
5. The Upkeep phase

The Action Phase

During this phase you play Action cards to move, attack, rest, search, and/or take various other actions. As a reminder, you start the game with the six Zero Cost Action cards.

Action Cards

Most Action cards are played during the Action phase and are resolved by making a Horror Roll (as described below). When playing or discarding an Action card, always make sure to play them into a central discard pile that is kept separate from the Action Tableau.

The parts of an Action card:

1. Card Title
2. Double Success Line
3. Single Success Line
4. Failure Line(s)
5. Flavor Text
6. Time Cost to Purchase

NOTE! See the Icon Reference on the back of this rulebook for a comprehensive list of the symbols and icons that appear on the Action cards!

Horror Rolls

Most Action cards (and some other cards) require a Horror Roll. The number of dice you will roll is based on the current Horror Level as depicted by the location of the Horror marker on the Horror Track.

• Each result of a 5 or 6 is considered a success.
• Each result of a 3 or 4 is considered a partial success. You MAY discard 2 Action cards from your hand to convert it into a success. You may do this once for each die showing a 3 or 4.
• If none of the dice result in or are converted to a success, the Horror Roll has been failed.

Additional rules for horror rolls:

• Some card effects modify the number of dice you roll.
• Some Action cards will allow you to re-roll some or all of your dice (such as Close Call).
• You will always roll at least 1 die.
• If you ever need to roll more than 6 dice, note whatever values you originally rolled and re-roll dice as necessary, considering your new values along with what was previously rolled.

Resolving Action Card Effects

Action cards have 3 potential outcomes: 2+ successes, 1 success, or failure. When you are finished modifying your dice using cards, abilities, and/or Items, resolve the effects of the card from left to right according to the outcome of the Horror Roll. The effects can be positive or negative. Many common effects on Action cards are denoted by icons:

• Recover 1 Health
• Lose 1 Health (unpreventable)
• Increase Horror Level by 1
• Decrease Horror Level by 1
• 1 Damage
• Gain 1 Time
• Lose 1 Time
• Roll 1 additional die
• Action phase immediately ends

NOTE! See the Icon Reference on the back of this rulebook for a comprehensive list of the symbols and icons that appear on the Action cards!

Movement

If the result of an action allows you to move one or more spaces, you can move up to the number of times indicated. For each move you can only move into an adjacent space. Adjacent spaces are usually indicated by a path or door and are connected by a line. Any unused movement you decide not to use is lost. You may move to and from the Killer's space without restriction or penalty.

When leaving a space containing one or more Victims, you may take up to 2 Victims with you. They're scared to death and will happily follow you. However, Victims will NOT follow you into the space with the Killer, so if you wish to move into the Killer's space, you may not take any Victims with you. Of course, if there are already Victims in the space with the Killer and you move out of that space, they will gladly follow you.

Saving Victims

If at any point during the Action Phase you are on a green Exit space, even if passing through, any Victims that are in that space MAY be saved (whether you brought them with you or they were already there). If you decide to save them (and usually you will), place them on the Final Girl card on any available Victim Saved space. Take the rewards indicated by the icon or text on the space(s) you just covered up. If an Action card is mentioned, take that card from the tableau into your hand if able. You may choose the order and timing of when to take the rewards and apply their effects, but all effects must be resolved before playing another Action card.

Once all the Victim spaces on the Final Girl card are covered, you may remove the pieces and flip over the Final Girl card. Congratulations, you have earned the Final Girl's Ultimate Ability and may now use its immediate or ongoing effect! Additional Victims saved will now provide the reward as shown below the Ultimate Ability.

NOTE! Victims are naturally confused/brave/stupid or some combination thereof, therefore they can only be saved if convinced by the Final Girl. As such, Victims that end up alone in an Exit space are not automatically saved.

Final Girl Cards

The parts of a Final Girl card:

1. Name
2. Health
3. Victim Save Spaces and Rewards
4. Ultimate Ability
5. Reward for Saving Victims after Ultimate Ability is Unlocked

Searching for Items

Some spaces are Search spaces. These spaces are highlighted in orange on the Location board and have an associated deck of Item cards above the board. To search, you must play a Search Action card from your hand. Depending on the results, you may get to draw one or more cards from the associated Item deck, usually keeping one and returning the others to the deck, either on top and faceup, or on bottom and facedown.

It is possible that, through the course of play, the top card of some Item decks may be facedown. This can happen if you get to draw and take only the top card of an Item deck OR if you decide to place the ones you don't keep facedown on the bottom of the deck. The next card should NOT be revealed. If an Item deck ever runs out of cards (this is rare), then there are no more items to be found at that space.

Resting/Healing

Some Action cards (as well as some other cards) allow you to heal and recover health. Recover 1 Health marker per heal icon up to your maximum health. You can never go above your starting health. For example, Laurie's starting health is 5, so she can never have more than 5 health.

Attacking

When attacking, you must be in the same space as the Killer unless you have an item or ability that allows you to attack from range. To attack, play an Action card that allows you to inflict damage (such as Weak Attack or Furious Strike). Make a Horror Roll, then apply the effects based on the dice result. For each damage icon deal 1 damage to the Killer.

If you have a weapon/item/ability that modifies damage and the result of the Action card produced 1 or more damage, modify the damage amount accordingly (for more on Items, see Items below).

When damaging the Killer, remove Health markers from the Killer's board equal to the damage you dealt. If damage is still being applied and only the black Final Health token remains, reveal it to see if the Killer is really dead or not (for more on The Final Health Token, see below).

Gaining/Losing Time

In addition to the other effects, most actions reduce your Time, but there are also some results that will gain you Time. Make sure to move the Time marker down or up accordingly. For example:

• Gain 2 Time means you gain 2 Time and move the Time marker UP 2 spaces on the Time track.
• Lose 1 Time means you lose 1 Time and move the Time marker DOWN 1 space on the Time track.

If you ever lose Time so that the Time marker drops below zero and into the red on the Time track, the Action phase will end immediately after your current action is resolved. In this instance, after the Time marker has dropped below zero, you cannot gain Time by any means to raise your Time back into the positive.

DESIGNER'S NOTE! We know that actual time is not something that can be gained. Thematically, gaining Time represents using your time more efficiently by carefully planning or completing an action in less time than might be expected.

Discarding Action Cards to Gain Time

At any point before the Action phase ends, you may discard as many Action cards as you wish in exchange for +1 Time each. Gaining Time in this way could allow you to extend the phase or give you more Time to spend during the Planning phase (the Planning phase is discussed below).

CRITICAL! Do not underestimate the importance of this tactic!

The Horror Level

When you see one of these icons, adjust the Horror Level accordingly by moving the Horror marker up or down on the track.

• Increase Horror Level by 1
• Decrease Horror Level by 1

If the Horror Level is at either end of the track and increasing or decreasing it would make the Horror marker leave the track, leave the marker where it is and instead take the bonus/penalty indicated.

• The bonus for decreasing the Horror Level beyond the track is to gain 1 Time.
• The penalty for increasing the Horror Level beyond the track is to increase Bloodlust (see more on Bloodlust below).

These icons are printed at either end of the Horror track to remind you of the effects.

Ending the Action Phase

You can continue playing Action cards until either:

• You decide to stop.
• You run out of cards to play.
• An Action card results in the Action phase ending.
• The Time marker goes BELOW zero (if it is on zero you may still continue).

Do not be afraid to end the Action phase while you still have some cards in your hand. Sometimes those cards will be of much greater use on a future turn.

The Planning Phase

Once the Action phase ends, whether it was by choice or not, you enter the Planning phase. During this phase you will spend any remaining Time to purchase cards from the Action Tableau. Do the following in this order:

1. Spend Time to purchase Action cards from the Action Tableau. If the cost of a card is greater than zero, move the Time marker down one space on the track for each Time spent. The cost for each Action card is shown in the bottom right corner of the card.

   You may NOT:

   • Purchase Action cards that were played or discarded since the last Planning phase (or the beginning of the game in the first turn).
   • Purchase a card if paying the cost would move the Time marker below the zero space on the Time track.
   • Purchase a card if you already have 10 cards in your hand.

2. When you have finished purchasing Action cards, reset the Time marker to 6 on the Time track – any unspent Time is lost!

3. Lastly, place all Action cards played or discarded since the last Planning phase (or beginning of the game on the first turn) back into the Action Tableau with other cards of the same name. This includes the Zero Cost cards which may all be placed in the same pile.

CRITICAL! All Action cards played/discarded MUST be kept aside in a central discard pile until the END OF THE NEXT PLANNING PHASE! Most of the time cards will be played during the Action phase, but sometimes it will happen during another phase. Either way, these Action cards will be put back into their respective piles in the Action Tableau at the END OF THE NEXT PLANNING PHASE. If you do not keep these cards separate, it can be easy to accidentally 'repurchase' them during the Planning phase. You are never allowed to purchase cards that were just played, not even Zero Cost Action cards.

Zero Cost Cards

Unless doing so would put you over the hand limit of 10 cards, you may ALWAYS purchase all Zero Cost Action cards from the Action Tableau because doing so does not require you to spend Time (remember, this doesn't apply to cards in the discard pile!). You may purchase Zero Cost cards even if the Time marker is on or below zero.

The Killer Phase

During this phase the Killer acts and/or other location related things will happen. Resolve the following in order:

1. Resolve the Killer Action as indicated on the Finale card next to the associated Killer Action icon. If the Finale has been revealed, skip Step 2 (see more on Revealing the Finale below).
2. Draw the top Terror card and resolve its effects from top to bottom.

Resolving Terror Cards

Terror Cards can do a variety of things. Some will result in the Killer targeting Victims or the Final Girl, moving, and attacking. Others will increase the Horror Level, add Victims to the board, or do other special effects.

The parts of a Terror card:

1. Card Title
2. Effect to Apply
3. Killer Action
4. Killer/Location Icon

NOTE! See the Icon Reference on the back of this rulebook for a comprehensive list of the symbols and icons that appear on the Terror cards!

Killer Actions

Killer Actions will primarily occur in two places:

• On the front and back of the Finale card
• Terror cards

A Killer Action involves the Killer choosing a target and then moving and/or attacking (as explained below). Resolve the Killer Action from left to right, finishing each step before moving onto the next one.

Targeting

The first portion of the Killer Action indicates which target the Killer will be going after: a Victim, the Final Girl, or whichever one is closest. Unless otherwise specified, always target the CLOSEST option.

• Target the closest Victim
• Target the Final Girl
• Target whomever is closest, Victim or Final Girl

If there is a tie between who is closest, choose the group that has the most Victims present (the Final Girl is not a Victim). If there is STILL a tie, refer to the rules on Game Ambiguity below for guidance on how to break it.

Moving

When the Move icon is present in the Killer Action, the Killer will move toward its target. The number of spaces it can move is indicated by the Killer's current Movement Value (determined by the Bloodlust marker on the Killer board).

The Killer will always take the shortest path possible including not moving at all if the target is in its space. If there are multiple Move icons, the Killer will move multiple times, if needed, to reach its target. For example, if the current movement value is 3 and a Terror card is drawn with two Move icons, the Killer could move up to 6 spaces. The Killer will stop as soon as it has reached its intended target, even if it has movement remaining. Sometimes the Killer will move through a space that has the Final Girl or a Victim and will not stop because they are not the intended target.

Attacking

When the Attack icon is present in the Killer Action, the Killer attacks a single target in its space. For each Attack icon the Killer will perform one attack. The amount of damage the Killer deals with each attack is indicated by its current Attack Value (determined by the Bloodlust marker on the Killer board).

Each attack will have one target, either a Victim or the Final Girl. The Killer will always attack Victims in their space before the Final Girl unless the Final Girl was specifically indicated as the target.

Attacking a Victim

Each Victim has only 1 health and is killed automatically when damaged. If the Killer attacks and kills a Victim, remove its meeple and place it on the Dead space on the Player board. When a Victim is killed, increase the Killer's Bloodlust by moving the Bloodlust marker up 1 space on the track. Any leftover damage from the attack is lost. For example, if the Killer's Attack Value was 3 and they targeted a Victim, the extra 2 damage would be lost (thematically speaking, they REALLY killed the Victim).

For each additional Attack icon, the Killer will attack another target in its space if one is present.

Attacking the Final Girl

If you (the Final Girl) are the target and the Killer is in your space, their attack automatically damages you. Unless you defend with a Reaction card (see below), you will lose health equal to the damage indicated by the Killer's Attack Value. Lose 1 Health marker for each point of damage. If damage is being applied and only your black Final Health token remains, reveal it to see if you are really dead or not (see more on The Final Health Token below).

If there is another Attack icon, treat each attack separately. For example, if the Killer attacks twice, and it does 2 damage per attack, you would lose 4 health in total.

NOTE! In the uncommon event that the Killer cannot reach their Target and ends up in a space with someone it wasn't targeting, it will STILL use its attack.

Defending Against an Attack with a Reaction Card

Some Action cards have a blue background and are called Reaction cards. They can ONLY be played in reaction to an attack. If you have one of these in your hand when you are attacked, you can play it and make a Horror Roll. Depending on the result, you may cancel or reduce the damage. If using the Retaliate Reaction card, you might even be able to inflict damage on the Killer in return!

Each Reaction card can only defend against a single attack, but you may use multiple Reaction cards (one at a time) against the same attack if you wish. If the Killer makes multiple attacks, you must have separate Reaction cards to use if you wish to defend against each attack.

You can never use Reaction cards to defend against a loss of health from the Lose Health icon.

NOTE! You cannot use Reaction cards to protect Victims against an attack! You can only use Reaction cards to protect yourself.

The Panic Phase

Panic

After the Killer phase, you must check to see if any Victims will panic (the Final Girl does NOT panic during the Panic phase). A Victim will panic if:

• At least one Victim was killed this turn (where and how this occurred does not matter)

AND

• the Victim is in the same space as the Killer.

To resolve panic, roll a die for the Victim and consult the numbers in their space on the board. Move the Victim one space in the indicated direction or leave them where they are if the number rolled is not shown. Repeat this process for each Victim that panics. If multiple Victims will panic, you can choose the order.

While Victims will not follow you into the Killer's space as explained previously, they will (sad as it may be) panic into the Killer's space from time to time.

NOTE! Some Terror cards, Event cards, or other game effects may cause Victims or even the Final Girl to panic at other times during the game (often in the Killer phase). This is resolved the same way as described above.

The Upkeep Phase

Most times there will be little or nothing you need to do in the Upkeep phase, but make sure you keep aware of any effects from Events or other special rules that require you to do something in this phase.

Do the following in this order:

1. Finale Check. If there are no Terror cards left in the Terror deck, reveal the Finale card.
2. Perform any required upkeep indicated by Events, Items, other cards, or special rules.
3. If you wish, you may rearrange any Items to and from your backpack and hands. This is the only time you may rearrange your inventory other than when you get a new Item card (see Items below).

You are ready for the next turn.

Revealing the Finale

When there are no Terror cards left in the Terror deck, the Finale will be revealed during the Upkeep phase. Flip the card faceup and place it in the same space. Some Finale cards have immediate effects when they are revealed, and some have ongoing effects that should be applied as the card indicates. In the rare case that the Finale is revealed and the Dark Power card is still facedown, the Dark Power should be revealed as well.

The new Finale Killer Action shown in the upper left hand corner of the card will replace the initial Killer Action that was on the back of the card. This new action is the one that will occur during the Killer phase for the remainder of the game.

Once the Finale is revealed, since the Terror deck is empty, you will no longer draw a Terror card during the Killer phase.

The parts of a Finale card:

1. Card Title
2. Initial Killer Action
3. Finale Killer Action
4. Immediate or Ongoing Effects

Game End

The game ends as soon as you have killed the Killer (victory) or you are dead (defeat). In the rare case that both happen at the same time, you are still victorious because you accomplished your goal, even if it required the ultimate sacrifice.

Additional Rules

Items

Items can be found by searching while you are on a Search space. Many items must be held in your hands to be used. These items have one or two hand icons on the card. Other, smaller items can be used from your backpack and thus do not have any hand icons on them. Whenever you gain an item after a successful search, either place it into the Hands or Backpack slots on the right side of the Player board. You can rearrange items freely whenever you gain an item. Otherwise, you may only rearrange them during the Upkeep phase.

The parts of an Item card:

1. Card Title
2. Flavor Text
3. Range
4. Damage Modifier
5. Hands Required
6. Number of Uses
7. Special Rules and Effects
8. Location Icon
9. Associated Token

Holding Items

You have two hands, each of which can hold one item. If an item requires two hands to hold it, then that is the ONLY item you can hold in your hands. Your backpack can hold an unlimited number of items, even ones with hand icons. If an item with one or more hand icons is in your backpack, it cannot be used until you have placed it in your hands.

One-time and Limited Use Items

Some items will have limited uses. Unless indicated on the card, you can use an item as often as you'd like subject to the text on the card. If an item can only be used once, the game text will advise it must be discarded to be used.

Other items that have multiple, but limited uses have small circular spaces on the Item card. When acquiring such an item, place Tracking markers on the card to indicate how many uses it has left. Each time the item is used, remove one of the markers. When the last marker is removed, discard the item.

Weapons

Many items that must be held in your hands are weapons. On the left hand side of the item card is the Range and Damage Modifier. When you have a different weapon in each of your hands, you must choose ONE to use when resolving an attack.

• Range – a number that indicates how many spaces away from the Killer you MUST be to attack with the weapon. Weapons with '0' range can only be used while in the same space as the Killer. Weapons with '1' or higher range can only be used while that many spaces away from the Killer.
• Damage Modifier - Unless otherwise indicated, weapons modify attacks made with Action cards. When you resolve an Action card and inflict 1 or more damage, you may add the weapon's Damage Modifier to inflict additional damage.

The Final Health Token

There are 9 black Final Health tokens, 3 of which have health icons on the back of them (either 1, 2, or 3 health). The rest are blank. Both the Final Girl and the Killer each start the game with a black Final Health token. Whenever either of them takes damage, normal Health markers are removed equal to the amount of damage. When no normal Health markers are left and there remains damage to be applied, their black Final Health token is revealed.

If the black Final Health token is blank, they're dead and the game is over. If the token isn't blank, however, they come back to life in classic horror movie fashion! Replace the black Final Health token with a white Final Health token and, based on how much health was showing on the back of the black token, make up the rest in normal Health markers. Then remove the black Final Health token from the game.

Whenever someone comes back to life, the current phase IMMEDIATELY ends and play continues to the next phase. If their health is fully depleted a second time and their white Final Health token is removed, there is no coming back and they are truly dead.

NOTE! If the Final Girl or Killer come back, do NOT apply any excess damage. For example, say the Killer did 5 damage to the Final Girl but she only had 2 health left. The Final Girl would discard her one Health marker and then reveal her black Final Health token. If there were health icons on the back of the token, she would come back to life with that much health! The 3 'extra' damage from the Killer, however, would NOT be applied to her newly recovered health.

Adrenaline Rush

If either the Final Girl and/or the Killer only has their Final Health token remaining (either black or white), you may roll +1 additional dice for all of your Horror Rolls (+2 dice if they are both down to only one health!). This is indicated by the +1 icon on the back of the Final Health tokens. If additional health is recovered such that they have more than just the Final Health token remaining, this benefit is lost.

Bloodlust

The Killer will get stronger as the game goes on and more Victims perish. This is represented by the Bloodlust track on the Killer board. Each time a Victim is killed and any time you see the Bloodlust icon, it means Bloodlust must be increased by 1. Apply any special effects shown on the new row and take note of the Killer's new Movement and Attack Values. If Bloodlust reaches the maximum, for the rest of the game it will trigger the final effect for each additional increase to Bloodlust.

NOTE! It can sometimes happen where a chain of effects will cause Bloodlust to increase multiple times even as other effects are waiting to be resolved. Each effect on the Bloodlust track must be resolved in these instances. Once the impacts of the Bloodlust increases have been resolved, finish resolving any other game effects as usual.

Dark Powers, Epic Dark Powers, and Minor Dark Powers

Dark Power cards feature unique abilities that the Killer will be able to use if the card is revealed. There is a space on the Killer's Bloodlust track that indicates when their Dark Power card must be revealed. If the Bloodlust marker reaches that space, reveal the Dark Power card immediately.

In addition to regular Dark Power cards, most Killers will also have an Epic Dark Power card, denoted by a bloody border on the card face. Epic Dark Powers feature particularly nasty abilities and should only be included in your game when you want an epic challenge.

Some Terror cards are Minor Dark Powers that will give the Killer new, temporary abilities. When drawn, place the card above the Killer board. In addition to granting the Killer an ability, Minor Dark Powers also extend the health of the Killer. Place the appropriate number of Health markers on the Minor Dark Power card in the indicated spaces.

Whenever the Final Girl does damage to the Killer, they must remove any Health markers from Minor Dark Powers before they can remove them from the Killer's general Health markers. If all Health markers are removed from a Minor Dark Power, it is discarded and the Killer no longer has that ability.

Victim Overflow Boards and Tokens

The game comes with 3 Victim Overflow boards and matching tokens. If a space becomes too crowded with Victims and other pieces, you may use a Victim Overflow board. Put the matching token in the space on the board and move all of the Victims to the Victim Overflow board. The Victims are still considered to be in that space and are simply held on the Victim Overflow board for practicality. The Killer and Final Girl should always remain on the board and never be placed on a Victim Overflow board.

Events

An Event card is revealed at the start of the game and more Event cards may be revealed during the course of play. When indicated by the Event icon, reveal the next Event card and apply the effects. Some Event cards have permanent, ongoing effects, while others will have one-time effects and will be discarded after the effect has been applied. Drawing a new Event card does NOT cancel or replace the effects of previous Event cards. It is possible to have multiple ongoing events at once.

Sometimes the effects of an event can't be applied because there are no Victims on the board or similar. If this occurs, the event is simply ignored and you do NOT draw another Event card.

The parts of an Event card:

1. Card Title
2. Flavor Text
3. Special Victim Meeple or Associated Token
4. Special Rules and Effects
5. Discard Timing

Special Victims

Some cards (usually Events) will require you to add or replace a Victim on the board with a Special Victim. These are the white, orange, and blue meeples. Follow the text on the card for how the Special Victim works.

Unless their card specifies otherwise, Special Victims are treated exactly like normal Victims for all gameplay purposes. They will follow you, respecting the 2 Victim limit; if you save one, place it on a Saved Victim space on the Final Girl card and receive the space's reward; and if they are killed, place them on the Dead space of the Player board and increase Bloodlust.

Tokens

Some Item, Event, or Terror cards will require the use of one or more tokens. Such cards always have the associated token present in the upper right hand corner of the card. Follow the instructions on the card and place the token on the board as indicated. Tokens are often used as a visual reminder of certain game effects.

Discarding/Drawing/Playing/Removing

Many effects refer to these terms with respect to cards. Their meanings should be evident, but they are defined below for clarity's sake.

• Discarding - Place the indicated card in the appropriate discard pile. Action cards that are discarded (voluntarily for an effect or involuntarily due to hand limit or another effect) will always go back into the Action Tableau at the end of the Planning phase. It is recommended (but not required) that Action cards discarded for alternate effects are discarded face down to signify how they were used. If a card says to discard itself, any effects on the card below the discard effect are ignored and are NOT resolved. If a card is discarded from the top of a deck, none of the effects on the card are resolved.
• Drawing (or taking) - Draw the top card of the indicated type. Action cards are taken into your hand and Item cards are placed in your Hands or Backpack slots. All other card types are immediately resolved when drawn.
• Playing - Refers to playing an Action card for its effects, usually requiring a Horror Roll. Items and abilities are used, which is not considered playing a card.
• Removing - If something is "removed from the game" it should be placed back in the box and cannot return to the current game. If something is "removed from play" it should be removed from the board but can return to play if a game effect causes that to occur.

Game Ambiguity

Final Girl is a game system that is massive in scope, with card interactions and combinations that might as well be considered infinite in number. As such, it can happen from time to time that something may not be covered in the rules, there is a timing question, strange card interaction, a tie that cannot be adequately resolved, or something else that causes you uncertainty when playing. In these cases, apply one of the following rules:

• The Rule of Infinite Evil - resolve it in such a way that results in the worst outcome for you.
• The Rule of Abject Realism - resolve it in the way that results in the most realistic or thematic outcome.
• The Rule of Never-ending Hilarity - resolve it in the way that results in the funniest outcome.

We recommend choosing ONE of these rules before you play and resolving any ambiguities in that manner.

Enemies, Killers, and Minions

In most games you will only be dealing with one Killer. However, some Killers may be accompanied by Minions, and on other occasions there may be many Minions but no Killer. As such it is important to understand the following game terms for resolving rules and effects:

• Enemy/Enemies - rules and cards that specifically state Enemies apply to both the Killer and Minions.
• Killer - rules and cards that specifically state the Killer do not apply for Minions.
• Minion/Minions - rules and cards that specifically state Minions do not apply for the Killer.

Minions

Some Feature Films use Minions, which are lesser (but still terrifying) monsters that are trying to kill you. Minions can be present with or without a main Killer depending on the scenario. For example, the Carnage at the Carnival Feature Film box includes both a Killer (Geppetto) and Minions (Puppets), but the Terror From Above vignette expansion only has Minions (Birds) and no Killer.

Minions each come with their own reference card(s) that will show what their health, Attack Value, and Movement Values are.

Minions are often times spawned at the beginning or during the game. This will be indicated in the rules for each specific Minion. The number of Minions that can be on the board is always limited to the number of Minion tokens that are included. If you are called by the game to spawn or place Minions and there are no tokens available, that effect should be ignored.

Attacking a Minion

When attacking a Minion, follow the same rules as when you attack the Killer with the following changes.

• If the Killer is in the same space as one or more Minions, you must first decide whether you are attacking the Killer or the Minion(s). You cannot attack both.
• If you choose to attack the Minions and there are more than one of them in the same space, you are attacking ALL of them. You may divide damage among the Minions in the target space as you wish. Any leftover damage is lost. You CANNOT divide damage amongst the Minions and the Killer, however.
• Victims will follow you into a space that contains Minions unless that space also contains the Killer.

The Killer Phase (with Minions)

When playing with Minions, the Killer phase follows the same rules with the following changes:

• In addition to resolving the Killer Action on the back of the Finale card, there will also be a Minion Action (or in some instances, there will ONLY be a Minion Action). If there is a Killer and a Minion Action, resolve the actions in order from top to bottom.
• When resolving Terror cards, unless otherwise stated, all Enemies will perform any Killer Actions, one at a time. Minions should always act first followed by the Killer.

The Panic Phase (with Minions)

As long as at least one Victim was killed during the turn, Victims that are in a space with a Minion will panic, just as they would if they were in the same space as the Killer.

Turn Summary

1. Action Phase

• Play Action cards

2. Planning Phase

• Purchase Action cards
• Reset Time to 6
• Return Action cards in discard pile to Tableau

3. Killer Phase

• Resolve Killer Action
• Draw a Terror card

4. Panic Phase

• If a Victim was killed this turn, panic all Victims in the Killer's space

5. Upkeep Phase

• Reveal Finale if no Terror cards left
• Rearrange items

Action Cards Reference

Action cards may be used in the following ways:

• To resolve the Action on the card. Make a Horror Roll to see how successful the action is, or if it fails.
• To convert a partial success. During a Horror Roll you may discard any two Action cards from your hand to convert a 3 or 4 into a success. You may do this once for each die showing a 3 or 4.
• To gain +1 Time. At any point before the Action phase ends, you may discard as many Action cards as you wish in exchange for +1 Time each.

Icon Reference

• Recover 1 Health
• Lose 1 Health (unpreventable)
• Increase Horror Level by 1
• Decrease Horror Level by 1
• Action phase immediately ends
• 1 Damage
• Gain 1 Time
• Lose 1 Time
• Roll 1 additional die
• Horror Roll success
• Horror Roll failure
• Target closest Victim or Final Girl
• Target closest Victim
• Target Final Girl
• Killer attacks
• Killer moves
• Increase Bloodlust by 1
• Draw a new Event
• Exit space
• Search space

Credits

Producers: A.J. Porfirio and Evan Derrick (Core Game Design)

Directors of Photography: Tyler Johnson, Vladyslava Ladkova, Tumo Mere, Roland McDonald (Illustration)

2nd Unit DP: Evan Derrick and Scott Beavers (Graphic Design)

Editors: A.J. Porfirio and Evan Derrick (Development)

Production Assistants: Mikolaj Laczynski, Mike Martins, and Justin Swaine (Lead Playtesters)

The Final Girl game and logo are Trademarks of Van Ryder Games. ©2020 Van Ryder Games. All rights reserved.

The Final Girl board game is not affiliated with any movie, book, comic, or other media of any kind of the same name or otherwise. This game and its associated content is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.