King of the Creepies Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Card Types
  • Creepie Cards
  • Goodie Cards
  • Ability Cards
  • Mischief Cards
  • Goal Cards
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • Market Phase
  • Mischief Phase
  • Battle Phase
    • Attack and Defense
    • Abilities
    • Modifiers
    • Items
    • Exhaustion
    • Bribery
    • Winning a Battle
• Winning the Game
• Goblin Poker
  • Goblin Poker Setup
  • Goblin Poker Gameplay
• Quick Start Guide

Components

• 1 Rulebook
• 6 Player Mats
• 6 Victory Trackers
• 6 Health Trackers
• 24 Modifier Tokens
• 45 $1 Monies Tokens
• 28 $5 Monies Tokens
• 17 $10 Monies Tokens
• 13 Six-Sided Dice
• 37 Goodie Cards
• 30 Creepie Cards
• 46 Ability Cards
• 11 Mischief Cards
• 15 Goal Cards

Card Types

Creepie Cards

• Creepie Name: The Creepie's name.
• Creature Feature: Provides a unique twist to your combatants. These Creature Features come naturally to each Creepie, and are not spent or exhausted.
• Hit Points (HP): How much damage your Creepie can take. When a Creepie reaches 0 it is knocked out. Creepies can never go above their maximum HP.
• Attack (ATK): Creepies with high Attack scores deal more damage.
• Defense (DEF): Creepies with high Defense scores are able to block more incoming damage.
• Speed (SPD): Turn order is decided by the Speed score.
• Ability (ABIL): The number of Ability cards a Creepie can play per battle.

Goodie Cards

The Goodies deck is made up of 2 types of cards: Gear and Items.

• Gear: Cards players can equip to their Creepies during battle. Only 1 Gear may be equipped to a Creepie per battle.
• Items: Single use cards. They are often played during battle, though most Item cards may be played at any time. Items are discarded permanently from the player's hand when used.

Ability Cards

These are special actions that Creepies can perform in battle to damage their foes or turn the tide of battle in their favor.

Mischief Cards

These cards add spice to keep players on their toes. Only one player draws 1 Mischief card per round of play.

Goal Cards

Each player starts with 1 Goal card. A player may look at their goal at any time. Goals are not considered part of the player's hand, and remain facedown on the table until their requirements are met. When a goal is met reveal the Goal card immediately to the table and keep it face-up at your Player mat. Goal cards may not be played retroactively. There is no limit to the number of Goal cards a player may have.

Note: Some cards have an Asterisk (*) after their name. This has no effect during standard play. Asterisk cards are removed from play in Goblin Poker, a separate game playable with the cards in this box.

Setup

1. There are 5 decks of cards. Creepies, Goodies, and Abilities go in the center of the table. Goals and Mischief can be placed off to the side, where at least one player can reach them.
2. Every player takes a Player mat and places it in front of them. This will help keep track of their Victory Crystals, Creepie's Health, and provides a quick reference guide for important rules. Every player also gets two dice.
3. Players start with 3 Monies, then draw 2 Creepies, 2 Goodies, 2 Abilities, and 1 Goal card.
4. Each player must roll one die to determine Market Phase turn order for the whole game. Play then proceeds clockwise around the table.

Gameplay

Market Phase

At the beginning of each Market Phase (including the first turn!) players earn 1 Monie for each Creepie card they own. Exhausted Creepies still earn Monies. Exhausted cards which have rested for a full round may now be re-drawn into player's hands. Each player takes a turn clockwise around the table.

Note: Most cards (except for Items) in King of the Creepies are not discarded when used in battle, but rather use a cool down mechanic called exhaustion.

Each player may choose 1 of the following options on their turn:

• Draw 2 cards. Cards can be from the Creepies, Abilities, and Goodies decks in any combination.
• OR
• Draw 1 Goal card.

Note: Creepie, Goodie, and Ability cards all go into the player's hand. Goal cards stay facedown and do not contribute toward maximum hand size.

Buying and Selling Cards:

• Players may buy or sell cards at any time during the Market Phase, even if it is not their turn.
• Buy 1 card for 2 Monies. Players may buy as many cards as they want during Market Phase.
• Earn 1 Monie by discarding 2 in-hand cards. Players may discard as many cards as they like during Market Phase. Cards currently in the exhausted pile may not be discarded.

By the end of the Market Phase, players can only have a maximum of 10 cards in their hand. If players have more than 10 cards in-hand, they must discard or sell any extra cards. Exhausted cards and goals do not count towards hand size.

Note: Item cards may be played at any time during the Market Phase.

Mischief Phase

Players place 1 Creepie card facedown in front of their Player mat. Players may additionally equip 1 Gear card by placing it next to the selected Creepie. Once all players have selected their Creepie and Gear, everyone flips their Creepie and Gear cards face-up to reveal their selections.

Betting begins. Each combatant may wager up to 5 Monies on themselves. At the end of the battle, any Monies wagered and lost goes to the bank, not the winner. The winning bet is matched and payed out by the bank. Once Monies have been placed in the betting pool, they may not be removed until the battle is over.

Some Item cards are meant to be played during the Mischief Phase (i.e. Mix-Up at the Dry Cleaners). These cards will say "Play this card during Mischief Phase".

Finally, designate one player to flip a Mischief card face-up each round. These cards affect everyone and slightly change the way each battle is played. Once a Mischief card has been played, players cannot make any changes to their selected Creepie card, Gear card, or Monies wagered.

Battle Phase

Battles begin by determining turn order. Each player rolls one die and adds it to their Speed attribute to determine who goes first. Play then proceeds clockwise around the table.

During the Battle Phase, a player may perform up to 2 actions per turn. On each player's turn, they must make one attack. In addition, they may optionally play an Ability card. Ability cards can be played before or after an attack.

Note: Look at a Creepie's Ability score to see how many abilities they may play per battle.

Attack and Defense

The attacker must declare their target before rolling any dice. To attack, roll two dice and add it to the Creepie's Attack score. The target of the attack must defend by rolling one die and adding their Defense score. Subtract the total defense from the attack total to determine how much HP is lost. Damage taken can be recorded on the Health track of the Player's mat. When a Creepie reaches 0 HP, it is knocked out, and finished for the rest of the battle.

The defender may wait to see the results of the attack roll before rolling their defense or playing any cards. A player does not have to play their ability on the same Creepie they attacked, or vice versa.

Abilities

Each player may play 1 Ability card per turn. To play an ability, simply place it face-up next to your Creepie. This action is called spending an ability. Once an ability is spent, it cannot be used again during that battle.

• Hidden Ability Cards: Play these cards facedown. Once played, the player may flip the card face-up at any time for free to activate it. This leaves the card spent for battle. Hidden abilities become exhausted at the end of battle, even if they are still facedown.
• Freebie Cards: At the beginning of a battle, play these cards facedown. This does not consume an Ability slot for the battle, and it does not count as spending an ability for your turn. These cards can be spent at any time during the battle.

Some abilities positively or negatively affect certain attribute scores such as Attack or Defense. These changes remain active through the battle unless otherwise specified. Negative modifiers may not bring an attribute below 0 (a Creepie can't have -1 Defense).

Modifiers

A Creepie's attribute may only be positively modified by 1 card per battle.

• Cannot modify the same attribute twice. Example: Helmet of Derbershire and I'm the Gosh Darn Juggernaut both grant a bonus to Creepie's Defense.
• Cannot restore a lost attribute bonus. Example: An opponent used Punymaker 3000 to take away the bonus that was granted by I'm the Gosh Darn Juggernaut. Nocturnal Manimal is trying to use a Special Potion to restore the same bonus from I'm the Gosh Darn Juggernaut. This is not allowed.
• Two different attributes may be modified at the same time. Example: Spikes, Spikes Everywhere grants an Attack bonus, while I'm the Gosh Darn Juggernaut gives a bonus to Defense.

Items

Items may be played at any time, even out of battle. Some items are required to be played facedown before they can be activated. Once used, an item is discarded for the rest of the game.

Exhaustion

All cards played must remain on the table during battle. After a battle concludes, all Non-Item cards played become exhausted for one full round of play, and may return to the player's hand at the beginning of the Mischief Phase following the next battle.

Bribery

Bribery is not only allowed, it's encouraged! Though a player may bribe another at any point in the game, it is perhaps most useful in the midst of a battle. Players may offer up Monies or in-hand cards at any time to convince another player to do their bidding.

Winning a Battle

A player wins a battle when their opponent's Creepies are all knocked out. The winner earns 1 Victory Crystal, and gains Monies based on their wager.

Winning the Game

The first player to reach 5 Victory Crystals wins.

How to Earn Victory Crystals:

• Win a battle.
• Buy a Victory Crystal by turning in 15 Monies to the bank. Each player can only buy 2 Victory Crystals during the course of the game.
• Play an Item card that grants a Victory Crystal, such as "I'm Winning!"
• Complete the objective on a Goal card.

Note: When achieving a goal, it must be revealed to the table immediately.

Ties: If there is a tie game, the players tied immediately have a one-on-one battle against each other. Any exhausted Creepies, Gear, or Ability cards may be used in the battle. The winner is crowned King of the Creepies!

Goblin Poker

Goblin Poker is a second game which borrows some concepts of Texas Hold'em poker, but uses the battle mechanics of King of the Creepies. Goblin Poker is a more casual way to play, suitable for a quick demonstration, or for an all night gambling session.

Goblin Poker Setup

Deal out 25 Monies to each player. Poker chips or other betting tokens may be substituted to allow for other starting amounts. Remove Goodie and Ability cards that have an Asterisk after their name and discard them from their decks. They will not be used in Goblin Poker.

Place the Creepies, Goodies, and Abilities decks facedown on the table. The Mischief and Goal decks will not be needed. Decide before the game whether one player will be the dealer or if the dealer title will rotate around the table. Betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer and continues clockwise around the table.

Goblin Poker Gameplay

1. Ante the pot. Ante is 1 Monie (or 2 if you are a high roller) placed into the center of the table.
2. Draw 3 Creepies, 3 Goodies, and 3 Ability cards. After each battle in Goblin Poker players will discard their whole hand and re-draw. There is no reason to hold anything back!
3. First round of betting begins with the player left of the dealer. One player will bet an amount based on their hand. The rest of the table may call, raise, or fold.
4. There are 3 Betting Actions:
   • Call: Match the bet of the previous player.
   • Raise: Add in more money than what is currently being wagered. All other players will then need to match a raise, even if they have already called.
   • Fold: Drop out of the round. That player no longer has to bet any money, but they may not participate in the battle, and all money already wagered is lost.
5. Players may discard up to 4 cards in their hand, and redraw the same number of cards from any deck. Example: If you discard 2 Creepies, you may draw 1 Goodie and 1 Ability cards.
6. Each player selects 1 Creepie, and 1 Gear (if able), and places them facedown on the table. Once all players are ready reveal chosen Creepies and Gear.
7. Second and Final rounds of betting, repeat step 4.
8. Now play a standard Battle Phase (see Battle Phase above). Each person who has not folded brings their Creepie into battle, and the winner takes the pot!
9. After the battle, everyone discards their hands, re-shuffles the decks again and starts over. Play until one person has all the Monies, or everyone hates each other!

Quick Start Guide

The printed Quick Start Guide numbers its steps 1–4 and then 7–9; steps 5 and 6 are not printed and are not supplied here.

1. Setup

• Start with 3 Monies.
• Draw 2 Creepies, 2 Goodies, 2 Abilities, and 1 Goal card.
• Decide Market Phase turn order by rolling a die. Highest roll goes first. Play moves clockwise.

2. Market Phase

• Gain 1 Monie for each Creepie owned, including exhausted ones.
• On your turn: Draw any 2 cards from the Creepie, Goodie, or Ability decks in any order OR draw 1 Goal card.

3. Buying and Selling

• 1 card costs 2 Monies.
• Sell 2 cards to the bank to gain 1 Monie.
• Maximum hand size by the end of Market Phase is 10.

4. Mischief Phase

• Place 1 Creepie and 1 Gear facedown.
• Bet up to 5 Monies.
• Draw 1 Mischief card for the table.

7. Battle Phase

• Roll one die and add Speed. Highest total goes first. Battle goes clockwise.
• On your turn (in any order):
  • Attack: To attack, roll two dice and add Attack. To defend, roll one die and add Defense.
  • Play Ability (optional): Place Ability card next to Creepie on the table.
  • Play Item (optional): Items are instant and free, but discard forever.
• Note: Items can be played at any time during turn by any player.

8. Exhaustion

• Cards played during battles become exhausted, and cannot be brought back into player's hands until the beginning of the Mischief Phase following the next battle.

9. Winning the Game

• The first player to reach 5 Victory Crystals wins.
• Ways to gain Victory Crystals:
  • Win a battle.
  • Achieve a goal.
  • Turn in 15 Monies.
  • Play a specific Item card.