Kingscraft Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • 1. Playing the action cards
  • 2. Determining turn order
  • 3. Performing the turns
• The 7 Actions
• The Character Board
• The Items
• Crafting
• Potions
• Combat
  • Attacking a creature or king
  • Explanation of a creature card
  • Explanation of a king card
  • Combat power
  • Damage calculation
  • Combat example
• End of the Game
• Characters
  • Assassin
  • Merchant
  • Brawler
  • Nobleman
  • Rogue
  • Alchemist
  • Neutral Characters
• Promotional Kings
• Symbol Overview
  • General Symbols
  • Creature / King Symbols
  • Losing Hearts
  • Receiving Potions
• Credits
  • Brew your own potions!

Components

• The Forge – a game board made of 7 pieces
• 4 crests in player colors
• 6 character boards
• 1 creature and king display
• 13+ heart tokens
• 1 merchant token
• 4 alchemy tokens
• 20 six-sided dice
• 5 twelve-sided dice
• 28 action cards in 4 different player colors
• 4 Rogue cards
• 10 level 1 creature cards
• 10 level 2 creature cards
• 10 level 3 creature cards
• 8 kings (4x young / 4x old)
• 25 potions (small cards)
• 45 items (small cards)
• 4 player aids

Setup

1. Set up your character as follows:

   1. Each of you chooses 1 of the 6 character boards and places it in front of you. For your first game, it's best to take the neutral side. You can recognize it by the text "This is the neutral side of the character" in the banner above your hero in the upper right corner.

   2. Each of you chooses 1 of the 4 heraldic animals. This determines your color in the game.

   3. Take the 7 action cards matching your color.

   4. Fill in the grayed-out hearts on your character board, above the banner in the upper right, with hearts. Take your 3 heart markers for this and place them on the corresponding spaces.

   5. If you are playing an asymmetric character, take the additional tokens or cards for your starting setup!

   We recommend using the neutral characters for your first games! You can learn more about the asymmetric characters and their special abilities starting on page 18 (see the Characters section below).

   You additionally each receive 2 starting items. To do this, however, you must first assemble the forge (main game board) as described on the following page (see step 3b below).

2. Assemble the lettered pieces of the forge into the main game board. Combine them in alphabetical order according to the printed letters (A-G).

   • For 2 players: leave out any 2 pieces with a white letter.
   • For 3 players: leave out any 1 piece with a white letter.
   • For 4 players: play with all pieces.

   This area is referred to below as "the forge."

   As a game variant, once you know the game better, you can also assemble the pieces in random order. This provides more variety. The pieces with letters A and G always remain at the left and right edge of the forge, respectively.

3. Organize the item cards.

   a. Set aside all items from the sorted-out boards. The letter is visible in the lower right corner. These cards are not needed in this game.

   b. Shuffle all remaining class 1 item cards, recognizable by the upper left corner. Now distribute two random cards to each player as starting items.

   c. Place the remaining items on the corresponding spaces in the forge:

   Class 1: top row Class 2: middle row Class 3: bottom row

   d. Shuffle all "potion" cards and set them aside as a face-down potion deck.

4. Sort the creature cards.

   Divide them by their level, recognizable by the different forests and the number on the back, into 3 stacks.

   Shuffle the three stacks separately. Check to the right how many creatures per level you need for your player count, and place these face-down on the spaces of the creature display.

When you have finished setup, you can equip your characters with your starting items. Place them on the matching spaces of your character board — more on this on page 11 (see The Character Board below). Now the game can begin.

Gameplay

Kingscraft is not played in turn order like most games. Instead, turn order is determined by the action cards played.

Each game round consists of 3 phases:

1. Playing the action cards
2. Determining turn order
3. Performing the chosen actions

Below, these 3 phases are explained step by step. The terms "crafting" and "fighting" are explained separately and in detail: crafting on page 13 and fighting on page 15 (see the Crafting and Combat sections below).

1. Playing the action cards

You each have 7 action cards available. You all decide simultaneously which action you want to play and play the corresponding card face-down in front of you. Through your choice, you determine which action you perform this turn and when you come up in turn order.

Structure of the action cards:

1. Player and color affiliation of the card: whose card is it?
2. Name and symbol of the action
3. Effect of the action: what happens with this action?
4. Turn order: who gets to perform their action when?

2. Determining turn order

All played action cards are now revealed and sorted on the table from left to right according to turn order. The order is determined by the following system:

First, look at the turn order to see in which sequence the actions take place.

Example: 1. First, Green may heal. 2. Orange is next and performs a level 1 attack. 3. Blue now performs a level 2 attack. 4. Finally, Purple crafts. Then a new round begins!

If several of you have played the same action, the player with the higher speed value goes first. To determine your speed value, add up all rabbit symbols on your hero, active items, and any potions played.

Should several players at the table have the same action and the same speed, they hold a "friendly duel" with each other. This means they each determine their combat power simultaneously (see Combat Power on page 16), but do not deal damage to each other. They may use all their abilities from active items and played potions while doing so. In case of a tie, repeat the roll until there is a winner. Whoever wins the friendly duel, meaning they reach the higher combat power, goes earlier in turn order!

3. Performing the turns

After the chosen action cards have been sorted into the correct turn order, the actions are performed one after another in that order. After each action, the player takes their action card back into hand, signaling that their turn is over.

Once everyone has performed their turn, the next round begins with phase 1, in which everyone again chooses an action card and plays it face-down.

With that, you already know the basic flow of the game. To play correctly, there are still a few things to understand. Below, the important game mechanics are explained: the character board, crafting, fighting, and the potions.

The 7 Actions

Overview:

Attack: King — You challenge the king to a duel. Watch out for guards in play. For every Guard action in play among your fellow players, the king gets +4 base strength. If the king is defeated, the game ends immediately and you win the game.

Heal — You may refill all of your lost hearts.

Attack: Level 1 — You must fight the active level 1 creature. If you win, you may take a class 1 item from the forge. Afterward, you may perform 1 crafting action.

Guard — Take a class 1 item from the forge without risk. In addition, the king is stronger by +4 base strength this round, should a duel occur. If several players "hold guard" in the same round, these effects add up.

Attack: Level 2 — You must fight the active level 2 creature. If you win, you may take a class 2 item from the forge.

Craft — You may craft up to 2 times. For details, see the "Crafting" section on page 13.

Attack: Level 3 — You must fight the active level 3 creature. If you win, you may take a class 3 item from the forge.

Important: Only "Attack: Level 1" grants you an additional crafting action, not "Attack: Level 2" and "Attack: Level 3."

The Character Board

The character board holds your character's abilities, life track, and inventory.

The inventory takes up the largest space on the board. To defeat the king, each player collects items and thereby increases the strength of their character. These items are equipped on the character board. The top row offers space for up to 4 items that are active in combat. These correspond to the different body regions:

• Foot (green) — active
• Body (purple) — active
• Head (orange) — active
• Hand (blue) — active

In the upper right you'll find the information about your character:

• Class
• Life track
• Base abilities
• Neutral side, or special abilities of the asymmetric side

Below that there are 4 backpack spaces. Here you can store up to 4 items that you are not currently using but still want to carry with you. The abilities of an item in the backpack cannot be used! Your hero's entire inventory is limited to these 8 spaces. If you have too many items or potions at the end of a round, you must give them up!

Colored items can only be equipped in the top row in the matching slots. Gray items are neutral and can be used in any active slot. The abilities of the 4 active items can be used in combat. Every item has effects and abilities that affect the character's attributes. Items may be freely rearranged up until a fight, but never during a fight.

The Items

Since the core of the game revolves around acquiring better items, let's take a closer look at them. In the center of the card is always the illustration.

1. Class. Top left shows the class of the item (class 1-3).
2. Assignment. The color of the banner and the small symbol signal which inventory slot the item can be equipped in.
3. Effect. The banner shows the effects and abilities your character gains from this item. If two abilities are shown on the card (image lower right), you always receive both effects.
4. Sorting aid. Makes initial setup and returning cards easier. Check the piece of the forge on which the letter can be found. Every item has its fixed place.
5. Upgrade display. Here you see what is added when you flip the item to its upgraded side.
6. Upgraded back side. Class 2 and 3 items can be upgraded! The upgraded back side is easy to recognize by its gold-yellow border.

Explanations of all symbols found on items can be found on the player aid or at the end of this rulebook (see Symbol Overview below).

There are 2 jokers each in class 1 and class 2. Class 2 jokers can also be upgraded. When crafting, they can each replace 1 item of the corresponding class.

Crafting

Crafting is one of the central game mechanics of Kingscraft. Crafting always means creating better variants from the items you have. When a player gets the opportunity to "craft," they can choose between 3 types of crafting:

1. Combine items

You can combine two items in your possession, whether active or in the backpack, into more powerful items. The possible combinations are always marked by arrows in the forge. The item you want to craft must be available in the forge — then you can take it from there. Place the materials you used for crafting (in the example, a helmet and a horn) back into the forge. Now they are available to other players again. In exchange, take the horned helmet of class 2.

Should both items being combined already be upgraded, the resulting item is automatically upgraded as well. If only one of the two combination items is upgraded, the resulting item remains normal.

2. Upgrade items

This action only works for class 2 and 3 items. You can flip an item in your possession to its upgraded back side. Which values are improved can already be seen beforehand on the right edge of the banner. If nothing is shown there, the item cannot be upgraded.

Important: An upgraded item remains on its upgraded side until the end of the game — even if it is placed back into the forge through a crafting action!

3. Turn items into potions

For one crafting action, you can give up any item and receive as many potions as the level of the item you gave up. In the example on the right, you place a class 2 helmet back into the forge and take 2 potions. More on potions on the next page (see Potions below).

Potions

Let's take a look at the potion deck laid out next to the forge:

Receiving potions: Whenever you have the opportunity to take an item, e.g. through a Guard action or a fight, you can instead choose to take potions from the face-down potion deck. In general:

Class of the item = number of potions

Example: You win a level 2 fight and would be entitled to take a level 2 item as a reward. You can instead choose to take 2 potions from the deck.

Important: When you take a potion, you may secretly look at its ability and then place it face-down in an open slot in your backpack.

Trading potions: You can also receive potions with a crafting action. Per crafting action, you may trade one of your items for potions. The same rule applies here: the class of the item determines the number of potions. You can also trade a potion for a new one. Place the old potion on the potion discard pile.

Using potions: Once per round, you have the opportunity to use a potion. To do so, you reveal the potion and carry out its effect. The potion remains active until you place it on the potion discard pile at the end of the turn. Most potions are played on yourself, but there are also a handful of potions that can be played on your fellow players.

Potions in the backpack: If you would draw more potions than you have room for in your backpack, you may look at the potions and then decide whether to place the excess potions of your choice on the discard pile, or put items back into the forge to make room.

If the potion deck runs out, shuffle the potion discard pile and set it up as the new potion deck.

Combat

Attacking a creature or king

You can challenge one of 4 opponents to a fight: the top cards of creature stacks 1/2/3, or the king himself. To do so, you must play the "Attack: Level 1/2/3" or "Attack: King" action. Once you have decided on one of these 4 actions, the fight takes place.

If you defeat a creature, it moves to the discard pile and the next creature is revealed. If there are no more creatures left on the stack, the printed standard creatures on the board remain available. If you win against the king, the game ends immediately.

Explanation of a creature card

The example is a level 2 creature, recognizable by the background and the level indicator on the back.

Some opponents have a restriction. This is always shown above the line in a circle. In a fight against this opponent, for example, no items in the hand slot may be used. A restriction overview can be found on the player aid and on the back of this rulebook (see Symbol Overview below).

However, if you have at least as much speed as the opponent, the restriction is inactive. An opponent's speed is shown to the left of the restriction and always corresponds to the opponent's level. In our example, a speed of 2 would be enough to bypass the restriction on the creature shown.

Effects: The creature fights with 3 six-sided dice and may reroll a single die up to 2 times.

Explanation of a king card

The king card shown is an old queen, recognizable by her title and the golden throne. Restrictions apply the same way as with creatures! Kings always have 4 speed.

Effects: The queen fights with 3 dice and may repeat the entire fight once per turn.

Combat power

In the course of a fight, both the player and the opponent determine their combat power. For the creature/king, this is handled by the player to the left of the active player. This player also makes any decisions for the creature or king. Combat power is determined one after another: first the active player determines their combat power, then their opponent.

Determining combat power:

1. The active player rolls all of their available dice.
2. They can then decide whether to use effects that allow them to reroll dice.
3. Now the left neighbor rolls for the creature or king, if it defends with dice. They too may now decide whether to use the effects printed on the creature or king card. In general, all printed effects are available to them; the dividing line is only there for clarity!
4. Finally, all die values, the base strength, and any potential extra damage are added together. The result is the respective combat power for this round.

When determining combat power, everyone has the opportunity to use 1 potion and thereby influence the fight and its outcome! Keep in mind, though, that you may only play one potion per round. If the active player has more combat power than the opponent, the fight is considered won.

Attention: In case of a tie when comparing combat power, the fight is considered lost.

Damage calculation

After every fight, whether won or lost, the active player checks how much damage they took and how many hearts, if any, they lose as a result. The opponent's combat power minus the active player's armor equals the damage. For every 10 damage (or part thereof) taken in a fight, the player loses one heart:

Damage	Hearts lost
0 damage	0 hearts
1-10 damage	1 heart
11-20 damage	2 hearts
21-30 damage	3 hearts
31-40 damage	4 hearts
...etc.

Lost hearts are flipped to their grayed-out back side.

Attention: If a player drops to zero hearts during their fight, the fight is automatically lost. A player with no hearts still takes part in the game and can perform actions, but must heal in order to fight again.

Combat example

The hero fights a creature. Since the hero now owns a sword and boots, he may fight with 4 dice and reroll a die twice. Thanks to +2 speed from the boots and his base speed of 1, he reaches a speed value of 3. This lets him ignore the creature's restriction against using his sword (hand slot). He cannot use the 4 additional "reroll" uses from his staff, because that item is in his backpack and not equipped.

The hero begins the fight by rolling his 4 dice: 6, 5, 3, 2. He rerolls the 2 using the lower ability of his boots: 6, 5, 3, 4. He could reroll again but decides not to. His combat power is therefore 18.

Now his left neighbor rolls for the creature. It fights with 3 dice: 6, 5, 4. The creature may also reroll up to 2 times. Since it can only win if it also reaches a result of 18, the player rerolls the 4: 6, 5, 2. He rerolls the 2 once more and gets a 3. Now the creature has a combat power of 14.

That means the hero has 4 more combat power than the creature and has won the fight, but he must still calculate the damage first.

To do this, the hero subtracts the value of his armor (7) from the creature's combat power, i.e. the damage caused (14). That leaves 7. According to the table above, the hero unfortunately has to give up 1 heart. But since he still has 2 hearts remaining, this does not change the outcome of the fight.

After a won fight, the creature card is placed on the discard pile and the player receives the reward for their action.

In case of defeat: The creature's card remains active and can now be attacked by the next player. If a creature stack is empty, there is a standard creature printed on the board for each level. The corresponding fights can then be fought against these for the rest of the game.

End of the Game

When the duel against the king ends with a hero's victory, that hero wins the game and is crowned the new king of Ambossa.

Characters

The base game includes 6 playable characters, distinguished from one another by special abilities. Here is a brief explanation of each:

Assassin

The Assassin is the most skillful with weapons. She sneaks through the darkest and most winding alleys and knows every hiding place in the whole kingdom.

She is the only one with an additional hand slot available. She can therefore carry up to 5 active items, or 2 active weapons. Her first hand slot is also never affected by the opponent restriction "no hand."

Ability: one additional active hand slot!

"Beware her blades!"

Merchant

She knows exactly which of her wares are the most sought-after. You'd better not try to haggle with her — in the end you'll only leave with more than you planned, and your purse will be empty.

The Merchant profits from the actions of the other players. She has a Merchant token which, at the end of her turn, she may place on an item in the forge or on the potion deck each time — or move it, if it is already on an item. Whenever another player takes the item with the Merchant token on it, the Merchant gets the token back and may then immediately take a level 1 item, or a potion.

Starting equipment: a Merchant token.

"She smiles when you're heavily laden!"

Brawler

The Brawler is the strongest of the characters. He keeps himself fit and never misses a tournament in Ambossa where he can show off his strength and talents. The arena shaped him and made him strong. Many of Ambossa's residents also value him greatly for his big heart, though. He is always there when someone needs help and never at a loss for a good deed!

He is the only one with a permanent extra attack die, letting him use 2 dice in combat from the start. Since he also has 1 additional heart token, he can also take significantly more punishment than the other heroes.

Starting equipment: 1 additional die, 1 additional heart.

"He has a good story to go with every one of his scars!"

Nobleman

Wealth was given to him from the cradle. Born and raised at the king's court, he sets out on his adventure well-equipped. But has anyone actually shown him how to fight?

He starts the game already equipped with 4 active abilities that he can use without items. However, he can only use these abilities as long as no items are placed in the respective slot. If an item is placed on the slot, its ability overrides the one on the character board. If an opponent forbids the use of an inventory slot through a potion, this naturally also affects the ability in that slot.

Ability: 4 printed active abilities.

"He has the right coins in his purse for every problem!"

Rogue

The Rogue comes from one of the oldest guilds of Ambossa: the Thieves' Guild. She profits immensely from the skills learned in the guild and knows how to put them to use on her adventures. Her nimble fingers know how to cut purses and open doors without anyone noticing. And she delights in every little treasure she can loot! Watch out if you cross paths with her.

If a player chooses the Rogue as their character, they are automatically assigned the color purple (heraldic animal: squirrel)! She has 4 additional purple action cards available, each of which she can use once per game. They fit into the turn order alongside the normal 7 action cards; note the symbols at the bottom of the card for this. Theft, for example, is simultaneous with the Guard actions. Used special actions are placed on the discard pile. This means they can each only be used once per game.

Starting equipment: The Rogue must play purple. 4 Rogue special action cards (each usable once!).

"When something sparkles and glitters, she's not far away!"

Important: Since the Rogue's special action cards are purple (heraldic animal: squirrel), the Rogue must always choose this player color!

Alchemist

Also known as the master of potions. Whether a health potion, a mana potion, or a forgetting potion — he brews a suitable elixir for every occasion in his laboratory. And more than one resident of Ambossa has already knocked on his door for a love potion. He helps wherever he can!

He has 4 additional abilities, each of which can be used once. For each of these abilities he has an alchemy token beneath his heart track. Whenever he uses the corresponding ability, the matching token is flipped to its back side. The Alchemist may only use his abilities during his own turn, but at any time he wants, including several in a row.

His abilities are:

1. Dangerous experiment: Flip any number of your active hearts to their back side. For each heart, you may take a potion from the deck.
2. Research: Look at the top 3 cards of the potion deck and place them back on the deck in any order.
3. Reproduction: Take a potion of your choice from the potion discard pile.
4. Expert: Use two potions at once in a fight, instead of just one.

Starting equipment: 4 alchemy tokens.

"Smell first, then taste — it's good to know what you're drinking!"

Neutral Characters

The different abilities of the characters provide more variety within games, and it's worth exploring the advantages and disadvantages of each character. But especially for the first games, in which there is a lot of new material to learn, keeping track of this too can be overwhelming. That's why the characters have a neutral side, on which they are all simply called "hero," and all have the same base abilities: 1 starting die, 1 base speed, and 3 hearts.

Promotional Kings

Two promotional king cards exist, distributed with crossover promos from other Skellig Games titles, each with its own special ability for use in Kingscraft:

Pirate King ("Pirate Flag"): Whenever a player loses a fight against him, that player must place one of their items back into the forge. The player may choose which item this is, but it may not be a potion. This special ability may be ignored from 4 speed onward.

Dwarf King ("Beer Enjoyment"): Every time before a fight against the Dwarf King takes place, the active player rolls a six-sided die once. Depending on the number rolled, a different restriction applies: on a 1 it is the shoe slot, on a 2 the armor, and so on, that cannot be used due to drunkenness. On a 6, no upgraded items may be used. This ability of the Dwarf King cannot be ignored with speed. Cheers!

Symbol Overview

General Symbols

• +1 die (six-sided): You get one additional six-sided die.
• +1 die (twelve-sided): You get one additional twelve-sided die.
• 1x reroll: You may reroll one die after rolling (also multiple times on the same die; counts for both six-sided and twelve-sided dice).
• Reroll matching values: You may reroll every die that shows the stated values (also multiple times on the same die; counts for both six-sided and twelve-sided dice).
• Force opponent reroll: Your opponent must reroll every six-sided die that shows the stated values (also multiple times; applies to creatures and kings).
• 1x repeat fight: Once per turn you may repeat the entire fight after both sides have determined their combat power. Only the new fight has consequences (damage, etc.).
• +1 base strength: Increases your base strength (added to your die result in every fight).
• +1 base strength vs. creatures: Increases your base strength, but only against creatures (not against the king or other players) (added to your die result in every fight).
• +1 armor: Increases your defense (subtracted from the opponent's combat damage when determining heart loss; has no effect on who is stronger).
• +1 speed: Increases your speed. If you are at least as fast as a creature/the king, you can ignore its restriction. Also decides turn order.
• 1x preemptive fight: Once per turn, before a fight against a creature, you may place it under the stack and fight against the next random creature instead (cannot be used against the king!).
• Joker (class 1 shown; class 2 also exists): This card can be given up as a substitute for any item of the same class when crafting.
• Joker + potion: If you combine this card with another item while crafting (as described above), you may additionally take one potion from the potion deck.

Creature / King Symbols

• Restriction: no hand: The item in the hand slot cannot be used against this creature/king.
• Restriction: no body: The item in the body slot cannot be used against this creature/king.
• Restriction: no head: The item in the head slot cannot be used against this creature/king.
• Restriction: no base strength: Base strength has no effect against this creature/king.
• Restriction: no dice effects: Dice have no effect against this creature/king (this applies to six-sided and twelve-sided dice).
• +1 extra damage: Increases the damage of this creature/king, but not its combat power (affects heart loss, but not who wins the fight).
• Dice = your dice: This creature/king always has exactly as many six-sided dice as you do (twelve-sided dice are not affected by this).
• Dice = your hearts: For each of your active hearts, this creature/king has one additional six-sided die (so if you fight with fewer active hearts, the opponent is weaker).
• Dice x dice (six-sided): This creature/king rolls two six-sided dice. The two results are then multiplied to determine combat power.
• Dice x dice (six-sided x twelve-sided): This creature/king rolls one six-sided die and one twelve-sided die. The two results are then multiplied to determine combat power.

Losing Hearts

(Also applies to a fight that is won!)

Damage	Hearts lost
0	0 hearts
1-10	1 heart
11-20	2 hearts
21-30	3 hearts
31-40	4 hearts
...etc.

Receiving Potions

Whenever you are allowed to take an item, you can choose to take potions instead. You can also trade an item for potions with a crafting action.

• Class 1 item → 1 potion
• Class 2 item → 2 potions
• Class 3 item → 3 potions

Credits

• Author: David Kühn
• Illustration: Roman Kucharski
• Box graphics: Christian Schaarschmidt
• Game material graphics: David Kühn
• Rulebook layout: Joachim Joch
• Editing: Joachim Joch
• Copyediting: Lisa P. Reitz

Skellig Games thanks: all the lovely testers for the many test rounds. The bug-hunters Melli and Tobi for finding errors. And special thanks go to author David Kühn for the wonderful collaboration! And Skellig Games wishes all players lots of fun playing!

© 2023 Skellig Games GmbH. Made in Poland. Subject to change. 1st edition V4/2023.

Brew your own potions!

As you've probably noticed, there are 3 blank potion cards. Here you can get creative. We're excited to see your ideas. Feel free to share them online with #Kingscraft or send them directly to us.