Miremarsh Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setting Up the Game
• Aim of the Game
• Goblin Cards
• Location Tiles
• Location Types
• How to Play
• Moving
• Spying
• Completing Challenges
• Ending Your Turn (Eating Fish)
• Next Turn
• Useful Stuff
  • Items
  • Dropped Items
  • Gold
  • Bones
• Pets, Spells and Knick-knacks
• Secret Paths
• Death
• The Swamp Creature
  • 1 Player Rules (Swamp Creature)
• The Chief
• Goblin Bribes!
• Game End and Victory
  • 1 Player Rules (Victory)
• Turn Summary
• Landmarks
• FAQ
• Dice Reference
• Credits

Contents

• 1 Rulebook (you're reading it!)
• 23 Dice (8 green, 5 yellow, 5 black, 5 blue)
• 40 Equipment tokens
• 20 Coin tokens
• 9 Bones tokens
• 45 Fish tokens
• 15 Goblin cards
• 9 Pet cards
• 15 Goblin models
• 42 Swamp location tiles
• 19 Monster tiles
• 9 Spell cards
• 5 Coloured bases
• 1 Game board
• 2 Swamp Creatures (Grabby and The Chief)
• 14 Knick-knack cards

The 15 Goblin models are: Skipper, Stilter, Poker, Fizzler, Tanker, Sneaker, Mixer, Skulker, Hoarder, Gulper, Gunner, Spooker, Catcher, Lugger and Hunter.

Setting Up the Game

1. Place the board in the middle of the table.

2. Sort the swamp locations into Levels (1-4) and shuffle each pile. Randomly place the location tiles face-down in the appropriate sections of the board — Level 1 locations go nearest the Warren, moving outwards as shown. Level 4 Quest locations are placed face-up. For each level there will be some tiles left over — these are not used.

3. Shuffle the Goblin cards and count the number below into a pile next to the board:

   Players	Goblin cards
   1 player	4 cards
   2 players	6 cards
   3 players	8 cards
   4 players	10 cards
   5 players	12 cards

   The remaining cards are not used.

4. Deal each player a Goblin card.

5. Each player takes the matching Goblin model, fits it with a coloured base for easy identification, and places it on the Warren in the centre of the board.

6. Each player takes 9 Fish tokens.

7. Each player takes any Items or Gold indicated on their Goblin card.

8. Shuffle and create a pile of the Pet cards. Do the same for Spell cards and Knick-knack cards.

9. Sort the Monster tiles into Levels (1-3); shuffle and place them in face-down stacks next to the board.

10. Place the Swamp Creature in the space at the bottom of the board.

11. Decide the starting player by Goblin whim.

Aim of the Game

The first player to complete all the challenges on a Level 4 Quest tile wins the game.

If no Goblin manages to complete a Quest, then the last Goblin left alive can claim to be the least useless!

For solo play, the aim is simply to complete two Quests before all your Goblins are dead!

Goblin Cards

Each Goblin card shows:

• Goblin's Name — the name of your current ill-fated minion.
• Starting Dice — the type and number of dice your Goblin begins the game with.
• Starting Equipment — any Items, Spells, Pets or Knick-knacks your Goblin may have at the start of the game.
• Special Rules — any special rules your Goblin may have.
• Equipment Spaces — equipment gained by the Goblin, including any it starts the game with, is held in these spaces.

For example, the Poker card starts with two green dice, one black die and one yellow die, begins with a dagger, and has the special rule that when attempting the Swamp Creature challenge she rolls one extra black die.

Location Tiles

Every swamp location tile shows:

• Tile Level — every space on the board has a level number, and spaces are filled with tiles of a matching level.
• Location Name — a convenient identifier for the final resting place of your unfortunate Goblin.
• Compulsory Challenge — any Goblin entering this location must complete this challenge to survive! If there are no symbols after the double-arrow, the challenge provides no reward beyond survival.
• Optional Challenge — a Goblin that has survived its first challenge on the tile may push its luck to try for bigger rewards. Optional challenges are taken in order, top first, but only completing the last one printed provides a reward. Failing any challenge attempted means death for the intrepid adventurer.

Location Types

Locations come in many types: Traps, Lairs, and more. Locations can be very different and always have their rules and effects printed on the tile.

Lairs have a mossy green border. When a Lair is revealed, take the top Monster tile of the matching level and place it on the Lair. Monsters all have at least one compulsory challenge that must be succeeded before you are safe and can continue your turn. Monsters remain in place until a Goblin slays them by completing all the compulsory and optional challenges on their tile. At that point the monster tile is removed from the game and the rules underneath become available for any Goblin visiting that location.

Trade locations are places where you can buy and sell things. You are safe in these locations. Pay the cost on the left of each section to receive the reward shown on the right. You may make as many trades as you have items or money to pay for, at any point in your turn.

Traps have one or more compulsory challenges that must be succeeded before you are safe and can continue your turn.

Encounters (such as the Dragon Cave) have optional challenges you may choose to attempt. You may choose not to attempt the challenge and you will be safe in these locations.

Quests are the objective of the game — complete all the challenges on a Quest location and you win the game!

How to Play

Get your dice. At the start of your turn, take all the dice indicated on your character card and any granted by items, pets or locations, from the central pool.

Roll them. Roll all your dice. If this initial roll leaves you with no way to move, you may re-roll all your dice again until you roll a footprint or a wild (pentagram) icon. If an Item or Pet grants you a footprint or double-footprint icon, you may not re-roll your dice, as you already have a way to move.

Next you must decide how to spend your dice.

Spend your dice. Dice are spent by returning them to the central pool. For example, if you need to pay a footprint icon, take one of your dice that rolled the appropriate icon and discard it back to the central pool. That die cannot be used again this turn.

Some dice faces show two different icons (a split face) — you can choose to use one or the other, not both. Some dice faces show two identical icons (a double) — these can be used to pay two of that icon; if you only needed to pay one, the extra is wasted. Wild (pentagram) icons can be spent in place of any other single icon.

The main ways of spending dice are in moving, spying, and completing challenges.

Moving

You may spend dice to move when you are safe in a location: pay one footprint icon to move your Goblin from one location to another adjacent location. You may do this as many times as you like during your turn, provided you spend a footprint icon for each move, and each location you leave is safe (i.e., you've completed any compulsory challenges).

If you have no footprint icon to spend, you may not move.

As part of your movement, you may move into an undiscovered (face-down) location. In this case, turn the location face-up and move onto it straight away. If the location is a Lair, immediately take the top Monster from the appropriate stack and put it face-up on the location tile.

Moving with a double. If you've rolled a double-footprint, you can pay it to move twice, but the first move must be to a location that is safe — you can't use a double to "bypass" a compulsory challenge. If the first move takes you to a location with a compulsory challenge, you must stop and attempt the challenge, and the second footprint is wasted.

Spying

You may spend dice to Spy when you are safe in a location. You can pay one eye icon to do one of the following:

• Without showing the other players, peek at an undiscovered (face-down) location tile next to your current location tile; or
• Without showing the other players, peek at the top Monster card of the matching level of a location tile next to your current location tile.

Spying with a double. If you've rolled a double-eye, you can pay it to peek at a Location tile and the Monster tile of the same level.

Completing Challenges

Using your dice, you can complete the challenges on locations and monsters. Completing challenges might get you access to gold, new equipment, or let you slay a monster. Generally, the best rewards are given for completing all challenges on a tile.

Be warned! Fail any challenge and your Goblin dies. Miremarsh is a very dangerous place — try not to die too many times.

Challenges are marked by the double-arrow (») symbol. If you see this symbol, you are facing a challenge. Challenges are also used for travelling Secret Paths and on some cards, because in Miremarsh just about anything can kill you.

Re-roll. Before any challenge you may re-roll the remaining dice in your pool (even if it's the first thing you do after your initial roll of the turn). You don't have to roll if you already have the icons you need — in that case you can just spend the dice — but if you re-roll, you must roll all your remaining dice.

Multiple challenges. Multiple challenges on a tile are ordered from top to bottom and must be completed in this order.

Compulsory challenges. Many locations and monsters start with a compulsory challenge. These are displayed on a metal plaque. Compulsory challenges MUST be attempted and completed before you can end your turn, move, or do anything else.

'Or' challenges. Some locations give you a choice of challenges. In this case you can roll first and then choose which challenge to complete.

Attempting a challenge. Re-roll all your remaining dice if you wish. Spend the required number of icons (by discarding dice to the central pool, or using one gained from a pet or spell if you have one). Remember, wild icons can be spent in place of any other single icon. If you spend the required number of icons, you have succeeded the challenge.

Succeeding a challenge. If you succeed in a challenge, you gain any benefits described after the double-arrow. Some challenges have nothing after the arrow — in these cases, consider survival to be its own reward. If there is a further compulsory challenge still to complete, you must attempt that. Otherwise, you must choose one of the following:

• Immediately attempt the next optional challenge (moving from top to bottom).
• Move to a new location by spending a footprint icon you have.
• Spy a connected location by spending eye icons.
• End your turn. You are safe on this location for now.

You cannot re-take a completed challenge unless you leave the tile and come back.

Failing a challenge. If you cannot succeed a challenge you have attempted, you are dead. See the Death section below.

Returning to a location. If you leave a location and later return to it, you must start off with the first challenge again. You are not considered safe until you have completed any compulsory challenge(s) again.

Using doubles in a challenge. Some dice faces show two copies of an icon. Each die may only contribute icons to a single challenge, so both copies of a double will be used up completing one task — you cannot split the icons across different challenges.

Ending Your Turn (Eating Fish)

At the end of your turn your Goblin must rest and eat a fish to recover his strength. You must discard one of your Fish tokens back into the game box. The one exception is that if your Goblin failed a challenge and died this turn, there is no need to eat a fish.

If you ever need a Fish but have none left, you are out of the game, and your Goblin dies as described in the Death section without being replaced — so don't be too cautious with challenges that cost you fish in the long run.

Next Turn

On your next turn, start as always by rolling all your dice. As normal you can then choose to move, spy, and so on, or, if you have stayed on a location with challenges you've yet to complete, you may carry on attempting challenges from where you reached last time (re-rolling before each challenge if you wish).

Unless you move away from a location and return later, you may not repeat a completed challenge. It can be helpful to place your Goblin as a marker over the last challenge you completed.

Useful Stuff

Throughout the game you may gain Items, Gold, or Bones by completing challenges, slaying monsters, or scavenging from dead goblins.

Items

Items give you access to a die of the appropriate colour when you take your dice at the start of your turn. For example, if you have a dagger, you take a black die in addition to your other dice. If you gain a new item mid-way through your turn, you include it in the next re-roll of your dice.

Items must be carried by putting the item token on the appropriate space on your character card or pet. If you do not have space for an item, you cannot take it. You can swap an item you are carrying for one you have gained, but the unused item must be dropped on the location tile if you cannot carry it.

If you lose an item during your turn, its associated die is returned to the general supply (if it has not already been spent).

The four item types are:

• Rope — adds a green die.
• Dagger — adds a black die.
• Map — adds a yellow die.
• Amulet — adds a blue die.

A question-mark reward symbol means you may choose any one of the above items as your reward.

Any extra dice granted by items can be used the next time you roll your dice.

Dropped Items

If you move onto a location containing Gold, Bones or Items that have been left there, you may pick them up as soon as you enter that location.

Gold

There is no limit to the amount of Gold you can carry. You can exchange Gold for Items or Pets at trade locations like the Warren.

Bones

There is no limit to the amount of Bones you can carry. Bones are sometimes awarded when slaying monsters. Bones can be traded for gold at certain locations.

Pets, Spells and Knick-knacks

You may buy Pets, Spells and Knick-knacks from certain locations or find them in the swamp. All three provide bonuses to Goblins and, importantly, Pets can help carry items.

When you gain a Pet, Spell, or Knick-knack, take the top card from the appropriate pile — you don't get to choose! Some give you a free icon that you can use once per turn as if you had rolled that icon on a die. It is helpful to turn the card sideways to show its ability has been used, then turn it back at the start of your turn. Knick-knacks are only usable once, so put them at the bottom of the deck after use.

Some Pets and Spells might give you two or more free icons. These are treated just like a double dice icon — if you only need to use one, the extra is wasted.

A single Goblin cannot have more than two Pets, two Spells, and two Knick-knacks.

Secret Paths

There are secret paths on the board that Goblins can use (if they dare) to move quickly to a different area.

When you are safe in a location at either end of a secret path, you may attempt the challenge shown next to the path. If you pass, you may move immediately from your current location to the location at the other end of the path.

As always, if you fail a challenge, you die!

Death

Try not to get too attached to your Goblin. When you die:

• Return your Goblin and its card to the box.
• Return any Pets and Spells to the bottom of their respective piles.
• Gather up all of your Gold, Bones and Items, then place them one at a time on the board as follows:
  1. Place 1 item on the tile where your Goblin died.
  2. Place 1 item on each location adjacent to the death location.
  3. Repeat until all items are placed.
• Remember, there's no need to eat a fish this turn.
• Take a new Goblin card and, in your next turn, start again from the Warren, or spend one fish to start where your previous Goblin died (this counts just like returning to a location, starting again with the first challenge).

If there are no Goblin cards left, you are out of the game! Note that Fish are never dropped when a Goblin dies.

For example: Poker fails a challenge and dies while carrying a Rope, a Map, 3 Gold and some Bones. These things are dropped one at a time, with the order and specific locations chosen by the player: the 1st and 6th items go to the death location itself, and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th go to adjacent locations.

The Swamp Creature

The Swamp Creature (Grabby) starts the game in the space at the bottom of the board. If any player rolls the swirl icon, the player to their left places the Swamp Creature on any Level 2 location (face-up or face-down).

Once it is on a location, if you roll the swirl icon during your turn, resolve any challenge you were attempting, and then the player on your left moves the Swamp Creature. It can move one space to any adjacent location except the Warren. Move the monster once per swirl icon rolled. Dice that roll the swirl icon are "spent" and put back into the central pool.

At any point during your turn, if you are on the same location as the Swamp Creature, you must immediately attempt the following challenge (after completing any challenge you are currently attempting): pay two sword icons to defeat it and return it to its space, or pay two footprint icons to run and move to the Warren.

1 Player Rules (Swamp Creature)

With only one player, the following changes apply: each time the monster appears from its space, place it on the Level 2 location nearest to your Goblin. Yes, it could appear right where you are — randomise if two or more locations are equally near. When the monster moves, it moves towards your Goblin by the shortest path; again, randomise if there is a choice.

The Chief

Miremarsh includes an alternative Swamp Creature called The Chief. Players may choose to play with The Chief instead of Grabby in more advanced and challenging games. In this case, place the Chief Swamp Creature card so it covers Grabby's space on the board for reference.

The Chief enters the game and activates in the same way as the Swamp Creature (when the swirl icon is rolled). When activated with a double-swirl rolled together, the player to the left may choose to move the Chief normally or make it leap from the space it is in to another space on the board of the same level. For example, if the Chief is on a Level 2 space, it can be moved to any other Level 2 space on the board.

Goblin Bribes!

Note that this is an optional rule that you might prefer to leave out for your first few games or if younger children are playing.

When a player chooses to end their turn, but still has dice left and challenges to complete on their location, opponents can attempt to bribe them to reconsider and attempt the next challenge after all. A bribe is a single fish from one opponent to the player. Any number of opponents can offer a bribe at once. Chicken impressions are permitted during this process. Once agreed, the bribe must be paid and the challenge must be attempted!

Game End and Victory

The game ends if either:

• You complete all challenges on a Level 4 Quest tile, or
• Yours is the last Goblin left in the game.

If you completed a Quest, you win and everyone else loses. If you were simply the last one left, the most you can claim is that you were the least useless!

1 Player Rules (Victory)

With only one player, the following change applies: you have to work harder to impress the rest of the goblins in the Warren, so you must complete two Quests. After completing your first Quest, take 5 fish tokens from the supply and continue your journey through the swamp.

Turn Summary

1. Get your dice and roll them (re-roll if there are no footprint icons).
2. Spend your dice:
   • Move using a footprint icon.
   • Spy using an eye icon.
   • Attempt challenges (compulsory challenges must be attempted). If you fail any challenge, YOU DIE!
3. End your turn and eat a fish (if you didn't die failing a challenge).

Landmarks

Landmarks are optional locations that can offer juicy rewards to players. Landmark hexes are placed over any of the following starting hexes on the board: Abandoned Wishing Well, Obvious Pit Trap, Bees!, and Troll Shaman.

Every time the swirl icon is rolled, one Landmark activates. The player who rolled the swirl icon gets to choose which one, before the Swamp Creature moves. If multiple swirl icons are rolled, the Landmark — or a new one — can be activated again.

For an easier game, place Landmarks over the trap locations. For a more challenging game, place them over the trade locations. The rulebook suggests using no more than two Landmarks in a game. The text on each tile explains what happens when the swirl icon is rolled.

For example, at the Goblin Tower a goblin can check one Knick-knack for every gold spent, and gets to keep one.

FAQ

I am battling a monster and an opponent moves the Swamp Creature onto me. I complete the challenge I am currently rolling for, then attempt the Swamp Creature challenge and run back to the Warren. Do I have to complete the monster's remaining mandatory challenges? No — you have found a way to escape. Your turn continues from the Warren.

Can items drop onto secret paths? No, a secret path is not a location. If you die attempting the Secret Path challenge, you die at the location you started at.

If you restart at a location with dropped items, do you pick them up immediately? Yes, you do. Consider them heirlooms.

Can the Swamp Creature move through secret paths in a single turn just like players? No. Goblins take the secrecy of those paths very seriously.

Do you have to be on the tile with the Swamp Creature or a Landmark to activate it when you roll the swirl icon? No — the Swamp Creature and all Landmarks activate every time the swirl icon is rolled, wherever that character is on the board.

Can I buy a spell voluntarily at the Witch Hut? No — the witch is only in her hut when the swirl icon is rolled. She will then sell you a spell or punish you for wasting her time.

Where do the coins from the Goblin Tower come from and go to? They come from, or are returned to, the supply.

If I am on a hex with the pet wagon, can I buy a pet before compulsory challenges, before optional challenges, or neither? You may buy a pet before any compulsory challenges.

Dice Reference

Miremarsh uses four colours of custom dice, each printed with a different mix of icons:

• Green dice — blank, footprint, footprint, sword, sword, a split footprint/sword face.
• Yellow dice — blank, footprint, footprint, eye, eye, a split footprint/eye face.
• Black dice — swirl (Swamp Creature), footprint, sword, sword, sword, sword.
• Blue dice — swirl, swirl, blank, wild (pentagram), wild, wild.

The footprint icon is used for moving; the eye icon for spying; the sword icon for combat challenges; the swirl icon activates the Swamp Creature and Landmarks; and the wild (pentagram) icon can be spent in place of any other single icon.

Credits

Miremarsh was designed by Matt Green and Sam Mercer, with art by Andres Martinez and Mary Safro, and was published by Room 17 Games & D2W.