No Game Over Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Quick Start
• How to Play
  • Goal
  • Setup
  • Start
  • Level
  • Combat
  • Winning a Combat
  • Escape
  • End of Turn
• When Do I Lose the Game
  • I Have Only One Life Left
  • I Have No Lives Left. Game Over... Or Not?
• Card Types and Their Use
  • Item Deck
    • Equipment
    • Single-use Items
  • Level Deck
    • Enemy
  • Curse
  • Final Boss Deck
  • How to Discard Cards
• Items with Text
  • Strict Brawler / Killer Instinct
  • Load Game
  • Steal Burglar
  • Thyme Crisis (2nd Player)
  • Solidaire
  • Cheat
  • GCA Lackeys
  • Zoomic Rings / Marcos Bros Coins
  • Final Frenzy / Comfy Magic
  • Mobster / Protection
• Levels with Text
  • Princess of Bersia
  • Call of Fruitty
  • Warcio
  • Kookoomari
  • Spatuna
  • Gerby
• Clarifications
• Card Icons

Quick Start

Victory: you must kill the other Players, or collect 6 Lives (hearts) and defeat the Final Boss.

Shuffle all 3 decks of cards separately. Deal 3 Item cards, 3 Level cards, and 3 Lives to each Player.

• Whoever gets the highest roll on the die plays first.
• Start your turn by equipping yourself (place your swords and gear on the table), use Curses and/or Items until you have at most 5 cards left in your hand. Then place a Level card face up and try to defeat your Enemy, or deal with a Curse.
• To defeat an Enemy, surpass its Strength. Your Strength is: your equipment plus your Lives. You can also play Items and a single Enemy to assist you. The other Players can also play a single Enemy against you, and as many Curses and Items as they want. You cannot fight alongside another Player or form alliances to win your fight.
• If you win: you gain one Life and the rewards of the Enemies you have defeated. Each Player can get a maximum of 6 Lives.
• If you lose: try to run away by rolling a 1 or 2 on the die, unless you have equipment or Curses that modify that by adding or subtracting. If you cannot run away you lose a Life.
• If you die: check the Ghost rules (p. 8).
• If you do not win anything for two consecutive rounds, you can draw an Item or Level card. For free! Use the 1st Round marker as a reminder, take one the first round you lose.
• On your turn (not in combat), if you have less than 5 Lives you can discard 3 cards to take 1 Life.

How to Play

Goal

There are 2 ways to win No Game Over:

• Defeat the "Final Boss": when you have 6 Lives, you can face a special Enemy (see Final Boss card, p. 14).
• Kill everyone else: make sure no one has any Lives except you. Be the last one standing.

Setup

Shuffle the 3 decks of cards separately, deal 3 "Level" and 3 "Item" cards to each Player and place the 3 decks face down on the table. Next to each deck will go the discarded cards.

Leave the hearts and "1st ROUND" tokens on the table.

The hearts are the Lives of each Player. At the start each Player has 3 visible hearts in their playing area. A Player can have a maximum of 6 Lives.

All players roll the die and the player with the highest roll starts the game.

Start

The game is played in counterclockwise order.

In your turn, as the active Player, put on your equipment (if you have equipment cards), placing it on display in your playing area.

All unequipped cards remain in your hand, with a limit of 5 cards in hand. To reach this number, you can cast Curses on the other Players, use single-use Items on yourself or discard any 3 cards in exchange for one Life. If necessary, you must discard the remaining cards until you have only 5.

Level

Then, draw a card from the Level deck and place it face up on the table. Depending on the card you draw, you may face an Enemy in combat or suffer a Curse.

Only 1 Level card is revealed per turn.

Combat

To defeat the Enemy in battle, you must be stronger than the Enemy (see page 10).

If you have a higher Strength, the other Players can try to harm you by casting:

• Single-use Items: as many as desired at any time during combat.
• Curses: as many as desired at any time during combat.
• A secondary Enemy: There can only be a maximum of 2 Enemies against a Player: 1 main Enemy + 1 secondary Enemy. The strength and effects of both Enemies will be added together.

In order to win the combat and defeat all these cards, the active Player can use any number of single-use Items and/or a single allied Enemy.

You are not allowed to put on/change equipment or discard 3 cards in exchange for one Life during combat.

You cannot fight alongside another Player or form alliances to win a combat.

Winning a Combat

If you finally win the battle, in addition to gaining 1 Life, you also gain the rewards of all the defeated Enemies (but not of your allied Enemy). The rewards will be Level and/or Item cards, as you prefer. You cannot look at the cards until you have drawn all the corresponding cards.

Escape

If your Enemies' strength is higher than yours, you can try to flee by rolling the die. All players have a base escape value of 2 points, i.e. they escape by rolling 1 or 2 with the die. Your escape value may change during the course of the game.

E.g.:

• Equipment that gives you "+1 point to your escape value": this means that you can flee the battle by rolling a 1, 2 or 3 on the die.
• Curse of "-2 points to your escape value": this means that you can't escape by rolling the die, you can only escape from a combat by using an escape card.
• Equipment "+1 point to your escape value" and Curse "-2 points to your escape value": you can escape by rolling a 1 with the die.

If the Player manages to flee, they don't lose Lives but do not receive any rewards.*

If the Player fails to flee, besides not receiving any rewards, they will lose a Life.*

*1ST ROUND TOKEN: Easy Mode. If a Player does not win any rewards for 2 turns in a row (either by escaping, due to Curses or by losing battles), at the end of that 2nd turn without reward, they may draw an Item or Level card to help them get back on track. The Player takes a "1st ROUND" marker after a bad turn, so that if they don't get a reward the next turn, they know that they can draw their "Easy Mode" card.

End of Turn

If there has been a fight, all the cards involved (other than the equipment) are discarded.

The active Player can perform any actions they want with their cards. Again, to proceed, a Player may not have more than 5 cards in hand. Once done, the Player on their right starts their turn.

When Do I Lose the Game

I Have Only One Life Left

When you have only one Life left, it is clear that your game may end soon. You can only lose your last Life in your turn, in a battle against an Enemy or if you draw a Lose a Life Curse during the Level step. The other Players cannot cast a Lose a Life Curse on you.

I Have No Lives Left. Game Over... Or Not?

If you run out of Lives, you become a "Ghost". You are no longer a normal part of the game, but you can still play. You still have your turn, during which you can draw an Item or Level card of your choice. Using the Level and Item cards, you can harm or help the Players who are still in the game as you see fit.

As soon as you lose your last Life, you must discard all your equipment and the cards in your hand. Then, draw a Level or Item card. If you draw a Curse, you can curse someone at that time and end your turn.

You can keep in your hand any cards that you draw during your turn and do not use, in case you draw the Load Game card.* Ghosts, like any other Player, can only have 5 cards in their hand. Curses do not affect Ghosts.

*Load Game: This is a unique special card found in the Item deck. If drawn by any Player or Ghost, all Ghosts will revert to Players with 1 Life and keep the cards they have collected in their Ghost state.

Card Types and Their Use

Item Deck

Equipment

Equipment is used to increase your Strength and skills. To equip yourself you must place the equipment you want to wear on the table, visible for all Players.

Each equipment card shows:

1. Strength it provides you with.
2. Escape value it gives you (if any).
3. Body area where the equipment goes (the icons are explained on the back cover; see Card Icons below).

You can only equip yourself in your turn, before starting the Level phase, or after finishing one, before ending your turn.

There is a limit to the equipment you can wear: 1 Item on the head, 1 on the body, 1 on the legs and 2 on the hands, unless it is a 2-handed Item, in which case you can only carry 1.

The sum of your equipment in use and your Lives is YOUR STRENGTH.

E.g.: The sum of your equipment and Lives is 18, so you can defeat an Enemy with 17 or less strength. To defeat Enemies with higher strength you must use cards from your hand: Single-use Items or an allied Enemy.

The example on the page shows a Player with 5 Lives wearing equipment with strengths of 1, 2, 6, 2 and 2 (a total of 13), for a Strength of 18.

Single-use Items

The single-use Items are shown in the manual under the headings "Gain Life" (Cellda Fairy, which gives +2 Lives) and "Temporary help" (Strict Brawler / Killer Instinct, which roll the die, multiply the result by 2 and add it to your power; and the "Extra Hit" card Uncharter RPG).

Each single-use Item card shows:

1. Lives you gain.
2. EFFECT of the card.
3. STRENGTH it provides.

You can use single-use Items for your own benefit (in your turn or fight) or to harm the other Players (at any moment of their fight). Once you play these cards, you must discard them.

Level Deck

Enemy

Each Enemy card shows:

1. Strength of the Enemy.
2. Indicates that you CANNOT ESCAPE with the die.
3. Reward for defeating the Enemy in combat.

When you start a Level phase and an Enemy appears, a fight begins.

You can find a maximum of 3 Enemies in a fight. They can be (relative to the active Player):

• 1 Opposing Enemy: is the one that appears at the start of a Level and faces the Player.
• 1 Secondary Enemy: it is played by one of the other Players to add its strength to the opposing Enemy.
• 1 Allied Enemy: it is played by the Player to boost their strength, as if it were a Pickymon.

Curse

Each Curse card shows an effect of the card.

If you draw a Curse when starting a Level on your turn, it affects you automatically.

If you collect face-down Curses as part of the rewards of a defeated Enemy, you can cast them on the other Players at any time during the game, whether it is your turn or not.

After a Curse has been cast, the card is discarded. There are 2 types of Curses:

• Instant Curses: they become effective immediately. For example "-1 Life", you lose a heart on the spot.
• Non-instant Curses: they depend on the conditions of the card itself. For example: "Do not use your equipment in your next combat". Leave the Curse next to your equipment and discard it once it has taken effect, after your next combat.

Final Boss Deck

A Player can only face a Final Boss in their turn, before starting a Level and if they have 6 Lives.

If you have 5 Lives, you must win a combat to get to 6 Lives. Even if you get a "Gain 1 Life" card, you cannot use it to go up to 6 Lives.

If a Player enters a combat with a Final Boss, normal rules apply, except that the other Players (and Ghosts) cannot intervene in the combat at all, and cannot play a Secondary Enemy, Curses, or cards of any kind.

If the Player cannot defeat the Final Boss, they can try to escape and, if they fail to do so, they lose a life.

Defeating the Final Boss means WINNING THE GAME.

How to Discard Cards

All cards, both Item, Level and Final Boss cards, must be discarded in their respective discard piles, face up, stacked and in order, so that the last discarded card is visible.

If you run out of cards from any of the decks in play, take the discard pile, shuffle it and leave it face down to replenish the cards from that deck.

Items with Text

Strict Brawler / Killer Instinct

Roll the die, multiply the result by 2 and add it to your power.

Load Game

You must use and discard this card immediately. The Ghosts respawn with 1 Life.

Steal Burglar

Steal any cards you want from another Player. If you take it from their hand, steal a random card.

Thyme Crisis (2nd Player)

Force any player you choose to help you in your combat. Add their strength to yours.

Solidaire

During a battle, replace the enemies facing the Player for one in your hand.

Cheat

Equip 1 extra equipment card that you normally couldn't.

GCA Lackeys

Double your power, including equipment.

Zoomic Rings / Marcos Bros Coins

Discard this card along another card to gain 1 Life.

Final Frenzy / Comfy Magic

The enemies attack another Player of your choice.

Mobster / Protection

Take any card you want from the discard pile.

Levels with Text

Princess of Bersia

Defeat your evil twin. Fight against yourself with the same equipment. This card acts like an enemy.

Call of Fruitty

Your high condecoration makes the other soldiers follow your example. Everybody discards a card of their choice. If you played this card from your hand, you are safe.

Warcio

You are being robbed. The Player who receives this Curse must discard one equipped Item of their choice.

Kookoomari

A rolling Kookoomari passes by and sweeps everything. The Player who gets this Curse must discard 2 cards of their choice.

Spatuna

You ran out of ink. Don't use your equipment in your current/next combat.

Gerby

Now, that's absorption power! You loose all your equipped Items.

Note: "loose" is transcribed as printed on the card (the intended word is "lose").

Clarifications

• You can have a maximum of 6 Lives.
• Going from 5 to 6 Lives: You can only go from 5 to 6 Lives by defeating an Enemy in battle.
• Going from 1 to 0 Lives: You lose your last Life if you reveal a Lose a Life Curse during a Level or if you lose a combat and don't escape. Another Player can't take your last Life.
• Trade 3 cards for one Life: On your turn, if you are not in a combat, you can trade 3 cards for one Life.
• Swap equipment: You can swap the equipment you have on for other equipment and keep the one you replaced in your hand.
• Trading cards: You may not trade or exchange cards of any kind with anyone.
• Curse "Spatuna": If you receive this Curse during combat, your equipment is disabled for the rest of the battle. If you receive it any other time, you won't be able to use your equipment in your next combat.
• Curse "Princess of Bersia": This Curse works as an Enemy who has the same strength as the Player he is facing at the moment he receives the Curse. Since it is a Curse, it can be cast against a Player who is in combat, even if they are already facing two Enemies. You can try to escape from it. If you cannot run away you lose a Life.
• Temporary aid "Load Game": The moment any Player or Ghost draws this card, it must be discarded and all Ghosts revert to being a Player with 1 Life.
• Temporary aid "Steal Burglar": If you steal an equipped Item card from someone, choose the card you want. If it is a card from their hand, choose one at random without looking at the cards.

Card Icons

• Head equipment
• Body equipment
• Legs equipment
• 1-hand equipment
• 2-hand equipment
• Extra Hit Card
• Cancel Curse
• Prevents any escape with dice
• Escape from combat
• Prevents any escape
• Lose a life
• Reward: Win the game
• Gain 1 or 2 lives
• Rewards from 1 to 4 cards (Item or Level)
• You add 1 or 2 to your escape capacity
• Subtract 1 or 2 from your escape capacity