Quest for the Antidote Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Objective
• Preparing the Game
• Rules & Gameplay
  • Health
  • Movement
  • Fighting a Monster
  • Fighting Monsters: Examples
  • Bonuses & Drops
  • Meddling
  • Collecting Loot and Ingredients
  • Dueling
  • Looting
  • Ending the Game
  • Frequently Asked Questions
• Card Types – Quick Guide
  • Ingredient Cards
  • Monster Cards
  • Drop Cards
  • Meddling Cards
  • Loot Cards
• Alternative Ways to Play

Components

• 1 Game Board
• 6 Wooden Colored Pawns
• 6 Wooden Colored Breath Trackers
• 6 Sets of 10 Ingredient Cards (60 total)
• 50 Monster Cards
• 18 Meddling Cards
• 10 Loot Cards
• 8 Drop Cards
• 1 10-Sided Battle Die
• 1 6-Sided Movement Die
• 1 Wooden Debris Token

Objective

The first player to collect all the ingredients needed for his/her antidote and return to the Apothecary's hut in the center of town before "expiring" wins the game!

Preparing the Game

Each player selects a colored pawn, the corresponding breath-tracker token, and the corresponding deck of ten Ingredient Cards.

Players place their pawns on the Apothecary's hut in the center of the board and place their breath-tracker tokens on the number 50 on the breath tracker.

Next, players shuffle their ten Ingredient Cards and randomly select four ingredients. These will represent the ingredients they will need to collect for their unique antidotes. Players will place their four Ingredient Cards on the table in front of them face-up with the black vial at the top. Each player's remaining six Ingredient Cards can be returned to the box.

Now, find the two Level-Ten Monsters in the deck of 50 Monster Cards: King Mithradates and the Dragophant. Temporarily set them to the side, shuffle the remaining 48 Monster Cards, and then split the deck into two equal stacks.

Take King Mithradates and the Dragophant and mix them both into one of the two stacks, and then take that stack and place it on top of the other one.

Now, drawing from the top of the deck of 50 Monster Cards, place them face-down, one at a time, in each of the ten Monster Deck spaces on the board. Go around five times until each Monster Deck has five cards in it.

Next, shuffle the ten Loot Cards and randomly select four: one for each corner of the board. One will be placed face-up in each corner of the board on the designated Loot Card treasure chests. The six remaining Loot Cards are returned to the box and are out of play for the game.

The debris token and the eight Drop Cards are put to the side until they come into play – if they come into play.

Finally, the 18 Meddling Cards are shuffled and dealt to the players:

• In a game with two players, five Meddling Cards are distributed to each player.
• In a game with three players, four Meddling Cards are distributed to each player.
• In a game with four or more players, three Meddling Cards are distributed to each player.

Meddling Cards are dealt face-down and go into the player's hand.

Rules & Gameplay

Health

Each player starts with 50 "breaths." Every time a player rolls the 6-sided movement die or a 10-sided battle die, he/she loses a breath and gets one step closer to expiring. All players' breaths are tracked around the edges of the board on the breath tracker grid. If any player is reduced to zero breaths, that player expires and is out of the game.

• Tip: Select one player at the start of the game to manage the breath tracker.

** Note: Even with bonuses, no player may have more than 50 breaths at any point during the game.

Movement

Each player will start his/her turn rolling the 6-sided movement die to determine how many spaces to move on the board. That player may choose any path and may move spaces forward and/or backward in any direction, even in the same turn.

• Remember: Each time a player rolls the 6-sided movement die, he/she loses a breath on the breath tracker!

Fighting a Monster

A Monster fight is triggered when a player approaches a Monster Deck and lands on a red space leading to the Monster Deck. However, if a player lands on a red space while traveling away from a Monster Deck, no Monster fight is triggered. In other words, if traveling in the same direction as the red arrow is pointing, you enter combat; if traveling in the opposite direction of the arrow, no combat is triggered (see examples on Page 9).

When a Monster fight is triggered, a player flips the top card of the Monster Deck and must defeat the revealed Monster before moving on… or die trying. Players may also retreat and reverse direction if they have any movements left from their movement roll.

The Monster's level is listed at the top of the Monster Card.

To defeat the Monster, a player must roll the 10-sided battle die and get a number that is equal to or higher than the Monster's level. The player rolls until the Monster is defeated or until he/she decides to retreat. Once a Monster is defeated, it is put in a discard pile on the table.

Remember: Each time a player rolls the 10-sided battle die, he/she loses a breath on the breath tracker.

Tip: Since a player stops moving when a Monster fight is triggered, the 6-sided movement die should be adjusted to reflect how many moves the player has after the battle. Since some Monster fights can take a while, this is a great way to remind the player how many spaces he/she can move beyond the Monster Deck once the fight is over (or how many spaces can be used to retreat).

Note: Monster Decks do not count as a space, so once a Monster is defeated or a Monster Deck is entirely cleared, the player may glide over the Monster Deck to the next step on the path.

Fighting Monsters: Examples

Example 1: The blue player triggers a Monster fight when landing on the red space and traveling toward the Monster Deck.

• If the blue player defeats the Monster, he/she can continue on their quest for the antidote and take any remaining moves from their movement roll.
• If the blue player defeats the Monster and has no spaces left from the movement roll, he/she joins the green player in victory lane to wait until the start of their next turn to continue their quest. The blue player's next turn starts without another Monster fight.
• If the Monster proves too difficult to defeat and the blue player has movement left, he/she can retreat before or during the Monster fight. If the blue player triggers the Monster fight and has no movement left, then he/she must defeat the Monster or die trying.

Example 2: The blue player rolls a four on the movement roll and triggers a Monster fight on his/her move. If the blue player defeats the Monster, he/she may continue on their journey and not trigger another Monster fight when landing on a red space and traveling away from the Monster Deck.

• Space 1: Monster fight triggered – traveling toward Monsters.
• Space 2: STOP and defeat Monster before advancing.
• Space 3: No Monster fight triggered – traveling away from Monsters.

Bonuses & Drops

Some high-level Monsters, though difficult to beat, may offer helpful bonuses or valuable drop items that can greatly assist a player. Bonuses and drops are listed at the bottom of high-level Monster's cards. Some drops benefit the player for the remainder of the game while others are used once and then discarded.

Meddling

Meddling Cards can be used at any point during the game to hinder fellow players from advancing. Meddling Cards can also be traded in at any time to regain five breaths on the breath tracker. Once a Meddling Card is used or traded in, it is discarded from the game.

Collecting Loot and Ingredients

To collect an ingredient, a player must land on the corresponding starred green space on the board. Once an ingredient is collected, the player flips his/her corresponding Ingredient Card.

To collect loot, a player must land on the starred yellow space that abuts it. If a player gets a Loot Card, it is added to his/her hand and may be used at any time. Like drops, some Loot Cards give players temporary abilities while others award advantages.

Dueling

During a player's turn, if he/she ever occupies the same space as another player, then he/she may challenge that player to a duel. A player can only challenge another player to a duel when that other player has an ingredient that the challenger still needs.

During the duel, each player rolls the 10-sided battle die. Whoever has the highest roll wins, and in case of a tie, the advantage goes to the challenged player. If the challenger wins the duel, he/she takes the needed ingredient item from the challenged player, who now has to either go back and get the ingredient again or give chase to get it back. If the challenged player wins, then the challenger automatically loses 5 breaths and cannot duel that player again this turn.

Note: Players may use any applicable Drop Cards or Loot Cards during their duels.

Looting

If a player runs out of breath, his/her pawn is left on the spot of expiration. Each other player may loot the body if they ever occupy the same space as the expired player's pawn. A player may only loot an expired pawn once per turn and only for needed ingredient items or unused or perpetual drop or Loot Cards.

Ending the Game

The first player to return to the Apothecary's hut with all of the necessary ingredients for his/her antidote is victorious! Sometimes, though, all players expire and the game wins!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you determine who is first?

• At the start of the game, each player rolls the 10-sided battle die. Whoever has the highest roll goes first. In case of a tie, re-roll until someone is victorious.

Does the center of the board (the Apothecary's hut) count as a space?

• Yes.

When I play the "Condition Worsens" Meddling Card, how do I choose the extra ingredient for my opponent?

• Select an extra ingredient from the targeted player's six unused Ingredient Cards that have been set aside for this game.

How can I use those four starred blue boat spaces on the board?

• The only player that can use those four spaces is the player who gets the "My Kingdom for a Boat" Loot Card. If that card is not in play during a game, then those boat spaces cannot be used.

If I play "The Doctor is Out" Meddling Card and there are no Monsters left on the board for the targeted player to defeat, what happens?

• In this case, the player has to leave town and enter through another entrance.

How do I get to a Loot Card space? It looks like there is a gap in the path. Do I glide over that gap?

• Yes.

Card Types – Quick Guide

Ingredient Cards

There are six different decks of ten Ingredient Cards. At the start of the game, each player takes the deck corresponding with the color of his/her pawn and breath token, shuffles the deck, and randomly selects four ingredients that will make up his/her unique antidote for this game. Players place their ingredients in front of them face-up with black vial at the top. When a player collects an ingredient by reaching the corresponding green space on the board, that ingredient is flipped so the "collected" colored vial is now at the top.

Monster Cards

The 50 Monster Cards are shuffled and distributed face-down on the Monster Deck spaces on the board at the start of the game. Go around the board five times so each of the ten Monster Deck spaces has a stack of five Monsters lying in wait. Monsters range from level two through level ten, and a Monster is defeated by rolling a number on the 10-sided battle die that matches or exceeds the Monster's level. Defeating more powerful Monsters may earn a player extra breaths or a valuable drop item. These instances will be noted at the bottom of certain Monster Cards.

Drop Cards

There are eight Drop Cards. A Drop Card is gained when a player beats a Monster that is level nine or ten. Each of these high-level Monsters has a unique Drop Card associated with it, and each Drop Card offers a special bonus that can be very beneficial to the player that inherits it.

Meddling Cards

18 Meddling Cards allow for players to meddle with one another and hinder their opponents' progress. At the start of the game, shuffle the Meddling Cards and randomly distribute them face-down to the players: five cards a piece in a game with two players, four cards a piece in a game with three players, and three cards a piece in a game with four players or more. Meddling Cards go into a player's hand and can be played at any time against an opponent. A Meddling Card can also be discarded at any time in exchange for five breaths on the breath tracker.

Loot Cards

The ten Loot Cards are shuffled at the start of each game, and four are randomly selected. Each of these cards will be placed in its own corner of the board face-up on the Loot Card spaces, and the remaining six Loot Cards will be out of play for this game.

Individual Loot, Drop, Meddling and Monster card effects are printed on the cards themselves; the card-by-card text is not reproduced in this transcription.

Alternative Ways to Play

Kid Friendly: No Meddling Cards are dealt or used, but the remainder of the game stays the same.

Cooperative Play: Remove all Meddling Cards, and each player's pawn is put in the center of the board. The group plays together as a team and draws a random ingredient from a single deck for each player in the game. (Four players equals four ingredients; six players equals six ingredients.) Working together, the team will need to collect all of the items and return them to the Apothecary before expiring. Unlike a traditional game, the team starts with only 25 breaths, so the token is placed on the number 25 on the breath tracker representing the team's health. Everyone goes their separate ways and try to get back with all the ingredients in time!

Flip Flop Play: Deal all of the Monster Cards and Meddling Cards face-up, and deal all the Loot Cards and ingredients face-down. Otherwise, the game is played the same as the original.

Around the World Play: Each player starts on a different ingredient space rather than in the center of the board. To win, a player must collect each of the 10 ingredients before expiring, and all Meddling, Drop, Loot, and Monster Cards function normally. Also, the last ingredient you must get is the one on which you started.

Sweet Play: The game is played as normal, but with no dueling. Instead, players are allowed to collect any ingredient, even if it's not one of the four needed for his/her antidote, and may give ingredients to other players if they occupy the same space.

Sour Play: The game is played as normal, but players may duel one another for Loot and Drop Cards in addition to the Ingredient Cards. Plus in this version, players may duel one another for any ingredient, even if they don't need it. This allows you to win an ingredient from someone else and trash it if desired, thus preventing that player chasing you for it and causing that player to have to go back and get it all over again.

Winner Take All Play: The game is played as normal, but rather than having each person draw four Ingredient Cards for themselves from their individual decks, one player draws four Ingredient Cards from the same deck that all the players will be scrambling for. Place the four Ingredient Cards in the center of the board. Once a player makes it to the corresponding space, he/she gets the Ingredient Card, and that will be the only one in play. All the other players will need to chase that player and duel him/her to obtain it. The first person to get all four ingredients – either by collecting them normally and/or dueling their foes for them – and returning to the center of town will win the game.