RUN (2020)
RUN (2020) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objectives of Game "RUN"
- Goal: to escape the Imminent peril.
- Fail: you don't make it out alive.
Imminent Peril Abilities
Each Imminent peril has its own ability and speed. The peril's name is followed by its flavour descriptor, then its ability text.
- Zombies (undead instead) - Each fallen ally adds an additional speed to the horde.
- Thanatos (grim fear) - Players on the same level as the reaper move half-speed (round-up).
- Brutus (turn coat) - Each fallen ally may draw & play both a vengeance card & a card from the discovery deck.
- Draconus (dragon riders) - Each fallen ally roll one die at the start of the "chase round". If a "6" is rolled, they may scorch (discard) any 1 stored "Expendable gear" card from any active player.
- Orphnaeus (hell's fury) - After the delay rounds, the tainted unicorn moves 2 rounds and rests on every 3rd round.
- Cataclysm (mass ruin) - There are no special effects for the cataclysm as none are needed.
- Cyraeth (Shrill Shriek) - If she rolls a "6" to move, she directs her shriek at an ally. All active allies roll a die - lowest (re-roll ties) falls to peril.
Each peril carries a difficulty rating shown as stars on the sheet (the scale is printed as "Difficulty: one star EASY, arrow, five stars HARD"; per-peril star counts are not transcribed as text).
Game Preparation
How to play - all you need to know!
Step 1: sort & shuffle the cards into their respective decks:
- Imminent perils
- Character cards
- Vengeance cards
- Discovery deck
Step 2: each player randomly draws a character card.
- place the card face-up and place a token on "player start" to track your moves.
Step 3: randomly draw or select ONLY one imminent peril card.
- place the card face-up and place the red token in the designated space in the "peril approach".
- see "more info (for first-time players)" for expanded rules & further guidance.
Starting Play
Repeating cycle
Play moves clockwise, beginning with the player who is most likely to outrun/outlive a zombie horde.
Players' round: in turn, each active ally will...
- Draw a card from the discovery deck, then Use/Store/Discard items (may store up to 2).
- Resolve "play instantly" cards.
- Roll 1 die to determine movement.
Chase round: once all active allies complete their moves...
- Advance the imminent peril:
- while in delay, move 1 space towards the "player start" area (delay ends after the peril reaches "player start" - peril is "in play" the following round).
- once in play, move the speed noted on the peril's card.
- Any fallen ally(s) will draw & play a vengeance card.
More Info for First-Time Players
On the imminent peril card, the "delay" designates its placement. If the "delay" = "two rounds", the peril is placed two spaces back from the entrance to the 1st level. The "peril's approach" is marked by skulls & adjacent "player start".
Fallen Allies & Vengeance Cards
- Allies who fall to peril don't stop playing, they seek vengeance by drawing vengeance cards.
- Upon perishing, pawns are placed & move with the peril token. Revived allies move [+2] ahead of peril.
Character Traits & Abilities
- Each character has a unique ability which can be used as noted on the character cards.
- Character Traits may also be found during play. These grant additional attributes and must be placed on the character who drew the card.
- Abilities are typically dormant for fallen allies.
Expendable Gear
- Each player may store up to two "expendable gear" cards. These cards may be played or discarded at any time on any entity.
- The imminent peril may not be effected while in delay (not yet "In Play").
- Allies may trade or transfer stored gear.
Optional rule (becoming the traitor!)
- If "brutus" is revealed, all players roll one die. The lowest roller becomes "the traitor" (re-roll ties).
- After the delay round, you play like a normal player, but with the intent of destroying your allies!
- This game style creates 2 teams: allies & the traitor. Any events & traps apply to the team who drew the card from the "discovery deck".
Advanced Rules - Expanded Gameplay
Special Rule #1 (dicey ventures)
- If any player rolls a 1 or 2 for their movement roll, they may immediately draw an additional card from the "discovery deck" as the player must have surely been exploring and not running as intended.
- The player may find "expendable gear" to aid their journey, or fall victim to a trap.
Special Rule #2 (level headed)
To add extra elements to the levels on the board, players may choose to apply the following.
Water Hazards (Level 1)
At the start of the peril round, creatures of the depth seek to harm the escaping players.
Each player rolls one die to determine the effect:
- roll 1,2: go back 1 space
- roll 3,4: no effect
- roll 5,6: run 1 space ahead
Cliff-Hangers (Level 2)
The path is perilous and players must watch their steps...
Before making the leap from level 2 to level 3, the player must roll one die to determine their fate:
- roll 1: you fall & perish
- roll 2,3: advance and lose all your gear
- roll 4,5,6: continue movement & add 2 spaces
Heat Exhaustion (Level 3)
Dragon fire surrounds you and you should hasten your pace...
- Any player who rolls a 1 as a movement in this realm fall into the lava and perish as they are exploring at the wrong time...
FAQ's & Clarifications
Expendable Gear (explained)
- Dice rolls used to determine expendable gear impacts cannot be used for your movement roll.
- Expendable gear can be played on any entity at any time. However, if a choice is offered, the recipient chooses their option.
Falling to Peril (perishing)
- Players never truly perish. Instead, they become a "Fallen Ally", whereby the peril forces you to take vengeance.
- Fallen Allies must draw & use a vengeance card during the Chase Round (whenever possible).
- Discard all stored gear / Abilities & Traits remain, but are dormant & cannot be stolen.
- Optional rule: may revive after 3 Chase Rounds.
The Traitor (FAQ's & clarity)
- The traitor(s) draw(s) from the "discovery deck" as normal. However, they cannot perish.
- Traps & team events apply to the traitors only if drawn by the traitor or a fallen ally:
- (team events (default "SOLO"))
- (traps/events with high/low effects are nullified)
- Conversely, traps & team events drawn by any of the active allies only affect the allies team.
- All fallen allies become part of the traitor. All character abilities & traits of fallen allies now apply to the traitor (trait cards may be stolen in this play style).
- If players perish, they begin supporting the traitor & seek vengeance.
Game Set "RUN"
Components (as printed on the sheet):
- Game board
- Instructions
- 2 six-sided dice
- 8 player tokens
- 1 peril token (red)
- 91 cards:
- 7 "imminent perils"
- 8 "character cards"
- 14 "vengeance cards"
- 62 "discovery deck"