The Damsel's Tale Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Two Player Game
• Components
• Set-up
• The Aim of the Game
• Game Play
  • Start of the Round
  • Player Turns
  • Movement Rules
  • Making Noise
  • Hidden / Open
  • Mumma Dragon
  • Handicap Card
• Three Player Game
  • Set-up
  • Game Play
  • Winning
• Special Characters
  • Special Baby Dragons
  • Special Knights
• Game Icons

Two Player Game

Components

• Knight Deck — 6 cards
• Baby Dragon Deck — 6 cards
• Mumma Dragon Deck — 6 cards
• Dragon's Lair Game Board
• Mumma Dragon Meeple
• Ivan the Knight Meeple
• Cinder Panic Marker

Set-up

Place the Knight Meeple on the first space of the Lair Track.

Shuffle the Knight Deck and place it face down in front of the Knight player.

Place the Mumma Dragon Meeple on the first space of the Cavern Steps.

Place the Panic Marker on the first space of the Panic Track.

Shuffle the Baby Dragon Deck and place it face down in front of the Dragon player.

Place the Mumma Dragon Deck on the same side as the Baby Dragon Deck.

The Aim of the Game

If you are the Dragon player:

You need Mumma Dragon to SEE the Knight. If at any stage the Mumma Dragon is on the final space at the end of the Cavern Steps and the Knight is on an "open" space, the Dragon player wins.

If you are the Knight player:

You need to retrieve the crown from the treasure pile. If at any stage the Knight is on the space with the crown, the Knight player wins.

Game Play

Start of the Round

Each player takes all of their cards and shuffles them. Two cards are discarded face down to the side (these will be picked up again at the end of the round). Players look at the remaining four cards – these will form each player's hand for this round.

Player Turns

Each player selects one card from their hand and places it face down. Once both players have chosen a card, the cards are revealed simultaneously.

The player with the lowest numbered card resolves the action/s on the card they have chosen. Then resolve the other player's card.

This is repeated until all four cards have been used, and then the round ends.

For a list of all the card icons, actions and their effects, refer to the back cover (see "Game Icons" below).

Example: The Dragon player has chosen the Intruder Alert card (6) and the Knight player has chosen the Reckless Charge card (3). The Knight's card has the lowest number so the three actions on that card are resolved, in order from left to right, before the Baby Dragon's card actions come into effect.

Movement Rules

Whenever the Knight moves onto a hidden space on the Lair Track, the Baby Dragon's panic is increased. Advance the Panic Marker one space on the Panic Track. Once panic reaches the fourth space, it can only be reduced – ignore any actions that advance it.

When a card indicates the Knight must move, advance the Knight Meeple a number of spaces on the Lair Track equal to the current level of the Panic Track. However, if during their movement they enter a Hidden space, this ends further movement (even if there are multiple move actions on the card).

To win, the Knight must reach the Prince's Crown on the final space of the Lair Track at any point during a move action.

Making Noise

If the Knight ends any movement action on a Noisy space, resolve the top card of the Mumma Dragon Deck and move the Mumma Dragon Meeple one space along the Cavern Steps for each footprint on the card.

Hidden / Open

If the Knight is not on one of the Hidden spaces on the Lair Track, they are considered in the Open. Some of the cards work differently depending on where the Knight is on the Lair Track when the card resolves.

Mumma Dragon

Whenever an action calls for a Mumma Dragon Card, draw the top card from the Mumma Dragon Deck and move the Mumma Dragon Meeple one space along the Cavern Steps track for each footprint on the card.

Once the Mumma Dragon Deck has only one card remaining, reshuffle the used cards back into the deck and place it face down again.

The Mumma Dragon is ferociously protective. If at any time during a move she reaches the final step of the Cavern Steps Track AND the Knight is in the Open, the Knight player loses. BUT if the Knight is Hidden, the Mumma Dragon doesn't believe there is an intruder and returns to the first space of the Cavern Steps Track.

Handicap Card

If you find that the Dragon Player is winning too easily we recommend using the Handicap Card. This will add an extra one, two or three spaces to the Cavern Steps Track and add starting Panic. Set the card up as illustrated; instructions are included on the back of the Handicap Card.

Editor's note: the illustrated Handicap Card set-up is a diagram and is not reproduced in this text; the instructions are printed on the back of that card.

Three Player Game

In this version of The Damsel's Tale, two pesky Knights are competing to get to the magic crown first and escape with their prize without being roasted alive. The gameplay is nearly identical to the two player version, but with a few additional considerations.

Set-up

The decks will need to be set up with the following changes:

First find all of the cards with the 2v1 icon.

Replace cards with the values: 1, 3 and 11 from the Knight Deck with the 2v1 versions: 1A, 3B and 11A. These have a red Knight icon in the top left corner of each card.

The remaining Knight cards with the 2v1 tags will be used to make up the second Knight's deck – 1B, 3A, 5B, 7B, 9A, and 11B. These cards have the purple Knight icon in the top left corner.

Replace cards with the values 2, 6, 8 and 12 from the original Dragon Deck with the 2v1 versions.

When setting up the board use the side of the game board with two panic meters on it. One player will use the white Lady Artesia Scyllos Meeple and the other the silver Ivan Meeple. Both Knights start together on the first space of the Lair Track.

Place both the Cinder Panic on the panic tracks at the starting position. The white Cinder will represent the panic track value for Lady Artesia and the silver Cinder for the Ivan player.

Game Play

All players shuffle and deal themselves four of the six available cards every round, same as in the two player game. Cards are all revealed at the same time. The following differences to the standard game play apply:

If the Knights play the same numbered card (marked A or B), the A card will activate first, then the B card.

When Panic is increased or decreased, the player who played the card that triggered the increase chooses which Knight adjusts their Panic.

The Knights are not allowed to communicate which cards they are playing in any way (they are, after all, competing for the crown).

Dragon cards that specify either hiding or open refer to both Knights hiding or open, or one of each. The possible specifications are: Both Knights Hidden; Both Knights Open; 1 Knight Hidden / 1 Open.

If a Knight ends on a noisy space, the owner of the card that caused the noise will make any decisions on any Dragon cards drawn.

Apart from the starting space, only one Knight can occupy a particular space at a time. If a Knight finishes their move in the same space as the opposing Knight, they bump the other Knight either backwards or forwards into the next space depending on the direction the Knight moved from.

Knight card 11 is dependent on what type of space the opposing Knight is on. The possible conditions are: If other Knight is Hidden; If other Knight is Open; If other Knight is Eliminated.

Winning

The Knight player who reaches the crown first is the winner. If both Knights are eliminated, the Dragon player wins.

Special Characters

There are four Knight and four Baby Dragon Characters, each with their own play style and abilities that can be used in the two player game. To play one of these Special Characters you will need to:

1. Replace the appropriate numbered card in the Knight or Baby Dragon Deck.
2. Find the Passive Ability Card for reference.

Passive ability cards do not go in to your deck; they are used as a reminder of your character's special effect on the game. The effect is always in play, as long as the conditions on the card are met.

Special Baby Dragons

Brand

Passive Ability: Do not increase panic when the Knight enters a hidden space.

Action Card: Resolve a Mumma Dragon card, if it is a one step card, resolve another one.

Snerl the White

Passive Ability: Before revealing a Mumma Dragon card, choose a number from 1-3 and tell the other player. If the dragon moves the number you chose, reduce panic by one.

Action Card: Look through the dragon deck and rearrange the remaining cards in any order. Place it back face down.

Reinald the Red

Passive Ability: When a three step dragon card is resolved, the Mumma Dragon only moves two instead.

Action Card: Move the Knight up to two spaces, forward or backward.

Misty

Action Card: Increase Misty's Fireball Track by one OR Reduce panic by one. (Use the spare Panic Marker to track the Fireball value on the Passive Ability card.)

Passive Ability: Once Misty's Fireball track is at 3, counter the next card the Knight plays and reduce panic by one. Then return the Fireball Track value to 0.

Special Knights

Chops Murphy

Action Card: If the dragon player plays card 2 or 4, move that amount. (Card 4 will move you 4.)

Passive Ability: Whenever a one step Mumma Dragon card is resolved you may move one space forward.

Lady Artesia Scyllos

Action Card: Move panic level spaces OR Reveal a Mumma Dragon card and increase panic by that amount.

Passive Ability: If the Mumma Dragon Meeple is on any of the first six steps of the Cavern Steps Track you move one less space on any move action, down to a minimum of one. Otherwise you move one extra space on all move actions.

Captain Kinnen

Passive Ability: Ignore Noisy spaces on the map. After each time you play a card that moves you, resolve a Mumma Dragon card.

Action Card: Move one space. If you do not enter a hidden space, go back to the last hidden space.

Dame Stephanie

Passive Ability: The Baby Dragon's two discarded cards are always revealed. Any time you counter the Baby Dragon's #2 card, increase panic by one.

Action Card: Move panic level +1 spaces, ignoring Noisy space effects. If the Baby Dragon played card #6 or #8 this turn, repeat this action.

Game Icons

The following icons appear on the cards. This is the glossary printed on the back cover.

• Open icon (circle): If the Knight is on an Open space on the Lair Track when you resolve this card, take the action to the right of this symbol.
• Hidden icon (half-circle): If the Knight is on a Hidden space on the Lair Track when you resolve this card, take the action to the right of this symbol.
• Noisy icon (Mumma Dragon head in a circle with a red slash): If the Knight ends any action on a Noisy space immediately draw a Mumma Dragon Card and move the Mumma Dragon Meeple that many spaces along the Cavern Steps Track.
• Panic icon (Panic Marker, with minus or plus): Reduce (-) or Increase (+) the level of panic by moving the Panic Marker up or down the Panic Track. The level cannot go below 1 or above 4.
• Mumma Dragon Meeple icon (arrows, plus or minus): Move the Mumma Dragon Meeple forward (+) or backward (-) one space on the Cavern Steps Track.
• Back to Hidden icon (curved arrow): Move the Knight back to the last Hidden space on the Lair Track, unless already on a Hidden space.
• Counter icon: "Counter" – Ignore all effects on the other player's card if this card has a lower number and resolves first.
• Mumma Dragon Card icon (card with dragon head, plus or minus): Draw the top card of the Mumma Dragon Deck and move the Mumma Dragon Meeple that many spaces forward (+) or backward (-) along the Cavern Steps Track.
• Panic movement icon (Knight with crossed-out Noisy symbol, arrow): Move the Knight spaces equal to the current panic level; if movement ends on a Noisy space ignore the effect.