The Princess Bride: I Hate to Kill You
The Princess Bride: I Hate to Kill You Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 50 Move Cards (10 for each character)
- 5 Health Cards
- 5 Reference Cards
- 12 Dice (4 red, 4 orange, 4 yellow)
Object
Score five hits on your opponent. Winning will depend on timing and your ability to anticipate your opponent's moves.
Setup
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Each player chooses a character to play and takes the corresponding set of Move Cards into their hand.
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Each player places their character's Health Card on the table, positioned with the "5" in the top left corner, and places their Reference Card nearby.
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Each player is given 6 dice (2 red, 2 orange, and 2 yellow).
Playing the Game
Before the game begins, the players read the quotes on the back side of the Reference Card for the selected duel. Of course, you can go ahead and have characters fight who didn't fight in the movie, but I'm telling you, you're messing up the story!
The game is played in rounds. With each round, the players roll their active dice and then each plays a Move Card.
Each player begins the game with six active dice. Each dice face has either a blank, a sword, or two swords. The different colored dice have different amounts of each on their six faces, as follows:
- Red Die: Strongest - two faces with two swords, one face with one sword, three blank faces.
- Orange Die: Average - one face with two swords, two faces with one sword, three blank faces.
- Yellow Die: Weakest - three faces with one sword, three blank faces.
Each round, the players add up the number of swords on their dice, play a Move Card, and then compare the results.
Playing Move Cards
After each roll, both players must choose a Move Card to play. Once both players have chosen a card, they are revealed simultaneously.
Each card has a rank number. The lowest number resolves first (cards with the same number resolve at the same time). Cards with rank 8 resolve after the round is over. With the exception of Bluff cards, once a card is played it is removed from the game. Bluff cards are returned to their player's hands and may be played as often as desired.
Ties
After cards have been resolved, if both players' dice show the same number of swords, then the round results in a tie and neither player scores a hit. Both players must discard a die that is showing at least one sword. If both players are showing no swords then they must discard a die of their choice. A player never discards their last die.
Scoring a Hit
If one player has more swords showing than their opponent, then a hit has been scored. The opponent rotates their Health Card counterclockwise, so the next lowest number appears in the top left corner of the card. If a player's Health goes below 2, their Health Card is flipped over for one last desperate stand.
The player who scores the hit must then discard one of their dice that has a sword showing, either one sword or two swords. The discarded die is placed to the side and is no longer part of the active dice. A player never discards their last die. So, if any player only has one active die and receives a hit, the die is not discarded and remains their only active die.
If a player only has a Bluff card remaining to play, then they may roll their dice without playing a Move Card.
Game End
The game ends when one player has scored 5 hits on their opponent.
Example of Play
Inigo vs. Man in Black.
Round 1: Inigo rolls 4 swords, the Man in Black rolls 3. Inigo plays Thibault Defense and the Man in Black plays Capo Ferro Attack. The Thibault Defense is a lower rank card (4 to 5) so it resolves first. Inigo rerolls one of his yellow dice and gets 1 sword. The Man in Black then chooses the orange die with 2 swords for Inigo to reroll. Inigo rolls 1 sword.
Inigo now has 4, the Man in Black 3. The Man in Black is hit and rotates his Health Card to 4. Inigo chooses to discard the yellow die with a sword.
Round 2: Inigo rolls 2 swords, the Man in Black rolls 6. Inigo plays Leap and the Man in Black plays a Bluff. Leap forces the Man in Black to discard a red die as it is the only one with a blank.
The Man in Black wins the round. Inigo rotates his Health Card to 4 and the Man in Black chooses to discard the yellow die with a sword.
Round 3: Inigo rolls 3 swords, the Man in Black rolls 5. Inigo plays Bonetti Defense and the Man in Black plays Agrippa. Inigo decides to reroll the blank red die, the two orange dice, and the yellow die.
Inigo now has 6 swords and wins the round. The Man in Black rotates his Health to 3 and Inigo discards the orange die with a sword. The Man in Black then uses his Agrippa to return his discarded red die to his hand for next the round, as play continues...