Thieves of Eldris Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • 2-Go Components
  • Solo Components
• Overview
• Setup
  • Solo
  • 2-4 Players
  • 5-6 Players
• How to Play
  • Slip Phase (Mandatory)
    • Character Card Movement
    • Sigil Tokens
  • Rolling Doubles & Triples
  • Nick Phase (Optional)
    • A. Steal
    • B. Reveal
    • C. Pass
• End of Turn
• End of Game
• Solo Play
  • Overview
  • Setup
  • How to Play
    • Round Start
    • Identify Threats and Rivals
  • Slip Phase (Mandatory)
  • Nick Phase (Mandatory)
    • 1. Wager (Optional)
    • 2. Reveal (and Resolve Wagers, if any were placed)
    • 3. Steal (Mandatory)
  • Prepare for the Next Round

Components

• 24 Character Cards (4 in each of the 6 Traits)
• 24 Townsfolk Cards (4 in each of the 6 Traits)
• 3 Slip Dice (each identical, with one Token Trait per side)
• 45 Loot: 8x $3 coins, 13x $1 coins, 6x $5 coins, 18x $½ coins
• 3 Target Tokens
• 6 Sigil Tokens (double-sided: Active / Inactive)
• 6 Player Aids (Front / Back)

Note: Each Character is represented once in both the Character and Townsfolk decks. This ensures that no two players share the same Target, and your Cutpurse cannot be anyone else's Target.

2-Go Components

Pocket-sized! All "2-Go" rules stay the same—just leave the coins behind and bring the scoring cards instead. All other cards and tokens can be conveniently stored in the travel tuckbox.

• 1 2-Go Tuckbox
• 12 Scoring Cards (2 needed per player)

How to Use: Each player has 2 scoring cards (showing ½ to 8). Lay one scoring card horizontally over the other to highlight your current coin value.

Solo Components

• 1 Cutpurse Token
• 18 Solo Tokens (double-sided: Rival / Threat)

Overview

You are among the realm's most cunning thieves, eager to prove yourself worthy to the Thieves' Guild. To claim your place, you'll need to outwit your rivals and be the first to pilfer 8 coins from unsuspecting Targets.

Every stolen coin comes with some risk. Strike fast, hide your identity, and take bold risks to prove your skills. In this race for riches, only the most cunning will join the Guild.

Setup

1 to 6 thieves may test their skills in Skulduggery Square. For all player counts, setup begins as follows:

1. Separate the Character and Townsfolk cards into two decks.
2. Shuffle the Character cards, then arrange them faceup in a grid of 6 cards wide by 4 cards tall. This is Skulduggery Square.
3. Shuffle the Townsfolk cards to form a deck, placing it facedown above the Square.
4. Each player takes 1 Sigil Token and places it with the active side faceup in front of them.
5. Set all coins to the side of the Square to form a supply.

Continue setup according to your player count:

Solo

Refer to the Solo Rules on p.8.

2-4 Players

Deal 3 cards from the Townsfolk deck facedown to each player.

In secret at the start of their first turn, each player selects 1 card as their Cutpurse and the other 2 as their personal Targets. Once chosen, all three cards are returned facedown in front of the player, with the Targets kept separate from the Cutpurse.

5-6 Players

Draw 3 Townsfolk cards and place them faceup above the Square to form a Display of public Targets. To assist new players, place a Target Token on each matching character in the Square. Then, deal 2 Townsfolk cards from the deck to each player.

In secret at the start of their first turn, each player will select 1 card as their lead Cutpurse and slip the other beneath as their Shadow, both facedown.

How to Play

The player who most recently "borrowed" something (intentionally or not) goes first. Whether they gave it back or not is another story...

Players take turns clockwise around the table. Each player's turn consists of two phases: the Slip Phase and the Nick Phase.

Slip Phase (Mandatory)

Each player starts their turn by rolling all 3 Slip Dice. The results indicate which characters they can move during their turn. If a player rolls doubles or triples, they may also activate a special ability (see p.5 "Rolling Doubles & Triples").

Character Card Movement

To move a character in the Square, the active player selects any faceup or facedown card (occupied or unoccupied) with a Trait that matches one of their rolled dice. They then swap that card's position with any orthogonally adjacent card (above, below, left, or right).

Once a card has been moved, set the corresponding die aside; it is now considered "spent." If you have remaining Slip Dice, you may use their movement on a new card, or one you moved earlier. If you have no Slip Dice left, proceed to the Nick Phase (see p.5-6). All Slip Dice must be spent during this phase.

If a character card is on the edge of the Square, there are 3 orthogonally adjacent cards they can swap positions with (fig. 1); in a corner, there are only 2 (fig. 2).

Example: You roll Constitution, Strength and Wisdom. If you want to move the Fighter in the centre, you have multiple options.

1. You could use Strength to switch the Fighter with any of the 4 adjacent characters.
2. If you wanted to save the Strength for use elsewhere, you could instead use:
   • A. Constitution and switch with either character on the right or left; or
   • B. Wisdom and switch with the Monk above.

If you decide to use Constitution to move the Alchemist on the left, switch the characters as seen above and set that die aside.

Note: As the game progresses, some characters will be flipped to their unoccupied side, indicating that they have left the Square, and are no longer in play. Cards on the unoccupied side can still be moved around the Square.

Sigil Tokens

If a player is unsatisfied with their roll, they may flip their Sigil Token to its inactive side to reroll any number of dice, keeping the new results.

Once a Sigil Token is used, it stays inactive until reset (see "Rolling Doubles/Triples" on p.5).

Rolling Doubles & Triples

If a player rolls doubles or triples of the same Trait on the Slip Dice, they announce that the matching special ability is available to them. They may choose to use this ability, then must proceed to use all Slip Dice for movement as described on p.4 "Character Card Movement."

Doubles: If two dice show the same Trait, you may (A) reset your Sigil Token, or (B) activate the matching special ability.

A. Reset your Sigil Token — If your Sigil Token is on its inactive side, it may be reset by flipping the token to its active side.

B. Activate an Ability

The following special abilities activate before character movement:

• Charisma — Peek at the top card of the Townsfolk deck, then return it facedown on top of the deck.
• Dexterity — Move any 1 card in the Square (occupied or unoccupied) up to two times. It does not need to have a Dexterity Trait.
• Constitution — Swap your active Cutpurse:
  • 2-4 players: Pick up your three cards (2 Targets and 1 Cutpurse). You may choose to keep the same Cutpurse or select a new one. Return the cards facedown, with your Targets separated from your chosen Cutpurse.
  • 5-6 players: Pick up both Cutpurse cards, and decide which one will be active. Return your cards facedown in front of you, with the lead Cutpurse on top. If the identity of your Cutpurse has already been revealed once (see p.6) this ability has no effect.
• Wisdom — In the Square, swap the positions of any two cards (occupied or unoccupied) sharing the same Trait. They do not need to have the Wisdom Trait.
• Intelligence — Swap 1 Target with 1 from the Townsfolk deck:
  • 2-4 players: Draw the top card from the Townsfolk deck, adding it to your 2 other Targets. Then shuffle any one of the 3 Targets in your hand back into the deck.
  • 5-6 players: Place the top card from the Townsfolk deck into the Display, then choose any Target from the Display to shuffle back into the Townsfolk deck.

Some special abilities have adjustments based on your player count.

Strength is the only special ability used after character movement:

• Strength — During your Nick Phase, you may steal from or reveal a character diagonally adjacent to your Cutpurse. Do not reveal whether or not you've done so to the other players! Doing so would expose more clues about your Cutpurse's identity.

Triples: If all three dice show the same Trait, you may (A) reset your Sigil Token or (B) activate any one ability of your choice.

Nick Phase (Optional)

In the Nick Phase, the active player has three options: they may either (A) Steal from a Target, attempt to (B) Reveal an opponent's Cutpurse, or (C) Pass (taking no action in this phase).

A. Steal

You may Steal from a Target who is orthogonally adjacent to your Cutpurse in the Square. Only one Target may be stolen from on a player's turn.

1. Select your Target

• 2-4 players: The active player may steal from one of their two Targets, revealing it faceup in front of them.
• 5-6 players: The active player selects a Target from the Display to steal from, then places the Target card from the Display faceup in front of them.

2. Cut their Purse

Flip the matching character in the Square to its unoccupied (dark) side. Without any coins in their pocket, they leave the Square. However, their unoccupied card may still be moved in the future.

• 5-6 player game, return their Target Token to the supply.

3. Reap the Reward

Collect coins from the supply depending on where the Target was in the Square when the theft took place.

• Corner of the Square: Take $2
• Edge of the Square: Take $1.5
• Center of the Square: Take $1

4. Scout the Next Target

• In a 2-4 player game, the active player draws a new Target from the Townsfolk deck, looks at it in secret, then places it facedown in their play area, with the other Target they have remaining.
• In a 5-6 player game, a new Target from the Townsfolk deck is revealed faceup and added to the Display. Move the Target Token to the matching character in the Square.

Once resolved, this marks the end of the player's turn (see p.7 "End of Turn").

B. Reveal

You may attempt to Reveal an opponent's Cutpurse who is orthogonally adjacent to your Cutpurse in the Square. Only one Reveal may be attempted on a player's turn.

Touch the card of the character in the Square you believe to be the Cutpurse and name the exact player you believe controls them. The accused player must truthfully answer either "correct" or "incorrect."

If correct

1. Claim the Cutpurse card from the player who was revealed, placing it faceup in front of you. Flip the matching character card in the Square to its unoccupied (dark) side.
2. That player must give you $1 from their own haul. If they do not have any money, you earn nothing from them. (Who steals from the poor? The rich!)
3. Additionally, you receive $2 from the Thieves' Guild, which you take from the supply.
4. The player whose Cutpurse was revealed replaces it as follows:
   • 2-4 players: The player chooses one of their current Targets to become their Cutpurse, then draws a new Target from the Townsfolk deck.
   • 5-6 players: The player must use their Shadow for the rest of the game. If their Shadow Cutpurse is revealed as well, they are eliminated from the game and can no longer earn or lose money.

Be careful—if the Townsfolk deck runs out, you will not be able to get new Targets or Cutpurses!

If incorrect

1. You must reveal your own Cutpurse to all players, then return it to your play area facedown.
2. No money is earned or lost in this situation.

Once resolved, this marks the end of the active player's turn (see "End of Turn," below).

C. Pass

You do not wish to Steal or Reveal, so you end your turn.

End of Turn

At the end of the active player's turn, they count their haul. If they've stolen 8 or more coins, they immediately win the game! (See "End of Game," below) If not, play continues clockwise.

End of Game

The game ends as soon as a thief has pocketed 8+ coins. In this ruthless Square, there are no equal turns, no second chances, and certainly no second place. Only the first to earn the favor of the Thieves' Guild will join its ranks—while the others are left to scramble for the scraps in the shadows.

May your wits be sharp and your hands quicker than the rest!

Solo Play

This is no longer a race, but a cunning dance... watch your toes!

Overview

Prepare to outwit rival thieves over 4 rounds, vying for the favor of the Thieves' Guild. Your goal is simple: steal at least as much money as all of your Rivals combined. But to truly claim the title as the greatest thief in the realm, you'll need to outsmart and out-earn them all.

Setup

Begin with setup instructions 1-5 from p.3, and continue as follows:

6. Draw 3 cards from the Townsfolk deck and place them faceup above the Square to form a Display.
7. Choose one of those characters as your Cutpurse, placing it in front of you.
8. Draw a replacement to add to the Display. These 3 Characters become the Targets for both you and your Rivals in the game.
9. In the Square, place the Cutpurse Token on the Character matching your chosen Cutpurse.
10. Then, place a Target token on each of the 3 Characters in the Square that match the 3 Targets in the Display.
11. Collect $1 from the supply to start your haul.
12. Form a general supply of all Rival/Threat tokens.

For a greater challenge: confident thieves can opt to play without any tokens—relying solely on their wits to outmaneuver and manipulate the characters in Skulduggery Square.

How to Play

Round Start

Begin each round by drawing 3 Rivals from the Townsfolk deck. Carefully fan the cards out faceup on the table so that only the topmost character is visible. For the two cards beneath it, only the Traits in the upper left-hand corners should be visible—nothing else.

Keep all details of the two bottommost cards—such as their names and features—hidden until instructed otherwise. Revealing this information could impact gameplay decisions.

The topmost card, with all features visible, is a known Rival. The cards beneath it, showing only their Traits, are Threats. From this point forward, this entire fan of cards is collectively referred to as the Foes' Stack.

Identify Threats and Rivals

Place a Rival token on the character in the Square that matches the topmost card of the Foes' Stack.

Place Threat tokens on all other characters in the Square matching the Traits of the two concealed Threat cards.

Characters in the Square can hold only one Rival or Threat token, meaning a Rival cannot also be a Threat.

Example:

1. The Foes' Stack is formed, revealing the Bard as your Rival, and characters with the Wisdom and Strength Traits as Threats.
2. A Rival Token is placed on the Bard in the Square.
3. Threat Tokens are placed on all characters in the Square from the Wisdom and Strength Traits that do not already have a Rival/Threat, Cutpurse, or Target token.

Slip Phase (Mandatory)

Begin your turn by rolling all 3 Slip Dice. The standard rules for the Slip Phase, including the effects of rolling doubles or triples, remain the same (see pp. 4-5).

Example:

Rolling Doubles — After rolling doubles, you use Dexterity to move the Assassin twice.

Movement — You then use your Slip Dice for movement. First, using Dexterity to move the Ranger. Then your second Dexterity to move the Ninja. And finally, the remaining Constitution to move the Warlock.

Nick Phase (Mandatory)

In the solo game, resolving the Nick Phase is mandatory and there is a new optional action that may be taken: Wagering.

In Solo, multiple Targets may be robbed on the same turn!

The structure for the Nick Phase is as follows:

A. Wager: Optional B. Reveal (and Resolve Wagers, if any were placed): Mandatory C. Steal: Mandatory

1. Wager (Optional)

In any round where you choose not to Wager—skip this step and proceed directly to the "Reveal" step below.

When you have coins in your personal supply, you may choose to place a Wager if you suspect you know the identity of one or more Threats.

Place exactly $1 from your haul on any number of characters orthogonally adjacent to your Cutpurse, with a Threat token, that you suspect could be a Rival.

Note: You cannot wager on a known Rival.

Example: You are orthogonally adjacent to two Threats—the Ninja and Necromancer. You place a wager of $1 on the Ninja as you feel comfortable with your odds. You forgo placing a wager on the Necromancer this round.

2. Reveal (and Resolve Wagers, if any were placed)

Fan out the Foes' Stack to reveal the two hidden Threats. In the Square, flip both Threat tokens on the matching characters to their Rival side.

All other Threat tokens can now be removed from the Square, along with any Wager on them—that money is lost and returned to the supply.

Resolve Wagers

Any character with both a faceup Rival Token and a Wager will pay out before leaving the Square.

• Reclaim the $1 you Wagered and collect an additional $2 from the supply.
• Remove the Rival token from that character, returning it to the supply. Flip the card to its unoccupied (dark) side.
• The matching Rival card in the Foes' Stack is placed in your play area.

Scenario A: Correct Wager — All Threats are Revealed in the Foes' Stack. As your wager for the Ninja was correct, you reclaim the $1 you wagered and gain an additional $2 from the supply.

Scenario: Incorrect Wager — All Threats are Revealed in the Foes' Stack. As your wager for the Ninja was incorrect, the $1 you wagered is returned to the supply.

3. Steal (Mandatory)

Only the Targets in the Display (with Target Tokens on the matching cards in the Square) can be stolen from. To do so, follow these steps in order:

1. Rivals Steal first: If any number of Rivals are orthogonally adjacent to an active Target (character with a Target Token), the Targets is robbed. Resolve the theft immediately—see below.

No matter how many Rivals are adjacent to a Target, the Target is only robbed once. So, if a Target is on the edge of the Square, and surround by 1, 2, or 3 Rivals, those Rivals will only get $1.5 total, regardless of how many were there.

Resolving Thefts

Theft resolution is the same, regardless of whether it was you or a Rival who robbed the Target.

Stealing Coins

The amount of coins stolen is determined by the Target's position in the Square:

• Corner of the Square: $2
• Edge of the Square: $1.5
• Center of the Square: $1

Coins stolen by your Rivals should be placed near the Foes' Stack as their shared spoils. Coins your Cutpurse steals should be stored in your own play area.

Robbed Targets

Immediately after a Target is stolen from, their character card in the Square is flipped to the unoccupied (dark) side, their Target Token is returned to the supply, and the corresponding Target card is removed from the Display and discarded for the remainder of the game. The Target has left the Square coinless and can no longer be stolen from.

2. You Steal second: If your Cutpurse is orthogonally adjacent to an active Target (character with a Target Token), the Targets is robbed. Resolve the theft immediately. If the Rivals beat you to that Target... better luck next time.

Lucky Targets: If neither you nor any Rivals are orthogonally adjacent to a Target, no theft occurs, and the Target remains in play for the next round.

Example:

Rivals Steal First — The only Rival orthogonally adjacent to a Target is the Barbarian. They steal $1.5 from the Beastmaster, placing the coins near the Foes' Stack. Then, the Beastmaster's Target token is returned to the supply, and its card in the Square is flipped over.

You Steal Second — Your Cutpurse is orthogonally adjacent to the Assassin, allowing you to steal $1. Then, the Assassin's Target token is returned to the supply, and its card in the Square is flipped over.

Note: While the Lightpriest Target is nearby, it is not orthogonally adjacent, and you may not steal from them. Unless you're using the Strength ability!

3. Stiff Competition: If any number of Rivals are orthogonally adjacent to your Cutpurse, they will collect a total of $1.5 from you! If you don't have $1.5 coins in your haul, they'll take as much as they can.

After resolving thefts, begin a new round. Remember there are 4 rounds total!

Prepare for the Next Round

If the 4th round has just ended, skip this section and proceed to "End of Game" below. Otherwise, prepare for the upcoming round by drawing cards from the Townsfolk deck to refill the Display, if needed, so that there are 3 Targets faceup.

Rivals from the Foes' Stack remain visible and in play for the following round.

Proceed with creating a new Foes' Stack as described on p.8 "How to Play." So, after resolving the "Round Start" in round 2, there will be 4 known Rivals and 2 concealed Threats.

End of Game (Solo)

At the end of round 4, compare the total number of coins in your haul to that of your Rivals'.

If you've collected as much, or more coins than your Rivals, you win, and earn a spot in the Thieves' Guild!

If your Rivals have stolen more coins than you, you lose your spot in the Guild. Get back to the Square—your skills, and your blade, need sharpening.

Solo Scoring

• 0–3 coins "Petty Pickpocket" — Barely worth the risk.
• 4–6 coins "Street Scoundrel" — A decent haul, but not good enough for the Guild.
• 7–9 coins "Skilled Swindler" — Your sharp instincts and quick wits have paid off handsomely.
• 10+ coins "Legend Among Thieves" — Whispers of your stealth spread throughout the Guild, and they're envious of your haul!