This War of Mine: The Board Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Component List
  • Core Box
• The Basics
  • Before You Start
  • The Book of Scripts
  • Shared Experience and the Leader
  • Script Numbers
  • Campaign / Playthrough
  • Blank Tokens
  • State Tokens
  • Fatigue 4 – Sleep
  • States Reference Table
  • Discard vs. Remove, Waste Bag
  • Tokens vs. Resources
  • Tokens and Resources Limit
  • The Characters
  • The 4-Characters Limit
  • Reality Impact
  • Save and Restore
  • End of the Game
  • Raising Game Difficulty + Scenarios
  • Back of the Board
• Setup
• Flow of the Game
• 1. Morning Phase
  • 1.1. Resolve the Top Card from the Events Deck
  • Rules Reference and Components
    • Event/Ending Event Cards
    • Chapter Cards
    • Objective Cards
• 2. Day Actions Phase
  • 2.1. Day Actions
  • Rules Reference and Components
    • Character Action Limits
    • Important Notes
    • Movement in the Shelter
  • Action Types
• 3. Dusk Phase
  • 3.1. Drink Water
  • 3.2. Eat Food
  • Rules Reference and Components
• 4. Evening Phase
  • 4.1. Assign Characters
• 5. Scavenging Phase
  • 5.1. Choose a Location
  • 5.2. Choose Equipment
  • 5.3. Set the Noise Marker
  • 5.4. Prepare the Unknown Deck
  • 5.5. Explore
  • 5.6. Choose Findings
  • Rules Reference and Components
    • Exploration Cards
    • Findings Cards
    • Residents Cards
  • A Character's Death During Exploration
• 6. Night Raid Phase
  • 6.1. Choose Weapons for the Guards
  • 6.2. Resolve the Night Raid Card
  • 6.3. Crime Wave
  • Rules Reference and Components
    • Combat Dice During the Night Raid
    • Prowess During the Night Raid
    • Death of All the Guards
    • Board-Up Tokens
• 7. Dawn Phase
  • 7.1. The Scavenging Party Returns
  • 7.2. Assign Meds and Bandages
  • 7.3. Using Alcohol
  • 7.4. Resolve a Fate Card
  • 7.5. Gain a Narrative Action Card
  • 7.6. Death Among Us
  • Now, Start a New Day…
• Combat
  • Rules Reference and Components
    • Combat Dice During Combat
    • Combat Scripts
    • Fleeing
    • Backstab
    • Weapon Change
    • Enemies' Death
    • A Character's Death
• Trade
• 1st Edition Stretch Goals Component List
• Emira, the 13th Character
• Companions: The Dog and the Cat
• Desperate Measures
• Our Street
• Closed Envelope "317"
• A Strange Package
• Hidden Objectives
• Orphans of War
• Heart of the City
• Farmers and Market
• Sewers
• Tactics
• 2nd Edition Stretch Goals & New Game Modules Component List
• New Game Modules
  • Character Boards
  • New Characters
  • Variety Pack
  • The Table
  • New Boards
    • No Man's Home
    • The Crossing
  • Short Mode
  • One Character Per Player
  • Semi-Coop
  • Wartime Stories
• FAQ
  • Character Skills
• Summary
  • Day Structure
  • Characters' Availability in Action Stages
  • Icons
  • Dice Icons
  • Trade
  • Combat

Component List

Core Box

200 Cards, including:

• 5 Blank Cards
• 7 Fate Cards
• 20 Fitting Cards
• 12 Character Cards
• 11 Findings Cards
• 26 Exploration Cards
• 14 Residents Cards
• 18 Location Cards
• 12 Visitor Cards
• 15 Narrative Actions
• 3 Chapter Cards
• 5 Color Cards
• 19 Shelter Cards
• 10 Night Raid Cards
• 15 Event Cards
• 8 Chapter Objective Cards

186 Tokens, including:

• 33 Green Tokens

• 30 Red Tokens

• 18 Yellow Tokens

• 40 State Tokens

• 1 Objective Status Token

• 4 Character Color Markers

• 3 Wait Tokens

• 6 Cold Tokens

• 9 Enemy Tokens

• 23 Gray Tokens

• 9 Script Tokens

• 7 Blank Tokens

• 3 Board-Up Tokens

• 1 Double-Sided Game Board

• 1 Journal

• 1 Book of Scripts

• 1 Rulebook

• 12 Save Sheets

• 1 Double-Sided Scenario Sheet

• 13 Miniatures*, including: 1 Arica Miniature, 1 Anton Miniature, 1 Boris Miniature, 1 Bruno Miniature, 1 Cveta Miniature, 1 Emilia Miniature, 1 Katia Miniature, 1 Marin Miniature, 1 Marko Miniature, 1 Roman Miniature, 1 Pavle Miniature, 1 Zlata Miniature, 1 First Player Miniature

• 6 Help Sheets

• 1 Save Bag**

• 1 Waste Bag**

• 4 Base Disks***

• 1 Black Die

• 1 Gray Unarmed Die

• 1 Yellow Melee Die

• 1 Red Firearm Die

• 14 Component Markers*

• 6 Water Markers*

• 12 Wood Markers*

• 1 Noise Marker*

* In the Standard Edition those components are replaced with cardboard components. ** In the Standard Edition those components are replaced with ziplock bags. *** In the Standard Edition those components are replaced with colored standee bases.

The Basics

Before You Start

This is the second edition of This War of Mine: The Board Game. The first one had no traditional Rulebook, but only a Journal and the Book of Scripts, which put you right into the middle of a military conflict without knowledge of what is going on. Just like the Characters you are trying to keep alive.

That experience is still available in the second edition of the game – just take the Journal, open it and start playing.

However, if you prefer to read all the rules before the actual play, this Rulebook is for you. Even if you start with the Journal, the Rulebook might come handy if you need additional explanations.

The Book of Scripts

Whether you use the Rulebook or the Journal to learn the rules, you will need The Book of Scripts, as it is the heart of the game.

Do not read any of the numbered scripts in The Book of Scripts unless you are directly instructed to do so by the game. You may find a reference to the Book of Scripts on a card, on a token, in the Journal / Rulebook or in another script.

For more information see the HOW TO USE THE BOOK OF SCRIPTS section in the Book of Scripts.

Shared Experience and the Leader

The Characters in the game are not assigned to particular players.

The players interact with ALL the Characters and work as a group.

The player who currently holds the first player miniature is called the Leader.

The (pass first player) symbol in the rules indicates when to pass the first player miniature to the next player to the Leader's left.

Also, the first player miniature moves to the next player every time you make a choice while resolving a script in the Book of Scripts.

Whenever you need to make any decision (like choosing a Character, tokens, actions, etc.), the final decision is made by the Leader, but ONLY AFTER LISTENING TO OTHER PLAYERS' OPINIONS. You may discuss, make suggestions, or even quarrel, but the Leader always has the final word.

Script Numbers

Most cards in the game contain script numbers in the colored circles. Ignore those numbers unless a game effect directly instructs you to address them.

Campaign / Playthrough

The Book of Scripts and other game components sometimes use the term Campaign. Although this game is long and may require several sessions to be fully played (see SAVE AND RESTORE – page 8), a Campaign in the base game means a single playthrough in basic mode: it starts with the Setup, when you draw 3 starting Characters and ends at the latest with resolving the Final Objective card at the conclusion of Chapter III.

Blank Tokens

Do not throw them away! Some scripts may instruct you to write down a text entry and a script number on a Blank token. When that occurs, take one of the Blank tokens that come with the game and write down on the token (with a pencil, for example) the required information.

State Tokens

State tokens are used to track how fatigued, hungry, ill, miserable, and wounded a Character is.

When a game effect raises or lowers one of a Character's 5 States (for Wounds, "suffer" means "raise"), give the Character a corresponding State token of the appropriate type and level (or turn over a previously assigned token to the new level). If a Character raises any of their States to level 4, see the Script noted on the level 4 token for that State.

If a Character raises their Fatigue to level 4, they must resolve the Sleep script. If a Character raises any other State to level 4, they die; read the Epilogue script for that Character noted on the corresponding level 4 State token.

Note: Some game effects check whether a Character is, for example, "wounded." If the Character's Wounds State is at least level 1, they are considered wounded. A Character with no Wounds State token is considered NOT wounded (their Wounds State level is 0). The same applies for the other 4 States.

While the table outlines the primary ways to influence your States, survival is unpredictable. You will encounter many other circumstances throughout the war that can alter a Character's condition. States may be changed (usually raised) in numerous ways during the game, especially by the Scripts. See the table on the next page after you read all the rules.

If a given State is raised to level 4, it is already too late to lower it again to level 3, before resolving the results of level 4. The State level 4 effect needs to be resolved immediately.

Fatigue 4 – Sleep

If a Character's Fatigue level reaches 4 because they were assigned a task during the EVENING phase, the Character is able to finish the task before resolving the Fatigue level of 4.

A sleeping Character cannot do anything else besides:

• Sleep in a Bed / Sleep On The Floor during the EVENING phase.
• Take a Nap action (on the Bed card) during the DAY ACTIONS phase (despite 3 black dots on the State token).
• Eat and drink.
• Receive Meds / Herbal Meds / Bandages.

Use common sense when resolving scripts (e.g. Event scripts, Night Raid scripts), in order to decide which effects apply to a sleeping Character and which do not.

States Reference Table

This table is for reference only, not a set of rules. You don't need to track this yourself—the game will always tell you exactly when to raise or lower a State.

Raised by

• Fatigue – Guard duty task, Scavenging task, Moonshine tokens (chance), 4th action, Overload during Scavenging
• Hunger – Lack of Water (chance), Lack of Food
• Illness – Fate cards if already ill and not medicated (chance), Fate cards based on Cold (chance), Killing Enemies (chance)
• Misery – Lack of Water (chance), Fate cards: Spirit effect (chance), Death Among the Shelter, Empathy roll (chance)
• Wounds – Outside action sniper (chance), Wounded in Combat, Wounded while guarding, Fate cards if already wounded and without Bandages (chance)

Lowered by

• Fatigue – Take a Nap action (Bed Fitting required), Sleep in a bed, Sleep on the floor
• Hunger – Eat Food, Assign Meds / Herbal Meds, then Fate cards (chance)
• Illness – Place Board-Ups (precautionary measure), Moonshine / 100% Alcohol
• Misery – Actions on some Fitting cards, Heal (some Locations)
• Wounds – Assign Bandages, then Fate cards (chance), Heal (some Locations)

What might help

• Fatigue – Bed Fitting card, Exploration (chance), Herbal Workshop
• Hunger – Fitting cards producing Food/Water, Exploration (chance), Trade (chance)
• Illness – Fitting cards producing Meds / Board-Ups / reducing Cold tokens, Exploration (chance), Trade (chance)
• Misery – Fitting cards reducing Misery/producing alcohol, Satisfying a Character's habits (Spirit checks), Fitting card producing Bandages
• Wounds – Exploration (chance), Trade (chance), Scavenging (Water)

Discard vs. Remove, Waste Bag

If the game instructs you to discard something (a card, a token, etc.), put it back into the box. It may return to the gameplay later.

If the game instructs you to remove something (a card, a token, etc.), put it into the Waste bag.

The Waste bag contains all the pieces that will be unavailable for the remainder of the current playthrough.

Tokens vs. Resources

There is an important distinction between tokens and resources in This War of Mine.

There are 4 types of tokens that represent the goods, each type with a different background color.

Red tokens – These represent your means of offense and defense. This category includes functional Weapons (Firearm and Melee), broken equipment requiring repair, and the essential components or Ammo needed to stay protected: Assault Rifle, Shotgun, Pistol, Hatchet, Knife, Broken Assault Rifle, Broken Pistol, Broken Shotgun, Weapon Part, Shell, Ammo.

Green tokens – Your primary survival resources. This group covers everything from basic nourishment (Raw Food, Vegetables) to goods like Coffee, Alcohol, and Cigarettes, which are vital for managing your Characters' Misery: Canned Food, Raw Food, Vegetable, 100% Alcohol, Moonshine, Cigarette, Coffee, Sugar.

Gray tokens – Technical and utility items. These include essential exploration tools (Lockpicks, Shovels), mechanical parts for upgrading your Shelter, and various household items that provide comfort or entertainment: Sawblade, Shovel, Lockpick, Guitar, Broken Guitar, Book, Electrical Part, Mechanical Part, Jewelry, Filter.

Yellow tokens – Life-saving resources and raw ingredients. These tokens represent professional medical supplies (Meds, Bandages) used to treat Wounds and Illness, as well as the herbs and chemicals needed to craft your own treatments: Meds, Bandages, Herbal Meds, Chems, Herb.

The three resource types (Water, Wood, Components) are not labelled, as those are not tokens but plastic pieces. You can identify them by how they look – Water is a round transparent piece, Wood is a brown cuboid, and the Component is a metallic cog.

Tokens and Resources Limit

If you run out of a particular resource or token in the box, it means that this item is currently unavailable (it cannot be found, bought, etc.).

The STORAGE x5 space on the board allows you to mark 5 Wood or Components with a single Wood or Components marker.

At any given time, you may exchange 5 Wood in the Storage for 1 Wood in the Storage x5, and vice versa. The same goes for the Components.

No other resource or token aside from Wood and Components can be placed in the Storage x5.

Warning: This storage system may result in creating more Wood or Components in the game at the same time than it would be possible without the Storage x5. This system can have its own drawbacks though. The rule saying that you cannot find any more resources if there are not any left in the box still stands. Which means that if we wish to exchange 1 resource out of the Storage x5 space to 5 separate resources, and there are only 3 such resources left in the box, this exchange will not be profitable.

The Characters

The Characters are described by Character cards.

1. Prowess – determines how well the Character performs in Combat and other situations which require rolling Combat dice – the higher the value the better.
2. Empathy – determines how the Character reacts to traumatic events – the higher the value, the stronger the reaction.
3. Character skill – Some Characters have special abilities. These are self-explanatory; the text on the Character card tells you exactly how and when they are applied or used (see CHARACTER SKILLS FAQ – page 38).
4. Spirit – describes how the Character endures each day of the war.
5. Inventory – determines how strong is the Character, which allows them to carry more items – the higher the value, the stronger the Character.

The 4-Characters Limit

There cannot be more than 4 Characters in play at any time. If there are currently 4 Characters present, a fifth Character cannot be added to your group. You may not replace any of your current Characters with a new one.

Reality Impact

Reality Impact cards represent unique narrative moments hidden within various decks.

When you draw a Reality Impact card, it will instruct you to draw a card from the Colors deck and reveal the top card from a specifically indicated deck or reference one that is already revealed (e.g., the current Location).

To determine which script to resolve, look at the color on the Colors card and find the corresponding color-coded script number on the revealed card. Once the script is resolved, follow the instructions on the Reality Impact card to resume the game.

Save and Restore

This War of Mine is a long game and may require several sessions to be fully played.

You can save the game at the end of the DAWN phase.

If you prefer a quicker game, see the SHORT MODE rules on page 35.

Saving the Game:

1. Put all the tokens / resources from the Storage into the SAVE bag.
2. On the SAVE Sheet, write down the amount and type of resources that you have in the Storage x5 and put these resources into the box.
3. In the Characters' chart on the SAVE Sheet write down the names of the Characters and the levels of their States. Then put the State tokens into the box and the Character cards into the SAVE bag.
4. On the SAVE Sheet (on all 3 Location spaces) write down the names of the 3 Location cards you currently have on the board and put these cards into the SAVE bag.
5. In the corresponding Shelter spaces on the SAVE Sheet mark the Shelter spaces with Shelter cards still on them with an [X] symbol. If there were any Rubble Remnants cards on the board, change the symbol to [RR]. Then, put all Shelter cards into the SAVE bag (it does not matter if the cards mix). Write down the names of the already crafted Fitting cards on the corresponding Shelter spaces on the SAVE Sheet and put these cards into the SAVE bag.
6. Put all the Cold tokens from the Cold space into the Save bag. In the appropriate place on the SAVE Sheet, write down the names of the face up Event cards present on the board (if any) and put these cards into the Save bag.
7. Put the whole Events deck into the box (remember not to peek at the cards' fronts!).
8. Put all the Objective cards into the box (do not change their order).
9. Put the Night Raids and the Residents decks into the SAVE bag and any unused Night Raids and Residents cards (the ones that did not make it into the deck during initial Setup) into the box.
10. Put the Fittings deck into the SAVE bag (the cards from the Fittings space on the board, remember not to mix them with the Fitting cards from the Ideas space!).
11. Put the Narrative Action cards you have into the SAVE bag.
12. Mark Board-Up tokens with an [X] symbol on the corresponding Holes on the SAVE Sheet and put these tokens into the SAVE bag.
13. Mark the position of the used Blank tokens (if there are any in the game) by writing down their numbers. Then put these tokens into the SAVE bag. Put all the remaining game components into the box.

When you begin another playing session, while restoring a saved game, modify the Setup rules as described in the Restoring the Game section below.

Restoring the Game:

Take out all the game components from the SAVE bag and place them as follows:

1. Put tokens / resources into the Storage.
2. Put the resources into the Storage x5, according to what is written on the SAVE Sheet.
3. Place the Characters and their State tokens according to what is written on the SAVE Sheet.
4. Place the 3 Location cards in the Location spaces on the board, according to what is written on the SAVE Sheet.
5. Place the Shelter cards on the board on the corresponding spaces according to what is marked on the SAVE Sheet (pay attention to the names visible on the Shelter spaces on the board). In places you marked [RR], flip the Rubble card so it is showing the Rubble Remnants side.
6. Place the Fitting cards on the board on the appropriate Shelter spaces – according to what is marked on the SAVE Sheet.
7. Place the rest of the Fitting cards on the Fittings deck space.
8. Place the Cold tokens on the Cold space.
9. Place the face up Event cards on their corresponding spaces according to what is marked on the SAVE Sheet (if there were any in the previous game).
10. Place the Night Raids and the Residents decks on their spaces.
11. Take the Narrative Action cards you have.
12. Place the Board-Up tokens on the board (if there were any in the previous game) according to what is marked on the SAVE Sheet.
13. Place the used Blank tokens on the board according to what is marked on the Save sheet.
14. Now take the rest of the elements out of the box.
15. Take the Events deck and place it on the Events space (remembering not to peek at the cards' fronts).
16. Take the Objectives deck and place it on the Objectives space (remembering not to mix them up and change their order).
17. Set up the rest of the decks from the box on their corresponding spaces on the board.

The game is now restored and you can begin another playing session.

End of the Game

To win the game, you must fulfill the Final Objective card – SURVIVE.

When you draw the Ceasefire! Ending Event card, the game will conclude at the end of that day.

To succeed, you must have at least one of your three starting Characters (whose names you wrote on the Save Sheet during Setup) still in the Shelter. That Character's four States – Hunger, Misery, Wounds, and Illness – must each be at Level 2 or lower. Fatigue is ignored for this requirement.

You lose the game if all of your starting Characters die or leave the group.

At the end of the final day, the Ceasefire! Event card will instruct you to resolve the Epilogue script. This script will allow you to use your remaining tokens from the Storage, direct you to the specific Character Epilogues, and let you calculate your Final Score.

Raising Game Difficulty + Scenarios

This War of Mine is a challenging game, but if you want, you can raise the difficulty even higher:

HARD MODE – during Setup add 1 more Event card to both Chapter I and Chapter II.

HARDCORE MODE – during Setup add 2 more Event cards to both Chapter I and Chapter II.

SCENARIOS – you may choose the Scenario mode instead of the normal Campaign – see 905 in the Book of Scripts.

BACK OF THE BOARD – see below.

Back of the Board

The second side of the board presents a completely different Shelter.

This Shelter is significantly smaller than the original one and therefore poses a tougher challenge to prepare room for Fittings and plan its further growth.

The top floor of this Shelter is ruined and prone to sniper fire. The damage it has sustained has also buried the floor below in rubble; therefore, the only reward for all the digging players may engage in is making more space (there's nothing to find under the debris).

The Sniper Fire rule always refers to only the Character, who has just performed an action on the top floor of the Shelter.

The cellar, although not that small, is also mostly occupied. Crafting Fittings here will limit options for the additional "poke-about" possibilities that it presents.

Another new thing is a small, wild garden behind the building. If you're lucky, you might find some scraps of food growing among the weeds.

And finally, there is an outbuilding. It's a bit further from the main structure, and it holds valuable things. However, the path to this outbuilding is completely blocked at the beginning of the game.

The rules on the board spaces, covered by the Shelter cards placed on those spaces (e.g. Wild Garden), are ignored until the given space is cleared.

Due to numerous changes, higher difficulty level, and more complicated rules, the second side of the board is recommended for more advanced players.

It is up to you to decide on which side of the board your Campaign will take place.

Changes in the Setup:

• Steps 3i. 3j. – Place all the Fitting cards on the Fittings space. There is no Ideas deck.
• Step 4 – Shuffle all Furniture cards and place them on the Furniture space, blue corner side down (do not look at their backs). Place the remaining Shelter cards on their corresponding spaces. Note the "2 X RUBBLE" space: here, you must place two Rubble cards on top of each other. Once you remove the first card, the second one becomes available.

Setup

This section describes the standard Setup of the base game.

You can play This War of Mine: The Board Game with different modules and expansions. Please refer to their rules to make applicable changes in the Setup while using them.

1. PLACE THE BOARD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TABLE
2. PREPARE THE EVENTS DECK

Place the Event cards face down on the Events space (without looking at their fronts), in the following order:

• Shuffle 3 Ending Event cards – this will be the bottom of the deck.
• Place the Chapter III card on top of the deck.
• Randomly draw 4 Event cards and stack them on top of the deck.
• Place the Chapter II card on top of the deck.
• Randomly draw 3 Event cards and stack them on top of the deck.
• Place the Chapter I card on top of the deck.

The remaining Event cards will not be needed in this playthrough (put them in the Waste bag).

3. PLACE REMAINING DECKS ON THE BOARD

Shuffle the following decks and place them face down on their corresponding spaces on the board.

a. LOCATIONS deck – draw 3 cards from it and place them randomly on the FAR, DISTANT, and CLOSE spaces below the deck. Shuffle the remaining cards and place them face down on the Locations space.

b. EXPLORATION deck.

c. RESIDENTS deck – Find the 5 cards with a red corner (and an exclamation mark) in the Residents deck and set them aside near the board. They will enter the game later. Shuffle the remaining cards and place them face down on the Residents space.

d. FINDINGS deck.

e. NIGHT RAIDS deck – Find the 5 cards with a red corner (and an exclamation mark) in the Night Raids deck and set them aside near the board. They will enter the game later. Shuffle the remaining cards and place them face down on the Night Raids space.

f. OBJECTIVES deck – Including all Chapter Objective cards and the Final Objective (place them in any order; Chapter I will guide their arrangement)

g. VISITORS deck.

h. CHARACTERS deck.

i. FITTINGS deck – Select only the Fitting cards with a green corner and place them on the Fittings space.

j. IDEAS deck – Place the remaining Fitting cards with an orange corner.

k. FATE deck.

l. NARRATIVE ACTIONS deck.

m. COLORS deck.

n. The space for the UNKNOWN deck remains empty – this deck is prepared during every SCAVENGING phase.

4. PLACE ALL SHELTER CARDS ON THE BOARD

Take all 19 Shelter cards, make sure that the sides with a blue corner are facing down and that nobody peeks at those sides. Shuffle the Shelter cards and place each card on a Shelter space that shares a name with it.

5. PLACE THE COMBAT DICE, BLACK DIE AND NOISE MARKER NEAR THE BOARD.
6. DISTRIBUTE TOKENS AND RESOURCES

Place the tokens and resources into the appropriate compartments in the box, as shown in the illustration.

7. STARTING TOKENS AND RESOURCES

Place on the Storage space:

• Lockpick
• Shovel
• 3 Raw Food
• 4 Components
• 4 Wood
• 2 Water

8. PREPARE THE 3 STARTING CHARACTERS

• Draw cards from the Character deck and keep the first red-bordered card and the first 2 black-bordered cards.
• Write down the names of the Characters on the Save Sheet.
• Find the figures representing these Characters and place them on the Guard space on the board.
• In order to easily distinguish between the Characters' figures, insert each figure into one colored disk. Then place a token with the corresponding color next to the matching Character card.
• Set the Hunger of each Character to 2 by placing a Hunger level 2 token next to each Character's card.
• Take the remaining Character cards, shuffle them and place the face down on the Characters space on the board.

9. DETERMINE THE LEADER

Randomly choose the Leader among the players (not Characters) and give them the first player miniature token.

10. YOU ARE READY TO START THE GAME

Proceed to the MORNING phase to begin.

Flow of the Game

The game is played over a series of consecutive days. Each day represents a full cycle of survival and is divided into several distinct phases. Players must resolve these phases in the order listed below to complete a full Day:

1. MORNING phase: Draw and resolve a new Event card. This phase sets the stage for the day, potentially introducing new gameplay effects, progressing the Chapter, or increasing the Cold level in the Shelter.
2. DAY ACTIONS phase: The main phase of the game where you assign Characters to various tasks. Each survivor can perform a number of actions to manage the Shelter's needs – ranging from basic chores and cooking to crafting advanced equipment or reinforcing your home. It is up to you to prioritize the most urgent tasks before the sun goes down.
3. DUSK phase: Survivors must consume food and water. Failing to meet these basic needs will negatively impact their States.
4. EVENING phase: Assign Roles to your Characters for the night. Decide who will go out to Scavenge, who will stay on Guard duty, and who will rest.
5. SCAVENGING phase: One or more Characters travel to a chosen Location card to search for resources and vital supplies.
6. NIGHT RAID phase: Draw and resolve a Night Raid card. While Guards usually face intruders threatening your supplies and safety, some nights bring quiet reflection or unexpected incidents. The ongoing Crime Wave will escalate these threats, making each night increasingly dangerous.
7. DAWN phase: Scavengers return to the Shelter with their loot. This is a crucial time for recovery and facing grim consequences: survivors may consume Alcohol to numb their misery or receive Meds and Bandages to treat their ailments. A Fate card is then resolved to determine if the sick and wounded improve or worsen, often influenced by the Cold. This is also when survivors face their addictions and the weight of their actions through SPIRIT effects. During this phase, you also draw Narrative Action cards to gain new tactical options. Finally, if any Characters died during the day, the group must face Death Among Us, a brutal test of empathy that can shatter the survivors' morale.

1. Morning Phase

A new day begins…

1.1. Resolve the Top Card from the Events Deck

Draw and resolve the top card from the Events deck. It can be a Chapter, an Event, or an Ending Event card.

Follow the instructions on the card. For more details on these card types, see the Rules Reference and Components section below.

After you resolve an Event/Ending Event card and continue to the DAY ACTIONS phase.

Rules Reference and Components

Event/Ending Event Cards

To resolve an Event / Ending Event card:

• Add the indicated number of Cold tokens to the Cold space on the board (if any).
• Follow the instructions on the card. Some Event cards introduce temporary or permanent rule changes.
• If instructed on the card, remove the Event card from the game.

Ending Event cards are in the Events deck below the Chapter III card and are resolved the same way as regular Event cards.

Example: The "Crime on the Rise" Event card adds 3 Cold tokens to the Cold space and permanently raises the difficulty of the NIGHT RAID phase by placing itself on the Night Raids deck: until the end of the game, during each Night Raid phase, draw and resolve 2 Night Raid cards (instead of 1).

Warning: The consequences of many of the Event cards can be avoided, as long as you are prepared for them and know when to expect them. Such knowledge will also enable you to use the benefits of some of the Event cards. To accurately foresee the upcoming Events you should craft a Radio (a Fitting card) and use the Tune In action on the Radio card.

Chapter Cards

There are 3 Chapter cards in the Events deck that manage the game's progression.

They instruct you to prepare or resolve Objective cards. In every game, you randomly select Objectives for Chapters I and II, while Chapter III always uses the same Final Objective card – Survive.

After resolving a Chapter card, always remove it from the game.

The Chapter I card instructs you how to prepare the Objectives deck for your playthrough.

Unlike Chapter I, once a Chapter II or III card is resolved and removed from the game, you must immediately draw and resolve the top Event card.

Objective Cards

Objective cards determine a goal for the current Chapter.

The Objectives deck is created at the beginning of Chapter I as instructed by the Chapter I card.

When a new Objective card is revealed (and becomes a current Objective), check if it has a counter. If so, place the Objective Status token on its leftmost space.

In case of Objective cards with a counter on them, you can at any time discard 1 or more required tokens / resources from the Storage (not from the Findings Pile!), by accordingly moving the Objective Status token right. The tokens being discarded this way cannot be used or sold at the same time.

You resolve an Objective only at the end of a Chapter, even if you completed the Objective earlier.

Note, that you can (and should) freely examine the Objectives deck, but only the top Objective card is active. This means that you cannot begin completing future Objectives, but you can prepare for them. This especially applies to Objective cards with a counter, which instruct you to discard tokens from Storage to advance the counter.

Resolving Objective Cards:

If you meet the conditions, get the Reward. Otherwise, get the Penalty.

To meet the conditions of an Objective card with a counter, the counter needs to be on the rightmost space when resolving the Objective.

Next, remove resolved Objective card from the game.

Final Objective Card – Winning the Game:

To win the game, you need to fulfill the Final Objective card – SURVIVE (see END OF THE GAME – page 9).

Warning: Should the group during a Campaign lose the last of the starting Characters, which means they are unable to complete the Final Objective, the players may forfeit the further game, but they are not required to. It all depends on whether they decide that only a complete victory matters or that they wish to just allow the remaining Characters to reach the end of the story, regardless whether this means they win or lose the game itself.

Example (Objective card with a counter) – FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY: At any moment you may discard any number of Raw Food / Canned Food (without resolving their effects). For each discarded token advance the Objective marker by 1 / 2 respectively. Reward: GRATITUDE. Immediately craft 1 Fitting for free (even from the Ideas deck). Penalty: BROKEN MORALE. Raise all Characters' Misery by 2.

Example (Objective card without a counter) – STAYING FIT: At the end of the Chapter, all Characters' Hunger must be 0. Reward: CLEAR MIND. Immediately draw 2 Narrative Action cards and keep both. Penalty: BROKEN MORALE. Raise all Characters' Misery by 2.

Example (Final Objective card, used in every game) – SURVIVE: At least 1 Character from the starting group must survive until the end of the game with each State (the Hunger, the Misery, the Wounds, and the Illness) equal to or less than 2. The Fatigue is ignored.

2. Day Actions Phase

A new day begins... Outside is an outgoing conflict and sniper bullets for us. We cannot leave the safety of our shelter, but there are improvements to be made. We should make this place feel more like home, we can use beds, a stove, or even a radio. But first, we'll need to clear some space. Hopefully, we might find something useful in this rubble.

The Day Actions Phase represents the time spent inside the Shelter during daylight hours. Each Character can perform a maximum of 3 Actions per day. However, their physical and mental state determines their actual capacity for work; as Characters become more wounded, exhausted, or ill, the number of Actions available to them decreases.

2.1. Day Actions

The day is divided into three consecutive Action stages. During each of these stages, every Character can perform exactly one action, provided their State allows it.

How to resolve each Action Stage:

• Check Character availability: Before assigning any tasks, check the State tokens of your Characters. Black markers on these tokens indicate which stages a Character must skip due to their condition (see CHARACTER ACTION LIMITS below).
• Assign Characters: Place your available Characters on their chosen actions. You may only choose actions that are physically accessible from the Guard space (see MOVEMENT IN THE SHELTER below). Note that only one Character can be assigned to a single action at a time (unless stated otherwise, like for Rubble). Upon assigning a Character, you must immediately pay any required costs.
• Resolve Actions: Resolve the effects of Characters' actions. For a detailed breakdown of all available actions, see ACTION TYPES – page 16.

After each Action stage is finished, then resolve the next Action stage (if any).

Once all Action stages are complete, the DAY ACTIONS phase ends. Continue to the DUSK phase.

OPTIONAL RULE: Fourth Action – A Character who does not have any black markers on their State tokens may perform an additional fourth action. To do so, you must increase that Character's Fatigue by 2.

Rules Reference and Components

Character Action Limits

To determine if a Character is available during the current Action stage, examine their State tokens. You must check the State token with the most black markers on it. These markers indicate exactly which stages are available for that Character: all stages, first and second stages only, first stage only, or no stages available.

Note that it doesn't matter if a Character has more than one State token with the most black markers – you always consider only one of them, and markers from different tokens do not add up.

If a Character has no State token of a certain type, that State is considered to be at level 0. A Character with no State tokens at all is fully rested and healthy, and may take part in all Action stages.

Example: Emilia possesses 4 State tokens: 1 without a black marker and 3 with 1 black marker. The black markers on different State tokens do not add up, the highest number of the black markers on a single State token is still 1, so Emilia is available in the first and second Action stages, while unavailable in the third Action stage.

Important Notes

Simultaneous resolution: In each stage, all actions are resolved simultaneously. Resources or tokens gained in the current stage cannot be used for another action in that same stage.

Storage: Resources are only added to the Storage after their specific action is fully resolved.

Visual clarity: Characters who cannot perform actions (due to black markers on their State tokens) may be moved to the Storage area to keep the board clear.

Planning ahead: Since Fitting Improvements must be placed on a horizontally adjacent space to the Fitting they improve, plan your Shelter layout carefully! Both the base Fittings and their Fitting Improvements are marked with two colored, semi-transparent diagonal lines.

Movement in the Shelter

Movement within the Shelter is free, and instantaneous. You should imagine the miniatures moving around the rooms and using ladders to move between floors. To determine which areas are accessible, always count the movement path starting from the Guard space. A Character can be assigned to any action, card, or Fitting, as long as there is an unobstructed path leading to it.

Characters move freely horizontally along the floors and vertically using the ladders. If you are ever uncertain where the specific movement paths are on the board, look at the SAVE Sheet – the available paths are marked there with thick dark lines.

Certain Shelter cards, such as Closed Doors, Bars, Rubble, or Rubble Remnants, act as impassable obstacles. The furthest a Character can move along a path blocked by such a card is to the obstacle itself – you may move there to perform an action and remove the obstacle, but you cannot access any cards or spaces located behind it.

The Hole icon also blocks horizontal movement, and it remains impassable even if it has been covered by a Board-Up token.

Special rules apply to the Place a New Fitting action. This action is always available, however, a Character must be able to reach the empty space in the Shelter where you intend to place a new Fitting.

Fitting cards never block movement, even when placed on spaces with ladders.

Example: The two Furniture cards in the top row are not reachable because they are located behind obstacles (red Shelter cards). To reach them, you must first clear the path by resolving the obstacle cards in front of them. The Rubble card on the upper floor is also inaccessible because it is behind a Closed Door. Remember that only spaces with ladders allow for vertical movement between floors. The actions on the Closed Door cards themselves are available, as red Shelter cards do not block access to actions performed directly on them.

The Place a New Fitting action is always available, the "action space" is the specific empty space where you decide to build the new Fitting, provided a Character can reach it. In this situation, there are 6 empty spaces on the board (marked with a green highlight) that a Character can reach and place a new Fitting there. The remaining spaces are unavailable because they are either occupied by Shelter cards (yellow highlight) or serve a permanent function and can never be built upon (red highlight).

Special rules apply when you want to build an upgrade, such as the Efficient Heater, which improves the Simple Heater already present in the Shelter. In such a case, the new card must be placed on a space horizontally adjacent to the original Fitting. In this example, there are 2 such spaces available.

Action Types

The following section serves as a comprehensive reference for the tasks your Characters can undertake. You do not need to memorize these actions – their specific costs, requirements, and effects are clearly described on the board, Shelter cards, and Fitting cards themselves. Use this guide to understand the different categories of actions and to clarify any nuances or special rules that might arise during play.

Actions on Shelter Spaces (printed on the board)

These actions are permanent elements of your base. Their costs and effects are described directly on the board.

• OUTSIDE: Roll the Black Die; on a 1, the Character suffers 2 Wounds. Then, draw and resolve 1 Visitor card (or an Arrival card if you have 2 or fewer Characters). Note: This is often a great opportunity to Trade with those you encounter. A Character who has just joined the group cannot perform an action during the stage in which they arrived.
• NEW IDEA: Choose 2 cards from the Ideas deck and add them to the Fittings deck. Note: The Fitting cards in the Ideas deck are not available for crafting in the regular way. You cannot craft them by taking them directly from the Ideas deck.
• POKE ABOUT: Any number of Characters can do this at once. Roll the black die for each and add Wood / Components (in any combination) to the Storage based on the result shown on the board.
• PLACE A NEW FITTING: Choose any card from the Fittings deck and discard required tokens / resources. Place it face-up on an empty Shelter space you can reach. Improvements must be placed directly next (horizontally) to the Fitting being upgraded. Note: There are so many Fitting cards that it is a good idea to stop the game at some point and browse them all, while discussing together which ones will be most useful in the current situation and checking which tokens or resources will be required to craft these Fittings. If you have any doubt whether you can place a Fitting on the given space, take a look at the SAVE Sheet - the spaces on which you cannot place Fittings are darkened.

Actions on the Shelter Cards

These cards represent objects or obstacles within the building.

• FURNITURE / HEAP: Search by flipping the card, add the listed tokens / resources to Storage, and remove the card.
• RUBBLE / RUBBLE REMNANTS: Requires a Shovel or 2 Characters. Resolving Rubble turns it into Rubble Remnants; resolving Remnants removes the card to free the space.
• BARS: Requires a Sawblade. Flip the card, add the listed tokens / resources to Storage, and remove the card.
• CLOSED DOOR: Requires a Lockpick. Roll the Black die: a result of 1-3 – no effect, a result of 4-10 – discard the Lockpick and resolve the back of the card.

Actions on the Fitting Cards

Fittings provide unique actions as described on their cards.

• If a card has multiple actions, you can only use one of them during a single action stage. Additionally, only one Character may be assigned to a single Fitting card at the time.
• Effects marked "For each X->Y" can be used multiple times during a single action.
• WAIT TOKENS: Some actions place a WAIT token. There can be only one WAIT token on a card at any time. These are resolved during the DAWN phase.

Optional Rules

• MOVE A FITTING: Use a Character's action to move an unoccupied Fitting to any empty, reachable space.
• DISMANTLE A FITTING: Use a Character's action to remove an unoccupied Fitting card. Return the card to the deck and regain its crafting resources. One-time crafting bonuses (see CHAIR Fitting card) are not regained if the Fitting is rebuilt.

3. Dusk Phase

The sun has disappeared beneath the horizon. Shadows and darkness now rule the city. It is a bit safer to go out at this time. But first, we must regain some strength...

During the DUSK phase you distribute water and food among Characters.

3.1. Drink Water

Each Character (including those that are asleep) should drink 1 Water (discard it from the Storage) during the DUSK phase to avoid the negative effects of thirst.

For each Character that did not drink Water, roll the Black die:

Result = 1-5 – raise their Hunger by 1. Result = 6-10 – raise their Misery by 1.

3.2. Eat Food

Each Character (including those that are asleep) should eat 1 or more food (discard it from the Storage) during the DUSK phase to avoid the negative effects of hunger.

• Canned Food: Lower their Hunger by 2.
• Raw Food: Lower their Hunger by 1.
• Vegetable: Their Hunger stays the same.
• NO FOOD – Raise their Hunger by 1.

After you distribute Water and food, continue to the EVENING phase.

Rules Reference and Components

The players may decide that a given Character will not drink Water or eat food during the Dusk phase, despite relevant tokens or resources being available in the Storage.

Limiting the Water tokens to six is not a coincidence – it reflects the need for daily Scavenging for fresh potable water.

If you find it hard to gather enough food during play, remember about the available TRADE in some Locations and with some Residents and Visitors. You can also use some Fittings which enable you to gather more food or make water and food more effective.

Optional rule: EATING AT ANY TIME – a Character may eat food at any time aside from Combat and script resolution. Discard a food token and resolve the effect the same way as during the DUSK phase. If a Character is in the Shelter, the Food token must come from the Storage. If a Character is at a Location during the SCAVENGING phase, the food token must come from the Findings pile (see SCAVENGING – page 17). The Character will still have to resolve eating food during the DUSK phase.

Optional rule: EATING A CAT OR A DOG* – Should you decide to, you can use the macabre special rule permitting eating a pet as a last resort. Remove the Cat from the game and add 2 Raw Food to the Storage. Remove the Dog from the game and add 4 Raw Food to the Storage. Afterwards, roll the Black die and compare the result with the Empathy of each Character. If a result is equal to or lower than a Character's Empathy, raise their Misery by 1. We hope you will not use this rule!

*Pets are available in expansions to the game, but you may also find them in some scripts.

4. Evening Phase

Before nightfall we must decide who will stay in the shelter to regain strength or guard the door, and who will venture into the ruined city. We can only hope to scavenge some food, meds, and other necessary materials.

During the EVENING phase you plan your night activities. You can go Scavenging to get useful tokens and resources. You have to place a Guard to prevent night raids. You can also sleep to get some rest.

4.1. Assign Characters

Assign each Character to one of the 4 tasks:

Sleep in a Bed: Place a maximum of 1 Character on 1 BED card. Set these Characters' FATIGUE to zero.

Sleep on the Floor: Place any number of Characters on the SLEEP ON THE FLOOR space. Lower these Characters' FATIGUE by 2.

Guard Duty: Place any number of Characters on the GUARD space to defend the Shelter from attacks during the NIGHT RAID phase. The higher the Prowess of a Guard, the better. Raise these Characters' FATIGUE by 1*. There must be at least 1 Guard on the GUARD space, otherwise see the Epilogue script 333 in the Book of Scripts.

Scavenging: Place up to 3 Characters on the FINDINGS PILE space to send them to the ruined city during the SCAVENGING phase. The higher the Inventory and Prowess of a Character, the better they will perform during the SCAVENGING phase. Raise these Characters' FATIGUE by 1*.

*If a Character's Fatigue level reaches 4 due to them being assigned to a task during the EVENING phase, the Character is able to finish the task. Only after it is done, resolve the Fatigue level of 4.

Example: Boris' high Prowess makes him a good choice to put on GUARD DUTY, but his even higher Inventory would allow him to bring a lot of findings from successful Scavenging.

Continue to the SCAVENGING phase.

5. Scavenging Phase

It is safer to move around the city at night. Shots can still be heard, but only sporadically. You strap your backpacks on tightly and leave your shelter.

Carefully, you pick your way through the ruined shops and houses that line the shelled streets.

During the SCAVENGING phase you go to one of three nearby Locations in hope of finding necessities. You do that by exploring an Unknown deck, which is prepared at the beginning of this phase.

Scavenging is dangerous. Instead of getting valuable items, you may find yourself in Combat or an even worse situation.

At the end of the SCAVENGING phase you can take as many resources (Wood, Components, and Water) as you can carry.

If no Characters are assigned to Scavenging (placed on the Findings Pile), this stage is omitted entirely.

5.1. Choose a Location

Choose 1 of the 3 available Location cards and place all of the Characters taking part in Scavenging onto the chosen card.

Note that some Locations have a special rule marked with a red background.

Some Locations also offer additional options (TRADE, HEAL, SOCIALIZE WITH PEOPLE).

Each Location card shows: the Location name, its size (which determines how many Exploration cards go into the Unknown deck), script numbers, an optional additional option (e.g. TRADE), any special rule that must be followed during exploration of that Location, and special findings that you have a higher chance to find during exploration there.

OPTIONAL RULE: You may now exchange any of the 3 Locations on the board for a new one (see RESOLVE A FATE CARD – page 22 for the Location exchange rules). If you do, add 4 fewer Exploration cards to the Unknown deck for this Scavenging (see PREPARE THE UNKNOWN DECK below).

5.2. Choose Equipment

Place on the Findings Pile space any tokens from the Storage that you want to assign to the Scavenging party.

Weapons (like a Hatchet, Knife, or Firearms with Ammo) can be useful if Combat occurs.

Equipment (like a Lockpick, Saw, or Shovel) can be helpful in exploring some Locations.

Other tokens can be useful in Trade (see TRADE – page 25).

IMPORTANT! Any Weapon taken from the Storage by the Scavenging party cannot be used during the Night Raids phase by the Characters assigned to the Guard Space (the Scavenging party returns later).

Pay attention to the weight of the equipment you take with you, as you will need to leave some of it behind if you can't carry everything you gather during the exploration (more on this in the CHOOSE FINDINGS section – page 19).

5.3. Set the Noise Marker

Place the Noise marker on space "1" of the Noise track.

Whenever the game tells you to raise or lower the Noise, move the marker on the track either up or down, respectively.

Whenever the game tells you to roll for the Noise, roll the Black die. If the result is equal to or less than the current Noise, an encounter is immediately triggered:

• Set the Noise marker to "1"
• Draw and resolve the top card from the Residents deck (more on Residents cards below).

After resolving the Residents card, resume Scavenging.

The Noise cannot at any time be raised above 8 or lowered below 1. When you need to raise the Noise over 8, or lower the Noise below 1, the Noise stays at its maximum / minimum level.

The Noise at level 8 does not prevent you from performing activities that require you to raise the Noise.

5.4. Prepare the Unknown Deck

Shuffle the Exploration deck and take as many Exploration cards as shown on the Location space of the Location you chose to explore (10, 12, or 14).

Place them face down on the Unknown space (without looking at their fronts).

The Exploration cards on the Unknown space form the Unknown deck for this SCAVENGING phase.

Whenever the game tells you to return Exploration cards, you take them from the Unknown deck and place them face down on the Exploration deck. You cannot examine returned cards.

If you don't have enough Exploration cards in the Unknown deck to return, you cannot choose an option with such a requirement.

5.5. Explore

To explore a Location, you resolve cards from the Unknown deck one by one. Each time you are about to draw a card, you may choose one of the following options (You may perform these activities multiple times as long as there are enough cards in the Unknown deck):

Resolve the top Exploration card (Default): This is the basic way of exploring. Draw the top card from the Unknown deck and follow its instructions. Unless stated otherwise, place the card on the Discard space (face up) after resolving it.

Use a Location Option: Choose one of the actions provided by your Location card (such as Look Around, Socialize, Heal, or Trade). Return the number of cards indicated on the Location card to see the corresponding script in the Book of Scripts.

Use an Exploration Slot Option: Some cards are placed in the Exploration slot to be used later. You may use their actions at any time during your exploration (unless the card specifies otherwise) by following their instructions and returning the required number of cards.

End Exploration early: If the top discarded Exploration card says "Or end exploration." you may decide to stop exploring even if there are cards left in the Unknown deck. If you do, proceed immediately to the Choose Findings stage.

OPTIONAL RULE: You may ignore the "Or end exploration" requirement. Instead, you may decide to end the exploration at any time before drawing the top card from the Unknown deck.

OPTIONAL RULE: You may now return 4 cards to exchange any of the 3 Locations on the board for a new one (see RESOLVE A FATE CARD – page 22 for the Location exchange rules).

Returning cards: To return Exploration cards, take them from the top of the Unknown deck and place them face down on the Exploration deck (the main deck containing all unused Exploration cards). You cannot examine returned cards. If the Unknown deck does not have enough cards to meet the requirement, you cannot choose that option.

Findings Pile: All tokens acquired during exploration are placed on the Findings Pile space. The Findings Pile represents carrying around all the tokens the Characters find while Scavenging. Only when they are gearing up to return home (during the Choose Findings stage), the Characters estimate their strength (the Inventory total of the Characters participating in Scavenging) and choose what they wish to take home to the Shelter and what will be abandoned as it is too heavy to take all the way through the city.

End of Exploration: Exploration ends automatically when the Unknown deck is depleted. Once this happens, proceed to the Choose Findings stage, where you will decide which items from the Findings Pile to take back to the Shelter.

5.6. Choose Findings

Once you finish the exploration, shuffle all Exploration and Residents cards into their decks, no matter if they are on the Exploration slot, in the Unknown deck, or on the Discard pile.

Inventory Capacity: You can bring back items with a total weight equal to the combined Inventory of all participating Characters.

OPTIONAL RULE: each Character can carry 1 additional weight beyond their Inventory limit if they do, increase their Fatigue by 2. This is only possible if the Character's Fatigue is 2 or lower.

Choosing tokens / resources: Decide which tokens / resources from the Findings Pile to take back to the Shelter. You may also add any amount of Wood, Components, and Water from the general supply to your findings.

Weight of tokens: Shown in the icon. If a token has no icon, its weight is 0 and you can take any number of these back to the Shelter.

Weight of resources: Each 1 unit of Water, Wood, or Components weighs 1.

Anything you cannot carry must be discarded.

OPTIONAL RULE: Hiding Findings – Instead of discarding items, you may hide them on the Location card. During your next visit in this Location, roll the Black die: on 7-10, move the hidden items to the Findings Pile; on 1-6, discard them. If the general supply is empty of certain resources, you must take them from any "hidden" piles on Location cards instead. If a Location is removed from the game, all items hidden there are immediately discarded.

Characters return to the Shelter with their findings during the DAWN phase. Before that, the Night Raid is resolved.

Continue to the NIGHT RAID phase.

Example: Your exploration was not a big success as you have only found 1 Raw Food and 1 Canned Food. Boris and Emilia's Inventory add up to 9. Raw Food and Canned Food weigh 1 each. The Pistol you assigned to the Scavenging party also weighs 1. Ammo does not have a weight icon, so its weight is 0. The Choose Findings stage allows you to take as many resources as you want, so you decide to also take 3 Water, 2 Wood, and 1 Component.

Rules Reference and Components

Exploration Cards

Most Exploration cards offer choices that balance time against risk.

To be cautious and search thoroughly, you must return a specific number of cards from the Unknown deck, representing the time spent.

To be quick, you may choose options that require you to roll for the Noise, risking an unwanted encounter but saving time.

An Exploration card may also allow you to ignore the card entirely or to end the exploration immediately and proceed to the Choose Findings stage.

Map cards are special Exploration cards resolved only if they match a property of the Location being explored, such as Open Space.

If the card matches, place it in the Exploration slot to be resolved later. You can resolve a Map card from this slot instead of drawing from the Unknown deck or using a Location option.

If the Map card does not match the Location, discard it and draw a new card from the Exploration deck (not the Unknown deck) to resolve instead.

Aside from Map cards, other Exploration cards may also be placed in the Exploration slot if their text explicitly states so.

Using a card from this slot is usually an alternative to your standard exploration options. However, some cards in the slot are reactive or have a specific timing described in their text; in such cases, follow the instructions on the card.

Some Exploration cards feature the PRIVATE label in the top-left corner. This has no inherent effect, but certain Residents cards or other game effects may refer to it.

If the Exploration deck is ever depleted, shuffle its Discard pile to create a new one. This rule applies only to the Exploration deck, never to the Unknown deck.

Findings Cards

Some Exploration cards instruct you to draw and resolve a card from the Findings deck.

A Findings card shows what you receive based on what you are currently searching (PANTRY, FURNITURE, or HEAP). When checking these results, you also roll the Black die to determine if you find anything from the SPECIAL FINDINGS section of your current Location card.

Example Findings card: Pantry – Coffee, Vegetable, 2x100% Alcohol. Furniture – Vegetable, Weapon Part, Shell. Heap – Broken Pistol, Ammo.

Add all the obtained tokens to the Finding Pile. After resolving, shuffle the Findings card back into the Findings deck.

If an encounter with a Resident happens while resolving a Findings card, you should first resolve the Residents card, and then come back to resolving the Findings card.

If taking findings from a PRIVATE card leads to negative consequences, you may first check what was found and then decide whether to take it. If you choose not to take the items, these consequences are avoided.

Residents Cards

Residents cards are drawn and resolved whenever an encounter is triggered by a Noise roll.

While some Residents cards result in immediate Combat (see COMBAT – page 24), or are resolved and discarded instantly, others are placed in the Exploration slot because they affect the current Exploration.

As long as a Residents card remains in the Exploration slot, you may use any options available on it, such as TRADE or TALK, alongside your standard Exploration options. At the end of Scavenging, shuffle all resolved Residents cards back into their deck.

Example (Combat-triggering Residents card) – THUGS: Determine the number of Thugs encountered - roll the Black die: 1-4 – two, 5-7 – three, 8-10 – four and draw their tokens. Thugs are armed with: Knife, Knife, Pistol. Combat begins automatically (see Journal: COMBAT Sheet). You may try to STOP the fight – see 40. After defeating all Enemies – see 33. Afterwards, shuffle this card back into the Residents deck.

Example (Exploration-slot Residents card) – CIVILIANS: It turns out that there are miserable looking people hiding in here. Mostly the elderly, women, and children... Place this card on the Exploration slot: Until you leave this Location, whenever you take anything from an Exploration card marked as "PRIVATE", roll the Black die and compare the result with the Empathy of each Character present. A result equal to or less than a Character's Empathy = raise their Misery by 1. You may return 1 Exploration card to: TALK to them – see 123 OR TRADE with them – see 993. At the end of Scavenging, shuffle this card back into the Residents deck.

In the case of the Rebels card, the offer of 1 Moonshine and 1 Cigarette is a choice whose consequences are described further on the card. However, the possibility to TRADE in case of the previous purchase of 1 Moonshine and 1 Cigarette from the Rebels is a separate TRADE resolved normally and described in detail in script 215.

"Ignore this card" means: Shuffle this card back into its deck without resolving it. Do not replace the card by drawing a new one.

A Character's Death During Exploration

If a Character dies during Scavenging, immediately after resolving this scene to the end (e.g. Combat, script), roll the Black die to check the other Characters' reactions.

A result equal to or lower than a Character's Empathy = this Character interrupts Scavenging. Place them on the Findings Pile. They will return to the game only in the Choose Findings stage, when the rest of the Characters also finish Scavenging.

If all Characters die during Scavenging, the Scavenging phase ends immediately. No one will bring anything to the Shelter. Then proceed to the Night Raid phase.

6. Night Raid Phase

Meanwhile in the shelter... Someone came in the night to steal our belongings.

In the NIGHT RAID phase you face the threats of the night, represented by a Night Raids card. Night Raids cards usually cause damage (loss of tokens / resources) and inflict Wounds to Characters assigned to Guard Duty. These negative consequences may be minimized or completely avoided by the Guards (especially if they are armed) and previously built BOARD-UP tokens in the Shelter.

6.1. Choose Weapons for the Guards

If you possess any Weapon tokens in the Storage, you can assign them to the Characters on the Guard space (the Characters were placed there earlier, during the EVENING phase).

To do that, assign up to 1 Weapon token to each Character on the Guard space by placing the Weapon token on their Character card.

6.2. Resolve the Night Raid Card

Draw and resolve the top card of the Night Raids deck. Most of the Night Raids cards show 2 values:

DAMAGE – Discard that many tokens and / or resources from Storage. (Guards' weapons are safe.)

WOUNDS – Distribute that many Wounds between the Characters on the Guard space.

Roll a Combat die for each Character on the Guard space. Choose the die depending on the Character's Weapon (see COMBAT DICE DURING THE NIGHT RAID below).

The sum of the results and the number of Board-Up tokens built in the Shelter reduce Damage and / or Wounds (in any combination) from the Night Raid card. Board-Up tokens are not removed from the Shelter after a Night Raid.

You can freely decide what, and in what order, you want to reduce.

Discard tokens / resources for unreduced Damage and raise the Wounds of the Guards for unreduced Wounds.

Most tokens have a value shown in the yellow icon. If you are required to discard the most expensive tokens or resources, use this value to determine the order, resources have no value (Value 0), so discard them only when you have no more tokens left.

If you must discard tokens starting with a specific color (e.g., green), you must discard all tokens of that color before discarding any others, regardless of their value.

6.3. Crime Wave

With each passing night the situation is getting more grim.

During Setup, Night Raid and Residents cards with a red corner were set aside. If there are any of these cards still set aside at the end of a NIGHT RAID phase, shuffle 2 cards in any combination (Night Raid / Residents) into their corresponding decks (without looking at their fronts).

Continue to the DAWN phase.

Rules Reference and Components

Combat Dice During the Night Raid

For each Guard roll a Combat die, depending on what Weapon a Character is wielding:

• Grey die: No Weapon
• Yellow die: Melee Weapon (Hatchet, Knife)
• Red die: Firearm (Assault Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun)

Important – To roll a red die, you must discard an Ammo token (not Shells, these are used to make Ammo) first. If you don't have Ammo tokens, use a different available Weapon, or fight unarmed.

Each Character may re-roll a Combat die any number of times up to their Prowess value. However, they must accept the last roll (i.e., they may NOT choose the best result from previous rolls).

Each fist / knife / crosshair icon shown allows you to reduce Damage or Wounds dealt by the Night Raids card by 1.

Treat Out of Ammo and blank results as blanks during the NIGHT RAID phase.

If a Character wields a Shotgun and rolls the Shotgun icon – Ignore the current Night Raid card. If they are not wielding a Shotgun, treat this result as blank.

If a Character wields a Hatchet and rolls the Hatchet icon – Ignore the current Night Raid card. If the Character is not wielding a Hatchet, treat this result as blank.

If a Character wields an Assault Rifle – They may shoot twice; To do so discard 1 additional Ammo token.

Example: Emilia and Katia are the Guards in the NIGHT RAID phase. You draw the Looters card with Damage 6 and Wounds 2. Emilia wields the Knife. Because of that she rolls a yellow Combat die – the result is blank. Thanks to her Prowess 1 she rerolls the die, which results in 2 knife icons. Katia is unarmed, so she rolls the gray Combat die. The result is 1 fist icon. She has Prowess 0, so she cannot reroll. The results +1 Board-Up token built in the Shelter allow you to reduce 4 from the Damage and / or Wounds on the Looters card. Emilia and Katia are already wounded, so you reduce the Wounds dealt by Looters to 0 and Damage to 4. You need to discard 4 tokens / resources from the Storage, but there are only 3 items there – Meds, Bandages and Shovel. You discard them all. The Knife is not discarded, because the Weapons used by the Guards remain safe in the NIGHT RAID phase. If, instead of reducing Wounds, you decide to reduce the Damage to 2, you still need to discard 2 tokens / resources from the Storage. The Looters card states you must start with the most expensive ones, so you discard Meds (Value 10) and Bandages (Value 10). The Shovel stays in the Storage.

Prowess During the Night Raid

The PROWESS value determines the number of re-rolls a Character may perform during a Night Raid in order to get a better result. A Character does not need to use all of their re-rolls, but the last roll is considered to be final.

Death of All the Guards

When all Guards die during the NIGHT RAID phase this does not mean no Guards were assigned to the Shelter defense. In this situation script 333 is not resolved.

Board-Up Tokens

These tokens reduce Damage or Wounds during Night Raids and may prevent Illness during the Dawn Phase (see RESOLVE A FATE CARD – page 22). You can place them in the Holes in the Shelter using the Workshop Fitting card.

7. Dawn Phase

Another day of survival. We must not give up...

The DAWN phase concludes your efforts for the day.

7.1. The Scavenging Party Returns

Move all the Characters in the Scavenging party into the Shelter and place all the tokens / resources they brought back into the Storage.

7.2. Assign Meds and Bandages

If there are any Meds / Herbal Meds / Bandages in the Storage, you may assign them to Characters. Place the corresponding tokens on the Characters' cards.

Meds and Herbal Meds may help ill Characters. Meds are more effective than Herbal Meds – there is no benefit from assigning both Meds and Herbal Meds to a single Character at the same time.

Bandages may help the wounded.

Keep the assigned tokens on the Characters' cards. A Fate card may instruct you to discard them (see RESOLVE A FATE CARD below).

Assigned Bandages / Meds / Herbal Meds cannot be taken from a Character in any situation except for the rules written on Fate cards.

OPTIONAL RULE: You can assign Meds, Herbal Meds and Bandages ANY TIME (aside from Combat and script resolution), not only during the DAWN phase. To assign these tokens to a Character on Scavenging, the tokens must be in your Findings Pile; you cannot use tokens from the Storage.

7.3. Using Alcohol

If there is alcohol in the Storage, a Character may use it. Discard the used token from the Storage.

MOONSHINE – Raise 1 chosen Character's Fatigue by 2 and lower their Misery by 1.

100% ALCOHOL – Raise 1 chosen Character's Fatigue by 1 and lower their Misery by 1.

A Character with Fatigue level 3 can still use Moonshine – raise their Fatigue to level 4. A Character with Fatigue level 4 cannot use alcohol.

OPTIONAL RULE: You can use alcohol ANY TIME (aside from Combat and script resolution), not only during the DAWN phase. To assign these tokens to a Character on Scavenging, the tokens must be in your Findings Pile; you cannot use tokens from the Storage.

7.4. Resolve a Fate Card

Draw and resolve 1 Fate card.

Fate card is resolved from top to bottom. Every Fate card has the same order of effects:

• Ill and / or wounded Characters react to their treatment or a lack of it – resolve the instruction on the Fate card. The Fate card may instruct you to discard Meds / Herbal Meds / Bandages from Characters. This means that you should accordingly discard all of the Meds tokens, or all of the Herbal Meds tokens, or all of the Bandages tokens from Characters not only one token of the given type. This means that it is not profitable to place more than 1 Meds or 1 Bandages token on a given Character at a time.
• COLD tokens affect the Characters – This effect can be mitigated by building BOARD-UPS. You can build BOARD-UPS using the Workshop Fitting card during the DAY ACTIONS phase.
• Locations change – There are 3 Location slots on the board: Close, Distant, and Far (from nearest to farthest). To exchange a Location, remove it from the game and slide the remaining cards toward the Close slot to fill the gap. Then, draw a new Location card and place it in the now-empty Far slot. If for any reason the cards from the Locations deck are depleted, take the removed Location cards from the Waste bag, shuffle them and create a new Locations deck.
• WAIT tokens are resolved – For each card with a WAIT token on it, discard the token and resolve "When WAIT tokens are resolved..." instructions. At any time there can be only 1 Wait token on a given card. Refer to the Rainwater Collector card example below.
• Checking the Characters' SPIRIT – Resolve SPIRIT on all Character cards. For each Character resolve the SPIRIT effect, as indicated on the Fate card. During resolving SPIRIT, the Characters may be resolved in any order and each time it can be decided anew. Do not resolve SPIRIT for sleeping Characters (see SLEEP – page 6). Spirit effects which state "If any Character" also apply to the Character whose Spirit is being resolved (e.g. Marko – SPIRIT A – If any Character in the group is hungry (level 3), raise Marko's Misery by 1.)

Afterwards, shuffle the resolved Fate card back into the Fate deck.

During the DAWN phase ignore the bottom part of the Fate card with the dice icons on it.

Example Fate card: Raise the WOUNDS of all wounded unbandaged Characters by 1. Lower the ILLNESS of all Characters who took Meds by 2. Discard Meds tokens from all Characters. If COLD tokens minus BOARD-UPS = 5 or more, raise the Illness of all Characters by 1. Exchange the nearest SMALL Location. Resolve WAIT tokens. Then discard them. Resolve SPIRIT on all Character cards. Afterwards, shuffle this card back into the Fate deck. (The bottom of the card also shows a combat-use STUMBLE effect: Self-hit. This combatant suffers 1 Wound.)

Example WAIT token Fitting – Rainwater Collector: COLLECT WATER: Place a WAIT token here. When WAIT tokens are resolved, roll the Black die and consult the table below, adding that amount of Water to the Storage: Result = 1 – 1 Water. Result = 2-5 – 2 Water. Result = 6-8 – 3 Water. Result = 9-10 – 4 Water.

Example: A Fate card instructed you to resolve SPIRIT A on all Character cards. Both Emilia and Katia need to discard 1 Coffee from the Storage or raise their Misery by 1. You have only 1 Coffee in the Storage. You can choose the order of resolving Characters' Spirit, so you start with Katia and discard the Coffee token to avoid raising her Misery to 4. You don't have Coffee anymore, so you must raise Emilia's Misery by 1.

7.5. Gain a Narrative Action Card

Draw 2 Narrative Action cards from the Narrative Actions deck, read them, choose 1, and shuffle the other back into its deck.

Keep your chosen card in the Storage; it is a one-time-use ability that can be played according to the timing described on the card.

Narrative Action cards are removed from the game once their effect has been resolved.

Example Narrative Action card – "Dead on!": Play during any Combat (or during your Backstab). If you are wielding a Hatchet, automatically kill 1 Enemy. OR Play during the Night Raid phase. If the Character on Guard Duty has a Hatchet, automatically ignore 1 Night Raid card. After playing this card, remove it from the game.

Some Narrative Action cards require specific items. They are mentioned in the text and also depicted on the card.

7.6. Death Among Us

At the end of the DAWN phase check if any Characters died or abandoned the group today.

If that happened, roll the Black die and compare the result with each Character's Empathy.

On a result equal to or less than their Empathy – raise their Misery by 2.

If, as part of resolving the DEATH AMONG US rule, any Character dies / leaves the group, it never causes another Character to resolve this rule. The check affects only those Characters who died / left the group that day until the moment when resolving the DEATH AMONG US rule started.

Now, Start a New Day…

You have just completed all the phases of the day. To continue playing, start the next day by returning to the MORNING phase – page 12.

Saving the game: At this moment, you may save the state of the game and pack it into the box. You can then resume your session at any time by setting the game up according to the saved state. For details, see SAVING THE GAME – page 8.

Combat

Combat may occur as a result of resolving scripts or resolving Residents cards during the SCAVENGING phase. Combat is round-based and ends only when one side is defeated (either all Enemies or all involved Characters) or when you Flee.

Note that while Combat dice are also used during the NIGHT RAID phase, the circumstances are entirely different. In that phase, dice are used solely to reduce the damage dealt to the Shelter by the Night Raid card; no round-based Combat occurs there. For more details on this, refer to the NIGHT RAID section (see NIGHT RAID PHASE – page 21).

Draw Enemy Tokens

When a Residents card instructs you to draw Enemy tokens, draw them randomly from the whole pool of 9.

The Residents card provides information for how the Enemies are armed.

Place the Enemy tokens in the leftmost column of the Combat Chart on the board. For each token, select the appropriate row depending on the Enemy's Weapon.

The Combat Chart consists of three columns: the leftmost column is the starting position for all Healthy Enemies, followed by Wounded, and Severely Wounded. These columns are used to track the health of each Enemy as they take damage during the fight.

If you encounter Residents, you may temporarily skip checking their number and Weapons, if you do not intend to fight with them (and if Combat did not begin automatically). Once fighting erupts though, their numbers and Weapons need to be determined.

Example (Combat-triggering Residents card) – THUGS: Determine the number of Thugs encountered - roll the Black die: 1-4 – two, 5-7 – three, 8-10 – four and draw their tokens. Thugs are armed with: Knife, Knife, Pistol. Combat begins automatically (see Journal: COMBAT Sheet). You may try to STOP the fight – see 40. After defeating all Enemies – see 33. Afterwards, shuffle this card back into the Residents deck.

Assign Weapons to the Characters

Each Character can be assigned up to 1 Weapon of each type (Melee – Hatchet, Knife; Firearm – Assault Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun) from the Findings Pile (or from the Storage, if you fight in the Shelter).

Combat Rounds

Each round, roll a Combat die for each Character and each Enemy, corresponding to the Weapon used. If a Character has 2 Weapons assigned, you must choose either the yellow die or the red die for them (see COMBAT DICE DURING COMBAT below).

Roll the dice and resolve the results in 2 steps:

First, resolve simultaneously all the red dice rolls results (shooters go first).

Next, resolve simultaneously all the yellow and gray dice rolls results for each Combatant that is still alive.

Simultaneously means that in each step, even if a Character's attack would kill an Enemy, you still need to roll for them and assign Wounds to the Characters if necessary.

The number of icons shown on a rolled die is the number of Wounds dealt. (For other results, see COMBAT DICE below.)

CHARACTER WOUNDS – Distribute the Wounds dealt by Enemies as you choose between Characters present in Combat. (If a Character dies during Combat you must distribute the remaining Wounds – if any – to other Characters.) Mark Character Wounds with the Wound State tokens.

ENEMY WOUNDS – Distribute the Wounds dealt by Characters as you choose between the Enemies. Each Wound dealt moves the Enemy's token one column to the right along the Combat Chart. The chart tracks the total damage: the first Wound moves an enemy to the Wounded column, and the second to the Severely Wounded column. If a severely wounded Enemy (whose token is already in the third column) takes another Wound, they are dead. When an Enemy is dead, discard their token.

If a single attack deals multiple Wounds, slide the token the corresponding number of columns; for example, dealing 3 Wounds to a healthy Enemy results in an immediate kill.

End of the Combat round:

If at the end of a Combat round there are still Enemies and at least one of your Characters is still standing, you must start another Combat round or Flee (see FLEEING below).

If all the Enemies are dead, the Combat ends – discard all the Enemy tokens face-down back into the box. Similarly, if all involved Characters are dead, the Combat ends immediately.

Once the Combat ends, if any Characters or Enemies died during the encounter, see ENEMIES' DEATH / A CHARACTER'S DEATH below to check the consequences.

Rules Reference and Components

Combat Dice During Combat

Roll a Combat die for each Character and each enemy in Combat, depending on what Weapon they are wielding: No Weapon – gray die; Melee Weapon (Hatchet, Knife) – yellow die; Firearm (Assault Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun) – red die.

Important – To roll a red die for a Character, you must discard an Ammo token first. If you don't have Ammo tokens, use a different available Weapon, or fight unarmed.

Enemies do not use Ammo tokens. When they roll an out of ammo icon, slide this Enemy to a different row on the Combat chart (depending if they have another Weapon available or they must fight unarmed). Treat the result as blank, if rolled for a Character.

Each Character may re-roll a Combat die as many times as their Prowess value. If you re-roll, you need to accept the new result (i.e., you may NOT choose the best result from all rolls). Each Enemy, if their Prowess allows, automatically re-rolls only if the result is 0 Wounds.

If a Combatant wields a Shotgun and rolls the Shotgun icon – The target dies immediately. Otherwise treat this result as blank.

If a Combatant wields a Hatchet and rolls the Hatchet icon – The target dies immediately. Otherwise treat this result as blank.

A Combatant that wields an Assault Rifle may shoot twice. Enemies always shoot twice, but Characters must discard 1 additional Ammo token to do so.

A Character may ALWAYS use their Prowess when they roll Combat dice, regardless of whether the situation is Combat, climbing, sneaking, etc. Sometimes specific rules and scripts may remind you of this.

Combat Scripts

If the "§" icon is rolled on a Combat die (a Character's or an enemy's), you must choose either to resolve it as a miss or to trust fate. If you opt to trust, draw a Fate card and check the color of the Combat die icon on that card. If it matches the color of a Combat die rolled, resolve the text below the Combat die icon. Otherwise, this roll is a miss.

Fleeing

Before each round of Combat (even the first round), you may decide that all involved Characters Flee instead of continuing the fight. All Characters must Flee together; it is not possible for some to stay behind while others escape.

If this happens, the Enemies perform a Backstab.

After resolution, the Characters leave the Location – Resolve the Choose Findings stage (see CHOOSE FINDINGS – page 19).

Backstab

Unlike normal Combat, during a Backstab, only one side attacks (only the Characters or only the Enemies) and the other side cannot retaliate. Resolve all the attack rolls as if in normal Combat.

If you perform a Backstab from a Hiding Place (see the HIDING PLACE card in the Exploration deck), after a Backstab is resolved (and if any Enemies are still alive), regular Combat begins.

Weapon Change

At the beginning of each round of Combat a Character or an Enemy may freely change their Weapon if they have another on themselves. For example, after their Ammo runs out, they may change their Pistol to a Knife.

Characters cannot exchange Weapon tokens with each other during Combat.

A dead Character's Weapon can be picked up only after Combat ends. If the Characters Flee from Combat, any Weapon possessed by a Character killed in that Combat is considered lost and should be discarded.

Enemies' Death

If you killed somebody (excluding Thugs), roll the Black die and compare the result with the Empathy of each Character present. If the result is equal to or less than their Empathy, raise their Misery by 1.

When an Enemy is killed, they leave their Weapon behind. You cannot claim these Weapons immediately. You may only take hold of them at the end of Combat, and only if all Enemies are dead. Add the captured Weapons to the Findings Pile, or to the Storage if the Combat did not occur during Scavenging. If all Characters die or Flee, the Weapons are lost. When you capture a Firearm from a dead Enemy and a script does not specify the amount of Ammo available, it means the weapon is empty - no Ammo was left.

A Character's Death

If a Character dies during Scavenging, immediately after resolving this scene to the end (e.g. Combat, script), roll the Black die to check the other Characters' reactions.

A result equal to or lower than a Character's Empathy = this Character interrupts Scavenging. Place them on the Findings Pile. They will return to the game only in the Choose Findings stage, when the rest of the Characters also finish Scavenging.

If all Characters die during Scavenging, the Scavenging phase ends immediately. No one will bring anything to the Shelter. Then proceed to the NIGHT RAID phase.

Trade

No matter the circumstances, people always want to do business. Let's try to get at least some benefit from that.

Trading is available while resolving some Location / Visitor / Residents cards and scripts. It enables you to exchange tokens in your possession (the ones in the Findings Pile during Scavenging or the ones in the Storage when a Visitor comes to the Shelter) for the tokens in the pool of a given script or card.

To start the Trade you must first pay the TRADE COMMISSION. Discard tokens of a total value equal to or higher than the Trade Commission depicted in the Trade's description of a given card / script. You do not 'get change' if you discard tokens of a higher value than the Trade Commission.

After paying the Trade Commission, you can exchange tokens by discarding your tokens of a total value equal to or higher than the value of the tokens you want to buy. Each token has a value shown in the yellow icon. If you discard tokens of a higher value than the tokens you want to buy, the difference is lost.

Trading allows you to exchange tokens only, so Water, Wood, and Components (which are resources, not tokens) cannot be bought or sold and are never part of a Trade. Remember that you can take as many Water, Wood and Components as you wish during the Choose Findings step of the SCAVENGING phase.

Example: A Trader visits your Shelter. You have a Shovel, Lockpick, Broken Guitar, Moonshine, and Electrical Part in the Storage. You want to buy Bandages (value 10). First you need to pay the Trade Commission of 2. You don't have any tokens worth 2, so you discard the Broken Guitar token (3) and unfortunately the excess is lost. You need to cover the Bandages' value with your remaining tokens, but they do not add up to 10. You could discard tokens worth 11, but you decide to discard Electrical Part (3), Moonshine (3), and Shovel (6), because you want to keep the Lockpick (5). The discarded tokens have a total value of 12, so to make the exchange even, you decide to also buy a Cigarette (1) and Chems (1) along with Bandages (10).

1st Edition Stretch Goals Component List

• Emira, the 13th Character: 1 Character Card, 1 Emira Miniature*
• Companions: The Dog: 1 Dog Card, 1 Dog Miniature*
• Companions: The Cat: 1 Cat Card, 1 Cat Miniature*
• Tactics: 20 Tactics Cards, 4 Soldier Miniatures*, 9 Tactics Tokens, 1 Double-Sided Tactics Maps Sheet, Scripts in the Book of Scripts – page 124 (Sewers) / see TACTICS section for its own scripts
• Farmers & Market: 2 Fitting Cards, 1 Night Raid Card, 2 Residents Cards, 1 Event Card, 1 Visitor Card, 15 Wares Cards, 1 Double-Sided Market Sheet, 2 Farmer Miniatures*, 1 Tolerance Token, Scripts in the Book of Scripts – page 142
• Heart of the City: 5 Heart of the City Cards, 1 Historical Monument Miniature*, Scripts in the Book of Scripts – page 160
• Our Street: 7 Desperate Measures Cards, 6 Hidden Objective Cards, 4 Our Street Cards, 12 Additional Blank Cards, 1 Help the Children Card (1st Campaign tribute – no gameplay effect), 1 Closed Envelope "317" (with mysterious contents), 1 Strange Package, 1 Postcard
• Orphans of War: 3 Orphan Cards, 6 Kid Fitting Cards, 6 Kid Action Cards, 1 Orphan Boy Miniature*, 1 Orphan Girl Miniature*, 1 Happiness Token, Scripts in the Book of Scripts – page 156
• Sewers: 10 Rooms Cards, 12 Corridors Cards, 8 Sewers Map Tiles, 1 Exploring Party Token, 3 Thug Miniatures*, Scripts in the Book of Scripts – page 124

*In the Standard Edition these components are replaced with cardboard components.

Emira, the 13th Character

War took away everything people had. Homes, families and dignity of life. However I lost all that many years before.

Some of us get particularly rough treatment from life, lose everything over a day, including the most valuable – hope and any fight that was left in them. Without knowing when, you simply become a shadow of the person you used to be, a dirty piece of the background. Before the war, you used to pass me by, looking away from me. It was impossible to pierce that invisible barrier that divided your fast lives from the existence of those who, for various reasons, were pushed aside. Yet we are also human beings.

When the war broke out, all were subjected to the same treatment and there are no barriers between us now. For the first time in many years, you see a person in me, same as all the others around. I am no longer a homeless outcast, I am Emira again. I am better used to living like this, in hiding, in poverty and searching for leftovers. What made me an outcast now proves to be valuable knowledge. Welcome to my world. Don't think it brings me any joy. As much as everyone else, I wait for the end of this nightmare. Someday this must all change.

This module features 1 miniature and 1 Character card representing Emira, the Homeless. This module can be used freely with the base game whenever you play, as this Character's story is already included in the Book of Scripts.

Before starting a new Campaign, shuffle Emira's Character card into the Characters deck and place her miniature in the box. Emira should be treated just the same as any other Character.

You can also meet Emira when resolving one of the scripts. If she is already in the game, simply ignore that script. Otherwise, use her card and miniature instead of following the instructions from the script.

Companions: The Dog and the Cat

Beside all the people, many animals were trapped in the war-torn city as well. Pets used to be loved and taken care of, but now no one cares about them anymore, and they have to try to live through the conflict they don't understand. They fight their own war to survive at any cost...

The cards and the miniatures of the Dog and the Cat are to be used if you should come across any of these animals and, as a result of a script, decide to keep them under your roof in the Shelter.

In Campaign mode, you may decide to start the game with one chosen pet already in the Shelter. If you have chosen this option, do not add 3 Raw Food to the Storage during setup.

If you really have to, you may eat your pet. If you do, see 351 in the Book of Scripts.

Note: This module can be used with any other game modules.

Desperate Measures

We know it sounds desperate... but what other choice do we have at those desperate times?

This module features 7 cards. These cards will come to your aid when things start falling apart.

The Desperate Measures cards provide you with new possibilities. However, nothing is for free and most of the time there will be a choice to make. In order to obtain what a given card offers, a price must be paid, be it in risk or other factors.

The Desperate Measures cards become available once one of the Characters dies or abandons the group. All other rules for using them are described in their text.

Our Street

Our Street is an Addon that uses the Thugs, Farmers, and Soldiers miniatures in a new way. Thanks to this Addon, our neighborhood will experience even more changes during the game. These will introduce both new threats as well as new possibilities.

Distribute the cards from this expansion along the board, in the sequence that is marked on their backs, and in doing so, flip the cards face up.

Place all the miniatures representing Soldiers, Thugs, and Farmers next to the board – this is now the pool of miniatures that will be used while resolving the "Our Street" expansion cards.

When a rule tells you to place 1 figure on the board, do so only if there are unused miniatures of that type available in the pool.

When a rule tells you to discard a figure, remove it from the board (if a figure of that type was present on the board) and place it back in the pool. If relevant figures are on the Outside space or the Findings Pile, you must choose which figure should be removed.

You can use the "Our Street" expansion if you are not already using the Tactics or the Farmers expansions. This is the case because these expansions require the same miniatures – Soldiers, Thugs, and Farmers – and the mechanics of these expansions require the miniatures for different purposes.

Closed Envelope "317"

This is the mysterious closed envelope – it can be opened and used only once. We won't tell you what is inside. Should you decide that your situation is dire and the time has come to make one last, desperate effort, simply tear the envelope open and check what is inside.

A Strange Package

As you have probably noticed, there is something else attached to the box. A strange, wrapped package. Just as in the case of the closed envelope, we won't tell you what it contains.

Open it only after you have managed to successfully finish the Campaign!

Hidden Objectives

This addon came to life for all those people who insist on having even the slightest element of competition between players in a game. Thanks to the Hidden Objective cards, each player will secretly try to steer the actions of the whole group in a certain direction – all of this will happen with the basic idea of cooperation in mind.

Each player draws 1 Hidden Objective card at the beginning of the game, reads it, and keeps it a secret.

From that moment, each player tries to manipulate the playthrough in such way that the Hidden Objective is fulfilled. This can be achieved by moderating discussions or by making decisions when one player is currently the Leader, but without raising the suspicions of other players.

When the conditions described on your Hidden Objective card are fulfilled, you should reveal your Hidden Objectives card and remove it from the game. By doing so, you fulfill your Hidden Objective.

Should you play a Scenario-based game, remove the Thief card from the game.

This module cannot be used with the Semi-Coop mode.

Orphans of War

The little ones suffer the most during any war. Some of them perish, some survive no matter the odds, often choosing to do things a grown man would be afraid to do. But no matter what, such war experience changes them forever.

Now, it is up to us to protect their innocence and hope that once this chaos around us ends, they will build a better future for everyone. Maybe our mistakes will teach them a lesson they won't forget?

This module is comprised of 2 Orphan miniatures, 3 Orphan cards (Boy, Girl, Kids), 6 Kid Fitting cards, 6 Kid Action cards, 1 Happiness token, and a dedicated Orphans of War chapter in the Book of Scripts, containing unique scripts for the module.

This module provides a wholly different experience for players and is somewhat similar to Scenarios. Your main task, besides trying to survive until the Ceasefire, is ensuring the safety and well-being of a child (or a pair of children). The children can also aid you in your everyday struggles, but, of course, only to a limited extent. The Happiness trait that can be found only on their cards represents both their physical condition and health, but it also stands for their emotional state.

If you wish to use this module, at the beginning of a playthrough, during Setup, draw 1 of the 3 Orphan cards (Boy, Girl, or Kids) and place the corresponding miniatures on the Shelter board, on any space you want. Then place the Happiness token on the marked space of the Happiness track on the Orphan card you have drawn.

Next, place the Kid Fitting card Kid's Room based on the description provided on the back of the card. The remaining Kid Fitting cards from this module should be shuffled into the Fittings deck.

Finally, shuffle the Kid Actions deck and place it next to the board. You may acquire and use the Kid Action cards when you craft some of the Kid Fitting cards.

Heart of the City

The Heart of the City is a very special addition to the game that introduces the large miniature of an angel's statue as well as an additional 5 cards. This huge, destroyed monument will symbolize the "heart" of the destroyed city, where people tend to gather and where you never know what to expect. In terms of rules, this is a whole new location that you will be able to visit.

After Scavenging, you will decide if you want to also visit the center of the city or if the detour is too risky, BUT you will never know what to expect there. Your experience there will be either positive or negative, but you will never know until you decide to go there.

The Heart of the City is our final effort to bringing an even greater sense of immersion into the game. This monument is meant to symbolize something of which the city was once proud – something beautiful representing the values of the local community. We want to show how much a war can steal such values and twist everything in a horrible way. As the title goes, this monument is the heart of the city. But this heart has been torn to pieces.

Each time, after you have finished Scavenging (but before the Choose Findings stage), you may decide to visit the square where the Heart of the City is located. If you decide to do so, draw 1 card from the Heart of the City deck and resolve it.

After you have resolved the card, remove it from the game.

If there are no more cards left in the Heart of the City deck, it becomes unavailable for the rest of this Campaign.

The Heart of the City Addon refers to the three Chapters system (Events deck), so it can only be used when playing Campaign mode.

Note: The Heart of the City scripts contain graphic descriptions in several places.

Farmers and Market

Being cut off from any news as we are, we suddenly realize that new people appearing around the city. People who look well fed and seem to be barely touched by the war. They do not understand that living in the city will bring them no solace no matter what horrors have driven them away from their homes in the countryside.

Some of them are here to stay, others come just to exchange food for valuables that we might still hoard in our hideouts, but one thing is sure – from now on, we will share this sorrowful fate together.

This module changes the gameplay by adding new possibilities as well as new threats. It also comes with new scripts that are thematically connected to the arrival of the folk from rural areas into the besieged city. With it comes the Market, a place full of makeshift booths and tables where newcomers mingle with city inhabitants, thugs become bodyguards and the omnipresent threat of enemy soldiers clashes with the will to trade and feel normally… if only for a little while.

This module is basically divided into two parts: the main part featuring 2 Farmer and 3 Thug miniatures and 7 cards and the Market part including 15 Wares cards, the dedicated Market Sheet, the Tolerance token and a dedicated Farmers chapter in the Book of Scripts containing unique scripts for Wares cards. If you choose to use this module, introduce all aforementioned components into the game.

Setting Up the Main Part:

At the beginning of a playthrough, during Setup, place the two Fitting cards from the main part on the board in accordance with the description provided on the backs of the cards.

Shuffle the remaining cards from the main part of the module into their corresponding decks.

The Farmers and Thug miniatures will enter the game when a game component instructs you.

Setting Up the Market Part:

All Setup instructions as well as the rules for using this part and its accompanying components can be found on the Market Sheet.

Note: If you choose to include this module in your playthrough or Campaign, you have to use the basic side of the board. Additionally, the Farmers scripts are already included in the Book of Scripts, while the Market scripts triggered by the Wares cards can be found in the Book of Scripts, in the Farmers chapter.

Sewers

With snipers everywhere, it becomes harder and harder to travel around the city. We have no other choice but to descend underground looking for new routes and new ways to scavenge.

The city sewers are a true labyrinth comprised of tunnels, waterways, forgotten basements and passages. Going through them is risky, but it will also give us a chance to find more supplies. The question is – who will dare enter them?

This module is comprised of a modular tile-based board featuring 8 tiles, 12 Corridor cards, 10 Room cards, 1 Exploring Party token and a dedicated Sewers chapter in the Book of Scripts containing unique scripts for Corridor and Room cards. It enables you to descend into the canals beneath the city and explore them. Doing so gives you the option to reach 1 of the 3 Locations, thus providing the possibility of additional Scavenging during the same day.

When traveling through the Sewers, you will be using Sewers Map tiles – they will form a separate board to move the Scavenging Party around. You should not treat the tiles literally – the corridors that you will cross do not run exactly as shown in the illustrations. These tiles are meant to be a representation of your wandering in the seemingly endless network of tunnels. Similarly, the rules for movement are just a mechanics-driven representation of the fact that you are moving about without knowing the way, losing track of where you are, and trying to find a way out. If a Sewers Map tile depicts a room, it might in fact stand for many different types of places, be it a tangle of tunnels and pipes or an actual room.

One other assumption that was made is that the Characters descending into the Sewers carry some sort of long-lasting light source e.g., flashlights. You don't need to worry about light sources; Characters are always assumed to have enough light to see.

Due to a complex gameplay experience and more complicated rules, this module is suggested for advanced players.

At the beginning of a playthrough, divide the Sewers module cards into two decks: Rooms deck and Corridors deck. Place the decks facedown in a chosen spot next to the board.

Then set aside the Exploring Party token and the Sewers Starting Zone tile, shuffle the remaining Sewers Map tiles and place them facedown in a pile next to the board. Finally, place the Sewers Starting Zone on top of the pile and the Exploring Party token next to the pile.

At the beginning of each Day Actions phase, you may choose to send any number of Characters on the Sewers Exploration – they form the Exploring Party represented by the special token. Place these Characters on the Findings Pile. These Characters cannot perform any actions during this Day Actions phase. However, even a Character with no access to actions due to their current States can still participate in the Sewers Exploration.

At the beginning of the Day Actions phase, but before you start performing actions in the Shelter, resolve the Sewers Exploration and its subsequent Scavenging. Consider the Characters sent to the Sewers to be acting while the Characters in the Shelter are performing their actions. The Characters sent to the Sewers will return to the Shelter at the beginning of the Dusk phase.

Then resolve the Day Actions phase normally, with the Characters left in the Shelter performing their actions. The Characters cannot use any tokens or resources found by the Exploring Party – they will become available from the beginning of the Dusk phase.

Resolving the Sewers Exploration

CHOOSE EQUIPMENT: Resolve this stage just like during a normal Scavenging (see CHOOSE EQUIPMENT – page 17). Any tokens taken from the Storage now will not be available in the Shelter during the Day Actions phase.

DESCENT: First, place the Sewers Starting Zone tile (faceup) next to the board. Keep in mind that you will need additional space on the table, because you will be placing more tiles from the Sewers Map pile next to the Sewers Starting Zone tile.

Place the Exploring Party token on this tile, on the Room marked with the letter "S".

MOVEMENT: Choose any path leading to one of the exits shown on the edge of the tile and start moving the Exploring Party token along the path, resolving cards as described below.

Resolve all the letters (Rooms) and numbers (Corridors) that are shown on the path you have chosen. Do so according to the following steps:

• To resolve a letter, draw a card from the Rooms deck and find the corresponding letter on it. Resolve the text. Afterwards, discard the card.
• To resolve a number, draw a card from the Corridors deck and find the corresponding number on it. Resolve the text. Afterwards, discard the card.

NEXT TILE: Once you have resolved all the numbers and letters shown on the chosen path, draw a new tile from the Sewers Map pile and place it faceup adjacent to the tile with the Exploring Party token. Place the new tile so that one of its short edges or long edges matches either a short or a long edge (respectively) from the tile with the Exploring Party token. Additionally, the exit that will lead you out of your current Sewers Map tile must be connected to an entrance on the new Sewers Map tile.

Now, move the Scavenging Party token to the new tile and, just like before, choose a path leading to the next exit, resolve all numbers and letters shown on that path and continue doing so until you leave the Sewers.

Note: The group cannot split while in the Sewers. There is also no possibility to backtrack – the same tiles and the same Rooms and Corridors cannot be visited again.

Additionally, if the Corridor on the new tile has no number, do not draw any Corridor cards – just move the Exploring Party token along the path until you reach a numbered Corridor or a Room with a letter.

FORFEITING THE SEWERS EXPLORATION: You may return to the Shelter instead of drawing a new tile from the Sewers Map pile. By doing so, you forfeit any further exploration – resolve the Choose Findings stage (see CHOOSE FINDINGS – page 19). In this case you cannot add free resources (Water, Wood, Components) to the Findings Pile. The Characters return to the Shelter at the beginning of the Dusk phase, bringing any tokens and resources with them (see THE SCAVENGING PARTY RETURNS – page 22).

REACHING THE EXIT FROM THE SEWERS: If you have not forfeited the Sewers Exploration earlier by returning to the Shelter, you will finally reach the Sewers exit leading to 1 of the 3 Locations.

Once you have placed the third Sewers Map tile on the table (the Sewers Starting Zone tile does not count), the exit from the Sewers is found on that third tile in a Room marked with a brightly colored letter.

Once this Room is reached (you must first resolve its card normally), you may exit to 1 of the 3 Locations – roll the Black die:

A result of 1-5 – Near Location A result of 6-8 – Distant Location A result of 9-10 – Far Location

Now you may begin Scavenging in this Location (identically like in the Scavenging phase), with the following exceptions:

• If you draw a Reality Impact card, ignore it and draw a new card from the same deck; if you draw a Reality Impact card from the Unknown deck, draw a new Exploration card from the Exploration deck.
• The number of Exploration cards in the Unknown deck is half its normal number (rounding down).
• When using other game modules, Characters exploring the Sewers cannot visit the Market or the Aid Zone before returning to the Shelter after Scavenging.

After you have resolved the Scavenging, the Exploring Party returns to the Shelter at the beginning of the Dusk phase.

Note: Some scripts and cards will allow you to reach the exit to 1 of the 3 Locations earlier. Additionally, remember to discard any cards placed on the Exploration slot during the Sewers Exploration – they have no impact on the Scavenging that follows.

No matter whether the Exploring Party forfeited the Sewers Exploration or managed to fully resolve both the exploration and the Scavenging after it, its Characters continue the game normally from the Dusk phase (i.e. they drink Water and eat in the Dusk phase and each of them can be assigned to different tasks in the Evening phase – including Scavenging, which may result in some Characters participating in two Scavenging runs in one day).

Once the Exploring Party is back in the Shelter, shuffle all revealed Sewers Map tiles back into the pile and place the Sewers Starting Zone tile on top of the pile. Finally, place the Exploring Party token next to the pile.

Thugs and the Sewers Module (Optional Rule)

Whenever you enter the Sewers, roll the Black die and place the corresponding number of Thug miniatures on the Sewers Starting Zone tile:

A result of 1-5 – 1 Thug A result of 6-8 – 2 Thugs A result of 9-10 – 3 Thugs

The Threat level during your current Sewers Exploration is equal to the number of Thugs on the Sewers Starting Zone tile. If you voluntarily forfeit the Sewers Exploration and choose to return to the Shelter, you should first roll the Black die a number of times equal to the current Threat level.

If at least one roll result is equal to or lower than the Threat level: on your way back you have encountered the Thugs. Combat begins automatically (see COMBAT – page 24). The number of Thugs encountered is equal to the Threat level. All Thugs are armed with Knives. You may try to STOP the fight – see 40 in the Book of Scripts.

After Combat – remove all the Thug miniatures from the tile (the Threat level is now 0). After defeating all Enemies – see 33 in the Book of Scripts.

Tactics

Due to the more demanding gameplay and complex expansion rules the Tactics expansion is dedicated for advanced players.

At the beginning of your playthrough divide the Tactics cards into:

• the Rooms and Corridors deck.
• the Hiding Space and Open Space deck.
• the remaining cards (2 Action cards, 2 Special cards, 1 Noise card, 1 Alarm card).

Place them where you wish but next to the board.

Now place the double-sided Tactics Map next to the decks, along with 9 Tactics tokens and 4 Soldier minis.

Using Tactics Mode

Tactics can be used during Scavenging, right after the Combat with Residents (Soldiers, Deserters, Rebels or Thugs) begins. This expansion introduces an alternative way of resolving Combat.

Tactics mode is especially useful in a situation where Combat will begin and you are prepared for it. Otherwise it is recommended to simply choose the Fleeing rule (see COMBAT – page 24).

When Tactics mode is triggered the Characters make their way deeper into the Location they are currently in and then begin a tactical paper chase.

In Tactics mode, you will be given a chance to: reduce 1) the advantage of numbers your Enemies might have over you, by fighting them one by one, 2) the advantage of their Prowess, by fighting them in places where it's pitch black, and also 3) any advantage they might have over you due to Firearms, by picking narrow corridors for the fight. Moreover, the Tactics tokens will let you gain an additional edge in a fight.

Setup

DETERMINE THE SIDE OF THE TACTICS MAP: When triggering Tactics mode place the Tactics Map on side that fits the size of the Location you are currently in: In case of a Medium or Large Location – use the side marked with the letter A. In case of a Small Location – use the side marked with the letter B.

PLACEMENT OF THE TACTICS TOKENS: After setting up the Tactics Map place 1 Tactics token on the spaces marked with a single Tactics token icon, and on the spaces marked with a double Tactics token icon place 2 Tactics tokens.

DETERMINING THE ENEMIES: Determine the number, Prowess, and Weapons of the Enemies in the usual way – according to the text on the Residents card. Place the Enemy tokens on the Combat chart on the board. These tokens represent the Enemies lurking nearby. You do not know where exactly they are, similarly they don't possess the knowledge of the Character's exact location. These tokens will be used only when you actually run into one of the Enemies (see further description).

DETERMINING THE STARTING SPACES FOR THE CHARACTERS: Roll the Black die for each Character in the group and place the Characters on the spaces on the Tactics Map that correspond to the results of your rolls (see spaces with numbers on a black background).

The Characters begin on the determined spaces. During the playthrough with Tactics mode triggered, the Characters will either try to get out of the Location (two exit spaces located on the edge of the Tactics Map), or will attempt to reach the places that provide the best tactical advantage and the element of surprise to be used during Combat.

Gameplay

TACTICS TURNS: Tactics mode consists of turns that happen one after the other. During a turn, you will:

1. Perform one action from the Actions cards. The exact description and conditions of particular Actions can be found on the backs of the two Actions cards.

2. Check the color of the space that you have finished your movement on. If the space is blue = draw and resolve the effect of a Room and Corridors card. If the space is green = draw and resolve the effect of a Hiding Space card. If the space is red = draw and resolve the effect of an Open Space card. Note: The effects of Hiding Space and Open Space cards are placed in one deck.

On each space marked as a Hiding Space there are black dots that determine the maximum limit of Characters from your group that can stand there.

After each turn:

MOVEMENT ON THE TACTICS MAP: Almost every one of the actions enables the group / a Character to move by a specified number of spaces. This means that you can move the miniature representing the group / a Character by that amount (or less) in any direction but only along the passages marked on the Tactics Map.

SPECIAL PASSAGES AND SPECIAL SPACES: The Tactics Map should be treated as a symbolic representation of the area, not literally. The map shows a sectional view of a building – long corridors, narrow rooms, balconies providing opportunities for climbing higher, rubble and furniture scattered about, doors that let you stand behind them, hideouts, ladders, cellars, attics and so on.

The passages and spaces that have special features are marked with special symbols on the Map. The description of these symbols and their meaning can be found on the 2 Special cards: Special Passages and Special Spaces.

DIVIDING AND JOINING GROUPS: Characters that are placed on the same space are a group. Choose just 1 miniature to represent that group and place the remaining miniatures, representing different members of the group, aside for the time being.

When a Character finishes a move on a space that is occupied by another Character, they immediately form a group.

Beginning a group move provides a chance to split the group – simply move just one or some of the Characters and leave the rest where they were.

If there are Characters on the Tactics Map, that occupy different spaces, then it is your decision which Character / group is acting during the current turn. You can choose the same Character / group as many times in a row as you wish.

TACTICS TOKENS: During a move collect all the Tactics tokens from the spaces you have moved through and from the space where you have finished your move.

At any time, until you leave this Location, you can discard a Tactics token to:

• re-roll any chosen result (Combat die / Black die, own / Enemy's)
• lower or raise the Wound result of a Combat die roll by 1 (own / Enemy's).

You can discard more than one token at a time (for example to raise the result of a roll by more than 1 Wound or re-roll an unfavorable result a couple of times).

ENEMIES: Characters can encounter Enemies in a few different ways. An Enemy can appear as a result of a Hide test roll, or a Noise test roll or when "mark an Enemy" happens.

When you start Combat with an Enemy, choose any one Enemy token placed on the Combat chart. When the rules tell you that there is more than one Enemy or that another one just appeared, choose another Enemy token from the Combat chart. If there are no more Enemy tokens on the Combat chart, this means that the new Enemy did not appear / there aren't more Enemies.

You can immediately pick up the Weapons of the dead Enemies.

MARKING AN ENEMY: Many of the effects on the cards allow you to determine the location of an Enemy by the noise they make. Thanks to this, for a while you can be sure of the exact place where an Enemy is. This is symbolized by the "mark an Enemy" action.

In order to mark an Enemy on a particular space, place a Soldier miniature in there.

When a space marked with an Enemy is within the move range of a Character / group the Assault or Sneak Up (see Actions cards) can be performed.

At the beginning of each turn roll the Black die for each marked Enemy. Result = 1-3 – unmark that Enemy.

HIDE: Performing a Hide test means checking if the Enemy that occupies the same space as you do, discovered your presence. In many places the circumstances will help to remain hidden (furniture, corners, darkness, etc.).

Hide: A Hide test for a group / Character is: the Hide modifier of the performed Action + the blue colored number visible on the space where the Character / group finished their move.

Performing a Hide test: Roll the Black Die (the Character / group may use their Prowess to reroll the result).

If the result is lower than or equal to the Hide statistic, an Enemy did not spot you. Mark the Enemy 2 spaces away.

If the result is higher, an Enemy has spotted you and Combat begins.

NOISE: The Noise in Tactics mode works very differently compared to ordinary exploration.

Noise: The Noise of a group / Character is: the Noise modifier of the performed Action + the red number visible on the space where the Character / group finished their move.

Performing a Noise test: Roll the Black Die (the Character / group can use their Prowess to reroll the result).

If the result is lower than or equal to the Noise, an Enemy has heard you – resolve a Noise card.

If the result is higher, no Enemies heard you – nothing happens.

Other Rules

Prowess: If a group uses their Prowess to reroll a result, you must use the lowest Prowess score among all the Characters in the group.

Shooting and raising the Alarm: Whenever a Character or an Enemy uses a Firearm (for example during Combat or Backstab), roll the Black die. Result = 1-5 – activate the Alarm card.

Fleeing from Combat: Fleeing from Combat works differently in Tactics mode. When Characters Flee, an Enemy performs a Backstab. After resolving the Backstab, the Character moves 3 spaces from the Combat Location. Then activate the Alarm card and finish the turn.

Support: If a Character / group is situated on an adjacent space to the one where Combat is happening, that Character / group may join the fray as a free move (move them to the space where Combat is happening). Characters can pass Weapons between each other if they occupy the same space.

LEAVING THE TACTICS MAP: There are 2 exit spaces on the Tactics Map. Each one goes out beyond the edge of the map.

When a Character / group finds itself on an exit space, they automatically leave the Tactics Map and therefore finish Scavenging – place the Characters on the Findings Pile.

If there is a Character left on the Tactics map after Tactics mode has finished, they may continue Scavenging.

If all Characters leave the Tactics Map – move to the Choose Findings stage.

DEFEATING ALL ENEMIES: If the Characters manage to defeat all Enemies on the Tactics Map, then all of these Characters can continue Scavenging (even if they were moved to the Findings Pile earlier).

If this happens ignore the Noise until the end of this Scavenging.

2nd Edition Stretch Goals & New Game Modules Component List

• Character Boards: 4 Dual-Layer Character Boards, 20 Universal Markers
• New Characters: 5 Character Cards (Anja, Malik, Zoran, Ruben, Branko), 1 Anja Miniature*, 1 Malik Miniature*, 1 Zoran Miniature*, 1 Ruben Miniature*, 1 Branko Miniature*
• Variety Pack: 23 cards (3 Visitor cards, 2 Event cards, 3 Chapter Objective cards, 3 Fitting cards, 4 Exploration cards, 3 Night Raid cards, 3 Narrative Actions cards, 2 Resident cards)
• The Table: 1 Fitting Card, 8 Opportunity Cards
• New Boards: 1 Double-Sided Game Board (No Man's Home / The Crossing), 6 Save Sheets
• Semi-Coop: Role Cards, Conflict Cards
• Wartime Stories: 10 Double-Sided Scenario Sheets, plus a set of cards and/or tokens dedicated to each Scenario

*In the Standard Edition these components are replaced with cardboard components.

New Game Modules

The modules below can be added to your game to customize the experience. Some of them radically change the gameplay and are not compatible with other similar modules. However, others simply add new components or minor changes and can be used freely.

Each module description specifies its compatibility. If a module is marked as compatible with any other game modules, you may include it in any session – even if you are using a module that suggests not mixing it with other content. In short – do not combine major gameplay-altering modules with each other but feel free to add "universal" modules to any playthrough.

Character Boards

New dual-layered Character Boards can be added to the game to replace State tokens. All Statuses can be tracked faster and in a more intuitive way. During Setup, instead of placing the State tokens next to the Characters, take a Character Board and a color ring in a matching color for each drawn Character card. When setting their Statuses, place plastic cubes – Universal Markers – in the corresponding slots on each State track. During the game, track the Statuses by moving the plastic cubes. When a marker reaches the rightmost column, see the corresponding Epilogue Script (or Sleep with Fatigue). There are 4 Character Boards and 20 plastic cubes in this module.

Note: This module can be used with any other game modules.

New Characters

The 5 new miniatures and their corresponding 5 Character cards can be added to the game. During Setup, shuffle these cards into the Characters deck and replace the following 2 existing cards with their new alternate versions: the Ceasefire Ending Event and the Memories… Night Raid card, both of which contain scripts that include the new Characters.

Note: These alternative cards can be used at all times, even without including the new Characters. This module can be used with any other game modules.

Variety Pack

These are 23 new cards to be shuffled into the appropriate base game decks if players want some variety and fresh content: 3 Visitor cards, 2 Event cards, 3 Chapter Objective cards, 3 Fitting cards, 4 Exploration cards, 3 Night Raid cards, 3 Narrative Actions cards, 2 Resident cards.

If you have the Improvised Alarm System Fitting and you draw a Memories... Night Raid card, nothing happens (i.e., do not resolve the Memories... card).

Note: This module can be used with any other game modules.

The Table

This module adds the Table Fitting card to the game with a mini-deck of 8 Opportunity cards.

During Setup you may discard 3 Wood and 1 Component from the Storage, to instead place the Table Fitting card on any empty Shelter space.

If there is no such space, you may remove 1 chosen Heap/Furniture Shelter card from the game, and place the Table in its place.

Then, shuffle the Opportunity deck and place it under the Table card.

Note: This module can be used with any other game modules.

New Boards

Two new boards (No Man's Home and The Crossing) offer slightly different gameplay. Both boards are more difficult to use than the basic board, so we do not recommend using them if players are not yet familiar with the basic game.

Neither of the two new boards have an Ideas space. Shuffle all Fitting cards (Basic and Advanced) together and place that combined deck on the Fittings space.

During setup, place 2 Rubble cards on the '2x Rubble' space and 4 Heap cards on the '4x Heap' space. These cards must be resolved sequentially in order to clear the respective spaces.

During Setup, after placing the required Shelter cards in the indicated places, remove all remaining (unused) Rubble cards from the game.

Note: This module can be used with any other game modules.

No Man's Home

No Man's Home is a small Shelter, but with a completely new type of area containing new locations and neighbors outside, which are available during the Day Actions phase. Visiting them carries the risk of being shot (farther locations carry an even greater risk).

If a Character carrying tokens/resources in the Neighborhood is killed by a sniper, the items/resources they were carrying are lost.

A Character killed by the sniper in the Neighborhood failed to complete their action.

The Crossing

The Crossing is a massive Shelter split in two areas, and moving between them carries a risk. Additionally, this board contains several spaces where you'll find ruined Fittings – repair them and you'll gain the Fittings for nearly free.

The risk of being shot by a sniper when moving between the two parts of the Shelter applies ONLY to performing actions in the Day Actions phase. You must roll the Black die both when moving from the right to the left side and vice versa. A Character does not have to automatically "return" to the right side of the Shelter after performing an action on the left side; they can perform subsequent actions on the same side of the Shelter without returning.

This risk also does not apply to actions performed in other phases. Many special situations allow for additional actions, e.g., in the Dawn phase, Dusk phase, etc.

A Character can also move between sides without risk before the Day Actions phase begins and after it is finished.

This risk does not apply to special actions that, although they are in the Day Actions phase, do not require the use of a Character action. For example, some special actions from Narrative Actions cards. Similarly, this risk does not apply to building free Fittings, which can be obtained in the Morning phase for completing the Chapter Objective.

Returning used equipment (Shovel, Saw, Lockpick, etc.) to Storage, as well as taking tokens/resources from the Storage, does not pose a risk of being shot, regardless of which side of the Shelter you are on. Treat Storage as if it were accessible from anywhere in the Shelter.

The Repair the Fitting action does not allow building Fittings that cannot be placed exactly in that space (e.g. Reinforced Door, or an advanced Fitting that requires placing next to the appropriate basic Fitting).

There are 2 spaces on this board with the Place a New Fitting action – this allows the Character on the left side of the Shelter to use the action there to build a Fitting on the left side without the risk of being shot.

Short Mode

The base version of TWOM:TBG offers a fairly long game, sometimes spread across several separate sessions. Many players have long requested a shorter version that would offer a similar experience and be just as challenging. Below is a description of the SHORT MODE version. We've made sure it doesn't require any additional components or rule changes, only altering the game setup itself.

Note: Short Mode cannot be used with Scenario game modules.

Setup Changes

Only the Setup steps below have changed in this version.

PREPARE THE EVENTS DECK (changed step): Place the Event cards face down on the Events space (without looking at their fronts), in the following order:

1. Take the Ceasefire Ending Event and 1 other random Ending Event and shuffle them – this will be the bottom of the deck.
2. Place the Chapter III card on the top of the deck.
3. Randomly draw 4 Event cards and stack them on the top of the deck.

PREPARE THE OBJECTIVES (changed step): Find the Final Objective card and place it on the Objective space on the board. Then, draw 1 Chapter Objective card and place it on the Final Objective. These cards should be placed face up and you may look at them anytime during the game. Remove the remaining Objective cards from the game.

Note: In the base game, Objectives were prepared when a Chapter I card (from the Events deck) was resolved. In Short Mode, the Chapter I card is not used.

PLACE SHELTER CARDS ON THE BOARD (changed step): Make sure all cards are placed face up (the side without the blue corner) and nobody peeks at their backs. Each Shelter card must be placed on a space with a name identical to the one on the card (i.e., a Heap card is placed on a Heap space, a Locked Door on a Locked Door space, etc.). Then, remove any 3 red Shelter cards and any 3 blue Shelter cards. Note that it is worth making some free space for a few starting Fittings (which are also placed during Setup in Short Mode – they require an access path).

PLACE STARTING FITTINGS (new step): Place 5 Fittings in the available free spaces of the Shelter, ensuring that the path to them from the Guard space is not Blocked, and ignoring their cost:

• 2 random Fittings with a green corner.
• Any 3 Fittings with a green or orange corner – remember that you need a basic Fitting in an adjacent Shelter space to be able to place an advanced Fitting.

PREPARE THE FITTINGS DECK (new step): In this mode you don't use the Ideas space on the board. Shuffle all remaining Fitting cards (basic and advanced) together and place that combined deck on the Fittings space.

SET STARTING STATUSES AND TOKENS (new step): Roll the Black die for each Character to determine their starting Statuses, as well as additional tokens added to Storage.

• 1 = Hunger 1, Misery 1, add Broken Guitar
• 2 = Hunger 1, Misery 1, add 2 Books
• 3 = Fatigue 1, Hunger 1, add 2 Mechanical Parts and 2 Electrical Parts
• 4 = Fatigue 1, Misery 1, add Coffee and Jewelry
• 5 = Hunger 2, Misery 1, add Cigarette and Sawblade
• 6 = Fatigue 1, Hunger 1, Misery 2, add Broken Pistol and Moonshine
• 7 = Misery 1, Wounds 1, add Broken Shotgun and 100% Alcohol
• 8 = Hunger 1, Illness 1, add Knife and Vegetable
• 9 = Wounds 2, add Shotgun, 1 Ammo, and Raw Food
• 10 = Illness 2, add Hatchet and Canned Food

Note: If you are missing a token listed in this step, take any other token of the same value.

STORAGE (changed step): Add 4 Wood, 4 Components, Shovel, and Lockpick to the Storage.

SET THE STARTING COLD (new step): Add 4 Cold tokens to the Cold space.

CRIME WAVE (new step): During one of the previous Setup steps, Night Raid and Residents cards with a red corner were set aside. Now, shuffle 2 Night Raid cards with a red corner and 2 Residents cards with a red corner into their corresponding decks (without looking at their fronts).

FINAL CHOICE (new step): Choose one:

• Add 2 Water to the Storage.
• Add any chosen tokens with a total value up to 10 to the Storage.
• Place 1 Board-Up on any Hole on the Board.
• Discard 2 Cold tokens from the Cold space.

These are all the changes in the Short Mode gameplay Setup.

One Character Per Player

In the basic TWOM:TBG game mode, all players share control of all the Characters in the Shelter. One Character Per Player mode is a new mode in which each player receives only one selected Character!

Players still form a single cooperative group of survivors trying to survive the darkest times, but each player decides largely for themselves, and collective decisions are subject to voting.

Note: This mode is designed for 2 to 4 player games. It can be used with Short mode. It cannot be used with the Scenarios.

Setup Changes

DETERMINE THE LEADER (changed step): Each Character adds up their Inventory, Prowess, and Empathy. The Character with the lowest total becomes the Leader (and receives the Leader token). If multiple Characters have identical Inventory, Prowess, and Empathy totals, break the tie by rolling the Black die.

Note: In this mode, the Leader has a completely different role than in the base game – they will decide votes in which an equal number of votes for each option makes it impossible to make a group decision.

DRAW CHARACTER CARDS (changed step): Note: In this mode, we start the game with as many Characters as there are players.

Take the Character cards and shuffle them. Each player draws 2 random Character cards, chooses one, and discards the other back to the Characters deck.

Raise each Character's Hunger by 2.

Additionally, if you chose a red-bordered card, roll the Black die:

• A result of 1-3 – raise the Character's Illness by 1.
• A result of 4-6 – raise the Character's Wounds by 1.
• A result of 7-9 – raise the Character's Misery by 2.
• A result of 10 – nothing happens.

Write down each player's name and their respective Character's name on the Save Sheet.

Find the figures representing these Characters and place them on the Guard space on the board.

Place the remaining Character cards and place them on the unused Characters space.

Rules Changes

SHARED EXPERIENCE (changed rules): Ignore all the rules that are described in the base game in the Shared Experience chapter.

In this mode, each player always makes decisions for their Character independently, whenever the situation allows it – e.g., when they are alone in a given place, when they decide which action to perform, whether to do something or not, etc. Other players can never decide what your Character does, e.g. whether you sacrifice yourself for others, etc. You always decide what your Character does yourself.

In phases like the Day Actions phase, where the order of using common resources, tokens, Fittings or Narrative Action cards is important, players take turns doing so in clockwise order starting with the Leader. Each player decides for themselves what their Character uses in their turn.

However, it's still worth making important personal decisions together with the rest of the group, because if you don't, cooperation will crumble and you might not survive for long in such difficult times.

A Character can never waste goods, e.g. eat Food when eating it no longer does anything for them (i.e., they have 0 Hunger), drink more Water than is necessary to quench their thirst, assign Meds/Bandages when at 0 Illness/Wounds etc.

Eating, drinking alcohol and assigning Meds / Bandages at any time optional rule cannot be used.

In phases and situations requiring collective decisions, such as choosing what a group of Characters will do, if you cannot reach an agreement and decide, you must hold a vote. Only those Characters present in a given location (in the Shelter, during Scavenging, etc.) vote.

In case of a tie, the Leader breaks the tie (even if their Character is not in the given Location!) and gives the Leader token to the player who lost the vote (if multiple players lost, to one of them).

At the end of each Dawn phase, players (those with living Characters) can call a vote on whether to take the Leader token from the current Leader and who to give it to.

When choosing what a group of Characters carries (e.g., for Scavenging, or what to keep from the Findings Pile), each player decides what their respective Character carries or leaves behind.

In scripts where you have to decide which Character fate has chosen, fate always chooses the Leader Character. If the Leader is not at the Location, it chooses the Character of the player closest to the Leader clockwise.

When assigning a Character to Guard or Scavenging, Weapons are immediately assigned to specific Characters.

DISTRIBUTING WOUNDS: In situations where a larger number of Wounds must be distributed among Characters (e.g., during Night Raids or Scavenging), apply them one by one in clockwise order, starting with the Leader. Each Character receives 1 Wound until all Wounds from the pool are assigned.

Note: This rule applies unless a game effect or script explicitly states that all Wounds must be assigned to a single Character.

ARRIVAL CARDS: As long as each player has a Character, you may not accept new Characters into the Shelter. However, you can still trade with Visitors from Arrival cards as usual.

If a player loses their Character, they may gain a new one as normal (e.g., from Arrival cards in the Visitors deck).

Note that a Character gained this way does NOT count towards the requirement of having at least 1 starting Character in the Shelter in order to win the game.

These are all the game rule changes for this mode.

Semi-Coop

This mode expands on the previously described One Character Per Player mode. Here, not only does each player have their own Character, but their goals aren't necessarily purely cooperative.

Individual Characters can have their own goals and priorities, often secret and sometimes completely opposed to those of the rest of the group.

Although we're introducing Role cards and Conflict cards in this mode, which often dictate more PVP gameplay, remember that this is still primarily an adventure and simulation game, not a balanced competitive game. Characters are inherently diverse and unbalanced (some people are simply more prepared for such extreme situations, others absolutely not – that's also the game's theme). Furthermore, many situations and mechanics in the game are based on fate, independent of your actions and decisions (and that's also a strong theme in the game's design).

Role cards mainly introduce negative Character traits to add more dynamics. There aren't many pro-coop features here, as pure coop is inherent to the game without this mode.

This mode is for 3 or 4 players only.

All changes and rules of One Character Per Player mode also apply to this mode, except for the additional changes described below.

Note: This mode has nothing to do with the Hidden Objectives mini expansion and cannot be used with it.

Setup Additional Steps

ROLE CARDS: After drawing the Characters (and determining their starting Statuses), each player draws 2 random Role cards, chooses one, and discards the other back to the Role deck.

Keep your Role card secret from the other players until it is revealed. Some Role cards must be revealed immediately, some will be revealed at an appropriate moment during the game, some will remain secret until the end – this is always described directly on the card.

If a Role card is to remain secret until the end of the game, do not reveal your secret goal in any way – neither directly nor by suggesting it to other players. Instead, focus on embodying that Character's personality in your conversations and behavior.

Some combinations of Role cards and Character data may seem odd at first glance, but with a little imagination, they can form an interesting and unique picture. Real people are full of contradictions (quiet leaders, unassuming heroes, tough guys hiding their weaknesses, etc.).

Note: You may want to look at all the Role cards together first to get a feel for the options in this deck. If you don't like any of the cards, remove them from the deck before playing.

CONFLICT CARDS: Additionally, each player draws one random Conflict card and keeps it secret from the other players.

Conflict cards give each player the opportunity to break the basic rules once per game and harm another Character or help themselves in an unusual way.

At the appropriate moment, you may play the card according to its rules. Unless the card explicitly states that you must play it, doing so is entirely optional; you may choose to never reveal it at all.

If the effects of a used Conflict card conflicts with the special ability of a used Role card, the Conflict card takes priority.

Rules Changes

PLAYERS' VICTORY CONDITIONS: In this mode, the survival of at least one starting Character is not a win condition.

Each player wins or loses individually. First, your Character must survive until the end of the game. Second, if you have an additional victory condition on your Role card, you must also meet it; otherwise you lose.

Despite having individual and potentially conflicting win conditions, players are still highly encouraged to cooperate, as it is very difficult to survive on your own.

CHARACTER DEATH: When your Character dies, discard your Role card and Conflict card. You'll only be able to take a new Character when a new one joins the group (e.g., through Arrivals cards from the Visitors deck). At that point, draw a new Role card – you can still try to win the game (but you won't get a Conflict card).

When an Addict or Selfish Character dies, the tokens (Food, Alcohol) collected on their card are returned to the pool. Their collection of these tokens represents the scale at which they consume and devour supplies, not the literal number of Alcohol/Food tokens.

Wartime Stories

This mode comprises 10 completely new Scenarios and their accompanying game components. Each Scenario features 1 Sheet, and a set of cards, and/or tokens used only with it. All the information required to set up each Scenario-based game can be found on one side of the corresponding Scenario Sheet. It also contains a list of all cards and special tokens required to play.

These Scenarios allow you to enjoy shorter – albeit very intense – games, introduce special rules as well as new elements, and tells unique stories. Below you can find a quick overview of each Scenario:

A Way Out: Pogoren remains under siege, but there is a way out of the city. Staying is certain death. Going may be worse. Will you even make it through today, let alone set aside supplies for tomorrow's journey?

Forget Celebrations: Katia used to follow conflicts around the globe and write the stories of their victims. Now the war has followed her home. Can she recover and preserve lost testimonies of the past – and save herself?

Hippocratic Oath: Every day, many lives in Pogoren will hang by a thread. Not everyone can be saved. Running a small neighborhood clinic, you decide who lives and who dies – but at what cost?

My Fellow Enemy: The Shelter is no longer safe. The conflict has crept in – and the enemy waits in the next room. When the strongest in your group turns into a brutal tyrant, will you endure his paranoia and obey?

Still Missing: Katia, Bruno, and Cveta search the ruined city for clues about the fate of their lost friends and families. Who will find closure – and will it really be better than leaving the past uncertain?

The Inheritance: Finding shelter in a villa in a rich neighborhood seems like a blessing at first – until night falls, when people driven by desperation or greed will try to find their way in.

The Last Broadcast: The people of Pogoren deserve to know. Information about what happens in the city can be the difference between life and death. But gathering and broadcasting it may doom the radio operator, Malik, and his family.

The Lost Generation: Should the young and strong be obligated to protect the old and the weak? Or should the elders sacrifice themselves for those with years still ahead? One generation will be lost – you choose which.

The Roots: Every family in Pogoren has been broken by war. So many people are gone... Those who remain must try to protect their loved ones' heirlooms – and the memories they carry, even if they're bittersweet.

The Underdogs: You've had enough of being helpless victims. Joining the rebellion doesn't just put a gun in your hands – it also gives you responsibility you never wanted. How far will you go for your cause?

If a Wartime Stories Scenario refers to a script, it can be found in the Book of Scripts, in the Wartime Stories chapter (see Book of Scripts – page 176) under a proper heading.

Note: Each Scenario can be played with the use of any other game modules provided. However, choosing certain modules may radically influence the gameplay and difficulty of a Scenario. Therefore, it is recommended to play any Scenarios without any other major modules.

FAQ

Character Skills

The Character Skills on the Character cards are always readily available and may be used at any time, in accordance with the rules of the given skill.

Sneaky (Arica) – Noise can be lowered at most to 1.

Journal (Emilia) – Fatigue may be raised at most to 4.

Handyman (Marin) – if you are playing on the advanced side of the board, this skill is pertinent for all of the Poke About actions (but does not apply to the Search action). If the roll result (modified by this Skill) is higher than 10, treat it as a 10.

Break In (Marko) – When Marko uses a Hatchet instead of a Lockpick, do not discard the Hatchet after opening a Closed Door. You still need to roll the Black die.

For skills that are usable "once per Scavenging", tilt the Character card to its side to note the skill has been used.

Can I Take a Nap in a Bed to have more actions during the day?

Yes. A Character with Fatigue 2 can use the Bed Fitting in the 1st Action Stage to lower their Fatigue by 2. That makes them available in the following Action Stages, provided they do not have black markers on other State tokens.

Any Character can use a Bed during the DAY ACTIONS phase, even if their State tokens show 3 black markers.

Can I resolve an option on an Exploration card more than once? For example, Return 2 Exploration cards and raise the Noise by 1 to draw and resolve 1 card from the Findings deck (Heap chart)

No. After you resolve an Exploration card, discard it.

Narrative Action Card – Through the Sewers

To use this card, do not discard the found items from the Findings pile at the end of the SCAVENGING phase. Then, play the Through the Sewers card at the end of the following NIGHT RAID phase and after that Choose Findings with the help of a Guard.

SNIPERS Event – how many Characters can be shot?

Only 1. When a Character gets hit, stop rolling and remove the Snipers Event from the game.

Crime Wave & Crime on the Rise

If both Crime Wave and Crime on the Rise are active, their effects do not stack; draw 2 Night Raid cards instead of 1.

Soldiers Disarm the Civilians vs. Crime Events

The SOLDIERS DISARM THE CIVILIANS reward instructs you not to draw a Night Raid card. If Crime Wave or Crime on the Rise is also active (draw 2 cards instead of 1), these effects neutralize each other. In this case, draw and resolve 1 Night Raid card.

Airdrop & Shelling Events

Ignore these cards' effects (except for adding Cold tokens) if:

• The card is the first Event drawn in a Campaign.
• The card is the first Event drawn after restoring a SAVE and the required information was not recorded.

Please Help Us! Visitor card – does the Character need to eat?

If you send a Character to help the neighbors, the Character returns in the DAWN phase. That means they are not present during the DUSK phase and their Hunger is not raised.

Fate Card – Jam / Weapon Loss

After Combat is resolved, the Character gets their Weapon back.

Fate Card – Dodge

The dodge refers to that combatant (Enemy or Character) whose die roll introduced this Fate card into play.

Remove a Rubble Card

If you are instructed to remove a Rubble card, discard it immediately.

Night Raid Phase – can a killed Character's weapon be stolen?

No. You resolve the Night Raid card from top to bottom. That means that Damage is resolved before Wounds.

Do Enemies re-roll out of ammo?

Yes. They re-roll when dealing 0 Wounds, which includes an out of ammo result.

Enemy Weapon Taken: When Characters acquire Firearms of dead Enemies and the script does not specify how much Ammo is available with the captured Weapon, there was no more Ammo left.

Are Herbal Meds considered to be Meds?

No. Herbal Meds and Meds are different items. When an effect mentions Meds it does not affect Herbal Meds.

What are Shells for? Are they Ammo for a Shotgun?

Shells are not Ammo. A Shotgun uses the same Ammo tokens as any other Firearm in the game. You can use Shells to make Ammo using the Gunsmith Workshop Fitting card.

Can I raise Fatigue over 4?

No. You cannot willingly raise Fatigue over 4. However, if you are forced to do that, just set the Fatigue on 4 (and resolve Sleep – 150). There are no further consequences.

First floor

The first floor is the ground-level floor.

Summary

Day Structure

1. Morning

Draw the top card from the Events deck.

2. Day Actions

Action Stage (x3):

1. Assign available Characters to action spaces
2. Resolve actions simultaneously

3. Dusk

Each Character:

• Discard 1 Water, or roll the Black die: A result of 1-5 – Hunger +1. A result of 6-10 – Misery +1.

Each Character:

• Discard 1 Canned Food - Hunger -2
• Discard 1 Raw Food - Hunger -1
• Discard 1 Vegetable - Hunger stay the same
• No Food discarded – Hunger +1

4. Evening

Assign each Character:

• Sleep in a Bed – Set Fatigue to 0 (1 Character per Bed card)
• Sleep on the Floor (any number of Characters) – Fatigue -2
• Guard – Fatigue +1 – at least 1 Character mandatory – if not, see 333
• Scavenging (up to 3 Characters) – Fatigue +1

5. Scavenging

• Choose a Location (Hidden items? Roll the Black die: 1-6 – discard the items; 7-10 – add the items to the Findings Pile)
• Choose Equipment (from the Storage to the Findings Pile)
• Set Noise to 1
• Prepare the Unknown deck (10 / 12 / 14 Exploration cards, depending on the chosen Location)
• Explore – choose any from the steps below. Repeat as long as there are enough cards in the Unknown deck: Resolve the top card from the Unknown deck; Use a Location option – see the Location card; Use a card in the Exploration slot option
• Choose Findings – select found Tokens (if any) + any resources of total weight up to the combined Inventory value of the Characters (resources weigh 1 each). You can overload Characters – temporary Inventory +1 for Fatigue +2 each
• Discard the tokens left behind

6. Night Raid

• Choose Weapons for the Guards from the Storage – 1 Weapon per Character
• Draw a Night Raid card
• Assign (Damage + Wounds) reduced by Board-Up tokens + dice rolls of each Character (Prowess = number of re-rolls)
• Crime Wave

7. Dawn

• Scavenging party returns
• Assign Meds and Bandages
• Use Alcohol
• Draw a Fate card
• Narrative Action card – draw 2, keep 1
• Death Among Us – if triggered, roll the Black die. Check for each Character – if the result is equal to or lower than the Character's Empathy raise their Misery by 2

Characters' Availability in Action Stages

Depending on the highest number of black markers on a Character's State tokens, they are available for: all 3 Action Stages (no black markers), the 1st and 2nd stages (1 black marker), the 1st stage only (2 black markers), or no stages (3 black markers).

Icons

• Action icon.
• On a token – item's weight (no icon – weight = 0; each resource's weight = 1).
• On a Character's card – Inventory – how much a Character can carry.
• Token's value icon.

Dice Icons

• Fist / knife / crosshair icon – 1 Wound inflicted (Combat) / 1 Damage or 1 Wound reduced (Night Raid).
• Shotgun icon – if wielding a Shotgun – target dies immediately / ignore the Night Raid card. Otherwise treat as blank.
• Hatchet icon – if wielding a Hatchet – target dies immediately / ignore the Night Raid card. Otherwise treat as blank.
• Out of Ammo icon – if rolled by an Enemy – out of Ammo. Otherwise treat as blank.
• "§" icon – if rolled in combat – You may resolve Combat scripts. Otherwise treat as blank.

Trade

First, pay the Trade Commission.

Then, discard your tokens of a total value equal to or higher than the value of the tokens you want to buy from the available pool.

Combat

Combat Preparation

When a card or Script instructs, draw Enemy tokens and place them in the leftmost column of the Combat Chart.

Equip each Character with up to 1 Melee and 1 Firearm Weapon.

Combat Rounds

Roll a Combat die for each Character and each Enemy, corresponding to the Weapon used.

First, resolve all Red dice results simultaneously. Each Character must discard 1 Ammo token per roll.

Next, resolve all Yellow and Gray dice results simultaneously for all remaining Combatants.

Each wound moves the Enemy token one column to the right. After the third wound, the Enemy is dead.

Characters may re-roll a die as many times as their Prowess. Enemies with Prowess re-roll only 0-wound results.

If a "§" icon is rolled, treat it as a miss or draw a Fate card to "Trust Fate".

If an Out of Ammo icon is rolled, it is a miss for Characters; Enemies become Unarmed and must change their row on the Combat Chart.

Combat Resolution

Combat ends when one side is dead or the Characters Flee.

If at least one Enemy (except Thugs) is dead, perform an Empathy Check for the involved Characters.

If all Enemies are dead, take their Weapons. Captured Firearms have no Ammo unless specified.

If you Flee, you must leave all items in the Findings Pile behind.

If a Character dies, resolve Script 266 for the consequences.

Combat is a complex process. If this summary is insufficient for a specific situation, please refer to the full Combat rules on page 24.