Treasure Lair Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
  • Goal
  • Components
• Setup
• Preparing Quests
  • No Matches!
• How to Play
  • Taking a Turn
  • Gain 1 Gold
  • Recruit Heroes
  • Begin a Quest
  • Example Quest
• End of the Game
• Other Rules
  • Hero Powers
  • Gaining & Spending Gold
  • Hero and Gold Limits
  • Decks & Discards
  • Starting Heroes
  • Early Failed Quests
• Hero Clarifications
• Optional Rules
  • Hidden Quests
  • Claimed Quests

Game Overview

For 2-4 players, ages 14 and up.

Gold allows you to recruit heroes with various powers and icons. Form a party of heroes to begin a quest and defeat the challenges by having the right heroes with matching icons to its monsters, encounters, and locations. If you are successful, you gain the treasure card.

Goal

The player with the most treasure at the end of the game wins.

Components

• 200 cards consisting of:
  • 30 Action cards
  • 64 Hero cards
  • 4 Starting hero cards
  • 90 Challenge cards (Monster, Encounter, Location)
  • 12 Treasure cards
• Rulebook

Setup

1. Setup Starting Heroes: Take a number of starting hero cards equal to the number of players and be sure to include the hero (Rogue) with the "Starting Player" banner, then return any unused starting heroes to the box. Then, each player takes one starting hero at random and places it face up to form their party of heroes.
2. Setup Decks: Shuffle the challenge, hero, action, and treasure cards to form separate face down decks.
3. Setup Gold: Each player gains three gold by drawing the top cards of the challenge deck and placing them face down in front of them.
4. Setup Hero Pool: Draw three hero cards and place them face up to form the pool of heroes available to recruit.
5. Setup Action Pool: Draw three action cards and place them face up to form the pool of actions you can choose from.
6. Setup Quests: Prepare three quests, as described under Preparing Quests.

Players are now ready to begin the game!

Preparing Quests

Draw one treasure card and place it face up in the center of the play area, next to the other quests in play. The treasure's difficulty level indicates the minimum number of different ability icons required when preparing that quest.

Now challenges are added, which represent the various monsters, encounters, and locations heroes must defeat in order to gain the treasure.

First, draw one challenge card and place it face down on the treasure. This represents a hidden challenge.

Then continue to draw and add challenge cards face up until the number of different ability icons are equal to or greater than the treasure's difficulty level.

Once the required number of different ability icons is fulfilled, the quest is considered prepared. (Example: a quest is prepared when it has at least 5 different ability icons, fulfilling the treasure's difficulty level of 5.)

No Matches!

When preparing a quest, if a challenge is drawn that matches exactly the same distribution of ability icons of a face up challenge already in the quest, the matching challenge must be discarded. It is possible to have identical ability icons in a quest, but from different challenges.

Example 1: The newly drawn challenge has an axe for its ability icon. While the quest already has an axe icon, it is not considered a match since the new challenge only has an axe and the other challenge has an axe and a bow.

Example 2: The newly drawn challenge has an axe and a bow for its ability icons. This is considered a match since the new challenge has exactly the same distribution of ability icons as a challenge already in the quest. The matching challenge must be discarded and another challenge is drawn in order to continue preparing the quest. The newly drawn challenge must also be checked for matches.

How to Play

The player with the "Starting Player" banner on their hero takes the first turn and play continues clockwise around the table. Players continue taking turns until the end of the game.

Taking a Turn

During your turn, you must choose one action card among the three available in the pool.

You must first resolve the main action as described on your chosen card.

You must then choose one of the secondary actions to resolve as described below.

When you have finished resolving your actions, discard your chosen action card, then draw a new action card and add it to the pool so there are three available. If you have more than five gold or five heroes, you must discard down to five of each. Your turn then ends and the next player clockwise takes their turn.

Gain 1 Gold

Draw the top card from the challenge deck and place it face down in front of you. Remember that you may only keep up to five gold at the end of your turn.

Recruit Heroes

Choose a hero among the three available in the pool and pay its cost by spending your gold.

Place the hero in front of you to form your party of heroes, then draw a new hero card and add it to the pool so there are three available. During this action you may recruit as many heroes as you wish (and can afford), but remember that you may only keep up to five heroes in your party at the end of your turn.

Important: Hero powers with the "Instant:" timing can only be used immediately after you recruit the hero during a Recruit Heroes secondary action.

Begin a Quest

Choose one of the three quests to attempt.

To defeat the first challenge (the challenge on top, furthest away from the treasure card), look at the required ability icons and place the hero(es) in your party with the matching ability icons a little forward. These are now considered to be participating heroes in the quest.

If your participating heroes are missing an ability icon, you may spend three gold to temporarily gain that ability icon for this challenge only. If you have enough gold, you can repeat this for each missing icon.

Once your participating heroes have all of the required ability icons (or you spend gold for any missing icons), the challenge is defeated. When you defeat a challenge, take the card and place it face down in front of you as gold.

Then continue in the same way to defeat the next challenge.

Challenges must be defeated in order, starting with the challenge furthest away from the treasure card and ending with the hidden challenge.

A participating hero can use their ability icons for each challenge in the quest.

When you attempt the hidden challenge, reveal the card face up to all players. If you defeat this last challenge, you gain the treasure card and place it face up in front of you.

If you attempt a challenge that you cannot defeat, keep any gold you gained but you must give up the quest; discard any undefeated challenges and treasure card.

Whether or not you defeat all challenges and gain the treasure, you must discard all of your participating heroes (keep any heroes in your party that did not participate in the quest). Then prepare a new quest so there are three available, as described under Preparing Quests. The Begin a Quest action is now considered resolved; you may only attempt one quest per action.

Note: Even if a hero in your party has a needed icon, you may choose not to have him participate and spend gold for an ability icon instead. Sometimes it may be preferable to just spend gold for an icon and not assign the hero to participate in order to keep him for a future quest, since participating heroes must be discarded at the end of the quest.

Example Quest

The player begins the quest with three gold and three heroes. The Beastmaster and Outrider are sent forward as participating heroes. The first challenge requires a bow and an axe, which the Beastmaster and Outrider can defeat. The defeated challenge is then taken as gold.

The next challenge requires a key icon, which none of the heroes have that ability. The player spends three gold for the missing icon. The defeated challenge is then taken as gold.

The next challenge requires an axe, which can be defeated by the Outrider. The defeated challenge is then taken as gold.

Now the hidden challenge is revealed, which requires another key icon. None of the heroes have that ability, but fortunately the player has three gold to spend again for the missing icon. The defeated challenge is then taken as gold. Since all of the challenges were defeated, the player also gains the treasure card which is worth one point of treasure.

Both of the participating heroes are discarded and the player prepares a new quest so there are three available for the next player's turn.

End of the Game

Each treasure card is worth a certain amount of treasure, indicated by the number of chest icons. The first player to gain a certain amount of treasure triggers the end of the game, based on the number of players:

• 2 players: 7 treasure
• 3 players: 6 treasure
• 4 players: 5 treasure

After a player triggers the end of the game and finishes their turn, all other players take one last turn. When the last turn is finished, each player counts their treasure and the player who has the most treasure wins!

If two or more players are tied for the most treasure, the player with the highest total difficulty levels of their collected treasure cards wins. If players are still tied, the player with the highest total cost of heroes in their party wins. If players are still tied, the player with the most gold wins. Should there still be a tie, the players share the win.

Other Rules

Hero Powers

Some heroes feature a power in addition to their ability icons. Using a hero's power is always optional; you may choose to use the hero's ability icons and not its power, or vice versa.

Each power lists when it can be used, either with bold text at the start of the ability text or explained in the ability itself.

If a power requires a hero to be participating in a quest, you may have the hero participate even if its ability icon does not match any challenge in the quest.

Important: Hero powers with the "Instant:" timing can only be used once, immediately after you recruit the hero during a Recruit Heroes secondary action. If you recruit a hero with the use of a main action or a power during a quest for example, you cannot use its power if it has the "Instant:" timing.

Gaining & Spending Gold

Gold is represented by the gold coin shown on the back of challenge cards. Any face down challenge cards you have collected in front of you are considered gold. You may gain gold with certain actions and by defeating challenges during a quest.

When something instructs you to gain 1 gold, simply draw the top card from the challenge deck and place it face down in front of you. When you defeat a challenge, you gain it as gold by placing the card face down in front of you.

When you spend gold, place the challenge card face up in the challenge discard pile.

Hero and Gold Limits

If you have more than five gold or five heroes at the end of your turn, you must discard down to five. Note that the hero and gold limit is only checked at the end of your turn; you may exceed the limits during your turn without any penalty.

Decks & Discards

When cards are discarded, place them face up next to their corresponding deck. If a deck runs out of cards, simply shuffle all of the cards in the discard pile and place them face down to form a new deck.

Starting Heroes

Starting heroes can participate in quests like regular heroes and are discarded at the end of the quest. However, discarded starting heroes are returned to the box instead of placed in the hero discard pile. Starting heroes do not have a gold cost, so they are not affected by actions and powers that refer to a hero's cost.

Early Failed Quests

If you cannot defeat at least two challenges in a quest, you must return all challenge cards to their positions before you started the quest and immediately end your turn. Your participating heroes are discarded as normal.

Hero Clarifications

Important: If a power requires a hero to be participating in a quest, you may have the hero participate even if its ability icon does not match any challenge in the quest.

Alley Runner: If you choose to add the defeated challenge on top of another quest, you do not gain the challenge as gold. When the challenge is added to another quest, it must be placed face up on top of the quest, as the first challenge a player must attempt when they attempt the quest.

Ardent Defender: You may use this hero's power to discard a face up challenge and draw a new challenge to replace it. The newly drawn challenge must be placed face up in the same position as the discarded challenge. If you discard the second challenge in a quest for example, you must place the newly drawn challenge as the second challenge. You may only discard a challenge in the quest you are attempting.

When you attempt the hidden challenge and reveal the card face up, you may use this hero's power to discard it since the hidden challenge is now considered a face up challenge.

Barkeep: This hero's power may only be used at the start of a quest, before any challenge has been defeated. After you draw two treasure cards and choose which one to use as a replacement, discard the other treasure card not chosen.

If the new treasure card has a higher difficulty level, do not add additional challenges. The difficulty level of the replacement treasure card does not affect the challenges in the quest.

Bodyguard: This hero protects you from other players' hero powers. If the power of another player's hero targets a hero, gold, or treasure, you cannot be targeted by that power. You may still be targeted by the effects of another player's main action.

Darkwood Warden: When you use this hero's power, do not draw another action card at the end of your turn since there will already be three available in the pool.

Dwarven Mercenary: After you draw two heroes and choose which one to recruit, discard the other hero not chosen. If you use this hero's power while he is already participating in the quest, his ability icon can no longer be used for that quest.

The newly recruited hero may participate in the quest. Note that any power with the "Instant:" timing cannot be used.

Elementalist: This hero's power allows you to use any one ability icon of your choice for the remainder of the quest. Once you choose an ability icon, you cannot change it to a different icon during a different challenge for example.

Firestorm Magus: You cannot recruit another player's starting hero since they do not have a gold cost. If you don't have enough gold to pay for a hero's cost, you cannot recruit that hero.

Gambler: You cannot use this hero's power if he participated in a quest. In other words, you cannot use the Gambler during a quest and then discard him to take another turn.

Gladiator: You may use this hero's power to choose yourself and discard one of your own heroes to gain 1 gold. However, you cannot discard the Gladiator to gain 1 gold (the hero cannot discard itself).

Herald: If you discard a hero that has a higher gold cost than the hero you recruited, you do not gain the difference in gold. You cannot discard multiple heroes to combine their gold cost; you may only discard one hero. You cannot discard the Herald to use his power (the hero cannot discard itself).

Hierophant: See the clarification for Elementalist.

Knife Thrower: When you take a challenge as gold using this hero's power, do not replace the challenge. That means the quest will have one less challenge to defeat in order to gain its treasure. Taking a challenge is not considered defeating it, so other powers that trigger off of defeating a challenge do not apply to this power.

Lightning Mage: If you use this hero's power while she is already participating in the quest, her ability icon can no longer be used for that quest.

Lorekeeper: See the clarification for Elementalist.

Nymph: This hero's power may only be used at the start of a quest, before any challenge has been defeated. The newly recruited heroes may participate in the quest. Note that any powers with the "Instant:" timing cannot be used.

Oracle: See the clarification for Ardent Defender.

Quartermaster: This hero's power allows you to keep one participating hero at the end of a quest instead of discarding it. You cannot keep the Quartermaster; you must choose another participating hero to keep.

If a hero must be discarded in order to use its power, you cannot use the Quartermaster to keep the hero. The Quartermaster can only be used to keep a hero that would normally be discarded at the end of a quest.

Racketeer: Even if the Racketeer is discarded due to an effect, such as the Gladiator's power to discard another hero, your gold limit is only checked at the end of your turn. You may exceed the limit during any players' turns without any penalty.

Treasure Seeker: This hero does not have any ability icons but you may still have her participate in a quest in order to use her power. If you gain a treasure card by defeating all of the quest's challenges, you may place the Treasure Seeker with your treasure cards. It will count as an additional point of treasure at the end of the game.

Wayfinder: See the clarification for Ardent Defender.

Optional Rules

Hidden Quests

This variant increases the difficulty of the game by adding a memory element to hidden challenges. The only change to the rules is how quests are prepared:

• Do not place a hidden challenge on the treasure card.
• Continue to draw and add challenge cards face up until the number of different ability icons are equal to or greater than the treasure's difficulty level.
• After all players had the opportunity to view all of the challenges in the quest, shuffle them face down to form a pile and only reveal the top challenge face up. Be sure that the number of challenge cards are visible in the quest.

When you begin a quest, only the first challenge is visible. All other rules for quests apply normally.

Claimed Quests

If you fail to defeat a challenge in a quest where you have at least two participating heroes, you may claim the quest instead of failing the quest and discarding it. If you claim a quest, place all of the undefeated challenges and the treasure card next to your play area. Then prepare a new quest as normal so there are three available to the other players. If you choose not to claim the failed quest, simply discard the quest and prepare a new one as normal.

During a later turn, you may begin a quest and attempt the claimed quest as normal, with the only exception that some of the challenges may have already been defeated during your previous attempt. Players can only attempt their own claimed quests; another player cannot attempt your claimed quest for example.

If you begin a quest and attempt one of the three quests available to all players, you must discard your claimed quest.

If you attempt your claimed quest and fail to defeat all of the challenges again, you must discard the quest as normal.

Actions and hero powers that affect challenges and quests may target a claimed quest as normal.

Important: In order to claim a quest, you must have at least two heroes participating.