I fashioned this
game by taking bits and pieces of others and watering them down so
that my four year old son could play and enjoy. It has worked very
well. On one occasion he was the only one who made it out of the
dungeon alive. Of course his actions are what led to his mother’s
and sisters’ demise, but the point is that fun was had.
This is an ever
growing and evolving game. In the time I have spent writing this
document, the game has already changed to make a few of the things
written herein obsolete and now includes things which I will not
include since this document is intended to be the basics. For your
own enjoyment and experience, I encourage you to play and experiment
with new rules and features as you come up with them, so that you
might heighten the experience for your family and friends.
Enjoy!
(Perhaps the character earns the use of extra attack die when attacking from behind? Be creative!)
Things you will need to
play
- Two players (5 recommended)
- A Chess/checkers board
- Six sided dice (at least six dice recommended, eight ideal)
- Pieces to act as characters
- Pieces to act as markers
- Imagination
At least two
players are needed, one to play as the Dungeon Master, and the
other(s) to play as the heroes. A good Dungeon Master will use his or
her imagination to make the game a bit more real for the other
players: tell the story of the game and characters, be the voices of
the monsters, and creatively but justly make decisions to heighten
the experience for all players.
Traditional D&D
is played entirely in the mind, but I prefer something visual,
tactile, and personal. The board creates a visual playing filled, the
pieces something to observe and control. This also helps younger
children participate in the game.
The pieces to act
as characters would be best if they looked distinct because many will
represent different characters. Some will represent the Heroes,
another will represent the Dungeon Master, and the rest will
represent various monster types. Exactly how many types of heroes and
monsters will be up to the imagination of the Dungeon Master (I use
mini figures from other games, but one could also use the chess
pieces).
(Our gargoyle Dungeon Master)
The pieces to act
as markers need not be so distinct, you need only be able to
distinguish four types. One type can represent a character’s
physical wounds, another can represent both event locations on the
board and a character’s used mind power, the third will represent
traps on the board, and the fourth will represent recovered treasure
(I use little glass jewels, but one could also use M&Ms).
Character Creation
- Type
- Name
- Title
- Attack
- Defense
- Body
- Mind
- Movement (monsters only)
The type of
character determines their statistics in Attack, Defense, Body, and
Mind. I have used the types found in the board game Hero Quest as a
base, but players can create whatever types they want. Hero types
include: Barabarian, Dwarf, Elf, and Wizard. Monster types include:
Gargoyle, Chaos Warrior, Fimir, Orc, Goblin, Mummy, Zombie, and
Skeleton.
Give your
character a name, makes them personal. Any characters, heroes or
monsters, who survive a game can return in the next. I encourage
players to let any character who dies in the game remain dead, do not
resurrect them. This makes them more personal, more real; thus is the
nature of a role playing game.
Give your
character titles for the astounding deeds they have done. Perhaps
they slew many monsters/heroes, gathered lots of loot, defeated a
mighty foe with one blow, or bravely ran away from danger like Sir
Robin of Camelot. My personal favorite name and title come from a
character played on the TV series Community: Tiny Nuggets, Water
Boarder of Goblins.
(Carter the Barbarian. She once had the displeasure of fighting alongside the wizard Sparkle the Cowardly.)
Attack and Defense
determine the number of dice rolled in battle. Body refers to
physical hit points. Mind refers to mind points, which are used for
healing, reconfiguring traps, and insulting monsters.
Heroes move about
the board by rolling a die, but monsters have a specific number of
spaces they can move each turn.
Here are the various type Stats:
Heroes:
Barbarian
Attack 3, Defense 2, Body 8, Mind 2
Dwarf
Attack 2, Defense 3, Body 7, Mind 3
Elf
Attack 2, Defense 2, Body 6, Mind 4
Wizard
Attack 1, Defense 2, Body 4, Mind 8
(This is Shirley's most recent character, Twinkle the Wizard. Her primary function is to heal the others while avoiding all confrontations. Parallels real life!)
Monsters:
Gargoyle
Attack
4, Defense 5, Body 3, Mind 4, Movement 6
Chaos Warrior
Attack
4, Defense 4, Body 3, Mind 3, Movement 7
Fimir
Attack
3,
Defense 3, Body 2, Mind 3, Movement 6
Orc
Attack
3,
Defense 2, Body 1, Mind 2, Movement 8
Goblin
Attack
2,
Defense 1, Body 1, Mind 1, Movement 10
Mummy
Attack
3,
Defense 4, Body 2, Mind 0, Movement 4
Zombie
Attack
2,
Defense 3, Body 1, Mind 0, Movement 5
Skeleton
Attack
2, Defense 2, Body 1, Mind 0, Movement 6
Setting Up the Board
The Dungeon Master must setup the
board.
- Place one marker on the edge of the board to mark the entrance/exit of the dungeon.
- Place all hero characters on a square near the entrance
- Place event markers on the board (seven or eight recommended)
- Decide the location of traps (five or six recommended / DO NOT USE MARKERS)
- Place initial monsters
The entrance/exit
will represent the heroes’ starting point, or the place of retreat
should any wish to abandon the quest.
The event markers
will be either treasures for the heroes to find or monsters to fight.
One marker will represent the Dungeon Master’s character (in our
games, this is the gargoyle). The Dungeon Master must decide before
play begins which markers are which. I recommend four monster events
– including the Dungeon Master’s character - and three treasures.
The traps must be
known to the Dungeon Master, but cannot be marked; the Dungeon Master
shall have to make a mental note of their locations. This way the
heroes will not know where the traps are.
The initial
monster type is determined randomly by a hero player (draw cards,
roll dice, etc.). Once the initial monster type has been determined
the hero player will roll a die. The number rolled represents the
number of the determined monster type that will appear at the games
beginning.
Game Play: Heroes’ Turn
The heroes may go
in any order they chose during their turns. During a turn each hero
may do all of the following:
- Recover one mind point
- Roll a die for movement on the board
- Perform one of the following actions
- Attack a monster
- Explore an event location
- Search for and reconfigure a single trap
- Insult a monster
- Heal a hero
NOTE: After an
action is performed a hero may not move on the board (no attacking a
monster then running away).
NOTE: All actions
require the hero to be standing next to the target, not diagonally
(EXCEPTION: Wizards may perform all actions diagonally).
During movement
heroes (including wizards) may not move diagonally.
Attacking
monsters/heroes will be discussed later (See BATTLE).
If exploring an
event location, the Dungeon Master reveals whether the location has a
treasure or monster(s). If the former, give a treasure marker to the
hero. If the latter, randomly determine the monster type and how many
appear in the same fashion as determining the dungeon’s initial
monster. The Dungeon Master must place the monster(s) as close to the
event location as possible.
If searching for
traps, the Dungeon Master must reveal all traps in the eight spaces
around the searching hero’s location. If the hero wishes to
reconfigure a trap, the hero must use 2 mind points (give the hero
two mind markers) and roll a die. Any number less than or equal to
the hero’s total mind is successful, and the trap will now explode
only when monsters step on it. (EXCEPTION: a 6 is always
unsuccessful). If unsuccessful the trap explodes and causes three
damage to the hero (give the hero 3 wound markers.)
To insult a
monster the hero must use two mind points and roll a die. Any number
less than or equal to the subtraction of the monster’s mind from
the hero’s mind (Hm – Mm = X) is a success (EXCEPTION: a 1 is
always successful and a 6 is always unsuccessful). The effect of an
insult, successful or not, is determined by the Dungeon Master. This
is an ideal place for imagination. For example, the monster may get
one extra/less attack or defense die, run away, take no action, or
give automatic damage to hero. Tell a story for what happened and
why the monster reacted that way.
To heal a hero,
the healing hero must use one mind point for each wound the healing
hero is removing.
Once all heroes
have performed an action, their turn has ended.
Game Play: Dungeon Master’s
Turn
The Dungeon Master
may do all of the following:
- Move all monsters
- Attack with all monsters
Each monster’s
movement range is given. (NOTE: if a hero is standing next to a
reconfigured trap, monsters should step on said trap when approaching
to attack the hero. The trap will cause three damage to the monster.)
Attacking
monsters/heroes will be discussed later (See BATTLE).
Game Play: BATTLE
In battle, when an
attack is commencing on either hero or monster, the results are
determined by dice rolls. Three of the six numbers on the dice
represent a hit by the attacker (these numbers are meaningless if the
defender rolls them). Two of the remaining three numbers represent a
successful block of a hit by the defender, and the last number
represents a successful counter hit by the defender (these numbers
are meaningless if the attacker rolls them). Remember, the amount of
dice rolled is determined by the characters' attack/defense numbers.
NOTE: If the
defender is a hero, the defender may choose to insult the attacker
before battle begins. Previously stated insult rules apply.
Battle plays out
in the following fashion:
- Attacker rolls attack dice
- Defender rolls defense dice
- Both receive wounds for unblocked or counter hits
If a monster dies
in battle, the victorious hero receives a treasure. If a hero dies in
battle his treasure falls to the ground and is available for another
hero to pick up as an event location.
Game Play: Ending
Once all treasures
are found and monsters slain, the heroes must still exit the dungeon
for the game to be concluded. During this exodus the heroes are free
to viciously turn on each other so as to claim more loot for
themselves.
Now go have fun and once you get comfortable, trying adding additional elements. Huzzah!
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