How to Play Dark Tales: Little Red Riding Hood

Game Objective

In Dark Tales: Little Red Riding Hood, players follow the journey of Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH) through the forest. The goal is to accumulate the highest number of Victory Points (VP) by the end of the game. You must manage your cards and resources, such as Baskets, to score points and interact with the iconic characters of this fable, while trying to avoid the traps of the Bad Wolf.

Setup

1. Randomly choose one of the Setting cards from the Little Red Riding Hood expansion and discard the other.
2. Add this card to the two Setting cards (A and B) chosen for the game. You will play with a total of 3 Setting cards. The LRRH Setting card dictates how Baskets can be used at the end of the game.
3. Shuffle the game cards from this expansion with those from the base game. Tip: if you want a shorter game, randomly remove 10 cards from the base game before shuffling.
4. Place the Baskets in the center of the table, face up.
5. Add the Victory Point tokens to those from the base game.
6. LRRH starts the game in play, positioned next to the Night card.
7. Deal 4 cards to each player (instead of the usual 3).

Game Flow

The game follows the normal structure of Dark Tales. Players take their turns sequentially. During your turn, you play cards from your hand to perform actions. Some cards have effects that occur at the end of your turn. LRRH moves between players as Villain actions are resolved, granting bonuses to whoever has her in front of them.

Actions and How to Play

When playing a card, you resolve its effect. If LRRH is in front of you, you receive additional bonuses depending on the type of card played:

• Male or Female: Draw 1 card.
• Place: Score 1 VP.
• Event: Take 1 Basket from the supply.
• Villain: Resolve the villain's effect, pass LRRH to the player on your left, and you may play 1 additional card this turn.

Special Cards:

• Bad Wolf: Can "eat" up to 2 Female type cards in play, placing them under it. You score 2 VP for each Female eaten. At the end of your turn, score 1 VP if LRRH is in its belly and 1 VP for each Grandma inside it.
• Disguised Wolf: Choose a card in play or in your hand; until the end of the turn, it counts as a second card type of your choice. You may play an additional card after using this one.
• Grandma: At the end of your turn, score 1 VP for each player who has at least 1 Basket.
• Mommy: Draw 1 card and take 1 Basket from the supply.

Note: LRRH never goes to the discard pile or a player's hand. If an effect sends her there, she goes to the center of the table or in front of the player, respectively.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends according to the base game rules. The final score is composed of the Victory Point tokens accumulated during the game. Additionally, consult the LRRH Setting card to check how Baskets are converted into points at the end of the game:

• Each pair of Baskets you possess counts as 2 Gold Coins.
• Having only 1 Basket does not count as 1 Gold Coin.
• You may discard 2 Baskets to take an Item of your choice from the supply.

Tips for Winning

• Basket Management: Always try to keep your Baskets in pairs, as only pairs count as Gold Coins at the end of the game.
• LRRH Control: Try to keep LRRH in front of you for as long as possible, as the extra bonuses when playing cards (such as drawing cards or scoring VP with Places) are fundamental to accelerating your score.
• Strategy with the Bad Wolf: Use the Bad Wolf to remove opponents' cards (Females) and, simultaneously, secure extra points if you manage to put LRRH or Grandmas in its belly.