# Dungeon Lords ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2009 - **BGG Rating**: 7.3 - **BGG Rank**: #437 - **Players**: 2-4 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 90 min - **Weight**: 3.57 / 5 - **Designers**: Vlaada Chvátil - **Artists**: David Cochard - **Publishers**: Czech Games Edition (CGE), Giochi Uniti, Heidelberger Spieleverlag, Hobby Japan, HomoLudicus, IELLO - **Categories**: Economic, Fantasy, Fighting, Humor - **Mechanics**: Action Queue, Hand Management, Simultaneous Action Selection, Tile Placement, Worker Placement ## Verdict If you enjoy a good strategic challenge and love the idea of being the villain, Dungeon Lords is a perfect choice for a game night with friends. Get ready to laugh and think hard!Super fun villain themeStrategic hand managementChallenging action planningFun hero interactionHigh quality component productionSteep initial learning curveCan be punishing for mistakesGame length can varyHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Ever wondered how tough it is to be a Dungeon Lord? Instead of being the invading hero, in Dungeon Lords, you take on the role of an evil master, tasked with building the most impressive and impenetrable dungeon imaginable. Forget the good-guy clichés; here, the fun is in hiring fearsome monsters, erecting treacherous rooms, and installing deadly traps to deter those meddling 'heroes' who dare to invade your precious underground complex. It's a hilarious and strategic twist on the classic fantasy concept! Each round, representing a 'season' of the year, players use cards to allocate their workers to different action spaces. You can mine gold, recruit terrifying creatures, buy traps, or expand your dungeon. The trick is that each action space has multiple spots with varied effects, and you need to manage your hand of cards wisely, as some will become unavailable next turn. The game is divided into two 'years,' each with four seasons. Each season, players receive information about the heroes and events to come in the following one, allowing for crucial strategic planning. At the end of each season (starting from the second), heroes are distributed to players based on their accumulated 'evil' level. These heroes have different powers, and you need to be prepared for the confrontation. The climax of each year is the final battle, where the heroes invade your dungeon. Final scoring is determined by the quality of your dungeon, the monsters you've hired, and, of course, how many heroes you've managed to capture or defeat. Get ready to see the dungeon world from a completely new and deliciously evil perspective! ## How to Play Game Objective In Dungeon Lords, players take on the role of dungeon masters competing to build the most effective and sinister dungeon. The goal is to capture Adventurers and manage your resources to earn the most points. The player with the most points at the end of the game is declared the Underlord. Setup Combat Cards: Deal 5 random 1st year Combat cards to the Central board and 5 2nd year cards to Distant Lands (with 2 Event cards on top and 2 beneath). Events: Place shuffled Events face-down. Evilometer: Put Evil counters on the start space. In a 2P game, add 1 non-player counter. Orders: Choose 2 of 3 random Orders as initially inaccessible. Choose 1 of 2 Dungeon Setup cards. In 2P/3P games, deal non-player(s) 3 random inaccessible orders. Starting Resources: Each player takes 3 Food, Imps, Gold, and Tunnels. Set up the dungeon and take the indicated imps, food, and gold. Items: Each player takes item tokens in their color. Game Flow The game progresses through a series of rounds divided into the following phases: New Round Phase: Draw 3 new Monsters and 2 Rooms. Discard any from the previous round. Except for the first round, replace one location with a Unique Opportunity. Except for the last round, draw Adventurer tiles (4 for 4P, 3 for 2P/3P), order them by power, reveal the Event tile and Unique Opportunity for the next round. Pet Phase (Round 1 Only): Draw 2 Pet cards, pass 1 unused pet to the left, and discard 1 unused pet, keeping the remaining face down. Orders Phase: Players choose and reveal Orders to place Minions and perform actions (detailed in the next section). Festival Phase (Round 5 Only): Set out Unique Opportunity boards. Players bid imps to determine order. Use the Unique Opportunity and get the pictured item. Players may also buy Rooms or Monsters from the discard pile for 1 gold (plus hiring cost for monsters). Production and Orders Retrieval Phase: Use Production Rooms with unused Imps or Troll tokens. Retrieve inaccessible Orders (take back the first played or one with a Minion; move others to Inaccessible Order spaces). Event Phase: Pay Day (pay for Monsters or gain 1 evil), Taxes (pay 1 gold per 2 dungeon tiles, ignoring rented rooms; gain a Red mark for unpaid gold), and resolve the Special Event card. Adventurers Phase: Reveal Items and assign them to matching Adventurers. Assign Adventurers to the Evilometer (least powerful goes to the lowest). End of the Round: Return all Imps to the Den and pass the Starting Player token to the left. Item Phase (Last Round Only): Give 1 Item to each player (and the opponent's non-player board in 2P). Reveal Items and return empty ones to the owner (except in 2P/3P). Actions and How to Play Orders Phase Actions Players place Minions on Order cards to perform the following actions: Dig Tunnels: Create a new Tunnel adjacent to a previous Tunnel or Room. You cannot fill 2x2 blocks. One digger per tunnel. Gain treasures on the square. Hard rock requires the first imp to remove the rock; two imps can also dig the tunnel. Mine Gold: Each Imp can mine 1 gold per unconquered Tunnel (one miner per tunnel). Hire Monsters: Pay the cost and expertise cost to hire Monsters. Build Rooms: Replace unconquered Tunnels or place a rented room beside the Player Board. Two Rooms cannot be adjacent. Improve Tunnels: Choose to de-conquer a room, de-conquer a tunnel, or replace an unconquered tunnel with an improved tunnel. Install Trap: Choose 1 of 3 face-up traps and mark an unconquered tile. Pay the cost (+1 gold if in a room). Other Actions: Food, Improve Reputation [Masquerade], Hire Imps [Acquire Pet], Buy Traps, and Invest Gold. Combat Combat occurs when Adventurers enter the dungeon. It follows these steps: Planning Phase: Mark the unconquered tile closest to the entrance or rented room with a Minion. Place Traps and Monsters (limits vary by Tunnel or Room). Ghosts can be played in any number. Reveal Combat Card Phase: Reveal the Combat card. Battle Phase: Bard Step: Bards assign tokens to reduce damage. Traps Step: Reveal effects. Thieves reduce damage. Fast Spell: Triggered if on the Combat card and magic points are available. Monsters: Monsters attack and are then knocked out for the rest of the year. Slow Spell: Triggered if on the Combat card and magic points are available. Healing: Reduce damage if a Monster or Ghost attacked. Conquering: Party takes damage from the Combat card. If at least one Adventurer remains, they conquer the tile (flip it) and move down on the Evilometer. End of Game and Scoring The game ends after the specified rounds (e.g., 4 or 5 rounds depending on player count). Points are calculated as follows: Pets: +1 per unused pet. Dungeon Aspects: +2 per unconquered room (not rented). +1 per monster (0 per ghost). +2 per Adventurer in prison. +5 per Human Paladin, +4 per Elf Paladin, +6 per Dwarf Paladin. +1 per magic item in prison. -2 per conquered tile (rented room counts). -3 per red mark. Bonus Rooms: Points based on specific room types (e.g., 1 point per Troll/Goblin/Slime/Witch in specific rooms). Titles: +3 per exclusive title, +2 per shared title (2P: +2 exclusive, +1 shared). Titles include Dark Deeds (highest on Evilometer), Halls, Tunnellord, Monsterlord, Imps, Riches, and Battlelord. Hall of Fame: Points if owned. Dead Letter Office: If the total score is positive, +2 per Item in the Dead Letter Office. The player with the most points wins and is declared the Underlord. All players with positive scores earn a Dungeon Lord License. Tips for Winning Manage your Imps: Use Production Rooms to generate resources or recover Imps from rooms to cause extra damage during the Battle Phase. Strategic Trapping: Use installed traps in conjunction with regular traps to maximize damage, but remember that Thieves can reduce this damage. Paladin Management: Be aware that the Paladin moves toward the most evil player; eliminating a Paladin makes you ignored by other Paladins. ## FAQ ### How many players is Dungeon Lords for, and how long does a game last? Dungeon Lords is ideal for 2 to 4 players, and a game typically takes between 90 and 90 minutes. It's a good amount of time for a strategic experience without being exhausting. ### What is the complexity level of the game? The game is considered medium-heavy (3.57/5 on BGG). It has an initial learning curve but greatly rewards those who dedicate themselves to understanding its planning and management mechanics. ### What are the main mechanics of Dungeon Lords? The core mechanics include Worker Placement, Hand Management, Simultaneous Action Selection, Action Queue, and Tile Placement. It's a full plate for those who enjoy combining strategies! ### Is the game punishing for those who make mistakes? Yes, Dungeon Lords can be quite punishing. Poor planning or a wrong decision can have significant consequences, especially when heroes invade your dungeon. But that's part of the charm and challenge! ### Is Dungeon Lords good for newcomers to the hobby? For absolute beginners, it might be a bit challenging due to its complexity. However, for those who already have some board game experience and are looking for a deeper challenge, it's an excellent option. ### What is the overall gaming experience like? The experience is strategic and thematic, with plenty of dark humor. You'll feel like a true Dungeon Lord, planning every step to trick and defeat meddling heroes. 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