Objective of the Game

Welcome, future overlords of adorable (and often monstrous) creatures! In Dungeon Petz, you're not just any dungeon master; you're a proud owner of a pet shop catering to the discerning (and often evil) clientele of the underworld. Your goal? To become the most renowned pet shop owner by accumulating the most Victory Points (VP)!

You'll achieve this by raising, caring for, and ultimately selling your unique Petz to various customers, participating in prestigious exhibitions, and managing your resources like a true professional. The game is played over 6 or 7 rounds, each filled with exciting (and sometimes messy) phases. So, get ready to dive into the delightful chaos of pet ownership!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's get your dungeon pet shop ready for business! Here’s how to set up your game:

1. Place the main Game Boards on the table, adjusting for your player count.
2. Take the 6 Facilities tiles and place them face-down below the Dark Alleys Board.
3. Place the Extension on the Progress Board. The game will be 6 rounds for 4 players, and 7 rounds for 2-3 players.
4. Put the Progress Marker on Round 1 of the Progress Board.
5. Randomly assign the First Player Token.
6. For 3-player games: Take 4 Imps of a non-player color and place 1 on each dotted Action Space.
7. For 2-player games: Take 8 Imps of a non-player color and place 1 on each dotted Action Space, and 1 on each space 3 away from these. These are your Neutral Imps.
8. Place the Potion cards on the Hospital space.
9. Place the Gold Tokens on the Bank space.
10. Place the Veggie Tokens on the Veggie storage area.
11. Place the Meat Tokens on the Meat storage area.
12. Shuffle and create face-down draw piles for Petz, Cages, Addons, Artifacts, Facilities, Accessories, and the 4 different colors of Need cards.
13. Deal out the initial market:
    • 3 Cages
    • 2 Addons
    • 2 Artifacts
    • 3 Accessories
    • 1 size-3 Pet in the top row
    • 3 size-2 Petz in the bottom row (or 2 if blocked by a Neutral Imp)
14. Deal Exhibition and Customer Tiles face-down onto the Progress Board.
15. Set up the Black Market (face-up) with 1 Gold next to each item:
    • 1 Exhibition tile
    • 1 Cage
    • 1 Addon
    • 1 Artifact
    • 2 Accessories
    • 1 size-2 Pet
    • The Black Imp
16. Each player chooses a color and takes:
    • 1 Burrow
    • 12 Imps (place 5 on the Progress Board and the rest in your Burrow)
    • 2 Minions (place 1 on the VP Track and 1 on the Exhibition Track)
    • 1 Achievement Tile
    • 1 Display Board
    • 3 Gold
    • 1 Manure (placed in your starting Cage)
    • 1 Need Card in each color
    • 1 Permission Tile (placed on the entrance to the Facility)

The Turn of Play

Each round of Dungeon Petz is a bustling day at the shop, divided into 6 distinct phases:

Phase 1: Setup

Time to prepare for the day's demands!

1. Reveal the next unrevealed Exhibition and/or Customer Tile(s).
2. Reveal the next Facility Tile to the right of the previous one, unless blocked by a Neutral Imp.
3. Remove any remaining Food Tokens from the Game Board and restock according to this round’s Exhibition Tile. Skip spaces blocked by Neutral Imps. If a Neutral Imp is on a red (or green) dummy spot, put 1 less Meat (or Veggie) on the Mixed Food tent.
4. Gain your income:
   • 4 Players: 1st and 2nd player get 1 Gold; 3rd and 4th player get 2 Gold.
   • 2/3 Players: 1st player gets 1 Gold; other player(s) get 2 Gold.
5. From Round 2 onwards:
   • Move Neutral Imps 1 space according to the arrows.
   • Discard any Cage from the top row. Move the lowest remaining Cage into the top-most space and deal 2 new Cages.
   • Discard any Addon from the top row. Move the lowest remaining Addon into the top-most space and deal 1 new Addon.
   • Remove any top row Petz. Add 1 Meat to the Meat Stand for each removed Pet (unless it's a Stareplant (+1 Veggie), Baby Golem (+1 Gold), or Ghosty (nothing)).
   • Move bottom row Petz to the top row and age them to size-3.
   • Deal 3 new size-2 Petz to the bottom row, or 2 if blocked by a Neutral Imp.
   • Discard any Artifacts and deal 2 new Artifacts if not blocked by a Neutral Imp.
   • Discard any Accessory from the top row and move the 2 lowest remaining Accessories into the top-most spaces and deal 1 new Accessory unless blocked.

Phase 2: Shopping

Time to send your Imps out to get what you need!

1. Each player secretly divides their Imps and Gold into 1-6 Groups behind their screens.
2. Each Group must have at least 1 Imp. Gold can be used to increase the size of a Group by 1.
3. Order your Groups from biggest to smallest, left to right.
4. All players reveal their Groups simultaneously.
5. Send your Groups in order of size to any unoccupied Action Space.
6. If multiple Groups are identical in size, send them in clockwise turn order.
7. If players have identical sized Groups, they may choose which to send first.
8. You may choose to forfeit and not send a Group.
9. Any Gold sent with a Group is discarded.

Phase 3: Need Cards

Your Petz have needs, and it's time to address them!

1. Install any newly acquired Cages and Addons. Once placed, they cannot be moved.
2. Assign Petz to your Cages. Suffering and Mutations move with the Pet, while Manure remains in the plot. Petz without a Cage are LOST. You may also choose to LOSE a Pet.
3. Assign any Accessories to your Petz. Draw 1 corresponding Need card for each.
4. Draw 1 corresponding Need card for each revealed color bar on your Petz.
5. Each Pet must be assigned 1 corresponding face-down Need card for each revealed color bar and Accessory. Potions can be used as a wild Need card.

Phase 4: Showing Off

This is where your pet care skills are put to the test!

Evaluate Needs:

• Decide the effect of the Experimental Cage if it is in play.
• You may use 1 Gold to reassign the effect of the Jukebox if it is in play.
• In turn order, evaluate each assigned Need card in the following order:
  1. HUNGER: Discard 1 appropriate Food Token or the Pet gains 1 Suffering.
  2. POOP: Add 1 Manure to the Cage.
  3. PLAY: Place 1 available Imp next to the Cage or the Pet gains 1 Suffering. (1 Imp can Play with 2 neighboring Petz).
  4. ANGER: Lie 1 Imp down in the Hospital for each excess Anger or the Pet is LOST.
  5. MAGIC: Attach 1 Mutation to the Pet for each excess Magic. The Pet is LOST if it gains 2 Mutations.
  6. DISEASE: If the sum of Disease cards and Manure is greater than 2, the Pet gains 1 Suffering + 1 additional Suffering for each point by which it exceeded 2.
  7. POTIONS: Discard 1 card of the color the Potion replaces.

If the number of Suffering is greater than the Pet’s size, it is LOST.

LOST PETZ: If you lose a Pet, lose 1 VP for every 10 VP you have.

Track your score in the Exhibition on the Exhibition Track. You must have an Exhibition score above zero to score VP. If tied, score the indicated VP, -1 VP for each other player tied with you.

Phase 5: Business

Time to make some deals and clean up!

1. You may sell 1 size-4 or above Pet to each available Customer. Score 2x the Customer score. Once per Round, you may return 1 of your Imps from the Platform to score 3x the Customer score. Gain the value of the Pet in Gold, +1 Gold for each Accessory (sold with the Pet). You must pay 2 Gold if the Pet has a Mutation; if you can’t pay, you can’t sell.
2. Discard assigned Need cards, and discard Potions back to the Hospital. If you have extra cards from the Fortune Teller, discard 1 Need card of each color.
3. You may use 1 Facility you have access to.
4. You may use "available" Imps (unused Imps on your Burrow) in either of the following 2 ways:
   • Clean: Use 1 available Imp to remove 2 Manure from empty Cages.
   • Odd Jobs: Use 1 available Imp to gain 1 Gold.

Phase 6: Aging

The passage of time affects your Petz and resources!

1. Age each of your Petz according to the number of arrows indicated.
2. Age Food. Discard all Food Tokens that moved into the right-most Storage Chamber.
3. Return all standing Imps home to your Burrow. Lying down Imps in the Hospital remain there. Imps on the Platform stay and move to the right-hand side. The Bodyguard always returns.
4. Reset the Exhibition Track.
5. Move the Progress Marker to the next Round.
6. Pass the First Player Token according to the following rules:
   • Pass the Token clockwise 1 player for each arrow.
   • Pass the Token to the player with the lowest VP. Break ties by the closest player to the left of the Token’s current owner.

End of Game and Scoring

The game concludes with two separate final Exhibitions. After these final Exhibitions, the player(s) with the most VP wins the game!

Here's how final VP is calculated:

• ½ VP per Gold
• 1 VP per Bodyguard, remaining Food Tokens, Potions, Artifacts.
• 2 VP per remaining Canned Food or Lollipop.
• -2 VP per Imp that is not on your Home Board.
• 2 VP per remaining Pet.
• 1 VP per Accessory, Addon, Cage (includes pre-printed Cage).
• -1 VP per Suffering, Manure, Mutation.

Tips for Winning

Becoming a top-tier dungeon pet owner requires strategy and foresight. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Manage Your Imps Wisely: Your Imps are your workforce! In Phase 2: Shopping, the size of your Imp Groups determines turn order for action spaces. Sometimes, a smaller group for a less contested action is better than a large group that gets blocked. Remember that Gold can increase your Group size, making it a valuable resource for securing key actions.
2. Prioritize Pet Needs: Happy Petz mean more VP and easier sales. In Phase 4: Showing Off, carefully evaluate your Petz' Needs. Losing a Pet due to excessive Suffering or Mutations can be costly, not just in lost VP but also in the resources you invested. Consider using Potions as wild Need cards to mitigate critical issues.
3. Strategic Acquisitions: The market is constantly changing! Pay attention to the available Petz, Cages, and Addons. Some Petz have unique abilities or scoring conditions (like Skelly's Potion or Wreckie's destructive tendencies). Acquiring Artifacts can also provide powerful ongoing benefits, so keep an eye on what's available in the market and the Black Market.