Objective of the Game

Welcome, brave heroes, to the terrifying world of *Horrified*! In this thrilling cooperative game, you and your fellow players are humanity's last hope against the most iconic Universal Monsters. Your ultimate goal? To **defeat all the Monsters** you're playing against! You win or lose as a team, so teamwork is key. But it's not as simple as just charging in. Each Monster has a unique **task** that must be completed *before* you can even think about defeating them. For example:

• **Creature from the Black Lagoon**: You'll need to find its hidden lair, then drive it away.
• **Dracula**: Smash his four coffins scattered around the village, then overcome him.
• **Frankenstein and the Bride**: Teach these misunderstood creatures what it means to be human so they can live peacefully.
• **The Invisible Man**: Gather evidence for the police, then trap him.
• **The Mummy**: Break his ancient curse, then return him to his tomb.
• **The Wolf Man**: Discover the cure for lycanthropy, then administer it to him.

Fail to defeat all the Monsters, and the village is doomed! You'll lose immediately if:

• The **Terror Level** reaches its maximum (indicated by the skull on the track). This happens when too many Heroes or Villagers are defeated.
• You run **Out Of Time**. If the **Monster deck** runs out and you need to draw a card, the Monsters have simply taken too long to defeat.

So, gather your courage, strategize with your friends, and save the village from a horrific fate!

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, let's get this spooky show on the road! Here’s how to set up your game of *Horrified*:

Monster Setup

1. **Unfold the Game Board**: Lay out the **game board** and take a moment to look at the various **locations** (spaces with names). You'll be referencing these a lot!
2. **Terror Marker**: Place the **Terror Marker** on the "0" space of the **Terror Level Track** in the top-left corner of the board.
3. **Villagers & Dice**: Place the 10 **Villager movers** and the 3 **dice** next to the board.
4. **Monster Deck**: Shuffle the **Monster cards** and place them face down in a deck next to the board.
5. **Choose Your Monsters**: Decide which Monsters you'll be playing against. For your **first game**, it's recommended to play against the **Creature from the Black Lagoon** and **Dracula**. For a **Novice game**, any two Monsters work. You can increase the difficulty by adding more Monsters (Standard: 3, Challenging: 4).
6. **Monster Mats**: Take the **Monster mat** for each chosen Monster. Arrange these mats in a row next to the board, from lowest to highest **Frenzy Order** (found in the upper left of each mat).
7. **Monster-Specific Setup**: Complete the specific setup for each Monster you're playing against. You'll find these instructions on the back of any unused Monster mat. Once done, return all unused Monster mats, figures, and tokens to the box.
8. **Frenzy Marker**: Place the **Frenzy Marker** on the Monster mat with the lowest **Frenzy Order**. This Monster is currently "Frenzied" and will be extra aggressive!

Player Setup

1. **Hero Selection**: Mix up the **Hero Badges** face down and give one at random to each player. Each player then takes their corresponding **Hero mover** and a **Reference card**. Return any unused Badges, Heroes, and Reference cards to the box.
2. **Starting Location**: Each player places their **Hero mover** at the starting location indicated on their **Hero Badge**.
3. **Perk Cards**: Shuffle the **Perk cards** and deal one face up to each player. Place the remaining Perk cards face down in a deck next to the board.
4. **Item Bag**: Place all 60 **Item tokens** into the **Item bag** and mix them up thoroughly. Draw 12 Items from the bag and place each one at the location indicated on the Item token itself. Place the Item bag next to the board.

You're all set! Get ready to face the horrors!

The Turn of Play

A game of *Horrified* unfolds in turns, with each turn having two distinct phases: the **Hero Phase** and the **Monster Phase**.

Hero Phase

This is your time to shine, heroes! During your turn, you can take up to the number of **actions** indicated on your **Hero Badge**. You can choose to take fewer actions, and you can take actions multiple times and in any order. Here are the actions you can take:

• MOVE: Move your Hero along a lit path to an adjacent space. You can't move to water spaces unless you're the Creature (but you're a Hero, so no swimming for you!). You can also take any number of **Villagers** in your current space with you. Monsters don't block your movement, but beware ending your turn in their space!
• GUIDE: Move one **Villager** from your Hero’s space to an adjacent space, or bring one **Villager** from an adjacent space into your Hero’s space. Villagers also can't go into water spaces.
• PICK UP: Take any number of **Items** from your Hero’s space. Keep your Items in front of you, next to your Badge. (Strategy Tip: It's a good idea to pick up Items on your first turn!)
• SHARE: If other Heroes are in your space, you can freely give or take any number of **Items** from each other. No need for one-to-one trades, and you don't even have to be involved as long as the sharing Heroes are in your space.
• ADVANCE: Use **Items** at a specific location to progress a Monster’s task. Each Monster's mat will show you what Items are needed and where. Remember, you *must* complete a Monster's task before you can defeat them!
• DEFEAT: If you're in a Monster’s space and their task is complete, you can use **Items** to defeat that Monster. Again, check their mat for specifics.
• SPECIAL ACTION: Your **Hero Badge** might have a unique special action. This counts as one of your actions for the turn.

Perk Cards

Any player can play any number of **Perk cards** during *any* Hero Phase (not just their own!). Playing a Perk card does not cost an action. These cards offer powerful one-time effects like:

• **Brandish Crucifix**: Place Dracula in any space OR move any Monster 3 spaces.
• **Break of Dawn**: Skip the next Monster Phase and draw/place 2 Items.
• **Rush**: Move a Hero up to 4 spaces.
• **Conduct an Investigation**: Choose a space with a Hero, then you may place each Hero in that space.

It's smart to discuss your Perk cards with your teammates!

Villagers

**Villagers** are vulnerable, but helpful! Each Villager has a **safe location** they're trying to reach. If you use **MOVE** or **GUIDE** actions to get a Villager to their safe location, the current player removes them from the board and draws a **Perk card**.

Monster Phase

After the current player completes their Hero Phase, it's the Monsters' turn to cause chaos! Draw one **Monster card** from the top of the **Monster deck** and resolve its three parts from top to bottom:

1. ITEMS: Draw the number of **Items** listed at the top of the card from the **Item bag**. Place each Item at its indicated location on the board. If the bag is empty, shuffle the discard pile into the bag and keep drawing.
2. EVENT: Resolve the **Event** on the card. The card's color and symbol tell you which Monster or the Villagers the Event is about. If the Monster isn't in your game, ignore the Event. Otherwise, read it aloud and do what it says. Events can be anything from "Hypnotic Gaze" (move a Hero/Villager toward Dracula) to "The Innocent" (place Maria the Villager at the Barn).
3. MONSTER STRIKE: Monsters move and attack! Resolve the symbols at the bottom of the card from left to right.
   • Movement: Move the indicated Monster the number of spaces shown toward the **closest person** (Hero or Villager). They stop as soon as they reach a person.
   • Attack: If the Monster is in a space with a person, they attack by rolling the indicated number of **attack dice**. If there are multiple people, the Monster attacks a Hero over a Villager; if still tied, the current player chooses.
     • **Hit Symbol**: If a **Hit symbol** is rolled, the person is hit. Heroes can discard one **Item** for each Hit symbol to ignore it. If they can't or won't, they are defeated. Villagers are defeated immediately. When a Hero or Villager is defeated, increase the **Terror Level** by one. Defeated Heroes return to the Hospital at the start of their next turn.
     • **Power Symbol**: If a **Power symbol** is rolled, the Monster's unique **Power** is activated (e.g., Dracula's "Dark Charm" places the current player's Hero in his space, the Creature's "Rock the Boat" moves the Boat backward).
   • Frenzied Monster: If the **Frenzy symbol** is shown, the Monster with the **Frenzy Marker** moves and attacks. This means a Monster could potentially move and attack twice in one turn!

After resolving both phases, play proceeds clockwise to the next player's Hero Phase. The player who most recently ate garlic takes the first turn!

Game End

The game of *Horrified* can end in one of three ways:

Heroes Triumph!

If you manage to **defeat all the Monsters** you are playing against, the game immediately ends, and you and your fellow players have won! You've saved the village from its horrifying fate!

Terror!

If the **Terror Level** reaches its maximum (the skull symbol on the track), the game immediately ends, and the players have lost. The villagers, and even the heroes, are too horrified to continue, abandoning the village to the Monsters.

Out Of Time

If you need to draw a **Monster card** but the **Monster deck** is empty, the game immediately ends, and the players have lost. You've taken too long to save the village, and the Villagers have fled. Note: The game only ends if you *need* to draw a card and none remain. If you resolve the last Monster card, you get one final Hero Phase to try and defeat any remaining Monsters!

Tips for Winning

Ready to send these Monsters packing? Here are a few pointers to get you started:

1. Prioritize Item Collection Early: You'll notice that almost every action, from advancing tasks to defeating Monsters, requires **Items**. On your first few turns, focus on using your **PICK UP** action to gather a good supply of various colored Items. This gives you options for tasks, and more importantly, allows you to defend yourself from Monster attacks by discarding them!
2. Coordinate Monster Tasks and Defeats: Remember, you *must* complete a Monster's task before you can defeat them. Discuss with your team which Monster's task you'll tackle first, and who is best positioned to gather the necessary **Items** and be at the correct **location**. For example, Dracula requires smashing coffins at specific locations, while the Creature needs you to advance the Boat at the Camp. Don't waste actions on defeating a Monster if their task isn't done!
3. Utilize Villagers and Perk Cards Wisely: **Villagers** are not just helpless bystanders; getting them to their **safe locations** rewards you with valuable **Perk cards**. These cards can be game-changers, offering extra movement, skipping Monster Phases, or even relocating Monsters. Don't hoard your Perk cards! Discuss with your team when the best moment is to play them, as they can be played during *any* Hero Phase, not just your own. A well-timed Perk can save a Hero, move a Monster out of the way, or give you the crucial extra actions needed to complete a task.

Good luck, heroes! The village is counting on you!