How to Play Roll Player: Monsters & Minions

Objective of the Game

In Roll Player: Monsters & Minions, players compete to build the ultimate fantasy hero while gathering intel about a looming Monster terrorizing the kingdom. During the Character Creation phase, draft dice, buy Market cards, and hunt Minions to earn rewards. In the final Monster Combat, use gathered intel to maximize damage and earn Reputation Stars. The player with the most Reputation Stars wins, becoming the kingdom’s heir!

Preparation (Setup)

Basic Setup

1. Dice and Dice Bag: Add the 11 Boost Dice and 7 Attribute Dice to the base game dice. Set aside the 25 Combat Dice.
2. Starting Gold: In a 5-player game, all players start with 5 Gold (no extra Gold for 3rd/4th players).
3. Character Sheets and Class Cards: Choose from all available sheets. Draw dice for Class color—redraw if a Boost Die or gold die is drawn. Each Class color has 4 options (no duplicates).
4. Market Deck: Shuffle single-dot and double-dot Market cards separately, then discard cards based on player count:
   • 2 players: Discard 18 from each pile (36 total).
   • 3 players: Discard 14 from each (28 total).
   • 4 players: Discard 12 from each (24 total).
   • 5 players: Discard 7 from each (14 total).
   Stack single-dot cards atop double-dot to form the deck.
5. Initiative Cards: Replace base game cards with expansion versions. For 5 players, use "4," "5," and "6" cards, placing 1 Gold on "2," "3," "4," and "5."

Monster Setup

1. Choose a Monster card (from "2P+" set) that doesn’t match any player’s Class color.
2. Select 1 random Location, Obstacle, and Attack Adventure card for the Monster; place face down.
3. Shuffle single-dot and double-dot Minion cards separately, stack them, and discard the top 7 cards. Reveal the top card of the deck.

Flow of the Game

Each round follows this sequence:

1. Roll Phase: Start Player draws and rolls dice, placing them on Initiative cards.
2. Dice Phase: Players choose Initiative cards in turn order, place dice on Character Sheets, and take optional Attribute Actions.
3. Market Phase: In Initiative order, players either:
   • Buy a Market card (immediately using Scrolls/Skills),
   • Discard a card for 2 Gold, or
   • Go on a Hunt (battle a Minion).
4. Cleanup Phase: Refresh Skill cards, discard unused Market cards, replenish the Market (number of players + 2 cards), and pass the Start Player token left.

Actions and How to Play

Going on a Hunt

During the Market Phase, a player may:

1. Pay 3 Gold to cycle the top Minion card (repeatable).
2. Take 1 Combat Die + bonuses from Minion weaknesses.
3. Hire mercenaries (Combat Dice) for 3 XP or 5 Gold each (no limit).
4. Roll Combat Dice, spending 1 XP per reroll (unlimited).
5. Earn rewards (XP, Gold, Honor/Injury tokens) based on the roll. If the Minion is killed (trophy symbol), take it as a Trophy and:
   • 1st Trophy: Peek at Location card + take Location token.
   • 2nd Trophy: Peek at Obstacle card + take Obstacle token.
   • 3rd Trophy: Peek at Attack card + take Attack token.

Spending XP

• 1 XP: Reroll a Combat Die (Hunt or Monster Combat).
• 2 XP: Discard an Injury token.
• 3 XP: Hire a mercenary.
• 5 XP: Take any Attribute Action.

End of Game and Scoring

Monster Combat

1. Reveal Adventure cards in order (Location → Obstacle → Attack). Players with matching tokens gain bonuses.
2. Roll Combat Dice (including mercenaries). Apply Monster’s ability, spend XP for rerolls, and adjust for Honor/Injury tokens.
3. Compare final roll to Monster’s Strength:
   • Fail: 0 Reputation Stars.
   • Succeed: Earn Reputation Stars based on roll excess (see Monster card).

Final Scoring

Score Reputation Stars for:

• Attribute Goals, Class color dice, Alignment, Backstory, Armor, and Trait cards.
• Tiebreaker: Most Gold → fewest Class color dice.

Tips to Win

• Prioritize Hunts: Early Trophies reveal Adventure cards, boosting Monster Combat bonuses.
• Balance XP Spending: Save XP for rerolls in Monster Combat, but use it early to remove Injury tokens.
• Watch the Monster’s Ability: Some Monsters penalize rerolls or Injury tokens more harshly.