Tiny Epic Dungeons — How to Play

Gamelyn Games, Devir, Dice Realm · Board game · 2021
1–4 · best 2 Solo 30–60 min Weight 3.1/5
8.6 rating Ludopedia
7.4 rating BGG

Step by step

Game Objective

In Tiny Epic Dungeons, players take on the role of heroes who must explore a dangerous dungeon, face enemies, and defeat the final Boss before the Torch goes out. The game is divided into two Acts: in Act 1, heroes explore the dungeon, face enemies, and disarm traps to find the Boss's Lair. In Act 2, they face the Boss in an epic battle. Victory occurs if the heroes defeat the Boss before the Torch goes out or the dungeon becomes unexplorable.

Setup

To set up the game, follow the steps below:

  1. Assemble the Dungeon Deck by separating the Entrance, Room, Encounter, and Lair Door cards. Shuffle each deck separately.
  2. Draw cards from the Room Deck according to the number of heroes: 9 cards for 2 heroes, 7 for 3 heroes, and 5 for 4 heroes (Deck A).
  3. Draw 1 card from the Encounter Deck and 3 cards from the Room Deck for each hero. Shuffle these cards without revealing them (Deck B).
  4. Draw 3 cards from the Room Deck and shuffle them with the Lair Door Card (Deck C).
  5. Stack the three decks in order: Deck C at the bottom, Deck B in the middle, and Deck A on top. Place the Dungeon Deck on the table.
  6. Place the Entrance Card face up in the center of the table and position 4 cards from the Dungeon Deck face down around it.
  7. Place the Torch Board on the table, with the Act 1 side facing up, and position the Torch Marker on the space corresponding to the number of heroes.
  8. Shuffle the Goblin and Minion cards, forming two separate decks, and place them near the Torch Board.
  9. Choose a Hero Board for each player and position the hero's miniature on the Entrance Card.
  10. Distribute the Health and Focus Tokens to each hero and leave the Hero and Enemy Dice within reach of the players.

Game Flow

The game is played in turns, following clockwise order. In each turn, the player can perform the following actions, in any order:

  • Move: The hero can move through the dungeon, revealing new rooms or exploring already revealed rooms.
  • Perform a Heroic Action: The hero can perform actions such as Rest, Search a Room, Disarm a Trap, or Cast a Spell.
  • Perform Free Actions: Actions that can be performed at any time during the turn, such as modifying dice or using special abilities.

At the end of each turn, the Torch Marker moves down one space on the track, and the effects of the space where it stopped are resolved. If the Torch reaches the final space on the track, the heroes lose the game.

Actions and How to Play

The actions available to heroes include:

  • Move: The hero can move through the dungeon, spending Speed to reveal new rooms or explore already revealed rooms.
  • Rest: The hero recovers Health and Focus.
  • Search a Room: The hero can perform skill tests to discover loot or spells.
  • Disarm a Trap: The hero can attempt to disarm a trap, avoiding its negative effects.
  • Cast a Spell: The hero can use spells to deal damage, heal, or grant special abilities.
  • Attack: The hero can attack enemies using Melee Attacks, Ranged Attacks, or Spell Attacks.

Consult the manual for details on each action.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when one of the following conditions is met:

  • The heroes defeat the Boss in Act 2.
  • The Torch reaches the final space on the track.
  • A fifth Goblin needs to be placed, but there are already 4 Goblins in the dungeon.
  • There are no more rooms to explore and the Lair Door Card has not been revealed.

The heroes only win if they defeat the Boss before any of the other defeat conditions occur.

Tips for Winning

Here are some tips to increase your chances of victory:

  • Torch Management: Pay attention to the Torch Marker and try to prevent it from reaching the end of the track. Use actions that make the Torch go up whenever possible.
  • Efficient Exploration: Reveal new rooms strategically to find the Boss's Lair as quickly as possible.
  • Coordinated Combat: Work as a team to defeat enemies and disarm traps, ensuring all heroes are prepared for the final confrontation.

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Rules manual

Official PDF file

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