How to Play Tyrants of the Underdark: Board Game

Game Objective

In Tyrants of Umbreterna, you take on the role of a drow house leader, competing to dominate the underground regions of Umbreterna. Your goal is to accumulate Victory Points (VP) through:

• Recruiting powerful minions for your deck
• Assassinating enemy troops
• Controlling strategic regions on the Game Board

The player with the most VP at the end of the game wins.

Setup

1. Assemble the Game Board based on player count:
   • 2 players: Use only the central section
   • 3 players: Central section + 1 outer section
   • 4 players: All 3 sections
2. Choose 2 faction decks (40 cards each), shuffle them to form the market deck
3. Place the Priestesses of Lolth and House Guards cards face-up in the market
4. Draw 6 cards from the top of the market deck to the Market Cards slots
5. Place white troops on all spaces marked with "X"
6. Each player receives:
   • A drow house board and pieces in their chosen color
   • 7 Noble cards + 3 Soldier cards to form their starting deck
   • 5 starting cards in hand

Game Flow

Each turn follows this sequence:

1. Action Phase: Play cards and spend resources to:
   • Assassinate troops
   • Position troops
   • Recruit cards
   • Return enemy spies
2. End Phase:
   • Promote cards if needed
   • Gain VP from control markers
   • Discard all used and hand cards
   • Draw 5 new cards

The game continues in clockwise rounds until an end-game condition is triggered.

Actions and How to Play

Basic Actions (spending resources)

• Assassinate troop (ⓕⓕⓕ): Remove an enemy troop where you have Presence
• Position troop (ⓕ): Place a troop in an empty space where you have Presence
• Recruit card (⚡): Buy cards from the market by paying their cost in Influence
• Return spy (ⓕⓕⓕ): Send an enemy spy back to its owner

Special Actions (via cards)

• Usurp: Assassinate a troop and place yours in the same space
• Infiltrate spy: Place a spy in any region (no Presence required)
• Promote: Move cards to your inner circle (worth VP at game end)

Refer to the manual for details on special abilities like Focus and arrow costs (►).

End Game and Scoring

The game ends when:

• A player places their last troop OR
• The market deck runs out

The match continues until the current round ends. Calculate final VP by adding:

• VP value of controlled regions (+2 VP for Total Control)
• 1 VP per troop in the Trophy Hall
• VP value of cards in deck, hand, and discard (deck icon)
• VP value of cards in the inner circle
• VP markers collected during the game

Winning Tips

1. Prioritize Total Control: Regions with control markers grant extra VP during and at game end
2. Balance your deck: Remove weak cards (like Soldiers) to increase play efficiency
3. Use spies strategically: They allow actions in distant regions without needing troops