RULES & QUESTS

I N P R O G R E S S
WO R K
MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

 CHAPTERS 
Inserts are in italic.
GAME COMPONENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
STORY: THE LIGHTBRINGERS’ LEGACY . . . . . . . . . 5
Why So Dark? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
GAME OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
BASIC RULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
ACTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ZONES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LINE OF SIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MOVEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LEVEL AND LEVEL TOKENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
COMBAT DICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Three Dice Of Each Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
HEROES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Pick-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Reorganize/Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Resurrect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Transmute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
EXPERIENCE PHASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
I’d Kill That For 1 XP! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
ENEMIES’ PHASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Step 1 – Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Step 2 – Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
11 END PHASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
12
13 COMBAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
14 COMBAT ROLL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Step 1 – Rolling Dice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
14 Re-rolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
16 Two Hands! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Step 2 – Resolve The Enchantments . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Step 3 – Inflict Pain! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

HERO CARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 MOB RULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

HERO DASHBOARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
CLASS SHEET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
EQUIPMENT CARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
COMBAT EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
ITEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
CONSUMABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
CARD SYMBOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Two-Handed Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
ADDITIONAL RULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
ARTIFACTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
OBJECTIVE AND PILLAR TOKENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
SPECIAL LOCATIONS: APOTHECARY AND GUARDSROOM . 41
STUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
STORY MODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

ENEMIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
ENEMY CARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Massive Darkness is a cooperative board game for
Minions Amount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
one to six players, age 14 and up. As a team, players
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
agree on a fantasy quest to undergo. Each of them
Enchantments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Enemy Combat Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
chooses a hero, then the whole party descends into
Defense Dice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 underground lairs and corridors! Prowling in the
darkness, the heroes beat guards and monstrosities,
ENEMY ROLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Mobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
claim legendary weapons and earn experience until
Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 they deserve to be called Lightbringers.
Roaming Monsters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Enemies of all kinds, from goblin war parties to
Guardians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 roaming monsters, are controlled by the game itself,
using a simple set of rules. Your heroes can battle
PLAYING A GAME ROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 them in hand to hand, ranged, or even magic combat.
EVENT PHASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Explore the dungeon, beat your enemies and claim
Running Out Of Miniatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 their potent weapons to survive the next challenge!
HEROES’ PHASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The basic goal is to achieve the objectives set by
Combat Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 the chosen quest. As players can keep their heroes
Do Nothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 from a quest to the next, and see them evolve, the
Enter Shadow Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
ultimate goal is to play your own adventure over a
Get Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
series of games!
Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Open A Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

 GAME COMPONENTS 
9 GAME TILES (DOUBLE-SIDED) 6 PADS OF 20 CLASS SHEETS

Battle Wizard, Bloodmoon Nightrunner,

6 HERO MINIATURES AND HERO CARDS Nightshade Ranger, Paladin Of Fury,
Pit Fighter Berserker, Shadow Barbarian.

6 PLASTIC HERO DASHBOARDS 6 HERO COLOR BASES

Sibyl Bjorn Siegfried

12 COLOR PEGS

111 TOKENS

Level token x10 Door x15

Owen Elias Whisper

First Player
Treasure token Shadow Mode token x1
(30x Lvl 1 & 4x Lvl 2) token x6

x20 x10 Pillar

Exit x1 Wound token token x6
12 COMBAT DICE
Yellow Attack Blue Defense Lair x3
Dice x3 Dice x3

Red Attack Green Defense Artifact x2 Library x1

Dice x3 Dice x3 Dark Bridge x2 Objective token x6

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
69 ENEMY MINIATURES

Dwarf Dwarf Dwarf Dwarf Goblin Goblin Goblin Goblin

Defender Defender Warrior Warrior Archer Archer Warrior Warrior
Minions x6 Boss x1 Minions x12 Boss x1 Minions x12 Boss x1 Minions x12 Boss x1

Orc Orc Orc Orc Dwarf Goblin Orc

Flayer Flayer Enforcer Enforcer Agent x1 Agent x1 Agent x1
Minions x6 Boss x1 Minions x6 Boss x1

Troll x1 Giant Spider x1 Ogre-Mage x1 Demon x1 Hellhound x1 Liliarch x1

207 MINI-CARDS
12 Starting 164 Treasure cards
15 Event cards Equipment cards (T1 to T163)
(E1 to E15) (SE1 to SE12) 33 Level 2 32 Level 4

10 Door cards 6 Artifact cards 35 Level 1 32 Level 3 32 Level

(D1 to D10) (A1 to A6) 5
50 GUARD CARDS 12 ROAMING
(G1 TO G50) MONSTER CARDS
(RM1 TO RM12)

10 Level 1 10 Level 2 10 Level 3 10 Level 4 10 Level 5

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

 STORY: THE LIGHTBRINGERS’ LEGACY 

Once upon a time…
Wait. That’s not right.
No, it was not so long ago. Three generations. Roughly sixty years.
I’ve seen records of it, and heard Grandmother’s tales. But you, you
may still be too young.
So, not so long ago, there were more people on the surface of our
world than ever before. Humans, Elves, Dwarves… you know them,
but Goblins, Orcs and Ratlings were there, too. You might be lucky
to have seen a couple of them today, but in that time they used to
form entire nations. The rules weren’t the same, things were sim-
pler, yet death was part of everyday life. Everyone knew where the
border was drawn between civilization and the unexplored, savage
lands. Attacks during travel forced you to keep weapons by your
side. It was a wild time.

Then everything changed… A mysterious someone, or something,
managed to unite the so-called “barbaric” folk against the rest of us.
Our foes called this new leader “the Darkness.” Its dreaded emissar- Listen, young one. You may have heard the rumors about the de-
ies, the Agents, brought with them monsters of a long, lost age. They struction of remote villages, the disappearing people, the chilling
arrived and began to teach the power of Darkness to the savage noises shepherds have heard in the mountains. Our leaders have
people. They firmly believed in the rule of nature over civilization, spies, and they certainly heard of them too. They are talking, trying
might over law, night over day. A brutal war erupted with a clash to get a world that found its peace by ignoring its problems to stand
between the royal armies in all their forms. It ended seven years up and do something about these dire omens.
later with everyone, from peasants to kings, fighting for survival. And you? Do these rumors ring some bell? I’m sure they do. You have
Our great-grandparents won, not on account of strength, but *that* fire in your eyes. That same spark which ignited within the
thanks to dedication, cooperation, and lore. The best blacksmiths Lightbringers’ gaze. I know because I have it, too, and we’re not the
allied with the best enchanters to create superior weapons and ar- only ones. Collectively we are sure these events herald the beginning
mor. Once armed properly, the most skillful warriors led the final of something bigger… something maliciously familiar to this world.
charge against the Darkness. The people called them Lightbringers, You can feel it, can’t you?
as they brought hope, light, and a burning justice to the world.
Their savage foes could do nothing against the combined might The Darkness returns.
of craftsmanship and magic. The Lightbringers slayed Darkness’
Agents and their monsters borne of the deeper pits. Their victorious I’m not going to turn away from the threat. I’m not one of the silent
zeal pushed them beyond the wild borders… and spared no one. Any and happy lambs, and I know neither are you. I want to find out if I
remaining warriors, women, and even their offspring were chased can be the hero this time around. I don’t want the war to start again.
down. The Darkness’ allied folks nearly disappeared, and their I need proof for all to see. I need glory. I need gold.
homelands became our new kingdoms. It’s time, young one. Claim your legacy, and join us on the brink of
Darkness.
Despite the peace they brutally restored, the Lightbringers quickly
became symbols of a hated war, labelled king slayers and mass
murderers. Not long after the people lost faith in them, a few Light-
bringers claimed the lands they purged and crowned themselves their
sovereign. The kings and queens they once served silenced their claims
and scattered their legendary weapons out of sight of the rabble.
WHY SO DARK?
Bloody hands were washed and the bad memories were shut away to Darkness is both a mysterious antagonist and an envi-
be forgotten. Order was restored for everyone’s benefit, and people ronmental ally in the game, and it shows on the tiles.
grew blissful in their ignorance concerning their heroes. Sixty years of Darkness plays a major role in the game: sooner or
expansion saw the kingdoms rise upon the ashes of the past. later, even the heirs to the Lightbringers have to hide
And here we are. in the shadows to play deadly hide-and-seeks with their
dreadful foes.

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

 SETUP

2. Place the tiles and tokens as indicated by the Quest.

3. Sort the game cards per type and level. Each card bears its
type name on the back, as well as a dedicated color.

1. Choose a Quest. If this is your first game, we recommend

choosing the tutorial, then playing the Quests in the in-
dicated order to follow the story. Experienced players can play
• Set aside the Starting Equipment cards. They have the “Start-
ing Equipment” keywords and a beige back.
a past Quest again in different conditions, or create a Quest on
their own using the modular tiles and various tokens.

Many items help identifying your game cards. They can prove
useful to sort your cards and apply specific game effects.

This is Massive Darkness’ selection of Starting

Equipment cards. Your Heroes will quickly get rid of
these basic items to get much more potent toys!
All cards featured in Massive Darkness’ core box bear
this symbol. Each expansion bears its own symbol. • Set aside the Artifact cards. They have the “Artifact” keyword
and a white back.
All cards get a code with their type and number. This clari-
fies any doubt on the type, and let your know immediately
any card you may miss.

A: Artifact G: Guard
D: Door RM: Roaming Monster
E: Event SE: Starting Equipment
T: Treasure

Artifacts are legendary magical items. They are usually Quest

objectives. In the right hands, they are game changers.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
• Sort the Guard cards by Level and shuffle each Guard deck. They • Sort and shuffle the Treasure cards in the same way as the
have the “Guard” keyword and a back color matching their Level: Guard cards.

The dark folks have stolen, forged and gathered a great

amount of treasures for their nefarious goals. Claim
these weapons and turn them against your enemies!

• Sort, shuffle and place the Door, Event and Roaming Monster
decks.
- Door cards have the “Door” keyword and a red back.

Guards form the numerous war bands your Heroes battle Here is a door card, drawn when the Heroes
in the underground tunnels. They’re made up of either open a door to explore dangerous rooms.
Mob groups, with a Boss leading several Minions, or the
terrible Agents. Defeat them all to get Treasure cards!

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
- Event cards have the “Event” keyword and a grey back.
Here is an Event card, drawn to know what
fate has in store for your Heroes.
- Roaming Monster cards have the “Roaming Monster” keyword
on a black and red back.
This is a Roaming Monster card. Yep, your childhood’s
worst nightmare got out of the closet.
EXHAUSTING AND RESHUFFLING DECKS
Cards are drawn, played and discarded along the game.
Discarded cards are set in discard piles near their respec-
tive decks. Once the deck is exhausted, shuffle the discard
pile to create a new deck to draw from.
Guard and Treasure card piles, from Level 1 to 4, are not
reshuffled. If a player has to draw from such an exhausted
pile, he draws from the pile of the immediate superior Level
instead.
Level 5 Guard and Treasure piles are reshuffled normally
when exhausted, as players can’t draw from a superior Level.
4. Set aside the following items.
Combat dice First Player token
Treasure tokens Wound tokens Shadow Mode token
8
5. Each player chooses a Hero Card. This is the named char-
acter you will play. Take the matching miniature. Take a
Hero Dashboard and a set of pegs of your favorite color. Attach
the colored plastic base of the matching color to your Hero’s min-
iature to help identify it.
6. Each player chooses a Hero Class for his Hero, and places
a matching Class Sheet next to their Hero Dashboard in
front of him. The Hero Class is your character’s job. New players
should select the recommended Hero Class indicated on their
Hero Card. Experienced players may select among the various
Hero Classes to explore variations and combinations. What if
Siegfried was a Battle Wizard?
NOTE: Heroes can’t change their chosen Hero Class along the way.
The selection is definitive.
Massive Darkness comes with pads featuring sheets for the
six basic Hero Classes. They can also be freely downloaded
on Guillotine Games’ official website:
w w w.g u i l lo t i nega m e s .com
7. Deal a Starting Equipment card per Hero. Massive Darkness
is a cooperative game, choose and distribute as a team!
8. Place the Hero miniatures in the indicated Hero Starting
Zone indicated by the Quest.
This is the Hero Starting Zone.
9. Decide who will be the First Player, and give him the First
Player token. Place the unused material back in the game
box. Get a pencil and eraser to track your Hero’s evolution along
the game. You’re now ready to play!
Unlimited power! Well, almost.
This is the First Player token.
 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
HERO SETUP EXAMPLE Choose a Class for your Hero,
and set a corresponding
Hero Sheet here.
Your Hero starts the game with Health 5. Place a peg in the 5
Health slot. Place a peg in the skull box whenever your Hero is
eliminated for the first time in the game; he can be Resurrected
(see. P. 29), but the game is lost if he’s defeated a second time.

Choose a Hero Card, and

set it here on your Hero
Dashboard. Meet Bjorn!

Get your Hero’s miniature, give it the

color base matching the pegs on your Hero
Dashboard, and set it on the Hero Starting
Area marked on the Quest’s map. Bjorn
is now ready to go deep into Darkness!

Your Hero’s Starting Equipment

card goes to an “Equipped” slot
(with a hand symbol) on your
Hero Dashboard, right here.

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

 GAME OVERVIEW
Massive Darkness is played over a series of Game Rounds, which
go as follows:

EVENT PHASE
At the beginning of each Game Round, starting with the second,
the First Player draws an Event card. It is read out loud and the
related game effects are applied. Don’t draw an Event card on the
first Game Round!
The Event Phase is explained on P. 25.

HEROES’ PHASE
The First Player takes his Turn, activating his Hero.
A Hero can initially perform up to three Actions per Activation.
Each can be used to execute various tasks toward the Quest’s
completion: moving around the board, battling Enemies in vari-
ous ways, taking game objectives, exchanging equipment with
fellow Heroes or hiding in the shadows.
Once a player has resolved his Hero’s Activation, the player to his
left takes his Turn, activating his Hero in the same manner. The
Heroes’ Phase ends when all players have completed their Turn.
The Heroes’ Phase is explained on P. 26.

EXPERIENCE PHASE
Heroes can spend their hard-earned Experience Points (referred
to as “XP”) to get new Skills. Their effects are applied from now on.
Unspent Experience Points and acquired Skills are kept from a
Quest to the next, allowing players to see their Hero party evolve
through their own epic saga!
The Experience Phase is explained on P. 30.
ENEMIES’ PHASE
Enemies come in all kinds and shapes, from the lower Minions to
the horrifying Roaming Monsters. Their behavior on the board
is set by a couple rules used to resolve the Enemies’ Actions dur-
ing this Phase.
Enemies move around the board, patrolling or actively looking
for the heroic interlopers. Of course, they also fight, using bows,
claws, swords and even magic to make the Heroes’ lives harder.
Good news: the strongest Enemies carry the precious Treasures
the Heroes are seeking to achieve their Quest. Bad news: they
often know how to use them. So, to get your fabled enchanted
sword, you’ll first have to defeat a brute pointing it at you!
The Enemies’ Phase is explained on P. 32.
END PHASE
The End Phase marks the end of the Game Round. Many game
effects stop during this Phase. The First Player hands the First
Player token to the player on his left. The latter will be the First
Player for the next Game Round. Another Game Round can
then begin.
The End Phase is explained on P. 36.
WINNING AND LOSING
Massive Darkness is a cooperative game, players win or lose as
a team. The game is won when the Quest objectives are reached.
The game is lost when the Quest objectives can no longer be met.
Most of the time, this happens when all Heroes lie defeated.
The game is also lost when any of the Heroes is defeated a sec-
ond time.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

 BASIC RULES Agents are the Darkness incarnate and have an influence over
the Event Phase by calling upon waves of enemies.

Massive Darkness features many keywords to help players resolve

game effects in the easiest manner, focusing on action and coop-
eration. Here are some key concepts.

ACTORS
All characters in the game are Actors.

A Hero is defined by the combination of a Hero Card, Hero Dash-

board and Class Sheet. His/her game behavior is defined by the
Actions they take, according to the player’s strategy.

An Enemy is any antagonist to the Heroes whose behavior is

defined by game rules (see Enemies on P. 21 and Enemies’ Phase
on P. 30).
Agents have an influence over the Event Phase
by calling reinforcements (see P. 24).
A Mob is composed of a Boss and its Minions. A Boss is the
leader of a Minions’ group, sharing the same characteristics and
game effects. A Minion is a henchman, the lowest Enemy type. Roaming Monsters are single, dangerous creatures of superior
The number of Minions in a Mob varies according to the amount power.
of Heroes starting the game.

This value is used to

determine the amount
of Minions. It scales
with the number of
Heroes (see P. 21).

“Will you walk into my parlour?”

Among Enemies, Guardians spawn Equipped with a Treasure

card they are meant to keep at all costs. If they know how to use it,
they will! This keyword may apply to Agents, Bosses and Roam-
ing Monsters alike.

Goblin Warrior Minions gather around a

Goblin Warrior Boss to form a Mob.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
ZONES The game features Room Zones. A Chamber is an area created by
one or several Room Zones connected by openings, and delimited
A Zone is an area between two linear markings, or a linear mark- by walls. Rooms separated by door tokens are considered as dif-
ing and a tile’s edge. These linear markings can either be ground ferent Chambers.
marks or walls. All other Zones are Corridor Zones.

The four walls mark a Room Zones are either in Light or in Shadow. Light Zones have a light
Zone. There is no light source: source (most of the times, a fire or torch). Shadow Zones are in
it is also a Shadow Zone. the dark.

This Room Zone

features a light source:
it is a Light Zone.

Here is a Corridor
Zone. The torch
and lighting mark The lack of light marks this
it as a Light Zone. as a Shadow Corridor Zone.

These Room Zones are linked by

an opening and surrounded by
walls, forming a Chamber.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
LINE OF SIGHT Lines of Sight run from a Zone to the next until they meet a closed
door, a wall or a tiles’ edge.
Lines of Sight are straight lines running parallel to the edges of Light and Shadow may have an influence on Lines of Sight. See
the board. Actors cannot see diagonally. Shadow Mode (P. 27) to know more.

Elias’s Line Of Sight expands

from a Zone to the next in No diagonal
a straight line, parallel Line Of Sight!
to the board’s edges.

The Line Of Sight

is blocked by the
closed door.

Lines Of Sights run

parallel to the board’s
edge. They are blocked
by walls, closed doors
and the board’s edges.
Here are Bjorn, Elias, Owen
and Sibyl’s Lines Of Sight.

Sibyl’s Line Of
Sight runs this far,
through several
Chambers and
Corridors.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
MOVEMENT
Actors can move from one Zone to the next as long as the first
Zone shares at least one edge with the destination Zone. Corners
do not count (no diagonal movements!). Movement from a Zone
to another has no restrictions, other than Heroes can’t leave
a Zone containing an Enemy, and vice-versa. Actors must go
through an open door to enter or exit a Room Zone
.
Using these values and colors, Level tokens are spread across
the board’s various tiles according to the Quest map. Each game
begins at Level 1 (white) as Heroes are placed on the Hero Start-
ing Zone. The game Levels up as soon as a Hero finishes a Move
Action (see P. 2 8) on a tile with a higher Level value. It is then set
to the corresponding Level. Flip this tokens to its “active” side,
and flip all Level tokens with another value to their “inactive”
side. So, the current Level is defined by the “active” Level token!

Siegfried is on The Dwarf moves

his way to reach first to this Zone, Whisper started the
the Objective token going through game on this tile.
the open door. The Level 1 token
was on its “active”
side from the start.

Then to
this Zone,
on a second
movement

No diagonal
movement!

And his third movement

leads him to destination The Level 2 token is
through the open door. on its “inactive” side.
However, Whisper
is about to move
from the Level 1 to
LEVEL AND LEVEL TOKENS the Level 2 tile.

The Level defines the evolution of Enemies, Heroes and Equip-

ment cards as the game progresses. The higher, the deadlier! It
ranges in five Levels and colors:

The Level tokens mark the danger rising along the game.

The Level 3 token is on

its “inactive” side.

Here is a Level 1 token, on its active side,

then on its inactive side.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
• Roaming Monsters (P. 24). Roaming Monsters spawn on the
Zone holding the Level token matching their own Level, as writ-
ten on their Roaming Monster card.
Whisper moves on the
tile holding the Level 2
NOTE: Artifacts and Treasures can be used regardless of the current
token. The latter is flipped
Level. Heroes can use them as soon as they find them!
to its “active” side. The
Level 1 token is no longer
active and is flipped to The game is at Level 2. Heroes can
its “inactive” side. use their Skills up to Level 2. Whisper
opens a door, revealing a Chamber
with three Zones. A Door card is drawn
for each Zone, one after the other

Guards! Players draw

a Level 2 Guard card
(the current Level),
The game is now at Level 2, revealing a Goblin
exerting an influence over Warrior Mob.
numerous game effects.
Should Whisper choose
to go back to the Level 1
tile, the game would still
be at Level 2, the highest
the Heroes reached so far.

Roaming Monster! Players

draw a Roaming Monster
card, revealing a Level 3
Giant Spider. Its miniature
is set on the Zone holding
the Level 3 token.

The Level 3 token is

inactive until a Hero
reaches its tile. Guards! Players draw a
Level 2 Guard card (the
current Leavel), revealing
a Goblin Warrior Mob.
The current Level and Level tokens exert their influence on:
• Hero Skills (P. 18). Heroes can only use Skills of the current
Level and below.
• Mobs (P. 23). The current Level is the minimum Level used to
spawn Mobs. If they spawn on a lower-Leveled tile, use the current
Level. If they spawn on a higher-Leveled tile, use their tile’s Level.
• Patrols. Spawned by Event cards (P. 25), Patrols spawn on the
Zone holding the Level token matching the current Level, plus
one (Max 5). If several Zones holds a Level token of the corre-
sponding value, players choose on which the Patrol appears.

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
COMBAT DICE
 HEROES

Hazardous situations, especially Combat, are resolved using

unique Combat dice.

Attack dice come in yellow and red. They feature Hit symbols
.
A Hero is defined by the combination of a Hero Card, featuring
his name and Special Skills, a Hero Dashboard tracking his cur-
rent inventory and status, and a Class Sheet, listing the Skills he
can acquire all along his career as an adventurer.

HERO CARD
Here are yellow and red Attack dice. Red is better!
Special Skills: The Hero can freely
Defense dice come in blue and green. They feature Shield symbols . use these Skills as soon as the game
reaches the indicated Level.

Here are blue and green Defense dice. Green is better!

Along Hits or Shields, Combat dice also feature Bam and

Diamond symbols. Bams and Diamonds are used to trigger
specific game effects called Enchantments, added to the indi-
cated Hit or Shield value.
Bams and Diamonds are usually linked to a dice type (Attack or
Defense), to determine the moment their related game effects are
triggered (see P. XX).
Attack : A Bam obtained with a yellow or red Attack die.
Attack : A Diamond obtained with a red Attack die.
Defense : A Bam obtained with a blue or green Defense die. Recommended Class: Free Class Skill: If the
Defense : A Diamond obtained with a green Defense die. The Hero has natural chosen Hero Class features
synergies with the the indicated Skill, the Hero
indicated Hero Class. gets it for free at creation,
It is a good choice whatever the chosen Class,
for starting players. Experience cost and Skill Line
THREE DICE OF EACH COLOR Experienced players prerequisites. The matching
may ignore this and try Level still has to be reached for
A dice roll can include up to three dice of each color. Any
wild combinations! this Skill to be used, though.
exceeding amount is lost.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
HERO DASHBOARD
Use the pegs attached to your Hero Dashboard to track your
Hero’s current Health and Experience! Body slot. Used to Equip Health. Your Hero’s Health
an Armor or a weapon and resurrection amount
Put your Hero Card here. featuring the Body icon. are tracked here.

Hand slots. One-handed and Two-Handed Equipped weapons Experience. Keep track of
are placed here. Your Hero can hold two Two-Handed your Hero’s Experience here.
weapons, but can use only one of them at a time!

Health and Resurrection: This section is used to keep track
of the Hero’ Health value. It starts at 5, and can be raised to 7
by spending Experience Points in the Health Skill Line. The
Health amount is lowered by 1 for each Wound the Hero suffers,
with a minimum value of 0. At Health 0, the Hero is defeated:
lay his miniature down and place a peg in the skull box on his
Dashboard.
• Until he is Resurrected, a Hero is ignored for all game effects
but Minion spawning (P. 23).
• Defeate d Heroes can be targeted by game effects healing He-
roes. In that case, they Resurrect and stand up with a Health
amount corresponding to the healing game effect. From now on,
the Resurrected hero can play again, in Activation order.
• If the same Hero is defeated twice, the game is lost.
Experience Points: Use this area to keep track of the Experience
points the Hero earns during the game. Adjust this amount ac-
cordingly as XP is earned and spent. It’s very useful to keep track
of progression from a game to the next!
Equipment cards: Equipped cards are placed in the correspond-
ing areas. Unequipped cards are placed next to the Hero Dash-
board. Several methods can be used to sort them along the game:
by type, by usefulness, or by Level to ease the Transmute Action
(see. P. 29). Use your favorite method!

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
CLASS SHEET
Signature. A daring attack, requiring Levels. A Hero can use the Skills he acquired as soon
Experience expenditure to be used. as the game reaches the corresponding Level.

Skill Line. Skills are acquired Experience cost. Spend this number of Skill. A powerful ability to unlock
following the line’s order. Experience points to acquire the Skill! using Experience points.

Level: During the game, the Hero can use all the Skills he ac-
quired, as long as they are equal or below the game’s current
Level. It means your Hero can use the Level 1 Skills he acquired,
right from the start of the game. The game has to reach Level 5
for the corresponding acquired Skills to be used.
Signature: The Signature is a flashy, cinematic Action triggered
by spending Experience Points (see P. 29). It matches a Level 5
Skill’s power, and can be called upon right from the start. The
Signature can be used an unlimited amount of times per Activa-
tion, as long as the Experience cost is met.
Skill Line: Each Hero Class possess various Skill Lines represent-
ing the Class specialties. Skills must be acquired in the reading
order shown on the line (Free Class Skills listed on the Hero Sheet
being the exception). Each acquired Skill replaces the previous
one in its own Line.
Skill: The new abilities and powers your Hero can acquire by
spending Experience Points. See Skills on P. 42 for the game
effects.
Skill Price: The Hero has to spend this amount of Experience
Points to acquire the Skill. It then can be used for the rest of his
career, across multiple games.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

 EQUIPMENT CARDS • Ranged weapons display Combat dice allocated to the Ranged
symbol . They can fire at any Actor outside of their owner’s
Zone, no matter how far, as long as their owner has a Line of Sight
to it (Range 1+). They are used with Ranged Actions (P. 34).

The short bow

is a Ranged weapon.
Massive Darkness features many Equipment cards of various
kinds and created for the same purpose: combat! A Hero can
acquire an unlimited amount of Equipment cards, but they are
all discarded at the end of each game.

Equipment cards with the Body , Hand or Two-Handed

symbols need to be Equipped to be used: a Hero can only Equip • Magic weapons display Combat dice allocated to the Magic sym-
one Body Equipment card and up to two Hand (or Two-Handed) bol . They can fire at any Actor outside of their owner’s Zone,
Equipment cards at a time. A Two-Handed Equipment occupies but up to two Zones away, as long as their owner has a line of Sight
a single Equipped slot. Swapping them requires a Reorganize/ to it (Range 1-2). They are used with Magic Actions.
Trade Action (see Heroes’ Phase P. 26).
Other Equipment cards are automatically Equipped and can be
used whenever the Hero needs them.
Remember: Equipment cards can be used as soon as they are
found, regardless of the current Level. The staff is a
Magic weapon.
Equipment cards fall in three categories: Combat, Items and
Consumables.

COMBAT EQUIPMENT
Combat Equipment cards feature a row of symbols linked to
Combat Actions and resolution, as well as the amount and type • Defensive Equipment has Combat dice allocated to the Defense
of Combat dice to use. The keywords used, along with the way the symbol . Whenever Equipped, they can be used to cancel in-
dice are allocated, show their category: Melee, Ranged, Magic or coming Hits (P. 37). Their effect is passive: there is no need to
Defense. In turn, the category determines the Range the weapon spend Actions to use them.
can be used.
A Combat Equipment card can belong to several sub-categories
• Melee weapons display Combat dice allocated to the Melee sym- at once!
bol . Being close combat weapons by nature, Melee weapons
can only hit Actors in their owner’s Zone (Range 0). They are used
with Melee Actions (P. 33).

The Mace is
a Melee weapon.

Featuring dice in both Melee and Defense, the short sword

is both a Melee weapon and a Defensive Equipment.

19
MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
ITEMS Body. The Chainmail Armor
needs to be put on the Body to
be used. An Actor can Equip
Item cards don’t display Combat symbols, but have game effects
only one of them at any time.
on their own. They come in various shapes, from pagan trinkets
to bewitched clothes and even preciousss magic rings. Their de-
scription details the way to use them. Body. The Shadow
Orb can also be put
on the Body to be
used. An Actor can
Equip only one Body
Equipment at any time.

Two-Handed. Two-Handed Equipment

cards occupy a single Equipped
slot. They cannot be paired with an
Equipment bearing the Hand

CONSUMABLES or Two-Handed to add together

their Combat dice. See Combat P.
XX. Note that having an Equipped
Consumable cards have a single-use effect. To use it, apply the Two-Handed card does not prevent
effect then discard the card. you from also Equipping another
Consumable Treasure cards are never drawn alone: if a Consum- Hand or Two-Handed card.
able is drawn, draw an extra card from the same deck.

NOTE: Some Equipment simultaneously display the Body and Hand/

Two-Handed symbols. In that case, they can be Equipped either as
Body OR Hand/Two-Handed Equipment.

CARD SYMBOLS
Level. This Fire
Hand. The Fire Sword Sword is Level 1.
needs to be Equipped
in Hand to be used. An
Actor can Equip up to
two Hand Equipment
cards at any time (even
if the miniature shows
more “hands”!).

TWO-HANDED EQUIPMENT
A Two-Handed Equipment occupies a single inventory slot.
A Hero can thus equip two different Two-Handed Equip-
ment at the same time. They just cannot be paired, so only
one of them can be used at a time.

Enchantment (Bam/Diamond). This is an Enchanted

Equipment. It triggers the described game effects whenever
the corresponding symbol is obtained when the Actor attacks
with it. Apply the related game effect once per symbol
obtained. Some Equipment cards trigger Enchantment
when the Actor uses it for defense See Combat P. XX.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

 ENEMIES Minions Amount

ENEMY CARDS
Most Enemies roam the board as Mobs: an Enemy Boss along its
Minion escorts. The amount of Minion miniatures spawning
along the Boss directly depends on the amount of Heroes who
began the Quest. Use the indicated value as a multiplier:
2: Spawn two Minions per starting Hero.
1: Spawn a single Minion per starting Hero.

Health

Enemy cards look similar to Equipment cards in many aspects.
They bear Combat symbols paired with Combat dice amounts.
Some Enemies even use Enchantments of their own!
Health defines the Wound amount the Enemy can endure before
elimination. Each Wound lessens this total by 1. The Enemy is
eliminated upon reaching 0 (or below), and its miniature is re-
moved from the board.
Each member of a Mob (Boss and Minions) gets its own Health
amount, managed on an individual basis.

Level: These Goblin Minions: Spawn a Goblin Archer

Archers are Level 1. Boss, plus 2 Goblin Archer Minions
per Hero who began the Quest.

Health: A Goblin Archer

can endure a single Wound
before elimination.

Enchantment: Apply this effect

Defense: Use the Defense dice
whenever the Goblin Archers get
to prevent Wounds inflicted
the indicated result when they
to the Goblin Archers.
defend against Hero attacks.

Melee Combat: Use this Magic Combat: Goblin Archers

dice type when the Goblin don’t use Magic. If they did, this
Archers fight in Melee. part would show the related dice.

Ranged Combat: The

highlighted part shows Ranged
Combat is the Goblin Archers’
favorite Combat mode. It
defines their game behavior.

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
Enchantments

The described game effect is applied whenever the Enemy gets

the indicated symbol(s) (Bam or Diamond) on a Combat roll in-
cluding either its Attack dice (triggering Attack Enchantments)
or Defense dice (triggering Defense Enchantments). Apply the
game effect once per matching symbol obtained. These Enchant-
ments are cumulative with any Equipment card the Enemy may
use for Combat rolls.
Some Enchantments don’t require dice results, and are active as
soon as the Enemy spawns. Read the card to know about the game
effects to apply.

Enemy Combat Type

The Combat section of an Enemy card shows the dice type
and amount used whenever the Enemy goes into battle. The
highlighted Combat symbol shows the Enemy’s favorite attack
method. It primarily defines the Enemy’s Behavior during the
Movement Step of the Enemies’ Phase (P. XX).

• Melee Enemies show a highlighted Melee symbol . During

the Enemies’ Phase, they move as close as possible of their target’s
Roaming Monsters have a dual Health characteristic. The first Zone, and engage it in Melee Combat if able.
value is used when the game started with 1 to 3 Heroes. The sec-
ond value is used when the game started with 4 to 6 Heroes.

Orc Flayers are Melee

Enemies. Obviously!

22

• Ranged Enemies show a highlighted Ranged symbol . Dur-
ing the Enemies’ Phase, they move to fire on their target as soon
as possible, but at the longest distance available.
Goblin Archers use their bows to
harass the Heroes. Coward tactics!
• Magic Enemies show a highlighted Magic symbol . During
the Enemies’ Phase, they move to fire on their target as soon as
possible, but at the longest distance available. Magic range is
short (from 1 to 2 Zones away) but often triggers debilitating
Enchantments!
Never underestimate ogres as being stupid.
Some of them are smart enough to use magic.
MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
Defense Dice
Enemies use the indicated Defense dice to deflect incoming at-
tacks and avoid Wounds. See Combat P. XX.
ENEMY ROLES
Massive Darkness features many Enemy Roles, with various
abilities and characteristics. Whatever their origin, all Enemies
share sets of common rules, defined by their Role.
Mobs
This symbol states
the Minion amount
to spawn per
starting Hero.
A Mob is formed by a Boss surrounded by a variable amount of
Minion escorts.
• Upon spawning a Mob, check the Minion value of the card and
place as many Minions per starting Hero.
• A Boss and its Minions share the same characteristics and En-
chantments, as shown on their Enemy card. The Health of each
of them is managed on an individual basis.
• A Mob can never be split up in smaller groups. Ignore any game
effect that would split them.
• A Boss cannot use its Defense dice or be Wounded as long as at
least one of its Minion escorts stands beside it in the same Zone.
Game effects affecting all Actors or Enemies in the Zone they
stand, affect them as well.
• Bosses are Guardians (see below).
23
MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
Agents
• Agents spawn in the Zone holding the Level token matching
their own Level (be it activated or not). If several tokens of the
indicated Level are available, players choose.
• Event cards (see P. XX) can’t be drawn as long as an Agent is on
the board. Instead, draw a Guard card of the Agent’s Level, then
spawn its contents in the Zone holding the corresponding Level
token. The Agent calls for reinforcements!
- If several Level tokens of the indicated Level are avail-
able, use the one on which the Agent appeared.
- If several Agents are on the board, players choose one
of them at each Event Phase to set the Reinforcements’
Level and spawning location.
• Agents are Guardians (see below).
Roaming Monsters
• Roaming Monsters spawn in the Zone holding the Level token
matching their own Level (be it activated or not). If several to-
kens of the indicated Level are available, players choose.
• Roaming Monsters are Guardians (see below).
24
Guardians
Guardians guard and often use potent treasures on the Darkness’
behalf. Whenever a Guardian (Agent, Boss or Roaming Monster)
spawns, players draw a Treasure card of the Level immediately
above that Guardian’s Level (max 5) and equip the Guardian
with it.
NOTE: Discard with no effect any Treasure card with the “Trap” key-
word, and draw another.
• Guardians can use Combat Equipment: the Equipment’s Com-
bat Dice are added to any Combat category (Melee, Ranged,
Magic or Defense) the Guardian already has dice in. In other
words, Guardians cannot use Combat Dice displayed in Combat
categories they don’t already have.
• Guardians also get the Enchantment(s) of any Combat categories
they get dice from: Melee, Ranged or Magic for Attack Enchant-
ments, Defense for Defense Enchantments. These Enchantments
are granted even if some or all the dice granted by the Equipment
go unused due to the “three dice of each type” limit.
• A Guardian is considered as the Hero using the Equipment
cards it wields and, in return, the Heroes are considered its
Enemies for Enchantment purpose. Whatever the game effects
described on it, an Equipment held by a Guardian cannot inflict
Wounds, elimination, or penalties to other Enemies. Only posi-
tive effects apply.
• Guardians use the Two-Handed and pairing Equipment rules.
In case several Equipment cards grant dice to the same Combat
category and cannot be paired, the Guardian will use the one get-
ting its dice pool closer to three dice of each type.
• Guardians cannot use Items and Consumables.
• The Guardian’s Equipment card(s) is given to the Hero dealing
it the killing blow, whatever the distance separating them. The
Hero can then immediately reorganize his Inventory, for free (see
P. XX). Remember: Equipment cards can be used regardless of
the current Level.
EXAMPLE: Opening a door to a Chamber, a party made of Elias,
Owen and Sibyl steps on a Level 1 Goblin Warriors Mob. Players place
a Goblin Warrior Boss’ miniature in the Zone, as well as its Goblin
Warrior Minions, and draw the Treasure for the Boss.

The Goblin Mob’s card, along their Boss’ Treasures. The Goblin War-
rior Boss receives a Level 2 (Level 1, +1) Treasure card: A Healing Po-
tion. As a Consumable, this card specifies an additional Treasure card
of the same Level has to be drawn: an Ice Sword is drawn!
The Goblin Warrior Enemy card shows a Minion value of 2, meaning
2 Minions per Hero. Since this game has 3 Heroes, 6 Goblin Warrior
miniatures are placed with the Goblin Warrior Boss.
The Ice Sword Melee weapon features Combat Dice in both the Melee
and Defense sections. The Goblin Warrior Boss already has Combat
dice in these sections as well: the Ice Sword’s dice are added to its own.
The Boss also adds the Ice Sword’s Enchantments to its own, and can
now Stun Heroes.
The fight begins: the Heroes have to kill all Goblin Warrior Minions
before being able to wound their Boss. Until then, the Goblin Warrior
Boss cannot use its Defense dice, but can still Attack the Heroes.
The fight ends as Elias kills the Goblin Warrior Boss. It could not use the
Healing Potion to save its hide, as Bosses cannot use Items. Despite being
two Zones away, Elias immediately receives the Healing Potion and Ice
Sword Equipment cards. He can reorganize his Inventory for free.
MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
 PLAYING
A GAME ROUND
A Game Round is split into five Phases, resolved in the order
below:
1– Event Phase
2– Heroes’ Phase
3– Experience Phase
4– Enemies’ Phase
5– End Phase
EVENT PHASE
During the Event Phase of each Game Round, starting with the
second, the First Player draws an Event card. It is read aloud and
the related game effects are applied, in reading order. Remem-
ber: No Event card on the first Game Round!
Events are linked to the following keywords:
• Blessing. This is an Event of good omen. Enjoy!
• Curse. Something bad is happening. Too bad four-leaf clovers
don’t grow in such places.
• Patrol. Patrols spawn on the Zone holding the Level token
matching the current Level plus one (Max 5). If several Zones
holds a Level token of the corresponding value, players choose
where the Patrol appears.
• Trap. Someone falls into it. This is not a brave way to die.
RUNNING OUT OF MINIATURES
Event cards, as well as opening doors (see P. XX) often lead
to spawning Enemies across the board. In case there would
not be enough corresponding Enemy miniatures, ignore and
discard the Enemy card (don’t place any miniatures), then
draw a Roaming Monster card instead and spawn it in the
Zone holding the token matching its Level. If all Roaming
Monsters are on the board at this point, the game is lost.
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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
HEROES’ PHASE Combat Actions

Each player activates his Hero, starting with the First Player and
going clockwise. Once a player has resolved his Hero’s Activa-
tion, the player to his left takes his Turn, activating his Hero in
the same manner. The Heroes’ Phase ends when all players have
completed their Hero’s Activation.
Each Hero can execute up to three Actions during his Activation,
not counting any additional Action he may gain thanks to Equip-
ment, Skills or other game effects.
The possible Actions are listed below, in alphabetical order. Most
Actions have prerequisites to be met in order to be resolved. Some
Actions are free, and can be executed an unlimited amount of
times per Activation. A Hero cannot execute Actions of any kind
outside his Activation. Melee Action, Ranged Action, Magic Action

Action cost: 1.
Prerequisites: Having an Equipped weapon of the corresponding
type (Melee, Ranged or Magic).
The Hero executes a Combat Action with an Equipped weapon.
Combat Actions use all types of combat-oriented Equipment
cards. There are three types of Combat Actions: Melee, Ranged
or Magic. Combat Equipment is detailed on P. XX. Combat rules
are explained on P. XX.

• Melee Action: The Hero uses an Equipped Melee weapon to at-

tack Enemies standing in his own Zone (Range 0).
• Ranged Action: The Hero uses an Equipped Ranged weapon to
attack Enemies within Line Of Sight, and at least 1 Zone away
(Range 1+).
• Magic Action: The Hero uses an Equipped Magic weapon to
attack Enemies within Line Of Sight, and standing 1 to 2 Zones
away (Range 1-2).

Do Nothing
Action cost: All remaining Actions.
Prerequisite: None.
The Hero does nothing and prematurely ends his Activation. All
remaining Actions are lost.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
Enter Shadow Mode As long as the Hero is in Shadow Mode:
• The Hero is ignored when tracing Enemies’ routes (see Enemies’
Phase, Move Step P. XX).
• Enemies can’t trace a Line Of Sight to a Hero with a Shadow
Mode token and standing in a Shadow Zone.
• Enemies have one less Defense die (player’s choice, but before
any Combat roll) when being attacked by a Hero with a Shadow
A key Action of Massive Darkness,
Mode token and standing in a Shadow Zone (see Combat, P. XX).
Entering Shadow Mode can save your party
if used to evade mighty monsters.
A Hero immediately exits Shadow Mode and loses his Shadow
Action cost: 1. Mode token as soon as:
Prerequisites: Must be the first Action of the Hero’s Activation. No • He stands in a Light Zone and an Enemy has a Line of Sight to
Enemy in the Zone. No Enemy with Line Of Sight to the Hero (if the him during the Move Step of the Enemies’ Phase (P. XX).
Hero is already in Shadow Mode from his previous Activation, it • He stands in the same Zone as an Enemy at any time during the
still affects Line of Sight). The Hero is not Stunned (P. XX). Enemies’ Phase.
While no Enemy is watching, the Hero starts his Activation by • He doesn’t spend the first Action in his Activation to Enter
Entering Shadow Mode, doing his best to act in a stealthy man- Shadow Mode again.
ner. Put a Shadow Mode token next to the Hero miniature. For
obvious reasons, a Stunned Hero cannot Enter Shadow Mode. He
has to Get Up first (see below)!
The Troll has no Line Of
Sight to Siegfried. The
Hero can Enter Shadow
Mode, regardless of the
Bjorn is already in Shadow Mode and
Here are the Troll’s Light Zone he stands in.
in a Shadow Zone. The Troll doesn’t
Lines Of Sight at
see him despite the proximity! The
the beginning of
Hero can Enter Shadow Mode again
Heroes’ Phase.
at the beginning of his Activation.

Elias is in Shadow Mode Despite standing in a

in a Light Zone which
The Troll doesn’t see the Troll has a Line
Sibyl. She can Enter Of Sight to. The Hero
Shadow Mode during can’t keep his Shadow
her Activation. Mode at the beginning
of his Activation.
Shadow Zone, Owen is
not in Shadow Mode and
is within the Troll’s Line
Of Sight. The Hero can’t
Enter Shadow Mode
during his Activation.

The Troll has a Line Of Sight to

Whisper’s Zone. The Heroine,
however, is in Shadow Mode in a
Shadow Zone, standing unseen at
the beginning of her Activation.

27
MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
Get Up
Action cost: 1.
Prerequisites: The Hero is Stunned (see P. XX).
A Stunned Hero can spend 1 Action to shake off the effect. Put
the miniature up and resume his Activation.

Move
Action cost: 1.
Prerequisite: No Enemy in the starting Zone.
The Hero moves from a Zone to the next, but cannot move
through closed doors or walls. Moving is not allowed if an Enemy
is in the Zone the Hero stands in.

Open A Door

Here are Apothecary and Guardsroom Special

Door cards bear the Door symbol and are Locations, found across the tiles
used when the Heroes explore Chambers.
Special Locations are places of interest on the board (see P. XX).
Action cost: 0. It’s free! Don’t draw a Door card for these Zones: draw a Guard card of
Prerequisite: None. the tiles’ Level instead. There will be Enemies!
The Hero opens a door in his own Zone. Opening a closed Cham-
ber for the first time reveals who – and what – lies inside each of Pick-Up
its Rooms. Don’t draw Door cards for Chambers that are opened
at the start of the game. Once opened, doors can’t normally be
closed.

REMEMBER: A Chamber is an area created by one or several Room

Zones connected by openings, and delimited by walls. Rooms separated
by door tokens are considered as different Chambers.

Players indicate each Room of the Chamber, one after the other
in any order they choose. The First Player draws a Door card for
each of them. As the Rooms are designated successively, players
place the indicated amount of Treasure tokens, then resolve the
indicated game effects.
• Location. The party discovered a location tied to specific game
effects. Place the Door card on the Zone to mark it.
• Trap. Brace yourself and resolve the game effect.
• Spawn. Spawn the corresponding Enemies, in the indicated
conditions. Please note Agents (P. XX) and Roaming Monsters Objectives and Treasure tokens are
(P. XX) spawn in the Zone holding the token matching their the most common items to pick-up.
Level (be it active or not).
A Door card can feature several of these game effects at once. In Action cost: 1.
that case, resolve them in reading order, from the first to the last. Prerequisite: None.
The Hero takes an Objective or Treasure token standing in his
own Zone.

28
 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
• Taking a Treasure token immediately gets the Hero a Treasure Resurrect
card of the corresponding Level. After drawing the Treasure card
and applying the potential game effects, the Hero can reorganize
his Inventory for free. The Treasure can be used immediately,
regardless of the current Level. A Hero can Pick-Up a single
Treasure token per Zone during each Activation.
• Objective tokens are linked to Quest achievements. The game
effects are explained in the Quest’s description.
• The Pick-Up Action can also be used in conditions described by
the Quest, like interacting with the environment. In that case,
follow the Quest’s description.

Elias can only Pick a single

Treasure in this Zone. A Health Potion or a healing Equipment is
However, he can then Move to needed to Resurrect a defeated Hero.
the next and Pick another.
Action cost: 0. It’s free!
Prerequisites: The Hero has at least a Health Potion in his Inven-
tory. A defeated Hero lies in his Zone.
The Hero discards a Health Potion and Resurrects a defeated
Hero lying in the same Zone. Get the Resurrected target’s minia-
ture up, with Health 2. From now on, the Resurrected Hero can
play again, in Activation order. Remember! A Hero can only be
Resurrected once per game. Make sure to place a peg on the Skull
slot of his Dashboard when he’s defeated. If he’s defeated again,
the game is lost.

NOTE: Defeated Heroes can be targeted by game effects healing He-

roes. In that case, they Resurrect and stand up with a Health amount
corresponding to the healing game effect.

Signature
Action cost: 0. It’s free!
Prerequisite: Spend the Experience Points amount written on the
Signature section of the Class Sheet, and follow the instructions.
Signatures are Classes’ secret techniques. Being as potent as
Level 5 Skills, they can be used right from Level 1. Using them
requires the spending of Experience Points.
Read the Signature’s description to know the condition and game
effects to apply. Signatures can be used multiple times during the
Owen can Pick both the Bjorn can Pick the same Activation, as long as the Experience cost is paid for each use.
Artifact and the Treasure Treasure, despite
(one Action each). being in the same Transmute
Zone as an Enemy. Action cost: 0. It’s free!
Prerequisite: The Hero owns at least three Equipment cards of
Reorganize/Trade the same Level.
Action cost: 1. Discard three Equipment cards of the same Level from the Hero,
Prerequisite: None. then draw a Treasure card of the immediate superior Level. Re-
The Hero Reorganizes the cards in his Inventory. This is espe- member: an Equipment card can be used regardless of the cur-
cially important as Reorganizing allows you to change the rent game Level.
Equipment cards the Hero is Equipped with.
In the same Action, the Hero can also exchange any number of NOTE: Heroes can transmute three Starting Equipment cards to get a
Equipment cards with one other Hero standing in the same Zone Level 1 Treasure card. To help players remember this, Starting Equip-
(even a defeated one). This other Hero Reorganizes his Inventory ment cards are Level 0.
for free. A Trade Action doesn’t have to be fair: a Hero can trade
everything for nothing, if both parties agree!

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

EXPERIENCE PHASE

Heroes earn Experience Points by defeating Enemies or picking

up Objective tokens (the amount can vary). Experience can be
spent during the Experience Phase to acquire new Skills and get
your party one step closer to greatness!

A Class Sheet shows various Skill Lines representing the exper-

tise fields linked to the chosen Class. Each Skill is linked to a Skill
Line and can spread across several Levels.

• Skills are bought following each Skill Line’s progress. A Hero

buys the first, then goes on until he can buy the last. Tick the
squares to track the Skills your Hero acquired!

NOTE: Free Class Skills (P. XX) are an exception. They are acquired
regardless of the Skill Line’s progression. They can still only be used
once the game reaches the indicated Level, though!

All Classes have the Health Line. Level 1 must be

bought first, then Level 2, and finally Level 4.
• Purchased Skills unlock and can be used as soon as the game
reaches the corresponding Level.
I’D KILL THAT FOR 1 XP!
Eliminating an Enemy earns 1 Experience Point/XP, no
matter the type and Level. A Hero can stock up to 30 Ex-
perience Points at a time. Any excess amount is lost. If you
think your Hero has too much Experience to spend, use his
Signature (P. XX)!
These Skills can be used when the game reaches Level 4.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
• Skills may improve along the game: a Hero always uses the high-
est available Skill in each Skill Line.

At Level 1, the Hero gets +2 Max Health. As the game reaches Level 2, the “Spend 1 Action: Regeneration 1” Skill is
unlocked. Finally, the “Spend 1 Action: Regeneration 2” kicks in at Level 4, improving from the previous step.

• Heroes can only use Skills they have acquired (either by spending
XP, or as a Free Class Skill). If the game reaches a Level that would
unlock a new version of a Skill, but the Hero has only bought the
previous version, he keeps on using that lower-level version.
• Experience and Skills are kept from a game to the next. Keep
your Hero and create a story of your own!

This Special Skill can be

The Free Class Skill used at Level 3 and higher.
is acquired for… free!
It unlocks at the
corresponding Level.

This Skill is bought for 15 Experience Points

and can be used at Level 3 and higher.

EXAMPLE: Sibyl chose the Nightshade Ranger Class. She has The game progresses to Level 2. Sibyl earned 15 Experience Points.
“Ranged: +1 re-roll” listed as a Free Class Skill on her Hero Sheet. As The player chooses to spend them all during an Experience Phase to
the Nightshade Ranger Class features it, she acquires it right from the acquire the “Ranged: +1 Attack die” Skill (Level 3). The game is still at
start, for free. Level 2, however, and the new Skill can’t be used yet.

The game begins at Level 1, and Sibyl can use all her Level 1 Skills
and Special Skills: “Ranged: +1 re-roll” (Skill) and “Ranged: +1 Hit”
(Special Skill). The “+1 Zone per Move Action” is shown as a Level 3
Special Skill, and will be available as soon as the game reaches Level 3.
Still at Level 1, Sibyl kills five Enemies and thus earns 5 Experience
Points. During an Experience Phase, the players spends them all to
acquire the “Ranged: +1 [yellow] Skill (Level 1). The Skill can be used
from now on, as the game starts at Level 1.
The game reaches Level 3. Sibyl can now use her Level 1, 2 and 3 Fea-
tures and Skills!
- The “Ranged: +1 re-roll” Skill can still be used (Level 1).
- The “Ranged: +1 Attack die” Skill (Level 3) replaces the “Ranged: +1
[Yellow]” Skill (Level 1) set at a previous Level in the same Skill Line.
- The “+1 Zone per Move Action” Special Skill can now be used (Level 3).

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
ENEMIES’ PHASE
Heroes have done their job and spent their Experience. Now it’s
time for fiends to come out. Enemies play by their own rules,
performing the following steps in order.
Step 1 – Move
Each Enemy has two Actions to spend on Move Actions. They all
move simultaneously, one Move Action at a time, following this
order for each Move:
1. Enemies try to spot Heroes. Check their Lines Of Sight. Re-
move the Shadow Mode tokens from all Heroes standing in the
same Zone as an Enemy, and from Heroes standing in a Light
Zone to which an Enemy has a Line of Sight.
Step 2 – Attack
Once the Move Step has been resolved, each Enemy gets one Ac-
tion to attack Heroes. Enemies represented by a single Enemy
card attack together and simultaneously (see Combat P. XX).
Resolve Enemy attacks one after the other, Enemy card by Enemy
card, in any order you choose.
• Melee Enemies Attack the most experienced Hero in their own
Zone.
• Ranged Enemies Attack their target Hero. If they don’t have
a Line Of Sight on him, they attack the most experienced Hero
within Line Of Sight instead. If they can’t use their Ranged At-
tack, they resolve a Melee Attack instead.
• Magic Enemies Attack their target Hero. If it’s out of Range
(Range 0 or 3+), they attack the most experienced Hero within
Range and Line Of Sight. If they can’t use their Magic Attack,
they resolve a Melee Attack instead.

2. Enemies define their target Hero: the Hero with the highest If the Enemies form a Mob (Boss + Minions), allocate Minions
amount of unspent Experience points across the board. If several in this order:
Heroes share the highest amount, players choose (regardless of (1) One Minion joins the Boss in attacking the target Hero.
distance). Defeated Heroes and Heroes in Shadow Mode (P. XX) (2) One Minion for each additional Hero within Range and Line
are ignored. Of Sight, regardless of Experience. If there aren’t enough Min-
If all Heroes are ignored (either defeated or in Shadow Mode): ions in the Mob to attack all eligible Heroes, players choose.
• Enemies in Room Zones don’t Move. (3) Any remaining Minions are set aside. They bring support to
• Enemies in Corridor Zones move toward the Hero Starting their Boss for its Attack roll (see P. XX).
Zone. Remove their miniatures and discard their cards as soon
as they reach it: they exit to wreak havoc in the open world. The Enemies’ Phase ends as soon as all Enemy attacks have been
resolved.
3. Enemies move up to 1 Zone, in the same way as Heroes (see P.
XX). The Move direction depends on the Enemy type (see below),
but always by taking the shortest available path. Moving is not
allowed if a Hero stands in the same Zone. If there are several
routes of the same length, players choose.
• Melee Enemies do their best to engage their foes in close com-
bat. They move toward their target Hero.
• Ranged Enemies fire from as far as possible. They move in order
to be at maximum Range of their target Hero, and within Line Of
Sight of it.
• Magic Enemies get to a safe range to unleash magic on their tar-
gets. They move in order to be at maximum range (up to 2 Zones
away) from their target Hero, and within Line Of Sight of it.
In case there would be no open path to the target Hero, Enemies
move toward as if all doors were open. Closed doors still stop them.

4. Enemies try to spot Heroes once again, as in step (1).

After all Enemies have gone through their first Move Action,
they resolve a second Move Action, going through all the Move
resolution again.

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Melee #1/3.
The Troll, a Melee Enemy , checks its Lines Of Sight
and sets its course before its first Move Action.
The Troll defines its target Zone with the more experienced Hero
on the board, excluding those that are defeated or in Shadow Mode.
Being defeated, Elias is ignored despite having the more Experience
Points. Whisper has 24 XP, but is ignored as well as she is in Shadow
Mode. Owen and Siegfried are both eligible targets, but Siegfried is
the more experienced! The Troll sets its course to get to Siegfried.

Melee #2/3.
The Troll’s Lines Of Sight are checked as it ends
its first Move toward Siegfried. The Roaming
Monster cannot spot Bjorn and Whisper, as they
are both in Shadow Mode in Shadow Zones.

Melee #3/3.
Performing its second Move Action,
the Troll lands on Bjorn’s Zone.
Its Lines Of Sight are checked for a last time. Bjorn,
standing in the same Zone, is revealed. Sibyl,
despite having a Shadow token, stands in a Light
Zone within the Troll’s Line Of Sight. Both lose
their Shadow tokens and exit Shadow mode.
The Troll is a Melee Enemy. It didn’t reach
Siegfried, its intended target, but will nonetheless
fight in Melee Combat in its own Zone if a target
is available. Bjorn, prepare for a whack!

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

Ranged #1/2. Ranged #2/2.

Goblin Archers are Ranged Enemies . They resolve For their second Move Action, the Goblin Archers do
their first Move Action to get within Line Of Sight of their best to go as far as possible from Owen’s Zone, while
the most experienced Hero on the board: Owen! keeping Line Of Sight to it. They Move one Zone farther
from him, then prepare for the Attack Step. Sibyl is also
within Line Of Sight, and will be caught in the fire! Elias, in
Shadow Mode in a Shadow Zone, is ignored altogether.

Magic #1/3.
For its first Move Action, a Demon – Magic Enemy – It then sets its
target Zone on Siegfried’s, the most experienced Hero on the board.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

Magic #2/3.
The Demon’s Lines Of Sight are
checked at the end of its first
Move Action. It has a clear view
on Elias. The Roaming Monster
doesn’t unveil Bjorn, who stands in
Shadow Mode in a Shadow Zone.
The Demon is still set for Siegfried,
the most experienced Hero on the
board. It ignores Elias, and resolves
its second Move to get Siegfried
within Line Of Sight. Siegfried is
about to endure a Magic attack
during the ensuing Attack Step.

Magic #3/3.
A Magic Enemy , a Demon cannot
see Bjorn, standing in Shadow Mode in
the next Zone. The Roaming Monster
performs its first Move toward the most
experienced Hero on the board: Sibyl.
As the Demon ends its Move Action,
it unveils Bjorn (his Shadow token is
lost and he exits Shadow Mode) and
gets Line of Sight on Bjorn, of course,
but also Owen, Elias and Sibyl.
Standing in the same Zone as a
Hero, the Demon cannot perform
a second Move Action.
During the ensuing Attack Step, the Demon
won’t be able to blast Sibyl, its intended
target, as the Heroine is out of Range
(Magic Range: 1-2). The Roaming Monster
will blast the most experienced Hero
within Range and Line Of Sight: Elias!

Mob allocation.
6 Goblin Archers Minions led by a Boss – Ranged
Enemies – shoot at Heroes standing in a corridor.
Owen is the most experienced Hero within
Range and Line Of Sight. He is attacked by the
Goblin Archer Boss, along with a Minion.
Whisper is attacked by a single Goblin Archer Minion.
Elias is outside Line Of Sight, and cannot be targeted.
The four remaining Minions bring support
to their Boss against Owen (see P. XX).

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END PHASE
The End Phase marks the end of the Game Round.
Many game effects last until the End Phase: they end in any order
of the players’ choosing.
The First Player hands the First Player token to the player to his
left. The latter will be the First Player for the next Game Round.
Another Game Round can now begin!
The game ends as a victory when all the Quest’s objectives are
met, and as a defeat if they can no longer be met, or if any Hero is
defeated two times. Remember, Massive Darkness is a cooperative
game: players win and lose as a team.
36
 COMBAT
COMBAT ROLL
Combat rules apply when an Actor, called the Attacker, performs
an Attack on another, called the Defender. A Combat roll is re-
solved following these steps, in order.
Step 1 – Rolling Dice
Take the Attack dice of the Attacker, then the Defense
dice of the Defender. Group both the Attack and Defense
dice in a single roll.
REMEMBER: A dice roll can only include up to three dice of each
color (yellow, red, blue or green). Any exceeding amount is lost.
To know the dice amount a given Hero gets in a specific Combat
type (Melee, Ranged, Magic or Defense), simply add together
the dice of the related Combat type among the Equipped cards
he possess. Add any bonus dice the Hero may get through Skills,
Items, Consumables or Events.
 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
The process works the same way for Enemies: check the re-
lated Combat type’s indicated dice on the Enemy card. Guardians
(Agents, Bosses and Roaming Monsters) may get additional dice
and Enchantments if the Equipment card they possess is a Com- RE-ROLLS
bat Equipment featuring dice in the related Combat type. Many game effects allow re-rolls. They stack with each
other, allowing multiple re-rolls in a row. Only the final
result is kept.

EXAMPLE 2: Elias is being attacked. The player gathers his Defense

EXAMPLE 1: The game is at Level 1. Bjorn is about to perform a
Melee Attack against a Level 1 Orc Flayer Boss.
Bjorn gets these Attack dice:
• 2 yellow dice for his Equipped Mace (Melee weapon held in Hand)
• 1 red die for his Equipped Axe (Melee weapon held in Hand)
• 1 additional yellow die for his Level 1 Melee: +1 Skill
For a total of three yellow (the maximum amount for this color) and
an red dice.
The Orc Flayer Boss gets these Defense dice:
• 1 blue die for his Defense value.
• 2 blue dice for his Equipped Treasure card: a Level 2 Plate Armor
(Equipment can be used regardless of the current Level).
For a total of 3 blue dice.
dice. Elias has the following Defense means:
• A Level 2 Chainmail Armor (1 blue and 1 green) Equipped on Body.
• A Level 2 Staff Of Defense (1 blue and 1 green) Equipped in Hand
(Two-Handed)
• A Level 1 Round Shield (1 blue) Equipped in Hand.
• A Level 1 Dwarven Ring (1 Blue). As an Item, it doesn’t need to be
Equipped to be active.
• The Defense: +1 Skill.
Being a Two-Handed Equipment, the Staff Of Defense can’t pair with
the Round Shield.
On the other hand, Elias can get a maximum amount of three dice of
any kind. So, the player chooses to use the Chainmail Armor, the Staff
Of Defense and the Defense: +1 Skill. The total is 3 blue and 2
green dice.

Bjorn’s player then gathers three yellow, a red and three blue dice to
resolve Bjorn’s Melee Attack.

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

TWO HANDS!
Actors are considered as having two hands, whatever the
model may show. This has an impact on the way Combat
dice are added for Combat rolls.
Hand. Actors can add together the dice of up to two
Equipped cards bearing the Hand symbol.
Two-Handed. Dice from Equipped cards bearing the
Two-Handed symbol cannot be added to dice from Equip-
ment cards bearing the Hand and Two-Handed symbols.
Combat dice gained from other sources (Special Skills,
Skills, Items, Consumables or Events) are added normally.
Step 2: Resolve The Enchantments
Resolve first the game effects related to the Defense’s Enchant-
ments .
Then resolve the game effects related to the Attack’s Enchant-
ments . Add together all Hits
Enchantments are shared between all equipped Equipment cards
the Actors use for the Combat roll. Rolling a single or can
then trigger multiple Enchantments from different Equipment
cards! Enchantments can be triggered as long as the related
Equipment card is Equipped and matches the Combat type used
by the Actor. This rule applies even if the Actor doesn’t use the
Equipment’s dice due the “3 dice of each type” limit.
Remember: Attack Enchantments are triggered by Attack dice,
when the Actor is the Attacker. Defense Enchantments are trig-
gered by Defense dice, when the Actor is the Defender.
EXAMPLE 2: Siegfried is Equipped with an Axe Of Healing and an
Ice Sword. Both are Hand weapons and their dice can be combined.
Performing a Melee Action, Siegfried gets a and a on his At-
tack dice, triggering the Enchantments of both Melee weapons.
With the Axe Of Healing, Siegfried heals 3 Wounds (1 with the , 2
with the ).
At the same time, Siegfried Stuns 3 Enemies with the Ice Sword (1 with
the , 2 with the ).
Step 3: Inflict Pain!
on the Attack dice, then subtract all
Shields on the Defense dice. Inflict on the Defender as many
Wounds as the final result (min. 0). Place the corresponding
amount of Wound tokens next to it to mark the Actor’s remain-
ing Health.
The Defender is defeated when its Health amount drops to 0 or
below. If it was a Guardian (Agent, Boss or Roaming Monster),
the Attacker gets its Equipment cards and immediately reorga-
nize his Inventory for free.
REMEMBER: Eliminating an Enemy earns 1 Experience Point/XP,
no matter its size and Level.

EXAMPLE: Equipped with a Fire Sword, Whisper executes a Melee

Action against a Dwarf Defender. The Combat roll gets:
EXAMPLE 1: Performing a Magic Action with a Staff Of Final Blow • For the Attack dice: 4 and an Attack . Whisper has the Melee: +1
against a Wounded Troll, Silas obtains a on both his own Attack Special Skill, and the adds 2 Hits from the Fire Sword. 7 total.
dice and the Troll’s Defense dice. As Defense Enchantments trigger • For the Defense dice: 3 and a Defense . The triggers the
first, the Troll fully regenerates before the Staff Of Final Blow’s En- Dwarf Defender’s Enchantment for an additional 1 .4 total.
chantment kicks in. Don’t mess with trolls. The Enchantment also deals 1 Wound to Whisper.
The Dwarf Defender endures 3 Wounds (7 – 4 ).

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
MOB RULES
REMEMBER: A Boss cannot use his Defense dice or be Wounded as
long as at least one of its Minion escorts stands along it in the same
Zone. Game effects affecting all Actors or Enemies in the Zone they
stand, affect them as well.

Henchmen of a dangerous and tyrannical Boss, Minions can

Attack in three manners. This has an impact on the way their
Combat dice are used.
• Against a single Hero, along their Boss. The Minion’s Attack
dice are simply added to the Boss’ pool.
• As support to their Boss (see P. XX). The Boss’ Combat roll gets
an additional Hit per supporting Minion.
• Alone, against a single Hero. Resolve Combat rolls normally.

Hero Attacks affect all Minions represented by a single Enemy EXAMPLE 2: Sibyl is attacked at range by a Goblin Archer Boss and
card and standing in the targeted Zone. a Goblin Archer Minion. The Enemies’ Attack dice are cumulative.
Use the Defense dice indicated on the Enemy card to resolve The Combat roll is resolved with 2 and 2 , against Sibyl’s
Combat rolls against a whole Minion group, whatever their Defense dice.
number. The Minions use their own pool for defense, as the Boss
cannot use his Defense dice. Players deal the Wounds as they see
fit among the Minion targets.

EXAMPLE 3: Owen stands alone in Melee combat against 4 Orc

Enforcers Minions and their Boss. The Boss and a single Minion join
EXAMPLE 1: Bjorn executes a Charge in a Zone with four Level 2 their Attack dice (4 , reduced to the maximum of 3) against Owen’s
Goblin Warrior Minions led by a Goblin Warrior Boss. The Combat Defense dice. However, the remaining three Orc Enforcer Minions
roll is done with Bjorn’s Attack dice against the Defense value of the Gob- support their Boss, each of them adding a to the Combat roll. So,
lin Warrior Minions: 1 [blue]. The Boss’ Defense dice are not accounted. the Orcs roll 3 and add 3 against Owen’s Defense. Tough time.
Obtaining 4 against 1 , Bjorn inflicts 3 Wounds to distribute
as the player sees fit among the Goblins. The Boss can’t be selected, as
his Minions still stand in the Zone. A first Minion receives 2 Wounds,
which is enough to kill him (Health 2). A second Minion endures the
last Wound: a Wound token is placed near its miniature.
On a second Melee Attack, Bjorn inflicts 4 more Wounds and kills two
more Minions. Only the wounded Minion remains, along with the Boss.
On a third Melee Attack, Bjorn inflict 3 more Wounds. One is enough
to kill the last Minion. The other two are overkill and lost, as the Boss’
Defense dice were not accounted. On the other hand, the Boss can now
be Attacked!

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

 ADDITIONAL RULES OBJECTIVE AND PILLAR TOKENS

Artifacts, Lair and Map tokens are key components to Quests’
ARTIFACTS creation.

These are Objective tokens: Artifact,

Lair and Map, respectively.

This is a Pillar token.

Artifacts are ancient items of tremendous power, the reason why
Heroes go against the Darkness to claim the Lightbringers’ leg- Pillar tokens are usually described as being structural flaws the
acy. Such treasures cannot be found on your average Guardian, Heroes can use to their advantage and win the game.
and are usually linked to a Quest achievement (Artifact token or In both cases, the Quest’s description details the special rules to
Quest objective). While they are game changers, Heroes bring use whenever such a token is used.
Artifacts back to safety once they found them. Artifact cards are
discarded like any Equipment as usual at the end of the game.

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 MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES

SPECIAL LOCATIONS:
APOTHECARY AND GUARDSROOM
Massive Darkness’ underground tunnels hold places of interest
called Special Locations. Don’t draw Door cards when discover-
ing Special Locations: directly draw a Guard card of the tile’s
Level, and place the corresponding Enemies.

A Hero can spend a Pick-Up Action to activate an Apothecary.

Remove a Wound token from him.

STUN
The Stun game effect temporarily disables an Actor. Lay down
his miniature to keep track of the effect.
- A Stunned Hero must spend an Action to get up (see P. XX). If
he can’t, he does nothing and keep on being Stunned.
- A Stunned Enemy spends its next Activation getting up, losing
both its Move and Attack Steps in the process.
- Stunned Enemies are ignored to determine whether or not a
Hero can leave a Zone.
- A Stunned Minion cannot protect its Boss: Stunned Minions
are ignored to determine whether or not Heroes can perform
Combat Actions against their Boss.

Guardsroom spawns Enemies as normal and may be used to NOTE: All members of a Mob (including the Boss) are Stunned as soon
trigger additional game effects. Read the Quest’s instructions to as half of them (round up) endure the Stun effect at the beginning of the
learn about them. Enemies’ Phase. Until then, they keep on performing the Attack and
Move steps normally.

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
 SKILLS
Being part of Skill Lines of growing power, Skills define and
enhance the Heroes. Their effects are described in this section.
• In case of conflict with the general rules, Skill rules have
priority.
• In the same way as Enchantments, Skills affecting Defense are
resolved before Skills affecting Attack.
• Any Guardian possessing a Skill described below is considered
as the Hero in the Skill’s description, and the Heroes are then
considered the Enemies.
• The effects of the following Skills are immediate and can be
used on the Game Round they are acquired.
+[X] Magic Action – The Hero has the indicated amount of free
Magic Actions each Activation.
+[X] Melee Action – The Hero has the indicated amount of free
Melee Actions each Activation.
+[X] Move Action – The Hero has the indicated amount of free
Move Actions each Activation.
+[X] Ranged Action – The Hero has the indicated amount of free
Ranged Actions each Activation.
+1 Enter Shadow Mode Action – The Hero has a free Action to
Enter Shadow Mode each Activation.
+1 Reorganize/Trade Action – The Hero has a free Action to
Reorganize/Trade each Activation.
+[X] Zone per Move Action – The Hero can Move through the
indicated amount of extra Zone(s) each time he performs a Move
Action.
+2 Max Health – The Hero’s maximum Health value becomes 7
instead of 5. Acquiring this Skill doesn’t raise the Hero’s current
Health amount, only the maximum amount.
Aggro: +[X] Defense die – Add the indicated amount of Defense
dice / (any mix, your choice) whenever the Hero is the De-
fender on a Combat roll AND has the most Experience Points on
the board (ignore defeated Heroes and Heroes in Shadow Mode).
This Skill can’t be used if the Hero is in Shadow Mode.
Charge – Spend 1 Action with the Hero. He moves up to 2 Zones,
to a Zone containing at least one Enemy, then performs a free
Melee Action. Charge can’t be declared if Enemies stand in the
Hero’s Zone (save if they are all Stunned).
Combat: +1 – Add a whenever the Hero performs a Com-
bat Action.
42
Combat: +1
bat Action.
– Add a whenever the Hero performs a Com-
Combat: +1 Attack die – Add an Attack die (player’s choice)
whenever the Hero performs a Combat Action.
Combat: +1 Defense die – Add a Defense die (players’ choice)
whenever the Hero is the Defender on a Combat roll.
Combat Attacker: + [X] Wound – Whenever the Hero performs
a Combat Action, inflict [X] additional Wounds to the Defender
after the Combat roll is resolved.
Combat : Stun – Whenever the Hero with this Skills gets a
while performing a Combat Action, Stun an Enemy of your
choice within the Attack’s Range.
Command: Select another Hero during your Hero’s Activation.
The selected Hero immediately performs a free Action of his
owner’s choice. Command cannot be activated during an Action’s
resolution.
Counter-Attack – Any exceeding obtained over the
amount on a Melee Combat roll against the Hero becomes a
Wound inflicted to the Attacker.
Defense: +[X] – Add the indicated amount of whenever
the Hero is the Defender on a Combat roll.
Defense: +1 – Add a whenever the Hero is the Defender
on a Combat roll.
Defense: +1 – Add a whenever the Hero is the Defender
on a Combat roll.
Defense: +1 Defense die – Add a Defense die / of your
choice whenever the Hero is the Defender on a Combat roll.
Defense: +1 re-roll – This Skill can be used whenever the Hero
is the Defender. All the dice, including the Attack dice, can be
re-rolled an additional time. Re-rolls stack. Keep the final result.
Magic [Bam]: +[X] Wound – Add the indicated amount of
Wounds to the Defender whenever the Hero gets a [Bam] on a
Magic Action.
Magic [Bam]: Heal [X] – Whenever the Hero gets a [Bam] on a
Magic Action, heal the indicated amount of Wounds from any
Hero within Line Of Sight (including the casting Hero himself).
This Skill can be used to Resurrect a defeated Hero.
Magic [Bam]: Regeneration [X] – Whenever the Hero gets a
[Bam] on a Magic Action, heal the indicated amount of Wounds
from him. Regeneration is a Healing, but cannot be used to
Resurrect.
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Magic : Stun – Whenever the Hero gets a on a Magic Ac- Melee: +[X] – Add the indicated amount of whenever the
tion, Stun an Enemy of your choice within the Attack’s Range. Hero performs a Melee Action.

Magic: +[X] – Add the indicated amount of whenever the Melee: +[X] Wound – Add the indicated amount of Wounds to
Hero performs a Magic Action. the Defender whenever the Hero performs a Melee Action.

Magic: +[X] – Add the indicated amount of whenever the Melee Attacker: -1 [Blue]: Whenever the Hero is the Attacker
Hero performs a Magic Action. in Melee Combat, subtract 1 blue die from the Defender’s pool (if
available) before the Combat roll is resolved.
Magic: +[X] – Add the indicated amount of whenever the
Hero performs a Magic Action. Melee Defender: -[X] Attack die – Whenever the Hero is the
Defender in Melee Combat, subtract [X] Attack dice from the At-
Magic: +[X] Wound – Add the indicated amount of Wounds to tacker’s pool (player’s choice) before the Combat roll is resolved.
the Defender whenever the Hero performs a Magic Action. The Combat roll is cancelled if no Attack dice remain.

Magic: +1 – Add a whenever the Hero performs a Magic Ranged: +1 re-roll – This Skill can be used whenever the Hero
Action. performs a Ranged Action. All the dice, including the Defense
dice, can be re-rolled an additional time. Re-rolls stack. Keep the
Magic: +1 Attack die – Add an Attack die / (player’s final result.
choice) whenever the Hero performs a Magic Action.

Magic: +1 re-roll – This Skill can be used whenever the Hero per-
forms a Magic Action. All the dice, including the Defense dice,
can be re-rolled an additional time. Re-rolls stack. Keep the final
result.

Magic Assault: The Hero can perform a free Magic Action right
before performing any Melee Action. The Melee Action is spent
even if the free Magic Action leaves no valid target for it.

Magic Attacker: -1 [Blue]: Whenever the Hero is the Attacker in

Magic Combat, subtract 1 blue dice from the Defender’s pool (if
available) before the Combat roll is resolved.

Melee: +[X] – Add the indicated amount of each time the

Hero performs a Melee Action.

Melee: +[X] – Add the indicated amount of each time the

Hero performs a Melee Action.

Melee [Bam]: +[X] Wound – Add the indicated amount of

Wounds to the Defender whenever the Hero gets a [Bam] on a
Melee Action.

Melee : Stun – Whenever the Hero gets a on a Melee Ac-

tion, Stun an Enemy of your choice within the Attack’s Range.

Melee: +1 – Add a whenever the Hero performs a Melee

Action.

Melee: +1 Attack die – Add an Attack die / (player’s

choice) whenever the Hero performs a Melee Action.

Melee: +1 re-roll – This Skill can be used whenever the Hero per-
forms a Melee Action. All the dice, including the Defense dice, can
be re-rolled an additional time. Re-rolls stack. Keep the final result.

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MASSIVE DARKNESS - RULES
Ranged: +[X] Wound – Add the indicated amount of Wounds to
the Defender each time the Hero performs a Ranged Action.
Reach: The Hero’s Melee Actions have a 0-1 Range.
Regeneration [X] – Spend 1 Action with the Hero. Heal the indi-
cated amount of Wounds from him. Regeneration is a Healing,
but cannot be used to Resurrect.
Shadow Combat: Defender -[X] Defense dice – Whenever the
Hero has a Shadow Mode token and Stands in a Shadow Zone,
Enemies he attacks lose [X] Defense dice (player’s choice) before
the Combat roll. This replaces the standard 1 Defense die the
target would normally lose in this situation.
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Shadow Combat: +1 re-roll – The Hero can re-roll one more time
all the dice (including the Defense dice) each time he performs
a Combat Action while in Shadow Mode. This Skill can be used
whether or not the Hero is in a Shadow Zone.
Shadow Mode: +[X] Magic Action – The Hero can use the indi-
cated amount of free Magic Actions whenever he is in Shadow
Mode. These Actions may only be used to perform Magic Actions.
Shadow Master – The Hero can perform Shadow Actions while
Enemies are in his Zone or have a Line Of Sight on him. Enter-
ing Shadow Mode still must be the first Action of his Activation,
though.
Slippery – The Hero can leave Zones with Enemies while per-
forming Move Actions.
Stunned Defender: +[X] Wound: Whenever the Hero performs
a Combat Action against a Stunned Defender, add the indi-
cated amount of Wounds to the Defender after the Combat roll
is resolved. In case of a Mob, all remaining Enemies have to be
Stunned.
Taunt – This Skill can be used at the beginning of Enemies’ Phase.
The Hero is considered as having the most Experience Points on
the board, whatever the real values, until the End Phase.
Teleport [X] – Spend 1 Action with the Hero. Put his miniature
up to the indicated amount of Zones away from his current
Zone, and within Line Of Sight of his starting Zone. This is not
a Move Action. This Skill can be used to leave a Zone containing
Enemies.
Wounded: +[X] – Add the indicated amount of to any
Combat Action made with the Hero, whenever has suffered 1
Wound or more.
Wounded: +[X] – Add the indicated amount of whenever
the Hero is the Defender on a Combat roll AND has suffered 1
Wound or more.