‘The ARMY OF DARKNESS Board Game is designed for one or more Players; it recreates the battle for Arthurs Castle at the end of the film, as the Deadites swarm over the walls in their attempt to capture the Book of the Dead. The Players take the roles of some of the important Characters from the film (Ash, Henry, the Wise Man, and others) and try to defeat Evil Ash and his horde of Deadites. For your first game, we recommend that you skim through the rules briefly, paying special attention to the Sequence of Play Summary, and then go ahead and start the game. As you play, referto the rules for anything that you are not sure about. Components ‘The Components of the game are: The Map ‘Two Sheets of Character Cards and Counters ‘Two Sheets of Equipment Cards A 10-sided Die Plastic Stands These Rules Each Component is described below. Map ‘The Map has the game's Playing Area, room for the Equipment Card Deck and for Discards, anda Sequence of Play listing. ‘The Playing Area shows Arthur's Castle and is divided into Squares, which are used to keep track of movement and combat. Note that several of the Squares have labels in them, including 4 Wall Squares, the Gate, the Tower, and the Pit, and that, the Wall Squares are twice as large as the other Squares on the Map. The special uses of these Squares are described later inthe rules. Character Cards and Counters There are two Sheets that have all the Character Cards and Counters necessary to play the game. The Character Cards show the abilities of the various Characters, while the Counters are used to represent whiere they are on the Map. They should all be separated from each other, and each of the Counters should be slipped into one of the small Plastic Stands. ‘Two different types of Cards and Counters are on the Sheets; the ones for the Mortals, which have white printing on red backgrounds, and those for the Deadites, which have red printing against black backgrounds. Seven of the Mortal Heroes from the movie have their own Character Cards and Counters; Ash, Arthur, Henry, the Wise Man, Gold Tooth, the Blacksmith, land the Archer Captain. (In the basic game, the Players use any four of these seven.) There is also a Card and Counter for Ash's heavily modified car, which is referred to as the Deathmobile, and for the four major Deadite Champions; Evil Ash, Evil Sheila, the Deacite Captain, and the Flying Demon. Lastly, there are 24 Counters that have Deadite Warriors on them. Each Character Card has two sides; the front shows the abilities of the Character when healthy, while the reverse shows, the abilities once the Character has been Wounded. Both sides have the number of Attacks the Character can make and how far he or she can Move, as well as the Attack and Defense Values for the Character and notes about any special traits the Character has. The uses of these values are described in the following rules. Equipment Cards There are two Sheets of Equipment Cards, each with 16 Cards. These Cards represent groups of warriors, pieces of equipment, and other key factors in the game. The Cards are all described individually later, but they fit into the following general categories. Soldiers: These Cards say either Men at Arms, Knights, or Halberd Squad, and they represent squads of Mortal Soldiers who help defendithe Castle. They are placed on the Map when they are drawn from the Deck, and each Card has an Attack Value on it, which determines how powerful itis. The higher the Attack Value, the more powerful the Soldiers. Weapons: These Weapons are used by the Mortal Heroes, to either improve their Attack Values or to receive extra Attacks. ‘Some Weapon Cards have the words "Single Use” on them: this means they are discarded after they are used. Other Weapon Cards have the words "Range Attack’: this means the Attack can be made anywhere on the Map, as opposed to normal Attacks which can only be made inside the same Square as the Attacker. Special Cards: There are several Cards that have unusual uses; they are all described later. Deadite Champions: There is one Card for each of the four Deadite Champions. When each Cardis drawn, the appropriate Deadite Champion enters the Map. Marker Cards: There are three of these; one which marks the location of the Book of the Dead, one which indicates whether the Pit is Open or Closed, and one which shows if the Gate is Open or Closed.Die Asingle ten-sided die has been provided. Its used whenever the rules say a die roll is needed. The sides are numbered from 0 to 9; in all cases, treat the 0 as a zero, not as a 10, Preparing for Play ‘The basic game is played with 4 Mortal Heroes on the Map; Ash and any 3 others. These Heroes are divided up among 1 to 4 Players as desired. (Variations for up to 8 Players are described at the end of the rules.) Cards and Counters for 7 Heroes are provided, so the Players choose which Heroes to use. Note that the Players run the Mortals, but the Deadites run themselves. Each Player puts the appropriate Character Card{s) in front of him or her. Next, the three Marker Cards are put on the Map; the Book of the Dead Card goes in the Square that says "Tower," the Pit Card goes in the Square that says "Pit" with the "Pit Closed’ side up, and the Gate Card goes in the Square that says "Gate" with the “Gate Closed sideup. The remaining Equipment Cards are shuffled into a Deck, which is placed face down in the area to the lower lat of the Map. Now the Players determine who goes first. Each rolis the die; the Player rolling the highest goes first. If there is a tie, the Players who tied continue rolling untl the tie is broken. Play goes to the left around the table. Players who have more than ‘one Hero decide what order their Heroes play in; the order must be the same every Tum. Onoe this is done, the Heroes are placed on the Map. They can be put in any Square or Squares as desired by the Players. The Deathmobile Counter is also placed on the Map, and can be put in any non-Wall Square. When the Players are leaming the game, itis recommended that one Hero be placed in each Wall Square and that the Deathmobile be placed in one of the Squares next to Ash. Lastly, collect the 24 Deadite Warriors and set them at the side of the Map, along with the Cards and Counters for the 4 Deadite Champions. Playing the Game The game is played in Turns, and each Turn has several Phases, which are listed in the Sequence of Play. The Players go through the Sequence of Play for each Tum, and play continues until the Mortals win the game by destroying all of the Deadite Champions, or lose the game by losing the Book of the Dead or by being overwhelmed by the Deadite army. When the rules call for a Mortal to do something, obviously the Player controlling that Mortal makes the decision or rolls, the die. Whenever a Deadite is supposed to do something, whichever Player is most involved with its action rolls the die, ‘Sequence of Play Summary Every Tum, play moves through the following Phases in order. The Sequence of Play is listed at the left of the Map, and the basic guidelines for each step are described here. Where necessary, fuller explanations are given later in the rules, Gate and Gasoline: Atthe beginning of the game, the main Gate of the Castle is Closed. During this Phase, the die is rolled tose ifthe Deadites manage to break down the Gate. initially, a O must be rolled to Open the Gate. For each Wall Square that has @ Deadite Warrior or Champion in it during this Phase, add 1 to the chance that the Gate will Open. For example, if there is a Deadite on one Wall, the Gate will Open on a 0 or a 4; if there are Deadites on all 4 Wall Squares, the Gate will Open on a0, 1,2,3, or, When the Gate Opens, the Gate Cards flipped to the Open side. It stays Open for the rest of the game and this roll does not have to be made any more. Whenever the Gate is Open, 2 Deadites per Turn appear inits Square during the "Deadites Appear" Phase, as described below. Ifthe Gasoline Fire is burning, a separate roll is made during this Phase to see if it goes out. Full instructions for the Gasoline Fire are given below; it goes out if a O or a 1 is rolled Deadites Move: Deadite Warriors and Champions on the Map Move during this Phase. Movement must be from Square ‘toadjacent Square, anditis not possible to Move diagonally. Deadites Move 1 Square each Turn, but cannot move ifthey are ina Square that has a Mortal init. Special Movement rules apply to two Deadite Champions, Evil Sheila and the Flying Demon; they are described later. When a Deadite Moves, it Moves toward the nearest Mortal. If two or more Mortals are the same distance away, roll randomly to find out which Square the Deadite Moves into. For example, if there are two Squares a Deadite can choose between, on a 0 through 4 it would Move to the left Square, and.a 5 through 9 it would Move to the right Square; if there are three Squares, then on a 0, 1, or 2 it would Move to the left one, 3, 4, or 5 it would Move to the center, and a 6, 7, oF 8 it would Move to the right. A 9 would be re-rolled Deadites Appear: During this Phase, Deadite Warriors enter the Map. One Deadite Warrior appears in each Wall Square, ‘and more Deadites can appear at the Gate and in the Pit once they are Open. When the Gate is Open, 2 Deadites appear in that Square each Tum. When the Pit is Open, 3 Deadites appear in that Square each Tum. Mortal Soldiers Attack: Any Mortal Soldiers (Knights, Men-At-Arms, and the Halberd Squad) who are in a Square with Deadites can attack. The Player who controls the Mortal Soldier determines which Deadite is attacked, if there is more than one, ang rolls the die. ifthe number rolledis less than or equal tothe Attack Value of the Mortal Soldier, then the Attack has succeeded. If the roll is greater, there is no effect. Whenever a Deadite Warrior is hit by a successful Attack, itis 2destroyed and is immediately removed from the Map. If a successful Attack is made against a Deadite Champion, then the Champion makes a Defense Roll with the die. If the number rolled is less than or equal to the Deadite Champion's Defense Value (shown at the bottom of the Character Card), then the Attack has no effect. Ifthe roll is greater than the Defense Value, then the Deadite Champion's Card is flipped over to its Wounded side. If the Deadite Champion was already Wounded, then it has been destroyed and is removed from the Map. Mortal Heroes Move, Attack, and Play Cards: During this Phase, the Mortal Heroes perform allof their Actions. Each Hero takes his entire turn, one after another, in the order defined at the start of the game. A Hero's turn is divided up into 3 sections; Moving, Attacking, and Playing Cards. Depending on what the Player wants to do, he or she can take those 3 sections in any order desired. For example, the Hero can Move frst, then Attack, and then Play any Cards he wants to, ‘or begin by Playing Cards, then Attack, and end his turn by Moving, or any other combination. There is a good sample of this in the Example of Play at the end of the rules. Remember, the Hero can go through the three sections in any order, but must complete one section before going on to another one. Itis not possible to Move 1 Square, make an Attack, then Move another Square; once a Hero finishes with a section for the turn, he cannot go back to it later. The rules for each section are as follows. Hero Movement: The Hero can Move a number of Squares equal to the Move value on the face of his Character Card. For all Heroes, their Move is 2 when they are healthy, and 1 when they are Wounded. The rules for this Movement are generally the same as for Deadite Movement; all Movementis trom Square to adjacent Square, with no diagonal Movement. Heroes can leave a Square that has Deadites in tif that is where they start their movement, but they must stop as soon as they enter a Square with Deadites in it. Every time a Hero Moves into a Square that is not a Wall and that has no Deadites in it, he may draw one Equipment Card from the Deck. In addition, he can draw a Card if he enters a non-Wall Square that has Deadites in it, and manages to kill ll of the Deadites by the end of his Player tum, While a Hero is Moving, he can take Mortal Soldiers with him from Square to Square, picking them up and dropping them off as desired. This is the only way Mortal Soldiers can Move. Further rules about Mortal Soldiers are given below, under Equipment Card Descriptions. Hero Attacks: The Heroes Attack using the same rules as the Mortal Soldiers, with the following modifications. Each Hero receives the number of Attacks listed on the Card; 2 for Ash, 1 for most of the others, and 3 for the Archer Captain. The Hero rolls the die once for each Attack, and can Attack any one Deadite in his Square with each Attack as desired by the Player. Ifthe roll is less than or equal fo the Hero's Attack Value, then the Attack is successful. If the target is a Deadite Warrior, itis destroyed. If the target is a Deadite Champion, it must make a check against its Defense Value. Roll the die, and if the number is less than or equal to the Defense Value, the Champion is unharmed: if itis greater than the Defense Value, then the Champion's Card is flipped to the Wounded side it it was healthy. If it was already Wounded, then itis destroyed and is removed from the Map. Some Equipment Cards modify the Hero's Attack Value, while others allow the Hero to make Attacks in other Squares; this is discussed in the Equipment Card Description section below. Playing Cards: During this part of the tum the Hero can play as many Equipment Cards as desired, or none at all. There is no limit to the number of Cards a Hero can have at one time. When a Card is played, the effects of the Card are immediately applied. Full rules for the various Cards are given in the Equipment Card Description section ‘Two Heroes may exchange Equipment Cards as desired whenever they are in the same Square. This does not count as the Playing Cards section of either Hero's tum. Thisis a free action, and may be used as desired with a single limitation; Ro Equipment Card can be used by more than one Hero per Tum under any circumstances. Deadites Attack: The Deadite Warriors and Champions make their Attacks during this Phase. Deadite Warriors each get ‘one Attack on a Mortal Hero or Soldier who is in their Square; the Players decide who is Attacked. If the Players cannot ‘agree on who willbe Attacked, determine who gets Attacked by the roll ofthe die. The Attack Value of all Deadite Warriors Is 4; on a roll of 4 or less, the Attack is successful. The number of Attacks that can be made by each Deadite Champion fs listed on their Cards, next to their Attack Values. These Attacks are made in the normal way, and again the Players choose which Mortal Warrior or Herois the target of each Attack. The decision about who will receive each Attackis made immediately before the die is rolled, and may be changed after any Attack. For example, Ash could choose to accept Attacks until he was Wounded, and then let someone else take all further Attacks from that point on. General Rules ‘The rules that follow are more detailed versions of the ones given in the Sequence of Play Summary, as well as afew rules {or specific situations. The descriptions of the Equipment Cards ate also given. Movement All Movement is from Square to adjacent Square, with no diagonal movement allowed. With a couple of exceptions, Deadites cannot leave a Square thathas Mortals init, while Mortalshave to stop inthe first Square they enter thathas Deadites init, Deadite Warriors Move towards the nearest Mortal; if there are two or more Squares with Mortals in them that are the 3 a‘same distance away, roll randomly to determine which direction the Deadite Warrior Moves. Deadite Champions have special rules governing their Movement. Each has a particular goal, described in the Special Rules, and they use the normal Movement rules in pursuing those goals with the following exceptions. Evil Ash's goal isthe Book of he Dead. Norma! Movement rules apply to him until he reaches the Book, but from that point forward, he can Move 1 Square per Tum even if there are Mortals in his Square. Evil Sheila's target is Ash; she always Moves with Ash, wherever he goes on the Map. She is never separated from him under any circumstances, until one or the other ‘of them is destroyed. If Ash is killed, then Evil Sheila Moves 1 Square per Tum toward the nearest Character. The Flying Demon Moves 1 Square per Turn like the other Deadite Champions, but it can Move even if there are Mortals in its Square. Itabways Moves toward the Pit. Drawing and Playing Equipment Cards Heroes can draw one Equipment Card from the Deck every time they enter a Square that is not a Wall and that has no Deacites init. They can also draw a Card if they manage to destroy any Deadites in their (non-Wall) Square by the end of their turn. There is no limit to the number of Cards a Hero can have, or the number he can Play per Turn. ‘Once all the Cards in the Deck have been drawn, the Discard Pile is shuffled and becomes the new Deck. Note that Heroes donothave to Draw Cards when they Move, and that once the Deck has been shuffled, Drawing Cards can be very dangerous. This is because all four Deadite Champions enter the game during the first pass through the Deck, but any of them that have been destroyed are brought back into play if they are drawn during the second run through the Deck. Attacks and Damage The rules for Attacks are as follows. In a basic Attack, the Attacker must rol less than or equal to his Attack Value; if he does, the Attack is successful. The variant to this is ifthe Defender has a Defense Value; ali Mortal Heroes and Deadite Champions have Defense Values, and no Mortal Soldiers or Deadite Warriors have them. If the Defender has a Defense Value, then he rolls the die. ithe number rolledis less than or equaltto the Defense Value, then the Defender takes no damage. tthe rllis higher than the Defense Value, then the Defenders injured or destroyed. A healthy Defender has the Card flipped over to its Wounded side; a Defender who is already Wounded is killed or destroyed, When this happens, the Defender's Card is set aside and his Counter is removed from the Map. Once a Mortal Hera is killed he is out of the game for good, although a Mortal Hero who is only Wounded can Heal; this is described under Special Rules. Deadite Champions cannot Heal once they are Wounded, but once they are destroyed they can return to the game if their Equipment Cardis drawn again; ‘see the Equipment Card Descriptions for an explanation of how this works. The Attacker and the Defender must be in the same Square, unless the Attacker is using an Equipment Card that allows hhim to make Range Attacks. A Range Attack can be made against any Defender anywhere on the Map. When there are multiple Defenders, the Players decide who takes the Attack. This means that when the Mortals are Attacking, they can choose their target, but when they are Defending they can have their most durable (or most expendable) Heroes or Soldiers take the Attack. This is a big advantage for the Players, of course. Remember that each Attack is made. ‘one at a time, so Players can adjust their strategy after each die roll to account for good or bad luck Equipment Card Descriptions ‘There are 32 Equipment Cards in all; each is described below. Soldiers: There are 9 of these Cards, and they represent squads of Mortal Soldiers. 4 are Men at Arms, 4 are Knights, and 1 represents the Halberd Squad that received special raining from Ash. Each Gard has an Attack Value ont, ranging {rom 4 to 8. When one of these Cards is drawn, itis placed directly on the Map in the Square with the Hero who drew it. From that point onward, the Soldiers Move with any Hero who wants to take them with him. All the Hero has to do is enter ‘the Square with the Soldiers, state that he is taking them, and continue Moving; the Card stays on the Map at all times. ‘A sample of this is given in the Play Example at the end of the rules. This is the only way that Soldiers can Move. They ‘each receive 1 Attack during the Mortal Soldier Attack Phase, and do not have to have a Hero in the Square with them to make their Attacks. Players can decide exactly what the Soldiers will do with their Attacks by agreement, or they can roll randomly to determine who has control of all the Soldiers on the Map each Tum, When a successful Attack is made against a Soldier itis removed from the Map and goes into the Discard Pile. Weapons: Weapons aro used to improve the Attacks made by Mortal Heroes. There are twokinds of Weapons in the Deck, Normal and Single Use. Normal Weapons can be used every Turn, while Single Use Weapons can only be used one time. ‘Additionally, some Weapons are for use in normal Attacks within the Hero's Square, while others allows the Hero to make Range Attacks. With a Range Attack, the Hero can Attack Deadites in any Square on the Map. Only 1 Weapon can be. used to affect any one Attack. ‘The Chain Saw only affects Attacks within the Hero's Square, but it applies to all of the normal Attacks made by the Hero. The Crossbow and the Shotgun only apply to 1 Attack per Tum, but that Attack can be a Range Attack. For all three of these Weapons, just add the Attack Value listed on the Card to the Hero's Attack Value when making the Attack.‘The other Weapons use Ash's Gunpowder to make Single Use Explosive Attacks. They include a Catapult and 3 lights of Explosive Arrows, which allow Range Attacks, and 2 Explosive Charges, which make normal (in-Square) Attacks only. The Catapult and the Explosive Charges have an Attack Value of 6, while the Explosive Arrows have an Attack Value of 4, In all cases, an Attack with one of these Cards affects every Deadite in the Square itis played in, and takes place at the moment the Hero decides to play it. Note that this means that the Players can use an Explosive, see the results, ‘and then decide whether they should play any further Cards. In addition, these Cards do not cause any damage to Mortals. ‘Special Cards: There are several Cards that have unusual purposes. Henry's Banner and Arthur's Banner: These two Cards do the same thing. Any Mortal Soldier who is in the same Square ‘as one of the Banners acquires a Defense Value of 4. if a Soldier is destroyed in spite of the Banner, the Banner is unharmed as long as there is another Soldier or a Hero in the Square withit. This means that a Banner can extend its value to several Soldiers in one Square, which makes a group of Soldiers a much more powerful force. Ifthe two Banners are inthe same Square, there is no benefit; only one Banner has an effect against any one Attack. When a Banner is in use, it should be placed on the Map. A Banner is destroyed (removed from the Map and placed in the Discard Pile) itis ever left alone in a Square, or if the Deadite Captain enters its Square as described below. Any Hero who enters its Square can Move a Banner freely with him, just ke Mortal Soldiers. Gasoline Fire: This Card is played normally, and is used to block entry into and movement through a Square (usually the Gate.) When the Card is played, itis placed in the Square with the Hero, but nothing happens immediately. During the ext Gate and Gasoline Phase, itignites and makes an Attack of 9 against.al Deadites and Mortals in the Square; an Attack of 9 is automatically successful, of course. Note that this means itis very important for the Players to plan ahead when, they are going to use this Card, so they can get Soldiers and Heroes out of the Square before it becomes dangerous. At the end of that Phase, a die is rolled to see if the Gasoline Fire goes out; on a roll of 0 or 1, the Fire is extinguished. ‘This check is made during every Gate and Gasoline Phase thereafter, until the Gasoline Fire goes out. For as long asit burns, ‘no Mortal or Deadite can enter the Square. This makes it an excellent tool for blocking the Gate, once the Gate has been Opened. Once the Gasoline Fire goes out, the Card is placed in the Discard Pile. Move Any Player or Deadite 1 Square: This Card allows the Player to do exactly whatit says, to Move any one Mortal Hero, Deadite Warrior, ot Deadite Champion. This is especially useful for keeping Deadite Champions from reaching their goals. Deadite Character Free Move: When this Cardis drawn trom the Deck, tis automatically played; the Players cannot choose to not play the Card. Every Deadite Champion on the Map automatically Moves 1 Square in whatever direction it would normally Move. This has litle effecton Evil Sheila, who always stays with Ash, but can be critical for Evil Ashand the Flying Demon. Horse: The Hero who holds this Card can elect to use it, which is shown by keeping the Card face up, or keep it in reserve, ‘shown by keeping the Card face down. If the Card is in reserve, it has no effect at all, and the Card can be moved in and ‘out of reserve (tured over) once per Playing Cards Phase. When the Card is in use, the Hero receives 1 extra Action per Player tur; this can be either 1 extra Attack or 1 extra Square of Movement. At the same time, the Hero's Defense Value is lowered by 1, so there are risks associated with this Card. Daring Attack: Like the Horse, this Card can be in use (face up) or in reserve (face down), and the Player can change its status once per Playing Cards Phase. While in use, the Hero's Attack Value is increased by 2, but his Defense Value is lowered by 1 Deadite Champions: Thereis one Card for each of the four Deadite'Champions. When these Cards are drawn, the Deacite ‘Champions enter the Map on the Square with the Hero who drew the Card. There are special rules for each of the Deadite Champions; they are described below. Marker Cards: There are three of these; one marks the location of the Book of the Dead, one indicates whether the Pit is ‘Open or Closed, and one is used to keep track of the status of the Gate. The Book of the Dead Card starts outin the Tower, and can only be moved by Evil Ash or the Wise Man. The Pit Card goes in the Pit Square and starts the game Closed: itis Opened only when the Fiying Demon is in its Square. The Gate Card goes in the Gate Square and starts the game Closed: it Opens when the Deadites break down the Gate, and stays Open the rest of the game. Special Rules ‘The following rules cover special situations and the abilities of the various Characters. Healing: A Mortal Hero can recover from being Wounded by entering a Square that has no Deadites in tandby going through the entire turn without making any Attacks or Drawing or Playing any Cards. If he does this, his Card is flipped back to its healthy side at the end of his turn. Only Mortal Heroes can Heal: Mortal Soldiers, Deacites, and the Deathmobile do not have this ability, 5 a‘Ash: Ash is the most powertul of the Mortal Heroes, but the most important special ability he has (in game terms) is that ho is the only Mortal who can drive the Deathmobile. The flip side for Ash is that he attracts Evil Sheila, and that he cannot Draw Cards as long as she is in his Square. ‘The Deathmoblle: Thisis Ash's extensively modified car, which came with him from the future. Itis an extremely devastating {orce in the battle, and has a few special rules and its own Character Card. At the start of the game, the Deathmobile ‘Counter is placed on any non-Wall Square on the Map; it is highly recommended that it start the game with or next to Ash. Itdoes not have any effect on the game and cannot be damaged until Ash decides to get inside and start itup. To do that, he must end his Movement in its Square and decide to use it. At that point, his Counter is taken off the Map and the Deathmobile's Character Card is placed over his own Card. During his next Player turn, the Deathmobile starts Moving. ItMoves 3 Square per Turn when undamaged, or 2 Squares once itis Damaged, and it must use its full Movement every Turn; it does not have to stop Moving when it enters a Square with a Deadite init. It Moves normally, except that it can only move forward and it can only tun 80 degrees for each Square Moved; that is, it Moves forward one Square, and then can either tur left or right, or continue straight ahead. It cannot turn completely around in one Square, and it can never enter any of the Wall Squares. if it hits a Wall or the edge of the Map, itis destroyed. This means that ifit enters the Pit ‘Square or the Tower Square it cannot get out andis destroyed. Other than that, itcan cruise around the central courtyard, Using its full Movement every Tur and only changing direction after it Moves @ Square. Remember that it can only Move ‘forward, so itis important to keep track of the facing of the Counter. During its Movement, it Attacks every Deadite and every Mortal in each Square itenters. It does not matter how many targets are in the Square, and it oes not differentiate between Deadites and Mortals. Itcan only be Attacked by Deadites who survive the Attack it makes in its last Square: as shown on the Character Card, it has a Defense Value. While Ash is driving the Deathmobile, he cannot do anything else (including Healing or Drawing or Playing any Cards) ‘and cannot be Attacked. If Evil Sheila is on the Map, her Attacks are made against the Deathmobile instead of against Ash until the Deathmobile is destroyed. Evil Sheila is immune to the effects of the Deathmobile, as is the Flying Demon. ‘When the Deathmobile is destroyed, Ash emerges from it and takes his next tum normally. If he decides to get out of it before it is destroyed, it cannot be used again. Deadite Champions: There are 4 Deaite Champions, and each of them has a special ability. Atthe start of the game they ‘are not on the Map, but they enter as the Players go through the Equipment Card Deck. Except for Evil Sheila, they are placed in the Square with the Hero who drew the Card. In all cases, as they make the Moves described for them below they will also make the Attacks listed on their Character Card on any Mortals in their Square. Evil Ashis the leader of the Deacites, of course, and he is the one searching most intently for the Book of the Dead. Once: he enters the Map, he Moves directly toward the Book of the Dead. If he reaches it, he picks it up and starts Moving toward the Gate. Once he has the Book, he Moves 1 Square each Tum even if there are Mortals in his Square. If he ‘manages to get through the Gate Square, the Mortals lose. The Gate does not have to be Open for Evil Ash to pass through it, although Evil Ash cannot Move into the Gasoline Fire. Evil Shellais interested only in Ash. When her Cardis drawn, her Counters placed immediately in Ash's Square. instead ‘of the Square where she was drawn. No matter where Ash goes or what he does, Evil Sheila stays with him and Attacks him every Tum. If Ash gets into the Deathmobile, she Attacks the Deathmobile until itis destroyed, and then goes back toworkon Ash. The only way to stop thisis todestroy Evil Sheila. If Ashiskilled, she Movesat 1 Squareper Turn towards the nearest Mortal Hero and Attacks him instead. The Deadite Captain is the greatest of the Deadite Warriors, and he has the task of leading them in the battle. When he enters the Map, he heads directly for thenearest Banner. As soon as the Deacite Captain enters a Square with a Banner init, the Banner is destroyed: itis eemoved from the Map and placed in the Discard Pile. Any time there are no Banners on the Map the Deadite Captain will tum his attentions fo Mortal Soldiers, and will goto the nearest Soldier and Attack it. He will continue doing this until all Mortal Soldiers are dead, and then will start Attacking Mortal Heroes. The Flying Demon has the job of Opening the Pit. Once it arrives on the Map, it Moves at 1 Square per Turn toward the Pitevenif Mortals areinits way, since itcan fly over them. Ifit reaches the Pit, the Pit Opens and the Pit Cards flipped tots Open side. During any Deadite Appearance Phase that the Pitis Open, 3 Deadite Warriors are placed on the Pit Square. He stays in the Square from that point forward, and the Pit stays Open unti the Flying Demon is destroyed. Victory Conditions ‘As mentioned eattier, the Victory Conditions are as follows. The Mortals win ifthey can destroy each of the Deacite Champions, and have the Map entirely clear of them at one time. This means that all four Deadite Champions must have been on the Map at some time, and been destroyed. Note that once the Players have gone through the Deck once they have tobe careful about taking any more Cards, since a Deadite Champion Could come back into the game.On the other hand, the Deadites win if Evil Ash gets the Book of the Dead and leaves through the Gate with it, orf all of the Deadite Warriors are on the Map at the same time. There are a total of 24 Deadite Warriors in the game; if they are all on the Map at the end of any Deadite Appearance Phase, the Players lose because the Castle has been overrun. ‘The game continues until either the Mortals or the Deadites win. Example of Play Lets look at a small part of the Map at the very beginning of a Turn, with the game well underway. Ash is nextto the Open Gate, Evil Sheila is in Ash's square and is Wounded, and Ash has the Gasoline Fire Card. There is a Men At Arms Card (Attack Value 5) and a Knight (Attack Value 6) in the Gate Square, and there are no Deadites in the immediate area The Gate is Open and the Gasoline Fire is not being used, so we go ahead to the Deadite Movement Phase. During this Phase, Deadites who are not in Squares with Mortals Move 1 Square; for this example, no Deadites Move into Ash's Square or the Gate Square. During the Deadite Appearance Phase, 2 Deadites are placed in the Gate Square. Nextis the Mortal Soldier Attack Phase, and the Men At Arms and the Knight in the Gate Square Attack the Deadites. The Men At Arms roll a 6, which does nothing, and the Knight rolls a 4; this is less than or equal to his Attack Value, so one Deadite {isdestroyed. Itis now the Mortal Hero Phase, and when itcomesto Ash's Tum he Moves into the Gate Square and Evil Sheila Moves with him. Since this Square contains Deadites this is as far as Ash can Move. Ash has 2 Attacks; he decides to begin by Attacking the Deadite Warrior. He rolls a 5, which is lower than his Attack Value, and the Deadite is destroyed. With his second Attack he Attacks Evil Sheila and rolls a 3. This is also less than his Attack Value, so Evil Sheila must now roll less than or equal toher Defense Value, She rolis a7 and fails. Since she is already Wounded, she is now destroyed and removed from play. Ash has cleared the Square of Deadites so he can Draw an Equipment Card; he Draws the Explosive Arrow card. ‘Ash now decides to Play Cards. He uses his Explosive Arrow Card against the Fiying Demon, who is near the Pit; this is Possible because the Explosive Arrow Card is a Range Attack. Ash rolis a 6 for the Explosive Arrow Attack and fails to hit the Flying Demon; the other Players yell at him for wasting an Explosive Arrow. Ash has completed his part of the Turn. Now itis the Deadite Attack Phase, but since there are no Deagites in Ash's Square, Ash and the Mortals in his Square are sate. Atthe start of the next Turn, no Deadites Move into the Gate Square, buton the Deadite Appearance Phase, 2 more arrive. During the Mortal Soldier Attack Phase, one is killed by the Men At Arms. During Ash's part of the Mortal Hero Phase, he Plays Cards first. Ash plays the Gasoline Fire Card in his Square; to do this, he just places the Card in the Square. He then Moves, taking the Mortal Soldiers with him. They Move down one Square, to a place where there are no Deadites. Ash can Draw a Card; itis another Men at Arms Card, which is placed in the Square with Ash's Counter and the two other Soldiers. ince there were no Deadites in the Square Ash can take his second Move. He decides to leave the Mortal Soldiers behind and Moves into the next Square, which is also empty; he has Moved 2 Squares, so he cannot Move any further, He Oraws another Card, the Chain Saw; this adds 2 to his Attack Value forall Attacks he makes in his Square. Unfortunately there are no Deadites in Ash's Square, so he cannot use the Chain Saw. Since he has no Range Attacks, Ash cannot Attack this Turn, Atthe beginning of the next Turn, the Gasoline Fire ignites, killing the Deadite in the Gate Square, Ash rolls to see if the Fire goes out, but rolis a § and it continues to burn, The Deadites then Move and Appear; along with the others, 2 appear at the Gate, but the Gasoline Fire automatically eliminates them. Tips There are a number of basic hints that Players should keep in mind. To begin, the four Wall Squares are very important early in the game, since they determine the odds of the Gate being Opened. The Players should concentrate on keeping the Walls clear if possible, unti the Gate finally Opens. Also, Players should be careful what Square they draw Cards in; i aHeroisnextto the Tower and draws Evil Ash, oris nearthe Pit and draws the Flying Demon, it makes life much more difficult, ‘The Players have to balance the threats posed by the Deadites; the risk that a Hero will get kiled, the progress Evil Ash is making toward getting the Book, and the number of Deadites on the Map each Tum. Itis important to consider the number of Deadites who are going to appear during the next Tum, and make sure that at least that many are destroyed, After that, itis usually best to focus on getting rid of Deadite Champions, since that is the only way you can win the game. ‘You can stop most of the Deadite Champions from reaching their goals by staying in their Squares. Itis no fun to stay in the same Square with Evil Ash, but if it keeps him away from the Book it is usually worth it. When the Mortals are being Attacked, try to let the Hero with the highest Defense Value take the Attacks, and protect the Soldiers since they cannotbe replaced. On the other hand, never let a Wounded Hero take an Attack if you can avoid it. To reduce the risk to the Heroes, make sure they get out of dangerous Squares when possible; healthy Heroes can Attack, then Move away. The Deadites will follow, and you can repeat the pattern. The only problem is when you cannot afford to leave ‘a Square for some reason; then your best bet is to have other Mortals around, in case you get Wounded. Heal your Heroes immediately; Deadites come back, but you dont. Another advantage of keeping Mortals together in groups is that itis possible to gang up on the Deadite Champions; because of their good Detense Values, the Champions are very hard to kill and hitting them with numerous Attacks is the only way to get them out of the way without taking too many risks. Careful use of the Explosives Cards is also important. TheyCOE com are all Single Use Cards, and itis best to hold them in reserve for use against concentrations of Deadites. If you use them against Squares with just one or two Deadites in them, there is a good chance you wil regret it later. Trade Cards and Soldiers with other Heroes as you Move around the Map, to get a good distribution of power around the Castle. Certain Cards match up well with certain Heroes; for example, the Archer Captain gets S Attacks per Turn, so anything that increases his low Attack Value (like the Chain Saw or the Daring Attack Card) is very valuable. Another consideration {sto pair up Heroes in ways that increase their abilities. Gold Tooth has a high Defense Value, so he makes a good target for Deadite Attacks while a less durable Mortal with a good Attack Value takes care of the offensive tasks. In terms of the mechanics of playing the game, the Squares get crowded sometimes, especially once there are large numbers of Deacite Warriors and Mortal Soldiers around. To simpli life, stack the Cards for any Soidiers in the Square $0 they are slightly staggered, with only their Attack Values showing. Another option is to use Miniatures for the Counters and the Soldier Cards; Leading Edge produces a line of Army of Darkness Miniatures specifically for the game, but other Miniatures can be used if desired. For the Soldier Miniatures, just mark the Attack Value on the base of the Miniature. Optional Rules Under the normal rules, the Mortals should be abie to win pretty consistently once they leam what they are doing. Tomake the game a fttie more challenging for experienced Players, there are several other ways to play. Deadite Champion Free Move: The first way to toughen up the game isto allow all Deadite Champions to Move 1 Square er Turn even if they have Mortals in their Square, just lke the Flying Demon can. This makes stopping Evil Ash a much tougher proposition, and means that the Deadite Captain can Move around the Map hunting down the Banners and the Mortal Soldiers. It seems like a fairly small change, but it can make a big difference in the play of the game. ‘Tougher Victory Conditions: Another option is to remove afew Deadite Warrior Counters from the game. Since the Mortals lose once all the Deadite Warriors are on the Map, by reducing the number of Deadite Warriorsin the game you make things harder. Start out by removing two or four, and then see how low you can go. 5 Player Version: In this Version there are 4 Mortal Players, each with 1 Mortal Hero as usual, but there is also a Deadite Player who runs the Deadites. The play is essentially the same, except that the Deadite Player determines where the Deadites Move and also decides which Mortals they Attack. The Mortals can still choose which Deadites they will Attack, a before, but this makes things much more fait. A tip to the Deadite Player; dont let your Deadites group up in Squares ifyou can help it. The more spread out you are, the less effective the Explosive Weapons are and the less Squares the Mortals can use for Drawing Cards. Of course you don't really need 5 Players; this works fine with even 2 people. 8 Player Version: In this Version all 7 Mortal Heroes are used in the game, with one Player for each, and an eighth Player runs the Deadites. The rules are the same as for the 5 Player Version, with a single modification. Instead of 1 Deadite Warrior appearing on each Wall every Tur, 2 Deadite Warriors appear. This compensates for the extra Mortal Heroes ‘onthe Map. This version of the game is extremely challenging, and should keep even the most skilled Players up to thei elbows in Deadites. ‘The Ash-less Version: If Ash had fled back to the 20th century (as he threatened to at one point, the situation for the Mortals would be extremely bleak. For the adventurous, the following rules can be used. Ash and the Deathmobile are removed fromthe game, butallsix remaining Mortals are actively played. Since Ash has not been involved.in preparing forthe battle, the Equipment Card Deck has several Cards removed as well; the Explosives, the Explosive Arrows, the Cataputt, the Gasoline Fire, and the Halberd Squad. Mortal Soldier Independent Movement: For Players who are having a litle trouble winning the game, itis possible to let the Mortal Soldiers Move on their own, without having a Mortal Hero around. All Soldiers have a Move of 1, and they are governed by the normal Mortal Movement rules. They all Move after the Mortal Soldier Attack Phase, but before the Mortal Hero Movement, Attack, and Card Phase. Other Options: Try increasing the number of Deadite Warriors who appear on the Wall Squares each Turn. Instead of 4 Deaaites per Turn (1 per Wall) try 5 or 6 per Turn, with the extra Deadites appearing on random Walls each Turn, For an even bigger thrill, change the Deadite Warriors’ Attack Values. When the Warriors have Attack Values of 6 or 7, things get sticky. The final step in up-gunning the Deadite Warriors is to give them a Defense Value, but start out very low if you try this one. Things get out of hand very quickly. Primary Design Writing and Design Graphic Design Production Production Assistance Barry Nakazono David MeKenzio Toni Dennis lene Kinzek Mike Alford ‘Amy of Darkoss © 1889 Halyncod Merchandising, Io. At © 1982 Uriversl Cy Stuos, Ine. Game Design © 1883 Lasdng Edge Gamos [NI Rigts Reserved. 8 e—————————_—<———