Cthulhu: Death May Die

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• Setup
  • • Set out the story board, tokens and dice
    • Choose an Elder One
      • Place the Elder One on the 1st space of the summoning track
      • Place the Minions reference card on the story board
      • Set aside the the 8 Mythos cards
      • Set out the tokens
      • Place the Elder One stage cards in ascending order (1 on top) on the story board
    • Choose an episode
      • Set aside its 8 Mythos cards
      • Shuffle the Discovery cards and set them out
      • Put the episode card on the story board
      • Set out the tokens
      • Place the Monsters reference cards on the story board
    • Take out all the figures for the enemies shown on the reference cards
    • Set up the map according the back of the episode card
      • Arrange the map tiles
      • Set out the enemy figures and tokens
      • Put the episode card back on the story board with the story side faceup
    • Shuffle all 16 Mythos cards and place them facedown
    • Shuffle the discovery deck and place it facedown
    • Players
      • Each player takes an investigator board and its figure
      • Each player takes a colored base (attach to figure) and "tentacle" tokens
        • Place 3 tentacle markers on the 1st level of the investigators skills
        • Place the other 3 tentacle markers on the leftmost space of the wound, stress, and sanity tracks
      • Place the investigators on the starting space of the map
    • Shuffle the insanity cards and deal 1 to each player. The players place this faceup in front of them
    • Select a starting player
• Turn Sequence
  • 1. Take 3 actions
    2. Draw Mythos Card
    3. Investigate or Fight
    4. Resolve End of Turn
  • 1. Take 3 Actions
    • • You may take the same action more than once
      • Actions may be standard actions or from the 2 unique to every episode
      • Some actions can only be done on a Safe space (a space without enemies)
    • Run

      • Move up to 3 spaces.

        • You can only move between spaces if there are arrows on both sides of the passage pointing at each other
        • You may also travel between 2 spaces with a staircase or tunnel
        • When you leave a space with enemies, all enemies will follow you to your new space
        • When you leave a space with fire, place 1 fire token from the reserve onto your investigator board for each token on the space
    • Attack

      • Target a single enemy and make a roll

        • Each success (!) rolled causes 1 wound to the target. Place wound tokens, or if this is >= to their health, you've killed them
    • Rest (only on a Safe space)

      • You may heal any combinator of 3 total spaces in stress and/or health

        NOTE: Sanity CANNOT be healed by resting

    • Trade

      • You and all investigators in the space may trade any number of items or companions with each other.

        • A traded card must remain on the same side as it was
        • You may not trade Conditions
    • Episode Actions

      • Each episode has 2 unique actions on the episode card. These will generally help you disrupt the ritual

  • 2. Draw Mythos Card

    • Draw the top Mythos card and resolve it, then place it in a faceup discard. The card must be resolved from top to bottom. If you can't do a step, skip it.

    • Elder One Summoning

      • If the card has an Elder One symbol at the top, make sure it is visible when discarded

    • Special Effects

      • These effects only affect the player whose turn it is, unless otherwise stated

        • When an effect moves an enemy, it must be moved by the shortest path. If there is a tie, the active player chooses.
          • The enemy stops when it reaches its target
    • Summon Enemies

      • The bottom of the card may indicate a gate color and a specific enemy that must be summoned there

        • If there are multiple gates and enemies, summon them in order.
        • Skip any gates where you are out of that figure
  • 3. Investigate or Fight

    • This step varies based on whether or not you have enemies in your space

    • Investigate (in a Safe space)

      • Draw the top card of the Discovery deck and read the center text

        • Some cards tell you something you must do, but most will give you a choice
        • Some cards will allow to claim an item or companion
        • Some cards may have a Condition which changes your mental state
        • Companions
          • Any wounds you take may be applied to Companions
          • Companions can never be healed
          • Companions are discarded if the wounds >= their health
          • They may give you a skill level:
            • Move up 1 level in that skill (if you have it)
            • You gain level 1 of that skill (if you don't have it)
    • Fight (enemies in your space)

      • Each enemy in your space attacks you in the order you choose.

        NOTE: If an effect makes you enter a space with an enemy or an enemy moves into your space, that enemy will attack you. If an enemy leaves your space, it doesn't attack you anymore

        • Enemy attacks
          • Roll the number and type of dice shown on their ref. card
          • Each success (!) gives you a wound
          • Each tentacle costs you 1 sanity
          • Elder signs have no effect unless indicated on the enemy's card
          • You may use stress to reroll these dice
          • You may use skills to help avoid the attacks
  • 4. Resolve End of Turn
    • 1. End of Turn Effects

      • Any effects that happen at the end of the turn, except the Elder One effects, happen in an order chosen by the active player

    • 2. Fire!

      • Roll 1 standard (black) die for every fire token on your investigator.

        • You may use stress to reroll dice
        • Take 1 wound for each success (!)
        • Lose 1 sanity for each tentacle
        • Discard all fire tokens on your investigator
    • 3. Check the Mythos Discard Pile

      • If there are 3 cards in the discard pile with the Elder One symbol, the Elder One advances

        • If there are 3 Elder One symbols
          • Advance the Elder One on the track. If the Elder One is on the board, advance the progression token
          • The revealed Elder One stage cards and episode card will tell you what to do when they advance
            • Resolve the Elder One effects first
          • All of the discarded Mythos cards are shuffled back into the deck
    • 4. Check the Elder One Summoning

      • The Elder One is summoned if the Elder One entered the 1st red space OR the ritual was disrupted this turn

        • When the Elder One is summoned:
          • Move the stage 1 card to the side, revealing the stage 2 card
            • Resolve the stage 2 reveal effects
            • The stage 1 effects remain in play until the end of the game!
          • Place the progression token on the summoning track
    • 5. Elder One End of Turn Effects

      • Resolve all the End of Turn effects on the stage cards in stage order (1, then 2, then 3, then final)

        • If an effect refers to "you", that is the current investigator
• Dice and Checks
  • Make a Roll

    • Some actions and Discovery cards will tell you to "make a roll".

      • You always roll 3 standard (black) dice
      • You may also be allowed to add green dice
      • Enemies roll a specific number and type of dice when attacking, as indicated on their ref. card
    • 4 Possible Results
      • • Exclamation Point (!): This denotes a success for attacking, an enemy attacking you, or a test
        • Elder Sign: This means nothing unless a skill or card uses them
        • Tentacle: For each tentacle, lose 1 sanity. Move your tracker 1 space to the right. Note that tentacles cost you sanity on EVERY roll! See sanity for more info
        • Blank: No effect (most of the time)
    • Bonus (green) Dice
      • • Some skills and cards my give you these
        • Some checks may give you bonus dice for a related ability
        • You will use 1 additional die for every bonus die symbol you've met or passed on the sanity track
        • There is no limit to the number of bonus dice that may be rolled.
    • Rerolls
      • • After rolling, you may take 1 stress to reroll 1 die
        • You may do this multiple times on any roll
        • You may also use stress on enemy attacks
    • Applying Results
      • • Use any successes
          • Investigator attacking: each success is 1 wound applied to the target
          • Enemy attacking: each success is 1 wound applied to the target (usually an investigator)
          • "make a roll" from an action: you must meet or exceed the number of successes on the card
        • Resolve any effects tied to the result of the roll
          • "If wounded..."
          • "If it survives an attack..."
          • "When the enemy dies..."
          • etc.
        • Apply any tentacles
          • Lose 1 sanity for each tentacle rolled
            • If you reach a red space:
              • Stop moving the marker (even if you didn't lose the full amount of sanity)
              • Activate your insanity on your card
              • Level up a skill
• Death of an Investigator
  • • If the Elder One is still on the Summoning track, the game is immediately lost
    • Otherwise, the investigator:
      • Discards all Discovery cards and tokens
      • The episode may specify what to do with any special tokens
    • If the investigator died during their turn, skip all the following turn phases **except for Check the Mythos Discard Pile phase
      • If there are 3 summoning symbols, the Elder One advances
    • Thereafter, the player's turn is skipped
• Disrupting the Ritual
  • • Each episode describes the tasks needed to disrupt the ritual
    • The Elder One cannot be attacked or damaged until the ritual is disrupted, but it can attack you
    • If the investigators disrupt the ritual, the Elder One is summoned at the end fo the turn
    • See also Fighting the Elder One
• Fighting the Elder One
  • • Until the ritual is disrupted, the Elder One cannot be attacked or damaged
    • The Elder One has multiple stages, with individual health, that must be defeated one at a time
    • Starting with stage 2, each card shows:
      • A one-time effect for when the card is revealed
      • An ongoing effect that remains in play until the end of the game
      • Health showing the number of wounds the stage can take
      • The number and type of dice it adds to the Elder One's attacks
    • When the stage wounds are >= the health, the stage is defeated
      • Reveal the next stage and activate the "When Revealed" effect
      • Excess wounds do NOT carry over to the next stage
      • All previous stage effects and dice remain in play
• Ending the Game
  • • Everyone wins if:
      • You kill the Elder One by defeating its final stage
      • If multiple end-game triggers happen at the same time, winning conditions have precedence
    • Everyone loses if:
      • An investigator is killed or consumed by madness before the Elder One is summoned
      • All investigators are killed or consumed by madness
      • The progression token reaches the last (8th) space of the Summoning track
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