Universal Monsters Unchained

A DECK BUILDING GAME 2 TO 4 PLAYERS – 60 MINUTES

The Universal Monsters are back and seeking an apprentice. Unfortunately the selection process requires some brutal training. Acquire new skills and chain them together to spar against your fellow candidates. The least fatigued candidate at game end will be promoted to an apprentice working to join the ranks as a Universal Monster.

COMPONENTS AND SETUP 1 ACTIVE PLAYER MARKER Give to the player who most recently lost a disagreement. They will take the first turn of the game.

108 COMMON SKILL CARDS Each player chooses if they would like to use the “Pre-assembled Deck option” or to draft their starting deck of Common Skill cards. It is possible for some players to use pre-assembled decks, and some to use drafted decks.

PRE-ASSEMBLED DECK OPTION Separate out the cards shown below into the 4 groups indicated by the icon on the bottom right of the card. Starting with the player to the right of the Active Player and moving in a counterclockwise direction each player who would like to use a preassembled deck selects a group to take.

DISA PP EA

LU N G E

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DISA PP EA

LU N G E

IGNITE

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IGNITE

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4 2 4

2 2

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DECK

DECK

B IT E

D RA

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DECK

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SN ARL

ELL 2 EN SORC 3 ELL EN SORC

STAB

SN ARL

STAB

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S HO

IN

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5 1 5

BRUS H ASIDE BRUS H ASIDE

IN VOKE 1 FE AR IN VOKE 4 FE AR

TRAN SF ORM

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TRAN SF ORM

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DECK

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After the players who would like to use a pre-assembled deck have selected their group, shuffle the unselected groups and all remaining Common Skill cards face-down together to form the Skill Deck. (Rare Skill cards, with the in the upper right, will be shuffled in later.)

Deal 3 cards from the Skill Deck to each player who is using a pre-assembled deck to add to their group. Each of those players should now have 9 total cards to form their starting deck.

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Now deal 9 cards from the Skill Deck face-up onto the table in a 3 by 3 grid as shown to form a Purchase Area.

Players who did not choose a pre-assembled deck will now take turns drafting cards beginning with the player to the right of the Active Player and proceeding counter-clockwise around the table.

On your turn, you will do the following in this order: • Choose a row or column of 3 cards in the Purchase Area to move to the discard pile, then refill the empty row or column with new cards from the top of the Skill Deck.

• Choose a row or column of 3 cards to take from the Purchase Area and add to your own deck, then refill the empty row or column with new cards from the top of the Skill Deck.

Continue taking turns in this manner until all players have 9 cards total in their own deck.

Finally, shuffle the cards in your deck face-down, then draw 5 cards to form your starting hand. You may look at the cards in your own hand at any time.

36 RARE SKILL CARDS The top of these cards have a yellow star.

Shuffle these into the Skill Deck, along with all the Common Skill cards in the discard pile.

30 FATIGUE CARDS Place 7 of these per player in a stack beside the Skill Deck (for example, if there are 3 players, the stack should contain 21 Fatigue cards). Return any that are left over to the box, they will not be used this game.

OMI NOU S MOON DRAG DOWN

4 3

FATIGUE FATIGU E

FATIGUE CARD TRIGGER BONUS DO NOT S EFFECTS FATIGU TRIGGERE CARDS DO NO T BONUS EFFECTS

4 PLAYER REFERENCE MATS Place 1 of these face-up in front of each player. Return any left over to the box.

4 SHIELD MARKERS Place 1 of these on each Player Reference mat in the indicated spot, inactive-side-up.

Return any left over to the box.

ACTIVE

INACTIVE

96 DOUBLE-SIDED TOKENS 32 EFFORT / TALENT Place these in a general supply within easy reach of all players. When you are instructed to gain one of these tokens, take it from the 32 OFFENSE general supply and flip it so the appropriate side is face-up. Whenever you are instructed to pay or discard one of these tokens, return it to the general supply. There is not 32 DEFENSE intended to be a limit to these tokens, if you run out during the course of the game, use a suitable substitute.

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GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW This is a deck-building game where your deck represents your skill as a monster. You begin the game with a small set of cards and will continue to gain additional cards on each of your turns. Each turn you will attack other players with any of your cards that are still in play from previous turns. Then you will play a card, then optionally play further cards with symbols matching the indicators on the previous card. Then other players will have the option to do the same, continuing the chain based on the most recent card played. Finally you have the option to acquire more cards for your deck. You will try to tire out your opponents while keeping up your own energy. Once all fatigue cards have been taken the game ends – if you have the least fatigue, you win!

GAMEPLAY IN DETAIL If you have the Active Player marker, you must take your turn, after which you will pass the Active Player marker to the player on your left.

On your turn, you will perform the following steps in this order: • SPAR • CHAIN • LEARN • DRAW

SPAR

If you have any cards in play in front of you from a previous turn, select an opponent to spar with (if you have no cards currently in play, skip this phase). Compare the combined offense value of all your cards in play with the combined defense value of all the cards the chosen player has in play. Whichever player has the lower total value takes 1 Fatigue card from the stack in the center of the table and adds it to their personal discard pile, indicated on their Player Reference mat. If there is a tie, both players receive a Fatigue card.

If your Shield marker is on its “active” side when you would receive a Fatigue card, do not take the Fatigue card but flip the Shield marker to its “inactive” side instead.

ACTIVE

INACTIVE

If the last Fatigue card is taken from the stack, the game ends immediately and you must proceed to the Game End. If you would be required to take a Fatigue card but there aren’t any left in the stack, take one from the box instead.

Finally, place all of your cards that are currently in play into your discard pile. Return any tokens on those cards back to the general supply in the middle of the table.

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CHAIN

If you have any cards in your hand, you must now start a chain by playing any 1 of those cards to the table in front of you. You may then play additional cards, as long as each further card you play has a main icon that matches 1 of the link icons on the previously played card.

Skill cards have a name, a main icon, 2 link icons, and a bonus icon. Additionally they have a basic effect and a bonus effect. If it is a combat card, it will also have an offense and defense icon and related value. How cards work is covered in more detail at the end of the rules.

BRUS H ASIDE

MAIN ICON

SKILL NAME

LINK ICONS OFFENSE VALUE

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DEFENSE VALUE

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BASIC EFFECT BONUS EFFECT STARTING DECK

BONUS ICON

COMBAT SKILL CARD Combat cards EN SORCELL have a and value along the left side of the card.

ACTION SKILL CARD Action cards have a icon along the left side of the card.

Gain a Talent token each time you resolve an action card.

RARE SKILL CARDS Rare cards TAK E FLIGHT have a yellow MU RKY DEPTHS star at the top and can be combat or action cards.

FATIGUE CARD Fatigue cards are similar to Skill cards and may link to or from any icon, but do not have a bonus effect, nor may they trigger the bonus effect of any card played after them.

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UN PREDIC SCIE NCE TA BLE

FATIGU E

FATIGU TRIGGERE CARDS DO NOT BONUS EFF ECTS

Once you have played as many cards as you would like or are able to in this way, the next player clockwise may do the same, but their first card played must have a main icon that matches 1 of the link icons on the most recent card you played. This continues around the table, with each subsequent player being able to continue the chain by first playing a card with a R EA S T main icon matching the PP OU E KE EN A S CI N C CI B VOR N DI VI SS E N most recent card; then A OM I EA E T F potentially playing further cards with each one matching icons in the same way.

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CHAIN EXAMPLE

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No player is required to play a card to continue the chain if they do not want to. You may wish to set cards you play at a 45 degree angle to distinguish them from cards you already have in play, overlapping each other as shown in the diagram so that the main icon is next to its corresponding link icon.

Once each player in turn order has had an opportunity to play cards, the chain is resolved in reverse order. This means the last card played by the last player in turn order is resolved first, then the second to last, and so on. This proceeds back around the table until finally the first card you played is resolved.

The basic effect of each card is always resolved if possible. The bonus effect must also be resolved if the bonus icon on the card matches the main icon of the card that was played before it in the chain. If you cannot pay the cost for an effect, skip the effect entirely. You make all the choices for effects from any cards you played unless the effect specifies otherwise. You cannot target cards that are still in the chain with any effects as they are not yet in play.

After resolving all applicable effects of a card, if it is a combat card you must now place it in play in front of you. If it is an action or Fatigue card, place it in your discard pile instead.

CHAINING EXAMPLE Player A has started a chain with 4 cards. Player B has 2 cards in play and adds Ignite to chain with the last played card, Invoke Fear. No other players add cards to the chain so the cards effects are now resolved in reverse of the order played.

Ignite > Invoke Fear > Ancient Tomb etc.

PLAYER A S DI

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S OU CI C E T VI E N E EN CI ESS OK AN M B INV R O A T FE

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PLAYER B

CLAW

ENSORCELL IG

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LOST LAGOON

© UCS LLC

BONUS EFFECT EXAMPLE In the example above, Ancient Tomb was chained to Vicious Essence which would activate the bonus effect when the effects are resolved on the Ancient Tomb card.

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OU S VICIE NCE E SS

E NT A N CI B TOM

LEARN

Discard all cards remaining in your hand, and gain 1 Effort token from the general supply for each card you discard this way.

You may now choose to pay 1 Effort token back to the general supply in order to discard all cards in 1 row or column in the Purchase Area and then draw new cards to replace them. You may repeat this as many times as you would like.

Next, you must select a row or column from the Purchase Area. If there are 1 or more common Skill cards in that row or column, you must take 1 of those common Skill cards and place it into your discard pile. You may then pay 2 Effort tokens for each additional card (common or rare) you would like to gain from that row/column. You may also pay 2 Talent tokens for each additional card you would like to gain from anywhere in the Purchase Area – not just in the chosen row/column.

After making any purchases you would like, place all remaining cards from the chosen row or column into a general discard pile next to the Skill Deck. Then deal a random card face-up into each of the empty spaces in the Purchase Area so that there are 9 available cards again. If the Skill Deck runs out of cards, re-shuffle the general discard pile to form a new Skill Deck.

DRAW

Draw cards from your deck until you have 5 cards in hand. If you run out of cards and still need to draw more, re-shuffle your personal discard pile into your deck and then continue drawing cards.

Each time you re-shuffle your personal discard pile into your deck in this way, gain 1 Fatigue card from the center of the table and place it face-up in your discard pile.

FATIGU E

FATIGUE CARD TRIGGER BONUS DO NOT S EFFECTS

If your Shield marker is active when you would gain a Fatigue card, instead flip the Shield marker to the inactive side and do not take the Fatigue card.

GAME END If at any time there are no Fatigue cards left in the center of the table, the game ends immediately. Separate out the Fatigue cards in each player’s hand, deck and discard pile and count them – the player with the fewest Fatigue is the winner, and is promoted to be a new apprentice to the Universal Monsters!

If there is a tie, the tied player who has the most rare cards wins. If still tied, the tied player with the most common Skill cards wins. If still tied, the tied players rejoice in their shared victory.

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CARD EFFECTS AND GLOSSARY When reading a card effect, look at the row of icons in the effect, which are to be interpreted from left to right. Effects may specify players, cards, or tokens, and what is done with the specified entity. A yellow left-to-right arrow indicates the left-side effect is the cost required to perform the right-side reward. The cost must be paid if able, and only if the cost is paid is the reward then gained. If you need to pay an Effort token, you may optionally choose to pay that cost with a Talent token instead, but you are not required to do so.

COST

REWARD

All card effects either affect the card itself, or target 1 or more players. Most effects target 1 player and whoever played the card will decide both the player affected as well as any cards that are affected. You may choose a player who does not have any appropriate cards in play to which the effect would apply. This causes the effect to do nothing. If a player is instructed to discard a card and there is a choice to be made about which card to discard, the player affected makes the choice. If multiple players are targeted by an effect, each player makes the choice about which of their cards or tokens is affected.

You cannot target cards still in the chain with an effect; only cards already in play may be targeted. Some cards may have effects that occur when they enter play, and it’s possible for these cards to affect themselves once they are in play.

You are considered to “own” a card if you are the one who played it to the table. Things that affect “every other player” do not affect the player who “owns” the card. When something references a “combat card”, this means a combat card that is currently in play (not still in a chain) in front of someone.

The return icon causes items (circled) to be moved back to where they came from. Thus tokens would return to the general supply, combat cards in play would return to their owner’s hand, and discarded combat cards return to play.

TARGET

RETURNS

When instructed to gain a token, take it from the general supply with the appropriate side face-up.

Effort and Talent tokens are placed near your Player Reference mat.

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Offense and Defense tokens are placed on the appropriate combat card in play, and modify the printed values on those cards by adding or subtracting 1 per token. If a combat card has its offense or defense value reduced to 0 or less, it is immediately discarded and any tokens on it are returned to the general supply. If a card has both a +Offense token and a -Offense token, one token of each is returned to the general supply until this is no

longer true. The same applies if a card has both a +Defense token and a -Defense token.

The shield icon means to activate your Shield by flipping the marker to its active side. If your Shield is already active, this has no effect. While your marker is on the active side, if you would receive a Fatigue card, instead flip your Shield marker to the inactive side and do not take the Fatigue card.

TIPS • You may want to remove your last card from play through an effect if you would otherwise have to initiate a Spar phase on your turn where you would lose to anyone you chose.

• Cards that affect all players are often best played as the last card on your own chain to avoid disrupting your tableau.

• Effects that cause drawing cards are a way to inflict additional fatigue on players early in the game by exhausting their deck more frequently

BONUS EFFECTS These effects correspond to the main icon used to trigger the effect on the Skill cards. You can choose yourself as the player to receive these effects. On the rare action cards the bonus effect is always to activate your shield.

CREATURE = Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to gain a -offense token DRACULA = Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to gain a -defense token INVISIBLE = Choose a player to gain 1 effort token MONSTER = Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to gain a +defense token MUMMY = Choose a player to draw 1 card WOLFMAN = Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to gain a +offense token RARE ACTIONS = You activate your shield marker ANCIENT TOMB Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; return 1 combat card of your choice to their hand as cost for that player to draw 1 card .

ANGRY MOB Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to gain a -offense token and 2 +defense tokens .

ARISE This card enters play with a +offense token.

ASSAULT Every other player must discard 1 card as cost to gain 1 effort token.

BITE Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to gain 2 -defense tokens.

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BRUSH ASIDE Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to gain a +defense token .

CLAW Choose a player; choose 2 of their combat cards to gain a +offense token.

Note: Targeting a player with 1 card in play is allowed: it still gains 1 +offense token.

COMMANDING PRESENCE Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; each of their combat cards returns a +offense token and a +defense token to the supply.

CURSED EXISTENCE Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to remove from play.

DANGEROUS AMBITION Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; each of their combat cards gains a +defense token.

DISAPPEAR Choose a player to gain 1 effort token.

DOMAIN OF DREAD Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; each of their combat cards gains a -defense token and returns a +defense token to the supply.

DRAG DOWN Choose a player; choose 2 of their combat cards to gain a -offense token.

Note: Targeting a player with 1 card in play is allowed: it still gains 1 -offense token.

DRAIN Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to gain a -defense token.

ESCAPE PATH Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; return 2 of their combat cards of your choice to their hand.

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ENSORCELL Choose a player to spend 1 effort as cost to draw 2 cards.

ENTANGLE This card enters play with a -offense token as cost for you to return a combat card from your discard pile back into play.

FATIGUE Draw 2 cards.

Reminder: Fatigue cards may link to and from any card during the chain phase

There is no bonus effect and fatigue cards can not trigger bonus effects for other cards.

Tip: Chaining fatigue cards on opponent turns allows the newly drawn cards to be playable on your own chain phase FORBIDDEN RITUAL Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to be discarded from play as cost for that player to draw 2 cards.

GRAPPLE This card enters plays with a +offense token and +defense token.

HOWL Choose a player to discard 1 card as cost to return a combat card from their discard pile back into play.

Note: The card discarded can be the same card selected to be returned to play IGNITE This card enters play with a +defense token.

INVOKE FEAR Choose a player; each of their combat cards returns a +offense token to the supply.

ISOLATED CRYPT Gain 1 talent token. Every player must choose 1 of their combat cards to discard from play.

LOST LAGOON Gain 1 talent token.

Every player chooses 1 of their combat cards to gain a -offense token and a -defense token.

LUNGE Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to gain a -offense token.

MALICIOUS INTENT Gain 1 talent token.

You gain 1 effort token as cost for every other player to lose 1 effort token.

SINISTER SARCOPHAGUS Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; each of their combat cards gains a +defense token.

MIGHTY THROW This card enters play with 2 +defense tokens.

SNARL No effect.

MURKY DEPTHS Gain 1 talent token.

Every players removes 1 of their combat cards from play as a cost to draw 2 cards.

OMINOUS MOON Gain 1 talent token Every other player discards 1 card as cost to choose 1 of their combat cards to gain a +offense token.

PATH OF DESTRUCTION Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; they gain 1 effort token for each of their combat cards.

REVIVAL CHAMBER Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; return a combat card from their discard pile back into play.

SANCTUARY OF SOLACE Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; each of their combat cards returns 2 -defense tokens to the supply.

SCROLL OF SECRETS Gain 1 talent token.

Every player chooses 1 of their combat cards to discard from play as cost to draw 1 card.

SHADOWY FENS Gain 1 talent token Choose a player; choose 2 of their combat cards to gain a +offense token and a +defense token.

Note: Targeting a player with 1 card in play is allowed: it still gains 1 +offense and 1+ defense token.

SHOVE Choose a player to discard 1 card as cost to gain 2 effort tokens.

STAB Choose a player who must discard 1 card as cost to draw 1 card.

STEAL Choose a player to discard 1 card as cost to draw 2 cards.

STRIKE You must discard 1 card as cost for this card to enter play with 2 +defense tokens.

SWARM OF BATS Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; each of their combat cards gains a -defense token.

SWIRLING MISTS Gain 1 talent token.

Every players chooses 1 of their combat cards to return from play to their hand as cost to lose 1 effort token.

TAKE FLIGHT Choose a player; choose 1 of their combat cards to gain a -defense token.

TERRIFY Every player discards 1 card.

TRANSFORM This card enters play with 1 +offense token.

UNPREDICTABLE SCIENCE Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player to gain 2 effort tokens.

VEIL OF PRETENSE Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player to draw 2 cards.

VICIOUS ESSENCE Gain 1 talent token.

Choose a player; each of their combat cards gains a +offense token and returns a -defense token to the supply.

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REFERENCE Affects owning player

Gain 1 Talent

Choose 1 player to affect

Draw 1 card from deck

Affects all other players

Discard 1 card from hand

Affects all players

Pay cost for effect

Affects the card itself

Activate shield token

Choose 1 card to affect

Increase Defense

Choose 2 cards to affect

Decrease Defense

Affects all cards

Increase Offense

Remove 1 card from play

Decrease Offense

Return to where it came

Gain Effort Spend Effort

CREDITS GAME DESIGN: David Gregg ILLUSTRATION: Daniel Horne &

Thomas Verguet GAME PRODUCER: Chris Zephro © Universal City Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved.

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Jody Henning PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Andy Van Zandt SPECIAL THANKS: To all the playtesters on BoardGameGeek, Discord and Protospiel Online. You know who you are!

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