CARDS
Welcome to the exciting world of Dungeons and Drinking! You have been transported to a strange dungeon by an evil wizard and doomed only to return by way of finding one of two ancient treasures and bringing it back through one of two ancient portals.
You will need:
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3 or more people
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A deck of Dungeons & Drinking playing cards
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A game token for each player (a bottle cap, a coin, a ring, etc.)
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Something to drink
The most important rule:
If these rules ask you to take a drink and you decide to take a drink of something alcoholic, please drink responsibly and be old enough to legally drink alcohol. Don't pressure anyone to drink more than they are comfortable with. Any sip size is acceptable as far as these rules are concerned.
Setup:
Shuffle the deck and lay each card face down in a 5 x 10 grid pattern. This grid is now called the dungeon.
Put your token anywhere you want around the outside of the dungeon.
Each player must choose an adventurer name. The player who chooses the best name goes first. Turn order goes clockwise.
Gameplay:
Players take turns creating paths into the dungeon by flipping over cards one by one.
The first turn:
Enter the dungeon. You do this by flipping over whichever card you choose along the edge. On your first step into the dark dungeon, you’ll have to take a drink to build up your courage.
What happens next depends on which card is revealed (see Cards)
Once the first player’s turn is done, the second player enters the dungeon. They can choose to enter through the path already created (and do what the square demands), or they can build up their courage (take a drink) and start their own path.
Turn actions:
There are three main things you can do on your turn, depending on where you are:
Step:
Taking a step means turning over a card or moving your token onto a card that’s already been revealed. You can only take a step immediately in front of, behind, or to the side of your token – you can't step diagonally.
If taking a step involves entering an unknown square (turning over a card), what happens next depends on what is revealed (see Cards).
Dig:
If you want to move your token onto a wall square, you'll have to dig. Digging is thirsty work (take a drink).
Once you leave the wall square, it caves in behind you. This means that if you want to revisit a square you’ve dug through on an earlier turn, you’ll have to dig again. If another player wants to join you on that square, they’ll have to dig their own way in.
Run:
At the beginning of your turn you may decide to run. Running makes you thirsty so if you decide to run, take a drink. Running means that you can move your token along any path as long as you only pass safe squares (you can’t run past a wall, thief, crone, king, or revealed portal). Note: The outside of the dungeon counts as a safe square. Running is fast so it doesn’t take your whole turn: after running, you can continue your turn by flipping over a card, digging into a wall, etc. You can’t run if you’re holding a treasure.
Cards:
Path:
This card is a safe square. Place your token on the square and your turn is now over.
Wall:
This card is a wall square. Revealing one means that you have walked into a wall and bumped your head. You must nurse the bump (take a drink). You can either leave your token where it was when your turn started or you can decide to immediately dig into the wall (see Dig). Whether you’ve decided to leave your token or dig – your turn is now over.
Thief:
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You have happened upon a thief! The thief will let you pass unharmed if you don’t bother him (just leave your token on the card). However, he’ll be your friend if you share a drink with him (take a drink). If you’ve decided to befriend the thief, remove the card from the dungeon and hold onto it. The empty square in the dungeon is then treated as a safe square. If you are friends with a thief, he will do you one favour – he’ll steal a treasure from another player on your behalf. The favour may be called upon on a future turn or used immediately after befriending. Once you’ve called in your favour, flip the thief over, he will do no more favours for anyone for the remainder of the game. There are four thieves in the dungeon and each one can do one favour. Whether you’ve decided to befriend the thief or leave him be – your turn is now over.
Crone:
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You have been confronted by a crone! The crone demands that you answer a question. The question is devised by the person to your left (who will then be referred to as the crone for the remainder of your turn). The rules of the question are as follows:
The question can be about anything at all...but beware! If you get it right, you get to move your token onto the square and the crone must take a drink. If you get it wrong, your token stays where it is, and the player to the left of the crone must now attempt to answer the same question. If they get it right, the crone has succeeded – you take a drink and your token stays put. But if they get it wrong, the crone has failed to devise an adequate question and takes a drink.
Once the question is answered, regardless of the result – your turn is now over. If you were unable to correctly answer a question, you can try to enter the crone’s square again on your next turn.
The crone remains facing up and any time a player wants to move their token onto it, a question must be asked.
King's Coffin:
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You have stumbled upon the bones of the old king! All players must drink to the memory of the beloved king. Move your token onto the king – your turn is now over.
The king remains face up and any time a player steps on it all players must drink to the memory of the king.
Treasure:
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You have discovered a treasure! Pick up the card and carry it with you, and move your token into its space. The blank space left by removing the treasure is treated as a safe square. Travelling with treasure is perilous: it may be stolen by a thief or taken from you by another player in a battle (see Battles). Treasure is also heavy, so you can’t run with it (see Run). Once you’ve picked up the treasure, your turn is over.
Portal:
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You have revealed a magical portal! If you’re carrying a treasure when you reveal a portal, you are transported back to the wizard and you’ve won the game! The other players will never leave the dungeon again and they all must take a long, sorrowful drink as they begrudgingly accept their fate.
If you are not carrying a treasure, you’re transported to the outside of the dungeon and your turn is over. The card you just flipped over is now considered a revealed portal (see Revealed portal). Now that you’re outside the dungeon, when your next turn begins you can either take a step into any existing path or build up your courage (take a drink) and start a new one.
Revealed portal:
Trolls are attracted to portals. When a portal is revealed it becomes surrounded by trolls. Once you’ve found a treasure, if there is a revealed portal in play you’re probably going to want to make your way to it in order to win the game. Stepping onto a revealed portal is a simple matter of building up enough courage to sneak past the trolls (take a drink).
A revealed portal on the edge of the dungeon can’t be accessed from outside – you first have to enter through an adjacent square and wait until your next turn to sneak past the trolls and access the portal.
Battles:
If, during your turn, you find yourself on the same square as another player you can choose to battle them. Battling is done by playing a game of warrior, mage, archer (rock, paper, scissors respectively). The loser must miss their next turn to nurse their wounds (take a drink). If the loser was carrying a treasure during the battle, the winning player may take it.
Angering the dragon:
A dragon lives in the dungeon and can see and hear everything that happens during the game. Certain things that occur during gameplay may anger the dragon. If you anger the dragon it’ll breathe fire on you and you'll need to douse the flames (take a drink). Anything at all might anger the dragon but typically it's things like calling each other by non-adventurer names, taking too long to answer the crone, or just behaving in a way that’s unacceptable to the rest of the party. Is someone telling bad jokes? Tell that person they've angered the dragon and they need to douse the flames. Anyone can accuse anyone else of angering the dragon for any reason, but be careful: if you repeatedly accuse others of angering the dragon, the other players may decide that you're actually the one making it angry.
Winning the game:
In case you missed it during the portal explanation, you win the game by stepping on a portal while carrying a treasure. Doing this transports you to the wizard and leaves the rest of the players stuck in the dungeon for all of eternity. The hopelessness of their situation causes them to take a long drink, despairing in the fact that they will never see the sun again. After the appropriate number of tears have been shed, it’s time to play another round of Dungeons & Drinking!