Showdown Phase

The showdown is the battle between a monster and the survivors. The showdown will only end when the monster or the survivors are defeated. During the showdown phase, players will:

• Create a monster
• Set up the showdown board
• Place terrain, monster, and survivors
• Battle the monster
• confront the aftermath of the battle, collecting your rewards or facing your destruction

During the showdown phase, players should keep the monster's story event page open on the table for reference. This page contains information about:

• Monster attributes
• Showdown board terrain setup
• Setting up monster and survivor miniatures
• Monster instinct rules
• Special rules that may be in place during specific showdowns

Table Setup

Place the showdown board, monster control panel, and the gear grids and record sheets of the survivors participating in the showdown on the table.

Showdown Board

The showdown board is used to represent the area where the survivors face the monster in battle and consists of a 16x22 grid. The grid is labelled A-P width-wise and labelled 1-22 length-wise.

A space on the showdown board is considered occupied when a survivor, an impassable terrain tile, or a monster is on the space. Otherwise, the spaces are considered unoccupied. A miniature is considered adjacent to another object on the showdown board when it occupies a space one space in a cardinal (non-diagonal) direction from a space occupied by another object on the showdown board.

When a miniature is placed, its location is changed from one space on the showdown board to another. This does not count as movement.

Showdown Board Edge

Survivors and monsters cannot move off of the showdown board or be knocked off the board. If movement or knockback would cause a survivor or monster to move off the showdown board, instead stop movement at the board edge. If knockback or monster movement starts at a showdown board edge and would go off it, instead move along the board edge.

Create a Monster

To create a monster you will need:

• Monster AI deck
• Monster cards and any attribute tokens
• Monster hit location deck
• Basic resource deck
• Monster resource deck
• Double sided Basic Action//Reference card
• Some monsters also have special decks of cards used only during their showdowns

Creating the AI Deck

Main Article: AI Cards
The monster's AI deck is assembled from its pool of unique AI cards. AI deck constructuion is different for each monster and also varies by the monster level. Consult the monster attribute section on the monster's showdown story event in the row corresponding to the monster's level. This will indicate the number of basic (), advanced (), and legendary () cards to include.

To build the deck, set aside the monster's special () AI cards. Separate the monster's Basic, Advanced, and Legendary AI cards into stacks and shuffle each stack. Draw the indicated number of each card type from each stack without looking at them. Combine the resulting cards and shuffle them to create the AI deck. Place the AI deck face down on the monster control panel.

E.g. To build a level 3 Screaming Antelope, shuffle its Basic, Advanced, and Legendary AI cards into three separate stacks. Draw 12 Basic, 8 Advanced, and 3 Legendary cards. Combine them and shuffle to create the AI deck.

Monster Cards and Attributes

Each monster showdown story event lists any Special () cards and further modifiers that start in play. These are not added to the AI deck. Place these face up on the monster control panel and apply their rules for the duration of the showdown.

Basic Action//Reference Card

Place the double-sided Basic Action//Reference card on the monster control panel.

Creating the Hit Location Deck

Take all hit location cards for the monster. Shuffle the cards to form the monster hit location deck and place them face down on the monster control panel. As new expansions have released some monsters have variant hit location cards that are not included in the initial hit location deck. These cards will be noted on Special AI cards or have an excluded card symbol ().

Resource Decks

Main Article: Resources
Take the basic resource deck and shuffle it. Place it face down next to the monster control panel. If the monster has its own monster resource cards, shuffle those and place them face down next to the monster control panel. If you're fighting a level 3+ monster that has indomitable resources, shuffle those and place them face down next to the monster control panel.

Showdown Board Setup

Showdown board setup details the rules for placing terrain, monster miniatures, and survivor miniatures on the showdown board.

Terrain & Deployment

Main Article: Terrain
Terrain changes the makeup of the showdown board. Survivors and monsters can interact with terrain tiles, and use them to avoid harm.

Each monster's showdown story event has a Terrain and Deployment section. It lists specific and random terrain to place on the showdown board. Note the quantity of terrain tiles each terrain card instructs you to place, as many terrain cards add more than one terrain tile to the showdown board.

First, use any specifically listed terrain cards to set up their corresponding terrain tiles according to the Showdown Setup diagram found on the story event. If the terrain tiles are not on the diagram, follow the setup rules on the bottom of each terrain card. Set aside these terrain cards. Next, add random terrain by shuffling the terrain deck and drawing the number of cards specified by the story event. Set up their corresponding terrain tiles, one card at a time, according to the rules on the bottom of each card.

Place the monster and survivors on the showdown board according to the Showdown Setup diagram. Once the terrain, the monster(s), and the survivors are on the showdown board, the showdown begins.

The Showdown Round

The showdown proceeds in rounds consisting of the monster turn followed by the survivors' turn. Rounds will continue until the monster is dead or all the survivors are dead. Unless otherwise stated, monsters always go first.

Round Structure

A round proceeds using the following timings, and effects can be triggered at each timing.

1. Start of the round
2. Start of the monster's turn
3. Monster turn
4. End of the monster's turn
5. Start of the survivor's turn
   1. Start of a survivor's act
   2. Survivor's act
   3. End of a survivor's act
6. End of the survivor's turn
7. End of the round

Monster Controller Tile

Each round, a new player takes the monster controller tile and is responsible for controlling the monster that turn. The monster controller tile moves clockwise at the start of every round.

When a monster controller's survivor is selected as the monster's target, this foolhardy action earns that player's survivor +1 insanity. If you control more than one survivor, make sure to nominate a different survivor each time you take the monster controller tile, cycling through all possible survivors. If you are playing solo, do not use the monster controller tile. No survivors gain insanity due to monster targeting

Monster Turn

A monster's turn proceeds in the following order:

1. Start turn
2. Draw AI
3. End turn

Start Turn
Some AI cards and persistent injuries have rules that are performed at the start of the monster's turn. Make sure to perform them before drawing an AI card. If there are multiple instances, the monster controller decides the order in which to perform them.

Draw AI
The monster controller draws the top AI card on the monster's AI deck and plays it. If there are no cards in the AI deck, shuffle the discard pile, create a new AI deck, and draw the top card. If the monster does not have any cards in either its AI deck or its AI discard pile, it will perform its Basic Action (listed on the monster's Basic Action//Reference Card) instead of drawing AI cards until it is defeated.

End Turn
Some AI cards and persistent injuries have rules that are performed at the end of the monster's turn. If there are multiple instances, the monster controller decides the order in which to perform them. Once these are resolved, the monster's turn comes to an end and the round continues.

Playing AI Cards

Main Article: AI Cards
After drawing and AI card, the monster controller should read the card in its entirety, the perform all the actions on the card. Ai cards consist of actions, flows, alerts, and persistent injuries.

Perform each action before moving to the next. Some cards may only have 1 action. Some AI actions are conditional. If the conditions are met, perform the action. Otherwise, continue to the next action. If there are no further actions on a card, the card is resolved. Discard the AI card by placing it face up on the monster control panel in the discard pile. Then, continue the round.

Priority Target Token

If a survivor gains the priority target token, that survivor captures the monster's attention. Only one survivor may have the priority target token at a time and they will gain it, even if another survivor already has it. When a monster performs a Pick Target action on an AI or card, ifnore all other targeting conditions and target the survivor with the priority target token. When the survivor is picked as a target, they discard the priority target token. They are now the target and after the attack the monster will lose its special interest in them. The prioirty target token does not affect AI cards that pick multiple targets or all survivors, nor any targeting on monster AI cards outside of a Pick Target action (e.g. the White Lion's Cunning card). The priority target token does not affect targeting in a monster's hit location deck. If a monster's reaction on a hit location card targets the attacker, the priority target token has not affect.

Monster Movement

Actions will dictate when to move the monster. Most commonly, this will be in the form of a Move & Attack Target action, after a monster has picked a target. When an action instructs a monster toward a target, the monster controller must identify the shortest path between the monster and the target, then move the monster miniature along that path until it is adjacent to the target or has no movement remaining. If there are multiple paths tied for shortest, the monster controller chooses one. Regardless of their size, monsters move 1 space at a time in cardinal directions (not diagonal).

E.g.: After the White Lion plays Viscious Claw and picks a target, it will proceed to the next action on the card, Move & Attack Target. To move towards the target, the monster controller chooses the shortest path monster and the survivor, the moves one cardinal space at a time along its path. Since the White Lion's movement is 6 and the survivor is 7 spaces away, the monster controller is able to move the monster to a space adjacent to the survivor. After moving the monster, turn to face the survivor, resolve any instances of collision, then attack the target using the card's attack profile.

Some attacks have reach (the long halberd of the King's Man) or range. In these cases, move the monster the minimum number of spaces it must move to attack its target.

Full Move

Full move is a term that describes a monster or survivor's maximum available movement, taking into account any positive or negative movement modifier token.

Ex: A Level 1 White Lion (movement 6) with a -1 movement token would have a full move of 5.

Forward, Backward, Away, and Towards

Some monster actions and rules will specify a direction for a monster to move.

Forward

This is the direction the monster is currently facing.

Back

This is the opposite direction the monster is currently facing.

Away

This is usually in conjunction with something on the board (e.g. all survivors, the attacker, a board edge, a terrain tile). The monster controller should move as directly as possible, in any direction that puts the most spaces between the monster and the specified location.^,

Toward

This is usually in conjunction with something on the board. The monster controller should move as directly as possible, in the direction that puts the monster closest to the specified location.

How Monsters Attack

Attack actions direct a monster to attack. The second portion of a Move & Attack action tells a monster to attack its target. Attack actions are followed by attack profiles. Attack profiles on AI cards list the 3 basic components of an attack: speed (how many dice in an attack), accuracy (the likelihood of hitting), and damage (how much damage a hit causes). The monster controller makes an attack roll equal to the monster's speed, determines a hit location for each successful hit, and deals damage.

Speed: The number of attack rolls. Speed is determined by the speed listed on the attack profile and modified by the monster's speed (listed on the monster's story event) and any speed modifier tokens. The monster controller rolls a number of d10s equal to the speed of the attack.

Ex: When the level 1 White Lion attacks Zachary with Vicious Claw, the attack speed is listed as 2. The level 1 White Lion has no additional speed, so the monster controller rolls 2d10.

Accuracy: The number to meet or exceed on an attack roll to hit the target. Accuracy is determined by the accuracy listed on the attack profile, any accuracy tokens the monster has, and the evasion of the target.

Attack roll + monster accuracy modifier must meet or exceed attack profile's accuracy + survivor's evasion modifer.

Ex: The monster controller rolls 2d10 to attack Zachary with Vicious Claw, the accuracy is listed as 2. If the roll results are 1 and 4, one attack roll hits (4), and one misses (1).

Damage: An attack's target suffers the amount of damage listed on an attack profile modified by the monster's damage attribute and any damage modifier tokens. Damage from a single hit is applied to a single hit location.

Ex: The level 1 White Lion's Vicious Claw hit Zachary once. Since the damage listed on the attack profile is 1 and the level 1 White Lion has no additional damage modifiers, the damage dealt from this hit is 1.

Determine Hit Locations

After the number of hits in an attack have been determined, the monster controller rolls the hit location dice once for every hit. Once all the rolls are made, resolve damage from each hit one at a time in the order the target chooses. If there is more than one hit, it is possible that the hit location dice will roll the same location more than once. Each hit to this location is resolved separately.

Ex: The monster controller rolls the hit location die to determine where the Vicious Claw attack lands. The roll result is waist. Zachary, like all starting survivors has a Cloth gear card that gives his waist 1 armor point. 1 damage to this location reduces the armor by 1 to 0.