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.

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.

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.