Games

Here are a few game ideas for using the Fantasy Map Deck. More games to come!

Have an idea of your own. Share it with us!

 

🚶‍♀️ Pathfinder (Uno)

Players: 2-4+
Objective: Be the first player to play all the cards in your hand by strategically matching suits, connecting paths, and using special cards to disrupt your opponents.

Setup

  1. Shuffle the Deck: Thoroughly shuffle the cards and place them in a draw pile, face down.
  2. Deal Cards: Deal 7 cards to each player.
  3. Start the Play Area: Draw the top card from the deck and place it face-up in the center of the table. This is the starting card for the play area.
  4. Determine Starting Player: Choose a starting player randomly (roll a die, draw cards, etc.).

 Gameplay

Players take turns in clockwise order unless a special card changes the direction of play.

  1. Playing a Card: On your turn, you must play one card from your hand. A card can be played if it matches one of the following conditions:
    • Same Suit and Higher Value: The card must match the suit of the top card in the play area and have a higher value.
    • Matching Path: If the top card has a road or river, you may play a card from a different suit with a matching road or river.
  2. Drawing a Card: If you cannot play a card, draw one card from the draw pile. You must play the drawn card immediately if it is playable. Otherwise, your turn ends.
  3. Special Cards: Use special cards strategically to disrupt your opponents or gain an advantage:
    • Dragons (Jacks): Can be played on a card of the same suit. Reverses the direction of play.
    • Castles (Kings): Can be played on a card of the same suit. The next player must draw 2 cards.
      • After a castle, any card of the same suit can be played.
    • Dungeons (Aces): Can be played on a card of the same suit. Skips the next player's turn.
    • Wizards (Queens): Wizards are wild cards. They can be played on any card, regardless of suit or value.
  4. Ending Your Turn: After playing a card, your turn ends, and play passes to the next player.

Winning the Game

The first player to play all the cards in their hand wins the game. If the draw pile is exhausted and no player has won, the player with the fewest remaining cards wins.

Optional Rules

  • Stacking Castles: If a player is forced to draw cards due to a castle, they can play their own castle to pass the penalty to the next player (who must now draw 4 cards).
  • Keep Drawing: If a player has to draw a card from the draw pile, they must keep drawing cards into their hand until they can play a card.
  • Infinite Draw Pile: If the draw pile is exhausted, return all the cards from the played pile except for the top card and re-shuffle the deck.

Bonus

Once a player has won, all players work together to tell a story using the played cards as guides in the order they were played.

 

🐉 Slay the Dragon

Players: 1–4
Objective: Survive the journey by managing health tokens and defeating dungeons. In competitive mode, players race to defeat two dungeons and then slay a dragon. In cooperative mode, players work together to complete the objectives.
Requires: D20, tokens/paper, figurines

Setup

  1. Shuffle the deck and deal 4 cards to each player.
  2. Place the deck face down as the draw pile. Flip the top card of the draw pile face-up and place it in the center of the table to start the map.
  3. Each player starts with 5 health tokens and a token or figurine to represent their character on the map.

Gameplay

1. Placing Cards to Build the Map:

- On their turn, a player places one card from their hand orthogonally adjacent to any existing card on the map. Cards must connect logically (e.g., roads or rivers).

2. Moving and Challenges:

- A player may move their token one space orthogonally. If the card they move to does not have a connecting road or river, they must roll a d20 and beat the card's value:
- Fail: Lose 1 health token.
- Success: Gain 1 health token (up to the max of 5).

3. Special Cards:

  • Castles (Kings): Roll a d20 greater than or equal to 10 in order to successfully “rest” and gain 1 health token.
  • Dungeons (Aces): Attempt to roll 12 or higher on a d20. On failure, lose 2 health tokens. On success, flip the card face-down to make it a free space.
  • Wizards (Queens): Can be played from your hand to give any player a second attempt at a roll. The wizard card is then discarded.

4. Dragons (Jacks):

  • Competitive Mode: Players must defeat two dungeons before attempting a dragon fight.
  • Cooperative Mode: Once any two dungeons are defeated, players can collectively attempt the dragon fight.
  • To defeat a dragon, players must roll a d20 and meet or exceed 14.
  • Before two dungeons are defeated, moving into a dragon’s space automatically costs 1 health token.

5. Modifiers

  • Health: Players with fewer than 3 health tokens must roll a +2 to succeed on all face cards.
  • Cooperative Efforts (Dragons): If multiple players are fighting a dragon together, allow them to combine rolls or share the damage cost if they fail.

6. Zero Health Tokens

If a player runs out of health tokens then that player "dies" and is out of the game. Or if playing solo the game is over. With multiple players, any other player can move to a Castle and attempt to revive any dead player by rolling a d20 greater than or equal to 18. The player can only roll this once per turn and instead of rolling to regain a health token.

Winning the Game:

  • Competitive Mode: The first player to defeat two dungeons and successfully slay a dragon wins.
  • Cooperative Mode: Players win collectively by defeating two dungeons and slaying the dragon.

Optional Rules

1. The Purge

The only way to win the game is by defeating every dungeon and every dragon. Was the extinction of all dragons justified?

 

🧙‍♂️ Four Wizards

Players: 2–4
Objective: Be the first wizard to collect one card of each of the four elements (suits).
Requires: D20

Setup

  1. Shuffle the deck and deal a 4x4 grid of cards face down in the center of the play area.
  2. Each player selects a wizard (Queen face cards) and places it face-up on the grid, adjacent to their starting corner (either horizontally or vertically).
  3. Place the remaining cards in a draw pile.

Gameplay

1. Moving Your Wizard:

  • On their turn, a player moves their wizard one space orthogonally (up, down, left, or right).
  • Flip the card in that space face-up.

2. Challenge the Card:

  • Roll a d20. If the result is higher than the card’s value, take the card into your hand. The grid space becomes blank.
  • If the roll fails:
    • Discard one card from your hand. Place the discarded card face-up on top of the failed card or in any open grid space of your choosing.
    • If you have no cards in your hand, lose a turn. This is indicated by flipping your wizard face-down for one turn.

3. Face Cards

  • Castles (Kings): These are a free space
  • Dungeons (Jacks): The player must roll a d20 greater than or equal to 12. If successful, the player may draw another card from the deck and replace the dungeons spot on the grid. The following turn the player can choose to not move and attempt to win that space for their hand.
  • Dragons (Aces): These are the same as dungeons except that the player must roll above a 14.

    3. Winning the Game:

    Collect one card from each of the four suits (Spades, Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts) to win.

    4. Wizard Duels

    A player can move their wizard on to the same space as another wizard and challenge that player to a duel. Each player rolls a d20. The player with the higher score is the winner. The losing player must give the winner a card from their hand. If their hand is empty they lose a turn.