How to Play Defenders of the Realm

Defenders of the Realm is a thrilling board game that takes you on an epic adventure to save the kingdom. In this guide, I will explain the rules of the game and walk you through the gameplay step by step.

Goal

Your goal in Defenders of the Realm is to defeat the evil forces threatening the kingdom. You must work together with the other players to protect the realm and vanquish these enemies before they consume the land.

Setup

To set up the game, you will first choose a difficulty level: Easy, Normal, or Hard. This will determine the number of challenges you will face during the game. Then, each player will select a hero character. Each hero has unique abilities and powers, so choose wisely!

Next, place the game board in the center of the table. This board represents the kingdom and is divided into regions. Each region is color-coded and corresponds to a specific card deck.

Shuffle each card deck separately and place them face down near the game board. These decks include the Minion deck, Event deck, General deck, and Quest deck. Each deck contains different cards that will impact the gameplay in various ways.

Finally, place the heroes’ miniatures on the designated starting region and distribute a number of quartz crystals to each player, based on the chosen difficulty level. These crystals are a valuable resource that you will need to use strategically.

Gameplay

Defenders of the Realm is played in turns, with each player taking their actions consecutively. On your turn, you can perform various actions, such as moving your hero to an adjacent region, combating minions, acquiring artifacts, or assisting other heroes.

Your main objective is to defeat the minions, which are represented by cards drawn from the Minion deck. These minions will try to spread their influence across the kingdom, and if they succeed, the realm’s defenses will weaken. It’s crucial to keep them in check.

Throughout the game, you will also encounter events that can have a positive or negative impact on your progress. These events are drawn from the Event deck and can introduce new challenges or provide powerful aid. Be prepared for unexpected twists!

As you explore the kingdom, you may uncover artifacts that can enhance your abilities. These artifacts are found by drawing cards from the General deck. These cards can give you new weapons, spells, or special abilities that will aid you in your quest.

Another important element of the game is the Quest deck. These cards represent major goals that you must accomplish to achieve victory. Completing quests will not only provide rewards but also weaken the forces of evil. Strategy and coordination are key to success.

Conclusion

Now that you understand the rules and gameplay of Defenders of the Realm, you’re ready to embark on this thrilling adventure. Work together with your fellow players, make strategic decisions, and fight for the safety and security of the kingdom. Good luck, brave hero!

• A game board
• 8 hero character cards
• 8 hero miniatures
• 4 general character cards
• 4 general miniatures
• 100 minions
• A war status board
• A deck of Darkness Spreads cards
• A deck of Hero Cards
• A deck of Quest Cards
• 12 tainted crystals
• 5 magic gate tokens
• 12 dice – 3 per color
• 7 status tokens
• 42 life tokens

The Main Goal of the Game

The main goal of the game is to defeat all 4 Generals.

You will lose the game if any of the following happens:

• Any of the 4 Generals moves into Monarch City
• If a Darkness Spreads Card requires you to place minions on the board, and you do not have enough minions to meet that requirement.

The last of the 12 Tainted Crystals is added to the board. If there are 5 enemy minions in Monarch City at any time.

Now, let’s talk about The King’s Champion. Although we all win or lose as a group, there is one ultimate winner who is celebrated as the legendary King’s Champion.

To determine the King’s Champion, we each add up our completed Quest Cards and General Character Cards. The General Character Cards count if you were the one who landed the decisive blow. The player with the highest total points becomes the winner. If there’s a tie, the player with the most quests completed wins. And if there’s still a tie, congratulations to both of you – you are both The King’s Champion!

Now, let’s move on to the setup. Put the game board in the middle of the table and place the War Status Board and General Character Cards next to it.

• Step 1: Set up the Wound Track and War Status Board:
• Put a Status Token on the highest number of the Wound Track for each General’s Character Card.
• Put a Status Token in the Early War space of the War Status Board.
• Step 2: Prepare the minions and Tainted Crystals:
• Place the minions and Tainted Crystals beside the board for easy access during the game. “You’ll need them soon enough, hero!”
• Step 3: Choose your hero:
• Each player selects 1 Hero Character Card and its matching hero miniature, which we’ll call the hero. Place the hero in Monarch City.
• Take the number of Life Tokens indicated on the Hero Character Card and place them on the card.
• Note: You can choose heroes or deal them face down randomly, depending on what you prefer. If multiple players want the same hero, the most heroic among them gets to choose first.

To set up the game, start by placing the four Generals on the board in the spaces that have their pictures. Each General should be paired with 3 minions of the appropriate color.

Next, place a Tainted Crystal on the space with Balazarg, the Demon General. Since demons have a smaller presence, only 3 minions should be placed with Balazarg, instead of the usual 4.

Now, draw 3 Darkness Spreads Cards. If any of the cards don’t show 2 locations, discard them and draw replacement card(s). For each of the three cards, place 2 minions on the 2 pictured locations, which means a total of 12 minions will be placed. Ignore the minions shown on the card and use the colors of the locations instead. For example, if one of the cards shows Father Oak Forest as a location, which is Green, you would place 2 Green minions there.

Remember: If you get a special card like All is Quiet or Orc Patrols, put it aside and draw another card. The 3 cards you draw must show 6 different places.

Keep in mind: During this phase, you can add minions to a place that already has some, as long as there aren’t already 4 minions there. If you draw a card that would make the total number of minions 4, throw it away and draw another one. Just like with Balazarg’s place, if a third demon is added to a location, put a Tainted Crystal on that spot.

Important: After setting up the enemies, there should be a total of 4 Generals and 30 minions on the board: 4 places, each with a General and 3 minions, and then 18 more minions spread across 6 to 12 other places.

You’re all set to Defend the Realm now!

Game Play

Guess what? It’s time to start playing the game! And you know what’s even more exciting? I get to go first! Yep, the most aggressive player has the honor of taking the first turn. If we can’t decide who that is, we can settle it like real champs – take it outside or roll the dice to see who goes first. No wimps allowed!

Now, let me walk you through the steps of the game. It’s divided into three parts, each representing a different time of day. Don’t worry, it’s easy to follow:

1. Step 1: Daytime (Perform Actions)
2. Step 2: Evening (Draw Hero Cards)
3. Step 3: Nighttime (Draw Darkness Spreads Cards)

Step 1: Daytime

Alright, it’s daytime now. This is when things start to get really interesting. You need to refresh your active Life Tokens. How do you do that? Simple! Just take all the Life Tokens that were face down on your character card and put them back where they belong – face up, of course.

When I’m playing the game, I can do a number of things based on how many Life Tokens I have. Once I use a Life Token, I turn it face down on my Character Card.

Each Life Token gives me 1 action that I can use however I want. The only way my active Life Tokens get reduced is if I get hurt or if I lose a battle against a General.

Remember: There’s no limit to how many times I can perform the same action in a turn, except for the Rumors at the Inn action. I can only spend a maximum of 2 actions per turn on the Rumors at the Inn action.

Here are the actions I can take:

(Keep in mind that each action uses 1 Life Token, unless stated otherwise):

Movement using my feet: I can move by walking to a place that is right next to me (connected by a line).

Moving with a Horse: To move, you can discard a Hero Card with a Horse Icon on the top. This allows you to travel up to 2 locations away that are connected by lines. Simply choose the destination you want to go to and play the card. The horse will carry you there swiftly and efficiently.

Eagle Movement: If you have a Hero Card with an Eagle Icon on the top, you can use it to move up to 4 locations away. Just discard the card, and you’ll be able to travel along any connected lines.

Traveling through the Magic Gate: You have two options for traveling through the Magic Gate:

a) You can discard a Hero Card that has a Magic Gate icon and move to either the location specified on the card or to any Magic Gate on the board.

b) Alternatively, if there are multiple Magic Gates on the board, you can move from one Magic Gate to another as a single action, without needing to use a card.

Do Something Awesome: Some heroes have really cool abilities that they can use during the game. Sometimes, these abilities need 1 or more turns to use. If an ability needs a turn, it will say so on the Hero Character Card. But don’t worry, some abilities can be used right away, without using a turn.

Let’s Create a Magic Gate: If I’m a hero standing on a location and I happen to have a card that matches that location, I can get rid of that card to build a Magic Gate. I’ll place a Magic Gate token on that location to let everyone know that the gate is up and running!

Will you hear the whispers? If you’re looking for some juicy gossip, you can spend up to 2 actions at an Inn to listen for rumors. It’s as easy as calling out a card color – Red, Green, Blue, or Black – and drawing 2 cards for each action you spend. Keep all the cards you draw that match the color you called, and don’t forget about those mysterious Purple (Special) cards that may come your way!

Heal the Land: When you find yourself on a location that is corrupted, you can make a choice to discard a Hero Card that matches the color of the location. Then, you need to roll 2 dice and hope for a 5 or higher on either die. If you accomplish this, you have successfully removed 1 Tainted Crystal from that location. Remember, you can only remove 1 Tainted Crystal per action.

Healing Wounds: I can heal myself as a hero. Depending on where I am, I can recover Life Tokens to restore my strength.

If I’m in Monarch City or at an Inn, I can completely heal myself, restoring all of my Life Tokens.

If I’m somewhere else and there are no enemy minions around, I can heal 2 Life Tokens.

Note: I can’t heal above my starting number of Life Tokens. Also, I can’t heal if I’m on a location with enemy minions or Generals. The Life Tokens I regain from healing can’t be used until the following turn.

Engage Minions in Combat:

Did you know that when you’re facing enemy minions in the same spot as you, you can roll a dice for each one of them? Yep, it’s true! You have to make sure the dice matches the color of the minion you’re targeting.

Oh, and here’s a neat trick – you only need one action to attack all the minions in that location. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, I want to tell you about the different races that make up the Dark Lord’s Army. There are four in total, and each one has its own color. Let me give you a quick rundown:

• Demon: These guys are all about the color red. You’ll find red minions and a red General representing their race.
• Orc: The Orcs have a thing for green. Look out for green minions and a green General.
• Dragonkin: These fierce creatures are all about the color blue. You’ll see blue minions and a blue General in their ranks.
• Undead: Last but not least, we have the Undead. Their color of choice is purple. Keep an eye out for purple minions and a purple General leading the charge.

By the way, just so you know, when we talk about “minions,” we’re referring to the basic units of the invading armies. So anytime you hear “minions” or the name of the enemy race, it means the same thing.

Demons (Red): Demons are creatures from another world that corrupt the land at a faster rate than other armies. You need to roll a 4 or higher to defeat a Demon minion.

Orcs (Green): Orcs are everywhere and they multiply quickly compared to other enemy units, but thankfully, they are not as tough to beat. You’ll need to roll a 3 or higher to defeat an Orc minion.

Dragonkin (Blue): These badass creatures are the toughest of the tough. You’ll need to roll a 5 or higher to take down each Dragonkin minion.

Undead (Black): When it comes to the Undead army, they are downright terrifying. I mean, just the sight of them can make even the bravest of heroes shake in their boots. You’ll need to roll a 4 or higher if you want any hope of defeating one of these spooky minions.

Suffering Wounds: Now, here’s the thing. If you find yourself ending a turn in a location where there are enemy minions hanging around, you’re going to suffer some wounds. Yeah, it’s not a great situation to be in. The number of wounds you’ll receive depends on the number of minions there. But here’s the kicker – if there are any Undead minions in that location, you’ll get an extra wound from sheer fear. Yikes!

Now, if you do end up with any wounds, you’re going to need to deal with them. The number of wounds you have is represented by these Life Tokens. And when you take a hit, you’ll need to flip a corresponding number of Life Tokens face down. These tokens will be set beside your Hero Character Card. But don’t worry, you can heal those wounds with the Healing Wounds Action. Just flip those tokens back to the right side. You’ll want to do that because having those wounds will limit the number of actions you can take on your turn. And trust me, you want to have as many options as possible.

Important: If a hero loses all their Life Tokens, they are defeated and cannot participate in the game anymore. As a player, you will need to choose a new hero and start with 1 Quest Card and 2 Hero Cards, placing the new hero in Monarch City.

Taking on an Enemy General:

“I dare you to try.” If I, as a hero, am standing right next to a powerful Enemy General and there are no more of their minions around, or there were none in the first place, I can make a move against the General. To do this, I can play any number of Hero Cards that have the General’s picture on them.

For every die symbol on the Hero Cards I play, I will roll one die (shown next to the General at the bottom of the Hero Card; some cards have 1 dice, others have 2).

Note: Attacking a General is not an easy task. It’s risky, and failure can come with significant consequences. It’s important to be well-prepared and confident in your chances of success before making your move. Also, taking down a General often requires a coordinated effort, with multiple heroes attacking at the same time.

General Character Card:

How to Take Down a General: Step-by-Step Guide

“Remember, you need to approach with caution.”

1. First, make sure you’re in the same location as the General. Take out any minions that are guarding them.
2. Next, take one action to start the fight. This will also signal other heroes in the vicinity to join the battle. (For more information on group attacks, see page 10: Group Attacking a General.)
3. Use Hero Cards that feature the General’s portrait. These cards will determine how many dice you roll.
4. Before rolling the dice, check the General’s Combat Skill. Certain skills, like the Demon’s, may have effects that activate before the dice are rolled.
5. Roll the dice. Each card you played will correspond to one dice. For each successful hit, move the Wound Marker one space towards the “Defeated” area. The number needed to successfully hit is indicated on the General’s Character Card.

Defeating the General is a tough task – but “not gonna happen.” If you land successful attacks that move the Wound Marker down to the skull space, you’ve conquered the General.

Now, let’s talk about what happens when you defeat the General. It’s a big deal, so listen up! First, you, my courageous hero, receive the General’s Character Card. And guess what? You turn it over, revealing your true identity as a Slayer! You’re not just any ordinary hero anymore. You’ve leveled up, my friend.

So remember, when it comes to defeating the General, it’s a challenging mission, but not impossible. And if you manage to conquer this formidable foe, you’ll earn the General’s Character Card and the title of Slayer. Get ready to level up and embrace your destiny!

The card I’m talking about serves two purposes: it adds to my Victory Points and grants me the special ability called Slayer. This ability allows me to defeat all of the minions in the same location as the defeated General without having to roll any dice. Pretty cool, right?

As a reward for my victory, I get three Hero Cards. These cards can be really helpful in future battles.

The War Status Token is advanced to the next box, indicating progress in the war.

Now, if I happen to fail in defeating the General, things take a different turn. Let me explain:

First, I have to suffer the consequences of being defeated, as outlined on the General’s Character Card. It’s not pleasant, but it’s part of the game.

Then, I’m moved back to Monarch City. My body is all beat up, but I’ll heal and come back stronger another day.

Meanwhile, the General starts healing as well. The speed of his recovery depends on the color of the space the Wound Marker was moved to.

In addition to all that, there’s also something called a Minor Wound. It’s a little different from the normal wounds we’ve been talking about.

If the Wound Marker is on a light space, I only have minor wounds and will start healing at the end of your turn (the turn after you attacked me).

Major Wound:

If the Wound Marker is on a Red Space (a Major Wound), I won’t begin healing until a full round of turns by you and your team has been completed. You, as the player who attacked me (or initiated a group attack on me), will complete a new turn before I start healing.

Note: I won’t advance if a Darkness Spreads Card is drawn while the Wound Marker is on a Red Space.

Healing as a General

Once I’m healing, I will heal 1 point at the end of each of your turns.

Hey there! Just a heads up – Sapphire is an incredible force when it comes to healing. Whether it’s physical or emotional, she has the power to mend wounds in no time at all. However, there are a couple of exceptions to keep in mind. First, if she’s defeated, she won’t be able to heal anyone. And second, her healing abilities can be cancelled out by a special quest card.

Now, let’s talk about the combat skills of each General. They all have their own unique talents that make them formidable foes. Take Lord Balazarg, for example:

The Mighty Lord Balazarg:

When I’m face to face with Lord Balazarg, his corruption is so strong that it tugs at my very soul. I have to be careful when choosing how many Red Cards to bring into battle. For each Red Card I choose to use, I have to roll a die.

If I roll a 1, the card becomes corrupted and is lost. It won’t contribute to my attack anymore, so I have to be strategic and hope for higher rolls.

Gorgutt The Savage

“I’m gonna crush you like a bug while I demolish Monarch City,” Gorggut boasts as he unleashes his fury in battle, deflecting strikes and inflicting carnage with his massive axes.

During combat, whenever the heroes roll a dice and it lands on a 1, Gorggut effortlessly parries the attack, nullifying its impact, no matter which hero rolled the 1 or the attack’s success.

Sapphire:

The Dragon General has a special ability to heal herself, which makes it really tough to beat her in a fight. If you don’t manage to defeat her, she quickly replenishes her health and comes back at full strength.

Varkolak:

When facing the Champion of the Undead, I can’t get a second chance to roll the dice in battle.

Attacking a General as a Team

To defeat a General, the best strategy is for us to attack together. How do we do that? Well, each of us heroes can take turns moving to the General’s spot and save our attacks for later.

But be careful! If there are minions around, they’ll fight back and hurt us, making us lose Life Tokens. Now, when I move my hero to where the General is and choose to attack, it’s like I’m activating all the other heroes with me.

When you’re playing the game, chances are you’ll be the one who takes out the General and becomes the Slayer for your team. That’s a big deal because it means you earn a victory point. But there are some other rules to keep in mind when it comes to group combat:

1. The player who starts the combat gets to decide the order in which each hero attacks. So you can strategize and see how each attack goes before deciding who goes next.
2. Even if you’re not directly fighting the General, you still have to get rid of all the attack cards you committed to the battle. It’s all or nothing!

When you defeat the General by advancing the Wound Marker to the skull on the General’s Wound Track, you become the ultimate hero of their race. You take the General’s Character Card and turn it over to reveal the Slayer Ability and the General’s Defeat.

If you and your fellow heroes emerge victorious, it’s a big win for all! Everyone gains a bonus of 3 Hero Cards, and the War Status advances by 1 space.

But what if the heroes lose? Well, in that case, things don’t go so well. All the heroes suffer the penalty listed on the General’s Character Card for being defeated, and you all get moved back to Monarch City.

Now let’s move on to the next step, Step 2 – Evening. Here’s where things get interesting. The active player gets to draw 2 Hero Cards and add them to their hand. But hold on! If they end up with more than 10 cards, they have to discard down to 10 cards after drawing. Gotta keep it fair, you know?

Finally, we have Step 3 – Night. This is the time when darkness spreads, and you have to deal with it. Depending on the War Status, you’ll need to draw 1, 2, or 3 Darkness Spreads Cards. And once you have them in hand, it’s time to take action and follow the instructions on each card. Make sure you stay on your toes!

So, keep these steps in mind as you embark on your heroic journey. Defeat the Generals, gain bonuses, and face the spreading darkness. It’s all part of the epic adventure that awaits you!

Placing Minions

So, at the top of the Darkness Spreads Card, you’ll see a section that displays 1 or 2 colored minions in two different places. This is where you add the right number and color of minions to those specific locations. It’s important to note that this action might result in an Overrun and Taint the Land, so be prepared for that.

Advancement of a General

Once you’ve placed the minions, let’s take a look at the bottom half of the Darkness Spreads Card, known as the Movement Section. This part will tell you if a General advances along its path to Monarch City.

If the General you see on the card is just one space away from the location depicted, it means that the General is about to advance. In this case, the General moves to the location shown on the card and, to top it off, it gets new minions. The number of new minions it receives is indicated right next to the picture of the General. The placement of these new minions might cause an Overrun and Taint the Land, just so you know.

Hey there! Let’s dive into one of the most exciting aspects of this game – Overruns and Tainted Land. Get ready to claim your territory!

Okay, here’s the deal: In any area outside of Monarch City, we can only have up to three minions at a time. Once we reach that limit and try to add a fourth minion, things take a turn for the worse. The land becomes too destroyed for humans to survive, and it becomes Overrun and Tainted. Sounds intense, right?

Instead of adding that fourth minion, we place a Tainted Crystal on the location. This crystal represents the destruction that has taken place. But that’s not all – the minions in the area don’t just disappear. They move on to the surrounding locations to spread their influence. It’s like a contagion!

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The color of the minion that caused the overrun is important. We add one minion of the same color to all the locations adjacent to the overrun spot. It’s like a ripple effect, spreading chaos and darkness.

So, as you can see, Overruns and Tainted Land play a crucial role in the game. They symbolize the impact of our actions and the consequences of pushing things too far. It’s a delicate balancing act, and you’ll need to strategize wisely to keep the land from turning against you.

Let’s talk about something interesting called Overruns and Tainted Land. You see, in the game, a General doesn’t count as a minion when we want to figure out if there are too many minions in a place. So, during an overrun, any “overrun minions” that would make the number of minions in a nearby location go over 3, make the land Tainted. But here’s the thing – they don’t cause any more overruns, and no minions are added to the overrun places that get Tainted. It’s a bit confusing, but that’s how it works!

Listen up: Pay attention because this is important! I want to talk to you about Tainted Crystals. You see, it’s possible for more than one Tainted Crystal to be added to a location, and even if a location is Tainted, it can still be the source of an Overrun.

Let me explain. Imagine a land that has been Tainted. During the Place Minions or A General Advances phase, if a fourth minion is about to be added to the Tainted location, guess what? Another overrun happens, and another Tainted Crystal gets added to the location.

So here’s the thing – the heroes can’t just ignore the minions piling up on a location once it has become Tainted. It can be Tainted over and over again. The only places that can’t be overrun or tainted are the Inns.

Note: Hey there, heroes! Just wanted to give you a heads up – beware of those pesky Demons! When you have three Demon (Red) minions in one place, they have the power to Taint the land. And here’s the catch, it has to be all demons, not mixed up with any other enemy minions. So be careful where you place those little devils!

Note: Now, let’s talk about Monarch City. This special place won’t cause any overruns or Tainting, which is great news! But if you ever have five minions in Monarch City at the same time, well… let’s just say that city won’t be standing for much longer. And that means you’re out of luck, my heroic friends!

War Status

So, the war is raging on, and things are getting intense. As the heroes continue to defeat those Enemy Generals, the remaining ones get more determined and attack even harder. The whole game starts with the War Status Token in the first box – Early War.

Early War: Ah, yes, the early war stage. During this phase, you’ll draw one Darkness Spreads Card in the Night Phase of your turn. And of course, minions will be placed, and Generals will march forward, as indicated. Now, here’s the important part – when you manage to defeat that first General, the War Status Token will be moved to the second box – Mid War!

The Mid War: During the Mid War, I get to draw 2 Darkness Spreads Cards in the Night Phase. The first card is important because it allows me to place minions and move a General forward. As for the second card, it is solely used to move a General forward. It’s like getting an extra chance to strategize and make progress!

Once I defeat the second General, the game takes a step forward. The token representing progress is moved to the third box, which is the second box of the Mid War. Now, I still follow the same card play rules since I’m still in the Mid War phase. Only when I defeat the third General, the token will move to the fourth box, bringing me into the Late War.

The Late War: Now things get even more interesting during the Late War. In this phase, I get to draw 3 Darkness Spreads Cards every turn. The first two cards are crucial, as they give me the ability to place minions and move the remaining General forward. The third card, however, is solely used to move the General forward. It’s like a burst of power as I make my final pushes towards victory!