Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest

2018

Experience Dice Throne: Battle Chest, a fast-paced combat game where heroes battle with unique dice and strategic cards. Full of thrilling matchups and powerful upgrades!

40
minutes

2 - 6
player(s)

Medium

About the game

Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest is an engrossing, fast-paced competitive board game that brilliantly integrates elements of card play, dice rolling, and strategic decision-making. Set in a high-energy, fantasy world, this game delivers a unique blend of tactics, luck, and exciting combat encounters.

The game unfolds in a vibrant universe where unique heroes are locked in a fight for the throne. Each player takes on the role of a singular hero, equipped with a unique set of abilities and a custom dice set, which further adds to the rich thematic undertones and the immersive gameplay experience.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest is a thrilling, fast-paced 1v1 or team vs team combat board game. The game’s components are beautifully designed, with each having a specific role to play in the game setup, gameplay, and scoring. Here are the major components and their respective functions:

1. Hero Boards:

These are the main player components, each representing a different character. Each player chooses one hero board at the beginning of the game. The hero board displays the hero’s unique abilities, along with the dice combinations needed to activate those abilities. It also has sections to keep track of player health and combat points.

2. Dice:

Each hero comes with its own set of five custom dice. The faces of the dice represent different hero abilities, and players roll them to activate these abilities. The dice are used in the offensive roll phase and the defensive roll phase.

3. Status Effect Tokens:

These are used to keep track of any status effects that a hero may inflict or receive during the game. They are placed on the affected hero’s board and have various effects on gameplay depending on the type of status effect.

4. Health & Combat Point Dials:

Each hero board has two dials, one for tracking the hero’s health and the other for tracking combat points. The health dial shows the current health of the hero, while the combat point dial is used to accumulate and spend points to upgrade abilities.

5. Cards:

The game includes several types of cards: Hero-Specific Cards, Status Effect Cards, and Turn Order Cards. Hero-Specific Cards are unique to each hero and provide additional abilities or upgrades. Status Effect Cards provide details about different status effects. Turn Order Cards remind players of the turn structure.

6. Tokens:

In addition to status effect tokens, the game includes other tokens such as First Player Token, which indicates the first player of the game, and Knockdown Tokens, which are used when a player’s health reaches zero.

7. Player Mats:

Each hero comes with a player mat that provides a dedicated space to organize your hero board, cards, and dice. It also features a quick reference guide to the phases of a turn.

8. Rulebook:

The rulebook provides detailed instructions on how to play the game. It includes setup instructions, gameplay rules, scoring system, and other important information.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

‘Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest’ is a thrilling, fast-paced 2-4 player combat game. The main goal of the game is to knock your opponent’s health points down to zero. Here’s how you set it up:

Step 1: Choose Your Character

Each player chooses a character to play as. These characters all have unique abilities and play styles, represented by their own set of custom dice and cards. The character you choose will determine your strategy throughout the game.

Step 2: Board Placement

Each player places their character’s board in front of them. This board contains all the information needed to play your character, including your health, combat points, and the effect of each dice roll.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Each player starts with 50 health points and 2 combat points. Players also start with a five-card hand, drawn from their character’s deck. These cards can be used to improve your dice roll or to perform special actions.

Step 4: Prepare the Status Effect Tokens

There are several types of status effect tokens in the game, which represent various effects that can be applied to characters. These should be placed within easy reach of all players.

Step 5: Determine the First Player

Randomly determine who goes first. That player takes the first turn, and play continues clockwise around the table.

Note: While ‘Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest’ can be played with 2-4 players, it’s most balanced as a 1v1 game. In a 1v1 game, the player who goes second gets an extra combat point at the start of the game to balance the advantage of going first.

Step 6: Start the Game

Each player’s turn consists of five phases: Upkeep, Income, Main Phase 1, Roll Phase, and Main Phase 2. Players take turns until one player’s health points reach zero, at which point that player is eliminated. The last player remaining is the winner.

Game flow Round and round we go

Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest is a competitive, fast-paced game of strategic dice battles. The game progresses in rounds, with each round composed of several phases.

1. Main Phase 1: The game starts with the first player’s main phase. In this phase, the player can perform several optional actions, including:

Playing Main Phase action cards
Using Hero abilities that are designated for the Main Phase
Selling cards for Combat Points (CP)

2. Roll Phase: This is the central phase of the game, where the player rolls their dice up to three times. The purpose of this phase is to activate abilities on the player’s board. The sequence of actions include:

Initial Roll: Roll all 5 dice
First Roll Modification: Modify dice through cards or abilities
First Re-Roll: Re-roll any number of dice
Second Roll Modification: Modify dice again
Second Re-Roll: Final chance to re-roll dice
Final Roll Modification: Last chance to modify dice

3. Targeting Phase: In this phase, the active player decides who they will attack. This is simple in a 1v1 game but becomes more strategic in a multiplayer game.

4. Defensive Roll Phase: The targeted player gets a chance to mitigate or avoid the attack by rolling their own set of dice. The outcome of this roll is compared to their defensive ability on their character board.

5. Damage and Effect Resolution: In this phase, damage and effects are resolved based on the attack and defensive rolls. This includes applying damage, status effects, or other changes as indicated by the dice rolls and cards.

6. Main Phase 2: After the attack, the player enters their second main phase. Like the first main phase, players can play cards, use abilities, and sell cards for CP.

7. Discard Phase: This is the final phase of a player’s turn. The active player can choose to discard any number of cards from their hand before drawing back up to their hand limit, typically five cards.

These phases are repeated in each round until one player emerges victorious by reducing all other players’ health to zero.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest is a fast-paced, engaging game of tactical dice combat. A player’s turn in this game can be divided into five phases: Upkeep Phase, Income Phase, Main Phase 1, Roll Phase, and Main Phase 2. Each phase allows different actions and strategic choices that can significantly affect the gameplay.

In the Upkeep Phase, the player starts their turn by resolving any start of turn effects. This phase does not involve any decision-making but it is crucial to monitor effects that could change the game’s dynamics.

During the Income Phase, players receive a resource called Combat Points (CP). Players start with a base of 1 CP but can receive additional points through cards or abilities. CPs are important as they are used to buy and upgrade abilities that can fortify your position or weaken your opponents.

The Main Phase 1 is where strategic decisions begin. Players can perform any of the following actions, in any order:

Spend CPs to buy or upgrade abilities. Upgraded abilities can provide stronger attacks or defenses, offering strategic advantages.
Play action cards from your hand for their CP cost. These cards can provide instant benefits or setup future plays.
Sell cards from your hand for 1 CP each. This can be a strategic choice if you are short of CPs or if the card is not beneficial at the moment.

The Roll Phase is the heart of the game, where players roll their dice to attack opponents or activate abilities. The player can roll their dice up to three times, keeping any dice they wish after each roll. The rolled symbols must match the symbols of the desired ability to activate it. Deciding which abilities to target and when to reroll are key strategic decisions.

In the Main Phase 2, players can perform the same actions as in Main Phase 1. This phase provides an opportunity to respond to the outcome of the Roll Phase. For example, if a player rolled poorly, they might choose to buy a defensive upgrade to protect themselves.

After Main Phase 2, the player’s turn ends and it’s the next player’s turn. The game continues in this way until one player’s health reaches zero, at which point the other player is declared the winner.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest is a fast-paced competitive game where players select their heroes and duel it out until a victor emerges. The game ends under certain conditions, and there are specific actions that players must take before final scoring.

In this game, the victory conditions are as follows:

Elimination of Opponent(s): The game ends immediately when all of a player’s opponents have been eliminated. This is achieved by reducing the health points of your opponents to zero through strategic play and dice rolls.
Reaching Maximum Score: In some game variants, players may also set a predetermined score limit. The first player to reach this score limit wins the game.

Before final scoring, players must ensure they have completed the following actions:

Apply Damage: Before the game ends, make sure that all damage inflicted in the final round has been applied. This can affect the final standing, especially in games with more than two players.
Use Instant Cards: If a player has any instant cards in their hand, they should be used before the game ends. These cards can provide players with additional points or can be used to impact the outcome of the game.
Check Status Effects: Any status effects that are active at the end of the game are resolved. These effects may influence the final scores or even determine the winner of the game.

It’s important to remember that Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest is a game of strategy and luck. The outcome of the game can be influenced by the roll of the dice, the strategic use of cards, and the unique abilities of the chosen heroes.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest, the scoring system is primarily focused on reducing your opponent’s Health Points (HP) to zero. Each player begins the game with a set number of Health Points, typically 50, and the goal is to reduce your opponent’s HP to zero before they can do the same to you.

Scoring:

Damage: The main way to score points in Dice Throne is by inflicting damage on your opponent. The amount of damage you can inflict is determined by the outcome of your dice roll and the abilities of your chosen character.
Abilities: Each character has unique abilities that can influence the game’s scoring. Some abilities allow you to deal additional damage, while others can reduce the damage taken, heal your character, or even affect your opponent’s dice rolls. The use of these abilities can greatly affect the scoring of the game.

Tie-Breaking Rules:

In the event of a tie, the game resorts to the following tie-breaking rules:

First Tie-Breaker: The player who inflicted the most total damage over the course of the game is declared the winner.
Second Tie-Breaker: If the total damage inflicted is also tied, the player who ended the game with the most Health Points is the winner.
Third Tie-Breaker: If the Health Points are also identical, then the player who rolled the most successful defensive rolls during the game is the winner.
Final Tie-Breaker: If a winner still cannot be determined, then the winner is decided by a sudden death roll-off, where each player rolls all of their dice and the player with the highest total is declared the winner.

It is important to note that while eliminating your opponent is the primary objective, strategic use of your character’s abilities and effective defense can greatly influence the outcome of the game and lead to a victory.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest is a thrilling board game filled with unique characters, each with their own abilities and special moves. While the basic rules of the game are straightforward, there are some rare or special rules, exceptions, and important clarifications that players should be aware of.

Special Rules:

Turn Phases: Players should remember that each turn in Dice Throne has five unique phases: Upkeep, Income, Main Phase 1, Roll Phase, and Main Phase 2. Each phase serves a specific purpose, and actions are limited to their respective phases.
Defensive Abilities: Unlike most games, Dice Throne allows the defensive player to roll their defense during an attack. Each character has unique defensive abilities, and these can significantly impact the outcome of an attack.
Combat Points: In Dice Throne, combat points are not only a form of currency for buying cards; they are also used to upgrade abilities. This adds an extra layer of strategy to the game.

Exceptions:

Ability Upgrades: While most abilities can be upgraded, some cannot. Players should always check their character’s player board to see which abilities can be upgraded.
Infliction of Status Effects: While it’s common to inflict status effects on your opponent, some characters have abilities that allow them to inflict status effects on themselves for a strategic advantage.

Rule Clarifications:

Simultaneous Effects: If multiple effects occur at the same time, the active player determines the order in which they are resolved.
Roll Phase: Players must remember that they have a total of three rolls in the Roll Phase. The initial roll, and two rerolls. However, players are not required to use all their rolls if they are satisfied with their results.
Card Timing: The timing of card plays in Dice Throne can be tricky. Some cards have an ‘Immediate’ play time, which means they can be played at almost any time, even during an opponent’s turn. Others have a ‘Main Phase’ play time, which means they can only be played during the player’s Main Phase.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest is a game of intriguing dice, tactical card play, powerful heroes, and unique abilities. It’s a fast-paced game of strategic dice and card battles. Below are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize gameplay.

Advanced Strategies:

Understanding the Heroes: Each hero has unique abilities and strategies. Spend time to understand their strengths and weaknesses. It’s also important to learn not just about your chosen hero, but also about your opponents’ heroes.
Focus on Offensive and Defensive Balance: While it’s tempting to focus solely on offense to deplete your opponent’s health, don’t forget about defense. Using defensive abilities can often turn the tide of a match.
Optimal Use of Upgrade Cards: Upgrade cards can significantly enhance your abilities. It’s crucial to know when and where to use these upgrades for maximum effect.

Beginner Tips:

Start with Basic Heroes: If you’re new to the game, start with simpler heroes like Monk or Barbarian. They have straightforward abilities that are easy to understand.
Practice Dice Management: Dice management is key to success. Practice rolling dice and understand how it affects the game. Remember, you can reroll dice up to two times in each turn.
Use Cards Wisely: Be strategic about when and how you use your cards. Some are more effective in certain situations or against specific opponents.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Ignoring Defense: A common mistake is focusing too much on offense and ignoring defense. Both are crucial to winning the game.
Not Utilizing Status Effects: Status effects, such as stun or poison, can greatly affect the outcome of the game. Neglecting to use these can be a costly mistake.
Spending CP Too Soon: CP (Combat Points) are used to buy ability upgrades. Spending your CP too soon can leave you without options later in the game.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Study Your Opponents: Understanding your opponent’s strategy can help you counter their attacks and prepare defense effectively.
Manage Resources Carefully: Be it CP, cards, or dice, managing your resources well can significantly impact your game.
Adapt Your Strategy: Don’t stick to one strategy throughout the game. Be flexible and adapt your gameplay based on the situation and your opponent’s moves.