fertig-classic-games/src/games/dungeonboss/tutorial.md

Dungeon Boss

A raspy voice echoes from beneath the mountain…

Ah, a new Boss. Wonderful. I am Grimble, the imp who files the paperwork for every dungeon in the valley. Yes, dungeons have paperwork. Whose soul do you think keeps the lamps lit? Sit, and I'll explain how a respectable villain earns a living down here: you build the deadliest dungeon in the land, lure in shiny-booted heroes, and harvest their souls. Try not to get stabbed.

Objective

Every player is a Boss with a dungeon of up to 5 rooms. Heroes arrive in town each round and wander into whichever dungeon most tempts their greedy little hearts. Kill them, and their souls are yours. Let them fight all the way through your halls, and they'll wound you instead.

• First Boss to 10 souls at the end of a round wins.
• Take 5 wounds, and your dungeon is closed down. Permanently.
• Epic heroes are worth 2 souls — but they also deal 2 wounds.

Setup

You're dealt a Boss, 5 Room cards, and 2 Spell cards; discard any 2 cards, then everyone builds one starting room at the same time. Your Boss shows an XP value — the highest XP acts first each round. (If the game ends in a soul tie, the lowest XP wins. Underdogs get the paperwork bonus.)

A Round of Villainy

1. Heroes arrive — one hero per player is revealed in town, and every Boss draws a Room card.
2. Build — everyone secretly places one room face down (or passes), then all flip at once. New rooms extend your dungeon toward the entrance; you can also build over an old room. Advanced rooms (gold-gemmed) may only be built over a room sharing a treasure type.
3. Bait — each hero compares dungeons and marches to the one showing the most treasure of its class: Fighters follow swords, Mages tomes, Thieves coin, Clerics holy symbols. Ties? The hero stays in town, dithering. The Fool wanders to whoever has the fewest souls.
4. Adventure — heroes walk your dungeon room by room, from the entrance to your throne. Each room deals its damage. Hero drops to zero? Soul harvested. Hero survives every room? It pokes you — one wound (two if epic).

Rooms, Spells, and Dirty Tricks

• Monster rooms and trap rooms each have damage, treasure icons, and often an ability — some trigger when built, some when a hero dies inside, and some you activate by sacrificing the room itself.
• Spells are cast at three moments: before builds, after the flip, and just before heroes charge a dungeon. Build-phase spells (hammer label) shape the board; adventure spells (adventure label) turn battles. You can boost your own rooms, freeze a rival's, or heal their hero so it survives to bite them.
• Watch for Counterspell and the All-Seeing Eye — cast recklessly and your masterstroke fizzles into the discard pile.

Leveling Up

The first time your dungeon reaches 5 rooms, your Boss levels up and unleashes a one-time power — read your Boss card, every one is different. Racing to five rooms is a fine plan. So is knocking rivals' rooms down before they get there.

Grimble's Advice

• Only bait heroes you can actually kill — count your damage before you flash your treasure. A dungeon that attracts what it cannot slay is called a tomb, and the paperwork is dreadful.
• Save a spell for the adventure phase. The difference between a soul and a wound is often one well-timed boost.
• The soul leader draws everyone's knives. If that's you — build high, stay humble, and keep the Eye open.

Now go. Build something horrible. Make old Grimble proud.