catacombs variant rules

8/18/2019 Catacombs variant rules

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LABYRINTH VARIANT FOR “CATACOMBS”

(with gracious pr!issio" #ro! ga! $sig"r R%a" A!os&

After reading the CATACOMBS Supplemental Rules and FAQ v 1.1 from the

BoardGameGee page a!out CATACOMBS" #$d lie to su!mit these suggestions for a

%omplete la!&rinth game. 'ou should !egin !& reading those e(%ellent posts fromdesigner R&an Amos" as # )ill !e !orro)ing from his ideas. *se the original rules for

CATACOMBS for an& situation not des%ri!ed here.

Besides the original CATACOMBS set" &ou )ill also need+

T)o different si(,sided di%e -the monster/ die and the dis%ount/ die0.

At least t)ent&,five small )rite,on la!els" no larger than a uarter,in%hsuare. An eas& )a& to a%uire these )ould !e to %ut up a sheet of la!els

designed for printing.

Si(t& !eads+ thirt& light2transparent ones to mar %lear passages" andthirt& dar2opaue ones to mar !lo%ed passages. 3ife %ounters/ )or

)ell here.

A num!er of !lan 4(5 inde( %ards on )hi%h to re%ord &our %reated

la!&rinths.

6en%il and paper -or t)o ten,sided di%e0 on )hi%h to re%ord the num!er of

remaining arro)s for the 7lf. 'ou$ll also )ant to mae t)o %ompass

roses/8 a permanent/ one for the la!&rinth as a )hole" and a temporar&/one to sho) the dire%tion of 9orth in ea%h Room.

First, a few setup notes for the Overseer. Begin !& appl&ing a la!el to ea%h of the Room%ards that &ou$ll !e using in &our la!&rinth. T)ent&,five rooms in a 5(5 arra& is a good

start. *se the la!els to num!er &our Room %ards. For e(ample" %ard :1 %ould !e one of

the ;ealer rooms" %ard :14 %ould !e the Mer%hant" %ard : ;ere$s a sample la&out+

? , @ 1?


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The heroes )ill enter this la!&rinth via the eastern door of Room


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On the first visit to the Mer%hant" the Overseer should pla%e the small si(,sided

die -the dis%ount/ die0 on the Mer%hant Room %ard )ith the 1/ fa%e up to sho) that forthis visit" the heroes ma& re%eive a 5EH dis%ount on one item of their %hoi%e. #f the

heroes leave the Mer%hant without maing a pur%hase" and then the heroes reveal at least

one additional room, and then return to the Mer%hant" the Overseer raises the dis%ount/die !& one -to a ma(imum of si(0 and offers that man& 5EH dis%ounts -again" the heroes

%hoose )hi%h items are dis%ounted0. #f the heroes mae at least one pur%hase" the

dis%ount/ die is reset to 1/ for their ne(t visit. #f the heroes leave the Mer%hant )ithoutmaing a pur%hase" and then return to the Mer%hant )ithout having revealed an additional

room in the meantime" the dis%ount/ die does not %hange.

Previously isited !ooms. Should the heroes revisit a Room )hi%h the& have alread&%leaned out/" the& )ill find that the Room has alread& !egun to respa)n monsters. The

Overseer sets up the Room as normal" using onl& half -round do)n0 of the monsters that

originall& appeared in the room. The Overseer ma& %hoose )hi%h of the monsters appear.

The heroes )ill have to %lean out the room all over again J

"loc#ed and $n%loc#ed Passages. The doors to e(it ea%h Room appear on the Room%ards" !ut not all doors lead to other Rooms. Some of the doors open into hall)a&s that

lead to other Rooms" !ut some of the doors open onl& to passages that are more

hopelessl& !lo%ed than an ogre$s sinuses. A passage is %lear if it %onne%ts t)o Rooms)ith mat%hing/ door)a&s. For e(ample" a door leading south )ill onl& %onne%t to an

adKa%ent south,l&ing Room if that Room has a north,fa%ing door. #f there is not a

mat%hing/ door in the )all of the ne(t Room" or if the door )ould lead out of the overall

arra& of la!&rinth Rooms" then the passage is !lo%ed and the heroes )ill have to findanother )a& out of their Room.

*se the permanent %ompass rose" pla%ed outside the Room %ard arra&" to sho))hi%h )a& is 9orth -to)ard the top of the Overseer$s inde( %ard0. #n the first Room" the

heroes enter !& a door that is on the perimeter of the Room arra&. #n ea%h Room" orient

the temporar& %ompass rose so that the )all )here the heroes$ starting area is lo%atedlines up )ith the %orresponding %ompass dire%tion on the Room %ard. 7(ample+ The

heroes e(it a Room !& its east door" there!& entering the ne(t Room !& its )est door.

That means that the heroes )ill !egin this Room lined up along its )estern )all" and the

temporar& %ompass rose should !e rotated if ne%essar& for that Room -the )all to theheroes$ left is the north )all" et%.0 so that the Overseer no)s )hi%h of the e(it doors are

%lear and )hi%h are !lo%ed.

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Of %ourse" the passage !& )hi%h the heroes entered the Room )ill !e %lear" should

the heroes de%ide to return via that dire%tion. -7(%eption+ #n the Room in )hi%h the

heroes !egin the adventure" the door !ehind them is immediatel& sealed shut.0 6assagesthat are %lear )ill remain %lear" and passages that are !lo%ed )ill remain !lo%ed" for the

duration of the adventure. Of %ourse" the onl& e(it from the la!&rinth as a )hole is a

lo%ed trap door in the floor of the Cata%om! 3ord$s Room" and the onl& )a& to open thedoor is )ith the e& that hangs around the Cata%om! 3ord$s ne% and &ou$ll have to ill

him to get it J

Chec#ing for $n%loc#ed Passages. There are four situations to %onsider )hen a hero

%he%s a door to see )hether it opens to a %lear passage)a&.

1. Luring %om!at" )hen the %hara%ter dis% is )ithin the dis%$s diameter of a Room$s

)all" either !efore or after his2her shot-s0" the hero ma& %he% the door in thatwall as a free a%tion. A hero in a %orner and %lose enough to t)o )alls ma&

%hoose onl& one of them to %he%.


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The heroes must reset their positions in the heroes$ start area as if the& )ere

!eginning this Room all over again" and %om!at !egins on%e more. These additional

monsters must !e dispat%hed !efore the heroes ma& e(it the Room. #f the result of theroll is E/" nothing happens and the heroes ma& go to another door of that Room. #t is

possi!le -!ut not in the first Room0 that a Room$s onl& e(it )ill !e via the same passage

!& )hi%h the heroes had entered the Room the Room is a dead end/" and the heroes)ill have to retra%e their steps" fighting respa)ned monsters as the& go -see 6reviousl&

isited Rooms/" a!ove0 . &ote' if the Thief has chec#ed the door and found the passage

%loc#ed, the Overseer rolls the (monster) die and su%tracts * from the roll, not +. #t$stherefore safer for the Thief to %he% doors J

4. #f the passage is %lear" !ut the heroes )ould still lie to %he% another door in

that same Room" the Overseer should mar the passage as %lear !ut should still roll for

)andering monsters as if the passage had !een !lo%ed -see a!ove0.

6lease feel free to %hange" add" or remove an& of these rules for the la!&rinth as

&ou see fit after all" the ultimate rule is for ever&one to have fun pla&ing. Good lu%"

and ma& &ou hit )ith all of &our shots>

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catacombs variant rules

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