RULES
WELCOME to Party WaNtEd!! A 1-8 PlayEr Co-Op RoguElikE DEck-BuildEr With Social Party GaMEs! Work togEthEr with friENds or play solo to dEfEAt all 4 BossEs aNd EscapE thE PyraMid of Chaos!
CONTENTS:
216 Cards Base Game
34 Lands (5 Mini-Bosses)
32 Card Healer Deck
32 Card Rogue Deck
32 Card Wizard Deck
32 Card Fighter Deck
17 Encounters / 17 Treasures
10 Monsters / 8 Bosses
1 Turn Order Card / 1 Enemy Health Counter
38 Card Minotaur Expansion Deck
27 card Minotaur Deck
5 Lands (1 Mini-Boss),
1 Monster, 1 Boss, 2 Treasures, and 2 Encounters
38 Card Druid Expansion Deck
29 Card Druid Deck
3 Lands (1 Mini-Boss),
1 Monster, 1 Boss, 2 Treasures, and 2 Encounters
38 Card Bard Expansion Deck
29 Card Bard Deck
3 Lands (1 Mini-Boss),
1 Monster, 1 Boss, 2 Treasures, and 2 Encounters
58 Card Necromancer Expansion Deck
29 Card Necromancer Deck
13 Lands (1 Mini-Boss),
6 Monster, 2 Boss, 4 Treasures, and 3 Encounters, 1 Combat Modifier Card
SETUP
Players Plan the orientation of the Pyramid of Chaos based on available space and access to all players.
Players Separate each card type including the Encounter, Treasure, and Monster cards into their own decks and then shuffle them into an Encounter Deck, a Treasure Deck, and a Monster Deck. Place them above the Pyramid of Chaos as shown above.
Players find the 5 Land cards marked with the S symbol and set them aside facedown. Shuffle the rest of the Land cards together to make the Land Deck and place it in the middle of the 3 decks above. Players then find the appropriate level Boss cards, and randomly select 1 to place facedown on the top of the Boss Deck, which is placed on the open side of the Land Deck as shown above, forming Tier 1 of the Pyramid of Chaos.
Form Tier 2 of the Pyramid of Chaos by shuffling the S Lands and placing 2 of them facedown next to each other under the Boss card. Form Tier 3 of the Pyramid of Chaos by repeating this process with the remaining 3 S Land cards under the 2 Lands above.
Each player chooses 1 of the Heroes, (Fighter, Wizard, Healer, Rogue, Minotaur, Druid, Bard, or Necromancer and takes all of their chosen Hero's cards, (these will have card backings with their names repeated and a symbol for each). Each Hero's cards are collectively called their Build Pool. Players are referred to as Heroes and are collectively known as The Party!
Once you have gathered your Build Pool, remove your 2 double-sided Hero Level cards and your Health Counter card. Then place the your Level 1 Hero card face up on top of the other Level card and match the Health Counter with the arrow matching your starting health as shown above. Then find the 10 cards with the S symbol on the bottom right corner out of your Build Pool, shuffle them together, and place them face down to make your initial Hero Deck. There are 13 S cards total. The Build Pool is then placed sideways off to side as shown above.
Once setup is complete, each Hero Draws 4 cards from their Hero Deck and place those cards faceup in front of them, forming their Hand. While playing the game, if a card or rule instructs you to Draw a card and doesn't specify a particular deck to draw from, you draw from your Hero Deck and place the card into your Hand.
If you prefer to track your health in other ways you can use a D20 and you can track all your party's stats using our free app, search Party Wanted Stat Tracker on Android, Or Party Wanted on IoS.
PLAYING THE TURN
At the start of the Turn, the Hero with the highest Speed gets the Turn Order (in image above) card and then chooses 1 facedown Land card on Tier 3 (Bottom) of Pyramid of Chaos and Reveals it, placing it faceup in its space. On subsequent turns, the next Hero clockwise receives the Turn Counter Card, then chooses a Land from the Tier above. (Boss reveals do not count as the players Land reveal).
Each Land card has a Social step, an Action step, and a Drinking Option. When the Land is revealed, start by resolving the
Social step. This will usually be a short party game or a fun bonus rule to follow. Each Hero chooses whether or not they wish to participate in the Social step. Unless specified otherwise, the Social step provides a reward to each participant. It's up to you how long you wish to perform each Social step, but we suggest keeping them to around 1 minute.
(If playing solo, Draw 1 card and Bury 1 card for the Social.)
Their are 3 types of Treasures and Encounters. (located at the bottom of the cards in parenthesis)
Instant Resolve - takes effect immediately when Drawn. The Treasure or Encounter is Buried (placed under the deck it came from) after use.
Single Use - these items are placed next to your Hero and you choose when it takes effect, at any time unless specified. The Treasure or Encounter is Buried after use.
Permanent - placed near your Hero and active until either Sacrificed or lost via death. The Treasure or Encounter is Buried after Sacrifice or death.
After the Social step has resolved, or if the Social step is
applying an ongoing bonus rule, move to the Action step.
Begin the Action step, follow the prompt on the card and complete the instructions. After you have resolved the Action step, you can move on to the -
Drinking is always optional and remember to please drink responsibly.
COMBAT
Combat involves all Heroes (The Party) vs Enemy (Monsters, Mini-Bosses, and Bosses). Enemy Base Stats correspond to Party level (1-4).
Hero Class skills can only be used in Combat, but may be used anytime within the combat( even out of turn) .
Heroes can use Class Skills, Utility, and Class Cards (aka Buff) upon the reveal of the enemy before Initiative is determined. (Cards with two flexing arms on them).
Speed determines the Initiative order of each Hero and Enemy during each Round. Speed ties go in favor of the Hero.
HP (Hit Points) of the Enemy multiplies with the number of Heroes. HP X number of Heroes. (Eg. 1 HP Monster has 4 HP with 4 Heroes playing. 2 HP Boss has 8 HP with 4 Heroes).
To hit a Enemy the Hero's Total Attack stat for the Round must meet or beat the Enemy’s Defense, once that happens the Hero damages the Enemy for 1 HP.
Each Hero can only Attack each Enemy Once Per Round.
Class and Utility cards that allow you to Draw, as well as Ultimate Cards, are removed from Combat after use (Once Per Combat). Bury these cards at the end of Combat.
You can play any number of cards per Round of Combat and there is no max Hand size.
The Enemy attacks all Heroes at once when it is their Initiative (Speed) in that Round, if they are still alive.
You can play Defense Cards in response to Enemy Attacks to mitigate the damage taken.
The Enemy’s Attack that surpasses Each Hero's Defense, damages that Hero for the difference. (Eg. An Enemy's Attack is 12 and Hero's Defense is 10, their Hero losses 2 HP.)
Enemy can also only Attack Once Per Round.
Heroes can Bury any card from their Hand for +1 Defense or +1 Attack to any Hero including themselves until end of Round.
If prompted to Bury a card from your hand, take 1 card from your Hand and place it faceup on the bottom of of your Hero Deck. Once you need to Draw and the first faceup card is at the top of your Hero Deck, shuffle the Hero Deck and place it facedown before drawing.
Certain cards can double (2x) or triple (3x) the numbers on the Attack or Defense Cards, but only one can be applied per Round for either Attack and/or Defense.
A Round ends after all Hero and Enemy INITIATIVE have been resolved. ( or the Enemy dies before their turn)
Return Stats to base values at the end of each Round. (Excluding HP and boosts from Permanents).
All cards used by Heroes in a Round are Buried at the End of that Round except for Once Per Combat cards or of if a card specifies to be Buried to activate.
Draw 1 card from your Hero Deck at the end of each Round.
Combat ends when either all Heroes or all Enemies are dead.
Co-op coMbat tUtorial
ENEMY EXAMPLES
There are 3 Enemy Categories
Monster
Mini-Bosses
Bosses
and 3 Creature Types
H=Humanoid | B=Beast | U=Undead
LEVELING UP
The Party Levels Up each time you kill a Boss. When leveling up, each Hero Draws 1 Treasure, picks a Class or Utility card from their Build Pool to Add to their Hero Deck, and vote on 1 Hero in the Party who will Add their Ultimate card to their Hero Deck (if 4 of more Heroes are playing you Add 1 Ultimate after each Boss victory, if 2 - 3 Heroes, you vote to Add 1 Ultimate from each Boss starting from the 2nd Boss victory, if solo Add your Ultimate after the 3rd Boss victory.) Choose the card to help customize the deck how you like.
After a Boss fight, Bury the Lands that you revealed this Level, replacing them with new Lands. Then shuffle the Lands on the Pyramid of Chaos and randomly choose a Boss from the Level you will advance to, placing it facedown at the top of the Pyramid of Chaos.
Heroes flip their Hero Level card over to the 2nd Level. Heroes Level each time they kill a Boss
Reset you HP to the new max HP on your Leveled up Hero.
Heroes will then shuffle their entire Hero Deck, including the new added cards as well as your Hand and any cards in play then Draw 4 cards faceup from your Hero Deck, then start the next level with whoever has the Turn Counter Card.
Make sure you don't hold back your hand, as you will reshuffle at the end of the Boss fight either way!
If a Treasure/Encounter prompts you to fight an Enemy at the end of the Level, Fight it at the beginning of the next level after leveling up the Party.
VICTORY OR DEFEAT!
ThE Party wiNs by killiNg thE 4th Boss aNd EscapiNg thE PyraMid of Chaos!
ThE Party losEs if all thE HEroEs HP is rEdUcEd to 0.
NEMESIS SYSTEM
If you want a challenge or prefer your adventures with a hook then check out the Nemesis Card in each Build Pool for your Hero and add its Rules!
HARD MODE
If Nemesis alone is not enough and you want even more difficulty then you will find Class or Utility cards that have a H Inside a Skull (Hard Mode) in the lower left corner, use these cards instead of the S (Starter) cards for your Hero Deck for even more of a challenge! (Your start with the same S cards for Attack and Defense Cards.)
-You can also not heal between rounds for a even harder game!
Gameplay Examples:
Normal Round:
Hero chooses a Land on the current Tier and resolves the Social followed by the Action, then Drinking (optional).
If there is Combat, plan your cards with the Party, and try to use the least cards possible to defeat the Enemy.
Obtain rewards if any, then the next Hero chooses a Land from the next Tier above.
Muti Enemy Combat:
On rare occasions you will be prompted to fight more than one enemy at the same time. Only Base Stats will apply to both monsters. The Party will need to designate cards played to each creature separately.
Boss Round:
The Boss is flipped over by any Hero and not counted as a Land choice. Its Social is resolved and the Heroes fight it. After the Boss is defeated, all Heroes get a Treasure and upgrade their Hero card to the next Level. Then choose a Utility or Class card from their Build pool to Add to their Hero Deck. Heroes vote on which of them get their Ultimate card to Add to their Hero Deck. Set up the Pyramid for the next Level. Heroes shuffle their whole Hero Deck, (including cards in hand and Discard pile), and Draw 4 cards.
TIPS & TRICKS
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Party Wanted Glossary
A
Action: An activity triggered by the revealing hero after the Social Step of a land is completed. Actions are mandatory and occur only once.
Add: Allows heroes to add specific cards from their Build Pool to their Hero Deck.
Attack: (Icon: Dice with crossed swords) Determines the hero’s or enemy’s attack. Attack must meet or exceed the target’s Defense to deal damage.
B
Attack & Defense Cards: Basic cards that provide a temporary +X bonus to Attack or Defense until the end of the round.
Beast: (Icon: B in the upper right corner of the scroll) A classification for enemies.
Boss: The top-tier enemy in the Pyramid of Chaos at each level. Defeating a boss allows the party to level up and progress to the next level.
Buff: (Icon: Flexing biceps) Cards that enhance stats and can be played at any point in combat. Example: Haste increases party speed before initiative is determined.
Build Pool: The collection of all cards belonging to a specific hero. Cards are drawn from this pool to create the Hero Deck, and you will add cards from this to your hero deck as the game progresses.
Bury: Placing a used or defeated card under its respective deck, face-up.
Bury Pile: A designated area for buried cards. When a deck is depleted, the face-up bury pile is flipped, shuffled, and used to remake the deck.
C
Class & Utility Cards: Hero-specific cards with unique abilities.
Combat: Triggered when a Monster, Mini-Boss, or Boss is encountered. Combat is divided into rounds, with each round having:
Planning Phase: Heroes coordinate card usage and strategies and play buffs.
Execution Phase: Heroes and enemies resolve actions based on speed.
Combat Modifier Card: A card is spun to modify random stats for enemies (+) or heroes (-).
D
Damage:
For heroes: Unblocked enemy attacks reduce HP.
For enemies: Each successful attack that meets or exceeds Defense deals 1 HP of damage.
Death: Occurs when a hero or enemy’s HP reaches 0. Enemy death ends combat. A hero’s death results in losing all Permanents and reshuffling their hand into their Hero Deck. If all heroes die, the party loses.
Deck: A stack of cards categorized by type: Boss, Encounter, Hero, Land, Monster, or Treasure.
Defense: (Icon: Shield) Determines a hero’s or enemy’s ability to block attacks.
Draw: Refers to taking the top card of a deck. For heroes, cards are drawn from their Hero Deck into their hand.
Drinking: An optional activity triggered after the Action Step of a land or boss. Can be skipped without affecting gameplay.
E
Enemy: A general term for Monsters, Mini-Bosses, and Bosses.
Encounter: Cards obtained through lands. They are categorized as Single Use, Instant Resolve, or Permanent and are buried after use.
H
Hand: Cards drawn and placed face up from the Hero Deck that a hero can use during combat.
Hard Mode: A challenging gameplay variant that incorporates Hard Cards (Icon: Dice symbol with an H) , Nemesis cards, and stricter rules.
Hero: The player’s character/class.
Hero Deck: A collection of cards drawn from the Build Pool for gameplay. When the deck is depleted, the bury pile is reshuffled to remake it.
Humanoid: (icon: h on upper right of scroll) a classification for the enemy.
Hit Points (HP): (Icon: Heart) Represents a hero's or enemy’s health.
I
Instant Resolve: Cards that resolve immediately upon drawing and are buried afterward.
L
Land: Cards revealed by heroes on their turn. Each land consists of a Social Step, Action Step, and optional Drinking Step.
Level: Represents the progression of the party and determines stats for enemies. Heroes start at level 1 and level up after each boss kill.
Mini-Boss: Special Land cards that are also enemies with different stats depending on the party’s level.
Monster: An enemy that triggers combat when drawn. Buried upon death.
N
Nemesis Mode: A card that shows Specific Bosses or Mini-Bosses that create disadvantages for certain heroes but offer unique rewards when defeated when playing nemesis mode.
O
Once per Combat: these cards are placed to the side of the playing field after they are used and don’t get buried into the hero deck until the end of combat.
P
Party: The group of heroes controlled by the players.
Permanent: Cards that remain equipped to a hero (e.g., weapons or armor) until sacrificed or the hero dies.
Pyramid of Chaos: The play area containing the decks and lands.
R
Remove: Allows heroes to return cards from their Hero Deck to their Build Pool.
Reveal: Flipping a card from the top of a deck or the pyramid tiers.
Round: A single cycle of combat where all heroes and enemies act in turn.
S
Sacrifice: Using certain abilities or Permanent cards. Sacrificed items return to their source (Build Pool or original deck).
Single Use: Cards that can be used once at any point and are buried after use.
Social: A party activity triggered by revealing a Land. Solo players may draw and bury a card instead.
Speed: (Icon: Stopwatch) Determines turn order. Ties favor heroes.
Starter Cards: (Icon: S in the lower-right corner) Strong starting cards for heroes, lands, and monsters in normal gameplay.
T
Tier: Each row of the Pyramid of Chaos:
Tier 1: 1 Boss.
Tier 2: 2 Lands.
Tier 3: 3 Lands.
Treasure: Rewards obtained from lands or bosses. Can be Single Use, Instant Resolve, or Permanent.
Turn: A hero’s action to reveal a Land from the pyramid. The Turn Counter Card tracks the active hero.
U
Ultimate Card: Special cards obtained through a party vote after defeating a boss. Rewards vary based on party size.
Undead: (Icon: U in the upper-right corner of the scroll) A classification for enemies.
W
Waterfall: A drinking activity where the revealing hero begins drinking, followed by the next player clockwise. Drinking continues until the revealing hero stops.
Rule #1 is to have fun! If your not exactly sure about a rule or a card just see what the group wants and do that!
Setup:
The first time playing, use the cards with the S, (Starter Cards), on them.
When in doubt read the card over the rules.
Always join with Hero at the same Level as the Party, if joining midgame.
Armor, Weapons, and permanent Treasure cards are placed next to the Hero Card.
Single Use Encounter/Treasure cards are placed next to the Hero card and when used placed in the Discard pile of their type.
If you would like a longer game, Add 1 more tier at the bottom of the Pyramid each time you kill a Boss
No Armor, Weapons, or Ultimates for Starting Hero Decks.
When able to ADD a card the Hero will add a card of his choice as listed by the card letting them add. Cards added go to bury pile when added into the Hero Deck
Playing the Turn:
If you are instructed to draw multiple Encounter, Monster, or Treasure cards at the same time, you get to choose what order they are resolved unless specified by the chosen Land card.
Social steps should take about a minute, (or longer if you want).
“Draw” only refers to the Hero Deck unless specified by the card.
If you need to Draw and there are no cards left in the HERO deck, shuffle the Bury pile and your Hero Deck is now refilled!
“Add” will only come from the Build Pool.
Instant Encounter/Treasure cards resolve when Drawn and then placed in the Bury pile of their type.
If you are prompted to Remove a card from your Hero Deck back to your Build Pool Draw 1 card from your Hero Deck if the card was removed from your hand.
If a Land has a targeted Social or Action, i.e. specifies only you or choose a player, the choice is up to the Hero that revealed, (flipped), the Land.
Negate damage cards refer to any kind of damage, including damage outside of Combat.
PARTY MODE : Even if the Party dies, the game goes on! Advance to the next Level, Level your character, and only Add 1 Class or Utility. Cannot skip the Level 4 Boss to win.
HARDCORE MODE : Dont heal the heros after you level up!
Combat:
All Heroes should play with their hands on full display to each other. Helps strategize.
At first it may be easier to have each Hero show what they plan to do and see if the others can help. For example someone may be able to slow down a Monster, and then it may be killed before it can attack you as a Wizard. Or as a Healer you could plan to heal someone knowing that they can't fully defend an attack.
Monsters, Mini-Bosses, and Bosses with a U on the card are Undead. H are Humanoid and B are Beast. (For nemesis)
(Stats of the Enemy (Monster, Mini-Boss, or Boss) card are those that match the current level of the Party. 1/2 and 3/4 apply to each of those levels.)
Class and Utility cards that allow you to Draw, as well as Ultimate's , are removed after use until the end of Combat. Move them back to the Discard pile at the end of Combat..
Hero Class skills can only be used in Combat.
When something is Sacrificed it is returned to its card pool.
Use As few Cards as possible to DMG the Enemy, while defending your HP from incoming ATK.
If a Hero dies, they lose all Armor, Weapons, Encounter, and Treasure cards they have. Dead Heroes should keep their current Hero deck in case of resurrection.
When resurrected by the Healer, shuffle your Hero Deck and Draw 4 cards.
Leveling Up:
When it comes to rewards, if a Hero is having more trouble than the rest of the party choose that Hero.
Only 1 Armor and 1 Weapon allowed per Hero. They are Put in play onto your Hero from your build pool and returned if sacrificed
If you can't Add 1 Weapon or Armor to your Hero Deck because you have both, choose another Hero from your Party to Add 1 of the specified card type. If no one can, good job your geared up!
Drinking:
We did not specify the amount of drinking a drink is, so please drink responsibly and don't drive drunk!
If you are still having rules issues check here and if its not answered feel free to tag me @LordofChaos and ask in the #rules-questions