Objective of the Game
Thunderstone is a deck-building game where players aim to gain victory points by defeating monsters and collecting Thunderstone shards. Each player tries to build the best deck to defeat the most powerful opponents and have the most victory points at the end of the game.
Game Components
- Cards: There are different types of cards: heroes, village cards, monsters, and Thunderstone cards.
- Game Board: The board contains spaces for the village, dungeon, and player discard areas.
- Tokens: These may be used to indicate gold or experience points, depending on the version of the game.
Setup
- Prepare Card Decks: At the start, the village cards, hero cards, and monster cards are sorted and shuffled. Starting decks are provided depending on the version of the game.
- Monster Deck: Choose a number of monsters based on the number of players, and shuffle them together. Place the Thunderstone card under the last ten monsters.
- Create Starting Decks: Each player receives a starting deck consisting of certain standard cards, usually gold, militia, and torches.
Gameplay
- Village Phase: During this phase, the player can buy new cards, upgrade existing cards, or perform other special village actions. The village offers a selection of cards that can be altered or improved over the course of the game.
- Dungeon Phase: Here, the player can attempt to defeat a monster in the dungeon. Players deploy weapons and heroes from their hand to overpower the monster. The dungeon has three rows, where the back rows are harder to reach but offer greater rewards.
- Cleanup Phase: At the end of a turn, the player places all played cards into their discard pile and draws a new hand. If the deck is exhausted, the discard pile is shuffled to form a new deck.
Winning Conditions
The game ends when the Thunderstone card ascends to the surface of the dungeon or all monsters are defeated. The winner is the player with the most victory points collected through defeated monsters and Thunderstone shards.
Strategic Tips
- Deck Management: Building and optimizing your deck strategically is crucial for becoming more effective in battles against strong monsters.
- Flexibility: Strive to remain agile and effective both in the village and the dungeon.
- Timing: The right timing to enter the dungeon is pivotal. Attacking strong monsters too early often leads to defeat.
Have fun playing Thunderstone!
