Rulebook

Choose your hero

Hey Junior – did you sleep well? Erla Mathian

A whitty alchemist who likes to experiment. Well protected and always vigilant.
Brew your potions before you can say “Heldentaufe“! The best choice for the cautious.
The day that you have been waiting for has come. Get ready for your Heldentaufe. At last, you can prove
that you are worthy of being a member of the Hero‘s council.

Show us your skills by collecting the golden monster teeth and be the first to return them to town.

Luphius
Credits His rucksack packs a ton of stuff.
Gatherers and traders will love him.
Author & project lead: Simon Junker (heldentaufe.ch)
Illustrations: Mathieu Leyssenne (aniii.com)
Art director & graphic design: Kaspar Wyss (trixer.ch)
Online tutorial (demo.heldentaufe.ch): Bastian Kälin (github.com/kalinbas)
Marketing: Daniel Theuerkaufer (boardgamecircus.com)
English translation: Sam Hertig & Jacob Coons

First edition (one of only 1500 games worldwide)

Jupanila
Many thanks to all our friends, family members, and supporters! Her speed is unmatched.
Without you, this project would not have been possible. Choose her to be one step ahead.
EAN: 0701197920705

©2016 Team Heldentaufe

All rights reserved
Corlof
Any reproduction or use of graphics and texts of „Heldentaufe“ in other printed or electronic publications is not permitted without explicit
approval of the creators. Strongest member of the crew.
Who wants to challenge him in combat?

2 3
Game preparation & setup 5. 6.
4.
3. Shuffle the five hazards secretly
and place them on the areas with Put the three
Stack the precious monster teeth on
the Monster boards.
Place a on every grey, heart-
shaped icon of the monster
the skullmarks, skull side up. monsters into their boards.
respective lairs. Precious monster teeth (5, 4, 3, 2 victory points)
On one monster of your choice, put a
complete stack (5, 4, 3, 2, 1). A second Also put a on the monster teeth,
No player should know the position of monster gets equipped with only four where you see a grey heart icon.
the two armed traps. teeth (5, 4, 3, 2) and the last one be- Each represents a health point.
Natural sources gins with three teeth (5, 4, 3).
Forest Wallrog‘s lair
(apple tree, mushroom farm, fish pond) Place the Netherworld map in some 7.
2. distance to the campfire.
Lesser monster teeth (One victory point each) 8.
Put the treasure chest Keep the monster boss
on the area with the gold near the monsters.
With 5 players nuggets in the center of
you need all tiles. the Netherworld. The remaining monster teeth
and as well as all equipment,
potions and natural goods stay
Have the treasure die ready. available to all players: These
comprise the common supply.

With 4 players, put

3 forests and
1 apple tree
back into the box.
9.
Put the campfire in the center of the
Each player receives an
1.
area of play and place your figure
With 3 players, put on it. overview card.
6 forests,
1 apple tree and Form one or more face down stacks with Shuffle the mission cards and deal
1 mushroom farm the remaining Upper World areas. three cards to each player, which they
back into the box. During the game these will be uncovered should keep hidden.
to comprise the Upper World. Use the remaining mission cards to
form a face down draw pile.
With 2 players, put
9 forests,
1 apple tree
1 mushroom farm and
1 fish pond
back into the box.
10.
Box content
1 treasure chest ( ) Pick your hero board and cover all
20 brown potions ( ) 5 hero figures ( ) of the grey heart icons with a .
42 green natural goods ( ) 3 monster figures ( )
63 blue equipment ( ) 1 monster boss ( )
33 missions cards ( ) 11 precious monster teeth ( )
Each hero is unique and possesses a
5 overview cards ( ) 5 hero boards ( )
specific advantage...
35 hearts ( ) 2 combat dice ( )
38 lesser monster teeth ( ) 1 treasure die ( )
42 Upper World areas ( ) 1 Netherworld map
5 hazards ( ) 3 rulebooks (En/Ger/Fr)

4 5
The hero board Each of the three skills ( ) of your hero can be altered. You can collect equipment (boots, rings, swords) and put MOVE
The hero board provides an overview of your hero‘s skills, equipment and current status. These will change depen- it into your inventory, where it boosts the respective skill. Each skill can be enhanced by only one equipment at the same
ding on the decisions you make throughout the game. time. Additionally collected boots, rings and swords may be retained in the rucksack for later use in a building or on a mission.
(Move hero for 1 AP to an adjacent area)
Skills & Rucksack &
inventory potion belt At the beginning of the game, the only visible part of the
Upper World is the campfire. The first player will start the
... indicates how many actions your hero can perform per turn.
exploration of the Upper World by uncovering the first un-
At the beginning, a hero gets four action points (five for Jupanila).
known area.
The number of executable actions can be increased with boots by
1, 2 or 3 points.
Depending on the area, you may continue your turn or be
forced to stay on this area. The travel guide (on the back-
... indicates which kind of potions you can brew. In the beginning, side of the rulebook) lists all the different areas that you
you cannot brew any, unless you have chosen Erla as your heroine. will discover.
Example:
The ring, which you are wearing in your inventory, enables you to
The Upper World is fully explored as soon as the last area First, choose the direction of movement of your hero ( ). Then, spend 1 AP to draw a new Jupanila reaches the fish pond via previously discovered areas by inves-
brew 1, 2 or 3 additional recipes.
has been revealed. area from the stack and place it in your hero‘s chosen direction. Move your hero onto the new ting 3 AP. However, she decides to cut through unknown territory, which
area ( ). allows her to use up only 2 AP.
... will only be required in the Netherworld. On the Upper World, several heroes can be located on the She thereby hopes to not stumble on a forest, which would end her
The higher the value, the better you will fight during combat. At the same area. You may also move your hero for 1 AP onto a previously discovered adjacent area. turn.
beginning of your quest, this value is zero (one for Corlof). You may
improve your combat skill with swords by 1, 2 or 3 points.

In your rucksack and your potion belt you may store all extra equipment, natural goods and potions (Luphius’ rucksack has REJECT MISSION (Exchange mission card for 1 AP) Spend 1 AP to discard a card from your hand and draw a new one.
five slots instead of the regular three). The indicate your hero‘s health, where Mathian has a slight advantage over his
competitors since he starts off with seven life points.
During your turn, you may reposition tokens on your hero board or return them back to the common supply (discard).

Equipment may be placed

1. in the inventory onto the matching
Natural goods & potions
slot or Natural goods can only be stored in the rucksack. Potions may only be placed in the potion belt.
2. into the rucksack. NATURAL GOODS – Recover
During your turn, you may discard a natural good to regain one lost . You may do so as many times as you wish and as long
as your turn has not been finished (even if all of your AP have been depleated).

The recipes provide you with an over- NATURAL GOODS – Brew potions POTIONS – Effects
Gameplay view of potions, their effects and requi- You can use natural goods as ingredients for brewing potions. Consume potions during your turn
The best rested player begins. Initially, you have 4 action points (AP) available (five for Jupanila). For each AP you red ingredients. to benefit from their effects.
may perform an action. Once all AP are used up, you end your turn. The next player‘s turn begins. Players take turns
counterclockwise.
The three actions Your
you.
– skill indicates which of the three recipes are available to Healing:
Consume this potion to regain full health. After filling up
(Only these three actions require AP) all your on your hero board, discard the healing po-
You do not have to spend all of your AP on your turn.
Example: – skill 3: You can brew all three potions. tion immediately.

4x MOVE Potions are brewed using two ingredients, as indicated on Berserk Rage:
each recipe. Use the colored dots above the shown natu- Consume this potion by placing it face down on the
ral good as a guide. You may brew as many potions as potion belt to gain a +2 bonus during combat. As
you wish, as long as you are able to discard the neces- long as your hero stays in the Netherworld, this po-
sary ingredients. tion remains face down on your potion belt. Discard

REJECT MISSION Example: Fish and apple together display two red
a consumed Berserk Rage immediately when your
hero leaves the Netherworld or if you don’t want to
dots. With these, you may brew the healing potion use it any longer.
from recipe 1.
Teleportation:
Consume this potion by placing it face down on the potion belt
ATTACK and move your hero to any area (Upper World or Netherworld)
(only in the Netherworld - refer to page 10) where your hero would be allowed to be under normal cir-
cumstances. You may also teleport right onto the treasure
Hint: With Erla (initial – skill of 1), you may follow chest tile. A consumed (flipped) teleport potion blocks
the recipe to brew healing potions right away. your potion belt during this turn. When your turn is
over, discard it.
6 Depending on – skill 7
The Mission cards The treasure die
On specific locations, you may roll the treasure die, and stumble upon the following valuables: One lesser monster tooth Two lesser monster teeth

Reward Mission cards engage your hero with quests, for which you will be rewarded with monster teeth, equipment, or immediate Boots (+1) Ring (+1) Sword (+1)
effects.

In order to complete a mission, you must meet the goal listed in the lower area of the card. If a location is specified, your hero
must be on the correct area to be able to complete the mission.

If you are able to complete a mission, show the card to the other players and place the card face-up next to the mission card
pile. Use the effect or take your reward (in our example one monster tooth) from the common supply.
Put the collected equipment into your rucksack or place them directly into your inventory. In the case that this increases Monster teeth are placed next to the hero board, together with the ones you
At the end of your turn, draw new mission cards until you have three in hand. If the mission card pile runs out, shuffle the
one of your hero‘s skills, the effect occurs immediately (e. g. if you collect boots, you will gain +1 AP that you can use in your already collected.
discarded missions and create a new mission card pile.
current turn).
You may complete more than one mission during your turn.

Goal
Game over Objective of the game
The game is over as soon as a player returns monster teeth worth 11/13/16/20
victory points (depending on player count) back to the campfire. Each monster
tooth possesses a number of victory points indicated by the golden grooves car-
5 players 11 victory points
ved into the tooth.
Goals
Discoverer (2x in the game): 4 players 13 victory points
Deliverer (12x in the game): Victory points of each player have to be visible to all players at all times.
When your hero stands on a trap, play this card. Collect the reward (two lesser
Your hero must stand on the correct area to complete these missions. Discard the monster teeth) for disarming this trap. The effect of the trap applies anyway (lose
chips (in this example: one +1 sword) and take the reward. In some cases, you
might be able to fulfill two different missions on the same area at the same time.
a and end your turn). In case where you have both “Discoverer“ missions in 3 players 16 victory points
your hand, you have to find one trap for each mission. Example: One precious monster tooth with three grooves is worth the same victo-
Then you will have to discard all of the chips for each mission.
ry points as three lesser monster teeth.
Monster defeater (6x in the game):
Thief (4x in the game):
Defeat the depicted monster and receive a reward of two monster teeth. These 2 players 20 victory points
are the only missions you can fulfill also during the monster‘s turn (when you are
You may play this card, when you reach an area with another hero on it (only possi-
being attacked by the corresponding monster and it loses its last as a conse-
ble on the Upper World). You receive a lesser monster tooth from your opponent’s
quence).
supply. In case, he doesn‘t have a monster tooth, the use of this card has no effect.
Companions (6x in the game):
Observer (3x in the game): When you feed these companions with the depicted natural good they help you
End your turn on the depicted area. These missions are the only ones where you to temporarily increase your ( ) – skills once. Activate the companion
can choose your reward (a monster tooth or the equipment, shown in the reward by spending the required natural good (and discarding the card).
section).

+1:
You immediately gain +1 AP (even if your regular AP have already been spent).

Let‘s roll
You will only need the next two pages of the rulebook once a player decides to descend into the Netherworld.
+1:
Proceed to the travel guide (backside of the rulebook) and wait for the first action of the starting player.
You may use the next recipe (you have yet to provide the required natural goods).
For every explored area that you haven’t encountered yet, inform your fellow players about the new area.

Which player dares to enter the Netherworld first and will plunder the treasure?
+2:
Add +2 to your next combat die roll (activate companion before you roll).

The companion effects only have an impact if the card is played prior to the extra
action, potion brewing or combat. The effect forfeits if it isn‘t used.

8 9
A portal leads you into the Netherworld ... ... do you dare to advance? You have been defeated
Heroes enter the Netherworld through portals, which they discover while exploring the Upper World. While descending, complete your current turn by using your remaining AP. Similar to the Upper World, When losing your last , your hero falls unconscious. You have to (A) discard tokens or (B) exchange your monster teeth:
you may advance your hero onto any hexagonal area.
A: You lose your last due to a monster or a trap: B: You lose your last in combat with another hero:
In contrast to the Upper World, heroes and monsters block each other‘s passage in the Netherworld;
each area of the Netherworld may thus be occupied by only one hero. Netherworld
portal
Upon stepping onto the treasure chest or a hazard, flip the token and remove it from the Netherworld.

The monster‘s turn

Those players whose heroes are in the Upper World command the monsters,
Upper World portal and thus play the role of monster boss. All monsters together share 4 AP, which
Sequence of play can be used by a single monster or distributed among several monsters. Mons- Discard all equipment, natural goods and potions on your Exchange all monster teeth with the victor, but only if he has
ters move around just like heroes, and may attack heroes (not other monsters). hero board and place them back into the common supply. fewer victory points than you.
They can walk onto portals and thus block them, but they may never leave the
Netherworld. Monsters do not trigger traps and may not walk over the treasu- In both cases, your turn ends immediately (in case you were defeated during your turn). Your hero is placed back on the
Treasure chest Hazard re field, as long as the treasure chest is still in place. Upper World, on the portal with the lowest number. Refill a single on your hero board and continue playing, as soon as
You (as player blue in our example) have decided to descend to the Netherworld. Roll the treasure die three Your hero stepped into a trap. it is your turn.
times to determine the three You lose a and your turn Those players who are playing the role of monster boss need to agree on how to
spend the four AP. In case of disagreement, roll a die to decide which player is in
As soon as you enter the Netherworld, put the monster boss between you and the next player (purple). The Monster Boss
indicates the monsters‘ turn. As long as there is at least one hero in the Netherworld, the position of the Monster Boss
rewards that you will receive. immediately ends.
If no trap is depicted, you may continue
command (the player with the highest number gains control over the monsters). You leave the Netherworld
remains unchanged. If all heroes are in the Netherworld, roll a die before monster moss’ turn to de- You have three ways of leaving the Netherworld:
your turn normally.
termine who gets to command the monsters.
1. You were defeated in combat,
2. You consume a teleport potion or
The third action The players involved in combat roll one combat die each and add their – value to their dice-value. If your sum is greater 3. you leave the way you entered, which is through a portal:
than your opponent‘s, your opponent gets injured and loses a . If the enemy‘s sum is greater, you lose a . In case of a
ATTACK tie, the attacker wins. In case your hero is located on a portal, use one AP to leave the Netherworld and place your hero onto the corresponding
portal area in the Upper World (in case it has already been discovered).
(Attack another figure once for 1 AP)
Hint: Be aware that multiple battles can take place in one turn, which means that you can get injured more than once. There-
If your figure is on an adjacent area of a monster or a hero, you can use AP to attack your opponent. fore, it is wise to maintain your hero‘s health by drinking potions or eating natural goods. • If another hero is still in the Netherworld, gameplay in the Netherworld continues. The monster boss remains at the same
position. Since you are back to the Upper World, you too may now take part in commanding the monsters.

• If you are the last player leaving the Netherworld, rebuild it (as described below). Put the monster boss aside to indicate
that the monsters are currently dormant.
The monsters
Depending on the situation of the game, the three monsters (Ulumu, Zibbler and Wallrog) may either pose a serious threat or
an easy prey. You can learn about a monster‘s current state on its corresponding monster board.

Reward when defeated (topmost monster tooth) Rebuilding the Netherworld

Put the treasure chest onto the desi-
gnated area.
Lair

Shuffle the five hazards and place

them on the marked areas.

Wallrog Ulumu Zibbler Place all three monsters into their lairs.

You defeat a monster

Defeated monsters gain back all on
When a monster loses its last , remove the corresponding monster figure from the Netherworld. As a reward, you collect their monster boards. Injured mons-
the topmost monster tooth from the monster‘s stack (with a value from one to five monster teeth). ters that suffered only partial loss of
life points in previous combats remain
With each tooth that the monster loses, it will get stronger: untouched.
Either its – skill will increase or it will gain one additional life point.

Did a monster lose all monster teeth before the game ends, it is frustrated, packs its bag and leaves the game for good. Put
– value (additional to the die roll, here +1 +1 = +2 total) the monster back in the box. Once a hero descends back into the Netherworld, put back the monster boss as previously described on page 10 “A portal leads you into the Netherworld”.

10 11
 Travel guide
Campfire Meadow Forest
Starting point and destination of the There is really nothing exciting here. You When a hero uncovers a forest…
adventure. As soon as a hero enters this may proceed normally, as long as you
area with the target number of monster have AP left. … his turn immediately ends.
teeth, the game ends immediately.
… he rolls the treasure die once and
collects his reward.
When moving through an already dis-
covered forest, you will neither lose AP
Natural goods Portal nor find a treasure, and thus proceed
normally.
On these areas you may collect as much natural goods as you want. The five portals are connections between the Upper World and the Netherworld.
The Upper World portals count as adjacent to the respective portals on the Nether-
Hint: Because you may use collected goods immediately (to brew potions world. Therefore, you can perform a “move” action on those areas (spend 1 AP) to
or to regenerate ), you can instantly fill up all your on these areas. descend by placing your hero onto the corresponding portal in the Netherworld.

Trade Merchant
...there are five portals. Here, you may trade different equipment of the same value.

Smith
Here, you may discard two equipment of
Laboratory the same type to receive an improved ver-
End your turn here to improve the value sion of the respective equipment. The va-
of any equipment by +1. lue of the new equipment cannot exceed
the sum of the two discarded equipment,
but can be lower. This process can be done
multiple times per turn.

Example:

Note:
Traded equipment can be used immediately.

Example: Your hero wields a mighty sword (+3) but wears no boots. He reaches the
Trade Merchant with his last AP. There, he can trade the sword for boots, which im-
mediately provides him with three more AP. Alternatively, he could trade the sword
for a ring (+3) to start brewing powerful potions…

But: You may only do one trading transaction per turn.