Overview

Conan is an asymmetric miniatures board game set in Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age. One player is the Overlord controlling monsters, villains, and minions, while the other players each control one hero (Conan and his companions). The game is scenario-driven; each scenario defines the map, forces, objectives, and time limit. The Overlord has a unique “Book of Skelos” energy management system. Heroes must complete objectives before time runs out.

Components

• Modular game boards
• Painted miniatures (heroes, monsters, minions)
• Hero character sheets
• Overlord “Book of Skelos” board with Overlord tiles
• Energy gems
• Dice (various colors for attack/defense)
• Equipment cards, spell cards
• Scenario booklet
• Tokens (wounds, special conditions)

Setup

1. Select a scenario from the scenario booklet.
2. Assemble the game board per scenario map.
3. The Overlord places minion and monster miniatures per scenario.
4. Each hero player selects their hero and takes their character sheet.
5. The Overlord sets up the Book of Skelos with Overlord tiles in the specified order.
6. Distribute starting equipment cards to heroes.
7. Place energy gems per hero and Overlord setup.

Turn Structure

Hero Turn

Each hero has a pool of energy gems. On their turn, a hero spends gems to:

1. Perform actions (move, attack, manipulate, defend, etc.)
2. More gems spent = more dice rolled for actions.
3. Gems spent go to a “fatigue” zone and must be rested to recover.

Overlord Turn

The Overlord uses the Book of Skelos energy system:

1. The Overlord has a track of tiles representing minion groups.
2. To activate a tile, the Overlord spends gems to slide the tile, activating that minion group.
3. Tiles at the far end of the track are cheaper to activate; recently used tiles cost more.
4. Activated minions can move, attack heroes, and perform special actions.

Actions

Hero Actions

| Action | Effect | |——–|——–| | Move | Spend gems to move through areas (1 gem per area, more for difficult terrain) | | Melee Attack | Spend gems for attack dice; roll against target’s defense | | Ranged Attack | Spend gems to fire at targets in line of sight | | Manipulation | Interact with scenario objects (pick locks, carry items) | | Guard | Reserve gems for defensive rerolls during enemy attacks | | Reroll | Spend gems to reroll dice |

Overlord Actions

• Activate minion groups by spending gems and sliding tiles.
• Minions move and attack heroes per their stats.
• Play event cards for special effects.
• Use monster special abilities.

Combat

1. Attacker spends gems and rolls attack dice (orange = weak, red = strong).
2. Defender rolls defense dice.
3. Each hit symbol on attack dice minus each shield on defense dice = wounds.
4. Heroes have wound tracks; filling it means defeat.
5. Minions typically have 1 life point each.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Scenario-dependent. Typically:

• Heroes win by completing the scenario objective within the time limit (turns).
• Overlord wins by preventing heroes from completing objectives, killing all heroes, or running out the clock.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Energy management is the core mechanic: heroes must balance spending for powerful actions vs. saving for defense and future turns.
• Guard lets heroes reserve gems to add defense dice when attacked during the Overlord turn.
• Hindering: Moving through areas containing enemies costs extra movement.
• Line of sight matters for ranged attacks.
• Equipment cards provide permanent or one-use bonuses.
• Spells (for caster heroes) have unique effects but cost energy.
• The Overlord’s tile sliding mechanic means recently activated groups are expensive to reactivate, forcing strategic rotation.
• Some scenarios have special rules for reinforcements, traps, or environmental effects.

Player Reference

Dice Colors	Power Level
Yellow	Weakest
Orange	Medium
Red	Strongest

Hero Energy Cycle
Spend gems → Fatigue zone → Rest to recover