Overview

Dungeon Twister is a two-player strategy game where each player controls a group of adventurers trapped in a mechanical labyrinth built by a powerful wizard. The labyrinth is composed of rotating rooms, and players must navigate their characters through, using combat, special abilities, and room rotations to either escape through the opponent’s starting line or eliminate opposing characters. The first player to earn 5 Victory Points wins.

Components

• 8 square rooms (tiles)
• 2 starting lines (1 per player)
• 2 quick-reference screens
• 2 sets of tokens: 8 characters + 6 objects each
• 2 sets of 8 cardboard figurines with 16 plastic bases
• 2 decks of 16 cards each (9 Combat cards, 3 Jump cards, 4 Action cards per player)
• “Broken” and “Open” Portcullis markers
• Action tracking markers
• 1 rulebook

Setup

1. Shuffle the 8 rooms face-down and arrange them in a 4x2 rectangle.
2. Each player places their starting line at one end of the labyrinth.
3. Each player takes their screen, 14 tokens (8 characters + 6 objects), and 16 cards.
4. Each player secretly chooses 4 of their 8 characters for their starting team and places them face-down on the 4 large dots on their starting line.
5. Starting with a randomly chosen player, players alternate placing remaining tokens (characters and objects) face-down in rooms (respecting max token capacity per room).
6. Once all tokens are placed, both players simultaneously reveal their 4 starting characters. Screens become quick-reference guides.
7. Randomly determine who goes first.

Turn Structure

Each turn has 3 phases:

Phase 1: Play an Action Card

Choose an Action card from your deck and place it face-up. Action cards show 2, 3, 4, or 5 Action Points (AP). During the first turn, the first player must play their “2 Actions” card. During the first Action Card Cycle, each card played must be equal to or at most 1 higher than the highest card played so far. Once a “4 Actions” card is played, any card can be played freely for the rest of the game.

Phase 2: Use Actions

Spend AP (from the card played) on any combination of actions. Unused AP are lost. AP can be split among characters or concentrated on one.

Phase 3: Reclaim Action Cards

If you have no Action cards remaining, reclaim all 4 Action cards (completing an Action Card Cycle).

Actions

Each costs 1 AP unless noted:

Reveal a Room (1 AP)

Turn a face-down room face-up if one of your characters has direct access to it. Place all tokens from the room face-up. The revealing player places all tokens except opponent-colored objects (opponent places those).

Rotate a Room (1 AP per quarter-turn)

A character on a Rotation Gear can rotate that room or its paired room (rooms come in linked, numbered pairs that rotate in opposite directions). 1 AP = quarter turn, 2 AP = half turn, etc. Tokens in the room do not change position during rotation.

Move a Character (1 AP)

Move one character up to its Speed value in squares. Movement rules:

• Can move to adjacent squares (including backward), through objects and wounded characters
• Can move through friendly unwounded characters but not stop on them
• Cannot move diagonally, through walls, closed portcullises, pit traps, or enemy characters
• At end of movement: max 2 tokens per square (Golden Rule #2)

Initiate Combat (1 AP)

Attack an adjacent enemy character (not through walls or closed portcullises). Each player secretly selects a Combat card, both reveal simultaneously. Total = Combat card value + character’s Combat value (black number). Higher total wins; loser is wounded (placed face-down). Tie = nothing happens. Used Combat cards are removed from game (except the “+0” card, always returned).

Group Combat: If multiple characters are adjacent to enemies when combat is initiated, all adjacent unwounded characters must participate. Each side plays one Combat card, adding all participating characters’ Combat values. All losers are wounded.

Use Special Ability (1 AP, unless permanent)

Each character may have special abilities. Permanent abilities are always active; others cost 1 AP.

Use an Object (1 AP for activated objects)

Pick up objects by moving through/onto their square (free). Drop objects during movement (free). Characters can carry 1 object or 1 wounded friendly character. Objects can be traded between friendly characters passing through each other (free).

Golden Rule #1: An action must be fully resolved before starting a new one.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

First to 5 VP wins.

VP Sources:

• 1 VP: Eliminate an opponent’s character (wound a wounded character)
• 1 VP: Move one of your characters off the board through the opponent’s starting line
• 1 VP (extra): Escape with the Treasure object
• 2 VP: The Goblin earns 2 VP upon escaping (instead of 1)

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Wounded characters: Combat value = 0, cannot perform actions, can play a Combat card if attacked. If a wounded character loses combat, they are eliminated (removed from game, +1 VP for opponent). A wounded character who wins combat wounds the attacker.
• Carrying wounded characters: Friendly wounded characters can be carried like objects. If the carrier loses combat, the wounded character is eliminated (+1 VP) and the carrier is wounded.
• Escaping the labyrinth: Move into any of the 10 squares on opponent’s starting line. Character immediately exits — cannot stop on or remain on opponent’s line.
• Jump cards (1 AP each): Allow jumping over a Pit Trap to the square directly behind it. Cannot jump over a trap occupied by a character. 3 Jump cards per player; discarded after use.
• Pit Traps: Only the Thief or a character with a Rope can stand on a Pit Trap. A Thief wounded on a Pit Trap dies immediately.
• Portcullises: Can be broken (1 AP, Strength 3+ character) or opened. Broken/Open markers sit between squares.
• Characters include: Warrior (Combat 3, Speed 3), Cleric (Combat 1, Speed 3, heals), Wizard (Combat 1, Speed 3, ranged fireball), Thief (Combat 1, Speed 5, pit trap immunity), Wall-Walker (Combat 1, Speed 3, moves through walls), Mekanork (Combat 2, Speed 4, repairs portcullises), Troll (Combat 4, Speed 2, regenerates), Goblin (Combat 0, Speed 3, worth 2 VP on escape).
• Objects include: Rope, Speed Potion, Treasure, Sword, Fireball Wand, Armor.

Player Reference

Turn: Play Action Card -> Spend AP -> Reclaim if empty

AP Costs: Move (1), Reveal Room (1), Rotate Room (1 per quarter), Combat (1), Special Ability (1), Use Object (1)

Combat: Character Combat value + Combat card vs opponent’s total; higher wins

VP: Kill = 1, Escape = 1, Treasure escape = +1, Goblin escape = 2

Win Condition: First to 5 VP

Golden Rules:

1. Resolve each action fully before starting the next
2. Max 2 tokens per square at end of any action