How to Play

Kingdom Death: Monster

1-4 players 60-180 min 8.5 Board Game Geek Rating

In this cooperative horror survival game, players manage a settlement fighting for existence across multiple generations. Through hunt-showdown-settlement cycles spanning 5-30 years, you'll battle AI-driven monsters using strategic gear placement, make story-driven choices, and develop your civilization. Victory requires surviving the campaign's brutal encounters while evolving your settlement.

Published 2015

Kingdom Death: Monster

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Create your hunting party
Assemble exactly 4 hunters (plus 1 scout if using Gambler's Chest Expansion)
2
Establish starting settlement
Roll 1d10 to determine Settlement Type: 1 = Desolate Ruins, 2-5 = Martial Settlement, 6-10 = Artisan Settlement
3
Determine settlement tier
Roll 1d10: 1-2 = Tier 1, 3-6 = Tier 2, 7-10 = Tier 3 (Tier 3 requires slaying a Node 3 monster first; treat as Tier 2 if not met)
4
Access crafting locations
Each settlement type and tier provides specific crafting locations
5
Initialize timeline
Begin at Lantern Year 1
6
Set starting survival
All hunters begin each Settlement Phase with Survival reset to 1
7
Unlock survival actions
All Survival Actions (Dodge, Dash, Surge, Encourage, Endure) are available from campaign start

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Choose destination after hunt
Decide to return to last settlement (no risk) or travel the Lantern Path to a new settlement
2
Determine travel distance
Roll 1d5 to set the number of Hunt Events to resolve when traveling to a new settlement
3
Draw hunt event cards
Place that many cards face-down along the Hunt Board
4
Resolve events sequentially
Advance one space at a time, resolving each Hunt Event before moving forward
5
Turn back option
At any time before revealing an event, hunters may return to their last settlement
6
Return to previous settlement
Roll 1d5 for Hunt Events; reduce by 1 if destination has Reputation 3+
7
Update timeline
Advance by one Lantern Year upon arrival after a hunt
8
Check for story events
Story Events occur at the beginning of the settlement phase
9
Check for nemesis encounters
Nemesis Encounters occur at end of settlement phase; skip settlement event roll this year
10
Roll settlement event
If no nemesis or story event, roll 1d30 on Settlement Event Table and resolve
11
Gain endeavors
Each hunter who arrived successfully gains 1 Endeavor; unconscious hunters gain none
12
Use endeavors for rest and recovery
Spend 1 Endeavor and roll 1d10 to attempt healing injuries or disorders
13
Recruit new hunters
Spend 1 Endeavor and roll 1d10 to determine new hunter's experience level
14
Build reputation
Gain +1 Reputation each return to same settlement; +2 for defending against nemesis (max 5)
15
Prepare travel pack
Spend 1 Endeavor to pack up to 10 items; occupies 1 gear grid space; inaccessible during showdown
16
Prepare for the hunt
Spend 1 Endeavor for one preparation action per hunter
17
Prepare the Dreadspike
Spend 1 Endeavor, 1 bone, 1 hide to craft single-use ballista
18
Scout the wilds
Spend 1 Scout Endeavor and roll 1d10 for reconnaissance benefits
19
Weave the wilds
Spend 1 Scout Endeavor and roll 1d10 to craft Huntveils (+1 Evasion cloaks)
20
Set up camp
Use packed Camping Kit once per hunt/travel phase
21
Choose rest or reflect
Each hunter picks one and rolls 1d10
22
Repair gear
If party has visited Tier 2 Martial Settlement, roll 1d5 to restore that much armor damage
23
Dodge
Spend 1 Survival to cancel one hit before damage; usable while knocked down
24
Dash
Spend 1 Survival to gain +1 movement action immediately
25
Surge
Spend 1 Survival to gain +1 activation immediately
26
Encourage
Spend 1 Survival as standing hunter to help knocked down hunter stand (not Deaf hunters)
27
Endure
Spend (7 minus total Luck) Survival to ignore a severe injury before rolling
28
Upgrade settlement tier
After hunting Node 3+ monster with Reputation 5, donate all Monster Resources to permanently increase tier by +1

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Campaign continuation
Hunters do not retire from old age; they continue until death or replacement
2
Savior retirement
Savior-type hunters retire when reaching final Hunt XP milestone
3
Campaign defeat
If all hunters are killed during a hunt, the campaign ends immediately
4
Partial defeat consequences
If only surviving hunters were unconscious during hunt:
5
Follow the Rule of Story
When conflicts arise or situations fall outside rules, choose the option that best enriches the narrative of hunters and their world

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

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