4.0 Game Setup

General Rule

Each player should have a pencil and one character sheet for each character they play.

Tiles should be carefully separated and sorted by type. It's recommended that all entries on character sheets be made in pencil, so they can easily be erased, since a character's stats keep changing during play.

Detailed Rules

[4.1] Game setup must proceed as follows:

A. Choosing Heroes

1. Characters are split into two groups: heroes and apprentices. Hero tiles bear a name, while apprentice tiles specify only their race. Hero tiles should be turned face-down and shuffled so the draw is entirely random.
2. If only one person is playing, they choose three heroes (at random!) and three apprentices (freely).
3. If more than one person is playing, the order in which heroes are chosen is determined by a die roll. Heroes are drawn in turn, clockwise, with the player who rolled the highest number drawing first.
4. Players draw in turn until three hero tiles and three apprentice tiles have been distributed among them. The number of characters (i.e. heroes and apprentices) in play may be fewer than 6 (a minimum of 4 is suggested), but should not exceed that number.

B. Determining Character Stats

1. Players look up their heroes' stats in table 4.3 "Hero Stats" and record the information found there on that hero's character sheet.

2. Players choose their apprentices' race. An apprentice may be a dwarf, a human, or an elf.

3. Depending on race, the following information is recorded on the apprentice's character sheet:

   	elf	dwarf	human
   name	chosen by the player	chosen by the player	chosen by the player
   race	elf	dwarf	human
   strength	5	6	7
   resistance	2	2	1
   proficiency	+1 bow	+1 axe	+1 sword
   abilities	+1 negotiation	1 traps	1 Black Gate

4. Players choose two weapon types for each of their apprentices (freely, from table 9.9).

5. Players roll 1K6 and read the size of the magic potential stat for each apprentice from table 4.4 "Magic Potential", then record it on the character sheet. Each stat consists of three digits.

6. For every character whose magic potential (one of its three components) is greater than zero, players choose the spells that character will have available during play. The number of spells chosen must equal the highest of the three components making up magic potential. For example: a character with magic potential 4/3/2 should start the game knowing 4 different spells.

7. It's assumed that every apprentice has already gained some experience in life up to this point. Accordingly, the player may:

   • a. increase their strength by 1, or
   • b. increase their proficiency with their primary weapon by 1, or
   • c. increase one of their abilities by 1.

C. Establishing the Marching Order

1. It will be fairly rare for characters to move through the maze alone. It's assumed they travel together, forming a group referred to throughout this rulebook as the party. That's why only a single tile, labelled "Party", is used to mark the characters' location. However, the characters' positions relative to one another within the party must always be known. This is handled by setting a marching order before play begins.
2. The marching order consists of some number of ranks, with no more than three characters in any one rank. Players arrange the character tiles in a convenient spot on the table so they form a marching order. It's up to the players to decide which character goes in which rank and position. The front rank must contain at least two characters (as long as that many remain alive).
3. Players may freely change the marching order until combat begins. During combat, the order may only be changed during the "party reorganisation" phase (see 9.8).

D. Determining the Dominant Sun

One player rolls 1K6 to determine which of the three suns is dominant, i.e. which sun the party currently falls under.

The sun's influence determines how many spells each character may use during the current adventure (i.e. the portion of the game measured from the moment the party enters the maze to the moment it leaves to heal wounds, change weapons, etc.). The dominant sun must be re-determined at the start of every new adventure. Read the die roll as follows:

• 1 or 2: the red sun dominates; the number of usable spells is the leftmost digit of the magic potential stat,
• 3 or 4: the yellow sun dominates, using the middle digit,
• 5 or 6: the blue sun dominates, using the rightmost digit.

Once the dominant sun is determined, players choose, from the spells assigned to a given character in step B6, as many as match that character's magic potential for the dominant sun. For example: if a 3 was rolled and the character's magic potential is 4/5/6, the player should choose (and mark, e.g. by underlining) 5 of the 6 spells the character has. The sixth, unchosen spell cannot be used during this adventure.

E. Sorting the Tiles

All tiles representing rooms and corridors should be placed in a large cup or similar container. The "Black Gate", "Maze Gate", and "The Nameless One" tiles should be set aside. Their use is governed by special rules. Likewise, set aside any unused hero and apprentice tiles, since they won't be needed for the rest of this game.

F. Starting the Game

The "Maze Gate" tile is placed on the table, marking the location of the entrance. The "Party" tile should be placed on top of it. At this point the game may begin. Players proceed to the actions described in section 5.0 "Course of Play".

[4.2] Character sheet: see the table board.

[4.3] Table "Hero Stats": see the table board.

[4.4] Table "Magic Potential": see the table board.