King of Tokyo Rules

Richard Garfield

King of Tokyo

You are giant Monsters on a rampage. Your destructive feats earn you glory in the form of Victory Points ( ). The first to get to 20 wins the game — or the last Monster standing wins, if it's a slugfest you want. 

Components

 Rules

• 1 Tokyo board 

• 66 cards 

• 28 "counters" w (3 Smoke, 1 Mimic, 12 Shrink, 12 Poison).

• 8 dice (6 black + 2 green) 

• 6 Monster Boards 

• 6 cardboard figures + 6 plastic stand

• A bunch of Energy cubes 

Goal of the Game

The goal of the game is to become King of Tokyo. The game is over when a Monster earns 20 Victory Points ( ) or if it is the last Monster standing. 

Setting up

Each player chooses a Monster, takes its figure , its Monster board  and sets its life Points to 10 and its Victory Points to 0. Place the Tokyo board  in the center of the table, within easy access of every player. It represents the City of Tokyo, divided into two distinct places: "Tokyo City" and "Tokyo Bay". Every time a card refers to Tokyo it refers to both places.

At the beginning of the game, nobody is in Tokyo. If this is your first game or if there are 4 players or fewer, you will only use "Tokyo City". For a5- or 6-player game, also use "Tokyo Bay". Shuffle the cards v to form a deck, and deal the first three cards face-up on the table next to the deck and the counters. Put the 6 black dice x at the center of the table and set the green ones aside (they will be used only with special cards). 

 

Finally, form a pool with all the energy cubes.

Game overview

Each players rolls the 6 black dice. The player who got the most "Attack" ( Faces for dices (King of tokyo) (2 kinds of dice, black dice and green dice) ) goes first.

Note : Throughout the rules players will be referred to as Monsters.

Starting with the first player, each Monster takes a turn and then the turn goes to the next player to the left. A turn consists of the following, in the given order:.

Turn Overview

1. Rolling and rerolling the dice

2. Resolving the dice

3. Buying cards (optional)

4. End of your turn

 

1. Rolling and Rerolling the dice

On your turn you roll all 6 dice. Then you can reroll any or all of the dice, twice. Dice kept on the first reroll can be kept again or rerolled on the second reroll. 

2. Resolving the dice

The symbols you get at the end of your rolling step are the actions for this turn.

Dice overview:

The dice bear the following symbols.

Victory Points(VP) (numbers 1 through 3)

If a triple 1,2, or 3 is rolled, a monster scores that many VP (that is 3 are worth 3 stars, not 9) each additional roll of that type is worth 1

Energy (lightning bolt)

Each lightning result allows the monster to take an energy cube. There are no need for triple rolls. Energy Cubes can be saved from turn to turn

attack (claw shape)

Each attack results in a point of damage dealt to monsters who are not in the same place as you.

-if you are in tokyo(Tokyo City or Tokyo Bay) when you get attack, you deal damage to all the monsters who are not in tokyo

-if you are outside tokyo when you get attack, you deal damage to all the monsters who are in Tokyo(Tokyo City or Tokyo Bay). 

Each damage results in the loss of one life(hp)

If a monster loses its last life(hp) it is out of the game.

The first Monster in the game to obtain at least 1 attack deals no damage, but instead takes control of Tokyo, and moves its figure to Tokyo City. 

heal (heart shape)

Each heart allows a Monster to heal one lost Life(hp). A Monster can’t go above 10 .

3. Buying Cards

Optionally, after the dice are resolved, a Monster may purchase any of the three face-up cards. Two energy Points can also be spent to sweep (discard) all the shown cards and reveal 3 new cards. Purchases and sweeps can be done in any order and as long as a Monster has energy to spend.

 

• Example: Kraken has 10 and doesn’t want any of the three available cards. He spends 2 and discards them, revealing 3 new ones. Now he has 8 and he sees a 3 cost card he wants. He purchases it, and reveals a new one. He has 5 left, and decides to save it for another turn.

Purchased cards are immediately replaced from the top of the deck. 

4. End of your turn

Some card effects are resolved during this step.

It is the end of your turn, hand the dice to the player on your left.

Becoming King of Tokyo

At the start of the game no Monster is in Tokyo. If Tokyo is unoccupied, the first Monster to obtain at least one gets control of Tokyo and places his figure in Tokyo without dealing any damage. 

If you are attacked while in Tokyo and you don’t want to be there anymore (and who can blame you – it can be rough!) you can yield to the Monster that attacked (he has to take your place). You still take the damage, however.  

If you are eliminated by an attack on Tokyo, the Monster who attacked you automatically takes control of Tokyo.

Warning: A Discard card that deals  damage to you is not an attack. If you are eliminated by such a card, nobody takes your place, and Tokyo becomes unoccupied.

Warning: A Discard card that deals  damage to you is not an attack. If you are eliminated by such a card, nobody takes your place, and Tokyo becomes unoccupied.

When playing with 5 or 6 Monsters you may have two Monsters in Tokyo at the same time.

Effects of Tokyo

Being in Tokyo (Tokyo City or Tokyo Bay) has some advantages and disadvantages:

• When taking control of Tokyo you gain 1 star

• When starting the turn in Tokyo you gain 2 stars.

• The Monster in Tokyo cannot use the heart result on the dice to heal (but can heal using cards).

Targets of your attack depend also on where you are:

• Faces for dices attack by the Monster in Tokyo City and Tokyo Bay deal damage to all the Monsters not in Tokyo.

• Another  Monster’s attack deal damage just to the Monster in Tokyo City and Tokyo Bay.

Winning the Game

The game is over when a Monster scores 20 Victory Points or is the last Monster standing.

The Monster who gains 20 stars or is the last one standing wins the game and is crowned King of Tokyo.

Advanced Rules

Tokyo Bay – Rules for 5 to 6 experienced Monsters. When playing with 5 or 6 Monsters, adds Tokyo Bay to the game. This position opens up a little extra room in Tokyo, which is nice with a lot of monsters. Monsters in either Tokyo City or Tokyo Bay are considered “in Tokyo”.

After a Monster that is not in Tokyo attacks, it must take control of Tokyo if either Tokyo City or Tokyo Bay are unoccupied or abandoned. If there is a choice, Tokyo City must be occupied first.

As in a regular game, the Monster who takes control of Tokyo City while it is unoccupied doesn't deal damage.

If Tokyo Bay is unoccupied, the Monsters who attacks Tokyo inflicts damage an the Monster that occupies Tokyo City, and then takes control of Tokyo Bay, unless the Monster in Tokyo City decides to flee, in which case the attacking Monster takes control of Tokyo City.

Tokyo Bay grants the same advantages and disadvantages as Tokyo City.

 

• If the Monster in Tokyo Bay is attacked it can choose to abandon Tokyo Bay (still taking any damage dealt, just like Tokyo City). In this case the Monster that attacked must move in unless it is moving into Tokyo City, in which case Tokyo Bay becomes temporarily unoccupied.

• A Monster can never occupy both Tokyo City and Tokyo Bay.

If a Monster is eliminated and that brings the number of Monsters below 5, Tokyo Bay can't be occupied anymore. The Monster in it must leave Tokyo.

Any card that refers Tokyo applies to both Tokyo City and Tokyo Bay.

Understanding the cards

• When a card says a number followed by a star it indicates how many Victory Points the buyer gets. For example, when Skyscrapers are bought, they are discarded and the buyer gains 4 star.

• It is possible for a player to get 20 star and be eliminated on the same turn due to cards. You must survive the turn, to claim Victory. It is also possible for all Monsters to be eliminated at once. Too bad… you all lose!

• A card cannot put a Monster over 10hp unless it specifically says it can.

Glossary

• Reroll: When a card says “reroll” it means an additional reroll (during the Monster's turn) of as many dice as the Monster wants, unless the card specifies that only a single die is rolled.

• Damage: Lose hp.

• Attack/Attacking Monster: A Monster is considered attacking when it has at least one attack

otherwise it is not attacking. This means that a card which increases damage of an attack will not bring damage from zero to one if you don't have a attack.

 If an attack somehow ends up doing no damage (due to Camouflage for example), then it is no longer considered an attack for the purposes of cards like Poison Spit or Herbivore. 

If a card deals damage when purchased (like Gas Refinery), this is not considered an attack. Monsters cannot yield Tokyo based on this damage, and cards that affect attacks do not affect these cards. 

• Yielding Tokyo/Flee: A Monster can leave Tokyo (yield his place) to the Monster who just attacked him. If a card allows a monster to leave tokyo with no damage from an attack, the attacker still occupies Tokyo.

• Eliminated: when you have 0 hp.

CREDITS

Game Design: Richard Garfield

Game Development:   Richard Garfield & Skaff Elias

Editing Directors: Cédric Barbé & Patrice Boulet

Project Manager: Thibault Gruel Assistant: Gabriel Durnerin

Playtesting US: Mons Johnson, Bill Rose, Randy Buehler, Mike Davis, Jamie Fristrom, Bill Dugan, Henry Stern, Mike Turian, Skaff Elias, Paul Peterson, Chip Brown, Bruce Kaskel, Daniel Allcock, Rob Watkins, Chris Lopez, Robert Gutschera, Marc LeBlanc, Alan Comer, Jim Lin, Greg Canessa, Dave-Bob Lee, Joel Mick, Tom Lehman, Terry Garfield, and the scourge of Tokyo – Schuyler Garfield.

Special cards overview

Even Bigger!

If this card is lost you lose the 2 you gained when you got it.

Eater of the Dead

A player that remains in the game because of “It has a Child” is still considered to have been down to 0 HP. 

Parasitic Tentacles

You can only purchase powers when it is your turn to purchase cards. If the card has counters on it, the counters are transferred

Mimic

If the card being copied leaves play for any reason (such as the Monster that owns it being eliminated), take the mimic counter back. You can place it on a new power at the start of your turn like normal by paying 1 energy. If the copied card has counters on it then use your own counters as if you just played that card

Opportunist

If there are two opportunists the first clockwise from the Monster whose turn it is gets the first opportunity to buy newly revealed cards.

Fire breathing

Your neighbors are the player to your left, and the player to your right. They take the damage even if they were not the targets of your attack, but this additional damage is not considered an attack.

Metamorph

This sale of cards is after you buy cards. You can sell a card for its printed cost, even if you just bought it at a discount, thanks to another card.

Solar Powered

You can even use this on the turn it is purchased.

Drop from   High Altitude

If you are in Tokyo Bay, you are in Tokyo, so you do not take Tokyo City.

Poison Spit  & Shrink Ray

Poison and Shrink counters stay in play and in effect even if Poison Spit leaves play. You can't get rid of these counters while you are in Tokyo, because it must be instead of healing.