In 2018, Brotherwise Games had another banner year. We released Boss Monster: Rise of the Minibosses, our third major standalone release of the game that started it all. That helped drive Boss Monster to be the #1 non-collectible card game of 2018 at hobby game stores. We also saw continued success for Unearth, the bend-your-luck dice game by Matt Ransom and Jason Harner.

So what’s coming in 2019? Our biggest news is the third original title from Brotherwise, designed by Johnny and Chris O’Neal. After taking a few years away from crowdfunding, our Kickstarter for Call to Adventure was our biggest ever. Inspired by character-driven fantasy storytelling, Call to Adventure is a “hero-building” game where you draft traits and cast runes to determine your destiny. For tabletop RPG fans, it’s a bit like condensing a D&D campaign into one 45-minute session.

After some production delays at the end of last year, Call to Adventure will be on shelves by late March 2019. We’re already hard at work on an expansion based on Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, as well as the first-ever game based on the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. Here’s a sneak peek at two Name of the Wind cards: Call The Wind and Bind With Iron.

For fans of Unearth, we also have some excitement coming: a 3-in-1 expansion that we call The Lost Tribe. We’ve taken all our ideas for expanding the game and combined them into one excellent value. It includes a 5-player expansion, a Solo mode, and an exciting set of new mechanics for the core game. Expect it by the end of this summer.

We can’t wait to get these games into your hands! For ongoing updates, or to reach out for us with questions, be sure to follow us on Facebook.

Happy gaming!

This article is your source for questions about Boss Monster 2: The Next Level. It contains corrections, clarifications, and advice on how to get the most out of your new game. For questions not covered in this FAQ, feel free to e-mail us using the form at the bottom of this page.

One Rule Change

There is only one rule change in Boss Monster 2, and we also recommend using it for the original Boss Monster. Players no longer discard two cards at the beginning of the game. Instead:

• Each player draws 5 Room cards and 2 Spell cards.
• Set up the discard pile by placing 4 random Room and 2 random Spell cards face-up in the pile.

There is also one new entry in the Glossary:

Uncover: A Room is uncovered when the Room above it is destroyed.

Boss Monster 2 adds Dark Heroes, Hybrid Heroes, and “Epic Spells” (Spells with two possible abilities), but each of these cards is designed to be self-explanatory.

Errata

Due to printing errors, two mistakes made it into the first printing of Boss Monster 2. The responsible kobolds have been tossed into a bottomless pit.

• Collapsing Bridge should begin with a “Once per turn,” clause.
• Super Effective! should increase a Room’s damage. (The hearts should be black, not red.)

Future printings of Boss Monster 2 will also clarify Archer to say “This Hero skips the last Room of your dungeon” rather than the more confusing “ignores” wording.

Limited Edition

The Limited Edition copy of Boss Monster 2 contains holofoil and non-foil versions of each Boss. Do not play with both! Choose one of each Boss and set aside the rest.
Do not play with both copies of The Brothers. Set aside the other copy.

Combining Boss Monster 1 and 2

Boss Monster 2 is playable on its own or as an expansion to the original. To combine both sets:

• Shuffle the Boss, Room, and Spell decks from each set together.
• Set aside one set of Hero and Epic Hero cards.

The sets are designed to play well together, but the most rewarding way to combine the sets is to pick and choose exactly which cards you prefer.

Customizing Your Play Experience

Once you’ve had a chance to experience Boss Monster 2 on its own, try creating your own ideal combination of both Boss Monster sets. Think a card is too overpowered? Toss it out. Never liked a particular Spell? Set it aside. By combining the best of Boss Monster and Boss Monster 2, you can create a unique play experience tailored to your play group’s tastes. Here are some guidelines for building your own combination:

• Include 2 Advanced Rooms for every 5-6 ordinary Rooms.
• Include equal numbers of the four treasure types. (Don’t forget to include Hybrid Rooms in this calculation.)
• Include roughly equal numbers of Trap and Monster Rooms (recommended but not critical).
• For Bosses, include roughly equal numbers of each starting treasure type (recommended but not critical).
• Include 24 ordinary Heroes (plus the Fool, if desired) and 16 Epic Heroes (plus The Brothers, if desired).
• Maintain an equal balance of treasure icons and damage values. Remove Heroes as appropriate for 2- or 3-player games.

The key to most of these guidelines is maintaining a balance of treasure icons. Advanced customizers can even throw out that rule, and see what happens to the game’s bidding “economy” when certain Room types are rarer.

Tools of Hero-Kind

Boss Monster 2 is fully compatible with Tools of Hero-Kind. You can use Item cards with Boss Monster, Boss Monster 2, or a combination of the sets.

Larger Multiplayer Games

Boss Monster 2 is balanced and recommended for 2-4 players. However, if you also own the core set, it is possible to play with 5-6 players. Here are some unofficial guidelines for larger games:

• Play using the Unlimited Lives variant described on page 17 of the rulebook. (Players are not eliminated upon reaching five Wounds. The game ends when a turn ends with no cards left in the Hero decks. The winner of the game is the player with the highest total Souls minus Wounds.)
• For a 5-player game, start with all the Heroes and Epic Heroes from one set. Then add an extra 4-Health Cleric, Fighter, Mage and Thief. Add an extra 11-Health Cleric, Fighter, Mage, and Thief.
• For a 6-player game, also add an extra 6-Health Cleric, Fighter, Mage and Thief.

We are currently developing a set designed to facilitate larger multiplayer games. If you would like to share feedback on multiplayer over 4 players, please e-mail us at bossmonster@brotherwisegames.com!

Card Rule Clarifications

We have incorporated Boss Monster 2 cards into our Advanced Rules Guide and FAQ. Cards specific to Boss Monster 2 are repeated below for your convenience. If a card is not listed here, it is because the rules are considered fully self-explanatory. Feel free to e-mail us if you have further questions!

Another Castle
This may only target a Hero in your dungeon, not at the entrance to your dungeon. Apply any ongoing effects from the Room the Hero has entered before casting this Spell. If the first Room in your dungeon has a damage value greater than zero, it damages the Hero before you can cast this Spell.

Antimagic Zone
Because it is a cancel effect, this card’s ability takes priority even when played by a non-active player.
Because this card’s cancel effect is a card ability rather than a Spell, it cannot be prevented with Counterspell. However, it can be prevented with Meddling Kids!

Archer
This card should say, “This Hero skips the last Room of your dungeon.” It does not trigger any damage or abilities of that Room. (However, the Hero does not ignore the Room’s treasure value and you may still use abilities of that Room when the Archer is in other dungeon Rooms.)

Barbarian
This Hero’s ability may only be triggered once per turn. Multiple opponents cannot trigger this ability.

Barbarian Hall
If you have any Spell cards in hand when you build this Room, you must choose and discard one. If you do not have any Spell cards in your hand, you may build this Room without any penalty.

Belladonna, Vampire Baroness
You must use this ability on the turn you Level Up. (You cannot save it for a later turn.)
As with any heal effect, this replaces your Wound with the Soul value of the Hero you turn face-down.
If you have an Epic Hero in your scorekeeping area when you Level Up, you may turn target it with this ability.

Blockpile Puzzle
As long as this Room is in play, you must destroy one Room in your dungeon during the end of turn phase. You may destroy Blockpile Puzzle with its own ability.

Collapsing Bridge
The first printing of this card is misprinted. It should say: “Once per turn, if a Hero survives this Room, until end of turn this Room deals +3.”

Decapitator
This Room’s effect removes the target Room’s treasure value. A later effect, such as Secret Stash, may still give the Room a treasure value.
If a Room’s treasure value is removed during the build phase before a player is active, that player may not place an Advanced Room over it.
If you use this ability on an opponent’s Room and the player later builds over that Room, the new Room does not lose its treasure value.

Doc Scarecrow, Ambassador of Fear
As with any activated ability, you cannot activate this ability once Rooms are revealed. This means you cannot use the ability until the turn after you Level Up.
This ability only affects luring during the Bait phase. It does not prevent other effects, such as Princess in Peril, from placing a Hero at the entrance to a dungeon.

Dr. Timebender, Mad Alchemist
Because it is a cancel effect, this card’s ability takes priority even when played by a non-active player.
Because this card’s cancel effect is a card ability rather than a Spell, it cannot be prevented with Counterspell.

Druid
The Druid gains its additional Health when it moves to your dungeon entrance. This total constantly updates based on the number of Spells in your hand. The bonus decreases as soon a Spell resolves (or is canceled) and increases as soon as you draw a Spell card.

Elemental Generator
If you cast a Spell while a Hero is in this Room, the Room deals its damage first (gaining +X for each Spell card in your hand, including the one you are about to cast).

Fairy Fountain
Once the Room’s damage is reduced to zero, later effects cannot increase its damage until end of turn.
This effect ends if the Room is covered or destroyed.

Frostbat Cave
Refer to the Glossary (Rulebook p. 18) for the full description of “deactivate.”
If you deactivate a Room during the Build phase that would have triggered a Boss card’s Level Up ability, that Level Up ability does not trigger until the End of Turn phase, when the room reactivates.

Hall of Mirrors
If a Spell is declared but canceled (with an effect like Counterspell), it does not trigger this ability.

Hatchling’s Hoard
This Room has four treasure icons, regardless of whether you build it over a Room with Cleric, Fighter, Mage, or Thief treasure. (Only one of an Advanced Room’s icons must match the Room beneath it.)

Hitman
This Hero’s ability may only be triggered once per turn. Multiple opponents cannot trigger this ability.

It’s On!
This card’s first ability refers to the Hero’s Health at the time you cast this Spell. For example, a Hero with a printed Health value of 8 who takes 5 damage in your dungeon can be killed by this Spell in the last Room of your dungeon.

Kazanna, Genie of Games
You must use this ability on the turn you Level Up. (You cannot ignore the ability or save it for a later turn.)

Killa, Man-Eating Ape
This damage bonus is only active if you have three Wounds. If a heal effect or other effect causes you to go below three Wounds, the ability is inactive until you have three Wounds.
This damage bonus is not active if the last Room in your dungeon is deactivated.

Meddling Kids!
If a player declares a Room ability (such as the ability of Antimagic Zone or Rust Monster Pen) while you are the active player, you may use Meddling Kids! to negate that effect.
This Spell’s second ability only keeps a player from winning by Souls on the turn Meddling Kids! is played. It does not keep the player from killing Heroes or gaining Souls. If that player has more than ten Souls on the following turn, the player will still win on the following turn.

Oh Yeah!
When you move Rooms with this card’s effect, any Rooms beneath the affected Rooms are also affected. “Room stacks” always move together.

Pause
When you cast this Spell, any Heroes at the entrance to your dungeon remain at the entrance until the following turn.

Pity
A card removed from the game by this Spell is set aside and ignored until the end of the game.

Porkus, King of Thieves
This ability can target an Epic Hero.

Rust Monster Pen
A Room’s damage cannot be reduced below zero.

Save Point
You may only retrieve a Spell from the discard pile if it is already in the discard pile when you destroy Save Point.

Secret Stash
Giving a Room a treasure icon with this Spell allows you to place a matching Advanced Room over that Room.
If the Room is deactivated or destroyed, it loses the extra treasure icon.

Shortcut!
When a Hero skips a Room, it passes over that Room and does not trigger any damage or abilities of that Room. It treats that Room as if it does not exist, so it does not “survive” an ignored Room.

Shrooman Cave
Because it specifies “another,” Shrooman Cave cannot target itself.

Spellslime Pit
If a Spell is declared but canceled (with an effect like Counterspell), it does not trigger this ability.

Super Effective!
The first printing of this card is misprinted. The hearts on the card should be black, because a Room deals damage (not Health).
A Hero is only “lured” to a dungeon if it moved to a dungeon entrance as part of the Bait phase. If another effect, such as Princess in Peril, places a Hero at the entrance to a dungeon, it does not count against this card’s ability.

Surprise Gift
On the turn that you place a Room with Surprise Gift, you may not also place a Room in your own dungeon (unless you play an effect that allows you to build an additional Room, such as Motivation).
When a Room is built with Surprise Gift, any “when you build this Room” effects apply to the player whose dungeon contains the newly built Room.

Swordmage
While this Hero is in your dungeon, it gains +2 Health every time any player plays a Spell. This includes the player whose dungeon the Swordmage has entered, as well as that player’s opponents. Swordmage gains the +2 Health from this ability before any effects from the Spell are resolved. If a Spell is canceled (by an effect like Antimagic Zone), it does not trigger this ability.

The Arena
After you reveal a Room to activate this ability, you return that Room to your hand.

The Brothers
If two players are tied for total Souls minus Wounds, The Brothers remain in town.
If your game contains two copies of this card, set aside one copy and play with one copy.

The Smashinator
“Every other visible Room” means the top of every Room pile in your dungeon. It does not include deactivated, covered, or face-down Rooms. As always, destroying the top Room of a Room pile uncovers the next Room in that pile.

Undead Minion
A card removed from the game by this Spell is set aside and ignored until the end of the game.
Because “Hero” may refer to an ordinary or Epic Hero, you may use this card to kill an Epic Hero.

Vampire
This Hero’s ability may only be triggered once per turn. Multiple opponents cannot trigger this ability.

Wild Monster
When you build a Room with this Spell, any “when you build this Room” effects immediately apply.

Witch
This Hero’s ability may only be triggered once per turn. Multiple opponents cannot trigger this ability.

Other Questions

If you have a question not answered here, feel free to e-mail us using this form!

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