Objective
Destroy opposing dice in combat and collect them as Trophies. The game ends after four Rounds or when all but one player has been eliminated. The player with the most Trophy dice wins.
Components
- 1 PIP Fall 10×10 hex battlefield
- 1 standard 52-card deck
- 5 dice in each player color
- 1 First Player marker
Battlefield
The battlefield contains normal hexes, starting positions, and Hazards. Hazard hexes are impassable: dice cannot enter them, pass through them, or move over them.
Each player chooses one unused starting location. Every starting location contains two positions marked pip-4 and one rear position marked pip-3.
Setup
- Each player takes five dice of one color.
- Choose an unused starting location and place three dice on its marked positions: two dice showing pip-4 and one die showing pip-3.
- Keep the other two dice off the battlefield as your Reserve.
- Shuffle the standard 52-card deck.
- Choose a First Player and give them the First Player marker.
Dice
The top pip value of a die is its current strength. A die cannot exceed pip-6. A die reduced to pip-0 is removed from the battlefield.
When an opposing die is destroyed in combat, the player who destroyed it takes that die as a Trophy. Dice removed by Decay or another non-combat effect do not become Trophies.
Round & Hand Structure
A Round is one complete use of the draw deck. Each Round contains as many Hands as the deck can fully support.
A Hand is a set of programmed orders. The number of cards each player programs is based on the number of their dice on the battlefield at the start of that Hand.
Start a Hand
- Each player counts their dice on the battlefield.
- Deal each player a number of cards equal to that count plus one.
- Each player secretly selects a number of cards equal to their battlefield dice.
- Program the selected cards face down in a row from left to right, in the exact order they will resolve. Programmed cards cannot be reordered.
- Discard the one unselected card.
Resolve a Hand
- All players simultaneously reveal their leftmost programmed card.
- Resolve revealed cards from highest rank to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, then 10 through 2.
- If cards have the same rank, the tied player seated furthest clockwise from the First Player resolves first. Suit does not break ties.
- When a card resolves, its owner chooses one eligible die. Cards are not assigned to particular dice while programming.
- Each die may activate only once per Hand.
- Continue revealing and resolving the next programmed cards until no cards remain.
If one player programmed more cards than another, that player continues resolving cards after the other player has finished.
If casualties leave a player without an eligible die for a programmed card, discard that card with no effect. A Jack, Queen, or King may still Reinforce if the player meets the Reinforce requirements.
Discard all played cards at the end of the Hand.
Card Actions
- Number cards, 2–10: Move an eligible die or use the card's suit power.
- Aces: Must use the card's suit power.
- Jacks, Queens, and Kings: Use the card's suit power or Reinforce. Face cards cannot be used for movement.
Movement
When using a number card for movement, move the activated die 0–3 hexes. Each entered hex costs one point of movement, and the die may change direction freely.
A die may move through occupied non-Hazard hexes. It cannot enter, pass through, or move over a Hazard. If it ends its movement on an occupied hex, combat occurs.
After movement and any combat are complete, the activated die suffers Decay if it survives.
Combat
Combat occurs when a moving die ends on a hex occupied by another die. Compare the dice's current pip values before Decay:
- The higher-pip die survives and the lower-pip die is destroyed.
- If the pip values are equal, both dice are destroyed.
- A defending die does not Decay merely because it was attacked.
- A surviving attacking die Decays after combat.
Trophies
When an opposing die is destroyed in combat, the player who destroyed it takes the die as a Trophy:
- If the attacker wins, the attacking player takes the defending die.
- If the defender wins, the defending player takes the attacking die.
- In mutual destruction between opposing dice, each player takes the opposing die as a Trophy.
- Combat between dice owned by the same player resolves normally, but no Trophy is awarded.
Suit Powers
A suit power affects the chosen eligible die. After the power resolves, that die suffers Decay if it remains on the battlefield.
Decay
Every activation reduces the activated die by 1 pip after its action and any combat are resolved. A die reduced to pip-0 is removed and does not become a Trophy.
Decay applies after:
- Moving 0 hexes
- Moving 1–3 hexes
- Using any suit power
- Surviving combat as the attacker
Reinforcement is not an activation and does not cause Decay.
Reinforce
A Jack, Queen, or King may be used to Reinforce instead of using its suit power. To Reinforce, the player must have:
- At least one die on the battlefield
- An undeployed die in Reserve
- An empty position in their chosen starting location
Place one Reserve die on an empty starting position, showing the pip value printed there. Reinforcement occurs off the battlefield and does not cause Decay.
A reinforced die may activate later in the same Hand if the player has a programmed card remaining and that die has not activated. Dice that have been destroyed or removed never return to the Reserve.
Elimination
A player is eliminated immediately when they have no dice on the battlefield. Dice in Reserve do not prevent elimination. Discard that player's remaining programmed cards, and their Reserve dice cannot enter play.
End of a Round
Before beginning a new Hand, check whether the draw deck contains enough cards to complete the normal deal of battlefield dice plus one card for every remaining player. If it does not, do not begin the Hand; the Round ends.
- Gather every card, including the draw deck and all discarded cards.
- Shuffle the full 52-card deck.
- Move the First Player marker one seat clockwise.
- Begin the next Round.
End of the Game
The game ends immediately after the fourth Round or when all but one player has been eliminated.
If no players remain because the final combat caused mutual elimination, the game still ends.
Victory
Each player counts their Trophy dice. The player with the most Trophies wins.
If tied, the tied player whose Trophy dice have the highest total showing pip value wins. If still tied, the tied players share the victory.