Roll Player

Goal and components: This entry covers the 2016 Thunderworks Games base game, Roll Player, for 1–4 players and about 60–90 minutes. Use dice to fill six character attributes, then score Reputation Stars from class, alignment, backstory, armor, and traits. The player with the most Reputation Stars wins.

Prepare a character: Each player chooses a Character Sheet, rolls to determine the Start Player, and receives an Alignment card, Backstory, and Player Aid; place the Alignment marker at the center of its card. Start with 5 Gold; the third and fourth players receive 1 and 2 extra Gold respectively. Then draw a die to select the Class card matching its color, and choose one of that card’s two classes; redraw a gold die or a color already chosen by another player. Race modifiers are printed on the Character Sheet. Arrange the Market deck with single-dot cards above double-dot cards, reveal one more Market card than the number of players and the same number of Initiative cards, and roll starting attribute dice according to player count. The base rulebook includes separate solo setup as well.

Four phases each round: Play proceeds through Roll, Dice, Market, and Cleanup. During Roll, the Start Player draws and rolls dice from the bag; use 3, 4, or 5 action dice in a 2-, 3-, or 4-player game, placing them on Initiative cards in ascending order; the Start Player chooses the order of tied dice. During Dice, in clockwise order, each player chooses one available Initiative card, puts its die in the leftmost open spot of an Attribute Row, takes its Gold, adds 2 Gold if the die is a Gold die and 1 Gold if it fills the row’s final space, and may then use that row’s Attribute Action.

Six Attribute Actions: Strength flips any die on the sheet to its opposite face: 1/6, 2/5, or 3/4. Dexterity swaps the positions of two dice but cannot move one into an empty spot. Constitution raises or lowers one die by 1 without wrapping between 1 and 6. Intelligence rerolls a die and lets the player keep either its old or new value. Wisdom moves the Alignment marker one orthogonal space. Charisma takes a Charisma token that discounts one Gold from a Market purchase that round. Each player chooses one die and may take one row action during the Dice phase.

Buy from the Market: In initiative order, players buy one available Market card by paying its cost and placing it in the matching area of the Character Sheet, or decline to buy, discard a Market card, and gain 2 Gold. The Market is not replenished until Cleanup. Weapons, Armor, Traits, and Skills each add abilities, adjustments, or scoring conditions. Weapon use is limited by the character’s available hands; other categories generally have no quantity cap. Buying a Trait shifts Alignment as indicated if possible, and a purchased Skill can be used immediately.

Skills, Alignment, and Armor: Skills may normally be used at any time, including another player’s turn; move the Alignment marker as directed and exhaust the card sideways. If the marker cannot move, the Skill cannot be used; during Cleanup, each player may refresh up to one Skill. Armor scores through sets of Chain, Leather, or Mystic pieces, using the Reputation Stars shown for the number of pieces collected. A matching class-color set may earn an additional star per set. The Alignment card adds or subtracts the Reputation Stars shown at the marker’s final space; Wisdom-row actions and card effects can move the marker during play.

Cleanup: Discard unused Charisma tokens and refresh up to one Skill. Return the unchosen die to the bag, discard unpurchased Market cards, and refill the Market. If the Market deck is empty, shuffle its discard pile into a new deck. Place one Gold on an eligible Initiative card without Gold, with a maximum of one on a card. Pass the dice bag to the left; that player becomes the Start Player for the next round.

End of the game: Each character sheet has six Attribute Rows with three die spaces apiece. When every player has filled all 18 spaces, finish the current round and calculate Reputation Stars. Stars are not fully scored during the earlier rounds; Gold remains a resource for purchases and other rulebook effects until final scoring.

Final scoring: For each Attribute Row, total its die values, apply any Race modifier and relevant Weapon effect, and compare the result with the matching Class goal. Exact goals must match, range goals must fall within their range, and a plus sign means the total must meet or exceed the shown value. Add one star per class-color die, then score the Alignment card’s final space. Compare the six specified dice with the Backstory grid: 0–1 matches score 0 stars, 2–3 score 1, 4–5 score 3, and all 6 score 6. Score Armor sets, including any class-color bonus, and Traits whose conditions are met. Most Reputation Stars wins; ties go to more Gold, then fewer class-color dice, then shared victory or a replay.

Solo and expansion boundary: The base rulebook includes official solo play. It uses a dedicated setup and an automated opponent’s Gold die to remove Market cards; the player scores by the normal method plus one additional star for every 8 Gold remaining. Monsters & Minions adds a fifth-player option and a final monster battle; Fiends & Familiars adds familiars, fiends, split dice, and other material. Promos and mini-expansions are separately sold. Do not present them as standard components or default scoring rules.