Buffy The Vampire Slayer Board Game FAQ

Send comments, questions, answers, errata, ideas, suggestions, criticism and death threats to aexia@yahoo.com. 0.2. Where can I find the latest version of this FAQ? http://www.oocities.org/aexia/buffy-faq.html 0.3. Anything else? Yes. I've tried to stick some sort of convention throughout the FAQ. After each question, I'll have a quick short answer. then I'll follow it with an explanation.

Also, thanks to Bill Hey, Brent McKee, Steve Turner and anyone else I might have forgotton who contributed to this FAQ, especially Rob at Avalon Hill/Hasbro for providing answers to some tricky questions.

(Major change since last version: see answers regarding vampires in the blue homes.)

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1. General Buffy

1.1. What's Buffy, the Vampire Slayer?

B:tVS is a television show on the Warner Brothers network. A critics' favorite, the show is primarily concerned with Buffy, a Vampire Slayer gifted with superhuman strength and abilities, and her struggle to balance killing vampires and saving the world with high school, homework and friends. The show is currently in its 5th season.

If you wish to learn more about the series and characters, try visiting the official site at http://www.buffy.com or an excellent episode guide at http://www.buffyguide.com. There's also a newsgroup called alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer.

1.2. What episodes is the board game based on? The scenario featuring the Master is based on the show's first season. The Judge scenario is based on "Surprise" and "Innocence" from the second season. The Mayor scenario is centered around the third season, mainly "Bad Girls" through "Graduation Day pt II." Finally, the Adam scenario is based on "The I in Team" through "Primeval" in the fourth season.

The characters, quotes, and locations are all taken from the first four seasons of the show.

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2. About the Board Game

2.1. What's the board game about?

The board game is for 2-5 players and mostly recreates Buffy's battles against some of her greatest enemies. One person plays Evil, its Villain and all its servants. Four members of the Scooby Gang(Buffy, Willow, Xander, Oz) are played by the remaining people. Each member has different strengths and weaknesses.

Each of the scenarios has slightly different objectives, but the game is largely the same. Players collect cards and combat the opposing side with dice.

2.2. Are there different versions? How do I tell them apart? Yes. In the United Kingdom(and undoubtedly elsewhere), there is another Buffy board game. This one is made by Susan Prescot Games Ltd, substantially less complicated and actually not all that good. Unlike the version discussed in this FAQ, this game is for up to eight players, is centered around season 1 only with the Master and has non-random combat.

The US version on the back has the following:

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Buffy, the Vampire Slayer(tm), The Game

"Into each generation, a Slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to hunt vampires and to stop their spread of evil."

Now it's up to you to help Buffy and her friends stop the spread of Evil in Sunnydale! Which villain and his minions will plague the town? The Master? The Judge? The Mayor? Or Adam? Each game recreates one of Buffy's four most exciting challenges... use your own strength and skill to outwit them all!

Patrol the board. Collect cards and gain power. Roll dice to fight and cast spells. Finally, rid Sunnydale of Evil to win! But don't slack... or Evil will slay you first!

Contents:

* Gameboard

* Pewter Buffy icon

* Phases Chart centerpiece with 4 plastic clips

* 5 Good Player (Buffy, Willow, Xander, Oz, and Angel) & 13 Evil Player pawns and stands

* 84 Evil, Weapon, Research, Help & Artifact cards

* 4 Villain tiles, 4 Good Player cardholders & 1 Evil card stand with two plastic clips

* 10 dice and label sheets

* 10 life counters

Color and parts may vary.

4 Games in 1!

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A picture of the box and its contents can be found at:

http://fraxis.future.easyspace.com/tww2/merchandise/boardgamebig.jpg

2.3. Why isn't Harmony used in the game? According to Rob at Avalon Hill/Hasbro Games, one of the Summon Eclipse cards is supposed to be a Summon Harmony card that is a reinforcement for the green minion. Early editions of the game have the Harmony pawn but not the card to summon her. There is now a newer edition that has the Summon Harmony card but not the corrected versions of the Research cards. (see question 2.4)

There may be a way for people who have the "first edition" of the game to receive the Harmony and fixed cards through Hasbro customer service but apparently everyone at Hasbro isn't on the same page on this matter. Stay turned.

Bill Hey has provided a picture of the Summon Harmony card for the curious.

2.4. Is there any errata to the cards? The following two Research cards have been errataed to clear up copy problems.
SPELL OF EVIL SUMMONING

Bring any enemy to you.

Choose an enemy. Roll your Majik dice and count Majik symbols:

[majik][majik] = Move that enemy to any empty space adjacent to you.

Discard after use.

THE LIVING FLAME

Destroy an Artifact card.

Choose an artifact. Roll your Majik dice and count Majik symbols:

[majik] = Destroy an Artifact card in your possession.

[majik][majik] = Destroy an Artifact card in an adjacent player's possession.

Discard after use.

A future edition of the game should have the corrected versions of the cards.

[Note: If someone has the corrected versions of these cards, please scan and send them to me.]

2.5. Who designed this board game? Milton Bradley, a subsidiary of Hasbro Games, is the publisher.

According to Rob of Avalon Hill/Hasbro Games:

"The principal designer was Bill Sabram, a designer who is no longer with the company (the company moved, he chose not to). Bill is also the person responsible for most of the look and feel of the new Cosmic Encounter. He started the Buffy game and it was about 70% done when we moved (although everyone here in design plays almost all games and makes many comments that get folded in).

"Craig Van Ness (Clash of the Lightsabers, Stratego Legends, Star Wars: Queen's Gambit) helped after.

"And me.

"Craig and I finished the game after the move. I did the rulebook (great fun finding the quotes) and Craig and I finalized the cards, some of the spells, some board spaces, power levels, timing issues, etc.

"But Bill really gets the credit. He is a huge fan of the show and it shows."

2.6. Who supports this board game? Questions can be sent by e-mail to avalonhill@hasbro.com or posted to the Internet newsgroup rec.games.board. 2.7. Will there be any expansions? I doubt it. But that doesn't mean you can't design and add your own. You might try designing your own expansions to simulate other battles such as Angelus in the 2nd season or Glory in the 5th.

[Note: If someone has put up a web site with their expansion ideas, let me know.]

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3. General Gameplay

3.1. Can I attack/move/trade diagonally?

No. Adjacent is never diagonally in this game. 3.2. Can I attack/trade/cast spells through walls or summon a character to the opposite side of a wall? No. Adjacent means the four(or fewer) spaces immediately forward, behind, to the left and to the right of you that are not blocked by walls or the edges of the gameplay area. 3.3. Do I have to move all the spaces I rolled on my movement dice? No. Characters may move any number of spaces up to the total number rolled on the Movement dice, including not moving at all. 3.4. If I don't plan on moving, do I have to roll the movement dice? Yes. Rolling the dice is mandatory. The movement dice affect the phase counter in the center of the board. 3.5. Can I draw a card and attack? Yes. Drawing a card, attempting to retrieve an artifact and trading cards only ends your movement for the turn. You may still attack. 3.6. Can I trade a card and then use a man hole cover? No. Though this is not mentioned on the cards themselves, the rulebook states that moving between any two manhole covers counts as one space.

The same restriction applies to the two tunnels.

3.7. Can I play a stake weapon card after I roll the attack dice? No. A Weapon card can only be played before you roll your attack dice. Hence there is some risk in using a stake Weapon card during an attack. The same applies for Evil's Sire a Vampire cards.

In either case, regardless of success, the card is discarded.

3.8. How many cards may I play during a turn? Any number of Evil, Help, Research and Artifact cards and one Weapon card. You can play whatever cards you have access to. Hence, it is possible to play your cards, trade with an adjacent character, play those cards, draw a card from a space, play that and finally attack, all in the same turn.

Remember, you may only use one Weapon card before combat. This means you cannot use both a Sword and a stake Weapon card during the same attack.

3.9. Does my Sword deal an extra point of damage even if all my attack dice miss? Yes. Weapon cards and Artifacts that add points to your damage total do so regardless of how much damage your dice deal. Zero plus one equals one. 3.10. If I draw a card, and then play Forrest or Riley Finn for extra movement points, can I move those extra spaces? No. Drawing or trading cards and searching for artifacts end your movement completely for the turn, not reduce your movement points to zero. You can still play either of those cards for movements points, but it'll be of no benefit to you. 3.11. Can I draw multiple times in one turn from the same space? No. You may only draw once a turn from a space. Though there is nothing in the rules the explicitly say you can only do it once per turn, it would obviously be abusive if you could cycle through the decks in one turn for the cards you want. 3.12. Can I move a character through the fence in the graveyard?

No. Spaces not marked with grid lines are not valid locations for a character to move to.

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4. Vampires

4.1. What happens to a vampire who cannot move indoors out of sunlight?

It dies. If the good characters block off all paths to a valid indoor location, the vampire dies instantly. 4.2. Can a good character use the Spell of Evil Summoning to bring a vampire out into sunlight? Yes. The vampire will have to immediately move out of sunlight. If it was summoned into a space where it cannot, it will die immediately.

This strategy can be used to kill the Master(or an other vampire) quickly and easily. Though it may seem to be a cheap tactic, however, judicious use by Evil of Summon Eclipse cards to minimize sunlight(and full moons), not to mention outright killing characters carrying this Research card, will reduce the risk of this tactic working.

4.3. When do sired vampires take their turns? During Evil's turn. Sired vampires are treated just like other servants of Evil, except that Evil must move them first before any other servants. 4.4. If a sired character has their soul restored, do they retain their vampire stats? Yes. Once restored, they can again carry and play cards, are under the control of their original player and can enter the blue homes freely. As vampires, they are still vulnerable to sunlight. 4.5. If a character is killed during an attack in which Sire a Vampire was used, do they turn into a vampire or die? They die. The Sire a Vampire card checks for whether a character is wounded or unwounded when determining whether they are turned. If a character life is at zero(X on the board), they're not either one of these states, they're dead. Hence, they will not be sired. 4.6. Can an uninvited vampire brought inside a blue house move freely about it? Yes. There are two ways an uninvited vampire may appear inside a blue house.

Since vampires can still attack good characters inside a blue house through the door, it's possible for a newly sired, and uninvited, vampire to be inside a blue house. The other way is for a good character to cast the Spell of Evil Summoning to bring the uninvited vampire onto a space inside the blue house.

In the first case, the newly sired vampire has always had an invite into that house and may move freely around the house until it chooses to leave. At that point, assume that the rest of the Scooby gang casts the necessary majik to 'uninvite' that vampire.

In the second case, summoning a vampire into a house is a clear invite. Again, the summoned vampire may freely roam the house until it decides to leave, at which point it is uninvited again.

4.7. Can a good character drive an uninvited vampire into a blue house with the Cross Weapon card? No. Just as the cross cannot drive a vampire into sunlight, it cannot drive an uninvited vampire into a blue house. 4.8. Do Good vampires, such as Angel, have invitations to the three blue homes? Yes. Although there is nothing in the rules that say it, Good vampires can be assumed to have an invitation and may enter blue houses freely.
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5. Evil

5.1. Can Evil attack its own servants?

No. Evil may not attempt to kill its own servants in hopes of bringing in a superior reinforcement. Good can't attack its own character either, though there's almost no reason to ever do so.

If you really want to get rid of a character, just have them attack Buffy repeatedly. They'll die soon enough.

5.2. Can Evil attack with a Villain or servant if it didn't roll movement dice for that turn? No. A Villain, or any other pawn Evil does not move, cannot move, draw or trade cards, retrieve artifacts or attack if Evil does not roll movement dice for that character. 5.3. When Evil plays a card that requires it to roll its Majik dice, does it use the character who's turn it is or the Villain's? The Villain's. Evil uses the Villain's Majik dice regardless of who's turn it is or whether or not he's actually on the board(in the case of the Judge). 5.4 What pawns does Evil start with in the Judge scenario? Vamp X. There is some confusion as the rule book calls on Evil to begin the game with Spike, Drusilla, and Vamp X while the Judge's Villain card says to start with Spike, Drusilla and Darla. I believe the rulebook should take precedence in this case.

Vamp X has two magic dice which makes him better suited for seeking out artifacts than Darla. Since Evil must find the Judge's Arm Artifact card, having Evil start with Vamp X makes sense for balance purposes.

Story-wise, Darla makes little sense as she's dead. However Vamp X, a follower of the demon Balthazar, doesn't appear until the 3rd season's "Bad Girls." So he's only marginally better.

5.5. When playing the Judge scenario, is Evil permitted to use all its cards before the Judge is revived? Yes. Even if an Evil card specifically refers to "the Villain," Evil may play it before the Judge is brought into play. For cards that require Evil to roll the Villain's majik dice, use the two Majik dice the Judge is assigned. 5.6. If Angelus is turned into Angel, does he still count as a green servant for Evil? Yes. Evil cannot summon a green servant, such as Angelus, while Angel is on the board. 5.7. Can Evil summon a evil servant that's been killed already? Yes. If the Evil pile is reshuffled and Evil draws a Summon Veruca/Angelus/Kathy card, there's nothing to stop Evil from summoning that servant a second time. 5.8. Can an Evil reinforcement be moved the turn it was summoned? Yes. Evil may move the reinforcement provided it has not moved all the characters it could in a turn, and has already moved all sired vampires. 5.9. If Evil has not raised the Judge and sires a good character, can it move all four servants?

No. Evil, prior to raising the Judge, moves only three servants, starting with sired vampires, if any.

5.10. If there is a character in the Judge's starting space, can the Judge be raised?

No. You'll have to kill or otherwise drive away characters in the Judge's starting space.
If the space is empty and an evil character with the Judge's Arm is in an adjecent space, place the Judge onto the board and remove the Arm card as soon as the space is vacated.

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6. Artifacts

6.1. If a character already has an artifact, can he or she search for another one and exchange it?

No. If a character has an Artifact, he or she cannot try to recover another. 6.2. Can a character use both an Artifact and a Weapon card during combat? Yes. For example, Buffy may use both the Sword and the Magic Sword to add three extra points to her total damage. 6.3. If the Mayor comes into possession of the Box of Garvok, does he ascend into his Demon state? No. The Box of Garvok Artifact card states that the box needs to be brought by a servant to a space adjacent to the Mayor in order for him to ascend. 6.4. Is the use of artifacts, such as the Glove of Myhneghon, optional? Yes. For most artifacts that you don't discard, such as the Magic Sword, using them all the time is a no-brainer. But the Glove of Myhneghon and Military Costume cards cannot be traded once you use them and there are consequences to using the Glove. 6.5. If the Judge's Arm/Box of Garvok killed a good character who picked it up, who decides where to place his artifact? Evil. That player rolled the fight dice for the fatal attack so s/he decides which corner the artifact is returned to. 6.6. If the Mayor is carrying the Glove of Myhneghon and ascends, can he trade the Glove? No. He's still the same character, just with different stats. *******

7. Research

7.1. Are the Spell of Evil Summoning/Living Flame cards really that useless?

No. See Question 2.4 for errata to those two cards. 7.2. If I roll more than one Majik symbol while casting Spell of Phases, can I move the Phase Talisman more than one space? No. You may only perform the effect on the card once. 7.3. If I roll at least five Majik symbols while casting Spell of Oblivion, can I deliver 15 points of damage to an enemy? No. You may only perform one of the listed effects on a card. 7.4. Can I only target adjacent characters with the Spell of Healing? Yes. However, the card is somewhat unclear about this. A technical reading of the card suggests that any character may be healed, regardless of distance. But the top part suggests this may be a copy problem that will be errataed. I will assume that this is the case.

Hence, the Spell of Healing card can only target characters adjacent to the caster. Also note, the spell may not target the character casting the spell.

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