• Zelda Duels ▼
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Downloads: Complete PDF • VASSAL Extension

1. Objective
2. Characters
3. Gameplay
   • On Your Turn
   • The Die: Movement
   • Types of Actions
4. Types of Cards
   • Basic Combat Cards
   • Power Combat Cards
   • Special Cards
   • The Triforce Icon
   • The Clock Icon (Duration)
5. Attack Position (Bow & Sword icons)
   • Melee Attacks
   • Ranged Attacks
6. Winning the Game
7. Maps Obstacles

Objective: Eliminate your opponents characters.

Characters: Each player controls 2-3 characters on a team.

Gameplay: Roll the die to determine who goes first. An all result is higher than a non-all result of the same number (i.e. 3-All beats 3, but not 4). A Container Heart is the highest possible roll. Play proceeds clockwise starting with the player who rolls the highest. Before play begins, each player shuffles their deck and draws 4 cards. Each players turn proceeds as follows.

On Your Turn:

1. Roll the Die. A green number result means you can move one character up to the number rolled. A red all result means you can move all of your characters up to the number rolled. You do not need to move any of your characters, if you dont want to. Obstacles and Opponents block movement, but allies do not; however, two characters cannot occupy the same space. If you roll a Container Heart, heal all your characters still in play 2 points. There is no maximum to the number of Container Hearts you can roll in a game, but only once per turn can you heal from a Container Heart roll.
2. Perform 2 Actions. There are several types of actions.
   1. Play A Card. Each card contains instructions on when to play. See Types of Cards for more information on playing cards.
   2. Draw A Card. Draw a card from your draw pile. You can hold no more than 10 cards at a time. If you have 10 cards, and want to draw another, you must discard one first, then draw a card. If the game lasts long enough that you empty your draw pile, reshuffle your discards to form a new draw pile.
   3. Heal a character. You can heal a character only if their partner(s) are eliminated. To heal, discard one card of the eliminated partner to heal the surviving partner one point.
   You can perform any combination of actions, two of the same or two different, but you are limited to 2 actions. Some cards have an added effect of Playing this card does not count as an action. When these cards are played, they do not count toward your 2 action per turn limit.

Types of Cards: There are 3 types of cards: Basic Cards, Power Combat Cards, and Special Cards. These are the cards used when you Play A Card as one (or both)of your actions. See the FAQ for specific card questions.

• Basic Combat Cards: These are the core of the deck. They contain a picture and the name of the character(s) that can play them, attack (red) and defend (blue) values, and sword and/or bow icon.
  • The bow & arrow icon indicates the card can be played as a ranged attack (see Attack Position). The sword icon indicates that the card must be played as a melee attack. When both icons appear, the card may be used as either ranged or melee, but is automatically a melee attack if the attacker is adjacent to the target.
  To attack with a Basic Combat card, name the character that is attacking, and the enemy character being attacked. Then play a Basic Combat card face downon the table. Remember you must announce which character is attacking, and that character must be in attack position (see Attack Position).
  
  Your opponent then has the option of defending. To defend, play a Basic Combat or Power Combat card for the character being attacked face up on the table. The player controlling the defending character does not have to play a defense card, even if they have defense cards for the targeted character in their hand. The attacking player then reveals his card, and the attack value is compared to the defense value. If the attack value exceeds the defense value, the defender must take damage equal to the difference. If the defense value is greater than the attack value, the defender has successfully blocked the attack, and no damage is done. Both characters then discard their respective cards, faceup, to their discard piles.


• Power Combat Cards: also called Power Attack or Power Defense cards. A Power Attack and Power Defense cards will have the name and picture of the character they are for and an attack (red) value or a defense (blue) value just as Basic Combat cards do.
  • Power Attack cards will also have a bow and/or sword icon, just as Basic Combat cards do. These cards function just like Basic cards for attack and defense but also have added abilities. However, after the attack is resolved (the attack and defense values are compared, and damage if any is dealt) there are added effects that come into play. Extra effects from an attackers card take place before the defenders card.
  • Some Power Combat cards have both an Attack and Defend value. Those that do will usually have different effects depending on how they are played; the effect on top (red) is the effect that happens when the card is played as an attack, the effect on bottom (blue) is the effect that happens when a card is played as a defense.
  • Some Power Combat cards have a sunburst as a value. The value of these cards is infinite or determined by some factor outside of combat.


• Special Cards: Special Cards have a Special along the left side of the card, along with the name and picture of the character(s) they are for, but Special Cards are not used in Combat. Any damage a Special Card may inflict cannot be defended against. Special Cards have abilities usually more powerful than Power Combat Cards that can achieve a wide variety of effects. Special Cards have a line, just under the name of the card, telling you when to play the card. Most cards say Play On Your Turn. This means you can lay them on your turn usually as an action after you have rolled the die and moved your characters. Often, Special Cards will have two (possibly more) effects. When this is the case, the effects must happen in the order they are listed on the card. After playing a Special Card, it is discarded into your discard pile.


• The Triforce: Some cards have a Triforce icon. The ability associated with the Triforce icon can only be used once per game. If the card has a condition that must be met before the Triforce ability can be used, such as another card must have been played, the first time the card with the condition is played when the condition is met, the Triforce ability is activated. Once triggered, a Triforce ability is cannot be triggered again, unless a card specifically allows you to do so.


• The Clock: Some cards have a Clock icon. The number in the Clock icon indicates the duration of that cards effects. Play Clock cards on the table, and leave them face up until the duration is up. The duration is counted by the number of times your turn begins (usually, your turn begins when you roll the die for movement). When the duration is reached, the card is immediately discarded and the cards effects end.
  For example: You are controlling Princess Zelda. The following chart details how a person might use Hidden Identity, a card with a duration of 3.
  1. Turn 1: Roll The Die, Move.
     Action 1: Play Hidden Identity. Princess Zeldas attack & defend values are doubled.
     Action 2: Draw a Card. (this could be any action).
  2. Turn 2: Roll the Die, Move. This is count 1 of the duration.
     Perform Two actions.
  3. Turn 3: Roll the Die, Move. This is count 2 of the duration.
     Perform Two actions.
  4. Turn 4: Roll the Die, Move. This is count 3 of the duration. Princess Zeldas attack and defend return to normal and the Hidden Identity card is discarded.

Attack Position: The bow & sword icons indicate which kind of attack the card can be played as, melee or ranged. Cards with both icons are ranged attacks unless the attacker is adjacent to the target, in which case the card s a melee attack.

Melee Attacks: Melee attacks can only be made when the target is adjacent to the attacking character. Adjacent means any square that shares a border or corner with the square the attacking character is in.

Ranged Attacks: Ranged attacks can only be made in a straight horizontal or vertical line, or a straight (45 degree) diagonal line. There is no limit to the number of squares a ranged attack can reach. Ranged attacks (or cards that indicate a target that could be attacked at ranged) are blocked by other characters and raised obstacles; see individual map descriptions for which obstacles block ranged attacks.

Winning the Game: A player wins the game when all his opponents characters have been eliminated.

Maps: There are four maps: The Triforce Chamber, The Lost Woods, The Fairy Fountain, and The Leever Desert. Each map has obstacles. Some obstacles block ranged attacks but all obstacles prevent movement through those squares.

• Triforce Chamber: This maps obstacles are the pillars. Pillars block ranged attacks. Triforce abilities are usable an unlimited number of times per game.
• The Lost Woods: This maps obstacles are the stump and log, bushes, and creek/pond. Only the stump and log blocks ranged attacks.. Princess Ruto and Zora Wizards can move through the creek as thoughthey were legal spaces.
• The Fairy Fountain: This maps obstacles are the pillars and fire basins, both of which block ranged attacks. If you roll a Container Heart on this map, heal any character in the same square as a fairy 4 points instead of 2.
• The Leever Desert: This maps obstacles are the big rock and the various leevers, all of which block ranged attacks. A character may move through a Leever by taking 2 points of damage. Characters that can move opponent characters (through the use of a card) may move their opponents through a Leever and force them to take 2 points of damage.