Monthly Archives: April 2011

Castle Ravenloft played with two- and four-year olds. Five to ten minutes.

Materials

• Castle Ravenloft Board Game, only the Dungeon Tiles and miniatures.
• Fudge Dice, two per player.

Setup
Allow each player to pick a Hero (emphasize that the Heroes are blue). You should also play, both leading by example and because the kids . Place all Dungeon Tiles face down in a pile. Place the Start Tile face up in front of the players. Tell them to put their Heroes around the stairs. They will likely pick any spot on the Start Tile. This is okay.

Play
Play passes from one player to the next.

• Move: If it’s your turn, move your Hero a few squares, preferably to a tile with an unexplored edge. If it’s a kid’s turn, ask them to move their Hero, but don’t enforce any limitations.
• Explore: Draw a Dungeon Tile and connect it to the board, arrow facing the connection. It’s tough to enforce much beyond this.
• Fight: If there aren’t any monsters on the board, or if desired, grab a monster and place it on the new tile. The Hero can then move to the monster (or stay where they are) and roll their dice. If any other player acts to move their own Hero to attack and roll their own dice, allow it. If any pluses are rolled, the monster dies.

Victory: A turn or two in advance, tell the players that the game will be over soon. When the final enemy is placed, repeat to the players that they’re about to win. When the monster is defeated, be sure to give the game a dramatic closing while beginning to put the game away.

Defeat: The only defeat is for you, if the players get bored and run off without helping clean up.