The Siege of Hexfall
A cooperative heroes-vs-the-game board game
1. Game Overview
Players: 2–4
Play Time: 30–45 minutes
Recommended Age: 10+
The Siege of Hexfall is a fully cooperative board game in which players take the roles of Heroes defending the land of Hexfall from an ever-growing monster invasion. Monsters emerge from arcane portals and relentlessly advance toward villages and heroes. Players must coordinate movement, manage risk, and make sacrifices to seal portals and defeat the Monster Boss.
There is no Monster player. All monster actions are controlled by the game rules.
2. Objective
Heroes must work together to seal all Portals and defeat the Boss. If all Heroes are defeated or two Villages are destroyed, the game is lost.
Heroes Win If:
- All Portals are sealed AND
- The Monster Boss is defeated
Heroes Lose If:
- Two Villages are destroyed OR
- All Heroes are defeated
3. Components
3.1 Board Components
- 19 Modular hex tiles
- 3 Portal tiles
- 3 Village tiles
- 3 Ruin tiles
- 10 Plain tiles
3.2 Structures
- 3 Portal towers
- 3 Village buildings
- 3 Ruin structures
3.3 Heroes
- Warrior miniature (Yellow Meeple)
- Ranger miniature (Blue Meeple)
- Mage miniature (White Meeple)
- Barbarian miniature (Red Meeple)
3.4 Monsters
- 8 Monster Grunts (Small Black Meeples)
- 4 Monster Brutes (Medium Black Meeples)
- 1 Monster Boss (Large Black Meeple)
3.5 Tokens & Markers
- 12 Health tokens (Hearts)
- 32 Small health rings
- 8 Large health rings
- 3 Portal Shards
3.6 Dice
- 1 six-sided dice (d6)
4. Setup
- Assemble the board using the 19 hex tiles in a hex-flower pattern.
- Place 1 Portal tile on three outer edge hexes.
- Place 1 Village tile adjacent to each Portal tile.
- Place 1 Ruin tile on three remaining inner hexes.
- Place the matching structure on each special tile.
- Place one Portal Shard with each of the Ruins.
- Each player selects one Hero and places their miniature on any Village tile.
- Place 1 Monster Grunts on each Portal tile.
5. Heroes
5.1 Hero Stats
| Hero | Attack | Defense | Health | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | 3 | 2 | 12 | Shield Wall |
| Ranger | 2 | 1 | 10 | Ranged Shot |
| Mage | 2 | 1 | 8 | Arcane Seal |
| Barbarian | 4 | 0 | 14 | Rage |
Heroes begin the game at full Health.
5.2 Hero Abilities
Shield Wall (Warrior): Once per round, reduce incoming damage by 1.
Ranged Shot (Ranger): The Ranger may attack a Monster on an adjacent tile without moving.
Arcane Seal (Mage): The Mage is more effective at sealing portals, succeeding on a roll of 4-6 and only takes 2 damage on a failed seal. With a Portal Shard the Mage can seal a Portal using an Action.
Mage’s Last Stand
If the Mage dies during the game they choose from one of the following:
- Final Seal: Seal one open Portal anywhere on the board.
- Arcane Collapse: All open Portals spawn one fewer Monster for the rest of the game (minimum 0).
Rage (Barbarian): When the Barbarian takes damage, place 1 Rage marker on their base (maximum 2). Each Rage marker grants +1 Attack. At the end of the Barbarian’s turn, remove 1 Rage marker.
6. Round Structure
- Monster Phase
- Hero Phase
- End of Round
7. Hero Phase
Heroes may act in any order. Each Hero takes one turn per round.
- Move – Move up to 2 adjacent tiles.
-
Action – Choose one:
- Attack (see section 7.1)
- Seal a Portal (see section 7.2)
- Loot a Ruin (see section 7.3)
- End Turn
7.1 Attack
- Attacker rolls 1 die and adds their Attack value.
- Defender subtracts their Defense value.
- Remaining value is dealt as damage (minimum 0).
- Remove Health tokens accordingly.
7.2 Sealing a Portal
Any Hero standing on a Portal tile may attempt to seal it instead of attacking.
| Hero | Success Roll |
|---|---|
| Mage | 4–6 |
| Other Heroes | 6 |
Ruins contain Portal Shards that aid in sealing Portals. While holding a Portal Shard, a Hero seals a Portal on a roll of 4–6. If a sealing attempt fails while holding a Portal Shard, the Hero only takes 2 damage. If a hero faile an attempt and does not have a Portal Shard they take 5 damage.
7.3 Loot a Ruin
By going to a ruin a Hero picks up a Portal Shard and gains one of the following benefits, which is determined by rolling the die:
- 1 - Strength: +2 Attack
- 2 - Shield: +2 Defense
- 3 - Vitality: +3 Health each round
- 4 - Endurance: Extra action every round
- 5 - Speed: +1 movement every round
- 6 - Luck: Reroll any die once every round
8. Monster Phase (Game Controlled)
| Monster | Attack | Defense | Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grunt | -2 | 2 | 2 |
| Brute | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Boss | 2 | 4 | 8 |
Step 1 – Spawn
- If no Portals are sealed, each open Portal spawns 1 Grunt.
- If one Portal is sealed, each remaining open Portal spawns 1 Brute instead.
- If two portals are sealed the Boss spawns at the remaining portal or the nearest ruin to the portal that was most recently sealed. Only the Boss spawns this turn but future rounds brutes will continue spawing at open portals.
Step 2 – Target Priority
- Closest Hero
- Closest Village
Monsters will always target a Hero first unless there is a village closer. If a Village and a Hero are the same distance from the monster will target the Hero. If two players are an equal distance from the monster than the player may choose who the monster will target.
Step 3 – Move
Monsters move 1 tile toward their target.
Step 4 – Attack
- Monsters attack if on the same tile as their target.
- Resolve Monster attacks in the following order: Grunts → Brutes → Boss.
- If multiple Monsters and multiple Heroes are on the same tile, each Monster attacks once. Heroes may choose how to assign Monster attacks among Heroes on that tile.
- Villages take 1 damage per attacking grunt, 2 damage from attacking brutes, and 3 damage from the attacking Boss.
The Boss moves up to 2 tiles per Monster Phase and attacks all Heroes on its tile.
9. Villages
- Each Village has 3 Health.
- Remove Village health markers as the Villages take damage.
- When a Village reaches 3 damage, remove the structure.
- If all the Villages are destroyed, the Heroes lose.
10. Hero Defeat
- When a Hero’s Health reaches 0, they are defeated and removed from play. If the Mage dies, activate Mage's Last Stand (see section 5.2)
- The remaining Heroes may continue as long as at least one Hero remains.
11. Difficulty Adjustments (Optional)
When setting up the game, turn all the hex tiles upside down, mix them up, and form a rough draft of a map you want. Then flip them over and connect them. This will completely randomize the locations of the portals, villages, and ruins.
12. Design Notes
- Cooperative strategy
- Tactical positioning
- Risk vs. reward decisions
- Physical clarity through 3D components
13. End of Game
If the Heroes seal all Portals and defeat the Boss, Hexfall is saved.
If the Villages fall or the Heroes are defeated, Hexfall is overrun.
Thank you for playing The Siege of Hexfall.