So I want to preface this by saying this is in no way an advertisement, more so just asking for suggestions on any improvements I can make on my game.

So I made a game as part of a university project a few years ago and my friends really really enjoy playing it with me from time to time. Now that I have a full time job as a math teacher and recently bought a 3d printer, I want to make it into a full on real deal game, mostly just to keep playing it with friends but maybe to get it made one day, like officially.

I wanna call it "Five Dungeons Deep"

It's a cooperative game all about risk and teamwork.

Player Count: 1-4
Playtime: 60-120 minutes
Age Range: 12+

There are 5 main card types. Character cards, monster cards, boss monster cards, item cards, and legendary item cards.

• Character Cards: Each player selects one of the unique character cards, representing a class with specific stats: HP, Attack, Defense, Speed, and a starting weapon.
• Monster Deck: A shuffled deck of rank 1-5 monsters (rarity based on star rankings). Rank is shown on the back of the card, this will be important for phase 1 of the game.
• Boss Deck: Boss monsters sorted by rank, then shuffled into separate mini-decks (rank 1 to rank 5).
• Item Deck: A shuffled deck of Equipment (armor, weapons, artifacts etc) and Consumables (potions, food, etc)
• Legendary Item Deck: Contains powerful, unique items for significant upgrades.

So to start out, each player begins by picking a character card. Each character will have 3 stats. HP, Speed, Attack Bonus, and starting gear. For example, the Thief character has 7 hp, a +3 to attack, and a +3 to speed. They start off with the rank 1 items "Dagger" and "Leather armor". Dagger is an equipment card that deals 1d4 damage and has the "Light" property which states "This weapon allows you to make an additional attack after your first. If the second attack hits, it deals damage equal to the rank of the target card instead of the weapon's damage die." Leather Armor is a light armor, giving the thief an additional +1 to their speed for a total of +4 and has 13 defense.

The game has three phases. During any phase other than combat, the players may exchange items, gold, or positions in the party line up.

Each player is also given a full set of dice for any rolls that may be needed (1 coin, d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20.)

Phase 1: Monster Drafting

• The top card of the Monster Deck is revealed (backside only, showing its rank).
• Players decide how many monsters to fight: 1, 2, or 3. The players may not see what is under the top card until after choosing a number.
• Players make their choice based on the visible rank and their party’s readiness. For example, the party may see the top monster is a rank 1 monster and feel confident enough to fight 2 or 3 monsters, despite not knowing what's underneath that top card.
• Draw the chosen number of monster cards. These will be faced during Phase 2.

Phase 2: Combat

1. Initiative:
   • Each player and monster rolls a d20 + their Speed stat.
   • Ties are resolved by rerolling.
   • Turn order is determined by initiative rolls.
2. Player Actions: On their turn, players can:
   • Attack: Roll d20 + Attack stat against the monster’s Defense. They must roll equal to or higher to hit. On a hit, roll weapon damage and subtract from the monster’s HP.
   • Use Item: Activate a consumable or special item.
   • Note: Some items or abilities may include the phrase "full action" in it, such as using the bomb item (Full Action: Deals 1d6+1 to all enemy monsters, no attack roll required). Full action effects use up both the "Attack" and "Use Item" actions.
3. Monster Actions:
   • A player rolls for the monster’s attack.
   • Determine the monster’s target by rolling (coin flip for 2 players [heads is player 1, tails is player 2], d6 for 3 players [1-2 is player 1, 3-4 is player 2, 5-6 is player 3] d4 for 4 players).
   • Monsters attack using their stats. Some monsters have abilities (e.g., stunning, resistances, or timed effects).
4. Rewards:
   • Gold is awarded equal to the combined rank of defeated monsters.
   • Gold is split equally. Leftover gold is distributed randomly, starting with players with the least. Roll in the same fashion as monster targeting rolls to decide ties.

To win a combat encounter, all monsters must be defeated to proceed.

If a player drops to 0 hp, they return after combat with 1 hp. If all players drop to 0 hp, the game is over.

Phase 3: Shopping

• Shop Setup: Draw three random items from the Item Deck and display them face-up.
• Initiative Roll: Players roll initiative to determine purchase order.
• Purchasing Rules:
  • Players can buy items or level up.
  • Item costs are based on their rank (e.g., a rank 3 item costs 3 gold).
  • When an item is bought, it is replaced in the shop with another item.
  • After buying an item, initiative goes to the next player, and loops around until all players no longer wish to buy any items.
  • Leveling up costs gold equal to the player’s current level and grants +1 to all stats.
  • Basic health potions (1d6 healing) are always available in unlimited supply and cost 1 gold.
• Equipment and Consumables Limits:
  • Players can carry up to 3 equipment items (weapons, armor, magical gear).
  • Players can carry up to 2 consumables (potions, buffs).

Boss Encounters

After every three rounds, players face a Boss Monster:

• Draw from the corresponding rank in the Boss Deck (e.g. After round 3, fight a rank 1 boss. After round 6, fight a rank 2 boss, etc)
• Bosses may summon minions or have unique abilities that challenge the party.
• Typically bosses are a bit tougher than a monster 1 rank higher.
• Rewards for defeating a boss include items from the Legendary Item Deck, offering powerful upgrades. The party does not

Additional Rules

• Damage Types: Weapons and monsters have damage types (e.g., fire, ice, slashing, piercing). Monsters may have resistances or weaknesses to specific types.

Endgame

• Players progress through increasingly challenging rounds and boss fights.
• The final goal is to defeat the Rank 5 Boss Monster and claim victory as a party.

Dungeon Champion Endgame

• At the start of the game, decide if you wish to play in Dungeon Champion mode. If you do, after the final boss fight, any remaining players fight each other in combat. The survivor is crowned the Dungeon Champion.

And that's pretty much it. I took a lot of inspiration from this deck building game called Star Realm, as well as of course dungeons and dragons.

But yeah, any opinions at all are very much appreciated.