There are three phases that repeat, in each room, until the end of the game: Setup, Battle, and Resolution.

Setup Phase

At the beginning of the Setup Phase, the Overseer flips over the next Room card (closest to the players) in order. The Catacomb Lord’s Lair Special Room card will always be the final card.

The Overseer places a playmat inside the walls and places the obstacle pieces on top of the Obstacle icons.

The Overseer places the designated monsters (indicated by the Room card) inside the Monster Start Zone. The Overseer places the Monster cards on the table as a reference for the players.

Battle Phase

Heroes start the round by performing their turns, in any order, one at a time. As a hero, on your turn, you can do only one of the following actions:

1. Perform the hero’s base shot sequence, found on their Hero Rules card.

2. Play a Spell card, which is then discarded and cannot be used again in the game.

3. Play an Ability card, which cannot be used again until the next room.

4. Play an Item card. How often Item cards can be used varies by card.

Once the heroes have taken all of their turns, the Overseer performs the shot sequences on all of the Monster cards.

The round ends once the Overseer’s turn is complete. A new round then begins, starting with the heroes’ turns. Play continues this way until all the monsters in the room have been destroyed. Then, the Battle Phase ends.

Resolution Phase

If at least one hero remains alive, the Resolution Phase proceeds, as follows:

1. The heroes receive gold coins for each monster they destroyed. All monsters are returned to the Monster Pool.

2. The game continues, starting at the Setup Phase.

3. However, if the heroes are at the Catacomb Lord’s Lair room, the game ends immediately.