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ByAlex Hakobian
EditorN. Philip Cole
ForewordJames M. Spahn
Cover ArtEric Quigley
Interior ArtGennifer Bone, Gary Chalk, Jenna Fowler, D.L.
Johnson
TokensDevin Night
Archaic Language ConsultantBenjamin Goodin
Combat Dice icons byLorc - game-icons.net
“Conquering Despair” Quest Map tiles byHeroic Maps -
heroicmaps.com
With additional contribution from and very special thanks
toCaleb Abbruzzese, Jason Bell, Joe Cwik, James M. Spahn, Mark
Whitley
Fonts used throughout this documentAlmendra, Almendra SC,
Gentium Book Basic, Trade Winds
All available through Google Fonts (fonts.google.com)
Broadsword is released under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0© 2017
Bloody Eye Games, Inc. All art © 2017 their respective owners,
licensed with permission to Bloody Eye Games, Inc. All rights
reserved.
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Kickstarter BackersCaleb Peter AbbruzzeseTodd AgtheTorbjoern
BartelsJason BellTodd Bergman ChaoticDragonN. Phillip Cole Robert
CondonDaniel “Runebeard” CrispJoe CwikCabel DawsonJason DeanMark
DelsingEdNicholas Ravém ElseySintenga F.Mitchell FurnessCasey
G.Peter GoergenChristopher Grace J.R. (CavemanLogic) GracenJack
GulickRoman ‘Yuma’ HaugJack HearonMartin J. HoagRoger C. Jones
Jennifer Knighton Guy Edward LarkeKevin LemkeSteve Lord
Allison M. LugerMatthew R MartinezGalen MonticueAdrian
“Catsgomeow” MorganDevin NightThe Mighty OsbornesMatthias “Logan
McCormack” PlatzerNathan Pollardpugglesnot Rabbit of HarmonyNicole
RabensteinralykamClaus Bundgaard RasmussenKirin RobinsonJohn
‘johnkzin’ RuddAaron J. SchraderJack SkratchAlex Sinfield Joel
& Yossi SiragherMark SolinoStorapanStormageddon, Dark Lord of
AllSuper IdAdam Gerald SwinderStephan SzaboUskaba &
SasriaJoseph J. WarnerJeff, Mary, Zane and Kaylee Webb Mark Whitley
Henry Wilson
A thousand “thank yous” are not enough for helping to bring
Broadsword to life.
You are all Heroes eternal.
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Foreword It all began when a little boy said “Broadsword!” on
the TV screen in 1990. Unlike so many others, my exposure to the
idea of rolling dice, slaying the monster, and achieving victory
through sharp swords and sinister spellcraft came not through
table-top roleplaying games. It came from an amazing board game
that my parents reluctantly purchased for me one Christmas after I
had begged and pleaded for months.
Inside that box was more than just a board game, more than
little plastic figures, more than cards. There were thrilling
heroics, daring deeds, death-defying escapes, countless riches, and
untold glory. It was everything a twelve-year-old boy could ever
ask for. I played that game until the box fell apart and the pieces
got lost to the vortex of time, one by one. Though I eventually
turned the bulk of my attention to traditional table-top
roleplaying games and would eventually grow into a professional
contributor to the industry, I still get a thrill whenever I hear
that single word, that battle cry of “Broadsword!”
Alex has distilled the essence of those halcyon days with his
wonderful creation. This time, we don’t have to worry about a nosy
cat knocking the Gargoyle over or have to clean up when our parents
tell us its time for dinner. We can just close the virtual table
top, leaving everything as it was until it’s time to return to
fortune and glory. In an instant, we can be twelve years old again.
We can draw our Broadsword.
- James M. Spahn Barrel Rider Games
Fore
wor
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Chapter I: IntroductionBroadsword is an epic fantasy adventure
game that takes place in underground caverns, dense forests, hidden
catacombs, and other wild places of the world overrun by the forces
of the Abyss.
The King summons his valiant Heroes to champion the forces of
good and do battle with the Abyss. The King challenges these Heroes
to travel to the most feral places and overcome the evil forces of
the Abyss, restoring honor and glory to the Kingdom.
Unable to stand idly by while evil spreads, the loyal Heroes
unite to journey deeper into this dark, mysterious world.
What Makes Broadsword UniqueBroadsword is a high fantasy,
tactical adventure game that seamlessly mar-ries elements from both
classic boardgames and tabletop roleplaying games to result in
something novel — much more than a simple boardgame; not quite a
full RPG.
One player assumes the role of the Game Master, or GM, who
controls the game; the other players assume the role of Heroes —
cunning adventurers, brave warriors, and wily spellcasters.
A game for 4 to 6 players, Broadsword plays out in sequential
game sessions called Quests. Each Quest is detailed in a Quest
Book, which generally conforms to a themed story or adventure.
A Quest may take from two to four hours to play. During a Quest,
He-roes acquire valuable riches, which may be used between Quests
to pur-chase powerful weapons, protective armor, or useful
equipment from the many stores in the Armory.
What M
akes Broadsword U
nique
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The Heroes must work together to defeat the forces of the Abyss.
Individual winning is not the goal; neither is competing against
other Heroes. United the Heroes stand. Divided they fall.
The adventure never ends! Additional standalone Quests or
complete Quest Books featuring all new challenges for the Heroes
are easy to design by the GM. Official supplements can be purchased
from our storefront on DriveThruRPG.
Getting StartedOne player must assume the role of the GM. The
other players each assume the role of a Hero and must create a
character. Quests assume a complement of 4 to 5 Heroes and 1
GM.
Using fewer than 4 Heroes will make most Quests more difficult,
some outright impossible. The GM may compensate for this by
lowering the difficulty of a Quest: decreasing the number of
monsters, decreasing the presence of traps, and/or relinquishing
the Wandering Monster rolls.
Likewise, 6 or more players all but eliminates the challenge of
a Quest. There will simply be too many Heroes taking turns before
the GM, thus most mon-sters will be dead by attrition before they
can take an action. The GM may try to compensate by ramping up the
difficulty: increasing the number of mon-sters, adding extra
trapped squares, and so on. Doing so comes at the cost of making
each Quest last much longer, which may get tedious.
Important: The role of the Game Master is vital. You alone know
where the monsters, secret doors, treasures, and traps are located
during the Quest. Only the GM has access to the Quest Book.
Suggestion: If you are the owner of this game and have gathered
your friends together to play, you should play the role of the Game
Master.
How The GM Uses This BookAs the GM, you must read this entire
Rulebook to yourself in order to under-stand how to run the
game.
Remember that Quest Books are for your eyes only. However, there
are sec-tions of each Quest that must be read aloud to the other
players. These para-graphs are noted throughout the Quest Book.
Gett
ing
Star
ted,
How
the
GM U
ses Th
is B
ook
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Chapter II: PreparationSetting Up The GameThe GM must take a
number of critical steps before running the game.
1. Familiarize Yourself With The Quest
Open the Quest Book and select the Quest you would like to play.
Read it to yourself. Each Quest features three different sections:
The Quest Text, the Quest Map, and the Quest Notes.
Quest TextAlways read the Quest Text aloud to the players at the
beginning of the game. While providing story context, it outlines
the challenge the Heroes will face as well as the reward they will
receive if they are successful.
Quest MapThe Quest Map shows how the map tiles, traps, and
figures are to be laid out as the game progresses. Various numbers
marked on the map show the start-ing positions of monsters. You can
find details for the numbers on each Quest page in a legend.
Additional symbols on the map show where other features are
located.
D – Door S – Secret doorT – Treasure chest [ ] – Pit Trap# –
Falling Rock Trap ! – Spear TrapSTART – The Heroes begin the Quest
in these squares
Important: Do not place anything on the map at this time. You
will reveal the game map layout only when the Hero figures have
moved into a position on the board that requires you to reveal
something within their Vicinity (page 30).
Quest NotesRead the Quest Notes thoroughly before the start of
the Quest. They explain what happens in certain rooms and locations
as well as detail the unique situ-ations the Hero players will have
to contend with.
Important: You will disclose relevant information in the Quest
Notes to the Heroes as the Quest unfolds and the Heroes move into
or through certain ar-eas. Feel free to embellish details to your
liking to enhance player immersion.
Setting Up the Gam
e: Familiarize Yourself w
ith the Quest
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2. Prepare The Board
Preparation for the game differs slightly depending on whether
you are play-ing on a virtual tabletop (VTT) or with physical
pieces around a table with friends and family.
Playing on a VTTIf you are playing on a VTT, this rulebook
assumes you have already uploaded all maps and tokens required for
play. Find the appropriate Quest and populate the map with tokens
and symbols to mark where monsters, traps, secret doors, and
treasures are located (unless the Quest Notes specifically say not
to). Place the Heroes within the START squares.
If your VTT has options for lighting, properly assign the Heroes
with the re-quired settings for sight. In other words, if the Quest
takes place in a dark underground map, give each Hero a 5-square
Vicinity (page 30) light source. If the map is aboveground, assign
whichever sort of illumination you deem works best, making sure to
cordon off walls that Heroes and players cannot see through. Some
VTTs may refer to this as Dynamic Lighting or Fog of War.
Since all monsters will have been pre-placed on the map, only
activate mon-sters when they are within a Hero’s Vicinity or they
are attacked from more than 5 squares away with a ranged
attack.
Playing in PersonWhen playing on a physical table, you have two
options for preparing the ta-ble. If you have printed map tiles,
place the map tiles in the proper configura-tion and lay it flat on
the table. If you are using a gridded battle mat, only draw the
START area and nearby points of interest (walls, trees, edge of
map, etc.).
Only place monsters on the map when Heroes get within about ten
squares. This does not need to be precise; you can eyeball the
distance and place monsters as needed. Activate monsters when
they fall within Heroes’ 5-square Vicinity.
Prep
are
the
Boar
d
Only place monsters on the map when Heroes get within about ten
squares. This does not need to be precise; you can eyeball the
distance and place monsters as needed. Activate monsters when
they fall within Heroes’ 5-square Vicinity.
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3. Understand The Character Sheet
Have each player begin by selecting a race and class for their
Hero. The num-ber of dice and starting points are listed for each
class. Have each player fill out their character sheet based on the
information provided by their selected class.
RaceEach player must select one of the five available races,
page 14.
Racial AbilityEach race has a choice of defining Racial Ability
that should be taken into ac-count when combining with a class,
page 14.
ClassThe Hero’s archetype. Each class offers a Class Ability
unique to that class, which may be taken into account when
combining with a race, page 15.
Class AbilityHybrid and Caster classes have the special ability
to cast spells unique to their class. Fighter classes cannot cast
spells, but make up for it with a distinctive talent unique to that
class.
Underst
and the Character Sheet
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