Original rulebook (Rio Grande Games, PDF) 
Fairytale
It was fabulous! Fearlessly, you found the 3 fetishes in the Finnish fjord. With light-footed and foxy feints you ferry the fetishes to
prince Fieso in France to free the fascinating faerie Fabula. But Fieso is not fond of foreigners, what a fiasco! You land freezing and
foolishly find yourself trapped in a frightful fortress with sinister corridors. Now you must flee Fieso's trap. Furunkulus, the monster,
is a frightening freak, especially fond of foolish foreigners. He will feed on you if he is able. So you want to fool Furunkulus and flee
to freedom.
Components
- 1 game board
- 17 floor tiles: 11 Stones (using back: 3 stones, 2 crystal, 4 right turning stones, 2 180° turning stones), 4 teleporters, 2 blood pools
- 8 monster movement tiles (values: 5, 7, 7, 8, 8, 10, 1 hit, 2 hits)
- 1 starting player tile
- 25 playing figures in 7 colors
- 1 monster building kit
Goal of the game
The players try to move their playing figures through prince Fieso's fortress, without being eaten by the monster Furunkulus. Whoever gets a
certain number of his playing figures out of the fortress wins the game. During the game, the players move one playing figure after the other,
in turn order. After the players move their playing figures, the monster makes his move automatically (triggered by the monster movement
tiles), to eat any playing figures in sight. Thus, during movement, players should try to place their playing figures behind stones to hide them
or to move such that the monster is attracted to their opponents.
The basic game
Preparation:
Place the game board in the middle of the table. Shuffle the monster movement tiles and place them face down next to the board.
Each player takes all the playing figures of one color (6/1, 4/3, 3/4, and 2/5). In games with 5 to 7 players, each player takes only 3 playing
figures (6/1, 3/4, and 2/5). Place all playing figures next to the entrance with the white numbers (colored sides) face up. Each player now
has playing figures showing a 1, 4, and 5 (with 2 to 4 players, additionally a 3).
Create a monster by joining the monster pieces and place it on the corner space next to the exit, so that it looks straight to the letter M at
the edge of the board. Place the unused monster pieces back into the box.
Remove the teleporters from the game. You only need the two blood pools and all the stones (the backs of the crystals and stones) in the
basic game.
Place the stone floor tiles face down and the blood pools on the board as shown in the picture. Here, the stone floor tiles act as just stones.
[Note: The picture is shown above in the part about the online game]
Playing the game
The player who looks the most like the monster starts the game. Alternatively, players may choose a starting player using any method they
desire. This player takes the starting player tile.
The game is played in two stages. In the first stage, all the playing figures that are eaten by the monster are placed at the entrance and
come back into the game on the next turn. In the second stage, all playing figures that are eaten by the monster are permanently removed
from the game.
A single game turn is divided into two phases:
- Moving the playing figures
- Moving the monster
1. Moving the playing figures
The playing figures all have one side with white numbers (colored side) and one with black numbers (black side). At the beginning of the
first game turn place the playing figures so that all white numbers (colored sides) are lying face up. At the end of this game turn all the
black numbers (black sides) will be face up because, after moving, each playing figure is turned over. The players, in turn order, move one
of their playing figures up to the number of spaces indicated by the number on the figure.
When a player first moves one of his playing figures onto the board, the first space counted is the corner space at the entrance. To leave
the fortress, the playing figures need an additional movement point after the corner space at the exit.
The player may move his playing figures to any space vertically or horizontally and can move each any number of spaces up to the number
shown on the top of the playing figure. A player may even choose not to move a playing figure by simply turning it over. The player can
move a player figure forwards and backwards and can change direction at any time. The player may move a playing figure through spaces
occupied by other playing figures (occupied spaces still count toward the total number of spaces moved), but must end the movement on
an empty space.
After moving the playing figure, the player turns it over to the other side, so players can easily see that it has already moved (the new number
is the maximum movement distance for the next turn). After a player moves a playing figure, the next player, in turn order (clockwise),
moves one of his playing figures.
After each player has moved (or chosen not to move) all his playing figures (when all are turned over to the new side), the moving of the
playing figures ends.
During the first game turn, each player only moves (any) two of his playing figures onto the board. The other playing figures
remain outside the board and the players simply turn them over. Beginning with the second game turn the players move their
remaining playing figures onto the board.
Pushing:
The players may have their playing figures push stones. A player may push a stone only if the space behind that stone is empty.
A player may not push stones off the board.
When a player pushes a stone onto the corner space at the entrance or exit, the stone is immediately removed from the game.
Blood pools:
When a player moves a playing figure onto a blood pool, the figure slides in a straight line to the space beyond the blood pool,
for the cost of a single movement point. If there is a moveable stone on that space, it is pushed one space according to the pushing rules.
If the stone cannot be pushed or if the blood pool lies next to the edge of the board and the space the figure would slide to is beyond the
edge of the board, the playing figure stays on the last space of the blood pool and needs another movement point to slide sideways off the
blood pool.
Because it is forbidden to end movement on the same space as another playing figure, a player cannot move a playing figure
onto a blood pool with its last movement point if the space behind the blood pool is already occupied by another playing figure.
More generally, a player cannot move a playing figure onto a blood pool if it would end its slide on another playing figure and have
too few remaining movement points to move to an empty space.
If you push a stone onto a blood pool, it slides in straight line across the blood pool, just as a playing figure would. If the space behind the
blood pool is empty it stops there. If it is occupied it remains on the last space of the blood pool.
Playing figures cannot push other playing figures.
A playing figure can never move through the space of the monster.
The moving and pushing rules are on the back of the rules sheet.
[Note: the table with the pushing rules is shown at the end of this chapter.]
2. Movement of the monster
After moving all the playing figures, the monster moves. The monster moves automatically with the following rules.
The topmost monster movement card is placed face up and determines the distance the monster moves.
Every step of the monster is divided into:
a) looking
b) moving a space
These two steps are repeated until the monster reaches the given distance (or condition). After the last movement, the monster looks a
final time.
The monster always looks in three directions: straight ahead, to the left, and to the right. The monster never looks back! Also, the monster
cannot look diagonally, because the fortress is designed as a pillared hall. If the monster cannot see a playing figure in any direction it
keeps facing in the direction it was and moves forward one space to look again.
If the monster sees a playing figure in one of the directions, it turns to this figure and moves a space to look again, moves a step, looks
again, etc.
If the monster can see more than one playing figure, it moves towards the closest figure. If two or more playing figures have the same
closest distance, the monster keeps facing in the direction it was (it is confused and a little bit stupid, too) and moves one space to look
again, etc.
The monster cannot look through stones.
If the monster moves onto a space occupied by a playing figure, it eats this figure. During the first stage of the game, the eaten playing
figure is placed back in front of the entrance, without being turned over. After eating, the monster moves further spaces (if it has spaces
left) and can eat more playing figures.
The monster pushes everything in front of itself (e.g. playing figures that hide behind stones, multiple stones, etc.). Only blood pools are
unmovable. Everything pushed onto a blood pool slides - corresponding to the rules for playing figures above - in a straight line to the
other side.
The monster can push stones and playing figures off of the board, the stones are removed from the game, while the playing figures are
treated as being eaten.
The monster can walk through walls: if the monster moves off of the board, it keeps facing the same direction as it was and re-enters
the board with the same movement points at the other side of the board on the space with the same letter.
After drawing the monster movement cards »1 hit« and »2 hits«, the monster moves as long as necessary to eat 1 or 2 playing figures
(or to push them off of the board). However, it will never move more than 20 spaces.
Exception:
The first monster movement card of each game cannot be a 1 or 2 hit card. If these cards are drawn, continue drawing
monster movement cards until a card with a number is drawn and reshuffle the other cards to form a new draw pile.
After moving the monster, the next player to the left takes the starting player tile and the game continues with phase 1: Moving playing
figures. The starting player begins and moves one of his figures.
The first stage of the game
During the first stage, all eaten figures can re-enter the board and are placed next to the entrance, where they will re-enter on the next turn.
The second stage of the game
The second stage starts after the second to last monster movement card is drawn and executed. Now all monster movement cards are
reshuffled and are placed face down as the new draw pile. From now on, all eaten figures are removed from the game. Sometimes the
winning conditions are fulfilled during the first stage. In that case, there is no second stage.
If the winning conditions have not been fulfilled when again all but one card has been played, the game ends and all playing figures
inside the fortress count as eaten.
End of game
As soon as one player moves all but one of his playing figures out of the fortress, he wins the game (with 2 to 4 players you need 3 playing
figures, with 5 to 7 players only 2 playing figures). The game also ends if, during the second stage, all playing figures are eaten or have
exited the fortress. In this case, the winning player is the one who moved the most playing figures out of the fortress. If players tie with
the most playing figures exiting the fortress, the player who first reached this number is the winner.
Otherwise, after the second to last monster movement card is drawn and executed during the second stage, the game ends and all playing figures
inside the fortress count as eaten.
Special comment for the 2-player game
If a player moves 2 of his figures out of the fortress before his opponent even gets one out, it can really backfire. The other player can
move 2 more playing figures on the board after the first player finishes his last movement.
Experienced players can use these additional
moves to really annoy the opponent and win the game.
Special comment for the 6 and 7 player game
With 6 or 7 players the game is much more random. With luck, a player can move 2 of his figures out of the fortress during the first stage to
win the game. This leads to a short game.
To play a longer game, change the monster movement card with value "5" to a "3 hits" card.
[Note: This is not supported by the online game.]
The game for experienced players
To play the game for experienced players, use the front sides of the stone floor tiles, the blood pools and the teleporters. Place all the floor
tiles and the starting player tile next to the board. Starting with a random player, each player chooses any one floor tile, in turn order, and
places it anywhere he wants on the game board. Note, the following exceptions:
- Nothing can be placed on the 3 spaces next to entrance and exit (the corner spaces and the orthogonally adjacent spaces).
- The floor tiles must be placed exactly on the spaces and cannot overlap.
- It is not allowed to place 2 teleporters directly next to each other.
All functions of the floor tiles are explained on the back of the rules, too.
[Note: see table at the end of this chapter]
After placing the last floor tile, the next player in turn order takes the starting player tile and starts the game.
Follow all the rules of the basic game.
The functions of the new floor tiles
Crystal:
Functions like a stone except that the monster can look through the crystal and see hiding playing figures.
Turning stones:
Functions like a stone as far as playing figures are concerned. For the monster: if the monster moves to the space with
a turning stone, it will not push the turning stone, but instead turns as indicated by the turning stone - either to the right or 180° - and then
moves a space. Before moving as indicated by the stone, it looks to the left and right, and only if it cannot see a playing figure is the
function of the turning stones activated.
Teleporter:
For playing figures, teleporters are equal to the edge of the board - they cannot move onto a space with a teleporter. The
monster can look over teleporters - they are flat. If the monster walks onto a teleporter, it teleports with this movement point instantly to
the other (matching) teleporter and faces in the direction of the visible arrow. Before it moves again, it will look to the left and right and
can immediately change direction.
Overview movement:
| ---- |
Monster |
Playing figure |
Line of Sight |
Something is pushed onto this space |
| Stones | Pushes! | Pushes, if the space behind is empty. | The monster cannot look through. | Is pushed. |
| Turning stone right | Instead of moving onto that space, it moves to the right. | Pushes, if the space behind is empty. | The monster cannot look through. | Is pushed. |
| Turning stone 180° | Instead of moving onto that space, it turns 180°. | Pushes, if the space behind is empty. | The monster cannot look through. | Is pushed. |
| Teleporter | Instantly after moving onto the teleporter, it teleports to the other teleporter of the same kind and faced in the direction of the arrow. | Cannot move onto the space! | The monster looks through it. |
Anything pushed onto the space is removed from the game; playing figures count as being eaten. |
| Blood pools | With one step, it slides to the other end of the blood pool. | With one step, it slides to the other end of the blood pool. | The monster looks through it. |
Anything pushed onto the blood pool slides to the other end. |
| Crystal | Pushes! | Pushes, if the space behind is empty. | The monster looks through it. | Is pushed. |
| Edge | Instantly after moving over the edge, the monster re-enters at the same letter on the other side of the board. | Cannot move over the edge! | Line of Sight ends at the edge. |
Anything pushed over the edge is removed from the game; playing figures count as being eaten. |
| Playing figure | Instantly eats the figure. | Can move through the space but cannot stop movement. | The monster moves to the nearest playing figure. | Is pushed. (Player figures cannot push each other!) |
| Monster | ---- | Cannot enter the space! | The monster looks straight ahead, to the left and to the right. It never looks backwards. | ---- |
The online game
Special notes for the online version of "Fearsome Floors":
- Preparation phase: It is not allowed to place a teleporter next to a wall if there is another teleporter next to the wall segment with the same letter.
- If the monster is about to walk through a wall and there is a turning stone on the space next to the wall segment with the same letter, it will change its direction before walking through the wall.
- If there is a turning stone on a blood pool and the monster moves onto the blood it will slide to the turning stone and will then immediately change its direction. (Note: This does not sound realistic since it is a heavy-weight monster and the g-forces would be very strong. The other alternative would be that in this case pushing the stone to the other end would get priority.)