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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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