How To Play King of Tokyo: Easy Guide To Win

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King of Tokyo is a fun board game where you play as a monster trying to take over the city of Tokyo. The goal is to either earn 20 victory points or be the last monster standing. You’ll use dice to attack, heal, gain energy, and score points. Let’s learn how to set up, play, and win the game in the easiest way.

Game Setup: Quick and Easy Start

1. Pick your monster: Each player chooses one of the monsters to play with.
2. Set life and points: Set your monster’s hearts (life) to 10 and victory points to 0.
3. Place the board: Put the game board in the middle so everyone can reach.
4. Shuffle the cards: Shuffle the power cards and put them in a deck.
5. Flip 3 cards: Place the top 3 cards face up next to the board.
6. Energy cubes: Put all green energy cubes in the center.
7. Dice setup: Put the 6 black dice near everyone. Keep the green dice aside for later (used only with special cards).

How to Play: Step-by-Step

Every turn has 5 easy phases:

1. Roll the Dice

• Roll the 6 black dice.
• You can roll up to 3 times.
• After the first roll, you can keep any dice you like and re-roll the rest.
• After your third roll, you must keep the results and move to the next step.

2. Resolve the Dice

Here’s what each symbol means:

• Numbers (1, 2, 3): If you roll three of the same number, you score that many victory points. Extra same numbers give 1 more point each.
  • Example: Three 3s = 3 points. Four 3s = 4 points.
• Energy: Gain 1 green energy cube for each energy symbol you roll.
• Smash: Hit other monsters!
  • If you are in Tokyo, all monsters outside Tokyo lose 1 heart per smash.
  • If you are outside Tokyo, monsters in Tokyo take damage.
  • If Tokyo is empty and you roll a smash, you enter Tokyo but no damage is done.
• Hearts: Heal 1 life per heart symbol if you are outside Tokyo.
  • Monsters in Tokyo cannot heal.
  • You can’t have more than 10 hearts.

3. Enter Tokyo

• If Tokyo is empty, you must move into it.
• In games with 5-6 players, there’s also Tokyo Bay the second monster must enter here.
• You stay in Tokyo until you lose a heart from a smash. Then, you may choose to leave, and the attacker takes your place.

Being in Tokyo gives you 1 victory point at the start of your turn. If you stay in Tokyo through a whole turn, you get 2 points!

4. Market Phase: Buy Power Cards

• Use your energy cubes to buy cards shown on the board.
• The cost is in the top corner of the card.
• When you buy a card, replace it with a new one from the deck.
• You can spend 2 energy cubes to remove all 3 cards and draw 3 new ones.
• You can keep buying as long as you have energy cubes.

Some cards are permanent powers; others give one-time effects.

5. End Your Turn

• Check your power cards in case any activate at the end of the turn.
• Then, pass the dice to the next player.

How to Win

The game ends when:

• A monster reaches 20 victory points, or
• Only one monster is left alive.

That monster is crowned the King of Tokyo!

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