So here’s the thing about the Final Girl Feature Film boxes. The gameplay of each feature film is broadly going to be the same. Where each feature film differs is some element in the set up, and the specific rules around the villain and the location you’re playing with. So in order to save you, dear reader, from reading the same thing over and over again, here is a handy link to the original How to Play for the Final Girl Core Box (also written by me!). What will follow is the specific differences between the Knock at the Door Feature Film.
Setup
In this box, you have two new Final Girl Cards to use: Ginny and Ava, and a new Killer: The Intruders. Like with the base game, you’ll shuffle in the Terror Cards for the Location and the Killer into a deck and follow the setup cards as normal.
Intruder Special Setup
The game is set up as normal, but you may have noticed the Intruders. Plural. There are two additional Killer meeples in the box here, so they will join the red Killer meeple on the start space. Each Killer gets their staring Health including a Final Health token. Finally, place the Active Killer token on Trish's (Red Killer) circle on the Killer board.
Wingard Cottage Special Setup
Place the four Supply Item cards face up in the play area. Shuffle the Crafted Item cards together and deal out four faceup cards in the play area.
How to Play
The Killer and Location have special rules for this set, so follow the respective rules during play.
The Intruders
The Intruders believe they are doing holy work, freeing souls from their mortal trappings. As they work as a group, it's tricky to overcome them, but luckily, only one is Active at any one point. The Active Killer is indicated by the Active Killer token on their board.
The Active Killer can and will change throughout the game, even more than once during a turn. When you change the Active Killer, move the Active Killer token to the relevant spot on the Killer board. This can happen in three different ways:
- When you attack a Killer, regardless of if you damage it or not, or use an item to damage it, that Killer immediately becomes the Active Killer.
- When resolving the appropriate symbol, which looks like two triangles behind a capital K, the Active Killer token will move accordingly. If the red triangle is on top, move the token up, and if its on the bottom, move the token down. If you have to move the Killer token beyond the usual limits of the track, the token wraps around.
- When the Active Killer is killed, move the Active Killer token to the top-most Killer that's still alive.
Additional Clarifications
Because we have three Killers on the board, we have some additional rule iterations we need to be aware of.
- Some cards have an affect that "All Killers" WILL resolve. When this happens, start revolving the effects from the top-most Killer on the Killer board, following in order.
- When Panic is triggered, Victims in spaces with any Killer will panic if a Victim was killed this turn.
- The Minor Dark powers apply to ALL killers, not just the Active Killer. When damage is applied to any Killer, and a Minor Dark power is in play, the damage is first applied to the Minor Dark Power card.
- When one of the Killers still has its Black Final Health token and loses its final health, and there is at least one other Killer on the board, the phase doesn't end as it normally does. First lay the "dead" Killer on its side, then change the Active Killer and finish the current phase. After the phase is done, check the dead Killer's Final Health token. If it is blank, this Killer is truly dead, and if not, it rises again as per the normal rules.
- Even though each Killer has its own Final Health token, you only get the +1 Die bonus once regardless of how many killers are on their final health point.
Wingard Cottage
The cottage is a perfect getaway, nestled in the woods on the edge of a lake. As beautiful as it is, it has had its share of misfortune throughout the long family history of ownership. As any good estate agent will tell you, there are definitions on the cards which refer to different parts of the house.
House refers to the Kitchen, both Bedrooms, Family Room, Laundry Room and the Garage.
Indoors refers to all spaces inside the house as well as the Shed and the Boathouse.
Outdoor space is everything that isn't Indoors.
Supply Items
Some spaces on the board have Supply Item symbols, which refer to a specific type of Supply Item. This could be Discarded Tools, Nails, Rope and Wood. While in these spaces, you can gain the Supply item at the cost of one Time, but you must have stopped in the space. Place the Supply Item into a Backpack slot as normal. When you discard a Supply Item card, it goes back into play to be claimed later.
Crafted Items
Crafting allows you to gain an available Crafted Item by discarding the Item cards and/or Supply Item cards listed on the Crafted Item card, as well as using the required amount of Time. When you gain the Crafted Item, it goes to either your Hand or Backback slot. When you discard a Crafted Item, it goes back into the play area faceup, available to be crafted again.
If you use an Item with limited uses to gain a Crafted Item card, those carry over to the Crafted item, so be careful!
About the Blogger
You can find more of Luke’s ramblings about board games on his YouTube channel, The Game Imporium and as the host of the Bucket List Board Gamers Podcast.
