Journey into the Maze of the Minotaur with Cavern Shuffle. Come learn everything you need to know about how to get started.
Based on the classic Solitaire, Cavern Shuffle is a solo-player dungeon delver game where the player must level up their party in order to uncover the dark twists and turns of the dungeon. Using familiar mechanics, players will uncover useful Items, overcome Obstacles and defeat the Boss Encounter to win!
How it works:
Play will be centre around forming sequences with your four (4) Adventurers and levelling them up into the Party piles at the top. Levelling up your Adventurers will in turn help you complete different Encounters in the Dungeon until you are strong enough to beat the Minotaur and win the game!
Adventurers:
Think suits in a standard deck of cards! There are four (4) Adventurers in the game that will make up your Party; Two (2) will be the Lawful alignment (“suits”), and two (2) will be Chaotic.
Each Adventurer will have cards ranging from Level 1 to 10 that can be used in sequences and be leveled-up by being transferred to the top. Each sequence in the Dungeon will operate the same, alternating between Lawful and Chaotic.
As you transfer these Adventurer cards to the top (Party pile) the highest card will indicate the Adventurer’s Individual Level. The combined numbers are added together to determine the Party Level.
Items:
In Cavern Shuffle: Maze of the Minotaur, players will begin with one (1) starting item, and three (3) found as you traverse through the dungeon. As you find items, you may set them aside and wait to use them when the time is right.
Encounters:
In Cavern Shuffle: Maze of the Minotaur, you’ll have two kinds of Encounters, Obstacle Encounters, and Enemy Encounters. Obstacle Encounters leverage the unique skills of each Party member, whereas Enemy Encounters affect the entire party.
Obstacle Encounters:
There are four (4) Obstacle Encounters tailored to one of the four (4) Adventurers. In order to move through the space, your party member must be a high enough level to pass. The difficulty is indicated based on how many times an Obstacle Encounter has been previously completed in order of Level 1/3/5/7. Once completed, place off to the side out-of-play.
For example, if there are two (2) Obstacle Encounters flipped up in the Dungeon and you have already completed one Obstacle Encounter, whichever you choose will need an Adventurer Level of 3.
Enemy Encounters:
On an Enemy Encounter, there will be a number located on the card that will indicate the Party Level sum needed in order to pass through.
For example, if you have a Barbarian 3, Ranger 2, Rogue 1, and no Cleric in your Party pile, your Party Level is 6.
If your Party Level is equal to or greater than the Enemy Encounter, you are able to move through the Encounter uncovering the following card. Once completed, place off to the side out-of-play.
Boss Encounter:
Beginning in the first passage of the Dungeon, the Minotaur has a unique mechanic whereby every time you level up one of the Adventurers, the Minotaur will move one (1) space to the right regardless of what is occupied in the space until they reach the farthest column in the Dungeon.
When the Minotaur reaches the seventh column, the Minotaur will flip and move in the opposite direction on it’s next move. Defeating the Minotaur will win you the game.
Play-through Video
Enjoy me bumble my way through a game of Cavern Shuffle. I decided to keep this take because I felt that the gameplay and sequencing of cards tells a great story of an average game.