%2Fpic4705171.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Cthulhu: Death May Die
#54BGG8.2RATING
Updated May 30
1–5
PLAYERS
90–120
MINUTES
3
BEST WITH
2.5
MEDIUM
DESIGNER CLARIFICATIONS14
Monster and cultist spawn pool is all available figuresdesigner
- CONTEXT
- Players were unsure whether the spawn count was capped by the episode card's setup numbers rather than the full figure pool.
- RULING
- "No, you 'take out all the figures for the enemies shown on the reference card' (not the episode card), rulebook page 10, so you take all figures of the given type."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Fire tokens do not carry over between episodesdesigner
- CONTEXT
- Players were asking whether fire tokens accumulated in one episode persist into subsequent episodes.
- RULING
- "No, you put them back, there is a limit on the number of fire tokens in a scenario so keeping them changes the balance."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Extinguishing fire requires a specific episode actiondesigner
- CONTEXT
- Players assumed fire could be extinguished freely at any time.
- RULING
- "No, only when there is an episode action for it. Source - there is no rule for doing so... you can only put out fire if an effect lets you do so. For example, Episode 1 has an action that puts out fire."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Adjacent space means one move away; shooting around corners is validdesigner
- CONTEXT
- Players were uncertain about adjacency when shooting through corridors, around corners, or down stairs.
- RULING
- "Correct, an adjacent space is one that you can move to with 1 move." This means investigators can shoot down the stairs and around corners, consistent with the movement rules.
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Moving via insanity still collects fire tokensdesigner
- CONTEXT
- Players were unsure if forced movement from an insanity effect triggered fire collection.
- RULING
- "Yes, you do collect fire. For Codependency, you should move through spaces until you reach the space where the other investigator is located, catching fire from spaces you leave."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Multiple discovery cards are allowed on each side of the investigator boarddesigner
- RULING
- "Yes, see example on page 8."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Discovery deck is not reshuffled when depleteddesigner
- RULING
- "...there are no instructions to do so, it does not make sense thematically and there is an episode in season 2 with specific instructions to reshuffle. Correct, you don't shuffle it."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Discovery card effects are usable anytime during your turn unless mid-roll or mid-effectdesigner
- RULING
- "If it's not specified when the investigator may use an effect from a Discovery card, it may be used anytime during their turn. However, it cannot be used while resolving another card, effect, or during a roll. Source - rules page 6."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Discovery card "you may" options are fully optionaldesigner
- CONTEXT
- Players were uncertain about when they were forced to take a discovery card option.
- RULING
- "If an option says 'you may', it is optional. If both sides are optional, you can discard the card. If one side is non-optional, you must take one option (paying the cost if you can even if you don't want to). If you cannot pay the cost of both options, discard the card."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Exceeding maximum stress does nothing; wounds cannot substitute for stress costsdesigner
- RULING
- "Usually, if you are maxed out on stress, nothing happens if you would take additional stress. Also, you cannot take a discovery card option that requires you to take stress and take wounds instead."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Sanity cannot be reduced; Rasputin resurrection resets wounds onlydesigner
- RULING
- "No, right now there are no rules or effects that reduce your sanity. That includes Rasputin when he refuses to die (only reset his wounds)."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Elder One advancement effects apply even when the Elder One is on the boarddesigner
- RULING
- "Yes, and remember to do all the steps, in several play throughs some of the steps were missed, for example the advancement effect of the episode card, or doing all the steps of all the visible Elder One stages."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02End-of-turn phase resolution orderdesigner
- CONTEXT
- Players were uncertain about the order of end-of-turn effects, particularly when both Elder One and non-Elder One effects triggered simultaneously.
- RULING
- "First, end of turn effects which are not from the Elder One resolve, in whatever order the player wants. Then do the in-between stuff. In that order, resolve fire damage, check Mythos pile for advance, and verify summoning. Finally, end of turn effects from the Elder One resolve, in ascending stage order."
AUTHOR: manmportugal (Marco Portugal, Lead Developer, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(94 replies)DATE: 2020-04-02Non-Free Action discovery card effects usable immediately after gaining the carddesigner
- CONTEXT
- A designer asked if a discovery card gained during the Investigate action (reading "Once per turn, heal 1 wound") could be used immediately after gaining it, even after the Take 3 Actions step ended. A community member clarified that this applies only to non-"Free Action" effects — effects prefaced with "As a Free Action..." cannot be used after the Take 3 Actions step.
- RULING
- "Absolutely." Discovery card effects can be used immediately after gaining the card, including after the Take 3 Actions step has ended — provided the effect is not labeled "As a Free Action."
Q&A4
Split tiles 11a and 24b are each one single spacepublisher
- QUESTION
- Do tiles 11a and 24b — which visually appear to have two distinct areas separated by trees or rock — count as one space or two separate spaces?
- ANSWER
- "Thank you for contacting us. They are both one big room." (CMON official support response)
AUTHOR: Ashamel (David Carroll, quoting CMON official support response)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(18 replies)DATE: 2023-04-28More fire tokens than dice: roll in batches and add resultscommunity high-engagementrulebook quotation
- QUESTION
- If an investigator has more fire tokens than the three available standard dice, how is end-of-turn fire damage resolved?
- ANSWER
- Roll one die per fire token. When you run out of dice, roll in batches and combine the results across rolls. Rulebook p16: "roll 1 standard die for every Fire token on your investigator board." Rulebook p11 confirms there is no limit to dice rolled — when you run out, note results and continue.
AUTHOR: Pete_R (Pete Roullard), quoting rulebook pp. 16 and 11SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(8 replies)DATE: 2025-02-20Toughness L2 reduces both 1 wound AND 1 sanity per attackcommunity high-engagement
- QUESTION
- Does Toughness L2 reduce 1 health AND 1 sanity when attacked, or only one of the two?
- ANSWER
- Both — 1 wound AND 1 sanity are reduced. The card text's use of "and" is intentional. Confirmed by the CMON official FAQ document.
AUTHOR: leberschnitzel (citing CMON official FAQ)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(17 replies)DATE: 2020-01-20Toughness applies to all damage sources including self-inflicted and automaticcommunity high-engagement
- QUESTION
- Does Toughness apply to tentacles rolled on your own attack dice, and to automatic effects like Cthulhu's Stage 3 insanity damage?
- ANSWER
- Yes. The card says "any" source, which is inclusive — Toughness applies to all damage and sanity loss regardless of origin, including self-inflicted tentacle results and automatic Elder One effects.
AUTHOR: Mr Skeletor (Frank Franco), confirmed by chicklewis (Charles Lewis)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(17 replies)DATE: 2020-01-20
EDGE CASES1
Dagon loss condition: dead investigators are not on the boardcommunity high-engagement
- SITUATION
- When playing with Dagon, a human investigator dies while a Deep One investigator is still alive on the board. Dagon's Stage 1 card triggers an immediate loss if Deep One investigators outnumber human investigators. Does the dead human still count as "on the board"?
- RULING
- Dead investigators are not on the board. If at any point the number of surviving human investigators is outnumbered by Deep One investigators, Dagon's loss condition triggers immediately.
AUTHOR: Dormammu (Max)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(8 replies, 4 thumbs on verdict post)DATE: 2023-07-29
Last researched: 2026-05-07
CATEGORIES
Fantasy·Fighting·Horror·Miniatures·Novel-based
MECHANICS
Action PointsArea MovementCooperative GameDice RollingRole PlayingScenario / Mission / Campaign GameSolo / Solitaire GameVariable Player Powers
HOW MIRA KNOWS
Not an AI guessing rules. A curated archive.
Every answer Mira gives is grounded in an official rulebook — not in what a language model thinks the rules probably say. Our team reads, structures, and curates each game's rulebook before Mira can answer a single question about it.
An opponent's settlement blocks your road network — your road cannot be built through or past an occupied intersection.
◆ Catan — Roads & Building, p. 7
At the end of each round, the player with the most of the goal trait scores points equal to their amount; the player with the second most scores fewer.
◆ Wingspan — End of Round, p. 11
Null cards deal 0 damage regardless of base value or any bonuses applied.
◆ Gloomhaven — Attack Modifier Deck, p. 23
SOURCE
Official Rulebook PDF
PROCESS
Curated by our team
ANSWER
Mira answers with confidence
Brass: Birmingham · Spirit Island · Terraforming Mars · Dune: Imperium · Root · Wingspan · Gloomhaven · Arnak · Pandemic · Catan · Ticket to Ride · Scythe · Everdell · Twilight Imperium · Agricola · Power Grid · Puerto Rico · Azul · Viticulture · Clank! · Cascadia · Ark Nova · Flamecraft · Cosmic Encounter · Brass: Birmingham · Spirit Island · Terraforming Mars · Dune: Imperium · Root · Wingspan · Gloomhaven · Arnak · Pandemic · Catan · Ticket to Ride · Scythe · Everdell · Twilight Imperium · Agricola · Power Grid · Puerto Rico · Azul · Viticulture · Clank! · Cascadia · Ark Nova · Flamecraft · Cosmic Encounter ·
360
games in the archive
~7,000
pages of official rulebooks
EN · ES · FR
languages
Recently added: Zombie Kittens · Zombicide: Black Plague · Yokohama
Ready to never pause a game again?
Start for free — no credit card, no rulebook required.