For ages the vile Doom Knights have sought to gather the
remaining Thunderstones to fulfill a prophecy of corruption over the
lands. Now the first Thunderstone has been discovered in the Dungeons of
Grimhold and the Doom Knights have sent their minions to claim the
relic. The Villagers of Barrowsdale gather brave souls to face the
dungeon and keep the Thunderstone out of the hands of the Doom Knights.
Thunderstone is
a fantasy deck-building game much in the style of Dominion. Before the
game starts a selection of Village and Hero cards will be randomnly
chosen that players may add to their specific decks. Like Dominion,
every player starts with a basic deck of weaker cards that they can use
to purchase other more powerful cards. In Thunderstone these cards may
be different Heroes such as mages, archers, thieves, or warriors or they
may be supplies the heroes need like weapons, rations, or light to
reach further into the dungeon.
A dungeon deck is also created by
combining several different groups of monsters. Certain groups of
monsters may be more or less susceptible to different Hero types, so
players will have to take this into account when they choose what to
buy.
Rather than buying puny Victory Points, players will use
their deck to defeat monsters in the dungeon. From the monster deck a
row of cards is laid out. Players may on their turn choose to attack a
monster in the deck rather than visit town and buy cards. If they do
this they play cards from their hand and resolve their abilities in
order to boost strength and have enough light to reach a specific
monster. Some monsters also have special abilities which may hinder the
player. If they have enough strength they defeat the monster and place
that card in their deck. This card is worth victory points and often can
be used as money to purchase other cards. In addition to this, players
are awarded experience points for defeating monsters which can be used
to upgrade their heroes into more powerful versions. The game is played
until the Thunderstone is revealed from the dungeon and a player is able
to claim it. The player with the most victory points in their deck is
the winner.
The basic Thunderstone framework was updated in the implementation of Thunderstone: Advance.