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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game · Reference sheet

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game reference sheet

Overview

  • 1–4 player fully co-op, story-based zone crawler set in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone [p.6 — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game]
  • Campaign = alternating Zone Exploration (prep) and Missions (gameplay) [p.6 — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game]
  • Win by completing the Mission Objective; lose if any Stalker dies or time runs out [p.6 — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game]
  • Core loop: draw Event → take Turns (2 Standard Actions each) → Enemies & Zone Phase [p.18 — Game Round Structure]
  • Fight Enemies, avoid Anomalies, loot the Zone, collect Artifacts [p.6 — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game]
  • Solo mode: 1 Stalker gets 3 Standard Actions per Turn (6 per Round) [p.38 — Single Stalker Mode]

Setup

  1. Take Campaign binder, Stash, and Zone Map from box [p.7 — Starting the Campaign]
  2. Slot Contact cards C01, C08, C99 into Campaign binder cardholder [p.7 — Starting the Campaign]
  3. Each player chooses 1 Stalker card, 1 model, 1 color; take matching PDA, Attention token, plastic ring [p.7 — Starting the Campaign]
  4. Place Stalker card in PDA center; Attention token in Pockets slot [p.7 — Starting the Campaign]
  5. Gain 5000 K total (split among team); each Stalker takes 1 Leather Jacket Armor [p.7 — Starting the Campaign]
  6. Open Campaign binder to Zone Navigation and follow instructions to begin [p.7 — Starting the Campaign]
  7. Before each Mission: set HP to max, pack Bolts & Focus, fully load Weapons, set Geiger counter [p.9 — Going on a Mission]

Turn structure

Each Round has 3 phases in order:

  1. Event Phase — Draw top Event card, resolve Instant effects, place card next to deck [p.18 — Event Phase]
  2. Players Phase — Each Stalker takes 2 Turns (clockwise from Lead Stalker); each Turn = 2 Standard Actions + unlimited Free Actions [p.19 — Players Phase]
  3. Enemies & Zone Phase — Resolve in order: Enemy Activation → Radiation Exposure & dosage reduction → Discard tokens (Bolt, No Visibility, Pin Down) → Attention reduction → End of Round effects [p.30 — Enemies & Zone Phase]

Actions

Action Cost Effect
Movement Standard Move up to 3 spaces; updates Attention token
Careful Movement Standard Move 1 space; can't move from/to Enemy LoS; no Attention placed
Prepare Standard Gain 1 Focus + 1 Bolt; swap/install Equipment with Stalkers on same space
Reload Standard (Free if Focused) Discard 1 matching Magazine → fill Weapon to Ammo capacity
Pick Up Standard Resolve top Loot or Artifact token on your space
Decoy Standard Discard 1 Bolt from Pockets; place your Attention token on space within Range 3
Bolts & Nuts Standard Place 1 Bolt from Pockets on Anomaly symbol within Range 3; covers that symbol
Knife Standard Attack on same space; pick Body Part; roll 3 Stalker dice; kill = reduce Attention
Lead Stalker token Free Flip token, pass to next player: Heal 2 HP or gain 1 Focus [p.24 — Lead Stalker]

Combat

Stalker Attack Sequence [p.27 — Stalker Attack]

  1. Choose Attack Action & valid Target (must be in LoS and within Weapon Max. Range)
  2. Slide Turn token if Standard Action; spend Ammo if required
  3. Place required Attention token on your space
  4. Choose Body Part (if allowed); default = Torso
  5. Roll Stalker dice + Equipment dice from Weapon
  6. Spend Mask results for bonus effects; may reroll with Focus
  7. Count stars vs. Body Part To Hit threshold — resolve highest reached effect
  8. Light/Heavy Wound = draw Enemy Wound card; miss = no effect
  9. Surviving Enemy rotates to face your Stalker

Enemy Attack Sequence [p.33 — Enemy Attack]

  1. Enemy targets closest Stalker in LoS (Stalkers prioritized over other targets)
  2. Charge enemies Move up to their Move value toward Target first
  3. Apply Damage — reduce by Cover value if attacker is outside space/Room
  4. Defender rolls Defense dice (from Armor); each star reduces 1 Damage
  5. Lose HP equal to remaining Damage

Cover reduces incoming Damage/stars equal to its value when attacker is outside the space or Room [p.13 — Cover]

End of game

  • Win: Complete the Mission Objective stated on the Objective card [p.18 — Mission Objective]
  • Lose: Any Stalker dies (3rd Critical Injury) OR Event deck runs out of time [p.18 — Mission Objective]
  • On failure or success, follow instructions on the current Mission Event card [p.18 — Mission Objective]
  • Success → gain Epilogue rewards (Equipment, Coupons, stickers, new Missions unlocked) [p.10 — Epilogue]
  • Campaign continues with Zone Exploration before next Mission [p.6 — Campaign]

Glossary

  • Standard Action: Costs 1 Turn token slide; max 2 per Turn (3 in Solo mode) [p.19 — Actions]
  • Free Action: No Turn token cost; unlimited per Turn [p.19 — Actions]
  • Attention (Low/High): Token on Map attracting Enemies; High = Enemies aggressively hunt source [p.22 — Attention]
  • Focus: Positive status; discard to reroll any dice during Attack, Defense, or Anomaly roll [p.29 — Focus]
  • Pin Down: Negative status; affected Stalker must spend Standard Action to discard it before any other action [p.29 — Pin Down]
  • Exposed: Negative status; next Attack vs. entity deals +3 Damage (Stalker) or upgrades Wound (Enemy); discarded after hit or Move [p.29 — Exposed]
  • Critical Injury: Gained at 0 HP; limits Turn to 1 Standard Action; 3rd = death [p.29 — Critical Injury]
  • Accurate Range: Within this Weapon range, the Accurate die face counts as 4 stars instead of 2 [p.26 — Weapons]
  • Anomaly Activation: Roll Anomaly die after moving through Anomaly symbols; matching symbol = resolve Anomaly effect [p.36 — Anomaly Activation]
  • Lead Stalker: Title held by one Stalker; breaks ties; can use token Free Action to heal 2 HP or gain Focus [p.24 — Lead Stalker]
  • Horde/Elite/Boss: Enemy categories by rarity and power; Horde = numerous, Elite = tough/limited, Boss = rare/deadly [p.31 — Enemies]
  • Push: When ending Movement on a fully occupied space, move one Entity to an adjacent space [p.12 — Fully Occupied Space]

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