How to Play

🎲  – Rolling the Dice, Shaping the Outcome

In Arkaders, when your hero tries to do something risky, cool, dangerous, or surprising, the dice decide the outcome. This makes the game exciting and unpredictable!

You describe what you want to do...
The Master sets the difficulty...
And the dice reveal your fate.


🎯 When Do You Roll?

The Master will ask for a dice roll when:

  • There's a chance you might fail

  • The action is dangerous or dramatic

  • Your choice could change the story

  • You’re trying something beyond the ordinary

🧪 Common Reasons to Roll

  • Jumping from one crashing skytrain to another

  • Convincing a villain to stand down

  • Hacking a glitch-ridden portal before it overloads

  • Punching a ghost made of static and fire

  • Solving an alien puzzle under pressure

🎮 If it feels cinematic, exciting, or risky—it's roll time!

🧮 Step-by-Step Roll Guide

1. 🎭 Describe your action

“I leap across the rooftop and try to grab the falling orb mid-air!”

2. 🎩 The Master sets the Difficulty Number

  • Easy: 8–10

  • Normal: 11–14

  • Hard: 15–17

  • Epic: 18–20+

“Catching the orb while jumping? That’s Difficulty 14.”

3. 🎲 Roll your dice

  • Always roll 1d20

  • Add +1d6 if:

    • Your Class boosts the attribute used

    • You're using an Item that fits the action

Important Rule: If your Class and Item both apply, you still roll only one 1d6. Bonuses do not stack. This keeps the system fast and fair for all players.

4. ✅ Compare the total to the Difficulty

  • If total ≥ difficultySuccess!

  • If total < difficultyFailure! (but maybe not a boring one)

⚠️ Note on High Rolls

When using Token Cards or bonus dice, your total roll result can exceed 20—there’s no upper cap when comparing to a Difficulty Number.

However, other parts of the system (like Life Point damage or narrative effects) may still be capped at 20, or scaled narratively by the Master to keep the story balanced.

🔍 Example 1 – Agility Jump

🎭 Master: “You must leap the broken bridge. Difficulty: 13.”
🟢 Player (Green Class, using speed boots): “Perfect, that’s my Class and I have an Item.”
🎲 Rolls 1d20 = 9
🎲 Rolls 1d6 = 4
→ Total = 13 ✅
🎭 Master: “You sprint, flip through the air, and land just as the ledge crumbles. Nailed it.”


🔍 Example 2 – Magic Puzzle

🎭 Master: “The code rune pulses. If you misread it, it might explode. Difficulty 15.”
🔵 Player (Blue Class, using a spellbook): “I’m analyzing it with my Arcana Scanner.”
🎲 1d20 = 10
🎲 1d6 = 5
→ Total = 15 ✅
🎭 Master: “You solve it perfectly. The trap disarms and leaves a glowing key.”

❌ What Happens If You Fail?

Failure doesn't mean "nothing happens." It often means:

  • Something funny happens

  • You succeed but with a twist

  • You create a new problem

  • The story moves forward in a new direction

🎭 Master: “You tried to jump the chasm but fell short. Instead of falling, you hit a lever that opens a hidden door below. Unexpected win!”


🧠 Master Tips for Setting Difficulty

Difficulty Description When to Use
8–10 Easy or routine task Jumping a low fence, calming a friend
11–14 Normal difficulty Fighting a minor enemy, disarming a basic trap
15–17 Challenging Convincing a villain, surviving a firestorm
18–20+ Epic, near-impossible feats Rewriting a magical law, catching time mid-flow


It's time to discover how the Token-Cards work! Just tap here!