PSYCHO KILLEr
RULES
which edition are you playing?
edition 1
edition 2
have a look at the back of your box, next to the barcode. if you see a big sticker that looks like this, then you have the second edition. if not, you have the first edition.
what's the difference?
edition 2 features a slightly updated setup and gameplay.
the big differences are:
splitting the deck in two, giving players more choice and strategy when drawing cards.
starting with no cards, making the set-up of the game lightning fast so you can get stuck in straight away.
being able to draw again after drawing a weapon card, which lets you risk it all to improve your situation!
if you have the first edition but want to try the second edition, check out trial and terror, which will let you incorporate edition 2 rules into your edition 1 game.
how do i know which edition i am playing?
and the Weapons he
uses to attack you.
In the deck there are 5 PSYCHO Killers...
Players take turns DRAWING FROM THE DECK.
IF a player Draws A PSYCHO KILLER, then they must play it on the table in front of them. when that happens, any player holding
a weapon card gets attacked.
When attacked, players must place all weapon cards in their hand face-up on the table in front of them. This is called your INJURY Pile.
Each weapon and psycho killer is worth a certain number of points.
when you add them into your injury pile, they become INJURY Points.
The game ends when the fifth psycho killer is played. the player with the fewest injury points is the winner!
The aim of the game is to avoid
playing PSYCHO Killers and weapon cards.
you need to use other cards to unload weapons strategically, evade Psycho Killers, defend yourself and, most importantly,
screw over your friends!
If any players have the same number of injury points, the player with the fewest Psycho Killers in their Injury Pile is the winner.
If they have the same number of psycho killers, or none at all, the player with the fewest weapons in their injury pile wins.
If the game is still tied, flip the table over and fight to the death!
You're lost in the woods with no supplies. every choice you make, even one as simple as turning left or right, could be the difference between surviving or being caught by the psycho killer!
Shuffle all the cards and then roughly split them into two decks, leaving enough room between them for the discard pile.
You start off with no cards, so don’t worry about dealing. Just pick someone brave to take the first turn and start playing!
The playing area SHOULD HAVE both decks, the DISCARD pile AND ENOUGH ROOM IN FRONT OF EACH PLAYER TO FIT their INJURY pile.
Note: You can never play a WEAPON CARD INTO THE DISCARD PILE. Weapons CAN ONLY BE GIVEN TO OTHER PLAYERS, PUT BACK INTO THE Deck(s) OR PLAYED INTO INJURY PILES when you are attacked.
Your turn consists of playing as many or as few cards as you wish but must end by drawing one card from the top of either deck. you do not need to play a card to draw a card.
The first heart-racing stages of the game will involve drawing cards and ending your turn quickly, all while hoping you’re lucky enough to avoid the psycho killer. Once you have collected some supplies you will be in a better position to play cards that will screw over your friends and help you avoid the psycho killer.
once you have collected some supplies you will be in a better position to play cards that will screw over your friends and help you avoid the psycho killer.
You end your turn by drawing one card from either deck.
If a card refers to ‘either deck’ or ‘the deck’, then you must choose between one deck or the other.
If a card refers to ‘the deck(s)’, this is referring to both decks, meaning you can choose one or the other or a combination of both.
You interact with the decks like this until one deck runs out. If that happens, that deck is gone from the game and you must then draw from the remaining deck.
Note: Some cards allow you to end your turn a little differently than simply drawing the top card on either deck. In that case, Follow the rule on the card to end your turn.
Once you draw a card, your turn is over and it is the next player’s turn, unless you draw a weapon card, psycho killer OR a PREDICAMENT CARD!
Remember to take note of which card you draw.
if you draw any of the following three types of cards, your turn isn't quite over. this is the part of the game where things can get very bad, very quickly, as all good horrors should!
If you draw a weapon card to end your turn, you can choose to draw again from either deck in the hopes of getting a more useful card.
If you draw multiple weapon cards in a row, you can keep drawing from the deck until you draw a non-weapon card, or you can stop drawing whenever you feel you’ve pushed your luck too far.
Note: This rule only applies when you draw a weapon to end your turn. this means that if you draw the weapon as part of a predicament, you don’t get to draw again!
If you draw a Psycho Killer, play it immediately into your injury pile, unless you have a slam the door or a double tap.
If you draw a predicament card, and cannot slam the door, you must play that card immediately. follow the instructions on the card before ending your turn, unless you’ve been left for dead!
You become left for dead when you have ten or more points in your injury pile.
Once you pass this threshold, you do not have to play predicament cards immediately. Instead, you can hold them in your hand to play on a later turn.
You can also give predicament cards to other players using cards like drop your keys and let’s split up, or put them back into the deck(s) using cards like disarm and booby trap.
There are a few things to remember when you are left for dead:
1. Being left for dead does not affect how
you play a psycho killer. Psycho Killer cards can never be in your hand.
2. If you give a player a predicament card, they must play it immediately, regardless of whose turn it is. once the player has completed the predicament, the turn continues where it left off.
3. If your injury points fall below ten points, you are no longer left for dead. you must immediately play all predicament cards that are in your hand and go back to playing predicaments as usual.
Each card has its rules written on it.
Some cards also have VHS symbols on them. These symbols affect how you play the card.
You must play this card immediately after drawing it.
You must play this card immediately after drawing it, even when you’re left for dead.
After you draw from the deck, you can choose whether or not to play a card with a rewind symbol from your hand.
You can play this card when it isn’t your turn.
Complete the action on this card and then end your turn without drawing a card.
It doesn’t matter how many cards you have in your hand. If you don’t have any cards in your hand, simply draw a card to end your turn.
You can play as many cards as you want during your turn. just remember that if you play a card with a fast forward symbol on it, your turn is over.
and the Weapons he
uses to attack you.
In the deck there are 5 PSYCHO Killers...
Each player takes a turn drawing from the deck. If a player draws
a Psycho killer, then they must play it on the table in front of them. when that happens any players holding a weapon card get attacked.
when attacked, players must place all weapon cards currently in their hand face-up on the table in front of them.
this is called your
injury pile!
Each weapon and psycho killer is worth a certain number of points.
when you add them into your injury pile, they become INJURY Points.
The game ends when the fifth psycho killer is played. the player with the fewest injury points is the winner!
The aim of the game is to avoid
playing PSYCHO Killers and weapon cards.
you need to use other cards to unload weapons strategically, evade Psycho Killers, defend yourself and, most importantly,
screw over your friends!
If any players have the same number of injury points, the player with the fewest Psycho Killers in their Injury Pile is the winner.
If they have the same number of psycho killers, or none at all, the player with the fewest weapons in their injury pile wins.
If the game is still tied, flip the table over and fight to the death!
Step 1:
Remove all black cards from the deck.
Step 2:
Deal Each player 7 cards.
shuffle THE BLACK CARDS BACK INTO THE DECK AND PLACE IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PLAYING AREA.
Step 3:
bEGIN PLAY WITH THE PLAYER TO LEFT OF THE DEALER.
Step 4:
The playing area SHOULD HAVE both decks, the DISCARD pile AND ENOUGH ROOM IN FRONT OF EACH PLAYER TO FIT their INJURY pile.
Note: You can never play a WEAPON CARD INTO THE DISCARD PILE. Weapons CAN ONLY BE GIVEN TO OTHER PLAYERS, PUT BACK INTO THE Deck OR PLAYED INTO INJURY PILES when you are attacked.
Your turn consists of playing as many or as few cards as you wish but must end by drawing one card from the top of either deck. you do not need to play a card to draw a card.
Note: Some cards allow you to end your turn a little differently than simply drawing the top card on either deck. In that case, Follow the rule on the card to end your turn.
If you draw a Psycho Killer, play it immediately into your injury pile, unless you have a slam the door or a double tap.
If you draw a predicament card, and cannot slam the door, you must play that card immediately. follow the instructions on the card before ending your turn, unless you’ve been left for dead!
If you want to add a few more twists and turns to your two-player game, check out our overnight hires, a bunch of our favourite game modes and variations, all of which can be combined with each other and any expansions you might have!
playing with one, or a combination of a few different overnight hires is the absolute best way to play psycho killer with two players!
Also, while we have you, check out our cardlist & faqs, especially the one for DEAD END, as it will ease a little confusion about how to use that particular card in a two-player game.
While you're checking out the game, make sure you check out our overnight hires, a collection of our favourite variations and modifications that you can make to psycho killer that will change the game without having to change your game!
trial and terror is a way for players with earlier editions of psycho killer to play the updated rules that are featured in our newest editions.
If you're playing with the first edition (especially with two players), make sure you check these rules out first!
a break neck, 5-minute version of psycho killer to play when you want to kill your friends while killing some time.
put cards back in the deck face up. seeing the danger coming only makes it more terrifying.
keep predicaments in your hand to play later with devastating consequences. plus there's a surprise twist if you get left for dead!
The best cards from our expansions all together in one ultimate game of psycho killer. we will keep this updated with any new expansions that we release!
