VICES & VENGEANCETHE GAME GUIDE
3–6 players · Dice, rivalry & a little revenge
Keep your score low.
Make theirs climb.
On your turn, roll and score dice while everyone else tries to disrupt your plans. Aim for the lowest total—or finish on exactly 70 to claim the win.
01 / Before you roll
Set up your table
First, learn the seven Sin colors
Each Sin has its own color. Use it to identify the matching large Sin die, small Sin die, Nemesis die, and tracking token.
- LustDark blue
- GluttonyOrange
- GreedGold
- SlothLight blue
- WrathRed
- EnvyGreen
- PridePurple
Size matters: the defender rolls the small 14 mm Sin dice; attackers roll the large 16 mm Sin dice they hold. A Sin match requires the same color and the same number. Pride also has an extra metallic-purple die.
What’s in the box?
- Sin dice: seven large 16 mm six-sided dice and seven small 14 mm six-sided dice—one of each Sin color in each size.
- Pride die: one extra metallic-purple six-sided die.
- Nemesis dice: seven Sin-colored, 20-sided dice (d20s).
- Mythical Match-up dice: three pairs of six-sided dice: Mirror & Medusa, David & Goliath, and Silver Bullet & Werewolf. David & Goliath are the maroon 25 mm and 12 mm dice.
- Spoiler dice: a black 12-sided die, a gray 10-sided die, and a white 8-sided die.
- Two rolling trays with removable foam inserts, and seven Sin-colored tracking tokens.
- Choose who goes first. Everyone rolls a d20. The highest roller starts; play continues clockwise.
- Assign the first Sin. The first player rolls the Mirror die and all seven large Sin dice. Choose one Sin whose number matches the Mirror. If none match, roll again.
- Assign the remaining players. Each next player repeats with the Mirror and the remaining large Sin dice until everyone has a Sin.
- Collect your dice and token. Take your large Sin die, same-colored Nemesis die, and matching token. The Pride player also takes the metallic-purple Pride die.
Record each player’s original Sin on the scoresheet. Unassigned Sins form the reserves.
02 / The rhythm of play
Play one defending turn
Everybody rolls
Defender: roll all seven small Sin dice, all three Mythical Match-up pairs, the three Spoiler dice, and your own Nemesis die. Set your large Sin dice aside.
Attackers: roll the large Sin dice you currently hold and your available Nemesis die. On later rolls, roll only dice that can still match a defender’s die.
Resolve attack matches
Sin match: an attacker’s large Sin die matches the number on the defender’s same-colored small Sin die. Resolve the Sin penalty and effect.
Nemesis match: an attacker’s Nemesis die matches any Nemesis die rolled by the defender. The defender takes that attacker’s die for a later roll. See Nemesis rules.
Remove dice and score
The defender must remove and score at least one die on every roll. Choose which eligible dice to score, using the rules below. Mythical dice must be scored as pairs.
Sin-match penalty dice are scored immediately.
Roll what remains
Reroll the defender’s unscored dice; attackers roll again too. Repeat until all of the defender’s dice have been scored or removed.
Add the turn’s points to the defender’s total, then pass the turn clockwise.
03 / Make every die count
How scoring works
Ordinary dice
Maximum number − number rolled = points
A maximum roll scores 0. An 8 on a 12-sided die scores 4 points.
Higher rolls usually mean fewer points. Matching rules can reduce scores to zero.
Mythical Match-up pairs
Always score both dice of a pair together. If they match, both score 0. Otherwise, add their ordinary scores.
The Silver Bullet is wild when it stands upright on its base; it matches any number on the Werewolf die.
Scoring a Sin-match penalty
Reroll the matching small and large Sin dice, plus any extra penalty dice required by the Sin effect. Score that penalty roll immediately.
Every repeated number scores 0 for all dice showing it—including three or more of a kind. Each unmatched six-sided die scores 6 minus its number.
04 / Seven ways to interfere
The Sin effects
When an attacker’s large Sin die matches the defender’s same-colored small Sin die, resolve the penalty roll above and the matching Sin’s effect. Here, “attacker” means the player whose Sin made the match.
Resolve them in reverse alphabetical order:
Wrath → Sloth → Pride → Lust → Greed → Gluttony → Envy
Wrath takes precedence over every other Sin. A penalty or effect happens only if it is possible when you reach it. Otherwise, nothing happens for that penalty or effect.
Select a Sin to read its effect.
WrathRed
Destroy a defender’s Sin.
Remove the defender’s large Sin die from play. If they hold more than one Sin, the Wrath attacker chooses which to destroy. All seven small Sin dice still start each defending turn.
SlothLight blue
Lose your Nemesis.
The Sloth attacker loses their Nemesis die. Remove it from play. This is the only Nemesis die that can leave the game.
PridePurple
Add the extra Pride die.
The attacker rolls the metallic-purple Pride die. The defender scores it together with the two matching Pride dice in the penalty roll.
LustDark blue
Take a Sin from elsewhere.
The attacker takes a Sin from the reserves or another attacker. They cannot take the defender’s Sin.
GreedGold
Take from the defender.
The attacker takes the defender’s large Sin die and its matching token.
GluttonyOrange
Take a Sin—and keep it.
The attacker takes a Sin and token from the reserves and subsequently plays that Sin. Add the taken die to the defender’s penalty roll: three dice, or four when Pride’s extra die is included. Gluttony can let a player accumulate all the Sins.
EnvyGreen
Exchange your Sin.
The attacker exchanges their Sin for any Sin in the reserves or any other player’s Sin. Move the matching tokens with the exchanged Sins.
Remember: move the matching token with every Sin transfer. The new holder plays that Sin. Losing a Sin adds no point penalty.
05 / A growing handful of trouble
When Nemesis dice match
- Take the matching attacker’s die. If an attacker’s Nemesis matches any Nemesis rolled by the defender, the defender absorbs it.
- Wait until the next roll. The absorbed die cannot be removed or scored on the roll when it is taken. It must join the defender’s next roll.
- Keep it in play until scored. After that next roll, it may remain in the defender’s ongoing rolls. There is no requirement to remove it immediately.
Nemesis dice retain their original owners, even when Sins change hands. Return absorbed Nemesis dice after the defending turn. Only Sloth’s Nemesis die can be removed from the game.
06 / Settle the score
Finish the round. Find the winner.
When any player reaches 70 points or more, finish the current round so every player takes their turn for that round.
Exactly 70 wins first
After the round ends, a total of exactly 70 beats every lower score. If nobody finishes on exactly 70, the player with the lowest total wins.
Tied for the win?
Each tied player chooses a Mythical Match-up pair and rolls it. Score normally: a match scores 0; otherwise add both dice’s scores. The lowest score wins. Repeat ties until a winner is established.
This also applies when two or more players finish on 70.
The winner goes last in the next game. Keep totals on paper or use your Vices and Vengeance scoresheet.