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Rules – Laboratory Phase

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Here is an exerpt from the rulebook that covers rules for the Laboratory Phase.

During the Laboratory phase, you may choose between two actions: reanimating a monster, or experimenting on one of your monsters for research points. You can’t choose both. Regardless of which action you take, or if you don’t choose to take either, you may then acquire a research card by spending research points.

 

Phase Summary

  • Reanimate: Discard six body parts to reanimate a monster
    OR
  • Experiment: Exhaust a monster to gain research points 
  • Acquire Research Cards by spending research points
Reanimating, experimenting, and acquiring research cards are considered research actions for upgrades and abilities which care about them.

 

Laboratory Actions

Reanimate

The reanimate action is used to create new monsters to do your bidding. The attributes of your newly animated monster are determined by the body parts used and by any research upgrades you may have.

To reanimate a monster, discard the following parts from your hand: a head, a torso, 2 arms, and 2 legs. Standard parts, skeletal parts, and special parts may all be discarded to meet this requirement. Special parts discarded this way may also modify this requirement.
  • Note: Skeletal parts are always returned to the Boneyard when discarded; all other parts go to the Graveyard discard pile.
A monster’s attributes—Terror, Science, and Health—are calculated when the it’s animated. This calculation is performed as follows:
  • Every monster starts with base attributes of 1 Terror, 1 Science, and 1 Health.
  • Apply bonuses from each standard part (fresh, rotting, or putrefied) discarded. Each standard part increases the monster’s attribute by 1. Skeletal parts don’t provide any bonuses.
  • Apply bonuses from any special parts discarded.
  • Apply bonuses from any research upgrades you own.
Once you’ve calculated attributes, take a monster card and place it in front of you. Place the appropriate attribute counters (colored dice) on the monster to indicate the calculated values. New monsters enter the play area readied and may be used in subsequent phases of the same turn.

  • Some special parts may also grant an ability to the new monster. These cards are marked with a star indicator (☆). For each such part used when reanimating a monster, find the corresponding reminder token and place it on the monster. There is no limit to the number of abilities that a monster can acquire in this way.

  • Other special parts may provide a non-attribute bonus, such as GP, when used to reanimate a monster. Several research upgrades also provide this kind of bonus. Score these bonuses immediately after taking a reanimate action.
  Example 1
  • Sophia takes a reanimate action, discarding a putrefied head (+1 Terror) a fresh torso (+1 Health), two skeletal arms, and two skeletal legs. Her new monster then has 2 Terror (1 base + 1 bonus), 1 Science (1 base + 0 bonus), and 2 Health (1 base + 1 bonus). She places a new monster card in front of her and marks it with attribute counters on 2, 1, and 2.
  Example 2
  • Oliver takes a reanimate action, discarding a rotting head (+1 Science), a skeletal torso, two skeletal arms, and two skeletal legs. He also owns the Superior Science research upgrade which grants +2 Science to monsters he reanimates. His new monster then has 1 Terror, 4 Science (1 base + 1 part bonus + 2 research upgrade bonus), and 1 Health. He places a new monster card in front of him and marks it with attribute counters on 1, 4, and 1.
  Example 3
  • Wendy takes a reanimate action, discarding a skeletal head, a skeletal torso, a skeletal arm, a Pirate Hook (arm, ☆ ability “When you take a terrorize action with this monster, gain 1 GP”) and a Mermaid Tail (counts as two legs, +1 Health). Her new monster then has 1 Terror, 1 Science, and 2 Health. She places a new monster card in front of her and marks it with three attribute counters and the Pirate Hook reminder token.
You may only animate one monster when taking a reanimate action.

 

Experiment (monster action)

When not creating new monsters in your laboratory, you may experiment on one of your existing monsters in order to learn arcane anatomical secrets. The experiment action is used to acquire research points, which may be spent to acquire research cards.
To experiment on a monster, exhaust one of your readied monsters. You gain research points (RP) equal to that monster’s science value.

 

Acquire Research Cards

After you take a reanimate or experiment action, or if you choose to take neither, you may spend research points (RP) to acquire a research card. You may only take this action once per turn and may not take a reanimate or experiment action after doing so.

There are three research decks, each with an associated RP cost: 3RP, 6RP, and 9RP. Cards in higher-cost decks provide substantial bonuses over those that cost less.

To acquire a research card:

  • Select a research deck: 3, 6, or 9.
  • Spend the corresponding amount of RP. Return those points to the supply.
  • Look at the top two cards of the selected deck. Choose one of the cards to play, and place the other on the bottom of the deck. You do not need to reveal the card which you put on the bottom.
  • Play the card you selected. If it’s a research upgrade (blue card), place it in the play area in front of you. If it’s a discovery (yellow card), follow the instructions on the card, then put it in the discard pile for that research deck.
You may decline to play either card. If you do, put both cards on the bottom of the research deck. Even you decline to play a card,  you can’t take another research card action this turn, and you don’t recover any RP.

 

Types of Research Cards

There are two types of research cards:  research upgrades and discoveries.

Research upgrades (blue) provide bonuses when you reanimate monsters. Most upgrades grant attribute bonuses to monsters when you reanimate them; others provide different bonuses, such as drawing parts from the oneyard. Upgrades don’t grant bonuses to your existing monsters.

Discoveries (yellow) provide an immediate bonus, then are discarded. These bonuses may grant you additional gold, victory points, or research points, or might provide you with a different benefit, such as extra body parts or a boost to one of your monsters.

Research Upgrade Restrictions

Players can never possess two or more research upgrades that provide a bonus to the same attribute. If you play an upgrade that give a bonus to the same attribute as another upgrade you have, you must discard one of the upgrades immediately.

Example 

  • Wendy spends 6 points to acquire a new research card. From the two cards she sees, she chooses to play the Superior Science research upgrade (+2 Science to monsters you reanimate). Since she already possesses Improved Science (+1 Science to monsters you reanimate), she must discard one of them. She chooses to discard Improved Science and keeps Superior Science.
Some cards and castle upgrades allow players to gain a minion. Don’t apply research upgrades to minions gained this way, since it doesn’t count as a reanimation action.

 

Phase Bonus

When you choose the Laboratory phase as the active player, you gain 1 research point (RP).