How to Play — Monkey King Minis

1 · Set Up the Table

Build your army first

Points costs are on the cards and each faction's roster. Both players pick the same total and spend up to it, grouped into squads.

30 points — small skirmish, 1 objective.
40 points — medium game, 2 objectives.
50 points — large battle, 3 objectives.

Example 40-point army: 5 Chaos Troopers (10) + 2 Shadow Rangers (10) + 1 Chaos Lord (9) + 1 Quadra-Gunner (10) = 39, plus tweak to taste.

Then set the table

Table: any flat surface — a 30" × 30" area works well.
Deployment: set up all your models within 4" of your own table edge. The two deployment edges must be at least 24" apart.
Terrain: agree on terrain pieces (walls, rocks, boxes — anything) for cover, then take turns placing them, youngest player first.
Objectives: place 1, 2, or 3 markers by game size, spread across the middle of the table.
Game length: 5 rounds.

▲ All chapters

2 · How to Win

Score Victory Points at the end of Round 3 and the end of Round 5: 1 VP for each control zone you hold. Highest VP total after Round 5 wins — or knock out all enemy models first.

Holding a zone: you control a zone if you have more models within 3" of it than your opponent does.

▲ All chapters

3 · Your Models' Stats

Every model has these five numbers:

Move — inches it can move.
Shoot — roll this number or higher on 1 die to hit with a gun.
Range — max shooting distance in inches.
Fight — roll this number or higher to hit in melee.
Tough — hits before it's knocked out (at 0, remove it).

Remember: for Shoot and Fight, LOWER is better. A 2+ hits more than a 5+ — you're rolling that number or higher.

▲ All chapters

4 · Your Two Actions

On your turn, each of your models takes 2 actions. For each action, pick any one of these four:

Move — move up to its Move in inches. Can't move through models or walls.
Shoot — pick an enemy in sight and Range. Roll 1 die; hit on the Shoot number or higher. Each hit removes 1 Tough. (Within 1": you need 1 higher.) A 6 always hits.
Fight — if an enemy is within 1" (melee range), roll 1 die; hit on the Fight number or higher. Each hit removes 1 Tough. (Ranged units use their Shoot number in melee.)
Prepare — brace to react on the enemy's turn. Must be your last action.

You can mix them or repeat them:

Shoot + Shoot	Fire twice at an enemy already in range.
Move + Shoot	Advance, then fire.
Move + Move	Sprint across the board (double your Move).
Move + Fight	Charge in and swing: +1 damage on your first hit.
Fight + Fight	Attack twice in melee.
Move + Prepare	Advance, then brace for their turn.

Moving past models

Models are solid. You can't move through any base, friend or enemy — go around.
Squeezing past: if your path doesn't overlap a base, you can move freely — even through gaps between enemies. No room to fit means you can't go that way.
Into melee: you may end a move within 1" of an enemy — that's melee. Leaving later takes a Disengage action.

▲ All chapters

5 · Taking Turns & Squads

Squads

A squad is one unit type, max 10 points: 5 Chaos Troopers (10), 2 Shadow Rangers (10), or a single Quadra-Gunner (10). A big character is his own one-model squad.

Activating a squad: every model takes its 2 actions, all during that one activation.

Move as a squad: a squad moves together and stays together. When it finishes activating, every model must be within 1" of another model in the same squad — keep them as close as you can. A model left behind spends its moves catching back up. (A one-model squad is always fine.)

Rounds

Who goes first: at the start of Round 1, both players roll a die. The highest roller picks first or second. Re-roll ties.
Taking turns: players alternate activating one squad at a time until every squad has gone. Mark activated squads with a token or penny.
Uneven squads: a player with more squads runs the leftovers back-to-back at the end of the round.
Next round: clear the tokens and swap who goes first. Keep alternating through Round 5.

▲ All chapters

6 · Shooting, Cover & Charging

Line of sight & cover

Can you see it? Draw a straight line from any point on the shooter's base to any point on the target's base. If terrain blocks every line, you can't shoot it.
Cover from terrain (+1 to hit): if most of the target is hidden behind terrain, it's in cover: the shooter needs 1 higher to hit. Quick test — see more than half, no cover; less than half, cover.
Cover from melee (+1 to hit): if the target is in melee and the model it's fighting sits between shooter and target, the target gets cover. A bystander merely in the line of fire gives no cover.
Models never block line of sight — you can always shoot past them. They only grant cover via melee (above).

Point-blank shooting

Guns are clumsy up close: shooting an enemy within 1" needs 1 higher (a 4+ becomes 5+). Stacks with cover: within 1" and in cover means 2 higher — but a 6 always hits.

Charge & high ground

Charge (automatic): Move + Fight in the same turn: your first Fight deals +1 damage on a hit. Stacks with Deadly (2 + 1 = 3).
High Ground (automatic): if your base sits more than half above the target's, your hits deal +1 damage — shooting and melee.
They stack: Charge + Deadly + High Ground = 4 Tough in one hit — a Deadly unit charging downhill.

Weapon ranges

Weapon type	Range
Pistol	8"
Rifle / standard gun	10"
Heavy gun / sniper	12"
Thrown (grenade)	5"

▲ All chapters

7 · The Four Tricks

Rule	Summary
Charge automatic	Move + Fight in the same turn: your first Fight deals +1 damage on a hit. Stacks with Deadly (2 + 1 = 3 Tough removed).
Preparation an action — must be your last	Brace and react on the enemy's turn. Ranged: free Shoot at the first enemy moving into Range and sight. Melee: free Fight against the first enemy entering melee range, striking first. One trigger, then it ends — not saved between rounds.
Disengage an action	In melee? Move up to 1" directly away — you're out. Second action is free for anything, no penalties. Disengaging never triggers a Prepared enemy — escape is always clean.
High Ground automatic	If your base is more than half above the target's base, your attacks deal +1 damage on a hit — shooting and melee.

How they interact at the table

Charging into a Prepared enemy means they hit you first — bait them with a cheap model.
Charge (+1) + Deadly (+1) + High Ground (+1) = 4 Tough in one hit — a Deadly unit attacking downhill after moving.
Disengage, then Prepare — they must eat a free shot to re-engage you.
Disengaging never triggers a Prepared enemy — escape is always clean.
The rhythm: melee charges from above, shooters Prepare behind cover, and everyone baits the other side into wasting their trigger first.

▲ All chapters

8 · All the Special Powers

Each unit's keywords are listed on its card and its faction roster.

Keyword	Effect
Deadly	Melee hits remove 2 Tough instead of 1.
Hard to Hit	Enemies need 1 higher to hit it, both shooting and melee.
Leap	One action, once per turn: leap up to 10" instead of a Move, over models and terrain.
Four Shots	Each Shoot action, pick one target and roll 4 dice; each hit removes 1 Tough.
Double Blast	When shooting a target within 1" (melee range), fire everything: roll 8 dice instead of 4.
Burn	Costs both actions to fire. Roll to hit one enemy in range: it loses 2 Tough, and every model within 3" of it (friend or foe) loses 1.
Smoke Bomb	Once per turn, at the start of its activation, it may Disengage for free (no action spent).
Charge Immune	The +1 Charge damage doesn't apply to hits against this model.
Suppression	Hits also suppress: besides the damage, the target loses its next action (or its Preparation). Mark with a token. A model can only be suppressed once at a time.
Marksman	Its shots ignore cover — terrain, melee, and Shield. A roll of 6 deals 2 damage.
Shield	Acts as mobile cover for friendlies. If it's between a shooter and a friendly model, that friendly gets cover (+1 to hit). Only ever helps friendlies, never enemies.

The Ultra faction's new powers (Heavy Cannon, Crush, Slam, Titanfall, Heal, Towering) are on the Ultra page while they finish playtesting.

▲ All chapters