Gamehelpterroraustralis

Terror Australis

Introduction

They thought they were coming to Terra Australis — the great southern land — so why does it feel like Terror Australis instead?

But keep coming they do, expecting sandy beaches, tropical waters, and that famous Aussie nonchalance — and it is your job to keep them safe.

Between sharks, crocodiles, the world's most venemous snakes, and strict wildlife protection laws (not to mention the drop bears!), you will have your work cut out for you!

Terror Australis is a cooperative tower-defence game for 1–4 players.

You work for a remote Australian tourist resort surrounded by some of the country’s most dangerous wildlife. From venomous spiders to aggressive cassowaries, animals frequently wander too close to the resort’s walking trails, beaches, and campsites.

Because Australian wildlife protection laws prohibit harming native animals, your job is not to eliminate these pests. Instead, your team must capture them safely and release them back into the wild before they reach the resort.

Each player commands a team of three workers:

• Wrangler
• Lifeguard
• Backpacker

Players will capture animals, slow their advance, and work together to close the gates that allow them onto the resort grounds.

If the players can seal the gates and clear the board of animals, the resort remains safe. If too many animals slip through, the visitors will have to be evacuated and the game is lost.

Objective

Players win or lose together.

Victory

The players win if both of the following conditions are met:

• All six gates are permanently closed
• No animals remain on the board

Victory is checked at the end of Round Cleanup.

Defeat

The players immediately lose if any of the following occur:

• An animal that reached the Resort cell (R) in the previous round is still there when the next Animal Phase begins.
• The ocean bag runs out of animals during spawning.
• The land bag runs out of animals during spawning.

Game Chapters

Terror Australis can be played in three different chapters. Each chapter adds additional rules and challenges.

Chapter 1 — Learning Game

Designed for new players.

• Some gates automatically close during spawning.
• Each player uses 7 capture cards per level.
• Capture Modifiers and Drop Bears are not used.

Chapter 2 — Standard Game

The full core game.

• Gates must be closed entirely through player actions.
• Capture Modifiers are enabled.
• Each player uses 9 capture cards per level.

Chapter 3 — Advanced Game

For experienced players.

• Drop Bears are added to the land bag.
• Capture Modifiers remain active.
• Each player uses 9 capture cards per level.

Round Overview

The game is played over a series of rounds. Each round follows the same sequence:

1. Draw Cards
2. Spawn Animals
3. Draw Dice
4. Player Actions
5. Animal Phase
6. Round Cleanup

Players complete their actions first, after which the animals act.

Draw Cards

Each player draws cards from the shared capture deck until they have 6 cards in hand.

The capture deck contains three levels of cards. Early rounds use simpler cards, while stronger cards appear later in the game.

Spawn Animals

Animals enter the board through the six gates.

• G1, G2, G3 are ocean gates and spawn animals from the ocean bag.
• G4, G5, G6 are land gates and spawn animals from the land bag.

For each open gate, spawn one animal per player.

Gates that are temporarily closed or permanently closed do not spawn animals.

First Round Movement

During the first round only, newly spawned animals immediately move one step away from their gate along their path.

Chapter 1 Rule — Automatic Gate Closures

In Chapter 1, roll two dice at the start of spawning. Any gates matching those numbers are temporarily closed for that spawn.

Draw Dice

Each player draws dice from their dice bag based on their available workers.

Only healthy workers contribute dice.

Worker	Dice
Wrangler	1
Lifeguard	2
Backpacker	3

Workers in hospital do not contribute dice.

After drawing, roll all dice.

If the bag empties while drawing, shuffle the discard pile back into the bag.

Dice

Players use dice with three star levels.

Dice	Faces
1-star	1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4
2-star	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
3-star	1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8

Players begin the game with 1-star dice in their bag.

Higher-level dice begin on the player mat and can be added to the bag by placing dice on the mat’s purchase rows during play.

Player Actions

Players perform their actions simultaneously.

Using their rolled dice and cards in hand, players may perform actions in any order until they choose to end their turn.

Common actions include:

• Activating a capture card
• Placing a die on a gate card
• Placing a die on a purchase row
• Discarding a card for a mitigation effect

Players may stop taking actions at any time.

Capture Cards

Capture cards allow workers to capture animals on the board.

To activate a card:

1. Place the required dice on the card.
2. Choose a worker to perform the action.
3. Deploy that worker to the chosen location.

There are three types of capture action.

Shoot

The worker fires in a straight line.

The worker’s strength applies to the first animal hit and decreases by 1 for each cell of distance.

Players choose the order of animals along the line.

Animals are captured if the damage they receive equals or exceeds their strength.

Spray

The worker deploys to a single cell and sprays the area.

All animals in that cell with strength equal to or lower than the worker’s strength are captured.

Fling

The worker grabs an animal and throws it into a neighbouring cell.

• The thrown animal is immediately captured.
• Animals in the landing cell take damage equal to the thrown animal’s strength.
• Animals that survive the impact become stunned for the rest of the round.

Fling cards require a minimum total dice value.

Workers may only pick up animals whose strength does not exceed their own.

Closing Gates

Each gate has a gate card with four dice slots, one for each player colour.

Each slot requires a die with a specific colour and value range.

When you place a die on a gate:

• Assign a worker to that gate.
• The gate becomes temporarily closed for the rest of the round.

Once all slots are filled, the gate becomes permanently closed and will no longer spawn animals.

Gate Substitute Tokens

Each player begins with a limited number of substitute tokens.

These allow you to place a die in another player's gate slot if the die meets the slot’s requirements.

Place one of your substitute tokens above the die to show that you filled the slot.

Each token may be used once per game.

Solo Game

In a solo game, the player may place dice in any gate slot without using substitute tokens.

Dice Mitigations

Instead of using a capture card for its action, you may discard it to apply its mitigation effect to a die.

Each die may receive only one mitigation.

Examples include:

• Changing the die’s colour
• Adjusting its value by +1 or −1
• Upgrading the die by one star level
• Flipping the die to its opposite face
• Rerolling the die
• Drawing a replacement card (Trade Card)
• Rolling an additional die (Extra Dice)

3-star dice cannot be upgraded further.

Animals

Animals come in two types: land animals and ocean animals.

Each animal has a strength and movement value.

Land Animals

Animal	Strength	Movement
Spider	1	1
Snake	2	1
Cassowary	3	2
Crocodile	4	1
Drop Bear	8	1

Drop Bears appear only in Chapter 3.

Ocean Animals

Animal	Strength	Movement
Jellyfish	1	0
Octopus	2	1
Shark	3	2
Crocodile	4	1

Animal Phase

After all players have finished their turns, animals act.

Resolve the following steps in order.

1. Captured animals are returned to their bags. Jellyfish are removed from the game.
2. Workers recover in the hospital.
3. Animals attack workers sharing their cell.
4. Animals move toward the Resort along their paths.
5. Delayed sprays resolve.
6. Animals sharing cells with workers attack again.
7. Stunned animals recover.

Animal Movement

Animals move along predetermined paths toward the Resort.

Animals with movement 2 move two cells during the Animal Phase.

Jellyfish Swarm

Jellyfish do not move normally.

Instead, they swarm, spreading into nearby ocean or shoreline cells based on the current wind direction shown on the capture deck.

New jellyfish appear in adjacent cells that do not already contain one.

Animal Attacks

Animals attack any workers sharing their cell.

When this occurs:

1. Roll 1d6.
2. The worker is injured if the result is less than or equal to either:
   • the strongest animal’s strength, or
   • the number of animals in the cell.

If injured:

• Workers go to Intensive Care if the strongest animal has strength 3 or higher.
• Otherwise they go to Wards.

Hospital

The hospital has two areas.

Wards

Workers recover during the next Animal Phase and return to the player mat.

Intensive Care

Workers move to Wards during the next Animal Phase and recover one round later.

Workers in hospital cannot take actions or contribute dice.

Round Cleanup

At the end of the round:

• Workers return to their player mats (except those in hospital).
• Any partial damage on animals is cleared.
• Animals that reached the Resort cell (R) become flagged.
• Temporary gate closures are removed.

If all gates are closed and no animals remain on the board, the players win.