Ascent of Mount Meru: Official Rulebook

The Cosmic Summit (Lore)

Mount Meru—the sacred, five-peaked mountain at the center of the universe. In ancient cosmology, it is the axis of the physical and metaphysical worlds, home to gods, demigods, and the most terrifying legendary beasts in existence.

You are an elite Lorekeeper. Your expedition has reached the base of the mountain. Your goal is to ascend to the cosmic summit, but brute force alone will not save you. To pacify the guardians of the mountain, you must prove your knowledge of global mythology. Survive the climb, answer the riddles of the ancients, and claim your place among the legends.

Game Specs & Target Audience

• Players: 1-4
• Playtime: 30-45 Minutes
• Age Rating: 14+ (Requires strong reading comprehension and mythology knowledge)
• Complexity: Low Mechanical Complexity / High Trivia Difficulty
• Audience: Mythology fans, trivia lovers, and casual gamers looking for a fast, push-your-luck race.

Objective

Ascent of Mount Meru is a fast-paced, highly lethal tabletop trivia game. You play as Elite Lorekeepers racing to the summit of the legendary golden mountain. Along the way, you must survive treacherous events, discover powerful Artifact Gear, and answer deep-lore trivia questions to pacify the beasts that block your path. With only 10 HP to survive the journey, every step is dangerous.

Components

• 1x Fold-Out Square Board (24x24 inches, featuring a symmetrical 4-path layout converging on the central golden peak, with clear UI indicators for spaces)

• 4x 3D-Printed Explorer Miniatures

  

• 1x 50-Card Monster Deck (The encounters, generated from the Beast & Myth Bestiary)

• 1x Event Deck (Environmental hazards and blessings)

• 1x Artifact Gear Deck (Weapons, armor, and utility items)

• 4x Player Vitality Trackers (3D-printed Spin-Down Dials starting at 10 HP)

  

• 1x Custom D6 Movement Die (Numbered 1-6 with thematic fantasy engravings)

  

• Optional Board Tokens: (Tiny 3D-printed Treasure Chests and Hazard Signs to place on the board spaces)

  

Setup

1. Choose a Miniature: Each player selects an Explorer miniature and places it on Space 0 ("The Crossing Bridge").
2. Set Vitality: Each player sets their Vitality Tracker Dial to 10 HP. This is your maximum health.
3. The Decks: Shuffle the Monster Deck, Event Deck, and Artifact Deck. Place them on their designated board slots. (Note: After resolving any card during the game, place it in a face-up discard pile. If a deck runs out, shuffle its discard pile to form a new deck).
4. Inventory: Ensure everyone has an empty Inventory (maximum of 4 slots).
5. First Player: The player who most recently climbed a hill goes first. Play passes clockwise.

Turn Structure

On your turn, you attempt to climb higher up the mountain. Follow these steps strictly in order:

1. Roll & Move

Roll the Movement Die (D6). Move your miniature exactly that many spaces forward along the mountain path. Note: Certain Artifacts, like Hermes' Sandals, can passively increase your movement roll.

The Underdog Mechanic: If you begin your turn in last place (closest to Space 0), you may roll your Movement Die twice and choose the higher result.

Set Up Camp (Defensive Play): Instead of rolling to move, you may choose to skip your movement entirely and "Set Up Camp". You do not draw any cards or trigger any spaces, but you immediately heal 3 HP. This is a critical strategic choice when your Vitality is dangerously low!

Push Your Luck (Sprint Rule): Instead of rolling a single D6, you may choose to "Sprint" by rolling TWO D6 dice to move faster. However, if you do this and land on an Encounter space, the monster deals double damage if you answer the trivia question incorrectly!

2. Determine Space Type

The mountain path is perilous and unpredictable. The effect of your space is determined by its position on the board:

• Chest Spaces (Spaces 4, 8, 12, 16): You find a hidden chest! Draw 1 Artifact Gear Card. You may equip it immediately into one of your 4 inventory slots.

  

• Event Spaces (Spaces 2, 6, 10, 14, 18): The mountain shifts! Draw 1 Event Card. This could be a sudden landslide, a freezing blizzard, or a serene sanctuary.

  

• Encounter Spaces (All odd numbers and remaining spaces): You have disturbed a beast! Draw 1 Monster Card and initiate Trivia Combat.

  

3. Resolve the Space

Depending on what space you landed on, you must resolve the drawn card before your turn ends.

Resolving Chests (Artifacts)

When you draw an Artifact Gear Card, place it in your inventory. You can only carry 4 items at a time. Artifacts can be Weapons, Armor, Utility, or Consumables. Some have passive effects (like speed boosts), while others must be actively discarded to use (like healing or skipping encounters).

Resolving Events

Read the Event Card aloud and apply its effects immediately. Events can heal your Vitality, damage you, or offer shortcuts that allow you to skip the next encounter.

Trivia Combat (The Encounter)

When you land on an Encounter space, you must battle a beast using your lore knowledge!

1. The Beast: Reveal the Monster Card. Note its Name, Mythology Region, Classification, and Power Value (Damage).
2. The Question: Each Monster Card has 4 different trivia questions printed on it. Roll a 4-sided die (or your D6, rerolling 5s and 6s) to determine which question the player to your right will ask you. This prevents memorization and keeps every encounter fresh!
3. The Answer: You are given 4 multiple-choice options. You must choose the correct one.
   • Correct Answer: You pacify the beast! You take 0 damage and the encounter ends safely. Boss Loot: If the monster you defeated had a Power Value of 8 or higher, you may immediately draw 1 Artifact Gear!
   • Incorrect Answer: The beast strikes! You lose Vitality (HP) equal to the monster's Power Value (usually between 2 and 10 damage).
   • (Accessibility Rule - Apprentice Lorekeepers: Younger players under 14, or those struggling with the trivia, may be granted 2 guesses instead of 1 on every question to keep the game fun and balanced for the whole family).

4. End of Turn

After resolving the space (and surviving any combat or events), your turn ends. Play passes to the left.

Player Interaction (The Trivia Duel)

If you land on the exact same space as another player, you may choose to challenge them to a Trivia Duel instead of resolving the space normally!

1. Draw a Monster Card and have a third player read the question.
2. The first player to shout the correct answer wins the duel.
3. The winner may steal one Artifact Gear from the loser's inventory. (If you answer incorrectly, you take the monster's damage as usual). (Note: Artifacts that auto-defeat or pacify monsters, like Mjolnir or Gorgon's Head, cannot be used during a Trivia Duel).

Inventory & Artifact Management

Managing your 4-slot inventory is critical to surviving the ascent. You can never carry more than 4 items at a time.

• Using Active Items: Items like Ambrosia (Heal 10 HP) or Mjolnir (Auto-defeat a beast) can be used during your turn by discarding them from your inventory.
• Passive Items & Armor: Items like Hermes' Sandals (+1 to movement) or the Aegis Shield apply their effects automatically whenever their trigger conditions are met, regardless of whose turn it is!
• Inventory Overflow: If your inventory is full (4 items) and you draw a 5th Artifact Gear, you must immediately make a choice: either discard one of your existing items, or discard the newly drawn item. You cannot hold it in your hand.

Winning & Losing

• The Summit (The Final Boss): Reaching or passing Space 20 (The Golden Peak) does not instantly win you the game. Space 20 triggers an encounter with the Apex Guardian. You must answer a trivia question against this boss. You cannot use any Artifacts to skip or pacify this encounter. If you answer correctly, you secure victory! If you fail, the Guardian's roar blows you backward to Space 17.
• Basecamp Rescue (Defeat): If your Vitality (HP) drops to 0 at any point, your expedition fails. You are rescued by local Sherpas. You immediately lose all your Artifact Gear, drop back 3 spaces down the mountain (you cannot fall below Space 0), and your Vitality resets to 5 HP. Your turn ends immediately.

(Hardcore Variant: If your Vitality drops to 0, you are permanently eliminated from the climb.)

(Co-op Variant: Players share a single HP pool equal to 10 multiplied by the number of players (e.g. 20 HP for 2 players). If anyone answers incorrectly or takes event damage, the shared pool drops. You win if all players reach the summit before the pool hits 0!)

Appendix A: Artifact Gear Database

The complete list of gear found in Chest Spaces.

Appendix B: Environmental Event Database

The complete list of events found on Event Spaces.

Appendix C: Space Coordinates Log

For Lorekeepers tracking the journey, these are the named locations of the 20 spaces on Mount Meru:

1. Lower Pine Trail
2. Foot of the Mountain (Event)
3. East Ridge Climb
4. Rocky Ledge (Chest)
5. Wisdom Sanctuary
6. Highlands Gorge (Event)
7. Ancient Stone Arch
8. Merchant's Post (Chest)
9. Overgrown Ruins
10. Waterfall Cave (Event)
11. Middle Pass
12. Windswept Ridge (Chest)
13. Crystal Cavern
14. Frostbite Peak (Event)
15. Yeti Territory
16. Cloud Temple (Chest)
17. Avalanche Zone
18. Steep Ascent (Event)
19. Gates of Meru
20. The Golden Peak (Goal)

Appendix D: Example Encounter (Anubis)

When you land on an Encounter space, the interaction between the Monster Card and the Trivia Deck determines your fate. Here is an example of an encounter with Anubis:

1. Draw the Monster Card

First, you reveal the beast you are facing:

• Name: Anubis
• Classification: Deity
• Region: Ancient Egypt (Memphis tradition)
• Power: 9 Damage

2. Draw the Trivia Card

The player to your right draws a card from the Trivia Deck and asks you a question corresponding to the beast.

"Which of these is a known weakness of the Egyptian Deity, Anubis?"

• A) Iron Weapons
• B) Denial of Natron
• C) Sunlight
• D) Silver Bullets

3. Resolution

If you answer correctly (B), you pacify Anubis and take 0 damage. If you answer incorrectly (A, C, or D), the beast strikes and you lose 9 Vitality (HP)! Because Anubis is a powerful deity, this is a massive hit, making it critical to save your Artifacts for these dangerous encounters.