Final Girl – Core Rules: All basic rules for all Feature Film Boxes

Reading time approx. 8–10 minutes

This core rules guide explains every rule that applies to each of the 20 Feature Film Boxes – regardless of killer, location, or series. Read it once thoroughly, then use the box-specific quick guides only for that box's special mechanics.

This guide assumes no prior knowledge and is aimed at beginners as well as players who want to look up a specific core rule.

1. What You Need

• Core Box: Contains all shared components – dice, action cards, meeples, and markers.
• Feature Film Box: Contains the Killer Board, Location Board, Terror cards, Event and Setup cards, plus the two Final Girls for that box.

Core rule: Final Girl cannot be played with the Core Box alone – you always need at least one Feature Film Box.

2. Goal of the Game

Victory: The Killer loses all Hit Points and their last health marker (Final Health Token) is empty.

Defeat: Your Hit Points drop to 0 and your last health marker is empty.

Special case: If you and the Killer die simultaneously, you win – the ultimate sacrifice!

Adjacent Spaces: Spaces are adjacent when connected by a line on the board – not because they look close together. When in doubt, always check the drawn connection lines.

3. The Game Boards

4. Setup – The Fixed Steps

1. Choose a Final Girl: Pick one of the two Final Girl cards from the box.
2. Starting Hand: Take all Zero-Cost action cards – identified by the golden hourglass symbol with "0" – as your starting hand. Lay out the remaining action cards as the Action Tableau in ascending order.
3. Setup Card: Draw a random Setup card for the location. It shows starting positions for all figures and any special rules.
4. Event Card: Draw the top Event card and follow its instructions immediately. The card stays visible for the rest of the game.
5. Terror Deck: Shuffle the killer's and location's Terror cards together, deal out exactly 10 as the Terror Deck. Set the rest aside.
6. Items: Shuffle the Item cards, deal 4 face-down onto each of the 3 search piles. Reveal the top card of each pile.
7. Health Tokens: Place a black Final Health Token face-down on the Player Board – without looking at it. Then fill the health track with regular Health markers.

Example: A Final Girl with 5 total HP = 1 black Final Health Token + 4 regular Health markers. A Killer with 12 HP = 1 black Final Health Token + 11 regular Health markers.

5. The Turn – 5 Phases

1. Action Phase

You play action cards from your hand to move, attack, search, or focus. Almost all cards require a Horror Roll.

Every action costs Time. The Time Token starts at 6. If it drops below zero, the Action Phase ends immediately – after the current action finishes. If it sits exactly at zero, you may still continue.

Gaining Time: Discard hand cards anytime before the Action Phase ends – each gives +1 Time. Once the Time Token has dropped below zero, no more Time can be gained.

Attacking: You must be in the same space as the Killer to attack – unless an ability or item explicitly allows Ranged Attack. Two different weapons equipped: If you hold a different weapon in each hand, you must choose exactly one when attacking – their effects don't combine.

Movement: You can bring up to 2 Victims with you when you leave a space. Victims will not follow you into the Killer's space. If Victims are already in the Killer's space when you leave it, they will follow you.

Saving Victims: On a green Exit Space – even just passing through – all Victims there may be saved. Each saved Victim grants an immediate bonus. Once all spaces on your Final Girl card are filled, it flips over and permanently unlocks your Ultimate Ability.

Often played wrong – Reaction Cards: Guard and Retaliate (identified by a blue card background) may only be played when the Killer attacks you during the Killer Phase – not freely on your own turn. Against a single attack, you may use multiple Reaction cards one after another; against multiple separate attacks, you need a separate card for each. They protect only you – not Victims.

2. Planning Phase

1. Buy Cards: Buy new action cards from the tableau using your remaining Time. You can always take Zero-Cost cards – even at zero or negative Time. Cards played or discarded this round may not be bought – not even Zero-Cost cards, even though they cost nothing. Hand limit: max. 10 cards.
2. Reset Time: Reset the Time Token to 6. Unused Time is lost.
3. Return Cards: Return all played and discarded cards to the tableau.

Tip – Cards as a resource: Also buy cards you won't use right away – more cards in hand mean more chances to convert 3s and 4s into full successes. The 10-card hand limit always applies.

3. Killer Phase

1. Killer Action: The Killer first performs the action shown on the Finale Card, top left next to the corresponding (K) symbol.
2. Draw Terror Card: Then draw the top Terror card and fully resolve all effects from top to bottom.
3. Minions Act: If the box includes Minions, they perform their action according to the current Terror card.

Common mistake – order: Resolve the Killer Action first, only then draw the Terror card. Not simultaneously, not reversed.

Finale Revealed: Once the Terror deck is empty, the Finale Card is revealed. From now on, no more Terror cards are drawn. The new Killer Action is shown on the Finale Card and makes the Killer significantly more dangerous.

4. Panic Phase

If at least one Victim died this turn, all Victims in the same space as the Killer enter Panic. Roll one die per affected Victim, one at a time – the panic number on the board indicates the direction of movement. If multiple Victims panic, you choose the order.

Exception via card effects: Some Terror or Event cards explicitly set different conditions under which Victims (or even the Final Girl) panic – in that case, the card\'s instruction overrides the standard rule. If the box includes Minions, Victims in the same space as a Minion panic just as they would in the Killer\'s space.

Common mistake: Only Victims in the same space as the Killer panic – not all nearby Victims.

5. Upkeep Phase

• Finale Check: If no Terror cards remain in the deck, the Finale Card is revealed. The endgame begins.
• Box-Specific Upkeep Effects: Some boxes have automatic effects during this phase (e.g., vehicle movement). These are described in the respective box-specific quick guide.
• Rearranging Items: Only possible when acquiring a new item OR during the Upkeep Phase – not at any time. Items in the Backpack cannot be used directly.

6. Key Mechanics

Final Health Token

At the start, a black token is placed face-down – without looking at it. When you reach 0 Hit Points, it is revealed:

• Heart symbol with a number (1–3): You barely survive! Place a white token, fill in the indicated health value. The black token is removed from the game.
• Blank side: Immediate defeat.

If the white token is also removed later, there is no further chance.

Adrenaline Rush

As long as you or the Killer only have your Final Health Token remaining, you roll +1 extra die on every Horror Roll. If both are down to just their final token: even +2 dice. Experienced players use this deliberately – sometimes it's worth fighting at 1 HP instead of spending valuable time healing.

Important – Adrenaline Rush ends immediately: The bonus die only applies while you are actually on your last health token. If revealing it shows hearts after all, you're no longer on your last life – the bonus disappears again immediately.

Bloodlust and Dark Power

Whenever a Victim dies, the Killer's Bloodlust increases by 1. Certain levels on the Bloodlust Track trigger one-time special effects – including revealing the Dark Power Card, which grants the Killer a permanent ability. The specific cards come from the respective Feature Film Box and vary depending on which card is drawn.

Minor Dark Power as a shield: Some Terror cards are themselves "Minor Dark Powers" and give the Killer extra health markers on the card itself. When you damage the Killer, you must remove these extra markers first before damage carries over to the Killer's regular health track. Only once all markers on the Minor Dark Power card are removed is it discarded and the Killer loses that ability.

Killer Behavior: Targeting, Movement, Attacking

Targeting: Unless stated otherwise, the Killer always targets the closest target (Victim or Final Girl). In case of a tie, it chooses the group with the most Victims (the Final Girl doesn't count as a Victim). If still tied, use the Ambiguity rule (your own preferred resolution principle).

Movement: The Killer always takes the shortest path to its target and doesn't move at all if the target is already in its space. It stops immediately once it reaches its target – even with movement remaining. It may pass through spaces containing the Final Girl or Victims without stopping if they aren't its intended target.

Attacking: The Killer always attacks Victims in its space first, before attacking the Final Girl – unless the Final Girl was specifically designated as the target. If the Killer ends up in a space that wasn't its intended target (e.g., due to a card effect), it still attacks whoever is there.

Horror Level

Determines how many dice you roll on a Horror Roll. The green zone of the Horror Track (3 dice) is your most important goal! If the Horror Level rises above the track's maximum, the Killer's Bloodlust immediately increases by 1. The Focus action lowers the Horror Level and gives Time back – always play it when the level reaches 5–6.

Reaction Cards

Guard and Retaliate are identified by a blue card background. They may only be played when the Killer attacks you. Against a single attack, you may use multiple Reaction cards one after another (e.g., 2× Guard, or Guard followed by Retaliate) – but a single Reaction card always defends against only that one attack. If the Killer makes multiple separate attacks (multiple attack symbols), you need a separate Reaction card for each one – a card cannot be reused. They protect only you – not Victims. Guard prevents the entire attack's damage. Retaliate deals damage back – combined with a strong melee weapon, often the strongest damage play in the game. Never usable against pure health loss from an icon effect (e.g., the minus-heart icon) – Reaction cards only work against an actual attack.

7. Action Cards – Rating and Combinations

The most important insight: more dice beats everything. Always prioritize: get the Horror Level into the green zone → find a weapon → rescue Victims. You can win without a weapon or with many dead Victims – but never with just 1 die permanently.

8. Core Principles

✔ More dice matters more than anything else – aim for the green zone of the Horror Track
✔ Priority: 3 dice → weapon → rescue Victims – never reversed
✔ Melee weapons are almost always superior to ranged weapons
✔ Always buy Close Call – the best card in the game
✔ Always keep 2× Guard and Retaliate in hand when the Killer is nearby
✔ Fight actively instead of hiding – killing the Killer is the only goal
✔ Hand limit: max. 10 cards – applies at all times, even outside the Planning Phase (officially confirmed) – discard freely chosen cards immediately if exceeded, no Time bonus
✔ Never enter the Finale unprepared: weapon equipped, Guard or Retaliate in hand, Close Call available
✔ Time management matters more than maximizing card combos

9. The Most Common Mistakes

• Playing too cautiously: The Killer is usually slower than expected. Actively attacking and moving away is better than hiding – hiding gives the Killer time to grow stronger.
• Misreading the Time Token: At zero, you may still continue. Below zero, the Action Phase ends immediately – no Time can be gained after that by any means.
• Looking at the Final Health Token before the game starts: It's placed face-down – only reveal it when you reach 0 HP.
• Misapplying Panic: Only Victims in the same space as the Killer panic – not all nearby ones.
• Playing Reaction cards on your own turn: Guard and Retaliate are exclusively a reaction to a Killer attack during the Killer Phase.
• Wrong Planning Phase order: First buy → then reset Time → then return cards. Not reversed.
• Wrong Killer Phase order: Resolve the Killer Action from the Finale Card first → only then draw and resolve the Terror card. Not simultaneously, not reversed.
• Ignoring the hand limit: Max. 10 cards in hand – Zero-Cost cards count too. The limit applies at all times, not just when buying: If you receive a card outside the Planning Phase (e.g., via a Victim rescue reward), you must immediately discard down to 10 – you choose freely which one. Officially confirmed by designer A.J. Porfirio (BGG, Jan 20, 2024): "10 is the limit. You cannot go over 10. If you get the opportunity to take a card through an effect, you have to discard a card so you don't go over 10." A forced discard grants no +1 Time – that bonus only applies to voluntary discards during the Action Phase.
• Confusing the Finale Card with the Dark Power Card: The Finale Card (top half) determines the new Killer Action once the Terror deck runs out. The Dark Power Card (bottom half) grants a permanent bonus effect. If an effect requires drawing a second Dark Power Card, it doesn't replace the first – both stay permanently active and stack.
• Searching the wrong Item pile: Every Search Space is permanently tied to exactly one Item deck. If you're on the "Dock" space and play a Search card, you may draw only from the Dock pile – never from another Item pile on the board, even if it's nearby or on the same Location Board. The space-to-deck mapping is fixed and shown on the Location Board above or beside the respective pile.

10. Summary and Further Reading

This core rules guide applies equally to all 20 Feature Film Boxes. The box-specific quick guides build on it and explain only that box's special mechanics – making them significantly shorter and more focused.

All box-specific quick guides, Terror card glossaries, Event card glossaries, and Item card glossaries can be found in the overview of all quick guides.

Here's the link to the official rulebook and the link to the German fan translation.

The German rules translation referenced in this post was created by BGG user head bert and is a valuable resource for all German-speaking Final Girl fans. Many thanks for that.

Notice: This is an unofficial fan guide and is not affiliated with the manufacturer or publisher of the game. Final Girl and all associated names, cards, and game content are the property of Van Ryder Games. This site is neither endorsed nor authorized by Van Ryder Games.

We accept no liability for the content of linked pages. Responsibility lies with the respective operator; links will be removed promptly upon notification of rights violations.

Original texts, translations, and compilation: © ReDesign.