Final Girl – Carnage at the Carnival: Terror Card Glossary

Reading time approx. 10–12 minutes

The combined Terror Deck in Carnage at the Carnival consists of 16 Geppetto cards and 8 Carnival of Blood cards – a total of 24 cards that are shuffled at the beginning. Among them are three Terror Trap cards, which place permanent trap tokens on the board, two Minor Dark Power cards, which become permanently active immediately upon being drawn, as well as cards with chain effects, puppet spawns, and direct attacks. This glossary translates and explains all 24 cards in German, with tactical hints and an impact rating.

Note: These translations and descriptions are unofficial and not authorized by Van Ryder Games. In case of doubt, the English original text of the card always applies. 2 of the 16 Geppetto terror cards were not available at the time of this documentation and are therefore not included.

The complete quick game guide for Carnage at the Carnival – with game setup, trap rules, and strategies – can be found in the Quick Game Guide post.

Overview: Carnival of Blood Terror Cards (8 cards)

These 8 cards come from the Carnival of Blood Location Box and are shuffled with the Geppetto cards. Three of them are Terror Trap cards – they place a permanent trap token on the board.

🪤 = Terror Trap card – places a permanent trap token on the board | Disadvantage = Dangerous or costly | Double-edged = Situation-dependent

Carnival of Blood Cards in Detail

Misty Ambush – "Ambush in the Mist"

All victims in the Forest of Horrors space or an adjacent space panic. For each 1 rolled on the Panic roll, the affected victim is immediately killed. If at least one victim was killed, Geppetto attacks. If no victims were killed, this card is discarded and the next Terror card is drawn.

Tactic: Especially dangerous if multiple victims are in or near the Forest of Horrors. Since killing victims triggers a Geppetto attack, this card can create a chain reaction. Keep the Forest of Horrors clear of victims if possible.

"Is This a Prop?"

You must discard a random Item card from your backpack or hands. If you have no items, the top card of the nearest Item Deck is discarded instead. Then an Event card is drawn and resolved immediately.

Tactic: Item loss hits particularly hard if you're carrying an important weapon. The Event card can be positive or negative – making this card unpredictable. Zappo cannot be used for defense as no search occurs.

Terror Trap Reference Card – Full Translation

The Terror Trap Reference Card is included as a separate card with the box and summarizes all general trap rules. Here is the complete translation:

Whenever a Terror Trap card enters play from the Terror Deck, place the corresponding Trap Token in your current space. The trap immediately affects you and all victims in your space.

Each time a victim enters or is in a space with a Trap Token, they are immediately killed.

Each time you enter or are in a space with a Trap Token, you suffer the corresponding effect:

• Spinning Floor Blade Trap: Roll 2 dice. For each 1–4: you take 1 damage. For each 5–6: you may move 1 space away.
• Rope Trap: Discard 1 Action card randomly.
• Acid Pitfall Trap: Lose 1 Health Point.

Most important rule: Victims are always immediately killed – regardless of which of the three traps and regardless of the trigger time. The Final Girl herself does not die immediately, but only suffers the respective effect. Enemies (Geppetto and Puppets) completely ignore trap tokens.

"It Burns, It Burns!" – Terror Trap: Acid Pitfall

Place the Acid Trap Token in your current space. The trap effects take effect immediately: you lose 1 Health Point, all victims in your space are killed. The token remains permanently on the board – each subsequent entry causes you to lose 1 Health Point again.

Tactic: The mildest of the three terror traps, but the token is permanent. Remember which space is affected. The Acid Pitfall is particularly annoying in spaces you have to pass through regularly. Found Footage can completely negate this card – no token, no effects.

"Where the Hell Did the Blades Come From?" – Terror Trap: Spinning Floor Blade

Place the Spinning Floor Blade Trap Token in your space. Immediate effect: Roll 2 dice. For each 1–4: you take 1 damage. For each 5–6: you may move 1 space away. All victims in the space are killed. Additionally: for each 1–4 you rolled, Geppetto attacks once.

Tactic: The most dangerous of the three terror traps. Two bad rolls mean 2 damage plus 2 Geppetto attacks – all at once. The token on the board is permanent. Avoid thoroughfare spaces with this token at all costs. Found Footage can negate the entire card.

"Welcome to the Greatest Show"

All victims on the board move 1 space towards The Big Top. Geppetto is teleported to The Big Top space. Then an Event card is drawn and resolved.

Tactic: Victim movement can be favorable if you are near The Big Top yourself and can rescue victims there. Geppetto's teleport makes him unpredictable – he is then at The Big Top regardless of his previous position. The subsequent Event card can further change the situation.

"I'm All Wrapped Up and I Can't Get Free!" – Terror Trap: Rope Trap

Place the Rope Trap Token in your space. Immediate effect: You discard a random Action card from your hand. All victims in the space are killed. If a Walk or Sprint Action card was discarded when resolving this card, Geppetto attacks twice.

Tactic: Hand loss hits particularly hard if you have Guard or Retaliate cards in hand that you would have needed for defense. The conditional double attack sequence makes this card the most contextually dangerous of the three traps. Try not to hold Sprint cards in hand when the Terror Deck is almost empty.

"How Did the Tiger Get Loose?"

If there are no victims on the board, this card is discarded and the next Terror card is drawn. Otherwise: All victims on the board panic. Then, for the Animal Cages space and all adjacent spaces: all victims there are immediately killed, all enemies (Geppetto and Puppets) there take 1 damage. If you are in one of these spaces yourself, you also take 1 damage.

Tactic: Widespread panic is unpredictable – victims can run anywhere. Area damage around Animal Cages is double-edged: it also damages Geppetto and his puppets, but can also hit you. Avoid the Animal Cages area if the Terror Deck still contains cards.

"How Can There Be So Many Traps?"

If there are no Item Trap cards in the Item Discard Pile, this card is discarded and the next Terror card is drawn. Otherwise: Take all face-down cards from the Item Decks, as well as all already discarded Item Trap cards, shuffle them together, and redistribute them evenly back into the Item Decks. Place the face-up Item cards back on top of each pile.

Tactic: This card brings already resolved Item Traps back into play – including those you have already disarmed. Particularly nasty in the second half of the game when the Item Decks seemed almost depleted. Asami remains immune even after the reset.

Overview: Geppetto Terror Cards (16 of 16)

Geppetto's Terror Deck contains 16 cards – including 14 regular Terror Cards and 2 Minor Dark Power Terror Cards. These 2 cards are in the Terror Deck and are drawn like normal Terror Cards. When revealed, they are immediately placed on Geppetto's Killer Board and are permanently active from then on. This distinguishes them from the regular Dark Power cards (Immortal Master, Weapons Graft, Massive Abominations) which are triggered by the Bloodlust increase.

⚠️ = Minor Dark Power – when drawn, immediately placed permanently on Geppetto's Killer Board | Disadvantage | Double-edged

Geppetto Cards in Detail

Puppets Everywhere – "Puppen überall" ⚠️ Minor Dark Power

When this card is drawn from the Terror Deck, it is immediately placed on Geppetto's Killer Board – it is permanently active from this moment. From now on: If a victim is killed in your current space or an adjacent space, Geppetto's Bloodlust immediately increases by 2 additional points.

Tactics: This card is one of the most dangerous permanent buffs in the game because it massively accelerates the Bloodlust increase. Dead victims near you quickly push Geppetto's strength into critical areas. Keep victims actively out of your immediate vicinity or rescue them before puppets can kill them. After this card is resolved, victim rescue has even higher priority.

"Am I a Puppet?" – "Bin ich eine Puppe?" ⚠️ Minor Dark Power

When this card is drawn from the Terror Deck, it is immediately placed on Geppetto's Killer Board and is permanently active. From now on: If you start your turn on a space that is more than 2 spaces away from Geppetto, you immediately lose health points equal to his current attack value.

Tactics: This card forces you to permanently operate in close proximity to Geppetto – exactly where his puppets are also active. This makes every round without enough Guard or Retaliate cards risky. From the moment this card is resolved, plan your movement routes so that you always stay within 2 spaces of Geppetto, without falling into a Terror Trap.

Perform a Horror Roll. On a success (★): Move all puppets on the game board 1 space each towards the Final Girl or the nearest victim – you decide for each puppet individually. On a failure (no ★): Kill a victim in your current space. If no victim is there, Geppetto attacks twice.

Tactics: This card rewards a high Horror Level – the more dice you roll, the greater the chance of success. On a success, you decide where the puppets move: You can direct them towards victims or away from you. On a failure, an empty space of victims is your best protection against the double attack.

"They're Gaining on Me!" – "Sie holen auf!"

Roll a die. If the result is less than the current Horror Level, you immediately lose Time Tokens equal to the Horror Level. Then: All puppets on the game board perform the standard minion action – each moves towards its target and attacks.

Tactics: This card makes a high Horror Level particularly costly – at Level 5, a single bad die roll can instantly cost you 5 Time Tokens. That's practically your entire action phase. Keeping the Horror Level low through Focus actions is essential here.

"Dear Lord, Are Those Our Friends?" – "Um Himmels willen, sind das unsere Freunde?"

All puppets and Geppetto perform their standard movement and attack. Additionally: Roll for each victim that is in the same space as a puppet or in an adjacent space. On 1–5: The victim moves 1 space towards the nearest puppet. On 6: The victim moves 1 space in a direction of your choice. Then Geppetto attacks again.

Tactics: Victims are actively steered towards puppets – on 1–5, you have no control. Only on a 6 can you divert the victim. Keep victims as far away from puppets as possible to prevent the worst. This card is particularly dangerous if Weapons Graft is already active.

"They're Coming From Everywhere!" – "Sie kommen von überall!"

Roll a die. If the result is less than the Horror Level, all remaining puppets – regardless of whether they are on the game board or in the Exhausted area – are immediately spawned in Geppetto's current space. Then: All puppets perform their standard action.

Tactics: At a high Horror Level, this mass spawn is very likely. Up to three puppets can appear simultaneously in the same space as Geppetto – this immediately activates his immortality protection if the Immortal Master card is active. Prioritize killing puppets before the Horror Level exceeds 4.

"Bring Her to Me!" – "Bring sie zu mir!"

The puppet closest to you moves and attacks. If you were hit by it, you are forced to move 1 space closer to Geppetto. Then follows the check: Are you now in the same space as Geppetto, or are there no more puppets in your space? Then the card is discarded. Otherwise, the entire card is resolved again from the beginning.

Tactics: This card can repeat multiple times and systematically pulls you into Geppetto's space. Try to eliminate puppets through previous actions. If you are already close to Geppetto when it is triggered, the chain stops after one turn – which can paradoxically be your luck.

Endless Maddening Laughter – "Endloses irrsinniges Gelächter"

All victims in spaces adjacent to your current space panic. All victims who are in the same space as an enemy after the panic are immediately killed. If you yourself are in the same or an adjacent space as Geppetto, you lose health points equal to his current attack value. If no victims were killed and you took no damage in this entire sequence, the next Terror Card is immediately drawn.

Tactics: The chain pull here is particularly insidious – if you happen to be in a "safe" situation, another card immediately follows. Don't stay too close to Geppetto, as his attack value increases with rising Bloodlust.

Master Showman – "Meister der Show"

Geppetto is immediately teleported to your current space. Then, one puppet is placed on each space adjacent to your space, if puppets are available. Afterwards, all puppets and Geppetto attack you.

Often played incorrectly: Geppetto teleports to you – he does not move normally. This means he ignores all spaces between his previous location and yours. This card is one of the most immediate threats in the entire deck. Pepper Spray can immediately end the Killer Phase afterwards and prevent all further attacks.

Make or Break – "Alles oder nichts"

Roll a die. You must either lose health points equal to half the result (rounded up) – or instead kill as many victims.

Tactics: This is an active decision you can use tactically. If you have too many victims on the board, consciously killing victims can increase Bloodlust, but preserve your health. Or you prefer to take the damage and save the victims for later rescue attempts. With a low die roll (1–2), the decision is simple.

Razor Puppet Strings – "Rasiermesserscharfe Puppenfäden"

All victims in the same space as Geppetto or in adjacent spaces are immediately killed. If you are in or adjacent to Geppetto's space, you lose 2 health points. You can reduce this damage by 1 for each Walk or Sprint action card discarded. If no victims were killed and you took no damage, the next Terror Card is immediately drawn.

Tactics: This card severely punishes proximity to Geppetto. Keep Walk and Sprint cards in hand as a "buffer" when the Horror Level rises. The chain pull when not triggered can be advantageous in some games – if you are safe and no victims are near Geppetto, you immediately draw another card without taking damage.

"You'll Make a Fun New Toy..." – "Du wirst ein tolles neues Spielzeug..."

Geppetto attacks twice. Then all puppets on the game board perform their standard action – each moves and attacks.

Tactics: One of the most direct double attacks in the deck. With an active Weapons Graft card, this additionally means that each puppet deals 2 damage. Guard only protects against one attack – with this card, you need two Guard cards in hand.

Boxed In with Nowhere to Go – "Eingekreist ohne Ausweg"

If there are no victims on the game board, this card is discarded and the next Terror Card is drawn. Otherwise, Geppetto attacks twice. Then: All victims who are in the same space as a puppet or in an adjacent space panic. If a victim panics into a space where a puppet is standing, they are immediately killed.

Tactics: The panic trap is particularly effective when puppets are strategically positioned. Immediate killing by panic movement into a puppet space increases Bloodlust and, if applicable, activates Puppets Everywhere. Keep victims away from puppet spaces.

Replacement Parts – "Ersatzteile"

Place 2 new victims on the space where Geppetto started the game. Geppetto then moves to the space with the nearest victim. Both (puppets and Geppetto) attack. For each victim killed during this Killer Phase: Bloodlust increases by 1 and Geppetto recovers 1 health point.

Tactics: Double-edged: The new victims are potential rescue opportunities, but also Bloodlust fuel for Geppetto. The combination of healing and Bloodlust increase can quickly reverse the course of the game. Don't kill Geppetto just when this card could refill his last HP – wait for a moment without active victims in his area.

"They Have Us Completely Surrounded!" – "Wir sind vollständig umzingelt!"

If there are no victims on the game board, this card is discarded and the next Terror Card is drawn. Otherwise, Geppetto attacks. Then all puppets perform their standard action – each moves and attacks.

Tactics: A clearly structured card with no special effect – Geppetto attacks, puppets follow. Effective and predictable. Two Guard cards in hand are the safest answer to this card, especially if Weapons Graft is active.

There Is No Escape – "Es gibt kein Entkommen"

Geppetto attacks. Then Geppetto and all puppets on the game board are evenly distributed among the Exit spaces of the game board. Then all placed enemies move towards their nearest target and attack.

Tactics: This card actively blocks all exits – precisely where you want to rescue victims. In the second half of the game, when you need to bring victims to exits, this is particularly dangerous. Plan your rescue route so that you have multiple exit options.

Impact Assessment of All Terror Cards (Community Rating)

This rating is an unofficial tactical assessment. You don't draw Terror Cards – they are revealed randomly. The rating assesses how strongly each card influences your chances of winning.

Very Dangerous = Game-deciding, immediate reaction necessary  |  Disadvantage = Dangerous, but manageable  |  Double-Edged = Situation-dependent

Commonly Misplayed Rules

Terror Trap Tokens are permanent: Trap tokens never disappear from the board – not at the end of a round or if the Terror Deck runs out. They remain until the end of the game. Any game action that enters an affected space triggers the effect again.

"They're Coming From Everywhere!" spawns ALL puppets: This card spawns all available puppets simultaneously – including those in the Exhausted pile – regardless of the normal spawn rule at the start of the Killer phase. This is not a regular spawn, but a special effect.

"Bring Her to Me!" can repeat multiple times: This card re-triggers until you are in the same space as Geppetto or there are no more puppets in your space. There is no upper limit to the repetitions.

Chain Pull is not optional: Cards like "Endless Maddening Laughter" or "Razor Puppet Strings" automatically trigger the next Terror Card if the condition is met – you cannot prevent or skip this.

The Horror Roll for "Dance Puppet!" is a regular Horror Roll: You can use Close Call to improve the result. The Horror Roll applies to the entire sequence of this card.

Conclusion

The combined Terror Deck from Carnival of Blood and Geppetto is one of the most complex in Final Girl Series 1. The three permanent Terror Trap cards permanently change the game board and make the Crystal Ball and Found Footage items strategic key elements. Geppetto's cards focus on puppet synergies, chain effects, and targeted approach to your space. Knowing the 22 documented cards allows for much more targeted planning of your action phase – especially regarding Guard cards in hand, horror level, and positioning relative to Geppetto.

Here is the link to the original rulebook and the link to the German translation.

The German rule translation, to which this post refers, was created by BGG user head bert and is a valuable resource for all German-speaking Final Girl fans. Many thanks for this.

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

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