View source for Minecraft:Minecraft: Digging Down

{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox board game
| title = ''Minecraft: Digging Down''
| designer = * Jens Merkl
* Stephanie Korupp
* Ina Franz
| illustrator = Alexandria Land
| publisher = [[File:Mojang Studios logo.svg|20px]] [[Minecraft:Mojang Studios]]<br>{{w|Ravensburger}}
| date = {{Start date and age|2026|9|1}}
| genre = {{w|Card game}}
| language = English
| players = 2-4
| time = 30 minutes
| age = 9+
}}
[[File:MCDiggingDownBoxArt.jpg|thumb|right|Box art for ''Minecraft: Digging Down'']]
'''''Minecraft: Digging Down''''' is an upcoming card game to be published by [[Minecraft:Mojang Studios]] and {{w|Ravensburger}}.<ref>[https://www.amazon.de/Ravensburger-24946-Minecraft-Kooperatives-Minecraft-Fans/dp/B0GHNDRMMV ''Minecraft: Digging Down''] listing on Amazon</ref> In the game, players explore a cave system and complete objectives based on the difficulty level.

== Equipment ==
A standard set of ''Minecraft: Digging Down'' includes:

=== Cards ===
A set of 120 cards, which includes:
* Four objective cards
* Four inventory cards
* Sixteen basic equipment cards (four tools and four colors each)
* Twelve exchange item cards
* Thirty-two torch cards
* One base card
* One decision card
* Fifty cave cards (fifteen dirt, seventeen stone, and eighteen deepslate)

=== Misc. ===
* One health indicator with double-sided adhesive
* Four hearts
* Four characters with stand bases
* Five torch tiles
* Three enchantment card sleeves

== Setup ==
=== Before the first game ===
Carefully remove all contents from the punchboards. Then, attach the two sides of the health indicator together with double-sided adhesive tape in the marked areas and pressing the sides down firmly. Finally, insert the four characters into the stand bases.

=== General setup ===
The player chooses their character and takes the corresponding inventory and basic equipment set of their color, making sure to use the side of the inventory card depending on the number of players:

{| class="wikitable" style="width: auto; text-align: center"
! Number of players
! Inventory
! Basic equipment
! Number of torches
! Number of inventory slots used for torches
|-
! 2
| 12 slots
| Six cards of the player's chosen color, in addition to one basic equipment set split between players
| 32
| 6
|-
! 3 or 4
| 9 slots
| Four cards of the player's chosen color
| 27
| 5
|}

Next, place the health indicator in the middle of the table, sliding the four hearts into it, followed by placing the base under the health indicator and the decision card to the right of it.

Next, place the characters next to the base, followed by the twelve exchange items in a stack to the left of the base. The remaining torches are set next to the exchange items stack as a supply and the five torch tiles are placed in front of them.

Then, select a difficulty level as follows, placing the objectives corresponding to the chosen difficulty level face up next to the health indicator:

{| class="wikitable" style="width: auto; text-align: center"
! Difficulty
! Number of cave cards used
! Win conditions
|-
! Normal
| 27 cards (nine dirt, ten stone, and eight deepslate), removing cards with {{ItemSprite|apple}} apples and {{ItemSprite|golden apple}} golden apples
| Mine two diamonds
|-
! Hard
| 37 cards (twelve dirt, fourteen stone, and eleven deepslate), removing cards with {{ItemSprite|golden apple}} golden apples
| Defeat two endermen
|-
! Hardcore
| 50 cards
| Mine two diamonds and defeat two endermen
|}

Next, shuffle the cave cards in separate piles corresponding to the materials on the back of the cards without looking at the front of the cards. Then, form four stacks by laying out the cave cards across, placing down deepslate, then stone, and then dirt, making sure to distribute them as evenly as possible. Finally, place the four stacks next to the decision card, which forms the cave system with different passages that players can explore.

Keep the game box nearby for resolved or lost cards. The three enchantment card sleeves are only needed for Hardcore mode.

== Gameplay ==
The game is played over several rounds, with each round consisting of several exploration turns for each player. A round ends when a player decides to voluntarily return to the base, or if actions performed by a player cause them to respawn back at the base.

=== Equipment use ===
In order for the player to move further down the cave, they must use their equipment to fight mobs and mine ore. For basic equipment, if the game has two players, each player gets three stone swords and three stone pickaxes; if the game has three or four players, each player gets two stone swords and two stone pickaxes. When equipment is used, the card must be flipped over to show the inactive marker (a black arrow). Once a exploration turn is finished, players may return to the base and flip over all used tools back to the front, showing the active marker (a gray arrow), meaning they can be used again.

A player can use several of the same type of tool, being either swords or pickaxes, at the same time to add their values together. Some cave cards can only be solved together as a team (e.g. A mob has a strength of eight. Alex flips an iron sword with a strength of four and Steve flips two stone swords, each with a strength of two. With the total strength of the swords at eight, the mob is defeated, and any strength value left over is ignored).

=== Exploration turn ===

Each exploration turn starts with the decision card. The players discuss together as to whether they would want to start an exploration turn or return to base.

==== Explore the cave ====

If the players decides to explore the cave, one torch must be discarded. As an optional advantage, players can now move and use torches.

The player then places their character in front of a cave passage so they can flip the top card over later and discover what's there. The player can also use torches to peek at what is hidden under the cards. To do this, the player must discard one torch from their inventory and place a torch tile with the light side facing up in front of the cave passage they are currently standing in front of. The player then looks at the top cave card and tells the other players as to what lies ahead, and then places it back face down. The player then decides as to whether they would want to stay in that passage or go to another one, being mindful of the amount of torches they have.

The player can move and/or use torches as often as they like. If all players decide that they want to explore a cave passage, then starting from the base going from left to right, the player who is on their turn reveals the top cave card of each cave passage that at least one player is standing in front of. However, the player may no longer move or use torches. The player can then either attempt to resolve the revealed card or flip it back over to keep it unresolved. If a torch tile is used, it remains in front of unresolved cards. Then, the player in front of the next cave passage reveals the top card of that passage, and so on. If there is a cave passage with no players in front of it, the passage is skipped. After all cave passages are resolved, the player decides again whether to start another exploration round or return to base.

Many cards award the player with loot if they can resolve them. The loot is shown on the lower half of the cave card and is marked with a black border. If the card is resolved, the loot from it is collected under the torch tiles near the player's base and turned over so the loot is facing right side up. Loot can only be placed in the player's inventory after the player voluntarily returns to base. Once the loot is in the player's inventory, it can be distributed amongst the other players, who can use them from their next exploration turn onwards.

As soon as the player has resolved a cave card that matches one of their objective cards, they immediately flip the target card over (e.g. A player finds diamond ore blocks and successfully mines them. The cave card is added to the loot and immediately flipped over to the side with the green checkmark ([[File:Green check.svg|16px]]). Then, once the player finds the second card and successfully mines it, they flip over the second target card and win the game).

If the player cannot resolves cards (e.g. mobs that can't be defeated), they lose hearts. Each card specifies as to how many hearts are removed from the player's health indicator. If the last heart is removed from the player's health indicator, all players in that cave are forced to respawn at the base, and all loot collected is lost and placed back into the box. If the player loses a cave card that matches one of their objectives, the target card still counts as having been completed.

==== Return to base ====
Returning to the base can be done in two ways:
* The player can voluntarily decide to return to their base if they don't have enough tools to use or wish to protect their loot. However, the player will need to discard two torches at the beginning of their turn.
* The player involuntarily respawns at the base if they lose all of their hearts on their health indicator; no torches need to be paid if this happens.

At the base, the player can completely refill their hearts on their health indicator, secure and distribute loot if they have any, flip over all used tools back to their active side, and fill their inventory with torches if they have any remaining in their stash.

The player is free to organize their inventory at the base however they like, such as putting torches in their stash if space is needed for loot. Items may also be permanently discarded into the game box if they are no longer needed.

If the player does not have enough torches to pay to return to the base, all loot will be lost. If the player runs out of torches and has no torches left in their inventory or stash, they are out of the game.

=== Card overview ===

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Normal
! Card
! Action
! {{BlockSprite|Torch}} Torch card effect
|-
! {{EntitySprite|Zombie}} Mob
| Defeat the mob with equal or greater combat strength (e.g. Zombies have a strength of six, meaning three stone swords would be needed to defeat it). If defeating the mob is not possible, then the player loses the amount of hearts shown on the scale of the health indicator.
| The red combat strength number is covered, meaning the player now only has to match or beat the yellow combat strength.
|-
! {{BlockSprite|Diamond-Ore}} Ores
| Mine the block with equal or greater mining strength (e.g. Coal ore has a mining strength of 1) to collect it as loot. If this is not possible, the card is placed back on the stack and left as unresolved.
| N/A
|-
! {{BiomeSprite|Dripstone-Caves}} Dripstone Caves
| Mine the dripstone with equal or greater mining strength.
| N/A
|-
! {{ItemSprite|Iron-Chestplate}} Armor
| Place the card as an extra heart to the right of the player's health indicator. This can only be used once. Whenever the player next loses a heart, the card is discarded.
| N/A
|-
! Exchange Items
| One the player has their items secure at their base, they decide with another player as to which of the two items shown they want to keep. The other player takes the item from the exchange pile and places it in their inventory.
| N/A
|-
! {{ItemSprite|Potion-of-Healing}} Potion
| Can only be used once to refill the hearts on the player's health indicator. This is only possible before revealing a cave card.
| N/A
|-
! {{EntitySprite|Creeper}} Creeper
| Creepers explode immediately, causing the player who revealed it to remove one card and lose two hearts.
| Nothing happens.
|-
! {{EnvSprite|Lava Lake}} Lava Lake / Deep Abyss
| The player falls into the depths and loses the specified number of hearts.
| Nothing happens.
|}

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Hard
! Card
! Action
! {{BlockSprite|Torch}} Torch card effect
|-
! {{ItemSprite|Minecart}} Abandoned Minecart
| The player finds a minecart and decides whether to ride it or not. If they do, the torch tile is flicked into the air, taking the action for what side it lands on.
| {{BlockSprite|Torch}} '''Lit Torch:''' Discard the next three cards from the same cave passage face down in the game box.<br>{{BlockSprite|Torch-(Burnt-out)}} '''Unlit Torch:''' Lose two hearts on the player's health indicator.
|-
! {{EnvSprite|buried-treasure}} Sunken Treasure
| The player finds a treasure chest deep in the cave's lake and decides whether to open it or not. If they do, the torch tile is flicked into the air, taking the action for what side it lands on.
| {{BlockSprite|Torch}} '''Lit Torch:''' The card is collected as loot.<br>{{BlockSprite|Torch-(Burnt-out)}} '''Unlit Torch:''' Lose one heart on the player's health indicator.
|-
! {{BlockSprite|Cobweb}} Cobweb
| Destroy the cobwebs with equal or greater combat strength.
| N/A
|-
! {{BlockSprite|Torch}} Recover Torches
| When secured as loot at the player's base, the player recovers the number of torches shown from the box and adds them to their torch stash.
| N/A
|}

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Hardcore
! Card
! Action
! {{BlockSprite|Torch}} Torch card effect
|-
! {{BlockSprite|Monster-Spawner}} Monster Spawners and {{ItemSprite|enchanted-book}} Enchantments

| Defeat the mob with equal or greater combat strength and destroy the spawner with equal or greater mining strength (e.g. for a skeleton spawner, the combat strength is twelve and the mining strength is four). If defeating or destroying are not possible, then the player loses the amount of hearts as shown on the player's health indicator. If the card is resolved, it is collected as loot. Once the card is secured at the player's base, the matching enchantment card sleeve is taken and is used to enchant an item to make it stronger. The enchantments are as follows:
* '''Sharpness:''' The enchanted sword is now twice as strong (e.g. an iron sword with a combat strength of four now has a combat strength of eight).
* '''Silk Touch:''' Ores mined with the enchanted pickaxe can be placed directly into the player's inventory instead of becoming loot. If there is no room in the player's inventory, they must discard a card.
* '''Protection:''' The enchanted armor no longer needs to be discarded after it is used, and the player now has five hearts. If the player loses hearts, they flip the enchanted armor over, and it can be reactivated at the player's base.
| The red combat strength number and the regular mining strength number are covered, meaning the player now only has to match or beat the yellow mining strength.
|-
! Waterfall
| The player finds a waterfall and decides whether to venture down it or not. If they do, the torch tile is flicked into the air, taking the action for what side it lands on.
| {{BlockSprite|Torch}} '''Lit Torch:''' Discard the next three cards from the same cave passage face down in the game box.<br>{{BlockSprite|Torch-(Burnt-out)}} '''Unlit Torch:''' Lose two hearts on the player's health indicator.
|-
! {{BlockSprite|Chest}} Chest
| The player adds the items from the chest to their loot.
| N/A
|-
! {{EntitySprite|Warden}} Warden
| The player loses four hearts on their health indicator.
| Nothing happens.
|}

=== End of the game ===
The player that completes the win conditions for the corresponding difficulty wins the game. However, the player loses if they run out of torches.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Navigation ==
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