MOONBORN GAMES
Welcome to Blood Moon Worms Rising! In this tactical, asymmetric 2-player duel of predator and prey, every turn brings new threats, shifting terrain, and high-stakes decisions.
As the Bird
Manage your hunger and health while digging deep into the earth, playing powerful ability cards, and simulating rain to lure the worms.
As the Worms
Bully the bird by refilling its tunnels, placing bedrock, taking opportunistic strikes, and raising fallen allies as deadly zombies.
Victory demands sacrifice. You'll need to make tough choices and adapt to special events and a changing battlefield to survive.
Welcome to the dirt war.
Card Sneak Peek
Here is a taste of what is in the box! The full game currently includes 38 champion cards, 36 ability cards, and 16 special events.
Worm Champions
The Necromancer
The Necromancer may take the raise undead action from any distance.
The Commander
Once per turn from any distance, The Commander may move another worm once (including zombies). Does not take an action to use this ability.
The Warrior
Once per turn as an action, instead of biting, The Warrior can slash an adjacent bird. It causes 2 loss of health and 1 loss of action to the bird.
The Sorceress
Once per turn, as an action, The Sorceress may place 1 wormhole in any space not occupied by a worm.
The Engineer
The Engineer may place bedrock 1 space farther than normal.
The Shadow
Once per game, The Shadow may avoid being eaten by dodging the birds attack. After dodging, you may choose to move 1 space.
Bird Champions
The Crash
The Crash may move through worms as if they were dirt. If The Crash ends its move on a worm, that worm is stunned for 1 turn.
The Resilient
The Resilient does not lose actions when damaged by worms. Also, eating a worm champion heals The Resilient by 1 health.
The Tilt
The Tilt may do all of its actions diagonally unlike other birds. When pecking dirt diagonally, worms in that direction move diagonally towards it. Does not modify the direction of ability cards.
The Reborn
If an adjacent worm damages The Reborn, then it is automatically eaten by The Reborn unless the bird is dead. Can eat diagonally when reacting to damage.
Worm Action Cards
Bird Rave
The bird attends a rave and loses 2 actions next turn.
Wormhole Lab
Place 2 wormholes in any spaces not occupied by a worm or another wormhole.
Bird Action Cards
Vacuum
Pick a non-diagonal direction from the bird. If any worms are within 4 spaces in that direction, they are vacuumed into the birds mouth! Cannot move through bedrock.
Bedrock Laser Gun
Blasts bedrock to bits! Breaks up to 3 pieces of bedrock anywhere on the board of your choosing.
Special Events
Meteor Shower
The bird flies away as 3 meteors hit. Replace 3 grass tokens with lava tokens. The bird returns anywhere. Remove this card from game.
Blood Worm Moon
Worms turn into Wereworms until the end of the day. They bite for 2 damage and can cover 2 spaces each movement. Zombies are not affected.
A Typical Turn in Action
Here's how a turn might unfold in Blood Moon Worms Rising:
Special Event
A special event card is drawn: “Timelines Merging”. The 2 remaining wormholes are wiped away and 4 are randomized back onto the board.
Roll for Rain
The dice shows a 5, so it rains! All worms must move 2 spaces toward the surface. One of them is pulled through a wormhole, leaving 2 wormholes left on the board!
Worms Rise & Strike
The worms are forced to rise due to rain, bringing them dangerously close to the bird...
Action 1: The Necromancer uses Raise Undead to resurrect a fallen worm as a zombie
Action 2: The zombie worm moves adjacent to the bird
Action 3: The zombie bites the bird! Bird loses 1 health and 1 action next turn
Action 4: The Necromancer places a bedrock above its head to stop it from responding to rain again
Bird's Counterattack
The Uslurper, the bird champion, starts with only 3 actions (4 minus 1 from the bite). But, The Uslurper can eat worms from 2 spaces away instead of 1 like other birds.
Action 1: Peck Dirt simulates rain and causes The Bandit worm champion to think its raining. It moves twice towards the bird, and is forced to move through one of the remaining wormholes! It pops out 2 spaces to the birds right, but its blocked by bedrock.
Action 2: Break Bedrock to destroy the bedrock blocking The Uslurper from eating.
Action 3: Eat Worm devours the worm that was pulled closer, filling its hunger counter 3 spaces!
End of Turn
Hunger and suspicion counters move down, day counter advances. The next day a special event is drawn. The “Blood Worm Moon“...
Every turn is filled with tough decisions, shifting terrain, and high-stakes combat. Will the worms overwhelm the bird, or will the bird hunt them all down?
How to Win
Bird Victory
The bird wins when all worms are dead. Zombie worms are not considered alive.
Worm Victory
The worms win if the bird dies, either from starvation or by losing all its hit points.
What's Next
We have more games in development! If you love the worms, keep an eye out for other games in the Blood Moon series:
Blood Moon Journey to the New World
A 2-5 player cooperative game where the worms journey across a bird ridden world to find worm paradise.
Blood Moon Worms Brawl
A 2-5 player map building competitive game where worms fight each other to be the last worm standing. Features fun mechanics like resurrecting to another team.
Cave Defenders
A cooperative game where a party of allies must balance defending their gold against the goblin hordes and adventuring to find more gold!
About Moonborn Games
We are a small 2-person indie board game company creating tactical, innovative board games focusing on fun-first mechanics and higher player interaction. We cannot wait to keep creating games! Please reach out to us with our socials links at the top. We would love to hear from you!