What is Avdank?
Avdank is a dice-based fantasy card game for players who enjoy role-playing games and tactics, featuring an original cast of characters. It is balanced for 2-4 players but you can have more players (number of cards permitting) at your discretion.
How do I pronounce Avdank?
Aav-dunk is the closest. No diphthongs.
How is it played?
Avdank uses a hand of five hero cards. These heroes compete in 21 different events with the goal to win as many as possible by finding the right person for every challenge. A sturdy dwarf might excel at arm wrestling while a magician might be more suited for board games or even fire walking. But it’s not just their basic attributes that matter – most heroes have some special ability that make them particularly suited to certain events or provide some kind of group dynamic. But is it better to go for a team with diverse skills or to focus on winning a few events?
How do I get it?
While there is a physical Swedish edition of Avdank, the English version is currently available free as a print to play edition. The full deck including 60 hero cards, 21 event cards and a rule sheet is available in A4 and Legal print formats. The cards can be trimmed to standard poker size. Print on 200g+ stock if possible. Apart from the cards you’ll need D10 (ten-sided) dice and optional markers for buffs as well as a note pad for keeping score. If you don’t have D10 dice, there are dice simulators available for smartphones.
Get the free PDF for Avdank here (A4 size)
Get the free PDF for Avdank here (Legal size)
These files can be redistributed as long as there is a link to www.avdank.se provided.
Is it really free?
Well, apart from printer and ink, yeah. Currently we’re not producing a physical edition in English. If it generates enough interest, we might make one.
Since I’ve read this far I obviously care about this thing, so how was it made?
Avdank was created out of a nostalgic idea to illustrate the characters we used to play in role-playing games back in the 90’s. With illustrations piling up, we wanted to make something out of it, and over a Christmas holiday the basic gameplay was figured out. All artwork in the game including background pictures are our own. We eventually settled on the name ”Avdank”, derived from the Swedish word ”avdankad”, an adjective describing a ”has-been”. After illustrating many more characters and testing the game extensively, the first printed edition was released in Swedish in 2015.
We have since created two expansions that also work as their own games with different rule sets but using the same design for the hero cards. Avdank Quest provides the heroes with a set of adventures to survive, and hopefully win some treasure. Avdank Feud is a tactical two player game with similarities to Othello and Triple Triad.