Escape the Dark Sector - FAQ
Welcome, Prisoner…
In these pages you will find designer's notes and answers to frequently asked questions about Escape the Dark Sector, including its expansions. We’ll update these pages as new questions arise, so if you can't find a helpful answer here please email us at: contact@themeborne.com with the specific card in question.
Q - What health do we start on depending on play count?
A - Regardless of player count, all players start on 12HP, good luck!
Q - What do we do with the starting weapons we do not use?
A - After drawing starting items, you put the remaining unused starting weapons back into the box (or wherever you see fit), they will not be used for the remainder of the game.
Q - If I am already carrying four items and I draw a consumable (e.g. the MED-PACK), can I still use it?
A - Remember that the player who physically reaches out and draws an item card does not automatically keep it. Every time you draw any number of item cards, you first turn them face up into the middle of the table where all players can see (we can call this temporary inventory area 'the pool' for the purposes if this example). Then you decide as a group who will take what from the pool. During this discussion, players can put items they were already carrying down into the pool, pick others up, use them, pick up what they originally put down again, trade with other players, or any combination of this. The golden rule is that no character can be carrying more than 4 items when a chapter card is turned - anything you don't want to take forward with you gets left behind in the discard pile. Also, don't forget that horizontally oriented item cards count as two items, as they are big two handed weapons!
Q – Can I use an item while using the DRONE?
A – No. A character who is using the drone cannot roll their dice or use items.
Q - Can I use the drone on every chapter card?
A - Only one person can use a drones function ONCE PER COMBAT.
Q - How many weapons can I use during one round of combat?
A - In a round of combat you can use 2 slots worth of items, so 2 one-handed weapons, or one big landscape 2-handed weapon!
Q - When can we reload guns?
A – ONCE between chapter cards each player may reload ONE gun fully. During combat (as long as someone is fighting that round) you may take the reload action, in doing so they are out of combat so will not take damage, and can fully reload one gun.
Q - Do I roll one hit die per ammo I am shooting, and does a hit die always do one damage?
A - Whenever you are shooting, as long as the combat in question has ranged damage (as denoted by the reticule number in the bottom right) you will roll ONE hit die, no matter the amount of ammo you are shooting. If do not roll a blank on the hit die, you will take the ranged damage of that card, so damage will vary from chapter to chapter.
Q - Do I still take damage after removing all of the enemies chapter dice?
A - If you kill the enemy from close combat, no damage will be taken by any survivor, even if they did not block. However, if the enemy dies from ranged combat, you will still roll the black hit die, to signify their bullet still flying through the air towards you, so be careful!
Q- Can we trade items after revealing the chapter card?
A – No. You must complete the trading of item cards between players BEFORE you turn the next chapter card. Once you turn, the events of the chapter are effectively happening in real time. No time to trade. You are a group of ragged travellers running blindly through the Dark and vast space station. You don't get a preview of what is coming! We want you to be nervous about turning those chapters, so we packed them with nasty surprises and restricted trading to beforehand only.
Card FAQ
Every card in Escape the Dark Sector has a unique code on its lower left edge (e.g. DSSE-CH01). In the list below, simply click on the code for the card your question relates to and you’ll be taken to the appropriate FAQ page. This will avoid spoilers as much as possible.
| CHAPTER CARDS | ||
| STARTING CARDS | ||
| DSSE-SC01 | DSSE-SC02 | DSSE-SC03 |
| ACT 1 | ACT 2 | ACT 3 |
| DSSE-CH01 | DSSE-CH17 | DSSE-CH33 |
| DSSE-CH02 | DSSE-CH18 | DSSE-CH34 |
| DSSE-CH03 | DSSE-CH19 | DSSE-CH35 |
| DSSE-CH04 | DSSE-CH20 | DSSE-CH36 |
| DSSE-CH05 | DSSE-CH21 | DSSE-CH37 |
| DSSE-CH06 | DSSE-CH22 | DSSE-CH38 |
| DSSE-CH07 | DSSE-CH23 | DSSE-CH39 |
| DSSE-CH08 | DSSE-CH24 | DSSE-CH40 |
| DSSE-CH09 | DSSE-CH25 | DSSE-CH41 |
| DSSE-CH10 | DSSE-CH26 | DSSE-CH42 |
| DSSE-CH11 | DSSE-CH27 | DSSE-CH43 |
| DSSE-CH12 | DSSE-CH28 | DSSE-CH44 |
| DSSE-CH13 | DSSE-CH29 | DSSE-CH45 |
| DSSE-CH14 | DSSE-CH30 | DSSE-CH46 |
| DSSE-CH15 | DSSE-CH31 | DSSE-CH47 |
| DSSE-CH16 | DSSE-CH32 | DSSE-CH48 |
| BOSS CARDS | ||
| DSSE-BC01 | DSSE-BC02 | DSSE-BC03 |
| DSSE-BC04 | DSSE-BC05 | |
| ITEM CARDS | ||
| DSSE-IC01 | DSSE-IC02 | DSSE-IC03 |
| DSSE-IC04 | DSSE-IC05 | DSSE-IC06 |
| DSSE-IC07 | DSSE-IC08 | DSSE-IC09 |
| DSSE-IC10 | DSSE-IC11 | DSSE-IC12 |
| DSSE-IC13 | DSSE-IC14 | DSSE-IC15 |
| DSSE-IC16 | DSSE-IC17 | DSSE-IC18 |
| DSSE-IC19 | DSSE-IC20 | DSSE-IC21 |
| DSSE-IC22 | DSSE-IC23 | DSSE-IC24 |
| DSSE-IC25 | DSSE-IC26 | DSSE-IC27 |
| DSSE-IC28 | DSSE-IC29 | DSSE-IC30 |
| DSSE-IC31 | ||
| CHAPTER CARDS | ||
| ACT 1 | ACT 2 | ACT 3 |
| DSTT-CH01 | DSTT-CH05 | DSTT-CH09 |
| DSTT-CH02 | DSTT-CH06 | DSTT-CH10 |
| DSTT-CH03 | DSTT-CH07 | DSTT-CH11 |
| DSTT-CH04 | DSTT-CH08 | DSTT-CH12 |
| BOSS CARD | ||
| DSTT-BC01 | ||
| DRONE CARDS | ||
| DSTT-IC01 | DSTT-IC02 | DSTT-IC03 |
| ITEM CARDS | ||
| DSTT-IC04 | DSTT-IC05 | DSTT-IC06 |
| DSTT-IC07 | DSTT-IC08 | DSTT-IC09 |
| DSTT-IC10 | DSTT-IC11 | DSTT-IC12 |
| CHAPTER CARDS | ||
| ACT 1 | ACT 2 | ACT 3 |
| DSMS-CH01 | DSMS-CH05 | DSMS-CH09 |
| DSMS-CH02 | DSMS-CH06 | DSMS-CH10 |
| DSMS-CH03 | DSMS-CH07 | DSMS-CH11 |
| DSMS-CH04 | DSMS-CH08 | DSMS-CH12 |
| BOSS CARD | ||
| DSMS-BC01 | ||
| MUTATION CARDS | ||
| DSMS-IC01 | DSMS-IC02 | DSMS-IC03 |
| DSMS-IC04 | DSMS-IC05 | DSMS-IC06 |
| ITEM CARDS | ||
| DSMS-IC07 | DSMS-IC08 | DSMS-IC09 |