
- BGG rank
- BGG #850
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Tiny Epic Dungeons
- 1–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2021

2018
Rules assistance for CHAINsomnia
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
CHAINsomnia is a board game released in 2018 for 1–4 players, 40–60 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by 下見幸穂 (Yukio Shimami), 田谷由壮 (Yuso Taya), and 青山奨 (Shou Aoyama) and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Variable Set-up.
In CHAINsomnia, a.k.a. チェインソムニア, sleeping children become trapped in the castle of the demon Akuma and must work with others to escape. If any player is on the "wake up" tile when all "bad dream" cards are removed, they escape and win the game; if all the characters are immobilized by chains or the event cards are exhausted without anyone waking up, then everyone is defeated. In more detail, you and each other player take a character card and cover two of the six spaces on its "chain gauge". The highest uncovered number on this gauge shows how many action points (AP) you have available on your turn, and each character has a unique skill, in addition to values for strength, wisdom, and luck. All characters start on the central tile, with the "wake up" tile being placed at the bottom of the room tile deck. On a turn, you use your AP to take actions from the following list, repeating actions as desired: Add a new room tile to the playing area, matching doors and walls on all tiles; draw and resolve an event card, with a "bad dream" being placed on this card. Move to an adjacent tile. Search a "secret spot" on a tile, drawing an item card if you make a wisdom check. Use a consumable (one-time) item card. (Equippable item cards can be used repeatedly and cost 0 AP.) Give an item to another character on the same tile as you or on an adjacent tile. Give chains to or take chains from another character on the same tile as you or on an adjacent tile. Use your personal skill (if it has an AP cost). As chains are added to or removed from your character card, your AP count might change. If all six spaces on your chain gauge are covered, you're immobilized and can spend no AP on your turn. If a "bad dream" is placed in a room, no character can enter that room, although you might be able to remove it through various skills, items, or events; if a "Bad dream" ends up in your room, then you're trapped in that dream and cannot move until you or someone else can dissolve that dream. After all players take their actions, the demon acts, initially with only one event card, but as the game progresses and shrieks are added to the table, more event cards are drawn for each demon turn. If all the bad dreams have been vanquished and a player is on the "wake up" tile — which will be drawn only after sixteen room tiles in a game of normal difficulty — then you all win, with everyone awakening from the demon's clutches. Otherwise you will sleep forever... ••• アクマ城に捕らわれた子どもたちとなって、他の人たちと協力して恐怖を乗り越えて脱出を目指すボードゲーム。 悪夢カードを全て取り除いた状態でいずれか1人がWakeupタイルの上にいたら、ゲーム終了です。その場合は、全員の勝利です。 全員が鳥かごに捕らわれてしまうか、イベントカードが引けなくなっても、ゲーム終了です。その場合は、全員の敗北です。
CHAINsomnia supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for CHAINsomnia is 40–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists CHAINsomnia for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
CHAINsomnia has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
CHAINsomnia belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Exploration. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Variable Set-up. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of CHAINsomnia are: 下見幸穂 (Yukio Shimami), 田谷由壮 (Yuso Taya), and 青山奨 (Shou Aoyama). These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists CHAINsomnia as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.