Kill Doctor Lucky

The Doctor Lucky Collection

The Original: We still offer a print-and-play verion of the original Kill Doctor Lucky. This is a historical artifact, and not our favorite version of the rules. It was one of the many old-school games that we posted during the assembly of Cheapass Games in Black and White. You can find these files in the Shop, and remember that payment for our free PDFs is always optional.

• Kill Doctor Lucky in our shop

There were several updates and versions of the game in the black-and-white days. This package includes a 1997 game board, rules from 2000, and cards from the 2002 Director’s Cut, as well as an alternate second board. These versions are all compatible, of course, and represent interesting slices of the game’s early days.

Titanic Games Editions: In the early 2000s, Titanic Games (Paizo Publishing) released full-color editions of Kill Doctor Lucky and Save Doctor Lucky, illustrated by James Ryman. These editions featured slightly updated rules (spite tokens) which were only a slight improvement on the game.

Anniversary Edition: The most recent version of the core game is the “Anniversary” edition, first created for the 19.5th anniversary in 2016, and updated as the 24.75th edition by Greater than Games in 2021. The Anniversary edition includes a massive rules overehaul, making some new components incompatible with older versions.

Tideover Edition: Coming soon! Cheapass Games is pleased to announce that we will create a 2026 print-and-play version of Kill Doctor Lucky, with elements from earlier versions including the “Blue Box” prototype featured in the 2016 Kickstarter campaign. The Tideover Ediiton of Kill Doctor Lucky will combine the look of older versions with the most current rules, as a gift for our fans while we find a publishing partner for the next retail version.

Other Games and Expansions

Unlicensed Castle Expansion (1998): In the early days, Cheapass Games didn’t always seek permission to do things. In 1998 they produced a Doctor Lucky alternate board based on a famous castle in Victoria, BC. Soon after, they were asked not to do that anymore, and the board quetly became an alternate board on the reverse of the main board in the 2002 Director’s Cut. A version of this board is now available as part of the Ambivalence Pack, below.

Save Doctor Lucky (2000): You’re on a sinking ship, and with your dying breath you want to be witnessed as you hand Doctor Lucky your life preserver. Save Doctor Lucky is the seafaring sequel to Kill Doctor Lucky. This game has slightly different mechanics, some might even say improved, with a “sinking ship” board that disappears piece by piece.

• Save Doctor Lucky in our shop

As with the original game above, these PDF files are from the original black and white version. The rules for this game never changed, so all versions of Save Doctor Lucky are cross-compatible.

Moon Base Copernicus (2002): An alternate board for Save Doctor Lucky, set aboard an exploding space station. This board is now part of the Ambivalence Pack, below.

The Doctor Lucky Ambivalence Pack (2005): Can’t decide whether you want to kill him or save him? This pack of alternate boards includes a burning hotel (for Save Doctor Lucky) and a non-sinking ocean liner (for Kill Doctor Lucky), as well as the castle and moon base described above. The boards in the Ambivalence Pack are engineered to work with the cards and rules of the original editions. We haven’t yet updated them for the new rules, but we might do that one day.

• The Doctor Lucky Ambivalence Pack in our shop

Get Lucky, The Kill Doctor Lucky Card Game (2014): A lightweight, streamlined version of the original game, for when you don’t have enough time or space for the board game. Get Lucky has its own page here, and you can order the 72-card deck from DriveThruCards:

• Get Lucky at DriveThruCards‍ ‍

Doctor Lucky’s Secret Lair and Mansion that is Haunted (2016, 2017): Two expansion boards compatible with the latest rules, released by Cheapass Games in conjunction with various Kickstarter campaigns. Greater Than Games still has a few copies of these boards at fire-sale prices. Get them while you can!

• The Secret Lair of Doctor Lucky at Greater than Games

• Doctor Lucky’s Mansion that is Haunted at Greater than Games

The Island of Doctor Lucky (2018): A new stand-alone board game in the Doctor Lucky family, The Island of Doctor Lucky features a unique side-view island map drawn by Nate Taylor, and cards illustrated by BJ Becker. The Island of Doctor Lucky is a unique and very solid twist on the mechanics, in which the Island is trying to kill everyone while they hunt the old man.

Greater than Games still has a few copies of this game at fire-sale prices. Get one while you can!

• The Island of Doctor Lucky at Greater than Games

More to Come

Now that Cheapass Games is back in the house, James Ernest and company are working on new games in the Doctor Lucky family, including a new Doctor Lucky board game called Murder Train Express. We can’t tell you much more, becase we hate to over-promise, but one thing is sure. We still love killing the old man, and we know you will too.