How to play Hero Brawl

FOR
2 to 6 players.
AGES
8+.
PLAYTIME
about 5 to 15 minutes.


TABLE SETUP & TERMINOLOGY

There are four basic card states: Cards in hand. Cards in play. A draw pile. A discard pile.

Cards in hand: These are the cards a player has in their hand. Each player starts with 3 cards in hand. Players may end up with more or less cards in hand throughout the game. When a player is out of cards in their hand, they are eliminated from the game.

Cards in play: This is the card the current player is playing. The action on the card should be performed, and then the card should be placed on the discard pile (unless otherwise instructed by the card action). The played card itself is not actually considered in any of the situations where it is played, you take the action as if the played card is not in hand, not in the discard pile, and not in the draw pile while it's being played.

Draw pile: These are the un-dealt cards players will draw from at the start of each turn (or as actions require). When the title belt is revealed, this and the discard pile are shuffled back together and after that, once the draw pile is gone, each player gets one last turn to try and earn the title belt before the game ends.

Discard pile: Lost, discarded, and played cards are placed in this pile. When the title belt is revleaed, the discard pile is shuffled back into the draw pile.


HERO BRAWL SETUP

  1. Remove the title belt, reference, and how to play cards from the deck.
  2. Shuffle the remaining cards and deal three cards to each player.
  3. Add the title belt back to the undealt deck, re-shuffle, & place the deck in the middle of all the players. This is the draw pile.
  4. Players choose as a group who play should begin with (e.g. youngest player, oldest player, strongest player, loudest player, most dressed like a wrestler, etc. etc.)

GAME PLAY (ON EACH TURN)

A player's turn consists of:

  1. Draw a card.
  2. Play a card (taking whatever action is detailed on the card played).

Played cards are moved to the discard pile once fully played.


WINNING THE GAME

If all other players are out of cards, the remaining player is the winner.

-- OR --

Once all cards in the deck have been drawn, each player will have one final turn to try and earn the title belt.

The player with the belt at the end of the last round is the winner.

-- OR --

If the end state is a double knock-out, the player with the belt at that time is the winner (if no one has the belt, there is no winner).


HOW CARDS & PLAYERS ARE ELIMINATED

There are two primary ways players may lose cards from their hand:

  1. They lose a Roshambo battle
  2. A card action results in giving up or discarding a card (or multiple cards)

When a player is out of cards in their hand, they are considered eliminated and out of the game.


WHEN THE BELT IS REVEALED

  1. It is placed face up in front of the player who drew the card (this completes their turn for that round).
  2. All cards in the discard pile are shuffled back into the draw pile.
  3. The end state of the game has begun (play will continue until all but one player is eliminated OR the draw pile is empty and everyone who still has cards in their hand has had one final turn).

A few key things to know about the title belt:

  • When no player possesses the belt, it is considered vacant. The belt remains vacant until drawn (at which point, the player who draws the title belt becomes the champaion and tries to keep possession of it thru the rest of the game).
  • When the title holder is challenged in Roshambo, the belt moves to the winner of the challenge.
  • If the title holder is eliminated from the game, the title moves to the player who eliminated the title holder.
  • If the title holder eliminates themselves from the game, the title becomes vacant (the next Roshambo winner will claim the belt).
  • If the game ends with multiple players remaining, but a vacant belt, there is no winner for that game.
  • Any card that causes direct damage to the current belt holder earns that player the belt.
  • The Loose Cannon card does not move the title belt to any new players (if the shift in hands results in eliminating the current title holder, the belt becomes vacant).
  • The High Flyer card, when executed accurately against the title belt holder, should result in a title belt change.
  • A vacant belt is earned by the next winner of any Roshambo challenge.

ROSHAMBO CHALLENGES

When a player plays a Foreign Object card a Roshambo Challenge is initiated (the game of rock, paper, scissors):

  1. The player who played the card picks another player to challenge
  2. Each player chooses a card from their hand for the challenge (if you only have one card in your hand, that is the card you must choose)
  3. The Roshambo symbols on the two cards are compared between the two players to determine a winner (if they are the same symbol, the higher numbered card is the winner).
  4. The winner chooses which of the two cards played in the challenge they want to keep for their hand and the other card is discarded into the discard pile (the losing player of the challenge is now down a card in their hand).

A few key things to know about Roshambo challenges:

  • If the loser of the challenge was the current belt holder, the belt moves to the winner of the challenge.
  • Players must choose from the cards currently in their hand.
  • If two players play the same symbol, the higher numbered card wins (ensuring ties are not possible)
  • The play of a referee card immediately after a Roshambo battle is resolved will result in flipping the results of the battle (meaning the loser of the Roshambo battle gets to pick which card to keep!).
  • The action details of cards played in Roshambo battles should be ignored. Only the symbol and the number apply when comparing cards for Roshambo. (e.g. if you use a referee in the actual Roshambo battle, you do not flip the results).

DEALING WITH SPECIAL CARDS, SCENARIOS & ADDITIONAL RULES

TAG TEAM

Tag Team cards are placed face up in front of the player who plays the card. They remain in front of the player for one full round, and are discarded to the discard pile at the start of the players next turn (this helps all other players know they can not attack the player until the next round).

REFEREES

Referee cards can be played at any time (it does not have to be your turn) to prevent any action (including the loss of a Roshambo battle, which would flip the winner of the Roshambo battle!).

Once a referee card is played, the player should draw a new card for their hand (if the draw pile is empty, no new card can be drawn and the card is sacrificed via play).

Referee cards can also be played as part of a regular turn (which will not prevent an action on the table but should result in the player adding a card to their hand).

CEO

CEO cards can be played at any time (it does not have to be your turn) to claim the belt for your own.

Once a CEO card is played, the player should draw a new card for their hand (if the draw pile is empty, no new card can be drawn and the card is sacraficed via play).

FOREIGN OBJECT

All Foreign Object cards, when played, result in a Roshambo battle. The winner of a Roshambo battle can choose which of the two cards played in the battle they keep for their own hand (they discard the other one to the discard pile).

If you play a ROSHAMBO card with no other cards left in your hand, you can not challenge another player (because you have no cards left) and are simply eliminated from the game (because you have no cards left).


FREQUENTLY ASKED GAME PLAY QUESTIONS

Can you have more than 3 cards in your hand?

Yes. There is no limit to the number of cards a player can have in their hand. Heel cards, Face cards, and Referee cards can all result in adding cards to a player's hand.

Can you have less than 3 cards in your hand?

Yes. It is very common to have less than 3 cards in your hand as other players are actively trying to knock cards of your hand throughout the game.

What happens if I am protected by a Tag Team card when the Loose Cannon card is played?

The shifting of hands skips over you (as if you were not in the game at that moment).

What happens if a Rival card is played against me and there is no more cards in the draw pile?

You must discard the card the player picked and you do not get to replace the card in your hand (if you were the title belt holder, because of the damage to your hand, the player takes the belt from you).

What happens if I play a Technician card when there are no more cards in the draw pile?

You should not discard a card from your hand, as you can not replace it with a new one. It's essentially a 'pass' of your turn.

What happens if I play a Jobber card, and it results in a double knockout to end the game?

If you had the belt at that time, you win. If the other player your knocked out had the belt at that time, they win. If neither of you had the belt, the game ends without a winner.

What happens if the last card in my hand is a Roshambo card?

When you play the card, because you have no cards in your hand, you can not play Roshambo against any other player and are simply eliminated from the game.

Can I play a Referee card as my regular turn?

Yes. When played as part of a regular turn it won't prevent any action, but you will add a card to your hand (as long as there is a draw pile left).

Can I play a CEO card as my regular turn?

Yes. When played as part of a regular turn you'll claim the belt and you will add a card to your hand (as long as there is a draw pile left).

Does the title belt move when a Loose Cannon card is played?

No. Only cards in hand shift when a player plays the Loose Cannon card (Tag Team and Title belt cards on the table do not move). If the title belt holder is eliminated because of a hand shift, the belt is considered vacated (the next Roshambo winner will claim the belt).

What if I only have one card left in my hand to play, and it's a Foreign Object?

You do not challenge anyone (because you do not have any cards to challenge with). You are eliminated from the game (if you have the belt, it is vacated).

What if I only have one card left in my hand to play, and it's a Diva?

The player you chose must give you a card, and you do not give them a card in return (in the end game state, this is a potential way to eliminate another player with just one card left).

What if I only have one card left in my hand to play, and it's the Loose Cannon?

All players shift their hands to the active player to their left. The active player to your left is eliminated (since you have no more cards to provide them).

What if I play a Face card and there are less than 3 cards left in the draw pile?

You draw the remaining cards from the draw pile, and you discard 1 less than you drew (if you drew 2, you discard 1. If you drew 1, you discard 0. If you draw 0, you discard 0 and it's essentially a pass of your turn).

What if I play a Face card and there is no draw pile?

You do not get to add any cards to your hand.

Why does the title belt have a Roshambo symbol and number?

So that the card can be included and played in game two (The Roshambo Protocol).


HOW TO PLAY GAME TWO - THE ROSHAMBO PROTOCOL

  1. Remove the Reference and How to Play cards from the deck.
  2. Evenly deal all cards to players.
  3. Each player flips a card from their deck to play each turn as a Roshambo match (rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, paper beats rock. Highest number cards break initial ties and stalemates. All additional ties & stalemates are taken by the player who wins the next round).
  4. The winner takes all played cards and places them in their own win pile.
  5. When you've played all cards in your deck, shuffle your win pile. It becomes your new deck.
  6. When a player is out of cards in their deck and win pile they are eliminated.
  7. The last player with cards is the winner.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

No worries - email Kevin directly any time. He's always happy to chat about the game and answer any rare edge case rules or settle game debates that may come up (or to just hear about crazy strategy or situations that you encountered while playing).

And no matter what, please don't forget the most important rule, which is to -- HAVE FUN!