BattleCON: Devastation of Indines
BattleCON: Devastation of Indines Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Level 99 Games Team
- Designer's Foreword
- Game Components
- What is BattleCON?
- Shekhtur and Eligor Teach You BattleCON (Graphic Quick-Rules)
- Selecting a Character to Match your Style
- Gameplay Overview
- Character Card Overview
- Base Card Overview
- Style Card Overview
- Finisher Card Overview
- Special Cards
- Game Setup
- Attack Pairs
- Objective
- Play Sequence
- Resolving Effects
- Stun, Guard, & Immunity
- Common Effects
- Markers, Tokens, Counters
- Variants
- Modes
- Scenarios
- Character Guide
- Eligor Larington
- Shekhtur Lenmorre
- Marmelee Greyheart
- Karin & Jager Brandtford
- Pendros Schalla
- King Alexian XXXVII
- Runika Zenanen
- Mikhail Isen
- Ottavia Six
- Kajia Septie Salix
- César Grist
- Overlord Cairngort Rexan
- Oriana Vellopholetta
- Clinhyde Eight
- Aria
- Lesandra Machan
- Lymn
- Byron Krane
- Arec Russel Zane
- Joal Kalmor
- Gerard Matranga
- Adjenna Callista
- Clive Melmont
- Voco Astrum
- Kaitlyn Van Sorrel
- Malandrax Mecchi
- Tanis Trilives
- Gaspar Geddon
- Iaxus the Shattered
- Endrbyt
- Frequently Asked Questions
Level 99 Games Team
Lead Designer: D. Brad Talton Jr.
Lead Character Illustrator: Eunice Abigael Tiu (Nokomento)
Design & Concept Artist: Fábio Fontes (Ranter Works)
Arenas Artist: Danny Hirajeta (Iron Clown Studios)
Assisting Designers: Andrew Hovanec, Peter Bemis, Noah Selzer, Joshua Jordan, Jessey Wright
Supporting Illustrators: Christelle Hyunh, Victor P. Corbella, Yuting Lian, Victoria Parker, Anika Różnowicz
Technical Support: Yaron Racah, Maksim Penzin
Playtesters: Evan Champie, Xavier Raabe-Manupule, Jason Lai, Aaron Mandible, Yannick Carriere, Martin Villemaire, Daryl Chow, Manuel Alvarez, Vladislav Goldakovsky, Dimitar Simidchiev, Trent Boyd, Maurício Souza, Arturo Cavari, Ty Arnold, Curt Warrington, Duan Bailey, Kiefer Bailey, Dan Sweetser, Arthur Seidman, Tommy Yeoh, Ori Avtalion, Jason Myers, Kathleen Edgington, Francisco Marchante, Francis Ramirez, Antonio Ferreiro, Brandon Myers, Gille Molina, Daniel Kester, Brandon Blick, Rex Wong, Nathan Nabeta, Augusto Rodrigues, Tatiana Rocha Couceiro, Mickaël Garcin, Shane Murphy, Steven Christopherson, Paul Elliot, Matthew Collier, Bradley Collier, Jessica Miorin, Aiden Thayer, Jonathon Belanger, Jayson Stevens, John Parmalee, John Kirk, John Celino, Joseph Tenney, Bo King, Mark Hadley, Lorenzo Ballatones, Ryan Lawrence, Andrey Trubitsin, Thomas Woodruff, Sean Whetton, James Johnes, Bryan Graham, Marco De Santos, Aaron Gresham, Matthew Locklin, Matthew Fournier, Dmitry Trubitsin, Danil Trubitsin, C. A. DuChane, Dennis Crenshaw, Mark Roberts, Ari Tykkyläinen, Ryan Gerstein, Vladimir Perepelkin, Noah Bogart, Steve Ripberger, Ar-j Castelo, Icon Ortega, Kiko Santos, Travis Schneider, Nick Eglinton, Richard Peppers, Ferdinand Andrew Capitulo, Helder Araújo, Paul Ellison, Joseph Romero, John Hood, Joe Zabrowski
Special Thanks: Kevin Brusky, Kevin Bridgeman, Steven Pettit, Steven Thompson, Tom Vasel, Lynda Yang, Brandon "Ragnar" Johnson, Mac Ko, Mark Hadley, Alex Sieland, Redd Cohen, Ben Klein, Mandy Goddard, Christopher Badell
BattleCON, World of Indines, Logos, Characters, Cards, Box Design, and all other included materials are © 2013 by Level 99 Games, all Rights Reserved.
Designer's Foreword
Hi there, thanks for trying out BattleCON!
BattleCON is probably a bit different than most board or card games you own or have played before. It is not intended to be taken off the shelf and taught and played on some select occasions. Instead, it is designed to be an ongoing game played regularly by a group of experienced friends.
Each fighter requires a bit of work to master, and each matchup requires a new strategy to win. Each winning strategy requires a new counter-strategy to defeat. By playing regularly with an established group, BattleCON develops a meta-game where players begin to effectively expect their opponents' tactics and adapt their own styles, creating a 'living game' that grows beyond just the box.
We've packed as many options, play modes, and possibilities as we can into this box, so that you can have a new experience each time you play, even with (and especially with) friends who have the same level of experience as you.
If this all sounds a bit daunting, don't fear. We've worked just as hard to make the game accessible as we have to make it deep. Every element from the characters to the play variants has been marked with a difficulty rating which will help you to start on a solid footing and advance towards more specialized characters, play modes, and strategies. So grab some friends and get ready to explore and experience BattleCON!
It is my sincerest hope that BattleCON brings you endless hours of entertainment with friends and family!
Happy gaming!
D. Brad Talton Jr., Lead Designer
Game Components
- 1 Folded Game Board
- 4 Life dials (which must be assembled)
- 1 Time dial (which must be assembled)
- 6 Sheets of punch-out tokens
- 451 Game Cards, including:
- 24 Standard Bases
- 12 β (Beta) Bases
- 5 Lesson/Flight cards
- 4 Tag Bases
- 4 Special Action Styles
- 4 Reference Cards
- 6 Ex Bases
- 6 Almighty Bases
- 4 Scenarios' worth of Boss cards (See scenarios for card lists)
- 30 Fighters' worth of additional cards (See characters for card lists)
- 6 Dungeon Randomizer Cards
- 5 Plastic Stands
- 12 Oversized Arena cards with two sides
- BattleQUEST Dungeon Rulebook
- This rulebook
If any components are missing, damaged or defective, you can visit www.battleconnection.com to contact Level 99 Games and acquire replacements at no charge.
To assemble the Time and Life Spinners:
- Take two interlocking spinner pieces.
- Find the corresponding base and face of each life spinner (they have the same colored symbol on the backs).
- Punch out the holes in the center of the face and base, and insert the spinner cap into the base's hole.
- Place the face onto the cap, so that it can rotate freely against the base and you can see a single number in the face's notched area.
- Push the spinner spindle lightly into the slot in the spinner cap, sealing the two together.
- Repeat this process for the 3 remaining life counters.
- The time counter has a silver back instead of gold, and no symbol.
What is BattleCON?
BattleCON is a board game based on the principles of intense action, direct confrontation, and tactical positioning present in fighting video games. Unlike its peers in console gaming, however, BattleCON provides strategic elements and a more thoughtful pace–allowing the player to choose carefully his next moves and gauge his opponents' strengths and motives.
BattleCON is a standalone game that comes as a complete boxed set. There are no random packs to buy, no exclusives, and no chase cards–you get the complete game up front in the box.
While you can expand BattleCON with additional sets featuring new characters, there is no buy-in to collect more powerful cards and no expensive rare cards to chase down–when you get a box, you know exactly what you are getting.
The World of Indines
Welcome to Indines (pronounced In-dean-z), a land of mystery, magic, wonder, and war. In this game, you will take on the roles of the champions of each nation or faction, participating in duels to determine their fates and the fate of the world as a whole.
Each duel is short and fast-paced, as two combatants move across the field attempting to strike one another and avoid being struck. Only the one whose wits are strongest and whose strategy is surest will be able to claim victory.
Learning the Game
Don't be intimidated by this rulebook or the number of cards in the game! BattleCON is an extremely simple game, and most of the cards and rules in this book exist to allow you to play different variants and to increase the replayability of the base game. In fact, each player will usually only use 14 cards over the course of a duel.
If this is your first time playing, use characters listed as 'Novice' in the character guide (Shekhtur, Eligor, Pendros, Alexian, Marmelee, or Karin & Jager), and follow along with the graphic quick-rules comic. After you feel comfortable with the basic mechanics and rules, you can gradually explore the more advanced characters and play variants.
Flights
The game has been divided into 5 separate Flights. These Flights release more complex characters over time as you play and master the game.
Follow along with the insert included in the game box to see the difficulty associated with the Flights, and introduce new elements to the game at a rate you feel comfortable with.
Skip the Rulebook!
Scanning this QR Code will take you to www.battleconnection.com/rules/ where you can watch a quick video tutorial of how to play the game.
Shekhtur and Eligor Teach You BattleCON (Graphic Quick-Rules)
Claiming Your Cards
Shekhtur: You know, I've been through a lot of battles already. Do you really have to show me all these basics?
Eligor: You've been beating up thugs by thrashing around, and that will only get you so far. Combat training is the only way you'll survive long enough to take on the Dragon Queen.
Shekhtur: Fine whatever. Let's just get this over with and get to the real battles, hm?
Eligor: Indeed. I'd also recommend that our friends at home follow along with their own cards as we walk through the first few beats of combat.
Eligor: The first step to setup is claiming. Claim a set of six standard Bases–Strike, Shot, Grasp, Dash, Drive, and Burst. Every character uses the same six.
Shekhtur: And these are like our foundational attacks. Everyone can do a lunge, everyone can do a throw, everyone can do a feint, I get it.
Eligor: Exactly. After claiming your standard bases, you'll want to claim your character's Kit.
Shekhtur: What's a kit?
Eligor: It's going to differ by character, but there are some similarities. First, everyone has a Character Card that describes their name and Unique Ability (or UA, for short). The back of this has some combat tips too, so read up when you're starting a new character.
Eligor: Also, everyone has another base that's grey-colored. This one is just like a standard base, except it's unique to the character.
Shekhtur: It's my signature move!
Eligor: There's going to be a double-sided Finisher card, and I'll explain how those work later on.
Shekhtur: And what about these five? They look pretty different.
Eligor: Your kit might also give you some tokens or extra cards. Your UA will tell you what tokens you need, or you can check the characters section of the rules for complete kit descriptions.
Shekhtur: These are Styles. Like you said, everyone has a lunge and a throw, but because we use different styles, our attacks will play out differently. Everyone has 5 of them.
Shekhtur: They look like the left half of a whole.
Eligor: Indeed. Due to our differences in training, your lunge will be different than my lunge, and a style is an expression of that difference.
Setting Up the Board
Eligor: Once you've claimed everything, the setup of the board is the next step to prepare.
Shekhtur: So we stand here on the board like so. And I'm going to go ahead and assume these darker spaces at the far ends aren't part of the arena we can use?
Eligor: They're used for larger battles with 3 or 4 of us, but with two of us, we only use the 7 lighter spaces.
Eligor: Your Unique Ability will tell you how many tokens start in your pool or what additional setup steps to take. Tokens not in your pool sit off the board. Also, set your life spinner to 20 life. Everyone starts with 20 life.
Eligor: You have two pairs of starting discards. These have the numbers '1' and '2' in their corners. Find both pairs and set them in the discards, with 2's at the outside. You'll get them back soon, don't worry.
Eligor: The 8 left over cards will be in your hand. You should have 3 styles and 5 bases after setting up.
Shekhtur: Maybe I want to start with my Unleashed style, or my Dash base. What then?
Eligor: The marked discards are recommended for quick-starting, but once you've mastered a character, you can certainly choose whatever you like. Both you and your opponent choose both sets simultaneously, face-down, then flip them over at the same time as the duel starts.
Shekhtur: And how about this awesome Finisher thing?
Eligor: You and your opponent both choose one of the two sides and reveal them together (the α side is more universally useful and recommended for your first time). For now, it sits to the side of the board and isn't used.
Attack Pairs and Stats
Shekhtur: I want to know how these attacks pair up. Time to start doing things my way!
Eligor: Indeed. I'll tell you the basics. So the style and base add together and make what's called an Attack Pair. The attack pair has all the effects and stats of both cards.
Shekhtur: So I can use any style together with any base, right? Color doesn't matter at all?
Eligor: That's correct. The colors are there to make them easier to tell apart in your hand, they don't have any in-game purpose.
Shekhtur: What are these stats you speak of, knight-man?
Eligor: Eh-hem. Range is how far out you hit. when I showed you our starting position, we were at range 4 from each other. Remember?
Shekhtur: So we are.
Eligor: Power is how much damage you're going to do if the attack hits.
Eligor: And Priority is who goes first during a given beat.
Shekhtur: I guess a 'beat' is just a fancy word for a turn?
Eligor: The complete round of play–choosing attacks, using our effects, both of our attacks, and the like–all comprise one beat of combat.
Shekhtur: So if I take a look at our respective kits...
Eligor: Which is fine and expected. If you ever want to see any of my cards-even the ones in my hand during a match, just ask. I have nothing to hide.
Shekhtur: Right. I was saying, it looks like I'm quite a bit faster than you. I suppose all that heavy armor slows you down, hm?
Eligor: It does, but there's more to combat than just speed. Let's try a round of combat and you'll see how it all works.
Shekhtur: Sure thing. Try to keep up though!
The First Beat: Set, Ante, Reveal
Both players set Attack Pairs at the same time! Take turns anteing until both pass in a row! Then the Big Reveal!
Even if you pass, you can still respond to an opponent's ante before the Reveal!
Eligor: The first part of the turn is the Set Phase. You pick an attack pair and set it face down right now.
Shekhtur: It looks like the styles and bases have a different color back. I guess a legal pair always has one blue and one red card, right?
Eligor: Correct. Next comes Ante, where you can use tokens if you have them. Your Unique Ability will tell you if you can do anything during Ante.
Shekhtur: My tokens add even more to my priority, so I'll go ahead and use one for even more speed!
Eligor: Just set it down on your attack pair, and then it's my turn. I'll pass on ante.
Shekhtur: Then I could ante again if I want?
Eligor: If your UA allows it, then yes (we both can). We keep going back and forth until both of us pass in succession.
Shekhtur: Ok, I'll pass.
Eligor: Now for the Reveal! Go ahead and flip your attack pair over at the same time as me.
Eligor: Some styles have Reveal Triggers that happen right away, but neither of us do, so we go on to determine priority. You have five (4, plus 1 more for your token) and I have zero, so you're the Active Player.
Shekhtur: That means I do my attack first, right, slowpoke?
Eligor: Yes, but not so fast. If you notice, our styles and bases have Triggered Effects. Every one of these has two parts–the Trigger and the Effect.
Shekhtur: So what?
Eligor: The first trigger in the turn is called Start of Beat, and it happens as soon as Reveal ends. The Active Player (you) does all her Start of Beat trigger effects, and then the Reactive Player (me) does all of his Start of Beat trigger effects.
Shekhtur: I don't have any, so you have to do yours now, I guess?
Eligor: That's right. I retreat one or two spaces (Burst). There's only one space to retreat to, so I have to pick that one.
Shekhtur: On a side note, do you get to pick what order you want to do those in? What if you had two moves, for example?
Eligor: The controller chooses the order of all triggers with the same timing. Retreat is movement away from the opponent, in case you were curious. Advance is towards the opponent. If we switch sides, then advance will move me right instead of left.
Shekhtur: Seems obvious enough. So now that we're done with Start of Beat, it's my turn, right?
Eligor: Yes. The Active Player turn has 4 parts:
- Before Activating trigger
- Range check and On Hit trigger
- Do damage and On Damage trigger
- After Activating trigger
These four comprise a complete Attack.
Shekhtur: So each triggered effect is mandatory? You can't just say you don't want to do it?
Eligor: Yes. If the trigger comes up, it must be used if at all possible. (even if you don't want to!)
Shekhtur: So I'll do my Advance 1 or 2 (Drive) right now then.
Range Checks, Hits and Misses
Shekhtur: Now I do something like a range check, is that right? What's my attack range anyway?
Eligor: Typical of an untrained fighter –sigh– You need to add the numbers on your base to the numbers on your style.
Shekhtur: There's only one number on my base though. So how do we handle that?
Eligor: If there's only one number, then you should consider it to be 1~1. You see, you have both a minimum and maximum range.
Shekhtur: So I add 01 and 11, and I get a range of 1~2. Well that's no good, I'm out of range! Curse your Start of Beat backstep!
Eligor: I anticipated your initial charge, and made a suitable counterplay. That's the art of combat is all about. The best defense is usually to not get hit.
Shekhtur: So what happens next?
Eligor: Since you missed, you don't get your On Hit triggers, and you don't do damage at all. Naturally, without doing damage, you don't get On Damage triggers either.
Shekhtur: But if I had After Activating effects, I still get those, regardless of whether I hit or not?
Eligor: Yes, if you perform your attack, then you always get the After Activating triggers.
Eligor: Now it's my turn.
Shekhtur: This is going to hurt, isn't it?
Eligor: I have a Before Activating effect (Chained), I can pull you in closer using my tokens, but you're already in range, so why bother?
Shekhtur: But I thought you said effects were mandatory!
Eligor: They are. I can choose any number, and I choose zero. When you see things like 'up to' and 'any number', zero is a valid choice. Likewise, when you see the word 'may' in an effect, it means you get to choose whether it happens or not.
Shekhtur: Owww!!! You hit me!
Eligor: It's entirely your fault. You could have used your Spiral Drive instead, after all. Anyway, I don't have any On Hit effects, so we go on to damage.
Shekhtur: Equal to your power, right?
Eligor: Indeed. You'll take 3, putting your remaining life at 16 points. I don't have On Damage or After Activating effects, so we'll go to the End of Beat step now.
Shekhtur: I have one of those. I move forward two spaces (Reaver). You won't be out of range next time!
Eligor: Sure. Anything you say.
Recycling and the Second Beat
Shekhtur: So after all our effects, then what?
Eligor: We come to the 'recycle' step of the turn. In this step, you'll do three things: First: Pick up the outermost discarded attack pair--your discard pile #2. Second: Slide your remaining discarded pair into the outermost slot. Third: Slide the attack pair you used this turn into newly-empty discard pile.
Shekhtur: So whatever I just used, I'm going to need to wait 2 more beats to get it back?
Eligor: Exactly. The discard piles are your attacks that are 'recharging'. Once returned to your hand, the styles and bases can be recombined in any way you wish.
Shekhtur: Alright then. I'm ready for the next beat. And this time you've got nowhere else to run to.
Eligor: I'm all set. Let's find out how this one goes.
Shekhtur: I set my attack too. Since I was first last time, I have to ante first this time?
Eligor: Whoever was active player last beat gets the first ante this beat. I just randomly chose you to go first on the first beat.
Shekhtur: Random. Sure. Here's my last token.
Eligor: I'll pass this time too.
Shekhtur: Jugular Grasp! That's priority eight with my token!
Eligor: Retribution Drive! Priority 3!
Shekhtur: Looks like I'm first, as usual, Elly.
Eligor: Don't shorten my name without permission. But yes, you appear to be first.
Shekhtur: Neither of us have Start of Beat triggers, and I don't have any Before Activating triggers, so I'm going straight to the hit.
Eligor: We're at range 1, so you land the hit.
Shekhtur: And then I do my On Hit effects. I have two 'Move the opponent 1 space' effects.
Eligor: So you should resolve them separately in either order (though in this case they're identical, so it doesn't matter).
Shekhtur: You've already got your back to a wall, so what do I do?
Eligor: That means you'll have to pull me instead of pushing. When moving, you skip over your opponent's space, so now I'm over here.
Shekhtur: Now I can move you back to the corner or further away. Is it going to affect my hit if I move you out of range?
Eligor: No. You've already landed the hit at this point, so nothing either of us does now will stop that from happening.
Soak, Stun and Tokens
Shekhtur: So I can do it again. I'll just toss you back into the corner, I suppose. It's easier when your back is to a wall.
Eligor: Your attack does 3 damage, but I have an ability called Soak 2. Soak 2 reduces the damage I take by 2, so I'll take 1. When you do damage, you gain 1 more Token (by your Unique Ability). My tokens are the opposite, I get 1 per damage I take. Retribution lets me get Tokens for the soaked damage, though I normally wouldn't.
Shekhtur: So what happens next?
Eligor: Well, you hit me and I took damage, so I become stunned. I won't do my counterattack.
Shekhtur: Ah ha! So it is all about speed. If I go first and do damage, you're going to be stunned and not hit me back!
Eligor: I didn't ready an appropriate defense this time, that's all. If I had, you would be hurting right now.
Shekhtur: So you forgot?
Eligor: I neglected to do so for purely instructional reasons.
Shekhtur: Yeah, I can tell it from your face.
Eligor: Enough about this! I'm going to show you next beat how seriously mistaken you are.
Shekhtur: Hold on, at End of Beat, I gain tokens until I have 3. Now I'm ready.
Eligor: So let's recycle, and then set attacks.
Shekhtur: I'll ante a token.
Eligor: Me too.
Shekhtur: What are your tokens for? Do you get more priority too?
Eligor: No, mine do something totally different. They give me Stun Guard 2.
Shekhtur: Sounds nifty. What does it do?
Eligor: You're going to find out very soon... care to ante another?
Shekhtur: Yeah! More speed!
Eligor: I'll use my second one as well.
Shekhtur: Then I'm going to throw in my third one! If I had one more, I could get up to Priority 7, which would ignore your soak.
Eligor: True, it's a handy ability, but keep in mind I only have two ways to get soak. One or two is enough to pretty much guarantee you'll go before me.
Shekhtur: Sure, sure, whatever. But why go slower when I don't have to?
Eligor: Well, they're a limited resource. what you don't use now, you'll have on hand for later.
Shekhtur: Oh... somehow I got a bit overexcited by all this extra power.
Eligor: I better use my last token too. Just to be safe.
Shekhtur: Now we reveal!
Shekhtur: Combination Strike! Priority 6 (base of 3, plus 3 tokens)!
Eligor: Martial Shot! Priority 1!
Shekhtur: Neither of us have effects for Start of Beat or Reveal, so I go straight to the hit.
Eligor: You're certainly in range, and your On Hit effect says you get +2 more power, since you hit me last beat.
Shekhtur: So I deal you 8 points of damage! Do I get 8 more tokens now?
Eligor: Our UA's both give us a limit of five, so you'll gain up to 5 (for dealing damage), and I'll do the same (for taking damage).
Stun Guard and Baiting
Shekhtur: So I guess you're stunned, let's cycle around to the next–
Eligor: Hold it! I said there was more to this than speed, didn't I?
Shekhtur: What do you mean, more?
Eligor: You stunned me last time because I didn't have defense, but this time I do. With 3 tokens and my base added up, I have a combined Stun Guard of 8!
Shekhtur: Ok, so?
Eligor: Stun Guard increases the amount of damage you need to stun me. Last time I had no Stun Guard, so 1 damage was enough. With Stun Guard 8, you need to do 9 damage (or more) to stun me!
Shekhtur: What?! That's hard, even for me!
Eligor: Maybe you should have paid more attention during the first beat. Sometimes you just have to avoid getting hit!
Eligor: ... but you don't do that this turn. Before Activating, I get +2 power (Martial) because I was hit–
Shekhtur: You get a bonus for being hit?
Eligor: It's called baiting the attack. I'm primarily a defensive fighter, so I'm only getting stronger when you rush in headlong. Speaking of which, you did so much damage I have a full pool of tokens, so now I get another +2 (Martial).
Eligor: I throw out a shockwave for 8 damage!
Shekhtur: Ouch! Same as me though. At least it was a clean exchange.
Eligor: I wasn't anticipating such a bold power attack–if you had backed off, it would have turned in my favor.
Shekhtur: Just more proof that pressing the offensive at full power always pays out!
Eligor: Let's do another beat then.
Dashes and N/A Attacks
Shekhtur: For once, no ante from me.
Eligor: I pass on ante this beat.
Shekhtur: Alright, let's reveal!
Shekhtur: Unleashed Burst! Priority 1!
Eligor: Chained Dash! Priority 8!
Shekhtur: Wow, that's new. Looks like you're first this time.
Eligor: So Start of Beat, you get to retreat. Will it be one or two spaces?
Shekhtur: I'll take one. How come your attack has an "N/A" for range and power?
Eligor: "N/A" range means my attack never hits you. "N/A" power means my attack never damages you. A Dash is a special kind of attack that does neither.
Shekhtur: Oh? So what's the point?
Eligor: Well, I get to move 1, 2, or 3 spaces, and if I switch sides with you, then your attacks can't hit me. I'll go ahead and use zero for my Before Activating effect (Chained), then go straight to the Dash's After Activating Power (since I skip checking range and doing damage).
Finishers and Ending the Duel
Eligor: So I move 3 spaces, switching sides with you as I do. That triggers the Dash's secondary effect saying you can't hit me this beat.
Shekhtur: But you're in range! So I just miss anyway because of your Dash?
Eligor: Yes. A well-timed Dash can turn the tide of the battle in an instant.
Shekhtur: I guess it was smart not to ante any of my tokens this turn. I'd be in a bad situation, even without taking damage.
Eligor: But you still get to do your attack, it's not that you're stunned–you just miss during the range check.
Shekhtur: So After Activating, I get to retreat away one or two spaces. I'll do two this time, since your Shot is still in the discard pile.
Eligor: Well played. It's going to be hard for me to close that distance without either Chained or Shot to help me.
Shekhtur: And End of Beat, I have +1 Power next turn, and I would gain 2 tokens, but I already have 5.
Shekhtur: That reminds me, I had a question about End of Beat effects.
Eligor: What's that?
Shekhtur: Do they still work when I'm stunned? I mean, if you had hit me, would I get that effect anyway?
Eligor: Yes, Reveal, Start of Beat, and End of Beat effects all work regardless of whether you're stunned.
Shekhtur: Seems good. Anything else I need to know?
Eligor: The duel lasts 15 beats, but it's unlikely both of us will take that long to knock the other out. If you do get to the end of the last beat, then the player with the most life wins the duel.
Shekhtur: Oh, before we stop sparring, tell me about these Finishers!
Eligor: Ah, yes. Well, the Finishers. You have 7 life now, right?
Shekhtur: No, but let's just pretend I do.
Eligor: During the ante phase, you can ante your Finisher too, in addition to anything and everything else. This only works if your current life is 7 or less.
Shekhtur: Alright, so what happens if I do?
Eligor: Well, you pick up your attack pair, and substitute the Finisher instead. It's going to replace your entire attack pair.
Shekhtur: So I can use it just like a regular attack?
Eligor: Yes. It's neither a style nor a base, so things that affect styles and bases won't alter it. After using the Finisher, you remove it from the game and it becomes unavailable. You don't recycle your discard piles the turn you use a Finisher.
Shekhtur: Makes sense. Is that all there is to it?
Eligor: Most Finishers are so powerful that they are just as effective sitting ready as they are when used. Remember that "even the threat of power has power."
Shekhtur: Good to know.
Eligor: Once you've tried a few duels, I'd suggest employing the Special Actions variant in the rules. The Special Action card is another limited-use card that can have a huge impact on the duel. It's listed as a variant, but you should really consider it standard for most games.
Shekhtur: So now that I'm a trained fighter, can you teach me some of those awesome defensive moves you were using?
Eligor: You'd have to put on heavy armor–I don't think it would agree with you so well.
Shekhtur: Pft, I'm stronger than I look.
Eligor: I can give you a short overview of where to start, so maybe that will help as you select your fighting style.
Shekhtur: Alright, let's see what it's possible to do in this game!
Selecting a Character to Match your Style
Choosing what character to master first is a big part of BattleCON. Pick one character and try them to see if their style matches up to what you like. Once you find the one you want to play, stick with them and master how they fight, as well as how they interact with the other characters. Not all matches will be as easy as others, and some will require radically new strategies that use your kit in unconventional ways. See if you can master all 30 characters!
Here are some of the classes of fighters you'll encounter...
Counterattacker — Counterattackers utilize defenses to deal more damage than their opponents, even while trading blows. They typically possess superior defensive abilities. It's not enough to hit these types–you must think specifically about how to avoid their retaliation. Fighters: Eligor, Rexan, Adjenna, Iaxus
Disruptor — Disruptors are fast and capable fighters who excel at shutting down enemy actions. This is usually accomplished by going faster and stunning the opponent, but sometimes through anticipatory use of special effects. Predicting and responding in kind is the key to victory. Fighters: Shekhtur, Ottavia, Clinhyde, Aria, Byron
Specialist — Specialist fighters utilize extremely potent triggered effects and special powers. Opponents must always be careful to keep track of what options are in their hands, because ignoring the capabilities of these fighters can be deadly. Fighters: Marmelee, Runika, Oriana, Lesandra, Lymn, Endrbyt
Heavyweight — Heavyweights are all about power. No matter how strong your counterattack is or how good your disruption, they probably don't care. The best thing to do is get out of the way, as missing a powerful attack can be extremely costly for one of these fighters. Fighters: Alexian, César, Mikhail
Brawler — Sometimes all you have to do to win is fight better than the other guy. Brawlers specialize in well-rounded combat, and are typically quite mobile. Their abilities serve to boost their already formidable combat skills and stats, rather than to overwhelm with flashy effects. Fighters: Pendros, Arec, Joal, Gerard, Clive, Gaspar
Tactician — Tactical fighters use the setup of characters and markers on the board to their advantage, typically by setting out markers and controlling the spacing of a fight. They require some setup to get their best moves working, but once they get their attacks set up, many are unstoppable. Fighters: Karin, Kajia, Voco, Kaitlyn, Malandrax, Tanis
Many characters fit into more than one category, and many can be played multiple ways once you get used to their styles. Try them all and see who fits your gameplay the best!
Gameplay Overview
Your primary goal in BattleCON is to win matches against other players in a head-to-head battle. Both you and your opponent will select one of the thirty fighters in the game and play a match.
A single match consists of two or three duels. A duel is a complete game, beginning at 20 life points and ending with one player reaching 0 life. A single duel takes between 10 and 20 minutes, so a match is typically between 30 minutes and an hour long. The player who wins two out of the three duels is declared the winner of the match.
In the course of a single duel, the goal of each player is to reduce their opponent's life total to zero or fewer points. The first to accomplish this is declared the winner of that duel.
A duel consists of up to fifteen rounds, called beats. In a beat, both players act simultaneously as they play out all of the steps of the beat. There are no 'turns' in BattleCON–both players are constantly engaged in the conflict.
If you're just learning the game, it is recommended to use the two characters 'Shekhtur Lenmorre' and 'Eligor Larington' and follow along with the introductory rules comic on page 6. After following through the comic, you can use the detailed rules here to answer any questions that come up as you play the game.
Each Fighter's Unique Ability is integral to their strategy. Mastering both your ability and how it interacts with the ability of your opponent is a key to achieving victory and crushing all who oppose you.
Character Card Overview
Characters are specific personas that you use on the field of battle. Each player will select a different character at the start of the game and must use all of the styles and bases that are associated with that specific character.
Each character card has the following components:
- Name – The name of the character.
- Unique Ability – One or more unique abilities that this character possesses. These are staples of their personal strategy and are used during gameplay.
Each character also comes with a Reference card that you should give to your opponent. This helps both players to understand the play style of your opponent more quickly and get to the heart of the game.
Some characters are more difficult to learn than others, or require a familiarity with the core gameplay that makes them difficult to learn first. We suggest starting with the 'Novice' characters from Flight 1 (Eligor, Shekhtur, Alexian, Karin, Pendros, and Marmelee). The difficulty rating of a character can be found in their strategy section at the end of this book, or on the Flight Guide sheet.
Base Card Overview
These cards are printed with their numbers aligned to the left and may be either unique to a character or generic. Those that are unique to a character have that character's picture on them. Bases are the foundations of an attack pair. All bases have the following parts.
- Name – The name of the base.
- Range – This is what distance the attack will strike at. Some ranges are expressed as two values (i.e.: 1
4). These ranges target all spaces included in the range (so 14 would target spaces at range 1, 2, 3, and 4). Attacks with a range of N/A will never hit unless they have some special effect that says they do. Range can never be less than 0. - Power – This is how much damage the attack will do. Attacks with a power of N/A will not do any damage. Power can never be less than 0.
- Priority – The speed of the attack. Higher priority attacks have the advantage of going first in combat–allowing you to stun or escape your opponent in many instances. Priority may be negative on some attacks.
- Effects – Special effects that are part of the attack. These are explained in more detail later.
Style Card Overview
These cards are printed with their numbers aligned to the right and are all specific to a certain character. Each style can be paired with a base to form an attack pair. A style has the following parts.
- Name – The name of the style. This pairs with the name of the base to form the name of the attack. For example, a 'Magnificent' style and a 'Drive' base combine to form the 'Magnificent Drive' attack.
- Range Modifier – The range of the attack is modified up or down by this amount.
- If only one side of the attack has a variable range like (1
4), add the single number to both sides (so 14 plus 2 would be 3~6). - If both sides of the attack range are variable, calculate the complete range by adding the highest and lowest parts of both sides (so 1
4 plus 24 would be 3~8).
- If only one side of the attack has a variable range like (1
- Power Modifier – The power of the attack is modified up or down by this amount.
- Priority Modifier – The priority of the attack is modified up or down by this amount.
- Effects – These effects are added on to the effects of the base, giving the attack additional powers. Style effects work the same way as base effects.
Finisher Card Overview
Each character has a Finisher card that they can make use of during play. The finisher card looks just like a style, except that it has a white or black overlay and a complete border around the edge. A finisher is not half of an attack pair though–it replaces the entire attack pair and whatever base you play does not modify it.
Finishers have two sides. During setup, each player should secretly select which finisher they wish to use, then reveal those simultaneously. The 'α' side is the more universally useful side, and recommended for starting out with when learning a character.
The actual usage of finishers during gameplay will be explained later in the rules, under the 'Variants' section.
Special Cards
There are several kinds of special cards in the game, used by specific character kits. They are explained in complete detail on their respective characters' Unique Ability cards. These are:
- Runika Zenanen's Artifacts (5)
- Clinhyde Eight's Stim Packs (3)
- Lesandra Machan's Familiars (5)
- Malandrax Mecchi's Traps (4)
- Iaxus the Shattered's Planes (5)
- Clive Melmont's Modules (9)
- Gerard Matranga's Mercenaries (8)
Game Setup
1. Character Selection - Each player chooses one character (choose secretly in a competitive game). They take all of that character's cards (1 character card, 5 styles, 1 finisher card, and 1 base), plus a set of generic bases (6 bases–Strike, Dash, Drive, Grasp, Burst, and Shot), to form a starting hand. Each player should also find any tokens, counters, markers, or extra cards that their character uses and place them beside their character card or into play as specified by their Unique Abilities.
Each character also has a quick-reference card that details their styles and bases. Trade reference cards with your opponent, so you have an idea of what his capabilities are.
Each character's complete kit is listed below their portrait in the character guide later in these rules. The name of the character kit a card belongs to is always listed in the bottom center of the card.
2. Board Setup - Place the players on the second and sixth spaces respectively (as shown below), so that each character is on its owner's left hand side of the board. Use the spinning life dials to keep track of each player's life points. All players start with 20 life. Spin the Time Dial to show 15 beats. After recycling at the end of each beat, you will reduce this count by one.
3. Initial Discards - Each player chooses two bases and two styles*. These will form two pairs that should be placed in discard 1 and discard 2 respectively. These cards will not be available at the start of the game but will become available soon. Make sure your two discard piles are clearly separated and that you know which is which, as they both have very important functions (see "Recycle" for more information).
3b. Character Setup - Some characters (particularly advanced characters) require some additional setup. The character's Unique Ability will tell you what extra setup steps they may have to complete.
4. Game Start - Once you have completed these actions and filled both discard piles, you are ready to begin the game.
* When learning the game or trying a new character, the bases and styles marked with a '1' and '2' form the starting discard piles. These are optional, but are intended to help you to set up the game and jump into a new character quickly.
Attack Pairs
An attack pair is formed by selecting one style and one base from the player's hand and placing those face-down in front of him.
An attack pair has the power, range, and priority of the base, plus the modifiers specified on the style and all the effects of both cards.
Since there are 5 styles and 7 bases, each character has 35 possible attacks (and even more when you factor in Unique Abilities!)
Objective
The objective of each duel is to reduce the opponent's life points to zero before your opponent can do the same to you. The first player whose life points reach zero is eliminated, and the remaining player is declared the winner of the duel.
A duel has a time limit of 15 beats. At the end of the 15th beat, if no player has eliminated the other, then the player with the highest life total is declared the winner.
Play Sequence
Every round of BattleCON follows a similar pattern. Each of these steps is done by each player simultaneously (or in priority order, after the reveal step).
- Select attack pairs
- Ante
- Reveal attack pairs
- Execute attacks
- Recycle
1 - Select Attack Pairs
Each player chooses one style and one base from his hand, then places those cards face down in front of him where their opponent can see the backs of the cards clearly. A legal attack pair always has one red-backed and one blue-backed card. Once both players have attack pairs placed down in front of them, move on to the next step.
2 - Ante
A character's unique ability may provide that character with tokens, markers, or other ante powers that are used during this step. Powers that can be used during this step will instruct you to do something 'as an ante...' or 'during ante...'
The most common things to ante are Tokens. A token's exact effect depends on the unique ability of the character using it. Almost all ante options are granted by Unique Abilities on your character card.
Tokens are in a character's "token pool" area until they are used. After being used, they are typically moved to a "token discard pool." You can use any space on the board for these two pools. As long as you know which is which, it doesn't matter.
Unless otherwise stated by a character's unique ability, tokens are discarded to their own separate discard pool and cannot be retrieved except by the effects of that character's styles and bases. Not all characters are able to retrieve their tokens, so pay attention to your options for recovery before you use them recklessly!
Starting with the player who had higher priority during the previous beat (or randomly, on the first turn), players take turns anteing. Players may always ante more (as far as their unique abilities allow), but antes can never be taken back. Once both players have consecutively elected to pass on anteing further, move on to the next step.
3 - Reveal Attack Pairs
Both players simultaneously flip over their face-down attack pairs. Any Reveal Effects occur at this time. Reveal effects can occur in any order the players wish.
After resolving all Reveal effects, check the priorities of both attacks (considering any modifications provided by tokens, styles, and passive special abilities). If the total priorities tie, then a clash occurs.
Reveal effects do not have any timing, and only serve to improve the priority of the styles they are printed on. Players can execute Reveal effects in either order, even simultaneously. They continue to provide their benefits, even after a clash, and are never activated more than once per beat.
Priority Tie? - Clash!
In a clash, both players must play a new base face-down from their hands. They simultaneously reveal the played base and put it on top of the old one, hiding the effects and stats of the original base and forming a new attack. Players then check to see if another clash has occurred. If it has, continue again as above.
If any player runs out of cards during the clash, then both players skip directly to recycling their top attack pairs (without activating any End of Beat effects) and a new beat begins.
During the Recycle step, only recycle the top attack pair (the one your character actually executed after all clashes), and return all other cards to your hand.
The player who has higher priority after Reveal effects are resolved is called the Active Player, and the one with lower priority is called the Reactive Player.
After Reveal effects and Active/Reactive player are resolved (by clashes if necessary), Start of Beat effects take place. The Active Player executes all of his Start of Beat effects, then the Reactive Player executes all of his Start of Beat effects. Once the Start of Beat effects are resolved, attacks begin.
4 - Active Attack
The Active Player activates his attack first by performing the following steps*:
- He performs any Before Activating effects listed on his cards. If there are multiple effects, he chooses in which order to use them.
- He checks to see if the opponent is within his range. Range is counted in spaces, with the space occupied by the player being space zero (so adjacent characters are at range 1, and characters at the start of a match are at range 4).
- If the opponent is in range, then the active player resolves any On Hit effects.
- If the opponent was hit by the attack, then the opponent takes damage equal to the power of the attack, reducing the damage taken by his own attack's Soak value (if he has this effect–see Common Effects on page 25).
- If any damage was done, On Damage effects are resolved. Also, if any damage was done, the opponent may be stunned. This stun can be prevented by an opponent with Stun Guard (see the section on Stun, page 24).
- If a player's life is reduced to zero or fewer points, the game immediately ends, with the remaining player being declared the winner.
- The active player resolves any After Activating effects, regardless of whether or not the attack hit or did damage.
* It is possible for some effects, such as Eligor's Counter style, to stun the Active Player. If this happens, his attack is skipped, and you should move straight to the next step, Reactive Attack.
Special Ranges
Some attacks have special ranges of X or N/A. These attacks are treated differently than normal.
Attacks with a range of N/A (on either side of the attack pair) never hit opponents.
Attacks with a range of X (on either side of the attack pair) have their range defined by some special passive or triggered effect. Range boosts or penalties do not apply to these special ranges–they can only hit or miss due to their effects.
4B - Reactive Attack
If the Reactive Player is not stunned, then he may activate his attack by following the same steps as the Active Player. A stunned player skips activation entirely, including any Before Activating and After Activating effects.
Once the reactive player has resolved his attack (or been stunned), move on to the next step.
5 - Recycle
Both players activate any End of Beat effects they possess. If both players have End of Beat effects, the Active Player executes all of his effects first. End of Beat effects will still be executed by the reactive player even if he was stunned.
Finally, both players:
- Pick up their second (outermost) discard pile,
- Move their first (innermost) discard pile into their second discard pile, and
- Move the attack pair they just played face-up into their first discard pile.
The recycling of discard piles means that each Attack Pair you play will take 2 beats of cycling before it can be recombined into new attacks. Be careful before you use your strongest attack–it might be more useful as two parts instead of one!
Once you have recycled your discard piles, advance the turn timer by one beat, and you are all set to start the next beat!
Resolving Effects
During the course of the game, you will need to resolve many special effects that your attacks have. How to resolve these effects is explained in detail here.
There are two kinds of effects, Passive Effects and Triggered Effects.
Passive effects are always active from the time the attack is revealed until the end of the beat. For example, Shekhtur's Combination Style states "This attack does not hit opponents at range 3 or greater." This is a passive effect and should be followed as long as it is face-up on the player's current attack pair. Its instructions should be obeyed by both players at all times.
Triggered effects have two parts: a trigger and an effect. An example of a triggered effect might be "Before Activating: Advance 1 or 2 spaces." This means that the effect is triggered and resolved during the Before Activating step (during step 4 of the turn). If a player has multiple triggered effects with the same trigger, then he chooses what order to activate them. All triggered effects are mandatory–you must use them when they trigger.
If triggered and passive effects would conflict with one another, the passive effects take precedence.
Triggers
Reveal: This effect happens as soon as cards are revealed. There is no priority order on these effects, so they all happen simultaneously.
Start of Beat: This effect happens after priority is determined. The active player performs all Start of Beat effects, then the Reactive Player performs all Start of Beat effects. You always perform these effects, even if stunned.
Before Activating: This effect happens when a player begins activating his attack. You will not perform your attack (or these effects) if stunned.
On Hit: This effect happens immediately when you confirm a hit against an opponent. Many On Hit effects target 'the opponent', meaning the opponent that you confirmed a hit against.
On Damage: This effect happens immediately after you apply 1 or more damage (not life loss) to an opponent. Many On Damage effects target 'the opponent', meaning the opponent that you damaged.
After Activating: This effect happens after your attack finishes activating, regardless of whether or not it hit. You will not perform this effect if you do not activate your attack due to being stunned.
End of Beat: This effect happens before recycling your discard piles. The Active Player activates all of his End of Beat effects, then the Reactive Player activates all of his End of Beat effects. You always perform these effects, even if stunned.
Status Effects
Some triggered effects will apply powers to the next beat of combat. These are called "Status Effects" and are separate from the cards, tokens, or abilities that generate them. The box contains some tokens that you can use to track status effects, but status effects are not tokens.
Movement
Many effects will cause characters to move. The only way to move on the board is by these effects or by the unique abilities of characters.
Movement will be specified by triggered effects or a character's unique abilities in the form of effects such as "After Activating: Advance 1, 2, or 3 spaces." When you move, you move into and out of each space on the way to your destination.
There are 6 kinds of movement:
Advance – This movement brings you closer to an opponent. (ex: "Advance 1, 2, or 3 spaces")
Retreat – This movement takes you farther from an opponent. (ex: "Retreat 1 or 2 spaces.")
Pull – This movement brings an opponent closer to you. (ex: "Pull the opponent up to 2 spaces")
Push – This movement puts an opponent further from you. (ex: "Push the opponent up to 2 spaces")
Move – You may choose either direction for this movement. (ex: "Move 1 space")
Move directly – Teleport immediately to the space specified. Any repercussions of the movement, such as triggers that state 'if you switch sides' or 'if an opponent switched sides' still occur. All restrictions on movement still apply to Direct Movement (ex: "you cannot move past Eligor" would prevent the Direct Movement below). When Direct Moving, you do not move into the spaces between your destination and your position, as with normal movement. Instead, you move out of your current space and straight into the destination space (ex: "Opponents cannot enter spaces adjacent to Eligor" would not stop Shekhtur's Direct Movement below).
Movement effects are mandatory. If an effect says 'advance 1 or 2 spaces', then the player must move either 1 space forwards or 2 spaces forwards. He cannot choose to remain where he is.
For all moves except direct movement, you must pass through the spaces between your current position and your final destination.
If an effect specifies 'up to', such as "Advance up to 2 spaces", then the player has the option of choosing a movement of zero (which is less than 2) and remaining stationary. Negative movement is never allowed.
When moving, you hop over opponents and do not count the spaces they occupy against your movement (see the example for Advance).
If a legal movement cannot be made, then the movement is ignored entirely. (ex: "Advance 3 spaces" when there are only two spaces left on the board).
If a legal movement is possible given the effect moving the character, then it must be taken. (Example: Arec must move 1 space forwards or backwards, but the edge of the board is behind him. In this case, he is forced to choose the forwards movement, since it is the only legal, available move).
'Advance' and 'Pull' just determine the initial direction of the movement. It's possible to pull someone past you so that they are farther away than when they started, and it's possible to advance far past someone in order to create distance. These are just two examples of how these effects might be used to set up a ranged position, even when they normally close distance.
Stun, Guard, & Immunity
All attacks have the potential to stun opponents when they hit. A stunned opponent is unable to react with an attack of his own. Thus, in order to score hits a player must either be fast enough to strike first, maneuverable enough to avoid damage, or defensive enough to prevent stun.
A stun occurs whenever a player takes damage greater than his Stun Guard value. Attacks that have no Stun Guard on them have a Stun Guard of zero. Here are a few examples that you can follow along with using your own cards. All of these examples ignore range and movement.
Example 1 - Hit and taking damage: Shekhtur and Eligor dueling. Shekhtur uses a 'Jugular Grasp' (priority 7) and Eligor uses a 'Chained Drive' (priority 3). Shekhtur will go first. She hits Eligor for 3 damage. Because Eligor has no Stun Guard or Soak effects, he takes 1 damage and is stunned. He will not be able to use any of his effects, since Before Activating is an Attack trigger, and he will not attack this beat.
Example 2 - Taking no damage: Eligor uses 'Chained Aegis' with 3 tokens (priority -1, Soak 3, Stun Guard 6) and Shekhtur uses 'Jugular Grasp' (priority 7). Shekhtur will hit first, dealing 3 points of damage to Eligor. Eligor has Soak 3, which reduces the damage he takes by up to 3 points. Thus, he takes 0 damage. Because he has not taken any damage, he is able to retaliate and score 2 damage on Shekhtur.
Example 3 - Stun Guard greater than damage: Eligor uses 'Vengeful Strike' (priority 3, Stun Guard 8) and Shekhtur is using 'Spiral Drive' with 2 tokens (priority 6). Shekhtur will hit first, as usual, and deal 3 points of damage. Eligor takes the damage, but because the damage is lower than or equal to his Stun Guard value, he is not stunned. He can hit Shekhtur back for 5 damage.
Example 4 - Damage greater than Stun Guard: Eligor uses 'Counter Strike' (priority 2, Stun Guard 5) and Shekhtur uses 'Combination Drive' (priority 4). Shekhtur will hit first, dealing 7 damage to Eligor (+2 from Combination's effect). Eligor takes the damage and, since it is higher than his Stun Guard value, he is stunned and will not activate his attack.
Example 5 - Stun by effect: Eligor uses an extremely defensive 'Vengeful Strike' with 4 tokens (priority 3, Stun Guard 16). Shekhtur uses her finisher, 'Soul Breaker' and 3 Tokens (priority 6). Shekhtur will go first, dealing 3 damage to Eligor. Eligor's Stun Guard is far more than 3, so he is not stunned by the damage. However, Shekhtur's Finisher has a special effect "On Damage: The opponent is stunned..." Eligor is stunned because of the effect and will not activate his attack. This is called an auto-stun effect and can stun regardless of the opponent's Stun Guard and Soak.
Example 6 - Stun Immunity: Eligor uses the same 'Vengeful Aegis' and Shekhtur uses her same 'Soul Breaker' as above. This time, however, Eligor decides to ante all 5 of his Vengeance tokens during the Ante phase. This ante gives him the effect of Stun Immunity due to his unique ability. Now when Shekhtur hits first, her Soul Breaker's effect will attempt to stun Eligor. Eligor is immune to stun, however, so no effect and no amount of damage can prevent him from executing his attack this beat.
Common Effects
Lose Life – Effects that say "lose life" do not ever cause stun. Only effects that "deal damage" can cause stuns. Soak does not prevent loss of life from these effects. Loss of life can never reduce a player to below 1 life.
Stun Guard – A number will be specified (ex.: Stun Guard 5, Stun Guard 3). Whenever the player takes damage this turn, he is not stunned unless the total damage taken this turn is greater than his Stun Guard rating. Stun Guard is always a passive effect. Attacks with no Stun Guard specified have an implied Stun Guard of zero.
If a player would take damage multiple times in a turn, Stun Guard applies separately to each one. The player must take damage higher than his Stun Guard in a single attack for his Stun Guard to be broken.
You can still be stunned even after you attack. It usually doesn't have any meaningful effect, since you've already made your attack, but some characters who care about being stunned for any reason (Marmelee, Karin, Clive, and Adjenna, to name a few) will need to be careful about the possibility of a Reactive Player stunning them even when they go first.
Soak – A number will be specified (ex.: Soak 3, Soak 1, Soak 2). Whenever the player would take damage this turn, he reduces the damage taken by the amount specified. Multiple Soak effects stack together (so Soak 3 + Soak 1 = Soak 4). Soak is always a passive effect.
If a player would take damage multiple times in a turn, his Soak applies to each individual time he would take the damage.
Stun Immunity – The character cannot be stunned by any means or effects. Stun Immunity overrides any effect or damage that would normally stun a character. It does not prevent any damage.
Opponent is Stunned - The opponent becomes stunned. This ignores any soak and stun guard effects the opponent may have, but will not bypass Stun Immunity.
You/Opponent has +/- X Power/Priority/Range - Effects like this are called 'status effects'. Unless a status effect says otherwise, it starts working right away, and stops working when cards recycle after the end of the beat.
If a status effect starts working later or works longer than the current beat, it will say something like "You have +2 priority during the next beat" or "The opponent has -1 power until the end of the next beat."
Attacks at range X do not hit you - This is called a 'dodge' effect, and typically lasts for as long as the cards which revealed it remain in your attack pair. Dodge effects prevent a hit from being scored against you, which prevents all damage, On Hit, and On Damage effects from taking place. You are simply considered 'out of range' of the attack.
Discard additional styles/bases - Some effects will cut down your options by making you discard more styles and bases from your hand. These go to the discard pile specified and cycle around normally. If no discard pile is specified, they go to the discard with your current attack pair this beat.
During the set phase, if a player somehow has no styles or no bases in his hand, then the beat ends immediately and discard piles recycle again, leaving one pile empty temporarily.
Markers, Tokens, Counters
There are three kinds of pieces in the game that are governed by similar rules. A Character's Unique Ability will typically grant them one or more of these kinds of game pieces to use.
Tokens
All Tokens are circular.
Tokens are typically either in a character's Token Pool or Token Discard Pile. Tokens in the Token Pool can be anted during the ante phase. Tokens with identical names (such as Gold or Magic Point) can be anted together as a stack of 1 or more tokens. Tokens with different names (Fear, Mercy, etc) must be anted one at a time.
Unless otherwise stated, a token goes to its owner's discard pile immediately once anted. The token's benefit is called a Status Effect. All such Status Effects go away during the recycle step unless otherwise noted.
Markers
All Markers are diamond-shaped.
Markers occupy spaces in the play area. Markers can occupy the same spaces as characters and other Markers without interference. A Marker does not count as 'occupying the space' the same way that a character standup does.
Two markers with the same name and controlled by the same character cannot occupy the same space. For example, Aria can have her 'Turret' and 'Magnetron' Markers in the same space, but Voco cannot place two 'Zombie' Markers in the same space. Many Unique Abilities give specific rules for marker placement that may supersede these rules.
Counters
All Counters are pentagon-shaped.
Counters are used for keeping track of things that cannot be represented by Tokens or Markers, such as Adjenna's Petrification Ability or Kajia's Infestation Ability. Counters work differently for each character who controls them, so make sure to check out the characters' individual abilities to see how their counters function.
Standups
All Standups are tombstone-shaped.
Each character has a Standup that they use during the game to display their position on the board. Two opposing standups can never occupy the same position on the board. When a character is moved, pushed, or pulled, it is always their standup that this applies to by default, unless some other effect dictates otherwise.
Variants
Now you know how to play the core BattleCON game, but that's just the beginning! The Variants section will allow experienced players to incorporate arenas, finishers, alternate bases, and more into your games!
It will take many, many games to experience everything BattleCON has to offer, but that's the fun of it! Keep exploring new play modes, and you're bound to find new things to challenge you and your friends.
The Special Actions Variant (#2) is considered to be standard–once you've mastered it, you should use it in all game modes (except those expressly telling you not to).
Variant #1: Ante Finishers
Difficulty: Novice
Once you are familiar with the basic game, you can try playing with finishers to add an exciting new element to each game.
Before the duel begins, each player secretly decides which side of his finisher card he wants to use. Together, both players reveal their finishers at the start of the duel. The finisher cards sit off to the side of the board, near the character cards for each player.
You can check your opponent's finisher at any time. It cannot be switched to its reverse face during the duel.
Using the Finisher. Once your life is at 7 or below, you are able to use your finisher. During the ante phase, after setting down your attack pair, you can ante your finisher. When you do, retrieve your attack pair–only the finisher will be executed this turn. No further antes can be made by either player after a Finisher is anted.
Regardless of what happens (whether you hit with it or not), if you anted your finisher it will be removed from the game at the end of the beat.
During the turn you use a finisher, you do not cycle your discard piles as usual.
Clashing with Finishers. Finishers always win priority ties without clashing. If two Finishers clash, then they both downgrade into Cancels (see the Special Action section). They are otherwise just like attacks and can be stunned out, dodged, and retaliated against.
Variant #2: Special Actions
Difficulty: Novice
Special actions are powerful tactical maneuvers that can be used only once over the course of a duel. They are recommended for all play modes once players are comfortable with the basic game and add an extra layer of strategic options to any matchup. Special Actions are standard for tournament play, and all the characters have been balanced against each other with Special Actions in mind.
Each player takes one Special Action card at the start of the duel. The special action card looks identical to a style on its reverse face.
During any beat, the player may play his Special Action style in conjunction with a base from his hand, just like a normal attack pair. During the Reveal step, but before any Reveal effects, the special action is executed.
The effect that is executed changes depending on which base is paired with the Special Action. For example, pairing Special Action + Burst would activate the Pulse effect. Pairing Special Action + Grasp would activate the Cancel effect.
After a Special Action is used, it is removed from the game until the end of the duel, and the card paired with it returns to the owner's hand.
During a Pulse or Finish Special Action, your discard piles will not recycle during the Recycle Step.
Special Actions return to your hand between duels.
Pulse
Pulse is the ultimate defensive tactic and triggers if you pair the Special Action with a Burst or Dash.
Negate the opponent's entire attack pair. Treat it as though they played nothing at all. Rearrange all standups on the board however you wish.
If multiple players Pulse simultaneously, the pulses cancel out and positioning remains the same. The Special Action cards go to discard pile 1 instead of being removed from the game permanently.
Do not advance the Time Dial the beat that a Pulse is revealed. Additionally, Unique Abilities that do something 'at the end of the beat' stop working during the beat a Pulse is revealed.
Cancel
Cancel allows you to block an opponent's attack pair, and is excellent when you feel overwhelmed by an opponent's options. It triggers if you pair a Special Action with a Grasp or Shot (or if you try to activate a Finish and your life total is too high). A Cancel occurs before any reveal effects or passive effects begin working.
Place the attack pair revealed by your opponent into Discard Pile 1 (in multiplayer, do this only for the nearest opponent). Then each player selects a new attack pair from their remaining cards and places it face-down.
Any antes continue to apply to your new attack, but there is not another ante step. Once both players have selected, reveal the new attacks. For the Cancel beat and the beat after, your opponent will have one fewer style and one fewer base than normal.
If both players Cancel simultaneously, they must both choose new attacks secretly, and only their Special Action cards go to discard pile 1 (rather than being removed as normal).
Finisher
As in a normal game, you should select your Finisher's side during setup.
If Special Action is paired with a Strike, Drive, or a character's Unique Base, then the character's selected Finisher is executed. A character must have 7 or fewer life points to use a Finisher, otherwise the Finisher becomes a Cancel instead.
Continue the beat as normal, but with your character's Finisher move completely replacing your attack pair for the beat.
Finishers always win priority ties without clashing. If two finishes clash, place both Special Action cards in discard pile 1 (instead of removing them from the game) and both players select new attack pairs (just like if they had both canceled simultaneously).
Note: If you play with Ante Finishers (Variant #1) and Special Actions together, the Special Action can only be used to Cancel and Pulse, never to execute a Finisher.
Variant #3: Arenas
Difficulty: Beginner
The game box includes several double-sided arena cards. These represent locations within the World of Indines where the environment has specific effects on the battle. Arenas can be used in conjunction with any other game mode, but they are most interesting in one on one duels.
After selecting characters, randomly select one of the arena cards. If both players agree, the player who most recently lost a duel (the challenger) may choose the arena. Reveal the arena's Green-bordered side before starting discard piles are selected, and follow any Entry instructions the arena has.
During gameplay, simply follow any instructions on the Arena card as they become relevant.
Each Arena in Devastation of Indines has a Turning Point. When this condition is fulfilled, the arena flips over, and its new rules replace the old ones.
Some Arena reverse sides have Entry triggers. These effects take place at the point when the Arena flips to that side.
Variant #4: EX Duel
Difficulty: Intermediate
EX Fighters possess a different set of bases and more powerful abilities than ordinary characters. Any character can become an EX mode fighter by simply swapping out their six generic bases with the EX bases (Grip, Riposte, Crush, Blitz, Slide, and Bolt) and by using their EX ability listed in the rule book rather than the one printed on their character card.
In addition, an EX Fighter's Unique Base(s) has +1 power over its printed value.
EX Fighters are faster and stronger than ordinary characters but not impossible to defeat. Consider letting your opponent play EX to create a more challenging game. A tag team of two characters also provides a close matchup for a single EX Fighter. The base game box does not contain additional tokens required for some of the EX Fighter Unique Abilities, but these are easily improvised by using any kind of generic counter.
If you have two copies of the game, both players may play EX Fighters against each other for a more high-powered duel.
EX Fighters begin a duel with 30 life points.
Variant #5: Almighty Duel
Difficulty: Intermediate
Almighty Fighters possess a different set of bases and vastly more powerful abilities than ordinary characters. Any character can become an Almighty Fighter by simply swapping out their six standard bases with the Almighty bases (Slam, Blaster, Breaker, Rush, Roll, and Cannon) and by using the Almighty Unique Ability listed in the rule book instead of the one printed on his character card.
In addition, an Almighty Fighter's Unique Base has +1 power and +1 priority over its normal printed values.
Almighty characters are disproportionately faster and stronger than ordinary characters. A Tag Team of EX Fighters may stand a chance against an Almighty Fighter, but it will be a difficult fight. Normal fighters should not fight against Almighty Fighters (except in 3v1 Boss Mode). The game box does not contain additional tokens required for some of the Almighty Fighter Unique Abilities. If you have two copies of the game, both players may play Almighty Fighters against each other for an epic-level duel.
Almighty characters begin a duel with 40 life points.
Variant #6: β Duel
Difficulty: Advanced
β (beta) bases (Counter, Parry, Jab, Feint, Throw, and Wave) are an alternate set of standard bases that allow you to utilize an alternate move set for any character in BattleCON. These six bases replace the normal set of six bases, and allow for more technical and strategic play. β Characters use the same Unique Ability as Standard Characters.
You can play a β Character against a standard character with no special handicaps or setup, but this vastly different set of standard attacks are bound to throw even advanced players for a loop and force you to explore new strategies.
Variant #7: Lesson Duel
Difficulty: Master
On the reverse of the 5 flight cards are 5 Lesson Cards. These can be used in a duel to give a handicap to a weaker BattleCON player. Just put all 5 Lessons face-up in front of the player using them. When a Lesson Card becomes relevant, flip it face down.
Lesson cards are failsafes that allow new players to erase their mistakes and learn the ropes of a character with less pressure. As a more experienced player, it may be up to you to point out when Lesson Cards become relevant, or to talk your opponent through the best move for the situation.
Good luck teaching your friends BattleCON!
Modes
Modes are new ways of playing BattleCON, and take the game in drastically different directions. You can play Tag Teams, take on huge bosses, and even fight through dungeons!
Modes and variants can mix together–sometimes. Check an individual mode to learn about how the different variants interact with it.
Mode #1: Classic Duel
Difficulty: Novice
This is the basic way to play BattleCON! If you follow along with the quick-start rules comic earlier in the guide, you'll learn everything you need to know about how to duel in BattleCON.
Available Variants: Ante Finishers, Special Actions, Arenas, EX Duel, Almighty Duel, β Duel
Mode #2: Character Teams
Difficulty: Novice
In this mode, players build a team of three characters. Rather than using the same character in all three duels of a match, players will switch between members of their teams for each duel.
Starting with the player who most recently lost a duel (the challenger), players take turns selecting characters to add to their teams. If multiple copies of the game are present, players may both choose the same character. However, the same character may not appear more than once on a single team.
At the end of each duel, both players must secretly choose a different character to participate in the next duel. Once a character has been used, regardless of whether they won or lost, they cannot be used for the remainder of the match.
Optionally, play the final duel of a Character Teams game with EX characters (Variant #4) for a thrilling high-power endgame!
Available Variants: Ante Finishers, Special Actions, Arenas, EX Duel, Almighty Duel, β Duel
Mode #3: Tag Teams
Difficulty: Intermediate
In this mode, players build teams of two or three characters to participate in a Tag Team duel. In a Tag Team, players may switch characters dynamically during the course of the game.
Players decide on how many characters will be in both teams; then starting with the player who most recently lost a duel (the challenger), players take turns selecting characters to add to their teams. If multiple copies of the game are present, players may both choose the same character. However, the same character may not appear more than once on a single team.
Each character in the tag team will have their own set of normal bases, their own discard piles, and their own hands. Each character on the team uses a separate life total, and all start at 20 (or 30/40 when using EX and Almighty characters)
When setting up, players add a Tag base to each of their fighters' hands and remove the Dash base. Players secretly choose which member of their team will be their starting character, as well as the Finishers for both characters. They then reveal these together.
When the Tag base is played and triggers a swap the player who used it must change characters. To do this, he chooses the new character to 'tag in'. He sets the current character's hand aside, then picks up the new character's hand and continues play. Each character has their own Special Action card.
Since it can be confusing to have multiple sets of discard piles and hands, we recommend placing one set of discards on the left (and rotating left) and placing the other on your right (and rotating it right). Making one character your 'left character' and another your 'right character' can make Tag Teams play much more smoothly.
When a character's life is reduced to zero or less, the player may make a free 'Tag' action during the Recycle step, if he has any characters remaining in his team. Additionally, if he already used his Special Action, he receives a new Special Action card from outside the game. A player should never have more than one Special Action card.
When a player loses his final character, he loses the game.
Available Variants: Ante Finishers, Special Actions, Arenas, EX Duel, Almighty Duel, β Duel
BattleCON: Strikers expands Tag Team play with some exciting new options. Check it out to make Tag Teams even more dynamic and strategic!
Some characters like Voco, Aria, Tanis, and Karin leave markers on the field. When they 'tag out' these markers remain in place, but lose all special effects. Their effects reactivate again as soon as the character who controls them returns to play. When setting up, set up for all of your characters at once (placing all markers on the board and such), then pick which will be in play at the start.
Mode #4: Multiplayer Modes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Multiplayer modes allow 3 or 4 players to all participate in a single duel at once. Players are encouraged to play 2 vs 2 teams, or to try the "Boss Mode" scenarios included later in the book. Free-for-all play is not supported by these multiplayer modes.
In Multiplayer games, you will use all 9 spaces of the game board (the 7 lighter spaces plus the 2 darker spaces at the end of the board).
Players begin on the 3 and 7 positions of either track (marked with a red and blue dot). When playing teams, teammates should both begin in the same space. The game is played just as normal, with each player keeping track of their own life points.
Available Variants: Ante Finishers, Special Actions, EX Duel (see 2v1 boss mode), Almighty Duel (see 3v1 boss mode), β Duel, Arenas (player discretion advised)
Note the changes below when playing with 3 or 4 players:
First Aid
Players can give First Aid to one another during combat. If two fighters are standing in the same space, during the Recycle Step, the one with more life can transfer life points from himself to his ally. The player with more life cannot transfer life such that he has less than the player he is transferring to. The Player with more life before the transfer must have greater or equal life after the transfer!
When a player reaches zero life, he continues playing through the Recycle step of the current beat (he cannot activate attacks or effects after being defeated, though). He does not play future beats while at zero life, but keeps his standup on its side on the board. He no longer blocks movement or is considered a standup in this space for movement purposes.
Any ally can provide him with First Aid to raise his life above zero and return his standup to the upright position. In this case, he begins playing again during the next beat.
Defensive Changes
When teammates stand together, they share their Soak and Stun Guard with one another, and they can decide which one of them will be hit by an enemy attack targeting the space.
Movement Changes
Opposing characters can be 'hopped over' during movement, but friendly characters can occupy the same space.
Enemy characters are hopped over as normal (even if there are multiple enemies in the same space). Two enemy characters who are in adjacent spaces to one another act like a wall. They cannot be 'hopped over'.
'Advance' and 'Retreat' are calculated by the position of your opponents. If you are surrounded on both sides by one or more opponents, you can choose for advance and retreat to mean either direction.
Range Changes
Players never hit their teammates. Characters standing between an attacker and defender do not block the range of attacks.
If only one opponent is in range of the attack, only that opponent can take the hit.
If two opponents on the same team are in range of the same attack on the same side of the attacker, it is the defenders, and not the attacker, that determine who is hit.
However, when two opponents are on opposite sides of the attacker, the attacker chooses which direction to attack, and thus which target to hit.
Reveal Changes
If there are priority ties between members of opposing teams, then the player whose teammate has higher priority takes precedence. Only trigger a clash if both members of both teams are tied.
If members of the same team are tied, they do not clash. Instead, they may decide among themselves which order they wish to act.
Players execute attacks in priority order, starting with the highest priority down to the lowest. A player who is stunned at any point during the beat will miss his opportunity to act later on.
If a player has no teammates, he wins priority ties without clashing.
Notes: Teammates can talk freely, but anything they say must be said out loud to all present. You can make team games more unpredictable, faster, and chaotic by disallowing teammates from showing one another their cards and forcing them to guess what moves will have the best synergy with each other! Test your coordination!
Nearest Opponent / the Opponent
Many effects work on 'the nearest opponent'. If multiple opponents are equidistant, the player activating the effect should decide as he does so which one it will target. If an effect does not specify a specific opponent and just says 'an opponent', then the player should choose which one it will affect.
Many On Hit and On Damage effects target 'the opponent'. This always refers to the opponent who is affected by the hit or the damage.
Mode #5: Variable Team Mode
Difficulty: Advanced
Variable Team Mode is a more advanced character team mode where different levels of characters are played.
A player has 4 'slots' worth of characters to play in this mode.
- A standard or β character takes up 1 slot on the team.
- An Ex character takes up 2 slots on the team.
- An Almighty character takes up 4 slots on the team.
Players should build their teams and set up the board as normal. As soon as a character is defeated, swap in another character from your team, and reset the board positions to start a new duel. Do not adjust the winner's life, Markers, Counters, or Token Pool, but otherwise set up as though a new match were beginning.
As soon as a player's final character is defeated, he loses the game!
Available Variants: Special Actions
Mode #6: Tournament Mode
Difficulty: Intermediate
Tournament mode enables any number of players to participate in a battle for the title of Champion of Indines. Optional tournament prize kits are available from Level 99 Games and contain posters, bonus characters, and other exciting prizes for running your tournament event. A prize kit is not necessary to play, but does turn an afternoon of gaming into a memorable even with keepsakes for all.
One player should act as the tournament organizer and should not participate in the rankings of the tournament. This player may be called on to mediate the rules or resolve disputes between players impartially. Typically the player with the most experience and rules understanding should act as tournament organizer.
For every 4 players participating in the tournament, you will need one box of the BattleCON: Devastation of Indines or another BattleCON base game (so a 32-man tournament would require 8 copies of the game).
Only characters which appear in the game box are valid choices for a sanctioned tournament. Promotional characters or characters from other BattleCON games are not legal for official tournament play. In an unofficial tournament among friends, the tournament organizer may provide promotional characters as legal draft picks, so long as one copy of the character is available for each box included in the tournament (so in a 32 man tournament with 8 boxes, you would need 8 copies of any promotional characters you wish to include).
Standard Variants: Special Actions
Tournament Setup. Divide the players into 8-man flights as evenly as possible. Each flight should take 2 boxes of the base game (or 1 box for a flight with 4 or fewer players). Each player should take turns drafting one character at a time until each has 3 characters from the contents of those boxes, taking any necessary standups, tokens, markers, or cards for those characters. Return all remaining characters to the box. They will not be used as part of this tournament.
Tournament Matches. Tournament matches are conducted in the same way as described in the Character Teams variant (each player must choose and use one character per duel of a match and cannot use the same one twice in a match).
Tournament Prizes. Tournament prizes are typically distributed via draft. All prizes are laid out in an array. First place gets first pick of the available prizes, second gets second, and so on for as long as there are still unclaimed prizes. If there are more prizes than players, you may either save the remaining prizes for a future tournament or continue the prize draft by returning to the first place player.
You can play Tag Team, Character Team, Variable Team, and Multiplayer Tournaments as well!
Mode #7: 2 v 1 Boss Mode
Difficulty: Intermediate
Two Versus One "Boss Mode" allows a team of two normal characters to fight against one more powerful "Boss" character. The boss character has enhanced statistics and abilities due to a new Unique Ability and improved bases.
The boss will be played as an EX character. Other players use standard characters.
If you have two copies of the base game, the boss may be an Almighty character, and the two other players may use EX characters.
Setup, range, and movement are otherwise identical to those in the multiplayer modes variant.
Available Variants: Ante Finishers, Special Actions, Arenas (player discretion advised), β Duel
Mode #8: 3 v 1 Boss Mode
Difficulty: Intermediate
Three Versus One "Boss Mode" provides an exciting challenge for a team of three players to take on one extremely powerful opponent. The boss character has disproportionately powerful abilities, due to a new unique Ability and improved bases.
The boss will be played by either an EX or Almighty character. Teams playing Boss mode for the first time or who want a more casual boss game should play against an EX Boss character. Those who desire an intense challenge that requires near-perfect teamwork and planning to surmount should take on an Almighty character.
Setup, range, and movement are otherwise identical to those in the multiplayer modes variant.
Available Variants: Ante Finishers, Special Actions, Arenas (player discretion advised), β Duel
Mode #9: BattleQUEST Dungeons
Difficulty: Intermediate
BattleQUEST is a cooperative or solo variant where players can take on autonomous opponents and fight through a dungeon full of enemies. Each Dungeon is designed for a different party size (solo, 2-man tag, 2 player simultaneous, 3-man tag, 3 player simultaneous). The Dungeons and their complete rules can be found in the 'BattleQUEST' booklet contained in the game box.
Dungeons are a great way to test your character's capabilities, and play out more like puzzles than head-to-head duels. Can you solve each dungeon with your favorite characters?
Scenarios
Scenarios are semi-cooperative play modes where multiple fighters team up against a massive boss controlled by another player. Bosses can be fought by 2, 3, or 4 heroes at once!
Variants cannot be used together with Scenarios. The exception is Variant #1, Ante Finishers, which is standard for all Scenarios. Multiplayer Mode (#4) rules are in effect for all Scenarios, except for a few changes, which are explained below.
In all scenarios, the teamed-up players are collectively called 'the Fighters', while the boss player is referred to by name or as 'the Boss'. First Aid and Defense are extremely important in Boss Scenarios, so be sure to aid your teammates as much as possible to gain an advantage!
In addition, there are a few special rules for Scenarios...
Area-attack
Unless an attack states otherwise, all boss attacks have the Area-Attack property. This means that they hit each player in range. On Hit and On Damage effects for these attacks trigger only once, no matter how many players they hit. However, many of these triggers say to do something 'for each opponent hit...'
Area-Attack means that although players can occupy the same spaces, they cannot decide which of them will be hit by a boss's attacks.
Boss attacks which do not have Area-Attack will say 'Single Attack' instead.
Immobile
Some bosses are Immobile. Immobile bosses are immune to all outside movement effects, and can never be moved except by their own effects. Whenever an Immobile Boss ignores a movement effect, the boss is affected as if hit by a 1-damage attack that does not cause stun and has no triggered effects.
Armor
Many bosses possess a new common effect called Armor. Armor works just like soak, except damage against an armored foe reduces his armor.
For example, a boss with Armor 12 is hit for 5, 6, and 4 damage. The first hit (for 5 damage) reduces armor to 7 and does no damage. The second hit (for 6) reduces armor 1 and does no damage. The third hit (for 4) reduces armor to zero and does 3 damage.
Effects that ignore Soak also ignore Armor, but they don't reduce Armor when they deal damage.
Multi-Attack
Bosses typically make one attack per enemy fighter per turn. Except in the case of Larimore Burman, bosses have a priority on their attacks. Bosses always lose priority ties with players. Each boss has different rules for how they deal with being hit and stunned.
Status Effects
Any effect that increases or decreases power or priority to a boss is applied to one of the boss's attacks during the next beat. Players should keep these 'negative stats' on hand in the form of Tokens, and ante them against one of the boss's face-down attacks during the next ante phase.
Other Stuff
If multiple players have a priority tie with each other, they decide among themselves who will activate first.
Players still share Soak, Stun Guard, and Stun Immunity by standing in the same place, just like in Team Mode. With four teammates, you can put up a strong defense!
Bosses never clash. If a clash would be caused by a special effect, players get to re-select their bases, but the boss does nothing.
Unique Ability Interaction
Alexian & Rexan - Bosses apply Chivalry/Curse Tokens to one of their attacks during Ante.
Adjenna - Bosses still gain Petrification Counters as normal. But can never be defeated by them.
Ottavia - Choose a single attack when declaring Target lock. You lock based on that attack. Burman's attacks always have a Priority of zero.
Kajia - Apply Insect Counters to Immobile Bosses by standing adjacent to them during recycle and not being stunned.
Lymn - Choose an attack during ante to calculate Disparity against.
Scenario Boss #1: Larimore Burman
"I told you, Adjenna, I don't kill heroes anymore. I have a good job, I've built a new life. The days of the empire are long gone."
"Oh, Larimore, can't you do it again–just this once, for old times' sake?"
"Sigh... I suppose I could do the whole 'testing' thing. You know, 'I must test your strength to see if you're worthy to fight Greyheart' and et cetera."
"And if they fail, you kill them right? That's the way it used to work."
"Alright fine, since you insist. But this a one-time thing, I want you to remember that."
Difficulty: Intermediate
Details of the Battle. Larimore Burman is the first boss of BattleCON: Devastation. Burman fights in his Dragon Form, pushing back the opponents as he fights. Two, three, or four fighters can team up to take him on.
Burman is an introductory boss, but should be taken on only by opponents who are already familiar with the basic BattleCON game.
Burman executes several attacks each beat. Fighters can chip away at his defenses, shutting down specific attacks. However, many of his attacks are traps that will do heavy damage to opponents if they are broken.
Setup. Place Burman in the center space of the game board, and all heroes in the far left. Before the duel begins, Burman places 4 cards face-up in the spaces to the right of himself (choose these cards randomly if all players are unfamiliar with the Boss). These are his starting Holds (explained next).
Burman's life works differently than normal. He has a number of Break Points and Attacks per beat based on the number of fighters he is facing off against:
- 2 Fighters - 2 attacks per beat, 14 Break Points
- 3 Fighters - 3 attacks per beat, 21 Break Points
- 4 Fighters - 4 attacks per beat, 28 Break Points
Holds. Burman places Holds onto empty spaces of the board. These Holds cannot be occupied or entered by players (but markers can enter them).
Board Changes. The battle against Burman takes place on an extended board that is 9 spaces long. Burman will advance slowly, and the spaces behind him are not accessible to the Fighters. This means that fighters cannot Dash past Burman to dodge his attacks. Burman is Immobile.
Beat Sequence. Burman will select his attacks and place them face down in order, from left to right. The leftmost attack executes first, but is also the most vulnerable.
He also places a Break Counters on each of his attacks. Players can select attacks simultaneously while he does this.
During Reveal, Burman reveals all of his Break Counters, but keeps his actual attack cards face-down.
Burman does not act in the beat sequence. Instead, all fighters act, then he takes his turn (he has a few effects that allow him to attack or deal damage early, but these are rare). When a fighter hits Burman, he must apply the damage to Burman's left-most attack. When the attack has damage greater than its Break Token value, Burman reveals the attack and activates its Breakpoint effect (if it has one). He then loses one Break Point. Some Break Counters will cause Burman to lose additional Points when broken.
Burman only gets to act if he has attacks remaining face-down at the end of the beat. For each attack remaining at the end of the beat, do one of the following:
- Reveal the attack and execute it from his position.
- Reveal the attack and use a Press. Pressing causes Burman to push all fighters at range 1 back 1 space (even if they have effects to prevent being pushed, ignore these). Each fighter pushed loses 2 life. Burman then moves forward into the now-empty space and places the attack face-up into the space behind him as a new Hold.
Falling Back. If Burman is unable to Press at least once during a beat (or if he just chooses not to do so at least once), he must Fall Back after executing his attacks. He chooses any of his Holds and returns it to his hand, executing its attack as he does so. He then shifts all holds back to fill the empty gap and moves himself back one space as well.
Recycling. After Burman's attacks all resolve, he must recycle. To do this, he picks up cards from the right edge of his Holds equal to his executed or broken attacks (those not pressed), and returns the Holds to his hand. He then slides all Holds to fill the empty space, and fills the new left-most empty spaces with the attacks he executed this turn. Even broken attacks will be recycled. His leftmost attack card goes into recycling first.
Due to the fact that Burman's positioning determines the length of his discard piles, it is possible that he will both play and recycle a card in the same beat.
Winning & Losing. The fighters win the game if they are able to cause Burman to fall back off of the board or run out of Break Points (each attack broken reduces remaining Breakpoints by 1).
Burman wins if he can Press the fighters off of the board or if all fighters are incapacitated.
Scenario Boss #2: Runika & Udstad
"Why do the bad guys get to have all the fun of being final bosses? Let's see how the Dragon Queen and her minions stand up to my finished masterpiece!"
Difficulty: Advanced (for Runika); Intermediate (for others)
Details of the Battle. In this battle, Runika pilots her completed golem Udstad to take on 3 or 4 opponents at once.
Runika & Udstad are an advanced boss, and should be taken on by opponents who are already very familiar with the basic BattleCON game.
Udstad does not use standard styles or bases. Instead, he has 16 different cards that he arranges into attacks. One card controls Udstad's left hand, one controls his right, and one controls his body. The battle takes place on a 9-space extended track. Runika and Udstad are immobile.
Udstad's life varies by the number of opponents being fought:
- 3 Fighters - 40 life.
- 4 Fighters - 60 life.
Setup Changes. Randomly select two starting discards for Runika & Udstad from their available cards. A discard pile consists of 1 left, 1 center, and 1 right side card. Players may arrange themselves freely on the board once Runika is placed.
Range Changes. Runika & Udstad's ranges are printed at the bottom of each of their attacks (the highlighted red spaces). Opponents can target her by targeting the center space of the arena (where she sits immobile). Runika is immune to effects which alter range (such as those which Kaitlyn and Arec can use).
Stunning. Each of Udstad's hands has its own Stun Guard rating. Hitting his body for damage applies that damage to each hand's stun guard. For example, if he is hit for 5 damage, and his body has Stun Guard 5, his left hand as Stun Guard 4, and his right hand has Stun Immunity, then only the left hand's attack is stunned out. When he is targeted by an 'opponent is stunned' effect, the player should choose and stun out one of his 3 attacks. This extra stun can occur in addition to a regular stun caused by damage.
Movement Changes. Fighters hop over Udstad when moving. If the opponent hops over Udstad in the center of the board when moving with a Dash, he can dodge an attack, just like if he crossed a normal opponent.
Double Crush. Each of Udstad's hands has a powerful 'Double Crush' attack, representing a two-fisted slam across one side of the field. Using Double Crush negates the other hand's attack. Naturally, using Double Crush on both sides at once means neither will hit (since both are negated), so don't do this.
Scenario Boss #3: Twilight Magdelina
"My eyes have been opened to the suffering of both the living and the dead. I can't let myself be controlled by powers or prejudices any longer. From today forward, I fight for what I believe in–a world of balance between light and darkness."
Difficulty: Advanced (for Magdelina); Intermediate (for others)
Details of the Battle. Magdelina possesses 4 spirits, each represented by a card. These spirits have two effects. Their bound effects will give Magdelina additional powers. Their unbound effects will deploy them to the board as markers, where they will perform a predetermined attack each phase.
A team of 2, 3, or 4 players can play together against Magdelina. Her life and available spirits vary based on the group size fighting her:
- 2 Fighters - Magdelina has 30 life, and remove Kelbran and Velori from her Spirit pile.
- 3 Fighters - Magdelina has 40 life, and remove Velori from her Spirit pile.
- 4 Fighters - Magdelina has 60 life, and include all Spirits.
Magdelina herself uses a unique set of 9 attacks. She can play multiple attacks in a single turn, but they go to her discard pile and cycle through normally when used. This means she can't rely entirely on her own effects.
Setup. Magdelina places herself on any empty space on the board, and sets all of her Spirits bound in front of her. She randomly places two of her attacks into her discard pile 1 and two more attacks into discard pile 2. After this, other players may place themselves and arrange their discards as they wish.
Attacking. Magdelina has two methods of attack–via her own powers, or her unbound spirits.
During the Set Phase, Magdelina may place 1 of her attack cards face-down on each of her bound spirits and on her own character card. She reveals these during the Reveal Phase, and will execute multiple attacks in priority order. Her bound spirits will also provide passive boosts to the attacks placed on them. Magdelina always has the option to perform fewer attacks than she is able to, either to conserve cards, or because she doesn't have enough attacks left.
Each of Magdelina's unbound spirits will perform the attacks listed on their cards in priority order from their own positions on the board. Remember that the space a spirit occupies is range 0 for that spirit.
Unbinding / Binding Spirits. At the end of each beat, Magdelina can unbind up to one spirit and bind up to one spirit.
When unbinding, she can deploy the spirit as a marker to any space on the board, then flip its card to the unbound side. Spirits behave just like normal markers when on the board, and do not obstruct movement of either party.
Whenever a spirit is bound, Magdelina removes its marker from the board.
Stunning. Magdelina can be stunned when hit with an attack. When she is stunned, she chooses one of her attacks that has not yet activated to be discarded from play. These canceled attacks still go to her discard pile at the end of a beat.
Targeting. Unlike other bosses, Magdelina only hits one target with each attack. This means normal team rules apply for intercepting and blocking her attacks.
Scenario Boss #4: Havoc
Kajia looked out from the mountains, watching the storm draw closer across their peaks. She could see its face, and she knew its name from her dreams.
"So it starts. The Disasters have returned to Indines." She turned her back to the billowing clouds, arced with fire, lightning, and frost. Before her stood the heroes she had assembled to join her for this fateful moment.
"Whatever your motives for fighting, we're all a part of this world, and we must all stand together against what comes to destroy it. Everything is at stake–your land, your glory, your freedom, and your lives. Who will stand with me and fight back against Devastation?"
Difficulty: Advanced (for Havoc); Advanced (for others)
Details of the Battle. Havoc is a massive Disaster that looms over the battlefield and strikes downward at opponents wherever he wishes. While he attacks, the Fighters will have a chance to strike against his core, dealing damage. Once Havoc takes enough damage, he is destroyed!
Havoc gets to decide the priority of each one of his attacks, and the Fighters will stun these attacks out by striking his core. However, many of his attacks are traps, so be careful when stunning them!
Havoc can be fought by 3 or 4 players. The attacks he places each beat and the amount of life he has differ by the number of players he fights:
- 3 Fighters - 3 attacks per beat, and 40 life, play on a 7-space board, remove 3 of Havoc's attack cards at random from the game.
- 4 Fighters - 4 attacks per beat, and 60 life, play on a 9-space board.
Setup. Players arrange themselves freely on the game board. Havoc should discard 1 random attack per player to his discard pile 1, then 1 random attack per player to his discard pile 2. After this, the players can set their discards as they wish.
On a turn:
- Havoc places all but one of his 3 or 4 attacks face-down. Each attack is placed between two spaces on the game board, and its range will be those two spaces. After placing attacks, Havoc places a Priority Counter on each of these attacks.
- Havoc then places his Core onto the table in a space unoccupied by a standup.
- Now all players select their attack pairs and place them down.
- After this, Havoc places his last attack face-down, and places a Priority marker on it.
- After this, players reveal their attacks and Havoc reveals all of his priority markers.
Execution. When one of Havoc's priorities comes up, he flips over his attack and executes it. Attacks that target at least one space adjacent to his core will cause 2 extra points of damage to players.
Stunning Havoc. Havoc takes damage when players attack his core. When Havoc's core takes damage, he becomes stunned. The player can choose and remove one of Havoc's attacks from the board. However, if the attack has a Burst Effect, the Burst effect activates immediately. Some Burst effects are more powerful than the attacks themselves, so beware! Attacks removed in this way still go to Havoc's discard pile at the end of a beat.
Recycle. Havoc's attacks recycle at the end of each beat, and he has two discard piles. All attacks (both executed and stunned out) go to the discard and recycle at the end of the beat.
Character Guide
Eligor Larington
"Now is the time for a new legend. I'll be the hero they sing about for the next millennium!"
Eligor acquires Vengeance Tokens as he takes damage, and these tokens further increase his defensive potential and ability to effectively counterattack. He is a great choice for players who prefer to play defensively and make contingency plans for their opponents' options.
Difficulty: Novice
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Eligor Larington)
- 5 Vengeance Tokens
- 5 Styles (Chained, Counter, Martial, Retribution, Vengeful)
- 1 Base (Aegis)
- 1 Finisher (Sweet Revenge / Sheet Lightning)
Ex Ability: Eligor's Vengeance Tokens provide Soak 1 and Stun Guard 1. He has a maximum limit of 7 of these tokens.
Almighty Ability: Eligor's Vengeance Tokens provide Soak 2 and +1 Power. He has a maximum limit of 7 of these tokens.
Shekhtur Lenmorre
"This power was meant for evil, but maybe I can use it for good."
Shekhtur gains Malice Tokens as she does damage, and these tokens further increase her speed and damage-dealing ability. She is a great choice for players who like to use reckless, unstoppable force as an alternative to a more paced combat style.
Difficulty: Novice
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Shekhtur Lenmorre)
- 5 Malice Tokens
- 5 Styles (Combination, Jugular, Reaver, Spiral, Unleashed)
- 1 Base (Brand)
- 1 Finisher (Soul Cracker / Coffin Nails)
Ex Ability: Shekhtur has a maximum limit of 7 Malice Tokens. She loses 1 life when anteing her 6th or 7th tokens.
Almighty Ability: Shekhtur has a maximum limit of 9 Malice Tokens. During the ante phase, she can ante 5 tokens at once and ignore their priority/power bonus. If she does, she attacks twice during the beat in normal priority order.
Marmelee Greyheart
"I won't allow the world to fall under my father's rule again, no matter the cost."
Marmelee acquires Concentration Counters, which allow her to utilize some of the most powerful and impressive triggered effects in the game. Her fragility makes her a good pick for players who like to play defensively and set up powerful single strikes.
Difficulty: Novice
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Marmelee Greyheart)
- 5 Concentration Counters
- 5 Styles (Barrier, Magnificent, Nullifying, Petrifying, Sorceress)
- 1 Base (Meditation)
- 1 Finisher (Astral Trance / Astral Cannon)
Ex Ability: Marmelee gains an additional Concentration Counter at the end of each beat if she did not take any damage during that beat. She has a limit of 7 Concentration Counters.
Almighty Ability: Marmelee has her EX Ability. She only loses half of her Concentration Counters when stunned (round down the number lost). She cannot be stunned more than once in a single beat.
Karin & Jager Brandtford
"I heard stories about the land across the sea, but I never imagined this."
Karin and Jager fight as a team, with Karin as the only vulnerable member of the team. Their coordinated attacks are fast and deal significant damage with proper setup, making them a great choice for players who like a strong and relentless offense.
Difficulty: Novice
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Karin & Jager Brandtford)
- 1 Jager Marker
- 5 Styles (Coordinated, Dual, Feral, Full Moon, Howling)
- 1 Base (Claw)
- 1 Finisher (Red Moon Rage / Lunar Cross)
Ex Ability: At the end of each beat, all opponents adjacent to Jager lose 1 life. Opponents standing in the same space as Jager lose 2 life.
Almighty Ability: Karin has her EX ability. Opponents standing in the same space as Jager cannot hit Karin with attacks.
Pendros Schalla
"Don't just sit there, we've got a world to save, don't we?"
Pendros has 4 Environment Markers that can be placed down onto the arena secretly and provide various effects after time. He is an excellent choice for players who like to control the pace and positioning of the fight.
Difficulty: Novice
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Pendros Schalla)
- 4 Environment Markers (Geyser, Thunderstorm, Healing Breeze, Stonewall)
- 5 Styles (Arboreal, Ecomantic, Polymorphed, Tectonic, Wandering)
- 1 Base (Haymaker)
- 1 Finisher (Continental Divide / Avalanche Crush)
Ex Ability: Pendros can place Environment Markers into occupied spaces as well.
Almighty Ability: Pendros can place Environment Markers into occupied spaces as well, and can place any number of Markers each beat during ante.
King Alexian XXXVII
"We are all that stands between this world and Devastation. Stand beside me and fight!"
Alexian gives opponents Chivalry Tokens which they can ante to get additional power and priority. He is extremely powerful and has high defense. Alexian is a great choice for players who prefer overwhelming physical force to fancy tricks.
Difficulty: Novice
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (King Alexian XXXVII)
- 3 Chivalry Tokens
- 5 Styles (Gestalt, Mighty, Regal, Stalwart, Steeled)
- 1 Base (Divider)
- 1 Finisher (Empire Divider / Hail the King)
Ex Ability: Alexian gains +1 Power against an opponent each time that opponent antes a Chivalry Token.
Almighty Ability: Alexian has +1 power and +1 Stun Guard on all attacks. Alexian gains +1 Power against an opponent each time that opponent antes a Chivalry Token.
Runika Zenanen
"If it weren't my job to arm the kingdom, I'd be keeping every one of these for myself."
Runika controls 5 artifacts that grant her additional bonuses. Her artifacts may be damaged and repaired during combat. She is an excellent choice for players who like to do a little bit of everything.
Difficulty: Beginner
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Runika Zenanen)
- 5 Artifact Cards (Hover Boots, Spectral Sights, Autodeflector, Shield Amulet, Battlefist)
- 5 Styles (Channeled, Explosive, Impact, Maintenance, Overcharged)
- 1 Base (Tinker)
- 1 Finisher (Udstad Beam / Autodestruct)
Ex Ability: During the ante phase, Runika can restore one artifact to active status by deactivating another one.
Almighty Ability: Runika has two sets of artifacts. Whenever she would activate one of these, she activates all copies of the same artifact. Each artifact must be disabled individually.
Mikhail Isen
"I am only a watcher–the choice between Devastation and Salvation belongs to you."
Mikhail has 3 Seal Tokens. He must ante a Seal Token during each ante phase, or his styles do not activate. Mikhail regains styles by trading blows with opponents. He is a great choice for those who like to choose their battles, and win the ones they choose to fight.
Difficulty: Beginner
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Mikhail Isen)
- 3 Seal Tokens
- 5 Styles (Apocalyptic, Hallowed, Immutable, Sacred, Transcendent)
- 1 Base (Scroll)
- 1 Finisher (Magnus Malleus / The Fourth Seal)
Ex Ability: Mikhail has 4 Seal Tokens.
Almighty Ability: Mikhail has 6 Seal Tokens. He can ante a second Seal Token each beat. If he does, he gains +2 Power and +2 Priority.
Ottavia Six
"I don't need to waste words on dead men."
Ottavia announces a priority each beat, and when her opponents reveal that priority, Ottavia can shut down a great many of their abilities. She is ideal for players who like to slowly and steadily dismantle opponents while hedging their bets against surprise tactics.
Difficulty: Beginner
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Ottavia Six)
- 5 Styles (Anti-Personnel, Cover, Cybernetic, Demolition, Snapback)
- 1 Base (Shooter)
- 1 Finisher (Extreme Prejudice / Double Barrel)
Ex Ability: An opponent affected by Ottavia's Target Lock ability loses 2 life after Reveal.
Almighty Ability: An opponent affected by Ottavia's Target Lock ability takes 3 damage after Reveal (this damage can stun).
Kajia Septie Salix
"Even death will not stop me from standing against the darkness."
Kajia assaults opponents passively with her swarms of insects. Each time an opponent moves into a space adjacent to her, she gives an Insect Counter to that opponent. These counters give her superior advantages in combat for a few turns. She is an excellent choice for players who want to control the pace and spacing of combat.
Difficulty: Beginner
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Kajia Septie Salix)
- 7 Insect Counters
- 5 Styles (Biting, Burrowing, Parasitic, Stinging, Swarming)
- 1 Base (Mandibles)
- 1 Finisher (Creeping Death / Imago Emergence)
Ex Ability: Opponents lose 2 life each time they discard an Insect Counter during Recycle, instead of the usual 1.
Almighty Ability: Opponent have -1 Power and -1 Priority for each discard pile they possess containing at least one Insect Counter. In addition, opponents take 2 damage each time they discard an Insect Counter during Recycle, instead of losing life.
César Grist
"The world has ended before, but the work goes on..."
César gradually gains Threat Levels as he fights, growing stronger and stronger, until he eventually crashes and becomes unable to fight for a beat. He is good for players who like to set up power plays and decide matches on the edge of a few high-impact beats.
Difficulty: Beginner
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (César Grist)
- 4 Threat Level Counters
- 5 Styles (Bulwark, Fueled, Inevitable, Phalanx, Unstoppable)
- 1 Base (Suppression)
- 1 Finisher (Endless Vigil / Level 4 Protocol)
Ex Ability: César's Threat Levels grant different bonuses:
- Level 1 - Power +1, Armor 1
- Level 2 - Power +2, Armor 2
- Level 3 - Power +3, Stun Immunity
- Level 4 - Become Stunned, Armor 4
Almighty Ability: César's Threat Levels grant Armor equal to twice their Stun Guard, in addition to Stun Guard as normal.
Overlord Cairngort Rexan
"Countrymen, together once again we stand and shout 'we will not be left behind!'"
Rexan gives his opponents curses, then penalizes them for holding or removing these curses later on. He is effective at pinning opponents down under debilitating penalties, and a great choice for players who are good at predicting enemy actions.
Difficulty: Beginner
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Overlord Cairngort Rexan)
- 3 Curse Tokens
- 5 Styles (Devastating, Enervating, Overlord's, Unyielding, Vainglorious)
- 1 Base (Malediction)
- 1 Finisher (Black Eclipse / Zero Hour)
Ex Ability: When an opponent antes a Curse Token, he gains an additional penalty as described below:
- 1st Token: Attacks ignore your Soak
- 2nd Token: Attacks ignore your Stun Guard
- 3rd Token: Your priority becomes zero.
Almighty Ability: Rexan has his Ex Ability. In addition, opponents lose 1 life each time they ante a Curse Token.
Oriana Vellopholetta
"The time has come. The Prime World is ripe for the taking."
Oriana has a pool of magic points, and must decide how many she wants to commit to each attack she makes. She is a great choice for players who can weigh the odds and speculate on the risks of their opponents' actions versus the returns of their own.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Oriana Vellopholetta)
- 6 Magic Pool Tokens (four 1's and two 3's)
- 5 Styles (Calamity, Celestial, Metamagical, Stellar, Unstable)
- 1 Base (Meteor)
- 1 Finisher (Nihil Eraser / Galaxy Conduit)
Ex Ability: Oriana regains 1 MP at the end of each beat.
Almighty Ability: Whenever Oriana takes damage, she gains 1 MP for every 2 damage taken (round up).
Clinhyde Eight
"I don't care what I have to sacrifice–I won't let anything stand in our way!"
Clinhyde activates Stims to temporarily increase his abilities by a great deal, then passively increase them as time goes on. Clinhyde's abilities often cost life to use. He is excellent for players who want to rush down and outpace opponents, without regard for their own safety.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Clinhyde)
- 3 Stimpack Cards (Crizma Infusion, Ehrlite Infusion, Hylatine Infusion)
- 5 Styles (Diffusion, Gravity, Phase, Shock, Toxic)
- 1 Base (Frenzy)
- 1 Finisher (Ritherwhyte Infusion / Vital Silver Infusion)
Ex Ability: Clinhyde receives twice the normal 'while active' bonus from his Stims. Toxic gives him 3x the effect (not 4x).
Almighty Ability: Clinhyde receives twice the normal 'while active' bonus from his Stims. Toxic gives him 3x the effect (not 4x). He has twice the normal 'activate' bonus when he activates a stim.
Aria
"Trans-dimensional mobile combat platform ARIA is now online."
Aria is an extremely fast middle-range fighter who possesses superior mobility and a collection of droids that will debilitate and damage her foes. She is a strong choice for players who like to put their opponents under pressure and punish entrenched enemies.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Aria)
- 3 Droid Markers (Dampening Droid, Magnetron Droid, Turret Droid)
- 5 Styles (Catalyst, Dimensional, Ionic, Laser, Photovoltaic)
- 1 Base (Reconfiguration)
- 1 Finisher (Synchro Merge, Laser Lattice)
Ex Ability: The passive effects of Aria's droids are doubled, and her Turret causes 2 life loss.
Almighty Ability: The passive effects of Aria's droids are doubled, and her turret causes 3 life loss. When Aria hits an opponent, she has +1 Power for each passive droid effect active on that opponent.
Lesandra Machan
"For good or ill, I'm prepared to face the consequences to find out what's next."
Lesandra summons a variety of familiars to gain special bonuses, then sacrifices them during the ante phase for powerful one-time effects once she is finished using them. She is ideal for players who want to have a recourse for every situation, even if it requires some setup.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Lesandra Machan)
- 5 Familiar Cards (Borneo, Raven Knight, Rune Knight, Salamander, Wyvern)
- 5 Styles (Binding, Guardian, Invocation, Pactbreaker, Window)
- 1 Base (Summons)
- 1 Finisher (Invoke Duskstalker / Mazzaroth)
Ex Ability: Lesandra can have two familiars active at a time.
Almighty Ability: Lesandra can have three familiars active at a time. She begins a duel with a second familiar of her choice active.
Lymn
"Close the World. Open the Mind."
Lymn's styles become stronger and stronger the more disparate her priority is from that of her nearest opponent. At especially high differences, her abilities become nearly unstoppable. She is an excellent choice for players who want to force opponents to play at a different pace than they want to.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Lymn)
- 5 Styles (Chimeric, Fathomless, Maddening, Reverie, Surreal)
- 1 Base (Visions)
- 1 Finisher (Conceit / Megrim)
Ex Ability: Once during each ante phase, Lymn can declare an ante +1, 0, or -1 Priority. Her Priority is adjusted by this amount. She loses 1 life if she declares +1 or -1.
Almighty Ability: Once during each ante phase, Lymn can declare an ante of +2, +1, 0, -1, or -2 Priority. Her Priority is adjusted by this amount. She loses 1 life if she declares +1 or -1, and loses 2 life if she declares +2 or -2.
Byron Krane
"Why save the world if you can't rule it?"
Byron is a fragile ranger who does not care about the power of his opponents' hits, but must avoid being hit entirely. His attacks give generous boosts when activated at the correct ranges. He is an excellent pick for players who like to set up the perfect strike in advance.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Byron Krane)
- 5 Mask Counters
- 5 Styles (Breathless, Deathless, Faceless, Heartless, Soulless)
- 1 Base (Smoke)
- 1 Finisher (Soul Trap / Soul Gate)
Ex Ability: Byron has 8 Mask Counters. He has Soak 2 on all attacks.
Almighty Ability: Byron has 12 Mask Counters. He has Soak 3 on all attacks.
Arec Russel Zane
"Only a true hero such as myself could save Indines from the forces of darkness!"
Arec's tokens let him cut off movement and options from the opponent, denying them the effects and actions they expect. He is perfect for wily players who can consider their opponents' plays and make good counter-plays.
Difficulty: Advanced
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Arec Russel Zane)
- 4 Influence Tokens (Mercy, Fear, Bravery, Hesitation)
- 1 Clone Marker
- 5 Styles (Manipulative, Mirrored, Perceptional, Phantom, Returning)
- 1 Base (Hex)
- 1 Finisher (Dominate Person / Uncanny Oblivion)
Ex Ability: After any beat in which Arec did not do damage to an opponent (life loss doesn't count as damage), he regains a token of his choice.
Almighty Ability: Arec has his Ex Ability, and can ante any number of tokens. Instead of the nearest opponent, these tokens affect whichever opponent Arec designates when anteing them.
Joal Kalmor
"Even the immortal dragons can be hunted – if you know their weakness."
Joal possesses additional unique bases, and can swap out his starting selection of bases to put new strategies into place. He is a great pick for players who like to adapt their abilities to match each opponent.
Difficulty: Advanced
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Joal Kalmor)
- 5 Styles (Cutthroat, Dual Wield, Relentless, Slayer's, Warded)
- 5 Bases (Knuckle, Binding Knife, Hand Cannon, Ironstar, Runeblade)
- 1 Finisher (Annihilator / Neutralizer)
Ex Ability: Joal begins the duel with all bases from his stockpile.
Almighty Ability: Joal begins with all of his extra bases. He plays two bases in a single turn. He goes twice in priority order, executing both attacks as they come up, paired with the same style. Stun Guard and Soak from his bases stack together.
Gerard Matranga
"Keep up, kids. We've got a war to start here."
Gerard collects Gold Tokens, which he uses to bring his Mercenaries into play. Once Mercenaries are in play, they will passively do damage to the opponent under certain conditions. Gerard is a great pick for players who like a fighter who develops over the course of a duel.
Difficulty: Advanced
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Gerard Matranga)
- 8 Mercenary Cards (Archer, Bookie, Brawler, Gunslinger, Heavy Knight, Lackey, Mage, Trebuchet)
- 5 Styles (Avaricious, Gilded, Hooked, Initiation, Villainous)
- 6 Gold Tokens (Four 1's and two 3's)
- 1 Base (Larceny)
- 1 Finisher (Ultra Beatdown / Windfall)
Ex Ability: Gerard begins play with two Mercenaries of his choice already in play.
Almighty Ability: Gerard begins play with four mercenaries of his choice already in play.
Adjenna Callista
"The age of our empire is at hand once again!"
Adjenna has an alternate win condition which she can activate by applying 6 Petrification Counters to opponents. She is excellent for players who like a slow-start and an escalating 'comeback' victory later.
Difficulty: Advanced
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Adjenna Callista)
- 5 Petrification Counters
- 5 Styles (Alluring, Arresting, Beckoning, Irresistible, Pacifying)
- 1 Base (Gaze)
- 1 Finisher (Basilisk Gaze / Fossilize)
Ex Ability: Adjenna's attacks all hit all targets in range. She has Soak 1 on all attacks.
Almighty Ability: During each ante phase, Adjenna declares a range. Opponents at that range are considered to be adjacent to her for the purposes of triggering effects on her styles and receiving Petrification Counters.
Clive Melmont
"Don't worry, I can handle it, boss!"
Clive possesses nine different Module Cards, which he can activate during ante to give himself increased abilities. However, being hit will deactivate all of these Modules for the rest of the game. Clive is an excellent pick for players who like to gamble on their success, and gain advantages to help them win those bets.
Difficulty: Advanced
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Clive Melmont)
- 9 Module Cards (Afterburner, Atomic Reactor, Auto-Repair, Barrier Chip, Core Shielding, Extending Arms, Force Gloves, Rocket Boots, Synapse Boost)
- 5 Styles (Burnout, Leaping, Megaton, Rocket, Upgradeable)
- 1 Base (Wrench)
- 1 Finisher (System Reset / System Shock)
Ex Ability: Whenever Clive discards modules due to being stunned, he keeps his most recently activated module, returning it to his inactive pile.
Almighty Ability: Clive can activate more than one module per ante phase. For each module he activates, he loses 1 life per module he has already activated that beat. (So 0, then 1, then 2, etc...) When stunned, he keeps all modules, returning them to his inactive pile.
Voco Astrum
"Sorry – I don't do requests – and especially not for the fans."
Voco summons a horde of zombies who interfere with opponents and help him attack. He can control the board at range, leaving opponents powerless as they try to wade through and fight him in melee. He is a great choice for players who don't mind trading speed and power for relative safety and high mobility.
Difficulty: Advanced
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Voco Astrum)
- 7 Zombie Markers
- 5 Styles (Abyssal, Hellraising, Metal, Monster, Thunderous)
- 1 Base (Shred)
- 1 Finisher (Z-Mosh / The Wave)
Ex Ability: Voco's zombies cause 2 points of life loss to players in their spaces during End of Beat.
Almighty Ability: Voco's zombies cause 3 points of life loss to players in their spaces during End of Beat.
Kaitlyn Van Sorrel
"We must make any sacrifice, burn any bridge, win at any cost. Everything is at stake."
Kaitlyn utilizes Wormhole Markers to extend the game board. These Markers increase the space between herself and opponents, making movement and ranged attacks difficult. Kaitlyn is a good pick for players who like to set up elaborate board positions and use them to score guaranteed hits.
Difficulty: Master
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Kaitlyn Van Sorrel)
- 3 Wormhole Markers
- 5 Styles (Axiomatic, Illimitable, Mobius, Paradox, Telepresent)
- 1 Base (Transposition)
- 1 Finisher (Divide by Zero / Planar Disjunction)
Ex Ability: Kaitlyn has a 4th Wormhole Marker.
Almighty Ability: Kaitlyn has a 4th Wormhole Marker, and can stack up to 2 Wormhole Markers in the same space (circumventing the normal limit on similarly-named markers).
Malandrax Mecchi
"It won't be long now... you'll see how everything falls right into place!"
Malandrax sets traps for opponents, activating them instantly when the conditions are right, based on his opponents' movements. He is suitable for tricky players who like to induce paranoia in opponents to make them trip up.
Difficulty: Master
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Malandrax Mecchi)
- 4 Trap Cards (Alarm Trap, Electroshock Trap, Smasher Trap, Wall Spike Trap)
- 5 Styles (Calculated, Ingenious, Leading, Plotting, Precision)
- 1 Base (Master Plan)
- 1 Finisher (Deathtrap / Plots Within Plots)
Ex Ability: Whenever a trap is triggered, the player who triggered the trap loses 2 life and Malandrax has +1 Power during this beat.
Almighty Ability: Whenever a trap is triggered, the player who triggered the trap is stunned and loses 2 life, and Malandrax has +2 Power during this beat.
Tanis Trilives
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's Grand Play is about to begin!"
Tanis controls three puppets, which she swaps between each turn. Combining maddening mobility with plenty of combat tricks, she is ideal for players who want to be everywhere–or nowhere–as the situation calls for it.
Difficulty: Master
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Tanis Trilives)
- 3 Puppet Markers (Eris, Loki, Mephisto)
- 5 Styles (Climactic, Distressed, Playful, Storyteller, Valiant)
- 1 Base (Scene Shift)
- 1 Finisher (Curtain Call, Empathy Strings)
Ex Ability: Tanis gains an additional bonus based on which puppet she controls:
- Eris: +2 Priority
- Loki: Stun Guard 3
- Mephisto: +1 Power
Almighty Ability: Tanis has her Ex Ability. Tanis declares which puppet she is possessing during the ante phase instead of before the beat begins.
Gaspar Geddon
"We will not all disappear... but we will all be changed."
Gaspar is able to ante clones which appear on the game board and attack for him. His clones allow him to set up elaborate self-combos and take control of the match. He is an excellent choice for players who like to take control of a duel's pacing.
Difficulty: Master
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Gaspar Geddon)
- 2 Clone Markers
- 5 Styles (Cascading, Gordian, Instanced, Recursive, Replicated)
- 1 Base (Bladestorm)
- 1 Finisher (Blank Infinity / Inception)
Ex Ability: Gaspar has a full set of Normal Bases. These bases are only used for anteing to his clones, and recycle with his attack pairs.
Almighty Ability: Gaspar has a full set of EX Bases. These bases are only used for anteing to his clones, and recycle with his attack pairs.
Iaxus the Shattered
"I am the Ancient of the Gate, the Sentinel who stands between our world and all the horrors beyond."
Iaxus creates localized Planar Intersections that work like small-scale arenas, affecting various aspects of the current duel. These planes grow more prevalent until they finally collapse, giving way to the next plane. Iaxus is a great choice for players who like an ever-changing set of strategies to adopt as the duel develops.
Difficulty: Master
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Iaxus the Shattered)
- 5 Plane Cards (Infinity, Singularity, Rifting, Tidal, Sealing)
- 5 Styles (Diffuse, Exemplary, Folding, Minimized, Seismic)
- 5 Growth Counters
- 1 Base (Planestep)
- 1 Finisher (Seize Control / Zone Eater)
Ex Ability: Iaxus can only be defeated by Planar Collapse (when all of his planes have been collapsed at the end of a beat).
Almighty Ability: The Collapse point for Iaxus's Planes is 8, and he can only be defeated by Planar Collapse. He gains a Growth Counter every time he is hit, and can place anywhere between 0 and 3 of them during ante.
Endrbyt
"Just hand it over and make both of our lives a little bit easier, won't you?"
Endrbyt is fully customizable, and has a large compliment of styles and bases, only a limited set of which can be carried into combat. He's an excellent choice for players who want to try their hand at creating a character of their own!
Difficulty: Master
Complete Kit:
- 1 Character Card (Endrbyt)
- 5 Energy Tokens
- 5 Mode / Finisher Cards (Acquisition Mode / Break, Suppression Mode / Dispel, Balance Mode / Equilibrium, Reactor Mode / Expel, Analysis Mode / Vanish)
- 10 Styles (Capturing, Collection, Containment, Dispersal, Displacement, Forceful, Gripping, Levitation, Sonic, Terrifying)
- 4 Bases (Buster, Grapple, Slice, Vent)
Ex Ability: Endrbyt has 1 extra style and 1 extra base.
Almighty Ability: Endrbyt has 2 extra styles, 1 extra base, and 2 Finishers. He can choose to activate either Finisher, but when he does, he discards both.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a more complete and up-to-date FAQ, check out www.battleconnection.com
Common Questions
Q: What do I do when the answer isn't in the FAQ?
A: The most important question of all comes first! It will happen at some point that you have a question that doesn't come up in the FAQ. In this case, house rule it and play on! After the game ends, we would appreciate it if you could post the situation and your house-ruled solution to our forums at www.lvl99games.com. This will let us add the question to the official FAQ.
Q: Can I die from a Life Loss effect?
A: No. Life loss never reduces you below 1 life. However, you are still considered to have lost the full amount of life. So for example, if Oriana loses 3 life with her Celestial Style, but only has 2 life, she drops down to 1, but is still considered to have lost 3 life by all game effects that might track this amount.
Q: Does damage cause life loss, and vice-versa?
A: No. These are two different things. Damage is usually caused by attacks based on their power. Life loss is typically caused by triggered effects. The primary difference between these two are that life loss cannot reduce a character below 1 life, will never stun a character, and bypasses soak.
Q: What happens if priority changes after the Reveal?
A: Nothing. Once priority order is resolved, changes to priority do not alter that order later on in the beat. Triggered effects (like Marmelee's Petrifying style) can still alter the priority order, but only by affecting the order directly, not by increasing or decreasing priority.
Q: How long do status effects last, and when do they start working?
A: If an attack says you have a status boost or penalty, such as "the opponent has -2 power," these effects are assumed to start working immediately, and last until the end of the current beat (when cards are recycled). Status effects that last longer than this or start working later than this will say explicitly "during the next beat" or "until the end of the next beat" or something similar.
Q: Can I use "Move Directly to any space" to stay where I am?
A: No, you still have to choose an unoccupied space.
Gameplay Tips
Start out by sticking with a single character and mastering them. The more you play a single character, the better you'll get. Only once you have all of your own effects and capabilities mastered will you be able to find the ways to exploit an opponents' weaknesses and to compensate for your own.
Never give up. Except in a very few situations, there's almost always a winning move that will make a positive exchange (or at least avoid negative exchange). If things get tough, buckle down and pay more attention to your opponent's discards and play style to avoid bad positions.
Play best of three duels. Especially with new characters, a first match will rarely tell you anything about the depth and possibilities of your character. A first match lets each side know what the other is capable of, but the second match gives those possibilities time to sink in, so that the other side can effectively counter-play.
BattleCON plays the best with full information and mastery on both sides of the field. Playing a complete match rather than just one duel gives you the opportunity to correct mistakes made in the first duel and experiment with new strategies that can deal with your opponent's kit.
Unconventional enemies require unconventional play. Not all matches will be as easy as others, but all matches are winnable. Sometimes a match will require a completely different set of strategies from what you've become accustomed to.
Characters with extreme mobility, speed, defense, or certain tricks can completely shut down the core strategies of your favorite character.
Finding a new strategy to overcome these tactics is part of the fun of BattleCON, and one of the most satisfying parts of mastering a character is when you can win a fight that your friends think is impossible for your character.
"The threat of power is also power." Don't always use your best move or your finisher as soon as it comes up in the rotation. These moves can be just as powerful (or more powerful) as a threat rather than when used immediately. Many finishers specifically exist to threaten the opponent into playing sub-optimally, rather than to actually be used. Once used, the threat is gone.