Buffy the Vampire Slayer CCG Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• So What Is This Game About?
  • Object of the Game
  • Destiny Victory
  • Park Victory
• Get to Know Your Cards
  • Essence Cards
  • Character Cards
• Challenges
• Location Cards
• Skills
• Items
• Events
• Actions
• Episodes
• Setting Up Sunnydale
  • City Planning
• Getting Ready to Play
• Sequence of Play
  • Sequence of Play for One Completed Turn
• Sequence of Play Explained
  • Step 1. The Prologue Step
  • Step 2. The Draw Step
  • Step 3. The Refresh Step
  • Step 4. The Movement Step
  • Step 5. The Resource Step
  • How to Attach a Skill (box)
  • How to Attach an Item (box)
  • Step 6. The Conflict Step
  • Step 7. The End Step
• Fight Phase
• Challenge Phase
• Fights — A Closer Look
  • Things You Need to Know About Fights
  • A. Fight/Choose
  • B. Fight/Draw
  • C. Fight/Battle
  • D. Fight/Resolve
  • E. Fight/Discard
• Challenges — A Closer Look
  • Challenge/Choose
  • Challenge/Draw
  • Challenge/Battle
  • Resolving Challenges
  • Challenge/Resolve
  • Challenge/Discard
• Other Really Important Stuff
• Other Really Important Stuff (continued)
• Card Types
  • Essence Cards
  • Character Cards
• Challenge Cards
• Location Cards
• Skill Cards
• Item Cards
• Episode Cards
• Action Cards
• Event Cards
• Building a Deck
• Changes Since the Last Rulebook
• Multi-Player Rules
• Glossary

So What Is This Game About?

Two or more players move their characters around Sunnydale facing challenges and brutal fights. In this battle of weird good versus weirder evil, your characters will use every bit of their butt-kicking, smarts, weirdness and charm to survive.

All the characters you play can either work together or separately. For example, if you are playing Willow you can have Buffy and Giles controlling Sunnydale Park, while Angel and Xander face a challenge at Sunnydale Funeral Home.

This game lets you team up the Scooby Gang or the Hellmouth's minions anyway you want!

Object of the Game

Reach 10 Destiny Points or control Sunnydale Park for 6 turns.

Destiny Victory

When your Destiny Points reach 10, your Destiny prevails and you win. You gain Destiny Points by winning fights and completing challenges.

Park Victory

Gain control of Sunnydale Park for 6 consecutive turns. Control of the park means that at the end of a turn only one player has any characters in Sunnydale Park.

Get to Know Your Cards

Essence Cards

Essence cards represent your main character, who you are playing as. Essence cards are kept to the side to track your Destiny Points.

Card anatomy (callouts): Title, Talents, Character Type, Effect, Collecting Information (blue), and Game Play Information (orange).

• Talents: Talents are used during challenges and fights. Butt-Kicking is for fighting, Smarts for brainy applications, Weirdness for supernatural powers, and Charm for when sucking-up really counts.
• Character Type: There are 4 different kinds of character cards: Villains, Minions, Heroes and Companions. Villains and Minions are red and Heroes and Companions are blue.
• Effect: This box reveals the specific effects of each card.
• Rarity icons: Promo, Ultra-Rare, Fixed, Rare, Uncommon, Common.

Character Cards

Character cards represent your main character and supporting characters in the Buffy-verse.

Card anatomy (callouts):

• Title
• Destiny Point Requirement: the number of Destiny Points needed to play the card.
• Character Level: Characters ascend levels as the game progresses. This number represents what level a character has achieved.
• Traits: Traits appear on various card types in capital letters.
• Effect: the specific effects of the card.

Challenges

Challenges are trials, projects and situations that characters need to overcome.

When a challenge is defeated, you gain the Destiny Points in the upper right-hand corner inside the heart. Heroes and Companions can only attempt Good challenges, and Villains and Minions can only attempt Evil challenges.

• Effect Box: Specific effects and requirements of a challenge are listed here.

Location Cards

Location cards represent haunts, hangouts and places in Sunnydale. They are placed in play before the game begins and have effects that last the entire game.

• Uniqueness: Some Location cards are unique. If you play a unique Location card at the game's beginning, you and your opponent can't play that same Location card in Sunnydale.
• Type: All Location cards will belong to a type: indoor, school, town, etc.
• Effect Box: A Location card may change the way you play the game. Check this box to find out.

Skills

Skills give characters special advantages, Traits or Talents.

You place Skills in play during the Resource Step.

Characters fatigue (turn horizontally) when you attach a Skill card to them.

• Effect Box: the specific effects of the Skill.

Items

Items give bonuses to Talents as well as special abilities.

• Talent Requirement: some Items and Skills require that a character possess a minimum amount of Talent before they can be attached.

Items and Skills serve 2 functions: they can either be attached to a character, or played into a talent stack to boost any one Talent by +1 when battling a fight or a challenge.

Events

Ever notice how an 8.1 level earthquake kind of affects everybody? Events represent pivotal happenings in Sunnydale.

Events are played during the Prologue Step and are immediately sent to the Crypt. Only one copy of each Event can be played per game.

• Limited Icon: If it's on the card, then the card is from our first printing.

Actions

These cards can be played in almost any step of the game as directed by the text on the bottom of the card.

• Using Talent Icons: You can play Action cards for their Talent values during fights or challenges. This card can be used to boost Smarts by 2 or Butt-Kicking by 1.
• Sequence Line: This line shows exactly where in the sequence of play the card can be played for its effect.
• Talent Requirement: Some Action cards require that a character have a minimum value of Talent before they can be played for their effects.

Episodes

Episodes are represented by 2 cards: Part I and Part II.

These cards provide strong bonuses and global game effects. You can also play them to add a +1 to any Talent during a fight or challenge.

• Effect: When the Part I card is played this effect instantly occurs.
• Target: The instant this target is achieved, play your Part II card.
• Result: This is the effect that occurs after the target is met on your Part I card.
• Cancel: When this condition is met, the Episode Part II card is cancelled.

Setting Up Sunnydale

Use this diagram as a guide to show you where to put your cards during game play.

Your opponent's playmat matches with yours.

The Day/Night card tracks whether it's day or night and keeps count of how many turns Sunnydale Park has been controlled. If you control the park when the turn ends, turn the Day/Night card like normal and move it outward to reveal the number of turns you have controlled the park.

City Planning

1. Essence card
2. Destiny Point track
3. Challenge deck
4. Resource deck
5. Discard pile
6. The Crypt
7. Park counter
8. Day/Night card
9. Playmat
10. Character card

The Celtic knot pattern shows you which Location spaces are adjacent to each other.

Getting Ready to Play

Setting up to play is easy. Just follow these simple directions and use the Setting up Sunnydale diagram on the previous pages as a guide on where to put your cards.

1. Build a deck. You can build your own deck or you can use the deck contained in the starter where this rulebook came from, but remember to remove all the cards with a First Patrol logo on them. (For more information on how to build a deck see page 42.)
2. Shuffle all 7 of your challenge cards. Place them facedown in a small pile to form your Challenge Deck. Now, flip over the top card of your Challenge Deck and leave it on top.
3. Separate out your location cards. You can have 0 to 8 location cards in your deck at the start of the game, but you can play only 4 during setup.
4. Shuffle your Resource Deck and offer your opponent the chance to cut.
5. Both players reveal their essence card and level 1 Main Character card at the same time. Place your essence card at 0 on the Destiny Point tracker. Later, you will use the notch on the right side of your essence card to keep track of your Destiny Points.
6. Determine the active player. The active player is the player whose turn it is and who plays first in all steps. Villains are always the first active player. If there are no Villains, or 2 or more Villains are playing, you can choose to either flip a coin, do rock-scissors-paper, call the psychic hotline or whatever. You'll figure it out.
7. Starting with the active player, place your level 1 Main Character cards into play on one of your 4 empty location spaces in Sunnydale.
8. The active player then chooses whether the game begins during the day or night. After the choice is made rotate the Day/Night card accordingly.
9. With the active player going first, alternate the playing of location cards on your location spaces in Sunnydale. You don't have to play location cards if you don't want to. You can leave some or all of your location spaces in Sunnydale empty. Afterward, place all the unused location cards in the Crypt.

That's it. Let the Slaying Begin.

Sequence of Play

Sequence of Play for One Completed Turn

These are the steps for each turn of gameplay. The active player goes first in each step.

All players go through these steps together alternating between their watches inside the steps. A "watch" is whenever you have the chance to perform a sub-step or sub-stage. Players alternate performing the sub-steps of each step in any order.

Before a player can pass, she must perform any sub-step that is marked "Mandatory."

When all players consecutively pass in any step, you move on to the next step.

I. Prologue Step — This is where challenges and events are played.

• Mandatory. Place a challenge in play if possible and turn the next challenge face up. If you can't play your challenge, place it on the bottom of your Challenge Deck, and turn the next challenge faceup. You may only do this once per Prologue Step (see p. 20).
• Play an event card.
• Play an action card that is playable in this step (see p. 41).
• Use an effect of a card that is in play.
• Pass.

II. Draw Step — This is the step where you get to discard and/or refill your hand with cards. Choose from 0 to 5 cards in your hand and discard the rest. If you have less than 5 cards, refill your hand to a complete hand of 5.

III. Refresh Step — This is the step where you refresh all of your fatigued cards in play (see p. 21).

• Mandatory. Refresh all of your fatigued cards at once by turning them from horizontal to a vertical position — you may only do this once per Refresh Step.
• Play an action card that is playable in this step (see p. 41).
• Use an effect of a card in play.
• Pass.

IV. Movement Step — Time for players to move their characters around Sunnydale.

• Move a character to an adjacent location space or to Sunnydale Park. Moving from Sunnydale Park to an opponent's location space fatigues your character, otherwise moving to an opponents location space does not fatigue your character (see pp. 21-22).
• Play an action card that is playable in this step (see p. 41).
• Use an effect of a card that is in play.
• Pass.

V. Resource Step — In this step you get to place characters into play, ascend characters and attach items and skills to characters.

• Place a character into play (see p. 22).
• Place an Episode Part I card in play (see p. 40).
• Ascend a character (see p. 23).
• Attach a skill or item (see pp. 23-24).
• Swap an item between characters at the same location (see p. 24).
• Resurrect your Main Character from the discard pile (see p. 23).
• Play an action card that is playable in this step (see p. 41).
• Use an effect of a card that is in play.
• Pass.

VI. Conflict Step — Players may start fights and face challenges in this step.

• Fight one of your opponent's characters (see Fight Phase on p. 26).
• Face a challenge (see Challenge Phase on p. 27).
• Play an action card that is playable in this step (see p. 41).
• Use an effect of a card that is in play.
• Pass. When nobody is involved in a conflict and all players consecutively pass, this step is over.

VII. End Step — This is the last step in a turn.

• Play an action card that is playable in this step (see p. 41).
• Use an effect of a card that is in play.
• Pass. After all players pass consecutively, turn the Day/Night card. The new active player is the person to the left of the former active player.

A new turn begins ...

Sequence of Play Explained

So did your brain freeze reading that last 2 pages? Did your eyes glaze over? Feel like throwing the rulebook into the nearest trash can? We understand! The following explanations will shed light and clarity on the intricacies of playing this slaying game.

Step 1. The Prologue Step

Players alternate performing one of these 5 sub-steps during the Prologue Step: place a challenge into play, play an event card, play an action card, use an effect power from a card in play, or pass. These sub-steps may be performed in any order. Choose wisely or your opponent may eat you.

1. Placing a challenge into play: In this sub-step, you place the top card of your Challenge Deck in play on any legal location space in Sunnydale and turn the next card in your Challenge Deck faceup. You may do this once per turn. You must play the challenge if it can be legally played. If you cannot play your challenge, then it must be placed at the bottom of your Challenge Deck, and you immediately flip over the next challenge underneath, and you don't place in play a challenge for the current turn.
   • You may place challenges in play on any location spaces if the challenge is not location card specific, including Sunnydale Park.
   • Every player can have only 1 challenge in play at each location space in Sunnydale.
   • There may be no duplicate challenges in Sunnydale. However, after a challenge is defeated, another copy can be placed in play later.
   • If your Challenge Deck is empty during the Prologue Step, you do not have to attempt to place a challenge into play.
   • Example: You have the challenge Spring Madness in play. Your opponent cannot place in play Spring Madness anywhere in Sunnydale until your Spring Madness is either defeated or removed from play.
2. Playing an event card. You may play an event card during this step. Just play the event and do what it says.
   • You can play multiple events in this step, but only 1 copy of an event may be played per game by any player.
   • Event cards are sent to the Crypt horizontally after use. For more information on events go to page 42.
3. Play an action card that is playable in this step. If your action card has "Prologue" in the bottom of the effect box, then it can be played during this step. Just play the action card, resolve its effects and discard it. Every action card will tell you exactly in what step it can be played. All you have to do is look on the bottom of the card.

Step 2. The Draw Step

Choose from 0 to 5 cards in your hand and discard the rest. If you have less than 5 cards, refill your hand to a complete hand of 5. This can only be done once per Draw Step. If you run out of cards in your Resource Deck while drawing your 5 cards, then keep the cards you have, reshuffle your discard pile back into your Resource Deck and draw the rest. If you have no cards in your discard pile or Resource Deck, then just keep playing with the cards you have.

Step 3. The Refresh Step

This is the step where all of your fatigued cards get refreshed. Here's how it works:

1. Refresh all of your fatigued cards at once by turning them from a horizontal to a vertical position. This must be done before you can pass in this step. You can only do this once per Refresh Step.
2. Play an action card. Action cards that are playable in this step will have "Refresh" printed on the bottom of them.
3. Using an effect. You can use an effect of a card that is in play if it can be used in this step.
4. Pass. After you have refreshed all of your characters, you may pass.

Step 4. The Movement Step

Now you get to move around your characters. Chase your foe or fly like a bat out of hell! You can do 1 of these 3 things in the Movement Step:

1. Move a character to an adjacent location. In any turn, you can move characters to or from Sunnydale Park, or to or from any other location that is adjacent to the moving character(s).
   • You can move multiple characters around Sunnydale during this step, but you can only move 1 character per watch. If you don't want to move any of your characters, you don't have to.
   • Vampires move 0 times in day turns, but when it's night they can move 2 times per turn. Non-Vampires can move 1 location space per turn in either day or night. All characters may move 1 location space per watch.
   • Moving to Sunnydale Park from anywhere on the board counts as moving 1 location space. Sunnydale Park is adjacent to all locations. Moving from Sunnydale Park to an opponent's location space fatigues your character, but moving from Sunnydale Park to your own location space does not.
   • Moving to an opponent's location space that is not Sunnydale Park does not fatigue your character (see fatiguing: p 34).
2. Play an action card that can be played during this step. This works just like the previous steps. Just look for "Movement" on the bottom of the action card to see if you can play it now.
3. Use an effect on a card. Several cards have effects that affect movement. Check the cards in play to see if any of them can help you in this step.
4. Pass. Here's that passing thing again. If you don't move, play an action card, or use an effect — you pass. When both players consecutively pass, the step is over.

Example: You move Faith from Sunnydale Park to your opponent's location where her Buffy is waiting. You fatigue Faith since it's your opponent's location and you came from Sunnydale Park. Your opponent uses the effect on Buffy's essence card to start a fight in the Movement Step (See the Buffy essence card in this starter). After the fight is over, you then move Spike to Sunnydale Park. Your opponent moves Angel to Sunnydale Park. You move Spike to one of your locations. Your opponent passes. You pass.

The Movement Step is over.

Step 5. The Resource Step

In this step you place new characters into play, ascend characters and equip them with skills and items for the slayage ahead. Players alternate performing any of these 9 sub-steps during the Resource Step:

1. Place a character into play: You can place a level 1 character on one of your 4 location spaces in Sunnydale (see p.17). Anytime you place a character into play, you start with their level 1 card.
2. Place an Episode Part 1 card into play: When you place an Episode Part 1 card into play, the effect on the card happens as described. The effects of Episode cards affect all players. Episode cards turn storyline play into real strategy. Check them out on page 40.
3. Ascend your characters: Characters ascend when they advance from a level 1 character card to a level 2, or from level 2 to a level 3, and so forth.
   • How an ascension works. For an ascension to occur, you need to have the next level of that character in your hand, and you have to meet the next level's Destiny Requirement. Once this has been done, place the next level card on top of your Character and she ascends. Later, if you lose any Destiny Points and your total goes below the Destiny Requirement to ascend, she does not lose a level.
   • Example: Your Buffy is ready to ascend. She has met her Destiny Requirement of 5 listed on her level 2 card because she is currently at 6 Destiny Points. If you have a level 2 Buffy in your hand place it on top of the level 1. Now Buffy is better than ever.
   • The higher level card now represents the character. The next level card's powers supercede the previous level(s) of the character, and all attached cards stay attached.
   • Each character may ascend once per turn and may not skip levels.
4. Attach a skill or item to a character: Skills and items give characters special abilities. Here's how they attach:
   • Attaching a skill to a character fatigues the character. If the character is already fatigued, you cannot attach a skill to the character. To attach a skill just place it under your character's card. You can attach as many skills as you want to a character,

How to Attach a Skill (box)

• Attaching a skill to a character fatigues the character. If the character is already fatigued, you cannot attach a skill to the character. To attach a skill just place it under your character's card. You can attach as many skills as you want to a character, but each character is able to attach only 1 skill per turn.
• Once the skill is attached to your character, it goes with her everywhere, until the character is discarded or removed from Sunnydale by either fights or card effects.
• Skills cannot be swapped between characters in play.
• Some skills require a special Trait or talent requirement before they can be attached. Check the card text for any Trait Requirement. Talent requirements will appear in the lower right hand side of cards against a diamond background. Once attached, skills cannot be lost if the Trait or talent necessary to attach them is either lost or changed.

How to Attach an Item (box)

• To attach an item, just place it under your character. The character now gains the effects printed on the item.

Items are like skills, but characters do not fatigue when you attach an item, and fatigued characters can still have items attached to them.

Like skills, some items require a special Trait or talent requirement that must be met before they can be attached. Once attached, items cannot be lost if the Trait or talent necessary to attach them is either lost or changed.

• Characters can carry up to 2 items. You can give more than 1 item per turn to the same character, but the most he can carry is 2 at the same time.
  • Example: You give Faith the skill Knife Practice. Faith fatigues and cannot learn any more skills this turn. Now you wait for your opponent to either play a card or pass. On your next watch, you give Faith the item Faith's Knife even though she is fatigued. On your next watch this step, you give her another item, Tranquilizer Gun. Now, Faith can hold no more items, but you can attach more skills in other turns.
• Upgrading an item: If your character has already attached the maximum number of items she can carry, and you want to attach a different item, you can upgrade an item attached to your character directly from your hand. Simply take the item from your hand, give it to your character, and discard the previous item.

Step 6. The Conflict Step

Now is the time to slay hard or drink deep!

Players alternate performing one of these 4 sub-steps during the Conflict Step:

1. Fight one of your opponents' characters — The Fight Phase: A player may choose for one of his refreshed characters to fight one of his opponents' characters that is at the same location. The player who starts the fight goes first in all stages of the fight. A fatigued character may not start a fight but may defend herself when attacked. To see the Fight Phase in detail go to page 28, and to find a quick reference to fights go to page 26.
2. Face a challenge — The Challenge Phase: A player may choose to face a challenge with her characters in play. In order to face a challenge, a character must be at the same location space and refreshed. A player may have any number of characters face a challenge at once if they are at the same location space. The player that declares that they are facing the challenge goes first in every stage of the challenge. To see the challenge phase in detail go to page 30, and to find a quick reference to challenges go to page 27.
3. Play an action card that is playable in this step — If an action card says "Conflict" at the bottom of the effect box, you may play it during this step. Unless the card says otherwise, the action card is discarded after use. For more information, see page 41.
4. Use an effect on a card. If a card in play allows you to perform something during the Conflict Step, you may use it during this step.
5. Pass — A player may pass even if she has done nothing during the Conflict Step. When all players consecutively pass outside of a fight or challenge phase, the step is over.

Step 7. The End Step

This is the last step in a turn and here is what you can do in it:

1. Play an action card that is playable in this step. If an action card says "End" at the bottom of the effect box, you may use it during this Step.
2. Use an effect on a card: Look to see if any cards in play have effects that can be used in the End Step.
3. Pass. A player may pass even if she has done nothing in the End Step. When all players consecutively pass the End Step (and turn) is over.

It's a new turn! Turn the Day/Night card. The active player is now the person to the left of the former active player.

Fight Phase

These are the stages and sub-stages you go through for fights.

Gameplay alternates with the attacking player going first in each stage. Except for passing, these sub-stages can be played in any order. Before you can pass, you must perform any mandatory sub-stages. To start a fight, you announce that you are starting a fight, and you choose which one of your characters is attacking which one of your opponent's characters.

A. Fight/Choose Stage

• Defender can choose a Stunt-Double (see pp. 28-29).
• Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage (see p. 41).
• Pass. When both players consecutively pass, go to the next stage.

B. Fight/Draw Stage

• Mandatory: Both players draw 5 cards. This stage ends.

C. Fight/Battle Stage

• Boost a talent by placing a card into a talent stack (see p. 29).
• Play an action card or effect that is playable in this phase.
• Pass. When both players consecutively pass go to the next stage.

D. Fight/Resolve Stage

• Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage.
• Pass. When both players consecutively pass, you resolve the winner of the fight (the winner is the character with the highest resolving talent), discard the defeated character(s), and adjust the Destiny Points accordingly. Go to the next stage.

E. Fight/Discard Stage

• Mandatory: Discard down to 5 cards, if possible.
• Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage.
• Pass. You may not pass until you have performed the mandatory sub-stage. When both player consecutively pass, the fight is over, and you return to the previous step you were in.

Challenge Phase

These are the stages and sub-stages you go through for challenges.

Gameplay alternates with the attacking player going first in each stage. To start a challenge, announce that you are facing a challenge and identify the challenge you are facing and choose the character(s) involved (there must be at least 1). Except for passing, these sub-stages can be played in any order. Before you can pass, you must perform any mandatory sub-stage.

A. Challenge/Choose Stage

• Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage.
• Pass. When both players consecutively pass go to the next stage.

B. Challenge/Draw Stage

• Mandatory: The attacking player draws 5 cards. The defending player draws 3 cards. This stage ends.

C. Challenge/Battle Stage

• Boost a talent by placing a card into a talent stack (see p. 31).
• Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage.
• Pass. When both players consecutively pass go to the next stage.

D. Challenge/Resolve Stage

• Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage.
• Pass. When both players consecutively pass, resolve the challenge, fatigue all characters and adjust the Destiny Points accordingly. Go to the next stage.

E. Challenge/Discard Stage

• Mandatory: Discard down to 5 cards, if possible.
• Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage.
• Pass. You may not pass until you have performed the mandatory sub-stage. When both players consecutively pass, the challenge is over and you return to the previous step you were in when the challenge started.

Fights — A Closer Look

A fight always comes down to the winner being the character with the highest resolving talent at the end of the fight. The resolving talent is one of the four talents on your character card.

The default resolving talent is Butt-Kicking. During a fight, you may play action cards, skill cards, episode and item cards from your hand into talent stacks to temporarily raise a talent at the end of the fight.

When the fight resolves, you determine who wins.

Things You Need to Know About Fights

• Starting a fight: When a player starts a fight, he chooses his attacking character and the character that is being attacked (the defending character that is at the same location space). This is only done once per fight. In order for a character to start a fight, the character has to be refreshed, although the defending character may be refreshed or fatigued. Even though the defending player is about to do battle, he isn't technically "starting a fight."
• Fights happen outside the step where they occur: The step the fight started in is temporarily suspended until the fight is finished. After the fight is over, you return to the step you were in.
• The person who starts the fight goes first in each stage of the fight.
• The resolving talent determines who wins the fight. The default resolving talent you start a fight with is Butt-Kicking, but that often changes during play because some cards in the game change the resolving talent of a fight.
• The winner of the fight gains 1 Destiny Point. If a Main Character is defeated in a fight, then the owner of that Main Character also loses 1 Destiny Point.
• Survivors and Fatiguing: Afterward, if the attacking character (the one who started the fight) has not been discarded, the attacking character is now fatigued. If the defending character survived the fight, the defending character does not fatigue.
• Ditching a fight: If your character leaves a fight because of a card effect, the fight immediately resolves, and the character loses the fight automatically but is not discarded.

A. Fight/Choose

Players alternate performing these 3 sub-stages during the Fight/Choose Stage.

1. Defender can choose a Stunt-Double. The defender may fatigue another character at the same location to fight in place of the character chosen in the fight. This is called Stunt-Doubling.
2. Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage. If an action card says "Fight/Choose" at the bottom of the effect box, or if an effect allows you to perform something during the Fight/Choose Stage, you may play it during this stage.
3. Pass. A player may pass even if she has done nothing during this stage.

B. Fight/Draw

Both players draw 5 cards from their Resource Decks.

C. Fight/Battle

Players alternate performing these 3 sub-stages during the Fight/Battle Stage.

1. Place an action, episode, skill or item card into a talent stack. A talent stack is a temporary stack where a player places cards to boost any 1 talent during a fight. Each player can have up to 4 talent stacks, one for each talent.
   • Skills, items and episode cards can be placed into a talent stack to boost any talent by 1.
   • Action cards boost a talent by the value of one of the matching icons on the top half of the action card. Pretend there's an imaginary line running through the middle of an action card. When you decide to place an action card into a talent stack, you get to choose one of the talents that is on the top half of the card. When you place an action card into that talent stack, the action card adds to the matching talent a bonus equal to the number inside the icon.
   • The talent inside talent stacks only counts at the end of the fight. That means that cards in your talent stacks cannot help you with talent requirements on other cards. Also, any cards placed in talent stacks cannot be used for their effects during a fight.
2. Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage. If an action card says "Fight/Battle" at the bottom of the effect box or if a card in play allows you to perform an effect during the Fight/Battle Stage, you may use it during this stage.
3. Pass. A player may pass even if she has done nothing during the Fight/Battle Stage.

D. Fight/Resolve

The smoke has cleared and the dust has settled. Who won? Players perform these 2 sub-stages during the Fight/Resolve Stage.

1. Play an action card or character power, or location power that is playable in this stage. If an action card says "Fight/Resolve" at the bottom of the effect box, or if a card in play allows you to perform a card effect during the Fight/Resolve Stage, you may use it during this stage.
2. Pass. A player may pass even if she has done nothing during the Fight/Resolve Stage. When both players consecutively pass, you resolve the winner of the fight.

Resolving the Fight. Total each character's resolving talent by adding the talent on the character and any cards placed in talent stacks that boost the resolving talent. Once the attacker and the defender have done this, the character with the highest resolving talent (often Butt-Kicking) wins the fight.

The player that wins the fight gains 1 Destiny Point. The losing character of the fight is discarded. If a player's Main Character is discarded from a fight, that player loses 1 Destiny Point.

A tie means you both lose! If there is a tie, both characters are defeated and are discarded, and no player gains any Destiny Points. But if a player's Main Character is defeated in a tie, that player still loses 1 Destiny Point.

E. Fight/Discard

If the attacker wins the fight the attacking character fatigues. Players alternate performing these 3 sub-stages during the Fight/Discard Stage.

1. Mandatory: Discard down to 5 cards if you have more than 5 cards in your hand.
2. Play an action card, or effect that is playable in this stage. If an action card says "Fight/Discard" at the bottom of the effect box, or if a card in play allows you to perform an effect during the Fight/Discard Stage, you may use it during this stage.
3. Pass. A player can only pass if he has 5 or fewer cards in his hand.

Once the Fight/Discard Stage is over, the fight is finished. Both players are still in the same step where the fight began (which is usually the Conflict Step).

Challenges — A Closer Look

A challenge is defeated when the combined talents of the group of characters facing it meet or exceed the printed talent goals plus any increases in these talent goals brought on by your sneaky opponent. This happens in the Challenge/Resolve Stage. During challenges, you play cards into talent stacks to meet the challenge's talent goals and your opponent plays cards into talent stacks to raise the talent goals to keep you from defeating the challenge. When you defeat a challenge, you gain all the Destiny Points printed on the challenge.

In challenges you try to meet all the talent goals printed on the challenge: Talent goals are the same icons as the talents on your character cards. If the total talents of your characters facing the challenge meet or exceed the talent goals printed on the challenge, plus any increases in these goals caused by your opponent, you defeat it!

A player can only face each challenge once per turn: Multiple players can try to defeat the same challenge in a turn, but each player may face it only once.

Some Challenges Have Trait Requirements which means one or more characters facing the challenge must have that trait to defeat the challenge. If a challenge has a Trait Requirement, it will appear on the bottom of the effect box.

Good challenges can only be attempted by good characters, and evil challenges by evil characters: Evil challenges have rusty red backgrounds. Good challenges have gold backgrounds.

Teaming up is OK: A player may have any amount of characters she wants face a challenge.

Fatigued characters cannot face challenges.

There must be at least one character facing a challenge.

All characters facing a challenge must be at the same location as the challenge they are facing.

You lose when you aren't there: If all the characters facing a challenge are no longer facing the challenge for any reason, the challenge instantly resolves and the challenge is not defeated.

Starting the challenge: When starting a challenge, you first declare which of your characters are facing what challenge.

Challenges happen outside the step where they occur: The step the challenge started in is temporarily suspended until the challenge is finished. After the challenge is over, you return to the step you were in.

Challenge/Choose

Players alternate performing these two sub-stages during the Challenge/Choose Stage.

1. Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage. If an action card says "Challenge/Choose" at the bottom of the effect box or if a card in play allows you to perform an effect during the Challenge/Choose Stage, you may use it during this stage.
2. Pass. A player may pass even if she has done nothing during this stage.

Challenge/Draw

The attacking player draws 5 cards. The defending player draws 3 cards.

Challenge/Battle

Players alternate performing these 3 sub-stages during the Challenge/Battle Stage.

1. Place a card into a talent stack. This works similar to a fight. The only difference is the defending player is trying to raise the talents on the challenge so the attacker cannot defeat it. Also, the defending player may only boost talents that appear on the challenge she is defending. So, if the challenge only has Butt-Kicking and Smarts, the defending player may not play cards into talent stacks for Weirdness and Charm.
2. Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage. If an action card says "Challenge/Battle" at the bottom of the effect box, or if a card in play allows you to perform an effect during the Challenge/Battle Stage, you may use it during this stage.
3. Pass. A player may pass even if she has done nothing during the Challenge/Battle Stage.

Resolving Challenges

1. Attacker and defender add up their talents. The attacking player adds up all of his group's talents with any respective talents from cards that are in his talent stacks to see if he has met the requirements of the challenge. The defending player adds up any talent from cards that were placed into her talent stacks to the challenge's talent goals printed on the card.
2. Compare talent totals. If the attacker's talents equal or beat the inflated talent goals of the challenge, the challenge is defeated. The attacking player gains the amount of Destiny Points listed on the upper right hand corner of the challenge, and the challenge is then sent to the Crypt.
3. Losing the challenge. If the total of any of the attacking group's talents is below any of the challenge's talent goals, then the challenge is not defeated. The attacking player loses 1 Destiny Point, and the challenge stays in play.
4. Fatigue all participants. Regardless if the challenge is defeated or not, all characters facing the challenge become fatigued.

Challenge/Resolve

Players alternate performing these 2 sub-stages during the Challenge/Resolve Stage.

1. Play an action card or use an effect that is playable in this stage. If an action card says "Challenge/Resolve" at the bottom of the effect box or if a card in play allows you to perform an effect during the Challenge/Resolve Stage, you may use it during this stage.
2. Pass. A player may pass even if she has done nothing during the Challenge/Resolve Stage. Once both players have consecutively passed, you resolve the Challenge.

Challenge/Discard

Players alternate performing these 3 sub-stages during the Challenge/Discard Stage.

1. Mandatory. Discard down to 5 cards — If a player has more than 5 cards in her hand, she discards until she has 5 cards left in her hand.
2. Play an action card or effect that is playable in this stage. If an action card says "Challenge/Discard" at the bottom of the effect box, or if a card in play has an effect you can use during the Challenge/Discard Stage, you may use it during this stage.
3. Pass. A player may not pass unless she has 5 or fewer cards.

After the Challenge/Discard Stage, the challenge is over. Both players return to the original step that they were in when the challenge began (which is usually the Conflict Step).

"People to see, demons to kill; you know the drill." — Buffy

Other Really Important Stuff

Stuff, game mechanics, additional rules and concepts that make this game fun. Stuff that doesn't easily fit into a sequence of play but is... like... important.

The Golden Rule — These rules are meant to be broken! The cards in Buffy the Vampire Slayer CCG do amazing and crazy things. Anytime a card directly breaks or modifies a rule, the card is always right.

The Most Recent Printing Rule: If 2 or more cards share the same title, then the text, numbers, and all other symbols of that card are to read as they appear on the Most Recent Printing (MRP) of that card with that title. Character and essence cards are excluded from this rule.

Victory Condition #1: Destiny Victory: To win a Destiny Victory you must reach 10 Destiny Points. This is done by winning fights and defeating challenges. You immediately win when you reach 10 or more Destiny Points.

Victory Condition #2: Park Victory: To win a Park Victory, you must control Sunnydale Park at the end of the turn for 6 consecutive turns. "Control" means that at the end of the turn only your characters are inside the park. They can be different characters each turn, but they must only be your characters. If there are characters from 2 players in Sunnydale Park at the end of a turn, or if the park is empty of characters at the end of a turn, the count for the Park Victory resets to 0. To keep track of how many turns have elapsed use the park counter on the playmat with the Day/Night card as a marker.

Destiny Points Never Go Below 0. That means that you can never have a negative amount of Destiny Points. Since some card effects require that you "pay" Destiny Points to perform an effect, you have to have the Destiny Points to pay for that effect. Sorry, no Destiny financing!

When is a turn over? When both players consecutively pass during Step 7: The End Step.

The Resource Deck & Recycling: If you run out of cards in your Resource Deck during play, you reshuffle your discard pile the next time you draw a card. If you have no more cards in your Resource Deck and discard pile, then you just keep playing with the cards you have.

Other Really Important Stuff (continued)

Discarding cards: When you discard a card, it is placed in your discard pile. Different types of cards are discarded in different ways, but they all end up in the discard pile.

The Crypt: Cards that enter the Crypt are removed from the game. They cannot be reshuffled into your Resource Deck or reenter play.

The Day/Night card: To track when it's day or night, rotate the Day/Night card included inside your starter. When this card reads "Night," it's night; and when it reads "Day," it's day.

A few things about making stacks: While playing Buffy, you may need to adjust the play area when too many characters are on the same location. Stack your cards to assist tracking who and what is where.

Fatiguing cards: When a character card or a card attached to a character fatigues, you turn the card horizontally. Character cards along with some items and skill cards can all fatigue. A fatigued card cannot fatigue again until the card refreshes. Cards stay fatigued until the next Refresh Step. All cards that make up a character fatigue independently of each other.

Example: Anyanka is refreshed during the Resource Step and has Symbol of Anyanka attached. You fatigue Symbol of Anyanka for its effect in the game. Later in the Conflict Step Anyanka faces a challenge. When the challenge resolves you will fatigue Anyanka. These 2 cards are both fatigued, but each independent of the other. In the next Refresh Step, you refresh all Anyanka's cards.

Character cards fatigue in these 5 situations:

1. When attaching skills;
2. When an attacker wins a fight;
3. When a character moves from Sunnydale Park to an opponent's location;
4. Whenever a character Stunt-Doubles;
5. Whenever you resolve a challenge the character was participating in.

When a character is fatigued he gets a -1 to all his talents. Talent values can go below 0. So if your character has 0 Smarts then he has a -1 Smarts when fatigued. This penalty is active at all times — during fights, challenges or for meeting talent requirements on cards.

When a character is fatigued, she cannot do the following: attach skills, start a fight, face a challenge, move, Stunt-Double or perform any effect in the game that requires a character to fatigue.

Fatigued characters may still fight while fatigued, they just can't start a fight.

Some card effects remove the requirement for a character (or card) to fatigue before an effect can be performed. When this occurs, a fatigued character (or card) may perform the effect.

Example: Faith is at Faith's Motel which says, "Once per turn, anything that would fatigue Faith does not fatigue Faith while she is here." That means that if Faith is fatigued during the Resource Step and is at Faith's Motel, she can Stunt-Double, learn a skill or do any other thing that would fatigue her even though she is already fatigued.

Talents: To get things done in the Buffy-Verse, you gotta have talent. And in this case, that means you need: Butt-Kicking, Smarts, Weirdness and Charm. The number inside the icon represents how much talent is represented on the card.

• Butt-Kicking is represented by those spanky gold icons on cards and show just how mighty you are in a skirmish. The number inside tells you how much Butt-Kicking is on the card. During fights, you always start off with Butt-Kicking as the resolving talent.
• Smarts is printed inside the purple book icon and represents brainage.
• Weirdness is shown by the red flaming icon and displays the character's supernatural prowess.
• Charm is reflected by the blue heart icon and indicates savoir faire and/or raw cuteness.

Talent Requirements: A card with a talent requirement requires that a character possess a numeric value of talent before that card can be used or attached. However, talent requirements do not prevent playing a card into a talent stack during a fight or challenge. Talent requirements are listed on the bottom right half of items, skills and action cards and are always set against a diamond background.

Talent requirements may only be met by a single character. This means that the talents of multiple characters cannot be added to meet a talent requirement.

• For skills and items, the attaching character must meet the talent requirement.
• For action cards, one of your characters in play must meet the talent requirement. If the action card is played during a fight or challenge, then the player of the action card must have a participating character in the fight or challenge meet the talent requirement.

Example: Faith wants to play Slayer's Handiwork — an action card. Before she can play this card for its effect she must have at least 3 Butt-Kicking.

NOTE: Once you meet a talent requirement for an attached card you don't lose the attached card if that character's talent goes below the talent requirement.

What's a talent stack? When you play cards from your hand to increase a talent during a fight or challenge, you place them inside talent stacks — temporary piles that help you keep track of your talent. Play your talent stacks vertically in the same order as the talents listed on your character card so you can remember what order your talents are in. After the fight or challenge is over, move these cards to the discard pile and go back to the character's previous talent level (the total talent from his character card and attached cards).

In a fight, you can play cards into talent stacks to boost any talent you choose, not just Butt-Kicking. In a challenge, you can only boost talents that match the talent goals of that challenge.

IMPORTANT: The talent inside talent stacks isn't considered to be "real" until the fight or challenge resolves. This means that you can't use the talent in talent stacks to meet talent requirements on cards.

Traits: A Trait is a characteristic that gives a card a label, status or ability. Traits appear on various cards. They are always set off in small caps like VAMPIRE. On character cards, Traits will be the first words you see in the effect box. On other cards you will find them described in card text.

Example: You're attempting the challenge Fairy Tales are Real with Hansel and Gretel. The challenge requires the SPELLCRAFT Trait to be completed. Hansel and Gretel have the item Tome of Mediocrity attached which gives them the SPELLCRAFT Trait. If Hansel and Gretel have enough talents they can defeat the challenge.

Card Types

Essence Cards

Essence cards represent who you are playing as your Main Character. Essence cards turn any matching Minion or Companion in to a Hero or Villain. Essence cards also have a card power that affects game play.

There is also a groove on the side of Essence cards you can use to track your Destiny Points on the Destiny Point track.

Character Cards

There are 4 types of character cards: Heroes, Villains, Companions and Minions. All character cards have an effect that the character can use during game play. All character cards that are played from your hand are placed in play during the Resource Step.

At least 1 of your level 1 character cards must match your essence card.

Main Characters are Unique: It's ok for players to have the same Main Character in a game, however, you cannot place in play a supporting character if that character matches the essence card of your opponent.

Supporting Characters are any characters that you are playing that do not match your essence card.

Supporting Hero and Villain Limits: A player may only place a supporting Hero or Villain in play if the player has 4 or less supporting Heroes or Villains already in play.

Minions and Companions are Unlimited: You may have as many Minions and Companions in play as you desire as long as there is only 1 copy of each. A "copy" refers to the character itself, not the card representing the character.

Example: It's a snarly Villain vs Villain game during the Resource Step! In your hand you have The Master, Anyanka and Angelus. Your opponent is playing Angelus as a Main Character and has The Master already in play. You currently have 4 supporting Villains in play already. You cannot play Angelus as a Supporting Character (rats!) because he matches your opponent's essence card, but you can place in play either The Master or Anyanka, BUT you can only place one or them in play because after you play one, you will have 5 supporting Villains in play.

Character cards can attach skills and items, and can carry them throughout the game.

Characters can fatigue. When a character does fatigue turn his character cards sideways. (See Fatiguing on pp. 34-35.)

• When characters die they are moved to the discard pile. You can resurrect your Main Character during the Resource Step, but he loses all levels, skills, and items. You can then play the Main Character on one of your 4 location spaces. Supporting Characters stay in your discard pile until you recycle it.

After all, when is a TV character really dead anyway?

Challenge Cards

Challenges are kept in their own deck on the playmat and are played during the Prologue Step. Unless all your challenges have been played, there should always be a challenge card turned faceup during play. If any card effect would shuffle your Challenge Deck, the top card is always turned faceup afterward.

When placing challenges into play, place them partially under the location card with the challenge's card text and talent goals sticking out.

Each player can only have 1 challenge card in play at any location space including Sunnydale Park. All challenges are unique in play. If your opponent gets his challenge out before you do, then to face that challenge you must go to the same location space where the challenge was placed. It's perfectly acceptable for you to face your opponent's challenges.

Some challenges specify where they can be played. If so, then it must be played as instructed.

Challenges grant Destiny Points to a player when they are successfully defeated. Each challenge will have talent icons listing the amount of each talent necessary for your character(s) to defeat it. You will find the Destiny Points the challenge awards in the upper right hand corner of the card inside the heart. The tougher the challenge, the higher the Destiny Points.

You can have both good and evil challenges in your Challenge Deck. However, Heroes and Companions can only attempt good challenges. Villains and Minions can only attempt evil challenges. Evil challenges have rusty red backgrounds and good challenges have golden backgrounds.

If a challenge can be played during the Prologue Step, it must be played. If a challenge cannot be put in play, place it on the bottom of your Challenge Deck and turn over the next challenge card beneath.

If your Challenge Deck is empty during the Prologue Step, you do not have to attempt to place a challenge into play.

You can only attempt each challenge once per turn, although you can face multiple challenges in any 1 turn. Your opponent may attempt the same challenge as you did if you were unsuccessful in completing it, and if his characters are at the same location as the challenge.

If your challenge is defeated, it is sent to the Crypt. After your challenge has been defeated, your opponent can place in play the same challenge if it turns up during play.

Some challenges have Trait Requirements printed on them. If a challenge has a Trait Requirement, then one or more characters facing that challenge must have that Trait to defeat it.

Location Cards

Location cards are placed in play during set up in an alternating fashion on your 4 location spaces of Sunnydale and stay in play the entire game. There are 2 kinds of location cards: unique and non-unique. Only 1 copy of a unique location card can be in play, but you can have multiple non-unique location cards in play.

Location card types: Some location cards have types printed on them like "town" or "school" or "outdoor." If a card references a specific type of location like, "Play only at a town location," then you should use the card as instructed.

Some location cards have card effects, restrictions, or special abilities. All characters and challenges at a specific location can be affected by these conditions.

You can choose not to play location cards. A blank location space is still valid, and you can play characters and challenges on it. Sunnydale Park is considered a location space even though you cannot play location cards on it.

Location spaces without location cards are not considered to be of any type.

Skill Cards

Skills help make your character more powerful in the game and can also be used to boost talents during fights and challenges. Skills include a variety of aptitudes or disciplines.

Skills cannot be swapped between characters in play.

You fatigue a character to attach a skill: If a character does not have to fatigue to attach a skill, that character can attach a skill while fatigued; otherwise, fatigued characters cannot attach skills. To attach a skill just place it under your character's card. You can attach as many skills as you want, but each character is able to attach only 1 skill per turn.

Some skills require a special Trait or talent requirement before they can be attached. Check the card text for any Trait Requirement. Talent requirements will appear in the lower right hand side of cards against a diamond background. Once attached, skills cannot be lost if the Trait or talent necessary to attach them is either lost or changed.

When you want to boost a talent during a fight or challenge, you can play your skill cards into a talent stack to boost any one talent by +1.

Item Cards

Items have a dual purpose: they grant special abilities when they are attached to characters, and they can boost one of your character's talents by +1 when played in a talent stack during a challenge or fight, just like skills.

Example: After the Draw Step, you have 2 copies of Love Tattoo in your hand. During the Resource Step, you give one of them to Spike and he gains the ability on the card. Later, in that same turn, one of your characters get called into a fight. You can play the other Love Tattoo into the talent stack to boost his Butt-Kicking by one.

Some items require a special Trait or talent requirement that must be met before they can be attached. Once attached, items cannot be lost if the Trait or talent requirement necessary to attach them either is lost or changed.

Upgrading an item: If your character has already attached the maximum number of items she can carry and you want to attach a different item, you can upgrade an item attached to your character directly from your hand. Simply take the item from your hand, give it to your character, and discard the previous item.

Swapping items: If 2 characters are at the same location, they can swap an item even if they are fatigued. Any Trait or talent requirements must still be met by the receiving character, and you can only swap 1 item per watch. Each item can only be swapped once per turn.

Discarding Attached Items: Except for upgrading items, only card effects can discard items off attached characters. You cannot discard a character's attached item just because you want to.

Episode Cards

Episode cards turn story-line game play into powerful gaming combos. Here's how they work:

An Episode is represented by 2 cards: Part I and Part II. Part I cards are kept in your Resource Deck and are limited to 1 copy per deck for each episode. Part II cards are limited to 1 copy per player as well, and are kept face down in a separate stack of cards in the area indicated on your playmat and are not considered to be in play and do not count toward deck size minimums although Part I cards do. You must have both Part I and Part II of an episode in your possession in order to play an Episode card.

You place in play an Episode Part I card next to your essence card during the Resource Step. Most Episode cards create global card effects. When you play a Part I card the effect instantly occurs.

The Target on the Part I card lets you know what must happen before you can play your Part II card. The instant the Target condition of the Episode Part I card is met, you immediately play your Part II card regardless of whether or not it is you watch, and the Episode Part I card goes to the Crypt, and its effect is replaced by the Part II card and its Result effect.

Many Part II cards have a Cancel condition that sends the Episode Part II card to the Crypt. This Cancel effect nullifies the card power of the Episode card.

You can play Episode Part I cards into talent stacks to boost any talent by +1 just like items and skills. Episode Part II cards cannot do this, since they are kept off to the side of Sunnydale inside a separate stack.

It is possible in the course of the game for you to have several different Episode Part II cards in play, but you may not have more than one Episode Part I in play at any time. If a player already has an Episode Part I card in play but prefers to play a different Part I card, he can play another Episode Part I card, but the previous Part I card he has in play is sent to the Crypt.

Episodes are not unique in play. You and your opponent can both have the same Episode cards in play at once.

Your opponent cannot play off of your Episode card(s). The effects of Episodes can be global, but the control of each Episode belongs to the owning player. Your opponent can't play his Episode Part II on your Part I even if the conditions of your Part I are met.

Example: You play the Graduation Day, Part I card during your Resource Step and place it next to your essence card. All players instantly gain this effect: "Characters may move to the Fountain Quad from any location." On Graduation Day Part I is "Target: A total of 4 Heroes and/or Villains at the Fountain Quad controlled by any players and Mayor Richard Wilkins is in play." This Target means that the instant there are 4 Heroes and/or Villains at the Fountain Quad and the mayor is in play (no matter to whom they belong), the Part II episode card comes into play, and the Episode Part I card is sent to the Crypt. The new text on Graduation Day, Part II is, "Result: When facing Ascension of Olivikan or Commencement Ceremonies, during the Challenge/Choose Stage, choose a talent. Ignore this talent for this challenge. Cancel: Richard Wilkins III leaves play." This new effect means that everyone gets to ignore a talent when facing Ascension of Olivikan. However, the effect can be cancelled if Mayor Richard Wilkins III leaves play. If that happens, the Part II episode goes to the Crypt and it's effects are cancelled.

Action Cards

Action cards can show up anytime and throw a monkey wrench into any step during play. An action card will tell you when it can be played, just look at the bottom of the effect box.

Boosting talent: Unlike items, which can add +1 to any one talent during a fight or challenge, action cards add to your character's talent by the number inside the respective icon.

Some action cards may have a talent requirement or a Trait Requirement that has to be met before you can use them for their effect. These requirements can only be met by the talents a character obtains from his character card and any attached cards. Cards placed in talent stacks cannot be used to meet talent requirements.

Example: During the Draw Step, you draw the card Been There, Killed That: "Discard a card. If your character just won this fight, your character does not fatigue and may immediately start a fight with another character at this location. Send to the Crypt after use." After a fight, you can play Been There, Killed That for this effect, or you can hold that card if you want and use it during a fight or challenge to boost Smarts by 2 or Butt-Kicking by 1. However, before you can use it for its effect, your character must have a Butt-Kicking of 3. You can still use it in a talent stack during a challenge or fight even if you meet the talent requirement to use its effect.

Event Cards

Event cards represent consequences of life on the Hellmouth. Event cards affect all players. Some produce effects that last throughout the entire game, others produce effects that last for just one turn.

Events are played during the Prologue Step. You can play as many events as you want in this step.

Event cards are limited to 1 per deck and are unique in that only 1 of each event can be played per game. If your opponent plays an event that you have in your deck, you cannot play that event for the remainder of the game. After an event is played, it is sent to the Crypt.

Event cards cannot be played into talent stacks during fights and challenges.

Building a Deck

Hero or Villain Decks: All decks must be either Hero & Companion decks or Villain & Minion decks. That means you cannot include Minions and Villains inside a deck when the Main Character is a Hero and vice versa.

Resource Deck Size: For casual play and Sealed Deck tournaments, the deck minimum is 40 cards. Tournament decks for constructed play have a 60 card minimum. There is no maximum size for your Resource Deck. Challenges, Episode Part II cards, essence and location cards do not count toward the card minimums.

Challenge Deck: Your Challenge Deck must contain 7 different challenges, and they can be all evil, all good or a mix of both.

Episode Part II cards: are kept in a separate stack of cards off to the side and you must have the corresponding Episode Part I card in your Resource Deck to match any Episode Part II card in your stack.

Duplicate Card Limits: You can have 3 duplicates of any card in your Resource Deck. Location cards are not part of your Resource Deck, and you can have up to 8 copies of a Non-unique location cards when you begin the game. Remember to keep your location cards separate from your Resource Deck. The total number of location cards you can bring to the table is 8.

Character card limits: Each character is limited to only 3 character cards per level. For instance, you can have any 3 Buffy level 1 cards, any 3 Buffy level 2 cards, and any 3 Buffy level 3 cards in your deck.

Action and Character Card Limits: You may not have more than 50% of your deck be action cards, and you may not have more than 50% of your deck be character cards.

Changes Since the Last Rulebook

1. Resurrections: When a Main Character resurrects, you now place her directly into play during the Resource Step instead of placing her into your hand.
2. Deck size: The deck minimum for constructed tournament play is 60 cards. Sealed deck tournament play retains the previous deck minimum of 40 cards.
3. "Only" Cards: Cards that say (character) only are exclusive to the named character and can only be used or attached if the character they refer to matches your essence card. If the (character) only card is an item or skill, it cannot be swapped to other characters even by card effects.
4. Leaving fights: During a fight, if a player no longer has a character participating in the fight, you go immediately to the Fight/Resolve Stage. The character leaving the fight loses the fight, but is not discarded.
5. Leaving Challenges: During a challenge, if the attacking player no longer has characters facing the challenge, immediately go to the Challenge/Resolve Stage and the challenge is not defeated.
6. Episode cards: Go to page 40 and learn about the newest card type.
7. Faith: Faith can be either a Hero, Villain, Minion or Companion depending on her character card. Her essence card works for either a Hero or a Villain Main Character.
8. Making Heroes and Villains out of Companions and Minions: Minions and Companions become Heroes and Villains when they are being played as a Main Character by virtue of their essence card.
9. Duplicate Heroes/Villains are now allowed in play! You and your opponent(s) may each have the same supporting Heroes and Villains in play.

Multi-Player Rules

Multi-play rocks! When playing a multi-player game, the play moves clockwise regardless of whose turn it is, and you can have as many players as you want. You will have to expand the play area to make more room. During game set-up, just make sure that all locations make a circle or square when placed together and that everybody gets 4 adjacent locations, and that Sunnydale Park is in the middle.

When it's your turn to take on a challenge or fight, choose the character or challenge you want to battle. You will be dueling the player who controls that character or challenge. Only 1 challenge or fight at a time is allowed.

Your characters can still face your own challenges. When you do, choose an opponent to defend yourself against when your characters face your own challenge. When you attack one of your opponents' challenges, you have to battle the opponent that placed the challenge into play.

Glossary

• Action Cards: Action cards perform unique effects during game play and can boost a talent during a fight and challenges (pp. 12, 41).
• Active Player: The active player is the person whose turn it is and who goes first in each step. (p. 17)
• Ascension: Whenever characters gain a character level (p. 23).
• Attaching: When a character is given an item or skill the card "attaches" to him/her (pp. 23-24).
• Bonus: Anytime an effect increases or decreases talent.
• Booster Pack: A package of additional game cards for Buffy the Vampire Slayer CCG that adds strength to your deck, sizzling cards for your collection, and new game strategies.
• Butt-Kicking: One of the 4 talents. Butt-Kicking is the main talent used in fighting. It is also listed on many challenges (p. 35).
• CCG: An abbreviation for Collectible Card Game.
• Character Card: A card that represents a character in Buffy The Vampire Slayer CCG (pp. 7, 37).
• Challenge: A specific problem, project or task that must be overcome to win Destiny Points in the game (pp. 8, 30-32, 38).
• Charm: One of the 4 talents. Charm is an indication of your characters schmooze factor (p. 35).
• Character cards that aren't Heroes, but still are on the "good" side of things (p. 37).