Justice League: Hero Dice – Superman
Justice League: Hero Dice – Superman Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Golden Rule
If a rule or symbol on a card or on the hero sheet contradicts this rulebook, the card or hero sheet always takes precedence.
Box Contents
- 1 double-sided city card (Metropolis): one side lists 18–15 LEGENDARY HEROES, 14–11 SUPER HEROES, 10–6 BRAVE HEROES, 5–1 FUTURE HEROES, 0 UNKNOWN HEROES.
- 1 hero sheet
- 6 hero cards
- 5 team tokens
- Damage tokens: 7 worth 3 damage, 9 worth 1 damage
- 10 villain cards (for example, Lex Luthor)
- 6 dice: 1 red, 2 yellow, 3 blue
- 1 target token
The hero sheet explains the icons found on the dice:
- Every Superman symbol counts as 1 hit.
- Every Kryptonite symbol counts as a miss. If you cannot cancel out all the Kryptonite symbols, you gain no hits at all, no matter how many Superman symbols you rolled.
- 1 Heat Vision symbol cancels out 1 Kryptonite symbol.
- 2 Freeze Breath symbols cancel out 1 Kryptonite symbol.
- You have 1 Superman symbol that counts as an additional Superman symbol in every attack.
Game Setup
The rules below describe the multiplayer game. Each player needs one Hero Dice set for this. The rules for the solo variant and for playing with a duplicate hero are found under Solo Variant and Doppelganger Play below.
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Hero setup: Each player places all of the following components for their hero face up in front of them: hero sheet, hero cards, hero dice, and all tokens. Since this is a cooperative game, players may share information with each other. Team tokens from all sets should be pooled together in the middle of the play area.
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City setup: Choose one city card and place it near the villain deck, with the side showing the lower value face up (the higher value is used for solo play). This area is called the city.
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Card setup: First, set aside all "Support" villain cards. Shuffle the remaining villain cards from all sets being used in the game. Then place two face-down cards in the middle of the play area for each player taking part, forming the base of the villain deck. Then shuffle the "Support" cards back into the rest of the villain cards and place them on top of the villain deck. Place the villain deck below the city card.
Next, players draw a number of villain cards equal to the number of heroes in the game from the villain deck just formed, and place them face up to the right of the villain deck. This area is called the battlefield. Players then draw villain cards again, equal to the number of heroes in the game, and place them to the left of the villain deck. This area is called the suburbs. Most of the cards in the suburbs are placed face up, except for the last one, which is placed face down.
If a "Support" card is revealed, immediately place the top card of the villain deck on top of it (see "Support" on page 8). For setup purposes, such a stack counts as a single card.
Play Area Reference
The example setup shown is for 2 players (Superman and Batman). The play area consists of, from left to right: the suburbs, the villain deck, the battlefield, and the city. The city card shows the city name, the city resistance track, and the title earned by the heroes at the end of the game. Defeated villains are stacked face down near the battlefield. Team tokens earned by the heroes are kept on the city card. Each hero's dice and cards carry a set symbol identifying which hero they belong to.
Villain cards have special abilities that activate when that card is chosen as a target (see Villain Abilities on page 8).
Superman Rules
The individual symbols found on the dice are explained on the hero sheet. Additionally, the lower-left corner of the hero sheet describes the hero's special ability.
Rolling Dice
At the start of his attack, Superman rolls all of his dice. After each roll, he must set aside all the dice of one color. He then rerolls the remaining dice. After three rolls, once all dice have been set aside, the player tallies the results. Each pair of Freeze Breath symbols, or each single Heat Vision symbol, cancels out one Kryptonite symbol. If Superman manages to cancel out all the Kryptonite, he deals damage equal to the number of Superman symbols he obtained. If at least one Kryptonite symbol remains uncancelled, Superman deals no damage at all.
Example: On his first roll, Superman gets two Superman symbols. Since the yellow dice also carry a Kryptonite symbol, Superman decides to play it safe. He sets aside the blue dice and rerolls all the rest.
This time, Superman rolls nothing but Kryptonite. He decides on the lesser evil, sets aside the red die, and rerolls the yellow dice.
On his last roll, Superman got 1 Kryptonite symbol, which he can easily cancel out with Heat Vision. Two Freeze Breath symbols would also have let him cancel out the Kryptonite, had any remained. Superman has two Superman symbols plus one additional hit granted by his hero ability, so he gets 3 hits.
Rolling Dice Simultaneously?
Since players play as a team, it is up to them whether they want to roll their dice at the same time or not. Sometimes a player may want to see what result another team member got before playing further themself. If players roll simultaneously, the game moves faster. During your first game, we suggest that players do NOT roll simultaneously, so everyone can follow how the other team members are doing.
Game Turn
In Justice League: Hero Dice, all the heroes try to defend the city from incoming waves of villains. During a single game, players must get through the entire villain deck.
The game is made up of rounds, which are divided into 2 phases: Attack and Resolution. All heroes play through them simultaneously. The game ends with a final battle, which takes place once the villain deck has been exhausted.
Hero cards may be played at any time, unless their text states otherwise. There is no limit to the number of cards a player may play in one round. Once a card has been resolved, it must be discarded, forming a discard pile.
Phase 1: Attack
During the attack phase, perform the following steps in order:
- Each hero places their target token on the battlefield so that it points to the villain they have chosen. This is a very important decision and should be made in consultation with the team.
- The heroes simultaneously roll their dice.
- The heroes simultaneously reroll dice, following each hero's special rules (see hero sheet), until they declare that their attacks are finished.
Phase 2: Resolution
During the resolution phase, perform the following steps in order:
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Apply villain abilities that affect hits.
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Apply hero abilities that affect hits.
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All remaining hits become damage. Each hero places damage tokens equal to the damage dealt on the villain they targeted.
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Villains who have received damage tokens equal to or greater than their threat value are defeated and are placed face down on the defeated-villains pile.
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If a defeated villain has damage tokens from at least 2 different heroes on it, the players gain 1 team token, which they place on the city card, next to the villain cards.
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Villains who were not defeated remain on the battlefield. All damage tokens remain on them. Any gaps between villain cards on the battlefield must be closed by shifting the outer heroes toward the center (closer to the deck).
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All villains gathered in the suburbs move to the battlefield one at a time. The villain nearest the villain deck (face up) moves first, then the next one, and so on. A face-down villain must be revealed before it is moved.
IMPORTANT: Every villain added to the battlefield requires a check to see whether it managed to dominate the heroes. To do this, add its threat to the threat of all villains already present on the battlefield. If the sum is higher than the heroes' power limit, that villain moves directly to the city instead. Place it face up to the right of the city card.
POWER LIMIT
- 1 player: 12
- 2 players: 15
- 3 players: 20
- 4 players: 25
Final Battle
Once the villain deck is exhausted, the players play one more normal round. After it ends, the final battle takes place — all villains from the suburbs move to the battlefield (or to the city, in case of domination), and the suburbs remain empty.
During the final battle, attack and resolution are carried out normally, until no new villains remain to arrive from the suburbs. The game then ends and the final result is determined.
- Villains in the city reduce the city's resistance by an amount equal to their threat.
- Every villain card still on the battlefield reduces the city's resistance by 2 (regardless of its threat or any damage tokens on it).
- Every team token in the city restores 2 points of city resistance.
- Compare the result obtained with the list on the right side of the city card, to see how the Justice League fared this time.
Hardcore Variant
Looking for a real challenge? No problem. At the start of the game, each hero shuffles their hero cards and removes a random card from among them. This way, each hero will fight with only 5 cards.
Glossary
Target: At the start of their attacks, heroes place their target tokens. The villain indicated by a target token is that hero's target for the round.
Domination: If the sum of the threat of a villain moving to the battlefield and all villains already on the battlefield is greater than the heroes' power limit, the heroes are dominated. The villain moves directly into the city.
Power Limit: The maximum total villain threat the heroes can handle before they are dominated.
City: The city card and the villains that have made it there. Earned team tokens are placed here.
Damage: Every hit that is not cancelled deals 1 damage to the villain. Damage can also be dealt by hero cards. For each point of damage dealt, damage tokens of the corresponding value must be placed on the villain.
Defeated: Villains that have received damage equal to or exceeding their threat value are placed face down on the defeated-villains pile. All tokens on them must be removed.
Battlefield: The play area to the right of the villain deck. This is where the heroes fight the villains.
Suburbs: The play area to the left of the villain deck. This is where villains gather for a round before entering the battlefield.
Miss: During resolution, every uncancelled miss result cancels all hits.
Hit: During resolution, every hit result counts as 1 hit against the targeted villain.
Support: A special villain card that strengthens a villain. The Support card and the card placed on it count as a single card with a combined threat value, existing and being defeated as one unit. There is no limit to how many Support cards may be stacked on top of one another.
Solo Variant
The single-player game plays the same as the normal game, with a few exceptions:
- Team tokens stay in the box. Ignore the villain ability "team attack."
- Use the side of the city card with the higher resistance value.
- The suburbs are now on top of the villain deck rather than to its left. The card in the suburbs is placed face up on top of the villain deck. In the solo variant, there is no face-down card. Support cards gain an additional card during the resolution phase, when they are due to move to the battlefield.
Doppelganger Play
You may decide that you want to fight side by side with two (or more) copies of the same hero in Justice League: Hero Dice. This is possible, but of course you will have to face certain difficulties. The heroes will not complement each other as well as they would with different heroes, and players will certainly have to deal with sorting components out at the end of the game. Either way, the rules of play remain the same as in the normal game.
Villain Abilities
Kryptonite: Counts as an additional rolled Kryptonite. It must be cancelled out for the hero to score hits.
–1 Die: Every hero who has targeted this villain must, before starting their attack, set aside one of their dice. That die is not taken into account in this attack (if Superman sets aside the red die, he only gets two rolls in that attack).
No Cards: Every hero who has targeted this villain may not use their hero cards (hero abilities still work).
Support: When this villain card is revealed and placed in the suburbs, immediately place another card from the villain deck on top of it so that the threat value of both cards is visible. Continue doing this until a villain is revealed. From that point on, they count as a single card with a combined threat value.
No Heat Vision: While fighting this villain, Heat Vision cannot cancel out Kryptonite (but it can still be used for effects that affect other opponents).
Team Attack: This villain may only be targeted by at least two heroes at the same time.
Solo Attack: This opponent may only be targeted by one hero at a time.