Heroes of Metro City
Heroes of Metro City Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
You Are a New Hero
Each player represents a super-powered Hero who must stop the Archenemy's nefarious plan to destroy Metro City. To succeed, the Heroes must do battle with hordes of Minions, diabolical Villains, and the Archenemy who leads them! The more ENERGY and POWERS a Hero develops, the closer they get to defeating the Archenemy. But time is running out! For every moment the heroes delay, the forces of evil destroy more of the city the heroes are trying to save.
Goal
Defeat Your Archenemy
The first player to defeat the Archenemy wins the game. That is, unless the Archenemy wins first by destroying so much of the city that there's nothing left for the heroes to save.
Setup
1. Build Metro City
You are about to create the skyscrapers and buildings of Metro City from the stacks of cards in your game box. These stacks of cards (the buildings) should be placed within reach of all Heroes (players) and are collectively called the City Supply.
Place the complete stack of Origin Story cards (the basic STORYLINE card) and Spark of Energy cards (the basic ENERGY card) face up into the City Supply. In addition, you must now select 10 additional stacks from the game box by dealing out 2 additional ENERGY cards and 8 POWER cards from the Energy and Power Randomizer decks (deal again if you do not have at least 3 Melee and/or Ranged Powers). For each card dealt from the Randomizer deck, place the corresponding stack of cards from the box into the City Supply, as shown on page 4.
If this is your first game of Heroes of Metro City, we recommend playing with the cards found on the last page of this rulebook.
2. Reveal Your Enemies
Shuffle and place the 3 stacks of ENEMY cards (MINION, VILLAIN, and ARCHENEMY) face down in a row near to the City Supply. Draw the top card of each Enemy stack and place it face up on top of the stack. Leave some space on the table for a Rubble Pile.
3. Create Your Hero Deck
Each player starts with a personal Hero Deck made up of 5 Origin Story cards and 5 Spark of Energy cards. Draw these cards from the stacks in the City Supply and create a face-down deck.
4. Choose Starting Powers
Determine who will go first. Starting with that player and then moving clockwise, each player may immediately add one or more cards to their Hero Deck from the stacks of cards in the City Supply. You may choose any number of cards whose total Plot costs are equal to or less than that Hero's Starting Plot Points (see below).
- PLAYER 1: 5 Starting Plot Points
- PLAYER 2: 6 Starting Plot Points
- PLAYER 3: 7 Starting Plot Points
- PLAYER 4: 8 Starting Plot Points
5. Name Your Hero
Each player should now take one of the four Hero Placards, invent a fun Name for their new Hero (names based on starting power choices are good) and write the name down on their Hero Placard. Once the first player has finished their first turn, names cannot be changed, so make sure you pick one you like! Note that some cards in Heroes of Metro City give bonuses to players who use certain words in their Hero's name, so make sure you've reviewed the available cards before you choose your name.
6. Shuffle Up and Deal
All players shuffle their Hero Decks and draw 5 cards for their starting hand. The first player (from Step 4) now takes their first turn.
Energy Fuels Your Powers!
Callout notes printed beside the Energy card diagram on page 2:
- Plot Point Cost: This number tells you how many Plot Points you need in play to add this card to your Hero Deck.
- Energy Requirement: Most Energy cards don't have an Energy Requirement. To play them, you simply place them onto any empty slot on your Hero Placard.
- Active Abilities: A card's abilities become "Activated" when they are played face-up into your Play Area.
- Energy Level: This is how much Energy this card can provide to other cards. Spark of Energy is a basic card in your Hero Deck and provides 1 Energy.
- Hero Placard: The board on which your Hero's cards are slotted.
- Slotted Energy Card: You can play an Energy card during the Activate Powers phase of your turn.
- Activated Power Card: This Power has been placed onto an Energy card, Activating it.
Powers Deal Damage!
Callout notes printed beside the Power card diagram on page 3 (example card: Deadly Blades, Melee Power, Requirement 1, Plot 3):
- Plot Point Cost: This number tells you how many Plot Points you need in play to add this card to your Hero Deck.
- Energy Requirement: In order to Activate (play) this card from your hand, you need an Energy Source greater than or equal to this card's Power Requirement.
- Active Abilities: Powers have the ability to deal damage, draw more cards from your Hero Deck and much more!
- Phase Icon: This is a phase icon and it tells you which phase of your turn you gain the benefit of these abilities.
- Energy Slots: You cannot play your Power cards directly onto an Energy slot.
- Cascading Energy Sources: Some Power Cards have their own Energy Level that you can use if you Activate them.
Game Setup (Table Layout)
Page 4 shows a 4-player table once Metro City has been built and all players have created their Hero Decks. Labelled areas:
- Rubble Pile: Space left on the table for the Rubble Pile.
- City Supply: The building stacks, placed within reach of all Heroes.
- City Defense Dice: The City Defense dice (shown with the 2-player values green 9, purple 10, red 11) placed beside the Enemy Board.
- Enemy Board & Enemies: The Enemy Board with the Minion, Villain and Archenemy cards.
- Hero Placard: Each player's board, on which their Energy and Power cards are slotted.
- Hero Deck: The face-down personal deck of each player.
- Discard Area.
- Cards in Hand: Each player's hand.
- Play Area: The area in front of each player's Hero Placard where cards are played face-up.
Taking Your Turn
With your hand of 5 cards, you take your turn in 6 short phases:
1. Reinforce Enemies
If any of the Enemy stacks have no face-up Enemy exposed, flip over a new card from that stack. One enemy per stack should now be face-up, unless an active card directs you to do otherwise.
Callout notes on page 5: Enemy Stack (face-down): Enemy stacks are face-down, except for the card on the top. When a new turn begins, flip over a new card from any stack that is missing a face-up Enemy.
2. Activate Powers
Among the cards in your hand, look for any orange-colored Energy cards and blue-colored Power cards. Your heroic Abilities need an Energy Source in play or they can't be used. During the Activate Powers phase, you may do the following in any order:
Slot an Energy Source Card
Each hero has 4 Energy Slots where they permanently (or temporarily) place Energy Source cards from their hand. You may place as many Energy Source cards from your hand as you have empty slots on your Hero Placard. Once slotted, you may not remove an Energy card from its slot, except during the Cleanup phase.
Callout notes on page 5: Slotted Energy Card: You can place any Energy Source card from your hand onto any empty Energy Slot. Energy Level: The maximum amount of Energy that an Energy Source card can provide for one Power.
Activate a Power
To use one of the Power cards in your hand, the Energy Requirement number ("REQ" number, in the upper left of the card) must be less than or equal to the Energy Level of a slotted Energy Source. Placing a Power card on the Energy Level space of a slotted Energy Source card shows that the Power has been "Activated" and you can now gain the listed benefits of that Power. Only one Power card may be played on each Energy card, even if that means some of the Energy has been wasted. Once played, a Power card may not be reassigned.
Callout notes on page 5: Energy Requirement (REQ): The minimum Energy Level an Energy Source must provide in order for you to Activate (play) a Power card.
3. Battle Enemies
Review all of the Power cards that you were able to Activate during your turn and add up all of the damage you can deal. If your damage total is equal to or higher than the Life value of one or more Enemy cards, you can defeat them! Remove the defeated Enemy card(s) from the top of its stack. You may now choose one of two actions:
Add the Card to Your Hand (Storyline)
Rotate the Enemy card so that it becomes a new Storyline card and place it into your current hand of cards. Just like the Origin Story cards in your deck, defeated Enemy cards provide Plot Points that help you Develop more Energy Sources and Powers.
Add the Card to the Rubble Pile
If you don't think that your Hero Deck needs any more Storyline cards in it, you can choose to place the defeated Enemy card onto the Rubble Pile. The Rubble Pile is where you place all cards that have been Destroyed (removed from the game).
Sidebar: Dealing Damage Is All or Nothing. Damage is all or nothing. For example, dealing 1 damage to a Minion with 2 Life does not reduce its Life to 1 point. You either defeat your enemy or you do not. You cannot weaken them unless a card specifically says otherwise. If you lack the damage needed to defeat an Enemy during this turn, simply advance to the next phase.
Example of Battle Enemies Phase: John was able to Activate four Power cards whose total damage was 6. This is enough to beat either the Minion (2 Life) or the Villain (5 Life), but he's 1 point of damage short of being able to defeat both of them, so he chooses to defeat the Villain alone. Taking the Villain card off of its stack, he rotates the card upside down (it is now a Storyline card in his deck) and adds it to his hand of cards.
4. Story Development
From any remaining cards in your hand, you may now place any Storyline cards face-up in your Play Area. Adding up the total Plot Points of all of your cards in play, you may Develop (buy) one card from the City Supply whose Plot cost is equal or less than your total for this turn. The Plot costs of each card are in the green box in the upper right section of each card. Any card that you Develop is placed directly into your discard pile and cannot be played during this turn. Storyline cards remain in play until the end of your turn.
Sidebar: One Development Only. The story development phase allows you to add just one card to your deck, which is different from the beginning of the game, when you can add as many as you can afford. To gain the ability to add more than one card during this phase, you will have to first acquire cards that grant "one additional Development" or provide similar effects.
Damage Defeats Enemies!
Callout notes on page 7, illustrated with the Major Slagg Villain card:
- Life Points: This is how much damage you must deal during the Battle Enemies phase in order to defeat the Enemy.
- Enemy Powers: Enemies have powers too. Some resist your damage while others might assist their allies or attack you.
- Destruction Power: The red phase "5" icon indicates which power is the Enemy's Destruction Power (which occurs during the fifth phase of each player's turn). Unless the City Defense or one of your powers "Stops" the Enemy, they will Destroy cards from the City Supply.
- Becomes Part of your Storyline: When you defeat an Enemy, you have the option to add the card to your deck. Rotate the card to make it become a new Storyline card.
Tell Your Story!
Callout notes on page 7, illustrated with an Origin Story Storyline card and a defeated Enemy:
- Storylines Provide Plot Points: Plot Points are the currency in Heroes of Metro City. With these points, you are able to develop new Energy Sources and Powers.
- Success in Battle Improves Your Hero: Defeated Minions and Villains in your deck provide more Plot Points than your Origin Story cards.
5. City Destruction
Any face-up Enemy cards that you did not defeat this turn will now attempt to destroy one or more cards from the City Supply. But the city is not completely helpless. The Police and the Military are doing their best to stop the Archenemy's plans as well!
Roll three 12-sided dice, one for each face-up Enemy. If the number you roll is greater than or equal to the City Defense target number, the police and military "Stop" the Enemy this turn and prevent them from using their Destruction Power. However, if you roll less than the City Defense number, the Enemy is able to use its Destruction Power.
City Defense: Roll All Three 12-Sided Dice (roll these target numbers or higher):
- 2 Players: 9 (green), 10 (purple), 11 (red)
- 3 Players: 7 (green), 8 (purple), 9 (red)
- 4 Players: 5 (green), 6 (purple), 7 (red)
If the City Defense is unable to stop an Enemy, follow the instructions on each unstopped Enemy card (starting with Enemy Minions, then Villains and then the Archenemy). When an Enemy has more than one option of which City Supply card it can Destroy, you choose which card is Destroyed. Destroyed cards are placed face-up in the Rubble Pile.
Heroic Sacrifice: The City's Last Chance
When the Heroes have been unable to defeat an Enemy and the City Defense fails to stop the Enemy from using their Destruction Power, you may sometimes be able to throw yourself in front of the attack. When an Enemy is about to Destroy any card from the City Supply, if you have the same type of card (Melee Power, Energy Source, Storyline, etc) in your hand or playing area, you may choose to add your card to the Rubble Pile instead of the targeted card from the City Supply. Only you can offer such a noble Heroic Sacrifice during your turn. Other Heroes may not. You may offer one Heroic Sacrifice per card being Destroyed.
Deck-Builder's Tip: The "Heroic Sacrifice" is actually an opportunity to improve the strength of your Hero Deck by eliminating cards you no longer need. For instance, after only a few turns, you may not need your Origin Story cards as much as you might have in your first couple of turns.
6. Cleanup
Your turn is now over. Take all of the cards from your Playing Area and all of the unplayed cards from your hand and place them face-up into your discard pile. Slotted Energy Source cards are the only cards that do not have be discarded (but may, if you choose to do so). Once you have discarded, draw a new hand of 5 cards from your Hero Deck. If there are less than 5 cards in the Deck for you to draw, draw all of the available cards, then shuffle your discard pile and form a new Hero Deck. Draw from the new Hero Deck until you have a total of 5 cards. Pass the dice clockwise to the player on your left. It is now that player's turn.
Winning the Game
Victory or Defeat?
Hard-Fought Victory...
Play continues until a Hero is able to deal enough damage to defeat the Archenemy. When this happens, the game ends immediately and that Hero has lead his Heroic allies and their fellow citizens to victory over their enemies and have saved Metro City from total annihilation.
...Or Crushing Defeat.
However, at the end of any turn in which the Archenemy's Destruction Power was not stopped (the City Defense fails to prevent the destruction and the Hero is unable or unwilling to commit a Heroic Sacrifice) and not even one remaining card from the City Supply qualifies for their Destruction Power, then the Archenemy has achieved their goal and won. They have destroyed the Heroes' beloved Metro City. However, if the Archenemy's Destruction Power was able to Destroy even one card, the game continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
"Answers to Everything!" We've done our best to make the rules clear and easy to understand. If the following sections don't do the trick, try visiting our website for even more help!
Setting Up the Game
Q: Do we actually need the whole stack of Archenemies out on the board, since we only fight one per game? No. You can put the rest of the stack away after you reveal the Archenemy for the game.
Q: When I'm choosing my starting powers during the game setup, may I choose Spark of Energy or Origin Story cards? Yes, but we don't recommend it because it dilutes your deck with less powerful cards.
Energy Sources
Callout on page 10 (example card: Spark of Energy, Energy Level +1, Versatile):
SPARK OF ENERGY is played in one of two ways: (A) Slotted as an Energy Source card on your Player Placard, where it provides an Energy Level of 1; or (B) as if it were a Power card, using the "Versatile" ability.
If you use the Versatile ability, your Spark of Energy is a Power card that provides an Energy Level of 1 plus the value of the Energy Source on which it was placed. Example: If You played a Spark of Energy as an Energy Source and slotted it, it would provide an Energy Level of 1. If you played a second Spark of Energy as a Power (using the Versatile ability) on top of the first Spark, your second Spark would provide an Energy Level of 2 (1 from the first Spark plus 1 more from the second).
Q: Can I play my Spark of Energy as a Power card onto my Martial Arts Mastery, Accelerating Superspeed or my Armed Supervehicle? A: No. Those power cards specify the limited types of Power cards that they are able to activate (such as Melee or Ranged Powers). Spark of Energy has no specific type and therefore does not qualify.
Q: Energy cards like Technological Marvel sometimes let you draw extra cards if you meet their conditions (ex. Tech Hero). If I stack up power cards on it like Martial Arts Mastery, do I get to keep drawing the extra cards from Tech Hero? A: No, you do not. In truth, you are not stacking your powers onto the original Energy Source. When each Power becomes active, it "uses up" the Energy Source you used to activate it. For example, if you use Technological Marvel to activate Martial Arts Mastery, then Technological Marvel is used up. Martial Arts Mastery then becomes a newly available Energy Source for other Powers.
Q: Intense Training will allow me to "Develop an additional card?" A: During your Development phase, Intense Training gives you the option to split up your Plot Point total to acquire up to 2 cards, instead of 1. Or more than 2, if you have more Intense Training cards.
Q: If I place a Spark of Energy onto a Product of Science, what Energy Level does the Spark provide? A: Played as a Power card (using the Versatile ability), the Spark would provide an Energy Level of 3 (2 from the Product of Science and +1 from the Spark of Energy).
Powers
Q: When calculating damage for Devastating Uppercut's Send 'Em Flying Ability, do I get to count Spark of Energy if it was played as a Power card using the Versatile ability? A: Yes, you do.
Q: If I activate more than one Weather Control, do I multiply the bonuses from Battering Storm and Carried By The Wind? A: Yes. For each activated Weather Control Power card, add 3 to the results of your City Defense die rolls. For each enemy that is stopped by the City Defense rolls (do not count defeated Enemies or Enemies stopped by another effect), Draw 1 card per Weather Control.
Q: If I choose to use the Massive Detonation ability of Explosive Arsenal, does it deal 2 or 3 damage? A: When Destroyed, it deals 3 damage total.
City Defense
Q: If I roll a City Defense die and succeed, what do I stop? A: If your roll meets or exceeds the target number, the City Defense stops only the Destruction Power (the red phase "5" ability). It does not affect the Enemy's other abilities. If an Enemy has no Destruction Power, it is not affected by the City Defense roll.
Q: If there are more than 3 Enemy cards face-up, how do I resolve the City Defense die rolls? A: The City Defense has 1 die for Minions, 1 for Villains and 1 for the Archenemy. If you succeed in rolling the City Defense target number on a die, you stop all Enemies of that type (i.e. All Minions are affected by the green die roll, all Villains by the purple die roll, etc.).
Enemies
Callout on page 11 (example card: Commander Graven, Villain):
COMMANDER GRAVEN is a unique Villain that can reveal an additional Minion during the Reinforce Enemies phase. Graven reveals the additional Minion for the first time when Graven, himself, is revealed. The additional Minion is placed alone on the table to the left of the Minion stack. Graven will only reveal this Minion after the normal Reinforce Enemies action is complete and will not reveal a new Minion if two are already face-up. The new Minion Destroys cards, applies their special abilities and takes damage as normal. It is not automatically Destroyed when Graven is Destroyed. If Graven is defeated, you Reinforce the standard Minion stack as normal and the second Minion remains until it is defeated (it is not replaced).
Q: Could you explain the Destruction Power of Admiral Watts? A: Admiral Watts first Destroys one card from a stack of your choice in the City Supply. You then roll a die. Based on the result of the roll, he then randomly Destroys 2 cards from the same horizontal row or 1 card from the same vertical column as the first card that was Destroyed. The Destroyed cards can come from different stacks. If there aren't enough cards in a column or row to satisfy the Power, you Destroy as many as you can.
Q: Could you explain the Destruction Power of Professor Mirror? A: Professor Mirror repeats the Destruction Powers of all of the face-up Minions and Villains. A "Stopped" Minion or Villain has no effect on the Professor's ability to use the cloned powers, but if the Professor is stopped, all of his cloned powers are stopped. If Professor Mirror and Commander Graven are both in play, the extra face-up Minion provides an additional Destruction Power for him to copy. However, his clones do not Destroy an extra Energy card if the extra Minion was defeated, as the extra Minion does not leave behind a face-down stack.
Q: Karion Destroys 2 Power cards from the same stack. What happens if no Power card stack has 2 left? A: If possible, you must always choose a Power card stack with at least 2 cards in it. If no stack of Power cards has 2 or more cards in it, choose one with a single card in it and Destroy that card. If the Destruction of that card leaves the City Supply with nowhere for Karion to Roost, return his card to the Enemy Board.
Q: When Enemies like Trained Agents, Severance, or Doctor Psychosis refer to a "matching card," what counts as a match? A: It must match the card's exact name (such as Spark of Energy).
Q: How do I calculate my damage total against Major Slagg? A: Add your damage total by type, then subtract from the two damage types that Major Slagg reduces. Example: If I am dealing 2 Mental, 1 Physical and 2 Elemental damage, Major Slagg reduces the Physical damage to zero and the Elemental damage down to 1. My total is 3.
Glossary
Active, Activated: A card becomes "activated" when it is successfully played into your Play Area. Energy Source cards are activated when they are slotted. Power cards are activated when placed on an Energy Source. And Storyline cards are activated when played during the Story Development phase. When activated, the abilities described on the card become available during the designated phases.
Cut Your Deck: When instructed to cut your deck, you must select about half of the cards from your Hero Deck (doesn't have to be exact) and set them aside. Take the remaining half and place it on top of the first half. Your Deck is now cut. If you are instructed to cut your Deck and have one or less cards currently in your Deck (all of your cards are in the discard pile or in play), then skip the "cut your deck" instruction and continue with the rest of the instructions.
Destruction Powers: An Enemy's ability to remove cards from the game. A Destruction Power is represented by a red phase "5" icon. It successfully Destroys cards in the game when it is not stopped by Power cards, the City Defense or the offering of a Heroic Sacrifice. When a card is Destroyed, it is placed face-down in the Rubble Pile.
Discard Pile: When you are instructed to discard cards from your hand, Hero Deck or play area, you place those cards face-up in a pile next to your Hero Deck. Any player may review the contents of their Discard Pile at any time.
Drawing Cards: When instructed to draw cards, you draw them from your Hero Deck. If there are not enough cards remaining in your deck to complete the Draw instruction, draw as many cards as you can, then shuffle your Discard Pile and form a new Hero Deck from which you then draw the remaining cards. If you still cannot draw enough cards from your Hero Deck to complete the instruction, you draw all of the remaining cards and ignore future instructions to Draw cards.
Plot, Plot Points: The Plot (cost) of each card is the amount of Plot Points needed to Develop the card (add it to your Hero Deck). You get Plot points each turn during the Story Development phase by playing your Storyline cards.
Play Area: The area where you place all of your active cards. It includes the Energy Slots on your Player Placard and the area below your Player Placard. A card in your hand is not considered to be "in play."
Randomizer Cards: A single extra copy of each Energy Source and Power card from the game, but with different artwork on the back. Randomizer decks are used at the start of each game by shuffling them and dealing them out to determine which cards will be taken out of the box and placed into the City Supply.
Reveal a Card: When instructed to reveal a card, you flip it face-up so that all players can see it. If you are instructed to reveal a card from your hand and do not have any cards currently in your hand, you skip the Reveal step of the instructions. If you are instructed to reveal a card from your Hero Deck and have no cards currently available to reveal, shuffle the cards in your discard pile and make a new Hero Deck from which you then reveal a card. If you have no cards in your Hero Deck or discard pile when instructed to reveal a card from your Deck, skip the Reveal step of the instructions.
Slotted: A "slotted" card is one that has been placed on one of the four empty Energy Source slots on your Player Placard. A slotted card is the only card you don't have to discard at the end of your turn. You may not remove or reassign a slotted card, except during the Cleanup phase.
Your Hand: Cards drawn from your Hero Deck which have not yet been slotted or played into the Play Area are "in your hand." Cards that you are unable or unwilling to play remain in your hand until you reach the Cleanup phase. During the Cleanup phase they are discarded, just before you draw a new hand.
First Game Advice & Quick Reference
First Game Ever?
If this is your first game of Heroes of Metro City™, instead of randomly choosing which cards to use (steps 1 and 2 from the setup section on the front page), just select all of the ones you see on the right and place their stacks on the table as shown. For the enemy stacks, only the top card should be face-up. This setup is a good introduction to the game.
Card images on this page (not transcribed as text): Trained Agents, Major Slagg and Baron Otto Von Bonz (Enemies); Origin Story, Spark of Energy, Affinity With Nature and Uncanny Mutation (Storyline and Energy); Deadly Blades, Life-Draining Touch, Naked Object, Elemental Blast, Armed Super-Vehicle, SuperSonic Flight, Mind Spike and Weather Control (Powers).
Quick Reference: Turn Phases
Here's a quick reminder what happens in each phase of the Hero's Turn. The phase order is also on your Hero Placard.
- Reinforce Enemies: Flip up a new Enemy card if the last player defeated one.
- Activate Powers: Play your Energy and Power cards. You need to "slot" the orange Energy Source cards to fuel your blue Power cards.
- Battle Enemies: See if you have enough damage to defeat an Enemy.
- Story Development: Play your Storyline cards and use your total Plot Points to Develop a new Power, adding it your Hero Deck.
- City Destruction: Enemies use their Destruction Powers to remove City Supply cards and place them in the Rubble Pile. The city's police and military try to help the heroes stop them.
- Cleanup: Put all the cards you have in front of you (and in your hand) into your discard pile and draw a new hand of 5 cards.