Heroes Wanted Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Component List
• Game Terms
• Setting up the Game
  • Step One: Select a Scenario
  • Step Two: Select Heroes
  • Step Three: Select a Villain
  • Step Four: Start the Game
• Game Play
• The Hero Phase
  • Action Card Ability Terms
  • Superpower, Mutant Power, and Surge
  • Resting
  • Power tokens
  • Check for triggered abilities
• The Villain Phase
  • Defending DMG
  • End of The Villain Phase
• End of the Game
• Scenarios
  • Littering, Loitering, and Jaywalking!
  • Bootleg Battle Royale!
  • Not So Funhouse!
  • Bedlam at Zeta City Asylum!
• Helpful Tips
  • Movement
  • Resting
  • Hero Type Tips
• Solo and Campaign Mode
• Credits

Object of the Game

Heroes Wanted is a tactical board game for 1-5 players. In Heroes Wanted, players will play costumed superhero-hopefuls, attempting to fulfill their dreams of becoming a member of the exclusive crime fighting super team, The Champions of Zeta City! Each time you play, you will choose a scenario and face a different villain (or villains), but the objective remains the same: gaining as much fame as possible by KO'ing minions, completing headlines, and thwarting the villain(s). At the end of each game, the superhero with the most fame is the winner and joins the prestigious ranks of The Champions of Zeta City!

Component List

• This rulebook
• 2 doubled-sided game boards
• 1 Fame Track
• 9 headline tiles
• 6 counter tokens
• 14 event tokens
• 1 1st Hero marker
• 1 Start of the Hero Phase marker
• 1 threat track token
• 5 hero pawns in the following colors: blue, green, purple, red, and yellow.
• 5 hero mats (1 in each player color)
• 5 six-sided dice (1 in each player color)
• 43 hero discs (7 in each player color and 1 white disc)
• 5 power tokens (1 in each player color)
• 1 black villain pawn
• 40 grey underling meeples
• 20 beige henchmen meeples
• 40 total Villain HP tokens
  • 20 1HP tokens
  • 20 5 HP tokens
• 25 injury tokens
• 216 cards:
  • 24 basic actions (6 of each): Charge, Costume, Maneuver, Strike
  • 24 special actions (6 of each): Deflect, Gizmo, Mutant Power, Press
  • 6 Superpower actions
  • 20 other epic actions (5 of each): Blast, Gadget, Retaliate, Surge
  • 20 hero bonus card for the four hero types (5 of each): Cosmic, Mutant, Tech, Vigilante
  • 32 Hero A cards
  • 32 Hero B cards
  • 18 Villain A cards
  • 18 Villain B cards
  • 10 Quirk cards
  • 12 customizable blank cards

Game Terms

Here you will find a list of terms used throughout this rulebook and on game components.

Hero: A player in the game. Each player takes the role of a superhero hopeful.

Villain: A diabolic evil-doer whose plans the heroes will attempt to thwart in order to gain fame and recognition.

Minions: The cohorts of the villain who help him carry out his evil plans. Minions are divided into two types: underlings and henchmen.

Underling: Peons, lackeys, whatever you call them, these are the foot soldiers for the villain's army of evil.

Henchman: The villain's right-hand men. Henchmen are more troublesome and are generally more difficult to handle.

Character: Any hero, minion, or villain. In other words, anything represented by a pawn or meeple.

Fame: Fame is a measurement of a hero's success at winning the attention and admiration of the public. At the end of the game, the hero with the most fame is invited to join The Champions of Zeta City (and wins the game).

The Golden Rule: If any card contradicts this rulebook, follow the text on the card not the rulebook.

Headlines: Headlines are special tasks that, if completed, earn the heroes extra fame at the end of the game. Headlines are randomly selected at the beginning of each game.

Actions: The cards heroes play in order to move through the game, deal damage, and defend themselves.

Active action: The top card of a hero's discard pile. It is the action that hero most recently played or defended with.

Spent action: any action in a hero's discard pile (including the active action).

Retrieve: To return a spent action to a hero's hand.

Event tokens: Tokens with scenario-specific images. Those images are litter, bystanders, boxes of bootleg DVDs, and fun house mirrors. The Scenarios section of this rule book will describe how to use event tokens and the special rules associated with them.

Note: Throughout this rulebook we will provide helpful tips and examples in sections like this.

Note: For the sake of simplification, we will use male pronouns throughout the game when referring to players.

First Game: In each section of Setting up the Game, we will provide recommendations for your first game in these boxes that start with "First Game."

Setting up the Game

1. Select a Scenario (Page 5)

• Choose a scenario (page 16)
• Set up board according to scenario rules
• Place Fame Track next to the board

2. Select Heroes (Page 6)

• Choose a player color
• Draw 3 Hero A cards and select 1
• Draw 3 Hero B cards and select 1
• Each hero draws a Quirk (optional)
• Deal action cards
• Deal bonus card
• Setup hero discs
• Players introduce themselves

3. Select a Villain (Page 9)

• Randomly draw a villain A card
• Randomly draw a villain B card
• Set villain on board to the left of the headlines

4. Start the Game (Page 10)

• Determine the 1st Hero
• Place pawns on the board
• Start the game

Step One: Select a Scenario

Each game of Heroes Wanted starts with a scenario, which is a description of the particular brand of evil the villain is attempting to impose upon Zeta City. Each scenario uses a different game board, and the Scenario section of this rulebook details the specific setup instructions for each scenario.

a. Choose a scenario to play from the Scenario section of this rulebook which starts on page 16.

b. Set out the corresponding board.

c. Follow the setup instructions for that scenario in the Scenario section.

d. Set the Fame Track next to the board.

First Game: Choose the scenario called Littering, Loitering, and Jaywalking!

Note: To watch a video that shows set up and game play instructions, go to: actionphasegames.com\heroeswanted\setup

Step Two: Select Heroes

There are many, many unique superhero hopefuls in Zeta City. Each hero is represented by a combination of two different cards: a Hero A card and a Hero B card. You will find that different heroes and combinations can play very differently.

Each hero selects a color. Heroes take the following components of the color: a hero mat, 7 discs, a die, and a pawn. Heroes place one of their discs on the space numbered "0" on the Fame Track.

Hero A cards have the following elements:

1. Hero's Name
2. Hero Type - This is explained further in the section on page 8, called Hero Type cards.
3. Name of the Hero's Superpower
4. Superpower type - These are discussed in the section on page 12, entitled The Hero Phase.
5. Superpower ability - These are the abilities that the heroes will use when playing their Superpower action, which is explained in The Hero Phase section on page 12.
6. Hero's catchphrase

Each player draws 3 Hero A cards and chooses 1.

First Game: Instead, pull the Bot, Cobra, Dude, Knight, and Star cards from the Hero A Deck and deal one randomly to each player.

Repeat this process with Hero B cards such that each hero is comprised of a top half and a bottom half.

First Game: Instead, pull the Barefoot, Beef, Deadly, Eternal, and Mighty cards from the Hero B Deck and deal one randomly to each player.

Hero B cards comprise the lower half of a hero. These cards may grant various abilities to that hero. Hero B cards have the following elements:

1. Hero's Name
2. Ability - These abilities are unique to each Hero B card and are listed directly on the card.
3. Hero's catchphrase - A hero's patented one-liners.

Each hero draws a Quirk card. Heroes Wanted is not just about beating up the bad guys. Each hero is more than just cards and mechanics. Quirks represent the, well… quirky aspect of your particular hero. All Quirks have instructions on how heroes should behave throughout the game. The more accurately players portray their heroes, the more fame they score at the end of the game.

Heroes place one of their discs on the "10" along the fame scale of their respective quirks. If a hero is caught failing to do what his Quirk instructs, he moves that disc to the next space to the left on that fame scale. At the end of the game, each hero gains fame equal to the number that his disc is on during End of Game Scoring.

Quirks have three parts:

1. Quirk Name
2. Text - Every Quirk consists of a trigger condition and a behavior that must be performed when that trigger condition is met (or risk losing fame at the end of the game).
3. Fame scale - Heroes use this to track how much fame they will gain during End of Game Scoring for behaving the way their quirk instructs.

Note: Quirks are optional. If you desire a shorter game, you can choose to play without them.

Heroes introduce themselves. Heroes should now take the opportunity to introduce themselves to the other heroes in the game by reading aloud their Hero B name followed by their Hero A name. They also state what is written on their Hero A card, Hero B card, and Quirk.

Example: Adam announces himself as the Deadly Cobra who is a Fanboy. He reads the text on Cobra to the other heroes to let them know his superpower. Next, he tells them that since he is Deadly his ATK actions have +1 RNG, which will allow him to deal DMG to characters that are a little farther away. Lastly, he shares his Quirk of being a Fanboy. He tells everyone that when they complete a headline, he will have to stand up and announce it to the other heroes.

Deal actions to each Hero.

Basic actions: Heroes take 1 of each basic action:

• Charge
• Maneuver
• Strike
• Costume

Superpower: Heroes take 1 Superpower action.

Hero Type cards: Heroes take the special action, epic action, and hero bonus card associated with that hero's type.

Name	Special Action	Epic Action
Cosmic	Deflect	Blast
Mutant	Mutant Power	Surge
Tech	Gizmo	Gadget
Vigilante	Press	Retaliate

There are 4 hero types: Cosmic, Mutant, Tech, and Vigilante. To determine which type each hero is, match the hero type icon to the icon in the chart above.

Cosmic: Aliens and interdementional beings that utilize injuries to their advantage.

Mutants: Born with (or acquired) genetic mutations that grant them multiple powers.

Tech: Highly versatile, relying on a wide range of gear and equipment.

Vigilante: Crime fighters who press their luck using dice. The die icon means to roll a die. This icon is on all Vigilante heroes. Usually this is followed by a group of numbers and then an ability. Heroes may use that ability when the number rolled falls into that group.

For example: "1-3: Become the 1st Hero." If the hero who played this action rolls a 1, 2, or 3, he becomes the 1st Hero.

Possible die icon combinations and their meanings:

• One die icon: Roll 1 die and count the number shown.
• Two die icons: Roll 2 dice and count the numbers shown separately.
• Two die icons joined by a "+": Roll 2 dice and add the numbers shown for total.

Heroes place the hero bonus card on the "Hero Bonus" section of their hero mat and place their 5 remaining discs on the hero type icons on their hero bonus cards. They start the game with their basic actions, special action, and Superpower action in hand. The epic action that each hero is given should be tucked under his hero mat above the bonus card until he gains it. That is covered under Headlines and Hero Bonus Cards in the Game Play section on page 13.

Example: Cobra is a Vigilante, so Adam would take a Vigilante hero bonus card and a Press card to start the game. He would tuck a Retaliate card under his hero mat for future use.

Step Three: Select a Villain

Draw 1 Villain A card and 1 Villain B card. Place these on the section of the board that is to the left of the headlines.

Villain A cards have the following elements:

1. Villain Name
2. Ability name
3. Ability - This ability will be used during the last step of The Villain Phase which is referenced in the section of this rulebook titled The Villain Phase on page 14.
4. Villain's catchphrase

The Villain B cards have the following elements:

1. Villain Name
2. Ability - Heroes should read this text when the villain is revealed and follow its instructions when appropriate.
3. Villain's catchphrase

First Game: Instead, find the Beast card from the Villain A deck and the Baron Von card from the Villain B deck and place them in the Villain A and Villain B spaces on the board.

Step Four: Start the Game

a. Determine the 1st Hero: Heroes roll a die. The highest result starts the game as the 1st Hero. He takes the 1st Hero marker. He also takes the Start of the Hero Phase marker. Make sure to give this to the 1st Hero at the start of each Hero Phase so that it is easy to tell who has already taken a turn.

b. Place pawns on the board: Starting with the 1st Hero and moving clockwise, heroes place their pawns on the spaces designated in the set up instructions for the chosen scenario.

Game Play

Each turn is divided into two phases:

1. The Hero Phase
2. The Villain Phase

The Hero Phase

Play an action - During the Hero Phase, each hero will play one action card from his hand starting with the 1st Hero and going clockwise. A hero plays an action card by placing it in his discard pile to the right of his hero mat and performing the text on the card.

Actions contain 5 parts:

1. Name
2. Stamina - This number represents how much exertion it takes to perform this action. Keeping Stamina in reserve (by not playing it yet) can help you defend yourself from attacks. This value will be referenced further in the Defending DMG section on page 14.
3. Action Types - Action types have no inherent value, but they may be referenced by other cards. There are five action types:
   • Attack (ATK)
   • Defense (DEF)
   • Equipment (EQP)
   • Movement (MOV)
   • Power (POW)
4. Ability - This field describes what an action allows the hero to do in the game and is covered on the next page.
5. Card Level - The card levels are Basic, Epic, and Special. Card levels have no inherent value but will be referenced by other cards.
   • Basic actions are actions that any hero can perform. Every hero starts the game with 1 of each basic action.
   • Epic actions are high powered actions. Heroes start with 1 epic action: Superpower. Other epic actions can be gained by completing headlines.
   • Special actions are actions that heroes of a certain type can perform. All heroes of the same type will start the game with the same special action.

Action Card Ability Terms

MOVE. MOVE is the distance, up to which, a player can move with the action he plays. For example, if a hero plays an action that says MOVE 4, he may move 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 spaces. Heroes may move into any space that does not have a red border (either solid or dashed). Heroes may occupy spaces with event tokens, other heroes, minions, or villains.

Range (RNG). Range is the distance away from the hero that an action may affect another character. If an action says "RNG 2," then a hero may affect a character 2, 1, or 0 spaces away from him. If an action does not have a RNG value, it can affect characters at any range. Range may be counted through red dashed borders but not through red solid borders. Range does not require a line of sight.

Example: Adam plays Charge, which says "MOVE 1 and deal 4 DMG to a character within RNG 1. If you are the 1st Hero, Charge has +1 MOVE." Adam is the 1st Hero, so he may move up to 2 spaces, then deal 4 DMG to a character that is up to 1 space away from him.

BLOCK. A hero may use this ability only after discarding the action containing this text to defend DMG. See the Defending DMG section at the bottom of page 14.

BOOST. A hero may discard this action at the time specified on the card to use the ability listed.

SPENT. A hero may use the ability of this action whenever this card is spent.

Damage (DMG). Heroes may use actions that deal DMG to the type of character listed on the action. Here are the rules for dealing DMG to each type of character:

Minions: Minions must be dealt DMG greater than or equal to their HP (Hit Points) to knock them out, or KO them. Whenever a hero KO's a minion, he places that minion on the achievements section of his hero mat. Any DMG dealt to a minion less than their HP has no effect. There are two types of minions:

• Underlings: Underlings have 4 HP. A hero gains 1 fame when he KO's an underling.
• Henchmen: Henchmen have 5 HP. A hero gains 2 fame when he KO's a henchman.

Villain: Whenever a hero deals DMG to a villain, that hero takes HP from the Villain HP section on the board equal to the amount of DMG he dealt and places it on the achievements section of his hero mat. A villain is KO'ed when a hero deals DMG to him that reduces his HP to zero. The hero that KO's the villain gains 3 fame. At the end of the game, heroes gain 1 fame for every 2 DMG dealt to the villain, rounded down.

Heroes: DMG dealt to heroes will be covered under Defending DMG in The Villain Phase section on page 14.

Example: Adam decides to move 2 spaces. He is now within RNG 1 of an underling. He chooses to deal 4 DMG to that underling. That underling is KO'ed! He places the underling on his hero mat in the section labeled "Achievements" and scores 1 fame on the Fame Track.

Superpower, Mutant Power, and Surge

Most actions explain exactly what the hero may do when played. Superpower and Mutant Power instead reference abilities written on the Hero A card. (1) Each hero's Superpower action is treated as though it has the same text as the power listed on that hero's Hero A card. (2) The Superpower action is also treated as a POW action in addition to the types listed on the Hero A card. Mutant Power works exactly the same way as Superpower except it refers to the second ability listed on a Mutant's Hero A card. Surge will work in a similar manner. If both the Superpower and Mutant power are spent, then Surge will activate both the Superpower and the Mutant Power of the hero playing it all in one action.

Resting

As the game progresses, heroes will start to run out of actions to play. In order to regain access to actions that have been spent, heroes may need to rest. When it is a hero's turn to play an action, instead of playing an action, he may choose to rest. That means that he skips his turn and immediately retrieves all of his actions to his hand. If a hero cannot play an action, he MUST rest. If a hero was KO'ed, he will have to rest since he has no cards in his hand.

Note: When you rest, you skip your turn to return all of your actions to your hand.

Power tokens

Some Hero A cards will say to attach your power token to a space or character. The power token icon represents a hero's power tokens. These come in each player color. Heroes with power token Superpowers should start the game with this token and place it next to their hero mat. That hero's Superpower or Mutant Power will give further instructions as to what the power token does. When a hero activates a power that attaches a power token, he chooses one space or character and places his power token on that space or under that character. If a character with a power token attached to it moves, the token moves with that character. When a character with a power token attached to it is KO'ed the power token is discarded. When a power token is discarded, return it to the hero it belongs to for future use. If a hero is instructed to attach his power token and it is already attached to a character or space, he may choose to attach it to a new character or space.

Check for triggered abilities

After playing an action, heroes should check to see if they have met the requirements of any other cards. These are called triggered abilites. Other cards that may be affected are Hero B cards, Villain B cards, Quirks, and headlines. Heroes may choose to resolve these abilities in any order.

• For Hero B cards, Villain B cards, and Quirks follow these steps:
  • Always complete the entire text of the original ability or action before moving onto the triggered ability.
  • Complete the entire text of the triggered ability.
  • Complete any other triggered abilities.
• Headlines and Hero Bonus Cards: After a hero completes a headline, by meeting the requirement stated on the headline, that hero places one of the discs from his hero bonus card on the highest scoring space on that headline. A hero may only complete each headline once. When a hero completes a headline, he may use the ability listed next to where the disc was on his bonus card. The first bonus listed on all hero bonus cards is "Gain…" This refers to the epic action that each hero tucked under his hero mat during set up. When he removes both discs on this line, he puts that action into his hand. (If a hero would gain or retrieve an action while KO'ed, he places the gained action with the rest of his actions facedown next to his hero mat.) Heroes may choose to gain these bonuses in any order. At the end of the game, players will gain fame equal to the amount listed on each of the headlines they have completed.

Example: Betty is Barefoot Bot. She plays her Superpower action. She chooses to deal 5 DMG to a henchman within RNG 2. This is her second KO'ed henchman of the game. Therefore, Betty has completed the headline: "KO'ed 2 Henchmen." Before she does this though, she must finish resolving the text of her Superpower. She retrieves two EQP actions. Betty has also triggered the ability of her Hero B card, "Barefoot," which is "After you KO 1 or more minions, MOVE 2." Since both of these abilities were triggered by Betty playing her Superpower, she decides which she wants to use first. She chooses to use the Barefoot ability first and MOVE 2. Because Betty met the headline requirements, she chooses to use the Tech Hero Bonus "Deal 2 DMG to a villain. Retrieve an EQP action." She deals 2 DMG to the villain and retrieves an EQP action. Betty has not completed any other headlines nor triggered any other abilities, so her turn is over.

The Villain Phase

After each hero has played an action or rested, the game moves to The Villain Phase. During The Villain Phase, heroes follow the instructions written on the board under "The Villain Phase." Each Villain Phase will have at least two steps. Follow them in order. The two steps that are a part of every Villain Phase are:

• Advance the threat track and resolve its effect. During this step, move the threat track token to the next space. If the color of that space is white, then nothing happens. If it is any other color, look at the information written just below this step on the board for any special rules. If a hero is dealt DMG during this step, he must defend that DMG immediately. See the next step for instructions on Defending DMG.
• Villain and minions attack. Starting with the 1st Hero and going clockwise, each hero will be dealt DMG by the villain and his minions.
  • Underlings deal 1 DMG to each hero within RNG 1.
  • Henchman deal 2 DMG to each hero within RNG 1.
  • The villain deals DMG equal to the amount specified on the Villain A card.

Defending DMG

When a hero is dealt DMG, he must discard actions until the combined stamina value of those actions is greater than or equal to the amount of DMG dealt to him. The stamina value is the number in the upper left hand corner of the action card. Any remaining stamina does not carry over to defend future DMG.

• BLOCK - When a hero defends DMG by discarding an action with the BLOCK ability, he may use the ability listed under the BLOCK section. He does this immediately before defending any more DMG. If this causes the hero to complete a headline or trigger an ability, he must resolve those fully before continuing to defend DMG.
• Being KO'ed - If a hero cannot defend all the DMG being dealt to him, he is knocked out, or KO'ed. That hero places all of his actions face down in his discard pile and gains an injury. A hero that is KO'ed cannot be dealt anymore DMG until he rests and has actions in his hand again. A hero must try to defend DMG as long as he has at least one action in his hand. A KO'ed hero may not retrieve any actions until he has rested.
• Injuries - When a hero gains an injury, he takes an injury token from the supply and places it on his hero mat in the injuries section. Heroes can have no more than 5 injuries. If a hero would gain an injury beyond the fifth, he loses 2 fame instead. Whenever a hero with an injury is dealt DMG, that total DMG is increased by 1 for each injury he has. Heroes will lose 2 fame at the end of the game for each injury they have.
• Heroes dealing DMG to other heroes - A hero may deal DMG to any other hero as long as the action or ability he plays allows that. If a hero KO's another hero, he immediately gains 4 fame.

Example: Adam is the blue pawn. He is within RNG 1 of 3 underlings and 1 henchman. The villain is Baron Von Beast. There are a total of two heroes in the game. Adam will be dealt the following DMG: 1 DMG from each underling = 3; 2 DMG from 1 henchman = 2; Baron Von Beast deals DMG to each hero equal to the number of heroes in the game = 2; Total = 7. Adam must defend 7 DMG. He may do this by discarding 1 action with a stamina value of 7 or greater, like Costume. Or multiple actions which have a combined stamina value of 7 or greater, like Maneuver (4) + Strike (6) = 10.

End of The Villain Phase

After all heroes have defended DMG, The Villain Phase ends and the game proceeds to the next turn.

Example: Assume Adam is being dealt a total of 8 DMG. He chooses to defend with Costume, which has a stamina of 7, so Adam will have to defend 1 more DMG. But first he uses the BLOCK ability of Costume, which allows him to MOVE 1 or retrieve another basic or special action. Adam chooses to MOVE 1. He ends his movement within RNG 1 of a box on the Bootleg Battle Royale scenario (See page 17 for rules for this scenario.) Adam discards his last action, Charge, to KO the box. Adam had already KO'ed 1 other box, so he has now completed the headline "KO 2 boxes." Adam takes a token from his hero bonus card and places it on the highest scoring space on that headline. Adam still has to defend 1 more DMG, so he must decide carefully which bonus to use before defending the rest of the DMG. If he uses the bonus "Retrieve an action. Lose an injury," he can use the action he retrieves to defend the rest of the DMG.

End of the Game

The game ends at the end of the turn in which the villain is KO'ed. Any corresponding trigger abilities or headlines must be resolved before the game ends. The villain is KO'ed when the last HP is removed from the villain. The game may also end when the threat track reaches a specific point depending on the scenario. At the end of the game, heroes score the end of game scoring listed on the board. The hero with the most fame is recruited into the ranks of The Champions of Zeta City! If there is a tie, then the tied hero who did the most DMG to the villain wins. If there is still a tie, then the tied hero furthest from the 1st Hero in turn order wins.

Scenarios

Littering, Loitering, and Jaywalking!

In this scenario, heroes will attempt to put an end to the rampant misdemeanors being committed on the streets of Zeta City. Through the course of this scenario, the villain will be crossing the street in traffic, littering, and hanging out with his cronies. In fact, the sidewalks are littered with garbage and the minions. The heroes will be counted on to rid the streets of this filth and villainy.

Setup:

a. Villain pawn starts on the sidewalk in the space labeled 0.

b. The villain has HP equal to the number of heroes x 15.

c. Place henchman on all HM spaces.

d. Place underlings on all UN spaces.

e. Place 4 random Headlines in the four spaces labeled "Headlines" in the upper left part of the board.

f. Place the threat track disc on the space labeled "Threat."

g. Starting with the 1st Hero, heroes place their pawns on the hero spaces.

Rules:

• After a hero ends his movement on a space with litter, he may place the litter in the achievements section of his hero mat.
• After a hero with litter in his achievement section ends his movement within RNG 1 of a space with a trash can, he may throw away the litter by placing it back in the supply. Heroes gain 1 fame when they throw away a piece of litter.
• When the threat track reaches "Villain Escapes!," the game ends. The villain has eluded the heroes to litter, loiter, and jaywalk another day. Score the End Game Scoring listed on the board. The hero with the highest amount of fame wins!

First Game: Use 10 Villain HP per player instead of 15. Also, use the following headlines tiles instead: 1. KO'ed 2 henchmen; 2. KO'ed 3 underlings; 3. Made it to 10 fame; 4. Dealt 10 villain DMG.

Solo Play: See the Solo and Campaign Mode section for solo play rules.

Rank	Fame
Champion of Zeta City	40+
Defender	35-39
Crime Fighter	25-34
Sidekick	20-24
Wannabe	19 or less

Bootleg Battle Royale!

In this scenario, the villain has been flooding the city with bootleg DVDs. Zeta City's economy is in peril. Once the heroes bust into the scene of this factory, the villain will start frantically running the opposite direction of the conveyor belt while detonating explosions in an attempt to knock out the heroes. On their way to taking down the villain, heroes must take out the minions who are producing these bootleg DVDs and bust up the boxes of DVDs that are sitting in the factory.

Setup:

a. Villain pawn starts on the conveyor belt in the space labeled 1. The villain has HP equal to the number of heroes x 15.

b. Place henchman on all HM spaces.

c. Place underlings on all UN spaces.

d. Place the boxes of bootleg DVDs event tokens on all EV spaces.

e. Place 4 random Headlines in the empty Headline spaces on the board.

f. Place the threat track token on the space labeled "Threat."

g. Starting with the 1st Hero, heroes place their pawns on the hero spaces.

Rules:

• After a hero ends his movement on a space within RNG 1 of a box, he may discard an action to KO that box. When a hero KO's a box, he places it in the achievement section of his hero mat and gains 1 fame.
• The game ends when the threat track reaches "Villain Escapes!" The villain narrowly escapes the collapsing factory. The heroes have put an end to his bootlegging. Score the End Game Scoring listed on the board. The hero with the highest amount of fame wins!

Solo Play: See the Solo and Campaign Mode section for solo play rules.

Rank	Fame
Champion of Zeta City	55+
Defender	50-54
Crime Fighter	40-49
Sidekick	30-39
Wannabe	29 or less

Not So Funhouse!

The villain has taken up lodging in an amusement park funhouse. It has learned all of the secret doors and mastered the power of its mystical mirrors. The heroes must rid the funhouse of all this evil by clearing out the villain, his cohorts, and those dangerous mirrors. Be careful busting up those mirrors. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. The children of Zeta City will be eternally grateful to have their funhouse back after the heroes have done their job.

Setup:

a. Villain pawn starts off the board. The villain has HP equal to the number of heroes x 15.

b. Place henchman on all HM spaces.

c. Place underlings on all UN spaces.

d. Place mirror event tokens on all EV spaces.

e. Place 4 random Headlines in the empty Headline spaces on the board.

f. Place the threat track token on the space labeled "Threat."

g. Starting with the 1st Hero, each hero rolls a die and then places his hero pawn on an unoccupied door space in the room of the corresponding number. A hero rerolls if there are no available door spaces in that room.

h. Shuffle the counter tokens numbered 1-6 and stack them face down on the board near the villain cards. Reveal the top one and place the villain pawn on that numbered space on the board.

Note: An unoccupied space on the board is a space that doesn't have a hero, minion, villain, or event token on it.

Rules:

• A hero may KO a mirror by ending his movement on a space with an event token. When a hero KO's a mirror, he places it in the achievement section of his hero mat and he must roll a die. On a result of 1, he gains an injury. Heroes gain 1 fame when they KO a mirror.
• The different rooms of the funhouse are divided by color and theme. The board marks Villain Trap Doors and Hero Doors separately.
• Whenever a hero moves into a space with a door, that hero immediately moves his pawn to any other space that has a door of the same color. Doors may be more than one color. Heroes are only required to match one color when moving through doors.
• After the Villain moves, if there is only one counter token facedown, set aside the most recently revealed counter token. Shuffle the rest face down and place them near the villain cards.
• The game ends when the threat track reaches "Villain Escapes!" The villain sneaks out a trap door. Score the End Game Scoring listed on the board.
• The hero with the highest amount of fame wins!

Example: Adam plays Maneuver on his turn. He moves 1 space onto a space with a blue door and a red door. He must move immediately to another space with either a blue or red door. Then he continues to move up to another 3 spaces.

Solo Play: See the Solo and Campaign Mode section for solo play rules.

Rank	Fame
Champion of Zeta City	55+
Defender	50-54
Crime Fighter	40-49
Sidekick	30-39
Wannabe	29 or less

Bedlam at Zeta City Asylum!

There has been a security breach at the Zeta City Asylum. All manner of criminally insane deviants are escaping. It is impossible to tell the henchmen from the villains in this scenario until a hero tries to KO them. Every time a hero discovers a villain a new villain will be drawn. The heroes must rescue the asylum staff and stop this breakout before three villains escape, or the city will be terrorized.

Setup:

a. Villain pawn starts off the board. No villain cards are drawn at the beginning of the game.

b. Place bystanders event tokens on all the EV spaces with the bystander icon.

c. Place henchmen on all numbered spaces.

d. Place underlings on all unoccupied spaces within RNG 1 of all henchmen.

e. Take the counter tokens numbered 1-4 and shuffle them face down. Stack them and set them on the board in the villain cards section.

f. Place 3 random Headlines in the empty Headline spaces on the board.

g. Starting with the 1st Hero, heroes place their pawns on the hero spaces.

h. Place the threat track disc on the space labeled "Threat."

Rules:

• A hero may rescue a bystander by ending his movement on a space with an event token. Heroes gain 1 fame when they rescue a bystander.
• As long as there is no villain on the board, ignore abilities that would only affect a villain.
• If a hero would KO a henchman and the villain is not on the board, flip over the next counter token. When the number 1 counter token is revealed, immediately replace the henchman with the villain pawn before continuing to resolve the action that KO'ed the henchman. Draw Villain A & B cards for this villain. The villain has 15 HP. The hero who KO'ed the henchman instead deals that much DMG to the villain. If the hero used an ability or action that only KO'ed the henchman without dealing DMG or only dealt DMG to minions, then that hero deals 5 DMG to the villain. Then shuffle the numbered event tokens together facedown and place them near the villain cards. Place the replaced henchman back in the supply.
• The game does not end when the first villain is KO'ed. When a hero KO's a villain, he takes the Villain A & B cards and places them at the bottom of his hero mat by the achievements section and continues playing. Check below for END OF GAME rules.
• If a villain moves off the board, he escapes. Remove the Villain A & B cards from the board. Set those cards aside to note how many villains have escaped and continue playing.
• If a henchman moves off the board, it escapes. Put it back in the supply.
• When the threat track reaches 21*, resolve its effect and move the threat track disc back to the space labeled "Threat Track."
• END OF GAME: The game ends when any one of these four conditions is met:
  • Three total villains are KO'ed
  • Three villains escape: All heroes lose. The villains wreak havoc on the city.
  • There are 2 or fewer henchmen available when the threat track states to place more on the board.
  • There are no more underlings in the supply or on the board.

Example: (1) Betty plays Strike to deal 5 DMG to the henchman in the space next to her. Since there is no villain pawn on the board, (2) Betty first reveals a counter token. Betty reveals the counter token numbered 1. (3) Betty now draws new Villain A and B cards. Betty has found the villain Mama Mannequin. Mama Mannequin has 15 HP. (4) Betty now deals her 5 DMG to Mama Mannequin. (5) Betty places only 4 Villain HP in her achievements section because the Villain B card Mama reduces DMG dealt to this villain by 1.

Solo Play: See the Solo and Campaign Mode section for solo play rules.

Rank	Fame
Champion of Zeta City	80+
Defender	70-79
Crime Fighter	55-69
Sidekick	40-54
Wannabe	39 or less

Helpful Tips

In order to make The Champions of Zeta City, heroes will have to make sure they are in the right place at the right time. To do this, they will have to plan ahead and use their actions wisely. Here is a list of helpful tips to aid you when making those decisions. It is recommended that you play the game a few times to master the basics before reading this section.

Movement

Positioning your pawn correctly on the board is of the utmost importance. Because of this, it is essential that you make sure you are using the basic actions Charge and Costume to their full potential. Learning when to use the MOVE 1 option on Costume is the first step in mastering Heroes Wanted. Maneuver will allow you to MOVE 4 so it is good for putting yourself where you want to be, if not close to it. However, it is difficult to gain fame while playing Maneuver, so you should try to use it sparingly. Make sure to look over the minions in your area as well as where the villain will be in the near future when choosing where to position your pawn.

Note: Maneuver will allow a hero to move up to 4 spaces. That hero is not required to move at all. After that, the hero may choose to become the 1st Hero or retrieve a basic or special action. Maneuver is the only basic action that may be used to retrieve itself.

Resting

Part of timing your actions well is knowing when to rest. There will be turns where you have to decide whether it is better to rest (and avoid gaining an injury) or get KO'ed (and gain an injury). Sometimes a simple calculation of the net fame gained will give you a good idea as to what you should do. For example: If you have the opportunity to deal a villain 6 DMG, but it would result in you getting KO'ed, you know that the 6 DMG you deal to the villain will be worth 3 fame at the end of the game. You are going to take an injury, which is worth -2 fame at the end of the game. On the surface this looks like a 1 fame net gain. However, you will have to take additional DMG each time you are dealt DMG because of that injury. That could make it much harder for you to play the game in the future. On the other hand, if the headline "Dealt 10 DMG to a villain" is chosen for the scenario you are playing, it could really be worth taking that risk. That 6 DMG may earn you that headline, which would really be a boost to your chances to win the game. If you do choose to take the risk of getting KO'ed, make sure you realize when another hero might KO you and gain 4 fame in the process. Also, try to keep an eye out for other players taking a similar risk on which you might be able to capitalize.

Hero Type Tips

Here are some important tips about each hero type:

Cosmic. Cosmic heroes like being injured, as mentioned previously in this rulebook. Most of them have Superpowers that become better when they are injured. Their epic action, Blast, deals an additional DMG for each injury you have. Blast is very good when you get to 2 or 3 injuries. At that point you can KO multiple minions with one action. A great way to capitalize on this is to try and get an injury as soon as possible. Because of this, Cosmic heroes are often encouraged to defend DMG in a way other types of heroes would never want to do. For example, assume you are being dealt 5 DMG from the villain and minions. You could defend that DMG by discarding your Maneuver, which has a stamina of 4, and then discard Costume and use it to MOVE 1. You could have just discarded Costume first and saved that Maneuver for later. By defending this way, you are making it more likely that you get KO'ed the next time you are dealt DMG. Cosmic heroes often use Costume to move in the first several turns. Once they have some injuries, they usually rely on Costume to retrieve actions to make sure they don't gain too many injuries.

Mutants. Mutants are a unique type of hero. Each Mutant often has its own strategy. The one pervasive strategy through all Mutants is that they want to gain their epic action, Surge, as soon as possible. The best way to do that is determine the two headlines you can complete the fastest and focus on getting that done quickly. Once you gain Surge, you will want to make sure that your Superpower and Mutant Power are both spent when you play it. A great way to do that is to play your Superpower during the Hero Phase, and then during the Villain Phase, defend DMG with your Mutant Power. That will set you up perfectly to play Surge the next turn.

Tech. Tech heroes are the most versatile of the hero types. They have a plethora of options at their disposal. Figuring out which option to use is of great importance. Firstly, Tech heroes' special action is Gizmo. Gizmo helps give them extra movement as well as extra stamina. You will almost always want to choose to play another action. A good way to delay resting is to use your Gizmo to retrieve your Costume and play another action. Later you can use Costume to retrieve your Gizmo and do that all over again. Tech heroes are also the only hero type that has an action that will let them lose an injury. Gadget has the BLOCK ability to "MOVE 2 or lose an injury." Since you know you want to gain this action, you can safely take an injury early in the game because you will have the ability to lose it later.

Vigilante. Vigiliantes are a gutsy lot. They love to press their luck. Their special action, Press, has it right there in the name. Learning how to use Press is the hardest part of playing a Vigilante. Press allows you to discard it when you deal DMG to increase that DMG by 1. That 1 DMG can be very important. Press will allow you to use Charge to KO a henchman since Charge deals 4 DMG and Press will make that 5. Press also has a SPENT ability that allows you to reroll a die when playing your Superpower. You will usually want to have Press in your discard pile when it is time to activate your Superpower. A great way to do that is to play it the turn before, like with Charge, or to discard it while defending DMG during the previous Villain Phase. Much like the other classes, gaining the Vigilante epic card, Retaliate, quickly is very important. Press works very well with Retaliate to help you KO those pesky henchmen that are dealing you DMG during the Villain Phase. Make sure when Retaliating that you defend with it before you have defended all of the DMG, because once you have discarded actions with enough stamina to defend all the DMG you are not allowed to discard any more actions. (If you use Press to boost the DMG of Retaliate, the 2 stamina will not count toward defending DMG.)

Solo and Campaign Mode

In the single player version of Heroes Wanted, or solo mode, the hero must KO the villain before he escapes. Solo mode is played without Quirks. The villain starts the game with 30 HP in the scenarios where the villain starts on the board. Otherwise follow the scenario instructions for villain HP. The solo player will total up the fame gained throughout the course of the game and all of the end game scoring (including 3 fame for each headline completed) except "Most DMG Dealt to Villain," "Most Henchmen KO'ed," or "Most Underlings KO'ed." The hero then checks the chart provided in the Scenarios section of the rulebook to see if he gained enough fame to join The Champions of Zeta City. If the solo player allows the villain to escapes, he fails to achieve any of the levels listed in the chart.

Note: When playing solo mode, you may discard any headlines, Hero B cards, or Villain B cards that have abilities that affect other heroes since there are no other heroes in the game to affect. All Hero A cards have abilities that can function without other heroes, so they do not need to be discarded.

In campaign mode, players may choose to play the same hero throughout several scenarios. When playing in campaign mode, players use the same scoring as a usual game. After scoring is complete, take note of everyone's score. Players reset their hero bonus cards, return any epic actions that were gained through the course of the scenario, and lose 2 injuries. Any injuries beyond two will carry over to the next scenario. Players then play the next scenario. After all scenarios have been completed, check to see who gained the most fame in any single scenario. That hero wins the campaign!

Credits

Game Concept, Design, and Development: Travis R. Chance and Nick Little

Map Illustrations and Asset Managment: Christopher Byer

Graphic Design and Pre-Press: Brian Lee

Illustrations: Ryan Howe

Business Head: Brian Wyrick

Media and general awesomeness: Kira Anne Peavley

Manufactured by: Liya International