Hoshi Battle
Hoshi Battle Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 20 Hero cards
- 20 Duel cards
- 2 special eight-sided dice (also referred to as d8)
- 2 special ten-sided dice (also referred to as d10)
- 10 Hoshi Stones
- The Arena (string loop)
- Deluxe Storage Box
- These rules
Dice faces: three faces of each die show a sword, a shield and a star. The rulebook prints these as pictograms only and gives them no names; "sword", "shield" and "star" are used here to describe the symbols.
Setup
Note: These are the rules for two players. Rules for more players and other variants can be found at the end of these rules.
The players sit opposite each other, close enough to touch. Clear the playing area of all distractions and objects. Keep the dice and Hoshi Stones handy. Place the Arena in a circle between the two players.
- Shuffle the Hero cards and the Duel cards separately.
- Deal five Heroes to each player. Each player chooses three to use and discards the other two face down.
- Deal five Duel cards to each player. Each player chooses three to use and discards the other two face down.
- Each player now has a hand of six cards: three Heroes and three Duel cards.
Setup Variant
Experienced players may want to try this variant: Combine steps 2 and 3 together, but deal one less card of each type. In other words, deal four Heroes and four Duel cards to each player at the same time. Each player chooses three Heroes and three Duel cards from their eight cards.
The Game
The game is played over a series of Duels. In each Duel, the players try to exile their opponent's Heroes from the world. Before you begin, choose a starting player. Since the game is played simultaneously, the starting player only determines who reveals cards first.
Starting the Duel
Each player chooses one Hero and one Duel card from his hand and places them face down in front of him. Set the rest of your cards aside for now. Then, beginning with the starting player:
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Reveal your chosen Hero and read its abilities out loud.
Example. Your Hero is the Lord of the Night, which says: "Your opponent must have his eye covered (with one hand) when he hits you, or the hit is canceled." It is important that your opponent knows this ability before the duel begins, so he can react to your Hero's ability.
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Depending on the type of card, your chosen Duel card may be revealed at this time or remain face down.
Example. Your Duel card is Rage, which says: "Play Rage after you have been hit. Battle with the d8." You must keep this card hidden, and can play it only after you have been hit (though you are not forced to play it).
Example. Your Duel card is Backstab, which says "Roll star: You may try to touch your opponent's hand. If you succeed, reveal Backstab and your opponent is hit." You must keep this card hidden, and can play it only after you have rolled a star and touched your opponent's hand. At that point, by revealing this card, your opponent is hit and loses one Hoshi Stone (unless he has a card or an ability which cancel the hit).
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Take the die shown on your Hero. It is recommended that you and your opponent use two different colors.
Three faces of the dice show the following symbols: a sword, a shield and a star.
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Take two Hoshi Stones. Place your stones in front of you.
Now you're ready to play! Count aloud from three to zero, and the Duel begins!
Fighting a Duel
The Duel is fought over a series of rounds. Each round generally ends when one player has been "hit" and loses a Hoshi Stone. During a Duel, you must obey all of the following rules.
Rules of the Duel
During a Duel, you do not take turns! You and your opponent duel simultaneously! You play only with one hand! Roll your die as fast as possible, at the same time as your opponent. For faster rolling, you are allowed to simply "pinch" and release your die, but it is important that the die is actually lifted off the table and allowed to roll. You can't just push it around with your finger!
When rolled, the die must first touch the area inside the Arena—otherwise the roll is not valid! If the die rolls out of the Arena, that's okay: the result still counts. But, you must still roll the die inside the Arena when you pick it up again.
If you roll a sword, you may swing the hand you use to roll and try to make physical contact with the hand your opponent uses to roll (tap it gently!). You can aim for the palm or the back of the hand: both are fair targets. If you successfully touch your opponent's hand, you have "hit" and the round ends. Your opponent must discard one of his Hoshi Stones. Once the stone is discarded, the Duel resumes with the next round. If you fail to touch your opponent—because you missed when you reach for him or touched him somewhere other than his hand (such as an arm)—you "miss" and the round continues. You will have to roll another sword before you can try to hit again.
If you see that your opponent has rolled a sword, or if you see him trying to swing at you, you may pull your hand up to avoid being hit. In other words, you may assume the defensive position as shown here:
(Illustration: defensive position.)
Note: sometimes, touching your opponent's hand does not mean to "hit" him; always refer to what the card says. For example, if your Hero is the Fire Harpy ("Roll star: you may try to touch your opponent's hand. If you succeed, he battles with the d10 for the rest of the Duel.") and you touch your opponent's hand after you have rolled a star, he is not considered "hit" and does not lose a Hoshi Stone (but he can still defend himself if he sees you rolled a sword!).
End of a Duel
If you have no Hoshi Stones left, you have lost the Duel. Your Hero is removed from the game: it has been exiled from this world back to its own dimension. The Duel card used for that Hero is also discarded, whether it was revealed and/or used or not.
Next, you must take up the hand of cards you set aside earlier and choose another Hero and Duel card for the next Duel. Reveal your Hero (and Duel card, if needed) as before. Your new Hero begins at full health, so take back your two Hoshi Stones. Now a new Duel can begin.
If you win the Duel, you fight the next Duel using the same Hero and Duel card, and with your current number of Hoshi Stones—your Hero does not heal between Duels!
If your opponent has no Heroes left, the game ends and you win!
End of the Game
If your opponent has no Heroes left, the game ends and you win!
Rules of Honor
- You cannot interfere with your opponent's rolls! Play fairly!
- If you roll any result, but pick up the die in a rush, you can't just place the die back on the table: that result is lost! Quick, resume rolling!
- Each time you roll a sword you only get one chance to hit your opponent. If you miss, you can't try again immediately: you need to roll another sword first. Quick, resume rolling!
- If you roll a sword but your opponent goes into the defensive position, after a moment it counts as a miss and both players must resume rolling!
- If both players roll a sword and both touch their opponent at the same time, it is a draw: Neither player loses a Hoshi Stone. Resume rolling!
- You are allowed to bluff (i.e., swing even when you don't have a result, pretending to have rolled one). However, if you touch your opponent while bluffing, you are hit and lose one Hoshi Stone!
- If any dice falls off the playing surface or you are uncertain of rules interactions, you can ask for a timeout. This timeout begins after your opponent finishes what he was doing, e.g. if his die was rolling then he completes his roll and possibly hits. Resume with a countdown.
- If the text on a card contradicts the rules, the card always takes precedence. If a situation arises that seems not covered by the rules, use common sense and decide with your opponent what is most fair.
- Disclaimer: The physical contact intended in this game is minimal and will not cause any harm (just like playing 'patty-cake'). Don't use force when playing. Remove all jewelry. Respect your opponent. Play fairly!
Rules for 3 or More Players
Before the game, deal four Heroes to each player. Choose one of your Heroes to keep and pass the other three face down to the player on your left. Choose one of the three Heroes you receive and pass the other two to your left again. Repeat until you have chosen four Heroes. Finally, select three of those Heroes to use and discard the fourth from the game. Repeat this process with the Duel cards, but this time pass the extra cards to your right.
Choose the starting player. The starting player selects an opponent. Those two players each select a Hero and Duel card pair, reveal them as appropriate, and fight a Duel.
Once that Duel ends (i.e., one of the Heroes is exiled), the winning player chooses another player still in the game to duel with. You must choose the player who has the most Heroes left. If there is a tie for the most Heroes, you may choose any of the tied players.
If all of your Heroes are exiled, you are out of the game.
The last player with Heroes in play wins the game!
In theory, there is no limit to the number of players in the game with these rules, provided you have enough cards for everyone (combine two or more games if you need to!).
Constructed Deck Variant
Before the game begins, each player prepares two decks: one with four Heroes, one with four Duel cards. The total cost of those cards cannot be more than the amount agreed upon by the players (we suggest 40 points). Your decks cannot have more than one copy of any card.
Next, shuffle your Hero cards and Duel cards separately, then draw three of each to use during the game (the rest are removed from play).
Proceed to duel until all three of one player's Heroes are exiled. The other player wins the game!
You may combine this variant with the rules for three or more players.
The Cards
Hero Cards
Each Hero card shows one of the mystic heroes you can evoke to fight for you in the Arena. Each Hero card shows:
- Die Type: The type of die you must roll during the Duel (d8 or d10).
- Cost: The value of the Hero when using the Constructed Deck Variant.
- Illustration and Name: The likeness of the Hero and his title.
- Text: A special ability you may use during the Duel, and some flavor text in some cases.
Sample Hero card: Glorious Phoenix. Die type d8. Cost 3. Text: "Discard your Duel card before the Duel starts."
Duel Cards
- Artifacts: Valuable and useful ancient items that your Hero may use. These are usually revealed before the start of a Duel and—if you win—can be re-used again at the beginning of the next Duel.
- Power: A magic spell or special action you can use to your advantage or throw at your opponent to block him. These are usually revealed at the beginning or end of a round, and can be used only once.
- Legends: A mystical location or epic event from the War of Forgotten Times, which can affect an entire Duel. These affect both players and are usually revealed at the beginning of a round. If you win the Duel, their effects will continue during the next Duel.
Note: If a Duel card says that it can be played at the beginning of a round, you may play it at the beginning of a Duel (before the first round begins).
Each Duel card shows:
- Type: Artifact, Power or Legend.
- Cost: The value of the Duel card when using the Constructed Deck Variant.
- Illustration and Name: The likeness of the artifact, power, or legend and its title.
- Text: When the card may be revealed, whether it stays in play or is discarded, and the effect of the card when you play it.
Sample Duel card: Arcane Knowledge. Type Power. Cost 6. Text: "Reveal at the end of any round. Discard." Effect: "When your Hero (except the last one) is defeated, instead of exiling it, set it aside with 1 Hoshi Stone. You can use that Hero in a later Duel. Continue the current Duel with another Hero."
Note on card text: the rulebook's card diagrams are the only card faces printed legibly on the rules pages. The card faces that appear in the page background artwork are decorative and are not transcribed here card by card; their text and icons are not reproduced in this file.
Card Effect Priority
The last card or effect played always has priority. Heroes' abilities are activated during the round in which the event described on the card occurs.
Example 1: The Clay Champion states: "If you are not at full health, battle with the d10." At the end of the round in which he loses a Hoshi Stone, this ability takes effect: from that point forward you would roll the d10. If you use the Fire Axe Duel card at the beginning of the next round (which says: "Battle with the d8"), you would instead use the d8. But, if you played the Fire Axe when your Hero was at full health, you would battle with the d8. If your Clay Champion loses a Hoshi Stone later in the duel, you would have to start using the d10 instead.
Example 2: Your Hero is the Charming Trader ("If your opponent's Hero has a higher Cost, battle with the d8."). Against a more expensive Hero, you roll the d8. But, when you lose a Hoshi Stone you play the Duel card Deowi Pouring Rain ("Play Deowi Pouring Rain after a Hoshi Stone is discarded. All players battle with the d10."). Now you and your opponent both battle with the d10. Later in the Duel, your opponent loses a Hoshi Stone and plays Rage ("Play Rage after you have been hit. Battle with the d8."). Now your opponent uses the d8, but you must still use the d10.
Each card is resolved fully before another card can be played. If both players have a face down Duel card, the last player to hit his opponent must decide first if he is going to play his card or not, followed by his opponent. If you choose not to play your card, you must wait until the next round starts or ends. During the first round of a Duel, the starting player chooses whether to reveal his card first.
Terminology
- Ability: Hero card text.
- Cost: The number in the coin on a card, which must be taken into account when playing the Constructed Deck Variant.
- Count also as: The result of a die is counted for what it looks like and also for something else.
- Count instead as: The result of a die is not counted for what it looks like but instead for something else.
- Duel: One single match—until a Hero is exiled.
- Game: The whole match!—until only one player is left with Heroes.
- Health / Full health: The current number of Hoshi Stones a player has left. / The number of Hoshi Stones a player has at the beginning of a Duel (usually two).
- Hero: A character in the game.
- Hoshi Stone: The magical energy that binds a Hero to this world. One is lost each time a player is "hit" by an opponent who rolled a sword due to some abilities and effects.
- Round: A battle between Heroes that lasts until a player's hand is touched (he is hit or a special effect is triggered; in the former case, a Hoshi Stone is discarded, there is a draw, or the hit is canceled by an ability).
- To battle: To fight a Duel by rolling dice and trying to "hit" your opponent if you roll a sword.