Hydras
Hydras Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Game
Grow the most heads before the deck runs out, but beware, your opponents will try to cut your hydra down to size.
Components
Body Cards
- 4 Body Cards
60 Card Hydras Deck
- 24 Plain Neck Cards
- 20 Sword Neck Cards
- 10 Poison Breath Neck Cards
- 6 Torch Cards
Setup
Pull out 1 body card per player. Make sure the body with the star icon is included in the pulled cards. Shuffle those cards and deal 1 body card to each player. Extra body cards should be set aside.
Shuffle the play deck and deal 4 cards to each player. Set the play deck in the center of the table so all players can reach it and set aside space for the discard pile.
Starting the Game
Your body card represents the start of your hydra. The player with the star icon on their body goes first. Play passes to the left after that.
Playing the Game
On your turn you may play or discard a card. At the end of your turn draw back up to 4 cards.
Neck Cards
A neck card has between 0 and 3 heads. The number of heads on the card is denoted by a roman numeral (I, II, or III). Cards may also include either a sword or a skull and crossbones icon. Those icons will be explained later in the rules.
Playing Neck Cards
You may play a neck card on any hydra on the table. The card must match neck-to-neck on all sides that are adjacent to other cards.
- You can't play this neck card here because it does not match neck-to-neck on all sides.
- You can play this neck card here because it matches neck-to-neck on all sides.
Sword Neck Cards
Some cards have a sword icon in one corner. Instead of playing these cards on a hydra as detailed above, you may play them as swords to cut cards off of your or your opponent's hydras. Sword cards can be played on any neck card on a hydra that has 2 or less cards adjacent to it. Note, diagonal cards do not count as adjacent.
- You can't play a sword on your opponent's hydra here because it is adjacent to more than 2 cards.
- You can play a sword on your opponent's hydra here because it is adjacent to 2 or less cards.
After you play a sword, discard it. Your opponent must discard the card it was played on and any cards no longer connected neck-to-neck to the body.
- You play a sword card on your opponent's hydra here. Discard the sword, the card it was played on, and the other highlighted card as it is no longer connected to the body by a neck.
Torch Cards
A torch can be played at the end of a neck on your opponents' hydras. Each one counts as -2 points at the end of the game. Torches block further growth until removed with a sword. A torch is treated like open space. It does not count as an adjacent card.
- You can't play this torch here because it isn't at the end of a neck.
- You can play this torch here because it is at the end of a neck.
- You can play a sword card on your opponent's hydra here because even though the card is next to 3 other cards, one of them is a torch which counts as open space.
A torch can be removed with a sword just like any other hydra card. The torch must have 2 or less adjacent cards.
- Last turn your opponent has played a torch on your hydra here. You use a sword card to remove the torch.
Slash and Burn
After playing a sword card you may replace the card you cut off with a torch from your hand.
- You cut off your opponent's neck card here.
- Afterwards you replace the cut card with a torch.
Poison Breath Neck Cards
Some cards are marked with a skull and crossbones icon. Just like swords these can be played as neck cards. Alternatively poison breath can be played outside of the normal turn sequence to block a torch, sword, or poison breath card being played on any hydra.
- Your opponent plays a sword on your hydra trying to cut you down to size.
- You block the sword with a poison breath. Both the poison breath and the sword are discarded.
Poison breath can be chained back and forth to block poison breath. This can occur as many times as both players have poison breath cards to play.
- You try to cut out a torch card on your hydra.
- Your opponent blocks it with poison breath.
- You block their poison breath with your own. Both poison breath cards are discarded. The sword card plays as normal so the sword and torch are discarded as well.
Ending the Game
When the last card is drawn from the deck, each player, including the player who drew the last card will get one more turn and then the game is over.
Scoring
At the end of the game, points are scored for each head on your hydra. The number of heads is designated by a Roman numeral from 1 (I) to 3 (III) on each hydra card.
Bonus Points
If all of your necks end in heads at the end of the game, you score an extra 3 points for having a complete hydra.
- This is not a complete hydra because of the highlighted cards. One neck ends in a torch and one neck just ends.
- This is a complete hydra because all necks end in heads. This hydra is worth 3 bonus points!
The player with the longest neck scores an extra 3 points. You must take the shortest path to the end of the neck.
- This player can track a path along the highlighted cards that is 3 cards long. Note how even though there is a longer path to the same neck card only the shortest one counts.
Penalty Points
For each torch still on your hydra at the end of the game you lose 2 points. For each head still in your hand at the end of the game you will lose 1 point.
Ties
If there is a tie the player with the least sword cards in their hydra wins. If there is still a tie the player with the most poison breath cards wins. If there is still a tie then the players share the victory.