Marvel Heroes Battle Dice
Marvel Heroes Battle Dice Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Object of the Game
- Contents
- The Figures
- Factions
- The Battle Dice
- Battle Mats
- Reference Card
- The Basic Game
- The Standard Game
- Standard Game Sequence of Play
- Ready Your Team
- Enter Battle
- Choosing the Match-Ups
- Strike Total Ties
- Choose the Battle Stat
- Activate Powers
- Applying Powers
- Dice Rules
- Reloading
- Winning
- The Multiplayer Game
- Options
Object of the Game
In Marvel Heroes Battle Dice, you and your opponent place your Marvel figures in your battle dice to fight each other in epic battles. Every time you win a fight, you capture your opponent's figure. Once you capture all of your opponent's figures (your foes), you win!
Contents
This starter set contains everything needed to play the basic game:
- 6 figures (Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Magneto, Ultron, Dr. Octopus)
- 6 battle dice (2 blue, 2 red, and 2 yellow)
- 2 battle mats
- 1 reference card
The Figures
Turn any figure upside down, and you find a label called the battle gauge that shows how the figure works in the game.
Battle Gauge
Each figure has a set of numbers printed on the bottom of its base. These measure the figure's statistics (stats) and define how the figure will perform in battle.
There are six stats printed around the base's rim, each in a colored oval. The number in each oval tells you how powerful the figure is in that stat. It ranges from 0 to 6.
The six stats, by oval color, are:
- Intelligence (lilac)
- Strength (blue)
- Speed (green)
- Durability (yellow)
- Energy Projection (orange)
- Fighting Skills (red)
Powers
Beneath the stats, you may see some sets of colored icons. These represent the figure's powers. When you use a particular stat, check to see if it has any icons of the same color. If so, you get to use these powers. See the reference card for a full explanation of each icon and the powers related to it.
Name
This is the name of the character the figure represents.
Value
The number in the center of the figure's label is its Value. This tells you how much the figure is worth when building your team.
Rarity
The Roman numeral tells you how rare the figure is. There are three levels of rarity: Common [I], Uncommon [II], and Rare [III]. The rarer a figure is, the harder it is to find in booster packs.
Some figures come in a starter pack [icon: S] or with a dice launcher or other accessory [icon: A]. There are some special promotional figures [icon: P], too, which are not sold in stores.
Set
This icon tells you which set the figure comes from. This helps you know which figures you still need to collect.
# of 68
There are 68 different figures in Series 1, and each of them has a unique number. See the checklist in the back of this book for a complete list.
Factions
Figures in the same faction work best together. There are six factions in Series 1:
- Fantastic Four and Avengers Heroes
- Fantastic Four and Avengers Villains
- Spider-Man and Marvel Knights Heroes
- Spider-Man and Marvel Knights Villains
- X-Men Heroes
- X-Men Villains
The Battle Dice
Your figures enter battle inside your played battle dice. To open a battle die, hold it so that the number 6 faces up, then squeeze the sides with the numbers 3 and 4 on them. The top of the die will pop open.
Placing a figure in a battle die is easy. Put it in with the base down. Be careful not to break your figures by forcing them in at the wrong angle.
To close a battle die, press the lid down until the latch clicks shut.
Dice Rules
Each battle die has a label on the underside of its lid. A rule appears on each label.
The rules in a battle die don't affect a battle in which the battle die starts out loaded. If you win a battle, you return the battle die and your figure to your Staging Zone. If you lose a battle, the battle die goes into your Dice Zone. Only when the die is in the Dice Zone can you use its rule.
Unless the rule in a battle die says otherwise, you can play it at any time.
Rarity (Battle Dice)
There are no levels of rarity for the battle dice. However, some battle dice come in a starter pack [icon: S] or with a dice launcher or other accessory [icon: A]. There are some special promotional battle dice [icon: P], too, which are not sold in stores.
# of 23
There are 23 different battle dice in Series 1, and each of them has a unique number.
Battle Mats
Before starting a game, you and your opponent place a battle mat on the table before you. During the game, you will place your dice and figures on various sections of the battle mat and roll your dice in the space between the battle mats. There are five sections on each battle mat:
- The Staging Zone: Put your figures and battle dice here before they enter the Ready Zone. They start the game here and come back here after winning a battle.
- The Ready Zone: After you load a figure into a battle die, put it here. These figures can enter the battle.
- The Battle Zone: During a battle, you pick loaded dice from your Ready Zone and roll them. After you roll these dice, pick them up and line up each of them in front of the box that matches the number rolled on that die.
- The Holding Zone: Place your opponent's figures here when you capture them.
- The Dice Zone: When you lose a battle, put your empty battle die here.
Reference Card
The reference card is an at-a-glance summary of each power icon, its meaning, and its impact upon the battle.
The Basic Game
Step 1: Prepare to Play
Before the game starts, close the battle dice and shuffle them around. Give each player one of the battle mats and one of each color of the battle dice. Then each player rolls an empty battle die. Reroll any ties.
The player who rolls lowest chooses to play either the heroes (Captain America, Spider-Man, and Wolverine) or the villains (Dr. Octopus, Magneto, and Ultron) and takes those figures. The other player gets the other figures.
Put your figures and battle dice in your Staging Zone.
Step 2: Prepare Your Team
Open your battle dice and read the labels under the lids. Then put your figures into the battle dice.
As you load the battle dice, use your free hand to shield them from your opponent. Keep which figures go into which battle die a secret.
Place your loaded battle dice in your Ready Zone.
Step 3: Let the Battle Begin!
You and your opponent pick up one of your loaded battle dice from your Ready Zone and roll them at the same time.
Place your rolled die on its corresponding number on your battle mat.
If there's a tie, both players roll again until there is no tie.
Choose the Battle Stat
The player with the lowest battle die roll chooses which stat to use in this battle. This is the current battle stat.
Example: Marty's battle die shows a 2, and Helen's battle die shows a 3. Marty gets to choose which stat both players must use in this battle, and he chooses Fighting Skills.
Open the Battle Dice
Both players open their battle dice and remove their figures. Find the current battle stat on your figure and add the result of your roll to it. This is your battle total.
Example: Marty opens his battle die and removes Spider-Man. Helen opens her battle die and removes Dr. Octopus.
Spider-Man's Fighting Skills stat is 3. Add Marty's roll of 2 for a battle total of 5.
Dr. Octopus's Fighting Skills stat is 3. Add Helen's roll of 3 for a battle total of 6.
Activate Powers
Check to see if any of your figure's powers activate. Turn over the figure and look for the current battle stat on the label there. If your figure has any power icons of the same color as the battle stat, those powers automatically activate. Consult the reference card to see how each power works.
Starting with the player who chose the battle stat, you announce any and all powers your figure is using and then apply the results—or you can pass. The other player then gets to do the same. When both players pass in a row, you are finished activating powers during this battle.
Some powers are always on. They are always activated, no matter the battle stat.
Example: Marty chose the battle stat, so he declares his figure's activated powers first. Spider-Man's Ranged Weapon (his webshooters) activates when using Fighting Skills. This adds +2 to his battle total. Marty's battle total is now 7.
Dr. Octopus has no special powers, so Helen passes. Her battle total remains 6.
Spider-Man has no other powers he can use at the moment, so Marty passes too, ending the chance to activate any more powers in this battle.
See Who Wins the Battle
Once you've applied all the activated powers, compare the battle totals again. If you have the highest battle total, you win the battle. Take your opponent's figure and put it in your Holding Zone. Put your own figure and battle die into your Staging Zone. If you lose the battle, put your empty battle die into your Dice Zone.
If both players have the same battle total, it's a tie. You each put your figure and battle die in your Staging Zones.
Example: Marty's battle total of 7 beats Helen's battle total of 6. He takes her Dr. Octopus figure and puts it in his Holding Zone, then puts Spider-Man and his battle die in his Staging Zone.
Meanwhile, Helen puts her battle die in her Dice Zone.
Dice Rules
When you lose a battle, you place your empty battle die in your Dice Zone. Once you have a battle die in your Dice Zone, you can use the rule on the label inside the battle die's lid. Unless the rule says otherwise, you can play it at any time.
Once you use a battle die's rule, return the battle die to your Staging Zone.
If there's a question as to whose battle die rule takes effect first, start with the player who chose the last battle stat. Roll to break ties if necessary.
You can only play a single rule at a time. You must give your opponent a chance to play a rule of his or her own before you play a second rule.
Example: Helen looks at the rule inside the battle die in her Battle Zone. She can now use this in her next battle.
Step 4: Keep Fighting!
After each battle, the players pick another loaded battle die from their Ready Zones and battle again.
Step 5: Reloading
If you run out of loaded battle dice in your Ready Zone, it's time to reload your battle dice. Take the figures in your Staging Zone and put them in any of your empty battle dice. Put your loaded dice into your Ready Zone.
Step 6: The Winner!
Keep playing until one player has three captured foes in his or her Holding Zone. That player wins the game.
Once you've mastered the basic game, move on to the standard game, explained below.
The Standard Game
The standard game works much like the basic game. There are only a few differences.
Number of Players
These rules assume there are only two players in the game, but you can play with as many friends as you can fit around a table. See "The Multiplayer Game" section for details about how.
Collecting Figures and Battle Dice
To play a standard or multiplayer game of Marvel Heroes Battle Dice, you need more figures and battle dice. You can find these in the Marvel Heroes Battle Dice booster packs. Each booster pack comes with three figures (one common, one uncommon, and one rare) and one battle die.
Building Your Team
You must start the game with a group of figures worth a set total Value that both players agree upon. We recommend a Value total of 30, but you can use whatever number you and your opponent like.
We also recommend that each player start with at least six figures and six battle dice. Advanced players may wish to experiment with other configurations.
Example: You form your team from figures with the Values: 7, 6, 5, 4, 4, and 4. This totals 30, your agreed-upon Value total.
You must have a battle die for each figure on your team.
You can only have one of any particular figure on your team. If you and your opponent each use identical figures (for example, you both use Spider-Man), that's fine. Figures that are Nonunique are the exception. You can have as many of them on your team as you like.
Some figures are powerful enough to shake worlds. You can only have one such Cosmic Level figure on your team for every 30 points worth of Value you use to create your team.
- Nonunique: (icon of a skull-like emblem)
- Cosmic Level: (icon of a star)
Standard Game Sequence of Play
To play the standard game, do the following things in order.
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Load your battle dice and put them in your Ready Zone.
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Pick three loaded battle dice of any color from your Ready Zone and roll them to start a battle round. Line them up along the numbers in your Battle Zone. The total of these three dice is called your strike total.
NOTE: If you don't have enough loaded battle dice, reload all the figures in your Staging Zone into empty battle dice in your Staging Zone. Move these into your Ready Zone. Move dice from your Dice Zone if you like or must.
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The player with the lowest current strike total chooses the match-up. If you don't have any dice left, you are done until the next round starts.
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The player with the lowest single battle die roll in the match-up chooses the battle stat for this match-up.
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Open the battle dice in the match-up and apply any activated powers.
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The player with the highest battle total wins the battle. As winner, you put the losing figure into your Holding Zone and your own figure and battle die into your Staging Zone. As loser, you put your battle die in your Dice Zone.
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If a player is the last one with any uncaptured figures, that player wins the game.
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If more than one player has battle dice in the Battle Zone, go back to #3. Otherwise, go to #2 to start a new battle round. If one player still has figures and battle dice in the Battle Zone, unload the battle dice and put those battle dice and figures in the player's Staging Zone first.
Ready Your Team
Before the game starts, show your opponent the figures in your team. At the same time, examine his or hers and verify that their Values add up to the total you agreed upon.
Then place all your figures and battle dice in your team in your Staging Zone. When you're ready to start playing, load your figures into your battle dice and put them in your Ready Zone.
Enter Battle
When it's time to start a battle round, you and your opponent pick three battle dice from your own Ready Zones and roll them all at once. Then you each line up your rolled battle dice in your Battle Zone, in front of the numbers on those battle dice.
Example: Marty rolls three battle dice and gets 4, 4, and 5. Helen rolls and gets 2, 3, and 6.
Choosing the Match-Ups
Total up the numbers you rolled. This is your current strike total. If you are the player with the lowest strike total, choose one of your rolled battle dice and one of your opponent's rolled battle dice to face each other in battle. This is called the match-up. Each battle round consists of three match-ups.
When a die is in a Battle Zone, do not reroll it.
When one battle is over, add up the dice still in your Battle Zone to get your new strike total. The player with the lowest total chooses the next match-up.
The round ends when either player runs out of battle dice in the Battle Zone. If you still have loaded battle dice in your Battle Zone when the round ends, unload those battle dice and put the figures and the battle dice in your Staging Zone.
Start a new battle round by choosing three more dice from your Ready Zone and rolling them all at once.
Example: Marty's strike total is (4+4+5=) 13. Helen's is (2+4+6=) 12. Helen gets to choose the first match-up. She pits her battle die that rolled a 2 against one of his that rolled a 4.
For the next battle, Marty has an strike total of (4+5=) 9. Helen has a total of (4+6=) 10. Marty pits his 5 versus her 6.
For the last battle of the round, they each have a battle die with a roll of 4 left, which is a tie. Since it's the last battle, the match-up is already set.
Strike Total Ties
If there is a tie for the lowest strike total, the players each roll an empty battle die to break the tie. You can use standard dice if you have no extra battle dice around.
The player with the lowest result on the roll-off chooses the match-up. Be sure to break ties even on the last battle in a round. It may matter when it comes time to activate powers or play dice rules.
Choose the Battle Stat
The player with the lowest battle die roll in the current match-up chooses which stat to use in this battle. This becomes the current battle stat.
Example: Knowing she has Dr. Octopus in her battle die, Helen chooses Intelligence as the battle stat, as his Intelligence is 4. Marty groans as he removes Wolverine (Intelligence 1) from his battle die.
In the case of a tie in the match-up, both players choose which battle stat they want their figure to use.
Example: In the last battle of the round, Marty and Helen pit their rolls of 4 against each other. Marty chooses to use Captain America's Fighting Skills stat (6), while Helen chooses to use Magneto's Durability stat (5).
Activate Powers
Starting with the player who chose the match-up, you announce any and all powers your figure is using and then apply the results—or you can pass. The player to your left then gets to do the same, and so on. When all players pass in a row, you are finished activating powers during this battle.
Applying Powers
When multiple powers affect a figure, each power can only affect each figure or player once.
For instance, Ranged Weapon adds +2 to your battle total. If your figure has Ranged Weapon and uses Magic to copy Ranged Weapon again, it still only gets a +2 bonus, not +4.
You might also, for example, have two figures with Telepathy, which takes −2 from your strike total. You only enjoy the −2 effect once, not twice.
Dice Rules
If there's a question as to whose battle die rule takes effect first, start with the player who chose the last match-up and then go around the table to the left.
You can only play a single die rule at a time. You must give each of your opponents a chance to play a die rule of their own before you play a second die rule.
Reloading
If you don't have three loaded battle dice in your Ready Zone when it's time to enter a battle, it's time to reload. Take the figures you have in your Staging Zone and put them into the dice in your Staging Zone.
If you don't have enough battle dice for all your figures, move battle dice from your Dice Zone to your Staging Zone until you have enough. If you still don't have enough battle dice, leave any extra figures in your Staging Zone.
If you cannot load at least three battle dice, put as many loaded battle dice in your Ready Zone as you can. When it's time to move them into the Battle Zone, roll them, place them, and add up your strike total normally.
Winning
When any player is the only one with any uncaptured figures, that player wins the game.
The Multiplayer Game
Adding more players to the Marvel Heroes Battle Dice standard game is easy. The multiplayer game is much like the standard game with a few small differences.
Choosing the Match-Up
The player with the lowest strike total chooses one rolled battle die from each player for the first match-up of a battle round. In a three-player game, for instance, you have three battle dice involved in each match-up, one from each player. Roll spare battle dice to break any strike total ties.
A battle round ends when only one player or no players still have battle dice in the Battle Zone. If you still have loaded battle dice in your Battle Zone when the round ends, unload those battle dice and put the figures and the battle dice in your Staging Zone.
Choosing the Battle Stat
If two or more players tie for the lowest battle die roll in a match-up, treat this as if all of the players are tied. Each player chooses which battle stat his or her figure uses.
Battle Total Ties
If two or more players tie for the highest battle total, those players have fought to a draw. Their figures and battle dice go to their own Staging Zones.
Start with the player who chose the match-up, and go around the table to the left. In order, each winning player puts one of the losing figures (if any) into his or her Holding Zone. The losers' empty battle dice go into their Dice Zones.
The losers' empty battle dice go into their players' Dice Zones.
Separate Holding Zones
It's important to keep your opponents' captured figures separate from each other so they can get them back at the end of the game. To do this, create a row in your Holding Zone for each of your opponents. The first row is for the player on your left. The next row is for the player to his or her left, and so on.
To ensure that you can tell your figures apart from those of your opponents, you may wish to mark your figures with your name or some other unique symbol. This helps prevent confusion when the game is over and it's time to collect your figures.
Options
Once you've mastered all of the versions of Marvel Heroes Battle Dice, here are some options to make your game even more interesting. You can only use an option in a game if all of the players agree to it before the game begins.
Popped Rolls
If someone's battle die pops open on a roll, you should let the player reload the die and roll again. This shouldn't happen often, but it can. To discourage players from rolling their dice too hard, you can agree that any time a battle die pops open on a roll the result is considered to be 1.
Multiplayer Mayhem
All battles are one-on-one between two figures. When you choose a match-up, pick one of your rolled battle dice and one of an opponent's rolled battle dice to do battle. Keep battling like this until you cannot make any more match-ups. If any loaded battle dice are left in a Battle Zone at the end of a round, unload them and return the battle dice and the figures to their player's Staging Zone.
Cosmic Game
Remove the limit of only one Cosmic Level figure per 30 points of Value in your team. Prepare to do battle with a line-up of the heaviest hitters in the Marvel Universe!
More Online
Be sure to visit www.playmatestoys.com for strategy hints, new rules, and even more Battle Dice fun!