Marvel United: Multiverse
Marvel United: Multiverse Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Heroes: Captain Carter, Spider-Man 2099, Loki, Ironheart, Mighty Thor, Black Panther (Shuri)
- Villains: Cosmic Ghost Rider, Maestro, Immortus, Emperor Doom
- 8 Locations
- 1 Mission Guide
- 1 rulebook
- 4 Villain Dashboards
- 48 Master Plan Cards
- 24 Threat Cards
- 3 Mission cards
- 2 Challenge Cards
- 84 Hero Cards
- 7 Equipment cards
- 8 generic Equipment cards
- 21 Classic Equipment Cards (for previous boxes)
- 12 Battle Plan cards
- 12 Super Villain Cards
- 8 Super Hero Cards
- 1 Stunned token
- 1 Rick Jones token
- 2 Villain Delayed/Accelerated Tokens
- 4 Invulnerable or Random/Facedown tokens
- 36 Thug/Civilian tokens
- 6 Threat tokens
- 15 Doombot tokens
- 42 Action tokens (15 Heroic, 9 Attack, 9 Move, and 9 Wild)
- 32 Health tokens
- 18 Crisis tokens
- 1 Villain Tracker
Setup
-
Place the Mission Guide in the middle of the table and the standard 3 Mission cards on the slots at its bottom (in any order).
-
Choose a Villain to face and place their Villain Dashboard on the slot at the top of the Mission Guide (we recommend new players start with Cosmic Ghost Rider). If the Villain Dashboard has Special Setup instructions on its back side, make sure to follow these instructions first. Then, flip the Dashboard to its front side. The Villain Dashboard indicates the starting value of the Villain's Health depending on the number of Heroes in the game. Place that number of Health tokens on the Dashboard. If the Villain Dashboard has a track, place the Villain Tracker on its 0 space.
Example: In a 4-Hero game, Cosmic Ghost Rider starts with a pile of 8 Health tokens.
Purple Man always enters play with a number of Health tokens equal to the number of Heroes +1 (5 Health in a 4-Hero game).
-
Randomly pick 6 Locations and place them around the Mission Guide. Follow any special setup instructed on a Location. Fill all marked slots of each Location with either Civilian or Thug tokens, as indicated. Note that the slot markings are only used for Setup and are irrelevant during the game, during which any token can be placed in any slot.
-
Shuffle the Villain's Threat cards and place 1 faceup on the slot at the bottom of each Location (covering the End of Turn effect), adding a Threat token to the slots next to them. Some Threat cards contain Henchmen, characters in the service of the Villain. Each of their cards indicates the number of Health tokens that must be placed on them. Some Henchmen have a variable number of Health tokens based on the number of Heroes in the game.
-
Place all remaining tokens, separated into pools, within reach of all players.
-
Take the Villain's Master Plan deck, shuffle it, and place it facedown next to a random Location. Place the Villain's game piece in that Location.
-
Each player chooses a Hero and places their game piece on the Location opposite the Villain. Then, each player shuffles their corresponding Hero deck and places it facedown next to them. Some Heroes have cards that read 'Starting Hand' on their backs. Make sure those cards are placed at the top of the deck. If a Hero has a card that reads 'Bottom of the deck' on its back, make sure it is placed at the bottom.
EQUIPMENT - OPTIONAL: If playing with the Equipment optional rule (see "Equipment"), Heroes that have any Equipment cards place them faceup in front of them. In the rare cases where a Hero has more than 3 Equipment cards, they must choose 3 to take and remove the others.
Heroes with no specific Equipment cards can choose 1 of the Generic Equipment cards and place it faceup in front of them.
-
Each player draws 3 cards from the top of their Hero deck into their hand and collectively choose which Hero will start the game. The game is now ready to start with the first Villain turn!
IMPORTANT: All players should familiarize themselves with the text on the Villain Dashboard and all Threat cards, as they will inform the particulars of the game being played.
Winning & Losing
HEROES WIN if they defeat the Villain by removing all its Health tokens or by accomplishing the Heroic Goal listed on the Villain Dashboard (if it has one). Until 2 of the 3 available Missions have been completed, a Villain can't be damaged or defeated (unless a Special Rule on the Villain Dashboard states otherwise).
HEROES LOSE if the Villain completes their Master Plan. This happens if any of these conditions are met:
- The Villain achieves the conditions of the Villainous Plot stated on their Dashboard (if they have one).
- The Villain must draw a Master Plan card, but their deck is empty.
- Any Hero starts their turn with no cards both in their deck and in their hand.
Villain Turn
The game always starts with the Villain taking their turn. Draw the top card from the Master Plan deck and place it faceup on the table. This is the start of the Storyline that will guide the entire game. Each Master Plan card played will contain different elements that must be executed in order, from top to bottom, one after the other.
Move Villain
Move the Villain clockwise (unless otherwise indicated) the number of Locations equal to the number shown on the card.
If the Villain ends their movement on a Location with a Threat card showing the BaM! symbol (even if the Villain's movement was 0), immediately resolve the effect described on that Threat card. These effects are resolved even if the Villain is moved there outside the Villain turn, or if the Villain moves multiple times during a Villain turn.
Example: Immortus moves 2 Locations clockwise, triggering the Threat effect at his destination.
Activate BaM!
If the card shows this symbol, activate the BaM! effect detailed on the Villain Dashboard and then any BaM! effects shown on Threat cards, starting with the Threat card in the Villain's Location and proceeding clockwise. These effects complicate the Heroes' lives in all sorts of different ways, often dealing damage to them (see "Hero Damage").
Special Effects
Resolve any Special Effects described on the Master Plan card, if possible.
Add Thugs/Civilians
Add the indicated number of Thug and/or Civilian tokens to the Villain's Location and those around it. The central Location on the card represents where the Villain is, with the 2 adjacent Locations to either side. Go in clockwise order, adding the tokens to the Locations. At each Location, first place the required Thug tokens, then the required Civilian tokens. At each location, if there are not enough empty slots available, an Overflow effect is triggered.
Example: Going in clockwise order, the first Location gets a Thug (1), then a Civilian (2). Then, Immortus' Location gets nothing. Finally, the last Location gets a Thug (3). As there's no empty slot to place the remaining Civilian (4), the Villain's Overflow effect (5) is triggered at that Location.
Overflow
Whenever 1 or more Thug/Civilian tokens can't be added to a Location, a single Overflow effect is triggered at that Location. Check the description of the effect on the Villain Dashboard and resolve any triggered Overflows in clockwise order. Remember that no matter the number of tokens that can't be added to a Location, only a single Overflow effect is triggered for that Location. Should an Overflow be somehow triggered during a Hero turn, it is resolved at the end of that turn.
Hero Turn
Once the Master Plan card is fully resolved, it's time for the Heroes to act!
Starting with the Starting Hero, players will take their turns in clockwise order until the end of the game.
During their turn, players follow these steps in order:
- Draw a Card
- Play a Card
- Resolve Actions
- Location End of Turn Effect
1. Draw a Card
The active player draws the top card from their Hero deck into their hand.
NOTE: There is no limit to the number of cards a player may have in their hand. If their deck runs out, the player simply doesn't draw a card.
2. Play a Card
The active player chooses a Hero card from their hand and adds it to the end of the Storyline, to the right of the last card played.
3. Resolve Actions
Look at the symbols at the bottom part of the Hero card just played AND at the bottom of the previous Hero card in the Storyline (even if they are separated by a Master Plan card). Each of these symbols corresponds to an Action the Hero can perform this turn, in any order (a Hero does not benefit from the Actions of another Hero's previous card if they are the one to play first, as there are no other Hero cards in the Storyline yet, or if the previous Hero card is facedown in the Storyline). Keep in mind that, when Heroes unite their efforts, they only benefit from the symbols at the bottom of the other Hero's card, not from any Special Effects or extra symbols shown above that.
Example 1: Captain Carter plays her card. Combined with Spider-Man 2099's symbols, this turn, she can perform 1 Attack, 2 Moves, and 1 Heroic Action, in any order.
Example 2: Mighty Thor plays her card. Besides her 2 Heroic Actions, she can also perform the Attack action from Loki's card. She cannot use Loki's Special Effect.
The active player may perform the following Actions, once per symbol available to them, in any order they like:
Move — Move the Hero to an adjacent Location, in any direction.
Attack — Deal 1 damage to a target of the player's choice in the active Hero's Location.
- If attacking a Thug, it is defeated upon receiving 1 damage (unless a Threat card in its Location says otherwise). See "Defeat Thugs" to learn what to do with defeated Thugs.
- If attacking a Henchman on a Threat card, remove 1 Health token from the card for each damage dealt. See "Clear Threats" to learn what to do with defeated Henchmen.
- Only after resolving 2 Missions, Heroes can attack the Villain directly. Remove 1 Health token from the Villain Dashboard for each damage dealt. See "Completing Missions" to learn about defeating the Villain.
Heroic Action — This can be used to do one of two things:
- Rescue 1 Civilian in the active Hero's Location. See "Rescue Civilians" to learn what to do with rescued Civilians.
- Place a Heroic Action token on an empty slot of the Threat card in the active Hero's Location in order to clear that Threat. See "Clear Threats" to learn what to do with cleared Threats.
Wild — This can be used to perform either a Move, Attack, or Heroic Action.
Special Effect — In each Hero deck, there are a few cards with a Special Effect described in a box above the regular Action symbols. The active Hero may apply the listed effects in their entirety before or after any other of their Actions. For example, they could perform an Action on their card, then their Special Effect, then an Action on the previous card. Remember that these Special Effects cannot be performed by other Heroes.
Mandatory Effects: Some Hero cards may have mandatory Special Effects. These can be identified by a black background in the text box. When such a card is played, the Hero MUST resolve the Special Effect as well. They don't have the option of ignoring it.
Action Tokens — If the active Hero has any Action tokens in their possession (Move, Attack, Heroic Action, or Wild), they may spend them at any point during this step to perform the corresponding Action. Note that when a Hero gets an Action token, they may hold on to it and spend it during any future turn.
NOTE: In case a Hero is removed from the game and replaced by a new one, the player keeps their Action tokens to use with the new Hero.
4. Location End of Turn Effect
If the Location where the active Hero ends their turn has no Threat card on it, the player may choose to apply the End of Turn effect detailed at the bottom of the Location. Some Locations have a mandatory End of Turn effect, identified by a black background. When a Hero ends their turn in such a Location, with no Threat card on it, they MUST resolve its End of Turn effect, if possible.
On each turn, a Hero can only use a single Location's End of Turn effect (so if they move to another Location using an End of Turn effect, they cannot then use their new Location's End of Turn Effect).
Example: Spider-Man 2099 ends his turn on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, where there's no Threat covering the End of Turn effect. He decides to use it and moves to another Location (he won't be able to use that Location's effect as well this turn).
Turn Sequence
Once the active player has completed all the steps of their turn, the next player in clockwise order becomes the active player, performing their turn. Each time 3 Hero cards have been added to the Storyline, a new Master Plan card is drawn from the deck, added to the end of the Storyline, and resolved. The next player then takes their turn.
Under Pressure
Play continues in this fashion until the players complete their first Mission (see "Completing Missions"), at which point, the Villain becomes Under Pressure and starts adding a Master Plan card to the Storyline after every TWO Hero cards. The game proceeds this way until either the Heroes defeat the Villain, or the Villain completes their master plan (see "Winning & Losing").
Missions
Completing Missions is a crucial step in the Heroes' road to victory. Every game has 3 Missions available for the Heroes to tackle. They can be completed in any order.
Rescue Civilians
Endangered Civilians are always in need of rescuing. If a Location can't hold any more of them, the Villain's Overflow effect is triggered (see "Overflow"). Whenever a Civilian is rescued (see "Heroic Action"), take its token and place it on an empty slot of the Rescue Civilians Mission card, if possible. Otherwise, discard it.
Defeat Thugs
Thugs are always threatening to dominate Locations, triggering the Villain's Overflow effect if the Location can't hold any more (see "Overflow"). Whenever a Thug is defeated (see "Attack"), take its token and place it on an empty slot of the Defeat Thugs Mission card, if possible. Otherwise, discard it.
IMPORTANT: If an effect "discards" a Civilian or Thug token, it is returned to the pool, not placed on a Mission card.
Clear Threats
The Threat cards that are on the Locations, covering their End of Turn effect, may have all sorts of different effects, from constant effects at that Location or the entire game, to effects triggered by a Master Plan's BaM! (see "Activate BaM!"), to effects triggered by the Villain's presence (see "Move Villain").
When it comes to clearing them, Threats are divided into two basic types:
- Henchmen: To clear these Threats, Heroes must defeat them, attacking them until they remove all of their Health tokens (see "Attack").
- Other: Other Threats are usually cleared by placing 3 Heroic Action tokens on their slots (see "Heroic Action"). Note that some Threats may display other quantities and types of Actions that must be spent.
Once a Threat has been cleared, remove its card, returning any tokens on it to the pool. The Threat has no effect anymore (unless its effect lasts until the end of the Hero turn), and its Location's End of Turn effect can now be used by the Heroes. Take the Threat token located next to it and place it on an empty slot on the Clear Threats Mission card, if possible. Otherwise, discard it.
IMPORTANT: If a Threat card moves, its Threat token moves with it. If a Threat card has no Threat token next to it (usually because it was brought back into play), when cleared, simply take any available Threat token to place on the Mission card.
NOTE: After their respective Missions have been completed, rescuing Civilians, defeating Thugs, and clearing Threats does not advance the game. However, doing so still helps the players avoid Overflow effects and gain benefits from more Locations.
Completing Missions
Remember that Missions can be completed in any order. Once all the slots on a Mission card are filled, the Mission is complete! Remove its card from the game, returning its tokens to the pool. If necessary, move the remaining Missions to the right so that the leftmost slots are left empty, unlocking the effects listed above them.
- Once the first Mission is complete, the Villain becomes Under Pressure and starts playing Master Plan cards after every 2 Hero cards instead of after every 3 cards.
- Once the second Mission is complete, the Heroes can damage the Villain directly (see "Attack"). Once all Health tokens are removed from the Villain Dashboard, the Villain is defeated and the Heroes win the game!
- Players don't have to complete the third Mission, but doing so allows all Heroes to immediately draw 1 card from their deck into their hand.
Hero Damage
Heroes usually take damage when attacked by the Villain or Henchmen due to activated BaM! effects. For each damage a Hero takes, they must discard 1 card of their choice from their hand, placing it at the bottom of their deck (regardless of any 'Bottom of the Deck' card that might be in the deck).
KO
If a Hero discards the last card from their hand, whether during a Hero or Villain turn, they are immediately KO'd. Lay down that Hero's game piece to show they are KO'd.
Then, immediately resolve the BaM! effect listed on the Villain Dashboard, but not those on Threat cards of any type. This could cause another Hero to be KO'd, creating a chain reaction. If multiple Heroes are KO'd at the same time, the Villain BaM! effect is resolved once for each KO'd Hero.
IMPORTANT: KO'd Heroes must be ignored by all game effects, both negative and positive.
At the start of a KO'd Hero's next turn (without skipping a turn), their piece is placed back upright and they draw up to 3 cards from their deck before performing the normal 'Draw a Card' step and the rest of their turn as usual.
NOTE: If a Hero plays their last card of the deck during their turn, they get to perform their full turn before being KO'd.
Challenges
The basic game is designed to introduce the game to new players and provide a reasonable challenge for families. Players can add Challenges to the game to increase difficulty and introduce new twists. There are 2 Challenges included in this set. Other expansions will provide players with additional Challenges that they can freely add and combine. Challenge cards are provided to help players easily choose and remember the Challenges in play.
- MODERATE CHALLENGE: Each Hero removes 1 card from their Hero deck. This Challenge is recommended as soon as players get familiar with the basic game.
- HARD CHALLENGE: Each Hero removes 1 card from their Hero deck. This is recommended for players already familiar with cooperative games, or once they've mastered the previous Challenge.
Equipment
Experienced players may choose to add Equipment to their game. We strongly recommend introducing Equipment cards only after all players are familiar with the game rules. Each Hero playing with Equipment cards must remove 1 card from their Hero deck to preserve game balance. Any Heroes not using Equipment can keep their Hero deck unchanged.
Each Equipment card belongs to a specific Hero, as indicated on the card itself. Heroes with no Equipment card can instead choose to use 1 of the Generic Equipment cards, picking one that best fits them.
Equipment cards are placed faceup in front of the corresponding Hero during Setup (the side showing the ready symbol). Equipment cards are not considered Hero cards, which means they are not affected by effects that target Hero cards.
A Hero with faceup Equipment cards can choose to use them whenever they wish, following the indication on the card. Some cards can be used on the Hero turn, others on the Villain turn. Once their effect is applied, the Equipment card must be turned facedown, making them unusable while they are facedown. Note that some cards may have Permanent effects, which means they are not turned facedown when used and so are always available.
Example: During her turn, Shuri decides to use her Spear of Bashenga. She defeats a Thug in an adjacent Location, then turns her Equipment card facedown.
Heroes are able to recharge (turn faceup) their Equipment cards by performing the tasks described on the card back. Some Special Effect on their Hero cards may also allow them to recharge their Equipment. Note that some cards cannot be recharged once used and are removed from the game, as indicated on their backs.
Example: At the start of a later turn, Shuri decides to recharge her Spear of Bashenga. She discards a card token and turns her Equipment card faceup, ready to be used again.
Not all Heroes have Equipment cards. This is the Equipment belonging to the Heroes in this set:
- Black Panther (Shuri): Spear of Bashenga, Hard Light Shield
- Captain Carter: Captain Carter's Shield
- Cosmic Ghost Rider: Hellfire Chain, Hell Cycle
- Loki: Scepter
- Mighty Thor: Mjolnir
Additional Rules
ANTI-HEROES: The purple-colored game pieces represent Anti-Heroes. These characters have both a Hero deck and a Villain Dashboard, Threat cards, and Master Plan deck. They can each be chosen as either a Hero or a Villain in any game (but not both roles at the same time).
VILLAIN DELAYED/ACCELERATED: Some game effects will "delay" or "accelerate" the next Villain turn. This means the Villain will play their next Master Plan card either 1 card later or 1 card earlier than they would usually. If the Villain is delayed, place a token on its green Delayed side on top of the Master Plan deck as a reminder. If the Villain is accelerated, place a token on its orange Accelerated side at the end of the Storyline. Discard the token once the next Master Plan card is played. If the Villain is ever both accelerated and delayed, just discard both tokens.
INVULNERABLE: If a Hero card states that the Hero cannot take any damage or that they ignore 1 or more damage, take an Invulnerable token as a reminder, removing it when the effect ends. An invulnerable Hero can still volunteer or be chosen to take damage to satisfy a special effect, though they still ignore the damage.
PLAY RANDOMLY/FACEDOWN: If an effect makes a Hero play their next Hero card randomly or facedown, place a Random/Facedown token on top of that Hero's deck as a reminder, removing it after they've played their next Hero card.
CRISIS: Crisis tokens are used by certain Villains to represent their nefarious influence. Simply use them as described by the text on the cards and dashboards. Some of them will tell players how Crisis tokens enter play, and others what adverse effect they cause.
STUNNED: If an effect attaches a Stunned token to a Villain or Henchman, place the Stunned token over their BaM! text. During the next Villain turn, that BaM! effect is canceled, and the token is discarded at the end of the Villain turn.
- If a Villain is stunned, only their own BaM! effect is canceled. Any BaM! on Threat cards still activate as usual.
- If a stunned Villain were to activate their BaM! again due to Heroes being KO'd, they don't activate it, as the BaM! is canceled for the entire Villain turn.
- All Stunned tokens are removed at the end of the Villain turn, regardless of whether their canceled BaM! was triggered or not.
UNLIMITED TOKENS: The supply of tokens is unlimited. If for any reason, a specific token runs out, players may use anything as a replacement.
LOCATION PERMANENT EFFECTS: Some Locations (such as Niffleheim and Muspelheim) have a Permanent effect listed above the End of Turn effect. These effects are always active, whether there is a Threat in the Location or not. (We recommend new players don't use these Locations.)
UNPREVENTABLE DAMAGE: This kind of damage cannot be prevented, reduced, or ignored by any effect. It may, however, be redirected. Remember that Heroes can't damage a Villain at all until they've completed 2 Missions.
ALONE: Some effects may refer to a Hero being alone or not. A Hero is alone if there are no other Heroes in the same Location as them. A Hero sharing a Location with the Villain is still considered to be alone.
BREAKING TIES: If there are ever events or effects whose conditions are tied, the players decide how they should be resolved.
Super Villain Mode
Marvel United may also be played with 1 player controlling the Villain going against the Heroes controlled by the other players, allowing up to 5 players in the game. The Villain is bolstered not only by the skill of the player, but also by Super Villain cards with nasty surprises to pull on the Heroes. In order to rise to the challenge, the Heroes are given a few starting Action tokens, as well as Super Hero cards with special tricks of their own. The following rule changes are applied when playing in Super Villain Mode:
Special Setup
- The Hero players choose the Villain's starting Location, unless otherwise stated by the Villain Special Setup.
- The Villain player shuffles the 12 Super Villain cards, draws 4 cards, and chooses 3 (keeping them hidden). Then, removes the remaining one from the game. Super Villain cards are at the disposal of the Villain player (see "Super Villain Cards"), but are not part of their hand.
- After shuffling the Master Plan deck (and making sure any indicated starting card is placed on top), the Villain player draws 2 cards from the top of the Master Plan deck to form their Villain hand.
- Before drawing their 3 Hero cards, the Hero players draw a number of random Super Hero cards equal to the number of players plus 1. They collectively choose 1 for each player to keep (keep it hidden), and remove the remaining one from the game. Super Hero cards are at the disposal of each individual Hero, but are not part of their hand.
- The back of each Villain Dashboard indicates the number of Action tokens that must be given to the Heroes when playing in Super Villain Mode. The Hero players distribute the tokens among them as they see fit. They don't need to be shared equally.
NOTE: If a Villain has no indicated Action tokens, they can't be used in Super Villain Mode.
Special Rules
Winning & Losing — The Heroes lose when the Villain is supposed to play a Master Plan card from their hand, but their hand is empty (instead of when the Villain needs to draw a card, but the Master Plan deck is empty). All other winning/losing conditions remain unchanged.
Villain Turn — At the start of each of their turns (including the start of the game), the Villain player draws the top card from the Master Plan deck, then chooses 1 Master Plan card from their hand and plays it into the Storyline. If the Master Plan deck is empty, the Villain simply plays a card from their hand. If they have no cards at all when they're supposed to play one, they win. The elements of the Master Plan card are executed as usual.
IMPORTANT: If the Villain has an indicated Starting Master Plan card, they must play it on their first turn.
- If a game effect instructs to add a Master Plan card facedown in the Storyline, the Villain player must first draw the top card from the Master Plan deck (if possible) and then choose a card from their hand to place in the Storyline. Here, too, if the Villain can't place a Master Plan card because they have none, they win the game.
- If the top card of the Master Plan deck must be removed from the game but the deck is empty, the Villain must instead choose a card from their hand.
- Any effect that allows the Villain to play an additional faceup Master Plan card (besides the Master Plan card they played on their regular turn) only allows the Villain to add a facedown Master Plan card in the Storyline instead, following the procedure detailed above.
- If there are ever events or effects whose conditions are tied, it is the Hero players who decide how they should be resolved. For example, deciding which Hero takes damage when several are eligible. However, this can be changed by Super Villain card effects.
Super Villain Cards
Each Super Villain card has a specific Trigger condition. The Villain may play only 1 Super Villain card per turn (whether a Villain turn or a Hero turn) if its Trigger condition has been met. The card's Effect is resolved immediately and then the card is removed from the game.
- Cards triggered by playing a Master Plan card must be played simultaneously with it. They are resolved together with that Master Plan card, usually modifying certain effects in it.
- Cards triggered at the end of a Hero turn are only resolved after any possible Location End of Turn Effect.
Super Hero Cards
Each Super Hero card has a specific Trigger condition. Heroes may decide to play their Super Hero card only when its Trigger condition is met. The card's Effect is resolved immediately and then the card is removed from the game.
- Most Super Hero cards trigger during the Villain turn, possibly modifying or cancelling certain effects on the Master Plan card played.
IMPORTANT: Super Hero cards are not Hero cards. They are not part of a Hero's hand. Rules that mention a Hero's cards have no relation to the Super Hero card in their possession.
Hero Turn
There are no changes to how Hero turns work in Super Villain Mode. Note that effects that allow Heroes to manipulate the Master Plan deck still only concern the deck. They can't manipulate the Villain's hand or force the Villain to play a specific card.
Balancing the Game
If the Villain player is already experienced with Marvel United and the Hero players are not, we suggest that Hero players play with the Equipment cards and no Challenge.
If needed, players can also additionally agree to increase the number of Action tokens distributed at the start of the game (for example, 1 or 2 additional Wild tokens may fit the Heroes' needs).
Commander Solo Mode
Marvel United may also be played by a single player. In this special mode, you play as a single Hero, counting on the aid of the cards provided by a small Support team and the Battle Plans prepared in advance. The Commander Solo Mode uses most of the same rules as the regular game, with the following exceptions:
Special Setup
- First, pick your Main Hero as usual, placing their game piece on the starting Location. Remove 1 card from their Hero deck. Then, shuffle it and place it facedown near you.
- Then, choose a team of 4 Supporting Heroes. Their game pieces won't be used, as they only offer support. Search their Hero decks for cards with Special Effects and choose 3 of those cards from each Hero, building a 12-card Supporting Heroes deck. Cards marked as Starting Hand cards cannot be chosen. Shuffle this deck and keep it facedown near you. Put the remaining cards back in the box. They won't be used.
- Reveal the top 2 cards of the Supporting Heroes deck and place them faceup next to their deck, forming a display.
- If playing with the Equipment cards optional rule, take only the Equipment cards of the Main Hero. Equipment cards belonging to the Supporting Heroes won't be used in the game.
- Take any special components associated to both the Main Hero and Supporting Heroes, as they can be used in the game (for example, Spider-Man 2099's Stunned token).
- Decide what your Battle Plan Budget is. The maximum possible amount is 2, but you can play with 1 or even 0 for a bigger challenge. Each Battle Plan card has a different permanent effect that interacts with Supporting Hero cards, and each has a listed cost of either 1 or 2. Make your choice of Battle Plan cards based on your chosen budget and place them faceup in front of you. The sum of the values of the selected cards cannot surpass the available budget. Remove any unselected Battle Plan cards from the game.
- Treat the Villain as if playing a 2-Hero game (in regard to starting Health, Special Rules that refer to number of Heroes, etc.).
- If you wish to change the level of difficulty, you may add any Challenges that support single-player games.
Example: The player chose Captain Carter as the Main Hero, placing her Captain Carter's Shield Equipment in front of them and drawing 3 cards from her Hero deck into their hand. The chosen Supporting Heroes were Ironheart, Spider-Man 2099, Loki, and Black Panther (Shuri). 3 Special Effect cards from each were shuffled into the Supporting Hero deck. Then, 2 were drawn to form the display. Spider-Man 2099's Stunned token was placed nearby. Using a budget of 2, 2 Battle Plan cards with a cost of 1 each were chosen.
Special Rules
-
Turns are resolved in the usual sequence, with the Main Hero acting every Hero turn.
-
Each Hero turn, you may either:
- Play a regular turn by drawing 1 card from the Main Hero deck and then playing 1 card from your hand.
OR
- Instead of drawing a card from the Main Hero deck, choose 1 of the 2 Supporting Hero cards on the display and play it in the Storyline. The rest of the turn is performed as usual. Use the symbols and Special Effects on the played card as if the card belonged to the Main Hero, moving and performing Actions as usual. The Location End of Turn Effect step is also performed as usual. Then, draw the top card from the Supporting Heroes deck and place it faceup on the display.
IMPORTANT: On the Hero turns immediately following EACH Villain turn, you MUST always play a regular turn using the Main Hero cards. You can't play a Supporting Hero card.
- The Main Hero is always considered the active Hero during a Hero turn (the Supporting Heroes are not considered to be in play).
- Any effect that refers to "another" refers to "you."
- Any effect that refers to "another Hero" refers to "the Main Hero."
- Any effect that refers to "all/each Hero" only refers to "the Main Hero."
- Any ongoing Special Effect from a Supporting Hero card in the Storyline still applies to the Main Hero.
- Supporting Hero cards in the Storyline from previous turns are not considered "your cards," so they are ignored by effects that affect "your cards." You can't swap Supporting Hero cards in the Storyline with Hero cards in your hand by using a swap effect.
- Action tokens gained are always considered yours. At the end of each Hero turn, you can't have more than 3 Action tokens. You must discard any exceeding tokens.
- If the 3rd Mission is completed, draw 1 card from the Main Hero deck into your hand.
- If you must play a random card after an effect instructs you do to so, you must play a random card from the Main Hero's hand of cards.
- All selected Battle Plan cards are always in effect, interacting with the Supporting Hero cards you play, as described on their text. They are never discarded.
- The game is not lost when there are no Supporting Hero cards left. You lose when you have no cards to play on your turn.
Super Villain vs Commander Solo Mode
To play 1 vs 1 combining the Super Villain Mode with the Commander Solo mode, apply the following changes:
Special Setup and Rules
- The Hero player doesn't use Battle Plan cards in this mode.
- The Hero player gets all the Action tokens indicated on the back of the Villain dashboard.
- The Hero player draws 3 random Super Hero cards, keeps 2, and removes the rest from the game.
- The Hero player may play only 1 Super Hero card per turn (whether a Villain turn or a Hero turn) if its Trigger condition has been met.
Credits
GAME DESIGN: Andrea Chiarvesio and Eric M. Lang SOLO MODE DESIGN: Rugerfred Sedda LEAD DEVELOPERS: Marco Legato and Stefano Moscardini DEVELOPMENT: Ken Kelvin Oliveira and Alexio Schneeberger LEAD PRODUCER: Thiago Aranha EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND LICENSE COORDINATOR: Mike Bisogno PRODUCTION: Marcela Fabreti, Vincent Fontaine, Guilherme Goulart, Rebecca Ho, Isadora Leite, Nicholas Sia, Kenneth Tan, and Gregory Varghese ART DIRECTOR: Mathieu Harlaut LEAD ARTIST: Edouard Guiton ART: Alex Folin, Saeed Jalabi, Giorgia Lanza, Marco Leone, Lorenzo Magalotti, Aurelio Mazzara, and Tarek Moutran LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Max Duarte GRAPHIC DESIGN: Marc Brouillon, Gabriel Burghi, Fabio de Castro, Matteo Ceresa, Louise Combal, and Júlia Ferrari SCULPTING: BigChild Creatives RENDERING: Edgar Ramos PROOFREADING: Jason Koepp PUBLISHER: David Preti
©2024. TM & © Spin Master Ltd. All rights reserved. Distributed by Spin Master Ltd., Spin Master Inc., Spin Master International B.V., Spin Master Australia Pty Ltd, and Spin Master Toys UK Ltd. CMON and the CMON logo are trademarks of CMON Global Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this product may be reproduced without specific permission. Character pieces and plastic components included are pre-assembled and unpainted.
Rules Summary
1 Villain Turn, then 3 clockwise Hero Turns. Continue until first Mission is completed. Then, 1 Villain Turn every 2 Hero Turns.
Villain Turn
- Add 1 Master Plan card to the Storyline.
- Resolve effects in order, from top to bottom.
- Move: Move clockwise this number of Locations. Trigger effect on final Location.
- BaM!: Resolve BaM! effects on Villain Dashboard and Threat cards.
- Resolve any special effect on the card.
- Add the indicated Thugs and Civilians to the Locations around the Villain.
- Resolve Overflow effect on each Location where tokens couldn't be added.
Hero Turn
- Draw a Card: From your deck into your hand.
- Play a Card: Add it to the Storyline.
- Resolve Actions: In any order, all symbols at the bottom of your card and the previous Hero card:
- Move to an adjacent Location.
- Attack: Deal 1 damage to an enemy at your Location: Defeat 1 Thug, or Remove 1 Health from a Henchman, or Remove 1 Health from Villain (after completing 2 Missions).
- Heroic Action: Rescue 1 Civilian or place 1 Heroic Action token on the Threat at your Location.
- Wild: Resolve any action.
- Resolve any Special Effects on your card.
- Spend any Action tokens to resolve their actions.
- Location Effect: May resolve visible End of Turn effect of your Location.
Hero Damage
Discard 1 card from your hand to the bottom of your deck per damage suffered.
KO'd if you discard the last card in hand. Lay Hero down. Activate Villain's BaM!
Next turn, stand back up and draw 3 cards before the usual Draw a Card step.
Winning & Losing
Heroes win if they remove all Health tokens from Villain (must complete 2 Missions first).
Heroes lose if:
- Villain completes the Villainous Plot on their Dashboard.
- Villain must play a card, but the Master Plan deck is empty.
- A Hero starts their turn with no cards at all.