Mindbug: First Contact
Mindbug Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
In MINDBUG you will summon hybrid creatures and send them to battle against the creatures of your opponent. But be careful when you summon a creature: the opponent may use one of their own Mindbugs to take control of it. Outwit your opponent in a fascinating tactical duel, where having the best cards and playing them at the wrong time can be deadly for oneself.
Components
MINDBUG consists of the following components:
- 48 Creature Cards
- Rules Sheet
- 4 Mindbug Cards
KEY CONCEPTS
Resolving Effects
While resolving an effect, always resolve as much of the effect as you can, and ignore any part of the ability that cannot be resolved.
Example: If an effect asks you to discard two cards, but you only have one card in hand, you discard that card and ignore the second one.
Simultaneous Effects
If more than one effect happens at the same time (e.g. when two creatures are defeated simultaneously), the active player decides the order of resolving them.
Game Setup
Step 1: Deal Mindbugs
Deal each player 2 Mindbugs and place them face up in front of them.
Step 2: Shuffle and Deal Decks
Then shuffle the 48 creature cards and deal each player 10 cards face down as their draw pile. Leave a bit of room next to your draw pile for a discard pile.
Step 3: Draw Hands
Then each player draws 5 cards from their personal draw pile you created in step 2 as their starting hand.
Step 4: Set Starting Life Points
Each player starts the game with 3 life points. To track life points, take 3 cards from the remaining pile of unused cards (the pile of 28 cards that have not been dealt to players) and place them face down in front of the player. It is recommended to turn the life point cards sideways.
Note: You can also use dice or tokens you have at hand to track your life points.
Playing the Game
Goal of the Game
You immediately win the game when the opponent’s life total is reduced to zero.
Life Points
You start the game with 3 life points. Whenever you lose a life point, remove one of your life tracking cards from the game. Whenever you gain a life point, take a card from the pile of unused cards and add it to your life tracking pile.
Creature Cards
Each card represents a creature with a name and a power value. Cards can have one or more KEYWORDS (the fi rst line below the name) and an ABILITY (the text below the keywords).
Drawing cards
Whenever you remove a card from your hand (e.g. by playing or discarding a card), you immediately draw cards from your draw pile until you have 5 cards in hand. Do this before any other effects occur (e.g. before a card is mindbugged or its play effect is triggered). If your draw pile runs out of cards, you don't draw additional cards.
Taking Turns
To determine the starting player, each player reveals a random card from the pile of unused cards (The remaining 28 creature cards that have not been dealt to players). Compare the power value on those cards. The player with the higher number is the starting player. (On a tie repeat the process).
Players alternate taking turns.
During each of your turns you must take one of the following actions:
- Play a card
- Attack with a single creature
Play a card
Pick any card from your hand and place it face up on the table. Now your opponent has two options:
Option 1: Your opponent refuses to spend a Mindbug
Whenever you play a card from your hand, your opponent may spend one of their Mindbugs to take control of that card. If they have no Mindbugs left or refuse to use one, proceed by placing the played creature card into your play area and resolve its play effects if it has any. Then end your turn. Your opponent goes next.
Option 2: Your opponent spends a Mindbug
If your opponent decides to use a Mindbug, they immediately get to play that card instead of you and lose one Mindbug. Turn that Mindbug face down to show it has been used and put the creature card into their play area . The opponent resolves any play effects of the creature just if they had played it from their hand.
Then end your turn and immediately get another turn afterwards (allowing you to either play a card or attack with a creature).
Note: If a card comes into play in some other way than a play from hand action (for example using a card effect), there is no option of spending a Mindbug to take control of it.
Note: You cannot spend a Mindbug to take control of a card that is already in play. And you can also not use a Mindbug on a creature that has been Mindbugged by your opponent.
Example: Alice plays the card Axolotl Healer from her hand and draws a card. Bob has two Mindbugs left. He chooses to spend one and puts Axolotl Healer into his play area and activates its play ability (to gain 2 life). Alice now ends her turn and then starts a new turn. She uses that to play Strange Barrel and draws back to 5. Bob has one Mindbug left and he could spend it to take Strange Barrel. However, he chooses to keep his Mindbug and Alice puts Strange Barrel into her play area.
Attack with a creature
Pick a single creature in your play area (an allied creature) to attack. Your opponent may now pick a creature from their play area (an enemy creature) to block the attack. If they decide not to block, they lose a life. If they block the attack, the unit with the lower power is defeated and sent to that player’s discard pile.
If they have the same power both cards are defeated.
Example: Alice attacks with Gorillion which has power 10. Bob has Bee Bear with power 8 in play. He can block with Bee Bear. In that case, he loses no life but his Bee Bear is defeated and sent to his discard pile. He chooses instead not to block the attack. This causes him to lose a life.
Keywords
Creature cards can have one or more keywords. A keyword is a word or set of words that acts as a substitute for rules text that explains what the card does.
Frenzy: If this card survives its fi rst attack during a turn, it can attack a second time this turn.
Hunter: When you attack with a Hunter instead of the opponent, you may choose an enemy creature who has to block it.
Note: Using the Hunter ability is voluntary, but if you do, you cannot use it to attack the opponent directly.
Poisonous: In addition to normal combat resolution, this creature always defeats the enemy creature, even if its power value is less than the enemy's power value.
Note: If the enemy creature's power value is equal or higher it also is defeated.
Sneaky: This creature can only be blocked by sneaky creatures.
Note: It still can block enemy creatures like a normal creature.
Tough: If this card would be defeated and isn't exhausted, exhaust it instead of defeating it.
(Exhausting means rotating the card by 90 degrees to highlight that it has used its tough trigger already. Being exhausted doesn't affect what a creature can do (it can still attack, block and use its abilities).)
Abilities & Triggers
Most creatures have a special ability that triggers at a specific moment during the game. The following triggers can be found on cards:
Play: This effect happens when the card comes into play. It happens no matter how the card comes into play, also for example if another effect allows you to play a card from your discard pile. If your opponent spends a Mindbug to take control of a card you played, the play effect happens for them and not for you.
Attack: This effect happens when the creature with this effect attacks, but before the opponent decides if they want to block it.
Defeated: This effect happens when the creature with this effect is defeated. It means the creature is moved from the play area to the discard pile. A creature can be defeated in combat or from another card effect. Notice that it does not trigger if the opponent takes control of the creature, sends it back to your hand or when you discard it from your hand to the discard pile.
Constant Abilities:
If a card has an ability text without a trigger word (Play, Attack, or Defeated), that is referred to as a constant ability that is always active as long as the card is in play and meets all conditions specified by the ability.
Game terms
The Game Terms include a number of terms players may encounter while playing the game, in alphabetical order.
Allied Creature / Enemy Creature: When cards are in your play area, they are called allied creatures. When they are in the opponent's play area, they are called enemy creatures. If an effect affects both allied creatures and enemy creatures, it simply refers to creatures. In your hand and your discard pile, they are simply called cards.
Discard: Discarding a card means you put it from your hand to your discard pile. If an effect forces you to discard more cards than you have in hand, discard as many cards as possible and ignore the remaining effect.
Steal: If an effect let’s you steal a card, you take the card from your opponent’s hand and put it into your hand.
Take control of a creature: If a card effect lets you take control of a card, you put it into your play area. If you take control of a card it remains in its current state (e.g. exhausted) and doesn't trigger play effects.
RULES REFERENCE
TRIGGERS
Play: Triggers when the card comes into play. If your opponent spends a Mindbug, the play effect happens for them and not for you.
Attack: Triggers when the card attacks, but before the opponent decides if they want to block it.
Defeated: Triggers when the card is moved from the play area to the discard pile.
KEYWORDS
Frenzy: If this card survives its first attack during a turn, it can attack a second time this turn.
Hunter: When you attack with a Hunter instead of the opponent, you may choose an enemy creature who has to block it.
Poisonous: In addition to normal combat resolution, this creature always defeats the enemy creature, even if the power value is less than the enemies power value.
Sneaky: This creature can only be blocked by sneaky creatures.
Tough: If this card would be defeated and isn't exhausted, exhaust it instead of defeating it.