Sentinels of the Multiverse
Sentinels of the Multiverse Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the fictional comic book universe of Sentinel Comics, where powerful heroes fight nefarious villains to protect the world, and even the universe!
Sentinels of the Multiverse is a cooperative game in which each player controls a hero with powers and abilities in the form of cards. The players will react to the threats from the villains, as well as the dynamic environments in which these battles take place. Ultimately, either the heroes will successfully work together to defeat the villains and foil their plans, or the villains will triumph, and the heroes will be forced to regroup to fight another day.
GAME OVERVIEW
The rules of the Sentinels of the Multiverse card game are fairly basic and general. The complexity and strategy of the game arise from the specific cards. Cards bend the rules of the game, allowing players to do more things than the basic rules allow. Cards may allow you to draw extra cards, play more than one card a round, and use multiple powers! Whenever a card says that you can do something that isn't provided for in the basic rules, the card is correct. Always follow the wording of the cards fully, and you'll be just fine!
When you first open the game, separate out all of the decks. This will go fairly quickly, as each deck has its own unique back. All of the decks are fixed, in that the cards in them do not change from game to game. Currently, all of the Sentinels of the Multiverse cards are included in this box, though keep a watchful eye for new expansions to the game in the future!
HERO BIO: LEGACY
The Parsons family represents one of the most enduring traditions the United States has to offer. The British? They have the monarchy. Americans? They have Legacy. Ever since Joseph Parsons spotted British soldiers, making possible Paul Revere's famous ride, the Parsons family has been protecting the U.S. from threats both near and far. Joseph Parsons himself had limited powers, but each generation of Parsons has inherited old powers and developed new. First, danger sense; later, superhuman strength; eventually, flight; and so on and so forth. Today, Paul Parsons the eighth is Legacy, the founding member of the Freedom Five, and just as every Parsons before him, he continues to fight the forces of evil in the name of liberty and the common man.
PARTS OF A CHARACTER CARD
HERO
Each hero character card has a front and back.
Front: The front of a hero card shows the hero's Name, current HP (hit points), and Innate Power with its icon.
Back: The back of a hero card shows the hero's Incapacitated Abilities — the special one-time abilities usable once that hero has been incapacitated (reduced to 0 HP or below).
VILLAIN
Each villain character card also has a front and back.
Front: The front of a villain card shows the villain's Name, current HP, Keywords, Tagline, and Nemesis Icon.
Back: The back of a villain card shows the villain's alternate HP total and art.
HERO BIO: THE WRAITH
Highly focused from a young age, Maia Adrianna Montgomery excelled in school, graduating with a degree in engineering at age 17. Walking home from class one night, Maia fell victim to random gang violence. Her boyfriend was killed and she was left in a coma for weeks. Upon recovering, she vowed to never be a victim again. Leveraging her family's wealth to hire trainers from several disciplines of combat, Maia began patrolling Rook City at night as The Wraith, protecting those in her city who could not protect themselves. As a surprise graduation present, her parents gave her the reins to Montgomery Industries. Now, Maia must balance two lives: by day, the world's youngest CEO; by night, the protector of her city and the fourth member of the Freedom Five.
HERO BIO: BUNKER
During the Civil War, the Ironclad Project produced the USS Monitor, a heavily armed and armored ship that took part in a decisive battle. Less than a century later, the ongoing Ironclad Project produced another success: the Personal Armament Exo-Chassis YS-1200. The suit allowed one soldier to do the work of an entire squad and operated in an elite battalion during World War II. 50 years later, a new armored suit was developed: the YS-1300T. When the government began its Freedom Five Initiative, Lt. Tyler Vance was selected to operate the Bunker suit for the first time as part of a non-army campaign. Thus, Bunker became the second member of the Freedom Five, joining Legacy in the fight against the villains endangering the world.
PARTS OF A GAME CARD
HERO
Hero game cards show a Title, Keywords, Game Text, and Flavor Text.
VILLAIN
Villain game cards show a Title, HP (if applicable), Keywords, and Game Text.
HERO BIO: ABSOLUTE ZERO
A janitor at a cryogenics lab, Ryan Frost's life was literally put on ice when caught in a cryo-explosion. His core temperature dropped to absolute zero, necessitating the cryogenic freezing of his mangled and frigid body. Over 10 years later, Frost was seized as part of the government's Freedom Five Initiative. He was operated on under the extreme conditions of a cryogenically frozen operating room, designed by Dr. Meredith Stinson. When he regained consciousness, Ryan Frost was offered a choice: live in a cryo chamber for the rest of his life, or be outfitted with a mobility-enhancing suit and join the team formerly known as the Freedom Four. Seeing little choice, Frost became the hero known as Absolute Zero, rounding out the Freedom Five and fighting for good to pay off the suit that allows him to live a "normal" life.
GAME SETUP
Begin the game by selecting one villain and one environment for the heroes to battle. Feel free to use any villain with any environment for exciting battles! Next, each player selects one hero to play throughout the game. Set up the play area according to the following diagram:
The play area consists of, for the villain: the Villain Trash, Villain Deck, Villain Character Cards, and Villain Play Area. For the environment: the Environment Deck, Environment Play Area, and Environment Trash. For each hero: the Hero Card, Hero Play Area, Hero Trash, and Hero Deck.
After the game setup is complete, each player draws the top four cards of their hero deck. The game begins with the villain turn, then proceeds clockwise around the table through each of the hero turns, ending the round with the environment turn. Then, the next round begins again with the villain turn, and the same order is followed throughout the game. There is no need to keep track of the number of rounds in a game. Players will need to keep track of hit points of heroes, villains, and various other targets. This can be done easily with pen and paper, or with dice, which can be purchased at any friendly local gaming store or from various online retailers.
HERO BIO: TACHYON
The most celebrated mind in the field of particle physics, Dr. Meredith Stinson was the driving force behind the creation of the particle yield enhancing wavelength. While working on the device, a safety mechanism failed, sealing her within the testing chamber. Her team attempted to free her, but the machine finished its boot sequence, blasting Dr. Stinson's body with a stream of tachyons! Apparently unharmed, she returned to work, gradually noticing an increase in efficiency. She examined a sample of her blood and discovered that her cells had been accelerated. Testing the extent of her powers, she found she could move at superhuman speeds. When news of her findings spread, the government offered to fund her research if she became Tachyon, the third member of the Freedom Five.
HERO BIO: THE VISIONARY
Striving to gain the upper hand in the new Cold War, the U.S. military began bio-engineering psi-soldiers. Compound Psy-200, developed as part of Project Cocoon, was injected into human fetuses. After a series of failures, the project was shut down, leaving Vanessa Long its sole survivor. Raised by the government as a human weapon, she exhibited extraordinary psychic powers at an early age. With the failure of her mission and the collapse of the U.S., Vanessa harnessed the full extent of her abilities. She transported herself back seventeen years, but the process was not without a toll. With time running out and a little extra psychic baggage, Vanessa assumed the identity of The Visionary, fighting to save both the future and herself.
TURN SEQUENCE
VILLAIN TURN
- Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of the villain turn.
- Play: Reveal the top card of the villain deck and play it, following any instructions printed on that card.
- End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of the villain turn.
HERO TURN
- Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of this hero's turn.
- Play: This hero's player may choose to play one card from their hand, following any instructions printed on that card.
- Power: This hero's player may choose to use one Power from one of their cards in play which has a Power. Note: Even if a hero may use multiple Powers in a turn, each instance of a Power may only be used once per turn.
- Draw: This hero's player may draw the top card of their hero deck.
- End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of this hero's turn.
Additional Card Draw: If, for any reason, a player neither plays a card nor uses a Power on their turn, then they may draw an additional card during their draw phase. If, by contrast, a player skips their turn for any reason, they have skipped every phase of their turn and cannot draw any cards.
ENVIRONMENT TURN
- Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of the environment turn.
- Play: Reveal the top card of the environment deck and play it, following any instructions printed on that card.
- End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of the environment turn.
GAMEPLAY
Players have no limit to the number of cards that can be in their hand, and there is no limit to the number of villain, hero, or environment cards that can be in play. Additionally, if any deck ever runs out of cards, simply shuffle that deck's trash and put it into play as that hero's deck.
Sentinels of the Multiverse is a cooperative game, so no information that one player knows should be secret from any other player. Players are encouraged to freely discuss choices with each other and share the content of their hands with their fellow heroes.
BATTLE
Heroes and villains meet in the most awesome of battles, and Sentinels of the Multiverse simulates those battles through the dealing of damage. Many cards have HP, meaning hit points, which is a numerical representation of their life. When cards "deal damage" to other cards, the damaged card's HP is decreased accordingly. Any card with HP is considered a target.
Example: Omnitron's "Assault Drone" deals Bunker 3 melee damage. Before that attack, Bunker had 17 HP, so now Bunker has 14 HP.
Whenever a target is reduced to 0 or fewer HP, put it into the associated trash, except in the cases of hero character cards and villain character cards. Unless stated otherwise, when a villain character card is reduced to 0 or fewer HP, the villain is defeated and the players have won the game.
When a hero is reduced to 0 or fewer HP, remove all of that hero's cards from the game, leaving only the hero character card, incapacitated side up. Heroes who have been incapacitated cannot regain HP. Listed on the incapacitated side of each hero character card are abilities, and on that hero's turn, the only thing that player may do is use one of those abilities. In the case of a team of 4 heroes in which 3 have fallen, the remaining hero is fighting harder than ever, bolstered by the need to avenge the fallen compatriots, simulated by the incapacitated abilities of the fallen heroes.
HERO BIO: HAKA
The fearsome Aata Wakarewarewa was chief of his tribe, or Hapu, for many years. One day, his facial tattoos mysteriously vanished, which the Hapu took as a sign of the gods' displeasure. Aata's right hand man, Ruru, stepped up to challenge him. He outwitted Aata in battle and dealt him a killing blow. Ruru slit the throat of the larger man and left the Aata's remains to the dogs. At dawn, Aata reappeared at the edge of the village, calling for the new chief to come and face him. Killing Ruru in battle, Aata was surprised to see that, rather than honor his victory, his people cursed him, stripping him of his name. Exiled, he spent years wandering and fighting, growing stronger with each wound. He took the name "Haka" after the Maori war dance. Now, he fights for redemption, carrying his people's traditions proudly.
HIT POINTS
Some cards allow targets to regain HP. When this happens, the current HP of that target is increased the appropriate amount. However, no card which allows targets to regain HP can ever increase a target's current HP past the maximum.
Example: Tempest's player uses the power printed on "Cleansing Downpour" on their power phase. Each hero regains 2 HP, so Tempest's HP goes from 14 to 16, Fanatic's HP goes from 17 to 19, and Legacy's HP goes from 21 to 23. However, Tachyon had 26 HP, and her maximum HP is 27, so she only regains 1 HP.
There are cards which increase or decrease the maximum HP of certain targets. This affects the maximum HP, and the current HP increases or decreases accordingly.
Example 1: Legacy's player plays "Inspiring Presence", increasing all heroes' maximum HP by 1. Legacy's maximum HP goes from 32 to 33, and his current HP goes from 20 to 21. Fanatic is uninjured at the time, so her maximum HP goes from 30 to 31, as does her current HP.
Example 2: The Visionary's player plays "Demoralization", decreasing the maximum HP of all non-hero targets by 1. This means that Baron Blade's maximum HP goes from 40 to 39, and his current HP goes from 4 to 3. The maximum HP of Baron Blade's "Blade Battalion" goes from 5 to 4, and their current HP goes from 1 to 0, immediately destroying that target.
DAMAGE
All damage has a "type" which relates to the nature of that damage. In many cases, damage type does not matter when it comes to damaging targets. However, some cards and abilities interact with damage type in a variety of ways. The Sentinels of the Multiverse damage types are: Cold, Energy, Fire, Infernal, Lightning, Melee, Projectile, Psychic, Radiant, Sonic, and Toxic.
HERO BIO: TEMPEST
When Grand Warlord Voss set his fleets upon Vognild Prime, its inhabitants were caught completely by surprise. The peaceful Maerynians were overwhelmed; their numbers decimated in mere hours. M'kk Dall'ton escaped with a large group of survivors and charted a course for a life-supporting planet in the nearby Milky Way galaxy. Nearing Earth, their transport was ambushed by one of Voss's Dreadnaughts. Only M'kk and a few others survived their crash landing in the wilderness. While scouting, they were captured by F.I.L.T.E.R., the government's anti-alien task force. Before breaking free, M'kk heard mention of other powerful beings on this planet. Taking the name "Tempest", M'kk set out to enlist the help of the rumored heroes to stop Voss's path of destruction.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Over the course of a game, there are situations in which the effects of multiple cards take place simultaneously or have competing effects. In all situations, card effects that happen simultaneously take effect in the order in which the cards were played.
Example: At the end of Citizen Dawn's villain turn, she deals the hero with the highest HP 2 energy damage. Citizen Battery is in play, and, at the end of the villain turn, he deals the hero with the highest HP 3 energy damage. Citizen Dawn was in play before Citizen Battery, obviously, so she deals her 2 damage to Haka, who currently has the most HP, at 28. This drops Haka to 26 HP, and now Legacy, who currently has 27 HP, has the highest HP. Therefore, Legacy takes the 3 damage from Citizen Battery.
NEMESES
Many of the heroes and villains have personal vendettas against each other for reasons in their backstories. This is represented in the game by the presence of a hero's icon on a villain character card. That hero is the nemesis of that villain, and vice-versa. When both of them are in play, all damage dealt to each other is increased by 1, but not damage to targets other than specifically the hero and villain character cards.
Example: Legacy and Baron Blade are nemeses. Legacy's player plays "Flying Smash" and deals 3 targets 3 damage each. The damage dealt to Baron Blade himself is increased by 1 to 4, but the damage to "Blade Battalion" and the environment target "Velociraptor Attack" is still 3 each.
When Baron Blade plays "Hasten Doom", dealing each hero 2 toxic damage, Legacy actually takes 3 toxic damage, while the other heroes all take 2 toxic damage. However, when Baron Blade's "Powered Remote Turret" deals each hero 2 projectile damage, Legacy just takes 2 damage, as the source of damage is the "Powered Remote Turret", not Baron Blade.
HERO BIO: FANATIC
Six-year-old Helena was hit by a bus in the streets of Lima, Peru. By all rights, she should not have even survived the trip to the hospital. More miraculously still, after being declared dead for exactly 3 minutes, she sat up, speaking of heavenly visions and a divine mission. With no known family or memories from before the accident, Helena was placed in the care of a local convent at her request. Puberty brought an unusual change for her: giant, feathery wings sprang forth from her back. When she dramatically revealed them during mass, she was driven from the convent. Taking refuge in the catacombs under Lima, she stumbled upon an ancient reliquary. Here she donned the armor of a Templar, taking up the sword to launch her holy crusade to purge the world of evil.
VILLAINS
There are 4 villains in this Sentinels of the Multiverse game. All villains have their own decks, full of ways to defeat the heroes. Each villain has their own unique "flip" mechanic, by which the villain character cards may turn over to behave differently in the course of the game.
Baron Blade is a brilliant, but mad, scientist. His nefarious plan to drag the moon into the Earth using his Terralunar Impulsion Beam would destroy the planet. If his beam cannon is destroyed, he dons a powerful battlesuit and assaults the heroes himself.
Baron Blade can flip only once per game, and will flip every game, unless the heroes are defeated first. His front side represents the heroes attacking the Terralunar Impulsion Beam itself. When this side is reduced to 0 HP, the beam is destroyed and Baron Blade flips, gaining a new HP maximum and attacking the heroes, enraged at having his invention destroyed. Baron Blade is the only villain which has different maximum HP on the front and back of his villain character cards.
Citizen Dawn is a super-powered woman who believes that she and her team of super-powered individuals should rule the world, due to their obvious superior abilities. Her deck consists largely of "Citizens", which are members of her super-powered team "The Citizens of the Sun".
Citizen Dawn flips only when 5 of her Citizens are in her trash, upon which she becomes immune to damage as she is imbued with the fury and power of the sun. She then plays 2 cards each villain turn, until she begins her turn with at least 3 Citizens in play, herself included. Citizen Dawn can only flip once per side. Citizen Dawn's current HP does not change when she flips, though she cannot take damage while flipped.
HERO BIO: RA
Dr. Blake Washington, Jr. used to be the best archaeologist in the world. Finding a previously undiscovered tomb in Egypt was merely another point on an already impressive resume. However, all his findings were surpassed when he found a secret chamber within the pyramid. Eluding traps and solving ancient puzzles, he eventually discovered the pyramid's true purpose: it was the final resting place of heroes, all of whom had fought under the guise of Ra. Feeling himself drawn to a wooden staff within the chamber, he drew it from the ground and was overwhelmed as the secrets of the universe flooded his mind and body. No longer a mere man, he was now the next Ra. Sealing the chamber to hide its secret yet again, Ra stepped forth to wield his power against the forces of evil.
VILLAINS (CONT.)
Grand Warlord Voss is an alien conqueror from a distant galaxy who has come to Earth to subjugate its people. He brings his army of genetically enslaved warriors from his previously conquered planets, as well as many devices far beyond our current technology.
Grand Warlord Voss's villain character cards can flip many times per game depending on the status of his army. On his Warlord side, he gains more advantages from his larger army but does not deal damage directly, while on his Warrior side he has more time to focus on directly attacking the heroes with fewer minions at his command. Grand Warlord Voss's current HP does not change when he flips.
Omnitron was a fully-automated robot factory, programmed to build defense robots by Aldred Industries. It upgraded itself, gaining a form of sentience, and determined that the surest way to defend the world was to destroy all humans. The factory converted itself into a mobile unit and began laying waste to the nearest population and technological centers.
Omnitron flips every round, transitioning between a robot factory and a rampaging robot. Omnitron begins the game on the factory side, but immediately flips to the robot side before taking its first turn. On the robot side, Omnitron plays two cards each villain turn. On the factory side, Omnitron plays one card per villain turn, but also moves cards from its trash directly into play. Omnitron has written its programming into all of its devices, so Omnitron cannot be defeated until there are no devices in play. Omnitron's current HP does not change when it flips.
ADVANCED PLAY
The number of heroes and villains included with the game creates a wide variety of replay opportunities. However, advanced players may wish to consider some or all of the following options.
The villain character cards have an "Advanced Mode" rule on each side. Experienced players may play with one or both of these rules during a game for increased difficulty. Note: that the advanced options, especially when using both in the same game, are not considered "balanced" play. These options give the villains distinct advantages for a greater challenge.
Certain hero combinations are more or less challenging when pitted against a particular villain. These combinations are left to be discovered by the players, but in general, Citizen Dawn and Grand Warlord Voss are more difficult villains for most hero teams than Baron Blade or Omnitron.
The game is optimized for four players, but three or five player teams make relatively little difference in game difficulty. Two experienced players can play a two player version of the game if one or both of them play as two heroes each.
GLOSSARY
Current HP: The HP of a target, relative to how much damage that target has taken, if any. For instance, a target with a maximum HP of 7 that has been dealt 2 damage has a current HP of 5.
Destroy: When a card is destroyed, it is removed from play and placed in the appropriate trash.
Deck: The set of cards associated with a specific hero, villain, or environment. All cards in a deck have a uniform back.
Device: A keyword appearing on villain cards. Devices have HP. When played, devices remain in play, but are destroyed when reduced to 0 or fewer HP.
Discard: When a card is discarded, it is removed from a player's hand and placed in the appropriate trash.
Draw: When a hero card is drawn, that hero card goes into the hero's player's hand, unless stated otherwise.
Environment: An environment is a deck not played by a player which simulates the environment in which the game takes place. Environments have a deck of 15 environment cards.
Environment Card: Any card from an environment deck.
Environment Target: Any target that is also an environment card. If a card affects non-environment targets, it can affect any targets that are not environment cards.
Equipment: A keyword appearing on hero cards. Equipment remains in play after being played and can only be destroyed by cards which specifically target equipment cards.
Flip: Villain character cards are flipped when certain criteria are met. For example, Baron Blade's villain character cards flip from his Inventor side to his Mad Scientist side after being reduced to 0 or fewer HP. Hero character cards are flipped when that hero is reduced to 0 or fewer HP.
Hero: A hero is a character played by a player. Heroes have character cards, which list the maximum HP of the hero and their innate power on the front, and their incapacitated abilities on the back. All heroes have a deck of 40 hero cards.
Hero Card: Any card from a hero deck.
Hero Character Card: The "main" card for a hero. Heroes have character cards, which list the maximum HP of the hero and their innate power on the front, and their incapacitated abilities on the back.
Hero Target: Any target that is also a hero card or a hero character card. If a card affects non-hero targets, it can affect any targets that are not hero cards or hero character cards.
HP: HP represents the amount of damage that a target can take before it is destroyed. Only certain cards have HP. All cards with HP are targets.
Immune: If a target is immune to damage, its current HP cannot be reduced by damage. However, it may still be targeted by damage. Also, its current HP can still be decreased if its maximum HP is decreased, and it can still be destroyed by cards that destroy targets without dealing damage.
Incapacitated: A hero is incapacitated when reduced to 0 or fewer HP. When this occurs, immediately remove all of that hero's cards from the game and flip the hero character card. On the back, the hero has incapacitated abilities, one of which can be used on each of that hero's subsequent turns. Incapacitated heroes cannot regain HP.
Innate Power: Powers printed on the front of the hero character card.
Keyword: The words in the rectangular box at the top of any game text section. Any keywords not defined in this glossary will make sense circumstantially.
Limited: A keyword appearing on hero cards. Limited cards are unique, in that only one card of that name can be in play at one time. If a limited card with the same name as a limited card already in play would come into play, the second card is put into the appropriate trash instead.
Maximum HP: A target's HP as printed, unless maximum HP is being increased or decreased by any effects. A target cannot regain HP past its maximum HP amount.
One-Shot: A keyword appearing on hero and villain cards. The effects of a one-shot card happen immediately, after which the one-shot card is moved to the appropriate trash.
Ongoing: A keyword appearing on hero and villain cards. Ongoing cards remain in play after being played and can only be destroyed by cards which specifically target ongoing cards.
Play: When a card is played, the text on it takes effect, and then the card either stays in play or goes to the appropriate trash, depending on the type of card. Hero cards are played from players' hands, while villain and environment cards are played from the top of the villain or environment decks, respectively.
Power: An ability possessed by heroes that can be used during a hero's power phase. A given power may only be used once by a hero during that hero's power phase, even if that hero is allowed to use more than one power during their power phase.
Redirect: Damage that is redirected does not affect the original target. Instead, it affects the target to whom it is redirected and is not subject to any further modifiers.
Restore: When a target has HP restored, increase its current HP by that amount, up to but not exceeding its maximum HP.
Nemesis: Each villain has a nemesis hero indicated by the hero icon of the nemesis located on the villain character card. Heroes and villains who are nemeses have their damage increased by 1 when dealing damage to each other.
Round: The period of time beginning with the villain turn, proceeding through each of the hero turns, and ending with the environment turn.
Sentinels of the Multiverse: The greatest cooperative, fixed-deck, hero based card game in the multiverse!
Target: Any card with HP is a target.
Trash: Each deck in the game has a trash into which cards from that deck are placed when they are destroyed, discarded, or otherwise moved there.
Turn: The portion of the game during which all of the actions associated with a given deck take place. The three types of turns in Sentinels of the Multiverse are hero turns, villain turns, and environment turns.
Villain: A villain is a character not played by a player. Villains have character cards, which list the maximum HP of the villain as well as the gameplay rules for that specific villain. Villain character cards have two sides, and may flip in the course of play. Villains also have a deck of 25 villain cards.
Villain Card: Any card from a villain deck.
Villain Character Cards: The "main" cards for a villain. Villains have two character cards — one which depicts the villain and lists their maximum HP, nemesis icon, and tagline. The other villain character card lists their tagline as well as the gameplay rules for that specific villain. Both cards are linked; they essentially function as one card.
Villain Target: Any target that is also a villain card or a villain character card. If a card affects non-villain targets, it can affect any targets that are not villain cards or villain character cards.
QUICK REFERENCE
Each player selects one hero, placing that hero's deck and character card in front of them. A hero's HP is the number in the upper left corner of the hero character card.
Select one villain and one environment, then place the villain and environment decks adjacent to each other with the villain character cards between them. The HP of the villain is the number in the top right corner of the villain character card.
Follow all "start of the game" instructions on the villain character card.
Each player draws the top 4 cards of their hero deck. The object of the game is for the heroes to work together to reduce the villain to 0 HP.
Begin the game with the villain turn: follow all "start of turn" instructions on the villain character card and other villain cards, play the top card of the villain deck, then follow all "end of turn" instructions on the villain character card and other villain cards.
Continue with hero turns clockwise from the villain. Hero turns have three phases: play a card, use a power, draw a card. All phases are optional. If you neither play a card nor use a power, draw two cards instead of one.
End each round with the environment turn: follow all "start of turn" instructions on environment cards, play the top card of the environment deck, then follow all "end of turn" instructions on environment cards.
Gameplay continues in the same order until either the heroes or the villain emerge victorious!
There is no limit to the number of cards a player may have in hand or in play.