Smash Up: Big in Japan
Smash Up: Big In Japan Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Contents
This set contains:
- 4 factions with 20 cards each (80 cards total)
- 8 base cards
- 4 titan cards
- 4 card dividers
- 1 token sheet (used as both Victory Points tokens and +1 power counters)
- This rulebook
Use the snazzy dividers in this set with the Big Geeky Box, the ultimate in high-performance Smash Up storage. Look for it in stores!
Growing On You
Big In Japan is an expansion to the Smash Up core set. It is still a fully operational battle station for 2 players though!
These rules sometimes talk like you've got more than just four factions, or mention cards that aren't in this expansion. If you don't already have the other sets, just think of it as viral advertising.
Look for these expansions to Smash Up in stores now!
Setup
Each player shuffles together two different 20-card factions to make their 40-card deck. If your factions have any titans, place them near your deck. (See Sample Setup)
Next, grab just the bases from the sets the chosen factions came from. For example, if you have Kaiju Rock Stars vs. Ignoble Vampires, take the bases from Big in Japan, What Were We Thinking?, Cease and Desist, and Monster Smash to make your base deck. Shuffle the base cards together. Draw one base per player, plus one (e.g., four bases for three players), and place them face up in the middle of the table.
Each player draws five cards from their deck. If you have no minions in your opening hand, you may show your hand, discard it, and draw a new hand of five cards; you must keep the second hand. Whoever watched anime most recently goes first. Play continues clockwise.
Kickin' It Queensberry
For formal play, put at least 2 factions per player in the middle of the table. Randomly determine who goes first. The first player chooses one faction. Choice continues clockwise. When everyone has chosen one faction, the last player chooses a second faction. Choice continues in reverse order.
Sample Setup
The play area shows each player's Deck, Hand, and any Titans they have (placed near their deck) — for example, Player A's titan Rainboroc (MEGABOT) and Player C's titan Gorgodzolla (ZOLLA GORGODZOLLA), while Player B's chosen factions have no Titan. The Bases sit face up in the middle of the table, next to the face-down Base Deck. Before this base scores, each player with a minion or action here resolves any relevant abilities, and after a base scores it's replaced with the top card of the Base Deck.
The Phases of a Turn
1. Start Turn
Some abilities happen at the start of your turn. This is when that goes down. Yo.
2. Play Cards
On your turn play one minion, play one action, or play one of each… for free! You can play your cards in any order. You don't have to play any cards. To play titans, see Titans.
Minions
To play a minion, choose a base and put the minion card beside it, facing toward you. Do what the card says. (Cards that start with Special are a special case. See Terms and Restrictions.)
Actions
To play an action, show your card and do what it says. Boom! Then discard the action, unless you played it on another card.
3. Score Bases
After you are done playing cards, check to see whether any bases are ready to score (see The Big Score). If any are ready, you must start scoring.
4. Draw 2 Cards
Just what it says: draw 2 cards.
If you need to draw, reveal, search for or look at a card and your deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile and put it on the table face down—that's your new deck. Start drawing from there.
The maximum number of cards you can have in your hand at this time is 10. If you have more than 10 after drawing, discard down to 10.
5. End Turn
Anything that happens at the end of the turn happens here. Then check to see if any players have 15 or more victory points. If so, see Game Over, Man! Otherwise play passes to the player on the left.
Card Resolution Order
- Resolve the card just played.
- Finish resolving other cards that are in the middle of resolving.
- Resolve cards in play triggered by the card of step 1. If more than one, the current player chooses their order.
- Play cards in hand triggered by the card of step 1. If more than one, go clockwise from the current player. (Me First, see The Big Score.)
- Discard the card of step 1 unless played on another card.
Get to Know Your Cards!
Minions have a Power, a Name, an Ability, a Minion Identifier, and a Faction Symbol.
Example: Lunar Captain — power 5, Minion — "Talent: Choose a minion in your discard pile with power less than or equal to the number of your minions here, and place it into your hand."
Actions have a Name, an Ability, an Action Identifier, and a Faction Symbol.
Example: Tail Smash — power 4, Action, played on a base — "Destroy a minion you don't control here of power 3 or less. Ongoing: You gain +4 power here."
Bases have a Breakpoint, a Name, a Winner VP, a Runner Up VP, a Third Place VP, and an Ability.
The base's Ability is what the base does. Its ability always operates while the base is in the middle of the table. It's sort of a combination of Special, Ongoing, and Awesome.
Example: Juice Bar — breakpoint 20 — "Before this base scores, each player with a minion here gains +2 power here for each special ability they use before scoring."
Titans
Each faction in Big in Japan has one titan, a new type of card different from minions, actions, or bases. Titans start the game on the table near their owner; they are never in the hand, deck or discard pile.
Titans may be played on a base when a card — including the titan itself, says you can play them. Playing a titan is optional, but if a card in play lets you play a titan it must be done immediately or not at all. "Instead of your regular minion play" means instead of the normal minion play allowed during your Play Cards phase. Titans are not played as, and do not count as, extra cards. If you play a titan, you control it even if you do not own it.
Clash of the Titans
You may not play a titan if you already control a titan in play. After you play or move a titan to a base that already has a titan, one of them must be removed from play (exception: Kaiju Island). The two controllers compare their total power at that base, after resolving their ongoing abilities though not their talents. The one with the lesser total removes their titan; the earlier titan wins ties.
Titans are not affected by abilities that target "minions" or "actions". But abilities that target "cards" can affect titans and even force them out of play (destroyed, returned, placed, etc.). Titans also leave play if the base card they are on leaves play. Whatever the reason, when a titan leaves play it is set aside near its owner, discarding any counters on it. The titans can come back any time a card allows it.
Actions with power
The Kaiju faction has actions with power, and bases that grant power. This power counts both toward breaking the base and toward earning VP rewards, even if the player has no actual minion cards there. This is a new rule for Smash Up: you must have either at least one minion or 1 power at a base to receive VP rewards.
Titans by themselves do not have power, but their abilities may add power, and each power counter on them adds 1 power towards their controller's total on the base.
Example: Gorgodzolla — "Special: Instead of your regular minion play, you may play this card on a base where you have two or more actions. Ongoing: After you play an action or a minion on this base, place a +1 power counter on this card. Ongoing: After you play an action on this base, you may draw a card."
The Big Score
Score a base during the Score Bases phase if the total power of all cards on that base equals or exceeds the base's breakpoint (see Get to Know Your Cards!). If more than one base is ready to score, the player whose turn it is decides which one to score first.
After a base has been chosen to score, players may use abilities that happen "before" the base scores. If the total power on a base drops below its breakpoint after it is chosen, you still finish scoring the base.
For example, the Mega Trooper player plays Blitzing Sword Attack to destroy a 4-power minion on the base, making him the player with the highest power. Even if the total power is now below the new breakpoint, it still scores.
Me First!
Abilities of cards in play are resolved first, in the order chosen by the current player. Then if more than one player wants to play a card with a Special ability, starting with the current player and going clockwise, each player uses a Special or passes. You can use a Special after passing, but it stops when all players pass in sequence.
Awarding VP
The players with the highest, 2nd highest, and 3rd highest power on a base are the winner, runner up, and third place! They get victory points equal to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd number on the base card respectively. Anyone with the 4th highest power or lower gets nothing. If there are less than 3 players on a base, no one gets the VPs for the unclaimed spots. Dispense VP tokens in the appropriate amounts to everyone who scored. Abilities that happen "when" a base scores may change how this happens. You must have at least one minion or 1 power on a base to get victory points.
Back to Your Corners
After scoring, players can use abilities that happen "after" a base scores. Then all cards still on that base go to their owners' discard piles— except for titans, which are placed near their owners' decks. This might trigger abilities that happen when cards go to the discard pile.
Put the scored base into the base discard pile. Replace it with the top card of the base deck; shuffle the base discard pile if needed. Check to see if another base is ready to be scored. Score it too, the same way.
Tie Fighter
If players are tied on a base, all involved players get points for the best position they tied for. So, if three players had 10, 10, and 5 power on a base when it scores, the winners with 10 power each get first place points! The player with 5 power then gets third place, not second. If two players tie for runner up, no one gets third place. Harsh.
If players tie for a base's ability, they each get to use it. See Me First! on the previous page to settle conflicts.
Scoring order:
- Bases are checked to see if any are ready to score. If none are, go to the next phase.
- The current player chooses a base that is ready.
- Players may play and/or invoke any "Before scoring" abilities.
- VPs are awarded according to the current power totals. "When scoring" abilities may trigger now.
- Players may play and/or invoke any "After scoring" abilities. This may affect steps 6-8.
- All cards on the base are discarded.
- The base is discarded.
- A new base is chosen to replace it.
- Go to step 1.
Game Over, Man!
At the end of any turn that reaches 15 VP, the player with the most victory points wins. If there is a tie for the most, keep playing turns until there isn't. No sharing! Except for your two factions. You guys are BFFs.
Terms and Restrictions
Some restrictions apply. See rules for details. Supplies limited.
Affect: A card is affected if it is moved or transferred, removed from play (i.e. destroyed, returned, shuffled, or placed), changed in power or controller, or has an action attached, or its ability canceled.
Directly: Card X directly affects card Y if X's ability does one of the things listed under "Affect", and Y is a target specified by X.
After: "After X do Y", means X is completely resolved before Y is done. (Unless X is "a base scores", see The Big Score.)
Cancel: This means the ability is treated as if it does not exist.
Control: By default, each card you play is controlled by you. If you gain control of a card, it is as if you had played it: minions add to your power total, abilities on the card apply to you and you can use them, etc. Controlling a minion does not mean you control any actions played on it, but their abilities apply normally. When the card leaves play, it goes to the hand, deck, or discard pile of its owner, not its current controller. "Having" cards at a base means you control them.
Destroy: This lets you remove a card that's in play and put it in the discard pile.
Discard: This lets you put a card that is not in play or has just been scored into the discard pile. It comes from your hand unless it says otherwise.
Extra: "Play an extra minion/action" means you increase the number of that type of card you can play in this phase by one. You don't have to play the extra card right away, unless it was gained by a Special ability or outside the Play Cards phase. Like regular cards, extra cards are optional.
In Play: Cards in play are in the middle of the table, i.e. an active base or any card on it. Cards in the hand, deck, or discard pile, or set aside, are not in play.
Move: This lets you relocate a minion or titan from one base to another, along with any cards or counters on it. Moving a card does not count as playing it. On-play abilities do not trigger when you move a card, but Ongoing, Special, and Talent abilities still have their effects.
Ongoing: Most abilities happen and then they're over, or else they end at the end of the turn. Ongoing abilities are active for as long as they're around.
On your turn: This means during the normal Play Cards phase of your turn.
Owner: The player who had the card at the start of the game. Monsters and treasures have no owner.
Place: This lets you relocate a card in a way not covered by other terms, such as from a base to the bottom of your deck, or from the discard pile to your hand.
Play: You play a card when it's one of the free cards you get in phase 2, or any time an ability specifically says that you're playing it. A card's ability happens when you play it. When cards are moved, placed, or returned, they're not being played, and their abilities don't happen.
Return: This means that a card goes back where it came from. When a card returns from a base, discard attachments on that card, and put it in its owner's hand.
Special: Most abilities happen when you play a card. Special abilities happen at unusual times or in unusual ways. Special abilities might trigger on a card already in play, or in your hand or discard pile. A card's ability will describe how it can be used. If you use a Special ability to play a card on your turn, it doesn't count as one of your free cards for that turn.
Talent: This is an ability that the card may use once during the Play Cards phase of each of your turns. You don't have to use it if you don't want to.
To: Some cards say, "Do X to do Y" (e.g. "Discard cards equal to a minion's power to destroy it.") With these cards, if X gets thwarted for any reason (e.g., you don't have enough cards in hand), then you can't do any of X, or Y, either. So there.
Transfer: This lets you relocate actions or power counters from one card to another. When adding counters to your cards (from the pool), or discarding counters from your cards (to the pool), that's not transferring.
Clarifications
Bewitching Gal, Sakura Warrior: The amount of reduction is calculated once, and does not change even if the number of minions there changes.
Gorgodzolla, Megabot, Walking Castle: You may play these instead of a regular minion play whether or not you have any minions in hand. No restrictions on minion play apply to titan play.
I Select You!, Black Magicat, Critter Champion, Critter Coach, Evolution, White Magicat: It is now part of the rules that cards that tell you to search your deck also require that you reveal the card searched for, and shuffle your deck afterwards.
Kaijookey, Wade through the Buildings, Gorgodzolla: Actions on minions do not count.
Black Trooper: This can trigger from any player's special ability, and multiple times in a turn.
Kaiju Island: If the ability is cancelled, multiple titans still stay; new titans played or moved here would trigger removing the weaker one(s).
Moon Dumpster: Players reveal in order starting with the current player. If during setup, reveal before drawing hands, starting with the first player.
Critter Coach, Critter Champion: The minion they play must go to the bottom of the deck even if the card that summoned them is out of play by the end of the turn.
Critter Cube: The other players' minion in your deck is drawn and played normally, and you control it. When it leaves play it goes back to the owner.
Purge the Demon: You may choose any card, including a base or a titan.
Q Point: You may have just one minion or one action there before scoring, not one of each. Indestructible cards do remain, though. Titans there do not count toward that total, and are unaffected.
Void Where Prohibited
Often, card text and rules text will conflict. When there's a fight, card text wins. So there's an invisible "unless stated otherwise" with every rule in this book. Exception: Minion power and base breakpoint are never reduced below zero.
If cards conflict, the one that says you can't do something beats the one that says you can.
If multiple effects would happen at the same time, the player whose turn it is chooses the order.
You can play a card even if its ability can't or doesn't happen. For example, you can play an action that destroys a minion even if no minions are in play, or if the minion you choose is immune to destruction.
You must follow a card's ability, even if it's bad for you. Exceptions: Extra cards are optional, as are abilities that say you "may" do something.
If an ability says "any number" you may choose one, or even zero. You may play a card that says "all" even if there are no targets.
If you get to play extra minions or actions outside the Play Cards phase, you must play those extra cards immediately or not at all.
Anyone may look through any discard pile at any time.
"A minion" or "minions" means any minion in play, unless stated otherwise. Exception: "Play a minion" refers to minions in the hand.
When a card that others can see goes to the hand, deck or discard pile, it goes to the one belonging to the card's owner (i.e. the player whose deck the card came from), no matter who played or controlled it.
When a card leaves play, any cards and counters on it are discarded.
Specials may be played at any time they are applicable, even on other players' turns.
The power of a minion not in play is only the number printed on it, but once in play its power includes all modifications.
If not stated, the effects of an ability expire at the end of the turn, or when its card leaves play, whichever is sooner. Exception: with no stated deadline, a control change of a minion lasts indefinitely.
"You" on a minion, action, or titan means the controller of the card; on a base it means any player it describes, often the current player. "Other players" means everyone except "you". "Your" cards are those you control, whether or not you own them.
"Here" means the base the card is at; "there" means the location just referred to on the card.
If you "look" at a card, show it to no one else. If you "reveal" it, show it to everyone else. If you "search" a deck or discard pile for a card you must reveal the card chosen. After searching a deck it must be shuffled.
The Factions
This set of Smash Up features four factions, which combine to make 6 possible decks. Counting all the Smash Up sets, there are now over 1000 possible faction combos! Mix and match factions to suit your play style.
Mega Troopers
Go go play on bases! Go go destroy minions! Go go Mega Troopers, You crazy Smash Up Mega Troopers!
The Mega Troopers are the ultimate fighting team, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. And should things get out of control, they can always call a giant frickin' robot and auto-win. Which they should probably just do earlier in the fight, but whatever.
Magical Girls
Moonlight, dreams, love, and starshine! OMG, it's so kawaii!!!!
The Magical Girls are undoubtedly cute, but they will surprise you with what they can do with their spells. And they work together as a team. Evil will have no chance against these girls.
Kaiju
Giant monsters stomp around Tokyo, smashing countless buildings as they battle. Their amazing destructive power confounds scientists, whose greatest weaponry proves useless against them. Who can stop the massive power of a guy in a rubber suit? We know! We'll let the precocious 10-year-old, with unexplained access to the Japanese military's most secure facilities, talk to it!
Itty Critters
They're tiny, and they come and go quickly, but once you learn which one to call when, the Itty Critters can really pack a punch. We know you'll want to have them all. If you can make these things as popular as certain other things (you know which ones) we'd be eternally grateful.
Moar Factions!
Does more than one person want to play Kaiju? Great! Combine two sets of Big in Japan so people can draft and play the same factions against one another. Remember, you can't put two of the same faction together though! Just use one set of bases when combining.
Roll Credits
Game Design: Paul Peterson
Development: Mark Wootton
Art Direction: Todd Rowland
Art: Alberto Tavira, Francisco Rico Torres, Hinkle / Silva Art, Studio 2 Minds
Graphic Design: Kalissa Fitzgerald
Writing: Todd Rowland, Bryan Stout
Editing: Bryan Stout
Proofreading: Bryan Stout, Rusty Bloomer, Nicolas Bongiu, Wim Debraekeleer, Adam East, Garrett Lapham, Daniel Matteo, Duc-Man Nguyen, Robert Payne, Logan Pierce, Todd Rowland, Mark Wootton
Layout and Typesetting: Kalissa Fitzgerald
Production: Dave Lepore
Brand Management: Todd Rowland
Playtesting Director: Bryan Stout
Playtesting: Seth Abraham, Stefanie Albers, Alexandra Allen, Timothy Allen, Wesley Anderson, D.J. Atanasoff, Robert Baker, Beth Barry, Melissa Bloomer, Rusty Bloomer, Nathan Boxall, Malte Büsing, Debbie Cartwright, Emma Cartwright, Freya Cartwright, James Cartwright, Jessica Cartwright, Daniel Chang-Fong, Cliff Christiansen, Heidi Christiansen, Joschka Cors, Brock Craddock, Kathryn Cramer, Blake Cunningham, Nadine de Groot, Wim Debraekeleer, Ayne Delgado, Adam East, Elissa East, Jewel East, Seth East, Janis Eisenmenger, Jon Espinoza, Alexander Fink, Jared Frail, Stephanie Frail, Andrew Gerber, Maurice Haedrich, Justin Harrell, Dean Harris, Tim Helms, Christian Janßen, Jason Lahowetz, Garrett Lapham, Danny Leal, Benjamin Little, Zach Lyons, James Martin, Sam Martin, Daniel Matteo, Amanda McEwen, Robert McEwen, Daniel Mowat, Andrew Narzynski, Duc-Man Nguyen, Le-Thi Nguyen, Kaz Nyborg-Andersen, Gerrit Oestreich, Dennis Oltmanns, Timo Onken, Brittany Payne, Robert Payne, Mason Pember, Katie Pierce, Lane Pierce, Laura Pierce, Logan Pierce, Josh Rathert, Joshua Reed, Alex Rossi, Eugene Sandberg, Robert Sandberg, Nathalie Scheeck, Emily Schepper, Michael Schmeeckle, Andrew Schwartz, Michael Schwartz, Trevor Skelton, Ryan Stewart, Bryan Stout, Aaron Stricker, Alex Stricker, Alailima Talavou, Fabien Vannier, Andrew Willis, Andrew Wilson, Michael Wilson, Anna Wray, Landon Wray, Erik Yaple, Andrew Young, John Zinser.
Special Thanks To: Bernie Tanaka, Mel Fujitzu, Dr. Ho, and our main squeeze Slojin.
Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
© 2017 Alderac Entertainment Group. Smash Up, Big In Japan and all related marks are ™ and © Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc. 555 N El Camino Real #A393, San Clemente, CA 92672 USA. All rights reserved. Printed in China. Blah blah blah.
Warning: Choking hazard! Not for use by children under 3 years of age.
Smash Up mechanic designed by Paul Peterson, used under license by Alderac Entertainment Group.
Smash Up the Interwebs
Questions? Email [email protected]
All Your Basics
Set Up
Each player chooses two factions and shuffles them together to make a 40-card deck. Place any titans near your deck. Draw a hand of five cards. Place one more base card than you have players in the middle of the table (for example, use five bases for four players).
On Your Turn
Play 1 minion and 1 action in either order. You can play less if you want to. Follow all instructions on card abilities as you play them.
Check to see whether any bases can be scored. If they can, score them.
Draw two cards. Discard down to a hand of 10 if necessary.
Scoring
After you are done playing minions and actions, if the total power of all players meets or exceeds a base's breakpoint, that base scores.
The players with the highest, second highest, and third highest power get the victory points for the winner, runner up, and third place, as shown on the base. In case of a tie, each player receives full victory points for the highest place he or she qualified for.
Resolve the ability on the base, discard minions there, and then replace it.
Winning
When one or more players have 15 or more victory points just before a turn ends, the one with the most victory points wins. In case of a tie, play another turn.
If you are playing with the Obligatory Cthulhu Set, remember to check for Madness cards VP reduction at the end of the game. Then if any players are tied for most victory points, the player with the lowest number of Madness cards wins. Further ties share the win!
Additional Rules
When a card disagrees with the rules, the card wins.
If cards conflict, the one that says you can't do something beats the one that says you can.
If multiple effects happen at the same time, the player whose turn it is determines their order.
You can play a card even if its ability can't happen.
You must follow a card's ability, even if it's bad for you. If a card says you "may" do something, you have a choice whether to do it.
If an ability says "any number" you may choose zero. You may play a card that says "all" even if there are no targets.
Anyone may look through any discard pile at any time.