The Smog Riders: Showdown Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Symbols
• Card and Tile Definitions
  • Character Card
  • Tactical Card
  • Location Tile
• Game Set Up
  • The Scenario
  • Players
  • The Market
  • Steam Power Tokens
• Sequence of Play
• Market Renewal
• Player Turn
  • Dealing a Hand of Cards
  • Performing Actions
  • Moving Characters
  • Controlling Locations
  • Reactivation of Inactive Characters
  • Attacking with Characters
  • Melee Attacks
  • Ranged Attacks
  • Combined Attacks
  • Weapon Cards
• Buying New Cards in the Market
  • Recruiting Characters
  • Purchase of Tactical Cards
  • Purchase of Steam Coins
• Victory Conditions
• Glossary of Terms

Game Components

• 32 Character cards
• 133 Tactical cards
• 29 Cards of 1 Steam Coins
• 10 Cards of 2 Steam Coins
• 8 Cards of 3 Steam Coins
• 8 Dominion cards
• 29 Steam Power tokens
• 6 Location Tiles
• Rulebook

Symbols

• Abyssal Empire
• Commonsteam Alliance
• Ranged Attack
• Melee Attack
• Health
• Strength
• Magic
• Agility
• Weapon
• Object
• Cost
• Steam Power

Card and Tile Definitions

Character Card

A. Faction: It shows the faction that the character belongs.

B. Name of the character.

C. Faction Skill. Skill of this character that is applied when interacting with other teammates of the same faction, while such character is in a specific Location.

D. Health. Minimum value required to knock down the character with attacks.

E. Strength, Magic and Agility. Attributes that the character adds when trying to control a Location.

F. Melee attribute. Value used by the character in close combat attacks.

G. Value used by the character in ranged attacks.

Tactical Card

A. Name of the card.

B. Optional symbol. It indicates if the card is an object or a weapon.

C. Cost: Price in Steam Coins necessary to get the Name of the card, from the market.

D. Text: It explains the effects of the card.

Location Tile

A. Name of the Location.

B. Strength, Magic and Agility. Attributes required to be controlled by characters.

C. Control and Dominion rewards. It indicates which benefit gets the player when the Location is controlled or kept under control in successive turns.

Game Set Up

The Scenario

Player count determines how many Locations are used in the game. Shuffle and place them as it is shown in the figure "Scenario set up, mobility and adjacency". By doing this each game will get randomly different Locations and positions.

Players

Each player takes seat in front of one of the squares formed by the Scenario. The Base is the empty board space in front of the player.

During the game the characters of one player will move into Locations, but they always must be placed at the side of the tile that is closed to that player.

Each player starts the game with 2 Dominion cards of the same color and a player deck with the following Tactical cards:

• 4 cards of 1 Action.
• 1 card of 1 Attack.
• 5 cards of 1 Steam Coin.

Before the game remove those leftover cards of 1 Action and 1 Attack after dealing the starting deck to the players.

Players must shuffle their decks and place them faced down in the area of their own base, close to the 2 Dominion cards that will be used to identify controlled Locations during the game.

Each player draws 5 cards to create a first hand of cards.

The deck of characters is shuffled and each player draws two cards, no matter if they belong to the same faction or not, and place them in the Base.

The Market

Place the character and Tactical cards decks close to those of 1, 2 and 3 Steam Coins, in an area called Market. Draw 5 cards from the Tactical cards deck and place the faced up in the market (Figure page 5). Only these cards, the single revealed character and the Steam Coins can be bought by players from the market during the game.

Steam Power Tokens

Players will keep track of the achieved points at any moment by using Steam Power tokens.

Once the setup is finished the game is ready to go!

Sequence of Play

TSR Showdown is played in game rounds. The player closest in age to the Queen Victoria (the oldest) starts the game. After that turn is finished, the initiative is given to the next player located clockwise, and so on.

Each game round is organized as follows:

• Market renewal.
• Player 1 turn:
  • Use of Tactical cards, characters or shopping. The player chooses the order.
  • Draw the new hand of cards for the next turn.
• Next player turn...

Market Renewal

At the beginning of each round, with the exception of the first, the market is renewed by supplying cards as follows:

• Character cards. The character available is discarded and a new one is shown, no matter if they were bought or not in the previous round. If the character deck is depleted, then create a new one with the discard pile. Shuffle the new deck and use it again.
• Tactical cards. Discard the card located at the left side of the market and move the others to the left, regardless of having bought cards or not. Then draw a new Tactical card and place it in the free space at the right side. If the Tactical card deck is depleted, then create a new one with the discard pile. Shuffle the new deck and use it again.

Player Turn

Dealing a Hand of Cards

Before the game each player draws 5 cards from his player deck in order to get a first-hand. Remember that some faction skills from characters or Dominion rewards may increase the number of cards that one player can draw. However those cards are taken at the beginning of that player's new turn.

After looking at the cards in hand, the player can execute the following,

• Perform Actions (with Tactical cards from the hand).
• Attack (with characters).
• Buy new cards in the Market (with Steam Coins cards).

The player is free to choose in which order the actions, attacks or purchases are carried out. In other words, the player can buy first, perform actions and/or attack later, or even introduce an attack between actions. Moreover the player can use as many Tactical cards with a Character as desired, with the exception of attacks. Characters only can perform one attack each turn.

By doing this the player is using the cards from the hand, with a planned strategy, or he/she can reserve an effect of a card in order to play it after another card. For example, with the "x2 Actions" card a player can perform an action, use another card, and then apply the remaining action.

When a card is played, it is placed in the discard pile of that player. If the player can't use or doesn't want to use other cards (for example, because there are not enough Steam Coins to buy or enemy characters to attack), those cards left are discarded too.

When a player ends the turn, he/she must create a new deck with 5 cards for the next round. Extra cards given by Dominium rewards or character skills are drawn at the begining of the turn.

When the player's deck is depleted, a new one is created with the discard pile. It is shuffled and can be used again normally.

If an effect of a card forces a player to discard a card from the hand, this is randomly chosen by the player that inacted that effect.

Performing Actions

At the beginning of each game all players start with 4 cards of 1 Action, but they can acquire cards that allow them to perform 2 actions, 1 action and 1 attack, … For example, a character can use the card "x2 Actions" and perform 2 actions just by playing one card from the hand.

In cards with more than one option it is not obligatory to use all. For example, "Action and purchase" allows the player to perform 1 action and spend 1 Steam Coin, but it is possible to perform the action and not buying anything. In this situation the player carries out the action, and discards the card after that.

Other cards like "Recycle" has the text "1 Action. You can discard a card from your hand". Thus the player can perform 1 action and discard a definitively useless card. Moreover, that player can play the action, and opt not apply the other effect.

A player that spends 1 Action can:

• Move a character from a Location to another adjacent Location.
• Control a Location.
• Untap a tapped/non active character.

Moving Characters

Characters can move across the scenario from a Location to another adjacent by using 1 Action (See figure page 4). If there is character of the same team in the new Location, then the player can decide to place it in first line (at the side of the other character) or in second line after it (See figure "Example of characters in first and second line"). This decision affects the type of attacks that a character could perform or receive later.

After a first line character it is only possible to place one character in second line, and none can be placed after that. It is not allowed to have a third line of characters.

If a player already has two characters in first line in the same Location, it is possible to place one in second line by spending 1 Action. If the character of the first line is knocked out, then the character of the second line moves to the first automatically.

Controlling Locations

A player can try to control a Location if the following conditions apply:

• The sum of the attributes of Strength, Magic and Agility of one or more characters of the same team is equal or greater than those of the Location they are in.
• There are no enemy characters in it.

In order to control it, that player must spend 1 Action and rotate 90° each character required.

When a Location is controlled, that player gets an immediate reward as it is described in the tile of the Location, and it becomes under control of the players character. That player then places one of the Dominion cards on it in order to keep track of the Locations status.

At the beginning of each of their turns, players get rewards from the Locations under Dominion at that point.

A player only loses the Dominion of a Location if another player takes control later.

Reactivation of Inactive Characters

Characters can become inactive two different ways:

• After controlling a Location.
• After being knocked out (See section "Attacking with characters").

An inactive character can't attack or carry out any actions, unless that card is rotated non-clockwise and becomes active again. The controlling player must spend 1 Action in order to do this and reactivate each of the inactive characters.

One players controls the bank. Character's cards are rotated and they become inactive. The player then gets its reward, 3 steam coins.

Attacking with Characters

Characters can fight with other enemy characters with melee or ranged attacks if they are in the same Location, unless a Faction skill or the effects of a card allow them from another.

In any case, one attack is successful when the melee or ranged attack value is equal or greater than the health of the target. The target character is then knocked out, and it must be returned to the base inactive (rotated).

Like Action cards, there exist certain Attack cards that apply more than one effect when played. In these situations the player can use that extra effect even without attacking.

Characters can only attack once each turn. When a character attacks, flip the card and show the "character in Combat" side. At the beginning of the next turn, the player can switch again, and the character will be ready to attack again.

A character can perform actions even if the card is showing the "character in combat" side.

When a character attacks flip the card and show the "Character in combat" side.

Melee Attacks

Close combats or melee attacks are those carried out by characters placed in first line, which target enemy characters also located in first line. Characters in second line can't attack or be attacked by melee attacks, unless a Faction Skill or a card effect allows it specifically.

The value of the Melee attribute is the one used when making this type of attacks.

Ranged Attacks

Ranged attacks are carried out by characters placed in second line that target enemies in first or second line. characters located in first line can't make ranged attacks, unless a Faction Skill or the effect of a card allows this.

The attribute of Ranged attacks is the one used when attacking in such a way.

Combined Attacks

These attacks involve two or more characters over one target at the same time. In this situation, it is the sum of their attack attributes used, the value must be equal or bigger than the health of the enemy character in order to be successful. For this purpose each character can use Melee, ranged attacks, or a combination of them, but they always must follow the rules of Melee and/or Ranged attacks. For example, a combined attack in which one of the characters is using a Melee attribute can't target an enemy in second line.

In order to make a combined attack, the player must spend 1 Attack for each character that participates in it.

In order to knock out Dieter, the attacking player declares a combined attack. After playing a card with two attacks the characters in that Location sum their melee attacks in a devastating blow!

Weapon Cards

Weapons are special cards that boost the attacks of characters when attacking. When using a weapon there must be a character of the team in the Location where the target of the attack is located, unless the character has a Faction Skill or the weapon includes an effect that allows attacking from another Location. Weapon cards have implied attacks, so they don't need another Attack card to be used.

Buying New Cards in the Market

In addition, to make Actions or Attacks, their players can purchase new cards among those available in the Market by paying their cost in Steam Coins.

In the moment that a player buys Tactical Cards or Steam Coins, they and the Steam Coins used for the purchase are placed in that player's discard pile together. Following the card usage all of them will be available and can be used in future turns. In other words, a card can't be used in the moment that is bought.

The opposite characters are placed directly in the Base when recruited. They are ready to act, and they can be played and perform actions or attacks in the same turn.

Recruiting Characters

During the game the cost of characters vary as a function of the number of characters that the player already controls, by the following formula:

Cost = Number of characters + 2

For example, at the beginning of the game a player has 2 characters, so a third one will cost 4 Steam Coins. Later that team has 3 members, and then the fourth character will require 5 Steam Coins to be recruited.

It is recommended that the players choses one single Faction when building the team in order to get benefits from their Faction Skills, since they only work with companions of the team that belong to the same Faction.

Players can recruit the character available on the top of the characters deck, but also the last one present in the characters discard pile.

Purchase of Tactical Cards

Tactical cards improve the player's deck, determining a strategy.

When a player buys a Tactical card from the Market, all the cards at the right move to the left, and a new card from the Tactical cards deck is placed in the empty spot. There are three types:

• Standard Tactical card. These are generic cards, without symbol.
• Weapon. These are Attacks that boost the Melee or Ranged Attacks of characters. They are recognized with a "target lock" symbol.
• Object. These cards are placed in Base of the player when purchased, and they are active from that moment during the rest of the game unless another card discards it. The symbol for these cards is a "screw", and it is not allowed for a player to have two or more copies of the same object at the same time.

If a card without cost is discarded from a player's deck, it is removed from the game. For example, the cards of 1 Attack or 1 Action.

Purchase of Steam Coins

Players must pay the cost when purchasing a Steam Coin card. New Steam Coin cards let the player buy quicker a greater number or more expensive cards during the turn. Once all Steam Coins are depleted by players, then it is not possible to get more.

Victory Conditions

The objective of the game is to control the Steam City. To achieve this, a player must control three Locations or achieve 50 Steam Power points. If this happens then that player is declared winner and the absolute master of the Scenario.

In order to get points there are cards and Dominion rewards that grant extra Steam Power tokens to the players, but there are two basic ways to score:

• 1 Steam Power for each enemy character knocked down.
• 5 Steam Power for each Location that is controlled.

Glossary of Terms

• ACTION: Unit of movement that allows characters to move, control Locations and reactivate inactive characters.
• BASE: Area of the Scenario where characters start at the beginning of the game and where they return when knocked down. It is also the place where players must place their object cards.
• CHARACTER'S DECK: Deck containing the cards of characters, which are offered to the players in the Market.
• CONTROL: Action performed when the sum of the attributes of one or more characters is equal or greater than those of the Location. That player then gets a reward for controlling it.
• COMPANIONS: Characters controlled by one player that belong to the same Faction.
• COST: Price of a card or character that must be paid by the player in order to be purchased.
• DISCARD: When one card is discarded it is placed in the Tactical discard pile of the market or, if it is the case, in the discard pile of the owner (Player).
• DOMINION: After one Location is controlled, that player will get DOMINION over it. A player with Dominion will get a reward from that Location at the beginning of the turn, unless it becomes later controlled by another player.
• DRAW: Action of getting cards from a deck.
• ENEMIES: Characters controlled by another player.
• FACTION: Organization that certain characters belong. There are two factions: The Abyssal Empire and Common Steam Alliance.