Star Wars: Episode 1 – Clash of the Lightsabers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • Starting the Round
• Your Battle Cards
  • Power Cards
  • Special Cards
  • Fighting the Battle
  • Rules of the Duels
• Ending a Battle
• Ending a Round
• Beginning a New Round
• Winning the Game
• Strategy Tips & Hints for the Wise Jedi or Sith

Contents

For 2 players / Ages 8 and Up

• 1 Qui-Gon Jinn Battle Card Deck of 55 Cards
• 1 Darth Maul Battle Card Deck of 55 Cards
• 5 Qui-Gon Final Duel Cards
• 5 Darth Maul Final Duel Cards
• 1 Qui-Gon Jinn Pewter Figure
• 1 Darth Maul Pewter Figure

Setup

First, decide who will play Qui-Gon Jinn (green-backed cards) and who will play Darth Maul (red-backed cards).

Place your 5 Final Duel Cards (faceup) on the table and place your pewter player figure on your Final Duel Card 1. Place your Battle Deck next to your Final Battle Cards (Figure 1).

You are now ready to begin the lightsaber duel of duels–a mighty clash to the finish that will tilt the balance of the Force for years to come!

Gameplay

Starting the Round

Each round is composed of three lightsaber battles. A battle is won by having a higher total Attack Value on your played cards than your opponent does.

At the start of the round, take your player Battle Deck, shuffle it, and deal yourself a 7-card hand. Place the rest of your Battle Deck next to your Final Duel cards. Now plan your battle by taking three cards from your hand and placing them facedown in front of you–one card for each battle (Figure 2). If you later forget which cards you put down, you are allowed to look at them.

Your Battle Cards

Each Battle Deck has two types of cards–Power Cards and Special Cards. Power Cards have an Attack Value ranging from 1 to 5. If the total Attack Value of the cards you play in a battle is greater than your opponent's total, then you are winning that battle. Special Cards contain battle commands that you can use to radically alter the duel's outcome; these are slightly different for Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul. Here's a breakdown of the Battle Decks:

Power Cards

• 10 Attack Value = 1
• 10 Attack Value = 2
• 10 Attack Value = 3
• 3 Attack Value = 4
• 2 Attack Value = 5

Power Cards are worth 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 in Attack Value.

Special Cards

• 4 Block
• 3 Use the Force
• 3 Jedi Knight (or 3 Sith Lord)
• 3 X2 Obi-Wan (or 3 X2 Darth Sidious)
• 2 Life Drain
• 2 Retreat
• 1 Burst of Energy
• 1 Final Attack (Attack Value = 6)
• 1 Qui-Gon's Fury (or 1 Darth Maul's Rage)

When you play a Special card, follow the instructions in the dark area at the bottom of the card.

Fighting the Battle

After you have chosen and placed your three Battle Cards, the first battle begins. Each player flips over their first Battle Card at the same time and the Attack Values are compared. At this point, the battle is engaged and continues according to the "Rules of the Duels."

Rules of the Duels

• The Jedi or Sith whose played cards have the higher total Attack Value is said to be "winning the battle." If the total Attack Value is equal, then the player with the higher total number of cards played is winning. If both the total Attack Value and the total number of cards are equal, then the players are in a Standoff.
• The Jedi or Sith who is losing the battle has two options: He can try to take the lead (or cause a Standoff) or he can concede the battle (see Conceding a Battle). If he does not want to concede, he plays a card from his hand. If he is still losing the battle, he has the choice to play another card or concede. The losing player continues to play one card at a time until he takes the lead, causes a Standoff, has no more cards, or decides to concede.
• If a player is losing a battle and has no more cards in his hand, he must concede the battle.
• When playing additional Battle Cards, play them so that the tops of all previously played cards can be seen and totaled (Figure 3).
• If there is a Standoff, then both players play a card from their hands at the same time, adding the value of the Card to their total Attack Value. If there is still a Standoff, they repeat this process until one player is winning the battle.
• If there is a Standoff and one player is out of cards, the other player must play a card.
• If two Special Cards are played during a Standoff or at the beginning of a battle, these cards cancel each other out. Ignore their directions and discard both of them. Continue the duel with new cards from your hands.
• When you draw the last card from your deck, shuffle your discard pile and use it as your new draw pile.

Ending a Battle

A battle ends when one player concedes the battle or when the battle ends in a draw.

You may concede at any point that you are losing the battle. You must concede when you are losing and have no more cards in your hand. You cannot concede a battle during a Standoff or when you are winning the battle.

When you concede a battle, take your cards played during that battle and put them in your discard pile. The winning player leaves his cards on the table to record the fact that he won that battle.

A draw occurs when there is a Standoff and neither player has cards left in his hand. At this point, both players put the Battle Cards played in that battle into their discard piles. This battle was a draw and neither side won.

If this battle was the first or second in a round, move onto the next battle. If this battle was the third battle, the round ends and the players score the round.

Ending a Round

The round ends when the third battle is finished. The player who won more battles in that round moves his pewter figure ahead to the next Final Duel card. If you win all three battles in a round, move your figure two Final Duel cards! If the round ends in a draw, neither player moves ahead.

At this point, collect all your played Battle Cards on the table and place them in your discard pile.

Beginning a New Round

Important Note: Keep the unplayed cards in your hand and add them to the cards you draw next round!

Draw 7 new cards from your Battle Deck and add them to the cards you have left from the previous round. Plan your new battles and begin a new round of lightsaber dueling!

Winning the Game

To win, you must be first to advance your figure to your fifth Final Duel card. The fate of the planet Naboo is now in your hands!

Strategy Tips & Hints for the Wise Jedi or Sith

• Don't be afraid to concede a battle in order to win the game. Keep track of how many cards you have in your hand and how many your opponent has. Sometimes conceding a battle is the best move.
• Use the RETREAT card to put cards back into your hand. A good strategy is to lose the first battle in a round with a RETREAT card and then play a RETREAT card back into your hand. You'll lose the battle, but now you have two extra cards so that you have more cards to play in the second and third battles of the round.
• Play cards like USE THE FORCE and LIFE DRAIN in combination with a RETREAT card. For example, you can play a USE THE FORCE card to draw two cards and then play a RETREAT card back into your hand. You'll lose the battle, but now you have the USE THE FORCE card plus two extra cards you don't have to play during the next battle.
• Play the FINAL ATTACK card when it's the only card left in your hand. This way you don't have to discard any additional cards.
• The BURST OF ENERGY card, played at the right time, can win the game for you. Consider using it to discard any ATTACK 1 or ATTACK 2 cards in your hand.
• Know your opponent. Know your cards. These are the keys to victory in the Clash of the Lightsabers!

Note: The Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul figures in this game are made of the highest quality pewter available. Due to the flexibility of pewter, they may bend. If they do, carefully bend them back into shape.