Transformers Armada: Battle for Cybertron Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Contents
• Assembly
• Game Setup
  • Choose Sides
  • Shuffle the Cards
  • Set Up the Gameboard & Character Charts
• 2-Player Game Rules
  • What to do on a Turn
  • Moving
  • Moving into Attack Position
  • The 2 Actions
  • Drawing a Card
  • Playing a Card
  • When Transformers Are Destroyed
  • Winning
  • Special Notes on Cards
• Game Variations
  • 4- and 6-Player Transformers Team Game
  • 2- to 6-Player Transformers Free-for-All
  • 2- to 6-Player Transformers Free-for-All (Random Draw)
  • Transformers Master Play (2 or 4 Players)
  • Special Note on Cards for Master Play

Object

Battle and destroy your opponent's Transformer.

Contents

4 Battle Scenes (2 double-sided Gameboards), 252 Cards, 10 Wound Markers, 8 Transformer Character Pawns, 8 Character Charts, 1 Die.

Assembly

Undo the twist ties and remove the Transformer character pawns and die from the plastic packaging. Discard the twist ties. Also remove the bag of rubber bands from the underside of the plastic packaging. Set these aside for now, they are used to keep your character cards organized when you store your game. Save the packaging to store the character pawns.

Carefully remove the gameboards, character charts, and wound markers from the cardboard parts sheets. Discard the cardboard waste.

Remove the 4 Quick Guide cards from the card decks and set them within reach of all players. Then separate the remaining cards into 8 decks according to the pictures on the back.

Game Setup

Each player controls one Transformer. If you are playing for the first time, we recommend beginning with the Optimus Prime character versus the Megatron character on the Desert Arena gameboard.

Choose Sides

Players choose sides: one will play to uphold good (the Autobots) while the other plays to spread evil (the Decepticons).

Each player then looks through the character charts and chooses one character. If you are playing the Autobot, choose from Optimus Prime, Red Alert, Hot Shot, or Smokescreen. If you are playing the Decepticon, choose from Megatron, Demolishor, Starscream, or Cyclonus. Take your character's chart, pawn, and deck of cards.

Shuffle the Cards

Each player shuffles his/her deck of cards and places it facedown within reach. This is your draw pile. Leave room for a discard pile next to your draw pile.

Set Up the Gameboard & Character Charts

There are four gameboards to choose from: Megatron's Throne Room, Desert Arena, Rain Forest Assault Arena and Autobot's Mountain Base. Choose one and place it between the players.

• Each player places his/her character pawn on the gameboard on the space with its name.
• Take a wound marker and place it on the blue circle on your character's chart. This will be used to keep track of damage done to your Transformer.
• Draw the top four cards from your card deck and look at them. Do not show them to your opponent.
• Roll the die to see who goes first. The highest number wins. If you tie, re-roll. Play then passes to the left.

2-Player Game Rules

What to do on a Turn

Begin your turn by rolling the die and moving your character pawn. You then get 2 actions (see The 2 Actions). Once your actions are completed, your turn ends.

Moving

The die tells you how far your character pawn can move.

• You can only move forward, backward or side-to-side. You cannot move diagonally.
• Your character pawn can only move onto or through the 1x1 squares. All other areas are considered blocked, and you cannot move onto or through them. (A Transformer can move onto and off of a space that is shown as accessible, but it cannot move onto or through a blocked area.)
• You cannot move onto or through the same space as your opponent's character pawn.
• You do not need to move the full amount shown on the die, and may choose not to move at all.
• If you roll an "ALL," move your character pawn the number shown. The "ALL" feature is only used if you are playing the Master Play version (see Transformers Master Play).

Moving into Attack Position

In order to attack your opponent's character pawn, your pawn must be either:

• On a space next to your opponent's, meaning any space directly in front of, in back of, to either side of, or diagonal to; OR
• Any distance from your opponent, provided you can draw a straight line forward, backward, sideways, or on the diagonal to your opponent's character pawn. This line cannot pass through any blocked areas. REMEMBER: Any area that is not a 1x1 square is considered blocked and you cannot attack through it.

Examples (from the illustrations):

• Optimus Prime can attack Megatron because a straight line on the diagonal can be drawn between the two without crossing any blocked areas.
• Optimus Prime cannot attack Megatron because Megatron is behind a blocked area.
• Optimus Prime cannot attack Megatron because Megatron is not in a straight line from Optimus Prime.

The 2 Actions

There are 2 types of actions in the game: Drawing a Card is one action and Playing a Card is one action. On your turn you must choose 2 actions. You may choose two of the same action, such as: drawing two cards OR playing two cards; or you may choose a combination, such as: drawing a card and playing a card or playing a card and drawing a card. NOTE: If you draw a card as your 1st action, you may look at it before deciding upon your 2nd action.

Drawing a Card

Draw a card from your draw pile. You cannot have more than 10 cards in your hand at one time. If you already have 10 cards in hand and want to draw a card as your action, first you must place a card from your hand faceup onto your discard pile and then draw a new card.

If you go through your draw pile once, reshuffle your discards to form a new draw pile. If either player goes through their draw pile twice, the game is over. The player whose Transformer has the least amount of damage wins. In rare cases, both players will have the same amount of damage. If this happens, the players tie and good and evil go on to fight another day!

Playing a Card

There are 3 types of cards: Combat cards, Power Combat cards and Special cards. Most of the card decks have all 3 types; however, if you are playing Cyclonus, note that you have no Special cards.

Combat cards have both an attack value (shown in the red symbol) and a defense value (shown in the blue symbol) on them. These cards can be used either to attack another Transformer or to defend against attacks.

To attack with a Combat card, play the Combat card facedown in front of you. REMEMBER: You must first be in a position to attack.

Your enemy has the option of defending. To defend, play a Combat or Power Combat card (see Power Combat cards) faceup in front of you. NOTE: The defending player does not have to defend (play a card), even if he/she has a defending Combat or Power Combat card in his/her hand.

The attacking player now turns over his/her card. If the attack value (the number in the red symbol) on the attacker's card is higher than the defense value (the number in the blue symbol) on the defender's card, the defending Transformer must take the difference in damage. Move the defending Transformer's wound marker that many spaces toward the red circle on the character chart. If the defense value on the defender's card is equal to or higher than the attack value on the attacker's card, the defending Transformer has successfully blocked the attack and no damage is done. If the defending player chooses not to defend, he/she takes the full damage of the attack value on the attacker's card. Move the defending Transformer's wound marker that many spaces toward the red circle on the character chart. Both players then discard their played cards, faceup, to their own discard piles.

Example: Megatron attacks Optimus Prime by playing a Combat card facedown. Optimus Prime defends with a Combat card faceup. Megatron's card is turned faceup to reveal an attack value of 5. Optimus Prime's defense value is only a 3. Since 5 - 3 = 2, Optimus Prime must take 2 points of damage. The defending player moves Optimus Prime's wound marker 2 spaces closer to the red circle on Optimus Prime's character chart.

In another battle, Megatron attacks Optimus Prime by playing a Combat card facedown. Optimus Prime defends by playing a Combat card faceup. Megatron's card is turned faceup to reveal an attack value of 3. Optimus Prime's defense value is 4. Since Optimus Prime's defense value is greater than Megatron's attack value, Optimus Prime has blocked the attack. No damage is done.

Power Combat cards are played the same way as Combat cards, but they carry with them a few twists. Power Combat cards have either an attack value or a defense value, not both. If you attack using a Power Combat card, the card must have an attack value (shown in the red symbol) or if you defend with a Power Combat card, the card must have a defense value (shown in the blue symbol). Power Combat cards also allow you to do additional things. Look at the bottom of the Power Combat cards to see what you might be able to do. Power Combat cards are played facedown and only after they are revealed (and any damage resolved) do the additional effects come into play. Effects from the attacker's card are resolved before the defender's.

Special cards allow you to do additional things. Some allow more movement, extra attacks, the drawing of cards, or a peek at what your opponent's cards are. Special cards are played faceup and are resolved immediately. After you play a Special card and resolve it, discard it faceup to your discard pile. You can play Special cards anytime on your turn after your die roll and Transformer movement (if any).

When Transformers Are Destroyed

A Transformer is destroyed when it takes more damage than it has wound points available. In other words, when the wound marker is moved beyond the last number on that Transformer's character chart, onto the red circle, the Transformer is destroyed.

Winning

You win the game when you destroy your opponent's Transformer.

Special Notes on Cards

Delusions of Grandeur

• If you have less than 3 cards you must discard all your cards.

Mecha-Surge-Speed

• If the chosen Special card indicates a character, insert "Starscream" for the indicated character. For example: Optimus Prime's Ram'em card would now read "You may move Starscream up to 6 spaces. Choose an opponent's character next to you. That character then receives 3 damage."

Game Variations

4- and 6-Player Transformers Team Game

The rules for this version are the same as the 2-Player game, with the following exceptions:

• Divide the players into 2 teams of 2 or 3. When sitting down to play, alternate team members around the table.
• Each player controls his/her own Transformer.
• In a 4-Player game, the game is over when any Transformer on one team is destroyed. The other team wins.
• In a 6-Player game, the game is over when any 2 Transformers on one team are destroyed. The other team wins. As soon as a player's Transformer is destroyed, that player is eliminated. Remove the destroyed Transformer's character pawn and character chart from the game.
• Players on the same team may discuss strategy, but they may not look at each other's cards or tell each other which cards are in their hands.

You can move through friendly Transformers (those on your team) provided you do not end your Transformer's move on the same space as another Transformer.

2- to 6-Player Transformers Free-for-All

The rules for this version are the same as the 2-Player game, with the following exceptions:

• Players may choose any Transformer they want to fight with, Autobots or Decepticons. This does not have to be the classic battle of good versus evil. NOTE: It does not matter where players sit.
• As soon as a player's Transformer is destroyed, that player is eliminated. Remove the destroyed Transformer's character pawn and character chart from the game.

The game is over when one Transformer is left on the gameboard. The player controlling that Transformer wins.

2- to 6-Player Transformers Free-for-All (Random Draw)

The only difference between this version and the standard Free-for-All game is that all 8 character charts are placed facedown and players randomly choose the Transformer they will control.

Transformers Master Play (2 or 4 Players)

The rules for this version are the same as the 2-Player game, with the following exceptions:

• Each player controls 2 Transformers. The Transformers can be chosen by the players or drawn randomly. You can play Autobots versus Decepticons, or mix it up. To choose your Transformers, have each player roll the die. The highest roller chooses any one Transformer. The player to the left then chooses, and so on. When each player has one Transformer, repeat the process until each player has his/her 2nd Transformer.
• Take your characters' charts, pawns, and decks of cards. NOTE: Do not mix your card decks. Shuffle each of your decks separately and place them facedown in front of you.
• Each player starts with 2 cards from each of his/her Transformers' card decks.
• You still only get two actions per turn, but if you choose to draw a card you must decide which card deck to draw from. You have only one hand of cards, so your opponent can tell which deck you've drawn from by the card backs.
• If you roll an "ALL," you may move both of your Transformers the amount rolled. For example, if you are controlling Megatron and Starscream and you roll an "ALL 4," you may move Megatron up to 4 spaces and Starscream up to 4 spaces.
• If you are playing a 4-Player game, play in teams of 2. When sitting down to play, alternate team members around the table. The game is over when any one player's Transformer is destroyed. The opposite team wins immediately.

For team play, players on the same team may discuss strategy but they may not look at each other's cards or tell each other which cards are in their hands.

You can move through friendly Transformers (those on your team) provided you do not end your Transformer's move on the same space as another Transformer.

Special Note on Cards for Master Play

Some cards say, "Pick a card at random from any player." REMEMBER: The player using this card will be able to choose from either of your Transformers because he/she will be able to see the different card backs.