It all began in the darkness of the Void. We freed ourselves from the hell we had created on Earth, but freedom had a price. The weak and the poor fell victim to the corporations, who rule the Solar System. Driven by their greed, the corporations laid claim to the tenth planet and woke the sleeping beast, may its name be forever despised. Thus did the Dark Legion descend on us, howling for our death and destruction. Now is the time to conquer our fear and stand up against the tidal wave of the Dark Symmetry.
NOW IS THE TIME FOR HEROES.
Welcome to DOOMTROOPER! You are about to enter a distant future in which the hideous masses of the Dark Legion threaten to lay waste to the glory of humankind.
DOOMTROOPER is a card game perhaps unlike any card game you have ever played. Among the multitude of different cards available, you will find mighty heroes and horrible villains, deadly weapons and magical spells, desperate missions and wily schemes. The potential is endless because the possibilities are endless!
The following are the complete rules for the never-released Doomtrooper 2nd Edition basic set. Please note that while this was to be an "official" release, it never achieved "official" status and is not considered an "official" expansion of Doomtrooper. That being said, I know of several players who have used these rules (even in tournament play) and reported that they were very complete and did enhance the game.
INTRODUCTION
It all began in the darkness of the Void. We freed ourselves from the hell we had created on Earth, but freedom had a price. The weak and the poor fell victim to the corporations, who rule the Solar System. Driven by their greed, the corporations laid claim to the tenth planet and woke the sleeping beast, may its name be forever despised. Thus did the Dark Legion descend on us, howling for our death and destruction. Now is the time to conquer our fear and stand up against the tidal wave of the Dark Symmetry.
NOW IS THE TIME FOR HEROES.
Welcome to DOOMTROOPER! You are about to enter a distant future in which the hideous masses of the Dark Legion threaten to lay waste to the glory of humankind.
DOOMTROOPER is a card game perhaps unlike any card game you have ever played. Among the multitude of different cards available, you will find mighty heroes and horrible villains, deadly weapons and magical spells, desperate missions and wily schemes. The potential is endless because the possibilities are endless!
ABOUT THIS RULEBOOK
The actual rules of the game take up less than half of this rulebook. These first few pages explain the game concepts, the various types of cards and their features, and getting ready to play. After that, the actual rules begin, which are very easy to read and understand. Then we provide a section called NOTES FROM THE MASTERS. This section covers a few game topics that you probably won't need to know about right away, such as timing, deck building, expanded rules and questions you may have after playing a few times. Finally, the rulebook concludes with DOOMTROOPER EXPANSION RULES, in which we provide all rules for the terrific new card types found in the expansion sets.
THE OBJECT
The object of DOOMTROOPER is to use your available warriors to do battle against the forces of your opponent. You place warrior cards on the table to form your Squad (of Doomtrooper warriors) and/or your Kohort (of Dark Legion warriors). In order to play warriors and perform certain other card effects, you will need to acquire and spend Destiny Points, the "currency" used in DOOMTROOPER (referred to on many cards as D). Warriors earn Promotion Points (referred to on many cards as P) for you by winning battles and through other exciting combinations of card play. When either player reaches a predetermined number of Promotion Points, the game is over.
If you enjoy longer or shorter games, simply adjust the number of Promotion Points needed to win the game. The choice is yours. However, we recommend that you try 25 Promotion Points as the goal for your first few games. Most experienced players play to 40 Promotion Points.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS
At least two people are needed to play DOOMTROOPER, but the game may be played by any number of players. Each player must have his or her own playing deck consisting of at least 60 cards (with no upper limit). For your first few games, feel free to use the cards that came in your Starter Set. For the sake of clarity, these rules are written with the assumption that there are two players: you and one opponent.
MARKERS
In addition to your playing cards, you also need a number of markers to keep track of Promotion Points and Destiny Points, among other things. Coins, beads or gaming stones are perfect.
THE TABLE LAYOUT
Your table space is occupied by your Squad of Doomtroopers, your Kohort of Dark Legion warriors, your Draw, Discard and Annihilated piles of cards, the Promotion Points you have earned and your accumulated Destiny Points. The diagram below shows your side of the table.
You are allowed to put both Doomtroopers and Dark Legion warriors into play. However, this is not a requirement. You may choose to play only Doomtroopers, or to field a force comprised of just Dark Legion warriors. An important consideration is that you always have both a Squad and a Kohort, even if there are no warriors in them. That way your Squad or Kohort may still be affected during the game.
1) Your Squad - You place Doomtroopers in your Squad. Any warrior that does not have the Dark Legion affiliation is considered a Doomtrooper. Note that the Squad does not necessarily represent a single fighting unit. Instead it represents the pool of Doomtroopers you control. These warriors are not necessarily working together. In "real world" terms, they are fighting for you throughout the solar system.
2) Your Kohort - You place Dark Legion warriors in your Kohort. Like the warriors in your Squad, the warriors in your Kohort represent your Dark Legion forces spread throughout the Solar System, and not necessarily a single fighting unit.
3) Draw Pile - You draw cards from your Draw pile at the beginning of each of your turns to replenish your hand.
4) Discard Pile - Most cards are discarded after their effects are used up or (in the case of warriors and their attachments) they are "killed." They are placed FACE-DOWN in your Discard pile. IMPORTANT: You may not look through your Discard pile during the game, unless a card allows it.
5) Annihilated Pile - A few cards are annihilated after their effects are used. Unlike discarded cards, which have ways to re-enter the game, cards which are annihilated may not return to the game. Cards which are annihilated are placed FACE-DOWN in your Annihilated pile. IMPORTANT: You may not look through your Annihilated pile during the game, unless a card allows it.
6) Destiny Points - The markers in your pool of Destiny Points may be spent to bring warriors into play and for other card effects. Budgeting your Destiny Points is often a key to victory.
7) Promotion Points - When your warrior kills another in combat, it earns a number of Promotion Points based on the Value of the killed warrior. The Promotion Points your warrior earns are placed in your Promotion Points pool. As soon as you have earned a predetermined number of Promotion Points, you win the game!
THE PLAY OF THE GAME
In DOOMTROOPER, you take turns playing cards and doing battle with your opponent. During your turn, you may perform up to three actions. Actions represent the maneuvers made by you and your warriors within the game. There are a number of actions you can perform, including bringing your warriors into play, equipping them with weapons and special items and using them to attack your opponents' warriors. Many of the cards provide other ways to use your actions. Some maneuvers require two or more actions to perform. You and your opponents alternate taking turns and performing actions until one player has earned a predetermined number of Promotion Points (we recommend 25 for your first few games, and 40 once you have gained more experience and have designed a deck - see DESIGNING A DECK for more information).
THE CARDS
In all circumstances, if the rules on a card go against the rules in this manual, the rules on the card take precedence. The DOOMTROOPER basic set features seven different Card Types: Warriors, Equipment, Art Spells, Dark Symmetry, Fortifications, Missions, and Specials. Almost all DOOMTROOPER cards have the same basic layout:
1) NAME - The name of the card or the thing it represents.
2) CARD TYPE ICON - Each of the seven different card types has a corresponding icon to give you a quick reference point (each card type also shares a unique background color). The seven card types are:
EQUIPMENT. Equipment cards are placed on warriors to increase their combat abilities or give them special skills. Equipment cards are attached to the warrior they are played on until they are either discarded through card play or the warrior is killed. Some equipment cards are further designated as WEAPON, ARMOR, or VEHICLE. These are more specialized pieces of equipment and have special rules.
FORTIFICATION. Fortifications represent buildings and structures. They are placed in your Squad or Kohort and usually increase your warriors' defensive capabilities or give them special abilities. Fortifications remain in play throughout the game, even if you have no warriors in play.
ART. Art spells may be cast by Doomtroopers allowed to use the Art. This includes most warriors of the Brotherhood affiliation. These mystical spells may be played at various times during the game to cause special effects.
The Art is divided into a number of aspects, and most warriors are only allowed to cast spells from certain aspects. Each Art card will note on it which aspect the spell is from and when it may be played.
DARK SYMMETRY. Dark Symmetry cards are like Art cards, but they may only be used by the Dark Legion. They represent special abilities bestowed on a warrior by the Dark Apostles. Unlike Art spells, Dark Symmetry abilities are attached to a Legionnaire. A Dark Legion warrior can have any number of Dark Symmetry cards bestowed on it, although never more than one of the same card.
MISSIONS. Missions are special instructions or general strategic tactics from a warrior's superiors. Missions must be played before the mission can be carried out. A mission card always states which warriors may perform the mission and what their special instructions are. Some missions may even be assigned to players. Upon completing a mission, you or your warriors earn special bonuses.
SPECIAL. Special cards include everything that doesn't fit into the above categories. They represent everything from combat modifiers and unique events, to fate and your personal influence. A special card states in its notes box when it may be played.
3) AFFILIATION ICON - Every card has an affiliation, which tells you from which major organization the card is associated. The affiliation of most cards have no effect on the game. The major exception is with warrior cards. The affiliation of a warrior is very important in that it tells you which other warriors that warrior may attack. Affiliation also tells the "origin" of the card, which may become important during the game. For example, an equipment card with the Bauhaus affiliation can also be called a piece of Bauhaus equipment. The DOOMTROOPER basic set features eight different affiliations:
BAUHAUS. Bauhaus is controlled by the four ancient families of Duke Electors. Military service is a treasured tradition, and distinguished ranks of office grace the corridors of the Bauhaus business empire. The Bauhaus military is well known for their high quality equipment and mighty armored units. Bauhaus warriors are considered corporate warriors and Doomtroopers.
CAPITOL. Capitol is the only corporation that resembles the conventional notion of a business empire. The Capitol management consists of a Board of Directors elected by the corporate shareholder citizens. The straight-shooting Capitol armed forces are the glory boys of the battlefield. Capitol warriors are considered corporate warriors and Doomtroopers.
CYBERTRONIC. The most recent corporate power to emerge is also the strangest. The Cybertronic organization is primarily comprised of ex-members of other corporations, now implanted with cybermechanical machinery. In an age where electronic gadgetry is looked upon with trepidation, the Cybertronic members are seen by many, especially the Brotherhood, as heretics. Cybertronic warriors are considered corporate warriors and Doomtroopers.
IMPERIAL. The aristocratic Clans of Imperial are headed by Her Imperial Serenity and the Parliament. Imperial is the weakest of the corporate powers, but has the greatest number of special forces and is a vital element to the struggle against the Dark Legion (which is appropriate as it was Imperial that enabled the Dark Legion to enter our reality). Imperial warriors are considered corporate warriors and Doomtroopers.
MISHIMA. The proud and noble Mishima dynasty fields some of the most disciplined and dedicated warriors in the solar system. Family, loyalty, tradition, and glory are the staples of the Mishimese ideal. Their Shadow Walker assassins are feared by all. Mishima warriors are considered corporate warriors and Doomtroopers.
THE BROTHERHOOD. The Brotherhood represents an all-powerful power personified by the Cardinal, the spiritual leader of humanity. The Brotherhood is organized into the Four Directorates: the Mystics, the Inquisition, the Mission and the Administration. The Brotherhood is united in their struggle against the Dark Symmetry and the hideous masses of the Dark Legion. Brotherhood warriors are considered Doomtroopers.
THE DARK LEGION. The Dark Legion is evil incarnate. Led by the five Dark Apostles (Algeroth, Ilian, Demnogonis, Semai, and Muawijhe, each a unique pattern in the terrible forces that is the Dark Symmetry), the Dark Legion hordes are horrible to encounter and nearly impossible to defeat. The Dark Legion relies on the petty squabbling between the corporate powers and the easy subversion of humanity in their quest for the complete overthrow and enslavement of mankind.
GENERAL. Many cards in the DOOMTROOPER game feature the General affiliation. These cards have no specific tie to one of the above affiliations. Warriors with the General affiliation will state if they are working with the Doomtroopers or the Dark Legion. If the warrior is placed in your Squad, it is considered a Doomtrooper.
4) POST-PLAY ICON - After Art and Special cards are played, something must be done with them. Some remain in play, others are discarded, and a few are removed from the game entirely. Each Art and Special card has a small icon to the left of the picture which tells you what to do with the card after you play it (or once the effects of the card are completed). There are three such icons:
(-) DISCARD: The card is placed in your discard pile. Note that cards which are discarded generally never make it "into play." They simply affect the game during their trip from your hand to your discard pile. Cards which affect other cards "in play" do not typically affect cards with the discard symbol.
(X) ANNIHILATE: The card is placed in your annihilated pile. It has been removed from the game and may not return. Note that a card that is annihilated has NOT been discarded, it has been annihilated. This is a big difference. For example, a card that "may not be discarded" may be annihilated (and a card that "may not be annihilated" may be discarded). If you play a card with the annihilate symbol on it, and that card's effect is somehow "countered" it is STILL removed from the game, even though the effect did not occur! Note that on some cards (mostly found in expansions), annihilation is also referred to as "removing it from the game."
5) BASIC SET ICON - This small icon has no effect on the game. It merely denotes that the card is part of the DOOMTROOPER basic set. Cards from each expansion will feature a new icon in this spot.
6) NOTES - The special abilities and restrictions of the card are listed here. Note that sometimes a designation will be listed on the card in ALL-CAPITOL letters. The purpose of some of these designations are discussed in this rulebook. Others will become apparent as you play the game and your collection grows.
For warrior cards, the notes area includes four Combat Ratings. They are:
SHOOT (S): This icon of a bullet tells the firearm combat ability of the warrior. The higher the number, the better the warrior is at shooting.
ARMOR (A): This icon of a shield tells the defensive ability and toughness of the warrior. The higher the number, the harder it is for an opponent to kill the warrior.
VALUE (V): This icon of a diamond tells the number of Destiny Points that must be spent to bring the warrior into play, and the number of points earned by an opponent that kills the warrior.
To start the game, all players do the following: thoroughly shuffle your playing deck and cut an opponent's deck. Then place your deck in your draw pile position on the table. Place a number of markers into a common marker pile. You can never run out of markers. Take five markers and put them into your Destiny Point pool. Then draw seven cards from the top of your draw pile to start your hand. Peacefully determine who goes first.
THE ORDER OF PLAY
During your turn, you follow an order of play consisting of three steps. Some cards may only be played during certain steps (as noted directly on the card). When you're finished, it's your opponent's turn. The three steps are as follows:
1) Draw cards from your draw pile until your hand contains seven cards.
2) Perform up to three actions. The actions that may be performed are:
3) Discard a single card if you wish.
STEP ONE: DRAW
Draw cards from your Draw pile to fill your hand to seven cards. This step is mandatory. If you draw the last card from your draw pile, continue playing normally. The game does not end; you simply have no more cards to draw.
If both players run out of cards from their Draw piles, the game immediately ends, and the player with the higher number of Promotion Points wins the game. In the case of a tie, continue playing until one player has more Promotion Points than the other.
STEP TWO: ACTIONS
You have three actions to perform during your turn. Actions may be taken in any order, and you may perform the same action more than once during your turn. There are two exceptions.
The first is the Attack action, which may only be performed once per turn and must be the last action you perform. As soon as you attack with one of your warriors, any unused actions are lost for that turn. You may not attack during your first turn.
The second is the Muster Warrior in Cover action, which costs three actions. As you normally only have three actions, this usually completes your turn.
You do not have to perform all three actions if you do not wish. You may even perform no actions at all. Any unused actions are lost, and do not carry over to your next turn. The actions you may perform are as follows:
MUSTER WARRIOR
During this action, you may add a warrior to your Squad or Kohort. Your Squad consists of Doomtroopers, while your Kohort is filled with warriors from the dreaded Dark Legion. A warrior may attack and be attacked in the same turn in which it is Mustered (except during your first turn).
To Muster a warrior, simply take the warrior from your hand and place it in either your Squad or Kohort, and then pay the Value of the warrior in Destiny Points to the common marker pile. If you do not have enough Destiny Points, you may not Muster that warrior. Doomtroopers must be placed in your Squad, and Dark Legion warriors must be placed in your Kohort.
Example: Mike has a Venusian Ranger (Value: 4) in his hand at the start of his turn and would like to put it into play. Mike announces that he is Mustering a warrior as his first action. He takes 4 Destiny Points from his pool and puts them in the common pile, then places the Ranger in his Squad. Mustering the warrior uses up one of his three actions, so Mike has two more actions.
Note that on some cards (mostly found in the expansions), Mustering a warrior may also be referred to as Adding a warrior.
SEEK COVER
Sometimes you may want a warrior to back away from the fighting at hand and seek the protective confines of defensive terrain. You may perform a Seek Cover action on one of your warriors in play as one action. A warrior in cover is flipped so that it is face down. Warriors in cover are governed by the following rules:
* As long as you have one or more warriors in play, at least one of them must not be in cover. If one of your warriors is defeated in combat and discarded, and all your remaining warriors are in cover, you must perform an Exit Cover action on one of them as your next available action.
* Warriors in cover may not attack, but they may be attacked. Warriors in cover receive a +3 bonus to their Armor ratings.
* Wounded warriors may seek cover. They are flipped over like healthy warriors, but they remain sideways to indicate that they are wounded. (See the Attack action for information about wounded warriors).
* You may look at your warriors in cover at any time, but other players may not. If you have more than one warrior in cover, you are not allowed to mix those warriors up to confuse the other players.
EXIT COVER
You may have a warrior in cover go out into the open by performing an Exit Cover action. Flip the warrior over so it is face up. If the warrior is wounded, make sure it is still sideways. A warrior may not attack on the same turn it exits cover.
MUSTER WARRIOR IN COVER
You may place a warrior into play already in cover. This uses up all three of your available actions. Unless you have a card that allows you to perform additional actions during your turn, Mustering a warrior in cover will be your only action in a turn.
A warrior entering play in cover is placed on the table in the normal status position, but face down. Your opponent should not know who the warrior in cover is until you perform an Exit Cover action on the warrior or the warrior is attacked. Do not place an entering warrior in cover directly in your Squad or Kohort. Instead, place it between the two so your opponent cannot deduce the warrior's affiliation.
You do not have to pay the Destiny Point cost for adding a warrior in cover when you first put it in play, as this might give your opponent a hint, too. Once the identity of the warrior is revealed, however, you must pay its Destiny Point cost, as in the Muster Warrior action above. If you do not have enough Destiny Points to pay for the warrior at that time, the warrior is discarded, you lose all of your Destiny Points and any remaining Destiny Points needed to pay for the warrior are taken out of your Promotion Points on a one-for-one basis. If you do not have enough Promotion Points, you lose them all and there is no further effect. You may wish to put a marker on the warrior in cover to signify that it was added in cover and has not yet been paid for.
If a combat turns out to be illegal once a warrior in cover is flipped (it must still be flipped, but remains "in cover" throughout the combat), any Destiny Points are paid (if necessary) and the combat ends. The attack action is still used up (the price of finding out who the warrior is). See the Attack action for information about legal attacks.
MEDITATE
You may spend an action meditating. For each meditate action you perform, you may place one marker into your Destiny Point pool. You may perform meditate actions even if you have no warriors in play.
EQUIP WARRIOR
You may spend an action to attach an equipment card to one of your warriors in play, subject to the following restrictions:
* A warrior may be equipped with any number of equipment cards.
* Any warrior may use any piece of equipment, regardless of affiliation, unless it is specified otherwise in the notes on the card. For instance, Dark Legion warriors are allowed to use Brotherhood weapons. But if the weapon card states "Give to any Doomtrooper," then only Doomtroopers may use the weapon, and not Dark Legion warriors.
* Once you place an equipment card on a warrior, that card becomes attached to the warrior and may not be removed or moved to another warrior.
* You may give a warrior any number of equipment cards, but it may only use one of each copy at a time. You may give warriors multiple copies of the same card as backups in case something happens to one of them - these backups may be used immediately.
* Some equipment cards have further designations such as WEAPON, ARMOR or VEHICLE. These designations affect the equipment in special ways.
BUILD FORTIFICATION
As one action, you may place a Fortification card into your Squad or Kohort (the card will state where it may be placed). The Fortification will affect all of the warriors in the same area (some Fortifications only affect individual warriors - this will be stated on the card). You may only have one copy of each Fortification in your Squad or Kohort at a time (unless the card states otherwise).
BESTOW GIFT
As one action, you may bestow a Dark Symmetry gift on one of your Dark Legion warriors in play. All Dark Symmetry cards are considered "gifts." These gifts are bestowed on good Dark Legion toadies for exemplary service to the Great Darkness. Dark Symmetry cards are attached to a Dark Legion warrior that may have the card as one action. The effects of a Dark Symmetry card may be used immediately.
There are two levels of gift. Dark Symmetry Gifts are less-powerful gifts that may be bestowed on any Dark Legion warrior. Gifts of Apostles (GIFT OF ALGEROTH, GIFT OF DEMNOGONIS, etc.) may only be bestowed on Followers of the Apostle mentioned (FOLLOWER OF ALGEROTH, FOLLOWER OF DEMNOGONIS, etc.).
For example, Distort is a Gift of Algeroth. Only FOLLOWERS OF ALGEROTH may have it.
Some warriors are immune to Dark Symmetry Gifts (which means just the less-powerful ones), and others are immune to Dark Symmetry Cards (which is every single Dark Symmetry card).
ASSIGN MISSION
You may assign a mission to one of your warriors, yourself, another player or one of another player's warriors as one action. The mission card indicates who may be given the assignment. Missions assigned to warriors are placed on the warrior. Missions assigned to players are placed on the table near the player. Missions must be assigned before any part of the mission may be completed. Once the mission is completed, the mission card is discarded.
Players and warriors may have any number of different missions assigned to them, but you may not assign multiples of the same mission to the same player or warrior. Once a mission is fulfilled, you may then assign another copy of the same mission to the player or warrior. Finally, fulfilling the parameters of a mission is always optional. However, if a player or warrior does fulfill the parameters of an assigned mission, that mission must be fulfilled. You can't keep the mission in play and disregard the original fulfillment.
ATTACK
Chances are you will attack often during a game. Of course, combat is optional, but it is one of your primary methods for gaining Promotion Points.
You may normally only perform one attack action per turn, and this action must be the last action you perform. If you attack as your first or second action, you lose any actions you did not use. Also, you may not attack during your first turn of the game.
When you perform an attack action, one of your warriors may attack almost any other warrior in play. Combat is usually between one attacking warrior (the Attacker) and one defending warrior (the Defender). Various cards may allow additional warriors to join in the battle.
It is possible (through card play) that you may be able to perform more than one attack action during a turn. If this is the case, you may attack with the same warrior more than once, and you may attack the same warrior more than once (this is always optional). The only thing to remember is that each attack action must be conducted completely separately of any other. You must conduct an entire action before going on to the next.
Combat is a very straightforward affair, and it is broken down into a number of simple steps. First, you (as the attacking player) choose an Attacker and a Defender. Then you decide if the combat will be a Fighting combat or a Shooting combat (this is called the Battle Tactic). Next, compare the combatants' attack ratings with their Armor ratings to see how the attack is going. Both players may then play Special cards to modify the combat ratings of the warriors involved in the combat. Then the final, modified combat ratings are compared.
Any warrior that has been hit is turned sideways to indicate that it is wounded. If a wounded warrior is hit, it is killed and discarded. A dead warrior is worth a number of points equal to the slain warrior's modified Value. These points are awarded to the player whose warrior made the killing blow. They may be converted into Promotion Points or Destiny Points (or a combination of both).
The steps for combat are as follows:
1) ANNOUNCE ATTACKER AND DEFENDER. You (as the attacking player) choose one of your warriors in play as the Attacker and pick another warrior in play to attack (this is the Defender). No matter the outcome of the battle, the two warriors are referred to as the Attacker and the Defender throughout the combat. There are a couple of rules to keep in mind when choosing the Attacker and Defender:
* No Doomtrooper may attack another Doomtrooper from the same corporation. If a warrior shares any type of corporate membership with another, it may not be attacked. For example, Bauhaus warriors may not attack other Bauhaus warriors, but Bauhaus warriors may attack Capitol warriors.
* A Doomtrooper may never attack a member of the Brotherhood.
* Brotherhood members may only attack Dark Legion warriors, except any Brotherhood warrior designated as a MORTIFICATOR. Mortificators may attack any warrior in play, regardless of affiliation (note that other Doomtroopers and Brotherhood warriors may still not attack them).
* Dark Legion warriors may attack any other warrior in play, even other Dark Legion warriors.
* Your warriors may not attack your own warriors. However you may "force" your warriors to attack your warriors (through Special card play or Art spells, etc.).
* The first-edition concept of "attacking a player directly" has been eliminated. You may in no way attack a player directly, ever. For more about this, see the now-optional Sabotage rules in the NOTES FROM THE MASTERS section, below.
2) ANNOUNCE BATTLE TACTICS. You must now announce which type of Battle Tactic the Attacker will use. This determines which attack rating and which weapons, equipment and modifiers the Attacker and Defender may use during the combat.
Each warrior has two attack ratings, Fight and Shoot. The Attacker may charge the Defender with fist and sword, which is a close combat (in which case both warriors use their Fight ratings), or it may attack with guns blazing, which is a firearm combat (in which case both warriors use their Shoot ratings).
3) DETERMINE COMBAT STANDING. Look at the rating of your warrior's chosen attack method and compare it to the Armor rating of the opponent. If the attack rating of a warrior is equal to or greater than the Armor rating of its opponent, the opponent will be wounded.
The Defender simultaneously makes an attack of its own. Check to see how that attack is going, too.
Example: Nick is performing an attack action. He announces that Sean Gallagher (an Imperial Doomtrooper) will Fight Mike's Nepharite of Ilian (a Dark Legion warrior). Sean has a Fight rating of 10, a Shoot rating of 5, and an Armor rating of 8. The Nepharite has a Fight rating of 8, a Shoot rating of 8, and an Armor rating of 7. Since this is a close combat, only the Fight and Armor ratings are used. Because Sean and the Nepharite are striking at each other at the same time, both warriors compare both ratings. Sean attacks with a Fight rating of 10 against the Nepharite's Armor rating of 7. Because 10 is higher than 7, the Nepharite is well on its way to being wounded. The Nepharite strikes at Gallagher with a Fight rating of 8 against Sean's Armor rating of 8. Since 8 is equal to 8, the Nepharite will also wound Sean.
Be sure to include the effects of equipment cards that each warrior has, but only if they have an effect in the chosen method of combat. A warrior may only use one WEAPON during combat, but may use any number of other equipment cards that apply (but only one of each copy). Only FIGHT WEAPONS may be used in Fight combats, just as SHOOT WEAPONS may only be used in Shoot combats. FIGHT/ SHOOT WEAPONS may be used in either. For instance, a Violator Sword (a FIGHT WEAPON) has no effect in a shooting combat.
A wounded warrior (see below) battles as normal. If the Defender is in cover (its card is face down), it adds +3 to its Armor rating. A Defender in cover stays in cover throughout and after the combat, assuming it survives. Turn it face up for the combat, then turn it face down again afterwards.
Keep in mind that neither warrior has actually been wounded yet. You're just checking to see how the combat is coming along.
4) MODIFY COMBAT RATINGS. Starting with you (the attacking player), players take turns playing cards which have an effect on combat. Such cards have "Play During Combat," or a variation thereof, printed on them. Play as many cards as you like, and then indicate that you're finished. Your opponent then plays as many modifying cards as he or she wishes, and then indicates that he or she is finished. Then other players may play cards. You may then play additional cards, and so on, until no player wishes to play any more cards.
A player may play multiple copies of modifier cards on a warrior during this step, and their effects are cumulative when applicable.
Some cards allow players to change the Attacker or Defender involved in a combat. When this occurs, the player(s) in control of the new Attacker or Defender may play cards to modify the new warriors' ratings normally.
Sometimes various special cards or other effects may cause combat ratings to drop to zero or lower. Negative numbers still count. For example, a warrior with a modified Fight rating of -4 will still wound an opponent with a modified Armor of -4 or less.
5) RESOLVE COMBAT. Once all modifiers are taken into account, compare the warriors' combat values one last time and determine if either or both warriors are wounded. If the modified attack rating against a warrior is equal to or greater than the warrior's modified Armor rating, that warrior is wounded. If the modified attack rating is lower than the Armor rating, the warrior resists all of the potential damage. A warrior is either wounded by an attack or not affected at all. There is no middle ground, and damage does not "carry over" from combat to combat.
6) CHANGE WARRIOR STATUS. Warriors wounded in the battle are turned 90 degrees sideways to indicate that they are wounded. A wounded warrior is completely unaffected by the wound. Its combat ratings are not affected, nor are any of its abilities or equipment. The wounded warrior attacks and defends as normal. However, if a wounded warrior is wounded again, it is killed.
7) AWARD POINTS. If a warrior's opponent is killed, the warrior's controlling player is awarded a number of points equal to the modified Value of the slain opponent (even if the player's warrior was slain, too). If both warriors are killed, both players earn points. The points may be taken as Promotion Points or placed in your pool as Destiny Points, or they may be split between the two types as you like.
In the event that your warrior ends up in combat against another of your warriors, and either or both of your warriors is killed, you only earn Destiny Points. You never get Promotion Points for killing your own warriors, even if forced to by your opponents.
STEP THREE: DISCARD
You may discard one card from your hand to your discard pile (no matter how many cards are in your hand). This ends your turn. Remember that a player's discarded and annihilated cards are placed face down, and no player may look through their own or others' discard piles! You do not have to reveal which card you discarded.
OTHER RULES
NO WARRIORS IN PLAY
If at the beginning of any of your turns you have no warriors in play that may participate in combat at all, you have three complete turns to Muster a warrior or you lose the game. In other words, you have your current turn plus two more to get a warrior into play. If you put a warrior into play that may participate in combat at any point during these three turns, you have fulfilled this requirement.
An important point to remember is that any warrior able to participate in combat meets this requirement. Even if your warriors are not able to attack your opponent's warriors (due to the attack restrictions listed above), they are still able to participate in combat (they can attack and be attacked in some way). For the basic set, all warriors are able to participate in combat, so no players may lose while they have any warriors in play. However, there are warrior cards in the expansions that may not participate in combat at all (for example, APOSTLES and CORPORATE LEADERS). These warriors do not prevent the loss of the game.
A few cards found in expansion sets may refer to the concept of "attacking a player directly." This practice has been eliminated in second-edition DOOMTROOPER. These cards no longer have an effect on the game. Alternatively, you may use the Sabotage rules found in the NOTES FROM THE MASTERS section, below.
CASTING SPELLS OF THE ART
Every member of the Brotherhood is able to manipulate the magical forces known as the Art. The Art is divided into a number of aspects, each requiring a different method of study and magical manipulation. The various aspects are Art of Changeling, Art of Elements, Art of Exorcism, Art of Kinetics, Art of Manipulation, Art of Mentalism, and Art of Premonition. Almost every Brotherhood warrior can cast spells from at least one aspect of the Art. Some are able to cast any spell available, while others are limited to particular aspects of the Art. Each Brotherhood warrior card indicates which sorts of spells the warrior may cast. Remember that a caster must be in your Squad to use a spell.
Many Art spells have a casting cost in Destiny Points. The more Destiny Points you spend, the more powerful the spell's effects. Unless a limit is indicated on the card, you may spend as many Destiny Points as you have. If such a spell is cast during combat, you may continue to add Destiny Points to the spell throughout the Combat Modification step.
Art cards designated as a COMBAT SPELL or PERSONAL COMBAT SPELL may only be cast during combat. A COMBAT SPELL may be cast on any combatant, and the caster does not have to be involved in combat. PERSONAL COMBAT SPELLS may only be cast if the caster is actually involved in the combat, either as an Attacker, a Defender or a reinforcement.
Art spells may be cast by a warrior in cover.
Art cards may not normally be played to the benefit of the Dark Legion. You may not, for instance, cast Art spells to assist your Dark Legion warrior in combat. Remember, the sworn duty of the Brotherhood is to eradicate the Dark Legion, not help them in their nefarious goals! However, if is possible for a spellcaster to be "tainted" and turned to the side of evil. The basic thing to remember is, if the Brother is pure of heart, it may only cast spells on Doomtroopers. If it is "tainted" and is considered both a Doomtrooper and a Dark Legion Heretic, then it may cast spells on all warriors. If it has been turned into a full-blown Heretic and no longer has Doomtrooper-affiliation, it may only cast spells for the Dark Legion.
PERSONALITIES
Some warriors are designated as PERSONALITY. Only one of each personality may be in play at any one time. For example, if Sean Gallagher is anywhere in play, no other Sean Gallagher cards may be put into play.
If a personality is killed or discarded, it may be brought back into play later in the game as normal (being great heroes, personalities have a knack for staying alive). In fact, the same warrior may be killed a number of times during a game and still come back for more.
In the event that you Mustered a personality into play in cover, and another player Musters that personality into play in the open, you must announce that you already have the personality in play, and show the card (and pay the D cost). Your personality is still in cover, your opponent's personality is put back into his or her hand, and all D spent to Muster that warrior is returned to the player. Treat the situation as if the Muster Warrior action never took place, and the opponent gets the action back as well.
In the instance when the same personality is added in cover by two or more players, the first one to show it's face is the "real" one, and the other copies are put back in their owner's hands (since no D was spent, none is given back, but the players do lose the actions they spent Mustering the warrior).
NOTES FROM THE MASTERS
OPTIONAL RULES: SABOTAGE
Many players of the first-edition of DOOMTROOPER may wish to continue the practice of "attacking a player directly." Plus, this style of play does add an interesting element to the game in general. Therefore, we have provided these optional rules, which replace the No Warriors in Play rules listed above.
If a player has no warriors in play that may participate in combat at all, you may have one of your warriors Sabotage that player as one action. By undermining a player, you increase your power, and therefore a successful sabotage will earn you valuable points. You may only sabotage each player once per turn (from your Draw step to your next Draw step).
To perform a sabotage, simply announce which of your warriors will perform the sabotage. Unless the player can play a card which will prevent the action, the sabotage will be successful. As a reward, you earn a number of points equal to one-half the modified Value (V) of your sabotaging warrior (rounded up). You may take Promotion Points, Destiny Points, or a combination of both.
You may never perform a sabotage action until all players have taken at least one turn. You may never perform a sabotage action during another player's turn. If you become able to perform actions when it is not your turn, none may ever be sabotage actions.
If a player ever runs out of cards in his or her Draw pile while the Sabotage rules are in effect, the No Warriors in Play rules immediately take effect, in addition to the Sabotage rules.
IMPORTANT: The sabotage action has replaced the first-edition concept of attacking a player directly. Many DOOMTROOPER expansion cards will refer to "attacking a player." In all circumstances, these cards now refer to a sabotage. Sabotaging a player is no longer considered an attack, and no attack actions may ever be used to sabotage a player.
CARDS THAT ARE CONSIDERED OTHER CARDS
Some cards will state CONSIDERED A [THING] on them. This indicates that the card is also assumed to be the thing it mentions, in addition to what it truly is. The purpose of these additional "considerations" will come out through card play.
Whenever a warrior is considered a different kind of warrior, it is in name only. Special abilities and such do not transfer over. For example, Mitch Hunter is "CONSIDERED AN INFANTRY WARRIOR." This means that Mitch is affected by cards that affect Infantry warriors, but it does not mean that Mitch gains any special abilities listed on the Infantry card. Those abilities do not magically "transfer" to the other card! In other words, a card only has the abilities written on its card, plus any abilities specifically provided by other cards.
STRIKING FIRST
Some warriors state that they may "strike first" during some combats. Warriors able to strike first always attack their opponent first in combat (even if they are the Defender). Only if the opponent survives may it strike back (i.e. if it is killed it may not strike back, but it may if it is unharmed or wounded).
Some warriors able to strike first specifically state that the combat ends if successful with their attacks. In this case, the opponent may not strike back even if it survives.
If two warriors with the strike first ability combat each other, their abilities negate one another and the combat is resolved as normal. Note, however, that some warriors are able to strike first even if their opponent also has the ability. This will all be stated on the warrior cards.
FREELANCERS
Warrior cards designated as FREELANCERS are considered Doomtroopers (unless otherwise stated on the card). They may attack and be attacked by any warrior (even Brotherhood) and may only earn Destiny Points - not Promotion Points. If a Freelancer gains a specific affiliation (through card play) it may earn Promotion Points while it has the affiliation. However, it must also adhere to the rules for attacking based on this new affiliation. Therefore, a Freelancer that is given the Imperial affiliation may not attack or be attacked by Imperial and Brotherhood warriors.
IMMUNITY
Many warriors state that it has immunity to the Dark Symmetry and/or the Art. This means that these abilities have absolutely no effect on the warrior in question. There are three types of Immunity (Immune to the Art, Immune to Dark Symmetry Gifts, Immune to Dark Symmetry cards) and they all work essentially the same. Basically, a warrior who is immune to something is not affected by that thing if it can interact with the warrior in any way.
No spells may be cast during combat if the opponent is immune to the Art, and no Dark Symmetry abilities may be used if the opponent is immune to the Dark Symmetry (but if the warrior is immune only to Dark Symmetry Gifts, it is still affected by Gifts of Apostles). No spells or special abilities may be directly used against immune warriors (this is all usually very obvious).
IMPORTANT: Immunity negates all such effects during combat. Basically, if during combat one of the combatants is immune to a mystical power, all of those effects that are currently "on" immediately "turn off." This usually only applies with "defensive" spells. For example, suppose Mike casts Improve Self on his Brotherhood warrior and then attacks Nick's Alakhai the Cunning. Nick's Dark Legion warrior will counter Mike's Improve Self effects.
TIMING
The concept of "timing" is not new to many players of collectable card games, and for some games it is a major issue full of confusion and name-calling. Not so in DOOMTROOPER! In DOOMTROOPER, everything happens immediately and cannot be altered unless that alteration directly affects the thing going on at that exact moment in the game.
Some games use a system of "interrupts" to stop the play of the game in order to do something. Often this is in reaction to an event, where the other player will stop the play of the game to try to make it impossible for the acting player to perform the event that just occurred! In effect, this is like playing "backwards." In DOOMTROOPER there is no such thing as "before that happens I do this...." Once you announce what you are doing, it happens! The only way your opponent can stop your action is if he plays a card that directly affects what you are doing. Things happen as they are played, and the only way to stop them is to directly affect the card currently affecting the game. No playing backwards!
Every time a player "does something," either perform an action or play a card, the player's opponents always have a chance to alter or counter what is going on. Throwing a second card down "before anyone has a chance to respond to the first card" is impossible in DOOMTROOPER.
It is important to take turns when playing Special cards. The current player always has the opportunity to act first, just like the attacking player always has the opportunity to modify the combat first.
The one exception to this is that all of combat pretty-much takes place instantaneously. This means that effects that take place during the Modify Combat Ratings segment of combat may be countered later in the same segment, and do not have to be "immediately" affected. Usually the last cards played take precedence over the first cards played. In order to regulate this action, it is also important to take turns when playing combat modifiers. The attacker is always allowed to modify combat first, then the defender, then the other players, and then back to the attacker, etc. You will find that taking turns in this fashion greatly reduces timing conflicts.
ADVANCED VEHICLE RULES
This section was not included in the basic rules to make learning a bit easier, but these Vehicle Rules are official and should be used in all games. There are a number of different equipment and warrior cards designated as VEHICLES, and many of them are further categorized as AIRSHIPS, SUBMARINES, and TANKS. Here are some clarifications when it comes to Vehicles:
* A warrior may only be equipped with one Vehicle.
* Sometimes (but not always) a Vehicle restricts the use of other equipment while it is being used. If a Vehicle does not say that it restricts equipment, then equipment may be used. Often this restriction is in the form of WEAPONS. If the Vehicle restricts equipment, it restricts all equipment cards; if it restricts WEAPONS, then only WEAPONS are restricted, and ARMOR and other equipment may be used, etc.
* A warrior with a Vehicle must be either Inside or Outside of its Vehicle. To signify that a warrior is outside a Vehicle (thereby unable to use it or gain its effects), place the Vehicle face-down on the table next to the warrior. To signify that a warrior is inside a Vehicle, place the Vehicle face-up on the table next to the warrior. A warrior may enter and exit its Vehicle as many times it wants during a turn, but each time it enters or exits you must use one action. When you enter/exit the Vehicle, simply flip the Vehicle card over.
* When a warrior is first equipped with a vehicle, the player must announce if the warrior is inside or outside the Vehicle, and place the Vehicle accordingly. If you choose to have the warrior initially outside the Vehicle, you must still show it to your opponents. Placing the warrior initially inside the Vehicle does not cost an additional action.
* An important thing to remember is that since warriors in cover are not allowed to be in Vehicles (see below), if you give a Vehicle to a warrior in cover it must be outside (and you still must show it to your opponents, as noted above, even if the warrior itself has not yet revealed).
* A warrior may only gain the benefits of a Vehicle when it is inside the Vehicle.
* If the warrior is inside its Vehicle and the Vehicle is discarded, the warrior is wounded (no points are earned if the warrior is killed). If the warrior is outside its Vehicle and the Vehicle is discarded, the warrior is not affected.
* If the warrior is outside the Vehicle, it may use other equipment with no restrictions. The warrior is still considered to have possession of the Vehicle.
* If the warrior is inside the Vehicle, the following things are enforced:
* A warrior inside an AIRSHIP or a SUBMARINE may not attack or be attacked by another warrior with a Fight combat. If a warrior with an AIRSHIP or SUBMARINE wishes to attack another by Fighting, it must first exit the AIRSHIP or SUBMARINE. Generic VEHICLES and TANKS are not affected in this way.
* A warrior that is "Considered a Vehicle" is always assumed to be inside, and may never exit.
MULTI-PLAYER GAMES
When more than two people are playing DOOMTROOPER, there are two things to keep in mind. First, play always proceeds clockwise around the table. Second, the players have to determine the style of play. Try out the following options and use them as you like. Also, feel free to invent your own.
Option 1: Free for All. No restrictions. All players may freely attack all other players. This is the "classic" way to play DOOMTROOPER.
Option 2: Primary Targets. Each player has one opponent as a Primary Target, and the other opponents are Secondary Targets. Your Primary Target is the player to your left. You may attack your Primary Target's warriors normally. You may attack the warriors of a Secondary Target, too, but you must first pay 2 Destiny Points each time you do.
Option 3: Teams. If the number of players works out evenly, divide into teams. Each team starts the game with 10 Destiny Points in a common team pool, no matter how many players are on a team. Team members may only add to and draw from the points in their common team pool. Team members do not share Squads, Kohorts or cards. The team that first acquires a pre-determined number of Promotion Points (say 50) wins the game.
EXPANDING YOUR GAME
This Starter Set is only a stepping stone to a much more diverse game. In fact, the basic DOOMTROOPER set is comprised of over 300 different cards, and when you include the expansions, there are well over 1200 unique DOOMTROOPER cards!
You can acquire more of these cards in two ways. One is by buying more Starter Sets because each one contains a random assortment of the available cards. Or you can buy Booster Packs: packs of DOOMTROOPER cards packaged in the same format as other, more traditional trading cards, like sports cards. You can find Booster Packs where you purchased this Starter Set.
DESIGNING A DECK
As you collect DOOMTROOPER cards, your set will probably become large enough that you could not possibly use all of the cards in a single game. That's fine, just play with the cards you want. One of the best features of DOOMTROOPER is that you can plan your playing strategy around the cards you put into your playing deck.
This is called deck building, and it's fun to experiment with different card mixes when you aren't playing the game. Try out those new decks on your opponents and see how they work! If they don't give you the advantage you were hoping for, simply change the card mix and try again.
Of course, if your strategy worked really well and you decimated your opponent, you'd better believe that he or she will be ready for you next time with a new deck that won't be as easy to beat. You can have as many cards in your playing deck as you want, but there are two rules to deck building:
1) You must have at least 60 cards in your playing deck at the start of the game.
2) You may not have more than five copies of the exact same card in your deck at the beginning of the game. For instance, when the game begins, you can't have more than five Narrow Escape cards in your deck.
Once you've played DOOMTROOPER a few times and increased the size of your collection, you'll find deck building challenging and rewarding. It ensures that your games will always be unique and interesting.
DOOMTROOPER EXPANSION RULES
There are more DOOMTROOPER expansion sets available than almost any other collectable card game. What's more, just about every expansion introduces a new Card Type into the game, and these new cards radically change the strategies within the game.
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The Inquisition expansion features over 170 new cards. This expansion spotlights the Brotherhood and Dark Legion, with a host of new Art spells and Dark Symmetry abilities. Also featured are the new Relic cards.
RELICS
Relics are ancient artifacts crafts of great power. Originally, Relic cards could only be played if you had previously played a Noted Collector card. This is hereby changed; you do not need to be a NOTED COLLECTOR in order to put a Relic card into play. Instead:
* A Relic card may be attached to your warrior that may have it as one action.
* All Relic cards are unique; you may never play a Relic card if there already is an identical Relic card in play. Copies of discarded Relics may enter play again later.
* Relics are not considered Equipment.
