Turn checklist
Check off each step.
Reset before the next turn.
Character creation
Go clockwise. After the deck empties, use discard-pile draws until everyone has had equal turns. Creation rules →
Battle
Check the conditions before a free face-strike. Action rules → Must-Act →
Suit effects
Form an action hand, pick a suit present, add the ranks. Ace = 10. Action rules →
Attack example
Lift the top 7♣ from your character's stack to form a one-card action hand. Choose Clubs for 7 damage.
The target’s topmost Heart is 5♥. With no reaction shield used, 7 ≥ 5: discard that Heart and every card above it. The lower 3♥ and face remain.
Attack and face-strike rules →- 9♠Above the Heart
- 5♥Topmost Heart
- 3♥Lower Heart
- Q♣Character
Discarded
- 3♥Lower Heart
- Q♣Character
Only the topmost Heart is compared for this hit. Reaction shield rules
Full rules
1. Components
| Item | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard 52‑card decks | 2 | Matching backs. +1 deck / 2 extra players. |
| Player screens (optional) | Up to 4 | Hide work‑in‑progress stacks. |
| Start‑player token | 1 | Any small marker (optional for thise with sufficiently good memory). |
Ranks: 2 – 10 as printed, Ace = 10.
Suits: ♣ Clubs • ♦ Diamonds • ♥ Hearts • ♠ Spades.
2. Goal
Be the last player with at least one living character on the table.
3. Setup
- Build the main deck.
- Combine both 52‑card decks (104 cards).
- Pull out all Jacks, Queens, Kings (24 cards).
- Shuffle them; deal 3 face‑down to each player (these are your characters).
- Return the rest to the main deck, then shuffle thoroughly.
- Create the Shop pile. Deal 20 face‑down cards; set aside for Phase 2.
- Central deck & discard. Put the remaining deck within reach, leaving space beside it for a face‑up discard stack.
- Choose the start player (last winner, or last person who used a real shovel). Give them the token.
4. Phase 1 — Character Creation
Each face card is a character. Build three vertical stacks in your hand or behind the divider:
9♠ ← newest card (top)
5♥
3♣
Q♦ ← face card (bottom)
Stacks are fully visible in later phases; fan them downward or sideways so every card is readable.
Turn sequence — clockwise
- Draw exactly two new cards:
- EITHER both from the face‑down deck
- OR one or two from the top of the discard pile, then from the deck until you hold two.
- Discard one of those two to the face‑up pile.
- Play the other:
- Number card → place it on top of any character stack you own.
- Face card → replace a face on one of your stacks (old face is discarded). The rest of that stack is untouched. You may instead discard the new face if you wish.
Repeat until the deck is empty. Continue turn order (discard‑pile draws only) until everyone has taken the same number of turns. Reveal any hidden stacks; proceed to battle!
5. Phase 2 — Battle
5.1 Prepare the Shop
- Shuffle the discard pile with the 20‑card Shop pile; place face‑down.
- Flip three cards face‑up beside it — this is the Shop row.
5.2 Determine the first active player
Whoever shows the highest‑rank ♠ in any stack starts (Ace > 10 > 9 … 2). Ignore face cards. Break ties by the next‑lower Spade; if still tied, keep the original token holder.
5.3 Your Turn (overview)
- Choose a living, untapped character.
- EITHER form an action hand (see 5.4), OR tap its hero power (see 7).
- End of turn: refill empty Shop slots so three face‑up cards are ready for the next player.
5.4 Action Hand (discarding)
- Lift one or more cards from the top of that stack; these are “in hand.”
- Pick a suit present in your held cards.
- Add their ranks (Ace = 10) and resolve the matching effect:
| Suit | Effect |
|---|---|
| ♣ Clubs Attack |
Deal that much damage to any character. Compare vs the target’s topmost Heart. If damage ≥ its rank, discard that Heart and every card above it. A character with no Hearts dies to any positive damage (discard full stack). |
| ♦ Diamonds Coins |
Gain that many coins then shop (§ 6). Coins do not carry over. |
| ♥ Hearts Stall |
No extra effect — sometimes you just burn time or expose better cards. |
| ♠ Spades Shovel |
Dig that many cards deep, extract any subset to form a new action hand immediately (you may chain digs). |
Free face‑strike: On your turn, a face card may launch a 1‑damage attack without tapping or discarding — but only if that face card has NO cards on top of it (or if you used a shovel to "dig down" to the face card) AND if that damage would kill (remove) at least one opposing card(or force an opposing card to tap to stay alive). This counts as “removing a card from the table” for the Must‑Act rule.
6. Shopping
You may enter the shop during a Diamonds action or via certain hero powers.
6.1 Prices
- Number card = its rank (Ace 10).
- Face cards — Jack 3 • Queen 4 • King 5.
6.2 Buying & placing
- Pay coins, take card, place immediately on top of any living character you own.
- Upgrading royalty must rise in rank (J → Q/K, Q → K). To create a brand‑new stack (max 3) you must start with a Jack.
6.3 Refreshing the row
- During your shop visit you may pay 2 coins once or multiple times to wipe the row, discarding any remaining cards and flipping three replacements.
- End‑of‑turn auto‑refill: After you finish shopping, immediately fill empty slots so the next player always starts with three face‑up options.
7. Hero Powers — “Tap Once per Life”
Tapping a face counts as your whole turn (no discard). A face may tap once per current life; replacing that face card resets it.
| Suit | Jack | Queen | King |
|---|---|---|---|
| ♣ Burst Attack |
One 10‑dmg hit | Two 10‑dmg hits (different targets) |
Three 10‑dmg hits (all different) |
| ♦ Free Purchase |
Take 1 card (row or top draw) |
Take 2 cards | Take 3 cards |
| ♠ Gravedig |
Draw 5 from discard, keep 1 | Keep 2 | Keep 3 |
| ♥ Reaction Shield* |
+3 defence | +5 defence | +10 defence |
*Hearts powers may tap out‑of‑turn when that same character is attacked, after damage is declared but before the shield comparison is made. Only one reaction may apply to a given attack. If tapped on your turn, these have no effect, but do allow you to pass your turn if you do not wish to take other actions.
8. Must‑Act & Fatigue
Every turn you must either:
- Discard at least one card from a stack (forming an action hand, even if that hand doesn't produce any meaningful effects), or
- Tap a hero power, or
- Use a free 1‑damage face‑strike that successfully kills a card.
If no legal option exists, discard one of your own face cards — that character dies.
9. End of the Game
When a single player is the only one with living characters, they win. Shuffle everything and go again!
10. Variants
- Mass Armies. New face cards create additional characters instead of replacing. Great chaos for 5+ player games.
- Bigger Tables. Add one full 52‑card deck for every extra pair of players beyond four.
- Speed Round. Use a single deck in a 1v1 and lower the act ive character count per player to 2 for a much faster game. Reduce the number of cards set aside during the build phase to 10.