Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game
Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
To win, you must clear the board of all your opponents' characters. HOW? By capturing them or knocking them off the mountain top battlefield!
Contents
- 3-dimensional mountain top: 2 plastic mountains, 2 cardboard connectors, game board
- 24 BEAST WARS Character cards:
- 12 Maximal
- 12 Predacon
- 72 Battle cards:
- 36 Basic Battle
- 12 Mutate
- 12 Secret Weapon
- 12 Energon
Note: Before you start your first game, spread out all the cards and study them. See "About the...Cards" on pages 3-4.
Mountain Assembly
Refer to the photo on the package and the drawing below.
- Remove all the contents from the box.
- Unfold the game board: Carefully detach the perforated panel that contains the two connectors (with logos). Finish punching the bridges out of the cardboard; discard the waste.
- Un-nest the two plastic mountains and set them end-to-end.
- Tilt and slide the connectors into the slots on the edges of the mountains. The top tab (A) goes into slot A; the lower tab (B) goes into slot B.
- Snap the unfolded game board into the top of the two connected mountains.
About the Character Cards...
Each Character has two sides—Beast and Robot—and each has different qualities that will help or hinder him in battle. Each quality is represented by a number next to it. Notice that the number strength of their qualities differs on the two sides.
Here's what Megatron™ looks like in both his forms:
- Beast
- Robot
Here's what Optimus Primal™ looks like in both his forms:
- Beast
- Robot
About the Battle Cards...
36 Basic Battle Cards
The color tells you which quality your Character will rely on in a particular battle. For this one, it's red.
Since you know you are relying on the red quality, you will use the number in the red bar on that Character card.
36 Special Battle Cards
Secret Weapon—Add +2 to your Character's number for that color quality.
Energon—Add +1 to your Character's number for that color quality.
Mutate— Flip over your battling Character so it mutates to its other side! Use the number for the color shown. Your Character stays in this form until you draw another Mutate card in battle and turn it back over.
Setup
-
Mountain top: Sit at opposite ends—Predacon or Maximal—so the mountain runs length-wise between you.
-
Battle cards:
- Shuffle the 72 Battle cards.
- Put them face down between you, to one side of the mountain.
-
Character cards:
- Divide the deck of 24 Character cards into the 12 Maximal and 12 Predacon Characters.
- Choose Maximal or Predacon: Decide which you will be, and take that 12-card pile.
- Now pick which of your 12 Characters you will use this game. You and your opponent must decide to play with the same number of cards: Select as few as 3 (for a short game), or all 12 (for a longer game). With experience, you'll learn the strategy of selecting your Beasts.
- Put any Characters you are not using back in the game box.
- Put 3 of the Character cards you have selected in the 3 spaces in the first row (nearest you) of the game board. Place them Beast-side-up. (Be sure you're at your end of the board: Predacon or Maximal.)
- Put your remaining cards (if any) Beast-side-up in front of you in a Reserve Pile. These are your "Reinforcements."
Gameplay
The youngest player goes first. Players take turns.
On your turn, you may Move...or Reinforce...or Attack. Here's how:
Move...
Move any one of your cards that is already on the gameboard forwards, or backwards, or sideways 1 space, into an empty space.
or Reinforce...
You may send in Reinforcements to your first row only. When a first-row space is empty, fill it with a card from your Reserve Pile. Place it Beast-side-up. Note: On rare occasions, all three spaces in your first row may be occupied by your opponent; in this case, you may put your Reinforcement onto any open space on the board.
or Attack...
You may attack when one of your cards is next to—end-to-end, or side-by-side—one of your opponent's cards. Here's how:
- Announce which of your Characters is attacking which of your opponent's Characters.
- The Attacker turns over the top Battle card. What color is it? This tells you which Character quality your warrior is relying on for this battle. What is the number for that color?
- The Attacked player turns over the next Battle card to find out which color quality his Character is depending on.
- Important: Battles are won by numbers only! Compare your quality number with your opponent's. Remember, the Special Battle Cards will add +1 or +2 to your number, or Mutate you!
- The winner—the player with the higher number—pushes his Character in the same direction as the Attack, into the opponent's space.
- The loser is pushed one space backwards or to the side (depending on the direction the attack came from).
- Discard Battle cards after use.
Notes
- If the loser can't retreat because that space is already occupied, the Attacker captures that card and removes it from the game. (Keep captures separate from Reinforcements.)
- If there are no spaces left to retreat to, push the loser over the edge—and remove that card from the game!
- Tie: If both cards have the same number, the battle is called off. There is no winner. They can fight again on the next turn, if your opponent chooses.
Example
Optimus Primal attacks Inferno and draws a blue Basic Battle card. The Character card's blue (Courage) number is 10.
Inferno draws a gold Secret Weapon card. His gold number is 7 (Rank) + 2, for a total of 9.
Outcome: Optimus Primal wins because 10 is higher than 9. Optimus Primal pushes Inferno one space over and occupies the space he had occupied.
Winning
If you clear the board of all your opponent's characters, you win the battle for the Universe!
Note
You may use your own Beast Wars® action figures (sold separately) to battle on the mountain top.