Big Time Boxing

Big Time Boxing Rulebook

Table of Contents

Game Components

1 Boxing Ring board
2 Player Boards
30 Result cards
48 Boxer cards (in 2 sets)
24 Boxer Attribute cards (in 2 sets)
4 Boxer stand-up tokens with stands
Counters and dice (for tracking)
Score sheet pad
Rules booklet

Object of the Game

KO or TKO your opponent, or outpoint him on the judges' scorecards.

Setting Up the Game

Place the Boxing Ring board on the table between the players, who then agree upon the length of the fight in rounds. Ten or 12 rounds are standard for high-ranked pro boxers, but preliminary bouts often feature up-and-coming fighters who go 4, 6 or 8 rounds. We recommend 4 rounds the first time you play the game, and 6 rounds for a shorter game once you're familiar with it.
Take a score sheet and cross out the rounds you don't need. Enter the players' names, etc.
Each player chooses a Boxer token and takes his own set of tracking dice (8 per player), and a Player Board. Place a die on one of your Player Board's Fight Energy spaces with the number 12 showing. This is your boxer's (maximum and) Fight Energy value for a 4-round bout. (See the chart below and on your player board.) Place another die showing number 12 in a Round Energy space; this is your boxer's available energy for the current round. At the start of a 4-round bout both values are 12.
Place another die on your Player Board with the number 12 showing on one of the Health spaces. Place a die near the Damage space. Put the leftover dice in the game box.
Shuffle all the Boxer cards together, then deal 12 to both players face down. Each player draws four of these cards, which are taken into his hand. Each player's remaining eight cards are kept nearby as a personal draw deck. (The leftover 24 cards will be used for the next round.)
Shuffle the Result cards and place this deck face down within easy reach of the players. (Reshuffle the Result deck if it runs out of cards during a round.)
Use any random method to determine the first active player for odd numbered rounds. The other player will go first for even numbered rounds.

Starting Energy and Health chart (printed on the Fight Energy card and on the player board):

Total # of Rounds	Starting Max Energy	Starting Max Health
12	24	36
10	21	30
8	18	24
6	15	18
4	12	12

Component Notes

The rules booklet's component page labels the following parts of the game as printed:

Your Corner: Place boxer here at the start and end the rounds.
The Boxers: Choose a boxer and let the fight begin!
Fight Energy: Start with 1 or 2 yellow dice to show Max Energy, based on the # of rounds.
Round Energy: Place 1 or 2 yellow dice showing the same value as Fight Energy.
Health: Place 1 to 3 green dice to show the value of Max Health, based on the # of rounds.
Damage: Start without the red die. As you take damage place the die, and adjust. Place injuries in the box.
Judge Points: Place earned points for each round here.
Damage card: "Reduce HEALTH by 1 on these values:" 3, 6, 9, 12, etc. "Any 3 injuries results in a TKO."
Fight Energy card: "Can clinch if round energy is 2 or 1 – cover up if 0."

Boxer card callouts: TYPE OF PUNCH; POSITION IN RING; ENERGY COST; SPECIAL FEATURE.

Result card callouts: KNOCKOUT CHECK; BIG HIT RESULT; PUNCH RESULTS; CLINCH RESULT.

The Fight Begins

At the start of every round, each player's Boxer token is placed in his "Outside" (O/S) space on the Ring board.

On your turn you can choose one of the following actions:

Throw a punch: (Play a valid Boxer card from your hand, recording its Energy cost.)
Move Away: ("Pass," and discard a Boxer card.)
Clinch: (Try to regain lost energy, and discard a Boxer card.)

Important: you may freely move your Boxer token from your Outside (O/S) area to your Inside (I/S) area or vice-versa just before a punch is thrown (action 1 above) – but you must throw a punch!

Playing a Card

When you are the active player:

If your boxer is in the O/S (Outside) area, you may only throw a JAB or CROSS.
If your boxer is in the I/S (Inside) area, you may only throw a HOOK, UPPERCUT or BODY BLOW.

You may move-and-punch; i.e., switch from one area to the other before you play a card.

Important: you may never punch-and-move.

Simply move your Boxer token into the correct area if necessary, play a card on the table in front of you and announce its punch type. (If you forget to move before playing the card and are in the wrong area, you can still move your token into the correct area.)

Your opponent may then respond by playing a card from his hand with the corresponding special feature J/C Defense or H/U/B Defense. If he does, then he slips, evades or blocks your punch – canceling its effect. Your opponent discards the defense card he played, face up into a discard pile, at no energy cost. He does not replenish his hand. (Note: J/C is shorthand for JAB/CROSS; H/U/B is shorthand for HOOK/UPPERCUT/BODY BLOW.)

Example: Alan is O/S but wants to play the HOOK card in his hand. He therefore moves his token into his I/S area and plays the card, adjusting his Round Energy die so that it is 2 values lower. Bob would like to play a H/U/B Defense card but all he holds is a J/C Defense card, so he is out of luck and Alan's punch will land.

If no Defense card is played by your opponent then your punch lands, and the top Result card of the face-down deck is revealed to obtain the result of the punch. (See the Result Deck section below.)

The active player discards into the discard pile, face up, the card (or cards in the case of a successful combination) he played, and replenishes his hand of Boxer cards back to four from his personal draw deck.

His opponent then becomes the active player and takes his turn as outlined above.

Move Away ("Pass")

If you don't want to play a card you may choose this option. Simply announce your intention and discard one card face up from your hand, then draw back to a four-card hand. Move your token to your O/S area if not already there. Lose a Judge Point (JP) for not doing anything boxing related. If you have no counters in your Judge Point box, your opponent gains a JP instead.

Clinch

Boxers tend to clinch (tie each other up) if they're tired. If your Round Energy die value is 1 or 2 during a round, you may choose this option to tie-up your opponent and "take a breather." This will usually restore some of your boxer's energy. In order to Clinch you must discard a card from your hand.

Simply announce your intention, draw the top Result card and apply the result in its Clinch section – usually an increase in energy. Adjust your Round Energy die value one or two values higher, as indicated. If the Result card shows "Clinch -1 Judge Point," you lose a Judge Point for unnecessary or excessive clinching.

Some Clinch results cause Damage to you (or your opponent) from unintentional head butts or cheap shots; move the Damage die on its track as indicated. Other Clinch results include a warning for committing a foul. Take a Warning tile for your first warning. For each subsequent warning result during the fight take a Foul! tile instead. (See the Scoring a Round section below.)

Both boxers are then separated by the referee and end the clinch in their O/S areas.

Special Features

These are found at the bottom of the Boxer cards. (The card icons are pictures in the printed rulebook; this transcription refers to them by name.)

Combinations

Combinations (or combos) are two punches thrown in quick succession. A classic example is "the ol' one-two" – a JAB followed by a CROSS – but there are many others. To execute a combo, simply play a card normally with the special feature "Combo" – which will appear with one of two icons. (Exception: HOOK card with both icons).

If your opponent fails to play a card against your punch with the correct Defense feature (J/C or H/U/B), you may immediately add another card from your hand with the same Combo icon. This second card cannot be defensed.

You will then draw a Result card and obtain a result for each punch individually, starting with the first punch. Round Energy is reduced for both punches normally. (See the Result Deck section below.)

Example: Alan plays a JAB card with the feature "Combo" and Bob elects not to play a J/C Defense card. Alan then adds a CROSS to the first JAB card, since it has the same special feature icon. Alan will therefore draw two Result cards and apply their results, one after the other.

In general, a combination cannot repeat the same punch twice in succession. Exceptions: JAB/JAB and BODY BLOW/BODY BLOW are valid. Invalid combos are noted on the Boxer cards.

Important: If your combo is JAB/HOOK with the Combo icon or CROSS/HOOK with the Combo icon, use the OS/IS column for the HOOK result, and your Boxer token does not move from the O/S area into the I/S area.

J/C Defense

You can play a card with this feature as a response when your opponent plays a JAB or CROSS card. The JAB or CROSS is canceled and it becomes your turn. Both players discard their played cards normally. Only the punch-throwing player replenishes.

H/U/B Defense

You can play a card with this feature as a response when your opponent plays a HOOK, UPPERCUT or BODY BLOW card. The HOOK, UPPERCUT or BODY BLOW is canceled and it becomes your turn. Both players discard their played cards normally. Only the punch-throwing player replenishes.

Escape the Ropes or Corner

You can play a card with this feature after a Result card's Big Hit result puts your Boxer token on the ropes or in the corner. This immediately ends your time on the ropes or corner and both boxers go to their outside areas on the board. (Also see Big Hits below.)

Judge Points +1

This feature is a bonus when you throw a punch using a card which has it – even if the punch is defensed. (The fight's judges sometimes place more value in the punch than it actually deserves.) Place a Judge Point counter in its box on the Player board, up to a maximum of 6. It has the same value as a Damage point in terms of scoring the round. (See the Scoring section below.)

Example: There are no Result cards left in the deck. Both players' scores are 12 (Judge Points plus Damage Caused), and it's Bob's turn with one card left in hand. The round will end after he plays it. He moves his Boxer token from I/S to O/S on the Boxing Ring board and gleefully plays a Jab with the Judge Points +1 feature. Bob will therefore win the round (because even if the Jab is defensed or its result is 0, the Judge Point will apply and the score will be 13-12).

You can't get negative Judge Points during the game, but if you would have "gone minus" your opponent gets +1 Judge Point instead.

The Result Deck

A Result card is drawn and its results applied whenever a player plays a Boxer card (unless his punch is canceled by an opponent's Defense card) or if the player Clinches. If this deck is ever exhausted during play, simply reshuffle it. Always reshuffle at the end of even-numbered rounds.

Punch Results

To find the result of a punch, consult its section on the card. The subsections – OS/IS, OS/OS and IS/IS – refer to the three possible positions of the two boxers, and that's where you'll find the proper result. A punch can result in 0, 1, 2 or 3 points of Damage to your opponent. Remember: Jab and Cross can only be thrown from your Outside area. Hook (with one exception), Uppercut and Body Blow can only be thrown from the Inside area.

Example #1: At the start of round 3, Alan plays a JAB card and Bob elects not to play a J/C Defense card. Alan's JAB costs zero energy, so Alan draws the top card of the Result deck and looks under the JAB section, OS/OS (since both boxers are in their Outside areas).

Example #2: Now it's Bob's turn. Since he has only I/S cards in his hand, he moves his Boxer token into his Inside area and plays a BODY BLOW card, which costs 2 Energy; he records this usage by changing his Round Energy die so it shows the number which is two values less. Alan elects not to play a H/U/B Defense card. Bob draws the top card of the Result deck and looks under the BODY BLOW section, OS / IS (since one boxer is in an Outside area and one is in the Inside area).

Note: When both boxers are in Outside areas, the Health loss from punches (JAB/CROSS only) will be minimal. It increases when one boxer is O/S and one I/S, and gets downright dangerous when both boxers are I/S and throwing Hooks, Uppercuts, and even Body Blows.

Energy and Health Loss

Energy, & Its Loss

Whether or not your punch lands, the Boxer card you play has an Energy cost (all types except 0-Jabs); adjust the Round Energy die on your Player Board to record the expenditure of 1 or 2 Energy, as appropriate.

There are two types of energy in the game: Fight Energy and Round Energy.

Fight Energy is the energy a boxer has for the entire fight. A boxer's Fight Energy is set at the start of the fight based on its number of rounds.

Round Energy is the energy a boxer has for a single round of the fight. It is set at the start of each round to match the boxer's current Fight Energy.

A boxer's Fight Energy can only be reduced; it can never increase. If a boxer's Fight Energy is 0, the referee stops the fight and that boxer loses by TKO. Fight Energy is adjusted for the following three occurrences:

If a boxer's Round Energy reaches 1 or 2, reduce his Fight Energy by 1. This is only done once per round.
If a boxer's Round Energy reaches 0, reduce his Fight Energy by an additional 1.
Automatic Fight Energy loss of 1 at the end of each round.

A boxer's Round Energy can be adjusted down or up, for the following:

It is adjusted down by the energy cost of throwing a punch.
If his Round Energy is 1 or 2, a boxer can Clinch by discarding a card from his hand and drawing a Result card to see if he recovers energy. If energy is recovered, adjust his Round Energy higher by the number shown on the Result card.

If a boxer's Round Energy is reduced to 0, it stays at 0 for the rest of the round. This boxer can only "Cover Up" by discarding a card during his turn. The boxer may play defense cards normally, however—and can use J/C cards as H/U/B cards.

Note: you can never throw a punch if its energy cost would take the Round Energy die past zero.

Health, & Its Loss

As noted above, when a punch lands it usually inflicts Damage points on the opponent, which equals the Result card's result number. The player who takes damage must change his Damage die – one space higher per point.

Example: Alan's boxer gets hit for the first time in the fight with a 1-point Jab, so he places his Damage die on his Player Board, with its 1 showing.

For every three values the Damage die increases (i.e., at 3, 6, 9, 12, etc.) move your boxer's lowest Health die 1 value lower.

Example: At the start of a 10-round bout, you will have three Health dice. Two will show 12, and one will show 6; together they add up to 30 points of maximum Health. The first time you take three points of Damage, change your lowest Health die to 5. When you take three more Damage points, lower that Health die to 4.

If a Damage die would be changed to 0, remove it from your Player Board.

Health can never be regained. If your boxer's last Health die reaches 0, the fight may be stopped. (See the TKO section below.)

After a Round

Record the effects of accumulated energy loss by changing the Fight Energy die on your Player Board one automatic value lower at the end of each round.

Example: In a 6-round bout, the boxers started with 15 Energy points. Alan played cards with a whopping total of 13 Energy points during the first round. This lowered his Current Energy die to 2, so his Fight Energy die was immediately lowered one space on the track. After applying the automatic Energy deterioration at the end of the round, his Fight Energy die will be two spaces lower for the start of round 2, at 13.

Big Hits

Result card results of 3 indicate a significantly solid punch causing three Damage. Draw another card from the Result deck and check its Big Hit icon section. Some results can cause your opponent to be in trouble on the ropes or be stuck in a corner, and some can cause injuries or knockdowns.

On the Ropes

If this is your Big Hit result, your opponent must move his Boxer token into his On the Ropes area; move your token near his. Immediately replenish your hand to four cards. Normal game play will now be suspended, until you finish drawing three cards as below, or your opponent escapes the ropes by immediately playing a card with the Escape the Ropes special feature.

If no Escape the Ropes card is played, you (the "Big Hitter") will now draw three cards, one at a time, from the Result deck. The first punch will always be a JAB, the second a CROSS, and the third a HOOK.

Just before you draw a Result card, your opponent can respond by playing the appropriate J/C or H/U/B defense card to cancel the punch. If your opponent doesn't do so, draw the top Result card and score the better result. If additional Big Hits occur, always score the 3 points and draw another card to check for a Knockdown or Injury, but a result of On the Ropes or In the Corner is ignored.

If your opponent escapes the ropes or is knocked down, both boxers go to their outside areas and continue with normal play (assuming the boxer is not KO'ed).

In the Corner

Your opponent moves his token into his In the Corner area, you move yours near his, and normal play is suspended as above. This works the same as On the Ropes, but you draw a CROSS, a HOOK, and an UPPERCUT for your three punches. Your opponent needs to play an Escape the Corner card to avoid getting pummeled.

Injuries

Hurt (Injury)

Opponent adjusts his Damage die two spaces higher and places a Hurt tile on his player board.

Nose Bleed (Injury)

Opponent adjusts his Damage die three spaces higher and places a Nose Bleeding tile on his player board. Ignore this injury if it's the result of a BODY BLOW.

Cut Under Eye (Injury)

Opponent adjusts his Damage die three spaces higher and places a Cut Under Eye tile on his player board. Ignore this injury if it's the result of a BODY BLOW.

Cut Over Eye (Injury)

Opponent adjusts his Damage die four spaces higher and places a Cut Over Eye tile on his player board. Ignore this injury if it's the result of a BODY BLOW.

Knockdown

Opponent adjusts his Damage die five spaces higher and places a Knocked Down tile on his player board. Then draw another Result card.

If there's a heart icon at the top of the card your opponent's boxer shows "heart," he gets up before the count of ten ends and the fight continues. Move both Boxer tokens to their O/S areas. Place a Knockdown tile on your opponent's player board. (Note: Getting knocked down will usually cost a boxer a "round-score point" when the round is scored.)

If there's no heart icon, the knocked down boxer has been knocked out (KO'ed) – and you win the fight immediately!

Scoring a Round

A round ends immediately when a player has no cards left in his personal Boxer deck and he plays and resolves the last card from his hand (or if he has no cards in hand when it's his turn to play).

While some boxing matches end in a knockout (KO) or technical knockout (TKO), many "go the distance" and a decision is determined by the judges' scorecards. Therefore, at the end of each round, total the number of your Judge Points plus your opponent's Damage points. Compare this total to your opponent's. The player with the higher total wins the round.

Example: At the end of a round Alan's boxer has earned 3 Judge points and inflicted 11 Damage points on Bob for a total of 14 (3+11). Bob's boxer has earned 1 Judge point and inflicted 12 Damage on Alan for a total of 13 (1+12). Therefore, Alan wins the round, 14-13.

Record the round-score for each boxer on the score sheet, as follows: First, record Damage Caused and Judge Points. Enter their totals. Then enter the round-scores in the two ovals. Also record injuries, knockdowns, fouls and highlights.

Round-Scoring Uses a 10-Point "Must" System

The winner of a round as explained above must receive 10 "round-score" points (before deductions for fouls) while the loser will usually get 9. If the totals are tied, it's scored as "even" and both boxers get 10 round-score points. However:

If a boxer loses a round as detailed above by 12 (or more) while not suffering a Knockdown, one round-score point is deducted from his round-score. His opponent would win the round 10-8, instead of 10-9.

Example: Alan's total for a round is 14 and Bob's is 2. Therefore, Alan wins the round, 10-8.

For each Knockdown he suffers, the afflicted boxer loses a round-score point.

Example: For round one Alan's boxer has the higher round score, but he has been knocked down once. This would result in a round-score of 9-9. However, this is adjusted to 10-10 due to the 10-point "must" system.

For each Foul a boxer has committed, one point is deducted from his total. (This could result in a 9-9 round-score.) Return all Foul! tiles to the supply after applying any deductions.

TKOs (Technical Knockouts)

The referee stops the fight immediately and his opponent wins by TKO if a boxer:

Takes enough Damage so that his Health die has reached its 0 space, and he then suffers a 2-point punch result or Big Hit later on. (If a Big Hit, draw a Result card normally to check for a KO.)
Suffers a second Cut Over Eye result. (Impaired vision.)
Suffers a second Nose Bleed result. (Impaired breathing.)
Suffers any three Injuries.
Is Knocked Down three times during the fight and gets up each time. (Optional, as the players prefer.)

The Next Round

Change each boxer's Round Energy die to its Fight Energy die's value (after the automatic Fight Energy die reduction, of course.) Remove your Judge Point counters and reset your Damage die by moving it off the board.
At the end of odd-numbered rounds, the players deal out the previously set-aside Boxer cards, 12 per player, and again take four cards into hand to begin the new round.
At the end of even-numbered rounds, shuffle all the Boxer cards, deal 12 to each player and take four cards into hand to begin the new round. Shuffle all the Result cards. Go to "The Fight Begins" section above.

Going the Distance

If the fight goes the distance (the full number of rounds) without a KO or TKO, total the round-scores of each fighter and enter them in the score sheet's larger ovals. The boxer with the higher total is the winner. If identical, the fight is a draw.

Optional Rules

If You Like to Shuffle

Feel free to shuffle the Boxer and Result cards after every round.

"Sketchy" Judges

If the fight goes the distance and the round-scores are tied, the player who caused more opponent knockdowns wins. If still tied, the player who caused more injuries wins.

Saving Something for Later

When you choose the Move Away action you can save a card for the next round instead of discarding it. Simply place it face down in front of you on the table. You can only do this once per round, and must play it before "saving something" again.

Attribute Cards

Use these when you have a solid understanding of the game. Each player takes his set of twelve Attribute cards and the players then alternately choose three of them for use during the fight. They can be chosen randomly, deliberately or in combination, as agreed by the players. If both players agree, they can modify their selections to ensure a balanced fight.

Example: One random card and two selected cards. The players place their cards face up on the table as they are chosen. (A real-life boxer will know his opponent's attributes.)

Single Use cards are played once and removed from the game. "Once Per Round" cards can be played once per round; rotate or flip face down when played. Permanent cards apply throughout the game. See the cards' text for their effects.

The "Thinky" Game

Play this version if you prefer a tighter, less variable game. Instead of shuffling all the Boxer cards together, separate them into two decks, one deck with boxing gloves hanging and one without. Each player takes a deck of 24 Boxer Cards and plays them exclusively. This version also enables players to follow more easily what cards have been played.

Playing Tips

In later rounds, watch your Starting and Current Energy, and of course your Health! Endeavor to have at least 3 Fight Energy for the final round!

When moving I/S, it's best to have a H/U/B Defense card in your hand. Keep count of them as they appear!

Hooks result in the most Big Hits, especially when both boxers are I/S. Keep track of the cards with Big Hit icons as they appear (or don't appear) to find a good time to "go for it."

Draw out your opponent's defense cards by moving I/S and playing a BODY BLOW or UPPERCUT. If he plays a H/U/B Defense card, play your more potent HOOK card on your next turn.

Threaten a JAB/CROSS or JAB/HOOK combo by playing the JAB with Combo card. If your opponent plays a J/C Defense card, you can still play your CROSS (or HOOK) next turn.

During a round, be aware of both boxers' Damage and Judge Point scores. If you're way ahead, resist the temptation to move I/S unless you have a H/U/B Defense card in hand.

In a close round, remember before you choose a Punch that a "Judge Point 1" card always scores the point, even if the card is defensed. Going last in a round can be important, and perhaps a good time to throw an Inside punch.

If you're far behind in round-score in the late rounds or short on Health, you have nothing to lose by going I/S and throwing everything you can. Conversely, if you're comfortably ahead in the last round, stay O/S and use every defense card that comes your way; also consider Moving Away.

Appendix: The Punches

JAB: There are more jabs in the game than any other type of punch, which mirrors reality. It stings and annoys an opponent (and in this game usually costs no Energy and can earn a Judge Point). You'll often "eat" a JAB rather than play a Defense card against it. It's often paired in combination with a CROSS. A JAB can only be thrown when your boxer is in its Outside space in the ring.

CROSS: Also called a straight right (for a right-handed boxer) if not actually crossing over the opponent's JAB, this punch is a lot more powerful than a JAB. It can only be thrown when your boxer is in an Outside space in the ring, and can sometimes result in a Big Hit.

HOOK: This punch is the most powerful and can be thrown from the Inside area only. (However, two Hook cards can be thrown from the Outside in combination with a Jab. Use the OS/IS column of the Result card in this case.)

UPPERCUT: This punch can only be thrown from the Inside, can snap an opponent's head back, and often is scored by the judges as more effective than it actually is. Much more powerful when both boxers are Inside.

BODY BLOW: Thrown from the Inside area only, it always results in a Health point loss unless defensed. Can result in a Big Hit (rarely) if both boxers are Inside.