Love Letter: Batman
Love Letter: Batman Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
The famous Arkham Asylum has been breached, and its most dangerous criminals have emptied into the streets of Gotham City. The object of the game is to collect Batman Tokens. Earn Batman Tokens by arresting dangerous villains, and taking down your rivals. The first player to earn 7 Batman Tokens over a series of rounds wins!
Components
Your game of Love Letter: Batman Edition should include the following. If it does not, contact [email protected] for assistance.
- 16 game cards
- 4 reference cards
- 25 Batman Tokens
- 1 Utility Pouch or Cardboard Box (Edition dependant)
Game Cards
Each different card name represents Batman, Robin or a Villain. Each card has a value in the upper left corner—the higher it is, the more powerful it is.
Setup
Shuffle the 16 cards to form a face-down draw deck. Remove the top card of the deck from the game without looking at it. If you are playing a two-player game, take three more cards from the top of the deck and place them to the side, face up. They will not be used during this round.
Each player draws one card from the deck. This is the player's hand, and it is kept secret from the others.
Whoever most recently served justice to a corrupt world may go first. Alternatively, the youngest player may go first.
How to Play
Love Letter: Batman Edition is played over a series of rounds. Each round represents one night of crime-fighting in Gotham City. At the end of each round, one player will have the most dangerous Villain in their custody (in their hand) or will be the only one left standing after all of the other players are eliminated. When one Dark Knight has collected 7 Batman Tokens for his or her bravery, that player wins the game!
Taking a Turn
On your turn, draw the top card from the deck and add it to your hand. Then choose one of the two cards in your hand and discard it face up in front of you. Apply any effect on the card you discarded. You must apply its effect, even if it is bad for you. See The Cards section for the effects of each individual card. Likewise, if you have any questions about special cases regarding the card, you'll find the answer there.
All discarded cards remain in front of the player who discarded them. Overlap the cards so that it's clear in which order they were discarded. This helps players figure out which cards other players might be holding.
Once you finish applying the card's effect, the turn passes to the player on your left.
Out of the Round
If a player is knocked out of the round, that player discards the card in his or her hand face up (do not apply the card's effect) and takes no more turns until next round.
Honesty
A player could cheat when chosen with Batman, or fail to discard The Penguin when that player has the Poison Ivy or Two-Face in hand. We say, "You scum. Your kind should never be allowed to walk the streets among hard-working citizens again." So don't play with people who cheat!
[Transcriber's note, retained as printed: "The Penguin" is named here, but no Penguin card appears in this edition — the card carrying the must-discard rule alongside Two-Face and Poison Ivy is Harley Quinn (7). This inconsistency is reproduced as it stands in the source rather than corrected, since the intended card name cannot be established from the document itself.]
End of a Round
A round ends if the deck is empty at the end of a turn. The city has been cleared of criminals and it's time to resolve the round. Only players who still have a hidden card in hand participate in the resolution. All players still in the round reveal their hands. The player with the highest ranked card wins the round. In case of a tie, the player who discarded the highest total value of cards wins.
A round also ends if all but one are out of the round, in which case the remaining player wins.
The winner receives a Batman Token. If no one has a total of 7 Batman Tokens, shuffle all 16 cards and play a new round following all of the setup rules. The winner of the previous round goes first.
Winning
A player wins the game after collecting 7 Batman Tokens.
The Cards
Here are brief profiles of the cards in the game. Note: By the value, there is a small series of pips that represent how many copies of that particular card are in the deck.
8: The Joker
The antithesis of Batman, The Joker is the embodiment of sadistic, murderous chaos. The Joker lives for madness and destruction; his pranks put the entirety of Gotham City in danger.
If you discard the Joker—no matter how or why, even to Poison Ivy—you just let the most dangerous villain in Gotham City escape. You are out of the round to brood.
7: Harley Quinn
Before her descent into madness, Dr. Harleen Quinzel was a psychiatrist assigned to Arkham Asylum. But the young doctor became obsessed with The Joker's crazed criminal mind and devoted her life to making him happy and spreading his bloody brand of mayhem.
Unlike other cards, which take effect when discarded, the text on Harley Quinn applies while she is in your hand. In fact, she has no effect when you discard her. If you ever have Harley Quinn and either Two-Face or Poison Ivy in your hand, you must discard Harley Quinn. You do not have to reveal the other card in your hand. Of course, you may also discard Harley Quinn even if you do not have one of the two named cards in your hand.
6: Two-Face
Former Gotham City district attorney Harvey Dent was driven insane after a disfiguring attack. Now he leaves life to chance, dishing out peace or destruction based on a coin flip.
When you discard Two-Face, trade the card in your hand with the card held by another player of your choice. You cannot trade with a player who is out of the round, or with someone protected by Robin. If Robin protects all other players still in the round, this card does nothing when discarded.
5: Poison Ivy
A maddened eco-terrorist, Poison Ivy is a master of toxins and mind-controlling pheromones. Can Batman resist her chemically enhanced charms?
When you discard Poison Ivy, choose one player still in the round (including yourself). That player discards his or her hand (do not apply its effect) and draws a new card. If the deck is empty, that player draws the card that was removed at the start of the round. If Robin protects all other players, you must choose yourself.
4: Robin
Constant companions to Batman, Robin fights crime alongside with the Dark Knight. The Boy Wonder has proven a valuable asset, as a second pair of eyes in a fight can be as important as a weapon.
When you discard Robin, you are immune to the effects of other players' cards until the start of your next turn. If Robin protects all players other than the player whose turn it is, the player must choose him—or herself if possible.
3: Bane
A deadly combination of incredible physical strength and imposing intellect. Bane is one of the few criminals to have truly hurt Batman, putting him in traction after one of their encounters.
When discarded, choose one other player still in the round. You and that player secretly compare your hands. The player with the lower rank is knocked out of the round. In case of a tie, nothing happens. If Robin protects all other players still in the round, this card does nothing.
2: Catwoman
The world's greatest cat burglar, Catwoman has had a confusing relationship with the Dark Knight, going from enemy to ally and back more times than are easy to remember.
When you discard Catwoman, you may look at one other player's hand. Do not reveal their hand to any other players (this includes, but is not limited to providing a thinly-veiled series of clues).
1: Batman
"Bats frighten me, It's time my Enemies share my dread."
When you discard Batman, choose a player and name a card (other than Batman). If that player has the named card, the chosen player is knocked out of the round, and you score 1 Batman Token. If Robin protects all other players still in the round, the card does nothing.
Important
When you successfully knock another player out of the round using Batman, you gain a Batman Token. You do not gain a token for knocking a player out of the round by naming Batman or Robin.
Copyright & Contact
© 2015 by Alderac Entertainment Group. Love Letter, and all related marks are ™ and © Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2015 Cryptozoic Entertainment. 25351 Commercentre Dr. Suite 250, Lake Forest, CA 92630. All rights reserved.
BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. (s15)
Printed in China.
Warning: Choking Hazard! Not for use by children under 3 years of age.
For more information, visit: http://www.alderac.com/loveletter and www.alderac.com/forum
Questions? [email protected]
Credits
Love Letter: Batman™ Edition
Design: Seiji Kanai
Development: Steve Ellis, Todd Rowland, John Zinser
Graphic Design: John Vineyard
Writing: Todd Rowland, Mark Wootton, Adam Sblendorio
Editing: Nicholas Bongiu, John Goodenough, Scott Thomas and Mark Wootton
Production: Dave Lepore
Playtesting: Maryne Blanchetiere, Nicholas Bongiu, Vincent Carassus, Steve Ellis, Jean Le Bail, Mary-Frances Martinez, Todd Rowland, Kathy Rowland, Jackson Rowland, Tyler Rowland, David Trudeau, Erik Yaple, John Zinser