Mint Condition Comics
Mint Condition Comics Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Play Area
The following areas will be referenced in these rules:
- A COMIC SHOP
- B PILES
- C SCORING CARDS
- D COLLECTION(S)
Setting Up
- Shuffle the COMIC cards and remove cards based on player count. These cards will not be used in this round.
| Players | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cards removed | 24 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
The remaining cards form the COMIC DECK. Place it within reach of all players.
- Build the COMIC SHOP (A) based on player count. Draw COMIC cards from the DECK and lay them in a row next to the COMIC SHOP TRADES card.
| Players | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cards used | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
- If the "Free Comic" card is drawn, shuffle it back into the deck.
- Create 3 PILES (B) in a row next to the DECK. For each pile, draw 2 COMICS from the DECK and place face down in a stack.
- Determine the HOT COMIC by drawing one of the SCORING CARDS (C) randomly, then lay them all out.
- Determine the ROUND BONUS by drawing one randomly. The other cards will not be used this round.
- Deal each player a random SECRET POWER. Each player can look at their own SECRET POWER.
The player that most recently bought a comic book is the FIRST PLAYER!
How to Play
The game is typically played for 3 rounds. Each round ends after the deck and piles of cards run out. Players score their collections, then start a new round. After the final round, if you have the highest total score, you win!
You perform the following three phases in your turn, then the next player in clockwise order takes their turn.
- Trade Comics
- Pick Piles
- Manage Collection
1. Trade Comics
At the start of your turn (except the first one), you may perform a single trade action with either the COMIC SHOP or another player. Traded cards are immediately added to collections following the rules under MANAGE COLLECTION.
Note: Trades are based on a COMIC's rarity: RARE (R) is the highest rarity, then UNCOMMON (U), and finally COMMON (C).
Comic Shop Trade
2 for any 1, OR 1 for 2 of lower rarity.
Trade any 2 COMICS (LOOSE or from a SET) from your COLLECTION for any 1 COMIC from the SHOP, or trade any 1 COMIC from your COLLECTION for any 2 COMICS of a lower rarity from the SHOP.
Player Trade
Any 1 of yours for any 1 loose comic of same or LOWER rarity.
Trade any COMIC from your COLLECTION for any single LOOSE COMIC of the same or lower rarity from another player's COLLECTION. A LOOSE COMIC is one which is not part of any SET (see 3. MANAGE COLLECTION).
2. Pick Piles
Pick the third PILE and look at it privately. You may then decide to keep or pass.
- If you keep the PILE, replenish the PILE spot with 2 new cards drawn from the DECK and continue to the next phase (3. MANAGE COLLECTION).
- If you pass on a PILE, place it back in its spot, add to it 1 new face down card drawn from the DECK, then continue to pick the next pile. If you pass on all 3 PILES, draw 2 cards from the DECK and continue to next phase.
Look at pile: keep it! Replace with new pile. OR return it! Add 1 card, then look at next pile.
When the DECK runs out, players continue to PICK PILES but no longer add cards as indicated above.
3. Manage Collection
Add the cards you just picked to your COLLECTION face-up. You must form or add to existing SETS where possible. Once a COMIC is added to a SET, it cannot be moved to another SET (but you could still use it in your trades).
- There are six SERIES you can collect SETS of, each represented by a SCORING CARD. Stellar is not a set.
- A SET can only contain one of each numbered ISSUE. But, you can collect multiple SETS of the same SERIES. An ANTHOLOGY can be used instead of any missing numbered ISSUE in a set.
- Any cards which cannot be added to a set are considered LOOSE COMICS. Spread these cards in your COLLECTION so other players can see them.
Comic Rarity Numbers
Rarity determines how many copies of each ISSUE are in the DECK: COMMONS (C) have 3, UNCOMMONS (U) have 2, and RARES (R) only have 1. Note that some cards may have been randomly removed at the start of the round.
Secret Powers
At any time during your turn, unless otherwise indicated on your card, you may reveal and use your SECRET POWER. You may only use your SECRET POWER once, but you will get a new one on the next round.
Ending a Round
When the COMIC DECK runs out, continue playing until the PILES run out. After the last PILE is picked, players go around taking their last turn and may perform a final trade action. The round ends with the player just before the FIRST PLAYER, so all players have played an equal number of turns.
Then in player order, score your COLLECTIONS:
- Score VICTORY POINTS (VP) for each of your SETS using the SCORING CARDS and based on how many different numbered ISSUES are part of that SET. ANTHOLOGIES may be used instead of any other ISSUE, but cannot be used to have more than the maximum number of ISSUES in each SET. Duplicate ISSUES cannot be considered part of the same SET, but you may have multiple SETS of the same SERIES. Note: Stellar is not a set.
- Score BONUS VP for any COMICS that have them on the front of their card.
- Score the HOT COMIC. The player with the most COMICS of the HOT COMIC (including duplicates and LOOSE COMICS) scores 6VP. In case of ties split the VP, rounding down.
- Score the ROUND BONUS and award VP as indicated on the card. In case of ties split the VP, rounding down.
| Set size | 1x | 2x | 3x | 4x |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victory points | 0 | 1 | 6 | 12 |
For example: A SET of Grim ISSUES #2, #3, and #4 (size 3x) scores 6VP. If the player also had an ANTHOLOGY or ISSUE #1, the SET would score 12VP. ISSUE #1 also has BONUS +2VP. If instead the player had another ISSUE #3, that duplicate would count as a separate SET (1x size) worth 0VP.
Starting a New Round
Collect and reshuffle all the cards, including those that were removed at the beginning of the round, and repeat all the steps in SETTING UP with the exception that the FIRST PLAYER should be the player with the lowest score this round.
Game End
After the third or final round, the game ends. Score the round as usual, adding the total scores. Whomever has the highest total score wins!