Monsterpocalypse Miniatures Game
Monsterpocalypse Miniatures Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Welcome to Battle
Allies & Enemies
Each model in Monsterpocalypse belongs to a Faction, and Factions are grouped together into Agendas. When you build a force, you must first choose an Agenda. All models in your force must belong to the same Agenda (see "Assembling Your Force," p. 24).
Three key terms are used to describe the various models in the game:
- Allies are all the models in your force. All allied models must belong to the same Agenda.
- Enemies are all the models in your opponent's force.
- Faction models are all the models in your force that belong to the same Faction.
Agendas & Factions
The fighting forces in Monsterpocalypse are divided into Agendas. Each Agenda is a coalition of smaller groups called Factions.
The Factions within an Agenda are united by a common purpose. Although their methods vary, they fight for the same overall goal.
Models from the same Faction share common origins and characteristics. They cooperate well in battle and yield the most efficient use of resources.
You can include models from different Factions in your force, but all the models in your force must belong to the same Agenda.
Cooperative Scenario: If this is your first time playing Monsterpocalypse, the "Downtown Demolition" scenario found at Monsterpocalypse.com is a great place to start. This cooperative scenario is designed to help new players learn the basics of movement and rolling dice while enjoying a simple but fun mini-game.
Who Will You Fight For?
Monsterpocalypse lets you take part in the ultimate battle for control of the earth—all you have to do is choose which side you want to fight for.
Those who choose the Protectors Agenda share one simple goal: to protect Earth from all who would destroy it. This Agenda offers a wide variety of Factions whose tactics vary, but they stand united in their goal to see the Earth safely through this catastrophic era.
As a Protector, you'll have access to a Legion of Mutates, who combine the will of humanity with the power of nature's beasts; massive G.U.A.R.D. Mecha; cutting-edge Shadow Sun Syndicate Zors; monks who channel the powers of the planet as Elemental Champions; a ragtag collection of scavengers who call themselves Green Fury; the ancient dinosaur-like beasts known as Terrasaurs; an entire Empire of Apes, who are as wise as they are brutal; warriors from beyond the solar system fighting as a Draken Armada; behemoths called Tritons, who rise from the ocean's depths; and the plants called Vegetyrants, who have awoken to defend the planet. You are free to mix and match the monsters and units from an Agenda to find your favorite combination of models for holding back the forces that oppose you.
Those forces are the members of the Destroyers Agenda, a loose alliance of villains motivated by the satisfaction of pure wanton destruction and a burning desire to plunder Earth for its vast resources. Some threats come from beyond our reality: the Masters of the 8th Dimension and the Zerkalo Bloc, and the Lords of Cthul. Plenty of extraterrestrial forces are part of the Monsterpocalypse: the Planet Eaters, the Martian Menace, and the Necroscourge swarm of alien nanites. Alongside these threats are foul beasts that call the Earth home: the Subterran Uprising, the Savage Swarm, and the Waste. And then there's UberCorp, a company that seeks to maximize its profits, no matter the consequences.
As Monsterpocalypse continues to grow, new models will be added to these Factions, and new Factions will join the fight for our world.
What You Need to Play
Monsterpocalypse is a game for two players and their giant monsters, with each side trying to smash the other. But before you can start tearing apart cityscapes and throwing each other around, you'll need a few important things.
Models
The game includes four types of models: monsters, units, assets, and buildings. Each model has a stat card detailing its stats and special rules.
The type of model is important. Some rules and effects in Monsterpocalypse affect only monsters, some affect only units, some affect only buildings, and some affect models of any type.
Monsters – The action in Monsterpocalypse centers around monsters. Each monster model has a large two-sided stat card, because a monster has two different forms. A monster begins the game in its alpha form and transitions to its hyper form after taking a certain amount of damage, triggering it to become more aggressive.
A monster is your single greatest and most powerful asset in battle. It can do things that other models cannot. Be careful, though. If your monsters are destroyed, you lose the game.
Monsters are mounted on large bases, which occupy four spaces on the battle map.
Units – Units represent the minions and support troops that accompany your monsters in the fight for supremacy. You will use many units during the game. Units begin the game in your unit reserves and are spawned onto the battle map throughout the game. When units are destroyed, they are returned to your unit reserves to be spawned again later. Units may not seem that powerful compared to giant monsters, but intelligent use of units can quickly tip the odds in your favor.
There are two types of units: grunt units and elite units. Grunts are the basic version of the unit. Elite units, marked by a star on their bases, grant additional capabilities to other grunts of the same unit type. Some units have only grunt versions. A unit must contain all the same words in its name to be considered the same type.
Units are mounted on small bases, which occupy one space on the battle map.
Buildings & Rubble Tiles – Buildings are large models that provide obstacles and objectives for your monsters and units.
Assets are small structures that can be added to a city by other models' special rules. Each asset has its own rules for how it is placed, and each space on the map can only contain one asset.
Debris tiles represent destroyed buildings. One side of each tile is a pile of rubble, and the other is a flaming hazard (see "Buildings," p. 22).
Battle Map
Games of Monsterpocalypse are played on battle maps. The main part of a battle map is a large grid representing the metropolis where all the action will take place. This grid determines where you place buildings, where your units enter the game, and what type of terrain your models must traverse during battle. The battle map also includes different dice pools where you store your dice during play.
When your models are in play, they occupy the square spaces on the battle map's grid. Small-based models occupy one space; large-based models occupy four spaces at a time.
You store your dice in dice pools on the battle map: the Monster Pool, the Unit Pool, the Power Pool, and the Dice Well. Whenever you use a die, you move it from one pool to another pool. What your models can do in the game depends on how many dice you have in your various dice pools.
Dice
Dice play a pivotal role in Monsterpocalypse. Players use their dice as a form of currency. Sometimes you spend dice and sometimes you roll them. How you choose to use your dice throughout the game is what determines whose monster is victorious and whose monster is lunch.
The three types of dice are Action Dice, Boost Dice, and Power Dice. Each player plays with their own set of dice.
Dice in Monsterpocalypse
Monsterpocalypse uses three types of specialized dice: white Action Dice, blue Boost Dice, and red Power Dice.
Strikes & Misses
Instead of pips or numbers, the dice have explosion symbols to indicate strikes and blank faces to indicate misses. A strike is indicated by one explosion on the die. A super strike, indicated by two explosions, counts as two strikes. When rolling dice in Monsterpocalypse, simply add up the number of explosion symbols you see. Each type of dice has different chances of rolling strikes.
Dice in Play
In order to make a dice roll, you must first decide how many dice you will roll. Add up all the dice you are spending and any you gain from your stats and special rules. These are considered the dice in play. Your opponent's special rules can remove dice from individual rolls, but these dice remain the dice in play until all attacks using them are fully resolved.
Action Dice
Action Dice have three misses, two strikes, and one super strike on each die. Action Dice make up the basic resource that allows your models to make attacks and perform Actions (see "Actions," p. 30). Every time you want to make an attack, you must roll one or more Action Die. When you want to use an Action, you spend one Action Die.
During the game, you move Action Dice between your Monster Pool and your Unit Pool. After you roll or spend dice from your Unit Pool, you place them in your Monster Pool. After you spend dice from your Monster Pool, you place them in your Unit Pool. Your Action Dice move back and forth between the two pools in this way throughout the game.
You use the Action Dice in your Monster Pool when you activate your monsters, and you use the Action Dice in your Unit Pool when you activate your units. The pool you use during your turn is the active pool. Certain game effects can add or subtract from the number of Action Dice you have in a dice pool. When this happens, simply move the number of affected dice from one pool to the other. For example, if your monster is hit by an attack that causes it to lose an Action Die, move an Action Die from the Monster Pool to the Unit Pool.
You begin the game with ten Action Dice in your Unit Pool.
Boost Dice
Boost Dice have two misses, three strikes, and one super strike on each die. Boost Dice are special dice you roll when a model has a knack for a particular kind of attack or because of certain abilities or special circumstances. Boost Dice have better odds of success than Action Dice. Boost Dice are not part of any dice pool and do not get used up when you roll them. They are bonus dice you get for free. You store your Boost Dice in the Dice Well on the battle map, and you return them to the Dice Well after you roll them.
If you ever need to roll more Boost Dice than you have on hand, make your roll as normal, note the number of strikes rolled, then roll again, using as many dice as needed to reach the required number. In some cases, you may need to roll more than twice.
Power Dice
Power Dice have one miss, four strikes, and one super strike on each die. Power Dice are an additional resource gained through various means—mostly by causing destruction! You start the game with no Power Dice in your Power Pool, but you can earn Power Dice throughout the game. Power Dice are used up when you roll or spend them, and you can never have more than ten Power Dice in your Power Pool at any one time. Any Power Dice accumulated beyond ten are lost.
You store unearned Power Dice in the Dice Well on the battle map. When you earn Power Dice, you move them to your Power Pool. You can use only the Power Dice that are in your Power Pool. After you spend or roll a Power Die, return it to the Dice Well.
You can add Power Dice from your Power Pool to monster attack rolls to greatly increase your chances of success. Some abilities available to monsters, such as power attacks, require you to use Power Dice. If you have not accumulated enough Power Dice, you might not be able to do what you want. Units cannot use Power Dice unless a special rule allows them to.
You can earn Power Dice in the following ways:
- Every time you make an attack that results in the destruction of an enemy model, you gain one Power Die for each enemy model destroyed after removing the model(s) from the battle map. Unless a rule specifies otherwise, you never gain Power Dice for destroying allied models.
- Every time you make an attack that results in the destruction of a building, you gain two Power Dice for each building destroyed after removing the building(s) from the battle map.
- When you power up, you gain one Power Die for every allied unit holding a power zone on the battle map (see "Power Zones," p. 23, and "Activating Monsters," p. 26).
- When you power up, you gain one Power Die for every building currently secured by your force (see "Securing Buildings," p. 22).
- You can gain Power Dice through certain other rules and game effects.
Players never gain Power Dice for destroying an asset.
Model Stat Cards
Each stat card provides all relevant stats for the model as well as certain other basic information, including the model's name, its Faction, and its type.
One side of a monster's stat card is for its alpha version, and the other side is for its hyper version.
Basic Stats
Stat cards include the following basic stats for models.
- Speed (SPD) – The number of spaces the model can move on the grid when it makes a full advance. Additionally, some models have the High Mobility icon next to their SPD stat. (See "Moving on the Grid," p. 14.)
- Defense (DEF) – The number of strikes your opponent must roll in a single attack to hit this model.
- Cost – The number of Action Dice you must spend to bring a unit into play when you spawn units. Only units have a Cost stat.
Attack Stats
A model's forms of attack are represented by its weapon stat bars. There are three basic types of attack: brawl attacks, blast attacks, and power attacks. Only monsters can make power attacks. (For details, see "Making Attacks," p. 18.)
- Brawl Stats – The first number to the right of the Brawl header (inside the white Action Dice icon) is the maximum number of Action Dice the model can roll when it makes a brawl attack. A model must have a Brawl stat to make brawl attacks. The second number (inside the blue Boost Dice icon) is the number of Boost Dice the model rolls whenever it makes a brawl attack; if there is no number, the model does not roll free Boost Dice for a brawl attack.
- Blast Stats – The first number to the right of the Blast header is the Range (RNG) of the attack, which indicates the maximum number of spaces the target of a blast attack can be from the attacking model. The second number (inside the white Action Dice icon) is the maximum number of Action Dice the model can roll when it makes a blast attack. A model must have a Blast stat to make a blast attack. The third number (inside the blue Boost Dice icon) is the number of Boost Dice the model rolls whenever it makes a blast attack; if there is no number, the model does not roll free Boost Dice for a blast attack.
- Power Stats – Only monsters have Power stats. The first number to the right of the Power header (inside the white Action Dice icon) is the maximum number of Action Dice the model can roll when it makes a power attack. The second number (inside the blue Boost Dice icon) is the number of Boost Dice the model rolls whenever it makes power attack.
Special Rules
A model's special rules are listed on its card (see "Special Rules," p. 30).
Monster Stat Cards
Monster stat cards are larger than unit and building stat cards. They are double-sided, with one side displaying the rules and stats for the monster's alpha form and the other side displaying the rules and stats for its hyper form. Monsters start the game in their alpha forms.
A monster's health track is located along the bottom edge of its stat card and shows how much damage the monster can take before being destroyed. Units, assets, and buildings do not have health tracks because they are destroyed if they take a single damage point. See page 20 for more detailed information on the health track.
Gameplay Overview
Monsterpocalypse is played in turns, alternating between the two players. Each player starts the game by taking a Unit Activation. Then for the rest of the game, you can choose to take either a Monster Activation or a Unit Activation on your turn. Each type of activation is divided into phases that must occur in order. These phases are explained in depth beginning on page 26.
A Unit Activation consists of the following phases:
- Spawn Phase, when your units can enter the battle map.
- Advancement Phase, when each of your units can make a full advance.
- Attack Phase, when your units make attacks.
- Push Phase, when you can move any unused Action Dice into the Monster Pool.
A Monster Activation consists of the following phases:
- Power Phase, when your monsters power up.
- Advancement Phase, when each of your monsters can make a full advance.
- Attack Phase, when your monsters make attacks.
- Push Phase, when you can move any unused Action Dice into the Unit Pool.
Moving on the Grid
The most common type of movement in Monsterpocalypse is advancing. Monsters and units have Speed (SPD) stats that indicate how many spaces they can move on the map each time they make a full advance. Each of your monsters can make a full advance once during the Advancement Phase of your Monster Activations. Each of your units can make a full advance once during the Advancement Phase of your Unit Activations. Many special rules allow a model to advance, but a model can make only one full advance during each activation.
A model can move either up, down, left, or right on the battle map. A model can move diagonally once while advancing. Monsters can occupy more than one space at a time, but they still count out their movement like units do.
Monsters can move through spaces occupied by assets, enemy units, and allied models, but they cannot move through buildings or enemy monsters unless they have a special rule that allows them to do so.
Units can move through spaces occupied by assets and allied models, but they cannot move through buildings or enemy models unless they have a special rule that allows them to do so.
Models can also be moved on the grid by being placed. A placed model counts as having moved but is not considered to have moved through any of the spaces between where it started and where it is placed. When counting the distance a model can be placed, only one diagonal can be used.
No model can finish its movement in a space occupied by another model.
Models cannot move beyond the edge of the battle map. If a model is thrown or would otherwise be moved beyond the edge of the battle map, it stops at the edge. Furthermore, any time you move a model, it must end its movement in spaces it can legally occupy. When you put a model into play, you must place it on spaces it can legally occupy.
Terrain
The spaces on the battle map represent various types of terrain your models will traverse. Monsters can move across and occupy any terrain without restriction or penalty, but for units, some terrain types are more difficult to cross than others.
- Open Terrain – Open terrain includes spaces such as roads and grass. Count these spaces once when a unit advances into them.
- Rough Terrain – Rough terrain includes spaces such as trees and large rocks. Count these spaces twice when a unit advances into them.
- Impassable Terrain – Impassable terrain includes spaces such as water. A unit cannot enter these spaces unless it has a special rule that allows it to do so.
Stepping
Monsters have an additional type of movement called stepping. A monster steps by spending an Action Die to move one space in any direction, including diagonally. A monster can step before it makes a full advance, after it makes a full advance, before it attacks, and after it attacks. Your monster can step as many times as you have Action Dice to spend. Each step is performed individually, and the monster must be able to occupy the spaces into which it moves.
Example: While in alpha form, Terra Khan has SPD 6, but its desired target is eight spaces away. After making a full advance to move six spaces, Terra Khan can spend two Action Dice from the Monster Pool to step two more spaces, ending up adjacent to its target. The spent dice are placed in the Unit Pool.
High Mobility
Some models are capable of leaping great distances, tunneling beneath the earth, or climbing over any obstacle. These models have High Mobility, as indicated by the icon next to their SPD on their stat card.
A model with High Mobility can move through other models and treats all terrain as open terrain. A model with High Mobility is immune to hazards when advancing. If the model ends its move on a hazard, it suffers all effects of that hazard.
A unit with High Mobility cannot end its movement on impassable terrain.
Adjacent
A model is adjacent to another model when it occupies a space next to or immediately diagonal to the other model.
Cover
A unit adjacent to a building or a friendly monster gains Cover. Cover adds +1 to the unit's DEF against blast attacks. A unit cannot gain more than +1 DEF from Cover. Cover does not add to a unit's DEF against brawl or power attacks. Monsters cannot gain Cover.
Adjacent, Base-to-Base & Aligned
Models can be adjacent to each other, base-to-base, and aligned. When determining adjacent, base-to-base, or aligned when a tile, space, or any other object on the map is involved, follow the rules described here in the same way as determining the position of a model.
Base-to-Base (B2B) – A model is base-to-base (B2B) with another model when both models occupy spaces that are next to each other. Models that are B2B are also adjacent. Models that are diagonal from each other are not B2B.
Aligned – A monster is aligned with another monster or a building when one entire edge of the monster's base touches one entire edge of the other model's base. Models that are aligned are also B2B and adjacent.
(Diagram examples: Defender X and Gorghadra are aligned, B2B, and adjacent. Mecha-Maxim and the downtown highrise are not aligned, but they are B2B and adjacent.)
Some buildings are not mounted on a base. If a building is not mounted on a base, treat the four foundation spaces it occupies as its base.
Making Attacks
There are three types of attacks in Monsterpocalypse: brawl attacks, blast attacks, and power attacks. To make an attack, follow these steps:
- Choose the type of attack.
- Choose a target.
- Determine the number of dice in your attack roll.
- Roll the dice and resolve the attack.
Attack Rolls
Every attack roll must include at least one Action Die from the active pool, and you can add a number of Action Dice to the roll up to the number of the corresponding stat.
Example: Your Sun Fighter unit makes a blast attack against a Belcher. The Sun Fighter has a Blast Action Dice stat of 2, so it can roll up to two Action Dice for an attack. Because it's a unit, the Sun Fighter's Action Dice come from the Unit Pool. The Belcher's Defense is 2, so the attack hits if the roll results in two or more strikes. After the roll, the two dice used for the attack go into the Monster Pool.
Two other types of dice can also come into play. The first are Boost Dice. Some models receive Boost Dice for certain types of attacks, as noted by the weapon stat bars on their stat card. The number inside the blue Boost Dice icon is the number of Boost Dice you roll for free when making that type of attack with the model. The model can also receive Boost Dice from its special rules or other game effects. The Brawl, Blast, and Power stats restrict only the number of Action Dice you can roll, not the number of Boost Dice.
Example: Your Alpha Defender X has a Brawl Action Dice stat of 7, so it can spend up to seven Action Dice when it makes a brawl attack. It also has a Brawl Boost Dice stat of 4, meaning it gains four Boost Dice on a brawl attack. Whether you roll one, two, or even seven Action Dice, you still add four Boost Dice to the roll.
The second type of additional dice are Power Dice. Only monsters can use Power Dice. You earn Power Dice by accomplishing certain tasks in the game, and you can add any number of them to any monster roll in addition to Action Dice and Boost Dice.
Example: Your Defender X makes a brawl attack again, and this time you really need it to hit. As before, you roll four Boost Dice and up to seven Action Dice from your Monster Pool. You decide that won't be enough, so you add four Power Dice from your Power Pool to the roll. You can add as many Power Dice as you have in your Power Pool. Remember, a monster's Brawl, Blast, and Power Action Dice stats limit only the number of Action Dice you can roll for an attack. They do not affect the number of Boost Dice you must add or the number of Power Dice you can add to the roll.
Once you determine the number of dice to use, make your attack roll. Count up the total number of strikes and compare it to the Defense (DEF) of your target. If the total number of strikes is equal to or greater than the target's DEF, the attack hits. Regardless of the type of attack or how many dice you roll, all attacks must adhere to the following rules:
- Monsters and units can attack assets, enemy models, and buildings but cannot attack allied models.
- You can attack with any number of models each turn as long as you have the required Action Dice to roll.
- Each unit can participate in only one attack each turn.
- You must complete all of one monster's attacks before declaring the next monster's attacks.
- Normally, monsters can make only one attack each turn, though some monsters have special rules that allow them to make more than one.
Power Attacks
Power attacks are special attacks that only monsters can perform. They differ slightly from brawl and blast attacks in that you must roll at least one Power Die as well as at least one Action Die when you make a power attack. The various power attacks are explained in detail beginning on page 32.
Target Models
When you choose to have a model make an attack, you must choose a building, asset, or enemy model as the target.
An attacker can make a brawl attack targeting any adjacent building, asset, or enemy model. An attacker can make a blast attack targeting any building, asset, or enemy model within range. A blast attack's RNG is given in its weapon stat profile.
Blast attacks cannot be blocked by other models. Monsters are too big to hide behind anything, and even the smallest units can be detected by the sophisticated systems and instincts of their enemies.
When counting the spaces to the target, you can count a diagonal only once.
Damaging Models
Each monster has two forms, an alpha form and a hyper form. Each form has its own stats and special rules. A monster begins the game in its alpha form and enters its hyper form when it takes a certain amount of damage.
When a monster suffers damage in excess of its alpha form's health track, it enters hyper form. Flip its card over to the hyper side and continue tracking the monster's health. When the monster loses the last of its health, it is destroyed and removed from the battle map.
Attacks cause one point of damage every time they hit. Power attacks can result in additional damage.
Damaging Units, Assets, and Buildings – When a unit, asset, or building takes damage, it is destroyed. When a unit, asset, or building is destroyed, remove it from the battle map. Destroyed units are placed back in their owner's unit reserves. For more on destroyed buildings, see page 22.
Damaging Monsters & Restoring Health – Some effects can cause a monster's health to be restored. If a monster has health restored during a battle, move the token to the left one point for each point restored. A monster's health can never exceed the highest number on its health track. If one or more of a monster's alpha form damage boxes are restored, it returns to its alpha form.
Example: Josh's Deimos-9 is in alpha form with full health when it suffers three points of damage from an attack. Josh moves the marker on Deimos-9's health track from 11 to 8.
Super Damage
Some attacks or effects cause super damage, which means the target takes one additional damage point. If multiple rules or effects that cause super damage affect the same model simultaneously, the target takes only one additional point of damage.
Monster Health Track
Each monster has a single health track, which is divided between its alpha and hyper forms. The damage the monster takes throughout the game is tracked by moving a marker from left to right along its health track to display its current health.
Interacting with the Battle Map
A big part of the fun of Monsterpocalypse lies in how your models interact with the battle map and the buildings on it. Whether you are knocking down buildings or occupying tactically important zones, you must understand the role the battle map plays in the game.
Foundations
Foundations are the locations on a battle map where you can place buildings during setup. Some foundations have green borders and some have yellow borders. The colors determine the order that you can place buildings on them. During setup, green foundations must be filled before you can start filling yellow foundations. Treat foundations without a building placed on them as open terrain.
If one or more models are on a foundation, the foundation is occupied. If no models are on a foundation, it is unoccupied.
Buildings
Buildings are models that serve as obstacles and strategic goals for you and your opponent, provide much-needed power for monsters, and present dangerous hazards on the battle map after you destroy them. Buildings can also provide beneficial abilities to your force. Buildings do not move during the game. Although each player must bring buildings to the game, the buildings you bring are not part of your force.
Destroying Buildings & Creating Hazards – When a building is destroyed, it is replaced with a two-sided debris tile. One side of each tile is harmless rubble, while the other side is a hazard.
Hazards – Most buildings are replaced with a hazard when they are destroyed. If a building has the Incombustible special rule, however, it does not create a hazard when destroyed and is instead replaced by rubble.
Models moving into a hazard or colliding with it take 1 damage point. Once a model has suffered the effects of a hazard, it does not suffer those effects again unless it moves off the hazard and then returns.
Some models have rules that can eliminate hazards. When a hazard is eliminated, flip the tile over so the rubble side faces up.
Treat all spaces occupied by a rubble tile as rough terrain regardless of which side is face up.
Securing Buildings – When three of your units are adjacent to a building and no enemy units or enemy monsters are adjacent to it, you are securing the building. Each time you power up, you receive one Power Die for each building you are securing.
A unit cannot secure a building while the unit is being moved.
Example: Will has two units adjacent to an Industrial Complex. The Industrial Complex has the Fuel Depot special rule, which gives all of Will's models +1 SPD while it is secured. He then advances a third unit. During its movement the unit becomes adjacent to the Industrial Complex but continues to move past it so that it is no longer adjacent. His unit does not gain the +1 SPD during its advancement because the building is not secured during the movement.
Look for ways to position units to secure multiple buildings at the same time. Some maps have locations where the same three units can secure two buildings and hold a power zone! With clever selection and placement of your buildings and units, you can gain three or more Power Dice from just three units each time you power up.
Objective Spaces
Strategic points known as objective spaces are scattered around the battle maps, including power zones, negative zones, and spawn points. Objective spaces can grant benefits to the player who holds them and potentially hinder the player who does not.
To hold an objective space, a unit must simply occupy the space on the map. Monsters cannot hold objective spaces.
Power Zones – Each time you power up (see "Activating Monsters," p. 26), you gain one Power Die for each power zone held by one of your units.
Negative Zones – Each time you power up, your opponent loses one Power Die from his Power Pool for each negative zone held by one of your units.
Spawn Points – Spawn points are the spaces on the map where units can enter the game. There are two types of spawn points: standard spawn points and neutral spawn points.
Standard spawn points are color-coded to each player. The standard spawn points of your color remain your spawn points for the entire game (see "Starting a Game," p. 24).
Neutral spawn points do not begin the game under any player's control. Instead, each player can try to take control of neutral spawn points during the game by holding the adjacent activators. If you have a model holding an activator space next to a neutral spawn point, then you control the spawn point and you can use it as one of your spawn points. If no player holds the activator, units cannot spawn from that spawn point.
Getting Ready to Play
Starting a Game
Before the game can begin, players must decide how many monsters they will play with, choose their models, and get their dice ready to roll!
Before setting up a game, each player rolls five Action Dice for the setup roll. The player who rolls the most strikes wins. If the setup roll is a tie, reroll.
Assembling Your Force
Your force consists of the units and monsters you will use in the game. All the models in your force must belong to the same Agenda.
Monsters – Each force must include at least one monster, and each player must start the game with the same number of monsters. All monsters are unique characters, so a player can bring only one of each monster to a game. A player can bring the same monster as their opponent, however.
Units – The number of units you can include in your force depends on the number of monsters you start the game with. If each player has one monster, you can include up to 15 units in your force. In a two-monster game, you can have up to 20 units in your force. In a three-monster game, you can have up to 25 units in your force. Your units begin the game in your unit reserves rather than on the battle map. During the game, they will enter play through the map's spawn points.
Buildings – Each player must bring six to twelve buildings. A player cannot bring more than four of any one building.
The loser of the setup roll chooses the battle map for the game. The winner of the setup roll chooses the color zones on the battle map each player will use. You can use only the spawn points that correspond to your color.
The winner of the setup roll also places the first building, places their monsters first, and takes the first turn.
Placing Buildings on the Grid
Players take turns placing their buildings on the foundation spaces on the battle map, one building at a time, until they have placed all their buildings. If one player runs out of buildings before the other player, the player with remaining buildings continues placing them. Players must continue to place buildings until they have placed all the buildings from their cities or have run out of empty foundations on which to place the buildings.
Each foundation space has a colored border that indicates the order of building placement. Players must fill all green-bordered foundations before placing a building on a yellow foundation.
More buildings in the game means more power can be generated and more big power attacks will happen, so including as many buildings in your city as you can makes for more exciting games.
Example: Jason and Will are setting up a game on a battle map with eight green foundations and ten yellow foundations. Will brought eight buildings to the game, and Jason brought twelve buildings. Will won the setup roll, so he places the first building on a green foundation. Jason then places one of his buildings on a green foundation. They continue alternating until all the green foundations are filled up, then they begin filling the yellow foundations. After Will runs out of buildings, Jason places his remaining buildings.
Remaining Setup
Once all buildings are in place, the winner of the setup roll places their monsters on the battle map, then the other player does the same. Your monsters must be placed so that their bases touch the rear edge of your side of the battle map. Next, make sure you have ten Action Dice in your Unit Pool as well as ten Power Dice and at least six Boost Dice in your Dice Well. Lastly, set your units to the side of the battle map in your unit reserves.
Now, with everything set up, it's time to start tearing it down!
Order of Play
Monsterpocalypse is played in a series of turns in which players advance and attack with their models until only one player has a monster left in play.
On your turn, you must choose to perform either a Monster Activation or a Unit Activation. To activate units or monsters, you must be able to spend at least one Action Die from the appropriate dice pool. If you have no Action Dice in your Monster Pool, you cannot perform a Monster Activation. If you have no Action Dice in your Unit Pool, you cannot perform a Unit Activation.
Because there are no Action Dice in your Monster Pool when you start a game, your first turn of every game will be a Unit Activation.
Leave a few dice behind in each pool. It's tempting to exhaust your dice pools so that you can do more each turn, but be careful. Sometimes having just one Action Die in your Monster Pool is enough to make your opponent think twice about body slamming your monster into a block of buildings. That one die could allow you to return the favor!
After you finish your Monster Activation or Unit Activation, your turn ends, and the next player takes a turn.
Activating Monsters
When you choose a Monster Activation, your Monster Pool becomes the active pool, and all Action Dice you spend or roll move from the Monster Pool to the Unit Pool after you use them.
There are four phases in a Monster Activation. You can choose to skip any of the phases, but any you choose to perform must be done in the following order.
- Power Phase – Begin your Monster Activation by powering up. When you power up, you add one Power Die to your Power Pool for each power zone your units hold and for each building your units are securing. In addition, your opponent loses one Power Die from their Power Pool for each negative zone you hold (see "Objective Spaces," p. 23).
- Advancement Phase – Each of your monsters can make a full advance (see "Moving on the Grid," p. 14). Remember, your monsters can also move by spending Action Dice to step (see p. 15).
- Attack Phase – You can spend Action Dice and Power Dice to have your monsters make a brawl attack, blast attack, or power attack. Each of your monsters can make only one attack per Monster Activation unless your monster has a special rule allowing it to make an additional attack.
- Push Phase – If you have Action Dice remaining in your Monster Pool, you can move any number of them to your Unit Pool.
Activating Units
When you choose a Unit Activation, your Unit Pool becomes the active pool, and all Action Dice you spend or roll move from the Unit Pool to the Monster Pool when you use them.
There are four phases in a Unit Activation. As with Monster Activations, you can choose to skip any phase, but the phases must be done in order.
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Spawn Phase – You can spend Action Dice to bring units into play from your unit reserves. This is called spawning. You can spawn any number of units as long as you have enough Action Dice to spend. Units spawned at the beginning of your turn can advance and attack in the same turn.
When you spawn a unit, you must spend Action Dice from your Unit Pool equal to the unit's Cost. Then take the unit from your unit reserves and place it on one of your spawn points. You can only spawn units from your unit reserves.
If you want to spawn a unit on a spawn point that is already occupied by a unit, you can spend one Action Die to move that unit into an adjacent space that it can legally occupy before you pay the Cost for the unit you want to spawn.
Be careful about leaving one of your units on your opponent's spawn point if there is an adjacent hazard. Your opponent might move your unit onto the hazard and destroy it!
Example: Jack wants to spawn a G-Tank and a Sun Fighter onto two of his spawn points. Both have a Cost of 1, so normally they would each cost Jack one Action Die from his Unit Pool to spawn. However, Jeff has a unit on the spawn point where Jack wants to spawn his Sun Fighter. Jack spends one Action Die to move Jeff's unit to an empty adjacent space, then spends another Action Die to spawn the Sun Fighter in that location. He then spends one Action Die to spawn his G-Tank on the other spawn point.
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Advancement Phase – Each of your units can make a full advance (see "Moving on the Grid," p. 14).
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Attack Phase – You can attack with any number of your units on the battle map. Each unit can participate in one individual or combined attack (see "Combined Unit Attacks," p. 28). You must spend at least one Action Die for each unit participating in an attack. You do not have to attack with the same units you advanced this turn. You can continue to make attacks with your units as long as you have Action Dice to spend and as long as you have units that have not yet participated in an attack during this Unit Activation.
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Push Phase – If you have Action Dice remaining in your Unit Pool, you can move any number of them to your Monster Pool.
Combined Unit Attacks
A single unit has almost no chance of causing damage to a monster on its own, but combined units attacking together can pose a powerful threat. Two or more units can combine attacks of the same type (brawl or blast) in order to create a more powerful attack with a greater chance of hitting and causing damage. Units cannot combine brawl attacks with blast attacks.
To make a combined unit attack, choose one unit to lead the combined attack and declare which other units will participate. The model leading the attack is considered to be the attacking model for resolving any special rules.
When making a combined brawl attack, all participating units must be adjacent to the target. For a combined blast attack, all participating units must be able to target the enemy model.
Add up the Brawl or Blast stats of the units involved, depending on the type of attack, to determine the total number of Action Dice you can roll for the attack. You must spend at least one Action Die for each participating unit.
Example: A Belcher can spend up to two Action Dice when it makes a blast attack. When three Belchers combine for a blast attack, the roll must include at least three Action Dice (because there are three units) and can include up to six Action Dice (two for each Belcher).
Example of a combined unit attack
Oz is making a combined attack with the following units: Elite G-Tank, Grunt G-Tank, Elite Sun Fighter, Grunt Sun Fighter.
Oz is attacking Will's Ares Mothership, which is in hyper form (DEF 8). Oz chooses the Elite G-Tank to lead the attack. The Elite G-Tank is within two spaces of the Grunt G-Tank, and the Elite Sun Fighter is within two spaces of the Grunt Sun Fighter, so both grunt models benefit from the elite models' Commander special rules. Additionally, neither G-Tank moved this activation, so both benefit from Aim. Further, since the Grunt Sun Fighter and the Elite Sun Fighter are participating in a combined attack against a model with Flight, they both benefit from Anti-Air.
Oz totals up the dice he can potentially roll when resolving this combined attack: eight Action Dice and eight Boost Dice. Oz chooses to roll four Action Dice (one for each participating model) and all eight Boost Dice. He rolls nine strikes for a hit, so Will's Ares Mothership suffers 1 damage point from the attack.
Relevant special rules of these models are as follows:
- Aim – This model gains +1 Blast Boost Die if it did not move this activation.
- Anti-Air – If this model participates in a brawl or blast attack targeting a model with Flight, this model gains +1 boost dice.
- Commander: G-Tank – Allied G-Tank Grunt units within two spaces of this unit gain +1 Boost Die when participating in brawl or blast attacks.
- Commander: Sun Fighter – Allied Sun Fighter Grunt units within two spaces of this unit gain +1 Boost Die when participating in brawl or blast attacks.
If the combined attack roll hits, the target is damaged. A combined attack does only one point of damage no matter how many units participate in the attack. Additionally, a combined attack counts as only one attack regardless of how many units participate.
Units participating in a combined attack must roll all the Boost Dice they have for that type of attack. If you do not spend an Action Die for a unit to participate in an attack, however, you cannot include its Boost Dice.
Units making a combined attack can benefit from all the special rules affecting the participating models. Although each model participating in the attack can benefit from the same-named special rule only once, the combined attack can benefit from each model that has the same special rule. In other words, the effects of same-named rules can be cumulative in a combined attack.
Example: The Anti-Air special rule grants an extra Boost Die to a model when it attacks a target with Flight. If three models with Anti-Air combine to attack a flying target together, you can add three Boost Dice to the roll, one for each instance of Anti-Air.
Remember, a unit can participate in only one attack each turn. If a unit participated in a combined attack, it cannot make an attack of its own in the same turn.
Winning
A player wins the game when all of their opponent's monsters are destroyed.
If you must end your game before one player has destroyed all the opponent's monsters, the player with the most monsters remaining in play wins. If both players have the same number of monsters in play, add up the damage points on each players' monsters, including those that have been destroyed. The player whose monsters have suffered the least amount of damage is the winner. If the amounts of damage are the same, the game ends in a draw.
Special Rules
The models in Monsterpocalypse can do much more than just move around and make brawl, blast, and power attacks. They also have a variety of special rules, as noted on their cards.
When the text of a special rule refers to "Faction," it means the Faction of the model that has the rule.
Actions
Actions are a type of special rule that require you to spend an Action Die to use. On models' stat cards, these rules begin with the word "Action." Your monsters can use their Actions rules only during a Monster Activation, and your units can use their Actions only during a Unit Activation. Some buildings also have Actions. A player can only use a building's Actions while their units are securing that building.
During the Advancement or Attack Phase, a model can perform an Action by spending one Action Die from the active pool. An Action cannot interrupt a model's advancement or attack.
You can use each Action only once during each of your activations, and each of your models can perform only one Action each activation.
Immunity
Some models have rules that make them immune to certain types of attacks or effects. When a model has an immunity, it cannot be harmed or affected by that type of attack or effect.
Example: Hyper Gorghadra hits Alpha Armodax with a brawl attack. Hyper Gorghadra has the Annihilate special rule, which causes its attacks to do super damage. Normally, a monster hit by this attack would take two points of damage (one for the brawl attack and one for super damage), but Alpha Armodax has the Resilience special rule, which makes it immune to super damage. Alpha Armodax takes only one point of damage.
Triggers
Some abilities only apply if a specific circumstance is met, such as an attack hitting a target. These abilities are known as triggers. Triggers are part of an attack's resolution, but they are only attacks if they target models. Most triggers choose a model, so they are not governed by the rules of targeting that control brawl and blast attacks. Triggers are never a type of attack. For example, Fling is a special rule that is triggered as part of an attack. Fling is not a blast or a brawl attack, but it is part of the attack that triggers it.
The resolution of triggers depends on their timing (see p. 31). If more than one trigger applies, the attacking player chooses the order to resolve the triggers. Completely resolve one trigger before choosing the next. You must completely resolve the current attack before making any additional attacks created by triggers.
Some triggers cause damage to figures that were not the target of an attack. The source of this damage is the trigger, not the original attack. An ability that gives a unit +1 Defense against blast attacks will not help protect that unit from a blast trigger that damages all units adjacent to the target, but it will help protect against a blast trigger allowing the attacker to make a blast attack against an additional target.
Example 1: A Krakenoctus uses an attack with the Fling trigger on a unit and chooses a Downtown Highrise to resolve the trigger against. If the building is destroyed, its High Occupancy trigger is not resolved since the Fling is not a brawl attack.
Example 2: The Blast Radius ability on the Power Plant is a trigger that is resolved when the model is destroyed. All adjacent units are returned to their owner's reserves when this trigger is resolved. Exo-Armor models adjacent to the Power Plant are returned as well because the Hunker ability only makes them immune to damage caused by brawl and blast triggers, and this trigger is neither damage nor attached to a blast or a brawl.
Applying Special Rules
The special rules of individual models take precedence over the general rules in this rulebook. Special rules stating that something "cannot" happen or that models "are not" something override rules stating that the same thing "is," "can," or "must" occur.
Each time more than one special rule with the same name would affect a single model, apply the effects of the rule only once.
Each time more than one special rule with the same name would affect a single attack, apply the effects of the rule only once.
Each time more than one special rule with the same name would affect a single power-up, apply the effects of the rule only once.
Example: The Force Field special rule gives a model +1 DEF against blast attacks, and a model can gain Force Field from multiple sources. Regardless of how many instances of Force Field are affecting it, a model can gain the +1 DEF against blast attacks from Force Field only once. Similarly, a model can benefit only once from Cover, which also gives +1 DEF against blast attacks. However, because Force Field and Cover have different names, a model can benefit from both at once for a combined +2 DEF against blast attacks.
Timing of Special Rules
To determine the timing of model rules at any time other than during an attack, the player whose turn it is decides the order of rule resolution.
Replacing Models
If a special rule replaces a model with another model (such as Action: Empower), the new model is treated as the replaced model when determining if it can make a full advance, use an action, or attack. For example, if a Squix uses its full advance to move three spaces and is then replaced with an elite Squix, the elite Squix cannot make a full advance but can make an attack, since the model it replaced had made a full advance but had not made an attack this turn.
Collisions
A collision occurs when a monster is forced to move through or occupy a space already occupied by another monster, a unit, a hazard, or a building. Some power attacks and special rules can cause collisions.
- When a monster collides with a unit, the unit is destroyed.
- When a monster collides with a building, the building is destroyed and the monster takes one point of damage.
- When a monster collides with a hazard, the monster suffers the effects of that hazard. When a monster collides with a building and a hazard is created, the monster also collides with the hazard.
- When a monster collides with another monster, both monsters take one point of damage. Place the monster that moved in the last spaces that it could occupy before colliding with the other monster.
- When a monster collides with an asset, the asset is destroyed.
Super damage is different from collision damage. Being immune to super damage does not mean a model is immune to the extra damage caused by collisions with buildings and hazards!
Attack Timing
A number of special rules can be triggered as part of the same attack. Some rules take effect after the attack has been resolved, but others are resolved as part of the attack in the following order:
- The attacking player's special rules that trigger on hitting are resolved, in the order chosen by that player.
- The special rules of buildings and assets that trigger on being hit are resolved, in the order chosen by the attacking player.
- The other player's special rules that trigger on being hit are resolved, in the order chosen by that player.
- Apply all the damage from the attack, including collisions. If a monster in alpha form suffers damage, all of the damage is considered to be dealt to that form, even if the damage causes the monster to enter hyper form. If a monster in alpha form suffers enough damage to destroy it, the monster still enters hyper form and triggers any abilities related to going hyper, before being removed from the battle map.
- The attacking player's special rules that trigger on their model taking damage are resolved, in the order chosen by that player.
- The defending player's special rules that trigger on their model taking damage are resolved, in the order chosen by that player.
- The attacking player's special rules that trigger on destroying a model are resolved, in the order chosen by that player.
- Special rules on buildings or assets that trigger on a model being destroyed are resolved, in the order chosen by the attacking player.
- The other player's special rules that trigger on a model being destroyed are resolved, in the order chosen by that player.
- Remove the destroyed model(s) from the map. The attacker gains Power Dice for each building and enemy model destroyed by the attack.
- The attacking player's special rules, and rules on buildings or assets, that are resolved "immediately after an attack is resolved" are resolved, in order chosen by that player.
- The other player's special rules that are resolved "immediately after an attack is resolved" are resolved, in order chosen by that player.
If a model is removed from the battle map before its special rules are triggered, those rules do not take effect.
Power Attacks
Monsters can perform special attacks called power attacks. These power attacks include body slam, ram, rampage, stomp, swat, and throw. Each power attack does one point of damage when it hits as well as having power attack effects that can cause the target monster to be moved.
You must roll at least one Power Die and one Action Die when making a power attack, and you must declare the use of a particular power attack before you make your power attack roll.
Example: Defender X body slams Gorghadra. Gorghadra is moved into the spaces aligned to the right of Defender X's base. A Skyscraper and a Belcher occupy those spaces, so the Belcher and the building are destroyed as Gorghadra slams onto them. The Skyscraper is replaced with a hazard. Gorghadra takes one damage point from the hit, one damage for colliding with the building, and one damage for the hazard. Defender X gains one Power Die for destroying the Belcher and two Power Die for the building destroyed under Gorghadra.
Body Slam
Your monster picks up another monster and slams it to the ground.
To make a body slam power attack, the attacking monster must be aligned (see p. 17) with the target monster. If a body slam attack hits, place the target monster in a new location also aligned with the attacking monster. You can body slam a monster into any spaces except spaces occupied by a monster. You cannot perform a body slam if you cannot move the target monster to a valid new location.
The body-slammed monster collides with each building, unit, asset, and hazard occupying the spaces where it is placed.
Ram
Your monster bashes its body into a building to hit enemies on the other side with flying wreckage.
A monster B2B with a building can make a ram power attack targeting the building. If the ram attack hits, the building is destroyed. A monster in any of the 4 spaces that form a square (2x2) aligned with the opposite side of the building's foundation takes one damage point. Any units and assets in those 4 spaces are destroyed.
A ram power attack targets a building, not a monster or unit.
Example: Your Gorghadra attempts to ram a Skyscraper that has DEF 7. You roll five Action Dice, four Boost Dice, and one Power Dice. The attack hits with seven strikes and destroys the Skyscraper. Models in the four spaces (highlighted in yellow) are also damaged by the attack. King Kondo takes one damage point and the G-Tank is destroyed when debris from the building falls on them. Gorghadra then gains two Power Dice for destroying the Skyscraper and another Power Die for destroying the G-Tank.
Be careful. If your units are on the other side of a falling building after your ram power attack, they will be destroyed as well!
Rampage
Your monster charges straight ahead in an attempt to destroy every building and unit in its path.
A monster cannot make a rampage power attack if it has made a full advance this turn, so you have to decide if you want to rampage before you make a full advance with your monster. Make one roll for the rampage attack; you will compare the result to the DEF of every unit and building through which the monster rampages.
Begin moving your monster in a straight line. Before your monster enters a space occupied by a building, unit, or asset, compare the number of strikes you rolled for the rampage attack to the DEF of the building, unit, or asset.
If the rampage roll is equal or higher than a building's DEF, the building is destroyed, and the monster continues moving. If the roll is less than a building's DEF, the monster stops.
If the rampage roll is equal or higher than a unit's or asset's DEF, the unit or asset is destroyed. Whether or not the model is destroyed, the monster continues moving.
If a space the rampaging monster would move into is occupied by another monster, the rampaging monster stops.
The rampaging monster must continue moving until it moves the maximum distance allowed by its SPD or until it is forced to stop. Any units or assets occupying the spaces where the rampaging monster stops are destroyed.
The rampaging monster is immune to hazards while moving, but a monster that ends its rampage movement on a hazard suffers the effects of that hazard.
Watch your step! A rampage power attack can destroy all units in the monster's path, even allies.
Models with Flight ignore hazards, so a flying monster that ends its rampage on a hazard is not affected by the hazard. Also, try stepping before you rampage to line your monster up for a more destructive path!
Example: Liz is rampaging with Alpha King Kondo. She starts by taking three Action Dice from her Monster Pool, adds four Boost Dice that King Kondo receives for power attacks, and adds three Power Dice for a total of ten dice. She rolls six strikes and begins moving King Kondo, comparing the number of strikes she rolled to the DEF of each building and unit in King Kondo's path. The six strikes are higher than the Defenses of the Downtown Highrise and the G-Tank but not the Skyscraper. King Kondo must stop moving just before entering the spaces occupied by the Skyscraper. Liz gains three Power Dice, one for the destroyed G-Tank and two for destroying the Downtown Highrise.
Stomp
Your monster slams a part of its body (usually a foot, but a tail or a tentacle can work, too) into the ground to crush all nearby units with the force of impact.
When your monster makes a stomp power attack, roll once for the attack, and flip all hazards that are under or adjacent to the attacking monster to the rubble side. Compare the number of strikes to the DEF of all units and assets adjacent to the monster. Units and assets with a DEF equal to or lower than the roll are destroyed.
Even flying units are hit by a stomp power attack.
You can stomp next to a hazard tile to flip it to its rubble side even if there are no adjacent units. Stomping will still cost you one Action Die from your Monster Pool and one Power Die, but the attack will succeed regardless of the roll.
Swat
Your monster smacks a nearby unit to send it flying toward another model or building.
To make a swat power attack, your monster first makes a power attack against an adjacent unit. If this attack hits, the unit is destroyed, and you can target an enemy model, asset, or building within five spaces of the unit hit and make a second attack against the target by rolling the dice in play (see "Dice in Play," p. 10). A building, asset, or unit hit by this attack is destroyed, and a monster hit takes one damage point.
Throw
Your monster lifts another monster off the ground and throws it through the air.
To make a throw power attack, the attacking monster must be aligned with the target monster. When a throw attack hits, the attacker can place the target monster in a new location. The new location must be within the area shown in the diagram in the rulebook and can be a number of spaces away from the target monster's current location up to the number of Power Dice rolled for the throw attack.
You can throw a monster into any spaces except spaces occupied by a monster. You cannot perform a throw power attack if you cannot move the target monster to a valid location.
The target monster collides with each building, unit, asset, and hazard occupying the spaces where it is placed.
Throw example: Richard wants his Alpha Mecha-Maxim to throw Hyper Defender X. Alpha Mecha-Maxim's Power stat is 7 with four Boost Dice, so Richard rolls five Action Dice, adds four Boost Dice, and adds five Power Dice for a total of fourteen dice. He rolls ten strikes, so the attack hits against Hyper Defender X's DEF of 8. Richard has some options for where to place Defender X and decides the best spot is five spaces directly away from Mecha-Maxim (one space for each Power Die rolled). Defender X cannot be thrown on top of the Ares Mothership. Defender X collides with the G-Tank and the Downtown Highrise in those spaces. The building bursts into flame and turns into a hazard, and the G-Tank is destroyed. Defender X takes one damage point from the throw, one damage point from the collision with the building, and one damage point from the hazard. Richard then gains one Power Die for the destroyed G-Tank and two for the destroyed building.