Sentinels of the Multiverse: Rook City
Sentinels of the Multiverse: Rook City Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
Welcome to Rook City, where evil never sleeps!
Expanding the cooperative, comic book themed card game, Sentinels of the Multiverse, this game adds 2 heroes, 4 villains, and 2 environments to the roster of characters in the ongoing battle for the Multiverse!
What's New?
Rook City introduces a few new mechanics, notably, irreducible damage, indestructible cards, and the (H) icon.
Whenever damage is irreducible, it cannot be decreased by any effect. Irreducible damage can still be increased or redirected. However, if a target is immune to damage, or if an effect prevents damage to a target entirely, irreducible damage cannot be dealt to that target.
Indestructible cards are rare, but serve very specific purposes. An indestructible card cannot be destroyed or removed from play by any method, other than the end of the game itself.
If a target (any card with HP) is indestructible, it remains in play, even if it is reduced to 0 or fewer HP.
The (H) icon is a means by which the game balances itself, based on number of heroes fighting the villain. It always equals the number of heroes in the current game you are playing, regardless of whether those heroes are active or incapacitated.
Thus, in a game with three heroes fighting the villain, (H) equals 3. In a four hero game, (H) = 4, and in a five hero game, (H) = 5.
Hero Bio: Mr. Fixer
The old mechanic who only answers to "Slim" used to run a martial arts school for kids in Rook City. Then, about thirty years ago, a group of his students were gunned down by drug dealers for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Slim closed the school the next day.
For years, Slim just ran his auto shop, fixing up cars without charging much at all. But with the pushers and dealers expanding their territories, threatening more people each day, Slim took to the streets, tools in hand! Taking the new name "Mr. Fixer", he drew upon his martial arts expertise and his dauntless will to begin his personal war against crime in his neighborhood, and eventually all of Rook City!
Game Setup
Each game begins by setting up the table with the villain and environment decks side by side. Feel free to select whichever heroes, villains, and environment to fight the battles which interest you the most!
Set up the game according to the following diagram. The printed diagram labels these areas: villain trash, villain deck, villain character cards, villain play area, environment deck, environment play area, environment trash, hero card, hero play area, hero trash, and hero deck.
After the game setup is complete, each player draws the top four cards of their hero deck. The game begins with the villain turn, then proceeds clockwise around the table through each of the hero turns, ending the round with the environment turn. The same order is followed throughout the game: villain turn, hero turns, environment turn, repeat.
Players will need to keep track of Hit Points of heroes, villains, and various other targets. This can be done easily with pen and paper, chips, dice, or any other tracking method you might prefer!
Hero Bio: Expatriette
Growing up without superpowers was hard for Amanda Cohen. As the daughter of Citizen Dawn, leader of the Citizens of the Sun, she was expected to blossom into a leader herself with a vast array of powers. Instead, she spent her childhood scorned for being unworthy and, after a terrible battle that cost Amanda her right eye, she left her mother and the Citizens of the Sun behind.
Hardened against the power-hungry, she hunted tyrants and oppressors. In her crusade, she learned of groups of heroes, such as the Freedom Five, but was skeptical. With time, she grew to appreciate their use of power for good, and not for gain. Taking the name "Expatriette", she strikes out against those who abuse power, using only her wits and an impressive arsenal of firearms.
Turn Sequence
Villain Turn
- Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of the villain turn.
- Play: Reveal the top card of the villain deck and play it, following any instructions printed on that card.
- End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of the villain turn.
Hero Turn
- Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of this hero's turn.
- Play: This hero's player may choose to play one card from their hand, following any instructions printed on that card.
- Power: This hero's player may choose to use one power from one of their cards in play which has a power. Note: Even if a hero may use multiple powers in a turn, each instance of a power may only be used once per turn.
- Draw: This hero's player may draw the top card of their hero deck.
- End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of this hero's turn.
Additional Card Draw: If, for any reason, a player neither plays a card nor uses a power on their turn, then they may draw an additional card during their draw phase. If, by contrast, a player skips their turn for any reason, they have skipped every phase of their turn and cannot draw any cards.
Environment Turn
- Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of the environment turn.
- Play: Reveal the top card of the environment deck and play it, following any instructions printed on that card.
- End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of the environment turn.
Villain Bio: Plague Rat
Many decades ago, a foul drug-dealer controlled large swaths of the Rook City drug market. He made his hideout deep in the Rook City sewers, keeping his stash safe from competitors and law enforcement alike. However, his criminal enterprise was worn down by a long battle with a new criminal organization taking control of the city. Over time, he was entirely ousted from the streets of Rook City, and lived in the sewers to survive. Years of handling the vile drugs he sold, mixed with the toxic waste from the industrial plants, slowly twisted and mutated the dealer into a giant, hideous, rat-like monster. Now, his last shreds of humanity all but eliminated, he stalks the Rook City sewers in search of his next meal, infecting all he touches!
Damage
All damage has a "type" which relates to the nature of that damage. In many cases, damage type does not matter when it comes to damaging targets. However, some cards and abilities interact with damage type in a variety of ways. The Sentinels of the Multiverse damage types are: cold, energy, fire, infernal, lightning, melee, projectile, psychic, radiant, sonic, and toxic.
Damage can also be irreducible, regardless of its type. Whenever damage is irreducible, it cannot be decreased by any effect. Irreducible damage can still be increased or redirected. However, if a target is immune to damage, or if an effect prevents damage to a target entirely, irreducible damage cannot be dealt to that target.
More Information
The next few pages contain some frequently asked questions and their answers, along with examples to further explain and inform. After that, you'll find the glossary, full of handy definitions of keywords and important game terms. Also, the back of the rulebook has a simple turn order diagram.
Need more information? Go to www.sentinelsofthemultiverse.com, where we share exciting news from Greater Than Games, extended character bios for the heroes and villains of Sentinels of the Multiverse, and an active online community!
Villain Bio: The Matriarch
Young Lillian Corvus desired fear and respect! Tired of being told to mind her manners and to make something of herself, she wrote dark poetry, searching antique stores and flea markets for shiny things. She discovered an old, feathered mask in a tiny curiosity shop. Upon donning the mask, she felt the ebon feathers on her face, and could instantly sense some great presence in the sky. Spreading her arms, she attempted to pull the force towards her, and the sky erupted in a cacophony of caws and shrieks as ravens filled the air! She found she could control the birds, directing them wherever she wished. Lillian was no more - she was now The Matriarch! She finally had the power she'd craved, and she would gain fear and respect through a reign of terror!
Gameplay FAQs
Over the course of a game, there are situations in which the effects of multiple cards take place simultaneously or have competing effects. In all situations, card effects that happen simultaneously take effect in the order in which the cards were played.
Example: At the end of The Matriarch's villain turn, The Matriarch deals the hero target with the lowest HP 1 psychic damage. Huginn is also in play and, at the end of the villain turn, he puts Muninn from the villain trash into play. The Matriarch was obviously in play before Huginn, so she deals damage before Huginn pulls Muninn from the villain trash.
Additionally, there are times when players encounter ambiguous situations. In any ambiguous situation, the players choose the outcome.
Example: At the end of the villain turn, the Chairman's card "The Contract" deals the hero target with the highest HP 2 projectile damage. Mr. Fixer and Expatriette are currently tied for highest HP at 23 HP each. After brief consideration, the players decide that the 2 projectile damage should be dealt to Mr. Fixer.
Q: Do damage bonuses apply to each instance of damage or to total damage?
Damage bonuses apply to each instance of damage. If a card or power breaks out damage in any way, each instance is increased appropriately.
Example: Spite's card "Demon's Kiss" states "At the end of the villain turn, Spite deals each non-villain target 1 fire damage and 1 infernal damage." If something increases Spite's damage by 1, then Spite would deal 2 fire damage and 2 infernal damage, for a total of 4 damage. If, instead, something were to reduce Spite's damage by 1, he would deal no damage for either effect.
Villain Bio: The Chairman
Rook City inhabitants complain about terrible crime rates, but few are aware that a single organization, led by a shadowy figure known only as "The Chairman" is responsible for the vast majority of Rook City's corruption. Tales of the Chairman are few and far between, but he has purportedly held the reins of organized crime in Rook City for the better part of the last century. Most criminologists theorize that "The Chairman" must be a title, passed down through the years. Some wild stories have been told of one man who has somehow lived this long, controlling the streets since their creation, but there is no evidence to substantiate these claims. However, if such a man did exist, Rook City surely would be at his mercy, and the tales do not mention mercy...
Game FAQs - Continued
Q: If irreducible damage is increased, can it be decreased again?
No. If 2 points of irreducible fire damage is being dealt, and that is increased by an environment card to 3 points, all of the damage is still irreducible and cannot be reduced.
Q: If a target is immune to damage somehow, is it still considered a target?
Yes. Even though The Chairman is immune to damage on his "Master of the Underworld" side, he is still a target.
Q: If my hero can use more than one power per turn, can I use the same power twice? What if I have multiple copies of the same "power" in play?
As noted in the "Power" section on page 3, each power in play can be used a maximum of once per turn, regardless of how many powers your hero may use that turn. If a card is not limited, you can have multiple copies of it in play. However, each copy of the card is considered its own power. Since you are limited to activating one power per turn, you may thus only activate one of the two "instances" of the power during your power phase.
Villain Bio: The Operative
Sophia Deleon grew up in the hard Rook City streets after her parents died, learning at an early age that fear was power. Kids in the orphanage could take free classes at a local martial arts school; Sophie started when she was only 7. Before she was 10, the school closed due to a massacre of some of the older students, but Sophie continued fighting. By 15, she led a gang of the meanest street kids - the streets were hers for a decade.
Then she met The Chairman. He admired her strength, her intelligence, her ruthlessness. He made her a deal. Now, Sophia works as the right hand of The Chairman. In the underground world, just the mention of The Operative closes deals and ends resistance.
Glossary
Active: An active hero has more than 0 HP. A hero is active if they are not incapacitated.
Current HP: The HP of a target, relative to how much damage that target has taken, if any. For instance, a target with a maximum HP of 7 that has been dealt 2 damage has a current HP of 5.
Destroy: When a card is destroyed, it is removed from play and placed in the appropriate trash.
Deck: The set of cards associated with a specific hero, villain, or environment. All cards in a deck have a uniform back.
Device: A keyword appearing on villain cards. Devices have HP. When played, devices remain in play, but are destroyed when reduced to 0 or lower HP.
Discard: When a card is discarded, it is removed from a player's hand and placed in the appropriate trash.
Draw: When a hero card is drawn, that hero card goes into the hero's player's hand, unless stated otherwise.
Environment: An environment is a deck not played by a player which simulates the environment in which the game takes place. Environments have a deck of 15 environment cards. Like targets, environments can be sources of damage, but, unlike targets, the environments themselves do not have HP and cannot be dealt damage.
Environment Card: Any card from an environment deck.
Environment Target: Any target that is also an environment card. If a card affects non-environment targets, it can affect any targets that are not environment cards.
Equipment: A keyword appearing on hero cards. Equipment remains in play after being played and can only be destroyed by cards which specifically target equipment cards.
Flip: A villain character card is flipped when certain criteria are met. For example, Spite's character card flips from its front to its back when there are 5 drugs in play at the start of the villain turn. Hero character cards are flipped when that hero is reduced to 0 or fewer HP.
Hero: A hero is a character played by a player. Heroes have character cards, which list the maximum HP of the hero and their innate power on the front, and their incapacitated abilities on the back. All heroes have a deck of 40 hero cards.
Villain Bio: Spite
Jonathan "Jack" Donovan was a prolific serial killer, murdering 43 people in Rook City before finally being brought to justice. After being sentenced to execution, he was offered a deal: volunteer as test specimen for a secret project by Pike Industries and have his sentence commuted to life imprisonment. Donovan and a number of other prisoners were subjected to a series of experimental drugs and mutagens, which killed most of the subjects in the first test. Donovan not only survived the tests, he flourished, granted terrible strength and power by the chemicals in his system. He escaped the lab, but was overwhelmed with hunger and need. As Spite, he continues killing more and more victims and breaking into Pike laboratories to ingest corrupting substances.
Glossary - Continued
Hero Card: Any card from a hero deck.
Hero Character Card: The "main" card for a hero. Heroes have character cards, which list the maximum HP of the hero and their innate power on the front, and their incapacitated abilities on the back.
Hero Target: Any target that is also a hero card or a hero character card. If a card affects non-hero targets, it can affect any targets that are not hero cards or hero character cards.
HP: HP represents the amount of damage that a target can take before it is destroyed. Only certain cards have HP. All cards with HP are targets.
Immune: If a target is immune to damage, its current HP cannot be reduced by damage. However, it may still be targeted by damage. Also, its current HP can still be decreased if its maximum HP are decreased, and it can still be destroyed by cards that destroy targets without dealing damage.
Incapacitated: A hero is incapacitated when reduced to 0 or fewer HP. When this occurs, immediately remove all of that hero's cards from the game and flip the hero character card. On the back, the hero has incapacitated abilities, one of which can be used on each of that hero's subsequent turns. Incapacitated heroes cannot regain HP.
Indestructible: If a card is indestructible, it cannot be destroyed or removed from play. If a target is indestructible, it stays in play even if it is reduced to 0 or fewer HP.
Innate Power: Powers printed on the front of the hero character card.
Irreducible: If damage is irreducible, it cannot be decreased by any effect. Irreducible damage can still be increased or redirected. Irreducible damage can also be prevented entirely by effects that prevent damage, or by targets that are immune to damage.
Keyword: The words in the rectangular box at the top of any game text section. Any keywords not defined in this glossary will make sense circumstantially.
Limited: A keyword appearing on hero cards. Limited cards are unique, in that only one card of that name can be in play at one time. If a limited card with the same name as a limited card already in play would come into play, the second card is put into the appropriate trash instead.
Maximum HP: A target's HP as printed, unless maximum HP is being increased or decreased by any effects. A target cannot regain HP past its maximum HP amount.
One-Shot: A keyword appearing on hero and villain cards. The effects of a one-shot card happen immediately, after which the one-shot card is moved to the appropriate trash.
Ongoing: A keyword appearing on hero and villain cards. Ongoing cards remain in play after being played and can only be destroyed by cards which specifically target ongoing cards or destroy all cards in play.
Play: When a card is played, the text on it takes effect, and then the card either stays in play or goes to the appropriate trash, depending on the type of card. Hero cards are played from players' hands, while villain and environment cards are played from the top of the villain or environment decks, respectively.
Power: An ability possessed by heroes that can be used during a hero's power phase. A given power may only be used once by a hero during that hero's power phase, even if that hero is allowed to use more than one power during their power phase.
Redirect: Damage that is redirected does not affect the original target. Instead, it affects the target to whom it is redirected.
Restore: When a target has HP restored, increase its current HP by that amount, up to but not exceeding its maximum HP.
Rook City: A crime-ridden city, where evil never sleeps! Also, the first expansion to the award winning game, Sentinels of the Multiverse!
Nemesis: Each villain has a nemesis hero indicated by the hero icon of the nemesis located on the villain character card. Heroes and villains who are nemeses have their damage increased by one when dealing damage to each other.
Round: The period of time beginning with the villain turn, proceeding through each of the hero turns, and ending with the environment turn.
Sentinels of the Multiverse: The greatest cooperative, fixed-deck, comic book themed card game in the multiverse!
Target: Any card with HP is a target.
Trash: Each deck in the game has a trash into which cards from that deck are placed when they are destroyed, discarded, or otherwise moved there.
Turn: The portion of the game during which all of the actions associated with a given deck take place. The three types of turns in Sentinels of the Multiverse are hero turns, villain turns, and environment turns.
Villain: A villain is a character not played by a player. Villains have character cards, which list the maximum HP of the villain as well as the setup, gameplay, and advanced rules for that specific villain. Villain character cards have two sides, and may flip in the course of play. Villains also have a deck of 25 villain cards.
Villain Card: Any card from a villain deck.
Villain Character Cards: The "main" cards for a villain. Villains have character cards which list the maximum HP of the villain as well as the setup, gameplay, and advanced rules for that specific villain.
Villain Target: Any target that is also a villain card or a villain character card. If a card affects non-villain targets, it can affect any targets that are not villain cards or villain character cards.
Go Forth, Heroes!
You and your allies have been called to defeat the villains who threaten our world! It is time to answer the call - join your teammates in fighting evil as defenders of the world... protectors of the universe...
Turn Order Reference
The printed back-page turn order reference lists the following.
Villain Turn
- Start: Start of the villain turn.
- Play: Play a villain card.
- End: End of the villain turn.
Hero Turns
- Start: Start of the hero turn.
- Play: Play a hero card.
- Power: Use a power.
- Draw: Draw a hero card.
- End: End of the hero turn.
Environment Turn
- Start: Start of the environment turn.
- Play: Play an environment card.
- End: End of the environment turn.
(H) = the number of heroes.