Smash Up: Awesome Level 9000
Smash Up: Awesome Level 9000 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
Your goal is nothing short of total global domination! Use your minions to crush enemy bases. The first player to score 15 victory points (VP) wins!
Game Contents
This set contains:
- 4 factions with 20 cards each (80 cards total)
- 8 base cards
- 1 VP token sheet
- This rulebook
- Plus the 16 original bases with improved graphics
Growing On You
Awesome Level 9000 is an expansion to the Smash Up core set. It is still a fully operational battle station for 2 players though!
These rules sometimes talk like you've got more than just four factions, or mention cards that aren't in this expansion. If you don't already have the core set, just think of it as viral advertising.
Smash Up Your iPad!
To learn about the Smash Up iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch game from AEG and Playdek, visit www.alderac.com/smashup
Setup
Each player shuffles together two different 20-card factions to make a 40-card deck.
Steampunks! + Ghosts! = Steampunk Ghosts!
If you have two copies of Awesome Level 9000, different players can use the same faction pitting steampunks against steampunks, for instance. But one player can't play with two copies of the same faction. I mean, come on.
Kickin' It Queensberry
For formal play, put 8 factions in the middle of the table. Randomly determine who goes first. The first player chooses one faction. Choice continues clockwise. When everyone has chosen one faction, the last player chooses a second faction. Choice continues in reverse order.
Shuffle all the base cards together to make a deck. Draw one base per player, plus one (for example, use four bases for three players). Place the bases face up in the middle of the table.
Each player draws five cards. If you have no minions in your opening hand, show your hand, discard it, and draw a new hand of five cards. You must keep the second hand.
Whoever got up the earliest this morning goes first. Play continues clockwise.
You're ready to smash up some bases.
Cheater! Y U Action Twice?
Abilities only happen when you play a card from your hand, or any time a card says "play." When minions just move around, that's not playing them.
This Is How You Roll
1. Crank It Up
Some abilities happen at the start of your turn. This is when that goes down. Yo.
2. Play Cards
On your turn play one minion, play one action, or play one of each… for free! You can play your cards in any order. You don't have to play any cards.
Minions
To play a minion, choose a base and put the minion card beside it, facing toward you. Do what the card says. (Cards that start with Special are a special case. See page 11 for an explanation.)
Actions
To play an action, show your card and do what it says. Boom! Then discard the action (unless it has an Ongoing ability).
3. Check for Scoring
After you are done playing cards, check to see whether any bases are ready to score (see page 7). If any are ready, you must start scoring. After scoring bases, check to see if any players have 15 or more victory points. If so, see Game Over, Man! on page 8.
4. Draw 2 Cards
Just what it says. The maximum number of cards you can have in your hand at this time is 10. If you have more than 10 after drawing, discard down to 10.
If you need to draw or reveal a card and your deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile. Put it on the table face down—that's your new deck. Start drawing from there.
5. Shut It Down
Anything that happens at the end of the turn happens here. Play passes to the player on the left.
All Hands on Deck!
Minions
A minion card shows:
- Power — the large number in the upper left.
- Name — across the top of the card.
- Minion Identifier — the word "Minion" below the art.
- Ability — the text box.
- Faction Symbol — the icon in the lower right.
Example: Ghost (power 2, Minion, Ghosts faction) — "You may discard a card from your hand."
Actions
An action card shows:
- Name — across the top of the card.
- Action Identifier — the word "Action" below the art.
- Ability — the text box.
- Faction Symbol — the icon in the lower right.
Example: Bear Hug (Action, Bear Cavalry faction) — "Each other player destroys his or her minion with the least power (owner chooses in case of ties)."
The Big Score
Score a base if the total power of all minions on that base equals or exceeds the base's breakpoint (see page 9). If more than one base is ready to score, the player whose turn it is decides which one to score first.
When a base has been chosen to score, each player first gets to use any Special abilities that happen "before" the base scores. If the total power on a base drops below its breakpoint, you still finish scoring the base.
For example, a pirate player sees that she will be the runner up at Jungle Oasis. Since that's worth 0 VP, she plays Full Sail (it's Special) to move all her minions away to another base. That drops the total power on this base below 12, but since it's already started scoring, it still finishes.
Me First!
If more than one player wants to use a Special ability, start with the current player and go around the table clockwise until all players pass in sequence (if you pass and another player uses a Special, you can then still choose to use a Special of your own). If your Special allows you to play extra cards, you must play those immediately or not at all.
Awarding VP
The player with the most power on a base is the winner! That player gains victory points equal to the number on the left. The second highest player is the runner up, and receives the middle number. The third highest is just third place but does receive the lovely consolation prize of the number on the right. Dispense VP tokens in the appropriate amounts to everyone who scored. You must have at least one minion on a base to get victory points.
Back to Your Corners
After scoring, players can use Special abilities that happen "after" a base scores. Then all cards still on that base go to their owners' discard piles. This does not destroy them, but might trigger abilities that happen when they go to the discard pile.
Put the scored base into the base discard pile. Replace it with the top card of the base deck, if any.
Check to see if another base is ready to be scored. Score it too, the same way.
Tie Fighter
If players are tied on a base, all involved players get points for the best position they tied for. So, if three players had 10, 10, and 5 power on a base when it scores, the winners with 10 power each get first place points! The player with 5 power then gets third place, not second. If two players tie for runner up, no one gets third place. Harsh.
If players tie for a base's ability (such as the one on Inventor's Salon), they each get to use it. See Me First! on the previous page to settle conflicts.
Game Over, Man!
At the end of any turn that someone reaches 15 VP, the player with the most victory points wins. If there is a tie for the most, keep playing turns until there isn't. No sharing! Except for your two factions. You guys are BFFs.
Get to Know Your Cards!
A base card shows:
- Breakpoint — the number in the upper left.
- Name — across the top of the card.
- Winner VP — the leftmost of the three large numbers.
- Runner Up VP — the middle number.
- Third Place VP — the number on the right.
- Ability — This is what the base does. Its ability always operates while the base is in the middle of the table. It's sort of a combination of Special, Ongoing, and Awesome.
Terms and Restrictions
Some restrictions apply. See rules for details. Supplies limited.
Affect: A card is affected if it is moved, returned, destroyed, or has an action attached.
Destroy: When a card says to destroy another card, put the destroyed card in its owner's discard pile.
Discard: When a card gets discarded, it goes to the discard pile of the player whose deck it came from, no matter who played or controlled it.
Extra: Normally, you can play one minion and one action each turn. A card that lets you play an extra minion or action lets you play an additional card of that type during that turn. You don't have to play the extra card right away, unless the extra card was gained by a Special ability.
Move: This lets you move a card from one location to another. Moving a card does not count as playing it. Minion abilities do not happen when you move a card.
Ongoing: Most abilities happen and then they're over, or else they end at the end of the turn. Ongoing abilities are active for as long as they're around.
Play: You play a card when it's one of the free cards you get in step 2, or any time an ability specifically says that you're playing it. A card's ability happens when you play it. When cards are moved, placed, or returned, they're not being played, and their abilities don't happen.
Return: This means that a card goes back where it came from. When a card returns from a base, discard attachments on that card.
Special: Most abilities happen when you play a card. Special abilities happen at unusual times or in unusual ways. Special abilities might be on a card already in play or held in your hand. A card's ability will describe how it can be used.
Talent: This is an ability that the minion may use once during each of your turns, sort of like an extra action. You don't have to use it if you don't want to.
Void Where Prohibited
Often, card text and rules text will conflict. When there's a fight, card text always wins. It has a black belt in rule-fu.
If cards conflict, the one that says you can't do something beats the one that says you can.
If multiple effects would happen at the same time, the player whose turn it is chooses the order.
You can play a card even if its ability can't happen. For example, you can play an action that destroys a minion even if no minions are in play. This helps you get unneeded cards out of your hand.
You must follow a card's ability, even if it's bad for you. However, if a card says you may do something, you have a choice whether to do it.
If an ability says "any number" you may choose zero. You may play a card that says "all" even if there are no targets.
If you get to play extra minions or actions while a base is being scored, you must play those extra cards immediately or not at all.
When a card gets discarded, it goes to the discard pile of the player whose deck it came from, no matter who played or controlled it.
Specials may be played at any time they are applicable, even on other players' turns.
Anyone may look through any discard pile at any time.
The Factions
This set of Smash Up features four factions, which combine to make 6 possible decks. As more factions join and try to take over the world in future expansions, the full number of possibilities will grow. Mix and match factions to suit your play style.
Bear Cavalry
The Tsar wasn't satisfied with mere horses. So you're pretty much screwed. You can run away from them. Or you can get killed. Sometimes you get both. Just count yourself lucky that the bears aren't also riding sharks.
Ghosts
In that darkest night at the old mansion an eerie light shone through the attic windows... even though no one was home. Ethereal ghosts gain power by having less of the tangible world. The faster you empty your hand, the stronger these spooks become!
Killer Plants
Feed them, Seymour! (Don't do it Seymour!) Because these guys grow all on their own. They become stronger the longer they remain in play, so plants can be a major problem for anyone who came to the table without garden shears.
Steampunks
Jules Verne once said, "Hey, Steampunks. Nice threads." Ever since that fateful day, these retronauts have been classing up the joint everywhere they go. Any base in the game will look smarter and be just a bit friendlier for full-on Steampunk domination.
Moar Factions!
Does more than one person want to play Bear Cavalry? Great! Combine two sets of Smash Up so people can draft and play the same factions against one another. Remember, you can't put two of the same faction together though! Just use one set of bases when combining.
Haven't Tried the Core Game Yet? Srsly?
Pirates, Ninja, Dinosaurs, and more! Get it today and have even more Smash Up madness!
Grave Digger sez... The original Smash Up box will hold all these cards! So when you put them in there and get rid of this box, remember to recycle it!
Roll Credits
Game Design: Paul Peterson
Additional Design: Edward Bolme, Murray Chu, Todd Rowland, Mark Wootton
Development: Mark Wootton
Art Direction: Todd Rowland
Cover Art: Conceptopolis, Gong Studios, Yating Sun, Dinobot Illustrations
Graphic Design: Kalissa Fitzgerald
Writing: Jeff Quick
Editing: Edward Bolme
Proofreading: Murray Chu, John-Paul Cheyne, Jeremy Holcomb, Bryan Reese
Layout and Typesetting: Kalissa Fitzgerald
Production: Dave Lepore
Brand Management: Todd Rowland
Art: Conceptopolis, Gong Studios, Yating Sun, Dinobot Illustrations
Playtesting: Ken Andrews, Jon Angus, Isaac Barry, Dorothea Bauer, Joachim Bauer, Janet Bozarth, Amberle Browne, Samantha Browne, Matthew Brubaker, Paul Butler, Gary Campbell, Matt Clark, William Collie, Jeff Combos, Adam Conus, Mike Cook, Jason Crognale, Drew Dallas, Arnold Daly, Richard Darmohray, Colin DeBernardo, Carin Doerre, Jochen Doerre, Ben Ebell-Solomon, Mark Fortin, Allen Garrett, Jim Getz, Eric Goodheart, Earl Grant, Ken Grazier, Nate Hedrick, Brian Hutcheson, Chris Hyun, Chris Keener, Sean Kelly, Wendy Kelly, Chris Krueger, Greg Krywusha, Hannah Lodge, Eric Meli, Braden Moulton, Sean Orms, Noel Paterson, Joshua Pavlisko, Leon Phillips, Kyle Pinion, Meredith Quick, Tiffany Rau, Aaron Richardson, Shawn Riley-Rau, Ruben Riordan, Jamie Ross, David Sansfacon, Andreas Scheytt, Lee Shelton, Michael Shimek, Thomas Staudt, Birgit Uhl, Juergen Uhl, Matthew Ussary, Eli Vlaisavich, Brad Wells, Chris Wilson, Alyssa Yeager
Special Thanks: AEG would like to thank the many Smash Up fans who have deluged us with faction ideas. Look forward to seeing many in the future! AEG would also like to thank the many people who have promoted and supported Smash Up, we hope we continue to give you hours and hours of fun.
Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
Copyright © 2013 Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc. Smash Up, Shufflebuilding, Alderac Entertainment Group, and all related marks and images are TM and © Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Blah blah blah.
Printed in China. Warning: Choking hazard! Keep away from small children!
Smash Up mechanic designed by Paul Peterson, used under license by Alderac Entertainment Group.
Smash Up the Interwebs: www.alderac.com/smashup and www.alderac.com/forum
Questions? Email [email protected]
All Your Basics
Set Up
Each player chooses two factions and shuffles them together to make a 40-card deck. Draw a hand of five cards. Place one more base card than you have players in the middle of the table (that is, use five bases for four players).
On Your Turn
Play 1 minion and 1 action in either order. You can play less if you want to.
Follow all instructions on card abilities as you play them.
Check to see whether any bases can be scored. If they can, score them.
Draw two cards. Discard down to a hand of 10 if necessary.
Scoring
After you are done playing minions and actions, if the total power of all minions meets or exceeds a base's breakpoint, that base scores. The player with the highest power at that base is the winner and scores first place victory points. Second highest is the runner up and scores second place. Third highest scores third place. In case of a tie, each player receives full victory points for the highest place he or she qualified for.
Resolve the ability on the base, discard minions there, and then replace it.
Winning
When a player has 15 or more victory points at the end of a turn, he or she wins. If two or more players have more than 15 VP, the one with the most victory points wins. In case of a tie, play another turn.
Additional Rules
When a card disagrees with the rules, the card wins.
If cards conflict, the one that says you can't do something beats the one that says you can.
If multiple effects happen at the same time, the player whose turn it is determines their order.
You can play a card even if its ability can't happen.
You must follow a card's ability, even if it's bad for you. If a card says you may do something, you have a choice whether to do it.
If an ability says "any number" you may choose zero. You may play a card that says "all" even if there are no targets.
Anyone may look through any discard pile at any time.