Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side
Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Summary
Each player takes the role of a Star Wars Villain with their own Objective to achieve. On your turn, place your Villain mover on a different location in your Sector, then perform the actions available there. Achieve your Villain's Objective first to win the game!
Objective
As soon as a player has achieved their Villain's Objective, the game ends and that player is the winner! Refer to your Villain Guide for tips on how to achieve your Villain's Objective.
Components
5 Villain Movers: Asajj Ventress, Darth Vader, General Grievous, Kylo Ren, Moff Gideon.
5 Villain Decks (30 cards in each deck)
5 Fate Decks (15 cards in each deck)
2 Special Tiles (1 Luke Skywalker Tile, 1 Destiny Tracker)
5 Reference Cards
5 Sectors
5 Villain Guides
Tokens: 8 Lightsaber Tokens, 6 Destiny Tokens, 1 Chamber, 25 Credit Tokens, 25 Ambition Tokens, 15 Strength Tokens (-1 and +1).
Setup
Some Villains have unique setups and components as explained in their Villain Guides.
- Each player chooses a Villain and takes the corresponding Sector, Villain mover, Villain deck, Fate deck, and Villain Guide, as well as a Reference Card and any special tokens or tiles, if needed. Return remaining Villains and their components to the box.
- Place your Sector in front of you. Each Sector depicts (from left to right) your Villain's portrait and Objective, four locations, and Deep Space, which is where you can play Vehicle cards. Place your Villain mover on the Villain portrait; that is where it will start the game.
- Shuffle your Villain deck (colored backs) and place it face down to the left of your Sector. Leave room for a discard pile.
- Shuffle your Fate deck (white backs) and place it face down above your Sector so that your opponents may draw from it. Leave room for a discard pile.
- The Chamber has three slots. Fill one slot with Credit tokens, one slot with Ambition tokens, and one slot with +1/-1 Strength tokens. Place the Chamber within reach of all players.
- Draw a starting hand of four cards from your Villain deck. You may look at your cards but keep them secret from other players. Refer to your Villain Guide for any helpful hints regarding your cards and your overall strategy.
- The last player to use the Force, or the oldest player, goes first. The first player does not start with any Credits. The second player starts with 1 Credit. The third and fourth players start with 2 Credits each.
- In turn order, read the Objective on your Sector out loud so that all players are aware of your goals. If you ever forget your opponents' Objectives, you can find them on your Reference card.
(1st Player, 2nd Player, and 3rd and 4th Players are indicated by the corresponding Force/Credit-token icons on the Reference Card.)
Overview
Each Villain has their own personalized Villain deck designed to help them achieve their own Objective. The choices you make to navigate the obstacles between you and achieving your Objective are always different. While you make decisions and try to manipulate events to your favor, your opponents are doing the same. Be mindful of your opponents' progress so that you can place obstacles in their way when necessary. You only win if you achieve your Villain's Objective first, so that should always be your priority.
Sector
Your Sector is where your cards will be played. The top portion of your Sector is called the Hero side, while the lower portion is called the Villain side. You will play cards from your Villain deck to the Villain side. Cards on both the Villain and Hero sides as well as cards in Deep Space are "in" your Sector.
Note: Cards in your hand, decks, and discard piles are not "in" your Sector.
Locations
Each Sector has four locations to which you may move your Villain. For example, Darth Vader's Sector includes Mustafar, the Death Star, Cloud City and the Emperor's Throne Room. The symbols on each location indicate the actions you may perform after you move to it. (See Types of Actions on page 7.)
Actions
Each location has symbols for actions you may perform when you move to that location. (See Types of Actions on page 7.)
Villain Mover
Each player has a mover representing their Villain. Players will move this piece to a new location within their Sector each turn.
Objective
Each Villain has a different Objective, which they must achieve to win the game.
Villain Deck
Draw cards from this deck to achieve your Objective.
Villain Cards
Play cards from your hand to the Villain side of your Sector (the bottom portion). These cards do not block your actions. (See Playing Cards on page 11.)
Credit, Ambition and Strength Tokens
In Star Wars Villainous, there are three main types of game tokens: Credits, Ambition, and Strength. You may keep your tokens anywhere near your Sector. (See Collect Credits on page 7, Ambition on page 7, and Strength on page 11.)
Villain Guide
Read the Villain Guide for your chosen Villain before starting the game. These detail your Villain's Objective and unique cards, as well as potential obstacles (like Heroes) which can slow you down. Keep your Villain Guide handy and refer to it as needed when you play new cards, or when your opponents play cards against you!
Fate Deck
When your opponent takes a Fate action against you, they draw cards from the Fate deck above your Sector and play them to the Hero side of your Sector.
Fate Cards
Opponents can play Hero and Item cards from your Fate deck to the Hero side of your Sector. These cards cover up actions at the location to which they are played, preventing you from taking those actions. (See Blocked Actions on page 6.) The Fate deck also contains Effect, Vehicle, and Restriction cards. (See Fate Cards on page 15.)
Deep Space
Play any Vehicle cards to Deep Space (the right-most area of your Sector). Cards played to Deep Space maintain the Hero (top) and Villain (bottom) division of the Sector. (See Vehicles on page 16.)
Reference Card
One side of the Reference Card lists each Villain's Objective. This will help you determine whether an opponent is nearing victory. The other side identifies the action symbols used in the game.
Villain Objectives
DARTH VADER must flip Luke Skywalker to his Conflicted side. Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Luke Skywalker (Conflicted) must be in the Emperor's Throne Room. Darth Vader then pays 6 Ambition to defeat Luke Skywalker.
ASAJJ VENTRESS must complete three Missions. As each step in the Mission is completed, Asajj Ventress adds an Ambition token to the Mission card. Once all steps are finished, the Mission is completed and Asajj Ventress collects that Ambition.
MOFF GIDEON must have Grogu, Doctor Pershing, and Laboratory Samples in play on the Villain side of the Sector. Once all three are in the same location, Moff Gideon then pays 5 Ambition to win the game.
KYLO REN must commit his Destiny to the Dark Side of the Force. To achieve his Objective, Kylo Ren must use Ambition to move all six Destiny tokens to the Dark Side of his Destiny tracker.
GENERAL GRIEVOUS must defeat Heroes in order to collect eight Lightsabers.
On Your Turn
Do the following in this order:
1. Gain 1 Ambition
Take 1 Ambition token from the Chamber at the start of each of your turns. You may earn more Ambition from cards and other actions in the game. (See Ambition on page 7.)
2. Move Your Villain
Move your Villain to a different location in your Sector. You may not stay in your previous location.
3. Perform Actions
Each location has symbols representing the actions you may take when you move there. Each action may be performed once for each symbol that appears. All actions are optional and may be performed in any order. (See Types of Actions on page 7.)
4. Draw Cards
At the end of your turn, if you have fewer than four cards in your hand, draw from your Villain deck until you have four cards, or your maximum allowed hand size. If you need to draw from your Villain deck and it is empty, shuffle your Villain discard pile to form a new deck, then continue your draw.
Now it's the next player's turn.
You must wait until the end of your turn to draw cards, even if you have fewer than four cards at the start of your turn.
Blocked Actions
During the game, action symbols may be covered by Fate cards. Actions covered this way are blocked. If an action is blocked, that action is unavailable and may not be performed until the card covering it is moved, vanquished, defeated, or removed. When an action is uncovered, it is available immediately. If your Villain is at that location and it's still your turn, you may perform the actions.
Ending the Game
As soon as a player fulfills their Villain's Objective, the game ends and that player wins!
Types of Actions
Each Sector is different, and some of the actions may not appear in your Sector.
Cards and their abilities may alter what you can and cannot do with an action. When in doubt, cards overrule anything in this rulebook. If one card grants an Ability and another restricts your actions, the card restriction takes precedence and the restriction applies.
Your Villain's location dictates which actions you may perform on your turn, but these actions can be carried out at any location in your Sector. For example, when performing a Vanquish action, you may perform the Vanquish at any location in your Sector with an Ally and a Hero.
Collect Credits
Credits are the currency of the Star Wars Universe. Take Credits from the supply equal to the number in the symbol on your location. Keep your Credits next to your Sector. Credits are used to pay the Cost to play most cards and to use Activated Abilities.
Example: A "2" Collect Credits symbol = Take 2 Credits.
Ambition
Not everything can be bought or manipulated with Credits. Sometimes your Villain's personality and influence manifests through their inherent power, strength, leadership, or luck. This is called Ambition. You can use Ambition to play Ambition cards or use Ambition Abilities.
Playing Ambition Cards
Some cards have a Cost listed in Ambition instead of Credits. These cards have the Ambition Cost located in the lower left of the card image. You may play only one card per Ambition action. When you play an Ambition card, you must pay its Ambition Cost by returning that many Ambition to the Chamber (unless otherwise stated on the card). If you don't have enough Ambition to pay a card's Cost, you cannot play it. You must still have an Ambition action to play an Ambition card with a Cost of 0.
Example: Pay the Cost (2 Ambition) then play this card.
Using Ambition Abilities
Some cards include an Ambition Cost to use that card's Ability, similar to an Activate action. (See Activated Abilities on page 9.) Each time you wish to use that card's Ability, you must use an Ambition action and pay the Ambition Ability Cost. Ambition Ability Costs are always paid in Ambition.
Other card types may have an Ambition Ability in addition to other card Abilities. You still need to use an Ambition action to use these Ambition Abilities.
Example: Pay 1 Ambition to activate this card's Ability.
Play a Card
Pay Credits to play a card from your hand. You may play only one card for each "Play a Card" action in your location. Cards that can be played will have the Credits Cost symbol in the upper-left corner. When you play a card, you must pay its Cost by returning that number of Credits to the Chamber (unless otherwise stated). If you don't have enough Credits to pay a card's Cost, you cannot play the card. Some cards have a Cost of zero Credits; you must have a "Play a Card" action to play these as well.
You do not have to play cards to your Villain's location. Allies and Items are played directly to any location on the Villain (bottom) side of your Sector. Vehicles are played to Deep Space.
Note: You may not use the "Play a Card" action to play Ambition cards. (See Ambition on page 7.)
Example: Pay the Cost (3 Credits), then play this item to any location.
Maneuver
The Maneuver action allows you to take a card that is already in play and put it in any new location in your Sector. This action only applies to cards on the Villain (bottom) side of the Sector. In some cases, the Ability to Maneuver cards will be the key to meeting your Objective. You may not Maneuver an Item that is attached to an Ally. However, if you Maneuver an Ally, all Items attached to that Ally move with them.
Maneuvering a card is not the same as playing a card. If a card's Ability is triggered when it (or another card) is played, that Ability is not triggered if the card is Maneuvered.
See Vehicles on page 16 for details on Maneuvering these cards.
Example: Move an Ally from any location to any other location.
Discard Cards
Discard as many cards as you wish face up from your hand to your discard pile. Getting rid of unwanted cards will give you new options on your next turn.
After discarding, do not immediately draw new cards. You must wait until the end of your turn to draw back up to your hand size.
Activate
Choose one card in your Sector with an activate symbol. Pay the card's Activated Ability Cost, if any, then perform the card's Activated Ability.
Activated Abilities
Some cards include an activate symbol to indicate that their Ability is not always in effect. Play a card with an Activated Ability as normal. Each time you wish to use that card's Ability, you must perform an activate action and pay the Activated Ability Cost, if any. Activated Ability Costs are always paid in Credits.
Example: Pay 1 Credit to activate this card's Ability.
Vanquish
Defeat one character, usually a Hero, at any location in your Sector by using one or more of your Allies in the same location as the character you are Vanquishing.
Each character has a Strength in the lower-left corner. (See Strength on page 11.) Your Ally or Allies must have Strength equal to or greater than the Strength of the character you choose to Vanquish. Multiple Allies may be used in a single Vanquish action by adding their Strength together. Strength may be modified by other cards or tokens in play.
After using this action, the Ally or Allies you used in the Vanquish action as well as the character you Vanquished are placed face up in their respective discard piles.
Vehicles do not have Strength. However, you may Vanquish a Hero Vehicle by engaging it with an Ally Vehicle, then performing a Vanquish action to remove both Vehicles from play. (See Removing, Defeating, and Vanquishing Vehicles on page 17.)
Example: You have three Allies at the same location as a Hero with a Strength of 5. Because two of the Allies have a combined Strength of 5 (4+1), only those two Allies need to be used to Vanquish the Hero. Discard the Hero and the two Allies. The third Ally remains at the location.
Fate
Using a Fate action can disrupt an opponent's progress. Choose an opponent to target. Reveal two cards from the top of that opponent's Fate deck. (See Card Actions on page 18.) Choose one card to play and discard the other face up to that opponent's Fate discard pile.
The player performing the Fate action decides how to use the Fate card's Ability and chooses the outcome of any choice or decision presented by the card.
If either of the Fate cards you reveal cannot be played or would have no effect, you still must choose one as normal and play it. Fate was not on your side this turn.
A Hero may be played to any non-Vehicle location in that opponent's Sector. Play the card to the top of their Sector, covering the top of the location and the symbols there. A Vehicle may be played directly onto a Vehicle if one is in play. (See Vehicles on page 16.)
You may have cards in your Villain deck that allow you to play Fate cards on yourself. If so, the Ability of the card still goes into effect as if played by an opponent. If you play a Hero to your own Sector, you choose its location. Heroes, Items, and Vehicles from the Fate deck still block actions if you play them to your own Sector.
If you need to reveal cards from an opponent's Fate deck and their deck is empty, they must shuffle their Fate discard pile to form a new deck.
Instead of drawing and playing cards, you may use a Fate action to force an Ally Vehicle to reengage with a Hero Vehicle. If you choose this option, you do not get to draw or place any Fate cards. (See Maneuvering Vehicles on page 17.)
Example: You reveal two cards from an opponent's Fate deck and choose to play the Hero. Place the other card you revealed on top of the opponent's Fate discard pile. Play the Hero to any location in the opponent's Sector, covering the action symbols on the Hero (top) side of that location.
Playing Cards
Each player has two decks of cards: Villain cards (with colored backs) and Fate cards (with white backs). Play Villain cards from your hand to locations on the Villain (bottom) side of your Sector. Your Fate cards are played, usually by opponents, to locations on the Hero (top) side of your Sector. These Fate cards block your actions. Vehicles are played to the right-most area of your Sector in Deep Space.
All face-up cards that are not in a discard pile are in play, and their effects are ongoing for as long as the card remains in play. Cards played to your Sector affect only you. This includes your Allies, Vehicles, Items, and any cards from the Fate deck.
Any number of Villain cards and Fate cards may be played to a single location. As cards are played, slightly offset them so that all cards at a location are visible.
Some cards may allow you to draw additional cards from your Villain deck into your hand. There is no hand size limit. If you have fewer than four cards at the end of your turn, draw back up to your hand size. If you have more cards than your hand size allows, do not draw.
Strength
A character's Strength (both Heroes and Allies) is indicated in the lower-left corner of their card.
Zero-Strength Allies and Heroes
If an Ally is reduced to 0 Strength by other card Abilities, that card remains in its location. An Ally with 0 Strength can still use their Abilities and can be used in a Vanquish action if desired, though the Ally adds no Strength to the Vanquish action. An Ally with 0 Strength is always removed if used in any Vanquish action.
A Hero with 0 Strength remains in place at its location and continues to block actions. Their Ability is still in effect. You may use a Vanquish action against a Hero with 0 Strength as per normal, but the Ally used in the Vanquish action is not discarded.
Placing Strength Tokens
When you place a +1 or -1 Strength token on a character, this character's Strength is permanently affected as long as that token remains on the card.
Gaining and Losing Strength
When a character gains or loses Strength, this change is temporary and often relies on the presence of other cards in play. You may use Strength or other tokens to indicate this temporary increase but must remember to remove or alter the correct number when the conditions change.
Example: The Mandalorian gains +2 Strength when in the same location as Grogu. If the characters wind up in separate locations, that Strength increase is removed from The Mandalorian. He regains the Strength bonus if he and Grogu end up in the same location once more.
Villain Cards
Some Villains have additional card types unique to them as explained in their Villain Guides.
If you cannot follow all the instructions on a card to resolve it completely, you may not play it.
Ally cards represent your Villain's henchmen. To play an Ally, pay its Cost (either in Credits or Ambition) then play that card to the Villain side of your Sector in one of the four locations. You do not have to play Allies to your Villain mover's current location. Allies cannot be played to Vehicles.
Once Allies have been played to a location, you may use them to defeat characters at the same location by performing a Vanquish action. Each Ally has a Strength (shown in the lower-left corner) that may be modified by other cards or tokens. Additionally, most Allies have an Ability that affects other cards or actions. Once an Ally is in your Sector, you need to decide whether to use it to defeat a character, keep it in your Sector for its Ability, use it to meet your Objective, or use it in some other way.
An example Ally card, Supreme Leader Snoke, shows: Credit Cost 3, OR Ambition Cost 3, Name, Ability ("1: Place one Destiny token in the Dark Side."), Strength 4, Card Type (Ally).
Item cards have an Ability affecting other cards or actions. To play an Item, pay its Cost (in Credits or Ambition), then place the card on the Villain (bottom) side of any location in your Sector. If an Item says to attach it to an Ally, you must place the Item under an Ally in your Sector. If you have no Allies in your Sector, you may not play an attached Item.
Unattached Items may be Maneuvered on their own.
If an Ally with an attached Item is moved or Maneuvered, that Item moves with the Ally. If an Ally is defeated, Vanquished, or removed, all attached Items are placed in their appropriate discard piles.
An example Item card, Beskar, shows: Credit Cost 2, Name, Ability ("Attach Beskar to an Ally. 0: Remove Beskar to play any card from your hand for free. 4: Remove Beskar to find and play Grogu to the Hero side of your Sector."), Card Type (Item).
Effect cards are one-time Abilities. To play an Effect, pay its Cost (in Credits or Ambition), do what the card says, then place it face up in the appropriate discard pile.
An example Effect card, Release Your Anger, shows: Credit Cost 1, OR Ambition Cost 3, Name, Ability ("Move Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker's current location. Take one action at the new location. Flip Luke Skywalker to his Conflicted side. You cannot use Release Your Anger to perform Fate actions."), Card Type (Effect).
Condition cards are unusual because you play them during an opponent's turn. They are not played by performing a Play a Card or Ambition action. During an opponent's turn, if you have a Condition in your hand and the requirement on the card is met, you may immediately play the card, do what it says, then discard it face up to your discard pile. There is no limit to the number of Conditions that may be played at one time.
After a Condition is played, the opponent's turn continues. Do not draw a new card. You must wait until the end of your turn to draw back to your hand size.
An example Condition card, Hunting Jedi, shows: Name, Ability ("During their turn, if another player takes a Play a Card action, you may play Hunting Jedi. Reveal cards from your Fate deck until you reveal a Hero. Play that Hero to any location in your Sector."), Card Type (Condition).
Vehicle cards can only be played to the Deep Space area of your Sector. Once you pay its Cost (in Credits or Ambition) and play it, Vehicles add a new location to your Sector that you can move to. This Vehicle location includes new actions that you may use as well as an Ability that triggers when you move there. When you move to a Vehicle, you immediately perform the new Ability before you perform any actions at that location. Allies cannot be played to Vehicles. Selecting and using actions follow the same rules detailed in Types of Actions on page 7.
An example Vehicle card, The Banshee, shows: Credit Cost 3, Actions, Name, Ability ("Look at the top three cards of your deck. Put one into your hand, discard one, and put one on the bottom of your deck."), Card Type (Vehicle).
Mission cards are unique cards always associated with a Villain who has specific Mission-based Objectives or goals. Not all Villains will have Mission cards in their deck. Your Villain Guide will have information on your Villain's specific Missions.
Mission cards are removed from the Villain deck, shuffled, and put in their own deck. Mission cards have a darker card back to allow you to locate them quickly. At the start of your first turn, reveal the top Mission card.
Each Mission card has the following:
Ambition Reset: When you reveal a Mission card, you may use an Ambition action to help you on your Mission. This step is completely optional. If the Mission asks you to find and place Fate cards, their game effects are not triggered. (See Play and Place on page 18.) If the Mission asks you to place Hero cards, they are always placed to different locations.
- Progress: These are tasks you must do to complete the Mission. You can do the tasks in any order. Once completed, place an Ambition token on the Mission card to indicate that you have completed that task.
- Reward: The Mission is complete when you have the correct number of Ambition tokens on the Mission card.
Once the Mission is completed, collect the Ambition you placed on the Mission as you completed your tasks. This is the reward. Then discard the Mission. If you need a certain number of Missions to complete an Objective, keep that discard pile near your portrait.
If you have no Mission cards face-up, reveal the next Mission immediately and for free. Follow the instructions on the card.
An example Mission card, Stinky, shows: Name, Ambition Reset ("0: Find Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano and place them in different locations."), Progress ("Defeat Anakin Skywalker. Defeat Ahsoka Tano. Have Count Dooku in play."), Reward ("Gain 3 Ambition tokens."), Card Type (Mission).
Playing Multiple Missions
At any time, you may take an Ambition action and pay Ambition equal to the number of face-up Mission cards to reveal a new Mission. The other revealed Missions remain active.
If two Missions have the same task(s), you can only place an Ambition token on one of the Missions. You will have to do that task a second time to place another Ambition token.
Example: Revealing additional Missions costs Ambition equal to the number of Active Missions (pay 1 Ambition to reveal a new Mission alongside The Witches, which remains Active).
Fate Cards
Fate decks are created specifically to delay a Villain from reaching their Objective. If either of the Fate cards you reveal cannot be played or do not affect the game for whatever reason, you still must choose one to play. Fate was not on your side this turn.
Hero cards represent the Heroes trying to stop Villains from accomplishing their sinister plans. To play a Hero, place the card so that it covers the top of any location in the targeted player's Sector, blocking the actions in that location. Heroes cannot be played to Vehicles.
You can use a Hero to hinder an opponent's progress by covering useful actions. These actions are blocked until the Hero is defeated, Vanquished, or removed.
Each Hero also has a Strength (shown in the lower-left corner) that may be modified by other cards or tokens. Additionally, most Heroes have an Ability that makes it harder for a Villain to achieve their Objective.
If multiple Heroes are at a location, and the character covering the action symbols is defeated or removed, use any other character in that location to cover the action symbols at the top of the Sector.
An example Hero card, The Mandalorian, shows: Name, Ability ("The Mandalorian gets +2 Strength if Grogu is at his location. Grogu may be on either the Hero or Villain side of Moff Gideon's Sector."), Strength 4, Card Type (Hero).
Item and Effect cards may also appear in the Fate deck. They do not have a Cost to play them, although other conditions may need to be met for the card to be played.
An example Effect (Restriction-style) card, More Powerful Than You Can Imagine, shows: Name, Ability ("Darth Vader cannot perform Ambition actions. Darth Vader must discard his entire hand during a Discard action to remove More Powerful Than You Can Imagine."), Card Type (Restriction).
Restriction cards have an ongoing effect until the conditions for their removal are met. When playing a Restriction card, place it under the mover of the Villain targeted with a Fate action. While the Restriction is in play, its Ability is in effect.
The Restriction will move with the Villain mover to new locations each turn. Remove the Restriction when the requirements specified on the card are met. Removing a Restriction is a free action unless otherwise specified on the card.
Restrictions do not block actions.
An example Restriction card, Strange Alliances, shows: Name, Ability ("Asajj Ventress cannot perform Vanquish actions. Remove two Allies from your Sector to remove Strange Alliances."), Card Type (Restriction).
Vehicles cards are played to Deep Space. Heroes cannot be played to Vehicles. See Vehicles on page 16 for more information on how Hero and Ally Vehicles interact.
An example Vehicle card, Millennium Falcon, shows: Name, Ability ("When Millennium Falcon is played, find Han Solo and play him to any location in Kylo Ren's Sector."), Card Type (Vehicle).
Vehicles
Vehicle cards appear in both Fate and Villain decks. Hero Vehicles are Vehicles from the Fate deck, and Ally Vehicles are Vehicles from your Villain deck. Unless indicated by card text, no cards can be played to a Vehicle location or Hero Vehicle.
Ally Vehicles
You must pay the Cost (either in Credits or Ambition) of an Ally Vehicle to play it. All Ally Vehicles are played to the Villain side of the Deep Space area of your Sector.
Ally Vehicles act as new locations you may move to. This new location has actions you may take and an Ability that triggers immediately when you move your Villain mover to the Ally Vehicle. Perform this Ability as specified on the card before you take any other actions. Then, you may take actions as per the normal rules. (See Types of Actions on page 7.) When playing an Ally Vehicle, you may choose to engage a Hero Vehicle, if present. (See Hero Vehicles and Engagement below.)
While Vehicles are considered to be in your Sector, they are not adjacent to each other or any other location. They are separate and isolated locations.
Example: Emperor's Throne Room / TIE Advanced x1 Vehicle ("Gain 2 Ambition.") — moving your Villain mover from Emperor's Throne Room to the TIE Advanced x1.
Hero Vehicles and Engagement
The Fate deck also contains Vehicles. If there is an Ally Vehicle already in play when a Hero Vehicle is played, the Hero Vehicle must be played to that Ally Vehicle. These Vehicles are now engaged. The actions of the Ally Vehicle are blocked. Unless otherwise stated, you may still move your Villain to an engaged Vehicle to use its Ability.
Example: X-Wing Vehicle ("When X-Wing is played, flip Luke Skywalker to his Focused side.") played to Deep Space when no Ally Vehicle is present. Because this Hero Vehicle is not engaged, the Villain player must reduce their hand size by one card.
Villains cannot use the actions of an engaged Vehicle but can still use the Ability (example: The Executor Ally Vehicle engaged with the X-Wing Hero Vehicle).
Heroes Controlling Deep Space
If there are no Ally Vehicles in play, Hero Vehicles may still be played to Deep Space as normal. For each unengaged Hero Vehicle in your Sector, your hand size is reduced by one card. At the end of your turn, you will draw only up to your reduced hand size. For example, if there is one unengaged Hero Vehicle in a Villain's Sector, their hand size is three cards. If there are two unengaged Hero Vehicles, their hand size would be limited to two cards.
Removing, Defeating and Vanquishing Vehicle Cards
Villains may use a Vanquish action to remove an engaged Hero Vehicle. In doing so, they also lose their Ally Vehicle. There are no Strength comparisons. Both Vehicles (and any cards attached to them) are discarded to their respective discard piles. You cannot Vanquish, remove, or defeat an Ally Vehicle while the Villain mover is at that location.
You cannot use a Vanquish action against an unengaged Hero Vehicle. There are some cards that may be used against Vehicles specifically. Some may remove or affect unengaged Vehicles.
Example: Using a Vanquish action, you can defeat an engaged Hero Vehicle (e.g., the Millennium Falcon engaged with the TIE Advanced x1). Remove both Vehicles to their appropriate discard piles.
Maneuvering Vehicles
Villains may use a Maneuver action to disengage one of their Vehicles. Separate the Vehicles so that the Hero Vehicle is no longer covering up actions on the Ally Vehicle. As per the Vehicle rules, any unengaged Hero Vehicle reduces the hand size of the Villain. While Maneuvering away from a Hero Vehicle will free up actions, keep in mind that your hand size is reduced as a result.
Villains can also use a Maneuver action on an Ally Vehicle to reengage a Hero Vehicle.
Instead of drawing and playing cards, an opponent may use a Fate action to force an Ally Vehicle to reengage with a Hero Vehicle. If they choose this option, they do not get to draw or play any Fate cards.
Example: Using a Maneuver action to move an Ally Vehicle, you can disengage a Hero Vehicle. The Ally Vehicle actions are now available to you, but you will have to reduce your hand size by one card.
Card Actions
Play and Place
Some cards allow you to play a card to your Sector directly from your Villain deck, Fate deck, or discard pile as if it were played from your hand. Pay the card's Cost unless otherwise specified. The card's Ability goes into effect (even if it's bad for you). If you are told to place a card, and the card has an Ability that specifies "when played," that Ability does not take effect. You may still need to pay a Cost for the card.
In all cases, the person playing the card makes any choices regarding Abilities and placement.
Free
Some card Abilities may allow you to take an action or play a card for free. This means you do not have to pay any associated Cost (in either Credits or Ambition), nor do you need to utilize an action symbol to play the card or perform the action. You must still apply the Ability on cards played for free, if possible.
Reveal
If a card instructs you to reveal cards, you must show those cards to all players. If the cards are in your hand, show those specific cards to your opponents, then return them to your hand. When revealing cards from your Villain or Fate decks, turn the cards from the top of the deck face up as you draw so all players can see them.
Once you have finished revealing cards, add those cards to the deck's discard pile. Then, shuffle the discard pile back into its appropriate deck. If you ever need to reveal a card from an empty deck, shuffle that deck's discard pile to form a new deck.
Remove
If a character or Item is removed from your Sector by a card, place it into the appropriate discard pile. No Abilities can be triggered to stop a Remove action. Unless otherwise stated, players receive no rewards for removing a card from play, and effects that trigger after a character is defeated or Vanquished do not trigger after a character is removed. Removed cards are not considered to have been defeated or Vanquished.
Maneuver and Move
Maneuver is an action that must be taken at a location with a Maneuver symbol. Cards that refer to being Maneuvered must use that action. If a card's Abilities allow it to be moved based on other actions, effects, or game play, you do not need a Maneuver action to do so.
Swap
A card that has a swap Ability means that you exchange that card (the original) for another (the replacement). The card initiating the swap will indicate whether you will find, reveal, or look for a card. Once located, exchange the original card for the replacement card. The original card will indicate what you should do with it and with the replacement card. Follow the rules for playing or placing the replacement card.
Look
If a card instructs you to look at cards, either from your Villain deck or the Fate deck, you may look at them privately, keeping them secret from the other players. If you ever need to look at a card from a deck when it's empty, shuffle that deck's discard pile to form a new deck.
Find
If a card instructs you to find a specific card or card type, you must take the specified card or card type from its current location, then follow the rest of the instructions on the original card. When finding a card or card type, first check to see whether it is already at a location in your Sector. If you are instructed to play or place the found card somewhere, you may put it back in the same location as long as doing so follows the instructions on the original card. Remember to follow rules for either playing or placing the card.
If the card is not already in a Sector, then search the appropriate discard pile. If it is not in the discard pile, reveal cards from the appropriate deck. (See Reveal on page 18.)
Defeat
To defeat a character, take that character and place it in the appropriate discard pile. You can defeat a character either by performing a Vanquish action or by playing specific cards. Card Abilities that allow you to defeat a character do not require you to perform a Vanquish action unless otherwise stated.
Choose
If a card instructs you to choose a card, it will also instruct you where to choose that card from. You may select any card as long as it meets the Ability requirements on the original card.
Credits
Star Wars Villainous Power of the Dark Side designed and developed by: Mike Mulvihill
Original Villainous game system designed by: Prospero Hall
Art Direction: Jake Breish Graphic Design: Chris Buckley Editing: Sharon Mulvihill, Elizabeth O'Callahan, Jenny Webb, Cassidy Werner
Illustration: Lucas Torquato, Piotr Rossa, Uzuri, Vathan Suwannaworn, Tananan Chomsri, Kawin Akaworawit, Wasuwat Leelachinaves, Olga Lisitsina, Tanatorn Tarasilp (The Knott), Phatcharaphon Tuntiruttanasakun, Peerapong Wasaranurak, Seri Thirasophi
Playtesting: Paul Allen, Samuel Cammack, Joshua Green, Michael Green, Matthew R. Johnson, Lord of the Board, Andrew Maine, Rich Mulvihill, Garrett Partch, Carter Partch, Edward Partch, Joe Perri, Zach Pincince, Melissa Sammy, Tom Ségur, Federico Seregni, Kristen White, Matt White, James Watson, and the Ravensburger Ambassadors.
© & ™ LucasFilm Ltd. Instructions: © 2022 Ravensburger North America, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents: 5 Sectors, 5 Villain Movers, 150 Villain Cards, 75 Fate Cards, 1 Tile, 1 Tracker, 79 Tokens, 1 Chamber, 5 Reference Cards, 5 Villain Guides, Instructions