Trash War
Trash War Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Toppling Wall Cards
If a wall card takes 4 points of trash damage, it is destroyed and must be turned over. If a player is forced to turn over all three of his wall cards, his fortress has been razed and he is eliminated from the game.
The Cards
Defense Cards
Players may use any of the following cards during the defense phase (phase 1).
Mace Card
Play a mace card during the Defense Phase (phase 1) of your turn just before trash hits your wall. Each mace card designates where you may send incoming trash. You can bat incoming trash toward the player on your right or left. You may bat trash back to the player who sent it your way. You may even bat trash at any player's fortress wall. Read the Mace Card as you play it to see where outgoing trash will land.
Card text: "Bat incoming Trash Cards back at any Wall Card belonging to the attacking opponent."
If you use a Mace Card, your turn is over. Skip your remaining turn phases. Game play transfers to the defending player.
You may NOT use a burn card to burn trash after using a mace card.
Immediately discard Mace cards into the appropriate discard pile (discarding rules covered later) after playing them.
Deflect Card
Sometimes it's not about the amount of damage, but where you take the hit. As incoming trash threatens the security of your fortress, sometimes all you can do is direct it to stronger ramparts in your fortress walls.
You may use a Deflect Card to override your opponent's aim and direct incoming trash to one of your Wall Cards of your choice. Sure, you have to take the hit, but at least you can choose where the damage lands.
Card text: "Direct an incoming Trash Card to your Wall Card of your choice. You have to take the hit. But at least you can choose where you will take the damage."
Immediately discard Deflect cards to the appropriate discard pile (discarding rules covered later) after playing them.
Shield Cards
The best offense is often a strong defense. As trash hurls through the air toward your fortress, it's time to put up your shields.
You may play a shield card to block incoming trash. But be warned: trash artillery comes in different strengths. To block incoming trash with a shield card, the shield card's defense value must meet or exceed the damage value of an incoming trash card.
You can use a shield card with a defense value of 3 to block a trash card with a damage value of 3, 2, or 1. However, a shield card with a defense value of 2 cannot block a trash card with a damage value of 3. Immediately discard Shield cards to the appropriate discard pile (discarding rules covered later) after playing them.
Card text, Mighty Shield: "Stop any incoming Trash Card of a damage level of 2 or less hitting your walls."
Card text, Boom Box: "Attack any enemy wall (attacker's choice) with a trash damage of 1."
Card callout: "Defense value meets or exceeds incoming trash attack value. Attack is successfully blocked."
Wall Cards
At the beginning of the game, each player builds her fortress by placing 3 wall cards face up on the table in front of her. If a wall card suffers 4 or more trash damage points, it is destroyed. Turn it face down. Destroyed walls may be repaired using Repair Cards during the Burn and Repair phase of a turn.
Card text: "Destroy this Wall Card (turn it over) if it suffers 4 or more points of damage."
Trash Cards
Trash, the chosen ammunition of honorable knights, is used to destroy enemy fortress walls. Attack opponents by placing Trash Cards on enemy fortress walls. Attacking players choose which specific Wall Card to attack. Each Trash Card is marked with a damage value. If a Wall Card suffers 4 or more accumulated trash damage points, that wall is destroyed (turned over).
Card text, Moldy Sardines: "Attack any enemy wall (attacker's choice) with a trash damage of 1."
Catapult Cards
Players may use a Catapult Card to launch up to 3 Trash Cards with any damage value(s) at any single Wall Card. All Trash Cards must be directed at the same wall card (attacker's choice).
Card text: "Use the catapult to launch any 3 Trash Cards with any attack values at any single opponent. All Trash Cards must be directed at the same wall card (attacker's choice)."
Defending players may either use a Mace Card to bat all Trash Cards at once from a catapult attack at another player's Wall Card or use Deflect and Shield Cards (in any combination, up to 1 for each incoming Trash Card) to defend against incoming Trash Cards individually.
Players may not use both a Mace Card and Shield/Deflect cards to defend against Catapult attacks.
Immediately discard catapult cards to the appropriate discard pile (discarding rules covered later) after playing them.
Burn Trash Cards
Strengthen the ramparts by burning away the refuse.
You may use Burn Cards to remove Trash Cards from walls. During the burn or repair phase (phase 2) of your turn, you may use 1 Burn Card to rid your Wall Cards of trash. Burn any Trash Cards whose total damage value is equal to or less than a single Burn Card's burn value.
For example, with a Burn Card that has a burn value of 3, a player may burn 1 Trash Card with a damage value of 3 or 3 Trash Cards with damage values of 1.
You may burn trash from multiple Wall Cards with a single burn card as long as the total damage value of all Trash Cards being burned does not exceed the burn value of the Burn Card used.
Remember, you may not use Burn Cards to burn incoming trash. Burn Cards may only be used during the burn phase (phase 2) of your turn after damage to walls has occurred. This means your wall may be destroyed before you have a chance to burn trash.
You may not use both a Burn Trash and Repair Wall card in the same turn.
Immediately discard Burn cards to the appropriate discard pile (discarding rules covered later) after playing them.
Repair Wall Cards
You may use 1 Repair Wall Card during the Burn or Repair phase (phase 2) of your turn. To repair a wall card, discard a Repair Wall card and turn any destroyed Wall Card in your fortress face up.
Remember, you may not use both a Burn Trash and Repair Wall Card in the same turn.
Repair 1 of your destroyed Wall Cards (your choice) by turning it face up on the table.
Discarding vs. Torching Cards
At the beginning of the game, leave space next to the draw pile for 2 separate discard piles, the recycle discard pile and the torched card pile. As you play cards, depending on the card types, you will place them on one of these two piles then immediately draw your hand back up to 5 cards from the draw pile.
The recycle discard pile may be recycled back into play. Cards that are placed on the torched card pile, depending on the torching phase (explained later), are permanently eliminated from the game.
Recycling the Draw Pile
When the draw pile depletes to 0 cards, shuffle the recycle discard pile and turn it face down. This becomes the new draw pile. This is called recycling the draw pile. Each time the draw pile is recycled, a new torching phase begins. There are 2 torching phases.
Torching Phases
Cards marked with torches in the bottom right corner are eventually eliminated from the game, depending on the torching phase.
The first torching phase starts at the beginning of the game. During game setup, leave space on the table for 2 discard piles, the recycle discard pile and the torched card pile. During the first torching phase, any card played that has 1 torch on the bottom right corner is placed face up on the torched card pile.
Once the draw pile is depleted to 0, recycle the draw pile and remove the torched card pile from the game.
The 2nd torching phase then begins. Cards played that are marked with 2 torches on the bottom right corner are discarded face up onto the torched card pile.
After depleting the draw pile to 0 cards a 2nd time, recycle the draw pile and throw the torched card pile out of the game again.
At this point, all cards marked with torches, except those still in players' hands, have been eliminated from the game. Players may continue to play cards marked with torches from their hands. But rather than discarding them onto the recycle discard pile, toss them out of the game as they are played.
Recycle the draw pile as needed until the game ends.