WINNING THE GAME

The first Player to reach 5 VP immediately wins the game.

BASIC CONCEPTS

The First Rule

If the effect of a card directly conflicts with one or more rules in this document, the text on the card takes precedence.

Enemies and Allies

Miniatures represent great warriors from Fabulosa’s turbulent history, and are referred to as Champions. Champions under your opponent’s control are referred to as Enemies. Your own Champions are called Allies. Note that when a Champion’s card effect refers to Allies or an Ally, it does not include the Champion to whom the card belongs.

Objective of the Game

Victory Points (VPs) represent the favour of the crowd, that will decide the victor in the Brawl. The first player to score 5 VPs wins immediately. This is done by taking Enemy Champions out of action, and by completing challenges on the Challenge Track.

The Three Cores of Magic

All magic, and indeed all energy in Fabulosa, is intrinsically tied to one of the three Cores of Magic: Destruction (red), Creation (yellow), or Manipulation (blue). Whenever a player uses any type of Action, they exhaust (flip over) their connection to one of these Cores, and must wait until the end of their turn until they are ready to be used again.

Towards and Away

When an effect instructs a Champion to move towards a game element, the moving Champion must end its move with fewer hexes between it and the game element it is moving towards than it did before starting the move, if possible. If this is not possible, the Champion will not move. When an effect instructs a Champion to move away from a game element, the moving Champion must end its move with more hexes between it and the game element it is moving away from than they were before starting the move. If this is not possible, the Champion will not move.

Strength and Damage

Some cards and effects will deal damage, whilst others will state the strength of the attack. Strength is always reduced by the defence of the target, whilst damage is applied directly to the target, ignoring any defence.

Resolving a card

When resolving a card, if a card cannot be fully resolved, forfeit the part that cannot be resolved.

Targeting

Unless a card says otherwise, Champions can only target Enemy Champions. Area of Effect (AoE) attacks that include an Enemy Champion in the AoE fulfil this condition, even if an Ally is also in the AoE. Open and Hidden Information Each player’s hand is hidden information, and should not be shared with another player unless a game effect instructs a player to do so. When a card effect asks a player to show something, all players may see the revealed information. Each player’s discard pile is open information. Players can ask to see their opponent’s discard pile at any time. Both sides of any Champion cards are also open information, and a player can ask to see either side of a Champion card at any time. When a card effect asks a player to look at something, only that player may see the revealed information.

Drawing Cards

If a player is instructed to draw cards from an empty deck, they shuffle their discard pile to form a new draw deck.

GAME ROUND

Each round consists of three steps: First player’s turn, Second player’s turn, and Advance Challenge Track. ON A TURN, PLAYERS CARRY OUT THE FOLLOWING PHASES IN ORDER:

Scoreboard Phase

The active player checks to see if they meet the conditions of any active Challenge cards. If they do, they gain the appropriate number of VPs, and discard that Challenge. Skip this Phase on the first round.

Activation Phase

Players exhaust Cores to play Action cards from their hand and activate their Champions. Upkeep Phase. The active player readies each of their Cores, discards their hand and draws a new hand of 5 cards.

Upkeep Phase

Players ready each of their Cores, discard their hand and draw a new hand of 5 cards.

PRE-ATTACK AND POST-ATTACK

Pre-attack and post-attack abilities are effects that take place when an attack card with either symbol is played. Both abilities are mandatory. If a card instructs a player to resolve a or ability, then it must be fully resolved before moving on to the next step of the attack. The key difference between the two is that a player may play a card with a ability, and then choose not to attack, whereas a ability is only ever resolved after an attack is made. Note that these abilities can be part of a reaction card. Note that many keywords have numerical values, so can be legally resolved by choosing 0, effectively cancelling the effect. Every Action card with the attack icon in the upper left corner of the card is an attack card. To resolve an attack, follow these steps:

1. Use as much of the card’s movement as you choose.
2. Resolve any abilities.
3. Choose if you will use the attack. If you choose not to make the attack, the activation ends immediately. Otherwise, continue to step 4.
4. Declare target(s).
5. Opponent chooses whether to play Reactions.
6. The target’s defence value is subtracted from the current strength value of the attack.
7. Resolve attack damage.
8. Resolve abilities from Reactions.
9. Resolve abilities from the attack card.
10. Declare target(s)

Check the range and targeting icons to determine which targeting rules apply for the attack. Some attacks have a minimum range, and any Enemy closer than that range is not an eligible target.

ACTION CARD ANATOMY

The dark grey hex in the targeting box marks the relative position of the attacking Champion to the targeted hex(es), marked on the card in yellow. Melee Attack A melee attack targets a single adjacent Enemy.

Indirect Shot

An indirect shot targets a single Enemy. The targeting value shows the maximum range of the Action. When one figure is specified the targeting value shows the maximum range of the Action. When two figures are indicated, the first specifies the minimum and the second the maximum range of the Action. To define range, count the smallest possible number of hexes to the target, including the target’s hex but not the activating Champion’s hex. Indirect shots can target Champions through Statues and other Champions.

Direct Shot

A direct shot works like an indirect shot with some extra restrictions. Direct shots may only target Enemies on hexes in the same row of hexes as the attacking Champion. Additionally, direct shots cannot target Champions if there are any Statues, or other Champions (Enemy or Ally) in that hex row between the activating Champion and target.

Area of Effect (AoE)

An AoE attack affects all Champions in the yellow marked hexes shown in the targeting icon of the Action card (including Allies). The player playing the Action chooses the exact orientation of the AoE.

Reactions are played

After targets are declared, the controller of an Enemy target Champion may play one Reaction card on any of their Champions targeted. The Core of the Reaction card must be exhausted as normal. Only one Reaction may be played per attack (see Reactions, page 11). The target’s defence value is subtracted from the current strength value All Champions have a defence value. Even if a Champion’s printed defence value is 0, it can still be modified by card effects. During this step, the current defence value of the defender is subtracted from the current strength value of the attack. Remember to include any modifiers to strength and defence values in this step. Defence values are always applied to every attack made against the Champion, unless reduced or bypassed by a card effect. The end sum of this is the attack damage.

Resolve attack damage

The attack damage is dealt to all targets of the attack. Place on the Champion card damage tokens equal to the damage the Champion is dealt. Keywords that affect damage such as Poison, Double, and Lifesteal are resolved in this step (see page 15).

Standard Actions

In addition to using their hand of Action cards, players may also activate Champions using the Standard Actions shown on the player dashboard. These Actions are intentionally weaker than Action cards, but they offer some options when a player does not draw the Cores and/or cards of Champions they need. Each Standard Action may only be used once per Activation Phase.

1. Spend the Manipulation (blue) Core to Move 1 and Plan 1 (see Plan, page 16).
2. Spend the Creation (yellow) Core to Move 1 and Heal 1 (see Heal, page 15).
3. Spend the Destruction (red) Core to Move 1 and Deal 1 damage to an adjacent Enemy. This damage ignores defence.
4. Spend 1 Core, Manipulation or Creation or Destruction, to Move 2.

Reactions

During an opponent’s turn, players can react to their opponent’s attacks by playing Reaction cards. Reactions may only be played during the opponent’s turn and only when at least one of that player’s Champions is targeted by an opponent’s attack action.

ADVANCE CHALLENGE TRACK

At the end of each game round (after all players have taken a turn), all Challenge cards move one space to the right, and a new Challenge card is drawn. This is placed in the Cannot Be Scored space. Challenges moving right from the rightmost space are discarded (move them to the Challenge discard pile). If at any point your Challenge card deck empties, shuffle the discard pile to form a new Challenge deck.

OUT OF ACTION

A Champion is taken out of action as soon as they suffer an amount of damage equal to or greater than their hitpoint value (as printed on their Champion card). If during their activation a Champion takes an Enemy out of action, the attacking Champion’s player gains 1 VP, and the attacking Champion Levels Up. The out of action Champion is teleported by the wizards out of harm’s way and is healed. All damage is removed from the Champion, and if they had Levelled Up, flip their Champion card back over to the basic side. The out of action Champion is then placed on their team’s Gate until they are activated again. Whilst Champions are on the Gate, they cannot be affected by card effects, can never be targeted by Actions or attacks, and cannot target Champions on the hex grid. To activate an out of action Champion, the player must use an Action with to move that Champion back into the arena. The first hex of movement must be spent moving the Champion onto one of their team’s deployment area hexes. Out of action Champions may not be activated using Action cards without . Once in the arena, they may use any remaining movement to move further, and complete the Action. If during their activation a Champion takes themselves or an Ally out of action, their opponent gains 1 VP. If a card takes a Champion from each team out of action simultaneously, both players gain 1VP and Level Up the appropriate Champions. If this would end the game in a draw (due to both players now being tied with 5 or more VPs), the player who didn’t play the card wins.

LEVELING UP

When an Enemy is taken out of action, the Champion currently being activated will Level Up after the Action is fully resolved. Flip that Champion card, and move any damage tokens to the Levelled Up side. The Champion uses the stats and effects of the Levelled Up side until they are taken out of action. If the Champion was already Levelled Up before the knock out, then nothing happens. Please note that Level Up effects are always active.

TRAPS

Some hexes contain trap tokens. Traps are always placed face down. A trap will trigger as soon as a Champion enters the hex in which it is placed. It doesn’t matter if the Champion deliberately moved there or was pushed, pulled, or otherwise displaced onto that hex. The player controlling the Champion that activated the trap flips the trap token and applies the effect to the Champion. The Champion may then complete any remaining movement they have available, unless prevented from doing so by the trap effect. There should always be 4 trap tokens on the map. As soon as a trap is triggered and its effects applied, the player whose Champion triggered the trap takes a new trap token from the supply. Without looking at it, the player places it face down on a different empty trap hex, then shuffles the old trap back into the trap supply. If all trap hexes are blocked by Champions and/or traps, the trap token may be placed anywhere adjacent to a trap hex that is not blocked by a Champion or Statue. In addition to the trap hexes on the board, any hex that currently contains a trap is considered a trap hex. If the trap was triggered because of a card effect (for example when a Champion uses an attack that pushes the defender into a trap), the damage is considered to be caused by the source of that effect. This may result in Levelling Up Champions as normal.

Trap Effects

The Champion suffers the amount of damage indicated on the trap token. Remember, this damage ignores the defence value. The Champion suffers Root. The Champion suffers Stun.

DISPLACEMENT AND ROOT

Fear, Force, Pull, and Push are all considered displacement effects. Effects that negate displacement effects will negate any damage those effects would cause. It is important to note that while Root means a Champion cannot be moved, it does not negate movement. As the target cannot move, any Push or Pull distance will cause as normal. Fear and Force cannot move a Champion suffering root, but do not cause, as neither keyword usually causes damage for failing to complete the movement.

HEXES & HEX ROWS

The arena board is made up of a series of hexes. A continuous line of hexes is called a hex row.

Example:
Gold’arr makes a Dash 2. He can move along any of the hex rows shown, but cannot move out of the hex row due as the Dash keyword states he must remain in the same hex row.

Keywords

Bloodied: A Champion is considered Bloodied when they have half of their hitpoints or fewer remaining (rounding up). For example, a 7 hitpoint Champion would be bloodied when reduced to 4 hitpoints.

Control: A player is considered to control an area when they have more Champions in that area than their opponent.

Dash X: A dash is a straight-line movement where the dashing Champion must stay in the same hex row of the hex grid.

Double: After completing the resolve attack damage step of this attack, resolve this step a second time.

Fear X: If an action or reaction applies fear, the Champion who suffered the fear effect must dash X in a direction of their choice, as long as it is away from the source of the fear. When a Champion is affected by fear, the Champion must move the maximum dashvalue they possibly can.

Force X: The player who played the card with the force effect may move the target up to X hexes in any direction.

Jump X: Jump is a type of movement that allows the Champion to move up to X hexes, and move through hexes containing Enemy Champions, statues, and traps without activating them. If the Champion ends the movement on a trap token, the trap is activated.

Lifesteal: During the resolve attack damage step of this attack, the attacking Champion is healed for an amount equal to the attack damage.

Poison X: During the resolve attack damage step of this attack, if damage was dealt, deal X to the target.

Place: When a Champion or game element would be placed, it is removed from its original location, and put in a new location, as described by the effect causing the place.

Plan X: The controlling player may put up to X cards from their hand onto the top of their deck.

Pull X: Target Champions are pulled directly towards the Champion causing the pull in a straight line. They must stay in the same row of hexes. The activating Champion must pull the target the full distance. The target will stop before entering a hex with a Champion (Ally or Enemy), a statue, or the edge of the arena, and will activate traps if they are pulled over or onto them. If a Champion cannot be pulled the full distance for any reason, they suffer damage equal to the remaining distance. If the target is not in the same hex row as the attacking Champion when the pull is resolved, the pull is ignored.

Push: Target Champions are pushed directly away from the Champion causing the push in a straight line. They must stay in the same row of hexes. The activating Champion must push the target the full distance. The target will stop before entering a hex with a Champion (Ally or Enemy), a statue, or the edge of the arena, and will activate traps if they are pushed over or onto them. If a Champion cannot be pushed the full distance for any reason, they suffer damage equal to the remaining distance. If the target is not in the same hex row as the attacking Champion when the push is resolved, the push is ignored.

Root: A rooted Champion instantly loses any remaining movement points of the current action, and may not move, dash, swoop, or jump again during this turn. The Champion may attack and use skills normally. A Champion suffering root cannot be moved for the duration of the turn, but can be placed.

Stun: When a Champion suffers stun, its controller must choose and discard a card of that Champion from their hand, or reveal a hand showing no cards of that Champion.

Swoop X: A swoop is a straight-line movement where the swooping Champion must stay in the same hex row. A swooping Champion may move through Enemies, statues, and traps without activating them. Traps do still activate if the Champion ends the swoop on a trap token.