How to Play Hero Realms

Game Objective

Welcome to Thandar, a vibrant metropolis where trade flourishes, but peace is an illusion! In Hero Realms, you take on the role of powerful heroes, merchants, or even villains, fighting for control and wealth in this chaotic city-state. The objective is simple, yet challenging: be the last player standing!

Each player starts with 50 Health. As the game progresses, you will use your cards to generate Combat and attack opponents. When a player's Health reaches zero or less, they are eliminated. The last one to survive the frantic battle of Thandar is the grand winner!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's set up the table and prepare the battlefield for your adventures in Thandar:

1. Market Deck: Shuffle the Market Deck and place it face down on the table.
2. The Market: Reveal the top five cards from the Market Deck and place them face up in a row next to the deck. This is your display of opportunities: the Market!
3. Fire Gems: Next to the last card of the Market, place the 16 Fire Gem cards in a single pile, face up. They are a valuable resource!
4. Sacrifice Pile: Leave an empty space near the Market Deck for the Sacrifice Pile. Some cards will end up here.
5. Personal Decks: Each player receives a starting Personal Deck containing:
   • 1 Shortsword
   • 1 Dagger
   • 1 Ruby
   • 7 Gold
   Shuffle your Personal Deck and place it face down in front of you. Leave space next to it for your Discard Pile.
6. Health Tracking: We suggest using paper and pen to track Health, but the game also comes with Health tracking cards for your convenience. Each player starts with 50 Health.
7. First Player: Randomly determine who will be the first player.
   • The first player draws three cards from their Personal Deck.
   • The second player (and others in games with 3+ players, except in Free-for-All format where the second player draws 4 and the others 5) draws five cards from their Personal Deck.

The Game Turn

Players take turns, proceeding clockwise. Each turn is divided into three crucial phases:

1. Main Phase

This is the phase where the magic happens! You can perform any of the following actions, in any order, as many times as you can, at any time during your Main Phase:

• Play a card from your hand: Simply place the card face up on the table in front of you. There are three types of cards: Actions, Items, and Champions.
  • Actions and Items: The primary ability happens immediately. If they have Ally or Sacrifice abilities, you can use them at any time in this phase, if you meet the requirements. They remain in play until the Discard Phase.
  • Champions: Unlike Actions and Items, Champions remain in play until they are Stunned or Sacrificed. They enter play in the upright position (prepared). Many have an Expend ability (). To use it, turn the card sideways (expended) to gain the effect.
    • Each Champion has a Defense number (in a shield) that indicates the damage needed to Stun it in a single turn. Damage does not accumulate between turns.
    • Some Champions are Guards (). As long as you have a prepared Guard in play, you and your other Champions cannot be attacked or targeted by an opponent until all your Guards are Stunned.
• Use abilities:
  • Primary Abilities: From Items or Actions are used immediately upon being played.
  • Expend Abilities (): Turn the card sideways to use. Can be used at any time in the Main Phase, including the turn the card was played.
  • Ally Abilities (): Activated when you have another card of the same faction in play. Order does not matter; as soon as you have two or more cards of the same faction, you can activate all relevant Ally abilities. Each can be used once per turn.
  • Sacrifice Abilities (): Represent a powerful one-time use. When a card is sacrificed, it goes to the Sacrifice Pile. If a Fire Gem goes to the Sacrifice Pile, it returns to the Fire Gem pile.
• Use Gold to acquire new cards from the Market:
  • The Gold () you generate goes into a Gold Pool.
  • The cost of a card is in the upper right corner. To acquire, subtract the Gold from your Gold Pool and place the card in your Discard Pile.
  • Fill the empty space in the Market with the next card from the Market Deck.
  • Acquiring a card does not count as playing it, so it does not enter play and its abilities are not used.
• Use Combat to attack an opponent and/or their Champions:
  • The Combat () you generate goes into a Combat Pool.
  • You can make any number of attacks during your Main Phase.
  • Attack a Champion: Subtract Combat from your Combat Pool. If the damage is equal to or greater than the Champion's Defense this turn, stun it and place it in its owner's Discard Pile.
  • Attack an Opponent: Subtract Combat from your Combat Pool and reduce your opponent's Health.
  • Important: If your opponent has a prepared Guard in play, you cannot attack them or their non-guard Champions until all Guards are Stunned.

2. Discard Phase

It's time to clear the table and prepare for the next turn:

• You lose any remaining Gold in your Gold Pool.
• You lose any remaining Combat in your Combat Pool.
• Place all Items and Actions in play into your Discard Pile.
• Place any remaining cards in your hand into your Discard Pile.
• Prepare all your Champions (turn them to the upright position).

3. Draw Phase

The final phase of your turn, where you restock:

• You draw five cards from your Personal Deck.
• If your Personal Deck is empty and you need to draw or reveal cards, shuffle your Discard Pile to form a new Personal Deck.
• After drawing the five cards, your turn ends.

End of Game and Scoring

The game of Hero Realms is a race to elimination! The victory condition is simple:

• When a player's Health is reduced to zero or less, they are defeated and leave the game.
• The game continues until only one player remains.
• The last player standing is the winner!

Multiplayer Formats (Additional Rules)

Hero Realms offers various ways to play. Standard rules apply, unless specified:

• Free-for-All (2+ players): The standard. The last player standing wins. In games with 3+ players, the first player draws 3 cards, the second 4, and the rest 5.
• Hunter - First Blood (3+ players): Each player can only attack the player to their left and the champions of the players to their left and right. The first player draws 3, the second 4, the rest 5. The game ends when a player is eliminated; the player to their right wins!
• Hunter - Last Standing (3+ players): Same as "First Blood", but the game continues after an elimination. The person to the right of the eliminated player gains 10 health and draws a card. The last one standing wins.
• Hydra (4 players, 2 per team): Each team starts with 75 shared health. Each player has their own deck, hand, discard. Teams play simultaneously. Gold and Combat are individual, but can be combined to stun champions or acquire cards. Guards protect the team. The team with zero health is defeated.
• Emperor (6 players, requires 2 copies or Character Packs): Two teams of three. Each team chooses an Emperor (60 health) and two Commanders (50 health). Commanders only attack the enemy Commander in front. Emperors can attack any player/champion. Defeated Commanders can move a card to the Emperor's discard. When an Emperor is defeated, their team loses!

Tips for Winning

To become a master in Thandar, here are some essential tips:

1. Build your Deck Wisely: Initially, you will have many Gold cards. Use them to acquire more powerful cards from the Market that generate Combat, more Gold, or Health abilities. Think about synergies between factions to activate powerful Ally abilities!
2. Prioritize Targets: If your opponent has a Guard in play, you must take it down first to be able to attack them directly or other Champions. Evaluate whether it's worth spending Combat to eliminate a Champion that is hindering you or if it's better to focus on direct damage to the opponent.
3. Manage your Resources: Remember that unused Gold and Combat in your Main Phase are lost in the Discard Phase. Try to use everything you generate! Plan your purchases and attacks to maximize the use of your resources each turn.