Game Objective: Save the Multiverse, Hero!

Prepare for an epic adventure! In Sentinels of the Multiverse, you and your friends take on the roles of powerful comic book heroes from Sentinel Comics, joining forces to face nefarious villains threatening the multiverse. This is a cooperative game, which means you win or lose together!

Your team of heroes' main objective is simple, yet challenging: reduce the villain's Hit Points (HP) to zero. If you succeed, victory is yours! But beware, if all heroes are incapacitated, evil triumphs, and you'll have to regroup to fight another day.

Preparation (Setup): Setting Up the Battlefield

Let's set up the table and prepare the stage for battle! Follow these steps to begin your journey:

1. Choose Your Hero: Each player chooses a Hero. Take the corresponding Hero Character Card and Hero Deck (40 cards with the same back) and place them in your play area. The number in the upper left corner of your Hero Character Card indicates your starting HP.
2. Select the Villain and Environment: Together, choose a Villain and an Environment. Place the Villain Deck (25 cards with the same back) and the Villain Character Cards in the villain's play area. The number in the upper right corner of the Villain Character Card shows the villain's starting HP. The Environment Deck (15 cards with the same back) goes into the environment's play area.
3. Villain Rules: Follow the "Setup" instructions described on the Villain Character Card. These may add elements or modify the initial setup.
4. Draw Your Starting Hands: Each player draws 4 cards from the top of their Hero Deck. These are your initial cards in hand!
5. Prepare the Tokens: Use the round tokens to track the HP of heroes, villains, and environment targets. The rectangular tokens are for tracking damage modifiers and other effects. If you prefer, you can use dice, paper, and pen!

Remember: there is no limit to the number of cards you can have in play or in your hand. And if a deck (hero, villain, or environment) runs out, simply shuffle the cards from the corresponding discard pile to form a new deck!

The Game Turn: Action and Reaction in the Multiverse

The game unfolds in rounds, and each round follows a fixed sequence of turns:

1. Villain Turn
2. Hero Turns (clockwise, starting from the villain)
3. Environment Turn

This order repeats until a victory or defeat condition is met. Let's detail each turn:

Villain Turn

The villain acts first, always causing trouble for the heroes! This turn has three phases:

• Start: Resolve all effects from cards in play that indicate "Start of Villain Turn".
• Action: Reveal and play the top card of the Villain Deck, resolving its effects.
• End: Resolve all effects from cards in play that indicate "End of Villain Turn".

Hero Turns

Now it's your turn, heroes! Each player, in clockwise order, takes their turn. The Hero Turn has five phases, and all are optional:

• Start: Resolve effects from cards in play that indicate "Start of This Hero's Turn".
• Action: You may play one card from your hand. Cards can be of several types:
  • One-Shot: Resolved immediately and discarded.
  • Ongoing: Remains in play, altering the rules.
  • Equipment: Remains in play, like ongoing cards.
  • Limited: Only one copy of each limited card can be in play at the same time.
• Power: You may use one Power from one of your cards in play. This includes your Innate Power (on your Hero Character Card). Remember: each power can only be used once per turn, even if you can use multiple powers!
• Draw: You may draw one card from the top of your Hero Deck.
  • Additional Draw: If you decide not to play any cards and not to use any powers during your turn, you may draw an additional card (totaling two cards) in this phase!
• End: Resolve effects from cards in play that indicate "End of This Hero's Turn".

Passing the Turn: If you pass your turn for any reason, you forgo all phases and cannot draw any cards.

Environment Turn

The battle environment also has a life of its own, adding more challenges or, perhaps, a little help!

• Start: Resolve effects from cards in play that indicate "Start of Environment Turn".
• Action: Reveal and play the top card of the Environment Deck, resolving its effects.
• End: Resolve effects from cards in play that indicate "End of Environment Turn".

Damage and Hit Points (HP)

The essence of battle! HP are your Hit Points. When a card "deals damage" to another, the attacked card's HP decreases. Any card with an HP value is a target.

• When a target's HP (except Hero Character Cards and Villains) is reduced to zero or less, it is destroyed and goes to the appropriate Discard Pile.
• If a Villain Character Card's HP reaches zero or less, the villain is defeated, and the players win!
• If a Hero's HP reaches zero or less, they are incapacitated. All their other cards are removed from play, and their Hero Character Card is flipped to its "Incapacitated" side. An incapacitated hero does not regain HP but can use one of their three incapacitation abilities during their turn.
• Damage has types (Melee, Energy, Fire, etc.), which may be relevant for certain abilities. Damage can be irreducible (cannot be reduced, but can be increased or redirected) or a target can be immune (does not take damage).
• Cards can allow targets to regain HP, but a target can never have more HP than its Maximum HP.

Conflict Resolution and Nemeses

• If multiple effects occur simultaneously, they are resolved in the order in which the cards causing them entered play.
• In ambiguous situations (multiple targets with the same HP, etc.), players decide the targets and the order of resolution.
• Nemeses: Some heroes and villains are nemeses (indicated by the hero icon on the Villain Character Card). When a nemesis deals damage to their respective nemesis, that damage is increased by +1!

End of Game and Scoring: The Fate of the Multiverse

The game proceeds round after round until one of these conditions is met:

• Hero Victory: The Villain Character Card's HP is reduced to zero or less. Congratulations, you saved the day!
• Hero Defeat: All Heroes are incapacitated. The villain triumphed, and the multiverse is in danger... for now!

There is no scoring in the traditional sense; victory is what matters!

Tips for Winning: Hero Strategies

To become a true Sentinel of the Multiverse, consider these tips:

1. Communication is Key: As a cooperative game, discussing strategies with your fellow heroes is fundamental. Who attacks what? Who protects whom? Teamwork is your greatest weapon!
2. Hand and Power Management: Keep an eye on your hand and the cards in play. Remember that you can draw an additional card if you don't play any cards and don't use any powers on your turn. Sometimes, "passing" to draw more cards can be a strategic move to prepare for a massive attack on the next turn.
3. Know Your Villain and Environment: Each villain and environment has its own rules and tricks. Pay attention to the "Start of Turn" and "End of Turn" instructions on the villain and environment cards, as they dictate much of the challenges you will face. Adapting your strategy to them is crucial for victory!

Now that you know how to play, gather your team, choose your heroes, and prepare for the most epic battle in the multiverse! Onward, heroes!