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Welcome to OverPower, the ultimate super-hero fantasy card game. Everything you need to play your first game, or your one-hundred-and-first game, of OverPower is included right here- all you have to do is read through these updated game rules, find yourself a worthy opponent who also has a deck of OverPower cards, and go to it! Want your own copy of the OverPower rules? Click below to get a MS Word version of them. If you use Stuffit, you can download a SIT file of the same document here.
OverPower is a game that allows the player to simulate combat between super heroes, villains, and other super powered Characters while strategically attempting to complete a mission. For the purpose of these game rules, we refer to all of the above as Characters. We do this for the sake of clarity and because in the comic world, today's villain may be tomorrow's hero (and vice versa!). The objective of OverPower is twofold: Knock out all of your opponent's Characters, or complete all of the pieces of your mission. A player is victorious if either objective is achieved. In addition, if a player is forced to abandon his mission then he must forfeit the game, and his opponent is victorious. (See The Venture.)
Before we begin, let's take a look at the various types of cards used in OverPower. Power Cards: Power cards are the basic unit of attack and defense in OverPower. Each Power card contains two important pieces of information: the Power Type, and the Value. The Power Type is represented by an icon found in the upper left, and lower right corner of the card. The Power Types are as follows:
The Value is represented by a number contained within the icon. Values range from 1 to 8, with 1 being the lowest and 8 being the highest. There are also certain Power cards called MultiPower cards. These function identically to regular Power cards, except that instead of being designated as one specific Power Type, they should be considered wild cards; giving you a choice of Power Type. MultiPower cards may be used as any Power Type indicated on the card, and may be changed to any Power Type indicated on the card at any time during the game. There are also certain Power cards called Any-Power cards. These function identically to regular Power cards, except that they are solely a numerical card, and represent no specific Power Type. Any-Power cards may be played by any Character with the ability to use the Value listed on the card, and may be used along with any Universe card that requires a Power card to use. Character Cards: Character cards represent each of the Characters who will be battling it out in any given game of OverPower. Every OverPower Character is rated in each of the four Power Types. These ratings make up what is called the Character's Power Grid. The Power Grid appears on the right side of the card and consists of four icons (representing the four Power Types), and a Rating for each. This Rating determines what Power Cards may be used by that Character. A Character may only use Power cards with a Value equal to, or less than, their Rating in that Power Type. For example, if a Character had an Energy Rating of 6 on his Power Grid, then that Character could use Energy Power cards Valued 1 through 6, but not 7 or 8. In addition, some Character cards have an Inherent Ability (See Inherent Ability) that allow that particular Character to perform or function in some unique way. Inherent abilities are listed beneath a Character's Power Grid, and have an explanation of what it does printed on the card itself. Some Character cards also have a code on them indicating whether the character appearing on the card is a "Hero" or "Villain". This code is used as an optional rule. (See The OverPower Code Rule.) If you are playing OverPower with the optional rule, and you are using Character cards that do not have a Code, the uncoded Character cards may be used as either a hero or villain at any time during the game. Basic Universe Cards: Basic Universe cards represent various objects and situations that could increase the Character's effectiveness in combat. On every Basic Universe card, the Power Type and Value required for a specific Character to use the card is listed, as well as the bonus it will give the Character that uses it. The Character must have a Rating on his Power Grid of the appropriate Power Type that is equal to or greater than the Value required to use the card. The bonus is applied to the Value of a Power card used in conjunction with the Basic Universe card, not to the Character's Power Grid. For example, "Kryptonite" requires an 8 Energy to use, and gives a +2 Bonus to Energy. This means that a Character must have a Rating of 8 in Energy on his Power Grid in order to use the card. If so, that Character may use "Kryptonite" along with any Energy Power card that he may use (in this case, level 1 through 8); and, in doing so, increase the Value of that Power card by +2. A Basic Universe card may only be used once, and is then discarded. Universe: Training Cards: Universe: Training cards (a.k.a Training cards) represent assistance in areas in which a Character is weak. Training cards are similar to Basic Universe cards, except that they list two different Power Types, and the condition that must be met in order for a Character to use the card is different. Unlike a Basic Universe card, which requires a Character to match the Power Type and meet or exceed the Value listed on the card, a Training card requires that a Character have a Rating of 5 or less in a particular Power Type on his Power Grid that matches one of the Power Types listed on the card. The Character may choose either of the two Power Types on the card, and does not need to have a 5 or less in both Power Types. If the conditions are met, then the Character may use the bonus listing in the Training card. Like a Basic Universe card, the bonus is applied to the Value of a Power card used in conjunction with the Training card, not to the Character's Power Grid. A Training card may only be used once, and is then discarded. Universe: Teamwork Cards: Universe: Teamwork cards (a.k.a Teamwork cards) represent a coordinated attack by two or more of your Characters. Like Basic Universe cards, Teamwork cards have a Power Type and Value required for a specific Character to use the card. The Character must have a Rating on his Power Grid of the appropriate Power Type that is equal to or greater than the Value required to use the card. A Character that does not have at least the required Rating on their Power Grid in the required Power Type may not use the Teamwork card. Instead of giving the Character a bonus, like the Basic Universe card, or the Training card, the Teamwork card acts as an attack of a Power Type and Value listed on the card. In addition, the Teamwork card allows up to two other team members to also make immediate attacks of different Power Types. These additional attack receive the bonuses listed on the Teamwork card. The player does not have to make both of the additional attacks, but must make at least one of them. If the player can not make at least one of the additional attacks, then he or she may not play the Teamwork card. Once a Character initiates a Teamwork attack, and uses the free attack listed on the card, then that Character may no longer make any attacks associated with that Teamwork card (i.e., A Character may not be his own teammate). Therefore, if a player were to have only one Character remaining, he would not be able to use Teamwork cards. Universe: Ally Cards: Universe: Ally cards (a.k.a Ally cards) represent friends, cohorts, and assistants that might help a Character out for a brief moment. Like Basic Universe cards, Ally cards have a Power Type and Value required for a specific Character to use the card. A Character that does not have at least the required Rating on their Power Grid in the required Power Type may not use the Ally card. Like Teamwork cards, Ally cards also act as an attack of a Power Type and Value listed on the card. In addition to the attack, the Ally card requires that one teammate play a Special card. (See Special Cards.) If a teammate can not play a Special card, the Ally card may not be played. Therefore, if a player were to have only one Character remaining, he would not be able to use Ally cards. Tactic: Doubleshot Cards: Doubleshot cards represent two teammates working together to make an attack or defense. Doubleshot cards have a Power Type and Value required for a specific Character to use the card. Doubleshot cards act as a certain level and type Power card for the Character using it. For Tactic: Doubleshots there is a requirement that a teammate must contribute a specified type of Power card to this attack or defense. This "teammate" must have at least the required Rating on the Power Grid in the required Power Type in order to join his Power card to the action. The Power card that is combined with the Tactic card must be of the specific Power Type asked for on the card. Special Cards: Special cards represent the super powers and abilities unique to each individual Character. Each Special card has an explanation of what it does printed on the top of the card itself, as well as a Power Type and Value, if appropriate. In most cases, a Special card may only be played by the Character listed on the card; however, there are some Special cards that may be played by any Character. Certain Special cards are labeled "One Per Deck", meaning that no more than one of that exact card may be used in a player's deck. (See Building Your Deck.) Artifacts: Artifact cards represent various items of cosmic, mystic, or even scientific origin that can permanently affect one of your characters, your entire team, or even the very mechanic of the game! Each Artifact card has a Power Type and Icon listed in the upper left corner of the card that specifies exactly what a Front Line Character needs in order to begin to use the card. For example, a red fist icon with a number 6 in it would indicate that the Front Line Character would need a Fighting of 6 or greater on their Power Grid in order to begin to use that particular Artifact card. However, like all Tactic cards, Artifact cards require two Front Line Characters to use. Just beneath the Icon in the upper left, below the words "And Teammate With" is another Icon and Value. This indicates what Value in which appropriate Power Type that the 2nd Front Line Character must have in order to use the Artifact card. For example, a red fist icon with a number 5, and the words "Or Less" in it would indicate that the Front Line Teammate would need a Fighting of 5 or less on their Power Grid in order to participate in that particular Artifact card. If the player has at least two different Front Line Characters that meet all of the conditions that are required on the card, then the card is considered usable. The 1st Front Line Character would then play the Tactic: Artifact card onto his Front Line Teammate, changing the Teammate or giving the Teammate the ability to do whatever is specifically listed on that Artifact card. Each Artifact card has an explanation of what it does printed on the card. In some cases, the effect of the Artifact is immediate and modifies the Character or the team in some way, for the remainder of the game, or until the Artifact is removed from play. In other cases, the effect of the Artifact is not immediate and must be initiated in some way. In such cases, exactly how and when the game effect of an Artifact card is to be used is printed on the card itself. Remember, the game effect of an Artifact card can not be used while the Artifact card is Placed. An Artifact must be Played onto a Front Line Character in order for the game effect to be used. Aspect Cards:Aspect cards represent unique people, situations, or items of interest for each specific Location. Each Aspect card has an explanation of what it does printed on the top of the card itself, as well as a Power Type and Value, if appropriate. In most cases, an Aspect card may only be played by the Location listed on the card; however, there are some Aspect cards that may be played by "Any Home Base". Certain Aspect cards are labeled "One Per Deck", meaning that no more than one of that exact card may be used in a player's deck. (See Building Your Deck.) Aspect cards may only be played when the Location card listed on the Aspect card is being used as the players Home Base (See Location Cards). If the player is not using the designated Location card as a Home Base, then the Aspect card may not be put in the players deck. An Aspect card may be Placed to the Home Base and played during battle in the same way that a Special card, Power card, Universe card or Tactic card may be Placed to a Character card (See Placing) and with all the same rules regarding duplication and playability. Mission Cards Mission cards represent the various circumstances and adventures undertaken by the Characters while the game is going on. They are used to keep track of who is winning the game and, ultimately, who wins the game. Some Mission cards are Ventured each battle, and are won or lost, depending on the outcome of the battle (See Battlesite).
Before the game begins, each player builds his own customized deck of OverPower cards or plays with a pre-customized Starter Deck. This deck represents all of the options available to a player during the course of the game, and as such it must be compiled wisely. All decks must have four Character cards, and one complete seven-card Mission. Additionally, a player's deck may include any type of card, excluding Mission Cards. While there is no limit to the total number of cards a player may have in his deck, he must have at least 56 cards (51 if you are not playing with Event cards). As stated before, all Event cards, and certain Special cards may indicate that you can only include one of each in your deck, but other than that, you're free to do what you like, and put as many or as few of each card in your deck as you choose. If you are new to OverPower and this is your first starter deck, you won't need to build a deck of your own—we've done it for you! Separate out the Character, Location and Mission cards, and you've got your own playable deck of OverPower. Just give it a good shuffle and you're all set! If you are building your own deck, you'll want to pay attention to the Power Grids of each of the four Characters you're playing with. You should only include Power cards and Universe cards (that includes Training, Teamwork, and Ally cards) with Power Types and Values that are usable by at least one of your Characters. And, of course, you'll want to include only the Special cards that are usable by the Characters on your team, or those that are usable by Any Character. Before you try and build your own deck, we suggest that you read the rest of this rule booklet, and get a feel for what you'll want in your deck by playing a few games with the Starter Deck we've assembled for you.
To begin the game, choose three of the four Characters what you wish to enter combat first and put them face-up, side-by-side on the table in front of you. There three Characters are called your Front Line. Your fourth Character is put face-up, directly behind the Front Line. The fourth Character is called your Reserve. (See Figure 1.) Next, take the Location card that you will be using as your Home Base and put it face up directly behind the Reserve Character (See Home Base) If you are using a Location card: take the Location card you will be using as your Battlesite and put it face up directly beside, and to the right, of your Front Line (See Battlesite). Finally, take any Special cards that are going to be used at your Battlesite and put them face down, beneath your Battlesite (See Attack Your Opponent With, or Play, an Activator card). Note: Location cards are optional. It is not a required you have a Home Base, Battlesite - or both - in your deck. Next, each player's deck is thoroughly shuffled and put face-down to the left of the Front Line Characters. This is called the Draw Pile. As cards from the Draw Pile are used, they will be discarded into one of three different piles. Power cards that are still usable by your team of Characters are discarded into the Power Pack, located directly above the Draw Pile. Special cards, all types of Universe cards, Activator cards and Power cards that are no longer usable by your team of Characters are discarded into the Dead Pile, located to the left of the Power Pack. Character cards that are knocked out of the game, Event cards, Specials used in conjunction with the Battlesite and any other cards that are permanently removed from the game, are discarded into the Defeated Characters Pile, located to the left of the Draw Pile. At the beginning of the game, there will be no cards in the Power Pack, the Dead Pile, or the Defeated Characters Pile. Your complete seven-card Mission is put face-up to the right of the Front Line Characters. This is called the Reserve Missions Pile. As the game progresses, Mission cards may be won or lost. Mission cards that are won move into the Completed Missions Pile, located directly above the Reserve Missions Pile. Mission cards that are lost move into the Defeated Missions Pile, located directly beneath the Reserve Missions Pile. At the beginning of the game, all Mission cards will be in the Reserve Missions Pile. (See The Venture.) Players should be face-to-face, across from each other, so that each of them is set up as described above. Who Goes First? The very first thing both players should do is determine who will go first in the first battle. This is best done by cutting the Draw Pile. Whichever player has the highest Value on the cut card goes first. If a card does not have a Value it is considered zero, for this purpose. If this method is not used, flipping a coin, odd or evens, or any other alternative method will work. Drawing Cards After determining who goes first, each player draws eight cards from the Draw Pile without revealing them to his opponent. These eight cards make up the player's Hand. The Events After drawing a Hand, each player should check to see if he has one or more Event cards. If so, simply announce "I have an Event!". In OverPower, Events take Place before anything else, and set conditions under which the coming battle is to be fought. If a player draws two Events, he must choose one, since each player may only play one Event per battle. Each player plays his Event card face up, next to his Reserve Missions Pile, and immediately redraw one card to replace the Event card just played. After drawing a replacement card, read the Event card; both players must do whatever the Event card says. If both players have an Event, then first resolve the Event played by the player who is going first, then resolve the Event played by the player who is going second. If both players play the same Event during the same battle, the Event should not be resolved twice; however, both players should still refill for the played Event. If neither player has an Event, then simply move on to the next step of the game. After the Event, or very possibly because of the Event, both players must now look at their Hands and Discard all duplicate and Unusuable cards. Duplicate and Unusable cards are defined as following:
Remember, if you are playing with the DC OverPower Code Rule (See OverPower Code Rule) then the code must also be considered when discarding.
Where to Discard Once it has been determined what must be discarded, the next question is where to put the discards. As mentioned above, there are a number of Places where the cards are Discarded. All duplicate Power cards are discarded into the Power Pack, which will eventually be reshuffled and used again when the Draw Pile has been depleted. All duplicate Basic Universe cards, Training cards, Teamwork cards, Ally cards, Tactic cards, Aspect cards, Special cards from any of your Front Line or Reserve Characters, Activator cards, and all cards that are Unusable are discarded to the Dead Pile. Cards in the Dead Pile are considered out of play, and can only be replayed under very special circumstances. Event cards and K.O.'d Character, and Special cards that were played from a Battlesite are discarded to the Defeated Characters Pile, and are removed from the game. Cards in the Defeated Characters Pile will never again be used in the game. Each player must show his opponent the faces of all the cards he is discarding. Beginning with the player going first, both players now take turns
Placing cards. Placing a card is taking a card from
your Hand and assigning it to a specific Character to be used later
in the coming battle, or possible in a future battle. To Place a card,
simply take the desired card from your Hand and Place it face up either
on top of, or directly below the Character card. (See Figure
2.) The exact position of the Placed card is up to you, so long
as both players understand which Character the card is Placed to. No
matter which way you decide to Place a card, both players should be
able to see all Placed cards. Each Character may have a maximum of one
Power card, one Universe Card, one Tactic card, and one Special card
Placed on him at any given time. Remember, there are a number of different
types of Universe cards. Unlike cards in your Hand, which are discarded at the end of the battle, the only was to remove a card that has been Placed to a Character is to play it during battle. (See The Battle.) In other words, at the end of the each battle, Placed cards are not discarded with the remainder of both players' Hands. Placed cards remain Placed until they are used. It should be noted that Aspect cards are not Placed to Character cards. An Aspect card may only be Placed to a Home Base. A Home Base may only have one Aspect card Placed to it at any given time. Furthermore, a Home Base may never have any type a card other than an Aspect card Placed to it, and may never have an "Any Home Base" Aspect card Placed to it. With the above exceptions in mind, Aspect cards obey all of the above rules and regulations of Placing. Once both players have finished Placing cards, they must each Venture a number of their Mission cards on the outcome of the current battle. How many cards you wish to Venture depends on how successful you believe you will be with the Hand you are holding and the cards you have Placed, then take into account the cards you have seen your opponent Discard and Place. The player who is going first, must also Venture first. You may Venture up to as many Mission cards as you choose, but you must Venture at least one. Players do not have to Venture the same amount of Mission cards. Be aware, there is a penalty for Venturing more than two Mission cards on a specific battle. If you Venture three Mission cards, your opponent may draw one card from his Draw Pile and add it to his Hand. If you Venture four Mission cards, he may draw two cards from his Draw Pile. For Venturing Five Mission cards, your opponent may draw three cards from his Draw Pile. Upon Venturing six Mission cards, he may draw four cards. If you Venture all seven Mission cards, your opponent may draw five cards from his Draw Pile. There is a downside for your opponent though, as any new cards drawn as a result of a Venture must be discarded if they are duplicates, or Unusable. (See Discarding.) No cards drawn as a result of a Venture may be Placed. To Venture a Mission card, simply take the card or cards you wish to Venture, and put them next to the Pile from which they are being Ventured. As mentioned earlier, in the beginning of the game, all of a player's Mission cards reside in the Reserve Missions Pile; however, later in the game, Mission cards may be divided into the Reserve Missions Pile, the Completed Missions Pile, and the Defeated Missions Pile. Mission cards may be Ventured from either the Reserve Missions Pile, the Completed Missions Pile, or both, but never from the Defeated Missions Pile. You may only Venture Mission cards from the completed Missions Pile if there are Mission cards in the Defeated Missions Pile. After the battle (See The Battle) Ventured Mission cards move up and down between the piles like a ladder, depending on whether the battle was won or lost. Mission cards move as follows:
Therefore, as you win battles, Mission cards move up and as you lose battles, Mission cards move down. As mentioned earlier, one of the two ways to win the game (See The Victory) hinges on the Venture. If you can manage, after a series of battles, to Venture successfully enough so that you have all seven of your Mission cards in the Completed Missions Pile, then you win the game regardless of all other circumstances. Also, if you can force your opponent to abandon his Mission (in other words, force him to have all seven of his Mission cards in the Defeated Missions Pile) you win the game, regardless of all other circumstances. Conceding Before players begin to actually battle each other, each player has the option to Concede. (See Concede.) In OverPower, the game is broken up into a series of battles. Each battle lasts as long as it takes for both players to use the cards in their Hand. Once set-up is complete, the battle begins. Starting with the player who is going first, the players take alternating turns until the battle is ended (See Ending The Battle.) On your turn, you may perform one, and only one, of the following actions:
On your turn, you may play either Placed cards, cards from your Hand or, if more than one card is required, a combination of the two. Placed cards may only be used by the Character on whom they are Placed, but cards played from your Hand may be used by any of your Front Line Characters. Unless otherwise indicated (on a Special card), the Reserve Character may not Attack. Attack Your Opponent With a Power Card —in order for a Character to Attack with a Power card, he must first be able to use it. (See Power Cards, and Character Cards.) To determine whether a Power card is playable by a certain Character, compare the Value of the Power card with the Rating listed under the same Power Type on the Character's Power Grid. If the Value of the Power card is less than or equal to the Rating of that same Power Type on the Character's Power Grid, it may be used. If the Power card has a higher Value than indicated for that Power Type on the Character's Power Grid, it may not be used by that Character. For example, in order to use a Value 7 Fighting Power card, a Character must have a Rating of at least 7 for Fighting listed on his Power Grid. Once a player determines that a Power card may be played by one of his Characters, he must decide which of the opponent's Character he will be attacking. When that choice is made, the attacking player puts the Power card in front of the Character card he wishes to Attack. The opponent may immediately play a card as a Defensive Action, and prevent the Attack from succeeding. (See Defensive Actions.) If the Attack is blocked, the Power card used to Attack is immediately discarded into the Power Pack of the attacking player. Likewise, the card used to block the Attack is discarded into the appropriate pile of the defending player. If the Attack is not blocked, the Attack is considered successful and the Character being attacked has taken a Hit. (See Hits.) Attack your opponent with a Power card together with a Basic Universe card —As above, in order for a Character to make an Attack with a Power card, he must first be able to use it (See Attack your Opponent with a Power card.) As with Power cards, a Character must also be capable of using a Basic Universe card in order to play it. To determine whether a Character can use a specific Basic Universe card, compare the Value and Power Type required to use listed on the Basic Universe card with the Rating of the same Power Type on the Character's Power Grid. In this case, the Character's Rating must be equal to, or greater than the Value on the Basic Universe card. If the Value on the Basic Universe card is higher than the Rating on the Character's Power Grid, he can't use it. Once it is determined that the Character is able to use the Basic Universe card, the Bonus listed on the Basic Universe card (indicated by a +, followed by a Value) is added to the Power card for a single Attack Value. Once a Basic Universe card has been played as an Attack, and your opponent has decided if he can defend it (See Defensive Actions), it is discarded into the attacking player's Dead Pile. If the Attack is successful, only the Power card used with the Basic Universe card remains as a Hit. (See Hits.) Attack your opponent with a Power card together with a Universe: Training card —As above, in order for a Character to make an Attack with a Power card, he must first be able to use it. (See Attack your opponent with a Power card.) The use of Training cards works exactly the same way as a Basic Universe card with one exception. The Training card lists two different requirements to use. The attacking Character may use either one, but not both, of the two. Also, the attacking player need only fulfill one, not both of the requirements. As with Basic Universe cards, once a Training card has been played as an Attack, and your opponent has decided if he can defend it (See Defensive Actions), it is discarded into the attacking player's Dead Pile. If the Attack is successful, only the Power card used with the Training card remains as a Hit. (See Hits.) Attack your opponent with a Universe: Teamwork card, followed by a Power card or cards — To play a Universe: Teamwork card, you must first decide which Character is going to use it. Next, check the Power Type and Value required to use against the Character's Power Grid, just like you would with a Basic Universe card or a Power card. Once a player determines that a Teamwork card may be played by one of his Characters, he must decide which of the opponent's Character he will be attacking. When that choice is made, the attacking player puts the Teamwork card in front of the Character card he wishes to Attack. The opponent may immediately play a card as a Defensive Action, and prevent the Attack from succeeding. (See Defensive Actions.) If the Attack is blocked, the Teamwork card used to Attack is discarded into the Dead Pile of the attacking player. Likewise, the card used to block the Attack is discarded into the appropriate pile of the defending player. If the Attack is not blocked, the Attack is considered successful and the Character being attacked has taken a Hit. (See Hits.) Below the Power Type and Value icon showing what is required to use the Teamwork card you will find two separate Bonuses listed. This means that up to two of the chosen Character's teammates may also make attacks, each teammate using one of the bonuses. A player does not have to make all of the subsequent attacks from a Teamwork card, but must make at least one additional Attack. Each of the subsequent attacks must be make with a Power card from a different Front Line teammate, and each must be of a different Power Type. The subsequent attacks do not have to be made against the same target Character who the initial Attack was made against, and they cannot be combined with any other Universe cards, or Special cards. As usual, attacks by teammates must be made with Power cards that the selected teammates are able to use. If, at any time, one of the attacks made from a Teamwork card is successfully defended, the subsequent attacks may still be attempted, and are not automatically negated. It is important to know that each subsequent attack should be attempted only after the preceding attack has been resolved. In other words, the player using the Teamwork card should wait for his opponent to respond to the current attack (by making a Defensive Action or allowing the attack to Hit) before initiating any subsequent attacks. The player using the Teamwork card should not play the Teamwork card and any Power cards used for subsequent attacks at the same time. Keep in mind: if, following the initial Attack from a Teamwork card, you can not make at least one additional Attack, then the Teamwork card can not be used. Attack your opponent with a Universe: Ally card, followed by a Special card —To play a Universe: Ally card, you must first decide which Character is going to use it. Next, check the Power Type and Value required to use against the Character's Power Grid, just like you would with a Basic Universe card or a Power card. Once a player determines that an Ally card may be played by one of his Characters, he must decide which of the opponent's Characters he will be attacking. When that choice is made, the attacking player puts the Ally card in front of the Character card he wishes to Attack. The opponent may immediately play a card as a Defensive Action, and prevent the Attack from succeeding. (See Defensive Actions.) If the Attack is blocked, the Ally card used to Attack is immediately discarded into the Dead Pile of the attacking player. Likewise, the card used to block the Attack is discarded into the appropriate pile of the defending player. If the Attack is not blocked, the attack is considered successful and the Character being attacked has taken a Hit. (See Hits.) Similar to Teamwork Cards, Universe: Ally cards require a teammate of the Character that made the initial Attack to follow up with an action of his own. In the case of the Ally card, the follow up action may be, but does not have to be an Attack. The only conditions for the follow up action are that the action be made by a Front Line teammate of the Character that played the Ally card, and that the action be made with a Special card. This Special card must be played, regardless of whether the initial Attack succeeds. In many cases, Special cards allow for additional attacks, or additional actions. If such a Special card is used to follow an Ally card, then all of the rules for playing that particular Special still apply. Attack your opponent with a Tactic: Doubleshot card —To play a Tactic: Doubleshot card, you must decide which Character is going to use it. Next, check the Power Type and Value required to use against the Character's Power Grid. Once it is determined that the Tactic may be played by that Character, you must now check to see if a teammate meets the secondary contributing requirement on the card. If this is okay, you now must check in your Hand to see if you have the correct Power card type and level which will be joined with the Tactic: Doubleshot. If this is all okay, the Tactic: Doubleshot may be made against an opponent's Character. The attack is coming from the Character playing the card. Attack your opponent with, or play a Special or Aspect Card —A Special or Aspect card may only be played by the Character or Home Base listed on the card. In the case of Special cards and Aspect cards, and only for Special cards and Aspect Cards, any Power Type and Value that might appear on the card does not need to be compared to the Character's Power Grid. A Special card may be played by the Character listed on the Special regardless of what appears on the card. An Aspect card may be played by the Home Base regardless of the specific team used from that Home Base. Some Special and Aspect cards can only be used to Attack, and some only to defend. The card itself will explain the effect of the card and whether that card should be played during your turn, or as a Defensive Action (See Defensive Actions.) Special cards and Aspect cards that act as attacks usually have a Power Type and Value listed on the card; however, there are also some cards that act as attacks that do not have a Power Type or Value. If a Special card or Aspect affects any of your opponent's Characters or your opponent's team of Characters, even if it does no damage, it is considered an Attack. To Attack with a Special card or Aspect Card, the attacking player must decide which of the opponent's Characters he will be attacking. When that choice is made, the attacking player puts the card in front of the Character card he wishes to Attack. The opponent may immediately play a card as a Defensive Action and prevent the Attack from succeeding. (See Defensive Actions.) If the Attack is blocked, the Special card or Aspect card used to Attack is immediately discarded into the Dead Pile of the attacking player. Likewise, the card used to block the Attack is discarded into the appropriate pile of the defending player. If the Attack is not blocked, the Attack is considered successful and the Character being attacked has taken a Hit. (See Hits.) If a Special card allows for the Character, or a teammate of the Character, to make additional attacks, then those additional attacks may be made with any card, except a Teamwork card or an Ally card, and are resolved in normal fashion. Unless noted on the Special card itself, all Special cards may not be combined or used along with any kind of Universe card. It is important to know that is a Special card that acts as an attack allows the player to make an additional attack, each subsequent attack should be attempted only after the preceding attack has been resolved. In other words, the player using the Special card should wait for his opponent to respond to the current attack (by making a Defensive Action or allowing the attack to Hit) before initiating any subsequent attacks. The player using the Special card should not play the Special card and any other cards used for subsequent attacks at the same time. If a Special is played that allows a teammate to make an additional attack, the teammate may only make one attack even if the attack used is a Special card that also allows an additional attack. However, if a Character plays a Special that allows him to make an additional attack, he may continue to play Specials and make additional attacks as long as only he is doing the attacking. Some Special cards and Aspect cards do not act as attacks, and are not used as Defensive Actions. These include, but are not limited to, cards that affect the Venture, cards that affect a Character's own Power Grid, and cards that affect the Battle. Specials and Aspects of this type are played on your turn just as if you were making an attack, but since you are not affecting you opponent's Characters, your opponent does not get to respond with a Defensive Action. Attack your opponent with, or play an Activator card —An Activator card may be played by any Front Line Character. The player must inform his opponent which Front Line Character is playing the Activator card. In the case of Activator cards, the Power Grid of the Character appearing on the Activator card does not need to correspond to the Power Grid of the Character that is playing the Activator card. Playing an Activator card allows the Character that played the Activator to immediately exchange the Activator card for any one Special card that is beneath that players Battlesite. The Special card that is retrieved must correspond to the Activator card. For example, a Wolverine Activator card may only be exchanged for a Wolverine Special card. Just like Special cards played by your Front Line and (in some cases, your Reserve Characters), some Special cards can only be used to attack, and some only to defend. The Special card itself will explain the effect of the card. If a player is exchanging an Activator card for a Special card that acts as an attack, then the Activator card must immediately be played as an attack. (See Attack your opponent with, or play a Special or Aspect card, and Defensive Actions). Also similar to Special card, in order to Attack with an Activator card, the attacking player must decide which of the opponent's Characters he will be attacking. When the choice is made, the attacking player puts the Activator card in front of the Character card he wishes to attack. He then immediately exchanges the Activator card with the desired Special card from beneath his Battlesite (See Battlesite). The opponent may immediately play a card as a Defensive Action to prevent the attack from succeeding. If the attack is blocked, the Special card used to make the attack is immediately discarded to the Defeated Characters Pile of the attacking player. Likewise, the card used to block the attack is discarded into the appropriate pile of the defending player. If the attack is not blocked, the Attack is considered successful and the Character being attacked has taken a Hit (See Hits). Any subsequent effects of the Special card are resolved in normal fashion. Like Special cards, it is important to note that if a Special card that has been played because an Activator card allows the player to make an additional attack, each subsequent attack should be attempted only after the preceding attack has been resolved (See Attack your opponent with, or play a Special or Aspect card). If a player is exchanging an Activator card for a Special card that is to be used for a Defensive Action, then the Activator card must be played as a Defensive Action. The defending player would simply play the Activator card in response to an incoming attack as if i were the desired Special card, and upon playing, immediately exchange the Activator for the desired defensive Special card (See Defensive Actions). Attack a Battlesite —Attacking your opponent's Battlesite is similar to attacking your opponent's Front Line Characters (See The Fight), meaning a Battlesite may be attacked with Power cards, Power cards plus Basic Universe cards or Training cards, Teamwork cards or parts of Teamwork cards, Special cards, and so on, just like a Front Line Character. There are, however, different rules for how a Battlesite may defend itself (See Defensive Actions), and how a Battlesite is KO'd (See KO's). Remember, only an opponents Battlesite may be attacked in this manner. A Home Base may never be attacked (See Home Base). Concede —Conceding is retreating to fight again next battle and is a good way to save your Characters from receiving a beating, especially if you have a bad Hand. Each player has the option of conceding immediately after the Venture, before the battle begins. Once the battle has begun, a player may Concede at any time during the course of the battle on his turn only. A player may not Concede as a follow up Attack or action after an initial Attack or action has been made. In other words, if a players wishes to Concede, then Conceding is the only thing he can do on his turn. When a battle is Conceded, it is considered over and neither player may Attack the other. The player who Concedes the battle automatically loses the Venture, and must move his Mission cards into the appropriate pile or piles. Any cards remaining in either player's Hand are immediately discarded; however, Placed cards remain, as discussed previously. (See Placing.) Players then draw a new Hand or eight cards, and start over. Pass —If a player is out of playable cards, or cannot Attack with any cards from his Hand, and does not wish to Concede, he must Pass his turn. It is then his opponent's turn. His opponent may still Attack, play a Special card, or do whatever he wishes, which may be defended, if possible. After the opponent's turn, it is the passing player's turn again; however, once he has Passed, he may no longer Attack for the remainder of the battle. He now has the option to Concede, or Pass again. If he Passes again, his opponent may take a turn as normal. If both players Pass consecutively, the battle is over. (See Ending the Battle.) Remember, a player may have cards he is able to Attack with Placed to one or more of his Character and still Pass, choosing to save these cards for a future battle. A card, or cards, may be played as a Defensive Action immediately in response to an Attack on any of your Characters. A Defensive Action is not considered your turn; it is your response to your opponent's Attack and is considered part of his turn, just as your opponent's Defensive Actions are a part of your turn. In other words, if one of your Characters is attacked, you may play a Defensive Action to block the Attack and then go ahead and take your turn to Attack, or play a Special card. An incoming Attack can only be blocked by the Character at which the Attack is directed (except in the case of certain defensive Special cards.) If the Defensive Action is successful, the Attack is blocked and both the attacking and defending cards are discarded into the appropriate Discard piles of the players who played them. In order to successfully block an incoming Attack, the Character who is being attacked must play one of the following Defensive Actions:
Remember, when playing Power cards or Universe cards as Defensive Actions, it must first be determined that the Character is able to use the desired Power card or Universe card. Just as above, a Power card is playable by a certain Character if the Value of the Power card is equal to or less than the Rating listed until the same Power Type on the Character's Power Grid. Each Universe card has what is required to use it listed on the card. Teamwork cards, and Ally cards may not be used for Defensive Actions. When playing a Defensive Action, any Power Type of defense may be used to defend against any Power Type of Attack. For example, a Character being attacked with a Strength Power card with a Value of 5 may successfully defend with an Energy Power card with a Value of 5 or even with a Fighting Power card with a Value of 3 combined with a Universe card that gives a bonus of +2 or more to Fighting (3+2=5) A player is never obligated to play a Defensive Action and may simply choose to allow the Attack to succeed and take the Hit (See Hits.) Defending the Battlesite —Defending a Battlesite is similar, but not identical, to defending one of your Front Line Characters (See above). A Battlesite may defend itself in the following manner:
When an Attack is successful, the card that was used to make the Attack is left in front of the attacked Character card to indicate that he has taken a Hit (See Figure 3.) It is important to keep Hits that were scored in the current battle separate from hits that were scored in previous battles. KO's —A Character is considered KO'd when one of the following occurs:
When a Character is KO'd, a number of things occur. They are as follows:
However, Hits scored on the Character from the Current Battle (See Hits From the Current Battle) should remain until the end of the battle. After the Venture Total (See Venture Total) has been determined, those Hits should be returned to the player who played them and then discarded into his appropriate Discard piles.
Knocking Out the Battlesite —It should be noted that, just as a Battlesite has specific conditions on how it may defend itself, it also has specific conditions on how it is KO'd. A Battlesite may be KO'd in only one way.
When a Battlesite is KO'd, a number of things occur. They are as follows:
Hits From The Current Battle
The Permanent Record —At the end of each battle, after the Venture Total has been determined (See Venture Total), all Hits that were scored against each Character should be tucked under the front of that Character card. This is the Character's Permanent Record of Hits. All Power Types and Values of hits in every Character's Permanent Record should be visible to both players. A battle is considered over if any of these situations occur:
When a battle is over, all cards remaining in both player's Hands are discarded into the appropriate Discard piles, but all Placed cards remain. The Venture Total —When the battle is over, the Venture Total must be determined. To figure out your Venture Total, add the Values of all of the Hits from the Current Battle inflicted on any of your opponent's Characters. This includes Hits from Power Cards, Teamwork cards, Ally cards, and Special cards. Do not add any bonuses from Universe cards, or any Hits from a Character's Permanent Record. Compare your Venture Total to your opponent's. Remember, only Hits that were scored against your opponent's Characters are to be counted for the Venture Total. Any Hits that were scored on your opponent's Battlesite are not counted for Venture Total. The player with the higher Venture Total wins the battle and moves his Mission cards up, while the player with the lower Venture total loses the battle and moves his Mission cards down. (See Venture.) If this results in one player having completed his entire Mission, or one player having to abandon his Mission, then the game is over. (See Victory.) If the Venture Totals are the same, then the Battle is declared a draw. If this is the case, leave the current Ventured Mission cards where they are, draw fresh Hands, and begin a new battle with the same player going first who went first last time. Remember to Discard, Place, and Venture additional Mission cards on the outcome of the new battle. After the Venture Total has been determined, all Hits From the Current Battle should be tucked under the front of the Character that the Hit was scored against, and become part of his Permanent Record. The Reserve Character Characters who are in Reserve may not play any cards or be attacked. Certain Special cards may allow a Reserve Character to Attack or be attacked. If attacked in this manner, the Reserve Character may play a Defensive Action. You may Place cards to your Reserve Character just as you would your Front Line Characters. They have the same limit of one Power card, one Universe card, and one Special card. The only difference is that cards Placed to the Reserve Character are not considered part of your Hand for purposes of discarding duplicates and Unusables. However, in order for a card Placed to the Reserve Character to not count as a duplicate, it must have been Placed in a previous battle. For example, two Power cards with a Value of 7 drawn in the same Hand would be considered duplicates. But a Power card with a Value of 7 that was Placed to the Reserve Character in a previous battle would not be considered a duplicate of any Value 7 Power cards drawn in a later battle. (See Discarding.) Also, if you draw certain cards that can only be used by a Reserve Character you must either Place them to the Reserve Character (if possible) or Discard them as you would any other Unusable cards. If a player has one of his Front Line Characters KO'd during a battle (See KO's) his Reserve Character is moved up to become one of the Front Line Characters at the start of the next battle. The Reserve Character is not moved to the Front Line during the same battle in which a Front Line Character is K.O.'d. From that point on, the Reserve Character is to be considered a Front Line Character. Aftermath When the battle is over, the Venture Total has been calculated, and the winner of the battle has been determined (See Venture Total), and neither player has achieved Victory (see Victory), it is time to begin a new battle. To begin a new battle, draw a fresh Hand of eight cards, and start the whole process over again. This time, the player who had the higher Venture Total from the previous battle must go first. If, after a number of battles, a player does not have enough cards in his Draw Pile to draw the needed amount of cards, the Power Pack is immediately reshuffled and becomes the new Draw Pile. This process is repeated over and over, as many times as is necessary to complete the game. There are two ways to win the game.
It should also be noted that if you are forced to abandon your Mission (i.e. If you ever have all seven pieces of your Mission in your Defeated Missions Pile) then you are unable to Venture and must forfeit the game. Your opponent immediately wins the game. Of Special Note OverPower has a number of deck building and game playing guidelines that should be kept in mind while building your deck and playing games of your own. The OverPower Code Rule —The DC OverPower Code Rule is as follows: Some Universe and Special cards have a Code on them indicating whether they must be played by a "Hero" or a "Villain". The Code appears as an "H" or "V" in the lower left corner of the card. This Code corresponds to an identical code on the Character cards. The DC OverPower Code Rule states that Character cards coded with an "H" may never play Specials or Universe cards coded with a "V", even if they meet all the requirements of the card. Likewise, Character cards coded with a "V" may never play Specials or Universe cards coded with an "H", even if they meet all the requirements of the card. If a Special or Universe card is not coded, then it may be played by Character cards coded either "H" or "V", provided that all other requirements to play that card have been met. If a Character card does not have an "H" or "V" Code, then that Character card may play Specials and Universe cards coded either the "H" or "V" code, provided that all other requirements to play that card have been met. Inherent Ability —Some Character cards have Inherent Abilities, a line of text appearing at the bottom of the card, beneath the Character's Power Grid. This line of text explains a game effect or game condition that is unique to that specific Character card. For example, an Inherent Ability might read "May on be Cumulative KO'd by 30 or more points." In this case, this Inherent Ability would override the normal 20 or more points to KO for that particular Character card, and that Character card only. In some cases, a player does not have to spend his turn to use an Inherent Ability; however some Inherent Abilities are only possible on your turn, or only possible on your opponents turn. Each Inherent Ability states exactly when and how the Inherent Ability is to be used. Not all Character cards have Inherent Abilities The Sum Deck Rule —The Sum Deck Rule is an OverPower Legion deck-building rule that determines the maximum Value of the sum of all of your Character' Power Grids in order for your deck to be considered tournament legal. The Sum Deck Rule is as follows: To maintain a Tournament Legal Team, the Sum of all of the Ratings of all of the Power Grids for your team is directly proportional to the total number of Ranks, and must conform to the following chart:
To determine the number of Ranks for your team, simply count the total number of Power Types on the Power Grid of the Character card. Each Character card will have either three or four different Power Types (Fighting, Energy, Strength, and possibly Intellect). Then add the number of Power Types of the four Characters on your team. The total is your team Rank. The sum of all Power Ratings from a Character's Power Grid is the Points each Character is worth. For example, an original release Wolverine is a 3-Rank Character, with a Point value of 14. Superman is a 4-Rank Character (because he has the Intellect ability) with a Point Value of 21. The sum of all Power Ratings from all four of your Characters' Power Grids is the Points your entire team is worth. The Home Base Exception —The Home Base Exception is an amendment to the Sum Deck Rule (See The Sum Deck Rule). The Home Base Exception states that a players team, for tournament deckbuilding purposes, may exceed the predetermined Point limitation if, and only if, the player is using a Home base and his team of Characters meets all of the requirements of that particular Home Base (See Home Base). The Fusion Rule —The Fusion Rule is an OverPower Legion ruling on how MultiPower cards function for Spectrum KO's. The Fusion Rule is as follows: All MultiPower cards, not including MultiPower Specials, scored as Hits on one Character must all function as one Power Type. That one Power Type may change if the attacking player that scored the Hits so chooses; however any change affects all MultiPower cards on that Character. MultiPower cards scored as hits on other Characters may be of other Power Types. MultiPower cards that only have three icons automatically pick up the fourth icon once another MultiPower card that contains all four icons joins it as a Hit on the same Character. The Combination Exclusion —The Combination Exclusion is an OverPower Legion ruling on how MultiPower cards interact with Special cards. The Combination Exclusion is as follows: Any Special that states that it may be combined with a Power card, must be combined with exactly the stated Type of Power card, and may never be combined with a MultiPower card. In the case of an additional Attack that may follow a Special card, a MultiPower card may be used. The Clone Rule —The Clone Rule is an OverPower Legion ruling on the different types of Character cards with which you may build a deck. The Clone Rule is as follows: No two identical Characters may be on the same team. It should be noted that a particular 3-Rank Character is considered identical to his 4-Rank counterpart; therefore, it is not possible to have the 3-Rank version of Spider-Man and the 4-Rank version of Spider-Man on the same team. However, it is perfectly legal for opposing players to have identical Characters to each other. The Any Character Limitation —The Any Character limitation is an OverPower Legion ruling on how Any Hero and Any Character Special cards may be used during an officially sanctioned OverPower tournament game. The Any Character Limitation is as follows:
The Power Leech Target Rule — the Power Leech Target Rule is an OverPower Legion ruling on how the Any Character "Power Leech" Special may be used during an officially sanctioned OverPower tournament game. The Power Leech Target Rule is as follows: The Any Character "Power Leech" Special card must target a specific Character on the opponent's Front Line. This Character may then make a Defensive Action in an attempt to resist the effects of the Power Leech. As the Power Leech does not have a Value, the Defensive Action cannot be Value Specific (in other words, "Avoid 1 attack of 9 or less" would not work, but "Avoid 1 Attack" would.). If the targeted Character is unable to defend against the Power Leech, then the attack is successful and the target Character's team, not the target Character alone, must discard the appropriate number of cards. Remember, The "Power Leech" must target an Active Front Line Character and may never target an opponent's Battlesite, or Home Base. Beyonder — Beyonder counts towards 28 points for deck building. Beyonder can use any Special that the characters on your team can use, but he may not use "One Per Deck" Specials (this includes Any Hero/Character Specials as well). His power grid is are always the highest of all of the conscious characters. This means that if Beyonder is put on a team with Mojo (6-3-1-6), Jean Grey (7-3-2-4), and Jubilee (6-4-2-4), then his stats are effectively 7-4-2-6. If Jean Grey were KO'd, then his stats would change to 6-4-2-6. If Beyonder is the last character left standing, then his stats are the same as the second to last character left standing. |
Only one Universe card may be Placed, not one of each type. Cards that
are placed to a Character may not be switched for a different card later
in the game. Cards Placed to a Character may only be played by that
Character; therefore, you may not Place a card to a Character if that
Character may not use that card. As long as these rules are followed,
and there are spots available, there is no limit to the amount of cards
that each player may Place at this time. Players may choose not to Place
any cards. If one player does not wish to Place cards or only wishes
to Place a few cards, the other player may continue to Place cards alone
until he is finished. Once a player passes during the Placing Phase,
he may not Place anymore cards, no matter how many his opponent Places.
—Successful Hits From The Current Battle are left sideways in front
of the Character that has been hit until the end of the battle. They
should not be tucked under the Character card to become part of that
Character's Permanent Record (See 
