Here’s a step-by-step guide to get your game started
Click here for a printable version of the standard Super! rule sheet
1. Pick Your Super Powers
In Super! each player gets to choose their own unique Super Power from the Super! Power Cards (the cards with the black backs) provided. Every game should start with players selecting their Super Powers.
The group should determine a fair way to set the order for this process. You shouldn’t underestimate the power of choosing first.
These are our favorite ways to determine the order:
- Choose in the order people arrived
- Draw cards and players pick in order by value (highest to lowest)
- Newer players choose first
2. Set the Stage
Each player should pick one of the 10 player tokens to represent them and place it on the start position of the game board. This token will track the player’s health.
Each time the player takes damage they should move their token forward (1 square for each point of damage) toward the Elimination box. When players regain health then they should move their tokens backwards toward the Maximum box.
The player tokens included in the box are starter tokens but anything can be player tokens. They just need to fit on the board and be unique to each player.
3. Prepare for Battle
Shuffle all of the Playing Cards and pass out 5 cards to each player. Place the deck of remaining Playing Cards face down on the table.
Each player should then add their Super! Power Card to their hand. When a player has their Super! Power Card in their hand they are Powered Up and can use their Super Power during their turn (or when applicable).
Now you are ready to start Battling It Out!
1. Taking Turns
During a turn each player has 4 options they can perform. A player can skip any of the first 3 options but all options must be done in order. Each option can only be used once per turn and Option 4 must occur each turn.
A. Draw a Card
At the start of their turn a player can choose to draw a card from the deck. This is not required but can be a useful tactic in certain situations.
B. Activate Your Super Power
If the player is Powered Up (i.e. they have their Super! Power Card in their hand) then they can choose to use their Super Power. To do this, the player simply needs to declare that they are activating their Super Power then follow the directions written on the Super! Power Card. While the Super Power is active, the player should leave their Super! Power Card face-up on the table in front of them. Once the power is deactivated, the card should be turned face-down. Players should check the details on their Super! Power Card to know when their power deactivates. Some powers can only be activated in certain situations. Cards with special criteria will mention them in the rules on the card. Be sure to read your Super! Power card thoroughly to ensure that you can use it effectively. Also, read the Powering Up section for more information about how to get access to your Super Power again after using it.
C. Discard a Card
A Player can declare an attack by discarding an attack card from their hand. When discarding the card the player will need to declare who they are attacking. This will initiate the Battle Phase (find more info on that below) and give the other player a chance to defend themselves. Players may also discard Defense and Passive Cards. These may have special effects that will help the player but typically they won’t attack another player and no Battle Phase will occur. Discarding cards is useful to empty your hand and trigger a Reload phase (find more info on that below).
D. End Your Turn
A player can end their turn at any time. This can be done even if they have not used any of the other options.
2. The Battle Phase
Once a player attacks another player then the Battle Phase begins. After being attacked, a player can choose to use a Defense Card to negate or minimize the damage they receive.
There are 4 types of regular Defense Cards:
- Absorb – this card gives the user the ability to absorb an attack and regain health equal to the value of the attack.
- Deflect – this card gives the user the ability to deflect the current attack to a 3rd player in order to avoid taking damage.
- Shield – this card gives the user the ability to block the attack, completing negating it and taking no damage.
- Counter – this card gives the user the ability to attack back when a player attacks them. The user takes the full damage of the Attack but they are able to attack back with any card in their hand.
All Defense cards have additional effects and bonuses. Player’s should read each card to ensure that they are using them effectively.
Some Attack Cards have Defense Bonuses that allow them to be used as defense cards in specific situations. Keep an eye out for these as they can be very useful in battle.
Some Super Powers can also be used as Defense Cards. These powers will be labeled as Defense types. The description on the card will outline how to use them in these circumstances. Defense Super Powers can be used to defend a player from attacks that regular Defense Cards cannot defend.
If a defense action results in another player being attacked then that player is also given a chance to defend themselves. Once all Defense options have been taken, damage has been calculated, and penalties have been assessed then the Battle Phase ends.
Tracking Health
Players should track their health by moving tokens along the game board. Each square on the game board represents 1 Health Point and each player has a total of 40 Health Points at the start of the game. Each player should pick a token to represent them at the start of the game and place it in the starting position on the game board.
As a player takes damage, they should move their token forward the same number of steps as the damage taken. If a player regains health, then they should move their token back the same number of steps as the health gained. Once a player reaches the end of the board they are eliminated. When only one player is left standing, then the game ends.
If all remaining players are eliminated at the same time, then the game goes into overtime. All of the players that were eliminated in the last turn will receive 10 extra Health Points and the battle will continue from there.
Effects and Bonuses
All Playing Cards have effects and/or bonuses. Each of these will have one of 3 types: Attack, Defense, or Passive.
Attack and Passive Effects are activated every time a card is discarded. Defense Effects are activated whenever a card is used to defend against an attack.
Bonuses only activate under the specific circumstances outlined on the card. Some bonuses allow Attack Cards to be used for defense and some allow Defense Cards to be used as attacks. Maximizing your use of bonuses can have a huge impact on a game. Be sure to take note of the bonuses on all of your cards.
Powering Up and Reloading
When a player has their Super! Power Card in their hand then they are Powered Up. Powered Up players have the ability to use their Super! Power Card. After using their Super Power, a player becomes Powered Down and must leave their Super! Power card facedown on the table to indicate this.
After a player discards their last Playing Card (not counting their Super! Power Card), the Reload process is triggered. During this process, the player draws 5 new Playing Cards from the deck to form a new hand. If the player is Powered Down, i.e. their Super! Power Card is face-down on the table, then the Reload process will also trigger a Power Up. The player should then add their Super! Power Card back to their hand giving them the ability to use it again.
Refreshing the Deck
Whenever all of the cards in the deck are used up, then players should shuffle together all the cards (except the top card) in the discard pile to form a new deck. The top card of the discard pile should remain in place to ensure that the current player is still able to use any card bonuses available to them. Refreshing the deck should be done immediately after the last card in the deck is pulled.
Winning and Losing
Once a player reaches 0 Health Points then they are eliminated. Once eliminated, players should discard all of their remaining Playing Cards into the discard pile. The player may choose the order in which the cards are discarded. The bonuses available to the next player will be based on the last card (and in some cases last 2 cards) discarded by the eliminated player. Because of this, these cards can be seen as a Parting Gift or a Parting Curse.
Any active Super Power of an eliminated player is immediately deactivated once the player is eliminated.
When only one player is left in the game, i.e. all other players are eliminated, that player is declared the winner.
Attack cards
Playing Cards that are used to attack other players. When played, the user must choose a player to attack. The user cannot attack themself. Attacking a player initiates the Battle Phase.
Battle Phase
Whenever a player attacks another player using an Attack Card, then the Battle Phase begins. Once the recipient of an attack is chosen, then that player is given a chance to defend themselves using a Defense Card or Defense Super.
If the player’s defense action results in another player being attacked, then that player is given a chance to defend themself as well. The Battle Phase ends once all players have had a chance to defend themselves, all damage has been calculated, and all card effects have been accounted for.
If an attack hits multiple players at the same time, then all of the players affected are given a chance to defend themselves.
Bonuses
Most Playing Cards contain Bonuses which can be activated if the card is used in special circumstances. These often include playing the card atop a specific type of card or a specific element. Bonuses generally make cards more powerful or more versatile. Some Bonuses allow Attack Cards to be used to defend players from an attack or allow Defense Cards to be used to attack other players. Players should use Bonuses to maximize the value of their cards.
Card Category
Cards are categorized as either an Attack, Defense, or Passive card. The category of each card can be found just above the Card Description on the right side of the card. Each card is labeled with a Card Category Icon and Card Category Text.
Card Description
All cards have a text area that gives a description of what the card does. This area also lists out all of the card’s effects and bonuses. Card Descriptions are the same for cards with the same Card Type.
Card Name
Each card has a descriptive name to indicate what type of attack or defense the card unleashes. These names are unique for most cards and add a bit of excitement to the game as battles unfold.
Card Type
Each Playing Card has a Card Type which is indicated by the Card Type Icon in the upper-left corner and under the Card Name. This gives a simple description of the action you are taking when playing the card and an easy way to understand what a card does..
Card Value
The value of a card can be found below the Card Type Icon. This value indicates how much damage a card does when used as an attack. Even non-attack cards have a Card Value as there are special circumstances where they can be used as an attack.
The Deck
All of the Playing Cards that are not in the hands of players or the Discard pile make up The Deck. When a player needs to or has to draw a card, then they will draw the card from The Deck.
Defense cards
These Playing Cards are used to defend a player from an attack. Players use these cards by placing them in the discard pile after they are attacked by another player. These cards can also be discarded during a player’s turn instead of an Attack card. When discarded in this manner Defense cards will not result in an attack, except in special circumstances.
Discard Pile
All cards discarded from players’ hands make up the Discard Pile. All players must discard their cards atop the Discard Pile.
Effects
Some Playing Cards have special Effects when discarded. These effects are labeled as Attack, Defense, or Passive Effects.
Attack Effects activate whenever a card is used as an attack.
Defense Effects activate when a card is used to defend from an attack. These Effects do not activate if a card is discarded normally.
Passive Effects activate whenever a card is discarded. Cards that cancel out Attack Effects cannot be used to cancel Passive Effects.
Element
Each Playing card has an Element of either Fire, Water, Earth, Air or Universal.These elements are used to activate card bonuses. Be sure to read the Card Description for each of your cards to learn how elements can help you in battle.
Eliminated
Once a player’s Health Points get to 0 they are eliminated. Eliminated players are out of the game. They must discard all of the cards in their hand and place their Super! Power Card face-down on the table. If their Super Power was active, it is immediately deactivated. When discarding their hand, Eliminated players are allowed to choose the order their cards are discarded. Can affect the bonuses available to the next player which is why it can either be a Parting Gift or a Parting Curse.
Game Board
The Game Board is how players keep track of their Health Points. Each player should select a Player Token to represent them and place it on the Game Board. As a player takes damage, they should move their token forward the number of steps equal to the damage taken. When players regain health, they should move their token back the number of steps equal to the health regained.
When a player reaches the end of the Game Board, then they are Eliminated. The last player remaining on the Game Board is the winner.
The Game Board also has placeholders for the The Deck and Discard Pile. These can be used to make game setup easier.
Health Points
Each player starts a game of Super! with 40 Health Points (HP), this is represented by the 40 slots on the Game Board. Successfully attacking another player causes them to lose HP. Some Defense Cards and Super Powers give players the ability to regain HP. Losing and gaining HP should be tracked by moving the player’s token forward and backwards along the Game Board. A player’s HP can never go above 40 HP. Once a player reaches 0 HP they are Eliminated from the game.
Overtime
If all remaining players are eliminated in the same turn, then the game goes into Overtime. For Overtime, all players who were alive in the previous round are given 10 Health Points. The game then continues with the next player’s turn until only one player is left standing.
Parting Curse / Parting Gift
When a player is Eliminated they must discard all of the cards in their hand. When doing so, the player is allowed to choose the order that their cards are discarded. Since this can affect the bonuses available to the next player, the selection of the Eliminated player can be helpful or harmful. Eliminated players should use this opportunity to help players that they like and/or harm players that they don’t. Player’s that benefit from this may view it as a Parting Gift while player’s that suffer from it may view it as a Parting Curse.
Passive cards
Passive cards are Playing Cards that do not deal damage to other player’s when discarded. These cards generally have an effect that makes them useful.
Playing cards
All cards that are not Super! Power Cards are Playing Cards. These cards have a blue back and are used to play the bulk of the game.
Player Token
When starting a game, players need to choose a token to represent them on the Game Board. Super! comes with 10 Player Tokens that can be used for this process but players may choose other items to represent them on the board. Any item representing a player on the Game Board is considered a Player Token.
Power Down / Powered Down / Powering Down
A player who does not have a Super Power card in their hand is Powered Down. While powered down, a player’s Super! Power Card should be placed face-down on the table. The player will remain Powered Down until they play a Power Up card or initiate a Reload process. A Powered Up player becomes Powered Down after using their Super Power.
Powered Up / Powered Up / Powering Up
A player who has their Super! Power Card in their hand is Powered Up. This means that the player is able to use their Super Power during their turn, if desired. All players Power Up at the start of the game. After using their Super Power, a player is Powered Down and must place their Super! Power Card face-down on the table. A player can Power Up again by playing a Power Up card or by initiating a Reload process.
Refreshing The Deck
When the last card is pulled from The Deck, players must Refresh The Deck by taking all the cards in the Discard Pile (except the top card) and shuffling them together into the new deck. The top card of the Discard Pile should remain to begin the new discard pile. This also prevents the refreshing of the deck from removing any bonus opportunities available to the current player. Once the deck is refreshed, then the game can resume as normal.
Reload
When a player discards the last card in their hand, then they activate the Reload process. The player must then draw 5 new cards from The Deck to form their new hand. If the player is Powered Down, then they should also Power Up by adding their Super! Power Card back to their hand. This will allow the player to use their Super Power again. If the player is already Powered Up or their Super Power is currently active then they must skip the Power Up part of the Reload process.
Super! Power Cards / Super Powers
At the start of each game, all players must select a unique Super! Power Card for them to use. These cards offer each player access to a unique Super Power. Super! Power Cards have a black back to differentiate them from Playing cards.
Each Super! Power Card contains a detailed description of what it does and how to use it. A Powered Up player holds their Super! Power Card in their hand and can choose to use the card’s unique ability during their turn. To use the card, the player simply has to declare their intent to use it and follow the directions on the card. While the card is active, players must leave the card face-up on the table. Each Super! Power Card tells the player when the Super Power deactivates.
Once the Super Power deactivates, the player is Powered Down and must place their Super! Power Card face-down on the table.
Some Super Powers can be used outside of a player’s turn. Player’s should read the rules on their Super! Power Card to determine if they can use their card at other times.
The Winner
The last player remaining in the game once everyone else is Eliminated, is the Winner. There can only be one winner. If all the remaining players are Eliminated in the same turn then the game goes into Overtime. As long as there is more than one player alive then the battle continues.