Pixies vs Gremlins Rules

Rules ALPHA 0.6
Data on this page may undergo frequent changes.

The Core Rules

Objective

The objective of the game is to control enough magic rune locations to summon the wonderous wolpertinger! Players deploy their minions to try and capture these runes. Once a player has amassed enough power through their minions at a single rune location, they capture it. However things are seldom so easy. Players will challenge each other by sending minions into combat, unleashing mischievous spells, wicked traps and powerful gadgets.

Actions and AP

Action points (AP) are gained and spent soley in the action phase. While in the action phase, each player begins their turn with two action points (AP). Players take actions by spending these AP. AP can be spent on the following actions:

  • Attack (1AP) Taking the attack action costs 1AP. This action allows you to attack with one of your minions who is capable of doing so. A minion without the appropriate combat traits cannot attack normally. Minions with the ( melee), ( range) or ( blast) combat traits are suitable for making attacks. The attack action can only be taken once per turn.

  • Move (2AP) Taking the move action costs 2AP and allows you to move a single minion over to an adjacent rune location. If you choose to move a minion with the ability, the cost of taking this action is reduced to 1AP.

  • Play Card (1AP) The play card action cost 1AP and allows you to play any type of action card from your hand. Play actions can be taken more than once per turn, but the type of action card that can be played may have restrictions and conditions of their own.
    See more on action cards in the card types section

  • Draw Card (1AP) The draw card action cost 1AP and allows you to draw a card from your deck and add it to your hand. Drawing a card this way is not restricted by your handsize.

    • Capturing a Rune Location

    There are two main requirements when capturing rune locations. The first requires that the total power of a player's minions there, is equal to, or greater than the location's listed power. The second condition requires that at least one of their minions have the necessary ability, which is also found on the location card. If a player meets these requirements in the capture phase, and no other player does, then that player captures the location. When more than one player meets the requirements to capture the same location, the player with the most matching abilities wins out. If neither player has more matching abilities than the other, then no one captures the location in that phase and it remains contested for another round.

    Deploying Minions

    This can only be performed in the deployment phase. 'Deploying' is the action of playing a minion card face down at a rune location. While a card is face down it is “Fatigued.” You may not deploy a minion to any location that already has two fatigued minions. Fatigued minions become active by flipping the cards over at the start of every action phase.

    Combat - Attacking and Defending

    Combat happens when a player initiates the attack action. The attacking player designates a minion capable of making attacks, then chooses an opponent’s minion (or minions if a blast attack) as the target of the attack. Minions can only attack targets at the same location. To determine the success of the attack compare the attackers power value to the defending minion’s health value. If the attacking minion’s value meets or exceeds the defending minion’s health value, the attack succeeds and the defender’s minion is defeated. Defeated minions are placed in their respective discard pile. Damage from an attack does not carry over to consecutive actions, so a minion that has insufficient power to defeat a target fails its attack. Certain minions may have abilities that prevent them from being attacked normally, such as the stealth or fly abilities. Others could change the conditions of an attack such in the case of the Defend ability. These abilities are further described in the ability section.

    Winning: Summoning the Wolpertinger!

    The first player to capture the number of rune locations set by the game type wins! Below are the victory conditions for various game types:
  • 1v1 Skirmish (quick match) : Two rune locations.
  • 1v1 Heroic : Three rune locations.
  • 2v2 Heroic: Four rune locations (per team).

    • Order of Play

    Setup - Head to Head (1v1)

    Each player selects and shuffles one of the faction decks. The host shuffles 8 unique rune locations into the rune deck and draws 3. The three rune locations are placed side by side in the center of the play area. Each player then draws 8 cards from their faction deck. Determine a player to go first.

    Rounds

    A game round is broken up into 3 phases of play, these are the deployment phase , the action phase, and the capture phase.

    Deployment Phase

    Start with the first player. Deploy one minion card face down to any of the rune locations on the table. After deploying your minion you may draw from your faction deck until you have a maximum of 8 cards in your hand. After this, your turn ends. Repeat this process until each player has had 3 turns. Once the last player finishes their turn, begin the action phase.

    Action Phase

    Each player now reveals the minions they deployed by flipping the cards face up. The first player may then spend two action points from the listed actions. After the player has spent all their AP or chose to pass their turn, they may draw back up to their maximum hand size and it is then the next player’s turn. Each player continues the above sequence until both players have had two turns in this phase. After the last player finishes their second turn the phase ends, proceed to the capture phase.

    Capture Phase

    In the capture phase, each player determines if they meet any of the prerequisites to capture any of the rune locations on the table. If only one player meets the conditions to capture a given location then they do so. If two players both meet the conditions of capture, the rune location remains contested and neither player captures it. At locations where neither player meets the conditions for capture, nothing happens and your minions remain for the next round. Captured rune locations are placed in that player’s control zone. All minions that were at the rune location, both friend and foe are placed in their corresponding discard piles. Once this is done, a new round begins starting with another deployment phase. This time however, the player who previously went last now goes first. Players who capture sufficient locations to summon the wolpertinger in this phase win!

    Action Cards

    Action cards are a special class of card that have varying effects on gameplay. Some of these effects may alter or contradict the standard game rules. In these cases the card is always right. They can only be played during the action phase on a player’s own turn. There’s two methods in which action cards can affect a game. These are the “Ongoing” and “Resolve” methods. The method a card uses is stated in the card’s header. When playing a card with the resolve method, simply carry out the instructions written on the card and then discard it. Ongoing cards on the other hand remain after being played. Their effects continue to persist until a condition is met or no longer exists, or is removed through some other means such as another action card.


    Example: If a minion that is disabled by an ongoing trap is defeated, or the location that minion is stationed at is conquered, the condition for that trap (enemy minion) no longer exists. Once that minion is discarded the trap no longer has a function and is also discarded.


    Action cards are further broken down into different types listed below.
    Symbol Description

    Gadget / Magic

    Unlike other action cards, Gadget (for gremlins) and Magic (for pixies) rely on having minions with the ability available to be played. When you wish to play a gadget/magic card you must choose one of your minions to be the source for the card. As the source, your minion is the one essentially executing the card and as such the card’s effects are limited to targets at the same location or the location itself. Many gadget/magic cards may also use the value of your minion as part of the cards execution . Only one gadget/magic card may be played per turn.

    Traps

    Trap cards are action cards that are built around hindering your opponents minions. They’re played directly from your hand and can affect anything in play (global.) The effects of a trap can vary so just follow the instructions written on the card. Only one trap card may be played per turn.

    Event

    Event cards don’t really have a specific type. Any one card can be quite different from another. These cards are played directly from your hand by spending an action point. The card text describes what effects they have on the game.

    Minion Cards

    Minions make up the bulk of a faction deck and are essential for capturing objectives. They’re also a player's primary means of thwarting their opponents. Minions can be deployed in the deployment phase and can be used to execute actions in the action phase.

    All minions have the following properties:

  • A faction emblem in the top left to designate which deck they belong to.
  • The name of the card, located at the top of the card.
  • The power level of the minion, a value found in the bottom left corner.
  • The health of the minion, the value found in the bottom right corner.

    • In addition to the above, some minions may also have special abilities and combat traits. These are explained just below.


    Reading a Minion Card



    Combat Traits


    Offensive

    Symbol Description
    Blast

    This minion can make attacks. You may target multiple minions with blast. Resolve each target one at a time and subtract that minions health from your available power. Your remainding power can then be carried over to the next minion.
    Melee

    This minion can make attacks.
    Ranged

    This minion can make attacks. This attack may target minions with the flying ability.

    Defensive

    Symbol Description
    Defender

    While a minion with this property is present, all attacks against other minions at the same location are redirected to the Defender minion.
    Health

    The value a minion must take in damage in order to be defeated.

    Abilities

    Symbol Description
    Barrage

    Minions with Barrage may attack enemy minions at other locations, but must spend an additional AP when doing so.
    Bolster

    Bolster grants all other minions at the same location +1 to their health totals. This bonus does not stack beyond +1, even if more than one minion with bolster is present.
    Counterstrike

    When a minion with the counterstrike ability is subjected to an attack; it deals its power in damage back to the attacker. This damage is dealt even if the minion is defeated.
    Flight

    Minions with the flight ability can only be subjected to attacks by other minions with flight or by ranged attacks.
    Magic / Gadget

    The "Magic" for pixies and "Gadget" for gremlins ability is required for playing magic spell and gadget action cards. Minions with this ability may be used as a source for those cards. Unlike other abilities, the Magic/Gadget ability is also associated with a numerical value that may be used by other cards.
    Mobile

    When executing the move action on a minion with the mobile ability, reduce the AP cost of the action from 2AP to 1AP.
    Perceptive

    You may ignore the stealth ability on any enemy minions at the same location for the purpose of making attacks. This applies to all friendly minions at the location, not just the minion with perceptive.
    Stealth

    Minions with the stealth ability cannot be subjected to any kind of attack unless the attacker has a perceptive minion present at the same location.
    Support

    This ability grants all other minions at the same location a +1 bonus to their power when making an attack.

    Rune Location Cards

    Rune Location cards make up the Rune deck. The Rune deck is a neutral deck and not associated with any given player. Rune Location cards all have a Power Rating and one to three Ability icons used in the capture process. Most Rune Location cards also have a rune symbol which is used in conjunction with Hero cards for the Heroic game modes. The exception to this are the Home cards which display a faction emblem instead of a rune symbol.

    Home cards also differ in other ways. Unlike the other Rune Location cards, their power rating and ability requirements are not the same for all factions. Defending factions, players whose race matches the faction emblem on the card, must always match the requirements listed on the Defender side (The side with their faction emblem). While attacking factions must meet the requirements listed on the opposite side to capture.

    Note: The Faction Emblems always show the Primary Decks Emblems. Despite this they still apply to the Secondary Decks of the same race in the same way.

    Rune locations have the following properties:

  • The name of the card.
  • The rune symbol and color.
  • A power rating listed in white in both the upper right and lower left corners of the card.
  • One or more ability icons, found below the power rating along the banners.

    • Hero Cards

    Hero Cards are optional cards used in Heroic games. Before a game begins each player selects one Hero from the same faction as their deck. If you’d like to mix things up you may instead choose Heroes randomly.

    Hero cards are not part of a deck, instead place the Hero face up in your play zone. Each hero grants the player a Hero Power and a Rune Power. These can be passive bonuses that are always in effect, or they can be actions that cost AP to use. The Hero Power remains for the full duration of the game. The Rune Power however, may only be used if no opponents have captured any of the runes listed on your Hero Card - unless you have also captured that rune.

    Executing actions from your Hero count as a ‘Rune Power action.’ Rune Power actions may only be performed once per turn. In addition, any attacks granted from a Rune Power action still count towards the attack limit per turn (unless specified otherwise).

    Game Terms

    Term Description
    Active

    A face up (not fatigued) card in the play area that may carry out actions, or be subjected to them.
    AP

    Action point.
    Attack

    A type of combat action. Explained here.
    Damage

    A value that must meet or exceed a minion's health in order to defeat it.
    Defeated

    A minion that suffered damage equal to or greater than its health and is then discarded.
    Disable

    Reduces a minion's power to 0. Suppresses all abilities and traits. The minion is unable to carry out any action.

    Discard

    Remove a card from play and place it in the appropriate discard pile.
    Fatigued

    The minion is face-down and cannot be used to take any actions.
    Move

    Change a minion's current rune location.
    Ongoing

    This card remains in play until the conditions for the card are no longer met.
    Play

    Placing a card onto the table and carrying out that card's function.
    Resolve

    Carry out the text written on the card, then discard this card.
    Suppress

    Temporarily remove the specified effect.