Smash Up Big Base Rules - ALDERAC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

In Big Base mode, everyone plays only on one Big Base.

No breakpoint is used for scoring; instead, after a certain number of ROUNDS of turns the Big Base scores, and VPs are awarded according to the total power each player has on the entire base. Then all the cards in play are discarded, and the whole thing is done two more times, for a total of three scoring PERIODS.

In Big Base mode all Smash Up rules are in effect except where noted below. The biggest changes are in bold.

1. SETUP

Place the Big Base board in the center of the table.

Place spare VP tokens on the “1” space of the Current Round and Scoring Period tracks.

Prepare the base deck normally, and place the top card face up on the designated space of the board. The base card is changed each round, and only its ability is used; ignore its breakpoint and VP rewards. Turn the top card of the base deck face up, so players can plan for what is coming the next round.

Choose a player to go first, and give them a First Player token.

2. PLAY SEQUENCE

A player’s turn only has the phases Start Turn, and Play Cards. Scoring the base and drawing cards happen later, and end of turn events are now treated as end of round events, as described below. Each turn ends after the Play Cards phase even with no End Turn phase.
The steps of a round are:

1. Player turns: Starting with the First Player, each player takes a turn as described above.
2. Scoring: If it is the last round of the scoring period, the base is scored as described below. Each period has 3 rounds.
3. Draw 2 cards: Each player draws 2 cards, starting with the First Player, and discards down to 10 cards in hand.
4. End Round: “At the end of the turn” abilities are resolved. “Until end of turn” abilities cease. Discard the current base card, replace it with the top card of the base deck, and turn its new top card face up. Then, if it is the last round of the period, move the Current Round token back to 1, advance the Scoring Period token one space, and give the First Player token to the new First Player, who is the player with the current lowest total power; otherwise advance the Current Round token to the next space.

The steps of scoring are as in normal Smash Up with these differences:
There is no need to check breakpoints or choose which base
to score.
The VPs awarded are according to the scoring period, as listed on the board, including VPs for the highest, 2nd highest, 3rd highest, and 4th highest total power on the Big Base. 1 VP is also awarded to the player with the most power on each side. Ties are broken normally.
After awarding VPs, all cards in play are then discarded, except those allowed to remain or go elsewhere because of an ability.
During scoring, it is no player’s turn. For timing resolution, treat the First Player as the current player when it is no one’s turn.

3. PLAYING ON THE BIG BASE

The Big Base board has four sides (North, South, East, West), and three slots on each side. A card played on the base is played on one of the slots. A player may not have cards on more than one slot per side, and each slot may only have cards from one player. This includes minions, titans, actions played on bases, and buried cards. If you play or move a card to a side where you already have cards, it must be to the slot you have them on. Exception: Actions may still be played on other players’ minions in slots you don’t occupy.

Each slot has an ability that is used by the player with cards on it. A slot ability that says “On occupation” is triggered only when a card is played on a slot or moved or transferred to it while it is empty. Playing or moving cards to it while it has cards on it does not trigger it again.

All sides and slots are available for play no matter how many players there are. No matter what side you play a card on, you should turn it to face you, to make it easy to tell it’s yours. In 4-player games, you may consider each side to have a virtual 4th slot (that has no ability), so each player may always play on each side.

4. CARD ABILITIES ON THE BIG BASE

As far as cards’ abilities are concerned, a “base” as a location is one side of the Big Base and the slots in it. “Here” means the side the card is on; two cards in different slots of the same side are considered on the same base, while those in slots on different sides are not. Abilities that affect base cards don’t affect sides or slots.

When you move or transfer a card to another base, it must be to a different side of the board, not to a different slot of the same side. The controller of the moved card chooses which slot it occupies, if they don’t already occupy a slot there.

If the control of a card changes, it must be transferred to the new controller’s slot on that side, if they have cards there. If they don’t, they choose which slot they go to. An uncovered card that is played on a base is played on the same slot it was buried on.

Abilities that happen at the end of a turn happen at the end of the round in Big Base mode. Abilities that last until the end of the turn last until the end of the round instead.

5. BASE CARD ABILITIES

During play, each side is considered to have the ability of the current base card. It works separately for each side; it’s possible all 4 sides will respond to the same trigger.

If an ability affects a base or plays a card to a base, choose one side to be the target. If it changes the base card, then necessarily each side will have the new base card’s ability. If it plays an extra base, it replaces the current base instead. If it plays a minion to the new base, choose a side to play it to.

A base ability triggered by scoring has no effect if it’s not in play during the last round of a period.

If a base’s ability would be un fun or unfair to most players, you may agree to discard it and play the next base card instead.

6. USELESS ABILITIES

At the start of the game and after any time you draw cards, you may reveal any cards in your hand that have no effect in Big Base mode, and ifothers agree they are useless, you may discard them and draw to replace them.

Cards with power are never useless. Abilities that affect breakpoints are useless, unless you have factions affected by breakpoints, in which case each side has its starting breakpoint equal to that of the current base card.

7. ENDING THE GAME

After awarding VPs at the end of period 3, the player with the most total VPs wins the game. If there is a tie, continue playing, but do not discard the cards from the board. Play one more round of turns, and then award VPs as if it were Period 1. Repeat this process until there is a winner.

8. ADAPTING TO BIG BASE MODE

Not all factions work well in Big Base mode, and that’s okay. Choose factions you think will work well. Or if you want, feel free to adapt the rules or the cards so that they can work in Big Base mode.
If you come across a situation not covered in these rules, work out a solution that satisfies you all. As always, use common sense, fairness, and a sense of humor!