RetroFist

Introduction

Since the appearance of Flashpoint in August 1996, Shadowfist players have been awaiting a new expansion. Several players have produced their ideas for new cards but these have not been printed as playing cards. The RetroFist rules provide a whole new expansion for the game by redeveloping cards which already exist and are ready for play. Experienced players know that there are many cards in the game which are below par - they are rarely found in a serious tournament deck. These cards are often referred to as coasters - only useful for standing drinks upon. The RetroFist rules provide these cards with additional abilities to make them more useful. In engineering, such upgrades are called "retrofits" - hence the name.

Principles

Several guiding principles have been used in developing RetroFist. They will assist players in understanding and remembering the RetroFist abilities and so are listed here.

1. First, do no harm.		No feature of the existing card is altered by RetroFist. Each card's fighting, body, cost and resources remain as printed. The existing abilities of each card are unaltered - the new abilities simply add to the possible uses of the card. Existing decks should continue to work as before and what you see on the cards should continue to be valid.
2. Accentuate the positive.		There are several cards which are overpowered and overused, e.g. Vivisector. It is tempting to amend these cards to make them weaker but this temptation has been resisted. RetroFist should only make cards better not worse.
3. If it works, don't fix it.		Cards which are already well-used should not be improved. A few amendments have been made just to take account of a new RetroFist effect, e.g. the Illusory Bridge. There are many cards which still need fixing but an appropriate RetroFist effect has yet to be designed - see RetroFist Candidates. Suggestions are welcome.
4. As above, so below.		The RetroFist effect should be inspired by the existing card so that it can be easily remembered. Where possible, the flavour text has been used to suggest the new ability.
5. Damn the torpedoes.		Some RetroFist abilities may seem to be too good but bear in mind that the competition is tough and cards have to be good to be used. If Floating Fortress seems too good, compare its cost with that of Orbital Laser Strike.

Card List

The card list that follows contains the new RetroFist abilities. RetroFist flavour has been added in some cases for fun but this has no game effect. The existing rules text and flavour is printed to assist understanding. If you have trouble reading or printing this table, please try one of the following downloads: Retrofistv1_6.xls (60K) or Retrofistv1_6.csv (28K). My server doesn't allow ftp so see what your browser makes of the file and then save it to your local system to read into the application of your choice. Myself, I use Excel 97.

Name	Printed Rules Text	Printed Flavour	RetroFist	RetroFist Flavour	Commentary
Abysmal Daughter	Unique. Place one damage counter on a site of your choice whenever a character is smoked.		Is not affected by events which affect cards in play.	She pulls strings from deep in the Underworld.
Abysmal Spirit	Assassinate.	Her victims loved her most intensely at the moment she began to rend their flesh.	Takes no damage from the target of her attack.
Agony Grenade	Weapon. When you declare an attack with subject character, sacrifice Agony Grenade to choose X characters that may not intercept subject. X = number of damage counters on subject.	These arcanowave grenades store your pain and allow you to redirect it at your enemies.	If the attack fails but the character survives, return the Agony Grenade to the subject character from the smoked pile.	The grenades store frustration too.
Arcanostriker	Vehicle. Subject character gains Tactics and +2 Fighting and cannot be intercepted by characters with a Fighting score of 2 or less. If Arcanostriker is smoked, inflict 6 points of damage on subject character.		Subject character gains Mobility.		All helicopters should provide mobility. For one reason, see Illusionary Bridge.
Arcanoworms	Inflict 2 points of damage on subject site whenever a character is smoked at its location.		Turn Arcanoworms to move them to an adjacent site.		Note that they can do this in reaction to their triggered effect. Sites are not adjacent unless they share a row or column. The site structures of neighbouring players are contiguous, e.g. your left-most column is adjacent to the right-most column of your left-hand neighbour.
Array of Stunts	You may change the locations of all your characters to new locations on your side as many columns right or left as you wish.		All your characters have Mobility until the end of the turn. They may attack back row sites.	"Just look at Jackie move!"
Auspicious Termites	Cannot be burned. If smoked, Auspicious Termites returns to its owner's hand.		Turn to remove one damage counter from Auspicious Termites. If there are no damage counters, add a +1 Body counter instead.	They never stop building.
Brain Bug EQ3200	Play on any character. At the beginning of each of your turns, you may look at subject character's controller's hand or reveal one of his or her sites. Subject is smoked if Brain Bug EQ3200 leaves play.		Turn Brain Bug EQ3200 to move it to another character at the same location.
Brain Eater	Ambush.	It feeds on gray matter. Hope you're wearing a helmet.	Characters smoked by Brain Eater are toasted instead.
Buro Assassin	Ambush.	"That split second when you realize I've crept up on you --- that'll be the last split second you get, Consumer."	Assassinate.
BuroMil Elite	Toughness: 1 against Rebels. Gains +1 Fighting while at a location that has a Battleground site in its front row.	First in, last out.	Whenever you declare an attack, BuroMil Elite join the attack. Turn them if they are not already turned.	Only the keenest grunts are admitted to the elite units.	They will join any attack, as with Total War. This includes attacks on back row sites and attacks by lone attackers like Furious George.
Capoeira Master	Inflicts +3 damage when intercepting.	"I never saw anybody break a jawbone so beautifully."	If Capoeira Master smokes a character he is intercepting, he may intercept another attacking character once combat is over.	Capoeria is based on Brazilian dance - whirl the night away.
Capture Squad	If Capture Squad damages a Demon or Abomination, you take control of that Demon or Abomination.	They do a Marlon Perkins number on slithering demons.	Ambush when in combat with Demons or Abominations.		When the Capture Squad attacks, it will control the Demon/Abomination before it gets a chance to fight back and so should survive the experience.
Chimp Shack	You may play Chimp Shack during an attack against you. Turn and maintain to treat Chimp Shack as if it had the rules text of a specific site controlled by an opponent.	"Dig the MO of your enemy, brothers, and shove it up his snout!"	Turn Chimp Shack to copy the effect of a opponent's site which turns to generate that effect.		If Chimp Shack is copying a "turn and maintain" site, it may maintain the effect.
Chromosome Screamer	Guts. Inflicts +2 damage against Architect characters and Architect sites.		Ambush when attacking Scientists or Labs.		This includes Laboratories.
Combat Aircar	Vehicle. User gains Mobility, Tactics, and +4 Fighting.	Their phased grav stabilizers give them the maneuverability needed for surgical operations.	Subject character may attack back row sites.
Deathtrap	Play on any site. Characters that attack subject site suffer 1 point of damage before they damage subject site, but after combat with intercepting characters is resolved.		Characters that attack subject site also suffer 1 point of damage before each round of interception combat.	They only fight to lead you into another trap…
Desire Manipulator	Play on a character. If subject character is controlled by an opponent and has not turned to attack at the end of its controller’s turn, you gain 1 Power.	It implants new loyalties on the subconscious level.	Subject character may not attack a card that you control. It breaks off the attack if forced to do so.		If you use Fox Pass to override your Desire Manipulator, the subject character breaks off the attack, returning home turned. No Power is gained.
Dim Mak	Play on any character. Subject character gains +1 Fighting. Damage inflicted by subject character is not reduced by Toughness		Damage subject character inflicts in combat is reduced as his Fighting score decreases but cannot be reduced or redirected by any other means.
Dragon Fighter	Guts.	The last honest guy in the wrong part of town.	Opponents cannot take control of Dragon Fighter.
Encephalon Screamer	When Encephalon Screamer turns to attack, inflict 1 point of damage on each unturned character, and on turned sites, at the location of the target of the attack.		Other turned characters at the location of the target of the attack take 2 points of damage.	The effect is worse when you are dreaming.
Eunuch Underling		These attendants to the Emperor are the outer edges of a sorcerous conspiracy that rules ancient China.	Turn to play a Lotus or Magic edge at -1 cost.
Family Restaurant	Regenerates. Body is reduced to 0 if damaged by a Hood card.		If Family Restaurant is in the front row, Cops and Heroes at this location Regenerate.	"That really hit the spot!"
Fists of Legend	Unique. Play on any character. Subject character's Fighting score is increased by the number of Unique characters in your smoked pile.		Turn and maintain to give subject character the special abilities of one Unique character in your smoked pile.
Floating Fortress	Vehicle. Subject character gains Mobility and +8 Fighting.	It took a dozen Floating Fortresses less than an hour to level all of Acapulco.	Turn Floating Fortress to smoke a site at the same location.
Foul Hatchling	If you control Foul Hatchling at the beginning of your turn, it may inflict 1 point of damage on a target site.	Kill it before it grows.	Alternative: Toast Foul Hatchling at the beginning of your turn to play an Abomination from your hand at no cost.
Fusion Tank	Vehicle. Subject character gains Mobility and +4 Fighting.	"I survived the Dallas Uprising. I'll never for get the sight of the fusion tanks rolling down Commerce Street."	Subject character gains Toughness: 1
Gearhead	After Gearhead damages a site in an attack, inflict 2 points of damage on each of the site’s controller’s turned sites.	Their slogan: "Lean, mean, sand in the Vaseline."	Mobility. Tactics.	She likes to tease …
Gorilla Warfare	Limited. When you target a site with an attack, combat damage in excess of the site’s Body is inflicted to the site behind it. Gorilla Warfare is the source of this damage.		If the site behind is reduced to zero body, then you may burn it. If the site cannot be burned, then it is smoked instead.
Havoc Suit	Weapon. Add half the number of High-Tech resources in your pool, rounded down, to subject character's Fighting score.		Subject character is not affected by Nerve Gas or Death Touch.
Hill of the Turtle	Each player must spend 1 Power at the start of each of his or her turns or one High-Tech card of his or her choice that he or she controls is smoked.		The power goes to the controller of Hill of the Turtle.		You might think of this as a "Death or Taxes" effect.
Hopping Vampire		"Your basic East Asian bloodsucker. You'd think having to hop everywhere would slow them down, but it doesn't."	Gains +1 fighting every time it damages a character in combat.
Hosed	Play during an attack. Until the end of the attack, each attacking character inflicts 1 point of damage on each of its interceptors immediately before entering combat with that interceptor.		Alternative: play to smoke one chain of interceptors.	When the nozzle is set for a tight beam, they call it the "Chain Smoker".	Note that a chain is 2 or more interceptors.
Ice Tiger	While Ice Tiger is in play, Unique Ice characters cannot be targeted by attacks.	The Ice Queen breeds these fierce guardians.	If you control two or more Ice Tigers, you may turn an Ice Tiger to play an Ice Tiger from your hand or smoked pile at no cost.	They mature quickly.
Ice Warriors		These brave soldiers of the Inner Kingdom defend the Ice Pagoda and their beloved queen, Pi Tui.	Gains +1 fighting during an attack upon an Ice card that you control.
Illusory Bridge	May be placed in any legal position on an opponent's side.	Many have died defending it, yet it does not truly exist.	If Illusory Bridge is in a front row, its owner may turn it to flip a coin for every character at that location. Tails: the character is smoked. Ghosts, Spirits, Flying characters and characters with Superleap or Mobility are not affected by this.		The coin flips are made when the effect resolves. By the standard designator rules, flying characters include the Butterfly Knight. Control of the Bridge is determined by the site structure that it is in but only the owner - the player who first played the card - may turn it for this effect.
Jimmy Wai	Unique. Turn to cancel an effect that is being maintained by a card that turned and maintained.	He has a way of getting favors out of people.	Turn to change the target of a card which turns and maintains to any other legal target. Or turn to turn a card which turns and maintains and choose any legal target for it.	And he always gets his way.
Leatherback	Unturns when an opponent plays a Magic or High Tech card.	The Lodge ain't sittin' pretty in 2056.	Is not affected by Architect events.	This guy is a real survivor.
Mad Bomber	If Mad Bomber is smoked, inflict 2 points of damage on the front-row site at the location he last occupied.	He puts the "maniac" in pyromaniac.	And inflict two points of damage on each character at that location too.	He puts the fear of god into his comrades too!
Marked for Death	Play on any character. Flip a coin at the start of each of your turns. On a result of heads, subject character is smoked.	"When the Unspoken Name puts an X through your picture, you stay X-ed."	When subject character is smoked, toast it instead.		The toasting happens even if the card is smoked for some other reason.
Mooks		Stupid, brutal punks are something the world never seems to run out of.	At the start of your turn, you may play one Mook from your smoked pile at no cost for each Racket or Unique Hood that you control.
Motorcycle	Vehicle. Turn Motorcycle to change location of controlling character.	"It wasn't a Harley, but considering I had about a dozen hopping vampires on my case, I decided not to be finicky."	During an attack, you may turn Motorcycle and flip a coin. Heads: subject character gains Superleap until the end of the attack. Tails: subject character is smoked.
Mountain Retreat	Once Mountain Retreat has been revealed, it can't be damaged by more than two characters in an attack. The defending player decides which two characters inflicting damage actually do so.		If Mountain Retreat is in the front row, characters at that location are not affected by untargetted events played by opponents.		Untargetted events are those which do not use the word target, like Final Brawl.
Mountain Warrior	Gains Ambush until the end of the turn if an opponent turns a site to use the site's special ability.	The winners rule the world. The losers keep the faith.	Independent	They are waiting for the right moment to attack.
Mr. Big	Unique. All other Hoods you control gain +1 Fighting. Turn to unturn a Hood character. If someone seizes or burns a site you control, they may take control of a Hood card you control.		Opponents may not use Mr Big's ability to take control of him.
Mysterious Stranger	The controller of a character who intercepts Mysterious Stranger loses all Power.	Don't ask us; even we don't know.	The power goes to the controller of the Mysterious Stranger.
Netherworld Passageway	Play on any site. All characters located in front of subject site gain Mobility. Subject site is considered to be a Netherworld site in addition to any other designators.		Subject site may be attacked by characters located in front of a Netherworld or Portal site, even if either site is in the back row.		You can open a passageway into an enemy's back row site and then seize it.
New Manifesto	Discard any number of cards from your hand. If one of your feng shui sites is seized, you may return New Manifesto to your hand from your smoked pile.	The Jammers' whacked-out ideology contains 90% recycled parts.	After discarding, you may draw up to X cards from your deck where X is the number of cards discarded.		Elderly Monk may add to the number drawn.
Nine Cuts	Unique. Assassinate.	"I don't discriminate. I'll whack any target, accept any currency."	Any player may pay 1 power to the owner of Nine Cuts to play him from the smoked pile at no cost. This may only be done once during that player's turn and Nine Cuts is smoked at the end of that turn. May not be sacrificed.		Nine Cuts must be in the smoked pile before he is available for hire. The owner may hire him too but must have 1 power to pay himself with. He may only be hired during the hiring player's turn. The hiring charge is paid when the effect is generated; Nine Cuts is played when the effect resolves.
Nuked	Choose an opponent and flip a coin. Heads: smoke a site of your choice controlled by that opponent. Tails: you must flip this coin again, this time for the player sitting to the left of the last player the coin was flipped for.	"Blow Things Up! Blow Things Up! Blow Things--- Wait, not that!"	If a front row site is smoked, all characters at that location are smoked too.		The coin-flipping and choice of site is made immediately when the event's effect is generated - see the Player's Guide.
Operation Green Strike	Limited. Play only during your main shot. Inflict 3 points of damage on target non-feng shui site. If Operation Green Strike reduces target site’s body to zero, you may seize that site.	"By the time we got back, Kar Fai's crib was crawling with ninjas."	Inflicts 6 damage on Battlegrounds.
Poison Needles	Play on any card. Subject's controller must pay 1 Power at the end of each of his or her turns or subject is smoked.		If subject card turns then toast it at the end of that turn.	Everytime you move, the needles dig deeper.
Portal in Tower Square	Unique. If Portal in Tower Square is in your front row, you may turn and maintain it to target 2 characters. Target characters may not turn to change location. Any player who seizes this site gains 3 Power.		Any player who has played an Architect Unique may not win if Portal in Tower Square is in play and they do not control it.
Power of the Great	Play on any feng shui site you control. At the beginning of each of your turns, place one counter on Power of the Great for each Mastermind you control. The number of feng shui sites you need for victory is reduced by one for every four counters on Power of the Great.		Turn any Mastermind that you control to gain 1 point of power.
Probability Manipulator	Unique. Turn to increase or decrease the value of any number on target card by 1 until the end of the turn. You cannot reduce any digit to 0. Does not affect play costs.		Turn to determine a coin flip before the toss - you decide if it is heads or tails.		Controlling coin-flips is a special effect which is resolved prior to the coin-flip in question. If there are two such effects in competition (e.g. from a Paradox Cube), the last one to be used overrides the earlier one(s).
PubOrd Squad		The secret police of 2056 ruthlessly enforce the laws of the dictatorial Buro.	Inflicts +3 damage on Independent characters.
Repulsor Beams	Limited. When subject site is attacked, turn subject site to reduce damage that target attacking character inflicts to 0 until the end of the attack.	"One of the Prof's most useful inventions."	Turn Repulsor Beams to remove all the following characters from an attack on one of your cards: cyborgs, knights and characters with vehicles, weapons or robotic states.	When you channel all a site's chi through it, it can even repel the iron in your blood.
Ring Fighter		She got tired of fighting for money and decided to use her fists to make a difference in the world.	Independent.	There are no rules in this ring.
Safehouse	Turn and maintain; no attacks can be declared against target character.		Target character may not be targetted by events unless it is attacking.	Some say that it's in the Netherworld…
Sampan Village	When an attack targeting Sampan Village ends, you may place each character that attacked the site at a location of your choice on its controller's side.		Turn to switch the location of Sampan Village with any other site you control. You may not do this during an attack.
Seal of the Wheel	Play on a character you control. Place one counter on Seal of the Wheel at the beginning of each of your turns. The number of feng shui sites you need for victory is reduced by one for every two counters on Seal of the Wheel. You must still seize or burn your final feng shui site.		Opponents cannot take control of subject character.	Once you join the Inner Circle, you're committed.
Seed of the New Flesh	Each player must spend 1 Power at the start of each of his or her turns or one Chi card of his or her choice that he or she controls is smoked.		The power goes to the controller of Seed of the New Flesh.
Shamanistic Lieutenant	Any Demon or Abomination in combat with Shamanistic Lieutenant is toasted before it inflicts its damage.		Ambush against Ghosts and Spirits	Another routine exorcism.
Shaolin Master		The guns of the British meant nothing to those who lived all of the Six Principles of Light.	Damage inflicted on Shaolin Master by Guns and Tanks is reduced to 0.		This includes characters with the "gun" designator like The Golden Gunman.
Silver Band		Separately, they're pretty good. Together, they're a whirlwind.	If there is another Silver card in play, all Silver cards gain +1 Fighting.		Two Silver Bands will each have 7 Fighting.
Soul of the Shark	Turn to change the subject of a State as the State is played. You must choose a legal subject with the same controller as the original subject of the State is played on its original subject.		Turn and maintain to change the subject of a State to any legal subject. When Soul of the Shark ceases to maintain this transfer, the State returns to its original subject if it is still in play.		Note that she does not take control of the State.
Speed Boat	Vehicle. Controlling character gains Mobility and Tactics	Slice through the waters like a high-octane razor blade.	Stealth when attacking Beach, Island, River, Sampan and Whirlpool sites.
Sphere of Defilement	Play on any site. Whenever subject site is turned, it and all other sites on its controlling player's side suffer 1 point of damage.		Subject site generates no power.	And the smell is horrible !
Sting of the Scorpion	Assassinate.	She retains not only the blood of her ancestors, but their poison as well.	Turn to inflict a point of damage on any character. Damage inflicted by Sting of the Scorpion can never be removed.	Beware the sting of her lash.
SWAT Team		"Name any place in the world: the Lodge can have an emergency response team there in twenty minutes, tops."	Mobility and Tactics.
Swordsman		He fights for the honor of China, and will die for Confucian principles.	Sacrifice to cancel an event which targets a Master.		This includes Masterminds too.
Tanbi Guiawu	Unique. If Tanbi Guiawu has not participated in an attack during your turn, it is smoked at the end of your turn.	Without fresh food, it returns to the Underworld.	At the start of your turn, you may play Tanbi Guiawu at no cost from the smoked pile if your opponents control 10 or more characters. May not be sacrificed.
Tatsuya Yanai	Unique. Turn Tatsuya Yanai, except during an attack, to switch the locations of any two sites belonging to a single controller.		He may use his ability during an attack.	He provides real-time Satellite Intelligence.
Thorns of the Lotus		They care not what their cause is, only that they can without question shed their blood for it.	Sacrifice Thorns of the Lotus to inflict 2 points of damage on any target.
Throwing Star	Weapon. Play on any character. When in combat, and after combat damage is dealt, subject character can inflict 1 point of damage on any character at its location.		Sacrifice to deal one point of damage to each opposition character at the same location.
Tick...Tick...Tick...	Play on a front-row site. Flip a coin at the start of your turn. Heads: smoke Tick... Tick... Tick... and inflict 4 points of damage on subject site.	"Cut the red wire... no, the green wire... no, the red wire!"	And inflict four points of damage on each character at that location too.
Tomb of the Beast	Each player must spend 1 Power at the start of each of his or her turns or one Magic card of his or her choice that he or she controls is smoked.		If power is spent, it is given to the controller of Tomb of the Beast.
Tooth of the Snake	Stealth.	The blood of the snake lets him strike fast and true.	Mobility and Tactics.	A speedboat is a lousy weapons platform but lets you make an easy getaway
Training Sequence	Play on any character. Subject character gains +1 Fighting. Multiple Training Sequence cards can be played on the same character.	Supreme prowess in one montage and a soundtrack tune...	Turn subject character to gain a +1 Fighting counter.	If you're smart, you never stop learning.
Undercover	Play on any character. Subject character can attack back-row sites. Subject can still be blocked by characters at the location it is attacking.		Subject character gains Stealth.	It's stuffy in there but it seems to fool the stupid ones.
Veiling of the Light	Play on any feng shui site. Subject site does not count towards a player's feng shui site total for victory purposes.		All special abilities of the subject site are cancelled.
Water Sword	Unique. Weapon. Subject character gains +1 Fighting. If subject character is smoked, return Water Sword to your hand instead of placing it in the smoked pile.		Does not count towards your hand size when it is returned to your hand.	It's always there when you need it.	It is subject to uniqueness auctions when held in hand as an extra card.
Web of the Spider	Turn, except during an attack, to change the position of target character to any location on its controller's side.		Turn to turn all characters at target location.
Zheng Yi Quan	Unique.	"Kar Fai raised me like a son. He taught me to fight not for him, but for all humankind."	Chi states may be played on Zheng Yi Quan at -1 cost and regardless of resource conditions.

Name

Printed Rules Text

Printed Flavour

RetroFist

RetroFist Flavour

Commentary

Abysmal Daughter

Unique. Place one damage counter on a site of your choice whenever a character is smoked.

Is not affected by events which affect cards in play.

She pulls strings from deep in the Underworld.

Abysmal Spirit

Assassinate.

Her victims loved her most intensely at the moment she began to rend their flesh.

Takes no damage from the target of her attack.

Agony Grenade

Weapon. When you declare an attack with subject character, sacrifice Agony Grenade to choose X characters that may not intercept subject. X = number of damage counters on subject.

These arcanowave grenades store your pain and allow you to redirect it at your enemies.

If the attack fails but the character survives, return the Agony Grenade to the subject character from the smoked pile.

The grenades store frustration too.

Arcanostriker

Vehicle. Subject character gains Tactics and +2 Fighting and cannot be intercepted by characters with a Fighting score of 2 or less. If Arcanostriker is smoked, inflict 6 points of damage on subject character.

Subject character gains Mobility.

All helicopters should provide mobility. For one reason, see Illusionary Bridge.

Arcanoworms

Inflict 2 points of damage on subject site whenever a character is smoked at its location.

Turn Arcanoworms to move them to an adjacent site.

Note that they can do this in reaction to their triggered effect. Sites are not adjacent unless they share a row or column. The site structures of neighbouring players are contiguous, e.g. your left-most column is adjacent to the right-most column of your left-hand neighbour.

Array of Stunts

You may change the locations of all your characters to new locations on your side as many columns right or left as you wish.

All your characters have Mobility until the end of the turn. They may attack back row sites.

"Just look at Jackie move!"

Auspicious Termites

Cannot be burned. If smoked, Auspicious Termites returns to its owner's hand.

Turn to remove one damage counter from Auspicious Termites. If there are no damage counters, add a +1 Body counter instead.

They never stop building.

Brain Bug EQ3200

Play on any character. At the beginning of each of your turns, you may look at subject character's controller's hand or reveal one of his or her sites. Subject is smoked if Brain Bug EQ3200 leaves play.

Turn Brain Bug EQ3200 to move it to another character at the same location.

Brain Eater

Ambush.

It feeds on gray matter. Hope you're wearing a helmet.

Characters smoked by Brain Eater are toasted instead.

Buro Assassin

Ambush.

"That split second when you realize I've crept up on you --- that'll be the last split second you get, Consumer."

Assassinate.

BuroMil Elite

Toughness: 1 against Rebels. Gains +1 Fighting while at a location that has a Battleground site in its front row.

First in, last out.

Whenever you declare an attack, BuroMil Elite join the attack. Turn them if they are not already turned.

Only the keenest grunts are admitted to the elite units.

They will join any attack, as with Total War. This includes attacks on back row sites and attacks by lone attackers like Furious George.

Capoeira Master

Inflicts +3 damage when intercepting.

"I never saw anybody break a jawbone so beautifully."

If Capoeira Master smokes a character he is intercepting, he may intercept another attacking character once combat is over.

Capoeria is based on Brazilian dance - whirl the night away.

Capture Squad

If Capture Squad damages a Demon or Abomination, you take control of that Demon or Abomination.

They do a Marlon Perkins number on slithering demons.

Ambush when in combat with Demons or Abominations.

When the Capture Squad attacks, it will control the Demon/Abomination before it gets a chance to fight back and so should survive the experience.

Chimp Shack

You may play Chimp Shack during an attack against you. Turn and maintain to treat Chimp Shack as if it had the rules text of a specific site controlled by an opponent.

"Dig the MO of your enemy, brothers, and shove it up his snout!"

Turn Chimp Shack to copy the effect of a opponent's site which turns to generate that effect.

If Chimp Shack is copying a "turn and maintain" site, it may maintain the effect.

Chromosome Screamer

Guts. Inflicts +2 damage against Architect characters and Architect sites.

Ambush when attacking Scientists or Labs.

This includes Laboratories.

Combat Aircar

Vehicle. User gains Mobility, Tactics, and +4 Fighting.

Their phased grav stabilizers give them the maneuverability needed for surgical operations.

Subject character may attack back row sites.

Deathtrap

Play on any site. Characters that attack subject site suffer 1 point of damage before they damage subject site, but after combat with intercepting characters is resolved.

Characters that attack subject site also suffer 1 point of damage before each round of interception combat.

They only fight to lead you into another trap…

Desire Manipulator

Play on a character. If subject character is controlled by an opponent and has not turned to attack at the end of its controller’s turn, you gain 1 Power.

It implants new loyalties on the subconscious level.

Subject character may not attack a card that you control. It breaks off the attack if forced to do so.

If you use Fox Pass to override your Desire Manipulator, the subject character breaks off the attack, returning home turned. No Power is gained.

Dim Mak

Play on any character. Subject character gains +1 Fighting. Damage inflicted by subject character is not reduced by Toughness

Damage subject character inflicts in combat is reduced as his Fighting score decreases but cannot be reduced or redirected by any other means.

Dragon Fighter

Guts.

The last honest guy in the wrong part of town.

Opponents cannot take control of Dragon Fighter.

Encephalon Screamer

When Encephalon Screamer turns to attack, inflict 1 point of damage on each unturned character, and on turned sites, at the location of the target of the attack.

Other turned characters at the location of the target of the attack take 2 points of damage.

The effect is worse when you are dreaming.

Eunuch Underling

These attendants to the Emperor are the outer edges of a sorcerous conspiracy that rules ancient China.

Turn to play a Lotus or Magic edge at -1 cost.

Family Restaurant

Regenerates. Body is reduced to 0 if damaged by a Hood card.

If Family Restaurant is in the front row, Cops and Heroes at this location Regenerate.

"That really hit the spot!"

Fists of Legend

Unique. Play on any character. Subject character's Fighting score is increased by the number of Unique characters in your smoked pile.

Turn and maintain to give subject character the special abilities of one Unique character in your smoked pile.

Floating Fortress

Vehicle. Subject character gains Mobility and +8 Fighting.

It took a dozen Floating Fortresses less than an hour to level all of Acapulco.

Turn Floating Fortress to smoke a site at the same location.

Foul Hatchling

If you control Foul Hatchling at the beginning of your turn, it may inflict 1 point of damage on a target site.

Kill it before it grows.

Alternative: Toast Foul Hatchling at the beginning of your turn to play an Abomination from your hand at no cost.

Fusion Tank

Vehicle. Subject character gains Mobility and +4 Fighting.

"I survived the Dallas Uprising. I'll never for get the sight of the fusion tanks rolling down Commerce Street."

Subject character gains Toughness: 1

Gearhead

After Gearhead damages a site in an attack, inflict 2 points of damage on each of the site’s controller’s turned sites.

Their slogan: "Lean, mean, sand in the Vaseline."

Mobility. Tactics.

She likes to tease …

Gorilla Warfare

Limited. When you target a site with an attack, combat damage in excess of the site’s Body is inflicted to the site behind it. Gorilla Warfare is the source of this damage.

If the site behind is reduced to zero body, then you may burn it. If the site cannot be burned, then it is smoked instead.

Havoc Suit

Weapon. Add half the number of High-Tech resources in your pool, rounded down, to subject character's Fighting score.

Subject character is not affected by Nerve Gas or Death Touch.

Hill of the Turtle

Each player must spend 1 Power at the start of each of his or her turns or one High-Tech card of his or her choice that he or she controls is smoked.

The power goes to the controller of Hill of the Turtle.

You might think of this as a "Death or Taxes" effect.

Hopping Vampire

"Your basic East Asian bloodsucker. You'd think having to hop everywhere would slow them down, but it doesn't."

Gains +1 fighting every time it damages a character in combat.

Hosed

Play during an attack. Until the end of the attack, each attacking character inflicts 1 point of damage on each of its interceptors immediately before entering combat with that interceptor.

Alternative: play to smoke one chain of interceptors.

When the nozzle is set for a tight beam, they call it the "Chain Smoker".

Note that a chain is 2 or more interceptors.

Ice Tiger

While Ice Tiger is in play, Unique Ice characters cannot be targeted by attacks.

The Ice Queen breeds these fierce guardians.

If you control two or more Ice Tigers, you may turn an Ice Tiger to play an Ice Tiger from your hand or smoked pile at no cost.

They mature quickly.

Ice Warriors

These brave soldiers of the Inner Kingdom defend the Ice Pagoda and their beloved queen, Pi Tui.

Gains +1 fighting during an attack upon an Ice card that you control.

Illusory Bridge

May be placed in any legal position on an opponent's side.

Many have died defending it, yet it does not truly exist.

If Illusory Bridge is in a front row, its owner may turn it to flip a coin for every character at that location. Tails: the character is smoked. Ghosts, Spirits, Flying characters and characters with Superleap or Mobility are not affected by this.

The coin flips are made when the effect resolves. By the standard designator rules, flying characters include the Butterfly Knight. Control of the Bridge is determined by the site structure that it is in but only the owner - the player who first played the card - may turn it for this effect.

Jimmy Wai

Unique. Turn to cancel an effect that is being maintained by a card that turned and maintained.

He has a way of getting favors out of people.

Turn to change the target of a card which turns and maintains to any other legal target. Or turn to turn a card which turns and maintains and choose any legal target for it.

And he always gets his way.

Leatherback

Unturns when an opponent plays a Magic or High Tech card.

The Lodge ain't sittin' pretty in 2056.

Is not affected by Architect events.

This guy is a real survivor.

Mad Bomber

If Mad Bomber is smoked, inflict 2 points of damage on the front-row site at the location he last occupied.

He puts the "maniac" in pyromaniac.

And inflict two points of damage on each character at that location too.

He puts the fear of god into his comrades too!

Marked for Death

Play on any character. Flip a coin at the start of each of your turns. On a result of heads, subject character is smoked.

"When the Unspoken Name puts an X through your picture, you stay X-ed."

When subject character is smoked, toast it instead.

The toasting happens even if the card is smoked for some other reason.

Mooks

Stupid, brutal punks are something the world never seems to run out of.

At the start of your turn, you may play one Mook from your smoked pile at no cost for each Racket or Unique Hood that you control.

Motorcycle

Vehicle. Turn Motorcycle to change location of controlling character.

"It wasn't a Harley, but considering I had about a dozen hopping vampires on my case, I decided not to be finicky."

During an attack, you may turn Motorcycle and flip a coin. Heads: subject character gains Superleap until the end of the attack. Tails: subject character is smoked.

Mountain Retreat

Once Mountain Retreat has been revealed, it can't be damaged by more than two characters in an attack. The defending player decides which two characters inflicting damage actually do so.

If Mountain Retreat is in the front row, characters at that location are not affected by untargetted events played by opponents.

Untargetted events are those which do not use the word target, like Final Brawl.

Mountain Warrior

Gains Ambush until the end of the turn if an opponent turns a site to use the site's special ability.

The winners rule the world. The losers keep the faith.

Independent

They are waiting for the right moment to attack.

Mr. Big

Unique. All other Hoods you control gain +1 Fighting. Turn to unturn a Hood character. If someone seizes or burns a site you control, they may take control of a Hood card you control.

Opponents may not use Mr Big's ability to take control of him.

Mysterious Stranger

The controller of a character who intercepts Mysterious Stranger loses all Power.

Don't ask us; even we don't know.

The power goes to the controller of the Mysterious Stranger.

Netherworld Passageway

Play on any site. All characters located in front of subject site gain Mobility. Subject site is considered to be a Netherworld site in addition to any other designators.

Subject site may be attacked by characters located in front of a Netherworld or Portal site, even if either site is in the back row.

You can open a passageway into an enemy's back row site and then seize it.

New Manifesto

Discard any number of cards from your hand. If one of your feng shui sites is seized, you may return New Manifesto to your hand from your smoked pile.

The Jammers' whacked-out ideology contains 90% recycled parts.

After discarding, you may draw up to X cards from your deck where X is the number of cards discarded.

Elderly Monk may add to the number drawn.

Nine Cuts

Unique. Assassinate.

"I don't discriminate. I'll whack any target, accept any currency."

Any player may pay 1 power to the owner of Nine Cuts to play him from the smoked pile at no cost. This may only be done once during that player's turn and Nine Cuts is smoked at the end of that turn. May not be sacrificed.

Nine Cuts must be in the smoked pile before he is available for hire. The owner may hire him too but must have 1 power to pay himself with. He may only be hired during the hiring player's turn. The hiring charge is paid when the effect is generated; Nine Cuts is played when the effect resolves.

Nuked

Choose an opponent and flip a coin. Heads: smoke a site of your choice controlled by that opponent. Tails: you must flip this coin again, this time for the player sitting to the left of the last player the coin was flipped for.

"Blow Things Up! Blow Things Up! Blow Things--- Wait, not that!"

If a front row site is smoked, all characters at that location are smoked too.

The coin-flipping and choice of site is made immediately when the event's effect is generated - see the Player's Guide.

Operation Green Strike

Limited. Play only during your main shot. Inflict 3 points of damage on target non-feng shui site. If Operation Green Strike reduces target site’s body to zero, you may seize that site.

"By the time we got back, Kar Fai's crib was crawling with ninjas."

Inflicts 6 damage on Battlegrounds.

Poison Needles

Play on any card. Subject's controller must pay 1 Power at the end of each of his or her turns or subject is smoked.

If subject card turns then toast it at the end of that turn.

Everytime you move, the needles dig deeper.

Portal in Tower Square

Unique. If Portal in Tower Square is in your front row, you may turn and maintain it to target 2 characters. Target characters may not turn to change location. Any player who seizes this site gains 3 Power.

Any player who has played an Architect Unique may not win if Portal in Tower Square is in play and they do not control it.

Power of the Great

Play on any feng shui site you control. At the beginning of each of your turns, place one counter on Power of the Great for each Mastermind you control. The number of feng shui sites you need for victory is reduced by one for every four counters on Power of the Great.

Turn any Mastermind that you control to gain 1 point of power.

Probability Manipulator

Unique. Turn to increase or decrease the value of any number on target card by 1 until the end of the turn. You cannot reduce any digit to 0. Does not affect play costs.

Turn to determine a coin flip before the toss - you decide if it is heads or tails.

Controlling coin-flips is a special effect which is resolved prior to the coin-flip in question. If there are two such effects in competition (e.g. from a Paradox Cube), the last one to be used overrides the earlier one(s).

PubOrd Squad

The secret police of 2056 ruthlessly enforce the laws of the dictatorial Buro.

Inflicts +3 damage on Independent characters.

Repulsor Beams

Limited. When subject site is attacked, turn subject site to reduce damage that target attacking character inflicts to 0 until the end of the attack.

"One of the Prof's most useful inventions."

Turn Repulsor Beams to remove all the following characters from an attack on one of your cards: cyborgs, knights and characters with vehicles, weapons or robotic states.

When you channel all a site's chi through it, it can even repel the iron in your blood.

Ring Fighter

She got tired of fighting for money and decided to use her fists to make a difference in the world.

Independent.

There are no rules in this ring.

Safehouse

Turn and maintain; no attacks can be declared against target character.

Target character may not be targetted by events unless it is attacking.

Some say that it's in the Netherworld…

Sampan Village

When an attack targeting Sampan Village ends, you may place each character that attacked the site at a location of your choice on its controller's side.

Turn to switch the location of Sampan Village with any other site you control. You may not do this during an attack.

Seal of the Wheel

Play on a character you control. Place one counter on Seal of the Wheel at the beginning of each of your turns. The number of feng shui sites you need for victory is reduced by one for every two counters on Seal of the Wheel. You must still seize or burn your final feng shui site.

Opponents cannot take control of subject character.

Once you join the Inner Circle, you're committed.

Seed of the New Flesh

Each player must spend 1 Power at the start of each of his or her turns or one Chi card of his or her choice that he or she controls is smoked.

The power goes to the controller of Seed of the New Flesh.

Shamanistic Lieutenant

Any Demon or Abomination in combat with Shamanistic Lieutenant is toasted before it inflicts its damage.

Ambush against Ghosts and Spirits

Another routine exorcism.

Shaolin Master

The guns of the British meant nothing to those who lived all of the Six Principles of Light.

Damage inflicted on Shaolin Master by Guns and Tanks is reduced to 0.

This includes characters with the "gun" designator like The Golden Gunman.

Silver Band

Separately, they're pretty good. Together, they're a whirlwind.

If there is another Silver card in play, all Silver cards gain +1 Fighting.

Two Silver Bands will each have 7 Fighting.

Soul of the Shark

Turn to change the subject of a State as the State is played. You must choose a legal subject with the same controller as the original subject of the State is played on its original subject.

Turn and maintain to change the subject of a State to any legal subject. When Soul of the Shark ceases to maintain this transfer, the State returns to its original subject if it is still in play.

Note that she does not take control of the State.

Speed Boat

Vehicle. Controlling character gains Mobility and Tactics

Slice through the waters like a high-octane razor blade.

Stealth when attacking Beach, Island, River, Sampan and Whirlpool sites.

Sphere of Defilement

Play on any site. Whenever subject site is turned, it and all other sites on its controlling player's side suffer 1 point of damage.

Subject site generates no power.

And the smell is horrible !

Sting of the Scorpion

Assassinate.

She retains not only the blood of her ancestors, but their poison as well.

Turn to inflict a point of damage on any character. Damage inflicted by Sting of the Scorpion can never be removed.

Beware the sting of her lash.

SWAT Team

"Name any place in the world: the Lodge can have an emergency response team there in twenty minutes, tops."

Mobility and Tactics.

Swordsman

He fights for the honor of China, and will die for Confucian principles.

Sacrifice to cancel an event which targets a Master.

This includes Masterminds too.

Tanbi Guiawu

Unique. If Tanbi Guiawu has not participated in an attack during your turn, it is smoked at the end of your turn.

Without fresh food, it returns to the Underworld.

At the start of your turn, you may play Tanbi Guiawu at no cost from the smoked pile if your opponents control 10 or more characters. May not be sacrificed.

Tatsuya Yanai

Unique. Turn Tatsuya Yanai, except during an attack, to switch the locations of any two sites belonging to a single controller.

He may use his ability during an attack.

He provides real-time Satellite Intelligence.

Thorns of the Lotus

They care not what their cause is, only that they can without question shed their blood for it.

Sacrifice Thorns of the Lotus to inflict 2 points of damage on any target.

Throwing Star

Weapon. Play on any character. When in combat, and after combat damage is dealt, subject character can inflict 1 point of damage on any character at its location.

Sacrifice to deal one point of damage to each opposition character at the same location.

Tick...Tick...Tick...

Play on a front-row site. Flip a coin at the start of your turn. Heads: smoke Tick... Tick... Tick... and inflict 4 points of damage on subject site.

"Cut the red wire... no, the green wire... no, the red wire!"

And inflict four points of damage on each character at that location too.

Tomb of the Beast

Each player must spend 1 Power at the start of each of his or her turns or one Magic card of his or her choice that he or she controls is smoked.

If power is spent, it is given to the controller of Tomb of the Beast.

Tooth of the Snake

Stealth.

The blood of the snake lets him strike fast and true.

Mobility and Tactics.

A speedboat is a lousy weapons platform but lets you make an easy getaway

Training Sequence

Play on any character. Subject character gains +1 Fighting. Multiple Training Sequence cards can be played on the same character.

Supreme prowess in one montage and a soundtrack tune...

Turn subject character to gain a +1 Fighting counter.

If you're smart, you never stop learning.

Undercover

Play on any character. Subject character can attack back-row sites. Subject can still be blocked by characters at the location it is attacking.

Subject character gains Stealth.

It's stuffy in there but it seems to fool the stupid ones.

Veiling of the Light

Play on any feng shui site. Subject site does not count towards a player's feng shui site total for victory purposes.

All special abilities of the subject site are cancelled.

Water Sword

Unique. Weapon. Subject character gains +1 Fighting. If subject character is smoked, return Water Sword to your hand instead of placing it in the smoked pile.

Does not count towards your hand size when it is returned to your hand.

It's always there when you need it.

It is subject to uniqueness auctions when held in hand as an extra card.

Web of the Spider

Turn, except during an attack, to change the position of target character to any location on its controller's side.

Turn to turn all characters at target location.

Zheng Yi Quan

Unique.

"Kar Fai raised me like a son. He taught me to fight not for him, but for all humankind."

Chi states may be played on Zheng Yi Quan at -1 cost and regardless of resource conditions.