WELCOME TO MEGACORP

THE GAME ABOUT CORPORATE WARFARE WHERE BUSINESS IS WAR

MEGACORP ADVANCED RULE BOOK

In this game you represent a business of one of the three main factions in the world of Megacorp: The Incarnates, The Corp and the Gnost. The objective of the game is for your business to be triumphant through any means necessary, be it through acquiring your opponent's business, running it through the ground or forcing your opponent into bankruptcy.

A Megacorp deck consists of the following: A Resource deck, a Main deck, a Business card and a Founder card. In order to play you need a minimum of 20 resource cards, indicated by a green back, 40 main deck cards, which have a blue back and a Business with a respective founder.

Using these cards you will craft, buy, deploy, combat and sell your way to supremacy in the corporate world. Remember... “BUSINESS IS WAR”

Cards and Card Type | The Factions | Making a Deck | Resources | The Zones of the game | Gameplay | Advanced Rules | Glossary of keywords and other terms

Megacorp has four card types:
Character. Event. Equipment and Location. A Megacorp card looks like this:

Characters: A character symbolizes many things, consumers, personalities, employees, etc. Characters are your main resource in Megacorp, they provide money, resources and valuable abilities for you to use for your business.

Megacorp has 3 main factions that divide humanity as it is known. These are the Corp, the Incarnates and the Gnost. Each faction has a unique play style and mechanics. However you’re free to include other faction cards in your own deck. It makes no sense to limit your business to just one faction.

Corp:

Incarnate:

Gnost:

In order to play a game of Megacorp you need a deck. A deck is made of the following:

When making a deck it is important to think what your deck aims to do and balance the ratio of different card types. A deck with too many events will be vulnerable to attacks; conversely a deck with no events will not be as flexible and unable to respond to your opponent’s threats. Mix and match cards in order to find the best strategy possible.

Your starter deck has everything you need to play a game of Megacorp, try combining it with cards from the booster sets in order to increase its power and find your own successful winning formula for your business.

Money: 
In the world of Megacorp. Money is Power.  Money is the lifeblood of your business and as such if at the end of your turn you run out of money, you lose the game. Money is used to pay for events, deploy characters, and even to decide who goes first. In Megacorp money is expressed in terms of 1M, with 10M being the maximum you can have at the beginning of the game.

Traits:

There are 4 traits in Megacorp:

In real-life business, sometimes money cannot buy everything - wits, courage, force or other elements might be required and these are represented by Traits.

Traits are a secondary resource used to pay for costs and also used when two cards perform combat. If any card hits 0 in any trait it is immediately destroyed.

Note: A card that has a printed 0 in any trait is not destroyed due to this rule. For instance, a civilian could have a 0 score in IQ. It does not mean that it does not have any intellect, just that they really suck at it. A card that has a - in any trait simply doesn’t have that trait at all. Such as how a concrete wall would not have MQ. A card with a null trait (the - we just talked about) cannot be interacted with that trait: It cannot be engaged to produce that trait, it may not be attacked with that trait and it may not block with that trait.

Through a game of Megacorp cards will go to different zones, from decks, to hand, to your network, back onto the field.

Main deck:

Your 40 Card or more main deck represents the various plans, characters and plots your business has.

Resource Deck:

Your 20 Card of more Resource deck represents the different Resources your business will have access to in order to play cards from your main deck.

Hand:

Your hand is where you will keep the cards you draw, your hand is hidden and there is no maximum hand size.

Network:

Your main play area. The network is the integral part of Megacorp where you will deploy and dock your cards. We will cover those later on. Your network always begins with two things on it: Your Business and your Founder.

Open Market:

The Open Market is where cards go after they are discarded. Each player has their own Open Market pile. Both players can buy the topmost card of ANY open market pile. This zone is public and can be checked by both players.

Annihilated Zone:

This zone is for cards that are either annihilated or removed from the game via an effect. Cards in the annihilated zone cannot come back or be bought. This zone is public and can be checked by both players.

Note:

If a card asks you to search a deck and doesn’t specify which one. You can choose to search both your resource deck and your main deck.

Beginning of the game:

Both players must shuffle their decks and present them to each other.

In order to decide who goes first, both players will bid. Bidding involves both players using dice or another form to decide a number covertly. Whoever wins the bid, begins the game, however there is a price, as you must begin the game with 10 - X money in your pool where X is the amount you bid.

Whoever goes second begins the game with 10M instead, if the bid is tied, you repeat it. If the bid is tied 3 times in a row then use a random method to decide who goes first.

If both players don't want to bid, use a random method to decide who goes first, such as dice and both players begins with 10M.

In a multiplayer game. Follow these same steps but with all players bidding at the same time. Then proceed clockwise from the player that goes first.

Once the first player has been decided, both players draw 5 cards from their main deck. Any player may choose to Mulligan their hand, shuffling it back and drawing one less.

Finally, both players put their business onto their network, with their founder docked to it.

Turn Structure:

A Megacorp turn is divided into 5 phases that follow the mnemonic ABCDE: Accounting, Buying, Challenge, Divest and End.

Accounting Phase:

The Accounting Phase is the beginning of the turn. During the accounting phase you perform all text that say “At the Beginning of the turn” or “At the beginning of the game” if it is the first turn of the game.

Then you will receive cash from your cards with CASHFLOW that are not engaged. This means that any card with CASHFLOW on it will give you that amount at the beginning of your turn, for example you will receive 1M each turn from Affluent Customers.

Disengage all the cards in your network. This means simply turning them upright.

Pay any Upkeep costs of cards with UPKEEP in your network. Upkeep costs are optional. If you choose to not pay a card’s Upkeep cost the card is destroyed.

Reveal the top card of your resource deck, you may choose to buy it at this time, if you choose to not buy the resource, place it on the bottom of your deck, if you do choose to buy it. Place it on your network next to any card on an open spot.

Finally, draw a card from your main deck, except if you are the player going first and it is the first turn of the game.

Here is an example:

Ana begins the game. Ana is playing with The Glass Man as her founder. Ana first triggers any actions that say at the beginning of the turn, which she has none. Then she receives Cashflow, which she also doesn’t have yet and pays no upkeeps.

Ana then reveals the top card of her resource deck, and chooses to buy the Affluent Customers, docking them next to the Glass Man.

Finally, Anna draws a card and continues onto the buy phase.

Buy Phase:

The Buy Phase is when you buy and deploy cards from your hand, the open market, or even your opponent’s network.

How to Buy a Card:

Let's use an example:

Cards can be bought from the hand, the open market pile or even the opponents’ network! In order for you to buy a card from your opponent's network that card must be engaged. You also have to pay your opponent the amount of money it is worth, and pay all additional trait costs.

Once a card is bought, it must be deployed.

Deploying and Docking:

Bought cards are deployed into networks. In order to deploy a card you must “dock” onto another card in your network.

In order to dock a card, simply place it next to another card in your network. You can dock a card the following ways:

When you deploy a card after buying it, you must dock it to a network, be it yours, or even your opponent's network. Furthermore a card is always deployed disengaged or right side up. Characters may use all abilities, engage to produce trait, or attack on the turn they are deployed.

It is important that you watch how and where you build your network. Cards that are not docked to any other cards or a series of cards that are ultimately not docked to your business are considered “Orphaned” and destroyed at the end of turn.

If your business is ever orphaned, which means it has no docked cards. You lose the game at the end of turn.

Challenge Phase:

The Challenge Phase is when combat occurs in Megacorp and where you and your opponent fight for market dominance.

During the Challenge phase, you can either declare or forfeit combat. If you choose to forfeit combat go directly to the Divest phase.

Combat

Combat is central to Megacorp. It is one of the ways to win the game and it helps you disrupt your opponent’s network.

Attacking

Any disengaged character can attack, and you can attack with as many characters as you want but each combat has to be resolved individually.

If a character has 4 cards adjacent to it, it is considered to be “Surrounded”. Surrounded characters cannot be attacked.

To attack, choose an attacker, which must be a disengaged character, and a target space which can have any kind of card on it. Be it an asset, event, etc.

A character may not attack himself.

Then declare the trait that will be used for the combat. Combat will be dealt in these traits. You cannot declare a trait if your target has a - in that trait. It is quite hard to have an intelligence contest with a gun.

If your character is still legally docked after all declarations, then engage it and the attack begins.

If the target space of your attack is empty after the attack declaration, such as by a Move effect, then the attack is nullified and does not happen. The attacker however remains engaged.

Blocking

Any card or cards can be declared as a blocker, as long it they are adjacent to the blocking card, they are disengaged and they have at least 0 in the declared trait of the attack.

You can block with more than one card, as long as all of the blockers are adjacent to the main target.

You can block with a card as many times as you like in one turn.

Damage

Once blockers are declared we proceed to the damage step.

All Damage is dealt at the same time. Unless a character has [Initiative]. [Initiative] Characters deal damage before characters without [Initiative].

Damage is always dealt by the attacker, however the blocker or targeted card can only deal damage in retaliation once per turn and only if the card is a character.

Non-characters, such as the business, do not deal retaliation damage.

The controller of the blocker or blockers can choose to not deal retaliation damage if it would favor him to damage some other card instead.

Damage is done by looking at the number of the trait used to declare combat. A card with 3 BQ will deal 3 BQ Damage if BQ combat was declared.

If any character receives equal or more damage than its trait score, it is immediately destroyed and goes to the open market.

If more than one character is blocking, the attacker assigns the damage as he sees fit, as long as the total damage dealt is equal to the trait score he is using to calculate the damage.

Example:

Divest Phase:

The Divest phase is where you make your profit. You can sell any card in your network that is disengaged for its valuation and receive that much money.

Trait costs are not refunded and you can only sell one card during the Divest phase.

You can sell orphaned cards. It is a great way to recoup your losses before they are destroyed during the end phase.

End Phase:

During the end phase, the board resets in preparation for the next turn.

Players have a window to play events and abilities before the end phase process begins, once it has begun no player may take any actions.

The end phase process is as follows:

First, if turn player business is orphaned, which means it has no cards docked to it, he immediately loses the game.

Second if any player has no money, she loses the game.

Then all trait pools empty. All orphaned cards are put into their respective open market piles and event cards that don't have the keyword Permanent are discarded.

Once this is all done, it is the next player’s turn.

Winning the Game

There are 6 ways to win the game:

1.  Opponent runs out of money. Then he loses the game at the beginning of any end phase.

2.  Your opponent’s business is orphaned at the beginning of his end phase.

3.  You buy out your opponent's business by paying its valuation.

4.  You defeat your opponent’s business in combat by destroying it.

5.  Your opponent runs out of cards in the main deck and is unable to draw a card.

6.  A card effect tells you that you win the game.

Events, Abilities and the Stack

Events and Abilities can be played or activated at any given time and players can respond to those by playing their own events and abilities. Megacorp uses a system called a nested stack in order to resolve these.

The Megacorp stack works like most stacks. The last ability or event on the stack is the first one to resolve. However Megacorp is special in the sense that certain mechanics and events bypass the stack and happen immediately which is why it is a nested stack.

To play an ability, one must first pay the costs, if any, and choose a target for it, if any. The ability is then put on the stack, each player can respond to it by playing another ability or event, which will resolve before the first one, and so on.

Cards are a bit different. There are 3 steps to playing an event:

First, an event is announced from hand, pays all costs, deploys it onto his network and puts it on the stack.  Any action that triggers when a card is deployed happens now, and does not use the stack.

Second, a response window happens where both players can respond to the event

Finally, the card Resolves and does its effect.Keep in mind that if you play a card in response to another card, the three steps happen again inside the response window of the first card.

Let us use an example:

Here is another example:

Such as the following example:

Keep in mind that while it is a good way to deal with events, it puts it on the open market pile where both players have access to it.

Bonding

Bonding is a mechanic unique to Megacorp where cards are bonded to each other symbolizing either upgrades, vehicles and even mutations.

When a card is bonded to another card, it is placed under the first card and they become a pile.

Only the first card of a pile can be targeted, except if a card has Penetrator, cards under the first card cannot be targeted, cannot attack, cannot block and can’t engage, however their continuous abilities are still active.

The First card of the pile gains all keywords of the cards bonded to it, such as #gun

If the first card of a pile is destroyed then all cards under it are destroyed.

Here is a simple example:

Keywords

Some cards have keywords such as #GMO, #Human, #Cyborg, etc. These keywords don’t have any inherent rules meaning, but can be interacted with other cards and other cards reference them.

GMOs, Cyborgs and Humans

Buildings and Infrastructure

Projects

• ABRUPT: ABRUPT can be played at the same as an event would, which is any time, even during another player's turn, or in response to an action by the player such as an attack, a card effect or another event.

• ANNIHILATE: To annihilate a card  is to send it to the annihiliated zone. Cards in the annihilated zone can't be bouht, or interacted with unless a card specifically says so

• AREA ATTACK: An AREA ATTACK is applied to all cards with the valid trait within a specified area. 2x2, 3x3, 3x1 etc. The attacker’s chosen attack trait is applied to each defender in the specified area. E.g.: An attacker with 5BQ will attack all valid defenders in the specified area, dealing 5BQ damage to each one. The defenders may all retaliate as normal. Area attack trait type is normally specified. E. g “Area Attack: BQ 1x4” would mean this card can only use BQ for its attack spanning 1x4 cards.  Attacks made in an area attack are resolved simultaneously and not one by one, for example: if a retaliation from one of the attacked cards would causes the area attacker to be destroyed, it is not destroyed until all its attacks made in the area attack are resolved.
   

• Assassin: Whenever a card with Assassin destroy another card during combat, the destroyed card is Annihilated instead.
   

• BOND: A card with the BOND ability is usually an effect that permanently bestows ability or effect on the card that it is targeting. The card which is being BONDED is placed under the target card affected. The BONDED card moves together with the card above it, and will be destroyed if the card above it is destroyed. A card may have multiple other cards bonded to it. BONDED cards bestow their ability written in the card text, but are impervious to attacks, damage and effects while under another card. If an engaged character is bonded to an unengaged mech, and the mech in turn becomes engaged.
   

• CAMOUFLAGE: If a card with CAMOUFLAGE is docked to another card of the listed type, it may not be targeted or attacked. Example: A card with CAMOUFLAGE: Water, cannot be targeted or attacked while it is adjacent to another card with the #Water keyword. It can still be chosen
   

• Cancel: If an event is cancelled it is destroyed, if an ability is canceled, the source of the ability is not destroyed. Cancel means to completely negate the effect, costs are still paid
   

• Card Keywords: Keywords such as #Building, #GMO, #Cyborg can be interacted with other cards that reference them. If a card would gain more than one of the same keyword it doesn’t gain it. Keywords are not card types and have no rules meaning beyond being referenced by other cards.
   

• Card Radius: An effect which calls for Card Radius X, means that it affects all the cards surrounding it in a square with radius X. The following picture depicts an effect with "Card Radius 2" 

• DEAD DROP: A Card with the DEAD DROP ability deployed from hand allows the player controlling this card to search her deck for a number of (type) Equipment cards with valuation equal to or less than the value of the DEAD DROP ability and deploy them. Example: DEAD DROP 7 means that when a card with DEAD DROP 7 is deployed, its controller searches her deck for one or more Equipment cards with a combined valuation of 7M or lower, and then deploys them without paying their valuation cost. DEAD DROP differs from MUTATION in that DEAD DROP may search for and deploy for more than one Equipment card. Trait costs associated with those Equipment cards do not need to be paid.
   

• DEMOLISHER:  A card with the DEMOLISHER ability outright destroys any card with one or more of the following keywords: #location, #equipment if even one point of damage is dealt to them.
   

• Deploy: To Deploy is to play a card onto a network by paying all costs.

• DEVELOPMENT: Development is an ability present in certain cards that signifies effort spent in developing said card. Development is an activated ability that has different requirements and results, but always requires a character to be engaged in order to add development counters to the card that has development. These counters modify how the card works as written on the card. 
   

• DISASTER LEVEL X: When you deploy a card with disaster level, every other player may search their deck and open market for X crisis card, reveal them and place it in their hand.
   

• Disengage: To Disengage a card, turn it back upright.
   

• DISRUPTOR: A card with DISRUPTOR forces a defending player to lose 1M money for each point of damage dealt to the player’s business. The DISRUPTOR effect is not triggered if the damage is not dealt to her business, i.e.: because of a block or the business is moved away in response to the attack.
   

• ELUSIVE: Cards with ELUSIVE can only be attacked once per turn, which will make them harder to destroy in challenges as only one attacker will be able to deal damage to it.
   

• Engage: To Engage a card. Turn it sideways 90 Degrees
   

• FLYING:  A card with the FLYING ability can only be blocked by another card with the FLYING ability.  A card with the FLYING ability that is ENGAGED loses FLYING and can be attacked by characters without flying. A non-flying card may not retaliate against a flying card.
   

• INDEPENDENT: INDEPENDENT cards are immediately moved by their controller in the event that they are orphaned.
   

• INDESTRUCTIBLE: Cards with the Indestructible keyword cannot be destroyed, but can only be annihilated. INDESTRUCTIBLE cards may be reduced to zero in any trait, but remain in play. Effects that trigger upon death such as “when this card is destroyed” do not trigger, as the indestructible card does not enter the open market.
   

• INITIATIVE: A card with INITIATIVE deals damage in a challenge first unless its defender also has INITIATIVE. If the card with INITIATIVE can reduce its non-INITIATIVE defender's trait is to zero in combat, the defender does not get to deal retaliation damage back to the card with INITIATIVE.
   

• LOYAL: A card with LOYAL cannot be bought over by an opponent while the card is in play. It cannot be sold as well by controlling player.  You are able to buy LOYAL cards in the Open Market.
   

• Melee: A card with Melee can only attack and retaliate into spaces a one card radius around it. This includes spaces diagonal to it and surrounded cards.
   

• MOVE: The MOVE ability allows the card’s controller to move it into another location in the network. The Card being moved must be legally docked. If the card is in an engaged state, it remains in an engaged state when moved. If the card being moved has other cards under it (BONDED to it) those cards are moved together. Moved cards do not count as being redeployed (i.e. Deployed again) so effects that trigger on deployment do not fire.
   

• MUTATION: A Card with the mutation ability deployed from hand allows the player controlling this card to search her deck for one card with the #mutation keyword, with valuation equal to or lower than the value of the MUTATION ability and deploy it for free targeting the card. Example: MUTATION 4 means that when a card with MUTATION 4 is deployed, its controller searches her deck for a single mutation card (one only) which has a valuation of 4M or lower, and then deploys it without paying its valuation cost targeting the card with mutation 4. 
   

• ORPHANED: A card or group of cards is considered Orphaned when they are not ultimately connected to your business.  A group of cards that cannot trace a connection to your business through legal dockings is considered Orphaned
   

• OVERWATCH: A card with the OVERWATCH ability does not require to be engaged when making a challenge/attack. As normal, each character may only make one attack each turn.
   

• PENETRATOR: Cards with the PENETRATOR ability can attack surrounded cards, effectively ignoring the Surround rule. Cards with PENETRATOR can also attack bonded cards (i.e.: Cards bonded, or placed under, other cards)
   

• PERMANENT: An event with permanent is not put into the open market at the end of turn
   

• PRECISION: Attacks/Challenges made by cards with the PRECISION ability cannot be blocked
   

• REFLEXES: A card with Reflexes may deal retaliation damage as many times as it is attacked. Normally, cards can only retaliate once per challenge phase.
   

• REGENERATE: A card that has the regeneration ability can avoid being destroyed. Regeneration create several effects:  When a card with Regenerate is dealt enough damage to be destroyed, its controller  may activate its ‘regenerate’ ability, paying any applicable costs,  to cancel its destruction and reset all of its trait scores to their original printed value. It will not enter the Open market pile and it does not count as being redeployed, the card simply remains in play. If the card is destroyed after Regenerate has been activated (And resolves), it will be destroyed unless its controller activates its Regenerate ability again. A card may choose to regenerate even if it's not being destroyed, however if it is subsequently destroyed after such an action (i.e.: the card was originally not being destroyed, and its controller opts to regenerate it and the regeneration resolves. Then an opponent destroys the card), the card will still be destroyed.
   

• SUPPRESSOR: A card with Suppressor causes its defender to engage once it attacks. If a block is declared, the blocker will instead become the defender and thus engaged. If multiple blockers are declared, only one of them becomes engaged (Attacker’s choice).
   

• SWAP: A swap means the exchange of position of two cards in a network. The cards merely exchange slots, they are not deployed anew. If a challenge is declared on a card and then that card is swapped. The challenge will continue on the new card that is in the same slot.
   

• Target: To Target means to choose a space as the objective of an ability or event, when you target a space you target the card in that space as well. If a card does not say target and uses a word like choose. Then it does not target.
   

• Terrain: Cards with terrain have: As you deploy a card you may choose to deploy it in the space occupied by this card, if you do, this card bonds to it. Cards that this card bonds to don't gain this effect.

  • The terrain follows all rules bonded cards follow.

  • This is fact does let you choose an occupied space as a legal spot to deploy a card.

  • You make the choice when the cost of the card is paid as you announce it, when it is deployed, the terrain instantly bonds to it.

  •  

• UNIQUE: When 2 of the same unique cards exist on a player’s networks, the newest copy is deemed to be the only unique copy, send all other copies of that card to the open market and gain money equal to its valuation. This means that two different players may control a card with the #unique keyword of the same name. However a single player may not control two cards with the #unique keyword of the same name.

  • If a unique card is deployed under your control, reveal your hand and you may sell all other copies of the same card from hand during your divest phase. ( This also counts to the selling of card in divest phase)