Kick-Ass: The Board Game - Saving Lives and Gaining Followers
Man, this superhero business is tougher than they make it look on TV. Sure, you get those warm, fuzzy feelings from helping people out, but as soon as you have a reputation, everyone is looking for your assistance. Now, the city is being overrun by these jerk Minions, Mini Bosses, and Boss Villains, and I’m late for a date. It’s a good thing I can rely on some of my hero friends to help me save the city and kick some ass!
Kick-Ass: The Board Game is based on the critically-acclaimed comic book written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita Jr. Players step into the lives of Heroes like Kick-Ass, Big Daddy, and Hit Girl and work together to defend the city from a series of dangerous events, all while balancing the important business of their personal lives and up-keeping their social media status. They could get beat up and land themselves in the hospital, but screwing up their love life or not getting enough followers can be equally detrimental. Hey, being a Hero ain’t easy.
The bulk of the action in Kick-Ass takes place on the main city board. It is broken up into different Districts that will come under attack from Minions and Mini-Bosses. Each District has a Timer Effect, which comes into play when Timer action cards are played there. They also have a Clean-up Bonus that is awarded when all of the enemies have been cleared out. Some cards or actions can only be performed in certain Districts, and each one is themed appropriately, like being able to make money on Wall Street, or buying new items when you’re in the Shop.
Each round contains four phases where new Events will take place, the Heroes execute actions, and the plot of the story advances. The first of these is the Event phase. A new Event card is revealed, and older, unresolved Events slide one space further on the Event track. If Events aren’t dealt with before they fall off the end, all the Heroes suffer some negative effect.
The Day phase gives Heroes a chance to work together and beat the pulp out of some evil-doers. Days consist of a Morning, Afternoon, and Night that all work the same way. First, a Minion Spawn card is revealed, adding Minions to various districts in the city (as well as possibly other nasty stuff). If a District is full, arrows show the next District in line to get the Minion. After spawning Minions, the Heroes can discuss their plan, then simultaneously chose and play an Activation card. Activation cards allow Superheroes to move around the city and perform various actions. Red Activation cards allow Heroes to do their vigilante thing, like starting a fight with the bad guys. Blue Activation cards allow them to take care of their normal life, like working a day job or keeping relationships up. They’ll need to balance both aspects of their life if they want to be happy and productive crime fighters.
All of the hard business of saving the world and having a social life would wear any Hero out. During the Sleep phase, players check to see if any Hardship or Event cards are triggered, and see if it’s time to face off against the Final Boss. If the Heroes have resolved three Event cards, they’re ready to take on the Final Plot, facing off against Event cards related to the Final Boss. Otherwise, they continue the game as normal.
In the Refresh phase, players get their spent Activation cards back, and get a chance to acquire new ones. The Round token is advanced, and the Heroes get ready for another full day of crime fighting.
Being a Superhero isn’t just fame and glory. It’s a lot of hard work balancing relationships, keeping a job, oh, and fighting Supervillains. With a lot of teamwork from your fellow Heroes, you might just be able to make your dinner date and still kick some ass!
Kick-Ass will be available in your FLGS on September 28 and is suggested for a mature audience due to violence and language.
