Transformers Deck-Building Game

The Transformers Deck-Building Game is a card-based game designed by Matt Hyra and Dan Blanchett and released by Renegade Game Studios. The game's box and playable character cards feature original lineart by Matt Frank, with the remaining cards mostly featuring artwork drawn from the 2005 IDW continuity.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Card types 2 Releases 2.1 Core Set game 2.2 A Rising Darkness game 2.3 Infiltration Protocol expansion 2.4 Dawn of the Dinobots expansion 2.5 War on Cybertron game 2.6 Clash of the Combiners expansion 2.7 Chaos Unleashed 2.8 Convention exclusives 3 Notes 3.1 Errors 4 External links

Gameplay

Players take on the role of a Transformer and explore a "Matrix" of hidden cards, which can then be bought or, if they are an Adversary, battled once turned face up. Each player begins the game with a set of ten simple cards, drawing a hand of five of them to use each turn, but this deck can be bolstered with the ones bought from the Matrix – the titular "deck-building" aspect. Most cards provide Power (used to buy or battle other cards) and/or Move (used to move and search the Matrix) when played, and can also provide a variety of extra abilities or combat effects.

Multiple different gameplay modes are available: a single faction's base game allows for either cooperative or competitive play (with the latter justified as a "friendly competition" between teammates), but combining both base games makes Autobot vs. Decepticon team gameplay possible, and expansion packs add yet more options, including a "One vs. Many" mode. Thus far, each base game or expansion has been accompanied by a matching "Bonus Pack" available only direct from Renegade Game Studios, which adds a small number of extra cards to the game.

Card types

• Character – These oversized cards represent the player. Most characters cards have two sides: Bot Mode and Alt Mode. Some characters have multiple cards for extra Alt modes. Combiner characters have a Combiner Mode and a Team mode.
• Starter – These cards make up your starting ten-card deck, and typically provide limited utility compared to others. Once they've started buying better cards, a player will likely want to "destroy" their Starters when possible to improve their deck.
• Encounter – An Encounter card is drawn whenever a character is Ambushed or when initiating a Confrontation against a Boss. A player resolves either the text at the top or bottom of the card (not both), depending on the type of Encounter that is occurring.
• Basic – This term is used to denote cards that are stored on the table rather than being hidden within the Matrix, including Damage cards that are applied to players during attacks, and Roll Out!/Rise Up!/Reinforcement cards that can be bought by players at any time.
• Ruin – Cards similar to Sites, they are placed in the Matrix after finishing a battle and have harmful effects when moved onto. If all 10 ruins are on the board at once the game ends, they can be cleared and provide rewards for doing so.
• Planetary Ruin – A seperate type of Ruin, these are placed in the Matrix when Planet-type Sites are removed.
• Mission – Secret goals of adversary players that give a Victory Point bonus when fulfilled, and subtract Victory Points if left in play by the end of the game.
• Chaos – Cards specific to Unicron when battling him in co-op mode. They determine his movement, attack values and Confrontation effects.

"Main deck" cards come in a variety of types, which determine how a player can use and interact with them in the Matrix:

• Boss – If anyone is playing as Autobots, Decepticon Bosses will be included in a game, and vice versa. Boss characters come in levels of I, II and III, and one of each will be seeded through the main deck at certain points (Level I near the top of the deck, Level II near the middle, etc.). Revealing a boss character in the Matrix will trigger a "Reveal Attack" against all players, and to defeat them a "Confrontation" must be triggered, which will potentially see multiple players contributing cards to defeat them. Defeating all three bosses will trigger the immediate end of a Solo, Cooperative or Competitive game.
• Robot – These cards represent Autobot and Decepticon "NPCs" found within the Matrix. A Robot of the same faction as you can be bought, adding them to your deck, while a Robot who is your Adversary can be battled, which will usually score you an immediate Victory Point bonus and send them to your Vault to score further at the end of the game. If an Adversary Robot is revealed on your current space, it will trigger an "Ambush" against you, as will entering a space with a revealed Adversary.
• Ally – These represent individuals or equipment that can aid the player, and are notable for staying on the table between turns, providing an ongoing or start-of-turn benefit to the player for as long as they remain there. Earlier sets largely focused on humans and their technology, but later releases have included alien characters and even faction-neutral Transformers.
• Relic – Relics are the most expensive cards to buy, but provide very beneficial abilities once they are in your deck. Typically, Relics can also be voluntarily placed in your "Vault", which removes it from your deck, but allows you to score Victory Points for it at the end of the game.
• Maneuver – Representing particular combat skills, these cards generally have useful battle effects once bought for your deck.
• Technology – Representing a variety of equipment, these cards can provide useful abilities once in your deck, but typically don't generate Move for you.
• Site – These cards cannot be bought, and once revealed instead serve as a special location within the Matrix, with some kind of unique benefit that you can activate while visiting it.
• Cooperative Scheme – Included in the deck for Cooperative games, these cards cause some undesirable change in gameplay once revealed, but can be "thwarted" with effort from players.
• Decepticon Scheme/Autobot Initiative – Faction schemes/initiatives are similar to Cooperative Schemes, but are not exclusive to Co-op games, serving instead to provide "enemy action" in games where players are either all Autobots or all Decepticons.
• Polity – Similar in mechanic to Sites but added in like Bosses, players can take command of a polity for their faction to gain beneficial effects and Victory Points at the end of the game.

Releases

Core Set game

The original Core Set release introduces Autobots as playable characters, and includes three modes of play: Solo, Cooperative and Competitive.

Character

Starter

Encounter

Basic

Boss

Robot - Autobot

Robot - Decepticon

Ally

Relic

Maneuver

Technology

Site

Decepticon Scheme

Cooperative Scheme

A Rising Darkness game

A Rising Darkness is a matching Decepticon-themed counterpart to the Core Set, and by itself includes the same game modes. When both games are combined, Team vs. Team gameplay becomes available, allowing Autobot and Decepticon players to compete in teams of one or two. The corresponding Bonus Pack includes the game's first playable Triple Changer, Astrotrain.

Character

Starter

Encounter

Basic

Boss

Robot - Autobot

Robot - Decepticon

Ally

Relic

Maneuver

Technology

Site

Autobot Initiative

Infiltration Protocol expansion

This expansion pack requires at least one of the two base games to play, and adds a variety of new cards and playable characters, as well as two new gameplay modes. One vs. Many pits a single, overpowered player against a team of two or three, while Infiltration Phase mode adds a series of objectives that teams must complete in order while dealing with changing constraints.

Character

Basic

Boss

Robot - Autobot

Robot - Decepticon

Ally

Relic

Maneuver

Technology

Site

Initiative/Scheme

Dawn of the Dinobots expansion

A second expansion pack adds the Dinobots, as well as the game's first playable Combiner.

Character

Starter

Basic

Boss

Robot - Autobot

Robot - Decepticon

Ally

Relic

Maneuver

Technology

Site

Initiative/Scheme

War on Cybertron game

A standalone set that is compatible with previous Core Sets and expansions introducing Polities, Ruins and Missions.

Character

Starter

Encounter

Basic

Ruin

Mission

Boss

Robot - Autobot

Robot - Decepticon

Ally

Relic

Maneuver

Technology

Site

Corporative Scheme

Polity

Clash of the Combiners expansion

An expansion focusing on and featuring multiple Combiners.

Characters

Starters

Basic

Ruin

Boss

Robot - Autobot

Robot - Decepticon

Ally

Maneuver

Technology

Sites

Relic

Cooperative Scheme

Chaos Unleashed

An expansion themed around battling Unicron, complete with his heralds and the ruins they leave behind. It introduces a new game mode, in which the players must defend 5 planets from either a player-controlled Unicron, or an automaton with behaviors determined by a special "Chaos" deck.

Character

Starter

Basic

Planetary Ruin

Chaos

Boss

Robot - Autobot

Robot - Decepticon

Ally

Maneuver

Technology

Site

Site - Planet

Relic

Cooperative Scheme

Convention exclusives

Renegade Games Studio periodically distribute exclusive add-on content at gaming conventions such as GenCon. To date the below has not been made available outside the convention, although this remains a possibility.

GenCon 2022

• Autobot Megatron

The Robot card Autobot Megatron has a unique "Autobot/Decepticon" faction, it is considered both factions and thus can be bought by either while not being considered an adversary.

Notes

• The first edition of the Core Set used "Transform" as a keyword, but due to Hasbro's crackdown on the language reprintings and future sets instead use "Convert." The Basic card "Transform and Roll Out!" has also been renamed to simply "Roll Out!" for the same reason.

Errors

Current releases have several known errors that should be fixed in future printings.

• The Vortex and Brawl robot cards included in the Core Set and its Bonus Pack should have the Combaticon keyword.
• The Core Set rulebook contains a less clear explanation of the "assist" mechanic, the revised version makes it easier to parse.
• The +1 Power available on Ironhide's player card in the Core Set should only trigger when going into bot mode.
• The Desert site card in the Core Set should leave Sites if it reveals one.
• The Soundwave robot card in A Rising Darkness has a Move arrow with no number; the arrow being there is an error and the card is not supposed to provide Move.
• The Ultra Magnus character card in the Infiltration Protocol Bonus Pack should say that both Energon abilities cost 2 instead of the first costing 1.
• The Rulebook for Dawn of the Dinobots says the Devastator character card has 1 Power with Range 0 in combined mode, it should say Range 1.
• Shockwave's character card in Dawn of the Dinobots should have 0 Move instead of 3 in alt-mode.
• The Maneuver card "Deep Cover" in War on Cybertron should allow you to draw one Mission and then discard one afterward.
• The Runamuck character card in the Chaos Unleashed Bonus Pack is misspelled as Runamok.

External links

• Core Set rulebook (revised)
• A Rising Darkness rulebook
• Infiltration Protocol rulebook
• Dawn of the Dinobots rulebook
• War on Cybertron rulebook
• Clash of the Combiners rulebook