Game Rules

Core Gameplay

In Starcrossed, players control three zones, called soul crystals, that are the source of all cosmic energy in the universe. Each turn players play divas, divine guardians imbued with the power of the cosmos, to attack their opponent's crystals, while defending their crystals from attack. When an undefended crystal is attacked, that crystal's owner loses life equal to the attacking diva's strength. Once a player has no life points left, they lose.

Players enhance their divas by playing skill cards. Each crystal can hold up to three skill cards, and different skill cards have different types of effects, such as giving divas more strength, changing the layout of the battlefield, drawing cards, and more. Success in combat depends not on having the strongest diva, but on combining divas and skills in the most effective way.

Turn Structure

In Starcrossed, both players take actions during a single turn. The player who acts first on a turn is called the Active Player, and the player who acts second is called the Reactive Player. The roles of Active and Reactive Player switch each turn.

Each turn begins with the Draw Phase, followed by the Action Phase, followed by the Combat phase.

Draw Phase

During the draw phase, each player draws a card, then draws an additional card if they own at least one crystal with no diva on it.

Action Phase

During the Action Phase, the Active Player takes all actions for their turn, followed by the Reactive Player. During the Action Phase, players can play diva cards and skill cards onto their crystals, and can use action abilities of cards in play. Players can play cards and use abilities in any order, and can play any number of cards that they have the resources to pay for. 

Combat Phase

During the combat phase, players can attack each other's crystals, starting with the crystal on the Active Player's left. Divas can only attack crystals that are directly across from them. 

Once a player declares an attack with a diva, their opponent can choose to block. If a diva is blocked, the defending player takes no damage. Once the defending player has chosen whether or not to block, each player, beginning with the attacking player, can activate face-down skills from their crystals. Players take turns activating skills until both players choose to activate no cards. When no more skill cards are activated, combat proceeds to the Showdown. If the attacking diva was not blocked, the defending player loses life equal to her strength. If the attacking diva was blocked, the diva with the lowest strength is vanquished. If a diva was blocked, and both divas have equal strength, both divas are vanquished.

For each crystal, once the active player has attacked, the reactive player can attack with the diva on the opposing crystal. Divas can attack and block on the same turn. Once both players have had the chance to attack combat moves one crystal to the Active Player's right.

When combat has ended for all crystals, the turn is over. If at the end of the turn any player has more than 7 cards in hand, they must put cards from their hand on the bottom of their deck until they have only 7 cards in their hand.

Beginning the Game

At the beginning of the first turn, players roll a die to determine who is the Active Player. Both players set their life points to 25, shuffle their decks, and draw 10 cards. If either player has no divas in their opening hand, they can reveal their hand, shuffle their hand back into their deck, and draw a new hand of 10 cards. There is no Draw Phase during the first turn.

Costs

Every card has a cost, represented by the number in the card's lower left corner. This number represents the amount of energy it takes to play that card.

Energy is produced by crystals. Each turn, crystals produce an amount of energy equal to the crystal's level, represented by a die. At the beginning of the game, all crystals begin at level 0, and each player begins the game with a single point of energy, which they keep until it is spent. 

Every time a diva is played on a crystal, if that diva is of a higher level than the crystal, the crystal's level increases by 1. If a crystal levels up, its owner gains the extra energy it produces immediately. 

Energy is stored in a player's energy reserve. At the start of each turn, each player adds up the total level of all their crystals, and adds that amount of energy to their energy reserve. Energy remains in reserve until the end of the turn.

When paying costs, it does not matter which crystal produced the energy being paid. Once it is created, all energy is equal and can be used in any combination. Energy that is not used by the end of the turn is lost. 

Levels

Divas have levels, which represent their strength and prowess. Players can play divas of any level on any crystal, as long as they have the energy to pay for it. 

Normally, divas can only be played on empty crystals, but a higher level diva can be played on a crystal occupied by a lower level diva. When a player does this, they put the lower level diva on the bottom of their deck. 

Players can skip levels when playing divas, as long as they can pay the card's cost. However, crystals only gain one level when a higher level diva is played. For example, a level 3 diva can be played on a level 1 crystal occupied by a level 1 diva, but the crystal will only level up once, and will increase to level 2.

Attunement

Divas originate from many different worlds, and belong to different tribes, which derive different unique powers from the soul crystals. Players can only play skill cards of tribes that their crystals are attuned to. Each crystal has four color gems, one for each tribe of divas. Whenever a crystal levels up, a player can attune it to the tribe of the diva currently on that crystal by placing their die on the matching color gem. Once a player’s crystal is attuned to a specific tribe, they can play skill cards of that tribe. 

Some divas are so masterful that they need to harmonize with the frequency of their tribe's crystals to unlock their power. These divas are called the Crystalbound. If a diva card says "Crystalbound", it can only be played by players who own a crystal attuned to that diva's tribe.

Skill cards of a specific tribe do not need to be played on a crystal that is attuned to that tribe: as long as a player owns at least one crystal that is attuned to the correct tribe, they can play a skill card anywhere they like. 

Skills

Skills are special cards that enhance divas to make them more powerful. All skills can be broken up into two categories: Action skills and combat skills. Action skills are played from the hand during the Action phase. Combat skills are set face down during the Action phase, and activated during the Combat phase.

There are three different types of skill card:

Moves

Moves are special tactics and maneuvers that divas use to get an advantage over their enemies. When moves are played from the hand, or activated during combat, they are sent to the Void immediately as their effect takes place.

Powers

Powers are unique abilities that imbue divas with superhuman might. When a power is played on a crystal, it remains on that crystal for as long as there is a diva on that crystal. However, as soon as there is no diva on that crystal, the power is immediately sent to the Void. If one diva on a crystal replaces another, as when a diva levels up, powers remain on that diva's crystal.

Items

Items are weapons and equipment that divas rely on in their adventures. Items are built to last, and once an item is played on a crystal, it remains there for the rest of the game. 

Abilities

All effects of cards not already discussed are abilities. Abilities describe what the card does, or what its controller can use it to do. 

Action Abilities

Action abilities can be used any time a player can take an action. These abilities usually have a cost, which is represented by a crystal and a number before the ability text.

Trigger Abilities

Trigger abilities are activated when a specific game action or event takes place. Trigger abilities happen immediately after the triggering event, and no player can take any other action until the trigger ability is completed.

Continuous Abilities

Continuous abilities apply a constant effect, which lasts as long as the card with the ability is in play.

Deckbuilding Rules

Half of the fun of Starcrossed is building a unique deck that matches its owner’s play style and personality. A deck consists of 50 cards chosen by the player. There are no rules about what kind of cards a player must put in their deck, but it may be hazardous to build a deck with too few divas, or with cards from too many tribes.

Uniqueness Value

A card's uniqueness value represents the maximum number of copies of that card that can be played in a deck. Most cards have a uniqueness value between 1 and 3. 

Super Cards

A super card is a more powerful version of another card. For example, "Super Strike" is the super variation of Strike. All super cards have a uniqueness value of "S". A deck can only contain up to one copy of any specific super card, and only if the deck already contains two copies of that card's non-super variation. For example, a deck can only play up to one copy of "Super Strike" if it first contains two copies of "Strike".

Icons

Icons are exceptionally powerful divas who act as great leaders. A deck cannot include more than one icon. 

Special Rules

Special Actions

Each player may take up to one special action per turn. Some cards or abilities can be played as special actions instead of being played for a cost. If an action ability begins with "SPECIAL" instead of a cost, it can be used as a special action.

Recruits

Any diva can be played face down on a crystal as a recruit. A recruit is considered a Level 1 diva with 0 strength, no tribe, no abilities, and an energy cost of 1. When a recruit is vanquished or discarded from play, it is put on the bottom of its owner's deck instead of being sent to the void.

Glossary

Activate: A card is activated when it is turned face up during the combat phase. Only combat skills can be activated.

Active Player: The first player to act in a turn.

Crystalbound: A crystalbound diva can only be played by a player who owns a crystal attuned to that diva’s tribe.

Discard: To send a card from the hand or the Play Area to the Void.

Energy Reserve: The total amount of energy a player has.

Energy: A resource that players spend to play cards.

Life Points: The game's method for keeping score. When a player has no life points, they lose the game.

Opposing Crystal: The crystal directly across from another crystal.

Overkill Damage: When a diva who deals Overkill damage is blocked, if her strength is greater than the strength of the defending diva, the defending player loses life equal to the difference.

Play: A card is played when it is put onto a crystal from a player's hand.

Play Area: The field of play where the game takes place, consisting of all players’ crystals. The Play Area has a specific layout, detailed in the Area Map.

Quest: To quest for a card, a player reveals cards from the top of their deck until they reveal the type of card they are questing for. When they reveal a card of that type they put that card in their hand, and put the other revealed cards on the bottom of their deck. If a player reveals five cards without revealing a card of the type they are questing for, they instead put the revealed cards on the bottom of their deck and draw a card.

Reactive Player: The second player to act in a turn.

Void: The discard pile. Whenever a card leaves play or is discarded from the hand, it goes to the Void.

Zone: A designated place where cards can be played. The types of zones are Crystal, Skill Slot, Deck and Void, and are labeled on the Area Map.