RULES ULTIMATE ENCOUNTER: THE INCREDIBLE HULK

ULTIMATE ENCOUNTER:THE INCREDIBLE HULK RULESWEB EX

ULTIMATE ENCOUNTER CORE RULESIn an Ultimate Encounter, players form a CrisisTeam with multiple squads to battle a deadly threatin unique narrative missions called Encounters.Each of these Encounters specifies the number ofplayers as well as the squad size for each player inthe squad composition section.CRISIS TEAMWhenever the rules refer to the Crisis Team, it meansall players that are part of the Crisis Team. If the CrisisTeam must make a choice, players should work togetherto choose the most beneficial option for the team. Themembers of a Crisis Team are always working togetherand should help each other during the game!COSMIC THREATThe Cosmic Threat is represented by the opponent ofthe Crisis Team. The Cosmic Threat player’s goal is tocomplete their objectives and/or to thwart the plansof the Crisis Team.GAME ROUNDSUltimate Encounters do not use the normal rules forgame rounds. Instead of players alternating turns, theCrisis Team and the Cosmic Threat alternate turns.Turns work slightly differently in UltimateEncounters. When the Crisis Team takes a turn,they activate three characters in a row, completingeach activation and adding an Activated token tocharacters after each of their activations as normal.2

After the Crisis Team has taken their turn andactivated three characters, the Cosmic Threat playertakes a turn in which they can activate an EncounterCharacter and up to one Minion character (seeMinions on pg. 8). Instead of adding an Activatedtoken to an Encounter Character at the end of nactivation, they add an Activated token to theEncounter Tracker. Once the Encounter Trackercontains three Activated tokens, the Activation Phaseis over and players proceed to the Cleanup Phase.When an effect states that it lasts for one round, or theeffect happens for ‘this round’, it does not actually lastthe entire round during Ultimate Encounters. Effectswith a duration like this will last until the end of thenext Cosmic Threat player’s turn.Below are the modified rules for game rounds to beused with Ultimate Encounters.THE POWER PHASE1. Each character gains 1 Power g.2. Resolve any player effects that happen duringthe Power Phase, starting with the side withpriority.3. Resolve any effects of Encounters or Statuscards that happen during the Power Phase.The side with priority chooses the order.3

THE ACTIVATION PHASE1. Resolve any effects that happen at the start ofthe Activation Phase, starting with the sidewith priority. After any player effects, resolveEncounter or Status card effects that happenat the start of the Activation Phase.2. The Crisis Team takes a turn, during whichit activates three characters. Then theCosmic Threat takes a turn, activating theEncounter Character and up to one Minioncharacter. At the end of the Cosmic Threatplayer’s turn, they add an Activated tokento the Encounter Tracker. A player whoactivates a character may make actions, usesuperpowers, and interact with objectiveswith that character. Repeat this process untilthree Activated tokens are added to theEncounter Tracker. When the third Activatedtoken is added, move to step 3.3. Resolve any effects that happen at the end ofthe Activation Phase, starting with the sidewith priority. After any player effects, resolveEncounter or Status card effects that happenat the end of the Activation Phase.CHARACTER ACTIVATIONSBecause of the way turns and activations workin Ultimate Encounters, it is possible that not allcharacters will activate every round.4

THE CLEANUP PHASE1. Players score victory points (VPs) fromEncounters or Status cards, if applicable.Mark these points on the Encounter Tracker.2. Resolve player effects that occur during theCleanup Phase.3. Resolve effects from Encounters or Statuscards that occur during the Cleanup Phase.The side with priority chooses the order.4. Characters with a Dazed token remove allDamage (j) tokens, special conditions, andtheir Dazed token. They then flip their statcards over to the Injured side.5. Crisis Team characters without an Activatedtoken may advance 1.6. Remove all Activated tokens from charactersand the Encounter Tracker.4. If the encounter uses a round counter, movethe Round token to the next round on theEncounter Tracker, then begin a new round,starting with the Power Phase.5

SQUAD BUILDINGPlayers take one of two sides: Crisis Team or CosmicThreat. How players build squads is indicated oneach Encounter Setup card.When Crisis Team players build their squads, theymay use any characters and Team Tactic cards fromtheir collection unless otherwise specified in theEncounter. However, players may not duplicate AlterEgos between their squads, even if their collectionswould allow it. Each player may use a differentaffiliation for their squad, but active Leadershipabilities will affect only their squad. Team Tacticcards, however, can be used with any allied charactersas specified on the individual card.AFFILIATION & TACTICSIf a Team Tactic card refers to a character by affiliation, thatcharacter must be part of a squad using that affiliation. Forexample, if both players are playing squads with the Avengersaffiliation, all Avengers characters may use the AvengersAssemble Team Tactic card when it is played.MinionsSome missions allow the Cosmic Threat player tocontrol specific additional characters. These charactersare called Minions and are always part of the CosmicThreat Squad. If a mission tells players to use specificcharacters as Minions but you do not have thosecharacters available to use, use the characters in yourcollection that best fit your narrative. Maybe Hulkis being controlled by the Mind Gem and is helping6

Thanos achieve his goals. Perhaps Loki has struck adeal for his own life and is now fighting in service tothe Cosmic Threat!DIFFICULTYEncounters have a Difficulty option that will changeportions of the Encounter. Players should agree on thedifficulty level they would like to play during setup.SELECTING A DIFFICULTYWhen playing an Ultimate Encounter, keep in mind thatthese are narrative scenarios meant to tell a story and createan atmosphere. While you can create highly optimizedand effective squads designed around each Encounter, thedifficulty level you choose should be adjusted to compensatefor this.PRIORITYIn an Ultimate Encounter, priority is not determinedby a dice roll or passed during the Cleanup Phase.The mission setup explains how priority works forthe Encounter.ACTIVATING MINIONSIf the Cosmic Threat player has Minions in play,each of them may be activated once per round likea normal character. When it is the Cosmic Threat7

player’s turn, they may activate one Minion withoutan Activated token before or after activating theCosmic Threat. The Minion receives an Activatedtoken as normal.STATUS CARDSEncounters may tell players to gain or draw a Statuscard from a deck. Status cards may give additionalsuperpowers to characters, change how an existingrule on a character functions, or alter the rules of theEncounter. These cards should be placed next to thestat card of the character or in the play area of theplayer that receives them.ENCOUNTER CHARACTERSCharacters with the Encounter Character keyword canonly be used in the Encounter that specifies them byname and may not be included in rosters. EncounterCharacters do not always have Threat Levels. If anEncounter Character is part of an affiliation, it will belisted in the Setup section of the Encounter.8

ULTIMATE ENCOUNTER:INCREDIBLE HULKThe Crisis Team has been exposed todangerous levels of gamma radiation,which has caused them to “Hulk out.”Unable to control the gamma-fueledrage coursing through their blood, themembers of the Crisis Team threaten tocause untold damage. Only the IncredibleHulk has the power to stop the CrisisTeam’s rampage, cure the gammapoisoning, and save the city!This is a fast-paced, no-holds-barred, “King of theRing”-style encounter designed for high-octane Marvel:Crisis Protocol action in a shorter-than-usual amountof time. This Ultimate Encounter is designed to be atrue kinetic spectacle as an unbound Hulk smasheshis way through the Crisis Team before “tossing”them out of the game by getting them into the GammaAbsorbers. Even though this is the Hulk like we’venever seen before, don’t think the Crisis Team is goingto go quietly back to their “puny” selves. Amped upby the gamma radiation, every Crisis Team memberhas access to a powerful throw superpower, allowingthem to literally pile it on the Hulk, as well as access toa gamma-enhanced rage that grants them more powerthan they’ve ever had before. We suggest playing withthematic or “what if”-style rosters and a professionalwrestling sense of atmosphere to best enjoy thisUltimate Encounter. And don’t forget to make surethe “ring” is filled with lots of interactive terrain toSMASH! Estimated Play Time 30–45 Min.9

SQUAD COMPOSITIONThe Crisis Team is made up of two players, each withMaximum Threat: 17 squads. Crisis Team squads cannotuse affiliations. A Crisis Team squad chooses a numberof Team Tactic cards based on the difficulty level (see“Difficulty” below). The Cosmic Threat player’s squadconsists of The Incredible Hulk.DIFFICULTYBefore setting up the Encounter, players shouldchoose the difficulty level from the following chart.DIFFICULTYTEAM TACTICS CARDSSTARTING RAGE TOKENSNarrative00Normal31Hard22SMASH!13ENCOUNTER SETUPWhen creating the battlefield for this encounter,make sure to include thematic elements showing thedestruction caused by the rampaging Crisis Team.10

GammaAbosrberBoosterSerumPriorityThe Crisis Team starts with priority and retainspriority for the entire Encounter.DEPLOYMENTThe Crisis Team deploys their squads within Rangei 3 of their battlefield edge. Then the Cosmic Threatplayer deploys The Incredible Hulk withinRange i 3 of their battlefield edge. The IncredibleHulk begins the game with the number of Ragetokens specified by the difficulty level chosen for theEncounter.11

Rage /SubduedGammaAbosrberBoosterSerumTOKENS & OBJECTIVESSubdued: When Crisis Team characters wouldnormally be Dazed, they gain a Subdued tokeninstead. The Gamma-Powered special rules listedon the tip card describe the full effects, but Subduedcharacters can be KO’d by The Incredible Hulk!Rage: Rage tokens show the anger level of TheIncredible Hulk. The Crisis Team scores VPs foreach Rage token The Incredible Hulk gains. Somesuperpowers and attacks give benefits to TheIncredible Hulk based on the number of Rage tokenshe has.Booster Serum (Target of Opportunity): BoosterSerums can return Subdued characters to full strength.During the Cleanup Phase, any character witha Subdued token that is within Range i 1 of aBooster Serum removes all damage tokens and itsSubdued token.Gamma Absorber (Target of Opportunity): Thismachine can remove the gamma radiation from arampaging Crisis Team character! A Subdued CrisisTeam character can be pushed or thrown into a GammaAbsorber to become KO’d, cleansing it of its gammaillness and scoring 2 VPs for the Cosmic Threat.12