Mad Science The Card Game Instructions are also available as a PDF.
It’s just another day at the Annual Mad Scientist Convention when Dr. Emil Knutberger shows up. You threw him out last year when his experiments got a little too… strange. Now he’s back seeking revenge for the indignity. The whole city is at risk!
It’s up to you and the other Mad Scientists to use spare parts to build creatures that will battle Knutberger’s horrible experiment. And when it’s all over, you’d better make sure you break apart the other mad science creatures… just to be safe.
Mad Science is an exciting card game with three distinct phases of play. It’s fun for all the mad scientists in the family.
Race your opponents to build a unique creature. Next, use your creation to battle a horrible experiment that threatens the city. Then, take apart your opponent’s creations to win the day!
The game deck is made up of four decks of cards. The largest is the PILE OF PARTS, used throughout the BUILD PHASE. BODIES, HORRIBLE EXPERIMENTS, and FINAL CONFLICT decks will be needed during setup. You will also need a six-sided die and a piece of paper to keep track of BATTLE PHASE and BREAK PHASE COMBAT. All monster PARTS and BODIES use one of three CONNECTOR TYPES – HOSES, SCREWS, and PLUGS.
There are also several ADAPTORS in the PILE OF PARTS. These can be used to attach PARTS to BODIES with unmatched CONNECTORS during the BUILD PHASE.
Separate the four decks into piles. Keep BODIES, HORRIBLE EXPERIMENTS, and FINAL CONFLICT piles to the side.
Shuffle the PILE OF PARTS and place it within easy reach of all players. Leave plenty of room for each player to build their monster.
Keep some paper and a pencil or pen handy to track combat during BATTLE and BREAK PHASES.
Each player rolls the 6-sided die. The player with the lowest number goes first and play continues clockwise.
ABOUT PHASES: There are three phases of play. Phase 1 is the BUILD PHASE. Phase 2 is the BATTLE PHASE. Phase 3 is the BREAK PHASE. Players will most likely complete the BUILD PHASE at different times. This is just fine. Keep doing what you need to do until you complete the PHASE. When your creature is built you will enter the BATTLE PHASE already in progress.
Starting the Game
Player One shuffles the HORRIBLE EXPERIMENTS deck. Without looking at the faces of the cards, Player One selects a card and turns it face up on the Play Area. Player One should do the same with the FINAL CONFLICT cards, except the selected FINAL CONFLICT card must be placed face down.
Player Two then shuffles the BODIES deck and deals one card to every player, face up. Each player will build a creature based on the BODY received. The BODIES, HORRIBLE EXPERIMENTS, and FINAL CONFLICT decks can be put aside for the rest of the game.
Player One will now deal PILE OF PARTS cards, one at a time, starting with Player Two and proceeding clockwise around the table until each player has five PARTS cards. These cards are each players HAND.
1. BUILD PHASE
It’s time to build a monster! Player One starts by playing a PARTS card if possible. Only PARTS with a CONNECTOR that matches the BODY type can be used. A Player plays only one card per turn.
PARTS can be attached to BODIES in any order. Their placement should be as follows: HEAD on top, LEGS on the bottom, ARM on the right, WEAPON on the left.
After playing a card (or skipping this step if no PARTS match is available) Player One may draw a card from the PILE OF PARTS. Now Player One must discard one PARTS card into the discard pile, the HEAP. Players should never have more than 5 cards in hand at the end of a turn. As cards are played, the Player’s hand will shrink.
ABOUT CONNECTORS: The primary CONNECTORS are SCREWS, PLUGS, and HOSES. Some PARTS have UNIVERSAL CONNECTORS. These PARTS can be attached to any BODY.
There are also ADAPTORS, which can be used to join PARTS and BODIES with different CONNECTORS. Each Player may use one ADAPTOR per game.
When Player One has discarded a PART to the HEAP, it is Player Two’s turn. After playing a PART (if possible) Player Two can either draw from the PILE OF PARTS or pick up the top card from the HEAP. Player Two must then discard a PART to end the turn. If an ADAPTOR is played, it takes up a turn, just like a PART.
Remember the order! Play a card first – if you can. Then draw from the Pile of Parts or the top of the HEAP. Finally, discard. Don’t forget – you can’t play a card after you draw… until your next turn.
The BUILD PHASE continues in this fashion until a Player builds a complete monster – a HEAD, an ARM, a WEAPON, and LEGS attached to a BODY. The monster may also include one ADAPTOR. The Player discards any remaining PARTS cards to the HEAP.
2. BATTLE PHASE
Completed creatures prepare for combat! First, the Player must calculate LIFE. BODIES have a base value to which certain PARTS add LIFE. LIFE numbers are found in the purple or red circle at the bottom left of cards. Add any + values from PARTS to the BODY baseline for a total number. The first Player to successfully BUILD a creature adds +3 to the creature’s LIFE total as a bonus.
The Player should give a name to the creature, then record its LIFE on a piece of paper. As other monsters are completed, one Player should keep track of combat totals, Including the HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT. This should all be done in the same turn the creature is completed. The Player should then wait until the next turn to begin combat.
The Player then rolls the die. Compare the number rolled to the chart on the right side of the HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT card. The first roll should be compared to the boxes in the middle column of the chart. Follow the instructions on the corresponding square.
ARROWS: Arrows require another roll. If the arrow is purple, the second roll should be compared to the purple circles chart to the left for EXPERIMENT behaviors. If the arrow is red, compare the second roll to the red circles chart on the right for Player behaviors.
Combat continues until the HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT’S LIFE reaches 0. Then all Players enter the BREAK PHASE. If a Player’s LIFE reaches 0 before the BATTLE PHASE is complete, that Player must skip a turn. On the following turn, the Player regenerates 1 LIFE point and may continue COMBAT.
HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT cards contain a number of specialized instructions for COMBAT:
ROLL AGAIN: Roll the die again. The new roll follows rules in the same column in which ROLL AGAIN appeared.
ROLL # TWICE: When this appears in a square, the Player should roll again. If the same number is rolled a second time, the Player’s creature uses its special WEAPON in combat and the additional damage indicated in red as SPECIAL on the lower right part of the WEAPON card is subtracted from the EXPERIMENT’S life total. If the number is not rolled a second time, the Player’s turn is over.
LOSE 1 LIFE in the Player’s column subtracts one life point from the Player’s creature. LOSE 1 LIFE in the EXPERIMENT column means one life is subtracted from the EXPERIMENT’S LIFE total. Same rules apply for LOSE 2 LIFE.
SPECIAL MOVE: If the EXPERIMENT’S SPECIAL MOVE is activated, follow the instructions at the bottom of the EXPERIMENT card. Often, significant damage is dealt by an EXPERIMENT’S special weapons. In some cases, the die must be rolled and simple instructions followed.
PART DROP: LEG DROP, ARM DROP, etc. This means a creature has temporarily lost a PART. Player should turn over the part in question and the turn ends. On the next turn, Player must roll the die to have the part returned. If the PART DROP instruction was on an even number, Player must roll an even number. If the PART DROP was on an odd number, Player must roll an odd number. If successful, Player may continue with BATTLE. If not, Player loses 1 LIFE and the turn is over. Player’s part is automatically restored on the next turn and BATTLE continues.
ADAPTOR LOSS: If your creature uses an ADAPTOR, it is temporarily rendered useless and your turn is over. Everything returns to normal on your next turn. If you do not have an ADAPTOR on your creature, this is a FREE RIDE.
DOUBLE HIT: Subtract 1 LIFE from both the Player and the HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT.
3. BREAK PHASE
When the HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT’S life is reduced to 0, Players must now battle each other to reduce the number of errant Mad Science monsters running around the city. The Player who destroyed the HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT reveals the FINAL CONFLICT card and BREAK PHASE COMBAT begins.
The FINAL CONFLICT card shows 3 columns of dice rolling information. The Player who destroyed the HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT is FINAL CONFLICT Player One. The Player to the left is Player Two. then Player Three. If more than 3 Players are in the game, Player Four uses the Player One column, Player Five uses Player Two, etc. Note: for more than 3 Players, consider adding an Expansion set to your deck.
In a 2-Player game, Players battle against each other. In games of 3 or more, the Player targets an opponent each turn before rolling the six-sided die, and then refers to the appropriate column for results. Players must attack opponents with more than 0 LIFE before knocking PARTS off others.
FINAL CONFLICT cards contain a number of specialized instructions for COMBAT:
LOSE # LIFE: Targeted Opponent loses specified LIFE value.
ROLL # TWICE: A successful # TWICE roll means the rolling Player’s Special Weapon move is used against the selected Opponent. If the rolling Player’s WEAPON has already been removed, Player cannot use Special attack and only does 1 damage.
PART LOST: If Player rolls a PART LOST during the BREAK PHASE, it is removed from the targeted Opponent and cannot be returned. If the PART has already been removed, the turn just ends.
DOUBLE STRIKE: Subtract 1 LIFE from both the Player and the opponent under attack. If the Player is already at 0 LIFE, both strikes hit the selected opponent who loses 2 LIFE.
We’re Not Done Yet!When a Player reaches 0 LIFE, the game isn’t yet over. Players continue to attack opponents with 0 LIFE by rolling the die. Each PARTS card has a number in a square on the lower right side. If the number rolled matches the number on one of the PARTS cards, that PART is removed from the creature and should be turned over. If more than one of the PARTS cards has the same number, the rolling Player selects which PART to remove. Only one PART is removed per turn. If an ADAPTOR attaches a PART to the BODY, the ADAPTOR is removed with the PART.
Winning And Losing The GameWhen a Player reaches 0 LIFE and has had all PARTS (HEAD, ARM, WEAPON, and LEGS) removed, that Player is out of the game. The BREAK PHASE continues until only one Player still has PARTS on its BODY. That Player wins.
One Last Note…Mad Science The Card Game is exciting and fun for the whole family, but is best for 2 or 3 players at a time. For 4 or more players consider adding an Expansion Deck. Expansions allow for more simultaneous players and add new HORRIBLE EXPERIMENTS, and FINAL CONFLICTS to the game.