How To Play: Champions!

Overview

If you love board games with strategy and a shocking amount of shouting, Champions! is right up your alley. After many nights of intense competition and some questionable pizza choices, my friends and I cracked the code on how to play Champions! like pros. This guide will give you a simple outline of the game rules and reveal our best (and funniest) strategies for crushing your rivals and stealing victory.

What’s in the box

• 1 Game Board
• 8 Champion Miniatures
• 64 Ability Cards
• 32 Equipment Tokens
• 4 Player Reference Cards
• 60 Health Counters
• 1 Rulebook
• 4 Team Trackers
• 12 Status Effect Markers

How To Play Champions!: Rules Summary

Setup

1. First, each player picks a colorful team board and matching tokens. I always end up with the yellow ones, because Brian snatches blue while I blink.
2. Next, shuffle the Champion cards and deal three to each player.
3. Then, everyone secretly chooses one Champion to play and puts the other two face down in front of them. My dog once picked for me. I lost.
4. Finally, place the main game board in the center and pile up the action cards for easy reach.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, you pick one action card and follow its instructions. If it says, “Move forward two but only if you make a chicken sound,” you bet I’m clucking.
2. Afterward, use your Champion’s special power, but only once per round.
3. When the round ends, all players reveal their held cards. This decides who scores or cries.
4. Replace used action cards, and start the next round—unless someone flips the table. (Looking at you, Steve.)

Winning

1. The goal: score ten points to win. No bribes. I checked.
2. Earn points by meeting secret objectives and using Champion powers well.
3. Keep an eye on the scoreboard. If you reach ten, shout “Champion!” and celebrate. Then, lose all your friends by gloating too much.

Special Rules & Conditions

1. If two players score at the same time, only the first one to do a backflip gets the win. (Okay, not really. But it should be.)
2. Some Champions change the rules for one round. Always check your card to avoid embarrassing mistakes. Trust me, I once tried flying when I wasn’t the Flying Squirrel.
3. If there’s a tie at ten points, play a tie-breaker round with just one action card and no Champion powers. May luck be with you—and not Steve, who always wins ties.

With these rules, you’re set for your first game! Try it, and soon you’ll be telling everyone else How To Play Champions!—just maybe not as loudly as I do.

Best Champions! Strategies

Pick Like a Pro: Drafting Your Champions!

Balance Your Squad

Smart drafting means covering all your bases. You need muscle, brains, and sometimes a bit of luck. How To Play champions! always starts with a balanced team:

1. Choose at least one heavy hitter for offense.
2. Add a support player with healing or buffs.
3. Don’t skip on a sneaky saboteur to mess with opponents.

Watch Opponents’ Picks

Keep your eyes open! Your rivals show their plans early. Use this info to grab heroes that mess up their combos. Disrupting their plans is half the fun.

1. Block obvious synergies.
2. Grab counters when you spot them.

Stay Flexible

Be ready to change course. If your friend Joe nabs the healer you wanted, don’t panic—adapt! How To Play champions! well means rolling with surprises and picking heroes who fit any role.

1. Prepare backup picks.
2. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Mastering the Clock: How To Play champions! with Smart Ability Timing

Timing special abilities can make or break your game. I’ve lost count of how many times I fired off a cool move too early. Usually, my friends (mostly Steve) point and laugh when this backfires. So, let’s fix that! Here are my favorite tactics for using those game-changing powers at just the right moment.

Wait for the Perfect Moment

1. Keep your ability until a big play shapes up.
2. Watch other players for clues they’re about to strike.
3. Use abilities as a surprise, not a routine.

Bait Out Opponents’ Moves

1. Act like you’re not a threat, then turn the tables.
2. Wait until rivals waste their counters, then go big.

Combo With Teammates

1. Chat with your pals before you use any major power.
2. Chain moves for a flashy, game-winning turn. (Feels awesome!)

Don’t Panic

1. If you’re losing, resist the urge to blast your ability out of desperation.
2. Stay cool—timing is everything in How To Play champions!

Sabotage Your Rivals: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast!

Read Their Patterns

1. Watch for repeated moves—most people fall into habits.
2. React with something unexpected.

Exploit Weaknesses

1. Find the character they rely on most.
2. Focus your efforts there. Steve cried last time I did this.

Force Tough Choices

1. Corner them with two bad options.
2. Play cards that punish both offense and defense.

Mastering How To Play champions! means you can’t just focus on your own moves. Instead, keep an eye on rivals. Then, mess with their plans at every turn. Sometimes, you even get a bonus snack while they glare at you. Talk about multi-tasking!

Level Up and Rule the Arena!

Alright, that’s my big bag of tricks for Champions! I hope you found some sneaky moves and maybe one or two ways to outsmart Steve (he’s still mad about last game). Remember, the real secret isn’t a perfect draft or memorizing every ability—it’s reading your pals, staying loose, and laughing when your plans explode like a fizzled firecracker.

Seriously, just play hard, keep your cool, and try yelling out ‘How To Play champions!’ the next time someone asks for rules. If nothing else, you’ll sound like you know what you’re doing. Happy gaming, folks!

Want to know what we think of Champions!? Read our detailed review of Champions! here