COLOSSUS!

v.1.0 April 2013

Written by Carlos Ferrao
 Colossus
(noun, plural colossi)
anything colossal, gigantic or very powerful

Written by Carlos Ferrao

Interior Art by Frankie B Washington, Chris Graves, Jeff Bracey, Patricia
Seymour
Game illustrations by Stu Smith
Playtested by Florian He , Jean Dumas, Alan Saunders, James York and
Michael Cartine

Latest version of these rules plus reference sheets and extras

always available @ http://colossus-game.blogspot.co.uk
 1
CONTENTS
Introduction..............................................3
Free................................................................3
Shareable.......................................................3
Innovative......................................................3
Deep...............................................................3
Open..............................................................3
Game Components...................................4
Cards..............................................................4
Figures...........................................................4
Markers..........................................................4
Somewhere to Play........................................5
Sequence of play.......................................6
Detailed Sequence of Play............................6
Orders............................................................8
Diamonds Specials.....................................8
Energy............................................................8
Movement...............................................10
Movement Limitations................................10
Barging........................................................11
Being Prone and Standing Up.....................11
Engagements................................................11
Engaging......................................................11
Disengaging.................................................12
Combat...................................................13
Attacks and Abilities...................................13
Multiple Attacks and Targets.......................13
Picking a target for Ranged Attacks............13
Line of Fire..................................................13
Picking a target for Close Attacks...............14
Hitting and Missing.....................................14
Criticals........................................................15
Discarding Cards.........................................15
Catastrophic Criticals..................................15
Fumbles.......................................................15
Repairs.........................................................15
Setting Up a Game..................................16
Playing Area...........................................17
Terrain Pieces.........................................18
Placing Terrain.............................................18
Terrain Types...............................................19
Cities............................................................19
Industrial Parks............................................20
Optional Playing Area Rules: Metropolis...20
Setting Up a Metropolis..............................20
Buildings.....................................................20
Power Cards in a Metropolis ......................21
Enter the Colossi.....................................22
Colossal Footprints......................................22
Facings and Arcs.........................................23
Building your Colossus..........................24
Power Cards................................................24
Secret and Open Picking.............................24
Types of Power Cards.................................24
Power Card Minima and Maxima...............24
Power Card Deck........................................25
Catastrophic Criticals..................................25
Hits..............................................................25
Knocking Out a Colossus............................25
Abilities..................................................26
Specials...................................................29
Attacks....................................................32
Ranged Attack Modifiers........................33
Close Attack Modifiers...........................35
Build Example Mantodeon......................36
Complex Colossus Builds Example -
Shrinking Colossi........................................36
Formations...................................................37
Tinies......................................................38
Placing Tinies..............................................38
Tiny Exceptions...........................................38
Moving Tinies..............................................38
Attacking with Tinies..................................38
Tiny Attack Example...................................39
Attacking Tinies..........................................40
Fumbling against Tinies..............................40
Trampling Tinies.........................................40
Destroying Tinies........................................41
Recycling Tinies..........................................41
Hostile and Friendly Tinies.........................41
Air Strikes...............................................42
Air Strike Planning......................................42
Air Strike Coordinates.................................42
Air Strike Attack..........................................43
Air Strike Example......................................44
Other Rules.............................................45
Contests of Might........................................45
Collisions.....................................................46
Measuring....................................................46
Scenarios.................................................49
Introductory Scenario..................................49
The Raiders..................................................49
The Good, the Bad, the Colossal.................49
Immortal Duel.............................................50
Save the Earth..............................................51
Rescue..........................................................51
Pre-built Colossi.....................................53
Our Official Colossi....................................53
Colossus! Reference Sheet.....................54
2
 3

Introduction
I designed Colossus! to be free, shareable, innovative, deep and open.

Free
All you need to play Colossus! is available using components you can build yourself or
from other games and toys - most players wont need to buy anything they dont own
already. The rules themselves are available as a free download from the website.

Shareable
You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the rules as long as you keep the authorship
information and dont make a profit off it. Also, Colossus! lets you and your friends use
figures from many different storyworlds: even if your friends dont share your love for silly
latex-suit monster movies they can bring their big robots from epic wargames.

Innovative
Colossus! combines elements of wargames, boardgames and card games. It uses an open
playing area without hexes or squares to restrict gameflow. A lot of games are about making
optimal moves in the same familiar situations time after time, encouraging players to learn
by rote the best way to play. Colossus! with the hidden Power Cards and the changing Order
Cards forces players to think on their feet and adapt every turn.

Deep
The game is easy to learn but hard to master. It can be picked up quickly and the
introductory scenario can be played just by following the set-up instructions without reading
all the rules beforehand. The complexity comes through the interaction of the several dozen
different Power Cards, the choice of different Order Cards in various game situations and
subtleties such as the movement of Tinies.

Open
Colossus! comes with its own setting called The Zillium Wars which is featured in little
snippets across the rules. This storyworld has been deliberately left vague and open to the
players imagination. We suggest a range of possible colossi as starting points, but players
are free to come up with their own concepts and model them using the cards available... or
even invent their own cards! Hopefully there will be enough active players out there feeding
back on the rules and how they use them so I can keep improving and expanding Colossus!

Finally, I wrote Colossus! because I have too many 3 monster figures and I wanted a game
to play with them! I did a lot of research and found that similar games out there were either
too simple without enough tactics involved, i.e. roll lots of dice and get lucky, or too
restrictive with a limited set of monsters and maps available. I hope you agree that
Colossus! fixes those problems.
 4

Game Components
Colossus! has been designed to be played using figures and other game components that
you might already own from other games. It's not tied to any particular manufacturer and
you can even produce some of the game components yourself.

Cards
You will need:

A regular deck of playing cards with the aces and face cards removed (J, Q, K). All 4
suits are used (Clubs, Diamonds, Spades, Hearts) so the final deck should have 36
cards. The cards in this deck are called Orders Cards.
Deck of Power Cards including several copies of each. The Colossus! website has
sheets with all the Power Cards which you can print out, cut and then put in deck
protectors to use during the game. Power Cards are hidden during the game, so the
card backs must be all the same.

Figures
You will need:

Figures for each player's colossi. These can be anything from 2 to 3.5 in height and
width.
Several collectible miniature games are suitable for this such as Monsterpocalypse
by Privateer Press or Mechwarrior by WizKids.
Alternatively plastic or metal miniatures from sci-fi and fantasy wargames like
Games Workshop's Epic Armageddon (Titans, Gargants, etc.) and Warhammer 40k
and Warhammer Fantasy Battles or warjacks from Privateer Press's Warmachine.
Outside the realm of gaming, there are collectible giant monster toy figures
available for all the well known ones like Godzilla, Gigan, Gamera and so on
One of the main objectives of Colossus! is to allow players to use whatever
models they like from whatever storyworld attracts them, so use your imagination!
Figures to represent the tinies the desperate armed forces trying to stop the colossi
from wrecking everything. Around 10 tinies should be enough for most games using a
mix of helicopters, tanks, troop stands, artillery pieces, flying saucers, tank-sized
robots, etc. To scale with the 2 to 3.5 colossi recommended above, try to use figures
that are 1:300 scale or smaller.

Markers
You will need:
Some way to mark how many Hits a colossus still has. The simplest way is to use a
piece of paper and write it down. Another options is to use tokens with larger ones
representing 5 Hits each and then smaller ones representing a single Hit.
Two markers for Air Strike coordinates. Any markers or counters will do, but bombers
or fighter jets to scale look better.
Various counters to mark:
the use of some Power Cards;
whether a colossus is prone if the figure used is too fragile to be put on its side;
any engagements.
These counters are not necessary but might help in bigger games or involving more
than 2 players.
 5

Somewhere to Play
You will need:
Playing area 48 long by 24 wide. This will fit most games but extra widths of 12
can be added if using more than 3 colossi in one side. The traditional 6'x4' wargaming
table can also be used, but you will need to mark some boundaries on it as it is too big
for most games.
Scenic terrain to scale with the colossi depicting buildings, lava pools, rivers,
chemical spills, hills, etc. Terrain pieces should be between 3 and 10 in width,
length and diameter.
These can come from your board or wargame collection or from model railways.
The smaller the terrain, the more colossal the figures will appear so try to find Z or
ZZ scale terrain.
If you don't already own and can't afford enough terrain pieces for a game, then
using bi-dimensional, i.e. flat, terrain is a cheap and quick alternative. For instance,
pieces of red felt can be used to mark pools of lava and a shaggy green carpet sample
can be a forest.
 6

Sequence of play
The game is played in Turns which are sub-divided in 8 Phases.

This might seem quite a lot but after a few Turns the order of the Phases quickly becomes
second nature.

1. Air Strike Planning Phase determine where Air Strikes are going to land
2. Orders Phase all colossi assign their Order Cards
3. Movement Phase all colossi move, starting with those on Clubs Orders followed by
Spades, Diamonds and Hearts. If same suit, then lowest card goes first, e.g. 2 Clubs
goes before 4 Clubs.
4. Ranged Attack Phase all colossi can use ranged attacks except those on Clubs
Orders. Hearts go first, followed by Spades and Diamonds. If same suit, then lowest
card goes first.
5. Close Attack Phase all colossi can use close attacks with Clubs going first followed
by Spades, Diamonds and Hearts. If same suit, then lowest card goes first.
6. Tinies Phase tinies move, attack and recycle.
7. Air Strike Attack Phase assign damage to any colossi or tinies between the Air
Strike's coordinates.
8. End Phase colossi can do Repairs and the players can check for scenario victory
conditions and do a bit of housekeeping with the deck cards.

Detailed Sequence of Play

This has bit too much detail but for the first few turns or games it might be useful to follow
it step by step to make sure you're doing it right.

Air Strike Planning Phase

1. Roll for Air Strike coordinates.

Orders Phase

1. Each colossus gets 2 cards from the Order Cards deck.

2. Players secretly allocate one Order Card for that colossus and the other Order Card
goes to the bottom of the Order Cards Deck.
3. Players turn over all the Order Cards simultaneously revealing how they were
allocated.
4. Colossi with Diamonds orders can play a Special card, starting with the colossus with
the lowest numbered Diamonds card.

Movement Phase

1. Colossi with Clubs orders can make 2 moves, starting with the colossus with the lowest
numbered Clubs order. At the end of any of their moves they can declare Engagements.
2. Colossi with Spades orders can make 1 move, starting with the colossus with the
lowest numbered Spades order. At the end of their move they can declare
Engagements.
3. Colossi with Diamonds orders can move once, starting with the colossus with the
 7

lowest numbered Diamonds order. At the end of their move they can declare
Engagements.
4. Colossi with Hearts orders can turn up to 180, starting with the colossus with the
lowest numbered Hearts order. At the end of their turn they can declare Engagements.

Ranged Attack Phase

1. Colossi with Hearts orders can use their ranged attacks if they have any, starting with
the colossus with the lowest numbered Hearts order.
2. Colossi with Spades orders can use their ranged attacks if they have any, starting with
the colossus with the lowest numbered Spades order.
3. Colossi with Diamonds orders can use their ranged attacks if they have any, starting
with the colossus with the lowest numbered Diamonds order.

Close Attack Phase

1. Colossi with Clubs orders can use their close attacks if they have any, starting with the
colossus with the lowest numbered Clubs order.
2. Colossi with Spades orders can use their close attacks if they have any, starting with
the colossus with the lowest numbered Spades order.
3. Colossi with Diamonds orders can use their close attacks if they have any, starting with
the colossus with the lowest numbered Diamonds order.
4. Colossi with Hearts orders can use their close attacks if they have any, starting with the
colossus with the lowest numbered Hearts order.

Tinies Phase

1. Move each tiny towards the colossus that was closest to them at the start of their move
unless they are already in a position to attack a colossus.
2. Determine which tinies attack which colossi.
3. For each colossus that is a target for a tiny, add up all the attacking dice and roll them
together applying any damage immediately.
4. If there are any tinies in the pool, then the player whose colossi have the least total Hits
can recycle 1 of them.

Air Strike Damage Phase

1. Roll for damage from the Air Strike(s).

2. Check which colossi and tinies have been caught the Air Strike(s).
3. Resolve damage from Air Strike(s).

End Phase

1. Remove all temporary markers.

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2. Specials switch off.

3. Colossi can Repair themselves.
4. Check to see if a player has won due to either all opposing colossi having been
defeated or any scenario conditions having been met.
5. If there aren't enough Order Cards in the deck to assign 2 to each colossus next turn,
i.e. twice as many cards as there are active colossi in the game, then re-shuffle the
discard pile and the main deck together.

Orders
Each colossus gets two Order Cards during the Orders Phase. They need to assign one as the
colossus's Orders for the turn and the other goes to the bottom of the Orders Card Deck.

What a colossus does in a turn is determined by the Orders it's been given. Each of the 4
suits makes the colossus behave in a different way during the Turn:

Hearts Orders make the colossus stand in the same place and get a bonus for using
any ranged attacks. It will use its ranged attacks before other suits and can still use its
close attacks although after all other suits have had a go.
Clubs Orders allow the colossus to make 2 moves and get a bonus for using close
attacks. It can't use any of its ranged attacks but will close attack before other suits.
Spades Orders are a mix of Hearts and Clubs. The colossus can move but only once
and it can use all of its attacks both ranged and close.
Diamonds Orders work like Spades but with a lower priority. On the other hand they
allow the use of Specials which can be potential game-winners.

Diamonds Specials
Diamonds are one of the 4 suits of Order Cards.

A colossus on a Diamonds Order Card can use a single Power Card marked as Special that
turn. Each colossus can only play a single Special Power Card per turn, no matter how
many it has in its deck.

These Power Cards should be played at the same time as the Orders are revealed, with the
lowest Diamond going first. The effects of the Special last until the end of the Turn.

If for any reason there are any priority issues regarding more than one colossus using a
Special in a single turn, then the lowest Diamonds assigned as an Order takes priority.

Besides the Special used (if any), the colossus using a Diamond as an Order goes through
the various Phases like any other colossus.

If a Special card is discarded because of damage after it has been played, then the Special
stops working immediately.

Energy
Some Power Cards have an Energy cost.

A colossus can only use that Power Card if the value in their Orders Card for that phase is
equal to or more than the Energy cost. For example, an Order Card of a 7 of Clubs would
provide 7 pips of Energy.

Energy resets on a phase by phase basis. A colossus with Energy of 5 for the turn can use
an Ability with a cost of 3 in the movement phase, then an ability with a cost of 4 in the
 9

Ranged phase and so on.

On the other hand, energy costs accumulate in a single phase. A colossus with an energy
allowance for the turn of 6 couldn't use a Ranged Attack and 2 Extra Ranged Damage cards
in a single phase as the total cost would be 7 (3+2+2). It could, however, do its Ranged
Attack with a single Extra Ranged Damage card (3+2).

Martino looked at the big blip on the early warning radar and smiled.

He was by himself on the guard tower that overlooked his town. A single man on
charge of protecting a million slumbering people. Granted, there wasnt much to
protect them from.

Ever since they had discovered vast Zillium deposits in their valley, the town had
been able to buy protection from their well armed neighbours to the west. Send
them a ton of the rare mineral once in a while and theyd be happy not to come
asking for the rest of it. There was the occasional raider attack too, but those were
easily dealt with using conventional weapons. Plus, captured raiders were useful
for Dr. Kasais experiments down in the lab.

Martino frowned as the pulsing red dot on the screen failed to break down into
multiple dots when it got into medium range. This meant that whatever was
coming their way wasnt a raiding party of several vehicles, but instead a single
entity... and a huge one at that.

He switched on the cameras ranged along the hilltops surrounding the town. These
were fitted with weapon systems and often were enough to deal with smaller
threats. As the cameras came to life, Martino realised machine guns and rockets
were useless for this menace - they were going to need bigger guns.

The creature on the screen was as tall and wide as a building. It looked man-made
but whatever technologies had gone into its construction, it ran on Zillium. Only
the highly volatile and powerful material could power such a massive machine. It
was humanoid in shape but with a head that resembled a beetles, including sharp
mandibles. It moved with ponderous steps each crushing a dozen trees and it was
headed inexorably towards Martinos town.

Martino ran to the emergency console. His fingers grasped the key that unlocked
the panic button. He had never used it before. It was reserved for the direst of
situations, for when the very existence of the town was challenged. The town
governors had told him that the forces unleashed by it could not be controlled, that
the cure could be far worse than the disease.

He hesitated and looked over his shoulder back at the screens monitoring the
creatures progress. The mechas shoulder plates drew back revealing row upon
row of rockets each as big as a man. Without stopping its march, it fired the first
row from each shoulder, the smoke trails momentarily obstructing the giant from
Martinos cameras. In the distance, Martino heard the explosions as the towns
suburbs blew up.

Martino crossed himself and pushed the panic button.

 10

Movement
Colossi aren't known for being light on their feet!

Every time they move, they can do so only straight ahead a distance of up to 8. At any
point during this move a colossus can make one turn of up to 180.

Beetletron needs to get round the buildings, so it first goes 6 forward, then makes a
turn of slightly less than 90 and moves 2 (total 8 move).

Colossi can also move straight backwards. While doing this they can also turn exactly as if
they were moving forwards. The only difference is that a colossus can only move at half the
speed it would normally do.

A colossus can't move both forwards and backwards in the same move but can do so on
separate moves in the same turn (if on a Clubs card).

Remember that some types of terrain will impede movement in different ways, some
abilities will improve a colossus's movement, and that depending on a colossus's Order
Card, he can move once (Spades, Diamonds), twice (Clubs) or just turn once in place up to
180 which doesn't count as a move (Hearts).

Movement Limitations
Colossi can't move over through each other or cities or industrial parks, unless a card or a
rule specifically says so.

Cities and industrial parks must be destroyed to make way, but other colossi can be Barged
to make room.

Tinies have no effect on a colossus's movement but they will dodge to avoid being squished.
This dodge should be done by the shortest route possible that will allow the colossus to
pass. Usually it will be in a right angle (sideways) to the colossus's movement but players
will need to use common sense to judge this.
 11

Barging
A colossus can Barge other colossi while moving.

In order to Barge, both models must be touching and none of them can be Engaged whether
to each other or to other colossi.

Perform a Contest of Might between the models involved:

If the moving colossus wins, then it can move the barged colossus 2 in any direction
as long as it doesn't collide with any cities or other colossi. The colossus can then
continue its move.
If the moving colossus either ties or loses, then its move ends.

This Contest of Might must be done even between friendly colossi to represent the inherent
lack of coordination of such enormous creatures and also that they don't like to be pushed
around... even by their friends!

A colossus can try barging multiple times per move even against the same colossi.
Potentially a very fast and very strong colossus could barge an opponent all the way across
the playing area, but this would take some incredible dice-rolling to win all the Contests of
Might.

Being Prone and Standing Up

A prone colossus must spend its next move standing up. This counts as one move, so for
Hearts, Spades and Diamonds Order Cards that's all a colossus can do in that Movement
Phase, whereas a colossus on a Clubs Order Card could then do a single move afterwards.
A colossus can stand up facing in any direction.

A ranged attack on a prone colossus gets a +1 to hit, whereas a close attack will hit on any
die roll but a 1 regardless of modifiers.

A prone colossus doesn't have any facing, and if it wants to, it can attack enemy in all
directions.

Engagements
Colossi need to be engaged to their targets in order to use Close Attacks against them. It
simulates the two giants tangling with each other in a storm of claws, bites and other
attacks.

It also allows colossi which move early (if for example on high-value Clubs orders) to stop
slower colossi from moving away later in the Movement Phase.

Engaging
Engagements can only happen during the Movement Phase.

If a colossus comes into contact with an enemy colossus during its Movement Phase, it may
declare it is Engaging it. It immediately stops moving even if it sill had any movement
allowance left (note that a colossus can move in contact with an enemy colossus and not
engage it).

An engagement lasts until the end of that turn or until the colossi are no longer touching,
 12

whichever happens first. At the beginning of a new turn all colossi are considered to be
disengaged no matter their position relative to each other.

A colossus that starts its movement phase already in contact with an enemy colossus (but
not engaged) may declare it is engaging that colossus without having to move at all. In this
way, even colossi on Hearts orders can engage enemies who they are already standing next
to. Another option for a colossus that starts its movement phase in contact to an enemy it is
not engaged to, is to simply move away.

The Pummeller moves until it is touching Mantodeon and declares it is engaging it.
Both colossi can exchange Close Attacks later in the turn.

Disengaging
Disengaging isn't as easy as just walking away! A colossus must do 2 things in order to
disengage:

1. It must be able to end its move so it's not touching the enemy colossus that engaged it
in the first place.
Note: a colossus that is on single-move orders like Diamonds or Spades, can't start
the Movement Phase prone or it would spend all its movement just getting up and end
up staying in contact.
Note: a colossus on Hearts orders can't disengage as it can't move, although they
do get a hefty bonus to their to-hit roll with ranged attacks against enemies in contact
which makes up for it.
2. It must win a Contest of Might against every single colossus it is engaged with.
If it ties or loses against any of the colossi it is engaged with, then it can't make its
move and will remain engaged. It can still turn in place, as long as it remains it
contact with all the colossi it is engaged with.
Additionally, any colossi who beat it on the Contest of Might can Close Attack it
once. This is a single Close Attack that happens out of the normal sequence (during
the Movement Phase), and the attacking colossi can't use any Close Attack modifiers,
like an Extra Damage card for instance. This Close Attack doesn't affect in any way
any other Close Attacks that might happen during the actual Close Attack Phase
which happen later.

A colossus who has managed to disengage can barge colossi out of the way and can even
engage other colossi in a latter part of its move.

A colossus can try to disengage every time it can move - it could try to disengage twice if
on Clubs orders.
 13

Combat

Attacks and Abilities

Whenever a colossus declares an attack, it must reveal any cards it is using. For example, if
a colossus declares it is doing 3 close combat attacks, then it must reveal 3 separate Close
Attack cards.

Some Abilities are associated with attacks and their use must be declared at the same time
the attack is declared.

For example, Beetletron declares it is doing a ranged attack and reveals its Ranged Attack
card. It also reveals an Extra Damage card and declares it is using it together with the attack.

Multiple Attacks and Targets

If a colossus is going to use more than one attack in a single phase, it can declare different
targets for each one. This must be done before the attacks are resolved. However, each
attack must be completely resolved (roll to hit, apply damage, etc) before moving on to the
next.

Picking a target for Ranged Attacks

There are 3 factors to check before a colossus can go ahead with a Ranged Attack:

1. The target must be in the colossus's front arc.

2. The target must be in range. The default range is 12 from the middle of the attacker to
any part of the target.
3. The colossus must have a Line of Fire to its target.

Line of Fire
A Line of Fire is a straight line drawn from the middle of the colossus to any part of its
target.

If this line goes over any other colossus, or through a piece of terrain that blocks LoF (see
Terrain), then the colossus can't make its ranged attack.

Alternatively, players can always get down to table level and eyeball whether there's a LoF
or not. Since this process can be a bit finicky, always benefit the attacker on any reasonable
disputes it should be pretty hard for a colossus to hide anyway!
 14

Mantodeon in the bottom right of the diagram is ready to deliver a Ranged Attack. It
has 4 targets in range of the attack, but not all of them are within its Line of Fire:
1. The Kraken is a valid target as there's nothing between it and Mantodeon.
2. The tiny is not a valid target as the Kraken (2) is blocking Line of Fire.
3. The city is a valid target as there's nothing between it and Mantodeon.
4. The Pummeler is not a valid target as the city (3) is blocking Line of Fire.

Picking a target for Close Attacks

Close Attacks are simpler to get off, but still have 2 requirements:

1. The target must be in the colossus's front arc.

2. The colossus must be Engaged to its target.

Hitting and Missing

Colossi hit on a 4+ with their attacks. There are bonuses to the die roll depending on
whether the attacker or the target are prone, what orders they are on, and other situational
modifiers.

A die roll of 6 before any modifiers automatically hits and is a Critical (see below). A die
roll of 1 before any modifiers automatically misses and has the chance of being a Fumble
(see below).

Ranged Attack Modifiers

If target is prone
If the attacker is on Hearts orders
If the attacker is on Hearts orders and
touching the target (whether engaged or not)
If attacking a city or industrial park
Close Attack Modifiers
If the attacker is on Clubs orders
If attacking a target's rear facing
If target is prone
If attacking a city or industrial park
+1 to die roll
+1 to die roll
+2 to die roll (replaces the modifier above)
Automatically hits don't roll a die
+1 to die roll
+1 to die roll
Hits on a 2+ and no other modifiers apply
Automatically hits don't roll a die
 15

Criticals
If a to hit die roll is a 6 before any modifiers then the attack automatically hits and, besides
its normal damage, is also a Critical.

A Critical will force the colossus that was hit to discard 1 of its Power Cards (see below).

After resolving the critical, roll the die again. If it's another 6 then it's another critical which
forces another card to be discarded but otherwise doesn't cause more damage. As long as a 6
is rolled keep discarding and rolling again.

Discarding Cards
Shuffle the colossus's Power Cards and draw a card randomly. This card is then placed in a
discard pile next to that colossus's Power Cards.

Cards in the discard pile can't be used, but might be recovered later through the use of some
abilities or during the End Phase. It is important not to remove them from the game or add
them to the general Power Card deck as they're still that colossus's cards, it's just that
they've been neutralized for the time being.

Who draws and discards the Power Cards is irrelevant because of the random draw. Still,
players might agree that whoever caused the damage is the one who draws them.

Catastrophic Criticals
If the card discarded from a critical is the Catastrophic Critical card, then that colossus also
loses 3 more Hits besides the ones lost from the original attack.

After discarding the Catastrophic Critical card, remove it from the game instead of keeping
it in that colossus's discard pile.

Fumbles
If a to hit die roll is a 1 before any modifiers then the attack automatically misses. Roll the
die again. If it's another 1 then the attack is a Fumble.

If the Fumble was on a Ranged Attack then the owner of the targeted colossus, or the
opposing player if the target was a tiny, can nominate a new target within 6 of the
original target. This new target can even be the original attacker! This new target is
automatically hit by the attack even if it's outside range and/or LoF from the original
attacker.
If the Fumble was on a Close Attack then the attacker falls Prone.

Repairs
During the End Phase, every colossus can Repair itself.

While Repairing, it can exchange a single Power Card from its Power Card Deck with a
Power Card that's been discarded earlier. Catastrophic Critical cards are in the Power Card
deck but are not Power Cards, so cannot be exchanged in this way.
 16

Setting Up a Game
Follow the steps below to set up a game for 2 players.

1. Each player (or players if more than 1 are sharing a side) rolls a die. The player with
the highest die roll is Player 1, the other is Player 2.
2. Player 1 places a piece of terrain. Player 2 then does the same. (See the Terrain section
to learn how to place terrain)
3. Players alternate placing terrain until they both agree that they are done or until it's
impossible to fit more terrain in the playing area. The latter usually happens because of
the minimum gaps between terrain pieces (see Placing Terrain below).
4. Player 1 picks a tiny and places it on the playing area. Player 2 then does the same.
(See the Tinies section to learn how to place tinies)
5. Players alternate picking tinies and placing them until all the tinies have been placed.
6. Player 1 places all his colossi anywhere inside his deployment zone. Player 2 does the
same.

If there are more than 2 players then there needs to be a player 3, 4 in the instructions above
and so on but all steps remain the same.
 17

Playing Area
The game is usually played in a 48 long by 24 wide board. These are just general
guidelines and if the available space to play on is slightly bigger or slightly smaller by a few
inches then it is okay too.

The area extending 6 into a table's edge is considered the deployment zone for the colossi.

If more space is needed the playing area can be widened by an extra 12 (or more).

If there are more than 2 players in the game, then additional deployment zones can be set up
in opposite edges. Of course, more players mean more colossi which will probably mean
having to extend the playing area too.
 18

Terrain Pieces
Each terrain piece:

Must be between 3 and 10 across in width, length and diameter.

Must be one of the 6 types of terrain below: cities, hazardous, wet, high, tricky or
industrial parks. One person's tricky terrain might look like somebody else's high
terrain. This is fine as long as everybody knows what each piece represents once it is
placed.
Players can put other types of terrain on the playing area as they see fit as decoration
with no game effects. For that purpose those pieces can be smaller than 3 or bigger
than 8 and not fit into 1 of the 6 types.

Placing Terrain
Terrain pieces can be placed anywhere on the playing area except inside the deployment
zones.

Placing terrain is one of the earliest parts of the game where players can start coming up
with tactics to beat their opponents. For example, if all your colossi have the Fly ability,
why not flood the playing area with Hazardous terrain?

To stop opponents being too nasty (and unsportsmanlike) with these tactics, all terrain
pieces must have a gap between them of at least the width of the biggest colossus on the
table. This means that colossi will always have a terrain-free corridor to roam around the
table if they so wish. Otherwise it'd be too easy for players to create 'walls of lava' on the
playing area and block other colossi from moving at all!

Beetletron is 4 wide, so the gap between all terrain pieces must be at least 4 wide.
No pieces can be placed closer than that.
 19

Terrain Types
There are 6 types of terrain to pick from, all with different effects on the game.

City
This piece of terrain should be littered with a mix of short and tall buildings, houses,
parks and other urban structures.
A city blocks movement and LoF but it can be destroyed (see below).
Hazardous
Something that would damage a mighty colossus like pools of lava, a chemical spill, an
ongoing blazing inferno or a very deep quicksand.
A colossus whose move goes over or finishes the Movement Phase on hazardous terrain,
even if for only a fraction of an inch, takes 1 damage.
If a colossus moves twice in a single Movement Phase and both moves go over hazardous
terrain the colossus would take 2 damage!
Wet
These can be a marsh, a lake or even the coast.
Colossi whose move goes over water, do so at half speed for the entirety of that move.
The water is considered too shallow for colossi to hide inside.
High
Mountains, hills and other terrain that is taller than a colossus.
High terrain blocks LoF unless target and/or attacker are standing on it.
Colossi can move over high terrain without any penalty.
Tricky
Terrain that could trip up a colossus if he tries to cross it too quickly like ruins, battlefield
rubble or a forest.
A colossus whose move at any point goes over tricky terrain must roll a die.
A roll of 1 will end the move as the colossus regains its footing roll the die again, if it's
another 1 then the colossus falls Prone.
The die should be rolled immediately if the move starts in Tricky terrain or as soon as the
colossus enters the terrain.
Industrial Park
Mine entrances, factories, Zillium refineries, etc.
An industrial park blocks movement but not LoF.
It can be destroyed (see below).

Cities
Cities block LoF and movement.

Any attacks against a city automatically hit but due to their size they're hard to destroy. For
every damage point inflicted on the city, the attacking colossus rolls a die. Any die roll of a
6 destroys the city, otherwise it stands after the onslaught. Cities have no Hits as such and as
long as they're not destroyed outright they can keep taking the punishment you don't need
to record how many times it's been hit so far.

Whenever a city is destroyed the following happens:

It now counts as Hazardous as it has become a blazing inferno. This means it doesn't
block LoF or movement any longer.
The colossus who destroyed this city can move up to 2 tinies to the pool no matter
where they are on the table as some of the defenders become demoralised.
 20

Industrial Parks
When an Industrial Park is is placed on the map, roll a die and place it inside the Industrial
Park. This represents how much Zillium is stored there.

Industrial Parks block movement but not LoF. Industrial Parks can be attacked and
destroyed exactly like cities (see above). Whenever an industrial park is destroyed the
following happens:

If the Industrial Park was destroyed with a Close attack, the colossus that destroyed it
gets a number of Hits equal to the die that was in the industrial park. It can never go
above its starting Hits total.
If the Industrial Park was destroyed with a Ranged attack, then the colossus doesn't
get any Hits back and the die is removed.
Whether it was destroyed with a Close or Ranged attack, the Industrial Park stops
blocking movement but now counts as Hazardous in all aspects.

Optional Playing Area Rules: Metropolis

Often colossi will battle it out inside a city large enough to dwarf even them - a metropolis.

This setting makes for very interesting games, with lots of buildings on the table and
restricted LoF and movement options. It is about as complex as a regular game, but requires
a different set of tactics. It also changes how good some Power Cards are in comparison
with each other. For instance, its much harder to pull off a Ranged Attack with all the
buildings in the way but the Demolisher modifier becomes really useful.

Setting Up a Metropolis
The game is played in the normal 48 by 24 area (with 12 extensions if needed) almost
totally covered in buildings. No other terrain piece is allowed, although players can agree to
use other pieces sporadically, for instance a piece of Tricky terrain to simulate a city park.

Players alternate placing buildings as they would for terrain. Buildings are placed like other
terrain pieces so:

there must be a gap between them to allow all colossi to move between them.
no buildings can be placed inside the deployment zones, unless theyre just
ornamental, i.e. count as open terrain for game purposes.

As a rule of thumb, at least half of the playing area must be covered with buildings. Players
are free to stop placing buildings when they feel like there are enough or when no more
would fit on the playing area.

Buildings
Buildings have to be between 3 and 5 in width, length and diameter. If your building
models are too small, then you can put a few together which counts as a single building.

Any attacks against a building automatically hit. The attacking colossus rolls 3 dice,
irrespective of how much damage the attack does. Any die roll of a 6 destroys the building.
Buildings have no Hits as such and as long as they're not destroyed outright they can keep
taking the punishment you don't need to record how many times it's been hit so far.

Note that damage done to buildings through other means such as colliding with them will
 21

still let the colossus roll 3 dice for damage as above. In that case, the colossus who is
inflicting the damage is considered the attacking colossus.

Whenever a building is destroyed the following happens:

It now counts as Hazardous as it has become a blazing inferno. This means it doesn't
block LoF or movement any longer but will damage colossi (see Hazardous terrain).
The colossus who destroyed this city rolls 2 dice and consults the table below to see
what happens.

2 Remove from the game all Power Cards from this colossus's deck and
Lab discard pile. For every card removed in this way the colossus gains 1
new Power Card permanently.
3 The colossus acquires permanently a Battery Power Card.
Power Station
4 The colossus acquires permanently a new Ranged or Close Attack
Armoury Power Card.
5 The colossus rolls a die and gets that many Hits back. It can never go
Industrial above its starting Hits total.
6, 7 or 8 Move up to 2 tinies to the pool no matter where they are on the table as
Housing some of the defenders become demoralised.
9 The colossus can move up to 2 Power Cards from its discard pile to the
Bodyshop Power Card deck.
10 The colossus acquires permanently an Anti-Aircraft Power Card.
Radar
11 The colossus can place 4 tinies anywhere on the playing area. These
Barracks tinies move and attack as normal, but once destroyed are removed from
the game instead of going into the Tinies Pool.
12 The colossus can start an airstrike which is processed immediately. It
Airfield can choose the coordinates instead of rolling for them and it wont be
hit even if caught under it.

Power Cards in a Metropolis

Without any other terrain pieces besides buildings, the way some Power Cards work is
affected:

Fly - allows colossi to move over buildings but as normal cant end their Movement
Phase over them.
Tunnel - a building moved through using Tunnel is damaged, i.e. roll 3 dice and if any
is a 6 then the building is destroyed. If several buildings are moved through using
Tunnel, then roll separately for each of them.
Thrash - damages all buildings within 6, i.e. roll 3 dice for each of them and if any is
a 6 that building is destroyed.
Demolisher (ranged and close) - when an attack with this modifier damages a
building, roll 3 dice as normal except any roll of 4+ will destroy it instead of 6+.
 22

Enter the Colossi

Players are only limited by their imagination when picking figures to represent their colossi.

They can bring whatever figures they want for a game which allows them to play in
whatever storyworld they like without having to buy additional models. We want to let you
make your own choices as to which figures you think look the coolest and most suitable to
represent a 100 metre tall colossus.

As long as the figures used measure between 2 and 4 in height and/or width, then they can
be used and will work perfectly with the scale used in the rules.

Players are free to come up with their own ideas for the colossi they choose. The list below
is by no means restrictive, and just represents some common concepts found across other
games, classic and modern films, ancient myths and many other sources:

Wild Brutes - dinosaurs, apes, lizards or other current or extinct animals that have
grown to an enormous size due to the mutating effects of Zillium. Theyve grown
addicted to the substance and now rampage around the world looking for more.
Tamed Brutes - as above, but who somehow have fallen under the control of a rational
being, whether through the use of a mind control device or sheer persuasion.
Sanctioned Mecha - their planning and funding might be organised by state defence
ministries or by private companies, but either way they are fully authorized to be
deployed in protecting whoever built them.
Rogue Mecha - the scrapheap challengers to the proper mecha! These are assembled
using any bits and bobs left over, usually from what can be picked up in the battlefield
after a particularly damaging fight. What they lack in formal r&d and industrial
quality control, they make up in ingenuity and lack of concern for the health and
safety of their pilots and allied forces.
Industrial Mecha - converted from harvesting, mining or industrial machines, these
robots are quite tough and now use their work implements like drills, claws, pincers
and blades in attacks which can topple buildings in a single blow.
Supers - human use of Zillium is strongly discouraged as the material is too powerful
and addictive to be considered safe. However, some humans dont die from exposure
and instead can convert its raw energy into super-powered abilities. While incredibly
undersized compared to most other colossi, they make up for it by being very agile.
Chimeras - humans who, like the Supers, have also abused Zillium but as a drug, not
as a source of powers to use for good. The Zillium has shaped their bodies into
twisted nightmares made flesh.
Ideomorphs - if a population is exposed to minimal quantities of Zillium over a long
period of time, their collective ideas and thoughts can slowly gain shape and become
real. A giant Uncle Sam has already been spotted protecting a small Zillium-mining
town in the heart of the USA...
Alien Overlords - space invaders looking for the Zillium which has ran out in their
worlds and which they need to power their mighty walkers and spaceships.
Extra-Dimensionals - they come from outer space or from other dimensions, ancient
beings of myth who are awakened by the radiation let off by the use of Zillium.

Colossal Footprints
This freedom and lack of uniformity when picking the figures provides some challenges!

Players need to decide where a figure begins and ends for game purposes. This defines what
parts of the figure count for being targeted, for touching another figure or piece of terrain,
etc. A figure's footprint, i.e. how much space it occupies on the playing area, is very
 23

important. In most cases, the figure itself is its footprint, but in some cases that might not be
the best solution:

If a figure has a long tail, tentacles or very broad wings, players can decide that only
the figure's main body is part of the figure's footprint on the table.
If a figure is mounted on a base, players can decide that the base is the figure's
footprint on the table regardless of any projecting limbs.

The Kraken figure has a very long tentacles. This would give it an enormous footprint
on the table which would make turning and moving very awkward. To make it easier
to play using it, the player who owns it put it on a round base. From now on, only the
base counts for game purposes with the figure on top being just for decoration.

Facings and Arcs

Players need to define their figure's front and rear before it is deployed on the table. Usually
this will be easy to tell (where the head points is the front), but for some stranger colossi,
like flying saucers, players will need to agree where the figure's front is.

In some cases gluing a model to a base can make their facings less ambiguous although this
is not compulsory. Another good reason to base a model is to stop them falling over
accidentally!

The figure's front defines their front and rear arcs which are 180 each. If there are any
disputes regarding whether an attack is coming from a target's rear arc or front arc, always
assume front arc.

The Kraken has a very weird anatomy, with no clear legs or arms just a bunch of
tentacles. Still for the purpose of putting it on the table, the players need to decide
what constitutes its front and its rear. Alternatively, the owner of the Kraken can get it
the Round Power Card and not bother about facings at all.
 24

Building your Colossus

A colossus starts off fairly plain it can move up to 8, but can't attack or do anything else.
This is where Power Cards come in.

Power Cards
Power Cards define what a colossus can do and its power level. The more Power Cards used
to build a colossus, the more versatile and mightier it is.

Unless there are some specific scenario restrictions, players agree on how many Power
Cards they will have to build colossi with. They then decide on how they will distribute
these cards amongst their colossi before selecting them. Colossi can be built with as little as
5 cards and there's no upper limit.

For example, in a 30 card-a-side game, one player can build a 20 card colossus and a 10
card colossus, whereas the other player could spend all 30 cards building a colossus truly
worthy of its name! Another option would be to build six 5 card colossi, which although
very versatile are very fragile.

Secret and Open Picking

Players pick the cards in secret - this genre has a long tradition of creatures displaying
surprising abilities. For example, the lumbering giant robot who suddenly pops rocket
engines out of its shoulders and takes off into the skies or the dinosaur who unexpectedly
can dig into the ground and disappear from view.

Alternatively, players can agree to pick their cards openly. In that case, it's best only to
reveal the cards picked when both players have finished. If the picking of cards is done in
the open then generally players will counter-pick, i.e. pick cards that counter the opponent's
cards, too much which makes the whole process take too long.

Finally, it's worth noting that Colossus! was balanced for the cards being picked in secret.
For example, the Shield Ability is very powerful, perhaps too powerful in its own right. On
the other hand, if there are no enemy colossi with Ranged Attacks, then it's useless which
balances the card. If a player knows that their opponent has lots of Ranged Attacks, then he
will pick lots of Shield cards, which makes them too powerful. If all the card picking is
done in secret, however, then the balance is just right.

Types of Power Cards

There are 3 types of Power Cards: Abilities, Specials and Attacks.

Abilities represent the inherent skills and characteristics of the colossus.

Specials are the unexpected and unique moves which colossi can perform in battle.
Attacks and Attack modifiers represent any weapons and ways of fighting that the
colossus might have including claws, teeth, horns, laser beams, rockets, atomic
breath, a sharp beak, fireballs, etc.

Power Card Minima and Maxima

A colossus is limited in the amount of copies of the same Power Card it can pick. The
limit is the colossus's total Power Cards divided by 5 rounded down. For example, a
15 Power Card colossus could only have a total of 3 Close Attacks.
 25

The only other limitation is the number of Specials. This limit is based on the total
number of Power Cards, divided by 10 rounded down. The colossus above could only
have 1 Special which looks very restrictive but makes sense considering how game-
changing Specials can be. In fact, a lot of colossi might not even have any Specials.

5 cards 1 copy of each card max 0 specials max

10 cards 2 copies of each card max 1 special max
15 cards 3 copies of each card max 1 special max
20 cards 4 copies of each card max 2 specials max
30 cards 6 copies of each card max 3 specials max

Power Card Deck

The Power Cards that were used to make a colossus are put together to form that colossus's
Power Card Deck. After building a colossus, this deck is kept face-down and hidden from
opposing players.

Catastrophic Criticals
After assigning Power Cards to each colossus, it also gets a Catastrophic Critical card. This
is shuffled into the Power Card Deck in addition to the other cards.

A Catastrophic Critical card can never be Repaired or exchanged as part of a Repair. If the
card discarded through a Critical is the Catastrophic Critical card, then that colossus takes 3
Hits of damage.

Hits
If Power Cards are what a colossus can do, then Hits are how much punishment a colossus
can take before going down.

Colossus start each game with as many Hits as the number of Power Cards used to build
them so a 15 Power Card colossus would have 15 Hits. There's an Ability called Hits which
allows a colossus to start with more Hits (see the Abilities section of this book).

Every time a colossus takes a point of damage, then it loses a Hit.

Knocking Out a Colossus

Once a colossus has lost all of its Hits, then it is knocked out and removed from the game.
Some players might want to keep the figure itself on the table and come up with their own
rules for it, e.g. it still blocks Line of Fire and other colossi can still get into collisions with
it.

If a colossus was knocked out due to an attack (Ranged or Close) from another colossus,
then the latter gets to pick a card at random from the former's Power Card deck and add it to
its own Power Card deck.
 26

Abilities
NAME OF ABILITY NOTES / ENERGY COST
Description
Actual rules.

If an ability is marked as STACKABLE then more than one copy of the same card will have
a cumulative effect.

For example, if a colossus has 2 Strength cards then it gets a +2 to its Contests of Might and
if it had 2 Fast cards it would move 14.

AGILE
Not all colossi are lumbering behemoths, some are quite nimble and can change direction
quickly darting between buildings and obstacles with little effort.
This colossus can make any number of 180 turns when it moves.
ANTI-AIRCRAFT
This colossus is equipped with some kind of anti-aircraft system that either makes it
invisible to their tracking devices or shoots them down before they can attack.
Whenever this colossus is caught in an Air Strike, it takes no damage.
ARMOUR
This colossus is protected by a thick hide, scaly skin or plates of armour.
When this colossus is hit by an attack, it may choose to discard this card.
That attack will cause zero damage no matter how much damage it would normally do
although it could still cause a Critical.
An Armour card can be used against damage from Ranged or Close attacks done by
another colossus but not against damage from other sources.
BATTERY
Some colossi are capable of switching power sources to a backup in times of need.
After assigning Orders, this colossus can draw another card and use it as its Energy for
that turn.
Once it draws that card then it can't use the original Orders Card for Energy even if the
original is better than the replacement.
BOOST 2 ENERGY = 1 INCH
These can be actual rocket boosters or just a colossus who can channel its energy to
make itself move faster.
This colossus can spend 2 Energy to add 1 to a move.
DEVOUR
This colossus can heal after consuming any tinies it can get a hold of.
Whenever this colossus hits a tiny with a Close Attack, it gains 1 Hit.
This can't take it above its starting number of Hits.
Devour doesn't apply to Tramples which aren't Close Attacks.
FAST STACKABLE
This colossus is particularly fast for a colossus, although unfortunately not
correspondingly agile!
Whenever this colossus moves, it can move an extra 3.
This applies per move, so a colossus on Clubs Orders would get the benefit of this Ability
twice.
 27

FLY
Whether just hovering over the ground or actually flying, this colossus has free reign over
the battlefield.
This colossus can ignore terrain effects and other colossi when it moves.
It still can't end the movement phase over a city, an industrial park or another colossus as
normal.
FRIENDLY STACKABLE
Earned or not, this colossus has a friend in the defence forces who is willing to take
commands and would never attack its big buddy.
One of the tinies this colossus places during the set-up can be classified as Friendly.
That tiny will still be Friendly even after it's been recycled back into play.
GRAB & HIT
This colossus is adept at holding onto enemies and smashing them repeatedly.
At the beginning of the Close Attack Phase, this colossus can try to Grab & Hit a colossus
it is engaged with.
If it wins a Contest of Might, any of its Close Combat Attacks will have a +2 modifier to
hit.
This can be further modified as normal.
HITS STACKABLE
Some colossi are resilient or just massive so they can take more punishment.
This colossus starts the game with 3 more Hits than normal.
If this card is discarded, then the colossus loses those 3 extra Hits.
If the card is repaired, then it gains the 3 Hits back.
PLATED
This colossus has some kind of protection against environmental attacks.
This colossus takes no damage from collisions or terrain effects.
RAGE
You wouldn't like this colossus when it's angry.
Whenever this colossus has got less than half of its starting Hits, it gets a +1 to hit with
both Ranged and Close attacks and does a Critical on an unmodified roll of 5 or 6 instead
of just 6.
ROUND
Either by design or physiology, this colossus is completely symmetrical.
This colossus has a 360 front arc and no rear arc.
This means it can attack all around and that no colossus gets a to-hit modifier for
attacking its rear arc as there isn't one.
SHIELD 9 ENERGY
A field of energy protects this colossus from attacks from afar.
When this colossus is hit by a Ranged Attack from a colossus, discard this card.
If a colossus has more than one Shield card, then discard just one per Ranged Attack.
That attack will cause zero damage no matter how much damage it would normally do
although it could still cause a Critical.
Instead of conducting Repairs, this colossus can return this card to its deck if it has 9 or
10 Energy.
SPIKY STACKABLE
This colossus is covered in something that is harmful to other colossus like sharp spikes,
flames or electricity.
Any 1s rolled to hit before any modifiers (whether Fumbles or not) when attacking this
colossus with Close Attacks make the attacker lose 1 Hit.
 28

STRENGTH STACKABLE
All colossi are very strong, but this one is stronger than most.
This colossus gets a +1 to its Contests of Might.
SWAT
This colossus is capable of using its attacks to make tinies fly through the air and hit each
other or anything else on the battlefield.
Whenever this colossus hits a tiny with either a Ranged Attack or a Close Attack (not a
Trample), it can nominate a target within 6 of that tiny.
That target takes 1 damage, no to-hit roll needed and no Criticals are possible.
TINY BASHER STACKABLE
Special training (or advanced tracking controls) have made this colossus very good at
hitting quick and small targets.
This colossus gets +1 to its die roll to Trample and to any Ranged or Close Attacks
targeting tinies.
TUNNEL
For short distances this colossus can tunnel underground, destabilising all buildings and
structures on the surface.
This colossus can ignore cities and industrial parks when it moves but cannot end the
Movement Phase move in them.
Any cities or industrial parks moved through in this way take 3 damage.
Roll to see if the terrain piece is destroyed as soon as the colossus starts moving through
it.
 29

Specials
Specials can only be used if on a Diamonds Order (see Orders below) and only one of them
can be used in a single turn.

Their effect lasts for only that turn.

If a colossus is on a Diamonds Order the following turn then it can use the same Special.

AIR SUPPORT
Powerful off-table support means this colossus doesn't fight alone, but the results can be
a bit erratic.
This colossus can call an additional Air Strike during the Air Strike Damage Phase after
the normal Air Strike.
This is rolled for normally except the colossus can re-roll once either of the coordinates or
both of them in order to get a more favourable Air Strike.
Damage for this Air Strike can't be re-rolled but it won't damage the colossus who used
this Special.
ALPHA STRIKE
This colossus has a mode that allows it to fire all its weapons at once for a low energy
cost.
During its Ranged Phase, this colossus has the cost of all its Ranged Attacks reduced from
3 to 1.
BLOCK
This colossus is fantastic at avoiding being hit in close range using parries and dodges.
Any Close Attacks used against it suffer from a -3 modifier to hit.
This can be further modified as normal.
BURROW / TELEPORT
This colossus disappears (into the ground? into thin air?) and then appears somewhere
else.
Instead of moving, put this colossus outside the playing area and place a marker where it
stood before.
In the beginning of the End Phase return the colossus to the table anywhere within 8 of
the marker.
The colossus can return facing in any direction and the marker is removed.
CLOAK
A cloaking device or just organic camouflage make this colossus very hard to target.
This colossus cannot be targeted by Ranged Attacks unless the attacker and the colossus
using Cloak are engaged to each other.
ENERGIZE
Occasionally this colossus is capable of drawing on reserves of energy.
Draw an additional Order Card and put it next to this colossus's Order Card for the turn.
This colossus now has an Energy total of the two cards combined.
JUMP
This colossus can leap into the air using powerful legs or a rocket boosters.
Instead of making a move, place this colossus up to 8 away and facing in any direction.
It can try to land on an enemy colossus.
Roll a die: on a 4+ the jumper hits its target so treat it as a collision between the two; on a
3 or less then the jumper misses the target and takes 1 damage and falls prone.
Either way place the jumper touching the target anywhere you want.
 30

MIND CONTROL
Human minds are easy to manipulate by this colossus whereas other colossi are either too
simple or strong to control.
Tinies will ignore this colossus during this turn.
They won't consider it the closest colossus and move towards it and they also won't target
it with attacks.
MUTATE
This colossus has one more form which it can switch into later in the battle if needed.
Remove from the game any number of Power Cards from this colossus's deck as well as
the Mutate Special itself.
For every card removed in this way besides the Mutate card, the colossus gains 1 new
Power Card permanently.
For example, if the colossus removed its Mutate card and 3 other Power Cards, it could
gain 3 new Power Cards.
RAMPAGE
This colossus can go into a furious run which destroys all in its path.
This colossus will automatically Trample any tinies it comes into contact with this
Movement Phase without having to roll a 4+.
REGENERATE
An accelerated metabolism or small organisms/nanobots can heal/fix this colossus even
in the heat of battle.
During the End Phase this colossus gets 1 Hit back.
It can never go above its starting number of Hits.
RUSH
Sometimes this colossus just puts its head down and charges forward without a care!
Instead of moving as normal, roll 6 dice and move the colossus that many inches in a
straight line.
It will collide with anything on the way!
If it ends its move touching any other colossi, it can declare it is Engaging them.
SNIPE
This colossus can go into a special aiming/accuracy mode which helps it improve the
odds of its attacks hitting.
Any Ranged Attacks the colossus makes will hit on any die roll except for a 1 which is
still a possible Fumble.
SOAR
This colossus can take to the air to keep away from earthbound attackers which now can't
reach him.
Any Ranged Attacks made by or targeted at this colossus add an extra 12 to their range
and will always have an unobstructed LoF.
Also, this colossus can't Engage or be Engaged.
SPAWN
Miniature versions of this colossus spawn out of it and are ready to protect it.
At the beginning of the Tinies Phase, this colossus can place a tiny within 3 of it.
This tiny neither comes from the Tinies Pool nor is it ever recycled.
This tiny is Friendly to that colossus and any other colossi in that player's side.
THRASH
When this colossus thrashes around there's little left standing afterwards.
At any point during its move, this colossus can inflict 1 damage on every city or industrial
park and attempt a trample on every tiny within 6.
 31

WRATH
Once this colossus gets a taste of blood, it's hard to stop him.
If this colossus hits with a Close Attack, it can use the same Close Attack again (including
modifiers) without paying its Energy cost.
This Close Attack and modifiers can't be used again this turn.
 32

Attacks
RANGED ATTACK 3 Energy
A ranged attack can be fire breath, lasers that shoot out of a colossus's eyes, missile pods,
flying fists, spitting venom, psychic blasts, etc.
This colossus can make a Ranged Attack with a range of 12 and causing 1 damage.
CLOSE ATTACK 2 Energy
A close attack can be a punch or a kick, a headbutt, a weapon like a sword or an axe, a
sharp-toothed bite, a tackle, etc.
This colossus can make a Close Attack causing 1 damage.

There are 2 types of Attack cards: the attacks themselves and the modifiers to those attacks.

The modifiers can't be used by without the attacks they only work when used in
conjunction with an attack, i.e. an Extra Damage (close) card will only add 1 extra damage
to a close attack's damage, it won't do the damage by itself.

A modifier can only be used once per Phase.

Whenever an attack is used, the colossus can choose which modifiers are used (if any) and
how they are assigned to the attacks. Modifiers are stackable as long as there's enough
energy to pay for the cost of the attack plus the cost of the modifiers being used.

Beetletron has 2 Ranged Attack (3 energy each) and two Extra Damage cards (2 energy
each). If it had:

10 Energy it could use all the cards. Either 2 Ranged Attacks each with an Extra
Damage modifier OR 1 Ranged Attack with 2 Extra Damage and 1 Ranged Attack
with no Extra Damage.
8 Energy it could use either 2 Ranged Attacks with 1 of them having an Extra Damage
modifier OR 1 Ranged Attack with 2 Extra Damage modifiers.
7 Energy it could use 1 Ranged Attack with 2 Extra Damage modifiers or 2 Ranged
Attacks with no modifiers. Although the latter would do less overall damage, there
would be more chances to cause a Critical.
6 Energy it could use 2 Ranged Attacks with no modifiers or 1 Ranged Attack with 1
Extra Damage modifier.
5 Energy it could use 1 Ranged Attack with 1 Extra Damage modifier.
4 or 3 Energy it could use 1 Ranged Attack and no Extra Damage modifiers (since
they can't be used by themselves)
2 Energy then it couldn't use any Ranged Attacks this Ranged Attack Phase as it didn't
have the minimum Energy to make a single Ranged Attack (3 Energy).
 33

Ranged Attack Modifiers

NAME NOTES / ENERGY COST
Description

Ranged attacks can be used on any type of Orders except for Clubs.

AMMUNITION 0 Energy
This colossus has a reserve of ammunition that can be used once to deliver an especially
damaging attack.
Discard this card as soon as it's been used. This attack will cause 3 more damage.
BEACON 1 Energy
This colossus can shoot a beacon that sticks to its target and draws the attention of the
defence forces.
If this attack hits, place a temporary beacon marker next to the target (whether the target
is destroyed or not).
During the Tinies Phase, all tinies will move towards the beacon marker but will still
attack the closest colossus as normal.
If there is more than 1 beacon marker in play, tinies will move towards the closest one.
Remove all beacon markers during the End Phase.
DEMOLISHER 0 Energy
This attack has been designed to take down structures and buildings.
Damage from this attack destroys a city or an industrial park on any roll of 4+ instead of
6+.
EXPLOSIVE 2 Energy
When this attack hits it explodes and affects everything nearby.
If this attack hits a colossus or a tiny, it also hits any other colossi or tinies within 2 of
the original target including the attacker itself if within range.
EXTRA DAMAGE 2 Energy
This attack is very powerful and will do more damage.
This attack will cause 1 more damage.
EXTRA RANGE 1 Energy
This attack can reach further than normal attacks by using long barrelled weapons,
having more fuel on the missiles, etc.
This attack has an extra 12 range.
INDIRECT 2 Energy
Like an artillery piece, this attack is lobbed in an arc towards its target which allows it to
be used over intervening terrain.
This attack can't target anything within 6 but has a range of 24.
It doesn't need LoF to its target and so can fire over obstacles like other colossi and
mountainous terrain.
KNOCKBACK 1 or more Energy
This attack not only hits for damage but also pushes enemies back which might see them
going over each other.
The attacker can spend as much Energy as it wants when using Knockback.
A colossus hit by this attack is moved away from the attacker 2" for every Energy point
the attacking colossus spent - it collides with anything in the way.
This modifier can't be used on a target that is Engaged.
 34

REPULSOR 2 Energy
This attack bursts in all directions from this colossus which can be very useful when
surrounded.
This attack has a range of only 1, but will target all colossi, tinies, cities and industrial
parks within that range. Roll to hit each separately.
STREAM 2 Energy
This attack is damaging not just to the target but to anything in the way.
Draw a line between this colossus and its target - any tinies or industrial parks under this
line are also targeted (even friendly ones).
Roll to hit each separately.
 35

Close Attack Modifiers

NAME NOTES / ENERGY COST
Description

Close attacks can be used on all types of Orders, but the colossus must be Engaged to its
target.

DEMOLISHER 0 Energy
This attack has been designed to take down structures and buildings.
Damage from this attack destroys a city or an industrial park on any roll of 4+ instead of
the normal 6+.
EXTRA DAMAGE 1 Energy
This attack is very powerful against colossus and will damage them more.
This attack will cause 1 more damage.
GRIND 1 Energy
An attack that is particularly good at damaging a colossus critical components.
If this attack is Critical then the die roll to keep doing more damage is a 4+ instead of a
6+.
LEECH 2 Energy
This attack can latch on to a target and transfer vitality back to the attacker.
If this attack is a Critical, then the attacker gains 1 Hit.
If the critical does further criticals (by rolling more 6s), then all of these give 1 more Hit
to the attacker.
These Hits can't take the attacker above its starting number of Hits.
SPIRAL 1 Energy
The colossus flails its limbs wildly, hitting everything around it.
This attack will target all enemy colossi this colossus is engaged to and also all tinies it is
touching.
Roll to hit each separately.
SWEEPING 0 Energy
A tricky trip or a rough tail swipe sweep a colossus off its feet.
If this attack hits, then do a Contest of Might between attacker and target.
If the attacker wins then the target colossus falls prone.
THROW 2 Energy
A Judo technique or a wrestling slam, they both do the trick.
If this attack hits then do a Contest of Might between attacker and target.
If the attacker wins, roll 2 dice and move the target colossus that many inches in any
direction colliding with anything in the way.
 36

Build Example Mantodeon

Jonas is building a colossus based on a figure of a bipedal giant mantis called Mantodeon.
He can use 10 Power Cards to build Mantodeon. He picks the following:

2 Close Attacks to represent the claws

2 Extra Damage (close) to add to the attacks above
1 Ranged Attack to represent some kind of electrical attack
1 Extra Damage (ranged) to add to the attack above
2 Armour cards to account for the chitinous shell
1 Strength because the figure is quite brawny
1 Jump because although Mantodeon is too heavy to fly, it can still use its wings to
make short hops
Since it was built using 10 Power Cards, then Mantodeon gets 10 Hits to start with. A
Catastrophic Critical card is added to its Power Cards Deck, making a total of 11.

Armed with 2 vicious claws, a surprise electrical attack and tough chitinous armour,
Mantodeon is ready for action!

Complex Colossus Builds Example - Shrinking Colossi

Sometimes players will have an idea for the colossus they are building which is outside the
scope of whats possible using existing Power Cards.

For example, a common ability of movie and TV monsters is the ability to shrink down to
human-size when it suits them. Theres no Shrink Power Card, so if a player wants to build
a colossus that can do that, then there are two ways to go about it:

1. Make up a new Power Card.

2. Try to create a Shrink effect using existing Power Cards.

For the former, this new Power Card should only be used in friendly games. Its advisable
that both players agree to it before its picked to avoid unbalancing.
 37

For the latter, players should think about what kind of effect shrinking would actually have
on the game. This will then dictate what Power Cards they should get to simulate the
shrinking. Here are a few suggestions:

Agile - being smaller makes it more maneuverable than when its giant-sized.
Fly - the colossus cant really fly, but because its small it can move through terrain
without being affected by it, for example crossing streets inside a city.
Burrow/Teleport - it can become so small that others cant spot it for a while. Also,
its small size means it cant attack (its off-table).
Cloak - smaller, so much harder to hit with Ranged Attacks.
Mind Control - Tinies cant see it so wont attack it this turn.
Mutate - if the shrinking is permanent, then perhaps the shrunk form is built using an
entire new set of Power Cards! In this case the figure should be replaced with a
smaller one too.
Use and abuse the rules to fit your imagination, not the other way around!

Formations
Sometimes colossi will fight in formations, like a military mecha squadron or a hunting
pack of predators.

A player can pick any colossi to be in a formation they don't need to be built using the
same number of cards or to even look similar.

Colossi in a formation all use the same Order and Energy cards for the turn. No matter how
many colossi are in a formation, they only draw 2 cards. This gives them the advantage of
using the same Order cards every turn so they can move at the same speed and attack
simultaneously. They will all have the same Energy card too, but each can use that Energy
by themselves they don't share it.

Colossi in a formation don't need to necessarily keep close to each other different fighting
tactics require different ways for a formation to deploy.
 38

Tinies

Placing Tinies
Tinies are placed on the playing area after terrain has been set up.

They come from the Tinies Pool from which players alternate picking and placing. The
number of tinies in the pool should be equal to the total Power Cards used divided by 5,
rounded down. For example, in a 20 Power Card-a-side game, there should be 8 tinies in the
pool.

A player can place a tiny anywhere in the playing area except:

Tinies can never be placed in, but can later move into, deployment zones.
A tiny can't be placed within 6 of a colossus.
The tiny should feasibly move in whatever piece of terrain it is placed on. Common
sense applies, so don't put an infantry platoon inside water terrain or a destroyer
warship in a city!

Tiny Exceptions
Tinies can never engage or become engaged themselves.

They can be attacked with a close attack if a colossus is touching them with no need for
engagement.

Also, tinies never fall prone, don't have a facing (it's all front-facing), and don't have cards
they have only 1 Hit and their abilities are determined in a different way.

Moving Tinies
Tinies will move 6 towards the colossus that is closest to them at the start of their move,
unless they are already in a position to attack them (within range and LoF). They will move
the full 6 even if that takes them closer to 6 from an enemy colossus.

Tinies move in straight lines by the shortest route possible. They can always move over
other tinies and terrain but can't move over colossi. Once again use common sense. Perhaps
it's feasible that a fighter jet tiny can move over lava and water, but a tank definitely can't.

Attacking with Tinies

Tinies will attack the colossus closest to them. They have no facing and are able to attack all
around. Tinies have a range of 6 with their attacks which need Line of Fire.

Attacks by tinies are different from those by colossi. Instead of rolling to hit for each
separate attack, do the following:

Determine which tinies are attacking which colossus. A tiny will always attack the
colossus that is closest to it.
If 2 or more colossi are exactly, down to a fraction of an inch, the same distance
away from a tiny, that tiny will attack the colossus that has the most Power Cards left.
Start with the colossus that has the most tinies attacking it.
Grab 1 die per tiny participating in the attack.
Roll all the dice together and check the total on the table below:
 39

Tiny Damage Table

Total Damage
9 or less No damage at all (this means a single tiny can't hurt a colossus
as the highest it can roll is a 6)
10 to 15 1 damage
16 to 20 2 damage + 1 critical (discard 1 Power Card)
21 to 25 3 damage + 1 critical (discard 1 Power Card)
26 to 30 4 damage + 2 criticals (discard 2 Power Cards)
For every 5 extra 1 more damage
For every 10 extra 1 more critical

As you can see by the table above a single tiny can't do any damage to a colossus, so if a
tiny is attacking by itself don't bother attacking.

Tiny Attack Example

Pummeller has just levelled a city but has now found itself facing down the rocket
pods from 4 choppers (tinies in game terms).
The shaded area is within 6 of the colossus, so the 2 tinies (#1 and #2) at the top can
attack.
The tiny to the left (#4) is within range, but has got a city in the way so no line of fire.
The tiny to the top left (#3) is outside range so can't attack.
Pummeller's opponent rolls 2 dice for the 2 attacking tinies and scores a 10 so the
colossus takes 1 damage but no criticals. Next turn Pummeller has to take care of
those tinies, or it could face 4 dice's worth of tiny damage which is scary even for a
giant beast!
 40

Attacking Tinies
To attack a tiny roll to hit as normal. The attack hits on a 4+. A die roll of 1 before any
modifiers automatically misses and has the chance of being a Fumble (see below). A die roll
of 6 will automatically hit but won't cause a Critical.

Remember that tinies are not colossus and so most modifiers won't apply. For example,
since tinies don't have a rear facing, the +1 to a close attack from the rear will never apply.

The to-hit table below takes these small differences into account and is repeated for
convenience's sake.

Ranged Attacks
If the attacker is on Hearts orders +1 to die roll
If the attacker is on Hearts orders and +2 to die roll (replaces the modifier above)
touching the tiny
Close Attacks
If attacker is on Clubs orders +1 to die roll

Fumbling against Tinies

If a to-hit die roll is a 1 before any modifiers then the attack automatically misses. Roll the
die again. If it's another 1 then the attack is a Fumble which is very embarrassing against a
tiny!

If the Fumble was on a Ranged Attack then the opposing player can nominate a new
target within 6 of the original target. This new target can even be the original
attacker! This new target is automatically hit by the attack even if it's outside range
and/or LoF from the original attacker.
If the Fumble was on a Close Attack then the attacker falls Prone.

A colossus that Fumbles can't make any further attacks that Phase.

Trampling Tinies
The other way to get rid of tinies doesn't use up attacks. After all, colossi should be able to
just crush them underfoot or swat them out of the sky!

This happens during the Movement Phase. A colossus can, at any point in its move, declare
it is trampling a tiny it is in contact with. Roll a die:

On a 4+ the tiny is destroyed and returned to the pool.

On 3 or less, the colossus misses the tiny, loses balance and its move ends. Note that
in some situations a colossus can move more than once per Movement Phase, so
missing a tiny ends that particular move but the colossus can still use its other moves.

There are no criticals when attacking a tiny with a trample, but there are (humiliating)
Fumbles. If a colossus rolls a 1 to trample then it needs to roll the die again. Another 1
means the colossus falls prone!

Provided it keeps hitting them, a colossus can destroy however many tinies it comes in
contact with during its Movement Phase.
 41

Destroying Tinies
Tinies can only take 1 Hit if they are hit they are destroyed. Place them back in the pool as
they can be recycled later.

Recycling Tinies
If there are any tinies in the pool during the End Phase, then they can be recycled. This is
done using the rules for placing tinies as normal.The way this happens depends on how
many tinies are in the pool:

If there's only 1 tiny, then the player whose colossi have lost more Hits so far can
place 1 tiny from the pool back in the playing area. If there is a tie for the player
whose colossi have lost more Hits, then the player who has got the colossus closest to
the centre of the playing area gets to place it.
If there are 2 tinies in the pool, then each player places 1 tiny back in the playing area.
If there are 3 or more tinies in the pool, then each player places 1 tiny back in the
playing area and the rest stay in the pool.

Hostile and Friendly Tinies

Most tinies are hostile to all colossi, trying their best to stop them. There are some instances
in which some tinies are friendly to one or more colossi. This can be specified in the
scenario or as a result of an Ability card.

Friendly tinies are moved by the colossus they are friendly with; they can be moved in
any direction, not just towards the closest colossus.
Friendly tinies attack the colossus closest to them as normal, but they will never
attack the colossus they're friendly with even if it's the only target.
If a friendly tiny is destroyed it will still be friendly if and when it is recycled back
into play later.
Friendly tinies can only be recycled by the colossus they are friendly with. If all the
tinies in the pool are friendly to the same colossus (or to colossi all controlled by the
same player), then that colossus can recycle 2 instead of just 1 that turn. The other
colossus wouldn't be able to recycle any, since there wouldn't be any hostile tinies in
the pool.
 42

Air Strikes
Defence forces will do their best to try and stop colossi from rampaging through their nation
and smashing up their cities. This involves not just deploying tinies but also calling in Air
Strikes which, although not very accurate, have a lot of firepower. This is simulated in the
game during the Air Strike Phase.

Air Strike Planning

It doesn't matter who rolls for the Air Strike's coordinates as they're completely random.

Players however can agree on some kind of order, where players alternate the die rolls from
one turn to the next for example.

During the Air Strike Planning phase, one of the players:

1. Rolls a die for the Air Strike's starting coordinates (see below).
2. Rolls a die for the Air Strike's end coordinates (see below).
3. Places figures to mark the start and end coordinates. These figures are just markers and
can't be attacked they just serve as a reminder of where the Air Strike will go later in
the turn.

Air Strike Coordinates

There are 3 possible starting coordinates for an Air Strike.

Pick a short edge and then one of that edge's corners. A 1 or 2 on the die will start the Air
Strike on that corner. A 5 or 6 on the short edge's other corner and a 3 or 4 on a point
between the two corners.

The end coordinates are assigned the same way but on the opposite short edge.
 43

Here are a couple of examples of Air Strikes:

Start: 1 End: 3

Start: 6 End: 2

If the playing area has been extended with extra width, then coordinates will need to
accommodate this so they cover the whole playing area.

Air Strike Attack

During the Air Strike Attack Phase draw a line between the coordinates. Anything caught
within 3 of a direct line between the Air Strike coordinates takes damage. Roll 4 dice once
and check the Tiny Damage Table below:

Tiny Damage Table

Total Damage
9 or less No damage at all
10 to 15 1 damage
16 to 20 2 damage + 1 critical (discard 1 Power Card)
21 to 25 3 damage + 1 critical (discard 1 Power Card)
26 to 30 4 damage + 2 criticals (discard 2 Power Cards)
For every 5 extra 1 more damage
For every 10 extra 1 more critical

Cities and industrial parks are unaffected. A tiny is destroyed if it takes 1 or more damage.
 44

Air Strike Example

The Kraken and Beetletron are fighting near some cities when an Air Strike zooms by
unleashing explosive hell.

4 dice are rolled for damage and 16 is the total 2 damage + 1 critical according to
the Tiny Damage table.
The Kraken is within 3 of the Air Strike's path and so loses 2 hits and suffers 1
critical, i.e. has 1 of its Power Cards discarded.
Beetletron is lucky as he's just outside the 'corridor of death'.
The tiny (chopper) between the 2 colossi is also caught. It takes 2 hits, but 1 is enough
to destroy it.
 45

Other Rules

Contests of Might
Sometime specific rules or cards will ask for a Contest of Might to happen between 2 or
more colossi.

To resolve a Contest of Might, all the colossi involved roll a die and add the following
modifiers:

+1 if the colossus was built using more Power Cards than all of its opponents in the
Contest of Might put together (usually it's just one versus one).
+1 if the colossus was built using twice or more Power Cards than all of its opponents
in the Contest of Might put together (stacks with the modifier above for a +2).
+1 for every Strength ability card in its deck.

Whichever colossus has the highest number, wins. If there's a tie between 2 or more colossi
all with the highest number, then there's no winner and the Contest of Might ends.

Beetletron, a 30-card colossus in this example, is trying to move away from two
Mantodeons who have engaged it this turn. Each of the Mantodeons was built using
10 cards.
To do so, Beetletron needs to beat both of them in a Contest of Might. Luckily
Beetletron has a Strength card.
Each of the colossi roll a die, one Mantodeon rolls a 4, and the other a 6. Beetletron
rolls a 3, adding +1 to it because of its Strength card, and another +1 because it was
built using more cards than both Mantodeons put together.
Beetletron's total of 5 is enough to beat one Mantodeon but not the other one, so he's
stuck in place.
Trying to disengage and failing allows both Mantodeons to do a single Close Attack
so Beetletron is in trouble, and we haven't even got to the actual Close Attack Phase!
 46

Collisions
Colossi can't move voluntarily over each other, cities or industrial parks. When they do
happen to be forced to move over any of these, it's a collision.

A city or industrial park takes 3 damage which should be rolled to see if it's enough to
destroy the terrain piece. If it is destroyed, then keep moving the colossus for the rest
of the forced move distance. If it isn't destroyed, then the colossus ends its move in
that spot. Either way the colossus that collided with the city or industrial park takes 1
damage and is knocked prone at the end of the forced move.
If a colossus collides with another colossus, the smaller colossus (the one built using
less Power Cards) falls prone and both colossi take 1 damage. If both colossi were
built using the same number of Power Cards then they both fall prone and take 1
damage. Colliding with another colossus will stop the forced move.
If a colossus collides with a tiny, the tiny is destroyed and the colossus keeps moving
as if nothing happened.

Measuring
Colossus! was designed to allow pre-measuring. That is, players can measure any distance
they want on the table before deciding what to do. They can do this at any point during the
game, even when another player is moving for example.

Players can decide between themselves that pre-measuring is not allowed although that
tends to reward a skill eye-balling distances on the table that is not about tactics and not
what the game is about.
 47

Dr. Kasai covered his ears as another fighter jet took off. The airfield was next to his
underground lab, something which he loathed and protested about frequently with the
governors. They believed that science and the military went together and could see no
other use for his research in genetics than producing weapons. It went against what Dr.
Kasai believed in, but he didnt complain at the luxurious living quarters and nearly
unlimited budgets he enjoyed.

He walked in his pajamas as briskly as his 70-year old body would allow.

At the end of the corridor was lab #7. The two soldiers standing guard acknowledged his
presence and parted ways to let him through.

I bet youre glad to be down here tonight, arent you? Dr. Kasai asked both of the
soldiers.

Sir?

Would you rather be up there shooting the colossus with your little guns? Even if you
were riding a tank youd be useless.

The soldiers looked away from the older man who smiled as he went through the door.

The lab was a cavernous room dominated by a central glass silo which contents were
shrouded in darkness. Dr. Kasai walked to a console connected to the silo and read the
dials and counters.

Not good enough, he mumbled to himself, we need more time.

He reached for the phone on the console.

Governor, Ive got bad news.

Dr. Kasai, replied the stern voice on the other side of the line, Im tired of your bad
news. We need the Pummeller active and we need it now.

Oh, I can get it moving and out there, Dr. Kasai replied his voice fraught with anxiety,
but I cant guarantee it wont turn on us.

We have no choice. Release the Pummeller!

Dr. Kasai put the phone now and flicked the light switch on the console. A dozen spotlights
all trained on the silo lit up simultaneously.

Inside the silo stood the sleeping Pummeller. Originally a captured raider, he had been the
only prisoner to have not only survived but thrived being pumped with prodigious amounts
of Zillium. It still seemed human but for its grotesquely muscled physique and the spiky
protrusions that covered its body... and it was 100 metres tall, too!

Presently the behemoth floated in liquified Zillium, dreaming of destruction.

According to earlier tests, Zillium exposure had made the Pummeller addicted to the
substance. While it slept in the silo it was safe, but once woken it would make a beeline
towards the biggest concentration of Zillium nearby. Dr. Kasai hoped that would be the
invading mechas fuel tank, but this was a mining town, with Zillium reservoirs in every
block. Even if the Pummeller smashed the mecha, how would the town then stop their own
creation?
 48

Dr. Kasai switched on the main generators. These charged the hundred electrical rods that
plugged into the Pummellers body.

Here in this underground lab, he couldnt hear what was happening to his beloved town.

The invader had likely crossed the towns limits and would have been bombarded by the
defence forces. Fighter jets, helicopters, tanks, they were are all pointless when fighting a
Zillium-fueled nightmare like that one. Dr. Kasai had little faith in his mutated creation,
but it was better than certain destruction.

One by one, he released the safety catches and activated the rods. The Pummeller was
struck by 100 lightning bolts and shook involuntarily.

There was a lull, as if nothing was going to happen, and then it roared into consciousness.

Dr. Kasai stepped back as the Pummellers howl shattered the silo flinging highly
radioactive Zillium and glass everywhere. He wasnt quick enough and was flung to the
corner of the lab. He realised to his horror that the Zillium was creeping into the cuts on his
skin. He felt his body pulse and his hands started to glow. For a moment he wondered
whether he was one of the few who reacted positively to Zillium, but that moment didnt
last long as the Pummeller rampaged out of the lab, burying Dr. Kasai alive in the ruins.
 49

Scenarios
There's nothing wrong with just setting up two sides with the same number of cards and
having a big smash-up. On the other hand, having specific objectives and customised rules
can make for a more interesting and complex game.

Introductory Scenario
This is a good set-up for newcomers to the Colossus! Ruleset. It strips down the rules to the
basics and allows players to learn the mechanics of assigning orders and moving without all
the extra bells and whistles.

Players:

2 players each using one colossus built using 10 Power Cards.

Each colossus must have:
1 Special card.
at least 1 Close Attack.
at least 1 Close Attack modifier.
at least 1 Ranged Attack.
at least 1 Ranged Attack modifier.
the other Power Cards are up to each player to pick.

Terrain:

standard with no special rules.

Objectives and rules:

the winner is the side with the last remaining colossus.

The Raiders
A region rich in Zillium finds itself under threat from raging colossi coming after the
powerful mineral. The region's defence forces will do their best to protect their mines... or at
least hope the raiders destroy each other before any major damage is done!

Players:

2 or more each with the same number of total Power Cards.

Terrain:

before any other terrain piece is placed, 4 industrial parks must be placed on the
playing area. Players alternate placing industrial parks until all 4 are placed.
Afterwards, place the rest of terrain as normal, which can include more industrial
parks.

Objectives and rules:

the winner is the side with the last remaining colossus.

The Good, the Bad, the Colossal

Not all colossi plunder Zillium mercilessly. Some prefer to strike deals with the authorities
 50

and agree to protect them in exchange for a steady supply. To the mining communities and
cities that produce the Zilium this sounds a bit like extortion after all, for the most part
they are being protected from the protectors themselves! However, when a new group of
colossi are spotted on the horizon the deal suddenly seems like a very good one...

Players:

2 with the same number of total Power Cards.

Player 1's colossi are the Good Guys.
Player 2's colossi are the Bad Guys.
if players can't agree on sides, then they can dice off for it, although the choice of
figures for colossi will usually dictate who are the good guys and who are the evil
monsters.

Terrain:

for every 10 Power Cards used to build colossi, there must be 1 city. Before any other
terrain piece is placed, all of these cities must be placed on the playing area. Players
alternate placing cities until all are placed. Afterwards, place the rest of terrain as
normal, which cannot include any more cities.

Objectives and rules:

only the Bad Guys can attack cities.

all tinies are considered Friendly to the Good Guys.
there is one Air Strike per turn, which will never attack the Good Guys colossi even if
they are caught in it. It will still affect tinies as normal.
the Bad Guys win if all cities or all Good Guys are destroyed. The Good Guys win if
any cities are left and if the Bad Guys are destroyed.
the following cards are not allowed as they would make the game far too easy to one
side or wouldn't work with the other scenario rules: Friendly, Tunnel and Demolisher
(ranged and close).

Immortal Duel
Only very rarely do fights between colossi end with one side dead or destroyed and gone
forever. Rather, a lot of colossi will just be knocked out and will eventually return to fight
their vanquisher at a later time. This can escalate into a series of duels that can build up into
the sort of rivalry that becomes a legend!

Players:

2 each using a single colossus built using the same amount of Power Cards.

Terrain:

standard with no special rules.

Objectives and rules:

before beginning the game, players need to decide how many duels will be fought.
play until one of the colossus is knocked out. The first duel is over and the triumphant
colossus notches 1 win. Don't move anything on the playing area: destroyed cities
remain destroyed, tinies remain where they are and so does the winning colossus.
the winning colossus can move all the cards from its discard pile to its deck. The
 51

losing colossus does the same, but can swap all of its Ability and Special cards for
different cards, i.e. build an entirely new colossus.
the losing colossus, now re-built and improved, is placed in the deployment zone
farthest from the winning colossus. It gets all of its Hits back.
start the second duel and play until one colossus is knocked out.
after fixing up both colossi as before, start the 3rd duel and so on.
keep playing as many duels as were agreed in the beginning. The colossus that won
most duels is the overall winner.

Save the Earth

What scientists at first thought was an asteroid en route to collide with Earth turned out to
be a massive Planet Killer colossus! After landing it started devastating the countryside and
is now on its way to a major city. Who or what can stop it?

Players:

2, a single Planet Killer colossus versus the defenders of Earth (1 or more colossi).
See below on how to determine who plays what side.
Players need to agree on a build for the Planet Killer colossus. It can be built using
any number of Power Cards, but it's recommended players use at least 20. If players
can't agree on the choice of Power Cards, then half of the Power Cards can be picked
by each player.
After building the Planet Killer together, players each write down secretly their bid
for the size of the defenders of Earth. This bid must be lower than the size of the
Planet Killer. Players reveal their bids simultaneously. Whoever bid the smallest
amount gets to build one or more colossi using that number of Power Cards.
Example: Simon and Joanna build a Planet Killer colossus using 30 cards a real
threat to Earth! They then write down their bids for the Defender of the Earth. Simon
bids 25, whereas Joanna bids 21. Simon gets the chance to fight the Planet Killer with
a 21 card colossus (or team of colossi), although he starts with a big handicap...

Terrain:

standard with no special rules.

Objectives and rules:

all tinies are considered Friendly to the defenders of Earth.

there is one Air Strike per turn, which will attack all colossi.
the winner is the side with the last remaining colossus.

Rescue
Most times colossi get to rumble, it's either about Zillium or about proving who's the
toughest among them.

Other times, they are trying to protect some people (or some things) which are very
important to them. Whether these are scientists, politicians, alien masterminds, celebrities,
the colossus's offspring, or anything else depends on the colossus's background and is left
up to the players to decide.

Players:

2 with the same number of total Power Cards.

Player 1's colossi are the Defenders and must protect the VIPs.
 52

Player 2's colossi are the Attackers and must destroy the VIPs.
if players can't agree on sides, then they can dice off for it.

Terrain:

standard with no special rules.

Objectives and rules:

all tinies are considered Friendly to the defenders.

there is one Air Strike per turn, which will attack all colossi and also the VIP markers!
The defender gets to use 1 VIP marker for every 5 points of colossus used in the
game. For example if both players were fielding 20 points of colossus then the
defender would use 8 VIP markers. Players can also use figures for them instead of
markers as long as theyre not bigger than 1 inch in diameter.
The defender places his colossi and VIP markers first. They can be placed anywhere
inside the playing area except for the normal deployment zones.
The attacker places his colossi after all the defender's colossi and VIP markers have
been placed. He can place his colossi inside either of the deployment zones.
the attacker wins by either defeating all the enemy colossi or by destroying all the VIP
markers. The defender wins by defeating all the enemy colossi and keeping at least 1
VIP marker active.

VIP Markers

the VIP markers move during the Tinies Movement Phase after tinies have moved.
if there are any of the attackers colossi within 6 they will move, otherwise they will
stay put for the turn. VIP markers always move 6 directly away from the closest
attacking colossus. This might mean they move closer to an attacking colossus after
all! Its easy to get confused amidst all the mayhem!
only attacking colossi can interact with the VIP markers - the defending colossi cant
interact with them at all.
VIP markers can be destroyed exactly like tinies and all the same rules apply. They
can be trampled, shot at, close attacked, etc. Once a VIP marker is destroyed it isnt
recycled.
 53

Pre-built Colossi
For those times when you can't be bothered to look through the dozens of available Power
Cards and just want to play asap.

Please note that I didn't build these to make unstoppable game-winning machines, but rather
to be what I believe to be good representations of how they look like. Most are done around
10 Power Cards but feel free to tweak the colossi below as you see fit it's your game after
all!

Some of them might appear a bit familiar from movies, TV, books or other games. Any
likeness or similarity is a coincidence and no intellectual property infringement is intended.

Our Official Colossi

These are the 4 colossi I commissioned to be designed and drawn to use as examples
throughout this book. They are fairly archetypal and can be used for similar figures you
might own.

Beetletron, a mechanical bipedal beetle with a powerful bite 20 Power Cards

2 Armour 3 Close Attack
1 Energize 2 Extra Damage (close)
1 Strength 1 Demolisher (close)
2 Hits 1 Grind (close)
1 Shield 1 Ranged Attack
1 Boost 1 Extra Range
1 Swat 2 Ammunition
Mantodeon, a giant praying mantis that sometimes attacks in packs 10 Power Cards
2 Armour 2 Close Attack
1 Strength 2 Extra Damage (close)
1 Jump 1 Ranged Attack
1 Extra Damage (ranged)
Kraken, a tentacled sea monster whose eldritchness is enough to drive men to insanity
10 Power Cards
1 Mind Control 1 Ranged Attack
1 Tiny Basher 1 Swat
1 Hits 2 Close Attack
1 Shield 2 Spiral
Pummeller, all brawn and no brains, it was once human but now is just muscle and fury
20 Power Cards
1 Fast 2 Close Attack
1 Devour 4 Extra Damage (close)
1 Rage 2 Demolisher
2 Strength
1 Rush
1 Wrath
2 Hits
2 Armour
1 Grab and Hit
 54

Colossus! Reference Sheet

Air Strike Planning Phase roll coordinates Movement
Orders Phase assign Orders, reveal, play
Specials
Movement Phase clubs twice, spades,
diamonds, hearts
Ranged Attack Phase hearts, spades, Ranged
diamonds
Close Attack Phase clubs, spades,
diamonds, hearts
Tinies Phase move, attack, recycle
Close
Air Strike Damage Phase target, damage
End Phase remove markers, specials
switch off, repair, win conditions

Colossi hit on a 4+ with their attacks.

Roll of 6 auto hits and is a Critical (discard Power Card and roll again for further
Criticals)
Roll of 1 auto misses and roll again, if another 1 attack hits another target within 6
(Ranged) or attacker falls Prone (Close).
Ranged Attack Modifiers
If target is prone +1 to die roll
If the attacker is on Hearts orders +1 to die roll
If the attacker is on Hearts orders and +2 to die roll (replaces the modifier above)
touching the target (whether engaged or not)
If attacking a city or industrial park Automatically hits don't roll a die
Close Attack Modifiers
If the attacker is on Clubs orders +1 to die roll
If attacking a target's rear facing +1 to die roll
If target is prone Hits on a 2+ and no other modifiers apply
If attacking a city or industrial park Automatically hits don't roll a die
Tiny Damage Table
Total Damage
9 or less No damage at all
10 to 15 1 damage
16 to 20 2 damage + 1 critical (discard 1 Power Card)
21 to 25 3 damage + 1 critical (discard 1 Power Card)
26 to 30 4 damage + 2 criticals (discard 2 Power Cards)
For every 5 extra 1 more damage
For every 10 extra 1 more critical