HOTG Rule Variations – Once A Ranger

Rule Variations

Additional Rules

Cards

Variations

Enemies

Game Modes

Additional Rules

The “Basic Attacks” & “Last Stand” rules were added sometime after the game first came out. As such, they are not mentioned in the rulebook, and are not necessary when playing. However, since these rules were added due to fan feedback, it has been recommended that both be used for every game.

Of course, the choice is ALWAYS up to you! Feel free to come up with your own variations to tailor the game to your liking!

Player Count

The game is primarily designed to be played with 5 players. However, should you find yourself with fewer, or even more, players, then there are slight variations made to the game.
- For games with 2 Players, each player will be given 3 Action Tokens and place 2 Energy Tokens on the Command Center Location during setup. Each player will control 2 Rangers at the same time, using a single Combat Deck. While controlling 2 Rangers, the following rules must be followed:
  1. While setting up, the Player will shuffle the Combat Decks for the Rangers chosen. This will form a single Combat Deck of 20 cards. This is the deck that the player will use for the entire game.
  2. Each Player’s maximum hand size becomes 7. Players may draw up to 7 cards when drawing a new hand.
  3. The 2 Rangers that a player controls will always move together. Moving both Rangers only requires the use of a single Action Token.
  4. Since each Ranger can store 1 Energy Token, that means that the player can have 2 stored energy at the same time. When performing the Recover action, the player will take 2 Energy Tokens from the supply and give 1 to each Ranger, provided they don’t already have one.
  5. When initiating Battles, 3 Energy Tokens are put in the shared energy pool. Flipping an unused Action Token during Battle will gain 3 Energy Tokens in the shared pool as well. This also permits the player to draw up to their maximum hand size.
  6. The abilities of both Rangers is applied to the Player, and not just that specific Ranger. For Example, if you are using both Jason Lee Scott (Zeo Gold Ranger) and Mike Corbett (Magna Defender), then you are able to use Jason’s Heart of Gold ability even if you play a Magna Defender card.
  7. When there is an attack that targets multiple Rangers, each Ranger is counted separately. For example, if there is a card that deals 2 damage to each Ranger, both players will take two separate instances of 2 damage (one for each Ranger).

Location Effects

All location boards have 2 sides. Side “A” has the location name and figure limit. Side “B”, however, has additional location effects that are unique for each area. Side “B” of a Command Center represents a new mode called Assault Mode, which is discussed further down.

Basic Attacks

During a Ranger Turn, rather than playing a card from his hand, a Ranger may instead decide to discard one in order to perform a single die attack. This attack works the same as any regular attack (cannot choose a target with the GUARD keyword, dice can be added and/or removed, etc…).

Last Stand

Normally, whenever all 4 outer locations are panicked at once, the Rangers lose the game. With this variation, however, The Rangers can choose to remove all energy left in the Command Center instead to keep the game going. Then, if a Ranger is defeated, then the Rangers lose the game.

Cards

Some additional card types have been added as the game has evolved. You don’t have to use them when playing, but they can provide fun benefits and challenges when implemented.

Nemesis

A Nemesis works the same as a Monster for most gameplay purposes. The big difference, however, is that Nemesis deployment cards have various effects written on them that must be followed while in Battles.
When a battle is initiated, the Nemesis Deployment card is attached to the Lead Ranger. At the end of the Battle, the deployment card is removed until the next battle.
Nemesis enemies also tend to be slightly stronger than normal Monsters to give the Rangers an extra challenge.

Arsenal

Arsenal cards are extra tools that the Rangers can obtain throughout the game.
During Setup, choose 10 random Arsenal cards from the box and shuffle them together to create your Arsenal card deck. Place the Arsenal deck near the Power Board
At the start of each round, reveal the top 2 cards of the Arsenal deck. At the end of the round, if the cards have not been obtained by the Rangers, they go to the discard pile.
Unlike Zord cards, which are earned by defeating enemies, Rangers can “buy” Arsenal cards by paying the cost listed on them.
The Rangers “pay” by discarding cards from their hand with a total shield value greater than, or equal to, the cost of the Arsenal card.
If an Arsenal card has a cost of “R”, that means that the cost is equal to the number of Rangers (not players) in the game.

Variations

Some additional card types have been added as the game has evolved. You don’t have to use them when playing, but they can provide fun benefits and challenges when implemented.

Non-Player Variant

This variation is exclusive to Alpha 5. It permits him to remain in the Command Center and provide passive effects during the game to help the Rangers. These effects are written on 2 of his Character cards.
It is important to note that Alpha 5 also has playable variations, so carefully read his Character cards to determine how you want to utilize him.

Roaming Monsters

This is a more challenging variation on the game. If there is a Monster, Nemesis or Boss in play at the end of the round, then they will move to the next location that is not panicked, going in a clockwise direction.
The new location becomes panicked, and the previous location becomes panicked as well, unless there are no enemy figures there after the move.
If there is more than 1 Monster, Nemesis or Boss in play, then the Rangers will choose the order in which the enemy moves resolve.

Enemies

These variations have to do with deploying the different enemy types that are in the game.

Deployment

Probably the simplest variation. You may decide to only do 4 deployments per round instead of the normal 5. This will make the game easier as it both makes it less likely to panic all of the locations, as well as just have fewer enemies on the board.
It will, however, be more difficult to obtain the Megazord due to the lower number of Foot Soldiers to defeat.

Paired Monsters

Paired Monsters are 2 Monsters that are deployed at the same time.
1. To do this, you must use a Paired Deployment Card. You will shuffle the Deployment Card into the Deployment deck the same way you would a normal Monster Deployment Card.
2. When the Monsters are deployed, they treated as a single figure, meaning that they must always move together and cannot be in separate locations.
3. When entering battle, players will draw 2 cards from both Monster’s deployment decks, one at a time, and place them in the combat sequence, following the same rules as normal (FAST cards go to the front, etc…). If one of the Monsters has already been defeated, then draw 3 cards from the remaining Enemy’s deck instead.
4. In order to defeat a paired Monster, 2 Enemy cards from that Enemy’s deck must be defeated. It is, therefore, possible for Rangers to defeat both paired monsters in one battle.
5. A Zord card is not obtained at the end of the battle if only one of the paired Monsters is defeated. Instead, the next 3 spaces on the Experience Track are covered with Hit Tokens. These tokens count as defeated Foot Soldiers. Therefore, if defeating 1 paired Monster results in the Rangers filling the Experience Track, then a Zord card will be obtained.
6. Foot Soldiers are not removed from the location at the end of a battle if only 1 paired monster has been defeated. The Foot Soldiers are removed at the end of the battle where the second paired Monster was defeated.

Triple Threat Boss

For this variation, instead of choosing to fight a single Boss, the Rangers will deploy 3 random monsters to act as the final boss.
At the beginning of the game, shuffle the Triple Threat Boss card into the deployment deck instead of a normal Boss deployment card.
Once revealed, choose any 3 Monsters and deploy them to the indicated location, ignoring the figure limit.
This location becomes panicked and is considered to be at its figure limit for the rest of the game.
At the start of a battle against a Triple Threat Boss, the players create 2 rows in the Combat Sequence. Each row has 3 Enemy cards. Players will draw one card from each Monster’s deck for the first row, and then repeat the process for the second. The order in which the cards are drawn from the decks is chosen by the Lead Ranger.
To defeat a Triple Threat Boss, the Rangers must defeat at least 3 Enemy cards from each of the 3 Monsters, and survive until the end of the battle. This means that, like normal Bosses, the Rangers will need to fight a Triple Threat Boss at least 2 times in order to defeat it.
Defeating a Triple Threat Boss results in the Rangers winning the game!

Psycho Rangers

Players may choose to fight 5 Psycho Rangers at once instead of a normal Boss.
When setting up, shuffle the Psycho Rangers Boss deployment card into the deployment deck instead of the normal Boss deployment card. The players will randomly select 5 of the Psycho Ranger deployment cards and set them aside.
1. For the Psycho Ranger Enemy deck, remove the weapon card and path card of the Psycho Ranger that was not selected. The Enemy deck, which should now have 17 cards, is then shuffled and set aside until needed.
When the Psycho Rangers Boss deployment card is revealed, take the deployment cards of the 5 selected Psycho Rangers and attach them to the Rangers. There must be at least 1 attached card on each Ranger. Some Rangers may have multiple cards attached to them.
1. The Enemy Figures associated with the 5 selected Psycho Rangers are placed in the location indicated on the back of the next card of the deployment deck, as per usual. However, all Foot Soldiers in that location are removed and returned to the supply. The location is considered to be at its figure limit for the rest of the game (regardless of how many Psycho Rangers remain), and is panicked.
2. During Battle setup, players will place 2 rows of 3 Enemy cards each to form the Combat Sequence, regardless of how many Psycho Rangers remain.
3. If a weapon or path card is drawn from the Enemy deck, and the associated Psycho Ranger has been defeated, then the card is placed on the bottom of the deck and the next card is drawn.
4. The special effects of all Psycho Ranger Deployment cards are resolved whenever a Psycho Ranger Enemy card says to resolve all Psycho effects. Such effects are usually applied to the attached Ranger.
Defeated Psycho Ranger Enemy cards are not discarded at the end of the battle. Instead, place each weapon and/or path card underneath the associated Psycho Ranger Deployment card. All other defeated cards are placed underneath the Deployment card of any Psycho Ranger remaining at the location.
1. If a Psycho Ranger has at least 2 Enemy cards underneath their Deployment card at the end of a battle, then they are defeated. When defeated, the Deployment card is flipped face down. All associated weapon and path cards are removed from the game, and all remaining Enemy cards that are under the Deployment card are shuffled back into the Psycho Enemy deck.
When all Psycho Rangers have been defeated, the Rangers win the game!

Mega Goldar

Cyclopsis

Game Modes

Solo Mode

Assault Mode

In this mode, Players use Side B of the Command Center Location. If an enemy would be deployed to a location that is already panicked, it will instead go to the Command Center. Whenever a Boss is deployed, it and all Foot Soldiers that are part of the deployment will go to the Command Center.
While there are enemy figures on the Command Center, Rangers cannot Power Up when moving the that location. However, after the last enemy at the Command Center has been defeated, any Ranger that is already there may immediately Power Up.
The Rangers lose the game if there are any enemy figures at the Command Center at the end of the Action Phase.

Legendary Ranger Mode

This mode allow Players to utilize various Rangers as one.
Note that this is not the same as 1 Player controlling multiple Rangers at once.
For Legendary Ranger Mode, a Player will choose multiple Rangers, instead of just one, to play as.
The player will then take the appropriate Figures, Character Cards and Combat Decks.
A new Combat Deck of 10 cards will then be formed by combining various cards from all of the decks chosen.
This new Combat Deck must not contain more than 2 cards with the same name. The player must also use one of the following combinations of cards to ensure that the deck has 20 shields:
1. Three 1-shield cards, Four 2-shield cards, Three 3-shield cards.
2. Two 1-shield cards, Six 2-shield cards, Two 3-shield cards.
3. One 1-shield card, Eight 2-shield cards, One 3-shield card.
Once the Combat Deck has been constructed, the player will choose the Active Ranger. The selected Ranger’s Character Card will go in the play area face up. The remaining Ranger Character Cards will go in a pile underneath the Active Ranger’s.
The player may choose any one Zord Card that matches one of the Rangers associated with the Combat Deck. It does NOT have to be the Zord belonging to the Active Ranger.
Gameplay will proceed mostly as normal. However, the player is only allowed to the special ability of the Active Ranger during the game.
You may change which Ranger is active when you perform a Move or Recover action. The new Active Ranger’s figure will take the old one’s place on the board.

Psycho Assault Mode

The Psycho Ranger pose a continuous threat in this mode. In order to win, the Rangers must defeat all of the Psycho Rangers.
While setting up the Deployment deck, 5 individual Psycho Ranger deployment cards are chosen at random. 1 is shuffled into pile A, 2 into pile B and 2 into Pile C. The Psycho Rangers Boss deployment card is shuffled into pile D.
When preparing the Psycho Ranger Enemy deck, the Players will remove the weapon and path cards associated with the Psycho Ranger that was not selected from the game. They will then take the remaining weapon and path cards and set them aside for later. The Enemy deck should have 7 cards.
When Deployed, attach the Psycho Ranger Deployment card to a Ranger that matches its color.
1. If there is no Ranger that matches its color, then attach it to a Ranger that doesn’t already have a Psycho Deployment card attached.
2. If all Rangers already have a Psycho Deployment card attached, then attach it to a Ranger of the team’s choice.
3. The Psycho Ranger, figure, along with any other Enemy figure from the same deployment, is placed in the same location as the attached Ranger. If the attached Ranger is in the Command Center, however, then all Enemy figures are deployed the same way they normally would.
4. Place the associated Psycho weapon card on top of the Psycho Ranger Enemy deck.
If a Psycho Ranger is deployed to a location that is already at its figure limit, then the Psycho Ranger figure is still placed there, and any excess Foot Soldier figures are moved (in a clockwise direction) to the next Outer location that is not at its figure limit.
- Locations are not automatically panicked when a Psycho Ranger is deployed to them. If there are 2 or more Psycho Rangers in the same location at any time, however, then that location becomes panicked.
For each Psycho Ranger involved in a Battle, draw 2 cards from the Psycho Ranger Enemy deck (up to 8 maximum) during the Enemy preparation step.
1. If only 1 or 2 Psycho Rangers are in the battle, place all drawn Psycho Ranger cards in the first row, and all Foot Soldier cards in the second (as per usual).
2. If there are 3 or more Psycho Rangers, however, place the first four cards in the first row, and the remaining cards in the second row (up to 4 maximum).
3. If a weapon or path card is drawn from the Enemy deck, and the associated Psycho Ranger is not in that location, place the card on the bottom of the deck and draw the next card.
4. Whenever a Psycho Ranger enemy card says to “Resolve all Psycho effect”, then the Psycho effects of all attached Psycho Ranger deployment cards in that location are resolved.
5. Psycho Ranger Enemy cards that are defeated are not placed in a discard pile at the end of the Battle. Each weapon and/or path card is, instead, placed under the associated Psycho Ranger’s deployment cards. Every other card may be placed under the deployment card of any Psycho Ranger that was involved in the battle.
To defeat a Psycho Ranger, there must be at least 2 Enemy cards under their deployment card at the end of a battle.
1. When defeated, flip the Psycho Ranger’s deployment card face down.
2. The associated weapon and path cards are set aside (not removed), and all remaining cards that are underneath the deployment card are shuffled back into the Psycho Ranger Enemy deck.
3. Hit Tokens are placed on the next 3 spaces of the Experience Track. For the purposes of obtaining Zords, these Hit Tokens count as defeated Foot Soldiers.
4. If 2 or more Psycho Rangers are defeated in a single battle, then all remaining Foot Soldier figures are removed from the current locations and returned to the supply.
Make sure that each Psycho Ranger is in the same location as the attached Ranger at the end of every round. If they are not, then move them to the same location as their attached Ranger.
- Should this result in the location exceeding its figure limit, then move all excess Foot Soldiers from that location to other locations until the figure limit of that location is reached.
When the Psycho Ranger Boss deployment card is revealed:
1. Place the figures of all 5 Psycho Rangers chosen for this game in the location shown on the back of the next card in the Deployment deck. Some of the figures may need to be moved from other locations. All Psycho Ranger Enemy cards are removed from play, and then shuffled back together to make the Psycho Ranger Enemy deck.
2. All Foot Soldiers are removed from that location and returned to the supply. That location becomes panicked and, for the rest of the game, considered to be at its figure limit (regardless of how many Psycho Rangers remain).
3. The deployment cards of all previously defeated Psycho Rangers are flipped face up again. In addition, all of the weapon and path cards that are set aside will be shuffled into the Psycho Ranger Enemy deck.
During each Battle with the Psycho Rangers, 2 rows of 3 Enemy cards will be placed to form the Combat Sequence (regardless of how many Psycho Rangers remain).
To win the game, the Rangers must defeat all 5 Psycho Rangers, including any that were previously defeated!

Mastermind Mode

One player will control the enemies in this mode.
During game setup Players decide who will be the Mastermind.
1. The Mastermind will prepare a Scheme deck. This is done by shuffling the 10 Scheme cards together. The Scheme deck is then placed, facedown, near the Mastermind Player.
2. The Mastermind will then form their starting hand by drawing 3 cards from the Scheme deck.
When constructing the Deployment deck, remove the 4 Foot Soldier cards that deploy three figures, and use the 4 Mastermind cards in their place. Monster and Boss Deployment cards are added as normal.
1. Whenever a Deployment card is revealed, if the next card of the Deployment deck is a Mastermind card, the the Mastermind Player gets to choose any Outer Location for the current Deployment.
2. Mastermind Deployment cards are then put into the discard pile. These, and any Foot Soldier Deployment cards that are also in the discard pile, are shuffled together and place on the bottom of the Deployment deck at the end of the Deployment Phase.
During Battles, instead of the normal Battle Sequence, players will instead use a 3×3 Combat Grid.
1. As each Enemy card is drawn, the Mastermind Player gets to decide where in the Combat Grid that card is placed.
2. The Mastermind Player must place each card in an empty space. No space on the Combat Grid can ever have more than 1 card.
3. As with the normal Combat Sequence, only cards placed next to each other, either vertically or horizontally, are considered adjacent for the purposes of game effects (such as the GUARD keyword).
4. There may be some instances where more than 9 Enemy cards will be drawn. In those cases, you will not perform any additional card draws past the first 9.
5. After preparation of the Combat Grid is complete, the Mastermind Player will put the Combat Marker on any Enemy card they choose. The Mastermind will take the first turn in the battle if, and only if, they place the Combat Marker on an Enemy card with the FAST keyword.
6. During an Enemy turn, the Enemy card that is under the Combat Marker will resolve. The Mastermind Player will then move the Combat Marker to the closest Enemy card (in any direction) that has not resolved yet.
2 more Scheme cards are drawn by the Mastermind Player at the start of each Action Phase.
1. A Scheme card is also drawn whenever the Rangers initiate a battle in a location that has a Monster or Boss.
2. If the Scheme deck ever runs out, the the discarded Scheme cards are shuffled together to form a new deck.
3. The Mastermind Player can only have up to 3 Scheme cards in their hand. After drawing, if the Mastermind Player ends up with more than 3 Scheme cards in their hand, then the Mastermind Player chooses, and discards, the excess cards until they have 3 left in their hand.
Scheme cards can be played at any time during a battle, with each Scheme card indicating when it can be played.
1. The Mastermind Player cannot, however, play multiple scheme cards in response to the same effect.
2. Should a Ranger card effect and Scheme card effect resolve at the same time, the Mastermind Player decides the order in which the effects resolve.
The Rangers do not automatically lose if all 4 locations are panicked at once. Instead, they go by the Last Stand rules.