←Velocity Card Game

Rulebook

Objective

Velocity is a two-player sports trading card game. Each player controls a roster of Athletes competing in Scoring Attempts. The first team to reach 10 Victory Points (VP) wins immediately. If the game reaches the end of regulation tied, it proceeds to Overtime and then Sudden Death.

Deck Construction

  • A legal deck contains 10 Athletes (5 Starters + 5 Bench) plus Playbook cards totaling 40 cards.
  • Starters must fill 5 fixed roles in order: Franchise, Star, Role, Role, Veteran.
  • Exactly 1 Franchise Athlete must be present among your Starters/Bench.
  • Exactly 1 Head Coach and exactly 1 Arena per deck.
  • Before tip-off both coaches flip a coin. The winner places their Arena for the entire match and chooses whether to take the first or second turn.
  • No more than 4 copies of any single card across your whole deck.
  • A Side Deck holds 4 Reserve Athletes, 1 backup Franchise Athlete, and 10 additional Playbook cards available for substitutions and Halftime adjustments.

Turn Phases

  1. Warm-Up: Bench Athletes recover Fatigue, you draw a card, and gain Momentum Points (MP).
  2. Main Phase: Play Action/Event/Equipment cards from hand, then either Start a Scoring Attempt or End Main Phase.
  3. Play Phase (Scoring Attempt): Resolves in three steps — Offensive, Defensive Response, Offensive Response — where players may play relevant Action cards before the Skill Calculation.
  4. End Phase: Discard down to the 7-card hand limit, then pass the turn.

Scoring Attempt

The offense declares a Scoring Attempt. Both teams' total Starter Skill is compared after all Action cards are resolved:

  • Offensive Step — offense may play offensive Action cards.
  • Defensive Response — defense may play defensive Action cards.
  • Offensive Response — offense may play a final defensive-type response.
  • Skill Calculation — higher total Skill wins. Ties score nothing.

The winning side scores 1 VP (if offense wins) and the losing side's Starters are assigned Fatigue equal to the margin. No single Athlete may take more than 2 Fatigue from one play calculation — any excess beyond the line's capacity is lost. An Athlete Injures when its Fatigue meets its Fatigue Limit, forcing a Substitution.

Fatigue & Substitution

You may make up to 2 voluntary substitutions per turn during your Main Phase, and they cost no Momentum. Forced replacements after an Injury, at Halftime, or from a card effect do not count against that limit. The player who goes first may not substitute on the opening turn — their rotation stays locked until their next turn.

When an Athlete's Fatigue reaches its Fatigue Limit, it becomes Injured and moves to the Discard pile. The controlling player must immediately substitute in an eligible, non-injured Bench Athlete to fill the empty Starter slot — Reserve Athletes may never be brought in as an injury replacement (they only enter at Halftime). If no Bench Athlete is available, the slot stays empty.

Halftime

When a player reaches 5 VP during the first half, Halftime triggers and play pauses for the side-out window: both players may freely swap Reserve Athletes into their Starters or Bench and exchange Playbook cards with their Side Deck. Play resumes only once both coaches press READY.

Win Conditions

  • Reach 10 Victory Points.
  • Your opponent cannot draw a card when required (deck-out loss).
  • Every Franchise Athlete your opponent owns (Starters, Bench and Side Deck backup) is Injured — the match ends immediately in either half.
  • Leading at the end of Sudden Death.

Keyword Glossary

  • CLUTCH — +2 Skill while your team trails in Victory Points.
  • IMPACT — Winning your Scoring Attempt applies +1 extra Fatigue.
  • SPARK — +1 Skill in a Scoring Attempt.
  • REST — Recovers 2 Fatigue instead of 1 while on the Bench.
  • DURABLE — Fatigue Limit is 2 higher before this Athlete is Injured.
  • PRESSURE — While defending, lowers the attacking team's Skill by 1 (max 3 per attempt).
  • LEADER — Starters sharing your Team gain +1 Skill.
  • ANCHOR — Takes 1 less Fatigue when assigned any (min 0).
  • RALLY — +2 Skill while your team trails by 2+ Victory Points.
  • MOMENTUM — +1 Skill per Victory Point your team has scored (max +3).
  • CHEMISTRY — +1 Skill while 2 or more other Starters share your Team or Philosophy.