Resident Evil: The Deck Building Game



Resident Evil: The Deck Building Game is a Bandai-produced card game released in December 2010.

The game was first released in a base set with a total of 250 cards. An expansion set, titled Resident Evil: The Deck Building Game Alliance was released officially on April 22nd, 2011, despite earlier releases in some areas.

A third set has been confimed and is going to be based around the Resident Evil: Outbreak games. This set will only contain 150 cards, removing the Basic Resources components from the games card list. It will also come with a special storage box.

Basic Play
The game is mostly unique in that the players' respective decks are built over time and often have to be built according to their skills. Players randomly pick a character card with a set amount of health points and then start with an "inventory" of ten cards. The inventory is shuffled and five cards are drawn. At the end of that players turn they discard their hand and draw a new set. If the inventory is emptied out, the discard pile is shuffled up and converted into the inventory.

Cards are gained by buying. All available cards are placed in what is referred to as the Resource Area; which is 18 unique stacks of cards which include weapons, ammo, herbs, First Aid Sprays, and actions. Six stacks of cards, referred to in-game as "Basic Resources" contain Handguns, Knives, Herbs, and all threeammounts of Ammo cards. Ammo cards come with gold used to make purchases. Additional gold can be gained through the use of actions or character skills. Players are allowed only one Buy and one Action per turn unless additional ones are gained. Actions serve many purposes including adding gold, Buys, cards, damage, ammo, etc.

The third action available to the player is Explore. It allows the player to equip weapons and ammo currently held in their hand to explore the Mansion Area. The Mansion Area is a deck filled with "Infected"; zombies and monsters from throughout the Resident Evil series. Infected have set health as well and must be defeated to earn Decorations, which need to be gained not only to win the game but level up the player's current character and use their skills. The game ends when the most powerful infected is defeated. Afterwards, the player with the most Decorations wins. Players are given only one Explore per turn unless additional ones are gained.

Modes of Play
The game currently has three modes of play, with a fourth added in Alliance. All modes are essentially played the same way but add additional rules, conditions, and cards. Each mode has Scenarios (similar to the Outbreak titles) which determine what cards are placed in the Resource Area. The game manual has preset scenarios but it encourages players to make their own to create new styles of play.

Story Mode is regular play and features all of the elements detailed above. Mercenary Mode is a more fast-paced variation that involves the players turn count becoming a time limit. Versus Mode removes the Mansion Area from play and characters fight each other to earn Decorations. A new mode for Alliance, Partner Mode allows for two characters to be used instead of one. One character is designated the Main Character while the other character is the Partner. Partner Mode mostly changes how the player Explores and attaches cards. Partner's can permenently hold a weapon for the duration of the game by spending one Action. Exploring is done by designating a leading character (though both characters can attack if euipped for it) and this character takes damage if the Infected is not defeated. Decorations that are gained by defeating Infected are shared by both characters, allowing all of their abilities to be used. However, if the Partner Character dies, they are permenently removed from the game.

Characters
The are currently ten characters in the base set, with two promos, and ten additional ones in Alliance for a total of 22. So far, all main series protagonists have been included. Although several are shown in multiple incarnations from throughtout the entire series. Each character card has different skills which can be viewed on their respective pages in the "Deck Building Game" section.

In the base set:

Chris Redfield

Jill Valentine

Leon S. Kennedy

Claire Redfield

Albert Wesker

Jack Krauser

Rebecca Chambers

Barry Burton

Ada Wong

Sheva Alomar

Promotional:

Chris Refield

Jill Valentine

Included in Alliance:

HUNK

Carlos Oliveira

Steve Burnside

Josh Stone

Billy Coen

Leon S. Kennedy (RE2/DC)

Jill Valentine (Brainwashed)

Jack Krauser (Darkside Chronicles)

Chris Redfield (REmake)

Claire Redfield (DC)

Infected Cards
The Mansion Area is filled with various B.O.W.s from the series. Some of them have effects that are used when they are revealed. When the most powerful one is defeated, the game ends. In the base set Uroboros Aheri is the strongest one. In Alliance, Albert Wesker (in his final form from RE5) is the new "boss" of the Mansion Area. A foil version of the Wesker card has been showcased as a promo. The new set also introduced new cards called "Events", which replace the Tokens and Yellow Herbs from the first set. These Events are listed below the Infected.

In the base set:


 * Zombies
 * Majini
 * Cerberus
 * Bui Kichwa
 * Executioner
 * Hunter
 * Licker
 * Dr. Salvador
 * Mimicry Marcus
 * Nemesis T-Type
 * Gatling Gun Majini
 * El Gigante

Introduced in Alliance:

Event Cards:
 * Duvalia (Las Plagas)
 * Guardian of Insanity
 * Albert Wesker
 * Lurker
 * Infected Bat
 * Garrador
 * Kipepeo (Las Plagas)
 * Cephalo (Las Plagas)
 * Proto Tyrant
 * Iron Maiden
 * Zombie Horde
 * Nosferatu
 * Los illuminados Monk (Zealot)
 * Reaper


 * Explosive Barrel
 * Collapsing Floor Traps
 * Laser Targeting Device