EQUIPMENT:
You need the MANA BURN Board on the other side of this page. You should probably find two copies of the game: one to play on, and one to read. It won't be hard, since we made ten thousand of them.
You also need Pawns for each player, two 12-sided dice, and a MANA BURN Deck.
The MANA BURN Deck is composed of eight copies of each of five creatures: Benalish Hero, Scryb Sprites, Drudge Skeletons, Merfolk of the Pearl Trident, and Mons' Goblin Raiders; plus twelve copies of each of five spells: Holy Armor, Giant Growth, Raise Dead, Counterspell, and Incinerate. If you can't find the right cards, you can susbstitute any set of five creatures and five spells. It helps if they are vaguely similar to the right cards, but hey. You're pretty smart.

SETUP:
Shuffle the deck, and deal a starting hand of three cards to each player. Place the rest of the deck face down next to the Library square. All players' Pawns start on the Library. Discards will go next to the Graveyard.

WINNING:
The object of the game is to collect one of each of the ten different cards. You win as soon as you do this, even if it's not your turn. It is possible, though very unlikely, that more than one person will win at the same time. If this happens, everyone must play again from the beginning. (Cruel joke.)

ON YOUR TURN:
Movement: First, roll one die, and move with the arrows.
If you stop exactly on another's Pawn, you get to draw a random card from their hand. Do this immediately, before you read the square.
Then, follow the instructions on the square where you land.
When you pass the Library (technically, when you walk into it) draw the top two cards. You can always change paths at the Library.
When you pass the Graveyard, you must stay on the same path. However, if you stop directly on the Graveyard, you may pick up the top card of the discard pile, and you may also leave the Graveyard by any path.

Playing Cards. After moving your Pawn you may play one Creature, Sorcery, or Enchantment from your hand. You may only play one of these cards on the same turn.
However, you may play the three fast effects (Incinerate, Giant Growth, and Counterspell) at any time, as many as you like.
Any cards which you play are no longer part of your collectrion, even if they are sitting on front of you. You must have one of each card in your hand to win. Cards you play have lost their "collector value." *Snort*

GAME TERMS:
Playing for Ante: Choose an opponent. Both players choose a card from their hand, and lay it face down. They each roll one die, and the highest roll takes both cards. If the game is a tie, players retain their own cards.
Players with no cards cannot play games for Ante.
Cards which affect Ante games: A Benalish Herop can add +2 to any player's die roll, once per Ante game. Giant Growth adds +3. Goblins make your opponent Ante at random. Extra Goblins make him Ante extra cards.

Trading: Choose one player and swap one card with him, face down. Both players may choose which card they give away, but neither knows what the other is offering.
Players with no cards cannot Trade.
Cards which affect Trading: If you have Goblins, your opponent must choose his card randomly. Extra Goblins make him Trade extra card.

Auctioning Cards: When you are directed to "Auction X Cards," take X cards off the Library and turn them face up. Starting with the player on your left, players may "bid" by discarding one card from their hand to the Graveyard, or they may pass. Once a player passes, he can not re-enter the auction. The last player to bid (the last player to discard) takes the cards being auctioned.
If no one bids, the cards being auctioned go to the Graveyard.
Cards which affect Auctions: If you have Skeletons, you can make one "false" bid, once oer Skeleton per Auction. A false bid keeps you in the auction, but you don't have to discard a card.

Going Fishing: Choose a player, and ask her if she has a particular card. If so, she must give it to you. If she has several, you only get one of them. If she has no such cards, she gets to "fish back," asking you for a card in the same fashion. Then, whether or not you are forced to give her a card, the fishing session ends.
Cards which affect fishing: If you have Merfolk, you get all copies of the card you asked for, not just one of them. This is even true when you are fishing back.

Holy Armor: Play Holy Armor on a creature. That creature can't be destroyed by an Incinerate. However, the Armor itself can be destroyed by an Incinerate. You may play multiple Holy Armors on the same creature.

Scryb Sprites: You may re-roll your movement die once per turn for each Scryb Sprite you have in play. You must use your most recent roll; you can't change your mind and go back to the old one.

Giant Growth: (Instant, play anytime): Adds +3 to any player's movement roll, Ante roll, or any other die roll.

Mons' Goblin Raiders: Players with Goblins, when playing for Ante or trading, may select their opponent's card randomly. Furthermore, if you have more than one Goblin in play, your opponent must contribute an extra card for each extra Goblin you have. For example, if you play a game for Ante and you have 3 Goblins, your opponent must contribute a total of three cards, at random.
Also, players with Goblins may take the top card of the Graveyard when they pass it, even if they did not land there exactly.

Incinerate: (Instant, play anytime): Destroys one unarmored creature, or one Holy Armor card.

Drudge Skeletons: If you have Drudge Skeletons in play, you may always switch paths at the Graveyard, whether or not you land directly on it.
Also, you may make one "false bid" per auction. False bids counts as bids, but you don't have to discard a card. Multiple Skeletons give you multiple false bids in the same auction.

Raise Dead: This spell takes any card out of the Graveyard into y<our hand. (It doesn't have to be a creature.)

Merfolk of the Pearl Trident: When a player with Merfolk goes fishing and guesses correctly, he gets all such cards in the fished player's hand. For example, if you ask for Holy Armor, and your opponent has two, you get to take them both. This is even true when you are "fishing back."
Also, if you have more than one Merfolk when you pass the Library, you get to draw one extra card for each extra Merfolk you control. In other words, one Merfolk just gives you your normal draw, two Merfolk give give you one extra card, and so forth.

Counterspell (Interrupt, play anytime): Counters the playing of any other card. You must play this card right after the other one is played; you can't changed your mind and counter something later on.

"May" vs. "Must": Unless a rule or board says you "may" do something, you must do it. However, players can't be forced to do something that makes no sense, like playing for Ante when they have no cards, drawing from an empty Graveyard, and so on.

STRATEGY TIPS:
Sometimes people will work very hard to control your movement roll. After the die is cast, everyone needs a chance to cast Giant Growths and Counterspells. Wait for the dust to settle before you move. If you give everyone the chance to act, and they don't, then the roll stands. This trick is especially useful when you're about to move across the Library and have your choice of destinations.
You can use your re-roll ability (Sprites) in response to a string of Giant Growths like this, so tease them all out of your opponents' hands before you re-roll.
You get Library cards as soon as you enter the square, so don't forget to draw. The cards you get may help you decide which way to go when you leave. If you're a hardcore timing nut, then you should pause while passing the Library, take your cards, and then decide how to finish your move. When you choose a path, pick the one that plays your strongest suit. For example, if you have Skeletons in play, choose the real world path, which is loaded with all the Auction squares.
Don't fish for Incinerates! Since they are instants, the player who is being fished can just throw them all at your creatures instead of giving them to you.
Do your best to keep track of which players have what. The more you know about everyone's hand, the better you will do.
Roll high. Guess correctly. Draw the right cards.

NOTES:
You can enhance the MANA BURN deck by adding other Magic cards. You don't need to collect these cards to win; they just add new special effects. Cards with banding act like Heroes, cards with flying act like Sprites, and cards with regeneration act like Skeletons. Well-chosen spell cards, like Hymn to Tourach or Wrath of God (yikes!) can do exactly what they say.

MANA BURN was designed in coordination with Wizards of the Coast and Andon Unlimited. All references to Magic: The Gathering™ and its cards and story elemetns are copyright © Wizards of the Coast, used with permission. All other content and game mechanics copyright © 1998 Cheapass Games.

Cheapass Games
is a smug little game company in Seattle. We make incredibly clever games, and sell them incredibly cheap. Hey, if we'll give away a cool game like this for free, just imagine what you might get for five bucks.

Learn more. Get in touch. Find us at booth # 407, or use traditional means:

Cheapass Games: 2530 E. Miller St. - Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 324-6728
website: www.cheapass.com - email: [email protected]

Mark your calendars now and plan to attend

July 1-4, 1999 - July 13-16, 2000
July 5-8, 2001 - July 4-7, 2002

or check out the Andon Unlimited home page for more info on our conventions.
www.andonunlimited.com