Pocket Portals™: Game Rules (Beginner Game)
Goal
Bring a custom deck of 4 cards to a match. Take turns with your opponent playing cards to the board. At the end of the game, the winner is the one with the most points.
Your final points are calculated from cards you control (i.e. are your color) on the board — each is worth 1 point.
What You Need To Start
- 2 players
- A 3×3 board
- 4 cards per player
Deck rule: each 4-card deck must have a total level of 8 or less. At the start: each player has all 4 cards in hand, and 1 random space becomes a 'rift storm' where cards cannot be played.
Reading A Card
Each card edge has either a numerical value (1–9) or a symbol (∞ or ◎). These values are used when cards battle adjacent enemy cards. Each card also has a 'level' used primarily in deckbuilding.
Turn Order
- Choose one card from your hand.
- Place it on any empty space.
- Check all orthogonally adjacent enemy cards.
- Resolve any flips.
Only the four orthogonal directions matter. Diagonals do not.
How Battles Work
When you place a card, compare each touching side against the adjacent enemy card's facing side. If your side wins, that enemy card is flipped to your color.
Combat rules:
- Highest adjacent number wins
∞ beats any numbered side◎ beats ∞- Any number beats
◎
- Equal values are ties
End Of The Game
The game ends when both players have played all cards. Score = every card on the board in your color. Higher total wins. Equal totals = tie.
Quick Strategy Tips
- Protect your weak sides. A strong card can still be easy to flip if it leaves a low number exposed.
∞ is excellent for flipping high numbers, with ◎ as its only weakness.- Central spaces usually create more attack opportunities than edge spaces.
