This is the FAQ page for each individual base in Big in Japan.
Questions on Akihabara High[]
Q: It doesn't say "each time" like Cave of Shinies or The Homeworld, so I suppose I can only do its ability after playing my first minion there, right?
A: No, you do its ability after each time you play a minion there. For it to only work once, it has to explicitly state it for example by saying "once per turn", "the first time" or "the first minion". This ability is a triggerable one, and unless otherwise stated it must be resolved each time it is triggered. If it said "each time", it would just be redundant.
Q: If I play 3 power-2 minions on Akihabara High in one turn, how much power do I have there?
A: 9 = 4 + 3 + 2. The first minion is power 2. The second minion is power 2 and boosts the first minion to power 3. The third minion is power 2 and boosts the first minion to power 4 and the second minion to power 3. Unlike Swashbuckling and Howl, the power boost does not apply to minions played in the future.
Q: It gives +1 power to "my other minions". Does it also give +1 power to minions I own that I don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: If I play an Argonaut instead of an action on Akihabara High, do my other minions there still get +1 power?
A: Yes. Playing an Argonaut, whether as a minion or instead of an action, still counts as playing a minion. It IS a minion after all.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: Your minions there (and only your minions there, not all minions) won't get +1 power because they will be immune to the base's ability.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Critter Combat Club[]
Q: On the same turn, if I play the extra minion there, move it to another base and score Critter Combat Club, do I still place the extra minion on the bottom of my deck at the end of the turn?
A: Yes, if the minion is still under your control, even if Critter Combat Club isn't there anymore, it's still "programmed" to be placed under your deck.
Q: Can I use this base's ability to play a minion of power 2 or less multiple times in one turn?
A: No. The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook now restricts all "on your turn" abilities to a single use on each of your turns.
Rule: Each "on your turn" ability can be activated once on each of your turns.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: You (and only you, not all players) won't get an extra minion from the base's ability.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Itty City[]
Q: Can I see which minion was chosen before shuffling it in my deck?
A: Yes. Discard piles can be checked by any players at any time, so by extension, you should be allowed to know what card was removed from it. And actually, even the other players should be allowed to know what card was randomly chosen. So, you should also reveal it.
Rule: If you take a card out of the discard pile, show it to everyone.
Q: It's so annoying to choose a random minion from my discard pile. I have to separate all my actions and minions, then randomly choose a minion without looking at it, then shuffle it into my deck.
A: You don't have to separate your discard pile into two. You can just shuffle your entire discard pile and reveal cards until you reveal a minion. That will be the minion that will be shuffled into your deck.
Rule: N/A
Q: If I play a minion on another base and then a second minion on Itty City, do I get to use its ability or does it have to be the very first minion of the turn that must be played there?
A: You do get to use this base's ability because the trigger is "After the first time you play a minion here each turn", which happened: your second minion of the turn IS the first minion you played on that base on that turn.
Q: I haven't played any minions yet. If I play an Argonaut instead of an action on Itty City, do I still shuffle a random minion from my discard pile into my deck?
A: Yes. Playing an Argonaut, whether as a minion or instead of an action, still counts as playing a minion. It IS a minion after all.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: You (and only you, not all players) won't be able to use the base's ability when you play a minion there.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Juice Bar[]
Q: What's the point of this base? If I'm in the lead on that base when we choose to score it, does the extra power change anything? Don't I still get the winner VPs because I was winning at the start of the scoring?
A: Be careful, the amount of VPs each player gets is determined by the power each player currently has when you are handing out VPs, so any before-scoring abilities (including this one) that affect how much power you have on the base will affect the amount of VPs you'll eventually get.
Rule: VPs are awarded according to the current power totals.
Q: Before this base scores, I play Lightning Rescue! and an action, how many times do I gain +2 power?
A: Twice. Once for Lightning Rescue!, because you used its Special ability, and a second time for the other action, because it is played "as a special action".
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: Before this base scores, I have a Mole there and use its ability to play an action, how many times do I gain +2 power?
A: Once, for the action because it is played "as a special action". Mole's own ability is an Ongoing, not a Special ability.
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: Before this base scores, I play Hidden Ninja and a minion, how many times do I gain +2 power?
A: Once, for Hidden Ninja, because you used its Special ability. The minion itself is not played as a Special.
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: Before this base scores, I play It’s a Trap! and the revealed action, how many times do I gain +2 power?
A: Once, for It’s a Trap!, because you used its Special ability. The revealed action itself is not played as a Special.
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: You (and only you, not all players) won't get +2 power from playing Specials when this base scores.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Kaiju Island[]
Q: I already have a titan there. Can I play a second titan there from now on? Or on another base?
A: No and no. Since you already have a titan in play, you are forbidden from playing another titan. Kaiju Island's ability only prevents titans from clashing with other players' titans there. Not being allowed to play a second titan doesn't involve making a titan leave, so Kaiju Island's ability doesn't apply at all.
Rule: If you already control a titan in play, you can't play another one.
Q: What happens if Kaiju Island's ability is cancelled?
A: When it's cancelled, nothing. The titans there don't clash. However, if a titan is later played or moved to there, they all clash. Compare the total powers of all the players with titans there. The weaker players must remove their titan until only one player has a titan there or until all the remaining players with titans are tied for power. If several players are tied for power, if one of them is the player who just played or moved the titan, that titan is removed from play as well. If there's still a tie for power, the last remaining titans remain on the base until the next clash.
Rule: Check Kaiju Island's clarification.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability? Can I now clash against other titans?
A: Firstly, you (and only you, not all players) wouldn't get +3 power for your titan. Secondly, in regards to clashes, your titan won't be protected from leaving while other players' titans will be, so:
- If you play or move your titan to there and you have less total power there than at least one player with a titan there, your titan will leave play.
- If you play or move your titan to there and you have more total power there than at least one player with a titan there, your titan and the losing titan(s) stay.
- If another player's titan is played or moved to there and you have less total power there than that player, your titan will leave play.
- If another player's titan is played or moved to there and you have more total power there than that player, your titan and the losing titan stay.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Moon Dumpster[]
Q: At the start of the game, Moon Dumpster is one of the bases in play. Do we resolve its ability before or after drawing our hands of five cards?
A: Before.
Rule: Check Moon Dumpster's clarification.
Q: I reveal a minion, what happens if I choose not to play it?
A: It is returned to the top of your deck.
Rule: If not specified, cards that are merely revealed or looked at return to where they came from.
Rule: Check Secret Volcano Headquarters's clarification. It has a very similar ability as Moon Dumpster.
Q: If I reveal an action, what happens?
A: It is returned to the top of your deck.
Rule: If not specified, cards that are merely revealed or looked at return to where they came from.
Rule: Check Secret Volcano Headquarters's clarification. It has a very similar ability as Moon Dumpster.
Q: If I reveal a card I don't own, what happens?
A: There are two different paths for the revealed card:
- If it's a minion and you choose to play it, then you control it like any card you play.
- Otherwise, it goes to the top of your deck, that's because, while the other players can see who owns the card, the card is merely revealed and doesn't change location.
Rule: Cards you don’t own that are merely revealed in your hand or deck stay there.
Rule: When a player plays a card, they become the card's controller.
Q: During setup, if Moon Dumpster is one of the bases in play and if I reveal, play a Critter Coach and use its ability to play an extra minion, when can I resolve the extra minion going back to the deck? Same thing during setup, if Moon Dumpster allows me to play any minion with an effect that lasts until the end of the turn (e.g. Howler, Weed Eater), when do their abilities expire?
A: For those abilities, treat the "end of the turn" as the end of the very first turn.[1]
Q: During setup, if Moon Dumpster is one of the bases in play and it allows me to play five or more cards in a row, can I summon Arcane Protector? For example, if I'm playing with the Itty Critters, the Wizards and their Arcane Protector. With Moon Dumpster, I reveal, play a Critter Coach (first card), use its ability to play a Neophyte (second card) whose ability allows me to reveal and play I Select You! (third card), which I use to play another Neophyte (fourth card) that allows me to play another action (fifth card).
A: The setup isn't a turn, so cards played during setup don't count toward the number of cards you've played in a turn.[1]
Rule: Setup is no turn.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: Nothing. This base's ability is resolved when it comes into play, which means that no action can already be attached to it. Once it's in play, its ability becomes irrelevant.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Q Point[]
Q: This base doesn't make sense. If all players destroy all their cards but one, there's a high probability that the total power on it would drop way below its breakpoint! So this base is just impossible to score. How can we score this base?
A: You're mistaken here. Once a base has been chosen to score, you keep scoring it even if the total power on it drops below its breakpoint because of before-scoring abilities. (Only a couple of things can really prevent a base from scoring, but this isn't one of them.) So if Q Point is chosen to score, resolve before-scoring abilities, including Q Point's own ability, and continue with its scoring even if the total power is too low now. It's as simple as that.
Q: Does this mean that if I have 2 indestructible minions and 1 that can be destroyed, I can choose to destroy only 2 indestructible minions and all 3 minions will remain as a result?
A: Yes. Basically, when you resolve Q Point's ability, each player just chooses one of their minions or actions there to spare and destroy all the rest of their minions and actions on Q Point. If you have indestructible minions or on-base actions among the cards you chose to destroy, those are not destroyed, obviously.
Q: It tells me to destroy "all of my minions and actions". Do I also destroy minions and actions there that I own but don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions and actions, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: Q Point is scoring and I have a Finist the Falcon, Pirate King or a Dust Devil on another base. Do I have to move my minion to Q Point before having to destroy my minions? Or if I move it after that, will it be destroyed anyway because I must only have one card on Q Point?
A: Q Point, being a card in play and having a mandatory ability, must be resolved before any Special before-scoring card in hand is played and any optional before-scoring ability in play is invoked. Finist the Falcon, Pirate King and Dust Devil are optional abilities in play. Once all the mandatory card abilities in play are resolved (including Q Point), that's when you can start playing Special cards from your hand and invoke optional before-scoring abilities in play and Q Point's ability doesn't destroy any more cards because its ability has already happened.
Q: Q Point is scoring and I have a Shinobi, Hidden Ninja or Green Trooper in hand. Do I have to play my minion on Q Point before they are destroyed? Or if I play it after that, will it be destroyed anyway because I must only have one card on Q Point?
A: Q Point, being a card in play and having a mandatory ability, must be resolved before any Special before-scoring card in hand is played and any optional before-scoring ability in play is invoked. Once all the mandatory card abilities in play are resolved (including Q Point), that's when you can start playing Special cards from your hand and invoke optional before-scoring abilities in play and Q Point's ability doesn't destroy any more cards because its ability has already happened.
Q: Q Point is scoring and I have a Megabot on another base. Do I have to move my titan to Q Point before having to destroy it? Or if I move it after that, will it be destroyed anyway because I must only have one card on Q Point?
A: Megabot is a titan and so is immune to Q Point's ability, which only destroys minions and actions.
Q: Does Walking Castle prevent the destruction caused by Q Point? I suppose so because Q Point is a Magical Girl base and bases help their faction.
A: No, Walking Castle protects against destruction caused "by other players’ abilities" and bases are not any players' abilities. Also, there's no rule about bases helping their associated faction, the tie is mainly thematic, even if there can be some mechanical overlap, but overall it's not always the case that a faction gets an advantage out of "its" bases, this is a good case in point.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: You (and only you, not all players) won't have to destroy any of your minions and actions there when it scores, so they remain on that base.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Tokyo[]
Q: When this base scores, I have no minions there, but I still gained some power from playing an action. Can I still gain VPs if my total power is among the top three there?
A: Yes. You are eligible for the base reward if you have at least one minion or at least 1 power there.
Q: It doesn't say "each time" like Cave of Shinies or The Homeworld, so I suppose I only get +3 power after playing my first action there, right?
A: No, you get +3 power after each time you play an action there. For it to only work once, it has to explicitly state it for example by saying "once per turn", "the first time" or "the first action". Tokyo's ability is a triggerable one, and unless otherwise stated it must be resolved each time it is triggered. If it said "each time", it would just be redundant.
Q: I play an Argonaut on Tokyo. Do I get an extra action?
A: Yes. When you play an Argonaut, whether it's normally or instead of an action play, it counts as if you played an action as well, but the Argonaut is also played on the base, so you also treat it as if you played on action on its base. In the case of Tokyo, it means Tokyo considers it as an action played on it and so it gives you +3 total power.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: You (and only you, not all players) won't get +3 power from playing actions on that base.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".