This is the FAQ page for each individual base in Monster Smash.
Questions on Castle Blood[]
Q: It doesn't say "each time" like Cave of Shinies or The Homeworld, so I suppose I only get a +1 power counter after playing my first minion there, right?
A: No, you get a +1 power counter after each time you play an minion there (as long as you fit the requirement). 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". Castle Blood'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: When is the power of the minion I play here checked to determine whether it gets the +1 counter? There are minions whose power changes right after they come into play (Giant Ant minions, Weed Eater, Howler, and especially Fledgling Vampire). Does Castle Blood check them before their ability is done, after, or can I choose?
A: When you play a minion, you must resolve its ability first, and then any card reaction. So, you play your minion on Castle Blood, resolve the minion's ability and then compare your total power with that of the other players.
Q: If Castle Blood is removed from play (e.g. destroyed, scored, etc.) or has its ability cancelled, are the +1 power counters placed by its ability removed? For example, if a minion that got one is moved to another base before Castle Blood is removed.
A: No. When you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect, so the +1 power counters remain even if the card that placed them is removed from play or has its ability cancelled (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress is destroyed or has its ability cancelled). On the other hand, if a card is removed while it had +1 power counters, only the +1 power counters on it are removed, but that's because a card that leaves play loses all its attachments. Besides, how are you going to keep track of which +1 power counters were added by Castle Blood's ability and which ones were not (e.g. Giant Ants, Mythic Greeks, Kung Fu Fighters)? That would be very cumbersome.
Rule: Cancelling (or losing) an effect does not necessarily undo what it did.
Rule: Removing a card from play does not necessarily undo what it did.
Q: If I play an Argonaut instead of an action on Castle Blood, do I still place a +1 power counter on it if another player has more power than me?
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: There's only one specific situation where ignoring that base's ability will do something: If you're the one who plays the minion and if another player has more power than you there. In that case, you can't place a +1 power counter on your minion. Otherwise, ignoring the base's ability will do nothing. You can't prevent another player from placing a +1 power counter on their minion, even if they compared their total power with you.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Crypt[]
Q: It tells me to place a +1 power counter on "one of my minions". Can I place a +1 power counter on a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" minion, 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: I play a Sprout on Crypt. When it destroys itself at the start of my next turn, may I place a +1 power counter on one of my minions on the Crypt?
A: Yes. Technically, the card doesn't destroy itself, it tells you to destroy it, so you get credit for its destruction.
Q: I play a Sprout on Crypt. When it destroys itself at the start of my next turn, may I place a +1 power counter on the minion that replaces Sprout?
A: No. Crypt's ability is triggered and resolved immediately when the destruction happens. At that point, the minion isn't around yet.
Rule: When a card says "When X, do Y", you interrupt X to do Y.
Q: If a minion is not actually destroyed, do I still get to place a +1 power counter?
A: No. If the minion in question is not destroyed, the base ability doesn't even trigger for said minion in the first place.
Q: If multiple abilities work together to destroy a minion on Crypt, who gets to the +1 power counter?
A: Check the card which is the direct cause of the destruction, which is the card among all those that were activated and whose ability says "destroy". That card is what destroyed the minion and it always says who gets the credit for the destruction (usually the card's controller). So if a Bear Cavalry player sets up a manned High Ground on Crypt, and another player's minion moves to that base for some reason, the High Ground is activated and it says that High Ground's controller destroys the minion. So, the controller of High Ground gets the +1 power counter. While it's usually the card's controller who does the destruction (Remember, "you" on a minion or action means the controller of the card), some rare cards (e.g. Bear Hug, Griefer) make another player destroy the minion.[1]
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: If Crypt is removed from play (e.g. destroyed, scored, etc.) or has its ability cancelled, are the +1 power counters placed by its ability removed ? For example, if a minion that got one is moved to another base before Crypt is removed.
A: No. When you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect, so the +1 power counters remain even if the card that placed them is removed from play or has its ability cancelled (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress is destroyed or has its ability cancelled). On the other hand, if a card is removed while it had +1 power counters, only the +1 power counters on it are removed, but that's because a card that leaves play loses all its attachments. Besides, how are you going to keep track of which +1 power counters were added by Crypt's ability and which ones were not (e.g. Giant Ants, Mythic Greeks, Kung Fu Fighters)? That would be very cumbersome.
Rule: Cancelling (or losing) an effect does not necessarily undo what it did.
Rule: Removing a card from play does not necessarily undo what it did.
Q: If a single card is responsible for destroying many minions at once (e.g. Powderkeg, Broadside), how many counters does the player get?
A: If one player gets credit for multiple destructions because of a single card, they only get to place one +1 power counter, not counter per destroyed minion. In the rare cases where several players destroy different minions on Crypt, e.g. if a player plays Bear Hug and if their opponents choose to destroy their minions on Crypt, then each of those players get a +1 power counter.
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: I have High Ground on Crypt. I play one card and move several minions to there (e.g. You’re Pretty Much Borscht, Felicia Day) and destroy them. Can I choose to move them one at a time and therefore get a +1 power counter per minion?
A: No. Those cards move several minions simultaneously. So, all the selected minions move at once and all of them are destroyed at the same time, so it counts as a single destruction and only gives you one +1 power counter.
Rule: When a single effect makes one player affect multiple cards, they are all affected at the same time.
Q: On the same turn, if I play a card to destroy a minion on Crypt, and then play a second card to destroy another minion on Crypt, how many +1 power counters do I get?
A: Two. You get one per destruction ability. A single destruction ability can destroy one or more minion, but it still counts as one destruction. Here, you performed two destructions, hence two +1 power counters.
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: But it doesn't say "each time" like Cave of Shinies or The Homeworld, so shouldn't you only get a counter once per turn?
A: No, you get the VP after each time you destroy one or more minions there. For it to only work once, it has to explicitly state it for example by saying "once per turn" or "the first time". Crypt'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: Another player plays Bear Hug/Unfathomable Goals/Griefer (and makes me destroy one of my minions)/Fate of the Favorites. I choose to destroy my minion on Crypt. Who gets the +1 power counter?
A: You did the destruction, so you get credit for destroying the minion and get the counter, not the player who played the card.[1]
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. If one of my minions there is destroyed by another player, can I prevent that player from getting a +1 power counter?
A: No, you can't make another player ignore the base's instructions, only you ignore it, and while your minion is involved in all this, Crypt's ability does nothing that affects your minion and doesn't instruct you to do something, so there's nothing you can ignore.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Egg Chamber[]
Q: One of my cards tells me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Sacrifice), or an opponent's card forces me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Bear Hug), or a base's ability allows me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Spikey Chair Room), can I target one of my minions with +1 power counters on Egg Chamber? If so, is it destroyed? If not, does it stop the rest of the ability if there were more to it?
A: Short answer: Yes, no and it depends. Firstly, you can indeed choose any of your minions as long as it fits the card's requirement (e.g. if your minion is a minion you own, you can target it with Spikey Chair Room's ability, but you can't if it's not a minion you own, obviously), but you must choose one if you have any in play and if it's a mandatory ability (i.e. there's no "you may"). Secondly, because it is targeted for destruction, Egg Chamber's ability protects it if it has +1 power counters, so your minion will not be destroyed. Lastly, you must finish resolving the card that was originally invoked. If the card was the kind of card that says "Destroy a minion to do Y" or "Destroy a minion. If you do, do Y", then the effect stated as "Y" can't be done at all, simply because in the end your minion isn't destroyed. If the card says something else, such as "Destroy a minion. Do Y", "Destroy a minion and do Y", etc., the destruction isn't a pre-requisite so you resolve the rest of the card's ability.
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, not all minions) aren't protected by Egg Chamber anymore.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Golem Schloß[]
Q: I'm the winner there. Do I only place +1 power counters on the minion on that base or on all the bases?
A: You place a +1 power counter on all your minions on all the bases.
Q: It tells me to place a +1 power counter on "each of my minions". Do I have to place a +1 power counter on 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: What good is there to play +1 power counters on my minions on Golem Schloß? They'll be discarded anyway along with the minions
A: Actually, some rare cards can give you benefit for those +1 power counters, e.g. Death on Six Legs, We Are the Champions.
Rule: N/A
Q: Its ability is useless. If you score it and place counters on your minions, the base is then removed from play and so you have to remove the counters placed by it. What good is it then?
A: Actually, when you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect, so the +1 power counters remain even if the card that placed them is removed from play (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress is destroyed). On the other hand, if a card is removed while it had +1 power counters, only the +1 power counters on it are removed, but that's because a card that leaves play loses all its attachments.
Rule: Removing a card from play does not necessarily undo what it did.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: If you aren't the winner, nothing and you can't prevent the winner from placing +1 power counters on their minions either. If you are the winner, you won't place any +1 power counters.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Laboratorium[]
Q: One player is the first of the game to play a minion there. Does that minion get a +1 power counter on every turn from now on? That's OP!
A: No. It's the first minion of each turn which gets the +1 power counter, not the first minion of the game, and it only gets it once.
Q: On their turn, an opponent plays their first minion of the turn on Laboratorium, so it gets a +1 power counter. On the same turn, if I manage to play a minion there (e.g. Hidden Ninja, Shinobi, Wil Wheaton), it's my first minion on that turn, so it gets a +1 power counter too, right?
A: No. It's only the first minion of the turn (all players included) which gets the +1 power counter.
Q: If I play a minion on another base and then a second minion on Laboratorium, 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 it applies to "The first minion played here each turn", which happened: your second minion of the turn IS the first minion played on that base on that turn.
Q: If Laboratorium is removed from play (e.g. destroyed, scored, etc.) or has its ability cancelled, are the +1 power counters placed by its ability removed? For example, if a minion that got one is moved to another base before Laboratorium is removed.
A: No. When you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect, so the +1 power counters remain even if the card that placed them is removed from play or has its ability cancelled (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress is destroyed or has its ability cancelled). On the other hand, if a card is removed while it had +1 power counters, only the +1 power counters on it are removed, but that's because a card that leaves play loses all its attachments. Besides, how are you going to keep track of which +1 power counters were added by Laboratorium's ability and which ones were not (e.g. Giant Ants, Mythic Greeks, Kung Fu Fighters)? That would be very cumbersome.
Rule: Cancelling (or losing) an effect does not necessarily undo what it did.
Rule: Removing a card from play does not necessarily undo what it did.
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 a + 1 power counter after you play your first minion there.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Moot Site[]
Q: One player is the first of the game to play a minion there. Does that minion get +2 power on every turn from now on? That's OP!
A: No. It's the first minion of each turn that gets the +2 power, not the first minion of the game, and it only gets it once.
Q: On their turn, an opponent plays their first minion of the turn on Moot Site, so it gets a +2 power. On the same turn, if I manage to play a minion there (e.g. Hidden Ninja, Shinobi, Wil Wheaton), it's my first minion on that turn, so it gets +2 power too, right?
A: No. It's only the first minion of the turn (all players included) that gets the +2 power.
Q: If I play a minion on another base and then a second minion on Moot Site, 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 it applies to "The first minion played here each turn", which happened: your second minion of the turn IS the first minion played on that base on that turn.
Q: If a player plays the first minion of the turn on this base and then they move this minion to another base (for example, using an action), does this minion still have a +2 power until the end of the turn?
A: Yes. It gained the +2 power, so it keeps it until the end of the turn.
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 for your first minion played there.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Standing Stones[]
Q: It says "one of my minions" can use its talent twice. Can I also use the talents of 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. Besides talents can only be used by their controllers and only on their Play Cards phase.
Rule: A card's talent can only be used by that card's controller.
Q: Can I use this base's ability multiple times in one turn so several of my minions can use their talents twice?
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: Can I use Standing Stones's ability to get two extra actions from Archmage?
A: No. The ability of Archmage is an Ongoing effect. Not a talent.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: If G.E.L.F. is on Standing Stones, would I be able to use the G.E.L.F.'s talent twice, searching for and playing two power 4 or less minions, though only shuffling it into my deck once?
A: No. On Standing Stones, you have to resolve a talent entirely before being able to use it again. So, with G.E.L.F., after the first time you use its talent, it would already be in your deck, so you wouldn't be able to use its talent again.
Q: Killer Queen is on Standing Stones. I managed to play two minions there on this turn. Both times I use Killer Queen's talent, do I have to the +1 power counters on the same minion (other than Killer Queen)?
A: You can place the +1 power counters on two different minions or the same minion twice, as long as those minions were played there this turn.
Q: Rainbow is on Standing Stones. I only managed to play one minion there on this turn. Can I use Rainbow's talent twice and draw two cards?
A: Yes. Each time you use Rainbow's talent, it asks whether you have played a minion here this turn or not. You did (even if it's the same one), so draw one card each time you activate Rainbow's talent.
Q: If I have a minion there with several talents (e.g. Potion of Redundancy Potion, The Touch, Flighterizer), can I use each of its talents twice, or only one of them?
A: Only one of them.
Rule: Check Standing Stones's clarification.
Q: With Standing Stones, can I use Great White's Talent if I move it to Standing Stones using its Talent? And if I move it out of Standing Stones using its talent, can I use it a second time?
A: Yes to the first scenario, and no to the second one. Yes, because after using its talent the first time, it ends on Standing Stones, and so Standing Stones's ability applies to it, being one of your minions there. No to the second case, because after using its talent the first time, it is no longer on Standing Stones, and so Standing Stones's ability can't apply to it.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: None of your minions there (and only your minions, not all minions) will be able to use their talent a second time.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on The Hill[]
Q: It tells me to move "one of my minions". Can I move a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" minion, 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: 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 move your minions to there at the start of your turn.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".