WHAT? Huge oversized cards? Run! Run for your lives! - AEG
Giant monsters stomp around Tokyo, smashing countless buildings as they battle. Their amazing destructive power confounds scientists, whose greatest weaponry proves useless against them. Who can stop the massive power of a guy in a rubber suit? We know! We’ll let the precocious 10-year-old, with unexplained access to the Japanese military’s most secure facilities, talk to it!
- - Big in Japan rulebook
The Kaiju are one of the 4 factions from the Big in Japan set.
Kaiju is all about gigantic rampaging beasts who play their actions on bases to win the game.
Other factions from the same set: Itty Critters, Magical Girls, Mega Troopers.
Cards[]
The Kaiju have only 3 minions and 17 actions compared to the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. They are also one of the rare factions to have a titan. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is unusually low at only 9 or an average of 3 per minion compared to the usual 30 and 3. However, most of their actions are power actions, i.e. actions that add power directly to your total power without the need for a minion. Including these actions brings them to a total power of 34 and an average power of 2.83.
Among their actions, there are:
- 0 play-on-minion actions,
- 9 play-on-base actions: The Folly of Men, Oh, No!, Radioactive Breath (3x), Stomp (2x), Tail Smash, Wade Through the Buildings,
- 8 standard actions (1 that affects one or more minions, in bold): Kaiju Alliance (2x), Kaiju Conflict (2x), Pick Up A Bus (2x), There Goes Tokyo, They Say He’s Got to Go,
- 0 actions that directly increase a minion's power.
Minions[]
1x Kaijookey - power 4 - Ongoing: This minion has +1 power for each of your actions played on this base. FAQ
1x Tiny Priestesses - power 3 - Play or move Gorgodzolla to here. FAQ
1x Johnny - power 2 - You may return one of your actions on a base to your hand and play it here as an extra action. FAQ
Actions[]
2x Kaiju Alliance - Reduce the breakpoint of all bases by 4 until the end of the turn. FAQ
2x Kaiju Conflict - Play two extra actions. FAQ
1x Oh, No! - power 2 - Play on a base. Play or move Gorgodzolla to here. Ongoing: You gain +2 power here. FAQ
2x Pick Up a Bus - Choose an action in your discard pile that can be played on a base and place it into your hand. FAQ
3x Radioactive Breath - power 3 - Play on a base. Destroy all minions you don’t control here of power 2 or less. Ongoing: You gain +3 power here. FAQ
2x Stomp - power 2 - Play on a base. Reduce its breakpoint by 3 until the end of the turn. Ongoing: You gain +2 power here. FAQ
1x Tail Smash - power 4 - Play on a base. Destroy a minion you don’t control here of power 3 or less. Ongoing: You gain +4 power here. FAQ
1x The Folly of Men - power 2 - Play on a base. Ongoing: Your minions and actions here cannot be destroyed by other players’ cards. You gain +2 power here. FAQ
1x There Goes Tokyo - If Gorgodzolla is in play, destroy its base and all other cards on it. Move Gorgodzolla to another base and replace the destroyed base normally. FAQ
1x They Say He’s Got to Go - Move a titan to another base. FAQ
1x Wade Through the Buildings - power 4 - Play on a base. Destroy all other players’ actions on this base. Ongoing: You gain +4 power here. FAQ
Titan[]
1x Gorgodzolla - Special: Instead of your regular minion play, you may play this card on a base where you have two or more actions. Ongoing: After you play an action or a minion on this base, place a +1 power counter on this card. Ongoing: After you play an action on this base, you may draw a card. FAQ
Bases[]
Clarifications[]
Here are the official clarifications as they appear in the Big in Japan rulebook:
Gorgodzolla: You may play these instead of a regular minion play whether or not you have any minions in hand. No restrictions on minion play apply to titan play.
Kaijookey, Wade through the Buildings, Gorgodzolla: Actions on minions do not count.
Oh No!, Tiny Priestesses: If this is used to play or move Gorgodzolla to their base, Gorgodzolla gets the +1 power counter for them having been played there. (added by The Bigger Geekier Box)
There Goes Tokyo: Cards immune to destruction are discarded instead, because their base left play. (added by The Bigger Geekier Box)
They Say He’s Got to Go: This can move any player’s titan. (added by The Bigger Geekier Box)
Mechanics[]
As part of the Big in Japan set, Kaiju has a titan, Gorgodzolla.
Most titans only support the gameplay already established by the minions and actions of their faction. Rainboroc and Walking Castle for example are only depicted on their own titan cards and barely mentioned elsewhere. In contrast, Kaiju's cards literally describe the activities of Gorgodzolla and similarly enormous creatures. They Stomp, they Pick Up Busses, and have Radioactive Breath. No faction is more involved with the concept of titans than Kaiju.
Rather than steal the limelight from the strange beast, Kaiju minions are at a minimum, at just 3. Gorgodzolla functionally replaces them, and Kaiju features 9 play-on-base actions that add power all by themselves. The way Gorgodzolla has to wait until 2 actions have been played on a base before joining there emulates the gradual devastation of bases over time. Playing him helps wreck things even more, by accruing power counters and drawing extra cards.
Strategy[]
Wreck havoc.
Kaiju is a somewhat slow faction, owed partly to the imbalance between minions and actions, to Gorgodzolla's play requirements, and to the fact that he accumulates power counters. Demolish your opponents' minions and actions and utilize defense to gradually build up your power until you have a winning play ready.
Johnny is a deviously versatile card. You can use it to replay an action to a different base, or replay it onto the same base you return it from. Play Radioactive Breath on 2 bases, play Stomp twice on one base, or Tail Smash, etc.
Synergy[]
Factions focused on play-on-base actions, or that play extra actions, are great with Kaiju.
- Steampunks: Pretty much OP. Rampant manipulation of Kaiju's play-on-base actions, as well as power, mobility, and protection. Note that the action Change in Venue returns to your hand can be replayed on the base it came from, normally unhelpful for Steampunks since only one of their play-on-base actions has an on-play ability.
- Wizards: Improve your action throughput.
- Mythic Greeks: Since Argonauts are played on bases and considered actions, they can also be considered play-on-base actions. Reap even more benefits for playing actions.
- Tricksters: In addition to having lots of play-on-base actions, Tricksters help you invade bases and control your opponents there.
- Dragons: Double base-wrecking.
External Strategy Guides[]
FAQ[]
Questions on Kaijookey[]
Q: It gets +1 power for "each of my actions". Does it also get +1 power from actions there that I own but don't control? For example, if an opponent used Mass Enchantment to play one of my play-on-base actions. I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" action, right?
A: No. "Your actions" are actions you control, whether or not you own them. An action you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: I suppose it also gets +1 power from my play-on-minion actions played on minions on its base, right?
A: No, Kaijookey's ability only applies to play-on-base actions. Play-on-minion actions are only played on minions, not on bases and as such are not considered as being "on a base". That's even clarified in the rules.
Questions on Tiny Priestesses[]
Q: My opponent has Gorgodzolla in play. I play Copycat to copy their Tiny Priestesses's ability. Do I take control of their Gorgodzolla?
A: No. If you choose the "play Gorgodzolla" option, nothing happens because Gorgodzolla is already in play. So you will neither play, nor take control of it. That is, of course, if there's only one Gorgodzolla in the game, if there are two players using Kaiju and the second Gorgodzolla isn't in play, you can play that one and you will therefore control it. If you choose the "move Gorgodzolla" option, their Gorgodzolla will be moved to Copycat's base, but you won't take control of it.
Q: My opponent has Gorgodzolla out of play, next to their deck. I play Copycat to copy their Tiny Priestesses's ability. Am I then able to play their Gorgodzolla? Do I have control of it then?
A: Yes and yes. That is if you don't already have control of a titan, in which case, you can't play a second one. Supposing you don't control any titan, you can indeed choose the "play Gorgodzolla" option and actually play it on Copycat's base (that's where "here" will refer to). Since you've played it, you'll then have control of Gorgodzolla until that titan leaves play.
Rule: If you play a titan you don't own, you get control of it.
Rule: If you already control a titan in play, you can't play another one.
Q: An opponent is playing with the Kaiju. I manage to get their Tiny Priestesses card (e.g. Trade, Critter Cube) What happens if I choose the "play Gorgodzolla" option?
A: It depends. First, if you already control a titan, you won't be able to play another titan anyway. Second, if there's no Gorgodzolla out of play, you can't play it because it's already in play and you won't gain control of one that's already in play either as that's not what Tiny Priestesses does. Other than that, if you are able to play a titan and if there's a Gorgodzolla that's currently out of play, you can play it on Tiny Priestesses's base and you have control of it, even if you're not that Gorgodzolla's owner.
Rule: If you play a titan you don't own, you get control of it.
Rule: If you already control a titan in play, you can't play another one.
Q: If I choose to play Gorgodzolla, do I have to match its Special playing condition, i.e. having at least two actions on its base?
A: No, because you play it with Tiny Priestesses, which doesn't have such restrictions. That restriction only matters if you play Gorgodzolla using its own Special ability.
Rule: Titans may be played on a base when a card — including the titan itself, says you can play them.
Q: Is the restriction "to here" only for moving Gorgodzolla or also for playing it?
A: It's for both, whether you use Tiny Priestesses's ability to move or play Gorgodzolla, it must be played on or moved to Tiny Priestesses's base.
Questions on Johnny[]
Q: It tells me to return "one of my actions". Can I return an action I own that I don't control? For example, if an opponent used Mass Enchantment to play one of my play-on-base actions. I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" action, right?
A: No. "Your actions" are actions you control, whether or not you own them. An action you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: I suppose I can return one of my play-on-minion actions and replay it, right?
A: No, Johnny's ability only applies to play-on-base actions. Play-on-minion actions are only played on minions, not on bases and as such are not considered as being "on a base".
Q: After playing this card, I (somehow) have more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10?
A: You don't discard any card until your next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.
Questions on Kaiju Alliance[]
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied.
Questions on Kaiju Conflict[]
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied.
Questions on Oh, No![]
Q: Is the restriction "to here" only for moving Gorgodzolla or also for playing it?
A: It's for both, whether you use Oh, No!'s ability to move or play Gorgodzolla, it must be played on or moved to Oh, No!'s base.
Q: If I choose to play Gorgodzolla, do I have to match its Special playing condition, i.e. having at least two actions on its base?
A: No, because you play it with Oh, No!, which doesn't have such restrictions. That restriction only matters if you play Gorgodzolla using its own Special ability.
Rule: Titans may be played on a base when a card — including the titan itself, says you can play them.
Q: Do I have 2 or 4 power on that base? It has 2 power printed on it and an ability that gives me +2 power, so is that 4 power total?
A: No, it only gives you +2 power on its base. The printed number is just a reminder of its ability for quick counting.
Rule: On Actions with Power, the printed number is just a reminder of the power they give.
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so each player (including myself) gains +2 power there, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "you" means "they".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but this card gives me power there. Can I still gain VPs from the base if I'm among the top three total power there?
A: Yes. It is now part of the rules that you must have at least one minion or at least 1 total power to be eligible. If you have no minions there but you have at least 1 total power there, you can indeed gain VPs from the base if your total power is among the top three.
Q: An opponent is playing with the Kaiju. I manage to get their Oh, No! card (e.g. Trade, Mass Enchantment, Min-Maxing, Word of Recall) What happens if I choose the "play Gorgodzolla" option?
A: It depends. First, if you already control a titan, you won't be able to play another titan anyway. Second, if there's no Gorgodzolla out of play, you can't play it because it's already in play and you won't gain control of one that's already in play either as that's not what Oh, No! does. Other than that, if you are able to play a titan and if there's a Gorgodzolla that's currently out of play, you can play it on Oh, No!'s base and you have control of it, even if you're not that Gorgodzolla's owner.
Rule: If you play a titan you don't own, you get control of it.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on Pick Up a Bus[]
Q: What kind of action cards can Pick Up a Bus get from the discard pile?
A: Only action cards with the words "play on a base" as part of its ability. Action cards with abilities that let you "choose a base", or more generally actions that do something to a base without having to be played on it, don't count.
Q: After playing this card, I (somehow) have more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10?
A: You don't discard any card until your next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied.
Questions on Radioactive Breath[]
Q: Do I have 3 or 6 power on that base? It has 3 power printed on it and an ability that gives me +3 power, so is that 6 power total?
A: No, it only gives you +3 power on its base. The printed number is just a reminder of its ability for quick counting.
Rule: On Actions with Power, the printed number is just a reminder of the power they give.
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so each player (including myself) gains +3 power there, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "you" means "they".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: Why does it say "all minions you don't control"? Wouldn't it have be simpler to say "other players' minions"?
A: If it wasn't worded that way, you wouldn't be able to destroy an uncontrolled monster.
Q: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but this card gives me power there. Can I still gain VPs from the base if I'm among the top three total power there?
A: Yes. It is now part of the rules that you must have at least one minion or at least 1 total power to be eligible. If you have no minions there but you have at least 1 total power there, you can indeed gain VPs from the base if your total power is among the top three.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on Stomp[]
Q: Do I have 2 or 4 power on that base? It has 2 power printed on it and an ability that gives me +2 power, so is that 4 power total?
A: No, it only gives you +2 power on its base. The printed number is just a reminder of its ability for quick counting.
Rule: On Actions with Power, the printed number is just a reminder of the power they give.
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so each player (including myself) gains +2 power there, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "you" means "they".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but this card gives me power there. Can I still gain VPs from the base if I'm among the top three total power there?
A: Yes. It is now part of the rules that you must have at least one minion or at least 1 total power to be eligible. If you have no minions there but you have at least 1 total power there, you can indeed gain VPs from the base if your total power is among the top three.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on Tail Smash[]
Q: Do I have 4 or 8 power on that base? It has 4 power printed on it and an ability that gives me +4 power, so is that 8 power total?
A: No, it only gives you +4 power on its base. The printed number is just a reminder of its ability for quick counting.
Rule: On Actions with Power, the printed number is just a reminder of the power they give.
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so each player (including myself) gains +4 power there, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "you" means "they".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: Why does it say "a minion you don't control"? Wouldn't it have be simpler to say "another player's minion"?
A: If it wasn't worded that way, you wouldn't be able to destroy an uncontrolled monster.
Q: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but this card gives me power there. Can I still gain VPs from the base if I'm among the top three total power there?
A: Yes. It is now part of the rules that you must have at least one minion or at least 1 total power to be eligible. If you have no minions there but you have at least 1 total power there, you can indeed gain VPs from the base if your total power is among the top three.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on The Folly of Men[]
Q: Do I have 2 or 4 power on that base? It has 2 power printed on it and an ability that gives me +2 power, so is that 4 power total?
A: No, it only gives you +2 power on its base. The printed number is just a reminder of its ability for quick counting.
Rule: On Actions with Power, the printed number is just a reminder of the power they give.
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so if I have a minion or an action there, it also cannot be destroyed by my opponents' cards, right? In addition to this, I also gain +2 power there, right?
A: No and no. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "your minions" means "their minions", "other players" means "their opponents" and "you" means "they".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Rule: "Other players" on a minion, action or titan means everyone except the controller of the card.
Q: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but this card gives me power there. Can I still gain VPs from the base if I'm among the top three total power there?
A: Yes. It is now part of the rules that you must have at least one minion or at least 1 total power to be eligible. If you have no minions there but you have at least 1 total power there, you can indeed gain VPs from the base if your total power is among the top three.
Q: It protects "my minions" and "my actions". Does it also protect 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 "my" actions, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. Similarly, "your actions" are actions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion or an action you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: I suppose it also protects my play-on-minion actions that are attached to minions on its base, right?
A: No, The Folly of Men's ability only applies to play-on-base actions. Play-on-minion actions are only played on minions, not on bases and as such are not considered as being "on a base".
Q: An opponent plays Bear Hug (or Unfathomable Goals, Griefer), forcing me to destroy one of my minions. Can I choose one of my minions on the same base as The Folly of Men? If so, does The Folly of Men protect it?
A: First of all, you can indeed choose any of your minions, but you must choose one if you have any in play. Secondly, since the cause of the affect is "another player's card", then yes, The Folly of Men protects your minion from destruction.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If you're asking about when The Folly of Men is played, it doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
- If you're asking about when you copy a destruction effect onto an opponent's minion with The Folly of Men protecting it, then the minion isn't affected. Note that The Folly of Men only protects against other player's cards, so if The Folly of Men's controller plays a standard action that destroys a minion, you can copy it with Dancing King and have it affect one of that player's minion, bypassing The Folly of Men's protection because the minion is considered as being affected by its own controller's action.
- If you're asking about when an opponent's minion with The Folly of Men protecting it is directly destroyed by your standard action and you want to copy that, then it's not possible because the minion isn't destroyed by your action and because no minion was affected, you can't copy the effect.
- If you're asking about when an opponent's minion with The Folly of Men protecting it is directly affected by that player's standard action and you want to copy that, then you can indeed copy it the same way.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Questions on There Goes Tokyo[]
Q: My cards are immune to it, right?
A: No, it says "all other cards", i.e. all cards on that base except for Gorgodzolla.
Q: When a base is destroyed, do we score it?
A: No, you only score a base during phase 3, i.e. the Score Bases phase, and only if the total power on the base reaches or exceeds its breakpoint. There Goes Tokyo simply destroys the base; that's not scoring it.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: If one or more of the cards on the base are immune to destruction, do they go to the base that replaces the one you destroy?
A: No, except for minions that are moved to another base (e.g. Buccaneer, a minion with Hang in There), the remaining cards that survive the destruction (except for Gorgodzolla) are all discarded. That's because, according to the rulebook, "when a card leaves play, discard attachments." The base being a card and cards on it being attachments of the base, they are discarded. If there were any other titans there (e.g. on Kaiju Island), those are set aside.
Rule: Titans leave play if the base card they are on leaves play.
Q: If one of the minions on the base cannot be destroyed, would this card destroy any actions played on that minion, or are they not considered to be "on the base?"
A: Only actions played on the base are "on the base". Actions played on a minion are "on the minion", but not "on the base. Also, except for minions that survive the destruction by moving to another base, the remaining minions are discarded as well as well as their attachments.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: While being a standard action and one that affects minions, There Goes Tokyo won't interact with the Disco Dancers, nor with Funky Town, because Crop Circles already directly affect all minions on the base, and copying the effect can only be applied to minions that aren't already directly affected by the action.
Questions on They Say He’s Got to Go[]
Q: Can I move another player's titan with this card? If so, do I take control of it?
A: Yes, you can move any titan in play with it. But no, if you move another player's titan, you simply relocate it, you don't take control of it on top of that.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied.
Questions on Wade Through the Buildings[]
Q: Do I have 4 or 8 power on that base? It has 4 power printed on it and an ability that gives me +4 power, so is that 8 power total?
A: No, it only gives you +4 power on its base. The printed number is just a reminder of its ability for quick counting.
Rule: On Actions with Power, the printed number is just a reminder of the power they give.
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so each player (including myself) gains +4 power there, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "you" means "they".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: Can this card destroy any actions played on minions on its base?
A: Only actions played on the base are "on the base". Actions played on a minion are "on the minion", but not "on the base.
Q: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but this card gives me power there. Can I still gain VPs from the base if I'm among the top three total power there?
A: Yes. It is now part of the rules that you must have at least one minion or at least 1 total power to be eligible. If you have no minions there but you have at least 1 total power there, you can indeed gain VPs from the base if your total power is among the top three.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on Gorgodzolla[]
- Main article: Titans
Q: The card says "Special" so I can use it outside of my turn, but why does the card also say "instead of your regular minion play"?
A: "Special" does not mean the card can be played out of turn. "Special" simply means that it's an ability that can be used when its condition is met. Whether it can be used out of turn, activated straight from your hand/discard pile, or if it can only be used when it's already in play (essentially being a synonym of Ongoing), it entirely depends on the wording. In the case of Gorgodzolla, the condition is "instead of your regular minion play", this means that you can only activate it when you have a regular minion play available, which is only on your turn and more specifically on your Play Cards phase. It cannot be played out of turn, because, outside of your own Play Cards phase, you don't have any regular minion plays to give up.
Q: If there's a restriction on where I can play a minion (e.g. Ice Castle, Overrun), does it also apply to Gorgodzolla if I play it instead of my regular minion play?
A: No, such a restriction only applies when you play a minion. If you convert your regular minion play into a titan play, you're playing a titan, not a minion, so the restriction doesn't apply.
Q: Does Gorgodzolla's first Ongoing work with any action? It says "After you play an action or a minion on this base", so I take it that "on this base" only refers to playing the minion and that any played action works for that ability.
A: No, "on this base" refers to both playing the action and playing the minion.
Q: Do the Ongoing abilities work each time when I play an action on a base, or a minion (in case of the first ability). Or do they work once per turn? If they work once per turn, does the first ability work once per minion and once per action?
A: There's no such restrictions, so the Ongoing abilities work each time. Otherwise, they would have clearly stated it.
Q: I play an action on my Gorgodzolla's base. Which Ongoing ability does it trigger?
A: Both.
Q: I play an action on a minion on my Gorgodzolla's base. Which Ongoing ability does it trigger?
A: None, you played an action on a minion, not on a base. Gorgodzolla's abilities are limited to actions on bases, not on minions. It's even clarified in the rules.
Q: What happens to Gorgodzolla when the base that it's on scores?
A: It remains on that base until the step where you discard all the cards on the base. At which point it leaves play and is set aside. Any +1 power counter on it is removed.
Q: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but I have Gorgodzolla there. It is similar to a minion, right? So I can still get VPs from the base if 0 is among the top three total power, right?
A: No and no. Gorgodzolla is a titan, not a minion. To be eligible to receive VPs, you must have at least one minion or at least 1 total power on the base. If you have no minions and your total power there is 0, then you can't receive any VPs from the base. Now, if Gorgodzolla had any +1 power counters on it or gave you any total power (e.g. on Kaiju Island), then you would have at least 1 total power and be eligible. Otherwise, no.
Q: An opponent is playing with the Kaiju. Their Gorgodzolla isn't in play. I have two actions played on the same base and I haven't played my regular minion yet, I can then invoke Gorgodzolla through its Special ability and play it there, right?
A: No, only the player who has it next to their deck can play it.
Rule: Playable Special cards can only be played by their current possessor.
Q: I need to "have two or more actions". Do actions that I own but don't control also count? I don't control them but I "own" them, so I "have" them, right?
A: No. "Where you have an action" means "where you control at least one action (whether or not you own it)". Actions you just own but don't control don't count.
Q: I need to have two or more actions "on the base". Do actions that are played on minions on the base also count?
A: Gorgodzolla's ability only applies to play-on-base actions. Play-on-minion actions are only played on minions, not on bases and as such are not considered as being "on a base".
Q: If Gorgodzolla's ability is cancelled, are the +1 power counters placed on it by its own ability 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 has its ability cancelled (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress's ability is cancelled).
Rule: Cancelling (or losing) an effect does not necessarily undo what it did.
Q: If I play an Argonaut instead of an action on Gorgodzolla's base, what happens?
A: Actually, it doesn't matter whether you play the Argonaut instead of an action play or a minion play. In both cases, Gorgodzolla treats it as you playing a card that's both a minion and an action. So Gorgodzolla will get a +1 power counter (because you did play a minion or action on its base, and it counts as you playing one card, not two, so only one +1 power counter) and you draw a card (because Argonaut counts as you playing an action as well).
Q: I already have ten cards in hand. What happens if Gorgodzolla makes me draw a card? Do I draw one and immediately discard a card?
A: You draw a card and don't discard any card until your upcoming Draw 2 Cards phase. At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.
Trivia[]
- The artist is Alberto Tavira, who also designed the art of many other factions.
- Their divider (a "proper" titan-less one is in The Bigger Geekier Box) features There Goes Tokyo.
- The font used for the Kaiju cards is MOGAMBO! in small caps.
- Gorgodzolla is based on Godzilla.
- Kaijookey is named after Godzooky from the 1978 Hanna-Barbera Godzilla cartoon, and his design has elements of Minilla from Son of Godzilla.
- Johnny is a reference to Johnny from Time of the Apes. This was confirmed by Todd Rowland.
- Kaiju Island is a reference to Monster Island where Godzilla is said to live.
- Kaiju were one of the top 32 nominated factions for "The Smash Up: It's Your Fault contest". They lost to Elementals.
- The Folly of Men, Oh, No!, Pick Up A Bus, There Goes Tokyo, They Say He's Got to Go, and Wade Through the Buildings are all based on lines from the Blue Öyster Cult song "Godzilla".
In other languages[]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 怪獸 |
| French | Kaijū |
| German | Kaiju |
| Hebrew | מפלצות קייג'ו |
| Italian | Kaiju |
| Russian | Кайдзю |
| ||||||