SET UP
Each player needs 3 Bakugan, 3 Gate cards: one of each color, and 3 Ability cards: one of each color.
PLAY!
Each player places one of their Gate cards face down in front of their opponent, so that they barely touch each other at their top, while
saying, "Gate Card - Set!"
Note: Setting Gate cards occurs at the start of any turn where there are no Gate cards in the field. The youngest player goes first. Players then take turns. The player whose turn it is chooses a Bakugan and says, "Bakugan - Brawl!"
The player then rolls one of his unused Bakugan at the Gate cards in the field.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A PLAYER ROLLS?
If the Bakugan opens on a Gate card and there's no other Bakugan on that Gate, it is now the other player's turn. If the Bakugan opens on a Gate card and the other player has a Bakugan on that Gate card, Battle ensues - see 'Battle!"
If the Bakugan opens on a Gate card and this player already has a Bakugan on this card, one of two things happen: -If there's no other Gate card in play or this player already has a Bakugan on the other Gate card, this player wins that Gate card uncontested,
placing it and his two Bakugan in his used pile.
It then becomes the other player's turn.-Otherwise this Bakugan is moved to the other
Gate card. If that Gate card doesn't have an opponent's Bakugan, it is the other player's turn. But if it does, Battle ensues - see 'Battle!"
BATTLE!
Battle is one Bakugan vs. one Bakugan and happens whenever Bakugan from two different players end up on the same Gate card. Detach the two Bakugan from the Gate card and read each Bakugan's G-Power.
Gate Reveal: Flip the Gate card over and do what it says.
Ability Cards: Play Ability cards (if desired) - first, by the player whose turn it is. Each Ability card says when it can be played. Tell your opponent that you are playing the card, do what the card says and then put the card in your Used pile.
Gate Card G-Power Boost: After both players are finished playing Ability cards, each Bakugan gets to add the Gate Card G-Power boost. Simply match the color of a Bakugan to the color symbol on the Gate card and add that number to the Bakugan's G-Power.
The battle is won by the Bakugan that now has the higher G-Power. The player who wins the battle puts the Gate card in their used pile.
Additional Rules:
Q: What happens when it is my turn and I don't have any
Bakugan in my unused pile?
A: Return all of your Bakugan from your used pile to your
unused pile and roll one of them.
Q: I have a card, which disagrees with these rules, what happens?
A: Cards always take precedence over the rules.
Bakugan Battle Brawlers Official Rules: Multiplayer Games
You have probably noticed that the rules inside the starters pack only cover a 2 player game. Most games of Bakugan are played this way, but clearly a LOT of folks like to play with more than 2 players. You're probably wondering what changes in a game with more than 2 players, here's the skinny...
There are only a few small changes to the game that will allow you to enjoy Bakugan with lots of folks.
How Gate Cards are Played
When two players play the game, gate cards are played with their short edges touching, with the owner of the card playing their card closer to their opponent. This is essentially the same when playing a game with more than two players. Each player plays their card "as far away from themselves as they can" in the middle of the field with it touching other cards out there. Here is the layout for a 4 player game...
Playing Cards
Players in a multi-player game can only play "play in battle" cards when they actually have a Bakugan at the battle! This includes cards that say "play before a battle" or "play after a battle." Cards that can be played outside of battle, like the cards you can play before or after an opponent rolls, can be played by any player. If two players want to play a card at the same time, the player whose turn is next gets the first chance to play their card.
Running out of Bakugan
While not common, it is much more likely in a 4 player game that a player will find themselves with no Bakugan to roll during their turn, particularly if an opponent has played a Doom Card. If this happens to a player, the player may move any of his standing Bakugan to another Gate card that would start a battle instead of rolling. If the extremely rare situation where no enemy Bakugan are currently standing at the time, then the player moves one of the Gate cards that he has a standing Bakugan to his Used pile along with all of his standing Bakugan.
Winning the Game
Winning the game is exactly the same. The first player to get three Gate cards to their used pile wins!
Odd situations
One final world about multi-player games. Multi-Player games have the potential to have some very unusual and strange things pop up. The rules above provide a good outline for what is different and how to handle situations as they occur. If a situation not covered above comes up, the players at the game should ask the admin, moderators or and other important brawler so that the game can keep moving forward.
Bakugan Rules FAQ
What is the best/most powerful/coolest/most awesome Bakugan?
The one that wins the battle! Seriously though, every Bakugan is good at different times if you use it well. The highest G-Power Bakugan is generally considered the "best" but there are lots of times when smaller is better. Even the lowest G-Power Bakugan can win on Duck and Win.
How do I use the attribute switching Preyas?
Use it as normal. Each time it opens up, it will change to a new attribute. The player doesn't get to change it by hand during the game by spinning it - it will change all by itself, so whatever attribute symbol is shown when it opens is the one it is for that battle. You must roll the attribute wheel die when you do that.
When I win a battle, do I get to keep my opponent's card/Bakugan forever?
Definitely not! The gate cards are used to keep track of who is winning (first player to win 3 battles wins the game), but after the game, all game pieces are given back to their owners.
Can you play with 2 Bakugan that are the same?
As long as they're not the same G-Power AND attribute. You'll still need to have 3 to play the game, but if your opponent has one just like yours, that's fine.
When I play an ability card that gives a G-Power bonus does my opponent also get the bonus?
No. The card should always tell you how things work pretty clearly. For instance, it will say something like "...Your Bakugan gains G-Power based on its Attribute." - so it only affects your Bakugan. There might be cards in the future that affect all Bakugan battling, but the card will clearly state that (if I am doing my job well that is...)
Can I play with all of my Ability and Gate cards?
The current rules are that you play with 3 gate and 3 ability cards. This makes choosing what to play with an important part of your strategy.
