Custom Heroes

About this board game

Custom Heroes is a card-crafting climbing trick game for 2–6 players, with games lasting about 45 minutes. Players race to get rid of their cards while modifying them with advancements that can reshape future hands.

The core gameplay uses a classic climbing trick system. If a player leads with three 4s, the next player must play three cards of a kind with an equal or higher value. When everyone passes, the last player to play leads a new trick with any card or set of equal cards.

Advancements are sleeved onto cards to change how they work. They can raise or lower values, turn cards wild, reverse the direction of values so lower numbers beat higher ones, or make cards count as multiple copies of themselves.

• Play cards to match or exceed the current combination.
• Use advancements to create unexpected plays and new possibilities.
• Manage resources across multiple hands as modified cards are reshuffled and dealt to different players.

Because every card is reshuffled for a new round, the changes you make may eventually benefit an opponent, while their modifications may come to you. Successful play in Custom Heroes therefore means more than winning the current hand: you must also manage your advancements and time their impact carefully.

Your finishing position determines both points and how many new advancements you receive. Going out first earns the most points but gives you fewer advancements for the next hand, creating an ongoing balance between immediate success and future options. A player must reach 10 points and then win a hand to claim victory.

Custom Heroes is inspired by the public domain game Daihinmin. Before playing, remove the protective plastic film from each card for more vibrant colors and clearer visibility inside a sleeve.