Smash Up

Players build a 40-card deck by combining two 20-card faction decks, then compete to score points by controlling Bases. Each faction has a distinct mechanic—movement, recursion from the discard pile, high-power minions, special actions—that changes how the combined deck plays. On a turn, players play minions and actions to Bases and aim to have the highest total power when a Base breaks. Interaction and timing matter as opponents shift minions, trigger abilities, and manipulate where power is located. Multiple faction pairings create varied strategies and tactical combinations.

Players: 2–4 best 3
Playing time: 45 min
Age: 12+
Complexity: 2.1 / 5

5.8 on Ludoya from $27.99Card GameZombiesHand ManagementDeck ConstructionVariable Player Powers

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About the game

Design: Paul Peterson
Art: Dave Allsop
Carmen Cianelli
Isuardi Therianto
Pierre Raveneau
Crut
Bruno Balixa
+2

Where to buy it

Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.

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On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya

199
Plays logged: 205
Players: 56m 40s
Average play: 123
In collections: 5
On wishlists

5.8/10

from 51 Ludoya reviews

Vic Granell6.5
Used to play this game a lot along with a few expansions, it is a good designed game but would not play with either 2 (not enough players fighting for points on bases) or 4 (way to long rounds). Good for 3 players but still too much reading with 10 card hands!
Jan Solo6.0
Cada jugador combina dos facciones diferentes y tratará de conquistar bases para puntuar. Sencillo de reglas pero con cierta dosis de estrategia.
Benjamín Amorín7.5
Great and easy card game that always creates interesting plays. The different combinations between the decks and the plain mechanics make it a really funny game. Better played with 3 players.

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can I play more than one minion or action on my turn?

You may play one minion and one action each turn, or one of each (i.e., up to one minion plus one action), and you may also use any abilities that trigger during the Play Cards phase; you cannot play two normal minions (page 5).

If a base hits its breakpoint during play, do we score it immediately?

No — bases only score during the Score Bases phase on a player’s turn; if a base meets or exceeds its breakpoint in the middle of a turn you wait until the next Score Bases phase (page 5 and page 6).

How do +1 power counters work — are they permanent?

+1 power counters increase a minion’s power by 1 while they are on that minion and remain there until removed by a card effect or when the card leaves play (counters on a card are removed when it leaves play) (page 7).

What does “Talent” or an ability that says “on your turn” mean — when can I use those?

A Talent is an ability you may use once during the Play Cards phase of each turn and any ability that says “on your turn” can only be used during your Play Cards phase; Talents are optional and can be used at any time within that phase (pages 5 and 11).

Do monsters count toward a base’s breakpoint?

Monsters do not count as contributing power toward a base’s breakpoint; instead, monsters add to the base’s breakpoint (making it harder to score) unless a player takes control of the monster, after which it acts as a normal minion (page 7).

When a base scores, where do the cards on it go — to the owner’s discard or the controller’s?

After scoring, regular minions and actions go to their owners’ discard piles even if another player controlled them, monsters and treasures go to their special discard piles, and titans are placed near their owners’ decks (page 6 and page 7).