King of Tokyo

* First Edition
* Second Edition
* Target Edition
* Dark edition

**King of Tokyo** is the first game in the King of Tokyo series. It was designed by Richard Garfield and published by IELLO. The first edition was released in 2011, and the second edition in 2016.

## Description

In King of Tokyo, you play mutant monsters, gigantic robots, and strange aliens—all of whom are destroying Tokyo and whacking each other in order to become the one and only King of Tokyo.

The fiercest player will occupy Tokyo, and earn extra victory points, but that player can't heal and must face all the other monsters alone!

## Variations

The first edition was published in 2011. This version features Alienoid, Cyber Bunny, Gigazaur, Kraken, Meka Dragon, and The King.

The second edition was published in 2016. This version replaces Cyber Bunny and Kraken with Cyber Kitty and Space Penguin. Additionally, it features new artwork, and an updated rulebook. However, the rules and gameplay are mostly unchanged.

The Target edition is a variant of the second edition, initially exclusive to Target. This version replaces Gigazaur with baby Gigazaur. It is otherwise identical to the second edition.

King of Tokyo Dark was published in 2020. This installment features a new darker art style. It also features the wickedness mechanic, and some changes to the card list. This features the same monsters as the first edition.

## Rules

Show/hide rules:

The game uses custom 6-sided dice. These have 6 symbols; the numbers 1, 2 and 3, energy (represented by a lightning bolt), attack (represented by a claw) and heal (represented by a heart).

The game is won by earning twenty victory points (represented by stars), or by being the last monster standing.

Each player takes control of a monster attacking Tokyo. On their turn, they roll the dice and can reroll all dice up to twice. They then carry out actions according to the symbols rolled:

* Victory points: if a triple 1,2 or 3 is rolled, that many points are scored. Each additional matching number earns an extra point. (for example, four 2s earns three points - 2 points for three 2s, and an extra point for the fourth)
* Energy: take one energy cube per energy rolled
* Heal: heal one life, up to the maximum of ten. Can not be used inside Tokyo.
* Attack: if a player rolls any attack dice, they attack. If they roll more than one, they are granted extra damage.

All monster start outside of Tokyo. If there are 5/6 players, Tokyo Bay is in play. When a monster outside Tokyo attacks, they attack all monsters inside Tokyo, and vice versa. The first monster to attack deals no damage as Tokyo is empty, but instead immediately enters Tokyo. When a monster is attacked, they take damage to their health equal to the number of attack dice rolled. A monster who is attacked while in Tokyo may choose to leave; in this case the attacker must move into Tokyo. When a monster reaches 0 health, they die and their player is eliminated from the game.

A monster gains one victory point for moving into Tokyo, and two victory points for starting their turn in Tokyo.

If a monster outside Tokyo attacks while Tokyo City is occupied and Tokyo Bay is in play but empty, they will deal damage to the monster in Tokyo City and then move into Tokyo Bay, provided the monster in Tokyo City does not yield. Tokyo Bay is removed from play once the fifth monster is eliminated. All references to "Tokyo" apply to both Tokyo City and Tokyo Bay.

Three cards are in play at once. A player may buy these using energy cubes. Keep cards provide a constant ability, while discard cards provide a one-off effect. The cards can also be swept for two energy; discard the three available cards and draw three new ones.

## Trivia

* The area named Tokyo Bay in the final game was initially named 'Suburbs'.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70323/king-tokyo
2. ↑ King of Tokyo: Rulebook Insert
3. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/KingOfTokyoGame/posts/3364786556919827