Flame Duel

Pull the 33 characters out of the pile. The other 21 cards (items, places and events) are the support deck: shuffle it face down.

Each player picks 3 characters (or draws them at random, if you like living dangerously), looks at them and lines them up face down in any order. Then each player draws 3 cards from the support deck: that's your hand.

Everyone brings their own deck? (Like in the online game or with your decks: 3 characters and 8 to 12 support cards.) Then each player shuffles and draws from their own.

At the same time, flip the first character in your line-up. Duel!

Whoever lost the previous round chooses whether you compete on Spark, Heat or Charm. In the first round, the player whose character has the lowest card number chooses (same card? flip a coin). After a draw, whoever didn't choose last time picks.

Starting with whoever chose, take turns: each player can play one card from their hand or pass, up to 2 plays per player per round. When you both pass in a row, the round's over.

Passing doesn't lock you out: if the other player plays afterwards, you can play again. Anyone who has made their 2 plays (or has no cards) always passes.

Item: equip it to your character; it adds its bonus if it matches the round's stat (double if your character is listed under “Equips to”). Place: it replaces the one on the table (the old one goes to its owner's discard pile) and its bonus goes to whoever played it, also in later rounds while it stays. Event: its bonus or penalty applies to both.

If the card's text can be done at the table (draw, look at the deck, take back from the discard pile, swap a place…), do it when you play it. If not, it's just for laughs.

Instead of playing a support card, you can discard a card from your hand to trigger your character's special ability: read it out loud (in Marciano's voice, that's mandatory) and add +15 to the round's stat. If its text can be done at the table, do that too.

Once per round, it counts as one of your 2 plays, and you need a card in your hand to discard.

Each player adds up their character's chosen stat plus bonuses. Highest number wins the round. On a tie, the card's Charm wins; if that's tied too, the round is a draw and the two flames hug it out.

Items and events go to the discard pile; the place stays. Each player draws a card (no hand limit; if your deck runs out, you don't draw) and the next round starts with the next character.

Whoever wins 2 of the 3 rounds: if someone wins the first two, that's it. If after three rounds someone has more wins (thanks to draws), they win.

If it's still tied at the end, one last round settles it with each player's most charming character (the loser of the last round picks the stat). If that's a draw too, the match ends in a tie.