In MARVEL HEROES, each player takes the role of both one super team and also the arch-villain Mastermind that is Nemesis to one of their opponents. Over the course of the game, they will meet allies, foil crimes, fight super villains, and work to further the mysterious aims of their Mastermind.

Players
Two to four players each take the role of one of four super teams: the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men, or the Marvel Knights. Once teams have been assigned, each player also takes the role of the Mastermind that is Nemesis to the super team controlled by the player to their right. The Avengers are opposed by Red Skull, the Fantastic Four must contend with Dr. Doom, Magneto threatens the peace the X-Men fight to protect, and the Marvel Knights are constantly at odds with the Kingpin.

Super Teams
Each super team has four members, each represented by a painted plastic miniature. The Avengers consist of the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America. The X-Men are represented by Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, and Jean Grey (who has variously been known as Marvel Girl and Phoenix). The Marvel Knights are Spider-Man, Daredevil, Elektra, and Dr. Strange. Finally, the Fantastic Four are comprised of Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch, the Invisible Woman, and the Ever Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing. On a given turn, each player will decide which of his heroes to send out on mission, which to send out in a support role, and which to keep in reserve in the base. Since each hero has different abilities in each role, deciding which to send where is an important consideration each turn. Also, since your more powerful heroes cost more Plot points to send out on mission, you'll have to decide if it's worth it to send Thor out turn after turn!

Gameplay
At the beginning of each turn, a Headline is dealt out to each Area of the city (such as Upper Manhattan, the Village, or Queens), representing a crisis or crime that requires immediate hero attention. The Headlines can be of three different types - Danger, Crime, or Mystery - and represent the full spectrum of comic book events from the Marvel Universe, whether it's an alien incursion or a simple crime spree. Each Headline has an amount of Trouble associated with it, which, when in the district attempting to resolve the headline, the heroes must attempt to reduce or get rid of entirely. Certain heroes are better or worse at certain types of Headline - if it's a scientific Mystery, then Mr. Fantastic is your man, but the Hulk might be a poor choice! - and so will roll more or less dice when trying to reduce the Trouble. Once heroes have done so, opposing players may play cards or directly intervene with their Masterminds to increase the amount of Trouble. The greater the Trouble, the more dangerous a super villain - or villains! - may be behind it all!

Combat
When it comes to super hero on super villain combat - and rest assured, it will - things get really exciting. Each hero, villain, or Mastermind has between one and three super powers that have varying stats in Attack, Defense, and Outwit. The combatants will each secretly choose their power, then roll dice to resolve combat. First the character with initiative (normally, but not always, the hero) rolls his attack dice, while the other rolls his defense. If the attacker has at least as many hits as the defender, he will inflict a KO. If the defender had only one Endurance, the fight is over! Otherwise, the defender then becomes the attacker and the process is repeated! Finally, the combatants engage in a battle of wits, each rolling dice equal to their Outwit score. The winner inflicts one KO and seizes the initiative for the second round of combat, during which players choose a new strategy!

During these battles, any number of special cards and abilities will be used, whether it's Invisible Woman's force field coming into play from her Support position, removing some of the enemy's hits, or the ally card Scarlet Witch turning the entire battle on its ear! Eventually, however, one of the combatants will take KOs equal to his Endurance, forcing him to be discarded (for a villain) or returned to the Recovery area of his base with a wound (for a hero). If the hero is victorious, the Headline is claimed as a trophy!

Masterminds
During all this super heroism, each player will also try to advance the schemes of his Mastermind. The Lead Mastermind (a position that rotates from turn to turn) may attempt to attach one of his Master Plans to Headlines, taking a direct role in affairs. This makes that Headline extra difficult to resolve, since even if the enemy heroes are able to make it through the super villains that are under a Mastermind's control, they must then contend with the Mastermind himself!

If a Master Plan comes to fruition, it is revealed and now has a permanent effect on the game, harming the Mastermind's Nemesis team or increasing the power of the Mastermind. Like Headlines, Master Plans contribute to a player's victory, so each player should be very leery of allowing an enemy's Master Plan to be enacted!

Victory
Each game, a scenario is afoot. Apart from influencing gameplay in a variety of ways, the scenarios also set the victory conditions. One game may be won by the first team to defeat Magneto, another by whomever reaches a set number of victory points first. The different scenarios make for a fun, engaging, and replayable game!

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