Custom Heroes
- Players
- 2-6
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 4 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 45 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 14+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 1.6 / 5
- Year
- 2017
About the game
Custom Heroes is a card-crafting climbing trick game where players sleeve advancement cards onto their existing cards to modify their values and abilities. Using the classic climbing-trick mechanic, players race to shed their hand by playing sets equal to or higher than the previous play, with advancements able to raise or lower card values, add wild effects, or even reverse the scoring order. Because all cards are reshuffled between rounds, your crafted advancements may end up benefiting someone else next time, requiring players to balance short-term wins against long-term resource management. Reach 10 points and then win a hand to claim victory.
Hobbli's Notes
From designer John D. Clair (Mystic Vale), this takes the climbing trick-taking formula and adds a genuinely fresh card-crafting twist. The fact that your advancements get reshuffled and can end up helping an opponent is a bold, tension-filled design choice that keeps every round feeling different.
What we like
- Innovative card-sleeving mechanic lets you craft your own cards.
- Climbing trick-taking is easy to learn but hard to master.
- Strategic resource management carries across multiple rounds.
- Supports up to six players.
Keep in mind
- Reshuffled cards can undo your carefully built advancements.
- Luck of the deal affects each individual hand.
- Slower players can be eliminated early from a trick.
Who it's for
Great for card game fans aged 14 and up who enjoy climbing games with a strategic crafting twist, in groups of two to six.
