Der Musikclub TCG — Comprehensive Rules (Draft v1.0)

This document is the rules-lawyer reference for Der Musikclub TCG. It defines all zones, timing rules, card types, and state-based mechanics with precision. If an action is not explicitly permitted by this document, it is not allowed.

1. Game Overview

Der Musikclub TCG is a competitive two-player game in which each player (a DJ) constructs and maintains a musical mix. Players manage time, color continuity, and frequency balance to reach and sustain an endgame state. Victory is determined by musical stability and scoring efficiency rather than attrition.

2. Components

Each DJ requires:

One crate (deck)
Two time dice (six-sided dice)
One bin

Shared components:

One mixer zone

3. Zones

3.1 Crate

Private, face-down, ordered deck.
Cards may be drawn, searched, reordered, or shuffled only when permitted by an action or effect.

3.2 Hand

Private zone.
Cards in hand have no effect on the game state.

3.3 Queue

Public zone owned by a DJ.
Holds up to 4 song cards.
Cards in the queue do not contribute to the mixer.
Songs must normally be played from the queue.

3.4 Playlist

Public, ordered, linear zone owned by a DJ.
Contains song cards and effect cards.
No size limit.
All song cards in a playlist contribute continuously to the mixer.

3.5 Mixer

Shared public zone.
Contains loop cards.
Also represents a derived state calculated from:
- all songs in both playlists,
- all loop cards,
- all active effect modifiers.

3.6 Bin

Public, ordered discard zone owned by a DJ.
Cards sent here are overclocked.
Order matters and may be referenced by effects.

4. Time System

4.1 Time Dice

Each DJ has exactly two time dice.
Dice values range from 1 to 6.
Dice cannot be removed and cannot be reduced below 1.
The time bank is the sum of a DJ’s time dice.

4.2 Parallel Seconds

A transient resource generated by cards.
Refresh at the start of each DJ’s turn.
Do not carry over.
Spending parallel seconds:
- does not end the turn,
- does not advance inner clocks.
Any parallel-second cost may be paid with time-dice seconds instead.

4.3 Inner Clock

A global monotonic timer.
Advances whenever any DJ spends time-dice seconds.
Does not advance when only parallel seconds are spent.

5. Turn Structure

5.1 Start of Turn

Refresh parallel seconds granted by owned cards.

5.2 Actions and Turn End

A DJ may perform:
- any number of actions costing only parallel seconds, then
- at most one action costing time-dice seconds.
Any action that spends time-dice seconds:
- ends the turn immediately after resolution,
- advances inner clocks.

6. Constant Game Actions

The following actions are always available to all DJs unless restricted by an effect.

6.1 Time Dice Actions

Change Tempo
- Cost: 1 time-dice second
- Effect: Set one time die you own to any value from 1 to 6
- Ends the turn

6.2 Queue Actions

Queue actions may be paid with parallel seconds or time-dice seconds.

If paid with ONLY parallel seconds:
- the action does not end the turn.
If paid with ANY amount of time-dice seconds:
- the action ends the turn after resolution.

Actions:

Enqueue Song
- Cost: 2 parallel seconds
- Effect: Move a song card from your hand to your queue
Dequeue Song
- Cost: 2 parallel seconds
- Effect: Move a song card from your queue to your hand
Fly In
- Cost: 2 parallel seconds
- Effect:
  - Reveal the top card of your crate
  - If it is a valid song play, play it directly to your playlist
  - If it is not valid, send it to the bin
Swap Song
- Cost: 2 seconds
- Effect: Replace a song in your queue with a song from your hand
Play Song
- Cost: X time-dice seconds (as printed on the card)
- Effect:
  - Move the song from your queue to your playlist
  - Resolve all on-play abilities and effects
- Ends the turn

6.3 Crate Actions

Sort Upcoming
- Cost: 5 seconds
- Effect:
  - Look at the top 6 cards of your crate
  - Put them back in any order
  - Draw 1 card
Dig for Song
- Cost: 7 seconds
- Effect:
  - Search your crate for a song card
  - Put it into your hand
  - Do not shuffle the crate
Draw Actions
- 3 seconds: Draw the top card of your crate
- 5 seconds: Draw the top two cards of your crate
- 7 seconds: Draw the top three cards of your crate
- 9 seconds: Draw the top four cards of your crate
- 12 seconds: Draw the top five cards of your crate
Shuffle Draw
- Cost: 5 seconds
- Effect:
  - Shuffle your crate
  - Draw the top card

7. Song Cards

7.1 Properties

A song card specifies:

Frequencies (one or more of Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass)
Volume contribution
Color qualities provided
Optional color exclusions
Time-dice cost
Optional parallel-second cost
Optional parallel seconds granted per turn
Optional activated abilities
Optional static Victory Points
Optional Victory Coins

7.2 Color Matching

Songs must attach to the head or tail of a playlist.
A song may be played if:
- it shares at least one color with the attachment context, and
- it violates no color exclusions.
Color space may expand or contract freely.
Color matching is evaluated only at the moment of play.

7.3 Fadeout

Only the head or tail song of a playlist may be faded out.
A DJ may target any head or tail song in any playlist.
Cost: twice the song’s printed time-dice cost.
Effect: Overclock the song to its owner’s bin.
Fadeout always spends time-dice seconds and ends the turn.

Consider the scenario where opposing DJ has two time dice set to value 2 (four seconds in their timebank). These dice are eligible for borrowing by Time Thief.

The longest song I can play as a DJ is 6+6+4=16 seconds long.

From a fadeout perspective, that means the longest song I can fade out is (6+6+4)/2 = 7 seconds long.

Any songs that are longer than 7 seconds are considered in perpetual performance for gameplay using 2d6. If playing doubletime variant (2d12 instead of 2d6) or if a DJ acquires additional time dice, then the values are up for change.

8. Effect Cards

8.1 Properties

An effect card specifies:

Time-dice cost
Parallel-second cost
Lifetime in inner-clock seconds
Optional color provision or filtering
Optional activated abilities
Optional static Victory Points
Optional Victory Coins

8.2 Resolution

Effects are placed in the owning DJ’s playlist.
Effects modify evaluation and permissions but do not permanently mutate cards.
When an effect’s lifetime reaches zero, it is overclocked to its owner’s bin.

9. Loop Cards

9.1 Properties

A loop card may provide:

Volume contribution
Frequency contribution
Color quality provision
Other global modifiers

9.2 Resolution

Loops are placed in the mixer.
Loops affect both DJs equally unless stated otherwise.
When removed, loops are overclocked to their owner’s bin.

10. Mixer Mechanics

10.1 Mixer Spectrum

The mixer tracks:

Total volume
Frequency counts for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass
Total Victory Points

10.2 Volume

Volume is additive.
Volume is evaluated continuously.
Volume 10 is required for endgame persistence.

10.3 Frequency

Each frequency band has a hard maximum.
At least one of each band must be present for endgame qualification.

10.4 Negative Feedback

If any frequency band exceeds its maximum:
- all Victory Points are treated as 0,
- any active endgame state immediately terminates and play continues in typical fashion.
- the negative feedback state persists until a player action corrects it

11. Endgame

11.1 Trigger

Endgame is triggered when:

mixer volume equals 10,
all four frequency bands are present,
total mixer VP is at least 10.

11.2 Persistence

Endgame must persist across three turns:
1. triggering DJ’s turn,
2. opposing DJ’s next turn,
3. triggering DJ’s following turn.

11.3 Leniency

During endgame, volume may temporarily be 9 or 11 if it returns to 10 on the following turn.

11.4 Termination

Endgame determination ends immediately if:
- volume or VP conditions fail,
- frequency negative feedback occurs.

The game will persist until an endgame determination state is resolved, or a DJ has all of their cards in the bin.

11.5 Resolution

At successful conclusion:
- static VP are totaled,
- Victory Coins are evaluated,
- highest total wins.

12. Victory Coins

Victory Coins do not contribute to endgame qualification.
Victory Coins are evaluated only at final game resolution.
Victory Coins may reference:
- the owning DJ’s playlist,
- the queue,
- the bin,
- the mixer.

13. Time Thief

When paying a time-dice cost, a DJ may select opposing dice valued at 1 or 2.
Borrowed seconds may be used to satisfy that payment.
After resolution:
- each opposing die borrowed from is set to 6.
Borrowing:
- counts as spending time-dice seconds,
- ends the turn,
- advances inner clocks.

14. Rule Priority

Card text
These comprehensive rules
Default game state