Hobbies And Interests
Setup
Players begin the game with their choice of three bakugan figurines, three gate cards and three ability cards. The gate cards and ability cards must contain one of each color. Gate cards are heavier than ability cards and include pictures of locations and G-power symbols on the left side. Ability cards determine special powers that can be activated and the requirements that must be met for activation. Each of the bakugan figurines has a G-power rating, used for combat purposes. Players set the map by placing a gate card face down in front of their opponents so that the cards touch at the tops.
Gameplay
The youngest player starts the game. That player will roll one of his bakugans toward the gates, attempting to open it on a gate card. If it opens, it is the next player's turn. If it misses the gates, it is then moved to a used pile next to the player's deck and may not be played again until all of his bakugan are used or on a gate card. The next player will also attempt to roll a bakugan onto a gate. Two opposing bakugan on the same gate card enter a battle mode. In battle mode, the gate card is flipped over and the G-power for the color of the bakugan is added to the G-power of the bakugan. The player with the higher G-power wins the battle and claims the gate card, moving all bakugan to his used area. Two bakugan from the same player on one gate will move one to the other gate in play. If there is no other gate for the bakugan to move to, both bakugan will go to the used area and the gate can be claimed by the player. New gates are played by each player when there are none remaining on the field. If all of a player's bakugan are used or on the field, the used bakugan are moved to the unused area and may be rolled again. Ability cards may be played any time the power allows. These cards indicate if they can be played before, during or after bakugan battles and describe their specific effects on the game.
Victory
The first player who claims three gate cards, either his own or his opponents, from the field is the winner. Unless a card specifically states otherwise--such as the powers of some abilities--all gates must be claimed from the field by either capturing it with two bakugan or winning it in a battle. The victor is usually the one who has brought powerful combos such as gates that best match the bakugan's colors and other abilities and has anticipated his opponent's decisions. Players must practice bakugan rolling and strategic thinking to become regular winners and compete in local or regional tournaments.