The Challenge is a card game of deadly combat and formidable magics. (It is clearly a knockoff of Mayfair's Encounters, though it never mentions that fact.) Action is fast paced and tension-filled as characters exchange blows, fire spells, and even attempt to backstab. It is the fantasy battle at its best. More than simply hack and slash, strategy IS the key to victory, with cunning and skill playmg a central role in your success. Game play is an exercise in diplomacy and subterfuge, as treaties and trickery can make all the difference between victory and defeat. While The Challenge is easy to learn (start playing in less than 15 minutes), it has a depth far beyond that of the typical card game. With its excitment filled, strategy oriented, fullthrottled action, The Challenge is sure to become a classic. If you always loved combat the best ... take The Challenge. Sequence of Play: The player who rolled the high die goes first. Play moves clockwise around the table. The player can either challenge an opponent, pass, or declare a defensive turn. 1) Challenge another character by using a Weapon Action Card, casting a spell (Advanced), using a magic item (Advanced) or using a thief skill (Advanced) from one of your characters against another character in another party. Both Character Cards involved are turned face-up (if they are not already). Then the defending player may retaliate with any appropriate card or pass. The challenging player may then continue by playing an appropriate Action Card or passing, followed by the defending player, etc., until both players have passed or one of the two characters involved in the challenge has died. After the challenge is resolved, the player whose tum it is can move one of his characters from one rank to another, discard any number of Action Cards, and draw from the Action Deck(s) until he has seven cards. The player that was defending in the challenge cannot discard, but can refill his hand up to seven. It is then the next player's tum. 2) Pass - Do no actions, moving of characters, or discarding of cards. 3) Defensive turn - You can't play any Action Card that directly affects another party. Play party Defensive Cards (Advanced), allocate Magic Cards (Advanced) to characters, move any number of characters from one rank to another, discard any number of Action Cards, and draw up to seven cards from either the Weapon Action deck or the Mystic Action deck (Advanced). Remember, you can't do two defensive turns back-to- back.