Rent a Hero

Overview

Rent a Hero is a simple bluffing and strategy card game for 3-5 players, published by IELLO. Players compete to recruit a band of 6 unique heroes from a deck of 77 cards (11 sets of heroes numbered 1-7). Each turn, the active player draws a card and passes it face-down to the next player, who must decide whether to recruit the hero or pass it along. The catch: if you recruit a hero you already have, BOTH copies are discarded. The first player to assemble 6 different heroes wins.

Components

• 77 Cards (11 copies each of heroes numbered 1-7)
• 5 Player aid cards
• Rulebook

Setup

1. Shuffle the entire deck.
2. Deal 2 face-up hero cards to each player to form the start of their Band of Heroes. If a player receives two of the same hero, discard one and draw replacements until they have 2 different heroes.
3. Deal 5 face-down cards to each player as their hand.
4. Place remaining cards face-down as the common draw deck.
5. Randomly select the starting player.

Turn Structure

On the active player’s turn:

1. Draw and Reveal: Draw the top card from the deck and place it face-up on the discard pile. Note the required strength number shown.
2. Select and Pass: Choose a card from your hand matching the revealed strength and pass it face-down to the player on your left.
3. Receive Decision: The receiving player decides:
   • Recruit: Reveal the card and add it to their Band of Heroes, OR
   • Pass Along: Pass the card face-down to the next player, who faces the same choice.
4. Card Returns to Sender: If the card passes all the way around without being recruited, the active player MUST recruit it.

Actions

• Recruit a Hero: Add a received hero card face-up to your Band of Heroes.
• Pass Along: Decline a card and pass it face-down to the next player.
• Request a Clue: Give one of your hand cards to the active player and ask a yes/no question about the passed card.
• Use Hero Power: Each hero number has a unique power that can be used once per game (rotate the card sideways to mark it as used).
• Eliminate Duplicates: If you recruit a hero you already have in your band, BOTH copies are immediately discarded.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Immediate Win: The first player to have 6 different heroes in their Band of Heroes wins.
• Deck Exhaustion: If the deck runs out, the player with the most heroes in their band wins. Ties broken by: fewest eliminated heroes, then fewest hero powers used.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Duplicate Penalty: Recruiting a hero you already own causes BOTH copies to be discarded, setting you back significantly. This is the core bluffing tension.
• No Matching Card: If you have no card matching the revealed strength, draw from the deck and discard a hand card.
• Hero Powers: Each hero number (1-7) has a unique ability usable once per game. Powers are marked by rotating the card horizontally.
• Clue Mechanism: Players can trade hand cards for yes/no information about the passed card, adding a deduction element.
• Passing Strategy: Since a card that returns to the sender must be recruited, the active player should avoid passing heroes they already have.

Player Reference

Step	Action
1	Draw card from deck, reveal on discard
2	Select matching card from hand, pass face-down to left
3	Recipient: Recruit or Pass Along
4	If card returns to sender, sender must recruit

Win: First to 6 different heroes. Duplicates = both discarded!