The Game
How to Play
Tumor Tactics is a strategy card game where every player is a doctor. The science is real. The decisions are yours.
Objective
Be the first doctor to cure all three of your patients’ tumors.
Each player starts with three tumors: Lung, Colon, and Skin. Each tumor begins at Stage 1 with 6 HP. Cure all three at the same time to win.
Setup
Before you play
- 1
Separate all Cancer Cards from the rest of the deck.
- 2
Deal each player one Lung, one Colon, and one Skin cancer card. Place these face-up in front of you. These are your starting tumors.
- 3
Place 6 HP tokens on each tumor.
- 4
Separate all Event Cards.
- 5
Combine all Tactic and Utility cards into one shuffled deck.
- 6
Each player draws 7 cards. This is your starting hand.
- 7
Shuffle (number of players + 6) random Cancer cards into the deck, then shuffle in all Event cards. This is the final draw pile.
- 8
Choose a starting player at random. Play proceeds clockwise.
Turn Order
Each turn, in order
Phase 1 — Tactic
Play up to one Tactic card. You may skip this phase.
Phase 2 — Utility
Play up to one Utility card. You may skip this phase.
Phase 3 — Draw
Draw one card. You must always draw. Your turn ends.
You can skip phases 1 or 2, but you must always draw a card to end your turn.
Card Types
What’s in the deck
Cancer Cards
Cancer cards represent your patients' tumors: Lung, Colon, and Skin. Each tumor starts at Stage 1 with 6 HP. If you draw a Cancer card for a tumor you still have active, that tumor advances one stage and gains 1 HP. If you draw a Cancer card for a tumor you have already cured, that cancer comes back as a new Stage 1 tumor with 4 HP. Higher stages are harder to treat.
Tactic Cards
Tactic cards represent treatments and cancer-fighting actions. Most are most effective against one specific cancer type (Lung, Colon, or Skin), but some work on all types. When you play a Tactic card, you may need to roll a die depending on that tumor's stage. Stage 1 is always a success. Stages 2 through 4 require progressively higher rolls. If you succeed, deal the damage and discard the card. If you fail, deal no damage, discard the card, and the tumor heals 1 HP.
Utility Cards
Utility cards let you take tactical actions: peek at upcoming cards, disrupt opponents, or trigger special effects. You may play only one Utility card per turn unless a card says otherwise.
Event Cards
Event cards must be played immediately when drawn. They create a board-wide effect that affects all players and lasts until every player has taken one turn. Only one event can be active at a time. If you draw a second event while one is still active, wait until the first event ends, then play the second.
Win Condition
Cure all three tumors at the same time.
When a tumor reaches 0 HP, move it to your personal Cured pile. You win the moment all three tumors (Lung, Colon, Skin) are in your Cured pile simultaneously. Watch out for Cancer Metastasis events and relapse Cancer cards that can bring cured tumors back.