Zero Hero Tactical Card Game

About this product

Sometimes zero is exactly what you want.

A quick tactical card game where timing, set building and a pocketful of Zerones can make all the difference.

Collect card pairs, build colour sets and time your Zerones carefully to turn the right combinations into points.

Product Description

In Zero Hero, every turn comes down to one simple choice: take Zerones now, or spend them to grab a card pair before somebody else does.

Four face-up card pairs sit in the centre of the table, each with a pile of Zerones above it. On your turn, either take Zerone tokens into your personal pool or pay the required amount to claim one of the available card pairs. As cards move into your collection, the real challenge begins: build your colours into exactly the right-sized sets.

A colour with exactly one card can score its printed value, while a set of exactly three cards scores by multiplying its two highest values. But collect the wrong number of cards in a colour and that entire set scores a big fat zero. 

Special card effects can add Zerones, give you extra cards or even let you swap cards between collections, keeping the table wonderfully unpredictable. And if you collect more zero-value cards than anyone else, you earn the Zero Hero bonus.

Choose carefully, build your sets at the right moment and try not to turn a promising collection into a zero.

View the Zero Hero Rules (PDF)

Why You’ll Love It

• Only two actions to learn: Take Zerones or spend them to buy a face-up card pair.
• Exact sets matter: Colour groups of exactly one or three cards can score, while other group sizes score nothing.
• Timing is everything: Taking Zerones can strengthen your position, but waiting too long may let someone else claim the cards you need.
• Card pairs create interesting choices: Every purchase adds two cards to your collection, so one useful card can sometimes bring an awkward partner with it.
• Special actions shake things up: Certain cards can grant extra Zerones, hidden cards or card-swapping opportunities.
• Zeros can actually be valuable: Collecting the most zero-value cards earns the Zero Hero bonus.
• Quick family gameplay: Designed for 2–4 players, ages 8+, with an approximate 20-minute play time. 

Quick Details

• Publisher: Piatnik
• Product type: Tactical card game
• Players: 2–4
• Age: 8+
• Play time: Approx. 20 minutes
• Designers: Klaus-Jürgen Wrede & Ralf zur Linde
• Gameplay: Card collection, set building and tactical resource use
• Objective: Build valuable colour sets and finish with the highest total score

Good to Know

• Each turn you must either take Zerone token(s) or buy a card pair.
• The number of Zerones above a card pair determines how many you must pay to take that pair.
• If a Zerone pile contains five or more tokens, you may take two instead of one.
• Bought cards are arranged face-up in rows according to colour.
• Sets containing exactly one card score that card's value.
• Sets containing exactly three cards score the product of the two highest card values.
• Any colour set containing a different number of cards scores zero points. 
• The player with the most zero-value cards earns 5 bonus points as the Zero Hero. 
• The highest overall score wins.

Game Contents

• 56 Cards in seven colours
• 40 Zerones
• 1 Game Manual