Hetalia Gangsta!

     Each "district" has a deck of cards with "effects" based on real attributes of their districts. For example, x10 damage for the difference in tourist ranking. Each district comes up with their card, but they do have to be reasonable, and some proposals are rejected (such as "99 trillion strength"). A catalogue of every card shown so far can be found here (under construction).

     Card effects usually deal "damage", but can also have tactical effects, such as requiring cost minimums or restricting what kind of cards can be played. Some cards "attach" to other cards, such as allowing an effect to be ongoing until a requirement is met. Other card effects are intended as "psychological" warfare, such as putting food in someone's drink, or gambling away clothes.

     Each card has a certain "cost" that, at least in this game against the Big 5, is paid by real money. A recent additional rule restricts how much "cost" each district is allowed to spend to 1/1000th of a country's real GDP (2023). [Russia: 1862; Brazil: 2126; Italy: 2186; France: 3049; England: 3332; India: 3732; Japan: 4231; Germany: 4429;  China: 17,700; America: 26,949]

     The collars they wear were a recent addition to the rules of the card game. They measure vitals and deal "damage" to the players based on the card effects. Rather than set "Life Points," "Life" is based on the player's physical stamina and willpower in enduring the damage. A player loses when they pass out or forfeit (remaining players of a team can continue).

     Every round is meant to have 2 "turns", with an attack led by one representative, followed by a defense/counter-attack led by another single representative of the other team, alternating sides each round. Depending on the card, the attack can either be dealt to one single opposing member, all opposing members, or even all members based on the effect. (It's implied but unconfirmed if other teammates can only play support cards or if that's just the general trend, as well as if the counter has to be of the same genre as the initial attack).

     10 Cost can be spent to specify which opponent leads the next turn. 1000 cost can be spent per card to interrupt any phase of the battle for an attack/counter-attack. Ever since the total cost a district can spend in one game was restricted to GDP, only 19 districts are capable of using this rule (needing a GDP of at least $1M), and only 10 districts could use it more than twice.

TURN 1

• Offense: Italy plays "Splendore of Italy" (Cost: 41), dealing x10 damage per the difference in the previous year's tourist count.

• Counter: France plays "My Home is the Best in the World!" (Cost: 59), negating all tourism-related cards by the opponent and dealing x15 damage per the difference in tourist count.

• Result: France is #1, Italy is #5, 4x15=60, Italy is given 60 damage. (Apparently, this was among France's strongest cards, and would've been worse for Germany or Japan, so it was good for Italy to be the victim).

TURN 2

• Offense: France plays "Servants of Light" (Cost: 21), dealing 40 damage (plus the difference) if the value of the opponent's service trade is less than District 33 (France); along with "Fire Strike" (Cost: 2), restricting the cards the opponent can play to only industry related cards, remaining in play until 1/50th of the opponent's cost is spent, and allowing 1 random card of the opponent to be destroyed while still spending its cost. England plays a support card, "Beefy Boost" (Cost: 8), multiplying damage by 1.5.

• Counter: Germany plays "Strength in Innovation and Licensing" (Cost: 4), nullifying a card effect if the player's "license balance" is more than twice the opponent's, or reducing damage otherwise; along with "Efficient Strike Countermeasures" (Cost: 3), removing strike-related effect cards; and "Euro Synergy" (Cost: 8), dealing x10 damage for every card played by District 49 to any EU member on the opposing team. If there are multiple EU members, the damage will be divided among them.

• Result: France and England's cards are nullified, and France is dealt 30 damage.

TURN 3

• Offense: America spends $1000 to "interrupt" the opponent's turn. America plays "American Blitz Spend" (Cost: 200), restricting the opponent to play only one card and of at least 100 cost, or else the opponent must accept 200 damage or end the game.

• Counter: Japan plays "Duty Equalizer" (Cost: 120), dealing x10 damage (applied immediately) to all players per the ranking of financial contribution to the District Federation Headquarters (UN). Unless canceled by a card effect in the next turn, all this damage will be concentrated onto any players who have not paid their dues to the District Federation.

• Result: America dealt 10 damage, China dealt 20 damage, Japan dealt 30 damage, Germany dealt 40 damage, England dealt 50 damage, France dealt 60 damage, Italy dealt 70 damage, Russia dealt 130 damage.

• Japan pays 10 cost to specify China to respond.

• Counter?: China figures out that America is the "tax defaulter" and decides not to nullify Japan's card, instead playing "Super Cute Panda Diplomacy" (Cost: 5), requiring an opponent to name 1 of their favorite things about pandas (or receive x10 damage) for every panda their district received from District 86 (China).

• Result 2: Japan's card was not nullified and America is the only one who has not paid his dues, therefore, America is dealt 410 damage. Japan has 8 pandas from China and has to name 8 cute things.

Turn 4

• Offense: Russia plays The Yoke of the Shining Pipeline (Cost: 120), dealing 1 damage per every $100 million worth of natural gas traded from District 7 to all players; along with Frozen Spear (Cost: 250), continuing the effect of Yoke of the Shining Pipeline until 500 cost is spent; and Work! Work! Riches Will Come (Cost: 5), restricting opponents to only playing cards related to natural resources.

• Counter: Italy plays O, Beautiful Marble (Cost: 3), reducing next turn's damage by 10. Germany plays Forgotten Lignite Flame (Cost: 13), allowing an opponent's card to be chosen next turn to have its cost doubled; along with Salt is Good but Not in Excess (Cost: 26), dealing 30 damage to a specific opponent. Japan plays Stone Blade, Carver of Mountains and Rivers (Cost: 8), allowing an opponent's card to be chosen next turn to have its effect delayed by 1 turn.

• Result: Japan dealt 18 damage, France dealt 21+30 damage, England dealt 12 damage, China dealt 22 damage, and Italy dealt 120 damage.

TURN 4

• Offense: (Italy pays 10 cost to specify England as the opponent?) Italy plays Pasta Champion (Cost: 20), dealing 50 damage to districts that import over 10B euros worth of pasta; along with Golden Olive Oil (Cost: 10), doubling damage if the opponent does not play 3 or more food-related cards this turn; and Grapes of Victory (Cost: 10), doubling damage if the opponent does not play 3 food related cards this turn. Germany plays Wuhuu! Clothes? Don't Need 'em! (Cost: 40), requiring the opponent to either exceed the total cost or total damage by one of the team members, or be forced to either take on all ongoing effects (Russia's card effect) or hand in all the clothes they're currently wearing.

• Counter: England plays Revenge of the Toppings (Cost: 20), dealing damage on a selected player depending on the difference of how their districts rank pineapple pizza; along with Soggy Biscuit (Cost: 4), dealing 10 damage and requiring a biscuit to be thrown into the drinks of the opponents; and Three-Tiered Scheme (Cost: 3), increasing damage by 1.1 if any opposing members enjoyed afternoon tea within the past month.

• Result: Germany activates his previous card effect to raise the cost of "Revenge of the Toppings", Japan activates his previous card effect to delay "Three-Tiered Scheme" by one turn. The difference of pizza rankings is 13, failing to negate "Wuhuu! Clothes? Don't Need 'em!" However, America pays 1000 cost to interrupt.

• Interruption: America plays World Police Enforcement (Cost 100), negating any effect that is detrimental to the Big 5.

• Result 2: The effect of The Yoke of the Shining Pipeline is ended by reaching the 500 minimum. The effect of "Wuhuu! Clothes? Don't Need 'em!" is negated. A biscuit is thrown into Germany's, Italy's, and Japan's drinks. Italy is dealt (10?) damage.

TURN 5

• Offense: America plays Global Box Office, dealing damage 5 times the number of District 1 movies ranked in the opponent's annual Top 20 box office; along with Sequel Rights (Cost: 15), raising damage to x8 per movie if more than 15 District 1 movies are ranked in their Top 20; and Franchise Marketing (Cost: 10), requiring 10 cost to be paid by the opponents for every District 1 movie in their Top 20. England plays The Crown's Subversion (Cost: 6), increasing damage of film cards by 10%. China plays Silver Screen Great Wall (Cost: 10), increasing movie card effects by x.2 per card and doubling cost of any District 1 movie cards. Russia plays Pre-show Service (Cost: 5), dealing +10 damage to districts with 300+ movie productions a year. France plays Machin 33 (Cost: 33), dealing 1 damage for every time a district states the popularity of District 33's movies there.

• Counter: India plays Eternal Dance, dealing 5% damage of the difference in number of annual films produced by the opponent. Brazil plays Samba Commando: The Block of Ruin, targetting one support card from the opponent. Germany plays The Ultimate Lens, concentrating all damage to the opponents onto one player and dealing 20 damage for every movie related card played. Japan plays The Counterattack of Kaiju King, reflecting back 20% of the total estimated damage of entertainment card by the opponents. Italy plays Fairy Dust, covering the venue in sparkles and glitter.

• Result: England's card is chosen to be destroyed and opponent damage is chosen to be concentrated on America. However, America pays 1000 cost to interrupt.

• Interruption: America plays Global Inclusion Mandate, negating effects of cards that do not satisfy "Global Standards."

• Counter: Japan plays The Realms Are Sealed, nullifying any card effects based on political considerations.

• Result: "Global Inclusion Mandate" is nullified.

• Interruption: India pays 1000 cost to interrupt, and plays Spice Law, returning the state of any card played that threatens a movie card by District 91. Italy pays 1000 Cost for Brazil to interrupt and play a card. America pays 1000 Cost to interrupt and play a card. France pays 1000 Cost to interrupt and play a card. China pays 3000 Cost to interrupt and play 3 cards. India pays another 1000 Cost to interrupt and play another card. China pays another 1000 Cost to interrupt and play another card...