The Game

Deck Building. Dice Rolling. Championship Glory.

Squared Circle Showdown brings the drama of professional wrestling to your tabletop in 30–45 minutes. Choose your Gimmick, build your Talent deck, and manage your Work Pool as you trade moves with your opponent in a race toward pinfall, submission, or knockout — with double dice rolls turning the tide when it matters most.

Deck Building

Construct a precise 25-card Talent deck within a 60-point budget. Primary Talents cost less but define your Gimmick's style. Secondary Talents add flexibility. Universal Talents round out any strategy.

The Work Pool

Your Work Pool is your resource engine — spend it to play cards, attempt pins, and execute special actions. Manage it carefully. Run dry and you're at your opponent's mercy. Or force them dry first.

Tournament Ready

Built for organised play from day one. Swiss rounds, single elimination brackets, and the WrestleCon Grand Prix format are all supported, with full judge guides and bracket management included.

Gateway to the RPG

Squared Circle Showdown is the competitive introduction to the full All Star Wrestlers Investigate RPG experience. The Gimmicks, Talents, and world carry across both products.

Core Set

The Four Gimmicks

Each Gimmick Card defines your starting Work Pool, Work Die type, special ability, and which Talents are Primary (cheaper to include in your deck). The core set includes four distinct playstyles.

The Strongman
Power-based bruiser
Work Die: d10
Primary Talents
  • Power Moves
  • Strikes
  • Unstoppable
  • Pain Resistance
The Technician
Technical wrestling master
Work Die: d8
Primary Talents
  • Submissions
  • Chain Wrestling
  • Psychology
  • Ring Awareness
The High-Flyer
Aerial assault specialist
Work Die: d8
Primary Talents
  • Off the Top
  • Acrobatics
  • High Spots
  • Strikes
The Brawler
Hardcore street fighter
Work Die: d12
Primary Talents
  • Brawling
  • Strikes
  • Improvised Weapons
  • Pain Resistance
The Signature Mechanic

The Doubles Rule

When Both Dice Match, Everything Changes.

Every roll of 2d10 carries the possibility of doubles — matching numbers on both dice. At roughly one-in-five odds, doubles are frequent enough to matter and rare enough to electrify the table when they land. They are the comeback engine, the momentum shift, the moment the crowd goes wild.

~19% probability per roll · 10 possible combinations

Instant Work Pool Recovery

Regain 1 Work Pool immediately — whether the move succeeds or fails. Even a botched attempt rewards the attempt.

Card Return on Success

If the move met its Target Number, the card returns to your hand instead of going to the discard pile. Play it again next turn.

Momentum Shift

Behind on damage? Running low on cards? A doubles roll resets the calculus. The match isn't over until it's over.

Ending the Match

Win Conditions

Four distinct paths to victory. Each rewards a different strategic approach and keeps every match unpredictable until the final roll.

I
Win Condition
Pinfall
Drive your opponent's Damage to 10 or higher, move to Centre Ring, and spend 2 Work Pool to attempt the pin. They must roll 2d10 + TF against a target of 15 to kick out.
Requires: 10+ Damage · Centre Ring · 2 WP
II
Win Condition
Submission
Play a Submission Talent card successfully to force a Submission Save. The target number varies by card (12–15). Some submissions can be maintained across turns for escalating pressure.
Requires: Successful Submission Talent card
III
Win Condition
Knockout
Reduce your opponent to 0 Work Pool. If they cannot or choose not to Rest, they cannot continue. Alternatively, attempt a pin while they're at 0 WP for an automatic victory.
Requires: Opponent at 0 Work Pool
IV
Tournament Option
Submission Accumulation
Track failed Submission Saves across the match. After three failures — from any combination of submissions — the opponent taps out automatically. Rewards a grinding submission game plan.
Requires: 3 cumulative failed Submission Saves
How Each Turn Works

Turn Structure

Each turn follows four clean phases. Simple to learn, deep to master.

1
Recovery
Regain 1 Work Pool automatically, or skip the entire turn to Rest and regain 3 instead. At 0 WP, you must Rest.
2
Draw
Draw 1 Talent Card from your deck. If your deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile and draw from the new deck.
3
Action
Play up to 2 Talent Cards. Announce, pay the WP cost, roll 2d10 against the Target Number, and resolve. Special actions (pin attempts, position moves) are also available.
4
End
Check hand limit (maximum 7 cards). Discard down to 7 if needed. Resolve any end-of-turn effects. Pass to your opponent.
Construction Rules

Building Your Deck

The deck building rules are the strategic heart of Squared Circle Showdown. Your 25-card deck is your toolkit, your identity, and your edge.

Core Rules

Deck Size Exactly 25 cards
Construction Budget 60 points
Primary Talents (max) 15 cards
Secondary Talents (max) 10 cards
Copies of any single card Maximum 3
Universal Talents No limit

Point Costs

Primary Talent Cards 2 pts each
Secondary Talent Cards 4 pts each
Universal Talent Cards 2–3 pts each
Restricted Cards 6–8 pts each

Example: 12 Primary (24pts) + 5 Secondary (20pts) + 8 Universal (16pts) = 60 points, 25 cards.

Organised Play

Tournament Formats

Squared Circle Showdown is built for competitive play from store championships to major convention championships. Three official formats support any player count or event scope.

Single Elimination
Best for: Large events, time-limited play
Classic bracket play. One loss and you're out. Fast, dramatic, and immediately understandable to spectators. 16 players complete in approximately 3 hours.
Swiss Rounds
Best for: Competitive balance, more matches
All players play a set number of rounds, paired by record. No elimination until the cut to Top 8. Better players reliably rise to the top.
Round Robin Pods
Best for: Small groups, maximum fairness
Everyone plays everyone in their pod. Top finishers advance to a finals bracket. Maximum matches per player, maximum opportunity to recover from a rough start.

WrestleCon Grand Prix

The premier ASWI tournament experience. Designed for 32–64 players over a full day event, the Grand Prix format builds from preliminary matches to a fully produced main event championship finals — complete with entrance music, ring announcer, live commentary, and belt presentation. Every match tells a story; the Grand Prix makes it a spectacle.

Product Roadmap

Expansions

Three expansions extend the Squared Circle Showdown experience with new Gimmicks, new mechanics, and entirely new ways to win.

EXP 1

The Managers

Two new Gimmick Cards (Manager and Tag Team Specialist), 50 new Talent Cards, manager interference mechanics, and full tag team rules including the Hot Tag mechanic. Two new miniatures included.

EXP 2

Enhanced Talent

The Jobber and Ring Announcer Gimmicks join the roster, bringing commentary and crowd support mechanics. Jobber's "Make Others Look Good" and Announcer hype bonuses create entirely new strategic layers.

EXP 3

Hardcore Havoc

Weapon card decks, extreme match rules, tables/ladders/chairs, blood and injury tokens, and a hardcore match board overlay transform Squared Circle Showdown into a no-disqualification brawl.