3 Laws of Robotics Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Quick Setup
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • Round Setup
  • Round Gameplay
• Law Cards & Error Enforcement
• Game End
• Example Questions

Overview

3 Laws of Robotics is played over four rounds. Every round, each player will get a Faction Card that's shown to every player but themselves.

Players ask a single question in turn to gain information about their own faction and rank. Players then choose to give their security key to one player, in hopes that they've properly identified the highest-ranking member of their own faction. Factions where the leader is the only one with keys gain victory points.

Each round, new laws are added, giving the players new rules to follow and enforce. If a player is caught breaking a law, the enforcer will score additional points at the end of the round.

Ask the right questions to find your faction, obey the laws, and boot up victorious in 3 Laws of Robotics!

Components

• Faction Cards
• Law Cards
• Victory Point Cards
• Security Key Cards
• Enforcement Tokens
• Start Player Token

Quick Setup

1. Law & Victory Point Cards: Shuffle both decks separately. Place the Law Cards in the center and the Victory Point Cards off to the side.
2. Enforcement Tokens: Create a supply equal to Player Count + 2.
3. Faction Deck: Set up based on Player Count.

Players	Factions	Ranks
4 players	Any 2 factions	1 through 4
5 players	All 3 factions	1 through 4
6 players	All 3 factions	1 through 4
7 players	All 3 factions	1 through 5
8 players	All 3 factions	1 through 5

Round Setup

1. Security Keys: Give everyone a Security Key Card.
2. Factions: Give each player a Faction Card, face-down.

Setup

1. Set up the Faction Deck based on Player Count:

Player Count	Factions	Ranks
4 players	Any 2 factions	1 through 4
5 players	All 3 factions	1 through 4
6 players	All 3 factions	1 through 4
7 players	All 3 factions	1 through 5
8 players	All 3 factions	1 through 5

Place all unused Faction Cards in the box. 2. Shuffle the Law Cards; Put them in the center of the table. 3. Shuffle the Victory Point Cards; set them aside. 4. Create a supply of Enforcement Tokens equal to the Player Count + 2. Place all unused Enforcement Tokens in the box. 5. Randomly select a start player.

Suggestion: Select the player who most recently talked to a computer.

Gameplay

Each game is played over four rounds. The setup for each round is the same except for the Law Cards.

For a group that has played before, or with a larger group, feel free to skip Round 1, instead starting on Round 2.

Round Setup

1. Give each player a Security Key Card. Place the remaining cards in the box.
2. Reveal new Law Cards (skip this during the first round):
   • Round 2: 1 Law Card
   • Round 3: 2 Law Cards
   • Round 4: 3 Law Cards
3. Shuffle the Faction Cards and give one to each player face-down. Players should not yet reveal or look at their cards. Set aside the other Faction Cards face-down.

Round Gameplay

1. Wake Up. Without looking at their own cards, all players simultaneously hold up their Faction Cards for each other to see.

   Laws enforced: Once Faction Cards are held up, laws are in effect and may be enforced by all players. More details on laws later — there are no Laws during the first round.

2. Query. Beginning with the start player, the current player must query any other player. The questioned player must then respond but does not need to tell the truth. Other players are not allowed to speak at this time.

   • The primary goal of a query is for a player to discover their faction and rank without revealing useful information to members of other factions.
   • Players may ask any question they would like. A list of example questions can be found in the Example Questions section.

   Unless a player knows there is an advantage to lying, it's usually best to tell the truth — lying may throw off their own teammates without knowing it!

   Continue: Continuing clockwise, the next player presents their query, and so on, until each player has queried one other player.

3. Transfer. Beginning with the start player, the current player chooses to give their Security Key(s) to one other player or keep them. The receiving player may reject these keys, in which case they will stay with the current player.

   Continue: Continuing clockwise, the next player chooses to Transfer or keep their Security Key(s), and so on, until all players have gone.

   Players are not allowed to share or discuss information about factions or ranks during this phase.

4. Reveal. All players simultaneously reveal their Faction Cards, placing them face-up on the table in front of them. Once Faction Cards are revealed, laws are no longer enforced.

Law Cards & Error Enforcement

Beginning with the second round, Law Cards will be introduced. Law Cards add rules that each player must follow during most of gameplay. (Transcriber note: the printed page reads "most of of gameplay"; the duplicated word is corrected here.) Players with Enforcement Tokens will gain Victory Point Cards at the end of the round.

If a player catches another player breaking the rules of a Law Card, they may call "Error" on that player.

• The calling player gains one Enforcement Token from the supply.
• If there are no tokens in the supply, the calling player gains one from the player with the most (or tied for most, moving clockwise from the start player).

If a player calls "Error" on someone who was not breaking a law, another player may accuse the calling player of "Error."

• The calling player gains no Enforcement Tokens.
• The accusing player gains one Enforcement Token from the calling player (or from the supply if they have none).

Example: Ben calls "Error" on Emily, but Emily was not breaking any of the laws. Mari (or any player) may then call "Error" on Ben, taking an Enforcement Token from Ben, or from the supply if he has none.

Game End

After the final round, players reveal their Victory Point Cards. The Player with the highest Victory Point total is the winner!

Ties are broken by the player closest to the Start Player.

Example Questions

These are a few suggestions for queries, but making them up is encouraged!

• "Am I the highest rank you see?"
• "Am I in the same faction as Emily?"
• "Am I an android like you are?"
• "Do you think we're members of the same faction?"
• "Is my rank either 3 or 4?"
• "Am I the same rank as he is?"
• "How many robots do you see?"