RulesPal
Chat
Rulebook
FAQ
3000 Scoundrels thumbnail

3000 Scoundrels

18 questions players ask about 3000 Scoundrels, answered in plain words and graded by where the answer comes from. See also the full rulebook.

Updated 2026-10-28.

  • Playing the Game
  • Reputation
  • Stealing Safes
  • Scoundrel Abilities

Playing the Game

Does the Sheriff's Office refresh the Saloon when nobody hires?

The rulebook describes this order explicitly.

  • 3000 Scoundrels rulebook · Rulebook · Sheriff's Office
  • Purple · Community · 2022-10-15
  • dhc3po · Community · 2022-10-08

Yes — when you use the Sheriff's Office, you first discard the rightmost scoundrel in the Saloon, then the Saloon refills (a new scoundrel goes in the leftmost space), and only then do you pick your Sheriff option. So the Saloon changes every turn.

When can I reorganize my scoundrels, and can I trigger newly adjacent abilities afterwards?

The designer confirmed this directly and it fits the rulebook.

  • Mendosa · Designer · 2023-08-08
  • 3000 Scoundrels rulebook · Rulebook · Hiring a Scoundrel
  • Halloumiface · Community · 2022-11-06

Reorganizing means moving your scoundrels to different spaces on your sheet, and you can do it only when you hire a scoundrel. The designer confirmed this applies when you hire from the discard pile too, and abilities then resolve according to the new arrangement.

What do the white response arrows between scoundrels mean?

The rulebook's Response section explains this.

  • 3000 Scoundrels rulebook · Rulebook · Response
  • ikoni · Community · 2022-10-23
  • ikoni · Community · 2023-07-02

A scoundrel with a white arrow instead of a poker card icon is used immediately after you use the adjacent scoundrel the arrow connects it to. It cannot be activated on its own, so a chain needs a scoundrel with a normal trigger at its start.

When are played poker cards cleared from the slots?

The rulebook's End of Day steps state this.

  • 3000 Scoundrels rulebook · Rulebook · End of Day
  • rickert · Community · 2025-05-27

They are collected at the end of the day, not after each turn: you shuffle the cards you played that day and put them on the bottom of your deck.

Reputation

Do players start at 0 reputation?

The designer answered this directly and the rulebook setup agrees.

  • Mendosa · Designer · 2023-01-11
  • 3000 Scoundrels rulebook · Rulebook · Setup
  • UnexpectedGames · Community · 2023-01-09

Yes — every player starts on the 0 space of the reputation track, and the tech value printed on the space you end on is your reputation score for the game's end.

Can reputation go above 6 or below -2?

Players point to glossary wording; no explicit rule states the limits.

  • ikoni · Community · 2022-10-22
  • ikoni · Community · 2022-10-22

No — the track runs from -2 to 6 and tokens stop at the ends. Card glossary entries for abilities such as Con Artist and Talkative assume these limits.

Can I use an ability that costs reputation when I cannot lose any more?

Several players and a glossary-based reading agree; no official ruling.

  • Mayaheine · Community · 2022-11-07
  • UnexpectedGames · Community · 2022-11-07
  • Mayaheine · Community · 2022-11-07

No — an ability can be used only if you can pay its cost, and losing reputation counts as a cost. At the bottom of the track you cannot use it; the rulebook glossary says this for Con Artist (cannot be used at -2 reputation).

Stealing Safes

How many safes can I hold?

The rulebook's Safe Limit section states this.

  • 3000 Scoundrels rulebook · Rulebook · Safe Limit
  • Mayaheine · Community · 2023-01-18
  • UnexpectedGames · Community · 2022-10-05
  • rickert · Community · 2026-10-03

No more than the current day number: one on day 1, two on day 2, three on day 3 (extended game). If you steal beyond that, look at the safe and abandon one of your safes back to its site; you may abandon the one you just stole.

Do all marks on a safe score, or only those matching its value?

The rulebook's scouting section describes matching marks.

  • 3000 Scoundrels rulebook · Rulebook · Scouting Safes
  • Razbot · Community · 2025-05-28

Only marks whose number matches the safe's value count. Each matching mark is worth one extra tech to whoever steals the safe; false numbers score nothing.

Scoundrel Abilities

Does a Cow job pay twice if it has the 2X trait?

The designer confirmed this directly.

  • Mendosa · Designer · 2024-09-11

Yes — the designer confirmed you gain the reward twice (for example $5 doubled to $10) and then discard the card.

Can Cowardly trigger once per henchman freed when I Post Bail for two?

The designer cited the once-per-turn rule, which the rulebook repeats.

  • Mendosa · Designer · 2023-07-25
  • 3000 Scoundrels rulebook · Rulebook · Frequently Overlooked Rules
  • iceman23 · Community · 2023-07-25

No — each scoundrel can be used only once per turn, so Cowardly triggers once even if Post Bail frees two henchmen.

Does the Butler's cost apply once or per opponent?

One thread's players agree; no official ruling.

  • UnexpectedGames · Community · 2023-01-09

You pay the $3 once, and every opponent loses 1 reputation, provided the scoundrel's timing condition is met.

Can I free another player's henchman?

The rulebook says you can free henchmen belonging to any player.

  • 3000 Scoundrels rulebook · Rulebook · Sheriff's Office
  • UnexpectedGames · Community · 2022-10-10

Yes — Post Bail and similar effects let you free henchmen belonging to any player, so you can satisfy a card's free-a-henchman requirement without having jailed henchmen yourself. It can also be part of a deal.

If a scoundrel's trait and job both discard it, is it discarded once?

One player confirmed it; no official ruling.

  • UnexpectedGames · Community · 2024-04-15

Yes — it is discarded only once. With Loyal plus a Cow job, Loyal discards the card when hired, so the job never resolves.

Which deck does Abomination's scout look at?

Based on one player quoting the card text; the rulebook glossary clarifies the shuffle is optional.

  • leafbreath · Community · 2023-10-04

The top card of any poker deck, yours or an opponent's. The glossary says to put the card back on top before deciding whether you want to shuffle that deck.

What is discarded when a Lawyer or Bounty Hunter says to discard?

One player explained the card wording; no official ruling.

  • Mayaheine · Community · 2022-10-31

The scoundrel card itself: the Lawyer is discarded for its reputation gain and the Bounty Hunter for its jailing effect.

Is the Legendary Dog discarded when used?

One player confirmed it; no official ruling.

  • UnexpectedGames · Community · 2022-12-07

Yes — its inspect ability discards the card, though it can still combine with other abilities that turn.

In what order does a When hired scoundrel resolve and get discarded?

The rulebook's Timing Text section states this.

  • 3000 Scoundrels rulebook · Rulebook · Timing Text
  • FponkDamn · Community · 2022-10-31

You use its abilities as soon as you hire it, then discard it. It is never placed on your sheet.