Alpaca Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Objective
• Setup
  • Alpaca card description
• Gameplay
  • 1. Playing alpacas to activate their abilities
  • 2. Purchasing an alpaca
  • 3. Placing an alpaca in the farm
    • Building a Fence
• End of the game
• List of keywords
• List of cards
• Game flow (summary card)
• Credits

Components

• 24 Puppy alpaca cards
• 4 Noble alpaca cards
• 4 Snob alpaca cards
• 16 Fence Under Construction cards
• 1 comic card
• 1 summary card
• This rulebook
• 32 white alpaca cards (20 stacks of 4 cards each, with different alpacas)
• 48 brown alpaca cards (20 stacks of 4 cards each, with different alpacas)
• 16 Fence tiles (+2 extra ones)
• 1 alpaca miniature for the first player

Game Objective

In this game, you will have the chance to become the best alpaca farmer around! So your challenge is to create the farm with the most valuable alpacas.

Setup

1. Each player receives a starting deck consisting of 4 Fence Under Construction cards + 6 Puppy cards. They shuffle it, place it face down next to them and draw 5 cards to form their starting hand. The remaining Puppy and Fence Under Construction cards will not be used in this game.

2. Create an area in the centre of the table (hereafter referred to as the Marketplace) which will initially contain the following 12 face-up decks:

   • 1 Noble cards deck
   • 1 Snob cards deck
   • 6 brown alpaca decks
   • 4 white alpaca decks

   Each deck consists of 4 identical cards. The only exception is the Noble alpaca deck, which contains 4 different cards, albeit with the same values: Alpaking, Alpaqueen, Alpaprince and Alpaprincess.

3. You can randomly pick which alpaca decks to include or choose them yourself, as long as you always maintain the above indicated quantity of brown and white alpacas. Snobs and Nobles, on the other hand, must always be included. Depending on the decks you use, different strategies will be possible. We recommend that you place the decks in the Marketplace by sorting them according to their value (from the cheapest to the most expensive deck). Finally leave a space which will be reserved for the Puppy cards.

   2 players: if you want a quicker challenge, remove 1 alpaca from each of the decks at the beginning of the game.

4. Place the Fence tiles in a general reserve within reach of all of the players.

5. The person who has petted an alpaca most recently is the first player and gets the glorious alpaca miniature. If no one has ever petted an alpaca, that is bad! Very bad! Go and pet one immediately!

Alpaca card description

For an in-depth explanation of all cards, see section "List of Cards" below.

1. Active ability
2. Passive ability
3. Coins
4. Value
5. Name

Gameplay

During the game, players will take their turns clockwise. During each turn, the following actions will be possible, in any order:

1. Playing alpacas to activate their abilities.
2. Purchasing an alpaca (maximum 1 per turn).
3. Placing an alpaca in the Farm (maximum 1 per turn).

When a player is unable or unwilling to take any more actions, they discard all the cards they still have in their hand, place the cards played during the turn (except those behind Fences) in the discard pile and draw 5 new cards.

Attention: if, at any time, you need to draw a card but the drawing deck has run out, any discards are immediately shuffled to form a new draw pile. It may happen that there are no discards to shuffle, in which case no further cards can be drawn.

1. Playing alpacas to activate their abilities

As many times as you want, during your turn, you can play an alpaca from your hand to activate the ability described on the card. Some abilities have the words "Free me" or "Free". "Freeing an alpaca" means that it should not be placed into your discard pile, but it goes back to its deck in the Marketplace.

Passive abilities: these abilities are always written in a blue balloon and are activated only when the alpaca is behind a Fence, not when it is played.

Important: if you play an alpaca for its ability, it will not be possible to use the Coins shown on it to make a purchase during your turn.

Attention: if the ability of an alpaca contradicts the rules of the game, the ability always takes priority over them.

For further details on cards, refer to the section "List of Cards" below.

Example A: during her turn, Lidia plays the Consumerist alpaca in front of her, giving up the possibility to spend the 2 Coins shown. However, by doing so, she will be able to discard all the other cards in her hand (except for the Consumerist alpaca, which is on the table and will end up in the discards at the end of the turn, just like all the cards played for abilities or Coins) and draw 5 new cards.

2. Purchasing an alpaca

Once per turn, at any time, you can purchase an alpaca from one of the decks in the centre of the table. The cost of an alpaca is equal to its value, shown at the bottom right of the card on the wooden sign. To purchase it, you must play one or more alpacas from your hand with a number of Coins shown which is equal to or greater than the cost of the alpaca you wish to purchase. The alpaca you have bought should be placed in the discard pile immediately.

Attention: if you play an alpaca to purchase another alpaca, its special ability, if any, will not activate this turn.

Example B: Alessandro decides to play 2 Puppies and 1 Mime for a total of 4 Coins, the exact amount needed to purchase the Dreamer. Then, Alessandro places the newly purchased Dreamer at the top of his discard pile.

3. Placing an alpaca in the farm

Once per turn, at any time, you can place an alpaca in your Farm, complying with the following conditions:

1. There must be no alpacas with the same name already in your Farm.
2. There must be a Fence with enough free space (see "Building a Fence" below).
3. In your Farm, both Fences and alpaca cards placed behind them must always be added from left to right. Once an Alpaca has been placed behind a Fence, it can never be moved again.

To place the alpaca behind a Fence with a free space, you take the desired alpaca card from your hand and slip it behind the Fence card. An alpaca behind a Fence can no longer be played to activate its ability or to take advantage of its Coins. However, if the alpaca has a passive ability (in the blue balloon), it becomes active now.

Attention: although it is possible to deduce the value of someone else's Farm, scores are secret. Therefore, a player cannot be asked either to move their Fences or to tell their current score.

Important: each Fence can contain a maximum of 2 alpacas; if there is no free space available, or no Fence in play, you must first build a new Fence.

Farm: it is the set of alpacas behind a player's Fences.

Building a Fence

In order to build a Fence during your turn, you must:

1. Remove a Fence Under Construction card from your hand and from the game.
2. Take a Fence tile from the reserve and place it in front of you, next to any other full Fence tiles already there.

Attention: you are allowed to build a Fence only when you need to put an alpaca in your Farm and have no space behind your Fences to do so. It is not possible to build a Fence and leave it empty.

Example C: Lidia wants to place the Accountant behind a Fence, but she has no free spaces. However, she also has a Fence Under Construction Card in her hand. She decides to remove the latter from the game and take a Fence tile from the general reserve. Now that she has a free Fence, she can place the Accountant behind it and she also has one space left for a future alpaca.

End of the game

When a player has filled their fourth Fence completely, the final phase begins: the game continues until the end of the last player's turn, that is, the one sitting to the right of the player with the alpaca miniature.

Important: if the last player fills their fourth Fence first, the game ends immediately.

At this point, you may remove the Fence tiles to sum the victory points that are in the bottom right corner of each card on the wooden signs (they are equal to the purchase cost of the alpaca).

Attention: some alpacas may have abilities that activate at the end of the game; always check the description of your cards.

The player with the highest total number of victory points is the winner! In case of a tie, whoever has the most alpacas behind their Fences wins. In case of a further tie, whoever has the most valuable alpaca behind their Fences wins, and if the tie persists, whoever has the most cards in their deck (including discards) wins. If there is still a tie at this point, you share the victory, because the world of the alpacas is a beautiful world.

Example D: Lidia fills the last space of her fourth Fence with an alpaca, triggering the end of the game. Alessandro still has a turn to take, but he fails to place his fourth Fence. At this point, they both lift up their Fence tiles and count the points indicated on their cards: Lidia scores 36 points (0+4+8+2+4+6+12), but Alessandro, despite having only three Fences, scores 39 (2+5+5+7+12+8) and wins the game.

List of keywords

• Draw: taking the card on top of the drawing deck.
• Free: placing an alpaca back in its pile in the Marketplace.
• Discard: placing a card on top of the discard pile.
• Reveal: showing one or more cards to the other players.

List of cards

Here you find a complete description of all the alpaca cards, in order of value.

Puppy – The baby alpaca does not have any abilities. The Puppy is part of each player's initial deck, but it is possible that in the course of the game it will be freed. In that case, it will have to be placed in the space left free during setup (see "Setup" above). From then on, it will be possible to purchase it from the Marketplace following the normal rules: it will cost you 0 Coins, but it still counts as a purchase for the purposes of the limit of purchases in the turn.

Fence Under Construction – This Fence is yet to be built. If you need to place an alpaca in your Farm, but have no free Fences, remove this card from the game and take a Fence tile from the general reserve. Place it in front of you, respecting the order of placement from left to right, and use it for your Farm.

Librarian – Sssh! Draw 2 more cards from your deck and add them to your hand but ... in a low voice!

Consumerist – To all impulsive shoppers, super offer! During your turn, as your first action, discard what is left of your hand and draw a new hand of cards!

Sweeper – To clean the area properly, put 1 alpaca from your discard pile back into the Marketplace. Check the Coins shown, double their value and add it to the Coins you will use this turn to purchase from the Marketplace!

Fighter – I am an alpaca freedom fighter, and I will continue my battle from behind the Fence! Every 2 alpacas left in your deck at the end of the game will earn you +1 point, except for Puppies.

Mime – I am really great at mimicking other alpacas! I can even copy the special ability of another alpaca behind your Fence. All effects of the copied ability apply to me as if they were written on its card: for example, if the copied ability is "Free me to..." the Mime will be placed in the Marketplace again.

Explorer – Adventure lovers, come to me! Look for your favourite alpaca in your deck and add it to your hand, then shuffle your deck (but NOT the discard pile!). When you play this card, if you do not have alpacas in your drawing deck, you may NOT shuffle the discard pile to create a new one.

Pacifist – Be generous to your neighbour, you will be rewarded! Give away an alpaca of your choice from your hand by placing it in an opponent's hand. The latter will have more purchasing power on their turn, but you can draw 3 cards! I am perfect to help you get rid of alpaca cards you no longer want in your deck.

Dreamer – I love dreaming because I know that if I want to, I can do anything. If I am behind a Fence, at the end of the game you must replace me with another alpaca of your choice from one of those left in the Marketplace, except for the Puppy. If I am behind the Fence of more than one player, the exchange is done according to whoever placed it first in their Farm (i.e., the player who has placed me furthest to the left behind their Fences); when positions are equal, you choose in turn order. The exchange is mandatory, even if the only alpacas still available have a lower value. If there are not enough valid alpacas in the Marketplace for everyone, the exchange takes place following the indicated order until there are no alpacas left in the Marketplace.

Accountant – Math is not an opinion, and knowing how to manage Farm finances well is crucial; therefore, know that if I am behind a Fence, the alpacas you purchase will cost you -1 Coin. Be sure to count properly!

Carpenter – Holy chips! I am a real Fence expert. Put me back in the Marketplace, and in return you can place an extra alpaca behind your Fence this turn.

Storekeeper – It's hard work, but it will be worth it, you will see: if I am behind a Fence, every time you finish your turn, or have to draw a new hand of cards for whatever reason, you will be able to draw 6 cards instead of the usual 5!

Anxious – They say anxiety is contagious. But I am quite calm, really! There is no need to panic! Everything will be fine. Maybe. When you play me, all players discard a random card from their hand but... be quick!

Woodcutter – I love the smell of chopped wood early in the morning! If you need to make planks of wood for your Fences, I am the right choice. Reveal your hand to the other players: if there are no Fence Under Construction cards, then you may draw 3 cards.

Noisemaker – Anyone who tells you I am annoying is only saying it out of envy. I am a perfect Fence mate. Put me behind any free Fence (even those of other players). The normal Fence rules must be respected, so there can't be more than one Annoying alpaca in a Farm. Once behind the Fence, the alpaca that will be with me at the end of the game will be worth 0 points! Who knows why?

Bargainer – Trust my experience as an entrepreneur and follow my advice: place an alpaca from your hand back into the Marketplace, then choose a new alpaca from the Marketplace that costs up to +2 Coins compared to the one you just freed. This is an exchange and not a purchase, so you can also purchase an alpaca during your turn.

Reveller – I am a real party animal and I like to have lots of friends! If you play me and purchase an alpaca, it will go straight into your hand this turn and not into the discard pile as per usual!

Viking – By Odin! Set me free and I will unleash hell! If you put me back into the Marketplace, all the other players will have to put the most valuable alpaca they have in their hand back into the Marketplace (if there are different alpacas with the same most value in the players' hands, the player who has to discard can choose among them). Obviously, an alpaca freed by the Viking's ability cannot use any 'free me' abilities it may have.

Ticket Clerk – Please respect the line! Exchange an alpaca of your choice from your hand for an alpaca (also of your choice) that is behind one of your Fences, and be sure to do so while respecting the normal Fence rules. This is an exchange, so on your turn you can still put an alpaca in the Farm.

Twins – No, you are not seeing double, we really are two! Therefore, if we are behind a Fence, you will have to count us as 2 alpacas. This means that even though we are on one card, we occupy a whole Fence. You cannot place us behind a Fence which already holds another alpaca, but in that case you can immediately build a new Fence just for us.

Graduate – I finally made it! Put me back in the Marketplace, and in return I will allow you to take 1 more turn after finishing the current one. You don't want to fall behind! It is a full turn, so after you finish taking actions, you will discard the rest of your hand and all cards played, draw a new hand of cards, and then... it will be your turn again!

Alpaking/Alpaqueen/Alpaprince/Alpaprincess – These prestigious noble-blooded alpacas have no special abilities, but they will reward you with great prestige and many victory points at the end of the game. And the nice thing is that, in accordance with the normal rules, you can have multiple Noble alpacas behind your Fences, because they all have different names... but you will find out that they are highly coveted.

Snob – To purchase this snob alpaca, instead of spending Coins, put 2 alpaca cards from your hand back into the Marketplace. The Snob is a great way to clean out your deck of alpaca cards you no longer want, but if you put it behind a Fence it will be worth 0 points.

Game flow (summary card)

The following actions can be carried out in any order:

1. Playing an alpaca to activate its ability. You can play an alpaca from your hand in front of you to activate its ability. Alpacas with passive abilities cannot be used this way: their abilities become active only after being placed behind a Fence.

2. Purchasing an alpaca (once per turn). You can take an alpaca from the Marketplace playing in front of you one or more alpacas from your hand until you have revealed at least as many Coins as its value. The purchased alpaca is discarded immediately.

3. Placing an alpaca in a Farm (once per turn). You can place an alpaca from your hand under a Fence with free space. If there is no space left, you must build a new Fence first.

   Building a new Fence – You can build a new Fence only if there is no space in the Farm for a new alpaca. Build a new Fence by removing a Fence Under Construction card from your hand (and from the game).

Discard all the cards that are still in your hand and all the cards you have played, except those placed behind Fences. Then draw 5 cards from your deck.

Credits

Edizioni GateOnGames — www.gateongames.com

• Game design: Christian Giove
• Illustrations: Stefano Tartarotti
• Game development: Christian Giove
• Supervision: Mario Cortese
• Graphic design: Margherita Cagnola
• Revision: Francesca Gherardi, Silvia Salis, Zachary Smith
• Translation: Silvia Salis
• Additional resources: thanks to Freepik for their fantastic DB of icons

Distribution by DungeonDice.it

Alpaca © 2023 Zerosem S.R.L. GateOnGames and DungeonDice are registered trademarks. All rights reserved.