Bag of Bugs
Bag of Bugs Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 50 Bug tokens in 5 colors (10 for each color)
- 10 Scary Bug tokens
- 10 Larva tokens
- 2 Wind tokens
- 13 Rock tokens
- 5 Grab tokens (numbered 1 to 5)
- 1 bag
Game Overview
Drawing
Number of tokens to draw from the bag (unless a 2nd Rock is revealed):
| Players | Tokens |
|---|---|
| 5 | Up to 9 |
| 4 | Up to 8 |
| 3 | Up to 6 |
Rocks
- If only 1 has been drawn, put it back into the bag.
- If you have drawn 2, set them aside in a stack.
Number of Rock stacks needed to end the game:
| Players | Rocks |
|---|---|
| 5 | 6 pairs (12 Rocks) |
| 4 | 5 pairs (10 Rocks) |
| 3 | 4 pairs (8 Rocks) |
Wind
Give 1 token from your collection to the player on your left, then put the Wind back into the bag.
Scoring
- Each Bug type: 1 Bug = 1 point; 2 Bugs = 3 points; 3 Bugs = 6 points; 4 or more Bugs = 0 points.
- At least 1 Bug of every type: +5 points (only once).
- Each Larva: 3 points.
- Each Scary Bug: -1 point.
- If you have the most Scary Bugs: -2 points.
Setup
Place all 5 Grab tokens in the center of the table in numerical order (from 1 to 5), in reach of all players.
Before starting the game, remove tokens from the bag according to the number of players:
| 5-Player Games | 4-Player Games | 3-Player Games |
|---|---|---|
| Use all tokens | remove 2 tokens of each type (except for Wind tokens) | remove 4 tokens of each type (except for Wind tokens) |
Then, put all the other tokens into the bag and mix them well.
Finally, randomly choose a starting player and give them the bag.
Playing The Game
The game is played over a series of turns. In each turn, the player holding the bag, the Drawer, reveals tokens one at a time, placing them in a shared pool visible to everyone. This is the only thing the Drawer can do during their turn.
As the pool grows, the other players, the Grabbers, watch closely. When they feel the moment is right, they reach out and take one of the available Grab tokens of their choice. Each Grabber may claim at most 1 Grab token per turn, and it's first-come-first-served! Once taken, a Grab token cannot be taken away, returned or exchanged.
The Drawer continues pulling tokens until they either reach the token limit or a 2nd Rock token appears. The token limit depends on the number of players:
| 5-Player Games | 4-Player Games | 3-Player Games |
|---|---|---|
| 9 tokens | 8 tokens | 6 tokens |
To make this clear for everyone, the Drawer must count the tokens as they draw them from the bag out loud. As soon as either of these limits is met, the Drawer stops immediately and no more Grab tokens may be taken.
When the Drawer stops drawing for the turn, remove any Rock tokens from the pool.
- If only 1 Rock token was revealed, return it to the bag.
- If 2 Rock tokens were revealed, set them aside as a pair to keep track of the game's progress (see End of the Game).
Then, the Grabbers resolve the Grab tokens they have taken (see below).
Resolving Grab Tokens
Resolve the Grab tokens that were taken in numerical order, from 1 to 5. A claimed Grab token must be resolved, even if its effect forces a player to take unwanted tokens. If a Grabber didn't claim a Grab token, they won't take any tokens from the pool this turn.
- Take 1 token from the largest group of identical tokens in the pool. If more than one group is tied for largest, choose one of those groups.
- Take 1 token from the smallest group of identical tokens in the pool. If more than one group is tied for smallest, choose one of those groups.
- Take 2 identical tokens from the pool. If there are no 2 identical tokens, take only 1 token.
- Take 2 different tokens from the pool. If only 1 type of token is available, take just 1 token of that type.
- Take 3 different tokens from the pool. If fewer than 3 different types are available, take 1 token of each available type.
The Drawer Takes or Returns Leftovers
After all claimed Grab tokens have been resolved, if any tokens remain in the pool, the Drawer must choose one of the following:
- take all remaining tokens from the pool, or
- return all remaining tokens to the bag.
Adding Tokens to Collections
Players keep any Bug, Larva, and Scary Bug tokens they collect in front of them, grouped by type. Keeping matching tokens together makes it easier to evaluate your score during the game.
Resolving Wind Tokens
Wind tokens are never added to a collection. As soon as a Wind token is collected, you must immediately choose any 1 token from your collection and give it to the player on your left. After resolving the Wind token, return it to the bag.
Cleanup
At the end of the turn, return all 5 Grab tokens to the center of the table, ordered from 1 to 5. Then, pass the bag to the next player in clockwise order and begin a new turn.
End of the Game
The game ends when a certain number of Rock pairs have been set aside:
| 5-Player Games | 4-Player Games | 3-Player Games |
|---|---|---|
| 6 pairs (12 Rock tokens) | 5 pairs (10 Rock tokens) | 4 pairs (8 Rock tokens) |
When this happens, complete the current turn as normal, then proceed to scoring.
Scoring
At the end of the game, players score their Bugs and Larvae, then lose points for their Scary Bugs.
You gain points separately for each Bug type according to how many matching Bugs you collected:
| 1 Bug | 2 Bugs | 3 Bugs | 4 or more Bugs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 point | 3 points | 6 points | 0 points |
In addition, any player who has collected at least 1 Bug of every type (not counting Scary Bugs) gains an additional 5 bonus points.
You gain 3 points for each Larva in your collection.
You lose 1 point for each Scary Bug in your collection. The player with the most Scary Bugs loses an additional 2 points. If multiple players are tied for most Scary Bugs, they all suffer the penalty.
The player with the highest total score wins. If there is a tie, victory is shared.
Scoring Example
A player has 4 Bugs of one type (0 points), 3 Bugs of a second type (6), 2 Bugs of a third type (3), 1 Bug of a fourth type (1), 1 Bug of a fifth type (1), 1 Larva (3), and 3 Scary Bugs (-3, and -2 for being the player with the most Scary Bugs). Having at least 1 Bug of every type gives +5.