Beer Money Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Starting the Game
• Objective
• Play
• Card Types
• Basic Attack Cards
• Weapon Cards
• Defense Cards
• Specialty Cards
• Mixing Games
• Example of Play

Starting the Game

Each player starts the game with 5 cards and 15 counters. You may use anything you like for counters: beer caps, pretzels, cigarette butts — whatever you have on hand. We recommend coins. The remaining cards are placed face down in a stack within reach of all players; this is the draw pile.

Heal: You may choose to play as many SELF HELP and REDEMPTION cards on your turn as are in your hand to restore lost counters. If you choose to heal, this is the only action you can take on your turn.

Discard: On your turn, you may discard up to 5 cards and draw back to 5 from the draw pile. If you choose to discard, this is the only action you can take on your turn.

Pass: You can choose to skip your turn if you like, though discarding and drawing to better your hand is generally a better idea.

Table Talk: Colorful banter is an important part of the game. Don't be afraid to use your imagination to come up with vivid descriptions of your attacks and defenses during play. And don't be surprised by the imaginative things your fellow players do to you in return. Remember, it's only a game!

Objective

Cards are played to cause your opponents to lose their counters — which are moved into a growing pool of lost counters in the middle of the play area — and to defend your own counter pile. A player who runs out of counters is unconscious and out of the game. So, the object of the game is to be the last person still standing.

Play

Play begins with the player to the left of the dealer. This player may initiate 1 action: he or she can attack, heal, discard, or pass. Other players may defend themselves in response. Once the action has been resolved, all players draw from the draw pile to bring their hands back to 5 cards, starting with the initiating player; drawing marks the end of the initiating player's turn. Play then proceeds clockwise around the table. The sequence of 1 turn for each player is called a round.

Attack: Attacks are made with Basic Attack, Weapon, and certain Specialty cards. A player announces the attack and the victim by placing 1 of these cards, face up, on the discard pile. The player being attacked may defend if he or she has an appropriate card by placing the card face up on the discard pile. The initial attack is sometimes followed with other cards that make a sequence called a combo. It's the attacker's responsibility to move the victim's lost counters into the central pool.

Defend: Defense cards include DODGE, BLOCK, and DISARMAMENT. HORROR OF HORRORS may also be used as a defense. These cards are played in response to another card played on you.

Card Types

There are 4 types of cards in the deck. Each type has its own coloration, to make it easy to recognize at a glance: Basic Attack cards (yellow), Defense cards (blue), Weapon cards (red), and Specialty cards (orange).

Basic Attack Cards

• COLDCOCK, DEATH FROM ABOVE, KICK², KICK⁴, KNUCKLE SAMMITCH, LOVE TAP, SMACK, SMITE, SUCKER PUNCH

Each of these cards has a number. This is the number of counters taken from your victim if nothing stops the attack. These cards may be DODGED or BLOCKED.

Weapon Cards

Each of these cards has a number. This is the number of counters taken from your victim if nothing stops the attack. Unlike Basic Attack cards, Weapon cards aren't discarded when played, instead remaining in your hand (at your option) until countered by a DISARMAMENT card. These cards may also be DODGED or BLOCKED.

• BEER BOTTLE: This card is worth 3 counters and may be DODGED, BLOCKED, or otherwise defended against.

• LITTLE HELPER: This card is worth 2 counters and may be DODGED, BLOCKED, or otherwise defended against. It represents a smaller weapon of the player's choice; use your imagination. Some examples are: brass knuckles, a roll of quarters, a belt, or our favorite, a shoe.

• HARDWARE: This card is worth 3 counters, and may be DODGED, BLOCKED, or otherwise defended against. It represents a large weapon of the player's choice; use your imagination. Some examples are a pipe wrench, pool cue, chair, or tire iron.

• TEQUILA BOTTLE: This card is worth 4 counters and may be DODGED, BLOCKED, or otherwise defended against.

Defense Cards

• BLOCK, DODGE: A player who has been attacked may defend him or herself with one of these cards to avoid counter loss. DODGE and BLOCK are useless against cards that don't allow a defense. A BLOCK card may also be a precursor for the GRAB card followed by an attack.

• DISARMAMENT: This card is played when a Weapon card is used for an attack. No counters are lost by the defender, and the Weapon card is discarded.

• FREEDOM: This card counters GRAB or CHOKE & PUKE.

• REDEMPTION, SELF HELP: These cards are worth 4 counters and 2 counters, respectively, which are restored to the card's player from the counter pile. As your 1 action, you may play as many of these cards as you have in your hand on your turn. You may also play as many of these cards as you have immediately upon being sent to 0 or fewer counters; damage that sends you below 0 counters is tracked as a negative number, and using healing cards to bring you back above 0 means you're still conscious! REDEMPTION and SELF HELP can only be applied to their own player.

Specialty Cards

• CHOKE & PUKE (GRAB + C&P) or (BLOCK + GRAB + C&P): CHOKE & PUKE requires a successful GRAB. The victim loses 1 counter immediately, and 1 more counter at the beginning of each of the attacker's subsequent turns until unconscious. The attacker may choose to release the hold at any time, or it may be broken by a FREEDOM or THUNDER HEAD card (played by the victim) or HORROR OF HORRORS (played by anyone). After the choke is released or broken, the victim spends the next round (beginning and ending on the turn that the hold was broken) vomiting violently, completely helpless. For this round the victim is unable to defend against attacks, and every player not yet unconscious is allowed to play 1 free Basic Attack card on the victim on his or her own turn. The player of CHOKE & PUKE can't attack, defend, or heal until the hold is released or broken, but may choose to discard and draw up each turn.

• DISTRACTION: DISTRACTION is played as the start of an action on a player's turn. It gives its player 1 free attack that can't be defended against. The attack must immediately follow the DISTRACTION card, and its player should describe the distraction. DISTRACTION cannot be DODGED or BLOCKED. HORROR OF HORRORS counters this card.

• FISTS OF FURY: FISTS OF FURY deals 3 attacks on a single opponent worth 2 counters each. Each of the card's 3 attacks may be DODGED, BLOCKED, or otherwise defended against as normal.

• GRAB (GRAB) or (BLOCK + GRAB): A GRAB card is usually played in combination with other cards. A successful GRAB permits the player 1 free Basic Attack or Weapon card, which can't be DODGED or BLOCKED. A GRAB also sets up certain specialty cards: CHOKE & PUKE, MANHANDLE, PILEDRIVER, and POUND OF FLESH. A GRAB may be played as the start of an action on a player's turn. In this case, the GRAB may be countered by DODGE or FREEDOM, but not BLOCK. A GRAB may also be played immediately after a BLOCK has been played, but only the attacker or victim of the attack can play it. The defender who played the BLOCK has the first option to play a GRAB card (and follow up). But if a defender plays BLOCK and has no GRAB, the attacker now has the option to play a GRAB. Only the player of a GRAB can use follow-up cards that depend on the GRAB. Cards that follow a GRAB must be played on the same turn as the GRAB; you can't play a GRAB and then hold it over until another turn.

Mixing Games

Beer Money contains cards that have the same basic function as cards that already exist in Lunch Money, but which have a different name. For the purposes of game mechanics and interactions with other cards, players of combined games may make the following assumptions: HORROR OF HORRORS = HUMILIATION, DISARMAMENT = DISARM, SELF HELP = FIRST AID. Other cards in Beer Money function like Lunch Money cards, but they have been enhanced. For example, REDEMPTION works like FIRST AID but is worth 4 points instead of 2. Also, Beer Money Weapon cards may be discarded immediately after use at the player's option instead of automatically returning to the player's hand.

Example of Play

Bob deals 1 card each to Ann, Carl, and himself until they all have 5 cards apiece. The remaining cards are placed face down within reach of everyone at the table. And with a full compliment of 15 pennies as counters each, it's time to get it on! Since Ann is to Bob's left, she begins play by attacking first.

Counters	Player	Action	Outcome	Comment
15	•Ann	COLDCOCK/Bob	Bob may defend	"I have a present for Bob."
15	Bob	DODGE/Ann	COLDCOCK countered	"Keep it."
15	Ann	Draw 1 card
15	Bob	Draw 1 card
15	•Carl	KICK⁴/Ann	Ann may defend	"Here's a boot for your bum!"