Cangaço

Cangaço Rulebook

Table of Contents

Overview and Objective

Cangaço is a card game for 2 to 4 players in which you form and manage a band of cangaceiros while trying to achieve supremacy over the sertão, hindering the formation and strength of rival bands. Through card selection and over three seasons, the players form their bands, pursuing the game's objectives and accumulating the greatest number of points to win at the end of the game.

Components

97 Cangaço cards
24 Cordel cards
3 Station cards
90 Resource markers: 30 flour (farinha), 30 cachaça, 30 ammunition (munição)
1 Rulebook

Note: the Components list above gives 24 Cordel cards, but the Cordel section of the manual describes 20 distinct Cordel cards. The manual is transcribed as printed; the count is not reconciled here.

Cangaço cards represent the cards the players choose during the seasons (dry, rain and dry). They may be single cards that have an effect as soon as they enter play, or set cards that must be completed with one or two more cards on the table before their powers activate.

Station cards help by showing the objective of that season and marking the passage of the game's three phases (seasons). In addition, they show, for that season, the direction in which the cards are passed between players, the number of cards to be dealt, and the number of cards discarded at the end of the season.

Cordel cards show the quantities of each resource item (ammunition, flour and cachaça) that each player must accumulate to score at the end of the game.

Resource markers represent the resources players acquire when they play cards on the table, and they are used to mark points at the end of the game according to each Cordel card.

Setup

Shuffle the Cordel cards to form a deck and place it next to the play area.
Place all the Resource markers in the centre of the table, within reach of all players.
Place the three Station cards above the play area. They are sequenced with the numbers 1, 2 and 3.
Select the Cangaço cards to be used in this game according to the number of players. The back of each card has an icon to help you separate them. Shuffle the selected cards to form a deck and place it next to the play area. Reserve a space for the discard pile of Cangaço cards.
- For 2 players, use only the cards with the 2-player icon.
- For 3 players, remove from the game the cards with the 4-player icon (use only the cards with the 2-player and 3-player icons).
- For 4 players, use all the cards.
Following the instructions on Station card 1 (Dry 1), deal 7 Cangaço cards to the players at random and without revealing their contents.
Choose a Cordel card at random and place it on Station card 1 (Dry 1). This is the initial objective.

The Game

Each season is played in turns, as follows.

Choose. Simultaneously, all players look at their Cangaço cards and select one card to play this turn. Each player places the chosen card face down on the table in front of them, until all players have done so.
Reveal. Then all players turn their cards face up and reveal them. Each player places on their revealed card the Resource marker shown in the top left corner of the card, taking the markers from the Resource supply in the centre of the table.
Activate. If the Cangaço card is a single card, or if it completes a set (with a card already on the table), activate the effects of that card or set by carrying out the required actions.
Pass. Pass the remaining, unchosen cards to the player beside you, following the direction indicated on the Station card.

Clarifications:

There is no specific order in which you must build your sets. For example, you may play the middle card of your Camp before you have played the cards on either side of it.
You may play repeated cards. For example, you may have two middle cards of a Camp in your game before you have completed the previous Camp.

Note: If there is a conflict in the order of effects, the cards must have their effects activated in this order: Volante > Igreja > Tiroteio > Tocaia > Coiteiro. If the conflict persists, the player with more ammunition resources activates the effect of their cards first.

End of a Season

In the first and last season (the Dry seasons), the season ends when there is 1 card remaining for each player, which must be discarded. In the second season (Rain), the season ends when there are no more cards to be passed.

To begin a new season, open a new Cordel card for the next season and redistribute Cangaço cards among the players, respecting the quantity indicated on the current Station card.

The icons on the Station cards indicate: in this season, deal 8 cards to each player and discard none at the end of the season. (The Caatinga is always more generous when it rains!)

When the third season (the second Dry) ends, the game ends (see End of Game).

End of Game

When the three seasons (Dry, Rain and Dry) have been played, the players must count their points to determine who won the game.

Before scoring, discard all Cangaço cards that did not form a set, as well as their respective resources. Only single cards and completed sets count for the final score. Then, add up your victory points following these rules:

Add up the points of your single cards and completed sets.
Double the points of one card or set of your choice for each completed Camp (Acampamento) you have.
Add up the points of the cards that give points instead of resources.
Add or subtract points according to the open Cordel cards.

The player with the most victory points at the end is declared the winner and chief of the most dangerous band in the Cangaço!

Cangaço Cards

Each Cangaço card shows:

Card name.
Resource type received when playing this card: flour, cachaça or ammunition. Some cards give victory points instead of resources.
Victory points granted by the card at the end of the game.
Position indication, showing where other cards of the set fit.
Configuration icon, indicating the game configuration (see Setup).

Some cards are not single cards; they must be completed as sets. The effects below apply when the indicated set is completed.

Chefe do Bando

This card has special rules and is different from the other Cangaço cards. Only one may be played on the table of each player; if a player plays a new Chefe do Bando, the oldest Chefe do Bando is discarded. The Chefe do Bando is protected from the effect of a Tiroteio card as long as there is at least one Os Cabras card on that player's table. This card grants 3 resources: flour, cachaça and ammunition.

Os Cabras

This card protects the Chefe do Bando from the effects of a Tiroteio card played by another player, being discarded in place of the Chefe do Bando. This card scores according to the total number of Os Cabras cards played in the player's play area. The more Os Cabras cards a player has, the more points they score at the end of the game. Example: if a player has 4 Os Cabras cards, they score a total of 7 points for all of them.

Igreja

When a set of Igreja is completed, it allows the player to reactivate the effects of a set or of a card already activated in their play area.

Tocaia

When a set of Tocaia is completed, the player must immediately steal a Resource marker from on top of a card of another player, and place it on their Tocaia card. It is not possible to steal Resources from a completed set of Coiteiro.

Tiroteio

When a set of Tiroteio is completed, the player may discard one card (single, or part of an incomplete set) from the play area of another player. Remember that Os Cabras cards always protect the Chefe do Bando.

Coiteiro

When a set of Coiteiro is completed, the player may choose 2 Resource markers on single cards or on incomplete sets in their play area and store them in their Coiteiro. In addition, once per round, after the effects of all cards have been resolved, the player may take a resource from any one of their cards on the table and store it in their Coiteiro. Resources stored in the Coiteiro cannot be stolen by a Tocaia.

Acampamento

The Acampamento set allows you to double the score of one single card or completed set at the end of the game. Os Cabras cards are not considered a set, but the Acampamento can add an extra card to a collection of Os Cabras.

Volante

When a Volante card is played, the effects of Tiroteio and Tocaia cards cannot be applied in that round. Effects not applied because of a Volante card are lost, and can only be reactivated by a set of Igreja.

Coroné

When playing a Coroné card, the player may choose to discard it in order to replace it with another card from the Cangaço discard pile. The new selected card receives its resources normally.

Padim

When a Padim card is played, the player may recruit a card of Os Cabras from another player and place it in their play area. The Resource marker on that card is discarded and does not go to its new owner.

Mascate

When playing a Mascate card, the player may exchange any one Resource marker on their own cards for another from the Resource supply.

Cordel Cards

Cordel cards are scored at the end of the game. Each open Cordel card (the cards placed on the Station cards during the seasons) gives points as follows.

João Valente e o Diabo na Curva da Taquara

The player with the most Flour markers at the end of the game gains 5 points. The player with the second most gains 3 points, and the third gains 2 points.

O Velho Calunga e a Rolinha Trelosa

Gain 5 points for each set of 6 Flour markers you have at the end of the game.

O Corno Artur no Brega de Camelot

The player with the fewest Flour markers at the end of the game loses 5 points. The player with the second fewest loses 3 points, and the third loses 2 points.

As Proezas de Tinho Mangoso

Gain 1 point for each Os Cabras card with a Flour resource that you have at the end of the game.

O Divórcio do Satanás e a Loira do Cão

The player with the most Ammunition markers at the end of the game gains 5 points. The player with the second most gains 3 points, and the third gains 2 points.

Dona Fifita e o Cangaceiro Zambeta

Gain 5 points for each set of 6 Ammunition markers you have at the end of the game.

A Luta do Carranca Contra José Tatu

The player with the fewest Ammunition markers at the end of the game loses 5 points. The player with the second fewest loses 3 points, and the third loses 2 points.

O Conselheiro Justino e a Madame de Orós

Gain 1 point for each Os Cabras card with an Ammunition resource that you have at the end of the game.

O Elixir da Visão de Cego Beraldo

The player with the most Cachaça markers at the end of the game gains 5 points. The player with the second most gains 3 points, and the third gains 2 points.

Nonato e o Bode Silas

Gain 5 points for each set of 6 Cachaça markers you have at the end of the game.

O Amansa Corno de Chico Soró

The player with the fewest Cachaça markers at the end of the game loses 5 points. The player with the second fewest loses 3 points, and the third loses 2 points.

Aderaldo e o Peba Come-Defunto

Gain 1 point for each Os Cabras card with a Cachaça resource that you have at the end of the game.

Jerônimo Encontra e Mata o Sete Peles

Gain 1 point for each pair of Flour and Ammunition markers that you have at the end of the game.

Os Causos da Língua de Dona Xiloca

Gain 1 point for each pair of Flour and Cachaça markers that you have at the end of the game.

As Bravuras do Olho de Bila

Gain 1 point for each pair of Ammunition and Cachaça markers that you have at the end of the game.

O Triste Caso do Chapoca do Cariri

Gain 2 points for each set of Flour, Cachaça and Ammunition markers that you have at the end of the game.

Xico Nonô e a Morte do Cangaceiro

Gain 3 points if you have a Chefe do Bando card at the end of the game.

Matou o Gabiru e foi Dançar Forró

Gain 1 point for each completed set that you have at the end of the game.

O Antidote da Catraia dum Peito Só

Gain 2 points for each repeated completed set (regardless of the resource types) that you have at the end of the game.

O Bobo de Currais Novos

Gain 5 points for every 5 different completed sets that you have at the end of the game.