Capo dei Capi Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Preparation
• Overview
• Taking Turns
  • Action 1: Influence (each die = 3 or less)
  • Action 2: Extort (1 die = 4; the other = 3 or less)
    • Extortion Bonus
  • Action 3: Bribe (1 die = 5; the other die = 4 or less)
  • Action 4: Invest (1 die = 6)
  • Action 5: Special Action (doubles)
• Ending a Turn (Bust or Gain)
  • Busting
  • Consequences of Busting
  • Stopping a Turn before Busting
  • Area Card Token Limit
  • Ending a Turn: Reset Extortion Level, Return Hit Man, Meet Chip Limit
• Mayor Chips
• Game End
• Scoring
• Thanks

Contents

• 6 Area Cards
• 1 Mayor Card
• 15 Bribe Tokens
• 30 Influence Tokens
• 15 Mayor Chips
• 21 Value Cubes
• 1 Hit Man Pawn
• 1 Mayor Pawn
• 2 Dice
• 6 Supply Markers
• 2 Player Aids

Preparation

• See box bottom for an image of the game preparation.
• Place the Mayor Card in the center of the playing area & place Area Cards on both sides of it, with the "White Dice" cards to one side & the "Black Dice" cards to the other side & in numerical order.
• Place 2 Value Cubes on the Mayor Card.
• Place the Mayor Pawn on the "0" spot on the Mayor Card.
• Place the Supply Markers with the dice showing 1 to 3 pips on one end of the Area Cards.
• Place the other Supply Markers on the other end of the Area Cards.
• Sort the Influence Tokens, grouping them by number, & place them next to the appropriate Supply Markers.
• Place the Mayor Chips next to the Supply Marker with the "4" die image.
• Turn all Bribe Tokens face-down, mix them, & place them next to the Supply Marker with the "5" die image.
• Place Value Cubes next to the Supply Marker with the "6" die image.
• Place the "hit man" pawn within reach of both players.
• Determine a starting player, who takes both dice & 4 Mayor Chips.
• The other player takes 5 Mayor Chips.

Overview

The goal is to score the most victory points. Players score victory points at game end by having the most "influence" on the Area Cards. They gain temporary influence by placing tokens ("influence" and "bribe" tokens) from the supply next to a card (and on their own side of it), based upon the dice roll. The influence is made permanent by moving tokens onto the cards, which a player does if she ends a turn before "busting".

At game end, each Area Card is scored and the player with the most influence wins the card. Each card is worth 1 Victory Point, but the cards also accrue Value Cubes, which increase a card's value by 1 Victory Point each. Furthermore, during the game, players can gain additional power and points through "extortion" of the Mayor.

Taking Turns

Players take turns as the active player. On a turn, the active player rolls the dice & performs a required action. After performing the action, the player may decide to roll the dice again to perform another action. However, on any given turn, the more a player rolls the dice, the more likely she will "bust" & be forced to reverse many of the actions of that turn (see "Busts"). Players take turns until a game-ending event.

The starting player begins the game by rolling the dice. Based on the roll, she must perform 1 of 5 actions. Any roll of matching dice ("doubles") always requires Action 5.

Action 1: Influence (each die = 3 or less) Action 2: Extort (1 die = 4 & the other = 3 or less) Action 3: Bribe (1 die = 5 & the other = 4 or less) Action 4: Invest (1 die = 6) Action 5: Special Action (any doubles)

Action 1: Influence (each die = 3 or less)

For rolls in which each die is = 3 or less, the active player must perform the Influence Action; to do so, she moves an Influence Token from the supply next to, but not onto, one of the Area Cards (& on her side of the card). Which token is moved & where it is moved depends on the roll. For each roll, the active player must choose 1 die for the "influence" and 1 die for the Area Card receiving the influence. This means that the player must take an Influence token worth the value shown on one die & must move that token next to the card matching the other die (since each Area Card is marked with a specific die image).

Point of emphasis: When Influencing, the tokens are not put onto the Area Card, but next to it & on the same side as the active player.

Example: The player rolls a Black Die = 2 & White Die = 1. Thus, she has two options.

Option 1: She may use the white die for Influence and the black die for the Area Card. In this case, she moves an Influence Token worth 1 next to the Black Die 2 Card.

Option 2: She may use the White Die 1 for the target Area Card and the Black Die 2 for Influence. In this case, she moves an Influence Token worth 2 next to the White Die 1 Card.

Action 2: Extort (1 die = 4; the other = 3 or less)

For dice rolls in which 1 die = 4 & the other die = 3 or less, the player must perform the Extort Action. The Extort Action affects only the Mayor Card. In this case, the first die showing "4" is used to choose the Mayor Card & the second die is used to increase the "extortion level." More specifically, the active player moves the pawn on the Mayor Card the number shown on the second die. In addition, whenever the Extortion Level is raised, the player takes 1 Mayor Chip from the supply & places it next to the Mayor (and on her side). The player might acquire this chip (and possibly others) if she ends her turn without busting (see "Ending a Turn").

Example: The player's roll is Black Die = 3 & White Die = 4, so she must take the Extort Action. She raises the level from 0 to 3 by moving the Mayor Pawn 3 spaces. Then, she places a Mayor Chip from the supply next to the Mayor Card.

Extortion Bonus

The "extortion level" represents the ability to extort benefits from the Mayor. At the start of a player's turn, the level always starts at 0. If a player ends her turn without busting & the extortion level is at 5 or 6, the player earns one of the following extortion bonuses at the end of her turn.

• Level 5: take half of the Value Cubes from the Mayor Card (round down)
• Level 6: take all of the Value Cubes from the Mayor Card

If the player receives a Level 6 bonus, she places 2 Value Cubes from the supply onto the Mayor Card after she removes all of the Value Cubes for the bonus.

Action 3: Bribe (1 die = 5; the other die = 4 or less)

General Rules of Bribing

If 1 die = 5 & the other die = 3 or less, the active player must perform the Bribe action. If 1 die = 5 & the other = 4, the player performs a Bribe & Extort action (see below).

Specifics

If 1 die = 5 & the other die = 3 or less, the active player takes a random Bribe token & places it next to the Area Card specified by the die that is not showing 5 pips. Similar to the Influence action, one die is used to choose a token while the other die determines the target Area Card. In this case, however, the 5 die is always used for a Bribe Token & the other die is always used to determine the target card. When bribing, in other words, a player does not have a choice of where to place the token.

When placing Bribe tokens, the active player may not look at the value of the token, but it must remain face-down next to the Area Card. A player may not look at any face-down tokens when they are next to the Area Cards. A player, however, may look at tokens once they are placed onto his side of a card.

Example: The roll is White Die = 5 & Black Die = 3, so the active player must move a Bribe token from the supply next to, & on his own side of, the Black Die 3 Card.

Special Bribing & Extortion of the Mayor

If 1 die = 5 & the other die = 4, the active player does 3 things, in this order:

1. Flips over 1 of her opponent's Bribe Tokens on any Area Card (if any). The token remains face-up for the rest of the game.
2. Raises the Extortion Level by the number shown on the Bribe Token just flipped.
3. Places a Mayor Chip next to the Mayor.

Note: If there is no Bribe Token to flip, raise the Extortion Level by 2 and then place a Mayor Chip.

Action 4: Invest (1 die = 6)

General Rules of Investing

If 1 die = 6, the active player must perform the Invest Action. In this case, she moves a Value Cube from the Supply Card onto an Area Card or Mayor Card, depending upon the roll. The Value Cube increases the value of the card by 1 Victory Point.

Specifics

If 1 die = 6 & the other die = 3 or less, the active player must move a Value Cube from the supply onto an Area Card. Similar to the previous actions, one of the dice (the die = 6) is used to choose the action while the cube is moved to the card with the matching die image.

Example: If the active player rolls a Black Die = 6 and a White Die = 2, she must move a Value Cube from the supply onto the White Die 2 Card.

Invest and Extort

If 1 die = 6 and the other = 4, the player places a Value Cube from the supply onto the Mayor Card. In addition, the player raises the Extortion Level by the number of Value Cubes now on the Mayor Card. Also, she places a Mayor Chip next to the Mayor Card.

Invest and Bribe

If 1 die = 6 & the other = 5, the player places a Value Cube from the supply onto any Area Card of her choice & may then flip one of the opponent's Bribe Tokens on that card, if any.

Action 5: Special Action (doubles)

If a player rolls doubles (i.e., any pair of matching numbers), she must perform one of the following actions, depending on the dice roll:

• Double 1s: Place an Influence Token worth 1 next to any Area Card
• Double 2s: Place an Influence Token worth 2 next to any Area Card
• Double 3s: Place an Influence Token worth 3 next to any Area Card
• Double 4s: Take a Mayor Chip immediately into your hand from the supply, place a Mayor Chip next to the Mayor, & raise the Extortion Level by 1
• Double 5s: Place a Bribe Token next to any Area Card
• Double 6s: Move a Value Cube from an Area Card to a different Area Card. If there are no Value Cubes on any Area Card, the player place a Value Cube from the supply onto any Area Card.

In addition to performing the required action(s), the active player must also take the "hit man" from the supply upon rolling the first set of doubles on a given turn. The consequences of possessing the hit man are described below (see "Bust by Double Doubles").

Ending a Turn (Bust or Gain)

After performing an action, the active player continues to roll the dice & to take the required actions until (1) she is forced to end her turn by "busting" or (2) she chooses to end her turn before "busting."

Busting

A bust forces a player to end her turn; it occurs in 1 of 3 ways:

1. Double Doubles
2. Inability to Place Token
3. Maximum Extortion Level Exceeded

1. Bust by Double Doubles

The first time a player rolls a pair of doubles in a turn, she performs the required action, then takes the "hit man" & places it in front of herself to indicate that she has rolled a pair of doubles. If the player continues her turn &, on a future roll in the same turn, again rolls a pair of doubles, she busts.

Example: The active player has rolled the dice 3 times on this turn & has not yet rolled doubles. On the 4th roll, she rolls double 5s. She places a Bribe Token next to one of the Area Cards (taking a special action required by double 5s), but must also take the "hit man" pawn. She decides to continue her turn & she next rolls a pair of 2s. Since she has the "hit man", she now busts, having rolled doubles twice on the same turn. She now faces the consequences of busting (see "Consequences of Busting").

2. Bust by Inability to Place Token

When Influencing or Bribing (as previously described), the player moves tokens from the supply & places them next to Area Cards. However, during a player's turn, only 1 token (regardless of type) may be placed next to each Area Card. If a player's roll requires her to place a second token next to an Area Card, she "busts".

Example: After 3 rolls, the active player has placed Influence Tokens next to the White Die 3 Card and Black Die 3 Card. She also has a Bribe token next to the Black Die 2 Card. She continues to roll. On her 4th roll, the White Die = 3 and the Black Die = 2. Based on this roll, she would normally have two choices: (1) Place an Influence token worth 2 next to the White Die 3 Card or (2) place an Influence token worth 3 next to the Black Die 2 card. However, because there is a token next to both of these cards, she is unable to place a token & therefore busts.

3. Bust by Exceeding Maximum Extortion Level

If a player is forced by the dice roll to raise the Extortion Level beyond "6", the player busts (Apparently, you can only extort so much from the Mayor before he turns on you).

Example: The Extortion Level is currently set at 4. The active player rolls a White Die = 3 and Black Die = 4. This means she must raise the Extortion Level by 3, causing her to go past "6". Thus, she busts.

Consequences of Busting

When a player "busts," she moves all the Influence & Bribe Tokens that are next to Area Cards back to the supply. Players are not allowed to look at the values of any Bribe Tokens being returned, but they remain face-down. Also, if any Mayor Chips are next to the Mayor, those are returned to the supply. She then performs the remaining actions for ending a turn (see "Ending a Turn"). Note: Value cubes placed on cards during a given turn remain on the cards, even if the player busts.

Stopping a Turn before Busting

If a player voluntarily stops her turn before busting, she takes each token placed next to an Area Card & places it onto that Area Card into 1 of the 5 circles on her side of the card.

Note: Once a Bribe Token is placed onto an Area Card, the owning player may look at it whenever she wishes; otherwise, it remains face-down so the opponent cannot see the value.

Also, if any Mayor Chips are next to the Mayor, the player takes them.

Finally, if the player earned an Extortion bonus (see Action 2: Extort), she now takes the requisite number of Value Cubes from the Mayor Card.

Important: If a player removes all Value Cubes from the Mayor Card as a Level 6 bonus, she takes 2 Value Cubes from the supply & places them on the Mayor Card. Note: This action could cause a game-ending event (see Game End).

Area Card Token Limit

Each Area Card holds a maximum of 5 tokens. If a player has 5 tokens on an Area Card & she ends her turn with another token to be placed on that card, she may either (1) remove any token on the card to make space for the new token or (2) remove the new token. Removed tokens are placed back into the box. Likewise, if a player wishes to move a token onto a card using a Mayor Chip (see "Mayor Chips"), she may remove any token on the card to make room for the new token.

Note: If a player has a Bribe Token next to a card that already has 5 tokens, she is not allowed to look at the value of the Bribe Token before deciding whether to make space for it or remove it.

Ending a Turn: Reset Extortion Level, Return Hit Man, Meet Chip Limit

Whether a player's turn ends by busting or not, she resets the Extortion Level to 0, returns the "hit man" to the supply (if she has it), & returns any Mayor Chips in excess of 7 (see "Mayor Chips"). Her turn now ends & she passes the dice to her opponent who now becomes the active player.

Mayor Chips

The above rules are modified by the use of Mayor Chips.

General Rules for Mayor Chips

• Only the active player may use Mayor Chips (exception: Backstab).
• The chips in the supply are limited; if there are no chips in the supply & a roll requires a player to place a Mayor Chip next to the Mayor, he does not do so.
• After using a chip, return it to the supply.
• After using a chip & performing the chosen action, the active player must roll the dice at least one more time on that turn.
• Actions costing 1 chip may not be used to avoid a bust. In other words, if a given dice roll results in a bust, the player busts & is not allowed to avoid it through one of the actions costing 1 chip. She is allowed, however, to prevent a bust by spending 2 chips (see below).
• At the end of a player's turn, she may only have a maximum of 7 chips. Chips over this limit must be returned to the supply.
• A player may not use Mayor Chips after busting on that turn, unless she avoids the bust by the "Reneg" action (see below).
• A player may perform as many Mayor Chip actions on a turn as she wishes (& as she can afford).

Actions Costing 1 Chip

• Deceive: The active player may take an Influence or Bribe token next to an Area Card & move it next to another Area Card that has no token next to it.
• Pocket: The active player may take an Influence or Bribe token next to an Area Card & place it onto that same Area Card.
• Payoff: Upon rolling doubles, the active player may leave the "hit man" in the supply. This action may only be taken immediately after rolling doubles & only if the active player does not currently have the hit man.
• Backstab: The non-active player may force the active player to negate the most recent dice roll, as if the dice roll did not occur. The active player must re-roll the dice.

Actions Costing 2 Chips

• Reneg: The active player may negate her own dice roll & re-roll the dice. This action may be used to avoid a bust.
• Scandal: The active player may raise the extortion level by 1 or 2.

Points of Emphasis: The active player must always roll the dice at least one more time after any Mayor Chip action. Also, if a dice roll results in a bust, a player cannot avoid it by spending only 1 Mayor Chip.

Game End

Players take turns as active player until a game-ending event occurs. There are three game-ending events:

1. No More Value Cubes
2. No More Bribe Tokens
3. No Influence Tokens of any 1 Value

If the active player moves from the supply the final Value Cube, the final Bribe Token, or the final Influence Token of any 1 of the 3 values (e.g., she moves the last Influence Token worth 3), the game ends. The active player immediately ends her turn, but she does not bust. Instead, she performs the actions normally associated with ending a turn voluntarily. Once a game-ending event has occurred, the active player is not allowed to expend any more Power Tokens (though the player may use "reneg" or the opponent may use "backstab" as a way to prevent a game ending-event).

Scoring

• For each Area Card, players reveal any Bribe Tokens & then add up all their own Influence and Bribe Tokens on each card.
• The player with the highest total takes the Area Card & all the Value Cubes on it.
• If there is a tie for an Area Card, the card & the Value Cubes are removed from the game.
• Each Value Cube & each card is worth 1 Victory Point.
• After determining the winner of all the Area Cards, players sum their Victory Points.
• The player with the most Victory Points wins.
• If tied, the player with the most remaining Mayor Chips wins.
• If still tied, the player who won the most cards wins.
• If still tied, the player who caused the game-ending event wins.

Thanks

A great thanks to all of the Kickstarter backers for making this game possible. Also, thanks to all the playtesters of this game: Petey, Chris, Brown, Billy, Seamus, Dean and Mary, Jeremy, and my mom. If I inadvertently forgot someone, I apologize. Thanks also to Giorgio.