Chaos in Gotham City
Chaos in Gotham City Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 40 trick cards (in 4 colours, each with values 1 to 10, as well as Batman and Bruce Wayne)
- 8 villain cards
- 15 location cards
- 1 "Gotham City Map" poster
Setup
- Shuffle the 15 location cards and place them as a face-down location deck in the middle of the table.
- Shuffle the 8 villain cards and deal one villain card at random to each player. Set the remaining villain cards aside. You will need them again only for the next round.
- Shuffle the 40 trick cards and deal the following number of trick cards to each player, and take them into hand:
- 2 players: 10 trick cards per player
- 3 players: 9 trick cards per player
- 4 players: 8 trick cards per player
- 5 players: 7 trick cards per player
- 6 players: 6 trick cards per player
- Place the remaining trick cards as a face-down trick card deck in the middle of the table. Turn over the top trick card and place it face up on the pile. The colour of this face-up trick card determines your current trump colour; see "Trump Colour" below.
- Finally, place the "Gotham City Map" poster on the table where everyone can see it.
Playing the Game
CHAOS IN GOTHAM CITY is a trick-taking game. The green bubbles explain general terms for this type of game.
You play as many rounds as there are players. In each round you play as many tricks as you have cards in hand. In addition, each trick fights over a location card.
Caution: Some trick and location cards show Batman symbols. Whoever has collected the most of them at the end of a round receives no chaos points!
Whoever believes they are the biggest villain begins and plays the first trick card for the first trick.
Whoever plays the first trick card of the current trick determines the led colour (angespielte Farbe).
Follow suit (Bedienzwang): Everyone must play a trick card in the same colour as the first trick card of the trick. Only a player who does not have the currently led colour in hand may play any trick card.
A trick (Stich): You take turns, clockwise, playing exactly one of your trick cards from your hand into the middle of the table. The trick cards played in this way are together called a "trick".
Before each new trick, also reveal the top location card from the location deck (exception: The Penguin, see the last page of the rulebook). The location card states how many chaos points can be scored in the current trick. Whoever collects the most chaos points wins the game.
Note on the source: this sentence, as printed, reads "Wer die meisten Chaospunkte sammelt, gewinnt das Spiel" ("whoever collects the most chaos points wins the game"). The rulebook's own win condition is set out under "End of the Game and Final Scoring" below; this sentence is reproduced as printed.
The example in the rulebook shows the location card "G.C.P.D. Headquarters", which carries two values: the left value (+2, with the Batman symbol) is labelled "Batman symbol", and the right value (+6, with the chaos-point symbol) is labelled "Chaos point".
Caution: Batman symbols are not what you want to collect; see "The Batman Symbols" below.
Who Wins the Trick?
A trick is awarded as soon as everyone has played exactly one trick card into the middle of the table. Whoever played the trick card with the highest number in the led colour wins the trick. If trick cards in the trump colour were also played, whoever played the trump-colour trick card with the highest number wins the trick.
As a reminder: you may play a trick card in the trump colour only once you no longer have any trick card in the led colour in your hand.
(Trick cards played that have neither the led colour nor the trump colour play no role in determining the winner of the trick.)
Once you have won the trick, place it face down in front of you. In addition, you win the open location card with its chaos points and/or Batman symbols. Place this card face down in front of you as well. Then reveal a new location card (exception: The Penguin, see the last page of the rulebook). Since you won the last trick, you play the first trick card of the new trick.
Remember: You win the trick and the open location card when:
- you played the highest trick card in the led colour and there is no trump-colour trick card among the cards played, or
- you played the highest trick card in the trump colour.
Examples
Red is the trump colour. Paula starts and plays a green 3 (green is therefore the led colour). Marie plays a green 5, Stefan a yellow 8 (he has no green trick card in hand), and Alex a green 2. Marie wins the trick and the open location card, because her trick card has the highest number in the led colour. Stefan's card has the higher number, but it is not in the led colour and therefore plays no role.
Red is the trump colour. Alex starts and plays a yellow 9. (Yellow is therefore the led colour.) Paula has no yellow and plays a red 3 (trump colour). Marie must follow suit and plays a yellow 2. Stefan also has no yellow and may play a red 7 (trump colour). Stefan wins the trick and the open location card, because he played the highest trick card in the trump colour.
Bruce Wayne and Batman
If a trick contains Bruce Wayne (all cards with the 6) and at least one Batman, the trick is awarded as described above, but you set aside all trick cards of the trick. Why? Bruce Wayne and Batman can never be in the same place at the same time, so this trick is discarded. The location card is awarded as described.
Trump Colour
The trump colour (Trumpffarbe) is the colour of the trick card that you revealed at the start of the round. A trick card in the trump colour is always of higher value than any trick card in the led colour.
The trump colour can change several times during the game: when one of the two location cards Wayne Tower or Robinson Park is revealed, or when the ability of the villain card The Joker is used.
In this case, draw the bottom card of the trick card deck and place it on the face-up trick card that determined the trump colour. The card now on top determines the new current trump colour with its colour.
End of a Round and Scoring
A round ends as soon as all trick cards have been played from hand.
The Batman Symbols
Count the Batman symbols on your collected cards together (both those on the trick cards and those on the location cards). Whoever has collected the most Batman symbols has been caught by Batman and drops out of the current scoring.
Note: In case of a tie, all those involved drop out (under some circumstances this may be all players). If nobody has collected any Batman symbols, nobody drops out.
The Chaos Points
Everyone who was not caught by Batman now adds up their chaos points on their location cards and notes the respective total. If you have already noted chaos points from previous rounds, add these to it.
Bubble in the rulebook: "Note the chaos points on a slip of paper or similar."
New Round
Preparations for a new round are the same as the setup at the start of the game: shuffle all cards anew. Do not forget the villain cards that you set aside earlier.
The next player next to the player who began the previous round begins the new round.
End of the Game and Final Scoring
The game ends after everyone has been allowed to start one round. Whoever has then collected the most chaos points is the greatest villain in the city and wins the game.
In case of a tie, you share the victory and rule Gotham City together.
Villain Cards
At the start of each round, each player received a villain card. These grant different abilities, which are noted directly on the respective villain card.
Catwoman may use her ability only directly after the trick cards have been dealt.
The Joker, The Riddler and Two-Face may decide for themselves whether and when to use their ability.
Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, The Penguin and Clayface have passive abilities that always apply while they are in play.
Ability Details
- Catwoman: "New hand": Discard up to 3 trick cards and draw 1 new trick card for each card discarded.
- The Joker: Once per round, you may reveal a new trump colour (the card is marked "NEW TRUMP"). The card's small print is only partly legible in the source PDF; the wording given here is read from the card graphic.
- The Riddler: You may play cards with an odd number face down.
- Two-Face: When playing, you may swap your card values 1 and 10 with each other (announce it!).
- Poison Ivy: Passive. The card shows +3 with the chaos-point symbol. The rulebook gives no further wording for this card.
- Harley Quinn: Passive. The card shows -3 and -5, each with the chaos-point symbol, and a middle line of text. That middle line is not legible in the source PDF at any resolution the transcriber could read, so its wording is not transcribed here; check it against the physical villain card before relying on this entry.
- The Penguin: Passive. Before each new trick, you must always reveal the location cards. You draw 2 location cards and decide which location card is played in this trick. Set the other location card aside.
- Clayface: Passive. All trick cards you play automatically have a value of at least 6.
Location Map
Hint from the rulebook: You can find the locations of the location cards on the "Gotham City Map" poster. That way you always know where in the city you are currently causing mischief.
The poster numbers the 15 locations as follows:
- Wayne Manor (Batcave)
- Gotham Train Station
- Crime Alley
- New Trigate Bridge
- Arkham Asylum
- Gotham Light & Power
- Gotham Water District Tunnel
- ACE Chemical
- Robinson Park
- Wayne Tower
- Clock Tower
- G.C.P.D. Headquarters
- City Hall
- Gatham City Bank (as printed on the poster; the spelling "Gatham" is not corrected here)
- Tricorner Yards