CULTivate Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Contents
• Game Setup
  • Game Setup Diagram
• Playing the Game
• Character Agendas
• Followers
  • Follower Placement
  • Investigators
  • Removing Investigators
• Follower Exchanges
• Locked Spaces
• Powers
• Ending the Game
• Scoring
• Special Card References
  • Undercover Investigation (x5)
  • Sabotage a Rival (x3)
  • Use Political Influence (x5)
  • Convert a Follower of a Rival (x5)
  • Force a Deal (x5)
  • Assign a New Task (x5)
• Acknowledgements

Objective

Score the most points by filling your compound with followers, fulfilling agendas, and avoiding investigators.

Contents

• 5 Double-Sided Compound Boards
• 74 Playing Cards
• 91 Follower Meeples
• 5 Character Agenda Mats
• 5 Marker Cubes
• 1 Score Pad

Game Setup

Follow the steps below before you begin the game.

1. Randomly deal out a double-sided compound board to each player.

2. The player who gathered the group together goes first. Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, players will each choose a character agenda mat and choose ONE of the three agendas they want to attempt for the game. Players will mark their chosen agenda with their marker cube.

3. After selecting your agenda, review both sides of your compound board to determine which side you want to play on. Powers are the same on all boards, but you will want to determine which type of followers you want to collect that won't compete against your agenda.

4. Remove the FIVE Undercover Investigation cards from the playing deck, then shuffle the remaining cards and deal FOUR to each player. After the cards are dealt, add THREE Undercover Investigation cards to the deck and shuffle again. For a more challenging game, use FOUR or FIVE Undercover Investigation cards instead of THREE. Place the playing deck face down in the middle of the playing area to create a draw pile.

5. Place follower meeples in the playing area where all players can reach. For a 5-player game use all 91 meeples. For a 4-player setup remove TWO of each color (not including investigators) and for a 2-player or 3-player setup remove FOUR of each color (not including investigators).

Investigator insights: Watch which agenda your opponents choose before selecting yours. For an easier game select an agenda that will allow you to avoid competing for followers of the same color, or for competitive players, select a similar color agenda to create a challenge!

Game Setup Diagram

The setup consists of: an investigator meeple, the follower supply, the playing deck, a discard area, each player's compound board, each player's agenda mat, and each player's marker cube (placed on the agenda they chose).

Playing the Game

On a player's turn, the player will choose ONE of the following actions:

• PLAY A CARD from their hand, then draw a replacement card to replenish their hand. Example: This card allows you to gain one Academic follower from the supply.
• DISCARD any number of cards, then draw an equal number of new cards to replenish their hand.
• MAKE AN EXCHANGE following the exchange rules (see Follower Exchanges).

If there are no cards in the draw pile, shuffle the discard pile to replenish it. When drawing multiple cards from the draw pile be sure to draw them 1 at a time. This is important for cases where a player draws both an Undercover Investigation and a Political Influence card (see Special Card References).

Character Agendas

Any player who has their agenda completed when the game ends earns bonus points as indicated on the card. An agenda is accomplished by placing specific types of followers in a player's compound to match the pattern selected on their character agenda mat. A player may only work toward accomplishing ONE agenda during a game. When an agenda is completed during game play, it can still be lost through stealing, exchanges, swaps, or switches.

Each character agenda mat lists three agendas to choose from, illustrated as an example below for the character Pierre Ahmed Skeem:

Agendas for Pierre Ahmed Skeem

• Lotion Up — Agenda value: 8 pts. Convince your celebrity followers to promote your brand to top investors on Wall Street in order to send your stock prices through the roof.
• No Common Scents — Agenda value: 10 pts. Enlist academic and scientist followers to create a mind-altering fragrance for your Necessary Lotions. This concoction will help you control your followers, the skincare market, and eventually, the world!
• Dress to Oppress — Agenda value: 12 pts. Turn your rough-and-tumble drifters into youthful, beautiful looking citizens by giving them a full makeover and new wardrobe. Then, send them out to peddle your products door to door.

Each agenda mat shows a diagram of the compound grid pattern to fill, the space to place your marker cube, the agenda's point value, and a key of the follower types pictured on it.

Followers

A player is limited to only a finite number of followers they can recruit. If the followers a player wants have already joined an opponent's cult, they will need to convert them or force a deal with another cult leader. A player can also make exchanges to get the followers they need if they don't draw the right cards!

The follower types and their point values are:

• Celebrity: 3 Pts
• Politician: 3 Pts
• Scientist: 2 Pts
• Academic: 2 Pts
• Activist: 1 Pt
• Drifter: 1 Pt
• Youth: 1 Pt
• Investigator: -4 Pts

Follower Placement

Followers must always be added to compounds starting in the TOP ROW and moving downward through the compound. Followers may be placed in any column as long as they are ALWAYS placed in the top-most empty square in the column. In some cases, exchanges or steals may result in an empty space with followers already placed below it. A player must ALWAYS refill the top-most empty space before continuing down the column.

If a follower is stolen or exchanged away, the top-most available space must be filled before continuing down that column.

Investigators

While cultivating followers, a player may gain unwanted investigators in their compounds. Investigators are undercover in your cult, so they ARE considered followers. These investigators stop any followers, including other investigators, from being placed BELOW them. Investigators can be placed on ANY space no matter the color, however, they must still be placed in the top-most available space in a column. There is no limit to the number of investigators a player can have in their compound. Investigators remaining in a player's compound at the end of the game are each worth -4 points.

Examples:

1. The investigator stops any followers from being placed below it until it has been removed from the compound.
2. Investigators can be placed in any space, no matter the color.
3. This move is INVALID. Investigators must still be placed in the top-most available space.
4. This move is INVALID. An investigator cannot be placed below another investigator.

Removing Investigators

Investigators can be removed from a player's compound by performing the following actions:

Exchange — Giving up 4 points worth of followers to remove an investigator from the compound (Blackmail power can lower this to 2 points).

Cards — Playing the cards Sabotage a Rival or Force a Deal to move investigators to an opponent's compound. (Assign a New Task can also help to move investigators within a player's own compound.)

Follower Exchanges

As an action, a player may choose to exchange followers from their compound with followers from the supply. After an exchange is made, acquired followers must be placed in the player's compound following normal placement rules. Only one exchange may be made per turn, unless the Manipulate power has been activated (see Powers). There are 4 types of exchanges as follows:

One for One — Exchange ONE follower from your compound for ONE follower of a different type of equal point value. Example: a 2-point follower for a different 2-point follower.

One for Multiple — Exchange ONE follower from your compound for any combination of followers equaling the same point value. Example: a 3-point follower for a 2-point follower plus a 1-point follower.

Multiple for One — Exchange any combination of followers from your compound for ONE follower of equal point value. Example: a 2-point follower plus a 1-point follower for a 3-point follower.

Remove Investigator — Exchange any combination of followers equal to FOUR points from your compound to remove an investigator. Both the followers and investigator are removed in this type of exchange. Example: a 2-point follower, a 1-point follower, and a 1-point follower to remove an investigator.

There may be times that you may want to make a One for Multiple exchange where you are unable to gain back an equal value of points. This is allowed. For example, exchanging a 3 point Celebrity and only gaining a 2 point Scientist because there are no 1 point followers left in the supply.

Investigator insights: Making exchanges can help you fulfill your agenda or fill color-specific spaces when you are struggling to gain the right type of followers. Exchanges can also help you remove investigators to avoid negative points at the end of the game.

Locked Spaces

Each compound board has 4 colored spaces in the bottom row. These spaces allow a player to gain powers to help them fill their compound and accomplish their agenda. Only followers matching the color/symbol of the space may be placed in the bottom row with the exception of the investigator, which may be placed in any space. Once a follower of the correct color is placed in a colored space it is locked in and cannot be moved by any player including the player who placed it. When a player fills a locked space, the corresponding power is immediately in effect and cannot be lost. An investigator in a locked space does not allow powers to be in effect and can still be moved.

1. This move is INVALID. The follower placed in the locked space must always match the color of the space they are on.
2. An investigator in a locked space does not allow the power to be in effect, and it can still be moved.
3. There is no follower in the locked space. The power is not in effect.
4. The column is filled, and the correct type of follower is in the locked space. The column's power is active and the follower in the locked space may not be moved.

Powers

Powers are listed on compound boards under their corresponding locked space. Powers are used on a player's turn as part of their action. Powers immediately take effect when a locked space is filled (locked spaces with investigators are not considered filled). Powers can never be lost.

Hijack — If this space is filled at the end of the game, the player adds 2 additional bonus points to their score.

Mastermind — When this power is gained, immediately draw an additional card to increase your hand size from 4 cards to 5.

Manipulate — On their turn, a player with this power may make up to 2 exchanges per turn. This does not allow a player to take 2 different actions per turn. You may only make another exchange if you have already made an exchange.

Blackmail — When making an exchange to remove an investigator from their compound, a player with this power only needs to remove 2 points worth of followers rather than 4 points.

Investigator insights: Your power is in effect IMMEDIATELY when a locked space becomes filled. For example, if you use an exchange to fill the Manipulate locked space, you gain that power immediately, and can perform a second exchange that same turn.

Ending the Game

When a player fills all spaces in their 4x4 compound, they finish the game and all other players take 1 final turn. Moves made on the final round may NOT affect players who have filled their compound (a player's compound is not considered filled if there are any investigators on it). If playing a card on your final turn, you DO NOT draw a new card to replenish your hand.

Scoring

All players add their scores after the final player has completed their turn. When calculating scores:

• Add up point values of followers cultivated. Subtract 4 points for each investigator in your compound.
• Add bonus points earned from a completed agenda.
• Add bonus points earned from a filled Hijack column.
• All players who completely fill their compound earn 5 bonus points.

The player with the most points wins the game. In the case of a tie, the player with the most followers in their compound wins. If there is still a tie, players share the victory.

Special Card References

Undercover Investigation (x5)

A player who draws this must IMMEDIATELY place an investigator in their compound. The Undercover Investigation card is then discarded and the player draws a new card to replenish their hand. If there are no valid spaces to place an investigator, simply discard this card. You may choose the number of Undercover Investigation cards you add each game based on how difficult/long you want the game to be. Three for a standard game, four or five for a more challenging game.

Sabotage a Rival (x3)

Move an investigator from ANY compound to another player's compound. If no players have investigators in their compound, Sabotage a Rival cannot be used.

Use Political Influence (x5)

A player can play this card at ANY time to block ANY card including other Use Political Influence cards and Undercover Investigation cards. The blocked card is immediately cancelled, then discarded. The player draws a new card to replenish their hand after using a block. Play continues in normal order. You cannot block an exchange or discard action — only cards.

Investigator insights: You can play your Use Political Influence card to block other players' cards, even when their action doesn't affect you. You can also play it to stop Undercover Investigation cards you draw.

Convert a Follower of a Rival (x5)

A player steals ANY follower from an opponent's compound. This card can be helpful for getting followers needed for your agenda when they are not available in the supply.

Force a Deal (x5)

A player swaps ONE of your followers with ANY follower of your choice from another player's compound. Swapped pieces must occupy the same space each was taken from (rules for color specific spaces must still be followed).

1. Followers are swapped, filling each other's spots.
2. Investigators are considered followers, and may be swapped. However, you may NOT swap a follower out of a locked space, UNLESS it is an investigator.
3. This move is INVALID because player 1's follower is in a locked space, and therefore cannot be moved.

Assign a New Task (x5)

A player moves a placed follower to an empty space or switches spaces of 2 followers within the same compound. Once a follower is picked up to move to a new space, its space is considered empty, and the player must continue to fill columns from the top row down. This card may be used in a player's own compound or in an opponent's compound.

Moving to Open Space examples:

1. The orange follower moves to the top-most available spot in the first column.
2. This move is INVALID because followers placed in the locked space must match the color of the space they are placed on.
3. The orange follower moves to the top-most available spot in the third column.
4. This move is INVALID because the space the follower is taken from then becomes the top-most available spot in that column.

Swapping Follower Placement examples:

1. Followers are switched, filling each other's spaces.
2. This move is INVALID because followers placed in the locked spaces must match the color they are placed in.

Investigator insights: The Assign a New Task card can be helpful to deter an opponent from fulfilling their agenda or filling a column.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to everyone who helped us make our first game come to fruition! We couldn't have done it without all of you! — The Pops & Bejou Crew

Game Design: Austin Foss, Jenna Radtke, & Jake Sells. Artist: Danny Kvale.

© 2021 Pops & Bejou LLC. All rights reserved for all countries. CULTivate is a trademark of Pops & Bejou LLC. Made in China. Designed in Fargo, ND, USA. www.popsbejou.com