Czech Pub
Czech Pub Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Sit comfortably, choose yourself a character and colour you will be playing, and take the appropriate coaster. The rest of the game should be set up as shown.
- On the point track place your figure on 0 – it shows how much you managed to drink already.
- On the drunkenness chart place your other figure on field -2 – it shows your drunkenness level (1-4). You need to try to avoid getting wasted during the game.
- Card count – here you can see how many cards you draw each turn depending on your drunkenness level.
- Medals, which you can get during the game. If you gain enough points you get an appropriate medal.
- Shot tokens are for remembering how many different shots you drink during the game. You take one whenever you drink a particular shot type for the first time.
- You take the abstinence token if you don't drink any alcohol during your turn.
- Closing time card put aside for now.
- Shuffle cards and put them on the board as the draw deck. There is also space for the discard pile.
Deal every player 7 cards. The one drunk the most already starts the game. If it's a tie, decide who goes first in a drunken brawl. When everyone gets back from the hospital, start the game!
Basics of the Game
In the game Czech Pub you assume the role of a local drunkard.
During the game you compete who drinks the most using order cards and interfere with others using action cards.
Both types of cards cost some action points (as indicated in the top left corner). Orders give you points (value on the left) but also increase your drunkenness (value in the top right corner), which makes the game a bit harder for you as the game progresses. Action cards cause some effect to take place.
Game ends when the pub closes or if you are too drunk and the bartender refuses to serve you.
The card diagrams label these parts: on an order card, drunkenness (top right), action cost (top left), card effect and points; on an action card, action cost (top left), name and card effect.
Game Rules
You take turns in clock-wise order until the game ends. During your turn you:
- Draw cards up to your hand size, according to your drunkenness level.
- Play cards. You play cards in front of you, each costs an amount of actions. You get 3 actions. Other players can play their X cards. If you play no cards you can discard any number of them.
- Turn resolution. Count all points and move your figure that many on the point track. Count all drunkenness you gained this turn and roll for digestion. If you have no cards in front of you, that gives you drunkenness, and you are abstaining, which is explained later.
- Cleanup and draw cards. Discard all cards in front of you to the discard pile and draw cards up to your hand size, according to your drunkenness level.
Next player takes turn.
1. Preparation (draw cards)
Draw cards up to your hand size, according to your drunkenness level (row in drunkenness chart). If you already have the indicated number of cards (or more) you don't draw or discard any.
Example: Mojmír has 4 cards in his hand and he has a drunkenness level of 2, so his hand size is 6. He draws 2 cards at the beginning of his turn.
2. Let's drink (play cards)
During your turn you have 3 actions, with these actions you can make an order (order cards) or do something (action cards). But there are limits:
- You can't order more than 3 beers and only one of them can be small.
- You can't order more than 1 shot.
Action cards have an immediate effect when you play them. Order cards have an effect which takes place later.
(The rulebook's illustration shows four played cards with points values 1, 2, 0 and 0 summed to 1 + 2 + 0 + 0 = 3.)
X cards. In real Czech pubs it's customary for others to distract, interrupt, annoy you - making it difficult to get your drinks ordered. They can do the same in this game by using X cards. These cards can be played only during someone else's turn.
Let me think a bit. If you don't like the cards in your hand, you don't have to use them. Instead you can discard any number of them and draw up to your hand size. On these turns, you cannot perform any actions. This counts as abstinence (see later).
Beers of all sizes. Beer is the most important card in the game. It gives you points and drunkenness according to this table:
| Number of beers | Regular size only: 1 | Regular size only: 2 | Regular size only: 3 | Orders including small beer: 1 small | Orders including small beer: 1 regular + 1 small | Orders including small beer: 2 regular + 1 small |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Drunkenness | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Symbols used in Czech pubs: regular beer and small beer. This information can also be found on the beer cards. If you drink a small beer, just refer to the information printed on that card.
If there are more than 3 beers in front of you (usually as result of MIX-UP) you get 1 point and 1 drunkenness for every beer over three.
Normal beer costs no action because the bartender will bring one after another even without calling, but ordering a small beer takes some effort.
Shots. All shots give you 5 points. Drunkenness from shots depends on how many different types of shots you have already had over the course of the game, which is summed up in this table:
| Number of different types of shots you've already had | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drunkenness | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Whenever you drink a shot of which you don't have a token yet, take one.
Tokens help you remember what shots you already drank. You also get points for them at the end of the game, so don't get so drunk you lose them!
Non-alcoholic orders. Non-alcoholic orders are played like beers or shots, but they decrease your drunkenness. (The non-alcoholic cards in the game are TEA, COFFEE and UTOPENEC, with drunkenness values of -2, -1 and -3 printed on them.)
3. Digestion (turn resolution)
Count all points and drunkenness for everything you had this turn.
If you have enough points to gain a medal, take one now. You now have proof of just how cool you really are. Be advised that there are only a limited number of higher medals.
Scoring. Move your figure on the point track for all points you gained this turn. To calculate drunkenness, see below.
Drunkenness. Drunkenness is somewhat more tricky. You have to determine if you are able to hold your alcohol or not. First sum up total drunkenness:
total drunkenness = drunkenness from played cards + number on the drunkenness chart
The higher the total, the harder it will be to manage it. You have to throw an equal or higher number on the dice.
- Dice is equal or higher than your total = you are OK. Move your figure one space forward on the drunkenness chart.
- Dice is less than your total = you are not OK. Move your figure 3 spaces forward on the drunkenness chart. If the difference is too high you move even more, according to the table below.
- You are abstaining. If you don't gain any drunkenness during your turn, then you move only 1 space backwards; see abstinence.
| How you manage your alcohol | Movement on drunkenness chart |
|---|---|
| OK | +1 |
| Not OK (by 1-3) | +3 |
| Really not OK (by 4-6) | +4 |
| Complete and utter failure (by 7-9) | +5 (for every 3 points different, move 1 more) |
Example: Karel is on space -1 on the drunkenness chart and drinks 3 BEERS and RUM during his turn. RUM is his first shot so it's for 1 drunkenness, BEERS are for 3 drunkenness. So the total is 3. He throws 5 on a die, that means he is OK and moves 1 space on the drunkenness chart. If he had thrown 1 or 2 he would move 3 spaces.
Surely you noticed that each drunkenness level has a track of finite spaces. If you move beyond the edge of the track you are placed on the first space of the next level and you don't move any more this turn. Also you flip your coaster to the side with PAUZA. When your coaster has PAUZA revealed, other players' actions have no effect on you. When it's your turn you simply flip the coaster back to the character side, draw up to your hand size, and the next player plays.
If you drink through all the drunkenness levels, you are too drunk to continue and are removed from the pub (the game).
Even if you are too drunk, your figure on the point track stays where it is and you can still win the game. Though you probably won't appreciate it until you sober up tomorrow.
Abstinence
If you have no card that gives you drunkenness in front of you during digestion, you are abstaining. Put the abstinence token in front of you. Use the side with only one stripe. Gain -1 point and move 1 space backwards on the drunkenness chart, plus 1 more for each non-alcoholic order you had this turn.
Drunkenness values (the negative numbers) on non-alcoholic orders do not count during abstinence.
If you are abstaining again next turn, flip the abstinence token to the side with 2 stripes and gain -3 points. Movement on the drunkenness chart is the same as before. If you are abstaining a third time in a row, you are thrown out of the pub and you don't get to play anymore.
You can abstain as many times you like, but never three times in a row.
Whenever you gain drunkenness, discard the ABSTINENCE token. Your transgressions will be overlooked... this time.
The skipped turn (during which you flip your coaster from PAUZA) is not counted toward abstinence.
Example: Anička plays only SHOTS, EVERYONE! That makes everyone else drink but not her. She takes an ABSTINENCE token, gains -1 point, and moves 1 space backwards on the drunkenness chart. She plays only TEA during her next turn, so she flips the ABSTINENCE token, gains -4 points and moves 2 spaces backwards on the drunkenness chart (1 for abstaining and 1 for TEA). If she doesn't gain any drunkenness on the next turn, she is thrown out of the pub.
4. Clean up and draw
Discard all cards in front of you to the discard pile and draw cards up to your hand size according to your drunkenness level (just like at the start of your turn).
Now it's the next player's turn.
Draw Deck Runs Out
When the draw deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and use it to replace the draw deck. Now it's time to put the CLOSING TIME card into the draw deck. In a game of 3 players put the CLOSING TIME card into the first half of the draw deck; for 4 players, into the second half. In a game of 5 or 6 players wait until the draw deck runs out a second time, then for 5 players put it into the first half and for 6 players into the second half.
You can modify the length of the game by putting the CLOSING TIME card deeper or shallower into the draw deck.
End of the Game
The game can end in two ways. Either the pub closes or everyone gets wasted.
- Pub closing: If you draw the Closing Time card, reveal it immediately and place it in front of you. Everyone has a last turn counting this one. After this, the bartender kicks you out of the pub.
- Everyone gets wasted: (printed as "Every on gets wasted" in the source; read as "Every one") If all but one player is wasted, the last player has one last turn and then he must guide his drunk friends home.
Who Is the Winner?
In addition to the points acquired during the game, you also get points for different shots you drank according to this table:
| Number of different shots | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 15 |
After this calculation, the one who has the most points is the winner, best drunk, and overall coolest guy at the table.
Card Explanation
If you play the game for the first time, you don't have to read this. Look here if something is not clear or you already played the game and want some more advice.
Shots
There are five different shots served in the pub: RUM, FERNET, BECHER, PEPPERMINT and VODKA.
In a game with 6 players, shot tokens can run out. If so, replace them with another token, for example the abstinence token.
It's easier to drink the same shots for the whole stay in the pub, but you can't boast that much at the end of the game.
Example: Rudolf has all shot tokens apart from PEPPERMINT. He orders RUM, which gives him 3 drunkenness. Next turn he drinks PEPPERMINT, which gives him now 4 drunkenness. For the rest of the game all shots give him 4 drunkenness. (The source prints "PEPERMINT" in this example; read as PEPPERMINT.)
Non-alcoholic orders
Non-alcoholic orders are played like beers or shots, but they decrease your drunkenness. The three non-alcoholic cards are TEA, COFFEE and UTOPENEC.
Action cards
If you've ever been to a proper Czech pub, you probably don't need an explanation for the effects of these cards, but here they are, just in case.
I'll get the same. You can't play any other cards on the turn when you play I'LL GET THE SAME, not even GIVE ME EVERYTHING. You don't do your Digestion phase. Instead you wait for the turn of the player you played I'LL GET THE SAME at and resolve your Digestion then, counting the orders he played this turn. Both of you make the roll separately.
Card text: Place this card in front of another player. You'll drink what he orders on his next turn.
Example: George plays in front of Kůrka the card I'LL GET THE SAME. Kůrka in his next turn plays 2 BEERS, FERNET and FLATTERY, which he decides to use for FERNET. George flattered the waitress. Because it's an action card and not an order, he drinks only FERNET and two BEERS. Because he hasn't yet drunk FERNET, he takes its token. Each of them then carries out their Digestion phase separately.
Flattery. Flattery gives you any shot but it's not an order, so you can play another shot on the same turn. It also can't be cancelled or modified by the cards SHOT INTO A BEER, MIXED-UP or KNOCKED OVER GLASS. Card counts as alcohol, so you don't abstain.
Card text: This counts as a shot of your choice.
Shot into a beer. If you play SHOT INTO A BEER during your turn, you need to have BEER or SMALL BEER and one shot already played; then the SHOT doesn't count toward the limit of one shot per turn. If the BEER disappears by cards like KNOCKED OVER GLASS or MIXED-UP, then the shot is discarded.
Card text: Pour a shot into yours or someone else's beer. See rulebook.
Example: Rudolf plays 3 BEERS, FERNET, RUM and SHOT INTO A BEER. That gives him in total 16 points. Because he hasn't drunk any shots yet, he takes both shot tokens and the shots give him 2 each, so in total 7 drunkenness.
Let's do a shot and Shots everyone! If one of those cards is played against you, you must do one of these:
- discard a shot
- discard a beer and lose 2 points
- discard a small beer and lose 3 points
- lose 5 points
You don't get any points nor drunkenness from discarded cards. If you discarded a shot that you don't have a token for yet, gain one. If you have an abstinence token in front of you and discarded some card, discard the token as well.