Die Erbraffer
Die Erbraffer Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Heading as printed: "What is played with?"
- 1 game board
- 1 rulebook
- 1 hourglass
- 6 heirlooms
- 24 benefactor aunt/uncle cards (Erbonkeltantenkarten)
- 6 portrait cards (Porträtkarten)
- 2 certificates (Urkunden)
- 48 influence cards (Einflußkarten)
- 90 coins
Setup
Spielvorbereitung
The game board is spread out and the hourglass is placed on the 1840 field of the calendar on the left. The heirlooms are placed on their fields next to the ancestors in the top row. Their value is shown there too. The certificates are placed next to the game board.
The influence cards. The influence cards are shuffled. Each player receives 4 cards in hand. The remaining cards are placed face down as a draw pile.
The money. The money consists of coins worth 10,000 (gold), 5,000 (silver) and 1,000 (bronze). On the portrait field of each ancestor in the top row, two silver 5,000 coins are stacked. Together with the heirloom next to that ancestor, this is the ancestor's current possession.
In addition, the four heirs marked with a silver dot each receive one silver 5,000 coin as a dowry in the years 1870 and 1930. The remaining coins are placed next to the game board and form the bank.
The portrait cards (square frame). The portrait cards, which show the heirs of the bottom row of the board, are shuffled and dealt face down among the players. Each player receives one and may look at it secretly. Each player now knows which person he is in this game. Who is who remains secret until the end of the game. If only 2 or 3 players are playing, each player receives two portrait cards and so inherits twice at the end. The remaining portrait cards are removed from the game.
The benefactor aunts and uncles (oval frame). There are aunts and uncles in the game, which for simplicity are called "benefactor aunts and uncles" (Erbonkeltanten). They are considered outstanding benefactors and are shown in oval picture frames to distinguish them. Since they are unmarried and childless, they cannot pass their money on any further. Their money goes during the game directly to those players who hold a matching benefactor aunt/uncle card. The cards with oval frames are dealt face down as follows:
- 2-3 players: 4 benefactor aunts/uncles each
- 4-6 players: 3 benefactor aunts/uncles each
The benefactor aunts and uncles are easy to find on the game board: every generation of benefactor aunts and uncles has a uniform frame colour. There are two small cards for each benefactor aunt/uncle on the board. If a player receives a benefactor aunt/uncle card twice, or more than two benefactor aunt/uncle cards from the same generation (for example three with a red frame), he returns his cards and receives new ones. Who holds which benefactor aunt/uncle remains secret.
The Inheritance Scramble Begins
Das Erbgerangel beginnt!
The family tree. The family tree on the game board is divided into six generations. At the start of the game, in 1840, only the oldest generation is alive. Only the assets of this generation can be influenced at first.
Who starts? The oldest player begins by playing one of his four influence cards. For this card he immediately draws a new one from the pile, so that he always has four cards in hand. When the draw pile is used up, the discarded cards are reshuffled.
Turn order: first play a card and then draw a new one. Then carry out the action (alternatively: exchange 1-4 cards).
Influence cards without an hourglass
When a player plays an influence card without an hourglass symbol (a grey card), he carries out what the card says. For example, a player plays the card "The Money-Grabber!" (Der Absahner), which reads "Give one heir 10,000 from the bank." He takes a gold coin from the bank and places it on any portrait in the top row.
After that, the player who is next clockwise is on turn.
Instead of playing an influence card, the player whose turn it is may also exchange 1 to 4 of his influence cards for new ones.
Caution: Since only the oldest generation is alive at the start of the game, only their assets can be influenced at first. The term "heir" (Erbe) on the influence cards ("Give an heir...") also refers to the people of the oldest generation, since they too have ancestors and are therefore heirs.
Values below zero lapse. No heir can hold less than zero. For example, if a -10,000 card is played on an heir who holds only 6,000, then 6,000 goes to the bank. The rest lapses.
Influence cards with an hourglass
When a player plays an influence card with an hourglass symbol (a light brown card), he first carries out what the card says. After that the hourglass is moved down one field, i.e. ten years have passed.
Hourglass card: move the hourglass down one field.
White years: protect an heir with a certificate. Whenever the hourglass reaches a white year (for example 1850 and 1860), any member of the living generation is laid to rest and his will is sealed. For this, the player who played the hourglass card places a certificate on any portrait. The assets of this heir (money and heirlooms) remain where they are and may no longer be changed until the hourglass reaches the next golden year. A small certificate next to the white years is a reminder of this action.
Golden years: an inheritance begins. When the hourglass reaches a golden year (for example 1870), the entire fortune is inherited by the next generation.
Note for first-time players: play on until the hourglass stands at 1870. The inheritance rules that follow will be easier to understand after that.
Generation Change
Generationswechsel
The inheritance begins. The player whose hourglass card moved the hourglass onto a golden year begins the inheritance. He chooses one of the married couples and distributes their possessions to the children of the next generation. The certificates are returned next to the game board. Their blocking effect is now lifted.
The distribution of money. The money is inherited according to the following inheritance laws and stacked on the newly created heirs in the row below:
§ 1 The benefactor aunts and uncles (oval picture frame) may receive any amount of money, possibly all of it. Then nothing remains for the married children.
§ 2 If money is passed on to married children (square picture frame), they must always receive the same amount of money. If the halves are unequal, the player decides who receives the remainder.
Example 1: A couple has two children; neither of them is a benefactor aunt or uncle. The couple has a fortune of 15,000. One child receives 7,000, the other 8,000.
Example 2: A couple has three children, and one of them is a benefactor aunt or uncle. The couple has a fortune of 10,000. The player carrying out the inheritance gives each married child 4,000, and the benefactor aunt/uncle receives 2,000. The player could have given the benefactor aunt/uncle any other amount instead. The only thing that matters is that the married children always receive the same amount of money.
§ 3 Heirlooms are passed on only to married children. How this is done is entirely up to the player. For example, a child may also receive three heirlooms. Benefactor aunts and uncles never receive heirlooms.
The card "New Will Found"
Translator's note: the German card title "Neues Testament gefunden" is rendered here as "New Will Found", since the card deals with a will (Testament) and not with the biblical text.
With this card the inheritance can be redistributed completely. The equality principle for married children (§ 2) is lifted. For example, one child can now inherit the entire amount of money. Benefactor aunts and uncles still never receive heirlooms.
- The card "New Will Found" may only be played immediately after an inheritance, i.e. directly after the fortune of one family has been distributed. It always refers only to the money and heirlooms of one family.
- There is no fixed order in which this card must be played. Each player must decide for himself whether and when he plays this card. A played "New Will Found" card may also be answered immediately with another such card.
- The player who has just distributed the fortune of a married couple may also play this card and thereby bypass § 2 of the inheritance law.
- The card may only be played until the next player begins the inheritance of the next couple.
- Do not forget: immediately after playing a card, draw a new one from the pile.
Continuing the inheritance. Once the player has passed on the possessions of the first married couple, the next player clockwise chooses a different couple and passes on its possessions as described above. This goes around the table until the possessions of all married couples of this generation have been passed on to the next generation.
The benefactor aunts and uncles pay out
The money of the benefactor aunts and uncles initially remains on their portraits. Only after the next round of inheritance (when the inheritance has passed to the 1900 generation) does the money that now lies on the benefactor aunt/uncle portraits of the 1870 generation go directly to those players who can show the matching portrait card. The portrait card is then discarded. The same procedure applies in the following generations.
- If a portrait card is held twice in the game, the inheritance is divided accordingly. Indivisible remainders go to the bank.
- The money also goes to the bank if no one holds the matching portrait card.
After the inheritance
After an inheritance into the next generation, the original order of players applies again. The player to the left of the player who moved the hourglass onto the golden year is now on turn. He plays an influence card on any heir of the now living generation, and so on.
The Last Generation
Die letzte Generation
The last generation receives its inheritance in the year 1990. Now it is all at stake! As soon as one of the players plays an influence card with an hourglass and the hourglass moves to the year 2000, the last round begins.
Note: in the year 2000 no one dies any more, so no certificates may be placed. The hourglass symbols on the cards no longer have any meaning.
The last round
Die letzte Runde
In the last round every player may still play one card, including the player who moved the hourglass to the year 2000. After that the game ends and all players reveal the portrait cards of their heirs.
The winner
The winner is the player who has managed to pass down the largest fortune to himself. To do this, the money and heirlooms of the player's own heirs are added together, as well as the money already inherited by the benefactor aunts and uncles.
Quick Reference
Kurzspielregel (the quick-reference sheet printed in the rulebook, with its page references)
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Influence card without hourglass (p. 6): Play the influence card, carry out the instruction, and draw a new card from the pile.
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Influence card with hourglass (p. 7): Play the influence card, carry out the instruction, take a new card from the pile, then move the hourglass down one decade.
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Certificate (p. 7): At each white year one member of the living generation dies; place a certificate on his portrait. His possessions may no longer be changed until the inheritance.
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Passing on to the next generation (pp. 8-9): At each golden year, money and heirlooms are passed on according to three rules:
- § 1: money to benefactor aunts and uncles, in any amount.
- § 2: money to married children, distributed equally.
- § 3: heirlooms only to married children.
The player passes on the fortune of one family; then the next player is on turn with a family of his choice.
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"New Will Found" (p. 9): Through this card players may redistribute the inheritance of one family; § 2 of the inheritance law no longer applies. There is no fixed order for playing the card.
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Money of the benefactor aunts and uncles (p. 10): After the inheritance is complete, the money goes directly to the players holding a matching portrait card. After that, the player to the left of the player who moved the hourglass onto the golden year is on turn.