Experiment
Experiment Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Players try to carry out as many experiments as possible by solving secret tasks and accumulating particular chemical substances.
Components
- Active player card.
- 4 reference cards. One side shows colour combinations of chemicals (how to make the chemicals of additional colours). The other side shows the number of points players get for completed tasks.
- 57 task cards (of different possibilities and different values).
- 84 laboratory cards (divided into 2 groups), including:
- 4.1. 60 laboratory cards with chemicals of basic colours (20 blue, 20 yellow and 20 red);
- 4.2. 24 secret laboratory cards, including:
- 4.2.1. 4 cards showing a broken flask;
- 4.2.2. 2 cards showing an explosion;
- 4.2.3. 9 cards with chemicals of additional colours (3 green, 3 orange and 3 purple);
- 4.2.4. 3 joker cards;
- 4.2.5. 6 laboratory cards with double chemicals (2 blue, 2 yellow and 2 red).
- 6 sets of 3 influence cards with values 1, 4 and 7;
- 36 influence cards (6 x 1, 6 x 2, 6 x 3, 6 x 4, 6 x 5, 6 x 6);
- The rules of the game.
Setup
- The youngest player begins. Give him the active player card.
- Give each player a set of three influence cards with values 1, 4 and 7 (if fewer than 6 players are playing, the unused influence cards of values 1, 4 and 7 are removed from the game: put them back in the box).
- Shuffle the deck of task cards.
- Deal each player one task card face up.
- Now place the task deck on the table face down. Turn over the first 3 cards from it and place them in a row face up.
- Shuffle the secret laboratory cards. Place the first two cards of the deck in the centre of the table face down, and set the remaining cards aside until the start of the next round.
- Shuffle the laboratory cards. You will need a number of cards one less than the number of players (for example, in a four-player game, three laboratory cards) to lay out face up in the middle of the table. Place the remaining deck next to them face down; it will be used in the following rounds.
- Shuffle the influence cards and place the deck on the table face down.
Game Play
The game lasts 12 rounds, each of which consists of 3 phases:
- Phase 1: determining the players' influence;
- Phase 2: choosing a laboratory card or a new task card;
- Phase 3: carrying out tasks.
In the last round players do not receive any influence cards. The values of the three cards in hand are added together to determine their influence.
Phase 1. Determining the Players' Influence
Starting with the active player, each player takes two influence cards from the deck and places them in front of himself. The first card received is placed face up, and the second card face down (no player sees this card).
If the deck of influence cards runs out, the discard pile is shuffled and forms a new deck.
Each player chooses one of the three influence cards in his hand, places it face up on one of the two cards lying in front of him on the table, and takes the other one into his hand (each player must always have 3 influence cards in hand).
Then the influence cards lying on the table are revealed simultaneously and their sum is counted. The player with the highest sum on these cards may look at the laboratory cards lying face down on the table. In case of a tie, either the active player or the player closest to him in clockwise order wins.
Phase 2. Choosing a Laboratory Card or a New Task Card
The player with the second-highest influence becomes the active player. He chooses one of the laboratory cards in the centre of the table (any card may be chosen, even one lying face down, in which case he will not know what he has chosen). Then the player with the greatest influence may choose a laboratory card, and after that all other players choose in order of decreasing influence (in case of equal influence, preference goes to the first player or the player closest to him in a clockwise direction). The player who chooses last (since he has the lowest influence) immediately becomes the active player and receives the active player card.
Players place the laboratory card they chose in front of themselves face up. The influence cards in front of each player are discarded. Unchosen laboratory cards (face up or secret) are also put in the discard pile. Laboratory cards are not shown when discarded.
Note: A player may take one more task card instead of taking a laboratory card. In this case he may either take the first card from the task deck, or choose one of the three face-up task cards. If the player decides to take a face-up card, a new task card from the deck is immediately placed in the empty spot.
Among the face-up laboratory cards one can find only cards showing flasks of basic colours. Among the face-down secret laboratory cards one can find cards showing flasks of additional colours (green, purple, orange), cards showing double flasks of basic colours, joker cards, and also cards showing a broken flask or an explosion.
When a player takes a broken flask card, he must get rid of one of his laboratory cards from those lying in front of him (he does not have to discard the broken flask card). If he has no laboratory cards, he must get rid of the first one that he receives.
When a player takes an explosion card, all players (including the one who took the card) lose one of their laboratory cards (except the broken flask card). If at that time a player has no cards at all, he loses nothing.
Phase 3. Carrying Out Tasks
The new active player (the one who had the lowest influence in the first phase) tries to carry out his task. Then the other players take their turn in clockwise order.
To carry out a task, the player must have in front of him exactly the same chemicals as on the task card. Chemicals of additional colours (green, purple, orange) may be represented by one card showing the additional colour, or by a combination of two cards of basic colour (see the reference card). Joker cards can be used as cards of any basic colour (red, yellow or blue).
If a player can carry out the task, he discards the laboratory cards into the discard pile and keeps the card of the completed task. Then he chooses a new task card, taking the first from the deck or one of the three displayed task cards (in this case a new task card from the deck is immediately placed in the empty spot).
If the player can immediately solve this task (or one of the other tasks he may have), he does so and takes a task card again. This process may repeat until the player cannot or does not want to carry out a task. After each player has had the chance to carry out tasks, the new laboratory cards are laid out on the table (these are two secret laboratory cards plus face-up cards in a number one less than the number of players). The next round begins with Phase 1.
End of the Game
The game ends after Phase 3 of the 12th round (when the last two secret laboratory cards are revealed). The player who at that moment can collect the greatest number of points for completed tasks (by the sum of the task values) is declared the best laboratory employee and wins the game. If the score is equal, the winner is the one who completed more tasks.
If there is still a tie, the winner is the one with more laboratory cards lying on the table (broken flasks are not counted!). In exceptional cases the winner is the active player or the player closest to him in clockwise order.
Advanced Game
Want to try a deeper and more complex game? Here are the rule modifications for this variant.
Setup
- The 6 sets of three influence cards (1, 4 and 7) must be removed from the game.
- Each player receives a set of six influence cards with values from 1 to 6 (if fewer than 6 players remain in the game, the unused influence cards are removed from the game).
Phase 1. Determining the Players' Influence
Starting with the first player, each player himself chooses an influence card and places it face up in front of himself. Only the player with the greatest influence may look at the two secret laboratory cards (in case of equal influence, the active player or the player closest to him in clockwise order wins).
Players get their influence cards back only after they have played the last card in round 6. They may receive all their influence cards and play with them again in round 6.
The other phases of the game proceed according to the usual rules (see Game Play).
Two-Player Game
- Each player receives a set of six influence cards with values from 1 to 6 (as in the advanced game) and one task card each.
- Place only two task cards face up in the centre of the table, three laboratory cards face up, and two secret laboratories face down.
The player with the greatest influence may look at the two secret laboratory cards, but in this case he takes a laboratory card only after the second player. After taking one card each, the players take one more each, in the same order.
The player who draws an explosion card discards one card (other than a broken flask card), and the other player discards two cards.
The other phases of the game proceed according to the usual rules (see Game Play).
Illustration caption: 3 different ways to carry out the same task.
Round Summary
Phase 1
- Each player receives two influence cards and places them in front of himself.
- The player chooses one of the three influence cards in his hand and places it on one of the two cards lying on the table.
- He takes the other one.
- The sum of the influence cards is counted.
Phase 2
- The player with the second-highest influence starts.
- Then the player with the highest influence.
- Then the other players in order of decreasing influence.
- The player with the minimum influence becomes the active player.
- The chosen card is placed in front of the player face up; the card it replaces is discarded.
- A player may choose a task card instead of a laboratory card.
Phase 3
- The active player may solve tasks; then the other players do so in clockwise order.
- The combination of flasks must be exact, neither more nor less.
- To carry out a task, discard the laboratory cards, take the card of the completed task, and then choose a new task card. (A task card whose combination is not exactly matched is not carried out.)
- Now reveal new laboratory cards and begin a new round with Phase 1.
End of the Game
The winner is the player who has the maximum points after 12 rounds.
In case of an equal score, the winner is the one with the most completed tasks. If there is still a tie, the winner is the one with the most laboratory cards on the table. In exceptional cases the winner is the active player or the player closest to him in clockwise order.