Foreclosed! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Game Set up
  • Setup for 3-players
• Game Round
  • Playing Action Cards
• Exchange Offers in Detail
  • Automatic Exchange
  • Important!
• End of the Round
  • Dual Property Cards
  • Money Cards
• End of the Game
• Changes for a 2-Player Game
• Simple Variant for First-Time Players
• Appendix: Action Cards
  • How the Card Is Played
  • Who the Card Affects
• Detailed Card Summary
  • Heart Scoring Card
  • Coin Scoring Card
• Scoring Summary

Contents

• Game Board
• 1 Gavel Token
• Coins in values of $1 and $5
• 60 Property Cards
  • 45 "Standard" Property Cards, in 5 colors
  • 5 "Dual" Property Cards, with 2 colors each
  • 10 Money Cards
• 39 Action Cards
• Rule Book

Game Set up

Place the Game Board in the center of the table.

Place all Coins in a pile near the Game Board to form the Bank.

Shuffle the Action Cards and deal two cards to each player, face down. This forms a player's starting hand. Place the remaining Deck of Action Cards onto the Action Card Deck space on the game board.

Shuffle the Property Cards, then randomly remove as many Property Cards as there are players in the game and return them unseen to the game box. For example, in a 4-player game, remove 4 Property Cards (remember, with 2 players, remove 3 cards!). These Cards will not be used in this game.

Deal 2 Property Cards face-down to each player. If any player is dealt a "Dual" Property Card or a Money Card, those Cards are revealed, discarded, and replaced until all players have 2 "Standard" Property Cards face-down in front of them. Then reshuffle the Property Card Deck, including any Dual or Money Cards which were previously discarded (not the ones you put back in the box!), and place this Deck onto the Property Card Deck space on the game board.

Give each player $4 in Coins from the Bank.

Give the Gavel Token to the player who most recently attended an estate sale. Alternatively, a random player may be chosen by any method desired. This person will start the game as the Chairman.

Each player now selects one of their two Property Cards to be turned face-up and one to be left face-down (The face-down Card is a part of a player's collection, but it will remain secret from the other players until the end of the game). Both Cards are placed immediately in front of their respective owners into an area called the "Permanent Collection". Once a Property Card is in a player's "Permanent Collection" it remains there for the rest of the game and cannot be Exchanged.

If any face-up or face-down Property Cards show a +1 or +2 symbol, the owning player must return $1 for a +1 Property Card and $2 for a +2 Property Card to the Bank. It is possible that a player will start the game with no Coins at all. All other icons on the 2 starting Property Cards are ignored.

You are now ready to play!!!

Players begin the game with only Standard Property Cards.

Note: Remember to discard and replace any Dual Property Cards as well as Money Cards!

Setup for 3-players

The diagram shows the Property Card Deck and Action Card Deck on the game board, with an Exchange Area in front of each player and the Permanent Collection Area beside it.

If playing a 2-player game of Foreclosed!, follow the instructions as if setting up for a 3 player game, then refer to the special "2-Player Rules" section in this rulebook.

Game Round

First, the Chairman deals a new Property Card face-up to the area in front of each player's Permanent collection. This is called the Exchange Area. It is important to keep these Cards separate from a player's Permanent Collection so it is always easy to see which cards can be Exchanged this round.

On a player's turn, starting with the Chairman, they will take one of the following TURN OPTIONS before the next player starts their turn. The "Active Player" (the player who is currently taking their turn) must choose one of the following options for their turn:

• EXCHANGE: Make an Exchange offer to another player (see Exchange offers, page 4)
• COLLECT: Instead of making an Exchange offer, a player may choose to Collect, and either draw an Action Card from the top of the Action Card Deck, or take $1 from the bank. Choosing to Collect is often a valid strategy to gain Coins or Action Cards, especially if the Active Player likes the Property Card they've been dealt. There is a hand limit of five Action Cards (see PLAYING ACTION CARDS, below).
• PASS: This turn option is mandatory if the Property Card in a player's Exchange Area has been "Protected" (see Exchange Offers, Protect, below). If this is the case, the player takes no action except to take $1 from the bank.

Playing Action Cards

Regardless of the turn option they have chosen, a player may always play exactly one Action Card, but only at the beginning of their turn. (Note that it is not possible to draw an Action Card and play it during the same turn).

A player may never have more than 5 Action Cards in their hand. If taking a 6th Action Card, discard any Action Card to return to 5 Action Cards.

Most Action Cards are played on a player's turn, but some Action Cards can be played out of turn. See the Action Card section later in these rules for more details.

Exchange Offers in Detail

Often a player will see one or more Property Cards in other players' Exchange Areas that they would prefer to the Property Card in their own Exchange Area. A player may only make one Exchange per turn, however, they may make multiple Exchange offers before one of them succeeds. The Active Player's turn is over as soon as an Exchange has been successfully completed, or there are no more players with which to make an offer.

Making an Exchange offer always begins with the player immediately to the left of the Active Player, and then proceeds clockwise around the table. If the first player's card is not desired, no offer is made, and the active player can continue around to the next player. However, the active player may not return to a player he has passed already.

Example: Player 1 is the Active Player. Player 1 is mildly interested in the Card of Player 2 (the first player to his left), but he is most interested in Player 4's Card. If he chooses to skip Players 2 and 3 to make an Exchange offer to Player 4, and the offer does not result in an Exchange, he no longer has the option to go back to either of the previous players to make an offer.

Making an Exchange offer is a simple process. The offer consists of the Active Player's Card (the Card currently in his Exchange area) plus $1 from his own supply. The Active Player then designates which player's Property Card he would like to Exchange for his own (remember, Cards in a player's Permanent Collection are never eligible for Exchange).

The player receiving the Exchange offer has two options:

• Accept the Exchange, swapping Property Cards and receiving an immediate payment of $1 from the active player (thus ending the Active Player's turn), or
• Protect their own Property Card by placing at least $1 on their own Property Card. A player may place as much of their own money as they wish onto a card to Protect it.

Example: The Card shown above has been Protected by placing $3 on it. Now, if the Active Player wishes to Exchange for this card, they must pay $4 to the Card's owner (the $ amount on the card + $1).

Protecting is a key strategy. It allows you to try to ensure you will get to keep a Card you want, but it is also a good way to force other players to pay more for your Card if they are determined to have it.

If you're just trying to force another player to pay more, be sure you are willing to risk losing your Protection money if they decline to Exchange!

If the card is Protected, the Active Player now has two options:

• If the Active Player still wants the Card, they must pay $1 more than the amount currently on the Protected Card, thereby completing the Exchange. In this case, the receiving player takes back any money used to Protect their Property Card and receives all the Coins offered by the Active Player. The players then exchange their Cards, placing them in their respective Exchange Areas. The Cards which have just been successfully exchanged now have no coins on them, which means that they may be targeted for another exchange by a different player later in the round, or
• If the price is now too high, the Active Player may decline to Exchange and decide if they want to make another Exchange offer to a different player (remember, a player may not make an new Exchange offer to a player he has already passed over in a clockwise-direction), or simply end their turn. If the Exchange is declined, the player who Protected their Card leaves the Coins they placed on their Card. Later in the round, a different player may wish to make an Exchange for the Protected Card (see Automatic Exchange, below). At the end of the round, coins remaining on Protected Cards are "paid" to the Bank.

Automatic Exchange

The Active Player may wish to make an Exchange for a Card that has previously been Protected (during another player's turn earlier in the round). In this situation, the Exchange is carried out automatically (no need to make an offer) by simply paying the Protected player $1 more than the amount currently on their Card.

Important!

• The Active Player may not make an Exchange offer if they have Protection Coins on their Property Card at the start of their turn. In this case, their only option is to Pass and take $1 and end their turn (they may still play one Action Card before taking their $1 if they wish to do so).
• No player may offer an Exchange to another player who has already Exchanged with them this round. It is possible to obtain your original Property Card as part of a three-way Exchange (rare), but there may not be more than a single Exchange between the same two players during a single round.
• While there are some advantages to being the first player in a round, players must be aware that they might spend a lot of Coins in an Exchange with another player only to have their newly-acquired Property Card taken away by a player taking their turn after. Try to hold some money in reserve if you find yourself playing early in the round.
• During a Collect Turn, taking an Action Card is usually the better option, but that's not always the case. Having Coins means you can protect Property Cards on later turns, or Exchange for a different Property Card. However, remember that when you choose to Protect a Card, you risk having those Protection Coins still on the Card during your turn, meaning you cannot offer an Exchange and you cannot take an Action Card.

End of the Round

Once all players have taken a turn, the round ends. Each player takes the Property Card in their Exchange Area and moves it to their Permanent Collection face-up, returning any Coins used to Protect the Property Card to the Bank. Players must clearly organize their Permanent Collection into same-colored Sets to show how many of each color Property Card they have acquired (though they keep their face-down Property Card from the start of the game a secret until the very end of the game).

Some Cards contain special symbols or are of a special type. When adding these Cards to their Permanent Collection, players must also carry out the following tasks:

• Property Cards with this symbol allow the player to take an extra Coin from the Bank when added to their Permanent Collection.
• Property Cards with this symbol allow the player to draw an extra Action Card from the Action Card Deck when added to their Permanent Collection.
• These symbols have no immediate effect but award 1 or 2 points at the end of the game. Unlike when drawing these at the start of the game, adding Cards with these symbols to a Permanent Collection does not require the payment of additional Coins during the game.

Note: The manual shows these symbols only as pictures; the symbol images are not reproduced in this text.

Dual Property Cards

"Dual" Property Cards: This special type of Property Card can count as either displayed color when added to a player's Permanent Collection. If a player already possesses Cards of either color in their Permanent Collection they must immediately decide which color the Dual Property Card will be for the rest of the game and add the Dual Property Card to that color. If neither color has been collected, the player may wait until collecting a Property Card of one of those colors before deciding what color the Dual Property Card will be.

This is also true when one "unassigned" Dual Property Card has already been collected and another Dual Property Card featuring one of the same two colors is due to be moved to a player's Permanent Collection; they must immediately decide which colors both Dual Property Cards will be.

Money Cards

Money Cards are not considered their own color for the purpose of points at the end of the game. Rather, Money Cards are used to generate more Coins. When a Money Card is moved into a Permanent Collection, the owning player receives $1 for the Card, plus $1 for every additional Money Card previously collected. For example, if this is the third Money Card collected, the player will take $3 in Coins from the bank.

Do not confuse a Money Card with a Card showing only a Coin symbol. Also, be aware that some Property Cards share two of the above properties, for example a Money Card which also displays a Heart symbol.

If no more Property Cards are available in the draw deck, the game ends. If not, the Gavel is passed to the next player to the left of the previous Chairman and a new round begins.

End of the Game

When no more Property Cards remain in the deck at the end of a round, the game ends. Players turn over their secret Property Card and add it to the appropriate Set.

Players receive points for each Property Card Set (but NOT for Money Cards!) as shown in the scoring chart below. Be sure to collect points for each Set, no matter how large or small, along with points for certain played Action Cards and points for unplayed Action Cards.

Number of Cards in a Set	Point Value
1	1
2	2
3	4
4	6
5	9
6	12
7	16
8	20
9	25
10	30
11	36

Players score additional points for the following:

• +1/+2 Property Card symbols: Add 1 or 2 points as appropriate for each Card showing these symbols.
• Action Cards: Some Action Cards award or deduct points based upon various conditions. Please see the Action Card Summary for more information.
• Unplayed Action Cards: Any Action Cards left in a player's hand are worth 1 point each. Remember that there is a hand limit of 5 Action Cards!

The player with the most points is the winner. In the event of a tie, the tied player with the most Coins is the winner. Otherwise Coins are of no additional value unless specifically designated by an Action Card.

IMPORTANT! If a player uses the Action Card that gives them points for money, then this money cannot be taken into account for purposes of breaking ties.

Changes for a 2-Player Game

The 2-player version of Foreclosed! introduces you to Wealthy Nephew Merc, a fictional third player. Merc is Wealthy Uncle Moneybag's nephew and he's been sent to try to buy back some treasures.

Set up the game as if playing a 3-player game, giving Merc the same $4 in Coins as well as one Property Card face-up and one Property Card face-down (randomly selected). Also give Merc 2 Action Cards as normal.

Merc plays almost like a real person, collecting Coins and Action Cards with the following exceptions:

• Merc never receives the Gavel. Alternate the Gavel between the two human players.
• Merc never plays his Action Cards. Instead at the end of the game he uses any Action Cards that are face-up in either human players Permanent Collection or on the game board (regardless if the Action Cards help him or hurt him - he uses them all). Like the human players, Merc does receive 1 point per Action Card in his hand, up to 5 cards.
• Merc always wishes to keep the Property Card he is dealt (he always selects Pass), but never receives $1 or an Action Card for Passing. Merc does, however, receive Coins from Property or Money Cards or receive an Action Card as a result of collecting a Property Card with the heart icon. Just like the human players, Merc may never hold more than 5 Action Cards in his hand.
• Players may attempt to Exchange with Merc. Merc always Protects his Property Card with an imaginary $2, meaning it will cost at least $3 to Exchange with Merc. However, before Exchanging with Merc the opposing human player may add as many Coins to help Protect Merc's Property Card as desired. These extra Protection Coins are instantly discarded after the player attempting the Exchange has made a decision to Exchange with Merc or not, and are always discarded regardless of the decision. Merc only receives the first $3 as a result of an Exchange. Any extra Coins paid due to extra Protection are discarded.
• When collecting Property Cards, Merc always places them into the set that would most benefit him at that moment. In the case of collecting a Dual Property Card, Merc will always add it to the Set that has the most cards in it. For example, if collecting a Dual orange and yellow Property Card and Merc has 2 orange Property Cards and no Yellow Property Cards, Merc will place the Card with his orange Set.
• In the event that Merc collects a Standard Property Card that matches either color on an uncommitted Dual Property Card, Merc will always make those Cards into a Set of that color.
• In the event that Merc collects a Dual Property Card, and already has another uncommitted Dual Property Card that shares a common color, Merc will always make them into a Set using that common color.
• If Merc faces an equal choice, both players may freely decide where to place his Property Card. In the event of disagreement, the player with more Coins decides. If still tied, Merc picks at random.
• At game end, reveal Merc's face-down Property Card at the same time the humans reveal theirs. If it's a Money Card discard it and replace it with a random Property Card from the 3 that were removed at the start of the game. Continue replacing it until a Standard or Dual Property Card is revealed and add that Card to Merc's Permanent Collection. (IMPORTANT: If there are only Money Cards for Merc to replace his face-down Card with then Merc simply loses his face-down Card replacing it with nothing)

Simple Variant for First-Time Players

Though Foreclosed! is a simple game to learn, the Action Cards come in many different types. It may be useful to play your first game without Action Cards to fully appreciate the subtle strategies of the Exchange portion of the game. Once you're comfortable with the strategies, add the Action Cards into your next game of Foreclosed!

Appendix: Action Cards

The top of each Action Card has icons which show how it is played and who it will affect. Icons on the left show which players are affected by this Card. Icons on the right indicate how this Card is played.

How the Card Is Played

• Action Cards marked with the Draw Deck symbol are played and then placed into a discard pile after use.
• Action Cards marked with the Medal icon are placed in a player's Permanent Collection and will be used to score points at the end of the game.
• Action Cards marked with a Card Set are placed on top of the Property Card which they are meant to effect.
• Action Cards marked with a Table Layout icon are meant to be played onto the main game board.

Who the Card Affects

• This Action Card affects only one player (usually the Active Player).
• This Action Card affects all other players, but not the Active Player.
• This Action Card affects all players, including the Active Player.

Detailed Card Summary

Note: The Action Card text is listed below in the order it appears in the manual. The manual does not print a name for each card.

• Immediately receive $2 from the Bank.
• Take back the Protection money on your Protected Card (return it to your Supply. It will not be returned to the Bank). Note: this Card may be played on your turn, as usual, or it may be played at the END of the ROUND. If played on your turn, you can then take a regular turn as if no Coins were ever present on your Property Card.
• All other players must immediately lose $1 (paid to the Bank). If a player has no money, nothing happens.
• Discard any Action Card currently in play. The discarded Card may be a Card played on the game board, or a Card played in any player's play area, including cards which have been played on Property Cards in a player's Permanent Collection.
• No other player may Exchange cards with you for the rest of this round. Note: this Card may be played on your turn, as usual, or it may be played at the START of a ROUND (after you receive your Exchange Card for the round).
• At the end of the game, you will gain one extra point for each Money Card in your Permanent Collection. Important! No player may have more than one copy of this card in play at any time. Note: Money used to score this Card may not be used as a tie-breaker.
• Play this Card onto a +1 or +2 card in your Permanent Collection. At the end of the game, you will receive twice the number of bonus points for this Card.
• At the end of the game, you will gain one point for each two of your Property Cards of the color shown.
• Play this Card onto the game board in the center of the table. At the end of the game, all players will lose one point for each two of their Property Cards of the color shown.
• At the end of the game, you will receive 2, 3 or 4 points (depending on the Card) if you have at least one Property Card of each of the five colors in your Permanent Collection.
• At the end of the game, you will receive 5 points if you have at least one Property Card in only the three colors shown, or receive 2 points if you have at least one Property Card in only the four colors shown.
• At the end of the game, you will gain one point for each $2 remaining in your possession.

Heart Scoring Card

The manual prints this card without a title; the heading is added here for reference.

This Card may be played into your own play area or that of another player. At the end of the game, the player will gain (or lose) points based on the total number of Heart symbols shown on all their Property Cards. Points are awarded according to the chart shown on the Card.

Heart symbols	Points
1	-2
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	6
6	8

Coin Scoring Card

The manual prints this card without a title; the heading is added here for reference.

This Card may be played into your own play area or that of another player. At the end of the game, the player will gain (or lose) points based on the total number of Coin symbols shown on all their Property Cards. Points are awarded according to the chart shown on the Card.

Coin symbols	Points
0	3
1	3
2	2
3	1
4	-2
5	-3

Scoring Summary

You may find it easiest to tally up the scores with a piece of paper and a pencil.

Score for the number of Property Cards in each Set, according to the table under End of the Game above.

• +1/+2 points for each Card with these symbols.
• Score Action Cards (the printed summary pairs each icon with the following text, in order):
  • Gain double points for the +1/+2 Card this is attached to.
  • Gain 2, 3, 4 or 5 points if the Cards in your Permanent Collection meet the illustrated requirements.
  • Gain 1 point for each Money Card in your Permanent Collection.
  • Gain 1 point for each two of your own Property Cards of the color shown.
  • Gain 1 point for every $2 you have.
  • Lose 1 point for each two Property Cards you have which match the color shown.
  • Gain or Lose points according to the chart and the number of matching symbols in your Permanent Collection.
• +1 point per Action Card remaining in hand.