Gene Pool
Gene Pool Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
28 cards of three different types:
- 12 Base Pair cards
- six A/T (adenine/thymine) and six G/C (guanine/cytosine)
- 14 Gene Research cards
- six worth 2 years
- eight worth 1 year
- 2 player reference cards
Initial Setup
The Gene Pools (Gene Research cards)
Separate the Gene Research cards into two groups (which will be the two Gene Pool reserves) according to the years shown on their backs: 1 or 2. Shuffle each group separately and place them face down to one side. Each player takes one card from the Gene Pool of their choice. This card is your initial research project; keep it secret in front of you and show it only once the research is completed.
The Base Pairs
Deal each player two Base Pair cards, one A/T and one G/C, which each player keeps hidden in hand. Place one A/T card and one G/C card face up next to the two Gene Pool piles. Shuffle the six remaining Base Pair cards and place them face up in a row between the two players to create the initial DNA sequence. There must always be six Base Pair cards in the DNA sequence.
How to Play
The youngest player goes first. Each player's turn consists of three phases: 1) choosing an action; 2) claiming years of gene research; and 3) wrapping up.
1) Choosing an Action
The player may choose one of the following actions:
Insertion: Insert a Base Pair card from your hand between any two cards in the sequence. After the Insertion you must choose a card at an end of the sequence to remove, reducing the DNA sequence back to six cards. Place discarded Base Pair cards face up in two piles, one for A/T and one for C/G.
Deletion: Remove a Base Pair card located between two other cards of the DNA sequence and discard it to the appropriate pile. After the Deletion you must place a card from your hand at one of the two ends of the sequence, in whichever orientation you wish.
Mutation: Replace any card in the DNA sequence with a card from your hand; discard the replaced card to the appropriate pile.
Inversion: Select one or more adjacent cards and rotate them within the DNA sequence. If you invert more than one card, they must be rotated together as a single group, not individually.
If your Inversion is the exact reversal of your opponent's previous action, you must discard a Base Pair card. If you do not have a Base Pair card, you cannot perform this reversal.
Draw Base Pair: Draw the top card of one of the two Base Pair piles.
Draw Gene Research: Draw the top card of one of the two Gene Pools. If you currently already have two Gene Research cards in your hand, you cannot choose this action; that is, at most two research projects can be in progress simultaneously.
2) Claiming Gene Research Years
Once you have performed your action, if any of your current Gene Research cards has a sequence that matches the DNA sequence on the table, you have completed a research project and repaired these genes! Show this card or these cards to the other player and claim the years shown on the cards. Keep the cards with the years in front of you to keep track of how many you have accumulated. The match with the Gene Research card may be from left to right along the top of the sequence or from right to left along the bottom of the sequence, but it cannot "wrap around" the ends.
3) Wrapping Up
If you have no Gene Research cards left in hand, draw the top Gene Research card from one of the two Gene Pools. Your turn is over and the other player's turn begins.
End of the Game
Turns alternate between the two players until one player manages to claim at least 9 years of research experience. That player wins the game, and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine!