HiFi Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Game Structure
• The Turntable
• The Studio Board
• Player's Turn
  • 1. Vinyl Phase
  • Vinyl Actions
  • 2. Production Phase
  • 3. Studio Phase
• Harmony Bonus Action
• Objective Cards
  • Audio Mixing Objectives
  • Mastering Objectives
• End of the Round
  • Redefining Turn Order
• Important: Full Equalization Track
• End of the Game
• Advanced Mode
  • Game Setup
  • Production Phase
  • Studio Phase
• Appendix
  • Mastering Objectives
  • Audio Card Actions (Advanced Mode)

Components

• 1 Studio Board
• 1 Turntable Board
• 1 Vinyl Record Piece
• 1 Scoring Board
• 1 Tone Arm Piece
• 4 Score Markers (1 of each player color)
• 20 Audio Mixing Markers (5 of each player color)
• 4 Turn Order Markers (1 of each player color)
• 60 Audio Cards (15 of each type: bassist, drummer, guitarist and vocalist)
• 4 Bonus Cards
• 20 Audio Mixing Objective Cards
• 20 Mastering Objective Cards
• 4 Production Faders (1 of each player color)
• 40 EQ Knobs (10 of each player color)
• 2 Plastic Rivets

Setup

1. Open the box, separate all the components that will be used and then place the Turntable Board back on top of the box. Next, place the Vinyl Record Piece on the Turntable Board, placing the Tone Arm Piece over the Vinyl Record. At the start of the game, the Tone Arm Piece should be placed pointing to the space containing the Guitarrist Card and the Swap icons on the Vinyl Record.
2. Open the Studio Board and place it in the center of the table.
3. If it's the first game of HiFi for at least one of the players, the 4 Bonus Cards are placed next to the Harmony icons on the right side of the board, in the following order, from top to bottom: Leroy Johnson, Mei Ling Wong, Heather Jones, and Jack Green. If everyone has already played HiFi at least once, you can randomly determine the order in which the Bonus Cards are placed.
4. Shuffle each colored deck of Audio Cards separately and place them on the right side of the Studio Board, with the bonus action side facing down. (Note: the bonus actions on the Audio Cards are only used in Advanced Mode.)
5. Place the Scoring Board with the Basic Production Phase (2) side face up next to the Studio Board. Each player chooses a color and places their corresponding Scoring Marker next to the Scoring Board.
6. Each player receives all the EQ Knobs and Audio Mixing Markers of their chosen color.
7. Shuffle the Audio Mixing Objective Cards and place the deck near the board, face down, within reach of all players. Do the same with the Mastering Objective Cards and place the deck alongside.
8. Place each player's color Production Fader on level three on one of the Production Tracks.
9. Randomly choose the player order and place the Turn Order Markers of each player's color on the Scoring Board track.
10. Each player receives 1 Audio Mixing Objective Card and 1 Mastering Objective Card.
11. Then, starting with the Starting Player, each player chooses two different Audio Cards from the top of the decks and adds them to their hand.

Game Structure

HiFi is played in a sequence of rounds, according to the number of players:

• 6 rounds for 4 players;
• 7 rounds for 3 players;
• 8 Rounds for 2 players.

Players take their turns in the order indicated by the Turn Order Track.

On their turn, each player chooses an action from the Vinyl Record to perform, plays an Audio Card and may take one bonus action. Playing Audio Cards, fulfilling Objective Cards, and some bonus actions can grant Victory Points to the player.

The player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game is the winner.

The Turntable

In the Vinyl Phase, players will rotate the record and perform the Vinyl actions.

The Tone Arm must always be aligned with one of the 5 Action Spaces on the record. To select an action, rotate the record to the appropriate space beside the tone arm.

A player can rotate the record additional spaces, to reach a more distant space. Each additional move costs 1 Production Point.

The Starting Player can make a single counterclockwise move with the Vinyl Record instead of performing the normal move.

However, it's not possible to make extra moves counterclockwise.

Regardless of how many moves are made or the direction used, only one Action Space is performed by the player.

The Studio Board

In the third phase of the turn, producers and the band are in the studio, creating, recording, and editing new songs for the B-side. For this, the Studio Board is used. It has five main areas:

• The Studio Tracks, where players place the Audio Cards.
• The Audio Mixing Area, where players place the Audio Mixing Markers during the game. This shows which producer is credited with the most influence on a given track.
• The Production Tracks, where players track their Production Points, which are used to pay for Bonus Actions.
• The Equalization Tracks, where players place their EQ Knobs.
• The Harmony Bonus Actions that players can perform if they have met the indicated conditions. The Bonus Cards are placed beside this edge of the board.

The A-side of the HiFi record inspires the band and producers to create the B-side, serving as a creative guide for continuing the work begun 50 years ago.

A note to musicians: Each of the 4 tracks is considered a song, not four tracks of one song. Therefore, drums, guitar, bass and vocals will all be placed onto the same track. Think of it as a portion of the song highlighting their talents.

Player's Turn

A player's turn is divided into three steps:

1. Vinyl Phase
2. Production Phase
3. Studio Phase

1. Vinyl Phase

In this phase, the active player must rotate the Vinyl Record 1 or 2 Action Spaces clockwise.

Next, the player may take the actions indicated by the Tone Arm.

Vinyl Actions

The five Action Spaces on the Vinyl Record offer the following actions:

• Draw an Audio Card from the top of any deck.
• Draw an Audio Card from the top of the Guitarist deck.
• Draw an Audio Card from the top of the Vocalist deck.
• Draw an Audio Card from the top of the Drummer deck.
• Swap the positions of 2 Audio Cards in the Studio Board.
• Move your Production Fader to space 5.
• Draw 2 Audio Mixing Objective Cards, keep one, and return the other to the bottom of the deck.
• Draw an Audio Card from the top of the Bassist deck.
• Draw 2 Mastering Objective Cards, keep one, and return the other to the bottom of the deck.
• Place an EQ Knob on the lowest available space of one of the four Equalization Tracks.

2. Production Phase

OPTIONAL: in this phase, if desired, the player can spend 2 Production Points (move the Production Fader down 2 spaces) to take one of the following actions:

• Place a EQ Knob;
• Take two Audio Mixing Objective Cards, keep one and return the other to the bottom of the deck;
• Take two Mastering Objective Cards, keep one and return the other to the bottom of the deck.

3. Studio Phase

In this phase, the player must record part of a song by placing an Audio Card from their hand into an empty space on any one of the Studio Tracks.

If, when placing a card on the Studio Tracks, one of the Harmony Bonus Conditions is met, the player may also take a bonus action (see Harmony Bonus Action).

Each Audio Card represents 1 minute of the band playing and indicates the artist who stands out in that passage. The card also shows the timecode, the sound wave of the song, and an identification number (not relevant for the game). NOTE: The timecode only indicates the location on the Studio Track where this part of the song would fit best.

One side of the card features a Bonus Action. The Bonus Action of the Audio Cards is only used in the Advanced Mode (see Advanced Mode).

The sixth space of each track in the studio is used only in games with 3 players or more. The seventh space of each track is used only in 4-player games.

When recording an Audio Card, the player can gain Victory Points (VPs) by advancing their marker on the Scoring Board:

• 1 VP for each visible VP icon in the Audio Mixing Area on the track where the Audio Card was placed.
• 1 VP for each EQ Knob on the card's artist Equalization Track. Then, in turn order, the other players who have EQ Knobs on this Equalization Track gain 1 VP for each Knob they have on the track.

Example: the red player plays a guitarist Audio Card on Track Three. They gain 4 VPs: 2 VPs for the visible scoring icons (stars) on that Track and 2 VPs for the total number of EQ Knobs on the Guitarist Equalization Track. The yellow player gains 1 VP for the yellow knob on the Guitarist Equalization Track.

Example: the blue player plays a Bassist Audio Card (pink) on track 4. They gain 5 VPs, 1 VP for the scoring icon on Track Four and 4 VPs for the EQ Knobs on the Bassist Equalization Track. The yellow player receives 2 VPs and the green player receives 1 VP for their color EQ Knobs on the Bassist Equalization Track.

Harmony Bonus Action

After recording and scoring an Audio Card, the active player can execute a Bonus Action if the placed card meets one of the Harmony Conditions:

• Timecode — The timecode on the card matches the timecode of the space where the card was placed.
• Soundwave — The sound wave at the edges of the card matches at least one previously placed adjacent card.
• Solo — The artist featured in the card is the same as at least one adjacent card previously placed.
• Two or more conditions — The placed card meets two or more Harmony Conditions.

The earned Bonus Action (defined below) is shown on the card to the right of the Harmony Condition symbol on the board. If multiple bonuses have been achieved, only ONE of those actions may be chosen.

• Place an EQ Knob
• Gain 2 Victory Points
• Gain 1 Production Point for the total number of EQ Knobs of your color on all Equalization Tracks.
• Swap an Audio Card in the Studio with one from your hand.

If you have met ALL the Harmony Conditions, you gain 1 Production Point, in addition to the action you choose.

Objective Cards

There are two types of Objective Cards: Audio Mixing Objectives and Mastering Objectives.

Audio Mixing Objectives

Audio Mixing Objectives can be completed immediately if, when editing or recording an Audio Card, the player creates a sequence of cards that fully or partially matches the sequence on an Objective Card.

If the sequence matches all 4 cards, the player gain 7 VPs.

If it matches 3 cards, the player gain 4 VPs. (Either the first three cards or the last three)

If it matches any 2 cards (first two, middle two, last two), the player gain 2 VPs.

Strategy Tip: Waiting to sequence all 4 cards is tempting to get those 7 points – but you may consider scoring fewer cards, as an opponent can mix your track and spoil your hard work.

To fulfill an Audio Mixing Objective, the player must reveal the card and then place a Audio Mixing Marker of their color on the Studio Board.

The marker must be placed on the leftmost available space in the Audio Mixing Area of the track where the last card was edited or recorded.

Placing the Audio Mixing Marker on the first three spaces covers a Victory Point icon, reducing the number of VPs players get when recording an Audio Card on the track.

If there are no available spaces, no Audio Mixing Objective can be fulfilled on that track for the rest of the game. The fourth space is only available in a 4-player game.

An Audio Mixing Objective can only be fulfilled at the moment you place (Record) or move (Edit) an Audio Card on the Studio Board, and this card is part of the sequence indicated on the Objective.

• Editing → Swap Audio Cards in the Studio Tracks through Bonus Actions or Vinyl Record Actions.
• Record → Play an Audio Card from your hand and place it in a space on the Studio Tracks through Studio Actions.

Example (part 1): After recording an Audio Card, the blue player decides to score a Audio Mixing Objective Card. The blue player reveals the Objective Card, indicating that the recorded Audio Card created a sequence of 3 matching cards, thus gaining 4 VPs.

Example (part 2): The Audio Mixing Marker is placed on the first available space in the Audio Mixing Area of the track. From now on, this track will only grant 2 VPs when an Audio Card is recorded on it.

Mastering Objectives

All Mastering Objectives of a player must be scored at the end of their turn in the last round. In other words, after completing all their actions in the game, the player immediately scores these objectives before ending their turn by simply revealing the cards and indicating the met conditions. (See all Mastering Objectives in the Appendix.)

All ties are considered "friendly" when evaluating objective scores.

If tied for the "most" or "fewest" of a condition, you score the objective you tied for.

End of the Round

Redefining Turn Order

When the last player in the turn order finishes their turn, the round ends and a new turn order is defined by the players' positions on the Score Track.

On the Turn Order Track, move the player marker with the least VPs to the first empty space on the next line. Then move the second player's marker with the fewest points to the second empty space on the next line. Keep doing this until all the markers are on the next line. This will be the new turn order for the next round.

If two or more Scoring Markers occupy the same space, they must be stacked. The marker at the top of the stack is considered the marker with the fewest points, as it was the last one to reach that space.

Important: Full Equalization Track

If the Equalization Track already has 4 Knobs and the player wants to place an EQ Knob on it, the following procedure must be followed:

1. Remove the knob from the lowest space on the track and return it to its owner.
2. Move all the remaining Knobs one space down.
3. Place the new knob at the topmost space on the track.

Example: The Yellow Player wants to place an EQ Knob on the Guitarist's Track, but there is no available space. He removes the blue knob, moves the other Knobs down and places their knob at the topmost space on the track.

End of the Game

The game ends at the end of the 8th/7th/6th round for 2/3/4 players, respectively.

The player with the most VPs is the winner. In the event of a tie, the tied player with the most EQ Knobs on the Studio Board wins. If the tie persists, the tied player with more Production Points wins the match.

In the rare situation where a tie still persists, the tied player closest to the Starting Player wins the match.

Advanced Mode

Game Setup

In advanced mode, ignore steps 3 and 4 of Game Setup. Instead, place each artist's deck of Audio Cards next to one of the Harmony icons, replacing the 4 generic Bonus Cards. Place so the Bonus Action printed on the cards is facing up. The placement of the decks is random. Flip the score board to the side with the Advanced Production Phase (2).

Production Phase

In the Production Phase, Bonus Actions now include a new option. For 2 Production Points, you may discard an Audio Card in your hand to gain the action shown on the card. Then, place the card on the bottom of the matching deck.

Studio Phase

In the Studio Phase, when a player earns a Harmony Bonus, the reward is the current bonus showing on the top card of the respective deck. After performing the action, move the card to the bottom of the deck.

Example: The red player places a Drum Audio Card (Yellow) on Track Three. The timecode on the card matches the space on the track. After gaining points for placing the card on the board, the player gains their Harmony Bonus. The icon on the top card of the deck next to the Timing icon indicates that the player should gain 3 VPs. Therefore, the player advances their marker three spaces on the Score Track.

Next, the Audio Card used is moved to the bottom of the deck, revealing the next available bonus: earning a Bassist Audio Card.

Appendix

Mastering Objectives

The Mastering Objective Cards have end-of-game objectives that represent elements each band member considers important in the recording of the songs. All ties are friendly and gain the listed reward.

• Less is More — The indicated artist is not present on 1, 2, or 3 tracks.
• Creative Flow — The indicated artist must be the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd artist with the most Audio Cards on the Studio Board.
• Dissonant — The player must be the one with the fewest Audio Mixing Markers on the Studio Board.
• Solo — 1, 2 or 3 tracks must have two adjacent Audio Cards from the indicated artist.
• Counterpoint — Having 2, 3 or 4+ EQ Knobs in the indicated Equalization Track. (At least 1 on each and in any combination).
• Pink Noise — The player must be the one with the lowest total of Knobs on the 4 Equalization Tracks.

Audio Card Actions (Advanced Mode)

In Advanced Mode, each Audio Card has a bonus action that can be executed when one or more Harmony Conditions are met or as a Free Action.

• Card — Draw the indicated card: Audio / Objective (Audio Mixing or Mastering) from the top of the corresponding deck.
• Technique — Gain 1 VP for each EQ Knob on the indicated artist's track.
• Prestige — Gain 3 VPs.
• Production — Gain 1 Production Point for each EQ Knob of your color on the Equalization Tracks.
• Verse/Bridge/Chorus — Swap two Audio Cards on the Studio Board. You can't swap a card with an empty space.
• Re-record — Swap an Audio Card on the Studio Board with a card from your hand.