Infernal Contraption
Infernal Contraption Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Building the Machine
The machine is made up of three elements:
Main Line – Each player builds his machine in a horizontal line called the main line. You'll add to the main line by attaching cards horizontally to either end of the existing machine (left or right).
Plugs – A plug is any card placed vertically on the top or bottom of the main line. Additional cards can't be attached to plugs.
Terminals – A terminal is any card attached at only one socket anywhere in the machine.
To construct your colossal contrivance of carnage, you put cards from your hand into play next to another card in your machine. Not every card can be attached anywhere, however. The connecting sockets must match, and you can place cards only next to other cards with available matching sockets.
The Cards
Each card represents one of the many mechanical whatsits, doodads, and gizmos littering the bodgers' workshops that can be used in the construction of their machines. There are six basic types of cards, and each type has a different color border: Power Cores (labeled as such), Power Sources (grey), Contraptions (blue), Upgrades (green), Consumables (rust), and Sabotages (red).
Power Core
Your Power Core is the central component of your machine. Each player starts with a Power Core in play. Power Cores can't be destroyed, scrapped, or moved for any reason and are considered Power Sources.
Power Sources
Power Sources provide power to attached Contraptions and Consumables. Power Sources can be attached either in the main line or as plugs.
Contraptions (blue border)
Contraptions create the effects of the machines. They can be played either in the main line or as plugs. You don't have to attach them to a Power Source when you play them, but when the machine is turned on only those attached to a Power Source will activate.
Upgrades (green border)
Upgrades modify the effect of attached Contraptions. Upgrades don't need to be attached to a Power Source in order to work, and they can be attached either in the main line or as plugs.
Consumables (rust border)
Consumables are parts that have a one-time effect and then are removed from play. Because of this, they can only be played as plugs attached to a Power Source.
Sabotages (red border)
Like Consumables, Sabotages are parts that have a one-time effect and then are removed from play — but you play them into an opponent's machine. Sabotages can only be played as plugs, but they don't need to be attached to a Power Source in order to work.
Sockets
Sockets are the connectors on the sides of each card that allow them to attach to each other. Cards can be attached to other cards only if their connecting sockets match or at least one of the two is universal. The socket types are:
- Gears
- Voltaic Coils
- Steam Pipe
- Alchemical Apparatus
- Universal (can connect to any socket type)
Sample Machine
Each machine is made up of a main line of horizontal cards with attached vertical plugs above and below it.
Setup
Before you can begin assembling your technological terror, there are a few steps to take.
First, separate the Power Core cards from the deck and give one to each player. Leave any extra Power Cores out of the game. Your Power Core starts in play as the first part of your machine.
Second, shuffle the deck and distribute all the cards equally among the players. Leave any extra cards out of the game. Each player puts his cards facedown in a stack without looking at them to create the parts pile from which he'll draw throughout the game. These cards represent the raw materials he can use in his mechanical masterpiece. A player can never count the number of cards in a parts pile.
Leave some space in the middle of the table for the scrap pile. When players scrap (discard) cards during the game, they put the cards faceup in a single pile in the center of the table. (Cards that are removed from the game are set aside, not put into the scrap pile.) A player can never count the number of cards in the scrap pile.
Whenever you're required to draw or take a card from a parts pile or the scrap pile, take the card from the top unless otherwise stated. Likewise, whenever you're required to scrap a card, put it on the top of the scrap pile unless otherwise stated.
Lastly, each player draws seven cards from his parts pile. Each player can scrap any number of cards from his opening hand and draw from his parts pile until there are seven cards in his hand again. After all players have had one opportunity to do this, randomly determine who goes first and begin the race for gadgetry greatness!
Winning the Game
Bodger contests are messy affairs! As the game rages on, each player's parts pile will become depleted and the scrap pile will get larger and larger. As soon as a player has no more cards in his parts pile, he is immediately out of the game and can begin pouting. When a player is eliminated, remove the cards from his machine and hand from the game. A machine that no longer has any opponents will stop its activation immediately. The last player remaining is the winner.
Start Your Engines
When it's time for the nuts and bolts to start flying, each player takes the following steps on his turn:
1) If you have fewer than four cards in your hand, draw cards. A bodger can't expect to get any work done without the proper equipment, so if you have only one, two, or three cards in your hand at the beginning of your turn, draw four cards from your parts pile. If you don't have any cards in your hand, draw seven instead.
2) Attach cards to your machine. You can play one card from your hand into your machine for free. After that you can choose to play additional cards into your machine, but for each one you must scrap a card from your hand first.
Instead of playing cards into your machine, you can scrap any number of cards from your hand to draw that many cards from your parts pile.
3) Flip the switch, pull the lever, or push the big red button! Brace yourself — it's time to turn on your creation to see what happens. First choose an opponent for your machine to affect this turn. Then activate the machine and resolve the game effects described on its cards in order, starting with the main line card on the far left of your machine (for example, card #1 in the sample machine) and working from top to bottom:
- Resolve the effects of any plug attached to the top of the main line card.
- Resolve the effects of the main line card itself.
- Resolve the effects of any plug attached to the bottom of the main line card.
- Move to the next main line card to the right (card #2 in the sample machine) and resolve its effects the same way. Continue until you've completed the process for each card in the main line.
Whenever you resolve a Contraption effect, apply all the effects of any Upgrades attached to it.
Remove Consumable and Sabotage cards from the game immediately after resolving their effects unless otherwise stated.
Some cards have a requirement you must fulfill in order for the effect to take place. If you can't meet the requirement, the effects of the card and any attached Upgrades don't happen and you move on to resolve the next effect in order. If the card is a Consumable, it stays in play (since it didn't activate).
For example, Entropic Processor states, "Put one card from your hand into your opponent's hand and draw two cards from his parts pile." If you don't have a card in your hand to put into your opponent's hand, the requirement has not been met. Therefore the Entropic Processor will not take effect.
On the other hand, if you put one card from your hand into your opponent's hand and he doesn't have two cards in his parts pile, the effect takes place as much as possible. If your opponent has one card in his parts pile, you get it.
4) Clean up the shop. After seeing what his machine can do, a bodger needs to clean up his work area and restock for the next test run. If you have fewer than seven cards in your hand, draw from the top of your parts pile until you have seven. Conversely, if you have more than ten cards in your hand, scrap cards until you have only ten. A bodger can handle only so many parts at once!