La Bête
La Bête Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Background
Early in the summer of 1764, attacks by a ferocious beast are reported in Gévaudan. These attacks only target women and children.
The testimony of survivors describes a beast of extraordinary size, with a build close to that of a mastiff, a gigantic wolf, or perhaps even a big cat.
This beast seems to be guided by a human hand — unless it is the devil himself — for some victims are found decapitated, their clothes removed and folded. Month after month, victim after victim, terror settles deeply over Gévaudan.
The hunts and battues achieve nothing. The matter becomes political. The King of France must restore the safety of his subjects. From Versailles, he dispatches his best hunters to stop the creature now known as the Beast. The Bishop of Mende and the young Marquis d'Apchier also take part in the hunt. In vain...
It will take until June 1767 for Jean Chastel, a local gamekeeper, to shoot down an enormous wolf during a battue. The Beast's attacks cease, and Jean Chastel becomes the hero of Gévaudan.
In three years, the Beast will have claimed more than a hundred victims.
However, the mystery of the Beast's true master remains unsolved. Several names are mentioned, including that of the Comte de Morangiès, freshly returned from Africa and of dubious morals. Another lead follows the tracks of a vagabond, a stranger to the land, whose movements through Gévaudan strangely correspond to the Beast's victims. Finally, a very credible theory — in an era steeped in religion — holds that the Beast could only be animated by the devil himself.
Two hundred and fifty years later, all these unresolved mysteries, along with the tormented landscapes of Gévaudan, still make the Beast a mythical animal, a symbol of terror and darkness...
Objective
La Bête is an asymmetric game pitting one player taking the role of the Beast of Gévaudan against one or more players playing the historical Investigators in the Lozère region of 18th-century France.
To win, the Beast must claim at least 25 victims before the end of the game, which unfolds season by season over 3 years (12 turns of play).
The Investigator(s) must either prevent this, or unmask the Beast by identifying its secret identity.
Game Length
A game of La Bête unfolds in successive seasons.
Each season corresponds to one turn of play.
A game lasts at most three years, i.e. 12 turns of play.
The game begins at the start of Summer 1764 (first turn) and ends, at the latest, at the end of Spring 1767 (twelfth turn).
Components
- 1 large central board
- 1 silhouette for the Beast
- 30 Village cards
- 5 Beast Identity cards
- 5 Tracks tokens (front/back: tracks/identity)
- 1 Vagabond marker
- 25 blood drops (the Beast's victims)
- 1 board for the Beast
- 4 boards for the Investigators
- 24 Event cards (6 per season)
- 4 silhouettes for the Investigators
- 6 black meeples: dragoon detachments, military units of carabineers sent by the King
- 6 mini white meeples: peasant militias
- 1 yellow meeple: Jacques Portefaix
The Game Board
It includes several play zones.
On the left of the board are the Season spaces. At the start of each turn, you draw a Season card, which you place on the corresponding space.
Each Season space holds three reinforcements. There are two types: King's dragoons (large black meeples) or peasants (small white meeples).
On the right, four pouches (one per season) receive the Village cards, secret destinations where the Beast will decide to strike each season.
Just to the left of each pouch are the circular spaces for the Tracks tokens, which allow the Investigators to track the Beast.
Finally, at the center of the board lies the map of Gévaudan with all its Villages (in burgundy, each bearing a number) and its Hamlets (in brown).
Grandieu, Javols, and Malzieu are Villages. They are visually distinct because the game may call for specific actions on these three Villages.
Distances are expressed in Leagues. The distance between two Villages, two Hamlets, or a Hamlet and a Village is always one League.
Board setup reference
The board layout shown in the rulebook labels: the Season spaces with their reinforcement stacks; the Villages and Hamlets areas of the Gévaudan map; the four season pouches for Village cards; the Tracks token spaces beside each pouch; the space reserved for the Beast's secret identity card; and the four Investigator player boards — for the Bishop of Mende (l'Évêque de Mende), Jean Chastel the gamekeeper (le garde-chasse), the Marquis d'Apchier (le marquis d'Apchier), and the King's Envoy (l'Envoyé du Roy) — arranged around the central board, along with the Beast's own player board, Jacques Portefaix's meeple, the Tracks tokens and Identity cards, the pile of blood-drop victim tokens, and the deck of Village cards.
Setup
The game board is placed at the center of the table.
The player taking the role of the Beast sits facing the map of Gévaudan and takes their individual board, their silhouette, the 5 Tracks tokens, and the Vagabond marker, the 30 Village cards as well as the 5 Beast Identity cards. They take the 25 blood drops.
The Investigator player(s) split up the four boards and the corresponding silhouettes of the King's Envoy, the gamekeeper, the Marquis, and the Bishop. Regardless of the number of players, all four Investigators must be played.
They place 3 dragoon detachments (black meeples) under the Summer space and 3 under the Spring space of the game board.
They then place 3 peasant militias (white mini-meeples) under the Autumn space and 3 under the Winter space.
Shuffle and place (face down) each pile of Season cards next to the board, to the left of its respective space.
Starting Situation
First Victim (Spring 1764)
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The Beast chooses, among its identity cards, the secret identity it wishes to play for the game and places it face down at the bottom right of the game board (under the case). It stays there for the whole game. The 4 other identity cards are kept next to the Beast's board, face down.
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The Beast secretly chooses, among the 5 starting Villages (Saint-Flour – 1, Langeac – 5, Chauchailles – 11, Mende – 24, and Les Hubacs – 29) the one by which it will enter Gévaudan. Located on the periphery of the board, the starting Villages are identifiable by the bloodstains marking them. It places the corresponding Village card, face down, on the Spring space located at the bottom right of the game board.
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After consulting each other, the Investigators place the silhouettes of their characters on the Villages or Hamlets of their choice. Several Investigators may gather on the same Village/Hamlet.
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The Beast reveals the Village by which it enters play by turning the chosen Village card from step 2 face up. It places its silhouette on the corresponding Village. The Village card stays on the Spring space of the game board. The Beast will not recover it into its hand until one year later, at the start of the following Spring.
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If no Investigator is present on this Village, the Beast claims its first victim and places a drop of blood on the board, near the Village. If an Investigator is present, the Beast claims no victim.
Setup is complete. The game can now begin, starting in Summer 1764.
The stage is set, the actors assembled, terror is now about to descend upon Gévaudan…
Game Turn
Every turn of play unfolds the same way and includes 4 phases played in sequence:
| Phase 1 – Seasons | Phase 2 – The Beast |
| Phase 3 – The Investigators | Phase 4 – Terror |
Phase 1 – Seasons
Reveal a Season card
The Investigators turn over the top card of the current season's Event deck and place it face up on the corresponding Season space of the game board.
Apply the effects of the card during the phase indicated at the top of the card.
Assign a Reinforcement
Depending on the current season, the Investigators place either a dragoon detachment or a peasant militia on the Village of their choice.
A Village may only receive one Reinforcement.
A Reinforcement cannot be placed on a Hamlet.
Once placed, dragoons and peasants remain in play until the end of the game.
If, during the game, the Investigators forget to place a Reinforcement on the board, it is permanently lost.
| Dragoon meeple | The Beast makes no victims on a Village protected by a King's dragoon. |
| Peasant meeple | The Beast makes one fewer victim on a Village protected by a peasant militia. |
Phase 2 – The Beast
Clear the Tracks
The Beast recovers the Tracks token it played two seasons earlier. In Summer if it is Winter, in Autumn if it is Spring, etc. There can therefore never be 3 Tracks tokens present on the board at the same time.
The Beast recovers into its hand the Village card played one year earlier in the same season. In other words, a Village card is never recovered by another one.
Choose where the Beast will strike
The Beast's movement is 4 Leagues maximum, and must end on a Village. It may pass through a Hamlet but cannot stop there.
The Beast is required to move at least 1 League each turn of play.
The Beast identifies on the board the Villages located up to 4 Leagues from its current position, then chooses among these where it wants to strike. It checks in its hand that this card is indeed available (except for a special event, the Beast cannot strike the same location twice in the same year).
Then it places this card face down on the current season's space.
The presence of an Investigator, dragoons, or peasants does not affect the Beast's movement in any way. It may therefore cross or end its movement on a Village occupied by an Investigator or a Reinforcement.
Leave new Tracks
The Beast chooses, among its available Tracks tokens, the one it wishes to risk this season. It places it to the left of the Village card it has just played, face down or face up.
Playing a Tracks token face down (tracks side) gives the Investigators no information about the identity you are acting under. However, you do not benefit from that identity's Power.
Playing a Tracks token face up (identity side) tells the Investigators which identity you are acting under. In exchange, you benefit from that identity's power (see the following page).
The Beast's Powers
The Wolf Pack Allows the Beast to move two additional Leagues (6 movement maximum).
The Beast (Le fauve) Allows the Beast to make one additional victim.
The Count Allows the Beast to ignore the presence of a dragoon detachment.
The Devil Allows the Beast to move an Investigator by one League.
The Vagabond Allows the Beast to make one additional victim, but only within a radius of 3 Leagues maximum around Auvers (3).
A power is always optional. The Beast can thus bluff to put the Investigators on false trails. For example, revealing its Count identity does not mean the Beast will necessarily attack a Village protected by a dragoon detachment.
Phase 3 – The Investigators
After consulting each other, the Investigators move their silhouette by 0, 1, or 2 Leagues, or even 3 Leagues in the case of a Ride (see below).
These movements can be made one after another or simultaneously.
Unlike the Beast, the Investigators can end their movement on a Hamlet, or even choose not to move.
The Investigators can gather together, several at once, on a Village or a Hamlet, and can share a location with a Reinforcement (in the case of a Village).
| If an Investigator has moved 0, 1, or 2 Leagues | In addition to their Investigation ability (see next page), they gain the Protection ability: they will prevent the Beast from making any victim at all on this Village. |
The Ride
By deciding to make a Ride, an Investigator moves 3 Leagues.
They keep their Investigation ability, but they cannot protect the Village on which they end their turn from a possible Beast attack!
Lay the silhouette of an Investigator who has just made a Ride down for the turn (to mark that they rode).
Phase 4 – Terror
The Beast strikes!
The Beast reveals the Village to which it moved by turning its card face up and moving its silhouette on the board.
If the Beast made a mistake and reveals a Village card it could not have reached, it does not move and makes no victims. The card remains visible and the Investigators may investigate there.
It is the number of Leagues traveled by the Beast during this turn that determines the number of new victims.
The number of victims is always:
[5] − [Leagues Traveled] (Five victims minus one per League traveled by the Beast during its movement)
This total can be modified by certain Season cards and by certain Beast identities if their token was played face up.
| Investigator shield (who did not Ride) | If an Investigator (who has not Ridden) is present on this Village, the Beast makes no victims. |
| Dragoon meeple | If a dragoon detachment is present on this Village, the Beast makes no victims. |
| Peasant meeple | If a peasant militia is present on this Village, the Beast makes one fewer victim. |
The Beast places as many drops of blood as it just made victims around the Village selected in Phase II.
Example
The Beast starts its turn at Langeac. It can go to Auvers, La Besseyre, Prades, Saugues, Chanaleille, Ruynes, Saint-Flour, or Malzieu.
It chooses Saugues and places the corresponding Village card face down on the game board. It then plays a Tracks token face down. In Phase 4 (Terror), its Village card is revealed. The Beast has traveled 3 Leagues. This turn, the Beast will therefore make 2 victims (5-3). It will place 2 drops of blood around Saugues to represent these 2 new victims.
- If a peasant militia had been at Saugues, the Beast would have made one fewer victim (5-3-1=1).
- If the Beast had played the Beast (Le fauve) token face up, it would have made 3 victims (one more; 5-3+1).
- If the Beast had played the Wolf Pack token face up and moved 5 or 6 Leagues, it would have made no victims (5-5=0).
The Investigators Conduct the Investigation!
The Investigators can attempt to identify the Beast by studying the tracks it leaves behind.
An Investigation takes place:
- If the Beast is on a Village where an Investigator is present.
- If an Investigator is on the Village that was attacked the previous season.
Reveal the Tracks token associated with the Village (if it is face down).
The Investigator captures this token if it corresponds to one of the two kinds of tracks they are able to identify.
Each Investigator is able to identify the tracks of two of the Beast's identities, shown on their individual board.
An Investigation is impossible if the Village card or the Tracks token has disappeared as a result of a Season card's effect.
Consequences of an Investigation:
When a Tracks token is captured, the Investigator asks the Beast whether it corresponds to its true identity (the identity it chose at the start of the game, whose card sits at the bottom right of the board).
If it is indeed its true identity, the game ends immediately with victory for the Investigators: the Beast is identified, the mystery of Gévaudan is extinguished forever. Otherwise, the game continues.
Special case: if this is the fourth token captured, the Investigators identify the Beast by default and also win the game.
Note: To capture the Vagabond's Tracks token (which can be identified by all Investigators), the Investigators must identify its tracks twice (in two different Villages). To mark the first identification, the Investigators take the Vagabond marker.
The season is now over. Move on to the next one, repeating these 4 phases of the Game Turn.
End of Game
- The Beast immediately wins the game as soon as it makes its 25th victim.
- The Investigators immediately win the game if they capture the token of the Beast's true identity, or if they capture its other 4 tokens.
- At the end of the twelfth turn of play: Count the number of victims made by the Beast, and add to it the number of Identity tokens it still holds. If this number reaches 25, the game is a draw. If it is lower, the Investigators win.
Example (Investigation)
In Spring, the Beast attacks Javols. But the Marquis had anticipated this attack and, taking advantage of his presence, had organized the Village's defense. The Beast makes no victims.
The Marquis studies the Tracks left by the Beast during this failed attack. He turns over the Tracks token: it is the Wolf Pack. The Marquis is not able to identify this type of track, but he informs Jean Chastel.
The following Summer, the tracks have not yet disappeared. Jean Chastel decides to ride to Javols.
While the Beast strikes that season at Marvejols, Jean identifies the nature of the tracks at Javols and captures the Wolf Pack Tracks token. He asks the Beast:
"Is that your true identity?"
"No!" replies the Beast.
Jean addresses the other Investigators: "I have just carefully examined the tracks left at the sorry crime scene of Javols, and believe me, this was in no way a wolf that could have committed such horrors. The truth lies elsewhere. We must track it down and expose it, but the circle of possibilities is narrowing..."
Credits
| Author | Charlec |
| Illustrations | ann & seb |
| Art Direction & Graphic Design | Benjamin Treilhou |
| Development | Didier Jacobée & Thierry Morange |
Published by Multivers — 1 rue des Empereurs - 28200 Châteaudun - France — www.multivers.com — © Multivers 2022
Created and developed in France. Manufactured in the European Union.
Benjamin Treilhou thanks K. M. Alexander for making his incredible cartography brushes available.
History has not recorded the names of the artists of the two period engravings used in this booklet.
Who is Jacques Portefaix?
Jacques is 13 years old when he is attacked, along with a group of friends, by the Beast.
Listening only to his courage, and rather than fleeing, Jacques faces the Beast and stops it from carrying off one of his comrades, forcing it to let go. The Beast flees.
Jacques is regarded as a hero; he describes the Beast and is rewarded by Louis XV, who finances his education.
Tactical Tips for the Investigators
- Protect the Villages where the Beast is most likely to make the most victims.
- Track the Beast as closely as possible to force it to flee.
- Position your Investigators within 3 Leagues maximum of the Villages where you think the Beast will strike, so you can Investigate the following turn.
- Anticipate the turn after next.
Tactical Tips for the Beast
- Optimize your number of victims (short movement).
- Surprise the Investigators at your destination.
- Loosen the net closing around your position.
- Avoid revealing a token near an Investigator capable of capturing it.
- Anticipate the turn after next.
Variant (Experienced Players)
After a few games, if you would like more control over the Seasons, we recommend this rules variant.
Two seasons are favorable to the Investigators, the other two to the Beast. In this variant, each side chooses the 6 Season cards that will be played during the seasons that favor it.
| Investigator silhouettes | The seasons favorable to the Investigators are Spring and Summer. |
| Beast silhouette | The seasons favorable to the Beast are Autumn and Winter. |
Setup
Before the game begins, build a deck of 6 cards per Season according to the following rules.
Spring cards
- The Investigators choose one card from the deck, which they keep in hand.
- They pass the rest to the Beast, who discards one.
- Continue until the Investigators have 3 cards in hand. Cards discarded by the Beast are set aside from play and returned to the box.
Summer cards: same procedure.
Autumn cards
- The Beast chooses one card from the deck, which it keeps in hand.
- It passes the rest to the Investigators, who discard one.
- Continue until the Beast has 3 cards in hand. Cards discarded by the Investigators are set aside from play and returned to the box.
Winter cards: same procedure.
Play
Each side has access to the cards reserved during setup, and may consult them at will during the game.
The game proceeds exactly as normal, except that at the start of each Season phase (Phase 1), the side concerned chooses which Season card to apply among those it holds for that Season.