Lovelace & Babbage Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay
• Subroutine Phase
• Reset Phase (Rounds 2-4 only)
• Program Phase
• Resolution Phase
• End Game Scoring
• Optional Rules
  • Remove The "Take That" Mechanism
  • Offset Player Ability
• Notes on Specific Subroutines
• Credits

Components

• Game Board
• 4 Player Order Tokens including 1st Player 60 second Sand Timer
• 26 Engine Component Tokens
• 24 Subroutine cards (6 per Player)
• 28 Patron Cards
• Program Pad
• Instruction Booklet
• History Booklet

Setup

1. Place the Game Board in front of the players. Program Level A and B Engine Components are already printed on the Game Board, ready for the start of Round 1.
2. Shuffle the Engine Component Tokens and place them in three face-down stacks next to the Game Board next to Program Levels C, D, and E.
3. Shuffle the Patron Cards and place them in a face-down stack next to the top of the Game Board.
4. Each player selects one of the four Characters (Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage, Mary Somerville, or Luigi Federico Menabrea) by taking all matching Character Subroutine Cards along with a sheet from the Program Pad. They will each also need a pencil or pen to record Operations on their Program Pad.
5. Place the Timer and the corresponding Player Order Tokens, up to the number of players, within reach of all of the players. Example: 1st Player Timer, 2nd Player Token, and 3rd Player Token for a three-player game. These will be taken by players as they complete their Programs each Round to determine the order in which they resolve their programs in the next Round. Turn order is not material at the start of Round 1.

You are now ready to play!

Gameplay

Lovelace & Babbage is played in four Rounds. In each Round, players create a Program by writing down Operations and Results in a column on their Program Pad referencing the Engine Components shown on the Game Board. Rounds are broken down into four Phases:

1. Subroutine Phase
2. Reset Phase (Starting in Round 2)
3. Program Phase
4. Resolution Phase

Subroutine Phase

Subroutine Cards provide character-specific special abilities that may be used during game Rounds. In the Subroutine Phase, players each select one Subroutine to target and, potentially, others to activate for the current Round.

1. Target a Subroutine: At the start of Rounds 1-4, each player chooses one of their Character's Subroutine cards to target and possibly complete that Round. A targeted Subroutine is completed if one of the player's Operation Results for their Program that Round equals the number shown on their targeted Subroutine card. Targeted Subroutines completed in this manner may be activated in later Rounds. Any Subroutine completed in Round 4 may not be activated, but can still earn points during the Resolution Phase. Only one Subroutine may be targeted and completed per Round; a player's other uncompleted Subroutines not selected as the current target are unaffected by Program Operation Results during that Round. If a player does not complete their targeted Subroutine in a Round, they may target it again in a future Round.

   Pro Tip: Spread out any remaining uncompleted Subroutines under your targeted Subroutine for this Round so that you can keep those numbers in mind for the next Round as you create your Program.

2. Activate available Subroutine(s): In Round 1, players have not yet completed any Subroutines to activate. Prior to Rounds 2 through 4, however, starting with the player who has the 1st Player Timer and proceeding in ascending numerical order, each player must declare whether they will activate any available Subroutine(s) they previously completed. Read any activated Subroutine's effects aloud for all players to hear. Then claim the benefit immediately or during that Round depending on the Subroutine activated. Any completed Subroutine not declared active during the Subroutine Phase may not be used in that Round.

Note: Subroutines must be previously completed in a prior Round and not yet activated in a prior Subroutine Phase to be available. Each Subroutine is a one-time use. You can save multiple completed Subroutines to activate all together at the start of a Round or spread them out over Rounds as you see fit. Once you activate an available Subroutine, return it to the box at the end of that Round as it cannot be used again.

Reset Phase (Rounds 2-4 only)

In Round 1, skip the Reset Phase and proceed immediately from the Subroutine Phase to the Program Phase. Starting in Round 2, however, certain components are reset or otherwise made ready during the Reset Phase for use during the current Round.

1. Set Next Program Start Value: While all players use a starting value of 55 for their Programs in Round 1, starting Program values in subsequent Rounds for each player are determined by the last Operation Result of their Program from each preceding Round. Thus, at the beginning of the Reset Phase, copy the final Operation Result from the last row of your previous Program and record it on your Program Pad to use as the starting value at the top of the current Round's Program.
2. Reset the Turn Order Track: Place all Player Order Tokens including the 1st Player Timer back next to the Game Board within reach of all players to be used again in the current Round.
3. Discard Patron Cards: Discard all Patron cards from the previous Round.
4. Reveal New Program Level: Randomly place a new row of four Engine Component tokens face up on Racks Numbers 1-4 of the next available Program Level (C, D, and then E) of the Game Board using the Engine Component stacks created during Setup.

Note: If more than two blue "Set To" Engine Component tokens are drawn for a single Program Level, redraw until no more than two are shown.

Example: Program Level C is filled at the beginning of Round 2 and Program Level D is filled at the beginning of Round 3, etc. All new and prior Engine Components now on the Game Board are available for players to use during each Program Phase from this point forward.

Program Phase

During the Program Phase, players race each other writing Programs with Operation Results needed to complete Subroutines and claim Patron Influence.

1. Reveal Patron Cards: Patrons provide Influence in various areas used for end game scoring. You claim Influence by generating Operation Results matching values on Patron Cards. Each Patron has two Primary Influence types and, in games with more than two people, Failed Experiment Influence that also can be gained from them.

   At the start of the Program Phase, draw and reveal Patron Cards above the Game Board based on the number of players:

   • 2 players = 5 Patron cards
   • 3 players = 6 Patron cards
   • 4 players = 7 Patron cards

2. Program: All players immediately begin Programming once the Patron cards are revealed. Each Round, players create a Program in a separate column on the Program Pad from left to right as the Rounds progress. Operations are entered vertically from top to bottom in rows of a Program column.

   Each programming row of the Program may contain only one Operation. An Operation is indicated by referencing an Engine Component's Program Level, Rack Number, and its Operation type you want to perform using the previously listed End Result.

   Points are scored by performing Operations using Engine Components. All players start with an Operation Result of 55 on their Program Pad. They then create a Program referencing Engine Components to change that Result and achieve other numerical values required to complete Subroutines or claim Influence from various Patrons.

   There are five types of Engine Components:

   • Addition/Subtraction: Add or subtract the value of the Engine Component to your prior Operation Result.
   • Multiplication/Division: Multiply or divide your prior Operation result by the value of the Engine Component. Round down for odd numbers and drop any remainder.
   • Swap: Swap the first and last digits of your prior Operation Result. E.g. -64 would become 46.
   • Copy: Replace, as indicated by the Engine Component, the first or second digit of your prior Operation Result, with the value of the other digit of your prior Operation result. E.g. 64 becomes 66 or 44.
   • Set To: Set your Operation Result to the value shown on the Engine Component regardless of your previous Operation Result.

   Example: Engine Component at Program Level A and Rack Number 1 reads +1- which allows you to add or subtract 1 from an Operation Result. Thus, for the first program Operation, writing "A1+" indicates selecting the Engine Component A1 using its addition function on the initial Operation result to achieve a new Operation Result of 56. (55 + 1 = 56) For the second program operation, writing "B3-" indicates selecting Engine Component B3 in Program Level B and Rack number 3 using its subtraction function on prior operation result to yield a new Operation Result of 06. (56 − 10 = 06) If any of these Operation Results equaled values required to claim Patron Influence or Subroutines, you would score points. Using Engine Components from Program Levels C, D, and E in Rounds 2-4 may also allow you to score additional bonuses!

Resolution Phase

In the Resolution Phase, players resolve Operations from their Programs yielding Operation Results to claim Patron Influence, complete Subroutines, and accrue Engine Component bonuses. Influence claimed, Subroutines completed, and Engine Component bonuses gained are recorded on each player's Program Pad during the Resolution Phase. These will be used for End Game Scoring.

1. Resolve each Operation in Player Order: Players alternate resolving each Operation of their Program in player turn order, e.g. the player with the 1st Player Timer resolves their first Operation, then the player with the 2nd Player Order Token resolves their first Operation, and so on until all first Operations are resolved. This process then continues through subsequent Operations until every player has resolved all of their Operations. If a player does not have any remaining Operations then their turn is skipped.

2. Claim Rewards: When resolving Operations, any time a player's current Operation Result matches the value of their chosen Subroutine for that Round or the value of a Patron, they may claim that reward and circle the Operation Result to aid in end game scoring verification.

   Using Engine Components from Program Levels C, D, and E to claim rewards also provides bonuses.

   a. Complete Subroutine: The player moves the Subroutine from the top of their Subroutine stack and places the card above their Program Pad to show that it is unlocked and available to activate in the Subroutine Phase of future Rounds. Then record a mark in the Subroutine section of the Program Pad for End Game scoring.

   Note: Scoring marks (e.g. Influence, etc.) should be recorded from left to right on the Program Pad starting with the leftmost box for each appropriate section.

   b. Claim Patron Influence: Each type of Primary Influence from a Patron may only be claimed once. The first player whose current Operation Result matches the value of a Patron may choose one Primary Influence type from that Patron and records the selected Influence on their Program Pad.

   Example: A player has claimed the Primary Influence from Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The card is rotated so that the remaining Primary Influence is at the top of the card indicating its availability.

   Then rotate the Patron card so that the remaining Primary Influence type is at the top of the card. The second player whose current Operation Result matches the value of a Patron will record the remaining Primary Influence type on their Program Pad and flip the Patron Card over indicating that both its Primary Influence types have been claimed. In a 3-4 player game, for the remainder of the Round, any other players (including both of them) with an Operation Result matching the Patron Card value may still claim the Failed Experiment Influence shown on the back of the Patron Card by recording it in the appropriate section of their Program Pad.

   Only Failed Experiment Influence is now available for other players. Each player claiming Influence from the Patron will record the Failed Experiment Influence on their Program Pad to score 1 point.

   Patron Influence Notes: In a 2-player game, Failed Experiments are not used. Players may only claim one Influence per Patron unless an applicable Subroutine is in use that Round. The same player may not visit the same Patron for Influence more than once. You've already received their patronage and the Patrons do not take kindly to repeated requests for Influence.

End Game Scoring

After Round 4, players tally up their scores from Influence claimed, Subroutines completed, and Engine Component bonuses awarded, minus any Debug Operations, to determine the winner.

Your Score = Influence + Failed Experiments + Subroutines + Engine Components − Debugs

1. Influence: Players score both primary Patron Influence and Failed Experiments.

   a. Primary Influence: Determine the majority scoring for each area of Primary Influence and award 9 points for first place and 4 points for second place. Ties result in an even split of points, e.g. players tied for first would add first and second place points and divide evenly rounded down.

   Example: Two players tied for 1st would each be awarded 6 points (9+4 = 13 ÷ 2 = 6.5 or 6 rounded down). 3 players tied for second would each receive 1 point (4 ÷ 3 = 1.33 or 1 rounded down).

   b. Failed Experiments: Each player scores 1 point for each Failed Experiment they completed as a consolation prize. The Patrons appreciated your effort.

2. Subroutines: Determine points awarded for the number of Subroutines completed. You score 2 points for each of your first and second completed Subroutines, 4 for your third, and 8 for your fourth. Points are not awarded for activating or using Subroutines.

3. Engine Components: Determine points awarded for Engine Components utilized from Program Levels C (1 point each), D (2 points each), or E (4 points each) that earned a reward by completing a Subroutine or claiming primary Patron Influence as tracked on the Program Pad.

4. Debugs: Subtract 3 points for each Debug utilized during a Resolution Phase. Only two Debugs can be used per game.

5. Declare the most Influential Computer Programmer! The winner is the player with the most points. Ties are broken in the following order:

   i. The player with the greatest number of completed Subroutines and Engine Component Bonuses. ii. The player with the fewest Failed Experiments. iii. The player who was earliest in turn order in the final Round. iv. If you still can't decide, then the winner is the player who most recently ran an update on a computer program or app.

Optional Rules

Players may agree to adopt the following optional rules at their discretion.

Remove The "Take That" Mechanism

For game groups that prefer to not play with "Take That" elements, you can remove two Subroutines as follows from each player character to avoid this mechanism.

• Ada Lovelace – Subroutines 14 and 49
• Charles Babbage – Subroutines 12 and 59
• Mary Somerville – Subroutines 08 and 62
• Luigi Federico Menabrea – Subroutines 16 and 47

Offset Player Ability

• Some players, for example when playing with younger children or those less skilled in math, may wish to have an experience leveler to create more fun for all. For players whom you want to give a boost, we suggest having them begin by marking any one Influence box of their choice. If this does not seem adequate to make the game challenging and fun, then try starting them with two. Feel free to experiment with proper leveling at your own discretion.

Notes on Specific Subroutines

When Programming, you may place a Σ next to an Operation to trigger it twice for the Operation Result.

• This operation multiplier allows you to perform an extra Operation by repeating the same Operation twice in a single program row. E.g. Operation B2+ would add 40 to your prior Operation Result by adding 20 twice.

If your Operation Result is within +/- 1 of a Patron, you can still claim it this Round.

• You're a smooth talker and can gain Influence from a single Patron without having the exact Operation value this Round as long as it is within 1 of the Patron's value. E.g. Alfred Lord Tennyson (58) will now also accept Operation Results of (57) or (59) to provide you with his Influence. Note: Patrons still cannot be visited for Influence more than once.

During a Round, take up to two Operations above your current limit.

• You've discovered a way to increase programming productivity! You may now perform two additional Operations this Round. Subroutines activated by other players may still reduce this total. Note that more Operations may take more time!

When you claim Influence from a Patron this Round, you may take two of the same Influence you receive instead of one.

• The more Influence the better! While this benefit doesn't offer variety, you can move up on a single Influence track twice for majority end game scoring. May only be used on a single Patron.

All opponents take one less Operation this turn.

• You've put a cog in your fellow players' machines to slow them down and limit their available Operations by one. In addition to gaining their ire, you might want to program quickly to make up for limiting their options and possibly allowing your programming to finish more quickly!

If you are the first to claim Influence from a Patron this Round, claim both types of Primary Influence & flip the card. Only Failed Experiment Influence is now available from this Patron.

• You got to the Patron first and dazzled them with your wit and intelligence. They bestow all their Influence on you leaving nothing for your fellow players! May only be used on a single Patron.

Take a Patron card & place it in front of you. Only you may claim the Influence from your Reserved Patron. Shuffle into available Patron deck at end of the Round.

• Instead of going to the Patrons, you've invited a Patron to come to you for a private meeting. While they are visiting you this Round, only you can gain their Influence. In this case only, you may solicit this Patron again to claim their second Primary Influence, but you must reach their value twice as separate Operation Results to claim both Influences.

If you are second to claim Influence from a Patron this Round, you may still pick from either Influence.

• While the Patrons generally only have one of each Primary Influence type to claim, a Patron has a soft spot for you. This Round, you retain your pick of Primary Influence types available from a Patron of your choice unless the Patron already has been flipped and only has Failed Experiment Influence available.

Credits

Lovelace & Babbage was designed by Scott Almes, illustrated by Kwanchai Moriya, with art and design by Heiko Günther and Cynthia Lara Franco, and published by Genius Games/Artana.