Mangaka: The Fast & Furious Game of Drawing Comics
Mangaka: The Fast & Furious Game of Drawing Comics Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
- Number of players: 2-8 (special rules for Solo games)
- Time: 45 minutes-2 hours
What's in the Box
- 108 Theme Cards (symbol: lightbulb)
- 52 Trend Cards (symbol: question mark)
- 100 Fame Tokens (symbol: star)
- 16 Comic Pages (you can download and print additional pages from mangakagame.com)
- 16-page Instruction Manual
You Will Also Need
- A drawing implement
- A stopwatch or smartphone timer to keep track of time.
- Some exciting music to play during Drawing Phase (optional). Music helps you keep track of how much time is left.
Welcome
While the Themes and Trends in this game are inspired by manga (Japanese comics), you can draw in whatever style you wish, whether you're a fan of superheroes, webcomics, newspaper strips or graphic novels.
Setup
- Shuffle the Trends deck.
- Shuffle the Themes deck.
- Put the Fame Tokens in the middle of the table.
- Distribute Comic Pages and drawing implements. Each player should have 4 Comic Pages (2-Panel, 4-Panel, 6-Panel and 8-Panel).
- Write your name (or an imaginative pen name) on the top of your Comic Page.
- If you like to draw to music, queue it up.
The Basic Rules of Mangaka
Rule #1: Express Your Themes
- You must always include your 3 starting Themes, aka your Obsessions in each round.
- Putting a Theme in your comic's title, or in your pen name, may be clever, but it doesn't count as expressing your Themes.
- You can express your Themes visually (by drawing) or verbally (by writing Word Balloons). For example, if your Theme was "Robots", there are two acceptable ways to express that Theme: verbally and visually.
Rule #2: Draw Something in Each Panel
- Each round, each of your Panels (the boxes that make up a Comic Page) must contain a recognizable drawing of something. If it's blank, contains only text, or contains an unrecognizable scribble without any context explaining it, it doesn't count.
Rule #3: Show, Don't Tell
- Each round, you can only use 3 Word Balloons, even as the number of Panels increases.
- Any text in your comic, including numbers and letters, counts as a Word Balloon, whether it's dialogue ("I am a robot"), narration ("Suddenly, a robot appeared!"), a sign ("Robot") or a headline in a newspaper ("News: Robots").
- It doesn't matter whether you actually draw a balloon around the words or not.
- A Word Balloon can't cross between Panels, otherwise, it counts as a new Word Balloon.
- You don't have to use all your Word Balloons if you don't want to.
- Unused Word Balloons don't rollover to the next round.
- Your comic's title and your pen name also do not count against your Word Balloon limit.
Sound Effects (No Limit)
Sound Effects (such as "BANG", "BOOM", "TA-DA" or "GASP!") must be onomatopoeia, words that express a nonverbal sound. By default, there is no limit on how many Sound Effects you may use.
Symbols (No Limit)
Symbols (like hearts, exclamation points or speedlines) do not count against your Word Balloon limit. By default, there is no limit on how many Symbols you may use.
Gameplay
Mangaka lasts for 4 rounds. The winner is the player with the highest number of Fame tokens at the end of the last round. Each round consists of three phases: Drawing Cards, Drawing Comics, and Reading.
Difficulty Mode
Before you start, your group must select the Difficulty Mode for the game. This determines how much time you have during Drawing Comics phase. Everyone has the same amount of time. Each round, the number of Panels you have to draw goes up, but the amount of time stays the same.
The time limit is an important creative constraint. You have to make decisions and move on very quickly. When time's up, you must stop drawing and writing, even if you're in the middle of a sentence!
| Mode | Time |
|---|---|
| Student Mode | 8 Minutes |
| Apprentice Mode | 6 Minutes |
| Professional Mode | 5 Minutes |
Five-Minute Comics: Does it sound hard to draw a comic in 5-8 minutes? It might be easier than you think! Many comic artists, including Randall Munroe (xkcd) and Joey Sayers (Thingpart), draw five-minute comics as drawing exercises. In a five-minute comic the playing field is leveled as even experienced artists will often have to draw stick figures to finish in time.
Drawing Phase: Cards
In the Drawing Phase, weeks of backbreaking comic-making labor are simulated with just a few minutes of drawing time. Your challenge is to make a comic which entertains your fellow players and earns you the highest number of Fame tokens by following the Basic Rules and any special Trend rules that apply to that round.
Round 1: Draw Obsessions
In Round 1, each player draws 3 Themes from the Themes deck, starting from the person who owns the game and continuing clockwise.
These 3 starting Themes are your Obsessions, or the basic subject matter of your individual comic. Put them face-up on the left side of your Comic Pages where everyone can see them. Obsessions are specific to the individual player, last for the duration of the game, and are mandatory to express in each round.
Take a few seconds to think about what kind of story you would want to tell. Choose a title for your comic and write it on the top of your Comic Page.
Rounds 2-4: Draw Trends
To become a famous superstar, a manga artist must not only express themselves but also observe popular tastes. While Obsessions are permanent and personal, Trend Cards are transient and communal. Any player can exploit them to sell out and gain more Fame while the card is in play.
Starting at the beginning of Round 2, the person with the least number of Fame points draws a number of Trend Cards and chooses which ones will be in play for the current Drawing Phase. In case of a tie for least Fame, no one chooses, just draw the appropriate number of Trend Cards per the chart below.
If a Trend Card tells you to draw Theme Cards (such as the "Trendy Topics" card), you may draw the attached Theme Cards before deciding whether or not to choose that Trend. The exception is cards like "Surprise Ending Trend" where each player draws a Trend individually. When you discard a Trend, also discard any Theme Cards attached to it.
| Round | # of Trends |
|---|---|
| 2 | Draw 2 Trends, choose 1, discard 1 |
| 3 | Draw 3 Trends, choose 2, discard 1 |
| 4 | Draw 5 Trends, choose 4, discard 1 |
When everyone is done drawing their cards, start the timer; it's time for everyone to begin drawing their comic!
Drawing Phase: Manga
| Round | # of Panels |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Panels |
| 2 | 4 Panels |
| 3 | 6 Panels |
| 4 | 8 Panels |
Per Rule #1, you must express your Obsessions during every Drawing Phase. Each round, the number of Panels you have to draw increases by two but the time and Word Balloon limits stay the same.
When time is up, you must immediately stop writing and drawing. You can stop before time is up by calling out "Done!" and putting down your pen or pencil. This normally doesn't matter, unless certain cards are in play (like "Eager Audience"). After you call out "Done!", you can change your mind and go back to drawing as long as time remains, but then you lose the advantages of finishing first, if any.
Reading Phase
During Reading Phase, the players take turns showing their manga to everyone and reading it out loud to the group.
The player with the most Fame is the first person to read their manga. On the first round, or in case of a tie, the player with the biggest comic/manga/graphic novel collection goes first. After the first person, play continues clockwise until everyone's manga has been read.
By group decision, the other players determine how to score each player based on the Basic Rules:
- Gain 1 Fame for each Obsession expressed
- Gain 2 Fame for filling all your Panels
- Gain 2 Fame for using 3 or less Word Balloons
- If there are any Trend Cards in play, follow the special Scoring Rules listed on them
Count your Fame total and note it at the top of your Comics Page, then proceed to the next Drawing Phase.
Professional Mode Optional Rule
As an optional rule in Professional Mode, instead of reading your own manga in Reading Phase, give your manga to another player and let them read it out loud. You can't say anything while the other players read it and discuss it; your manga must speak for itself. Is your storytelling clear enough that the other players can understand your drawings and Themes without any explanation?
How to Win
At the end of the 4th Reading Phase, count everyone's Fame. The player with the highest Fame wins. In case of a tie, all players vote on who is the winner, based on how creative and entertaining their comics were.
Optional Rules
Marathon Game
- For a marathon game, you'll need to print out extra Comic Pages from www.mangakagame.com. Print out at least 2 copies of each page (2, 4, 6 and 8-panel) for each player.
- In a Marathon Game, the game doesn't end after Round 4. Each round after Round 4, your Panel Count continues going up by 2. (I.e. in Round 5 you have 10 Panels, in Round 6 you have 12 Panels, etc.) Since there aren't Comic Pages with more than 8 panels, take 2 (or more) Comic Pages with total Panels equalling your Panel Count. For example, in Round 5, you can use a 4-Panel Comic Page and a 6-Panel Comic Page, or a 2-Panel and an 8-Panel.
- On Rounds 4 and up, Trend Phase takes place like in Round 3 [sic, as printed]. Discard the Trend Cards from the previous round. The player with the least Fame draws 5 Trend Cards, plays 4 Trends face-up in the middle of the table, and discards the other Trend in the discard pile.
- The Marathon Game ends at the end of the round when one or more player reaches or surpasses a certain amount of Fame. You choose what number is the target:
- Half Marathon: 60 Fame
- Full Marathon: 80 Fame
- To The Death: 100 Fame
- As your Panels go up and up, but your time limit stays the same, it may become nearly impossible to draw something in all your Panels. At some point, you may have to just accept breaking the Basic Rules and not getting the maximum Fame... or will you?
Playing as a Team
Mangaka is recommended for 2-6 players. However, you can have up to 8 players if players play in teams of 2. Teams can play against singles in any combination.
Playing a Team is the same as playing a single player. However, the following special rules apply:
- Your team starts with 4 Obsessions instead of 3. (Draw 8 Themes and pick 4.)
- It can be hard for two people to draw on the same piece of paper at once. Teams may divide their Panels between multiple pages however they like. (For instance, instead of one 4-Panel Page, each teammate can draw two 2-Panel Pages.) Make sure you know who's drawing the beginning and who's drawing the ending! If more than five people are playing, you may need to print out extra Comic Pages from www.mangakagame.com.
- Your team can only use 3 Word Balloons between you, so keep track of how many Balloons your teammate is using!
- If a team and a single player are tied for least Fame (for instance when drawing Trend Cards), the single player wins the tie.
- In situations when all players have to vote on something, the team only gets 1 vote. The only exception is when you vote for the best mangaka in case of a tie at the end of the game: in this case, each member of the team can vote separately.
More Than Eight Players
Technically, there's no reason you can't play with more than 4 players (8 players if everyone is on a team), but larger number of players slow down the game. It's recommended you don't play with more than 6 players (or 12 players if everyone is on a team).
Solo Game
A one-player game uses only Theme Cards. Play goes like this:
- Draw three Theme Cards for your Obsessions and think of a title and pen name for your manga. Start with a 2-panel Comic Page.
- Set a timer and draw for five minutes. When time is up, evaluate yourself (or have a friend evaluate you): did you follow the Three Rules of including your themes, using three or fewer word balloons and drawing something recognizable in every Panel? If you broke a rule, write an "X" next to your pen name for each rule you broke.
- Give yourself 8 Fame Points.
- Take a Comic Page with 2 more panels than before. In addition, draw two new Theme Cards and add them to your Obsessions. Then, discard one Obsession of your choice, from either your new draw or your preexisting Themes.
- Return to stage (2) and repeat. Each round, add 2 more Panels and 1 more Theme (by drawing 2 and discarding 1). When your Panel count reaches 10 or higher, take two or more Comic Pages with a total number of Panels equal to your new Panel count (i.e., if your Panel Count is 10, you could use a 4- and a 6-Panel Page, or a 2- and an 8-Panel).
- The game continues with an escalating number of Panels and Themes until you accumulate three "X"s next to your pen name by breaking the rules three times (three cumulative times over the entire game, that is, not three times in a single round). At that point, stop and don't give yourself Fame for the current round. The game is over!
- How many Fame points can you get? How much can you draw with five minutes and three Word Balloons? Only you can decide...
Fame Meter (for either solo or regular games)
- Under 30: You need more training. Don't give up! Perhaps you can work as an assistant to another artist and improve your skills...
- 30-39: You're beginning your path as artist. You might be able to get a small following drawing a webcomic or dojinshi (self-published comic).
- 40-49: A competent professional. You could make a living as an artist.
- 50-59: A talented professional. Keep up the good work!
- 60-69: You're a truly amazing (and truly fast) artist. Movie deals, TV shows and merchandising contracts are everyday events for you.
- 70-79: Osamu Tezuka, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Fumi Yoshinaga, CLAMP... you're the equal of these legendary figures. Your pen callous makes other artists shiver with awe.
- 80+: You're an artist who can move nations, the kind who only comes along once in a lifetime. How did you possibly score this high?
Tips on Trends
- Some Trends (such as "Action Trend" or "Emotional Trend") depend on how many Panels a Theme or visual element appears in. In this case, the readers must determine exactly how many Panels include the Theme or visual element.
- Some Trends (such as "Noisy Trend" or "Pontifying Trend") can only be claimed by a single player. You may have to read and compare everyone's manga before you determine who, if anyone, qualifies.
- You can't win the game without following Trends, but you probably can't follow every Trend. Choose your objectives wisely! By the time there are 4 Trends on the table, it may be impossible to fulfill the conditions of every Trend. Some may be too complicated, some may not fit with your story and some you might forget about in the heat of battle. Use your time wisely and do your best!
Tips on Themes
- Sometimes you'll get weird or seemingly contradictory Themes. This is all part of the challenge! For a classic example, can you express "Unhappy Endings" and "Happy Endings" at the same time?
- Normally, only the big bold text on the Theme matters. Some Themes have Theme Types in smaller text, i.e. the "Dogs" Theme is an "Animals" Type theme. These don't matter unless certain cards are in play.
- You can't express a Theme by simply naming a character after it. If your Theme is "Food," you can't express that Theme by just naming a character "Donut" (unless they're a talking donut).
- You can't express Themes with puns or double meanings. If your Theme is "Fishing", it doesn't count if a cop is "fishing for clues" (unless he uses a fishing pole).
- Themes you included in past chapters of your comic don't count unless you also include them in the current chapter. For instance, if a character says "I'm a robot" in the first round, but doesn't look, say or do anything robot-like in the second round, you haven't fulfilled your "Robots" Theme for the second round. You have to assume that your audience has no memory! The same rule applies when judging Trends that are based on how many Panels a Theme or visual element appears in.
- Ultimately, Themes are subjective and it's all up to your fellow players. Some players enforce Themes strictly, others are easygoing. Knowing your audience is part of the game!