Maskmen
Maskmen Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- Wrestler Cards (6 types) x 10
- Strength Markers (6 types) x 5
- Score Counters (3 types) x 4
- Game Manual (this booklet)
1. Object of the Game
In this game there are 4 wrestling seasons and the player that earns the most points is the winner. Every season, which is made up of several rounds, the player that empties their hand the quickest will earn the most points.
Season 1: Round / Round / Round — Continue playing rounds until a player empties their hand.
Points are earned after every season.
The player with the most points after 4 seasons is the winner.
2. Setup
Shuffle the wrestler cards face down and deal the correct amount to each player according to the chart below. Do this before each new round.
| Number of Players | 2-4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Hand Size | 15 | 12 | 10 |
Without showing your cards to the other players, carefully check your hand. Once all players have checked their hands, the last player to have watched a pro wrestling match becomes the first host and the game begins.
3. Starting a Round
Each season lasts for several rounds.
At the beginning of a round, the host reveals one type of wrestler card face up on the table. Normally, it's ok to place up to 3 of the same wrestler card down at one time, however, if it's the first time a wrestler has been played in the current season, the host is only allowed to play 1 of that wrestler card.
After playing a card, place that wrestler's strength marker on the table so it's visible to all players.
4. Taking a Turn
After the host plays a card, play continues clockwise around the table. Players may choose either of the options below, A or B.
A. Play a wrestler card. (Option 1 or Option 2)
(1) Play a wrestler card whose strength has not been determined yet. To be sure that your wrestler is stronger than the previously played wrestler, you must play 1 more card than other wrestler. (But no more than 3 cards!) This will confirm that your wrestler is indeed stronger than the previously played one. Place the wrestler's strength marker according to the rules in the "How to Arrange the Strength Markers" section.
(2) Play a wrestler card whose strength is known to be stronger than the previously played wrestler. Play the same amount of cards as the previously played wrestler. No more, no less.
*You may not play a wrestler that is the same type as or weaker than the previously played wrestler.
B. Throw in the Towel
If you can't play any cards or if you don't want to play any cards, you may decide to "throw in the towel" (pass), and allow the next player to take their turn. If you pass, you may not play anymore cards during that round.
How to Arrange the Strength Markers
Basic Rule
The higher the mask is placed, the stronger it is. The lower the mask is placed, the weaker it is.
If the correct placement of two markers can't be determined, then another line must be created.
In this game, the strength of the wrestlers is determined by the actions of each player. In order to show the strengths of each wrestler the strength markers are laid out on the table. If a wrestler card is confirmed to be stronger, its marker is placed higher in the line than the wrestler that was weaker.
Example
A blue card was played, followed by 2 red cards. Since we are able to determine the strength of the two wrestlers, the red marker is placed above the blue marker.
The green cards were played after the red cards. We can see that the green wrestler is stronger than red and blue, therefore, we place the green marker above the red one.
In the next round, we can determine that the orange cards are stronger than the red cards, however, we can't compare the strength of the orange and green cards yet. Because of this, we can not place the orange and green markers in the same line and must make a second line to compare their strength.
*In this case, we know that red is stronger than blue and orange is stronger than red, so that must mean that orange is also stronger than blue. If this is difficult to visualize, you may decide to place another blue marker in the second line as well.
5. Ending a Round
Continue repeating step 4 until all but 1 player has passed and the round ends. Set aside the cards that were played during the round and start a new round beginning with the player that last played a card.
The player that last played a card is the next host.
Ending a Season
The game continues for several rounds until a player plays all of the cards. This player is the winner and earns +2 points. The second player to finish earns +1 point and the last place player earns -1 point.
Shuffle all of the cards including any unused cards from the last round, clear the wrestler strength markers, and begin a new season. The last place player begins the new season as the first host.
Ending the Game
The game ends after 4 seasons have been completed. The player that earned the most points is the winner.
In a 2-player game there is not set amount of seasons. The first player to win 3 seasons is the winner.
In case of a tie, the player with more +2 score counters is the winner. If players are still tied after this, the player that won the last round is the winner.