Most Wanted
Most Wanted Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
- Place the Scoreboard, Bags of Money and the 6 Action Tiles on the table. Make sure the Action Tiles have the correct sides facing up (see graphic below).
- Each player places an Outlaw Character Token and the corresponding Player Aid in front of them on the table.
- Shuffle the cards and place the draw deck next to the Scoreboard.
- Deal 5 face-down cards to each player.
- If everyone is familiar with the game, determine the first player with a 1-card Duel involving all players (see Duel rules in the Actions section). Otherwise, the youngest player goes first.
Game Play
- On your turn, select and complete one action. The available actions are shown on the Action Tiles. Some actions allow (or require) other players to participate.
- After the action is complete:
- Points are scored by moving the appropriate Character Token forward the required number of spaces on the Scoreboard.
- All cards played are discarded onto a face-up Discard Pile.
- Any player who participated in the action draws until they have 5 cards in hand. Players do not draw if they already have 5 or more cards in their hand.
- Play continues clockwise until one player reaches the "Most Wanted" space on the Scoreboard and wins the game!
Note: See page 7 for special 2-player rules.
Action Tile Anatomy
Each Action Tile shows:
- Number of cards you use — shown on a pair of cards in the top corner of the tile (e.g. "0+").
- Name of the action — shown on the upper wooden sign (e.g. "Church").
- Action description — shown on the lower wooden sign (e.g. "Discard and draw to 7").
- Who participates — shown at the bottom of the tile (e.g. "Just you").
Robberies
Most of your Outlaw's notoriety will be gained from Robberies. With great risk comes great reward! When you select a Robbery action:
- Anyone may choose to participate in your robbery.
- Each player involved plays a hand of face-down cards. The goal is to play the most number of cards with the same rank and for the ranks of those cards to be as high as possible.
- When all players are ready, the cards are revealed.
- The player with the best hand (see Hand Rankings) wins the number of points shown on the bottom of the Action Tile. Rules for resolving Ties are below.
- All losing players must pay Bail (see Bail below).
Pony Express Robbery
Action: Play a 2-card hand Result: Winner receives 2 Points | All losers pay Bail
The Pony Express is coming to town – let's help lighten his load! It's not the most lucrative heist, but every robber has to start somewhere.
Stagecoach Robbery
Action: Play a 3-card hand Result: Winner receives 3 Points | All losers pay Bail
A stagecoach is like a treasure chest on wheels – there's always something shiny inside worth pilfering!
Train Robbery
Action: Play a 4-card hand Result: Winner receives 4 Points | All losers pay Bail
You hear that "chugga-chugga-choo-choo" coming up the tracks? That's the sound of a big-time score!
Other Actions
Church
- Only you may take this action.
- Discard any number of cards from your hand.
- Draw until you have 7 cards in hand.
Sometimes even the slimiest scoundrel needs to repent and get a new start.
Honest Labor
- Only you may take this action.
- Play any number of face-up cards, all of the same color.
- For each card played, take 2 Bags of Money from the General Supply.
Crime pays, but sometimes you need to get your hands dirty with some honest labor to get out of a bind.
Example: 3 cards of the same color traded in for 6 Bags of Money.
Duel
- Challenge one player to a Duel. They must participate!
- Choose a hand size of 1 or 2 cards.
- Both players play a face-down hand of the selected size.
- When both players are ready, the cards are revealed.
- The player with the best hand (see Hand Rankings) receives points equal to the loser's Bail.
- The losing player pays Bail (see Bail below).
This here's the Wild West, and we settle our differences with an ol' fashioned duel! Uncivilized? Definitely! You got a problem with that?
Double Crosser
During any action, if someone plays a hand of all aces, and someone else plays a hand contains all 6s (the hidden 6-shooter), then the 6s count as a "Double Crosser," which beats every hand! See Double Crossing on pages 8 & 9 to see examples.
Ties
If there is a tie for the best hand, each tying player plays a 1-card hand to determine the winner. If additional ties occur, continue playing 1-card hands until one player wins. If a player involved in a tie does not have a card in hand, they draw the top card from the deck. You can Double Cross on ties.
Bail and Other Payments
- If you are the loser of a Robbery, Duel, or any other Action Tile that shows a jail icon, you must pay Bail.
- The amount of Bail you must pay is depicted on your current position on the Scoreboard, from 1 to 3 Bags of Money.
- You do not have to pay Bail if you are not yet on the Scoreboard.
- If you are ever required to pay Bags of Money and do not have enough, move back 1 space on the Scoreboard for each Bag of Money you are unable to pay. Example: Clara must pay 3 Bags of Money as Bail, but she only has 2 Bags of Money. She pays 2 Bags of Money and moves her character back 1 space on the Scoreboard.
When the Draw Deck Is Depleted
When you need to draw a card but the draw deck is empty, shuffle the discard pile to form a new draw deck. You flip an Action Tile each of the first three times you shuffle the deck. For the remainder of the game, that action will be worth more points.
- First shuffle: Pony Express flips from 2 points/Bail 2 to 2 points/Bail 3.
- Second shuffle: Stagecoach flips from 3 points/Bail 3 to 3 points/Bail 4.
- Third shuffle: Train flips from 4 points/Bail 4 to 4 points/Bail 5.
Winning the Game
The first player to reach the Most Wanted space on the Scoreboard wins!
Special Rules for Two Player Games
When playing a two player game, the Sheriff shows up to defend the town against the pair of greedy scoundrels. The Sheriff participates in every robbery and must be beaten to score points. To form the Sheriff's hand for each Robbery, draw cards from the deck equal to twice the number required for the Robbery: 4 for Pony Express, 6 for Stagecoach, 8 for Train. Place these cards face-down on the table until both players are ready. Before revealing hands, the Sheriff makes the best hand from his cards.
The Sheriff is a do-gooder, and will not retroactively choose to play a Double Crosser in response to another player's aces. However, the Sheriff will play a Double Crosser if the best possible hand happens to contain all sixes.
Example: with 6, 6, Q, Q in the Sheriff's cards, the Sheriff would use the Pair of Queens when protecting the Pony Express because a Pair of Queens are ranked higher than a Pair of 6s. This is still the case even if a player used two Aces for the Robbery.
Example: with 6, 6, Q, A in the Sheriff's cards, the Sheriff would use the Pair of 6s because that's the highest ranked option.
Hand Rankings — Highest to Lowest
- Double Crosser! (see Double Crossing below)
- Four-of-a-Kind
- Three-of-a-Kind
- Two-Pair
- Pair
- High Card
Card rank, high card to low card: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 (the 6 is depicted as a hidden 6-shooter and is the lowest-ranked card outside of a Double Crosser).
Higher Ranked Hands
Any hand of a higher rank always beats a hand of a lower rank.
Example: a Pair of 7s beats a High Card Ace. Likewise, any 3-of-a-Kind always beats a 2-of-a-Kind.
In-Hand Tie Break
When a hand from the Hand Ranking chart is played as part of a larger hand (e.g., if a Pair is played as part of a 3-card hand) and two or more players initially tie, the extra card(s) determine the higher-ranking hand.
Example: two hands tied with their 3-of-a-Kind (three 8s each), so the tie is broken by the leftover High Card — a hand with an extra Ace beats a hand with an extra 6. A Double Crosser does not occur because the extra card is part of a larger hand.
Ranking Two Pairs
If two hands have Two-Pair, first compare the higher pair to determine the winner.
Example: a Pair of Queens (with a Pair of 6s) beats a Pair of Jacks (with a Pair of 10s). If the higher Pair is tied, then compare the lower Pair.
Double Crossing
During any action, if one (or more) player's hand contains all aces, and one (or more) player's hand contains all 6s, then the 6s count as a "Double Crosser," which beats every hand!
Example: a hand of all 6s becomes a Double Crosser and beats everything (including a hand of Kings and a hand of Queens) because an Ace was played by another player.
Example: without a hand of Aces, a hand of all 6s is just a low Pair, so a Pair of Kings wins instead.
Example: in order to Double Cross, there needs to be a full hand of 6s and a full hand of Aces — a hand of two 6s plus other cards does not qualify, nor does a hand of an Ace plus other cards.
Alternate Actions
Ready to shake things up a bit? After you've played Most Wanted a handful of times, you might want to try some of the alternate actions on the backs of the non-robbery Action Tiles. The game is designed to work with any combination of these on-robbery actions, so choose whatever sides fits your fancy for each game.
Saloon
- Only you may take this action.
- Pay one Bag of Money to the general supply.
- Discard any number of cards from your hand.
- Draw until you have 8 cards in hand.
When you've worked up a thirst after a long day of thieving, there's nothing more refreshing than a trip to the saloon!
Shootout
- Challenge one or more player(s). They must participate!
- Choose a hand size of 1, 2, or 3 cards.
- All involved players play a face-down hand of the selected size.
- When all players are ready, the cards are revealed.
- The player with the best hand (see Hand Rankings) receives 2 points.
- Each of the losing players pay Bail (see Bail above).
The more the merrier! So gather some friends for a good old fashioned shootout.
Dishonest Labor
- Only you may take this action.
- Play any number of face-down cards.
- Place 2 Bags of Money from the General Supply onto each card played.
- Declare that all of your cards are of the same color (or suit). You may bluff.
- Anyone may challenge you.
- If your cards are all of the same color: You keep the money and everyone who challenged you loses their next turn.
- If your cards are of different colors: you split the Bags of Money evenly between everyone that challenged you. Extra money gets discarded.
- You keep all the money if no one challenges you.
Honest Labor? Dishonest Labor? I'm not sure. I don't get paid to ask questions.
The Legendary Treasure of Fast-Finger Freddie
St. Louis is a hoot, but rumors tell of even wilder adventures waiting further to the west! Only a fool would travel into such untamed wilds alone; luckily, legend has it that a dusty old travel guide exists that can show you the way to unimaginable treasures. No one knows exactly where this fabled book now lies... but it has to be around somewhere, right? Happy trails, friend!