Off With Their Heads!
Off With Their Heads! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Pad of Player Sheets
- 4 Pencils
- 2 Reference Cards
- 52 Playing Cards
- 1 Wonderland Board
- 1 Red Queen Standee
Overview & Objective
Off With Their Heads is played over a series of 3 rounds. In each round, you will play through your hand of cards, and each card you play will allow you to make a mark on your sheet.
The marks you make will allow you to score points in many different ways, and the player with the highest score at the end of the game wins!
Game Setup
- Place the Wonderland Board in the center of the play area, then place the Red Queen Standee on the "Hearts" space of the board.
- Each player takes 1 pencil, and 1 sheet from the pad of Player Sheets.
- Shuffle the deck of playing cards and place it beside the Wonderland Board. Place the reference cards near the deck.
How to Play
Off With Their Heads is played over 3 Rounds. To set up a new Round, shuffle the deck of playing cards, then deal cards out until all players have a total of 9 cards in hand (hidden from their opponents). Then play proceeds through a series of 7 Bouts.
Each Bout is resolved as noted in the "Resolving a Bout" section below. In summary, players will play cards from their hands in each Bout, then make marks on their sheets based on the cards played and how the ranks on those cards compare. The marks you make represent the red paint you leave smeared across the landscape, and each has the potential to earn favor with the Queen and score victory points in different ways!
After the 7th Bout, when you have only 2 cards remaining in your hand, proceed to End-of-Round Cleanup, then begin another Round. If this was the third Round, instead proceed to final scoring (see Final Scoring below).
Resolving a Bout
To resolve a Bout, perform the following steps in order.
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Secretly choose a card in your hand. Lay it face down on the table to indicate that it is your chosen card. (Extra cards are played with 2 and 3 players—see special rules under Special 2-3 Player Rules).
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Once all players have chosen a card, simultaneously reveal all chosen cards.
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Order by Rank - Determine which of the revealed cards has the highest rank, which has the lowest rank, and which cards are in the middle. See: "Ranking and Hierarchy" below.
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Mark your Sheet - Your card's ranking position determines which zone on your sheet you must mark. For example, if your card was the highest ranked in the Bout, your mark is made on your sheet's "High" section.
To make a mark, choose an unmarked space in the proper zone (as noted above), then mark your card's number in that space. Each zone is explained, along with their special rules, in Special Marking Rules for each Zone below. If you cannot legally make your mark on your sheet, your mark is lost!
The number on your card determines the number you mark. Face cards (including the Jack, Queen, and King) are marked as 10's. If you played an Ace, you may choose to mark a 1 OR an 11.
Note that spaces shaded in black can only be marked if your card is black (Clubs or Spades), and spaces shaded in red can only be marked if your card is red (Hearts or Diamonds). Note that some spaces are both black and red!
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Take all cards played to the Bout and place them face up in a discard pile beside the deck.
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Advance the Red Queen one space clockwise on the Wonderland Board. This causes the Suit Hierarchy to change in the next Bout!
The steps of a Bout, in order: Choose a Card, Reveal Cards, Order by Rank, Mark Your Sheet, Discard Played Cards, Advance the Queen!
Ranking and Hierarchy
The Wonderland Board features all four suits that appear in the playing card deck: Spades, Clubs, Hearts, and Diamonds.
During a Bout, the Queen's current space on the Wonderland board is considered the highest suit in the hierarchy. This means that all cards of that suit are considered of higher rank than all cards of other suits, even if their numbers are lower. For example, if the Queen is currently on the Wonderland Board's "Hearts" space, then a 3 of Hearts is still considered higher than a 7 of Spades.
From the Queen's current position, the suits' values descend in clockwise order. In the example image, Hearts are the highest (because the Queen is on that space). Clubs are the next highest since they are the next suit in clockwise order, then Diamonds. Finally, Spades are the lowest suit in the hierarchy.
Within each suit, cards with higher numbers are ranked above those with lower numbers. For example, a 5 of Hearts is of higher rank than a 3 of Hearts.
For purposes of this ranking, always remember that an Ace is the highest card in its suit, Kings are higher than Queens, Queens are higher than Jacks, and Jacks are higher than 10's.
In the example bout here (using the ordered hierarchy in the image below), Hearts are the highest-ranked suit... but no player played a Heart card! Jenn's 9 of Clubs is ranked the highest, followed by Geoff's 6 of Clubs and Colleen's Queen of Diamonds. Finally, Blake's 4 of Spades is ranked the lowest.
Example: Jenn (9 of Clubs) - HIGH CARD; Geoff (6 of Clubs) - MID CARD; Colleen (Queen of Diamonds) - MID CARD; Blake (4 of Spades) - LOW CARD.
Modify Your Marks with Teacups
If you find yourself making a mark the Red Queen might not like, don't worry! Your Teacups can help with that.
You begin the game with one of your Teacups marked with a single line indicating it is available. You can gain more Teacups by marking spaces on your player sheet that are touching Teacup icons. Once gained, mark a single line through an unmarked tag in the teacup stack (top to bottom in order).
During play, you may cross through one your available Teacups to consume that Teacup and apply its bonus to a card you are marking: either allowing you to mark in a different zone or to mark as though your card were a different color. Importantly, Teacups do not affect ranking or hierarchy—only your mark!
A Teacup tag can be Unmarked, Available (marked with a single line), or Consumed (crossed through).
Special Marking Rules for each Zone
The Meadow
Mark in the Meadow when your card is ranked highest in a Bout.
The Meadow is a collection of mushrooms. When you mark in the Meadow, choose a mushroom that matches your card's color and mark the leftmost available space in that mushroom. Note that the center mushroom is both red and black.
Within each mushroom, all numbers must be unique. In other words, you cannot mark the same number twice in the same mushroom.
At the end of the game, you will gain points for each of your mushrooms where every space is marked. Incomplete mushrooms do not score!
Note that within each mushroom, all numbers are unique! No marking the same number in a mushroom.
The Woods
Mark in the Woods when your card is ranked in the middle.
Each tree in the Woods is red and/or black and has a space for a mark. Unlike the Meadow, you may mark trees in any order you like as long as your card's color matches the tree.
At the end of the game, you will gain the VP in the victory circles that are fully surrounded by marked trees. Additionally, if you manage to mark ALL 18 spaces in the Woods, you will gain a bonus of 30VP! Note that if the entire Woods section of your sheet follows the Jabberwock's rule, you will double the starred VP you score in the Woods.
You are following the Jabberwock's rule as long as no two adjacent trees are marked with the same number. If you break this rule anywhere in the Woods—even once—you miss out on the scoring bonus!
"Completing" the Woods while following the Jabberwock's rule is worth a total of 102VP—30VP for marking all 18 spaces, 36VP for surrounding all scoring nodes, and another 36VP from doubling those points. If you break the Jabberwock's rule even once, you miss out on 36VP and score only 66VP!
Note that the space in each tree touching the "6VP" icon in the example is marked. At the end of the game, this icon would score 6VP (or 12VP if your entire Woods obeyed the Jabberwock's rule).
The Keep
Mark in the Keep if your card is ranked lowest in the Bout.
The Keep has two entrances—one for red and one for black marks. Place your first mark in each color at the appropriate entrance space. Each subsequent mark must be placed adjacent to another mark, while also being in a space that matches your card's color.
Note that the maze wall breaks adjacency.
If you mark the Red Keep space in the center of the maze it is worth 2VP at the end of the game. Additionally, you may immediately mark any number and color in the Meadow and any number and color in the Woods.
At the end of the game, each space in the Keep will score VP equal to the number marked in that space.
Each mark must be placed adjacent to another mark, while also being in a space that matches your card's color!
Biscuits!
When you mark a space with a Biscuit, you may immediately make that same mark again in a different zone (keeping the same number and color). If you use this bonus mark to mark another Biscuit, you also gain that Biscuit's bonus!
If you alter a mark's color by using a Teacup and then place that mark in a space with a Biscuit, repeat the altered mark (not the original).
Wonderlandians and the Tea Party
Seven different Wonderlandians can be found on your player sheet, and meeting their conditions will allow you to invite them to your Tea Party and score their points at the end of the game. When you meet a Wonderlandian's invite condition, immediately place a check mark under that Wonderlandian in your sheet's Tea Party section.
Each Wonderlandian's conditions are noted on your sheet:
- The Caterpillar - Mark all spaces in any one Mushroom in the Meadow.
- Humpty Dumpty - Mark the space adjacent to Humpty Dumpty in the Keep.
- Cheshire Cat - Mark a space in 3 different Mushrooms in the Meadow.
- The White Rabbit - Mark the space adjacent to the White Rabbit in the Keep.
- The Dormouse - Mark all 4 "red and black" trees in the Woods.
- The Mad Hatter - Gain the Mad Hatter's teacup—the teacup fourth from the top in your stack. You do not need to consume that Teacup, just mark it!
- The March Hare - Mark all 3 trees surrounding the March Hare in the Woods.
End of Round Cleanup
At the end of the 7th Bout in each Round, you will have 2 cards remaining in your hand. Secretly place those cards face down next to your player sheet. At the end of the game, you will have a total of 6 cards set aside in this manner and they are used during the Poker Showdown (see Final Scoring below).
At the end of Rounds 1 and 2, shuffle all cards in the discard pile and all cards remaining in the deck together to form the deck again for the next Round. After Round 3, proceed to final scoring.
Final Scoring
The game ends after the third and final Round. Take the following steps in order to calculate your final score:
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Poker Showdown! - After setting 2 cards aside each round, you should have a total of 6 cards. Make the best possible 5-card poker hand from these cards (discarding your 6th card), then reveal your hand and score it:
- One Pair - 3VP
- Two Pair - 6VP
- 3 of a Kind - 9VP
- Straight (5 Sequentially Ranked Cards) - 12VP
- Flush (All Cards Share a Common Suit) - 15VP
- Full House - 18VP
- 4 of a Kind - 21VP
- Straight Flush (Qualifies as both a Straight and a Flush) - 24VP
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The player with the highest scoring poker hand is awarded 5 bonus victory points! If multiple players have the same ranked poker hand, break the tie by comparing the highest cards in their hands as though the Red Queen were on the "Hearts" space on the Wonderland Board. The tied hand with the highest ranked card breaks the tie.
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Tally the rest of your points marked on your player sheet, including:
- VP from all complete Mushrooms in the Meadow.
- VP from all nodes in the Woods that are fully surrounded by marks.
- 30VP if you marked all 18 spaces in the Woods.
- VP equal to the numbers marked in your Keep's spaces.
- 2VP if you marked the Red Keep space in the center of your maze.
- VP for your Tea Party.
Your unspent Teacups have no value in final scoring.
Tea Party Guests → Victory Points: 1 guest = 4VP, 2 guests = 9VP, 3 guests = 16VP, 4 guests = 25VP, 5 guests = 36VP, 6 guests = 49VP, 7 guests = 64VP.
The player with the highest total score wins! If there is a tie, the tied player with the best poker hand wins.
Special 2-3 Player Rules
When playing with 2 or 3 players, reveal a face up card from the deck before players choose which cards they are playing in each Bout. That face up card is counted as part of the Bout, and it is included when evaluating the ranking.
When playing with 2 players, another extra card from the deck is included in the Bout. However, this extra card is placed face down and then revealed after all players' cards are revealed in the Bout. Both this extra card and the face up card noted above are counted as part of the Bout's ranking!
Note that these extra cards in the Bout do not result in any marks being made. They are only added to the Bout for purposes of competing for high, mid, and low rankings.
Credits
- Game Design - JB Howell and Michael Mihealsick
- Illustration - Manny Trembley
- Graphic Design - Matt Paquette & Co.
- Rules Editing - Jonathan Cox
- Play Testers - Elle Howell, Cory Goff, Camden Clutter, Brandon Vieira, Michael Posada, Robbi Ramirez, Bruce Monach, Keith Monach, Adam DeYoung, John Hutchinson, The Game Designers of North Carolina, Randy Hauck, Ben Kepner, Derek Funkhouser, Parker Hudson, Sandra Hudson, CJ Jordan, Mandy Jordan, Dan Hsu, Christina Ha, Ben Cuff, James C., JB Feldman, Ali Glidden, and — absolutely last of all — Jenn Mihealsick.
- Published by Druid City Games