Penguin Airlines
Penguin Airlines Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 9 double sided control panel cards
- 3 expansion control panel cards (marked with a star)
- 60 flight instruction cards
- 20 expansion flight instruction cards (marked with a star)
- 13 adjustable tokens
- 1 round rotating knob
- 3 switches
- 3 clicks (red, blue, and white)
- 1 big red lever
- 2 sliders (blue and red)
- 3 round levers (red, blue, and white)
- 4 time counters
- 1 30-second hourglass
- 1 penguin klutz starting team marker
Game Setup
Find the 3 expansion control panel cards and the 20 expansion flight instruction cards and return them to the game box. These components are all marked with a star.
Assemble a master control panel with the 9 control panel cards. These cards are double sided, make sure you place them showing the same side (gray or blue background). We recommend you use the side with the blue background for your first game. Place the adjustable tokens in their corresponding places (as shown in the image).
Note: The master control panel is modular and can be assembled in many different ways. However, all the cards that make up the control panel must share the same background color (gray or blue). Place the adjustable tokens in their corresponding places (as shown in the image).
Divide the players into teams. We recommend making 2-player teams.
Place the deck of flight instruction cards in the center of the table, along with the time counters.
Download the Penguin Airlines mobile app or place the hourglass in the center of the table. For the best gaming experience, we recommend always playing with the app.
The team that has most recently assembled an aircraft receives the penguin klutz starting team marker and goes first. In the unlikely case that no one has ever assembled an aircraft, determine the starting team randomly.
The Game
The game is divided into rounds that are made up of turns. First, the starting team will play out their turn and then the other teams will follow in clockwise order or in whatever order suits you best. Once all the teams have each played a turn, the round is over.
During the first round, one team member takes on the role of the control tower and the other team member (or members) acts as the cabin crew. Place the flight instruction deck next to the player acting as the control tower and place the time counters and hourglass (or mobile app) next to the player(s) acting as the cabin crew.
The Turn
During a turn, all players on the active team play simultaneously.
Once all team members are ready, flip the hourglass (or activate the app). The turn has begun!
Note: For your first game you can adjust the time on the app to 35 or 40 seconds.
The player in the control tower draws a flight instruction card and, without showing it to the other members of their team (the cabin crew), must guide them to press specific buttons and move adjustable tokens on the control panel. Once the instructions on the card have been followed, it is set aside and the cabin crew receives a time counter. Then a new flight instruction card is drawn and the game continues in a similar fashion until either 5 flight instruction cards are completed or the time runs out.
Once a flight instruction card has been completed, it is set aside face up where one of the opposing teams can verify that the instructions were followed correctly.
There are two types of flight instruction cards
Simple instruction cards:
Each of the instructions on the card refers to a specific section of the master control panel.
One type of instruction requires the cabin crew to press a specific button on one of the panels. All button-pressing instructions are accompanied by the symbol of a hand outlined in green pointing to the specific button that needs to be pressed.
The other type of instruction requires the cabin crew to move the adjustable tokens of an area of the panel to specific positions. All instructions of this type will always show the adjustable token(s) in the correct position and outlined in green. If the adjustable token is already in the correct position, all the cabin crew will have to do is locate it and touch it with their finger. The hourglass symbol on the card serves as a reminder to draw a time counter after completing the flight instruction card.
Example: Control tower: "Hurry! You have to adjust the three round levers (blue, red, and white). Place blue on 1, red on 0 and white on 2. After, in a panel full of small white square buttons, press the one on the bottom right."
Sequence cards:
Sequence cards show only one instruction that specifically affects one of the sections of the master control panel.
The player in the control tower, without showing the card to the rest of their team, must first describe to them the section of the control panel referenced by the card and then indicate the sequence of actions they must follow (up, up, down, right). The cabin crew will then press the buttons on the panel in the order indicated and immediately after doing so, say, out loud, the colors of the buttons pressed in order and finish by pressing the "OK" button (blue, blue, white, and black in the example, followed by pressing "OK.")
At the bottom of each of these cards you can find the correct color sequence; it will help with verifying the answer.
The hourglass symbol on the card serves as a reminder to draw a time counter after completing the flight instruction card.
Example: Control tower: "Quick! It is a sequence instruction! You have to look for something that looks like a cross with a big red round button in the middle. The sequence is: up, up, down and right."
Cabin crew yells: "Blue, blue, white and black!" They then press "OK."
Control tower: "That's right! Grab a time counter!"
End of the Turn
The cabin crew players are responsible for operating the master control panel and pressing its buttons. They are also in charge of making sure they don't run out of time. When the time is about to run out, the cabin crew can spend a time counter to flip the hourglass over and continue playing. The turn is over if the active team runs out of time or completes 5 flight instruction cards or makes two mistakes.
Transmission Failed
Oops! You pressed the wrong button! When a cabin crew player makes a mistake and presses the wrong button, they must leave their finger stuck to that button, blocking the view of the panel. You can only make one mistake per turn. If you make a second mistake, the turn comes to an end and its scoring takes place.
If you make a mistake while following a sequence card, leave your finger stuck to the "OK" button. If the mistake involves an adjustable token, leave your finger "stuck" to that token. You can press a button even if your finger is stuck to it.
Illegal Actions
The control tower player can only give the instructions shown on their card. Therefore, they cannot:
- Identify the position of the affected control panel card within the master panel (i.e. "It's the control panel card on the top row, second column...")
- Point directly to the affected control panel card.
- Make a reference to a section of the control panel that is not included in the flight instruction card.
- When playing with the expansion, reveal that the current flight instruction card is a card from the expansion.
Any of these infractions may result in the disqualification of the card by one of the opposing teams.
Disqualification
Players of the opposing teams may move to disqualify a card if the active team engages in a forbidden action or if the cabin crew solution is incorrect.
Whenever a team believes one of these infractions has been committed, they may pause the hourglass by turning it sideways and verify if their accusation is correct:
- If indeed a mistake was made while giving the instructions, or an illegal action took place, both the flight instruction card in play and the disqualified card are discarded (they will most likely be the same card). A new card is drawn and the timer resumes from where it was paused.
- If the accusation proves to be wrong and no mistakes were made, the current flight instruction card is deemed completed, a new card is drawn and the timer resumes.
Scoring
If the turn ends triggered by a second mistake or by running out of time, the active team scores 1 point for each successfully completed flight instruction card. The team will keep these flight instruction cards until the end of the game to keep track of their points.
On the other hand, if the active team completes 5 flight instruction cards, their turn automatically comes to an end. The team scores 1 point for each completed card and 1 additional point for each remaining time counter token. To keep track of these additional time counter points, draw an equal number of flight instruction cards and add them to the stack of completed cards. Then, return the tokens to the center of the table.
End of the Round
A round ends once all teams have each played a turn. In the second round, the player that acted as the control tower switches roles with a member of their cabin crew.
End of the Game
The game ends at the end of the round in which one of the teams has reached 12 points. Use the starting team token to keep track of who started the round and make sure all the teams play the same number of turns.
In the rare case that the flight instruction deck runs out, jot down the scores on a piece of paper and then create a new drawing deck by reshuffling all the used cards.
The team with the most completed flight instruction cards is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the victory is shared.
Expansion
All cards from the expansion have a star icon that differentiates them from the rest. Assemble the master control panel using all 12 control panel cards and shuffle the 20 flight instruction cards into the drawing deck.
The expansion introduces two new types of instruction cards. The rest of the game is played just like the base game, following the rules described earlier.
Sequence card with coordinates:
Like the regular sequence cards, they show only one instruction that specifically affects one of the sections of the master control panel.
The player in the control tower, without showing the card to the rest of their team, must first help them identify the section of the control panel referenced by the card and then indicate the sequence of the buttons they must press. These buttons are numbered in the card (1, 2, and 3) so the player in the control tower must first use coordinates (A1, C3, and D1 in the example) to help them identify these buttons. The cabin crew will then press the buttons on the panel in the order indicated and immediately after doing so, say, out loud, the colors of the buttons pressed in order and finish by pressing the "OK" button (white, red and blue, followed by pressing "OK.")
At the bottom of each of these cards you can find the correct color sequence; it will help with verifying the answer. The hourglass symbol on the card serves as a reminder to draw a time counter after completing the flight instruction card. The star symbol indicates that the card is an expansion card.
Example: Control tower: "Quick! It is a sequence instruction! It's one of the panels with coordinates, the one with the roman numerals. The buttons are A1, C3, and D1."
Cabin crew yells: "White, red and blue!" They then press "OK."
Control tower: "That's right! Grab a time counter!"
Activation cards:
Activation cards show an instruction that specifically affects one of the sections of the master control panel. The player in the control tower must read, without spelling it out, the word shown on the card ("FNAP" in the example). The cabin crew must then type the word into the console by pressing the buttons and immediately after say, out loud, the colors of the buttons pressed in order and finish by pressing the "OK" button.
Example: Control tower: "Quick! Go to the activation area! It's a panel with a bunch of round buttons with letters on them like A, X... The OK button is square. You have to activate the FNAP!"
Cabin crew yells: They press the buttons to type out "FNAP" and yell: "Blue, white, red, and blue!" They then press "OK."
Control tower: "That's right! Grab a time counter!"
Cooperative Mode
Penguin Airlines has a cooperative game mode especially recommended for when there are only 2 or 3 players for the game.
Assemble the master control panel and create the drawing deck just like in the competitive game mode.
According to the number of players in the game you will play a different number of rounds (see the table below). During the first round one player will take on the role of the control tower and the rest of the players will act as the cabin crew. Every new round, the player to the left of whoever played as the control tower the previous round will become the new control tower.
Compare your final score with the table below. Good luck!
| Players | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rounds | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Rookie | 0-10 | 0-14 | 0-10 | 0-12 | 0-14 |
| Cadet | 11-15 | 15-21 | 11-15 | 13-18 | 15-21 |
| Commander | 16-20 | 22-28 | 16-20 | 19-24 | 22-28 |
| Captain | 21-28 | 29-40 | 21-28 | 25-34 | 29-40 |
| Captain General | 29-36 | 41-54 | 29-36 | 35-45 | 41-54 |
Landing Outcomes
Rookie — That was a close one! It's a miracle you landed that thing...look at it! There's smoke everywhere! There are so many pale faces and sick sacks filled to the rim in the passenger area...so many children crying their eyes out...you could have done better.
Cadet — That was a miracle! That landing was one of the most terrifying things anyone here has ever witnessed. The cabin is full of poker faces. The airline is even considering holding you accountable for the damages caused to the aircraft.
Commander — You did it! I can't deny everyone cringed as the plane got erratically closer and closer. We all gasped when the wheels finally hit the runway. There was a brief, apprehensive applause. The company is starting to wonder if it's a good idea for a few penguins to pilot the aircraft.
Captain — Congratulations on your landing! The media covered the whole thing and the entire country has witnessed your achievement in awe. What's next? A bunch of snails handling a spaceship? What a breathtaking experience! You've got the next few months fully booked to tour the country from talk show to talk show. Everyone wants to talk to the first penguins to have ever piloted a commercial flight.
Captain General — You are heroes! And what about that acrobatic loop! Wow!! A government entourage awaits you to recognize you for your great achievement. It's a standing ovation all over the airport. The flight commission has even decided to rename the airport after you. The duty-free stores are filled with souvenirs with your faces on them. You will forever be remembered as part of the history of modern aviation.
Credits
Design of the game mechanics: Javier Martinez and Jesús Fuentes
Graphic design and illustrations: Jesús Fuentes
Translation: Cristóbal Morales
Translation revision: Emily Gendrolis
App: Jorge Barroso (Flipper)
Perro Loko Games 2022. Calle Feria 42, 1º, Sevilla — www.perrolokogames.com
Acknowledgements: We want to thank everyone who has dared to ride this crazy plane, to all the voices that flew to the ears of Chus during the prototyping phase and also to Gatosi, for her great ability to brainstorm. Mi!