Planet B
Planet B Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Game Components
- Game Components and Setup
- Setting Up Your Player Board
- Starting Buildings
- Gameplay and Goal
- Basics
- Your Turn: Make a Deal
- What Actions Are There?
- Elections
- Offices
- Exchanges
- Game End
- Your Turn: A Summary
- Changes for 2 and 3 Players
- Explanation of Particular Cards
- Symbol Summary
- Credits
Game Components
- 1 game board
- 1 faction track
- 4 player boards
- 7 conglomerate tiles (3xA, 4xB)
- 40 production tiles (10 per player)
- 16 swindle tiles (4 per player)
- 244 wooden pieces:
- 100 votes (25 per player)
- 64 workies (32 crafties, 32 brainies)
- 50 containers
- 16 discs (3 per player plus 4 white)
- 10 suitcases
- 4 mood markers (1 per player)
- 120 cards:
- 46 buildings (14xA, 14xB, 14xC, 4 Headquarters)
- 46 news cards (16xI, 16xII, 14xIII)
- 20 laws (10x yellow, 10x blue)
- 4 end scoring cards
- 4 office cards
- 160 banknotes (called billies): 20x1, 30x2, 30x5, 30x10, 30x20, 12x50, 8x100
Game Components and Setup
Welcome to Planet B! We hope it is only temporarily your new home.
We'll explain everything for 4 players. You can find the changes for 2 and 3 players on page 17.
We'll start with game setup and general gameplay, followed by the individual actions. Finally, we'll list some of the more complicated cards.
We'll explain everything, as if you were doing it. After reading the rules, you can explain it to the other players in the same way.
Setup steps:
- Place the game board in the middle of the table. Make sure you use the right side of the board. Look for the "4" symbol in the top left corner.
- Sort the money, called billies, according to face value and place it as a supply. This is the bank.
- Place the faction track above the game board.
- Sort the conglomerate tiles, gray side up, into two piles: A and B (you can find the A symbols on the bottom left of the tiles). Shuffle each pile separately. Add the 3 A tiles to the game board in random order. Important: Turn the middle tile red side up. Place the 4 B tiles in a pile, gray side up, next to the game board.
- Place the suitcases, containers, and so-called workies into a general supply next to the game board. The orange workies are called crafties, the purple workies are called brainies.
- Place 3 of the 4 white discs onto the indicated spaces in each market. Place the left and right discs onto the gray spaces, and the middle disc onto the red space. Place the last white disc onto the starting space of the election track.
- Sort the buildings into three face-down piles: A, B, and C. Shuffle each pile separately and place them in the indicated spaces below the game board.
- Similarly, sort the news cards into three face-down piles: I, II, and III. Shuffle each pile separately and place them in the indicated spaces below the game board. Afterwards, flip the top news card of each pile.
- Place the bag and the office cards so they are easily reachable by all players.
- Finally, it's time for the laws. Separate them according to color and shuffle each set separately. Place them in separate face-down piles next to the office cards.
Setting Up Your Player Board
Now, all that's left is to set up the player boards. First, choose a start player. Give that player the board with the "1" in the upper right hand corner. Distribute the remaining boards, in clockwise order, to the other players. So player 2 gets the No. 2 board, etc.
Resources on each board's production tracks are a little different from each other, otherwise the boards are identical.
Important: You will need a bit of space above and to the right of your player board. You will need the most space (about 8 inches) to the left of your board. Make sure each player now does the following:
- Choose a color. Take the 4 swindle tiles and 10 production tiles whose backs match your chosen color. Place them, face-up, above your board as shown.
- Place the 25 votes in your color above your board. Put 3 of them into the bag now.
- Put the mood marker in your color onto the neutral space of the mood track on your player board.
- Then, take the 3 discs in your color and place them onto the 3 starting spaces on the faction tracks. Hint: Just pile the different color discs on top of each other. It doesn't matter who's on top.
- Now, place your headquarters, face up, to the left of your board. This building is at your disposal from the start of the game. As with the tiles, your headquarters is marked with your color on the back. Hint: Each player's set of components is the same. The colors should make setup easier.
- Place 2 brainies and 2 crafties onto the indicated space on your player board. Take 10 billies. This is your starting money, which you place face-up next to your board.
- Take an end scoring card and place it next to your board. You won't need it until the end of the game so it doesn't have a pre-set space.
Starting Buildings
Now, choose your buildings in reverse turn order.
Give the last player as many A-buildings as there are players in the game (i.e. 4 cards in a 4-player game). That player chooses 1 building and adds it to their hand. They then give the remaining cards to the player on their right. Keep doing this until all players have exactly 1 building in their hand.
Then, give the start player as many B-buildings as there are players in the game. That player chooses 1 building and adds it to their hand. They then give the remaining cards to the player on their left.
Finally, draw and choose C-buildings in the same manner as you did for the A-buildings (i.e. start with the last player and pass to the right).
All players should now have exactly 1 A, 1 B, and 1 C building in their hand.
Gameplay and Goal
The goal of the game is to stash as much money, in the form of victory points, in your own pocket as possible. You do this by doing deals with the conglomerates, which let you perform various actions.
You build buildings in which your workies work. You can also advance on the faction track, or use news cards to influence others and pursue your shady schemes. By the time the election rolls around, the opinion of your populace will have a major impact on your chances of becoming President.
Take your turns in clockwise direction. Each turn, place a suitcase next to a conglomerate tile and perform all of the actions indicated there, along with any other news, building, or faction actions you trigger along the way. Your turn is then over and it is the next player's turn. Once all of a conglomerate's suitcase spaces are full, either turn it over or remove it from the game. Keep doing this until there aren't any conglomerate tiles left, which triggers the end of the game.
Basics
Here you'll find a short explanation of what the symbols in the game mean. Don't worry — we'll explain them in more detail later.
Costs and Action Boxes
Each action you can choose to perform is in an action box. If there are costs in the action box, you must always fully pay these first, in order to perform the remaining actions in the box. If you can't pay the costs, then you cannot choose the action box.
Example: a building may show 2 action boxes; a conglomerate shows 1 action box. In one example box, you must pay 5 billies and can then perform 3 different actions.
You can always recognize costs because they are printed in red. If, on the other hand, you get something or may perform an action, then the numbers are printed in white.
If the word "all" is printed above an action, then all players (including yourself) either take or must pay something. If it says "all others" instead, then it only affects the other players, not you. As usual, you must be able to pay the costs to be able to choose the action box. If others can't pay then they are lucky, but that doesn't affect your ability to choose the action box.
Example: on the "Asteroid Mining" action box, "All" players take 1 Iridium.
You must always perform all actions as fully as you can.
Important: You can only perform another action once you have fully completed the first one. However, you can choose which order you perform the actions in.
Sometimes an action box will give you more than one option. There are two versions of this: either a diagonal line separates 2 different actions, or it separates 2 symbols (which means you can mix and match when performing the action).
Example: in one box you must choose 1 of the two actions; in another, you can combine plastic and workies freely.
Money and Victory Points
Regardless of whether your enterprises are legal or illegal, you'll always need money — billies. These are the banknotes next to the game board. Your fellow players always get to know how much money you have.
Additionally, there are victory points. You gain victory points in various ways. When you get them, take them from the bank, same as billies. Each banknote's face value is also how many victory points they represent (a 5-billie bill is also worth 5 victory points).
Stick your victory points in your pocket. Yes, really — stick them in your pants pocket. Imagine it's a secret numbered account. If you don't have a pocket handy, you can put them, face down, next to your player board.
Important: If your banknotes are face-up, they are money. If they are face-down, they are victory points. You cannot use victory points to pay costs, and you cannot exchange them for money. You are allowed to trade in smaller bills for larger ones, so that the smaller denominations don't run out.
Special Case: If you still run out of money, use real money as a substitute.
Mood
You will perform many actions over the course of the game, which may be received in different ways by your populace. These actions either lift or lower the mood of the people.
An up arrow means: move your mood marker higher. A down arrow means: move your mood marker lower.
Note: Always count the neutral space when counting steps.
If your marker is on the topmost space of the mood track, for each additional positive mood step you receive, take 2 victory points instead and leave your marker where it is.
Example: You get 2 mood and move your marker up the track. You are now back in positive territory.
The same principle applies when your marker is on the lowest space. For each additional negative mood step you receive, lose 2 victory points instead.
Special Case: If you don't have any victory points in this case, you don't have to pay anything. The cost is still considered "paid" though.
What is the significance of mood? Depending on which actions you choose to perform, your mood will increase or decrease over the course of the game. This doesn't have any consequences at first — those come later. The mood track is evaluated when an election happens. You can read more about that on page 12.
Your Turn: Make a Deal
First, choose the conglomerate tile with which you'd like to make a deal. The tile you choose has an action box on it with the actions you can perform.
Take a suitcase from the general supply and place it onto the topmost empty suitcase space next to the chosen conglomerate tile.
Costs only appear on the red, "illegal" side of the conglomerate tiles. Whenever you make an "illegal" deal, it will cost you 1 mood.
Each conglomerate tile has only 1 action box on it. The upper right hand corner of each tile shows what's on the other side of the tile. You cannot use those actions yet.
Example: You place a suitcase here. Then you must first pay the costs. You move your mood marker down 1 space.
Once you have performed all possible actions on the conglomerate tile, your turn is over and it is the turn of the next player in clockwise direction. That player takes a suitcase and places it in the same manner.
As you can see, the bottom suitcase space is colored. If you place a suitcase onto the last empty space of a conglomerate tile, you must perform an exchange at the end of your turn. Don't worry, we'll explain what an exchange is at the end of the rules (page 16).
What Actions Are There?
We will now explain, one after the other, the different actions you can perform in the game. You'll find them in various places, for example on buildings, on the game board, or news cards. This will take a while — but it will all make sense (more or less) by the end, we promise.
Production
This action is your main source of resources. And what's life without meat?
Resources: plastic, iridium, water, plant, hydrogen, computer chip, meat, and resource of your choice.
First, choose 1 production line on your player board, either the upper or the lower one. Each production line consists of 3 production spaces. They show differing combinations of 3 resources.
Take all resources shown on the chosen production line and place them in your warehouse. To do this, take 1 silver container per resource from the supply and place them onto the appropriate storage locations on your board.
You cannot have more than 4 containers of each resource. If you ever get resources you don't have room for in your warehouse, you immediately sell them for the current price (see selling resources on page 8).
Example: This is your warehouse. You use the lower production line, and take 1 plastic, 1 iridium, and 1 plant.
You won't find the "resource of your choice" symbol on any production line, but it does show up on some buildings and news cards. It means that you take a resource of your choice. You get to pick which one you want and then add 1 container onto the corresponding resource's storage location.
Special Case: If you run out of containers, use your own oil barrels.
Production Tiles
You can change which resources you produce with a production action by buying new production tiles. You can buy these for 10 money at any point during your turn, either before or after performing an action.
Example: You pay 10 money and buy a production tile for a resource. You place it onto the production space.
Take 1 production tile of your choice and place it onto one of the production spaces on your player board. This will cover up the previous resource type. You may buy more than one production tile at once. You may return any production tiles you bought back to your supply at any time, but you don't get the money back that you paid for them.
Tip: Buy the production tile you want right before producing, so that you can use it immediately.
Example: You trigger this production line with production. You take 1 plastic, 1 meat, and 1 plant, adding them to your warehouse.
Selling Resources
You need resources to pay costs or to get money. You are always allowed to sell as many resources as you want, for the current price, on your turn as often as you like. Return the corresponding containers to the general supply and take the money from the Bank.
You can find resource prices on the game board — the disc indicates which price is current. Meat you can always sell for 6 money.
How and when the prices change we'll explain on page 16.
Important: You cannot buy resources.
Hint: Potential selling prices for the different resources can also be found under the warehouse on your board.
Example: You can currently sell two particular resources for 3 money each.
Build
This action lets you build the buildings in your hand.
If you perform a build action, first choose 1 building from your hand that you would like to build. You must pay the Cost. You take victory points for this, take them immediately from the bank and stash them as previously described.
Then, place the building to the left of your player board. It now counts as constructed. You can have as many buildings as you want. It doesn't matter if they are constructed in the upper or lower row.
After building, nothing else happens — for now. However, you now have the ability to perform any of the actions indicated on the building. You can use them by putting 1 workie on the work spaces. We will explain that on the next page.
If you can't or don't want to build a building, you must instead choose a building from your hand and add it to the bottom of the corresponding pile. You get 5 money for doing so.
Hint: You'll find a reminder about the build action and its options in the bottom right hand corner of the game board.
Redrawing Buildings
After your turn, draw as many buildings as you need to have 3 in hand again. You may choose which pile(s) to draw from.
Note: You don't have to draw an A building just because you constructed an A building.
The 3 piles differ in their costs and how many workies they need. You can find a reminder about this on the back sides of the building cards.
A buildings cost between 4 and 10 money and use only crafties. B buildings cost between 14 and 20 money and use both crafties and brainies. C buildings are the most expensive, at between 24 and 30 money, and use only brainies.
There are only a limited number of buildings. It can happen that one or more piles run out.
Workie Action
They'd rather take a break on your board, but their name says it all.
This action lets you take the indicated number of crafties or brainies from the general supply and add them to your own. Alternatively, you can place them on buildings to use them. You can do both options in any combination you like. It also doesn't matter if you take/place crafties or brainies.
If, at any point, you have more than 8 crafties or 8 brainies on your player board, you must immediately return any excess to the general supply.
Example: You perform this action. You take 2 crafties and 1 brainy, then you place 1 on one of your buildings.
Special Case: If you run out of workies, stand in on the player boards yourselves.
Placing a Workie
You may place workies onto your buildings. This always means placing exactly 1 workie onto 1 matching-color work space. No more than 1 workie can be placed onto each work space.
The work areas on each building vary, and consist of various numbers of work spaces for various types of workies. You can partially fill work areas, leaving some work spaces empty for later.
As soon as you have completely filled a work area, you must immediately choose and perform the actions in either the upper or lower action box on the building card. As usual, you must first pay any costs, and then perform the actions in any order you like. We explain some of the more complicated buildings on page 18 onward.
Some buildings (Headquarters, for example) you can only use 1 time, while others (like the Restaurant) you can use 2 times.
Workies stay on the buildings after you have finished performing actions, blocking the work spaces. Once all work spaces on a building are full, the building is fully occupied.
Example: The Headquarters has only one area that needs to be filled with 1 crafty and 1 brainy. The Restaurant has 2 areas: one needs 1 crafty, while the other needs 1 brainy.
Example: There are already 3 workies on the Tailor. You place another. You must immediately perform the actions in one of the two action boxes. The workies stay on the card.
When you can remove workies from your buildings and return them to your supply is explained later (see page 12).
Taking Workies
An "either" workie symbol means that you can choose whether to take a craftie or a brainie. A "take/place" symbol means that you may take and/or place a workie. If only a craftie or brainie symbol is shown (without the take/place option), then you can only take workies — you cannot place them.
Take the indicated number of workies from the general supply and place them onto your board.
Paying Workies
Sometimes you have to pay with workies. Return the indicated number of workies from your player board to the general supply. You cannot choose to return workies on buildings. If you don't have enough workies to pay the cost, then you cannot pay the cost (and cannot perform the action).
Example: You must pay any 2 workies; you may choose to pay 1 craftie and 1 brainy. You return them to the general supply.
Faction Action
There are 3 major factions on Planet B (Capitalist, Futurist, and Traditionalist), each of which have different priorities. The higher you are on their tracks, the more in favor you are with the factions.
A "steps" symbol allows you to move up 1 step on the corresponding faction's track or score the faction. A "choice" symbol allows you to move up 1 step with the faction of your choice.
If you have multiple step actions, you can combine steps and scoring however you like. If you have multiple choice actions, you can move up on or score different faction tracks.
Steps on Faction Tracks
If the faction symbol doesn't have a checkmark shown, then you can only move up the indicated number of steps. You cannot score the faction. Move your disc on the corresponding faction track the indicated number of steps to the right.
As above, with the "steps" symbol you have your choice of tracks. With the "choice" symbol you must move up the indicated track.
Once you reach the last space of a track, do not move your disc further to the right when you receive additional steps for that faction. Instead, take 4 money for each extra step.
Scoring
If the symbol has a checkmark shown, you can choose to call in a favor with that faction. This means that you score the corresponding track. Choose 1 of the two action boxes next to the space your disc is on and perform all of the actions in it. You may also choose any of the action boxes to the left of your disc. Then, return your disc to that faction track's starting space.
Example: You are on the last track space of the Capitalist track. You choose to score the track. You decide you'd rather have a build action than 20 money, so you perform a build action and build 1 building from your hand. Finally, you return your disc to the track's starting space.
Paying Steps
As with other actions, you will sometimes have to pay costs. You must then move your disc the indicated number of steps to the left. If your disc is already on the starting space, then you cannot pay these costs (and cannot perform the action).
News Card
Special actions and events that you trigger will make the news. They will be received in different ways by the populace. Here you'll find out just how good a Governor you really are.
Choose the top card of any of the 3 piles: I, II, or III.
After choosing a card, immediately perform all actions depicted on the card. As usual, if there are costs, you will have to pay them first.
After performing all of the actions on a card, place the card, face-up, to the right of your player board. If there is already a card there, place the new card on top of it.
Immoral News Cards
Some cards will cause you to become immoral. This always depends on the last card you played — that is, the top card. If this card has the immoral symbol at top right, you are immoral.
Hint: All II news cards are immoral, as are half of the III news cards.
Whether your last action was immoral or not only matters during an exchange (see page 16) and for the office cards (see page 15). We'll discuss this more later.
Example: You choose this news card from the I pile and perform the action immediately. You take 2 plastic. You then place the card to the right of your board. At the end of your turn, you reveal the top card in the I pile for the next player.
Hint: Since you don't have any news cards at the start of the game yet, we will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you aren't immoral (yet).
After your turn, draw and reveal a new news card from the pile you chose. This means that the next player again has 3 cards to choose from. It can happen that a pile runs out.
Adding Votes to the Bag
You're not really a Governor if you're satisfied with your position. And where better to increase your influence than politics?
Take the indicated number of votes from your supply and add them to the bag. This increases your chances of securing a higher office next election (more about this on the next page).
Special Case: If you don't have enough votes left in your supply, you take 1 money for each missing vote.
Hint: Actions that let you add votes to the bag have a dedicated symbol. Whenever we are talking about votes in general we will use that symbol.
Buy a Swindle Tile
You won't find this action on the conglomerate tiles, only on your Headquarters and on some news cards.
You have a total of 4 swindle tiles: 2 "-1" tiles and 2 "+1" tiles.
Place either 1 "-1" tile or 1 "+1" tile onto the topmost empty space on your player board. You must immediately pay the indicated costs and take the indicated reward. The more swindle tiles you buy, the more expensive they get.
We will explain what these tiles do on the next page, under "3: Carry out the Election".
If the word "free" is beneath the symbol, then you can place 1 swindle tile for free on the topmost empty space, without having to pay the costs. You still take the indicated reward.
The Election Track
Move the election marker (the disc on the election track) the indicated number of spaces either to the right or to the left.
Important: If you only see 1 symbol then the direction is as indicated.
If the election marker reaches the last space, then an election will take place immediately after your turn.
Special Case: You may perform the "move right" action even if the disc is on the rightmost space — you don't move the disc. Similarly, you may perform the "move left" action even if the disc is on the leftmost space. The election will still happen.
Example: You move the disc two spaces to the right. An election will happen after your turn.
Elections
As soon as the election marker reaches the last space of the election track, an election will take place after your turn. Elections mean that you compete to become President, using the votes you collected in the bag.
Elections are completed in 5 steps:
- Return Workies
- Score Mood Tracks
- Carry out the Election
- Count Votes and Distribute Offices
- Finish the Election
These steps are shown on the board as a reminder. All players must perform these steps.
1. Return Workies
Return all workies in completely filled work areas on your buildings to your personal supply. You may, but are not forced to, also return any workies in work areas that are not completely filled.
Hint: As always, you cannot have more than 8 brainies and 8 crafties on your player board. Return any extras to the general supply.
2. Score Mood Tracks
When scoring your mood track, perform the action indicated by the space your mood marker is on:
- For positive mood, you take money and add votes to the bag.
- For negative mood, you must pay the indicated number of votes, returning them to the general supply.
- For very negative mood, all other players (not you) also get to add the indicated number of votes to the bag.
- For neutral mood, nothing happens.
Then, place your mood marker onto the neutral space on the mood track. Your promises count for nothing after an election.
3. Carry Out the Election
If you bought 1 or 2 "+1" swindle tiles, you now take 1 or 2 votes of your color from your supply and place them in front of yourself.
Special Case: It can happen that you don't have any votes left in your supply. If this happens, just add 1 or 2 votes to your total (more in step 4A, Count Votes).
Now, the election finally takes place. The player who triggered the election starts — that's "you" in these rules. Draw 3 votes at random from the bag.
If you have one of the "+1" swindle tiles, draw an additional vote from the bag. If you have both of them, draw an additional 2 votes instead (total of 5). Place all drawn votes in front of you, a little to the side from your supply.
Then give the bag to the next player in clockwise direction. They again draw 3 (up to 5, depending on swindle tiles) votes.
Important: Keep drawing votes from the bag, in turn order, until the bag is empty. This means that players may draw votes an unequal number of times. If you could draw more votes than are left in the bag, too bad — just draw the ones that are left.
Example: Yellow has 1 "+1" swindle tile. She places 1 vote from her supply in front of herself. You triggered the election. You have 1 "+1" swindle tile, so you draw 4 votes, placing them in front of yourself. Blue is next. He has no swindle tiles and draws 3 votes. Red then draws 3 votes from the bag. It's now Yellow's turn, and she draws 3 votes, adding them to her total. There are still 6 votes in the bag, so you continue. You could draw 4, but you draw the last 2 from the bag and add them to the ones you drew previously.
4A. Count Votes
Who wants a democratic process?
Now, count all the votes in your color in front of yourself. The player with the most of their own color in front of themselves wins the election. This means that you distribute the offices according to the votes of your color that you drew.
If you have the most votes: Congratulations! You are the President! The office of Vice-President goes to the player with the second-most votes. L.A.M.A. goes to third place, and D.O.D.O. to fourth place.
Rules for Ties: In the case of a tie, during the first election the player with the higher number in the top right hand corner of their player board wins. For all subsequent elections, the lower office wins the tie. This means that the President loses all ties, while the D.O.D.O. wins all ties.
Example: Now, you count how many votes you have. Yellow has 2, You have 4, Blue has 2, and Red has 0. You win the election and become President. Blue and Yellow are tied. Since this is the first election, Yellow wins with player board no. 4. Yellow becomes Vice-President, Blue becomes L.A.M.A. Red has 0 votes and becomes the D.O.D.O.
4B. Distribute Offices
Now, distribute the office cards according to the result of the election.
Finally, each player has the office they won in this election. You take the corresponding amount of money and return the indicated votes, in front of you, back into the bag. This is shown on each office card. Note the following:
- President: Take 25 money. Return all votes in your color to your supply.
- Vice-President: Take 10 money. Return all of your votes as well as votes belonging to the President back to their respective supplies.
- L.A.M.A.: Take 3 money. Return all votes belonging to the President back to their supply.
- D.O.D.O.: Take 1 money. Return all votes belonging to the President back to their supply.
Each office card has two parts to it. Above, you'll find the "now" part that we just described. Each player does what it says on their card 1 time each election. The other, lower part we will describe on the next page.
Example: You got the President card and take 25 money. You return the 4 votes back to your supply. Yellow takes the Vice-President card and takes 10 money. She returns all her votes to the supply as well as all of the President's votes. Blue takes the L.A.M.A. card and takes 3 money. Red takes the D.O.D.O. card and takes 1 money. Afterward, they both return all of the President's votes in front of themselves back to the supply. Blue has no votes belonging to the President, so doesn't need to return anything.
5. Finish the Election
Finally, take all votes left in front of each player and return them all to the bag.
The President has all of their votes back in their supply, and none in the bag. The Vice-President has fewer votes in the bag than before, and the L.A.M.A. and D.O.D.O. haven't lost any votes from the bag.
Special Case: Any votes you got via a "+1" swindle tile are counted along with the rest. If you ended up as L.A.M.A. or D.O.D.O., return these votes to the bag as well.
Return the election marker back to the starting space. After the election is over, it is again the turn of the next player in clockwise direction. Continue playing the game as before.
Offices
Each office has another action, shown in the bottom part of the office card. You must perform this action 1 time each turn for as long as you hold the office. You can perform this action either before or after another action. Each office has different options:
President
As President, you must make decisions that affect all players. You receive law proposals that you must either enforce or decline.
On your turn, draw 1 law. If you are immoral, draw 1 blue law. Otherwise, draw 1 yellow law.
Read the law out loud. You must choose either the left or right action box. You take whatever is indicated under "President", while the other players take whatever is indicated under "All Others". Finally, return the law to the bottom of the corresponding pile.
Reminder: You are immoral if your top news card shows the immoral symbol.
Example: You are President. At the start of your turn you draw this law. You decide for ceasing coal burning, which means you choose the left action. You can either move 1 step forward on the futurist track or score it. You perform this action immediately. All other players move 1 step forward on the futurist track. Even in this case, players already on the last space on the track take 4 money instead.
Vice President
If you are immoral, you take 6 money. Otherwise, move 1 step forward on the faction track of your choice.
L.A.M.A. (Leading Authority of Mischievous Actions)
If you are immoral, you take 3 money. Otherwise, receive 1 positive mood step.
D.O.D.O. (Director of Diminutive Orders)
If you are immoral, you take 1 money. Otherwise, add 1 vote to the bag.
Hint: Especially at the start of the game, we highly suggest performing your office's action at the start of your turn.
Exchanges
As soon as the conglomerates have made enough deals, they'll offer you some more "questionable" options.
If you filled one of the conglomerates' last empty suitcase space, then an exchange happens right after your turn.
Important: If you also triggered an election on your turn (i.e. the disc reached the last space of the election track), the exchange happens first.
After your turn, perform the following steps:
- Take 2 resources of your choice, or, if you are immoral, take 5.
- Then, return all suitcases at the conglomerate back to the general supply.
- As indicated, either turn the conglomerate tile over or remove it. Which you do depends on whether the gray or red side of the conglomerate tile is face up.
If you removed a conglomerate tile, take the next one from the pile and place it onto the now-empty space. Make sure the right side is facing up. The game board will remind you which is correct. Conglomerate tiles you add to the middle space are placed red side up, while those added to the left or right space are placed gray side up.
Note: 3 A-tiles are on the board at the start of the game. You will gradually replace these with the 4 B-tiles.
- Next, move the election marker 2 spaces forward.
- Finally, adjust the resource cost marker below the conglomerate tile. Move the disc to the space whose color matches the face up conglomerate tile side.
Important: This last step changes the price you get when selling resources. Since it isn't your turn any more, you'll have to wait until your next turn to sell.
Hint: If the conglomerate tile is red side up, then the disc must also be on the red market space.
Once you have completed all of the steps, it's the next player's turn.
Game End
The end of the game is triggered when the last conglomerate tile gets added to the game board.
Each player gets exactly 1 more turn. The player who triggered the last exchange will also take the last turn of the game. This may mean that players end up with unequal numbers of turns.
Once the last player has taken their turn, end scoring takes place.
- Sell all of your remaining resources to the supply for their current market values.
- Exchange your money: for every 3 money you take 1 victory point. Return any leftover money to the supply.
- For each step you have moved on the faction track, you take 2 victory points.
- If you are in the positive part of the mood track, you take 2 victory points for each space above the neutral space. If you are in the negative part, you must pay 2 victory points for each step.
- The President takes 20 victory points.
- Count up the votes left in the bag. The player with the most in the bag takes 15 victory points, the player with the second-most takes 8 victory points. The same tiebreaker counts here as during elections (see page 13). Special Case: If nobody or only 1 player has any votes in the bag, then the other places are not awarded.
- Finally, turn all of your victory points around and count up the total value of all of your holdings. The player who could stash the most victory points in their numbered account (pocket) wins the game. In the case of a tie, there are multiple winners.
Your Turn: A Summary
- Take 1 suitcase and add it to the conglomerate tile of your choice. Perform all of the actions in the action box. You can choose the order. You must fully perform an action before performing another one.
- You can sell resources as much as you like on your turn for the current prices.
- You can buy as many production tiles as you like and add them to your player board.
- You must use your office card.
- After your turn, redraw to 3 building cards in hand and reveal a new news card if necessary.
- If you placed a suitcase onto the last empty space of a conglomerate tile, you must perform an exchange.
- Eventually, an election will take place.
Changes for 2 and 3 Players
All rules remain the same with fewer players, with the following exceptions:
Game Setup
Place the game board with the "2-3" side up. You will find this symbol in the upper left hand corner of the board.
Note: Exchanges will happen after the 3rd suitcase.
Return the D.O.D.O. office card to the game box.
2 players only:
- Remove one B conglomerate tile at random and return it to the game box.
- Choose an unused player color and place all votes in that color next to the game board.
Return all other unused player boards and components to the game box; you will not need them.
Election Changes with 2 Players
In a 2-player game, you will have a "dummy" in the election. The dummy gets one of the unused player colors. You will need the 25 votes of that color.
The dummy is only involved in the election and during end scoring. They do not collect victory points.
Before each election (not at the start of the game), add 9 votes in the dummy's color to the bag. The dummy can gain or lose votes from effects that affect all players (for example, due to very bad moods among the players). The dummy always goes last in an election. Draw 3 votes for them from the bag, as if they were a player.
Counting votes and distributing offices is the same as in the 3-player game.
The dummy can become President — in that case they return all of their votes to the supply, just like a player. If they become L.A.M.A. their votes get added back to the bag.
If the dummy should have all of their votes in the bag at the start of an election, they do not get any more added.
During the first election, the dummy loses all ties. At the end of the game, the dummy may have the most or second-most votes in the bag, costing you victory points.
Explanation of Particular Cards
Buildings
Architectural Agency
INVITATION TO BID: Discard as many buildings from your hand (0 to 3), returning them to the bottoms of their respective piles. Take 25 money. As usual, redraw up to 3 buildings in hand at the end of your turn.
PREFABRICATED HOUSES: Pay 3 iridium. Build 1 building from your hand without paying its cost; take the victory points shown in the upper left hand corner of the building as usual.
Construction Site
RENOVATIONS: Destroy one of your constructed buildings, i.e. return it to the game box. You get back the victory points you paid for the building. You may destroy your Headquarters, but don't get any victory points back for doing so. You may destroy the Construction Site itself. Return any workies on the destroyed building back to the general supply. You also get to perform a build action.
ILLEGAL BUILD: Pay 2 iridium. Draw the top card from the B pile and place it to the left of your player board. You don't have to pay any cost but do take the victory points from the building.
Casino
GAME OF CHANCE: Draw 3 votes from the bag. Per vote in your color you get 10 money and 2 victory points. Give the 3 drawn votes to the respective players, not back in the bag.
Museum
CUTE SCULPTURE: Pay 2 iridium. Then add votes into the bag for each step you have advanced along the three faction tracks (12 maximum). Take 20 money.
Power Plant
SOLAR ENERGY: Perform all of the actions in a single action box on one of your other constructed buildings. It doesn't matter if the building is occupied or not.
Move 1 step forward on the futurist track.
Hospital
VACCINATION: Return 1 previously-placed workie on one of your buildings to your supply (not from the hospital itself).
Move 1 step forward on the futurist track.
CELL REGENERATION: Pay 1 hydrogen. You must use one of your previously-played news cards again. Place it on top of your pile of news cards, as if you had played it normally. As usual you must pay the costs of the news card to be able to use it. Take 2 victory points.
Skyhook
BUILDING EXPORT: Destroy one of your constructed buildings. You may choose to destroy your Headquarters or the Skyhook. Return any workies on the destroyed building back to the general supply. Add 3 votes to the bag and take 30 money.
Smoothie Plant
GREEN SMOOTHIE: Give 1-4 plants from your warehouse to the other players of your choice. You cannot choose to treat them as a normal cost and return them to the supply. Players may not decline the plant(s). As usual, if their warehouse is full, they immediately sell the plant(s) at the current price and take money. You do not need to distribute the plants evenly.
For each plant you gave away, take 10 money and add 1 vote to the bag.
News Cards
Stadium
SPORTS BET: Draw 3 votes from the bag. Take 15 money for each in your color. Give the 3 drawn votes to the respective players, not back to the bag.
Space Port
GOODS EXPORT: Sell up to 2 resources of your choice from your warehouse. Take triple the current price for each.
Example: You sell 1 meat for 6 money and 1 plant for 4 money. You take a total of 30 money.
"I Pick Number 3"
Choose the top card from either pile of laws. It doesn't matter if you are immoral or not. Make a decision about the law as if you were President (see page 15). You take everything listed under "President" on the card. The other players take everything listed under "All Others" on the card.
You may play this news card even if you are President. This lets you play up to 2 laws on your turn.
Nanny Bots
Works in the same manner as VACCINATION on the Hospital. You may also choose to take a brainie instead.
Parliamentary Neglect
First, move 2 steps backward on any faction track (you may also split this between 2 tracks).
Score the faction of your choice. Unlike the usual rules, do not return your disc to the faction track's starting space.
You may choose to advance 1 step on the faction track of your choice instead of scoring.
Move the election marker one space to the right.
Unexpected Inheritance
Works in the same manner as ILLEGAL BUILD on Construction Site. Draw from the A pile instead.
Home Renovations
Works in the same manner as RENOVATIONS on Construction Site.
Weapons Test
Move your mood marker to the lowest space. If it is already there, leave it there.
Move up 2 spaces on each of the 3 faction tracks. Each other player's mood is reduced by 1.
Symbol Summary
Here you'll find a summary of all of the symbols in the game. Some of them can also represent costs, when the number in front of them is red.
- Take billies (money) (page 6).
- Take victory points (page 6).
- Move your mood marker up or down (page 6).
- Take containers and place them in the corresponding storage locations on your player board (page 7).
- Take containers and place them in the storage locations of your choice on your player board (page 7).
- Perform a production action (page 7).
- Buy a production tile for 10 money and add it to your player board (page 8).
- Build 1 building from your hand (page 8).
- A constructed building (page 8).
- Place or take your choice of crafties and/or brainies (page 9).
- Take crafties or brainies (page 10).
- Take your choice of workies (page 10).
- Play a face-up news card (page 11).
- A played news card (page 11).
- Score or move forward 1 step on the faction track of your choice (page 10).
- Score or move forward 1 step on the indicated faction track (page 10).
- Move forward 1 step on the faction track of your choice (page 10).
- Move forward 1 step on the indicated faction track (page 10).
- Add a vote from your supply to the bag (page 11).
- Draw a vote from the bag (page 11).
- Pay the costs and add a swindle tile to your player board (page 11).
- Move the election marker to the left or to the right (page 12).
- Draw and play either a yellow or a blue law (page 15).
- You are immoral if the last news card you played has this symbol in its upper right hand corner. It is a requirement (pages 11, 15, and 16).
- Remove all suitcases from a conglomerate tile (page 16).
- Turn the conglomerate tile over (page 16).
- Return the conglomerate tile to the game box and add a new one to the game board (page 16).
Credits
The publisher would like to thank the many dedicated playtesters at various events, game nights, and of course regular get-togethers for their tests, criticisms, and corrections. Many thanks! Johannes Natterer would also like to thank: Thoms, Kathrin, Nico, Gaile, Vogel, Flo, Laura, Helmut, and Vicky. Extra special thanks to ace editor Johannes N. and of course the entire HiG Team.
© 2022
Game Designer: Johannes Natterer Graphics: Dennis Lohausen, Franz-Georg Stämmele Illustrations: Marcel Gröber, Ingram Schell and Felicia Fuchs English Translation: Patrick Korner