Psychological Warfare
Psychological Warfare Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Set Up
Each player is given 1 Archetype, 2 Needs Category Score Cards (1-4 and 5-8). A plastic marker is placed on the number 3 for each of the four Needs Categories (Freedom, Fun, Belonging, and Power). Each player is dealt 3 cards face down. These cards will be each player's starting Mental Energy). Players are then dealt 5 cards to play as their hand. All players may place Defense Mechanism cards before play starts. The player with the Archetype name that comes earliest in the alphabet goes first.
Object
Players receive Victory Points for each Need Category (Freedom, Fun, Belonging, and Power) where they have the highest score (or are tied for the highest score). The number of points awarded is indicated on the player's Archetype card.
Example: The player who is the Explorer has the highest scores in Freedom (3VP Yellow) and Belonging (1VP Green). They would have a total of 4 Victory Points. In the case of a tie on total Victory Points, the player with the least number of cards under their Archetype wins the game.
End Game
Each player plays one turn after the last card is drawn from the deck.
How to Play
At the beginning of each turn the player will decide if they wish to go to Therapy. If they go to Therapy, all Baggage, Defense Mechanism, Phobia and Special cards in front of them will be placed under their Archetype card. They then draw up to 5 cards into their hand and end their turn.
If they choose not to go to therapy, they will decide which cards in their hand they wish to remove and turn into Mental Energy. These cards are placed face down into their Mental Energy pile. Next they may choose to play one Special and/or one Action card. To do so they must "spend" (discard) Mental Energy as indicated in the upper left hand corner of the card. They will then resolve the effects of the card by changing scores or performing actions. If the card has a baggage icon(s) it is placed in front of the player who played the card. The player ends their turn by drawing up to 5 cards minus the cards in their hand and the number of baggage icons. A player with one card in their hand and two baggage icons would draw two cards into their hand. If one of the cards drawn is a Phobia or a Defense Mechanism card that is played immediately, the player does not draw another card to replace the card just played.
Progression of Play
The printed progression is a flow diagram; it is restated here as a numbered list in the diagram's order.
- Therapy, or Add to Mental Energy.
- Play 1 Special and/or Play 1 Action.
- Draw Cards.
- End Turn.
Player Card Layout (Subconscious)
Cards may be placed in a manner that is illustrated in this example. The cards to the left represent Mental Energy (3 cards). The 2 Action cards in the middle represent 3 Psychological Baggage. Next to them are 2 Defense Mechanism cards, and an Archetype card above the 2 Scoring cards.
Description of Cards
Archetype Cards: Each player starts the game with an Archetype Card. Select the Archetype cards in any manner the player's decide.
Score Cards: The Score Card contains the four Needs Categories. Scores cannot go below 1 or above 8.
- Neurosis: Every turn a player has a score of 1, they suffer a Neurosis. To see the effects of neurosis look at the EFFECTS OF NEUROSIS card.
Action Cards: The number in the Self box indicates how much a single category may be changed. The Others box allows you to change one other player's score. All Others changes all of the other players score in the one selected category.
- You may change a different category on another player than you did for yourself on a card that effects both "Self" and "Others" or "All Others".
- You may not chose to subtract points from your own category where the score cannot be lowered (ie, score is at 1).
- Points may not be divided up between categories for any one player.
- Cards with a +2/-1 in the Self box add 2 points to one category and subtract a point from another of the player playing the card.
In the lower left hand corner you will see a number (or X). This is the number of cards that must be discarded out of your Mental Energy to use this card. In the case of an *, there will be a formula to indicate the amount of Mental Energy. In the example to the right, 4 cards must be discarded from Mental Energy to play the Big Long Speech card.
The Bag Icon at the bottom of the card is how much Psychological baggage is incurred after playing this card. Leave this kind of card face up in front of you after playing.
Special Cards: Most special cards function like Action cards in that they take Mental Energy to play and/or accumulate Baggage after being played. Follow the directions on the card.
Reaction Cards: Reaction cards may be played immediately by a player to counteract a card that has just been played. The player playing the Reaction card must spend their Mental Energy upon playing the card. Cards that negate the effects of a card just played, negate the effect of ANY card just played, including Hidden Agenda cards.
Hidden Agenda Cards: These cards are held in a player's hand until the condition of the card is met (or the card is used for Mental Energy). Once the condition has been met, the player places the Hidden Agenda card next to their Archetype card to indicate Victory Points earned.
Mental Energy
Mental Energy is the cards that you have set aside to "spend" when playing a Special, Action or Reaction card. When spending Mental Energy, the player selects the cards they wish to put in the discard pile.
Baggage
After an Action or Special card is played it is placed in front of the player. The Bag icons indicate how much baggage is incurred for playing the card. For example: A player plays an action card that costs 3 Mental Energy and has a single bag on the bottom of the card. The player discards 3 cards from their Mental Energy and sets the card played in front of them. Baggage cards can be stacked so that only the bags are seen.
Advanced Optional Rule (Nature/Nurture Effects)
Players may look at the back of their Archetype card to determine their Nature/Nurture modification. Each card also has a unique letter identifier. These letters are used to determine you Nature/Nurture score adjustment. Use the chart on the back of your Archetype card. The score adjustments are made at the end of the round, although you may look at your own any time during play. Before Victory Points are awarded, each player modifies their Category Score using the Nature/Nurture chart on the back of their Archetype card.
FAQ
How does the Reverse Psychology Card Work?
Player 1 plays the Person of the Year Card SELF +3 ALL OTHERS -1. He discards his 6 cards from his Mental Energy. He elects to add three to his Power Score and subtract 1 from everyone else's Freedom. Player 2 plays Reverse Psychology. Undo the changes that were just made and then Player 1 subtracts 1 point from his Freedom score and everyone else adds 3 to their Power Score. If one player has the Denial defense mechanism (does not allow other player to change their Power or Fun Score, that player does not get the three points added to Power.