Rats to Riches
Rats to Riches Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
So what's the big idea?
Well... You're a pack of filthy, scheming rats. You're racing to collect $100, working your way to a better class of sewer. You do this by investing in assets, sabotaging other rats and building your sewer empire!
It all looks messy, doesn't it? Don't worry, we'll walk you through it... you'll be a stinking rat in no time!
Objective
The objective is to be the first to collect $100 Swindle and win the game.
Building The Sewer
Cheese
There are 3 types of Cheese: Green, Blue and Red. Place the Cheese holders on the positioning board in the space marked The Cheese Bank. Each rat then takes 3 pieces of any Cheese.
Cash
The currency of The Sewer is the Swindle with the symbol $. There are 1, 5 and 10 Swindle notes, which collectively are called The Slush Fund. Each rat takes five $1 notes.
Cards
Separate the different cards by looking at their backs. First, give one Flush Card face-up to each rat. Put any spares in a discard pile on the board, called The Cesspit. That leaves Scrappy Sewer and Supreme Sewer Cards. Shuffle each deck separately, then place them face-down in the space on the board marked The Rat Pack, with the Scrappy Sewer Cards on top. Finally, turn over the top 3 cards from The Rat Pack and place them face-up in the spaces on the board marked The Open Sewer.
Setup Illustration
The setup diagram on the next page shows the following areas on the board:
- The Cheese Bank
- The Cesspit: the discard pile.
- The Rat Pack: the face-down draw deck of Scrappy Sewer and Supreme Sewer Cards.
- The Open Sewer: the three face-up cards available to buy.
- The Slush Fund: the Swindle notes ($1, $5 and $10).
The example Open Sewer cards shown are Emmental Energy Ltd (Green Card, Income +2), Pipe (Blue Card) and Snatch (Red Card, "Take 2 Cheese from any rat").
Core Rules
This is a rat race! The first rat to get $100 wins the game. Since you're reading the rules, you get to start first! In a clockwise direction, each rat takes their turn following these steps:
Step 1: Collect Income
Income is the sum of all values in this white ring. Take that value in Swindles ($) from The Slush Fund. The Flush Card gives you a base Income of $2, with Green Cards increasing this value.
Step 2: Buy and/or Use Cards
- Buying Cards: You may only buy Open Sewer Cards. To do so, pay the cost of that Card to The Slush Fund, then keep the Card face-up in front of you. The cost of each Card is in the bottom-right corner. When a Card is bought from The Open Sewer, immediately replace it with the top Card of The Rat Pack. You may buy newly-replaced Open Sewer Cards on the same turn as well.
- Use Cards: Red Cards, Blue Cards, Grey Cards, Bonus Bonanza and your Flush Card can be used. To use a Card, carry out its effect, then place it in The Cesspit. You may use Cards on the same turn you bought them or save them for future use.
Step 3: Buy Cheese
You end your turn by buying up to 3 pieces of Cheese, of any colour. Each piece of Cheese costs $1, paid to The Slush Fund.
Types of Cards
Flush Cards are starter cards; each rat begins the game with one. It gives you a base Income of $2 per turn. You may dump the card to Flush The Sewer. This lets you take one Open Sewer Card and sends the rest to The Cesspit. After doing so, however, you no longer enjoy the $2 Income the card gives, so use it wisely.
The Flush Card (cost 2) reads: "Dump this to take 1 Open Sewer Card and send the other 2 to The Cesspit."
Green Cards affect Income. Most Green Cards increase your Income, while the Bonus Bonanza Card is an active card that lets you collect your Income an additional time on the same turn. Green Cards are bought with Green Cheese.
The example Green Card shown is Queso Quarries Ltd, "Income +4".
Blue Cards are Pipes! You can sell them during your turn, by squaring the number of Pipes sold, then taking that amount in $ from The Slush Fund. For example, if you sold 5 Pipes, you collect $25 from The Slush Fund. Sold Pipes go to The Cesspit. Blue Cards are bought with Blue Cheese.
The example Blue Card shown is Pipe: "Square the number of Pipes you sell and take that amount from The Slush Fund."
Red Cards are Opportunities. They are one-off actions and are sent to The Cesspit after use. Red Cards are bought with Red Cheese.
The example Red Card shown is Sabotage: "Send 1 Card from any rat to The Cesspit."
Types of Cards
Purple Cards are Careers, which grant you a unique, lasting benefit. Each Purple Card costs 3 Cheese.
The example Purple Card shown is Green Gangster: "All rats now pay YOU for Green Cheese."
Yellow Cards are Events. When a Yellow Card turns face-up in The Open Sewer, it affects ALL rats immediately, before being sent to The Cesspit and replaced by the top Card of The Rat Pack.
The example Yellow Card shown is Free Money: "All rats take $5 from The Slush Fund."
Grey Cards are Bundles. Buy these for $5, not Cheese. They let you bundle stuff together for fast, $25 sales. Dump the bundle of cards in The Cesspit.
The example Grey Card shown is Investment Bundle: "Dump this with 3 Green Cards for $25." (cost $5)
Meeples
Cheesy Crooks: If a rat owns the 'Red Ruffian', 'Green Gangster' or 'Blue Boss' Cards, give them the respective figurine(s) to show other rats who to pay their Swindle to.
The Big Cheese: The rat with the most Swindle at the end of each round is crowned The Big Cheese and is given the Golden Rat meeple. The Big Cheese receives +2 Income each round.