RatVille Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• The Game Contains the Following Components
• Game Setup
• Game Turn
  • 1 - Initial Phase
  • 2 - Planning Phase
  • 3 - Actions Phase
    • 3.1 Preacher
    • 3.2 Collector
    • 3.3 Builder
    • 3.4 Geek
    • 3.5 Ragged Boy
    • 3.6 Fighter
    • 3.7 Hunter
  • 4 - Population Phase
  • 5 - Final Phase
• Buildings and Objects
• Advanced Game
  • Advanced Population Board
  • Advanced Buildings
  • Non-Mandatory Characters
• Achievements
• Objects
• Buildings

The Game Contains the Following Components

• 28 character cards (7 characters, four copies of each one)
• 10 loot cards
• 32 equipment cards
• 34 building cards
• 36 wandering creature cards
• 1 population board
• 1 start player marker
• 4 player boards (one for each player)
• 16 dice (4 of each color)
• 12 multiplier tiles
• 20 scrap metal tokens
• 15 mechanism tokens
• 15 electronic module tokens
• 20 food tokens
• 4 population counters (1 of each color)
• 48 damage tokens

Game Setup

1. Give each player 1 player board, 4 dice and a set of characters (7 cards) of their color.

2. Search among the wandering creature cards for a copy of "rat" (which does not have the letter B on the lower left corner) for each player and place it in front of them.

3. Separate the remaining wandering creature cards into two decks, the advanced one (with the letter B on the lower left corner) and the basic one. Remove the cards marked with 3 and 4 circles (lower right corner) from the basic deck if you are not at least that number of players. Shuffle both decks separately and then place the basic deck on top of the advanced deck to create a single deck of wandering creatures.

Shuffle and place the loot cards aside, forming a deck.

Shuffle the team cards and deal 5 cards to each player face down. Each player must choose 3 cards to keep and return the other two. Shuffle the discarded team cards with the rest of the cards to form the team deck.

Place the building cards on one side of the table, face up and stacked by types, so that all players can see them. Remove those marked with 3 and 4 circles (on the lower right corner) from the game if you are not at least that number of players. Some cards have two faces. For the time being, place them with the A face up. The other side will not be used in this first game.

Place the population board in the center of the table with the basic side up (the one where box number 20 is highlighted) and place the population counter of each player in box 5.

Leave the resources and wound tokens at hand to be able to reach them when necessary.

The start player will be the last one to have seen a rat. If you prefer, choose the start player randomly. That player takes the start player marker.

Game Turn

Each game turn is divided into 5 phases. All players must resolve each phase before moving on to the next:

Initial phase > Planning phase > Actions phase > Population phase > Final phase

1 - Initial Phase

The start player draws a wandering monster card for each player and places them in the center of the table, so that everyone can see them. He/She also draws a loot card and places the resources shown on it on top of it, keeping them in the box where they are depicted. For 3-player games, do not fill in the box with 4 circles. For 2-player games, do not fill in the box marked with 3 circles.

If there are not enough cards in any of the decks, shuffle the discarded cards of that deck to create a new one.

2 - Planning Phase

Each player rolls their dice and places them in front of themselves. All players announce the sum of their rolls. The player or players who announce the lowest value obtain 1 scrap metal.

Once this is done, each player must assign each of the dice they have to one of their characters. To do this, choose the card of the character you want to use and place it face down in one of the spaces under your board. Above the card, in the space of the board for the dice, place the die you want for that card, the card must remain face down so that others cannot see it. Two of the 7 available characters are considered basic and you can identify them because their number is golden: the Hunter and the Collector. When assigning dice to the characters, it is mandatory to use the 2 basic characters. That means that there are only two dice available for the other 5 characters, so that each turn you will only be able to use two of them, while the other 3 will remain unused in that round, as no dice are assigned to them.

This phase ends when all players have assigned a character to each of their dice face down.

3 - Actions Phase

In this phase, the players take the actions of the characters they have chosen, in the order indicated below. All players perform the following steps, even if they have not chosen the character in question and cannot take any actions. This is important when activating the Ragged Boy or the Hunter, where important parts of the game are resolved.

3.1 Preacher

All players who have chosen the Preacher show it now. In turn order, each of those players places their Preacher on another of the characters (without showing it) to which they have assigned a dice. When they later show that character, they add 2 to the value of the die they had assigned. That can increase the value of the die over 6.

3.2 Collector

All players show their Collector and check the dice they have assigned (remember that, as it is a basic character, it was mandatory to assign a die).

The player with the highest die value chooses one of the boxes on the loot card first and obtains the resources that it contains. Then, following the value of their dice, the rest of the players do the same until the loot card is empty. In case of tied values, the closest player to the start player clockwise is the one with the highest value. If the content of a chosen box is population, the player who chooses it must advance his population counter to indicate it.

3.3 Builder

All the players who have chosen it, show their Builder. In game order, starting with the start player and following clockwise, they must decide if they apply the skill of the builder or use it to build. If they apply the skill, they receive 1 scrap metal, 1 mechanism or 1 of each, depending on the value of the die assigned to it. If they choose to build, they can choose one of the available buildings, pay the costs (top right) and put it on their player board (if there are no spaces left, it is placed on its right).

From now on, you can benefit from the advantages granted by that building. Besides the costs, the buildings also require a special dedication by the Builder, reflected by a minimum value required for the die which is assigned to the Builder. That minimum value is indicated on the upper right corner. If the die assigned to the Builder does not have an equal or higher value, this building cannot be chosen.

3.4 Geek

If any player reveals the Geek during this phase, they decide if they wish to apply his skill and gain 1 electronic module, 1 scrap metal or 1 of each, depending on the assigned number, or make an object. These work in a way similar to buildings: They have a cost of resources and a minimum value that the die assigned to the Geek must have. If the cost is paid and the value is at least the one indicated on the card, bring it into play on the left of your board, draw two new object cards and discard one. In this way, players always have 3 object cards in their hands.

An object modifies the effect of a character, adding additional skills to apply when it is chosen. These effects only apply if the character is chosen to be activated during the round and has an effect at the time that is applicable, not necessarily at the time of revealing the character. For example: The hacking Terminal makes you gain 1 scrap metal token every time you reveal the Geek, while the effect of the Tablet, gaining 1 population, must be applied in the population phase. In the case of the Ragged Boy's trap, for example, you must decide if you want to apply it during the Hunter's resolution.

3.5 Ragged Boy

Each player shows if they have chosen the Ragged Boy. If there is more than one, this is resolved from higher to lower die value, resolving ties in favor of the player closest to the start player.

To apply the effect of the Ragged Boy, its controller chooses one of the wandering creatures in the center of the table and places it on the player he/she wants (including him-/herself). Once all Ragged Boys are resolved, each player who has not been assigned a wandering creature this turn, in turn order (start player first and then to the left), chooses one of the creatures left in the center of the table and assigns it to him-/herself. At the end of the operation, each player will have received a creature.

EXCEPTION: The creature "Squeaky Beast" has the ability to attract other creatures. If a player is assigned a "Squeaky Beast", he/she must immediately draw the first card from the wandering creature deck and assign it to him-/herself. This ability is indicated by the "+1 card" symbol. If the extra creature is another "Squeaky Beast", this does not cause the arrival of a third creature.

3.6 Fighter

Players who have chosen the Fighter show it now. If they assigned a value of 6 or higher, choose one of the creatures in front of them and eliminate it (remember to obtain the corresponding food tokens, see below). If you assigned a lower value, the Fighter will modify the Hunter's values in the next phase, as explained below.

3.7 Hunter

All players show their Hunters and inflict damage equal to the value of the assigned die to any of the creatures in front of them. If the Fighter has been assigned a die with a value lower than 6, it increases the damage inflicted by 2. Some objects and buildings also increase the damage done by the Hunter. It is not mandatory to assign all the damage to the same creature; it can be distributed as desired. Any creature that receives as much damage as its life (top right) dies and is discarded. Some creatures generate food when they die, which is indicated by food icons. A creature that does not die keeps the damage tokens that it has received, but it can cause damage to the community and will remain assigned to the same player for the next turn. Once the Hunter's actions have been performed, the surviving creatures remove as much population from the community to which they are assigned as damage icons they have (top left). The player at issue must subtract the damage received by moving his/her marker backwards in the population control board as many boxes as the damage they received.

EXCEPTION: The Corrosive Beast removes 2 scrap metal tokens (if the player has any) instead of eliminating population.

Some buildings and the Fighter's ability grant defense. A player can ignore as many damage points to their population as defense they have in their community.

4 - Population Phase

All the communities grow 1 population point plus the number of population icons on the buildings and objects (if they have been activated) of each community.

Some buildings and objects grant additional population if the resource cost they indicate has been paid. This effect is optional and must be paid, if desired, in this phase. In any case, none can be activated more than once per turn.

Once this is done, the players must feed their population. In order to do this, they will pay an amount of food equal to the value indicated on the population board (1 in the beginning, but then it increases to 2 and 3. The increments are indicated by the color of the box). For every food point they do not pay, the players lose 1 population. Paying for food is not optional. The Hydroponic Garden building automatically generates 1 food token to pay during this phase.

5 - Final Phase

You must check if any player has reached the amount of 20 population (24 on the advanced population board). If so, that player is the winner. If more than one player has succeeded, the one with the most population is the winner. If the tie persists, the player whose dice in his buildings plus objects show the highest value wins. If no player meets the conditions to win, move the start player marker to the next player and start a new turn.

Buildings and Objects

During the game, players will acquire resources that they can spend to acquire improvements, in the form of objects and buildings. The first ones are carried by a character, so they are only applied if this one is activated during the turn, while the buildings are of the community and always have their effect.

Both of them, one type or the other, require the action of a character to be acquired, the Builder in the case of buildings and the Geek in the case of objects.

Advanced Game

Ratville offers you multiple options to make the game more interesting or closer to your tastes. Before starting the game, decide with the other players if you want to apply any of the following rules:

Advanced Population Board

Flip the population board and use this more advanced version. It will make the game one or two turns longer and somewhat more demanding with food, which will let you carry out longer-term strategies.

Advanced Buildings

Some building cards have a face with a B on their lower left corner. You can flip some of them or all of the buildings to create a wide variety of different games.

Non-Mandatory Characters

Although the Collector and the Hunter are very useful characters, they are not always strictly necessary. With this rule, players can place the 4 characters they want during the planning phase, without restrictions. To do this, consider the following:

If a player does not assign a die to his Collector, he cannot choose resources from the loot card. That may cause some resources to be discarded because they have not been chosen.

A player who does not assign the Hunter must also resolve the phase, assigning the damage of the bonuses they have gained (such as those awarded by the Fighter or some object or building) and receiving damage from surviving creatures in the usual way.

Achievements

• Destroyer: Eliminate 3 Creatures in the same turn.
• Defender: Protect yourself from at least 3 damage from creatures in one turn.
• Builder: Build 4 buildings of 4+ value (the value of the die).
• Motivator: Get 7+ value on two characters in one turn.
• Leader: Gain 5 population in one turn (the loot card does not count).
• Hoarder: Finish the game with 4 resources of each type.
• Pacifist: Win a game without ever using the hunter.
• Farsighted: Win a game without ever using the collector.
• Efficient: Activate an object with each of the 4 characters you use in a turn.
• Nomad: Win a game without building any buildings.

Objects

Objects can only be used if you have activated the character they belong to. It is not mandatory to use them.

• By eliminating a Wandering creature, you gain what is indicated in the right part.
• The character with this object can add the indicated amount to his/her die.
• By eliminating a Wandering Creature, you raise the Population indicated on the right.
• In the Hunter Phase, it protects you from the loss of 1 Population.
• In the Population Phase, you gain the indicated Population.
• When you build a building, you pay 1 resource less of the indicated type.
• In the Hunter Phase, it gives you the indicated damage points.
• By revealing the character to which this object belongs, you can change the resource on the left to one of those indicated on the right part.
• By revealing the character to which this object belongs, if you have drawn the amount indicated on the left, you gain one of the resources indicated on the right.
• When you build a building, you raise the Population indicated on the right.
• When revealing the character to which this object belongs, you gain the indicated resource.
• By revealing the Preacher, you can add two to an additional character (you do the Preacher's ability twice instead of once).
• In the Population Phase, you can pay the resource on the left to win the Population on the right.
• In the Hunter Phase, you can pay the resource on the left to eliminate a Wandering Creature.

Buildings

• In the Population Phase, you gain the indicated Population.
• All your dice add one to their value.
• In the Population Phase, you can pay the resource on the left to win the Population on the right.
• In the Population Phase, you feed 1 less than required.
• In the Hunter Phase, it protects you from the loss of 1 Population.
• In the Hunter Phase, it gives you the indicated damage points.
• In the Hunter Phase, you can pay the resource indicated on the left to obtain the damage points indicated on the right.