Red Light: A Star is Porn
Red Light: A Star is Porn Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1. Cards
Red Light has three different card decks, which must be kept separate throughout the game.
Porn star cards (PORN STARS): these are your workers. Look after them! Each porn star card shows:
- Psyche (psychological resilience), the green circle.
- Name.
- Charisma, the red circle.
- Ability.
- Fame, shown as stars.
Bonuses from films in a porn star's filmography are added to her psyche and charisma values.
Event cards (EVENTS): each card shows a name, an effect, and the phase of the game in which the card may be played. Event cards give advantages to the player who plays them or weaken opponents.
Main deck (MAIN DECK): contains the porn star cards and the event cards.
Film deck (FILM DECK): these cards represent films in which porn stars appeared. Films are added to a porn star's "Filmography". Films can give porn stars various bonuses, for example raising their fame.
- Green films raise a porn star's psyche.
- Red films raise a porn star's charisma.
- Blue films increase a porn star's fame.
Each film card shows a name, a bonus (number), and the required fame (stars).
Award deck (AWARD DECK): award cards are very powerful cards that increase the chances of winning, and players can acquire them during the game. Be careful, though: the deck also contains undesirable awards, such as the "Award for the Flimsiest Penis"! Each award card shows a name and the required fame for each level (1 to 4), which increases with the number of award cards you already hold.
2. Let's Go!
At the start of the game, the porn star cards must be separated from the event cards. After this, each player is dealt 1 PORN STAR card and 4 EVENT cards.
Porn star cards are placed face up on the table in front of the players as soon as they are received. Event cards are not revealed and remain in the players' hands until they are played. All remaining cards are shuffled into their respective decks. The porn star cards are shuffled together with the event cards; this combined deck is the main deck for the players for the whole game.
3. Rounds of the Game
The game is played in rounds. The last person who watched porn becomes the first player.
At the start of each turn, the player must TAKE 2 CARDS FROM THE MAIN DECK.
EXCEPTION: the first player does not take cards on the first turn. On each turn, players may play as many of their porn star cards and event cards as they wish. Used event cards and discarded porn stars must be placed face up in the DISCARD PILE, which is next to the main deck.
4. Actions!
On their turn, each player may USE one of their porn stars to perform ONE ACTION.
Options for actions:
Turn the porn star sideways to use her. A used porn star cannot perform any other actions until the end of the turn.
1. Make a Film
This is the most ordinary action for a porn star. After all, that is her job, isn't it?
Use this porn star and compare her FAME (the number of stars) with the required fame of the top card of the film deck.
If the porn star has enough renown to be eligible to make a film, you may take that film card and assign it to the porn star (shoot the film).
This film now enters the porn star's filmography.
TEAMWORK: you may use more than one porn star and add their fame together to draw the first card from the film deck. Unused fame is wasted, and this film goes into the filmography of only one porn star, chosen by the player.
EXAMPLE: The player uses Korica and Stacey to shoot a film. Adding their fame together, the player gets a total of 4 stars. The top film card requires 3 stars. This wastes one star. The player then takes this film card and adds it either to Korica or to Stacey. The player decides whose filmography this masterpiece is added to.
2. Buy Award Cards
Getting award cards works the same way as making a film (teamwork also applies), but the amount of fame needed to get an award card DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF AWARD CARDS you already have.
Award cards are considered very strong event cards that players hold in their hands. Awards are the main strategy for winning the game. Each player should aim to collect 4 award cards (see "Victory" on the next page).
WARNING: some award cards must be revealed immediately and shuffled back into the deck, and some even have negative effects (silver frame).
LIMIT: each player may buy a maximum of 1 award card per turn. However, you may gain more award cards by playing event cards or by using a porn star's ability.
EXAMPLE: In this example the player uses Yoko to get an award card. Adding together Yoko's fame and the bonuses from the films in her filmography, the player gets a total of 4 stars. The first and second award cards require 4 stars to be awarded. This means the player can take that card. To get the third and fourth cards into hand, actresses with 6 and 8 stars respectively will be required.
3. Outshine Rivals
Sometimes a porn star needs to outshine a rival. When a player uses their porn star to outshine an opponent's porn star and knock her out of the porn industry, the CHARISMA VALUE of their porn star (red circle) is compared with the PSYCHE (green circle) of the porn star they want to surpass. If the charisma value is EQUAL TO OR HIGHER than the psyche (including filmography bonuses), the defeated porn star is DISCARDED and placed in the discard pile.
This is hard work, and not everyone can withstand the pressure...
All films in the filmography of discarded porn stars are placed under the bottom of the film deck.
Unlike making films or buying awards, teamwork does not apply here: you may NOT add the charisma of two or more porn stars together for this action.
EXAMPLE: The player uses Alexis to outshine Monica, who is controlled by another player. Since Alexis has a total charisma value of 110 (charisma value 50 + 60 from bonuses), and Monica's psychological resilience is 100, Monica cannot withstand the comparison with Alexis. She is discarded and placed in the discard pile, and the films in her filmography are placed under the film deck. Perhaps one day you will meet her again, once a promising porn star, at some roadside cafe, now serving only fried eggs with bacon.
4. Use Personal Abilities
Each porn star has personal abilities, which are described on her card. Some abilities are listed as ACTIONS. In that case, a personal ability can only be activated by activating the porn star.
Some porn stars have a passive ability, which requires no action to activate, or a "REACTION" ability, which triggers under certain circumstances or when certain conditions are met.
End of Turn
You are NOT required to use all of your porn stars during a turn.
If you cannot do anything else during your turn, including playing event cards, you announce the end of your turn.
Time to give your porn stars a rest! RESET THEM BY TURNING THEM BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL POSITION. After this, the turn ends and the turn passes to the player on the left.
5. Victory
WHEN A PLAYER HAS 4 AWARD CARDS IN HAND, THE GAME ENDS AND THAT PLAYER IS THE WINNER.
TIP: after a player with 3 award cards is about to win, the other players may sit down and join forces to prevent that player from getting a fourth card.
IF THE MAIN DECK IS EMPTY AND NO PLAYER HAS WON BEFORE THIS, PROCEED TO THE FINAL SHOWDOWN.
6. Final Showdown
When the last card is taken from the main deck, the final showdown begins. At this stage NO PLAYER MAY TAKE CARDS FROM THE MAIN DECK (naturally), and the players must keep playing AS LONG AS THEY HAVE AT LEAST ONE PORN STAR ON THE TABLE. When a player runs out of porn stars, they leave the game. If no player manages to get a fourth award card, THE LAST REMAINING PLAYER WINS.