RobotLab: The Card Game
RobotLab: The Card Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Parts
Best for ages 8 and up. Made for two to five players. Takes about 20 minutes to play.
85 Game Cards, Reminder Card & Rule Sheet
- 5 Robot Body Cards: Green, Purple, Orange, Red & Blue
- 55 Part Cards: 11 Parts per color: 3 Heads, 4 Arms & 4 Legs
- 4 Rainbow Part Cards: One Each: Arm, Leg, Head & Any Part
- 21 Action Cards
- 5 Dig in the Trash
- 5 Robot Research
- 3 Malfunction!
- 3 Disassemble
- 3 Reboot
- 2 *ERROR*
Objective
Be the first to complete your robot by building two arms, two legs, and a head of one color.
Setup
Each player chooses one ROBOT BODY and places it in front of them in clear view of all players. (Put any unused robot bodies aside; they won't be needed for the rest of the game.)
Choose a Robot Body
The color of each ROBOT BODY determines the color robot that each player is trying to build.
Shuffle the deck of cards and place it in the middle of the table, this is called the 'Lab'. As play progresses, a discard pile will be placed next to the Lab, this is called the 'Trash'.
Gameplay Diagram
(This is how a 2-player game in-progress might look) — the LAB (where you draw cards) and the TRASH (where you scrap cards) sit in the middle of the table, between the players' robots.
The first player is chosen at random.
- 2 player game: The 1st player draws 3 cards from the Lab. The 2nd player then draws 5.
- 3-5 player game: The 1st player draws 3 cards from the Lab. All other players draw 4, except for the LAST player who draws a full 5 cards.
Note: If you start the game with less than 5 cards in your opening hand, then skip the discard phase of your first turn.
Taking Turns
Each turn is made up of three phases.
1. Build
You may either ATTACH a PART CARD to any robot (Arm, Leg, Head, Any Part), or PLAY an ACTION CARD. You may only do one: attach one part or play one action card, not both.
2. Discard
You may discard any number of PART CARDS from your hand as long as they are all the same color (rainbow parts count as any color). You may also discard any number of ACTION CARDS by themselves or in combination with part cards. If you have more than 5 cards in your hand, simply discard until you have 5.
3. Draw
You end your turn by drawing cards from the Lab until you have 5 cards in your hand. If you already have 5 cards, you are done and your turn is over. If the LAB runs out, shuffle the TRASH; it becomes the new LAB.
Note: Do not shuffle the Trash until the Lab is empty AND a player is forced to draw a card.
After your turn is over, play continues clockwise around the table.
Winning the Game
You win when your Robot has a head, 2 arms, and 2 legs that match the color of your ROBOT BODY.
Strategy Tip! BONUS ACTION cards can be played at anytime - even in response to someone trying to win the game.
Playing Actions
To play an ACTION CARD, all players affected perform the action on that card. Then place that card in the Trash.
Example action cards shown: Robot Research, Dig in the Trash, Reboot.
- Dig in the Trash: Choose any card from the Trash and put it into your hand. You may play that card immediately if any player's robot has more parts than yours.
There are also BONUS ACTION CARDS that have an Orange Icon in the corner (example cards shown: Malfunction!, *ERROR*, Disassemble).
- *ERROR*: Stop any action or part card from being played. Scrap that card.
BONUS ACTIONS can be played at ANY TIME. During your turn or someone else's turn, when you draw them, or even as a reaction to someone else finishing their robot!
Attaching Parts
To ATTACH a PART CARD, put the part on the correct area of a robot's body. Parts may be attached to any player's robot as long as that Robot doesn't already have a part in that spot.
Note: The deck has 4 RAINBOW PARTS. There is one each of HEAD, ARM & LEG as well as one ANY PART card. These can be played on ANY COLOR ROBOT and are considered to be the color of the robot they are attached to.
Glossary
- ATTACH: Place a Head, Arm or Leg part on the corresponding open space on any robot
- DETACH: Remove a Head, Arm or Leg part of your choice and put it in your hand
- SCRAP: Place card(s) into the Trash
- TRASH: The discard pile
- LAB: The draw pile
- REVEAL: All players may see these cards
Other Notes
If this rules sheet and the rule text on a card contradict each other, always use the card's text. If you're unsure how a card works, it often helps to read the card aloud.
Robot BODY cards do not count as parts and can't be scrapped or detached.
Players may look at any or all of the cards in the TRASH at any time.
The cards in your hand are for your eyes only (don't show them to anyone).
*ERROR* can be used to stop any other card from being played, even another *ERROR* card.
Disassemble & Malfunction!
If multiple players are tied for the most parts, then this effect happens to each of those players. Each player losing a part choses which part to remove.
Example: If Susie plays a Malfunction! and has 3 parts (head, arm & leg) and Thomas also has 3 parts (arm & 2 legs), then both players will choose one part from their Robot to go into the Trash.
Alternate Rules For Younger Players
For players who are younger than 8 or who want simplified gameplay, remove all ACTION & BONUS ACTION cards. On each BUILD phase a player may instead choose to ATTACH a part or DETACH a part.
Play proceeds as usual with players trying to build their chosen robot's color; first to 5 parts wins!