Rocketville Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Object of the Game
• Setup
• The Game Board
  • The Fields
• Your Turn
  • Campaign PLANNING
• Campaign PROMISE
  • The Promise Pile
• Special Fields
• End of the Game
  • The Robot Cards
• Optional Rules
  • The Sponsor Cards

Components

• 1 game board
• 1 rocket
• 100 campaign buttons (20 per player)
• 6 undecided markers (question marks)
• 5 popularity markers (score track)
• 64 promise cards
• 5 campaign planning cards
• 20 sponsor cards (endorser cards)
• 21 robot cards

Object of the Game

Will you become the new mayor of Rocketville? Each turn the players try to conquer the field where the rocket is. When a field receives a player's campaign marker, that player rises on the popularity track.

The player with the highest popularity at the end of the game becomes the new mayor and wins the game.

Setup

1. Place the board on the table.
2. Each player chooses a color and receives the matching campaign markers and popularity marker. Place the popularity marker on the value "5" of the score track.
3. Shuffle the robot cards and place them face down next to the game board.
4. Give each player a campaign planning card and put the rest away.
5. Shuffle the promise cards and deal each player 4 cards. The rest are placed next to the board as a draw pile. Players keep these cards in their hand and add the campaign planning card to them.
6. The first player (chosen at random) places the rocket at random in the SPACEPORT area. The first fight will be for this field.

The Game Board

Along the edge of the game board is the popularity track, used to follow the popularity of the candidate players. Players start on 5 and can both rise and fall. A player cannot go lower than "0".

The Fields

There are six different regions:

• Spaceport
• Robo alley
• Gravtrain
• Jetway
• Astra Hills
• Chrome Way

Each region contains six fields.

Some fields show icons that reward the players who succeed in claiming that field for their campaign:

• win 1 popularity point
• lose 1 popularity point
• draw a PROMISE card
• draw a ROBOT card

At the end of the game there is a bonus for the player who owns the most fields in a region and for the player who owns the second most fields in a region.

Your Turn

Each turn the players compete for the space where the rocket is. They do this by playing their highest promise card. Instead of competing for this space, a player may secretly play their Campaign Planning card.

Each turn the players follow this sequence:

1. Each player chooses a promise card from their hand and places it face down in front of them.
2. All players reveal their card AT THE SAME TIME. a. The player with the highest promise card marks this space with one of their campaign markers. b. If one (or more) players played the Campaign Planning card, this space is marked with an "UNDECIDED" marker (question mark). c. Starting with the last player to claim this space and continuing clockwise, each player who played the Campaign Planning card draws the top card of the Promise pile.
3. The players take the shown planning card back into their hand. Played promise cards are placed on the discard pile.
4. The last player who was able to claim the space for their campaign may now move the rocket one place (left, right, up or down, not diagonally) to a FREE field that is NOT OCCUPIED.

During the game it can happen that the rocket is maneuvered so that it is completely surrounded by fields that are already occupied. The player who has the LOWEST value on their promise card loses 1 popularity point (note: Campaign Planning = value "0"!). If several players have the lowest value, they all lose one point. This is the so-called relocation cost.

If the rocket is stuck on a BROWN field, the player with the lowest value loses 2 popularity points: one for the relocation and one because of the property of the field (shadow zone).

Once the relocation cost has been paid, the player who claims this field may move the rocket to any other FREE field.

Campaign PLANNING

Drawing the Campaign Planning card is the easiest way to collect hand cards, but it means you are out of the race to conquer the field.

You cannot lose this planning card. After each turn you take it back into your hand.

A planning card is NOT a Promise card, even though both cards have the same back. The value of the Planning card is always ZERO.

Campaign PROMISE

Brown, yellow, purple or green PROMISE cards have their full value, numbered from 41 to 48, when they are shown in the fight for the conquest of a field of the SAME color as the card.

When they are used for the conquest of a field of a DIFFERENT color, the lower numerical value from 1 to 8 shown in the white circle is used.

WHITE cards have a value between 9 and 40.

The Promise Pile

During a turn, cards are drawn from the Promise pile, beginning with the player who claimed the field and continuing clockwise.

When a Campaign Promise card has been shown, it is placed next to the Promise pile on a discard pile, with the numbers facing up. Players may always look only at the top card. The rest of the pile may not be looked at.

When the Promise pile is empty, take the discard pile, shuffle it thoroughly, and use it as the new Promise pile.

Special Fields

• Residential zone - no bonus!
• Wealth zone - if a player claims this field, they win 1 popularity point.
• Technology sector - the player who claims this field draws 1 Campaign Promise card.
• Shadow zone - the player who shows the card with the LOWEST value (a Campaign Planning card has value "0") loses 1 popularity point. If several players have the lowest value, they both lose 1 point.
• Galaxy bank - If a player claims this field, all players may discard as many Campaign Promise cards as they want. For each card they receive 1 popularity point. The player who claims the field goes first, and then clockwise. Ignore this card if the Galaxy Bank is covered with an "UNDECIDED" marker!
• Quasar Radio - If a player claims this field, all players may discard as many Campaign Promise cards as they want and, in exchange, draw new cards from the draw pile. Ignore this card if the Quasar Radio is covered with an "UNDECIDED" marker!
• Neighborhood center - At the end of the game each of these "neighborhoods" counts as 1.5 fields when the popularity bonus is awarded.
• Robot Campaign Assistant - If a player claims this field, they draw 1 ROBOT card. The player keeps the robot card hidden from the others until the end of the game.

End of the Game

The game ends when there are no free fields left on the board.

Players receive an additional bonus for having the most fields conquered in each region. Next to each region name on the board it is shown how many bonus points the first and the second player earn.

• If only one player conquered fields in a region, that player receives both bonuses.
• If several players tie for first place, add both bonuses together and divide by the number of tied players (rounding UP). There are no bonus points left for the "second" most fields.
• If several players tie for second place, divide the bonus points among those players, again rounding UP.

After the bonuses for the number of fields have been awarded, the players play their ROBOT cards. If they have completed the task stated on the robot card, they also receive those bonus points.

The Robot Cards

Note: the component list above gives 21 robot cards, but the source document prints only the 12 cards below. They are transcribed as printed; the remaining robot cards are not described in the source.

• TWOFACE - If you have 1 or more BROWN promise cards in your hand: +2 points
• CLANK - If you have 1 or more YELLOW promise cards in your hand: +2 points
• C45X2 - If you have 1 or more PURPLE promise cards in your hand: +2 points
• BLINK - If you have 1 or more GREEN promise cards in your hand: +2 points
• CHARLIE - If you have 3 or more WHITE promise cards in your hand: +3 points
• SHELLEY - If you have the GALAXY BANK or the QUASAR RADIO: +1 point
• MANIFOLD - If you still have 4, 5 or 6 promise cards in your hand: +1 point
• LOPEZ - You had the most fields in a region without owning the neighborhood center: +2 points
• LANE - You have conquered 4 fields that lie in one line (straight or diagonal): +3 points
• JINK - If you have no or at most 1 promise card in your hand: +1 point
• NORCOM - No player has conquered fewer fields than you: +4 points
• BILLBOARD - No player conquered MORE PURPLE fields than you: +3 points

The player with the most popularity points now wins the game and becomes mayor of Rocketville until the next campaign round begins. In case of a tie, the player who conquered the most fields wins.

Optional Rules

Once you can play the game comfortably, try adding one or both of the following rules.

1. SPONSORS At the start of the game, choose one sponsor card at random and place it face up next to the board, visible to all players. Besides conquering the fields in the regions, the candidates now also compete for the favors of the sponsors (or sometimes for avoiding them).

   At the end of the turn in which only one player showed a Campaign Planning card, that player conquers the sponsor card. For better or worse, this player receives the abilities stated on the sponsor card.

   The sponsor card stays open on the table for the player until another player is the only one to show their Campaign Planning card. Then the card goes to the new player. This way the sponsor card keeps circulating for the whole game.

2. Start with a ROBOT At the start of the game each player draws one ROBOT card at random.

The Sponsor Cards

• MEL METEOR, former mayor - When you conquer a field, you score 1 popularity point.
• HAL's USED HOVERCARS - When you fight for a brown field and you have played the lowest-scoring promise card, you lose NO point.
• NRA - National Robot Alliance - When another player receives a ROBOT card, they must give you a Campaign Promise card from their hand.
• CLONES ANONYMOUS - At the end of each turn you lose 1 popularity point if NO Campaign Planning card was shown.
• ROCKETVILLE ORACLE - Before the players reveal their promise cards, you may look at the card drawn by one of your opponents. If you wish, you may exchange it for your own drawn card.
• SPIN-DOCTOR RAY - Before the players reveal their promise cards, you announce that now the promise card with the LOWEST value wins the field instead of the HIGHEST value!
• LAW FIRM OF SMITH, JONES & ZYXLORBLIGIC - The value of your PROMISE card is now two (2) higher than indicated.
• GALACTICO ENSURANCE - If the promise card you played is NOT the highest, you may draw a new card from the Promise pile.
• LYNN LIGHTYEAR, political correspondent - If you conquer a field by playing a WHITE promise card, you receive two bonus points.
• ECHO X, DOLPHIN AMBASSADOR - If you conquer this sponsor, draw an extra promise card (also if you already have this sponsor in your hand).
• - If you may move the rocket, you may move it two fields further, also over an already occupied field.