Rubber Paper Scissors
Rubber Paper Scissors Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Rubber, Paper, Scissors is played over 9 rounds. Each round consists of a "rock (rubber), paper, scissors" duel that gives the winner an edge as both players are trying to wrest control over the shop window by collecting items and strategically positioning their squad members. If you aren't strong and you aren't lucky, you had better be smart.
Think "Rock, Paper, Scissors" is just a game of chance? Think again! One 2014 study shows that players who have just won a round tend to stick with the same move in the following round and players who lose are prone to immediately choosing a new one.
Scissors is statistically the least used move. Throwing paper when in trouble may just save you!
Components
- Equipment tokens x15 (Tape x5, Glue x5, Ruler x5)
- Equipment Bonus tokens x4
- Crown tokens x3
- +2 Bonus tokens x4
- Goggles tokens x4
- Squad Member tokens x18 (Orange x9, Blue x9)
- Shop Window Board x1
Setup
- Place the Shop Window Board within reach of both players.
- The players choose their color and take their respective 9 Squad Member tokens.
- Shuffle the 15 Equipment, 3 Crown, and 4 +2 Bonus tokens face down. Randomly place one token face down on each of the nine locations on the Shop Window Board. Then, randomly place a second token face up on each of the nine locations.
- Place the 4 remaining unused tokens face down to the side without looking at them. Both players should not know which of these tokens are not in play.
- Place the 4 Equipment Bonus and 4 Goggles tokens back in the box. They are not used in the base game. (See Advanced Rules.)
Goal and Game End
After the 9 rounds, both players proceed to scoring and the player with the highest score wins; however, if any player claims all 3 Crown tokens at any time, the game immediately ends and that player is the winner.
How to Play
The Shop Window Board is divided into 9 locations (think "Tic, Tac, Toe"). Each round, both players battle over one location, starting from the top left (i.e., first round) and moving to the next. Each round consists of two phases: "Duel Phase" and "Action Phase."
Locations
The first location (i.e., first round) is the top left. Then, the subsequent 8 rounds proceed as follows: 1 → 2 → 3, down to 4 → 5 → 6, down to 7 → 8 → 9 (top row left to right, middle row left to right, bottom row left to right, numbered 1 through 9).
1. Duel Phase
Both players engage in "Rock (erhm..., "Rubber"), Paper, Scissors" to decide who wins the duel and can exert the most power on that location. If both players throw the same move resulting in a tie, continue until one player wins.
In a fight over stationary, feel free to instead shout: "rubber, paper, scissors!"
Friendly Reminder
Rules for "Rubber, Paper, Scissors": Both players start by saying "rubber, paper, scissors" in unison. On "scissors," each player simultaneously uses their hand to throw rubber (form a fist), paper (make your hand flat), or scissors (extend your index and middle finger). Rubber beats scissors; scissors beats paper; and paper beats rubber.
2. Action Phase
Each location consists of 3 actions and players may not pass or decide to not take an action. The winner of the Duel Phase first chooses and takes 1 of the 3 actions at the location being battled over. The losing player then chooses and takes 1 of the remaining 2 actions. Finally, the winning player takes the last action available.
The Three Actions
- Claim the face-up token and place it in front of you.
- Claim the face-down token and place it in front of you. (The face-down token is immediately revealed after it has been claimed.)
- Place one of your Squad Member tokens onto the location, showing that you control it.
Both players then move on to the next location and begin a new round.
If at any point, a player claims all 3 Crown tokens, they immediately win the game!
Scoring
- Each line of 3 Squad Member tokens in a row is worth 3 points. (Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.)
- Each set of Equipment tokens of the same type, based on how many the player has, is respectively worth 1/2/5/3/8 points. (Be careful of claiming that fourth equipment token, but pushing for the fifth may just be worth the risk!)
- Each +2 Bonus token is worth 2 points.
Most people hate feeling predictable when facing their opponent. After tying in two straight rounds throwing the same move, the vast majority of people succumb to the pressure and choose a new one.
The player with the most points wins and claims ownership of the store! In the case of a tie, the player with the most lines wins the game. If still tied, begin a new game!
End Game Scoring Example
Howard (Blue) has claimed 2 complete lines of 3 Squad Member tokens (worth 3 points each), for 6 points. He also holds a set of 3 Tape tokens, worth 5 points, a set of 2 Glue tokens, worth 2 points, and 1 Crown token, worth 0 points. Howard's total is 13 points.
Coco (Orange) has claimed no complete lines, for 0 points. She holds a set of 4 Ruler tokens, worth 3 points, 1 Glue token, worth 1 point, 1 Tape token, worth 1 point, and 1 +2 Bonus token, worth 2 points. Coco's total is 7 points.
Howard wins with 13 points to Coco's 7.
Advanced Rules
The advanced Equipment Bonus and Goggles tokens bring a deeper level of strategy to Rubber, Paper, Scissors. The two modules can be added to the base game individually or both together to create a more complete experience. We suggest first adding each module separately to get a feel for what they bring to the game.
Equipment Bonus Module
During setup, place the 4 +2 Bonus tokens back in the box and replace them with the 4 Equipment Bonus tokens. Follow the Setup and How to Play as normal.
During scoring, each claimed Equipment Bonus token is potentially worth additional points for that player:
- Each Tape/Glue/Ruler Equipment Bonus token is worth an additional 1 point.
- Each Crown Equipment Bonus token is worth an additional 2 points.
Goggles Module
During setup, both players take 2 Goggles tokens.
At any time during the course of the game, a player may spend a Goggles token to secretly look at any face-down token on the Shop Window Board. After spending a Goggles token, flip it over.
During scoring, each unused Goggles token is worth 1 point.
A study by the University of Tokyo shows that men throw rock (ahem, "rubber") ~35% of the time, whereas women only throw it at a rate of ~29%.
Being able to read your opponent's body language is key. Similarly, do not be afraid to trash talk and bluff! Bravado is a part of the fun.
But now that your opponent has also read the tips, what to do? What to do.... Let the mind games begin.