Scape Goat Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • 1. Movement
  • 2. Action
  • 3. Evidence Swap
  • Communication
• Game End
  • Frame Attempt
  • Going to the Cops
• Gameplay Reference
  • 1. Movement
  • 2. Action
  • 3. Evidence Swap
• Credits

Object of the Game

The goal of this game is to figure out whether or not you are the scapegoat. If you are, run to the cops! If you aren't, work with your fellow conspirators to successfully frame the scapegoat by collecting cards that contain their portrait.

Components

• 30 evidence cards
• 18 player mats
• 5 location cards
• 6 player tokens
• 2 decoder dice
• 2 preparation tokens

The location cards are: Prepare, Spy, Trade, Stash, and Go to the Cops.

• Prepare – Take a preparation token. When both tokens have been taken, flip this card.
• Spy – Look at any player's hand.
• Trade – Simultaneously trade 1 card with another player.
• Stash – Add a card from the stash to your hand. Then put a card back in the stash.
• Go to the Cops – Flip this card. 6 players only: You may also flip this during the turn of the player sitting 3 seats to your left.

Each player mat's front shows the player's alter-ego (The Pickpocket, The Muscle, The Face, The Driver, The Thief, The Hacker) and a reminder of the steps in a turn. Each player mat also indicates in its top right corner which player counts it is used for.

Setup

1. Gather the player mats for the appropriate number of players. Each player count has a corresponding set of player mats, indicated by the number in the top right corner. Set one player mat portrait side up in front of each player. Keep the back of your player mat hidden from other players at all times.
2. Arrange the location cards in a line in the center of the table, with the Prepare location card at the far left and the Go to the Cops card at the far right of the line. Place two preparation tokens on the Prepare location card.
3. Gather the player tokens that match the colors of the player mats and randomly place one player token on each location, beginning with the Prepare location card and moving down the line. No player tokens begin on the Go to the Cops card. For a five or six-player game, continue placing the player tokens again starting with the Prepare location card and moving down the line. At the end of setup, up to two location cards may have two player tokens instead of one.
4. Gather the evidence cards that match the player count, identified by the number on the bottom right of each card. If there is a number without a plus sign, that evidence card is only used in games with that exact player count. Return all evidence cards which do not match your player count to the box. They will not be used.
5. Shuffle the evidence cards facedown and deal one faceup next to each location card, except the Go to the Cops card. Deal three facedown in a row next to the Stash location card. Finally, deal the remaining evidence cards out to the players facedown. All players should have the same number of cards in their hands: either two or three depending on the number of players.
6. Roll the two decoder dice, and use the number on each die and the table printed on the back of the player mat to secretly find out who the scapegoat is—or if you are the scapegoat, who you think the scapegoat is. The white die refers to the white vertical column of numbers, and the black die refers to the black horizontal row of numbers. Be sure not to reroll the dice so that those numbers can be referenced throughout the game.

Example: The players rolled a 4 on the white die and a 7 on the black die. Three of the player mats show that the red player will be the scapegoat for this game. The red player's mat, however, indicates that the blue player will be the scapegoat for this game. It is up to the red player to realize that the blue player isn't actually the scapegoat, and that they need to run to the cops before they're framed!

Gameplay

Scape Goat is played in turns. The starting player is the one who has their token on the Prepare location. In a five or six player game, two players will have their tokens on the Prepare location, so the player that was placed there first starts the game.

There are three parts to a player's turn: movement, action, and evidence swap.

1. Movement

The first thing you do on your turn is move your player token to any new location. You cannot remain at the same location that your token is currently on.

2. Action

Each location has a unique action. After you move your player token to a location, you perform the action for the location you have moved to. The six location actions are detailed below.

1. Spy - Pick one player at the table. They must show you their hand.
2. Trade - Pick one player at the table. They must exchange one evidence card from their hand with one evidence card from your hand. Both players choose which card to exchange, and the trade takes place simultaneously.
3. Stash - Pick one of the facedown evidence cards at this location and add it to your hand. Then, place one card from your hand facedown to replace the missing card. You can place down the same card as you picked up.
4. Prepare - Place one preparation token in front of you. When a player takes the second preparation token, the Prepare location card is flipped over to reveal the Frame/Steal side.
5. Frame/Steal - If you have a preparation token, you initiate a Frame Attempt (see Frame Attempt). If you do not have a preparation token, steal one from any player that does have one.
6. Go to the Cops - This action ends the game immediately, and causes the scapegoat to win (see Going to the Cops). Note: In a six-player game, a player can go to the cops at the beginning of the turn of the player sitting three spaces to their left.

3. Evidence Swap

After you have fully completed the action of your location, you will swap evidence. Select an evidence card from your hand and place it faceup next to the location your token is on. Then pick up the faceup card that was already next to that location and add it to your hand.

If you have one or more evidence cards with your own player color on it in your hand, you must select one of those cards to be placed at the location card—that includes cards where your player color is one of multiple colors.

Some evidence cards contain a grey color that does not match any player's color. This character is an innocent bystander and is not considered the color of any player.

Communication

All discussion and communication is allowed. That involves nonverbal communications like winks, nods, finger points, and footsy.

You'll need to coordinate with the rest of the players if you want to successfully frame the scapegoat. You may say what cards you have, and tell the truth or lie while doing so, but if you give away too much information to the scapegoat and they discover they are the one being set up, they'll run to the cops, and you'll lose!

Game End

The game can end in one of two ways: a successful Frame Attempt or someone Going to the Cops.

Frame Attempt

When a Frame Attempt is initiated, each player must pick an evidence card from their hand, and on a count of three all players simultaneously reveal their chosen card. Frame attempts resolve in one of two ways:

1. If the same color is present on all of the revealed evidence cards, then that player is successfully framed. The revealed card of the player who is framed does not need to contain their own color for the frame attempt to be successful, but all other players' revealed cards must. The game immediately ends.

   Each player reveals who their player mat says is the scapegoat, and the true identity of the scapegoat is confirmed. If the scapegoat is the player who was framed, the rest of the players win and the scapegoat loses! (In the event that a player who is not the scapegoat is framed, then the real scapegoat wins and the rest of the players lose.)

2. If there is no color that is present on all but one of the evidence cards, then the Frame Attempt fails, and the game resumes. The next player in sequence takes their turn as normal.

If you aren't the scapegoat, you need a successful Frame Attempt in order to win the game, so before initiating make sure you are confident that all players except the scapegoat are holding a card with the scapegoat's picture on it!

Example: Michael believes that all the players are ready to frame the scapegoat, so for his turn he goes to the Frame/Steal location card. Because he has a preparation token already in front of him, the action of this card is to initiate a Frame Attempt. All players select one card from their hand, with the color of the player they want to frame featured on it. The players simultaneously reveal their cards. The blue, green, and yellow players all revealed cards with the red player's portrait on them, while the red player revealed a card with the green player's portrait. Because all of the revealed cards match, except for the red player's own, red is successfully framed. Since she was the scapegoat, the rest of the players win!

Going to the Cops

If you believe you are the scapegoat, and the other players are trying to frame you, your best move is to go to the cops!

You can do this on your turn by moving to the Go to the Cops location and performing that action. In a six-player game only, you can also go to the cops at the beginning of the turn of the player three seats to your left.

Once a player goes to the cops, that player flips the Go to the Cops card and the game ends immediately. All players count to three and then simultaneously point at who their player mat says is the scapegoat. The player being pointed at by every other player is the true scapegoat! Regardless of who went to the cops, the scapegoat wins and all other players lose. So if you go to the cops, better be sure you are truly the scapegoat!

Gameplay Reference

1. Movement

The first thing you do on your turn is move your player token to any new location.

2. Action

Each location has a unique action. After you move your player token to a location, you perform the action for the location you have moved to.

1. Spy – Look at any player's hand.
2. Trade – Simultaneously trade 1 card with another player.
3. Stash – Add a card from the stash to your hand. Then put a card back in the stash.
4. Prepare – Take a preparation token.
5. Frame/Steal – If you have a preparation token, initiate a frame attempt. If you do not have a preparation token, steal one from another player.
6. Go to the Cops – The game ends and the scapegoat wins.

3. Evidence Swap

After you have fully completed the action of your location, you will swap an evidence card from your hand with the one beside your current location. If you have a card containing your own player color, you must choose that card to swap.

Credits

Designer: Jon Perry Graphic designer: Bill Bricker Project manager: Sydney Engelstein Developers: Nick Little, Brian McCarthy Artist: Burr Johnson Playtesters: Anthony Amato, Nicole Amato, Matthew Austin, Bridget Biddle, Matthew T. Bivens, John D. Clair, Jessica Creane, Elliot Cuzzillo, Gabe Cuzillo, Andrew Federspiel, James Firnhaber, Adrian Galbraith-Paul, Montana Graboyes, John Halko, Brian Henk, Lillian Joyce, Stephen Kamhi, Tyler Kilgore, Mark Melleumyan, Yasir Moses, Hannah Nicholas, Kevin Pak, Tom Panico, Sherri Perry, Quentin Pongratz, Petri Purho, Dalea Reichgott, Mike Rizzo, Daniel Robles, Christian Sanchez, Jeff Siadek, Kenny Sun, Chris Register, Sam Savin, Peter Vaughn, Jay Vowles, Joey Vigour, Josh Wood, Ta-Te Wu, Cricket Yee, First Play L.A., Philly Game Maker's Guild, SoCal Playtesters Special Thanks to: Jeff Warrender

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