Scoundrel Society Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Contents
• Setup
• Game Play
  • Refill the row.
  • Choose actions.
  • Reveal and resolve actions.
  • Pass the first player marker.
• The End of the Game and Scoring
• Action Cards
  • Scheme
  • Sneak
  • Snatch
  • Store
  • Switch
• Anatomy of the Cards
  • Loot Cards
  • Action Cards
  • Mark Cards
  • Scoundrel Cards
• Two-Player Game
• Important Terms
• Frequently Asked Questions

Object of the Game

In Scoundrel Society, players assume the roles of elite thieves and steal loot from the chosen Mark, and from one another, before the "Constable Cramphorn" card is revealed, ending the game. But while the goal is to steal and stash the highest value in loot, each loot has a suspicion value as well. Therefore, players must be careful of how much suspicion they accumulate, because at the end of the game, the player with the highest suspicion total will be taken off to jail by the Constable and lose the game.

Contents

• 63 unique loot cards
• 5 "Copper Coin" loot cards
• 1 "Constable Cramphorn" card
• 11 Scoundrel cards
• 5 double-sided Mark cards
• 25 action cards (5 each of: Scheme, Snatch, Sneak, Store, and Switch)
• 35 suspicion tokens
• 1 first player marker

Setup

Gather the 63 unique loot cards to make the deck. Shuffle them facedown, then set aside nine of those cards facedown. Shuffle the "Constable Cramphorn" card facedown into the nine cards that were set aside. Place those ten cards on the bottom of the deck.

Draw one Mark card. Randomly choose which side to place faceup. Then set this card next to the deck. Place the suspicion tokens within reach of the players. Leave a space for loot that is discarded during the course of the game, as discarded loot is no longer part of the game.

Deal one Scoundrel card faceup to each player. Give each player one "Copper Coin" card. These coins have an S in the ability section to denote that they are distributed at the start of the game. Players should place their Scoundrel cards faceup in front of them on the table and their "Copper Coin" in the space above their Scoundrel cards. Loot cards in this area are considered to be controlled by that player.

Give each player one of each action card: Scheme, Snatch, Sneak, Store, and Switch. The players will start the game holding these actions in their hands. Return any unused "Copper Coin" and action cards to the box.

Randomly determine who will start the game as the first player and give that person the first player marker.

Game Play

Scoundrel Society is played over the course of several rounds. During each round, the players will follow this sequence of phases:

1. Refill the row.
2. Choose actions.
3. Reveal and resolve actions.
4. Pass the first player marker.

Refill the row.

During this phase, place cards from the deck faceup in the row until it contains one more than the number of players in the game. For example, in a three-player game, there should be four loot cards available after this phase. If the requisite number of loot is in the row, then don't place any additional loot in the row.

Choose actions.

During this phase, each player chooses the action that he or she wants to play for the round and places it facedown next to his or her Scoundrel card. If there is already a faceup action card there from the previous round, then place the action for this turn on top of it.

Reveal and resolve actions.

After all players have chosen their actions for the round, they simultaneously reveal those actions and say the action's name aloud.

Starting with the first player, players resolve their actions by performing the text written on the action in the order it appears on the card. Most of the actions have different abilities based on the number of players who chose that action this round.

Players skip any part of an action that they cannot perform.

Players must perform as much of the action as possible.

Pass the first player marker.

After each player has resolved his or her action, the first player passes the first player marker to the left.

At this point, if all players have played all five of their action cards, players return all of those actions to their hands.

In a five-player game, pass the first player marker an additional time after this step so that a different player will be the first player for the next hand of actions.

Players do not return their actions to their hands while they have any actions remaining in their hands.

Note that some abilities may trigger when players return their actions to their hands. If multiple abilities occur at this time, resolve any abilities on the loot cards that are in the row first. If a player has multiple abilities that trigger at this time, either through loot abilities or his or her knack, that player decides the order those abilities resolve.

The End of the Game and Scoring

The game ends immediately when the "Constable Cramphorn" card is placed into the row or a stash, is stolen, or is discarded.

If this happens in the middle of an action or as an ability is resolving, the rest of the action/ability is not resolved. If Constable Cramphorn arrives while a player is looking at the top cards of the deck, that player will return the remaining cards to the top of the deck.

After the game ends, players tally up the suspicion values of all the loot they control and that is in their stash, then add the number of suspicion tokens they have. The player with the highest total suspicion is caught by Constable Cramphorn and is eliminated from the game. If multiple players are tied for the most suspicion, all of those players are nicked.

The remaining players tally up the total value of the loot they control and that is in their stash. Remember to consult the Mark's ability when determining a winner. The player with the highest value wins the game!

Action Cards

During the second phase of each round, players will choose which action he or she wants to play that round. After all of the players have chosen their actions, they simultaneously reveal which ones they selected. In player order, each player resolves the action that he or she chose. Players must resolve as much of the action that they can and resolve abilities in the order that they appear on the action.

Scheme

Scheme is the only action that has a better ability when multiple players choose it. When a player chooses Scheme alone, he or she will resolve the Grift ability listed on his or her Scoundrel card. This ability must be performed in the order that it appears. When multiple players choose Scheme, they will each resolve their Grift and place one loot card into their stash. They may choose to place the one loot into their stash before or after using their Grift.

Sneak

When a player chooses Sneak alone, he or she steals one loot card from the top of the deck and then places one loot card with 1 or more suspicion into his or her stash. The player must steal one loot card if he or she has not reached his or her loot limit. The player must also stash one loot card with 1 or more suspicion if he or she controls one. When multiple players choose Sneak, each will have the option to either steal a loot from the top of the deck or to place one loot card with 1 or more suspicion into his or her stash.

Snatch

When a player chooses Snatch alone, he or she steals two loot cards from the row. When multiple players choose Snatch, each of those players steals one loot card from the row. If there is no loot in the row when it is a player's turn to perform Snatch, that player does not steal anything.

Store

Store is the only action that has the same ability regardless of how many players choose it. It will always force the players who choose it to place one loot card into their stash.

Switch

When a player chooses Switch alone, he or she will exchange one loot and then place one loot card into his or her stash. Players do not have to place the loot that they gained from the exchange into their stash. When multiple players choose the Switch action, each of those players will exchange one loot card with another player.

Anatomy of the Cards

Loot Cards

Loot cards have 7 parts:

1. Name
2. Image
3. Suspicion Value — the amount of suspicion an item has. At the end of the game, the player with the most suspicion is nicked and eliminated from the game. If multiple players are tied for the most suspicion, all of those players are nicked.
4. Value — how much the loot is worth. At the end of the game, after the player with the most suspicion has been nicked, the player with the highest total value of loot wins.
5. Loot Type — loot types have no inherent abilities on their own, but specific types may be mentioned in the ability sections of Mark and loot cards. There are six types of loot: Art, Luxury, Document, Money, Jewelry, and Sentimental.
6. Loot Ability — some loot cards have abilities, and they are listed here. If a loot card says "When you steal this from the Mark,…" that means that the ability happens when it is stolen from the row or from the deck. These abilities should be resolved immediately before continuing to resolve any other parts of an ability or action.
7. Ongoing Abilities — some loot cards have an ability section with a white outline and hourglass symbol. These cards have abilities that are important while they are controlled by a player. This outline makes it easier for players to identify relevant abilities while they are looking to steal or exchange loot from other players.

Action Cards

Action Cards have 3 parts:

1. Name
2. Single-player ability — the ability the player will perform if no other players chose this action this round.
3. Multiple-player ability — the ability the player will perform if any other players chose this action this round.

Mark Cards

Mark cards have 3 parts:

1. Name
2. Image
3. Ability — Mark cards each have an ability that affects scoring at the end of the game. Players will need to remember this when they tally the value of their loot at the end of the game.

Scoundrel Cards

Scoundrel cards have 4 parts:

1. Name
2. Image
3. Grift — this ability is used when a player performs the Scheme action. Players perform all of the parts of the abilities written in this section in the order that they appear. If a player cannot perform part of his or her Grift, he or she skips that part.
4. Knack — this ability will either apply continuously throughout the game or specify a time when the ability triggers.

Two-Player Game

Scoundrel Society can be played with two players by using a dummy third player. At the start of a two-player game, place the Scoundrel card "Barnabus Graves" on the table to one side of the Mark. At the end of any round in which either player steals loot from the Mark, the first player will look at the top card of the deck and place it facedown under Barnabus's Scoundrel card. Players cannot interact with Barnabus in any other way. At the end of the game, the loot cards under Barnabus's card will count as his stash. If he has the highest total suspicion, he is eliminated. If he isn't eliminated and he has a higher total loot value than the remaining player, he wins the game.

Important Terms

Control - A player controls a loot card when it is faceup in front of him or her. Once a loot is placed into a player's stash, he or she is no longer considered to have control of that loot.

Exchange - Whenever a player exchanges a loot, that player chooses a loot card that he or she controls and gives it to another player. Then he or she takes a loot that is controlled by that player. The player performing the exchange chooses both the loot given and taken. A player cannot resolve an exchange that would end with either player exceeding their loot limit.

Loot Limit - Players are allowed to control no more than three loot at a time. This is referred to as a player's "loot limit." Players cannot steal loot if it would cause them to exceed their loot limit after resolving the ability on the loot.

Stash - Whenever an ability says to "place 1 loot into your stash," it means to turn a loot card you control facedown and put it under your Scoundrel card. Such loot cards are referred to as that player's "stash." Each player may only look at his or her own stash. Once loot is in a stash, it cannot be stolen or exchanged by any player.

Steal - Take loot from the location mentioned on the ability, usually either the row or deck, and place it faceup in front of you.

Suspicion Tokens - Add these tokens to your total suspicion at the end of the game. Some loot and Scoundrel abilities cause a player to gain suspicion tokens when he or she steals, exchanges, or gains control of loot, or places loot into his or her stash. This is written in the ability section of the card. Players should be cautious when gaining suspicion tokens, as having one too many could result in getting nicked when the Constable arrives.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I use Vincenzo Peru's Grift ability to place a loot into my stash without revealing it, will I resolve the ability of that loot?

You will only receive loot abilities that happen at the end of the game. All other abilities will be ignored. Because of this, Vincenzo's grift could allow to place a loot card into your stash that normally could not be, such as the "Yacht."

When I use Miffy Schultz's Grift ability, can I choose to give a loot to a player that is currently at his or her loot limit?

No. You cannot choose to give a loot to another player that would result in that player exceeding his or her loot limit.

If I am at my loot limit, can I steal the "Crocodile Handbag" from the Mark since, after resolving its ability to place one loot in my stash, I would not be exceeding my loot limit?

Yes, you may. You cannot steal loot that would result in you exceeding your loot limit after resolving the ability on that loot. After you steal the "Crocodile Handbag" from the Mark, you place another loot into your stash. Therefore, you would not be exceeding your loot limit after the ability is resolved.

When I use Mr. Mhing's Grift ability, can I choose a player who is at his or her loot limit to steal one of the top three cards in order to avoid another player getting to steal a loot?

No. You must choose a player who is below his or her loot limit to steal the loot. If the loot does not count against the loot limit, then you may choose any other player to steal it. If all other players are currently at their loot limit, return all of the remaining cards to the top of the deck.