Sobakistan: Land of Dogs Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• About the Game
• Components
• Component Description
  • Game Board
  • Wolf Resistance Player Boards
  • Route Cards
  • Hint Cards
  • K9SP Squad Figurines
  • Hunting Cards
  • A K9SP Observation Log
  • Markers
• Setup
• Game Objective
  • The Wolf Resistance
  • The K9 Secret Police
• Gameplay
  • 1. The Liaison's Turn
  • Hint Card Placement
  • Comments About the Game
  • 2. The Wolves' Turn
    • Movement
    • Comments About the Game
  • 3. The Senior Bloodhound's Turn
    • Movement
    • Catching a Wolf
  • 4. Dropping Off Compromising Evidence and Escaping
• Hunting Cards
  • The Senior Bloodhound's Hunting Cards
    • Shuffle Through Denunciations
    • Cordon Off a Line
    • Cordon Off a District
    • Scour
    • Sniff Around the Station
    • Dig Up Information
  • The Liaison's Hunting Cards
    • Blow a Whistle
    • Howl in Code
    • Shed Your Coat
    • Throw Off the Scent
• End of Game and Winning Conditions
  • Determination of the Winner Example

About the Game

This is an asymmetrical game of associations. One of the players becomes the Senior Bloodhound of the K9 Secret Police. Others play as members of the Wolf Resistance: the Liaison and the Wolves. The Wolves, following the Liaison's associations, have to deliver compromising evidence to the drop-off point and then escape the city, before the Senior Bloodhound identifies and intercepts them.

The game ends if all of the Wolves get out of the city, if the Senior Bloodhound arrests them, or if they run out of rounds — then the metro is open, and nobody can stop the propaganda!

Components

• 36 double-sided station tokens
• 13 double-sided hunting cards
• 81 route cards
• 37 hint cards
• 3 double-sided line cordon cards
• 4 double-sided wolf tokens
• 5 markers
• 3 "Not" cards
• A game board (Friendgrad Metro Map)
• 4 Wolf Resistance player boards
• Tickets / 4 secret message tokens
• 4 compromising evidence tokens
• A K9SP observation log
• 3 K9SP squad wooden figurines
• 6 strikers for figurines
• A district cordon token

Component Description

Game Board

This is the map of the Friendgrad metro. The Wolves and the K9SP squads move on it.

Many in-game actions mention adjacent stations and districts on the game board.

• Stations are considered adjacent if they are connected by a metro line, and there are no other stations between them.
• Districts are considered adjacent if there are adjacent stations between them.

The board shows a K9SP precinct, a district, a station number, a station name, a metro line, and a slot for the starting hint.

Wolf Resistance Player Boards

The Wolves don't have figurines. They secretly mark their moves on Wolf Resistance player boards. Nobody but the Wolf knows when and where they were during the game.

Route Cards

Each route card has three station numbers:

• The starting station — the Wolves begin the game here.
• The drop-off point — the Wolves must deliver the evidence to this station.
• The extraction point — the Wolves can escape the city here.

Hint Cards

Each hint card contains only one adjective — an association. They are used by the Liaison to give the Wolves clues where to go to reach the drop-off point or the extraction point.

K9SP Squad Figurines

The K9SP squads move on the game board openly. The Senior Bloodhound controls them.

Hunting Cards

Hunting cards give players additional actions. The effect of each card depends on the role of the player who holds it.

A K9SP Observation Log

Here the Senior Bloodhound can make any notes they like. Use it to remember any information you deem important.

Markers

How to care for markers:

• Before the game, shake the markers with the caps on.
• Store markers with caps on. We also recommend putting caps on markers when you are not using them during the game.
• To make the erasers on the markers last longer, use them only for small corrections during the game. After the game, remove all of the markings you've made with a dry paper towel.
• Dried-up markings can be removed with a slightly damp paper towel or, in very hard cases, an alcohol wipe.

Setup

Before your first game, put the K9SP stickers onto the wooden figurines.

1. Assign roles:

   • One player becomes the Senior Bloodhound of the K9 Secret Police.
   • One player becomes the Liaison of the Wolf Resistance.
   • All other players become the Wolves.

2. Place the game board on the table. Leave a place for the trail — there the Liaison will place hint cards.

3. Shuffle station tokens. Draw a random token.

   • If it is a long one, insert it into an upper part of any slot on the game board any side up.
   • If it is a short one, insert it into a lower part of any slot on the game board any side up.

   Fill all the slots on the game board with long and short station tokens that way. When two tokens fill the slot, they form the name of the station. There shouldn't be any station tokens left or any stations without names!

4. Give each Wolf a Wolf Resistance player board, a wolf token, a compromising evidence token and a secret message token of the same color. Place them before the player, wolf tokens — "Interrogated" side down. Put unused tokens back into the box.

5. Give the observation log, the district cordon token, 3 line cordon cards and 3 K9SP squad figurines to the Senior Bloodhound. Place them before the player.

6. Prepare hunting cards. Divide them according to the starting stamps. A stamp can be found only on one side of a card and indicates the player who receives this card at the beginning of the game: a Senior Bloodhound starting card, a Liaison starting card, and a Wolf starting card.

7. Deal hunting cards to the players according to their stamps.

   • The Senior Bloodhound — 2 cards;

Game Objective

Under the guidance of the Liaison the Wolves must deliver compromising evidence to the drop-off point and then escape the city. The Wolves and the Liaison play as a team, sharing victory and defeat.

Meanwhile, the Senior Bloodhound needs to catch the Wolves, confiscate the compromising evidence and arrest the furry dissidents, taking away their wolf tokens.

The side which has the most compromising evidence tokens and wolf tokens by the end of the game wins.

The Wolf Resistance

The Liaison is a single player. They know all stations on the route card, but don't move on the game board. Instead they guide the Wolves. Each turn they reveal up to two hint cards with associations, which should give the Wolves a clue on where to go.

The Wolves can be one to four players. They only know the starting station and move on the game board according to hints from the Liaison.

The K9 Secret Police

The Senior Bloodhound is a single player. They don't know any stations on the route card. The Senior Bloodhound controls K9SP squads, moving them on the game board. The Senior Bloodhound sees the associations revealed by the Liaison, but doesn't know where the Wolves are.

Gameplay

The game is played in rounds. Each round consists of 4 phases:

1. The Liaison's turn
2. The Wolves' turn
3. The Senior Bloodhound's turn
4. Dropping off compromising evidence and escaping

1. The Liaison's Turn

On their turn the Liaison of the Wolf Resistance:

• places hint cards to suggest the route for the Wolves;
• can make comments about the game;
• can use hunting cards (see p. 18)

Hint Card Placement

On their turn the Liaison decides which station they should hint at. Typically that would be the station where the Wolves need to go next. The Liaison can choose to hint at any station they like each turn: it can be the same station as before or a different one.

For example, it is the first round of the game. The Wolves start at station No. 16 "The Fancy Gym". The Liaison knows that the drop-off point is on station No. 3 "The Abandoned Beach". The Liaison decides to lead the Wolves through station No. 10 "The Night Cinema". They are going to hint at it.

Then the Liaison reveals 1 or 2 hint cards from their hand which they think associate with the chosen station. They place them face up near the game board, forming the trail. The order of cards in the trail should be maintained the same throughout the game, for example, from left to right or from top to bottom. All other players can see the trail at all times.

The Liaison has 5 cards in their hand: Calm, Cheerful, Tender, Fragrant and Cold. The Liaison decides that only card that can be associated with The Night Cinema is "Calm" so they reveal it.

The Liaison can attach a special "Not" card to any hint card from their hand. A "Not" card changes the meaning of the hint to the opposite. For example, "Not" + Calm would mean Restless or Stressful.

"Not" cards are not considered hint cards, so they don't count toward the maximum amount of hint cards that the Liaison can reveal on their turn.

So, in one turn the Liaison can use up to 4 cards: two hint cards and two "Not" cards. Note, however, that only have three "Not" cards for the entire game.

At the end of their turn the Liaison takes hint cards from the deck, until they have 5 hint cards in their hand.

Comments About the Game

The Liaison always speaks for all other players to hear, including the Senior Bloodhound. The Liaison may:

• mention the logic behind revealing hint cards. For example: "I am not hinting at the adjacent station, but at the next one over on the route". Or: "This hint indicates the drop-off point/the extraction point";
• explain which card is hinting at which word: "The first card hints at the adjective, the second — at the noun";
• assess the situation: "You are one station away from your destination", or "You are lost";
• tell the Wolves if they are at the drop-off point or nearby: "You should reach your goal this turn".

Only three things are strictly forbidden:

• hinting without hint cards: "Surreal", "I would like to go there," or "It could be in our town";
• mentioning specific parts of the game board: "This hints to the bottom part of the game board", "This station an eastern station", or "You need to go to the red line";
• telling players where to go: "Go right", "Return to the previous station".

Remember, that the Senior Bloodhound hears everything the Liaison says. Every bit of information can and will be used against the Wolves!

2. The Wolves' Turn

All Wolves act at the same time. On their turn each Wolf:

• moves on the game board;
• can make comments about the game;
• can use hunting cards (see p. 18)

Movement

Each Wolf decides where to go, following current hint cards and the starting hint card. A Wolf can only move to a station adjacent to the one they are on. The Wolf secretly marks the new station's number on their player board in the next free slot. Now they are at that station.

For example, the blue Wolf is at station No. 16 "The Fancy Gym". On their turn they can move to No. 9 "The Polar Fountain", No. 18 "The Hunting Airport", No. 17 "The Nuclear Exhibition" or No. 10 "The Night Cinema". The hint card for this round is Calm. The blue Wolf decides that it suits No. 10 "The Night Cinema" best. They move there and mark No. 10 on their player board.

The Wolf can follow the route planned by the Liaison or try to guess where the drop-off point is right away and find their own way there to avoid the K9 Secret Police.

The Wolf can stay at the same station, for example, to confuse the Senior Bloodhound. In that case, they mark the same number in the next slot on their player board.

If every Wolf has marked a number in the last slot of their player board, the game ends. Finish the current round and determine the winner as instructed on p. 23.

Comments About the Game

The Wolves always speak for all other players to hear, including the Senior Bloodhound. They can ask clarifying questions or say that they don't understand hints. For example: "Am I going in the right direction?", or "Can I reach the drop-off point in one turn?". The Liaison will only be able to answer on their next turn.

The Wolves can't ask questions that go against the rules for what the Liaison can say (see p. 13). For example, a Wolf can't ask: "Are there trees at the drop-off point?", "Is the extraction point at the lower part of the game board?", or "Should I follow the blue Wolf?".

3. The Senior Bloodhound's Turn

On their turn the Senior Bloodhound:

• makes up to 2 moves and catches the Wolves;
• makes whatever comments they want because they are untouchable;
• can use hunting cards (see p. 18).

Movement

On their turn the Senior Bloodhound moves up to 2 times, sending K9SP squad figurines to different stations and districts. In one movement one figurine can move:

• from a district to an adjacent district;
• from a district to a station inside that district and vice versa;
• from a district to a free adjacent precinct of the K9 Secret Police.

However, when a figurine is sent from a precinct to a district, it is not considered a move.

A figurine from each precinct can be sent to one of the two adjacent districts and vice versa.

For example, it is the first round of the game. The Senior Bloodhound sends a squad from the precinct to the North-Eastern district for free. Next, for their first move, they send this squad to station No. 9 "The Polar Fountain".

Afterwards, they send the second squad out of the precinct for free and then, for their second move, move it to the Central district.

The Senior Bloodhound can move two different squads once or the same squad two times.

On their next turn, the Senior Bloodhound moves the squad from the Central district to the Southern district and then sends them to station No. 5 "The Grandiose Post Office".

The Senior Bloodhound cannot move squads from one station directly to another: K9SP prefer to drive!

If a K9SP squad enters a station with a Wolf on it, it catches them (see below). After catching a Wolf, the Senior Bloodhound continues with the movements they have left.

At the end of the Senior Bloodhound's turn all squad figurines move out of the stations into districts in which these stations are located.

Catching a Wolf

When the Bloodhound moves a K9SP squad to a station, they announce the number of that station. Then each Wolf says if they are currently at this station. If one of the Wolves is at that station, it means they've been caught. This Wolf announces for all other players to hear, that they are caught and:

• flips their wolf token Interrogated side up;
• if their wolf token is already flipped, they give the Senior Bloodhound their compromising evidence token;
• if their wolf token is already flipped and they don't have the compromising evidence, they give the Senior Bloodhound their wolf token. This Wolf is now arrested and is out of the game.

The squad figurine that caught the Wolf immediately goes to any free precinct and stays there until the next turn of the Senior Bloodhound. The Senior Bloodhound puts this figurine on its side until their next turn.

Next, if the Wolf wasn't arrested, meaning they still have their wolf token, they run away — secretly move to any adjacent station without a K9SP squad figurine or stays where they were. This Wolf marks an additional station number on the same slot as the previous one, below it.

For example, the Senior Bloodhound moves a squad to station No. 11 "The Labor Daycare" and announces it. The blue Wolf is there. This Wolf announces for everyone to hear: "I'm there". They immediately flip their wolf token Interrogated side up. The Senior Bloodhound places the squad in question at the precinct. Now the blue Wolf needs to choose where to run. They think about it for a moment and decide to stay where they were.

4. Dropping Off Compromising Evidence and Escaping

Each Wolf chooses whether:

• to drop off the compromising evidence at the station they are at;
• to escape at the station they are at;
• to do nothing.

If a Wolf thinks that they are at the drop-off point, they can drop off the compromising evidence there. To do so, they announce their decision and put their compromising evidence token on the game board in the right corner where it says "For official use only". Then they circle the current station number on their player board.

If a Wolf thinks that they are at the extraction point, they may escape. To do so, they announce their decision and mark the slot with the current station number with a checkmark. Then they are out of the game.

Did the Wolf guess correctly and escape for real, or were they caught by the K9 Secret Police? You will find out at the end of the game!

If a Wolf thinks that they haven't reached the drop-off point or the extraction point, they do nothing.

The round then ends and a new one begins.

For example, on this turn both Wolves are at station No. 3. The yellow Wolf thinks that it is the drop-off point and decides to leave the compromising evidence there. They circle the current station on their player board. Then they put their compromising evidence token on the game board. The blue Wolf does nothing.

Hunting Cards

A player can use their hunting cards at any moment of their turn. To do so the player announces that they would like to use a card, applies its effect, then looks at the bottom part of the card to see whom to pass it to, flips it and gives to the other player.

• The Wolf Resistance always passes their cards to the Senior Bloodhound of the K9 Secret Police.
• The Senior Bloodhound passes their cards to the Liaison or to one of the Wolves as mentioned in the bottom part of the card.

Examples:

• Cordon Off a Line (Senior Bloodhound side) — Place a line cordon card on the game board. The Wolves can't move using that line until your next turn. Except the Wolves who were caught and are running away. Flip and pass to the Liaison.
• Call the Pack (Wolf Resistance side) — Choose a Wolf. This Wolf shows where they are to everyone but the Senior Bloodhound. Other Wolves can choose if they want to move there. If there is only one Wolf on the game board, on their next turn they can move one additional time. Flip and pass to the Senior Bloodhound.
• Mark Territory (Wolf Resistance side) — Mark the station you are currently at on the secret message token and secretly show to the Liaison. Flip and pass to the Senior Bloodhound.

The Senior Bloodhound's Hunting Cards

Shuffle Through Denunciations

The Senior Bloodhound asks all the Wolves: "Are you now in a district with a K9SP squad in it?". Each Wolf then checks their player board and the game board. They answer yes, if there is at least one K9SP squad in the same district as the station they are currently at.

If a squad is at the station it is considered to be in the same district as this station.

For example, the Senior Bloodhound uses the "Shuffle through denunciations" hunting card and announces it. The yellow Wolf checks their player board — they are currently at station No. 4 "The United Restaurant". Their answer is no. The blue Wolf is at station No. 11 "The Labor Daycare". They answer: "Yes, I'm at a district with a K9SP squad in it".

Cordon Off a Line

The Senior Bloodhound can cordon off any metro line. They choose a card indicating this line and place it on the game board. Until their next turn, the Wolves can't move using that line. At the beginning of their next turn, the Senior Bloodhound takes this card back.

For example, the Senior Bloodhound cordoned off the black line. The blue Wolf starts their turn at station No. 10. Now they can move only to stations No. 16 and No. 2 from there.

Note, that the Wolves can enter stations of the cordoned off line and exit them if they use other lines to do so.

If a Wolf is caught, they ignore the cordon and can run away using any line.

Cordon Off a District

The Senior Bloodhound places the district cordon token onto any district. The Wolves can't enter or exit this district, but can move inside it. At the beginning of their next turn, the Senior Bloodhound takes the token back.

For example, the Senior Bloodhound cordons off the Southern district. The yellow Wolf starts their turn at station No. 12. They can't move to stations No. 14, No. 17 and No. 11. On their turn they can either move to station No. 4 or stay at the same station.

If a Wolf is caught, they ignore the cordon and can enter or exit any district to run away.

Scour

This turn the Senior Bloodhound can move one more time. This move follows normal rules.

Sniff Around the Station

The Senior Bloodhound chooses a station in a district that has at least one K9SP squad in it. Then they ask the Wolves: "Have you been at station No. X?". Each Wolf checks their player board and all markings on it. If they have the station number marked, meaning they have been there at least once, the Wolf answers: "Yes".

For example, it is the Senior Bloodhound's turn. They announce that they sniff around station No. 10 in the Eastern district. The blue Wolf answers: "I've been there". The yellow Wolf answers: "No, I haven't been there".

Dig Up Information

The Senior Bloodhound asks the owner of the card, meaning the Wolf who gave them this hunting card: "Are you now in a district with a K9SP squad in it?" They answer yes, if there is at least one K9 squad in the same district as the station they are currently at.

The Liaison's Hunting Cards

Blow a Whistle

The Liaison moves a K9SP squad to any empty precinct no matter how far it is.

For example, on this turn the Liaison can move any squad to any precinct but the South-Eastern one. They choose the South-Western.

Howl in Code

Each Wolf marks the station they are currently at on their secret message token and secretly shows to the Liaison.

Shed Your Coat

The Liaison discards up to 5 hint cards from their hand and takes the same amount of cards from the hint deck. The discarded cards are put away face down.

Throw Off the Scent

On this turn the Liaison uses just 1 hint card, but only shows it to the Wolves, keeping it secret from the Senior Bloodhound. Then they put it face down on the trail. The Wolves can check this card again at any time.

The Liaison can use a "Not" card with this card.

Call the Pack

The Liaison chooses one of the Wolves. This Wolf marks the station they are currently at on the secret message token and shows it to the Liaison and other Wolves. Other Wolves can choose if they want to move there or not. The Wolves who decide to move do so without telling anyone and mark the new station number on their player boards. This number goes into the same slot as the last one. From that moment they are at that station.

For example, there are three Wolves in the game. The Liaison announces that they are calling the pack and chooses the blue Wolf. The blue Wolf is currently at station No. 2. They mark it on their secret message token and show everybody but the Senior Bloodhound. Yellow and green Wolves each make their decision without telling anyone. The yellow Wolf understands where they should go but decides not to move as to not expose themselves. The green Wolf makes a different decision. They mark 2 on their player board below the number of the station they were at.

If there is only one Wolf on the game board, instead of the normal effect of that hunting card they gain an ability to move one more time on their next turn. They mark two station numbers in the same slot, one for each movement.

The Wolves' Hunting Cards

Mark Territory

The Wolf marks the station they are currently at on the secret message token and secretly shows to the Liaison.

Run with the Wolves

On this turn the Wolf can move one more time. They mark the number of the second station in the same slot as the previous one, below it.

If this Wolf was additionally moved before by the Liaison (as per the "Call the pack" card), they mark all three station numbers in one slot on their player board, one for each move.

End of Game and Winning Conditions

The game ends at the end of the round if one of the following happens:

• each Wolf either escapes or is arrested;
• the Wolves run out of slots for marking their moves.

Metro opens; nobody can stop the propaganda now!

After the game ends, check where the compromising evidence tokens and wolf tokens ended up.

1. The Wolves reveal their player boards; the Liaison reveals the route card.
2. Check the circled numbers to see if the Wolves left the compromising evidence in the right place.
   • Each compromising evidence token left in the right place goes to the Wolves and is given to the Liaison.
   • Each compromising evidence token left in the wrong place is given to the Senior Bloodhound. The K9 Secret Police intercepted it.
   • Each compromising evidence token that the Wolves didn't have time to deliver to the drop-off point is also given to the Senior Bloodhound.
3. Check the slots with checkmarks to see if the Wolves were able to escape the city.
   • Each Wolf that escaped in the right place retains their wolf token.
   • Each Wolf that made a mistake was caught by the K9 Secret Police and surrenders their wolf token to the Senior Bloodhound.
   • Each Wolf that didn't have time to escape also surrenders their wolf token to the Senior Bloodhound. They were discovered!
4. The Senior Bloodhound keeps all compromising evidence tokens and wolf tokens they got during the game.

It doesn't matter whether the wolf was interrogated or not, only who has their token!

The side with the most tokens wins the game. In case of a tie, the Senior Bloodhound of the K9 Secret Police of the Free Republic of Sobakistan wins the game.

Determination of the Winner Example

The game came to an end. There were two Wolves playing, the yellow and the blue. They show everyone their player boards, and the Liaison announces where the drop-off point and the extraction point were. In this game it was stations No. 3 and No. 9 respectively.

The yellow Wolf left their compromising evidence at station No. 3, guessing correctly. The Liaison gets the token. But the blue Wolf made a mistake and chose station No. 2, so their compromising evidence token goes to the Senior Bloodhound.

Now the Wolves check, if they were able to escape the city. The yellow Wolf made a mistake and tried to escape from station No. 2 instead of No. 9. They surrender their wolf token to the Senior Bloodhound. But the blue Wolf, despite being caught once during the game, escaped from the right place. They retain their wolf token.

In total, both the Senior Bloodhound and the Wolf Resistance has one wolf token and one compromising evidence token. It's a tie, meaning that the Senior Bloodhound of the K9 Secret Police wins.