Tentacle Town Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• What's in the Box?
• Basics of the Game
• Tentacle Town Tour
• Game Setup
  • Player Buildings & Resources
  • Starting Buildings
• The Goal of the Game
  • Gaining Fame
  • Ending the Game
  • Winning the Game
• Playing the Game
  • Recruit a New Resident
  • Pay Overtime
  • Tentacle Attack!
• Task Cards
  • Playing with Younger Gamers
• Tasks
• Market Tasks
  • Sell Sushi
  • Calamari Caravan
• Foundry Tasks
  • Forge Harpoons
  • Smelt Iron
• Docks Tasks
  • Hunt Tentacles
  • Butcher Catch
• Tentacle Attacks!
  • Tenticular Terror
  • TENTACLES! They're Everywhere!
• Destroying Tentacle Town
• Defending Tentacle Town
  • Tentacle Attack Example
  • Tentacle Attack Example, Continued
• Tentacle Town Tasks, in Detail
  • Simple Tasks
  • Basic Trade Tasks
  • Squid Bake
  • Plant Flowers
  • Can Calamari
  • Housing Project
  • Hire Movers

What's in the Box?

• The Game Board: The peninsula where you've landed. Take a tour of your new home in the Tentacle Town Tour section.
• 10 Tentacles: The threat menacing your new home. Hunting tentacles will be your source of food and fame!
• 40 Buildings (10 per Player): It's not a town without Buildings! Some Tasks get better the more Buildings you have. At the end of the game, the player with the most Buildings in each District will earn Fame.
• 20 Residents: The fine folks you'll recruit and put to work Building your Buildings and completing Tasks around town.
• 12 Task Cards: Tasks are additional things you can do on your turn. When playing with younger kids, you can leave these out of the game, for a simpler game.
• 4 Tentacle Attack Dice: When the Tentacles attack, you'll roll these dice to see what happens. No matter how many Tentacles are attacking, you'll never roll more than four dice.
• 28 Food Tokens: The sweet, sweet calamari that's Tentacle Town's main export and sustenance. You can make Food in the Docks District and you'll get Food when you kill Tentacles.
• 28 Gold Tokens: Tentacle Town's currency. You'll earn Gold by selling Food and by completing certain Tasks. You may pay Residents overtime to complete extra Tasks for you.
• 28 Iron Tokens: The raw materials pulled from Tentacle Town's mines. You'll use Iron to make Harpoons and complete other Tasks.
• 28 Fame Tokens: You'll earn Fame by killing Tentacles, Building the town and completing certain Tasks. When the game ends, the most famous player wins!

Basics of the Game

You're competing to become the most famous founder of Tentacle Town!

You and the other players will take turns doing what they can do build Tentacle Town, all while defending their home from the ever-present Tentacle threat.

On every turn, you'll recruit a Resident, send them to one of Tentacle Town's three Districts and tell the new Resident what to do. A new Resident can either Build you a new Building or complete a Task.

You may also pay the Residents of Tentacle Town overtime to complete additional Tasks - if you have gold to spend.

Each player has 10 Buildings. The more Buildings you have in a District, the more profitable some Tasks in that District are. When counting Buildings in a District, you'll only benefit from your Buildings.

Other Tasks get better with more Residents. The Residents don't belong to any player.

At the end of every player's turn, a new Tentacle appears! Drawn by your activity, you'll place a Tentacle in the water next to the District where you placed a new Resident, then roll dice to see what all the Tentacles next to the District do. The Tentacles may attack a Resident, destroy a Building, cause Residents to flee, or spawn more Tentacles!

Tentacle Town Tour

The town is divided into three Districts: the Docks, the Market, and the Foundry. Each District has an adjacent Ocean area. Activity in the District will attract Tentacles to the adjacent water!

Each District has 13 Building spaces, arranged in three rows, where players can place a Building. When the Tentacles attack, Buildings closer to the water are destroyed first - it's a good idea to Build further inland!

When you recruit a Resident, you can place it anywhere in the District. Try to keep the open Building spots and Tasks clear of Residents.

Game Setup

Tentacle Town's peninsula is littered with remnants of previous attempts to settle the shores. You aren't the first adventurers pulled by the siren call of calamari...

Player Buildings & Resources

Give each player a set of 10 colored Buildings. Give each player three Harpoons and three Gold. You haven't arrived on the shores with much, but it's enough to get under way!

Each Player starts with one Building in each District.

Randomly decide who will be the first player.

Starting Buildings

Every player starts with one Building in each District, in the outermost row of Building sites. Each District has three rows of Building sites. In a two player game, don't use the row with the six Building spots. In a three player game, you won't use the row with three Buildings.

The Goal of the Game

Each player is competing to become the most famous founder of your new town. Doing so won't be easy: you'll have to use all your wits to put the Residents to work, hunt tentacles, and build up the town. Once the influx of new Residents stops, the player with the most Fame becomes the Mayor and wins the game!

Gaining Fame

There are three main ways you can earn Fame:

• Killing Tentacles with Harpoons, either by Hunting them from the Docks or by Defending the Town.
• Completing Tasks, such as the "Calamari Caravan" Task, in the Market.
• Having the most Buildings in a District at the end of the game.

Ending the Game

The game ends immediately when a player needs to place a new Resident but can not.

NOTE: Residents may be returned to the supply when Tentacles attack, so wait and see what happens at the end of the turn - even if the supply of Residents is empty.

Winning the Game

When the game ends, the player who has the most Buildings in each District gets one Fame per Resident in that District. If two or more players are tied with the same number of Buildings, divide the Fame evenly and discard any extra.

After awarding Fame for having the most Buildings in each District, the player with the most Fame is elected Mayor of Tentacle Town, gets to wear the fancy hat, and wins the game!

If it's a tie, the tied player with the most Gold wins.

Playing the Game

On each turn, you'll recruit a new Resident to the town and put them to Work. If you have Gold to spend, you may pay the District's Residents overtime. Finally, you'll see what the tentacles do!

Everything below is described in more detail in the following pages, but a basic turn goes like this:

Recruit a New Resident

First, place a new Resident in one of the town's three Districts. That new Resident can either complete a Task or Build you a Building. The Task must be in the District where you placed the Resident. Buildings must be placed it [sic] in the same District where you placed the new Resident. Each District has two possible Tasks and thirteen spots in which Buildings can be built (in a four player game).

Pay Overtime

After placing a new Building or completing a Task, you may Pay Overtime to complete additional Tasks: pay one Gold per extra Task.

You may only complete each different Task once per turn. You may not have your new Resident complete a Task first, then Pay Overtime to have the Resident Build a Building.

Tentacle Attack!

After placing a Resident and completing any Tasks, you'll place a new Tentacle next to the same District where you placed a Resident. Finally, you'll roll a die to see what each of the Tentacles does this turn!

Task Cards

In additional [sic] to the normal, day-to-day Tasks that need doing around Tentacle Town, there's always more to do!

The Task Cards are additional Tasks which add variety to the game and create more options for strategic play. Many provide additional ways to earn Fame. The Tasks on Task cards can be done from anywhere in town. The Tasks printed on the board can only be completed from its District.

Any time a Task refers to Residents or Buildings, only count the Residents and Buildings in the District where you placed a Resident this turn. Like all Tasks, they may only be done once per turn.

For example, if you completed the "Plant Flowers" Good Deed pictured above, you'll only count your Buildings in the District where you're working (the District where you placed a new Resident this turn).

Playing with Younger Gamers

If you're playing with younger gamers, you may leave these cards in the box and play with just the Tasks printed on the board. This makes the game simpler and easier to learn. Whether or not you include Good Deeds in your games is completely up to you.

Tasks

Building a Town from scratch is no easy feat! There's always plenty to do - and you're the person to do it!

While playing Tentacle Town, you'll have the Town's Residents complete a variety of Tasks, from mining in the hills to canning the tasty tentacles for inland cities.

Some Tasks simply picture some resources (example: Recycle Anchors). When you complete one of these Tasks, take the pictured resources from the Supply.

Tasks with an arrow are Trade Tasks. For these Tasks, you're trading the resources on the left side for the resources on the right side, once per turn. (Example: Research Steel - Spend 1 Iron for 1 Fame.)

Some Tasks improve as you Build more Buildings. Any time a Task uses Buildings, only count Buildings of your color. (Example: Can Calamari.) Here, you'd take one Gold per Building.

Other Tasks let you do something per Building or Resident in the District. (Example: Plant Flowers.) Here, you can trade a Gold for a Fame, once per Building you have in the District.

Example: On Sally's turn, she does the "Plant Flowers" Task (pictured above). For each Building in the District where she placed a new Resident, she can trade one Gold for one Fame. If she has three Buildings, she could trade three Gold for three Fame.

Market Tasks

Fresh Calamari, calamari jerky, calamari pie - the bustling market stalls of Tentacle Town are bursting with everyone's favorite foodstuff! The town's merchants are always looking to fill their wagons with new exports!

Market Tasks: Sell Sushi, Calamari Caravan.

Sell Sushi

When you complete the Sell Sushi Task, you may trade one Food for one Good [sic], per Resident in the Market. For example: if there are four Residents in the Market, you can sell up to four Food when you complete the Sell Sushi Task.

Calamari Caravan

When you complete the Calamari Caravan Task, you spend an Iron, a Food, and a Gold to take a number of Fame equal to how many of your Buildings are in the Market.

For example: On John's turn, he chooses to place a Resident in the Market and have that Resident Build a Building. He could end his turn, but also chooses to spend a Gold to complete the Calamari Caravan Task too. His new Building brings him up to three Buildings in the Market, so he spends a Food, an Iron, and a Gold, then takes three Gold. [sic - the rule above says Fame]

Foundry Tasks

The waters aren't the only place treasure lies - the hills of Tentacle Town are rich with Ore. Belching smelters produce a steady stream of metal while blacksmiths pound out heaps of Harpoons to defend the town!

Foundry Tasks: Forge Harpoons, Smelt Iron.

Forge Harpoons

To complete the Forge Harpoons Task, spend two Iron and one Food, then take a number of Harpoons equal to the total number of Residents in the Foundry District.

For example, if there are five Residents in the Market [sic - Foundry], you would spend two Iron and one Food to make five Harpoons.

Smelt Iron

When you complete the Smelt Iron Task, take a number of Iron equal to how many of your Buildings are in the Foundry District.

For example: On Liz's turn, she Completes the Smelt Iron Task. She has two Buildings in the Foundry District, so she takes two Iron.

Docks Tasks

Gruff captains harangue their crews into action, bravely setting sail into the writhing waters, in search of their next big catch. On the shore, Residents carve the latest haul into chunks small enough to wrangle to market.

Docks Tasks: Hunt Tentacles, Butcher Catch.

Hunt Tentacles

When Hunt Tentacles, you may fire as many Harpoons as there are Residents in the Docks District, at the Tentacles in one Ocean Area of your choice.

Firing Harpoons

Spin the Harpoon spinner for each Harpoon fired: if the spinner points to a hit, you've killed a Tentacle: take one Food and one Fame, then remove one Tentacle from the area. If you miss, you get nothing. Discard all used Harpoons. You can't kill more Tentacles than the area contains, but you can throw more Harpoons than that.

For example, if there are four Residents in the Market [sic - Docks], you may use up to four Harpoons - potentially getting four Food and four Fame, if you're lucky!

Butcher Catch

When you complete the Butcher Catch Task, take a number of Food equal to your Docks Buildings.

For example: On Sally's turn, she Completes the Butcher Catch Task. She has four Buildings in the Docks District, so she takes four Food.

Tentacle Attacks!

The Tentacles of Tentacle Town aren't going to be served up for dinner without a fight! The busier the town, the more Tentacles will be attracted to the town!

At the end of your turn, place a new Tentacle in the water next to the District where you worked, then roll to see what the Tentacles in that Ocean area do - you'll roll a die for each Tentacle in the water, up to a max of four dice.

Remember, you'll always place the new Tentacle in the water next to the area where you placed a new Resident.

For example, Sally takes her turn, working in the Docks: she Builds a Building, then pays a Gold to also complete a Task. Next, she places a new Tentacle in the water next to the Docks. There are now two Tentacles in the water next to the docks, so she rolls two Tentacle dice to see what they do!

Tenticular Terror

When the Tentacles attack, roll a number of six-sided Tentacle dice equal to how many Tentacles are attacking, up to a max of four dice. Apply each result in whatever order you'd like. The possibilities are:

• Kill one Resident
• One Resident Retreats
• Destroy one Building
• New Tentacle Appears

Skull = Kill one Resident. Just like it says: remove one Resident per Skull rolled. Place killed Residents back in the supply, to be placed again later.

Arrow = Resident Retreats. For each arrow rolled, move 1 Resident from the District being attacked to an adjacent District.

Destroy One Building. Remove one Building per destroyed Building rolled. See the "Destroying Tentacle Town" rules below for full destruction details.

Place New Tentacle. Avast! Place another new Tentacle in the Ocean area the Tentacles are attacking from. Do not roll a die for this Tentacle.

TENTACLES! They're Everywhere!

If all the Tentacles are already on the water, move a Tentacle from another area to where you need one. For example, Pete takes his turn in the Foundry and needs to place a new Tentacle in the water next to the Foundry - but all the Tentacles are already in play! He may move a Tentacle from the Dock or Market's waters.

Destroying Tentacle Town

When the Tentacles attack, they may pull innocent residents into the depths, they may cause folks to flee in terror, or they may lash out at the town itself!

The Tentacles may be huge, powerful, and deadly - but they're not so bright. When they attack the town, the Tentacles will always destroy Buildings closer to the water first.

When you roll a "Destroy One Building" on a Tentacle dice, choose one Building to destroy, from the row with Buildings closest to the water.

Defending Tentacle Town

If you have Harpoons, you can try to defend the town when Tentacles attack. When one of your Buildings would be destroyed by a Tentacle, you may fire a Harpoon to try to repel the attack and save the Building. If it's your turn and a Resident would be killed by the Tentacle attack, you may also try to defend them with a Harpoon.

To fire a Harpoon either spin the spinner or flip a Harpoon token to see if you hit or miss (just like Hunting Tentacles in the Docks). If you hit, take one Fame and one Food, and remove a Tentacle next to the District under attack. Plus, you've saved the Resident or Building! If you miss, the Harpoon is discarded and the Tentacle's die result stands.

Tentacle Attack Example

For example, John is taking his turn in the Foundry District. To finish his turn, John places a new Tentacle next to the Foundry. With four Tentacles next to the Foundry, he rolls four Tentacle dice, as shown above. One new Tentacle appears, one Resident will be killed, and two Buildings will be destroyed (if they aren't defended).

Tentacle Attack Example, Continued

The Tentacles are going to destroy two Buildings this turn - yikes! The outer row of Buildings only has one Building, so there's no choice there - it has to be chosen for destruction. For the second Building, John can choose any of the Buildings from the next row. Since it's [his] turn, John can try to save the Resident by firing a Harpoon: if he scores a hit, he'll remove one Tentacle next to the Foundry and take one Fame and one Food - and the Resident sticks around. If he misses, the Resident is returned to the supply.

Tentacle Town Tasks, in Detail

With over 1,000 combinations of three Task Cards, every game of Tentacle Town you play will feel a little different. There are simple Tasks that give you a resource or two, Tasks which trade resources for Fame, Tasks that get better the more you Build, and some Tasks which allow you to do new things with Buildings.

Simple Tasks

Whittle Sticks, Recycle Anchors, and Declaw Crabs all are simple Tasks which allow you to take the pictured resource when completed.

For example, when you complete the Declaw Crabs Tasks, you'd take two Food tokens from the supply.

Basic Trade Tasks

The four Tasks (Research Steel, Bake Pie, Fancy Shindig, Erect a Statue) all allow you to trade an amount of one resource for Fame.

In each case, you can only complete each Task once per turn.

If there are multiple Trade Tasks in play, you can complete each of them once.

Remember, you have to pay one Gold for each additional Task you complete.

For example, both Fancy Shindig and Erect a Statue are both in play. It's getting close to the end of the game and Pete wants to snag as much Fame as possible before the game is over and he has plenty of Gold left.

On this turn, he Builds a Building first, then pays one Gold to do the Fancy Shindig Task: he pays another two Gold and takes two Fame. Next, he pays another Gold in overtime to complete the Erect a Statue Task: he pays an Iron and another Gold to take two more Fame.

In total, Pete paid 1 Iron and 5 Gold (2 Overtime Pay, plus the cost of the two Tasks) and got 4 Fame - not too shabby!

Squid Bake

Squid Bake allows you to trade 2 Food for 1 Fame, as many times as you have Buildings in the District.

Remember, when completing Tasks on Task Cards, only count Buildings in the District where you worked this turn.

For example, Sally places a new Resident in the Market District, then completes the Squid Bake Task. She can make the 2 Food for 1 Fame trade multiple times - up to the number of Buildings she has in the Market. With 3 Buildings in the Market, she could make that trade up to 3 times, potentially trading up to 6 Food for 3 Fame.

Plant Flowers

Plant Flowers is similar to Squid Bake, but you're trading one Gold for one Fame, as many times as you have Buildings in the District.

Can Calamari

Can Calamari works a little differently - instead of making the same trade multiple times, the value of what you're getting changes depending on how many Buildings you have.

For example, Sally has four Buildings in the Docks. If [she] places her new Resident in the Docks and completes "Can Calamari" she will trade two Food and one Iron for 4 Gold - since she has four Buildings in the Docks District.

Housing Project

The Housing Project Task is a little different than other Tasks. Instead of trading resources for Fame or Gold, you're spending one Gold and one Fame to Build an additional Building. This new Building must be placed in the same District you're working in this turn.

You may Build a Building and pay overtime to complete Housing Project - placing two Buildings in the same turn.

Hire Movers

When you complete the Hire Movers Task, you move one of your Buildings. The Building you move may be from any District and may be placed in any District. This is an exception to the normal Building placement rule.

For example, Pete needs Food before he can make any more Harpoons, so Pete places a new Resident in the Docks. He uses the Dock's Butcher Catch Task to get some Food, then completes the Hire Movers Task on his turn: he moves one of his Buildings from the Market to the Foundry, to increase the amount of Iron he'll get from the Foundry next turn.