The Sims Board Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
  • Moving Into the Neighborhood!
  • Complete Setup by Moving In!
• Object of the Game and Scoring
• Gameplay
  • On Your Turn
    • Go Home
    • Travel
    • Scoring
      • Scored Aspirations
• Iconic Sims Move
• Single Player Mode
  • Single Player Setup
  • Single Player Moving In!
  • Single Player Object of the Game
  • Single Player Gameplay
    • Go Home
    • Travel
    • Scoring
    • Action Card Effects

Components

Contents of the box, as listed on page 2 of the Instruction Manual.

• Board Pieces x3
• Plumbob Movers x5
• Turn Order Cards x5
• Interaction Die x1
• Venue Cards x6
• Action Cards x115
• Needs Trackers x5
• Aspiration Cards x27
• Home Cards x18
• Iconic Sims Cards x18

Setup

Moving Into the Neighborhood!

1. Assemble the board pieces as shown above to form the gameboard.
2. Place the Venue cards onto the board, one in each of the six spaces. Use whichever sides have your favorite locations!
3. Shuffle the Action cards, then deal six face-up cards next to the board in two rows of three to form the "Card Hub." Place the remaining cards nearby as a draw pile.
4. Shuffle the Iconic Sims cards, then deal two face-up cards next to the board below the Card Hub. Place the remaining cards nearby as a draw pile.
5. Shuffle the Aspiration cards to form a draw pile.
6. Set the Interaction die to the side of the board.

Complete Setup by Moving In!

1. Each player takes a Needs Tracker, Turn Order card, and the Plumbob Mover that matches in color. Set all Needs on the Needs Tracker to FULL (green).
2. Each player draws two Aspiration cards and two Home cards and chooses one of each to keep. Discard unused Aspiration cards. Unused Home cards can be returned to the box.
3. "Move in" by placing your Home card on the edge of the board nearest you. Place your Plumbob Mover and Aspiration card on your Home card. Place your Needs Tracker below your Home card.
4. The player who most recently moved in real life goes first.

Object of the Game and Scoring

The object of the game is to be the first player to end your turn with 8 points. You get points in two ways:

NOTE: You can enjoy a longer game by agreeing to play to 10 points.

1. Each Aspiration you complete: 3 points. At the end of your turn, you complete your Aspiration if your collection of Action cards shows three SIMbols matching your Aspiration (in any combination). The SIMbol on your Home card can count as one of the three.
2. Iconic Sims: 1 point each. Iconic Sims move from the board to your home when you take an Action card that shows their interest. Iconic Sims in other players' homes can move to your home when Iconic Sims Move (see page 10).

Gameplay

On Your Turn

Choose to Go Home or Travel and follow the steps below. Either way, at the end of your turn, you score (see Scoring), then the player to your left takes a turn. During most of your turns, you will Travel.

NOTE: Before you take your turn, be sure to replenish any Action cards and Iconic Sims cards that were taken during the previous turn.

Go Home

Choose Go Home if you have to recharge your Needs or look for a new Aspiration. Move your Plumbob Mover to your Home card, then:

1. Raise Two Needs: Choose two of your Needs and raise them from EMPTY (red) to FULL (green).
2. Draw one Aspiration card, then discard one: You can discard the new one or the one you already had.
   • A. Draw +1
   • B. Discard -1

Travel

During most turns, you will Travel by moving to any Venue and taking a new Action card.

1. Move: Move your Plumbob Mover onto a Venue whose Need is FULL on your Needs Tracker.

   • A. Lower the Need shown at that Venue from FULL to EMPTY.
   • B. Take an Action card from the Card Hub that has at least one SIMbol matching your Venue and place it "in your Home," face up to the right of your player board.

   Some Action cards let you raise a Need from EMPTY to FULL, and some have special actions you perform when you take them. The "Iconic Sims Move" action is described on page 10.

   Diagram call-outs: "Raise this Need!" and "Perform this Action!"

TIP: The Action card you take must have a SIMbol that matches your Venue, but other than that you can take whichever card you think is best! Look for cards that match your Aspiration or the interest of an Iconic Sim, or that have special actions you want to take.

Diagram call-out: "Stack your Action cards so you can see the SIMbols you've collected!"

NOTE: You can move to any Venue and take any Action card that matches that Venue - it doesn't have to match your Aspiration.

2. Befriend Iconic Sims: Take any Iconic Sims from the board whose interest SIMbol matches an Action card you took this turn.

3. Interact: If other players are at your Venue, you must choose one to interact with. Starting with you, both of you must roll the Interaction die and apply the result:

   • Good Interaction (green plus symbol): Raise one of your Needs.
   • Awkward Interaction (red minus symbol): Lower one of your Needs.
   • Learned Something New (hand symbol): Take one random Action card from the other player.

Diagram call-out: "Sul sul!"

Scoring

Scored Aspirations

After you Travel or Go Home, check to see if you have completed your Aspiration. If you did, tuck it under your Home card so only the name and points are showing, then draw one new Aspiration card.

Do not discard your Action cards. They can be used to complete future Aspirations.

Diagram call-outs: "Tuck under your Home card!" and "Draw one new card!"

IMPORTANT:

• You can only complete an Aspiration at the end of your turn, and only once per turn.
• If you already have three SIMbols matching your new Aspiration, you must wait until the end of your next turn to complete it.

Diagram example: Morgun Ember and Venessa Jeong Iconic Sims, Scored Aspirations totalling "1+1+3+3=8. Victory!"

The last thing to do is check to see if you have 8 or more points. If you do, you immediately win the game! Completed Aspirations are worth 3 points each, and Iconic Sims in your home are worth 1 point each.

You can't win on another player's turn, even if you have 8 points.

Iconic Sims Move

NOTE: You can start playing without reading this section. Come back when someone takes a card that says "ICONIC SIMS MOVE!"

When someone takes a card that says "ICONIC SIMS MOVE!", all Iconic Sims currently in players' homes will move, looking for another player who might interest them.

EVERY player picks up ALL the Iconic Sims in their home, then passes them around the table to the left.

You can keep any Iconic Sims card you are passed if you have their interest on your Action cards or Home card, otherwise keep passing them. Continue until all Iconic Sims have stopped moving. Some players may end up with an Iconic Sim they had before.

Example (from the manual, pages 10-11): Player 1 takes the Cowplant on their turn, causing Iconic Sims to move! Everyone picks up their Iconic Sims and passes them to the left.

• Bella Goth: Neither Player 2 nor Player 3 has the heart SIMbol, so Bella Goth goes all the way around and ends up back with Player 1.
• Rory Oaklow: Player 3 doesn't have the matching SIMbol, but Player 1 does on their new Cowplant card, so they keep Rory Oaklow too!
• Bob Pancakes: Player 3 has the pan SIMbol, so they get to keep Bob Pancakes.

Single Player Mode

The following is transcribed from the official "1 Player Single Player Instruction Manual" (8 pages), which accompanies the same box. Page references are to that manual.

Single Player Setup

Page 2 of the single player manual.

1. Assemble the board pieces as shown above to form the gameboard.
2. Place the Venue cards onto the board, one in each of the six spaces.
3. Shuffle the Action cards, then deal six face-up cards next to the board in two rows of three to form the "Card Hub." Place the remaining cards nearby as a draw pile.
4. Shuffle the Iconic Sims cards, then draw two of them. Place each one at the Venue that matches their interest. In the single player game, Iconic Sims hang out at the Venues.
5. Set the Interaction die to the side of the board.

Single Player Moving In!

Page 3 of the single player manual.

1. Take a Needs Tracker and a Plumbob Mover. Set all Needs on the Needs Tracker to FULL (green). Leave the Turn Order cards in the box - they aren't used in the single player game.
2. Choose any Home card you like and return the rest to the box.
3. Shuffle the Aspiration cards and deal three face-up cards in front of you, or feel free to choose any three Aspirations you want! Return the rest of the Aspiration cards to the box. These are your Sim's Aspirations for their whole life!

Single Player Object of the Game

Page 4 of the single player manual.

When playing solo, the points don't matter! Instead, you have two goals.

1. Live your best life by completing your three Aspirations. You can work on your three Aspirations in any order. For more details, see the Scoring section (page 6).
2. Make friends by having three Iconic Sims at your home. Iconic Sims behave differently in the single player game. They live at the Venues on the board, and you interact with them by visiting their Venue and rolling the die! The ICONIC SIMS MOVE Action card works differently too (page 7).

You win as soon as you accomplish both goals, and you lose if your Needs run out and you can't recharge them.

Single Player Gameplay

Page 4 of the single player manual.

Every turn, you will Go Home or Travel, following the steps below. After each turn, replace any cards you took or discarded from the Card Hub. Then, it's your turn again! Cool!

NOTE: Gameplay is slightly different from the multiplayer version.

Go Home

In order to Go Home, you must have a set of three identical SIMbols in your collection.

1. Move your Plumbob Mover onto your Home card, discard the Action cards used to make the set, then raise ONE of your Needs from EMPTY to FULL.

Note - Home card bonus: You can use the SIMbol on your home card as part of the set. You never have to discard your Home card.

Travel

Pages 5-6 of the single player manual.

1. Move: Move your Plumbob Mover onto any Venue card. (This step is the same as in the multiplayer game!)

   • A. Lower the Need shown at that Venue. If you can't lower the Need, choose a different Venue!
   • B. Take an Action card from the Card Hub that has at least one SIMbol matching your Venue. If the card you chose shows one or more Needs, raise those Needs from EMPTY to FULL. If it has an action, perform that action. Then place the card "in your home".

   Diagram call-outs: "Raise this Need!" and "Perform this Action!"

2. Befriend Iconic Sims: Take any Iconic Sims from the board whose interest SIMbol matches an Action card you took this turn.

3. After you move, interact with Iconic Sims: Interact with each Iconic Sim at your Plumbob Mover's location by rolling the die and applying the effect below:

   • Good Interaction (green plus symbol): Raise one of your Needs. Leave the Iconic Sim at the Venue.
   • Awkward Interaction (red minus symbol): Move the Iconic Sim card to the center of the board. These Iconic Sims can be obtained with an ICONIC SIMS MOVE action card (See page 7). Draw a new Iconic Sim and place them in the Venue that matches their interest.
   • Come on Over! (hand symbol): Place the Iconic Sim in your home. Draw a new Iconic Sim and place them in the Venue that matches their interest. If the new Sim ends up at the Venue with your Plumbob Mover, you can immediately interact with them too!

BONUS: If you now have four or more Sims at your house, it's a party! Raise any one Need from EMPTY to FULL.

Scoring

Page 6 of the single player manual.

After you Travel, check to see if you can score.

Score by collecting a set of three SIMbols that match one of your Aspiration cards in any combination. The SIMbols can be on Action cards in your collection or on your Home card.

Take the completed Aspiration card and the Action cards used to complete it, flip them face down, and place the pile nearby.

BONUS: Completing an Aspiration feels good. Raise any one Need from EMPTY to FULL immediately!

NOTE: You can complete your three Aspirations in any order!

Action Card Effects

Page 7 of the single player manual.

ICONIC SIMS MOVE! Choose one Iconic Sim on the board whose interest matches a SIMbol in your collection. Place that Iconic Sim in your home. If that Iconic Sim was at a Venue, draw a new Iconic Sim and place them at the Venue matching their interest.

BONUS: If you now have four or more Sims at your house, it's a party! Raise any one Need from EMPTY to FULL.

SWAP CARDS Instead of swapping with another player, swap with any Action card in the discard pile. You don't increase your Needs or perform the action on the card you swap for - you just get its SIMbols.

Don Lothario Makes a Move As soon as this card appears in the Card Hub, immediately roll the die for each Iconic Sim card in play (on the board and at your home). If you roll a Good Interaction (plus) symbol, that Iconic Sim goes out with Don Lothario. Return them both to the box and stop rolling. If you don't roll a Good Interaction (plus) symbol for any of the Iconic Sims in play, place the Don Lothario card in your home, where he counts toward one of the three Iconic Sims you need to win!

Grim Reaper Visits As soon as this card appears in the Card Hub, immediately return all Iconic Sims you had an awkward encounter with, the ones in the center of the board, to the box, along with the Grim Reaper card. If there are no Iconic Sims in the center of the board, return all of the Iconic Sims in your home to the box, then place the Grim Reaper card in your home, where they count toward one of the three Iconic Sims you need to win!

Watch Out! It's Mrs. Crumplebottom! As soon as this card appears in the Card Hub, immediately turn your collection of Action cards over, mix them up, and discard two at random. Then discard this Watch Out! card.

Transcription note: The single player manual prints "immediatley" in the Grim Reaper Visits text and "immediatly" in the Travel step 3 text; they are corrected to "immediately" here. No other wording has been changed.