Trepanation Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Components
• Preparation
  • Special Rules
• Player Boards
• Gameplay
  • Updating phase
  • Scheduling phase
  • Action phase
• End of the Game
  • Tiebreakers
• Components Description
  • Locations
    • Show, main stage
    • Study, local newspaper
    • Aristotles' Store
    • Hippocrates' Medicines
    • Vinnie's tavern
    • Police Department
    • Travelling locations
  • Night locations
    • Show "Evening Stage" (only for 5-player game)
    • Study (only for 5-player game)
    • 7 Rooms Hostel (only for 5-player game)

Introduction

The game takes place over six days (rounds). At the beginning of each day, players prepare their schedules by booking time-slots at locations around town.

Then the day's events happen according to these schedules: players gather medicine and equipment, employ accomplices, bribe the police, and perform shows. But not all plans run smooth: Other players will create stock shortages, steal your audience, and snatch up those essential time-slots!

Performing shows in related sets grant Fame points, as does getting your name into the local newspapers. Grave-robbing in the night damages your reputation, but will yield profits! At the end of a busy week, the player who has earned the most fame will win the game.

There are lots of places to perform actions because the challenge of the game is in timing your actions correctly to put on the best shows with the least effort.

Components

• 1 double-sided Action board
• 1 Travelling locations board
• 5 double-sided player boards (1 per player)
• 14 Travelling location cards
• 5 Game start bonus cards
• 36 Show cards
• 6 player tokens (meeples), in 5 different colours
• 2 Local Press tokens, in 5 different colours
• 16 Shill tokens
• 20 Medicine tokens
• 16 Bribe tokens
• 20 Equipment tokens
• 7 Fame tokens
• 12 Coin tokens
• 3 "Closed" tokens
• 8 Specialization tokens (2 of each kind)

Preparation

Place the Action board and the Travelling locations board on the table. Turn the Action board onto the side that corresponds to the number of players (one side for 2 players, the other for 3 - 5 players).

On the Travelling locations board, place 2 Travelling location cards, face up. Place the rest of the Travelling location cards face down on the left, forming a deck.

Everybody takes a player board and the meeples of the corresponding colour.

Place five of your meeples on your player board, covering all five slots.

Place one meeple from each player in a random order on the player order track.

Each player takes two Local Press tokens of his colour and puts them on the Action board spaces that track local press publications.

At the right of the board is the table with the 6 rounds of the game, representing 6 days.

On this table of rounds, place the resources depicted on each box for the first five days, and a Fame token on the last day.

Starting with the player at the end of the player order track and working backwards, each player takes a random Game start bonus card. Players take the resources stated on their card and then place the card next to their player board for the final scoring.

Above the Action board, place face-up Show cards, according to the number of players.

Special Rules

In games with only 2 players, use the side of the board for 2 players.

In games with 3 or 4 players, Evening Stage, Study and Hostel night locations won't be available. Put a "Closed" sign on these locations.

In games with 5 players, all locations are available.

Player Boards

The player boards contain spaces for shills, medicine, equipment, bribes and coins. When you take any of these resources, you have to place them on your board on the appropriate space. When receiving bribe tokens or shill tokens, you have to place them on the corresponding leftmost slot. If you have reached the maximum limit of a resource indicated on your board, you cannot take that resource.

Gameplay

Players take turns to place their meeples onto different time-slots on the Action board.

Then, according to the schedule and order of the players, players resolve their actions.

With the resources spent, the players perform shows and write for the local press to earn fame and fortune.

Each of the 6 rounds consists of the following phases:

• Updating phase
• Scheduling phase
• Action phase

At the end of the game, the player with the most Fame points is the winner.

Updating phase

At the start of each day, move the resource token from the current day on the table of rounds onto the suitcase. If there are no more tokens left, it means the 6 days have passed and the game will end.

From the second day, complete the following steps:

1. Update the supply places on your own player board, moving your shills and bribes one space to the right.

   All tokens that are now on the "Payday" space should be moved back to the general supply. If you return 3 or more supplies in this way, you'll receive 1 coin in exchange.

2. Discard any Show card in the rightmost space, move the remaining Show cards to the right, and refill the vacant spaces with cards from the Show deck (according to the number of players).

3. Discard the Travelling location card on the right and move the one on the left to take its place. In the free space on the left, place a new Travelling location card from the deck.

Scheduling phase

In this phase, players place their meeples on time-slots in order to obtain resources and shills during the action phase, make local news, perform shows, pay bribes, earn coins or get a start bonus for the next day.

On your turn, you place a single meeple of your colour on the board, occupying a time-slot.

You can choose any unoccupied time-slot and it isn't necessary to fill time-slots in chronological order (i.e., you can choose a 17:00 slot during one turn and choose a 09:00 slot later).

Example: The first player places one of his meeples on any empty space, the second player places one of his meeples and so on until all players have placed their first meeple. Then, the first player places his second meeple, then the next player, and so on until all meeples have been placed.

ATTENTION: It is not allowed to place several meeples on one space, no matter in what colour.

Once all players have placed all their meeples, the next phase begins.

Action phase

Starting at 09:00, the first player's action will be resolved first; after that, the other players' actions on this time-slot follow, in player order. If the first player has no meeple there, the actions of those who placed a figure there will be resolved, in order.

When all players have resolved a 09:00 meeple, go on with the meeples at 11:00, following the established order of players.

Example: The red player removes his meeple from the 09:00 slot at Hippocrates' Medicines. He gets a Medicine token and puts it on the corresponding space on his player board.

NOTE: If someone places many meeples on the same time, he'll be able to activate just one. The other meeples won't have any effect, and the respective actions will be forfeited.

Example: The green player places a meeple at Hippocrates' Medicines at 09:00 on his first turn. On his fourth turn, he places another meeple at Vinnie's Tavern also at 09:00. Later, when resolving his action at 9:00, he will have to choose between taking 1 medicine or 1 bribe and an accomplice. He cannot carry out the second action at 09:00; it goes to waste. He will then return his 2 meeples to his player board.

When purchasing supplies, these must be placed on the correct space on each player's board. Players can have any number of shills and bribes, but coins are limited to four for each player, and medicines and equipment are limited to six per player board.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The resources in the game are not limited. If there are no further resources of any kind available, players may help themselves by using other materials.

End of the Game

The game ends after the sixth day.

The players add up all Fame points obtained by:

• Shows performed.
• Position on the tracks of the publication table.
• Specialization tokens.
• Fame tokens earned throughout the game.
• Points for the same show type collected.
• Points for different show types collected.
• 1 point for every 5 resources remaining on the player's board.

The player with the most Fame points is the winner.

Tiebreakers

In case of a tie, the player who performed the most shows wins.

If there's still a tie, the player with the most coins wins.

If there's still a tie, the player with the most Specialization tokens wins.

If there's still a tie, the player with the most bribes wins.

If there's still a tie, the player with the most shills wins.

If there's still a tie, the players share the victory and become archenemies.

Example: The red player adds up the Fame points from the shows he performed (7+4+5+2+9 points). He also adds up 3 points for owning a collection of 3 cards of the Pharmacology type and 1 point for a collection of 2 cards of the Psychology type. He also adds 2 points for the two Fame tokens he won. His final score is 33 points.

Components Description

Locations

Show, main stage

On each time-slot of the main stage, players may perform one of the available shows by paying the corresponding supplies.

If a meeple has been placed at 09:00 (11:00 on the board for 2 players) before performing a show (New Show symbol), the active player has to remove one of the available show cards, replacing it with a new one from the deck.

If a show is performed at 17:00, the player receives a Fame point as a reward after the show.

Study, local newspaper

Each time-slot allows you to move forward on the local press tracks, paying the corresponding price indicated on the track for each step. Advancing on the first two spaces of either track doesn't cost anything.

• 2 different colours: Move one space forward on each track.
• 1 colour: Move one space forward on a track.
• 1 colour twice: Move two spaces forward on a single track.

Aristotles' Store

Each time-slot gives you 1 Equipment token + 1 for each empty time-slot to the right of your meeple.

Example: If the red player has a meeple at 09:00 and the green player has a meeple at 15:00 and no other player has placed a meeple on that location, the red player takes 3 Equipment tokens (09:00, 11:00, and 13:00), and the green player takes 2 Equipment tokens (15:00 and 17:00).

Hippocrates' Medicines

Each time-slot gives you the indicated number of Medicine tokens.

Additionally, in the 13:00 slot, the active player has to remove one of the available show cards, replacing it with a new one from the deck (New Show symbol).

Vinnie's tavern

Each time-slot gives you the indicated number and kind of tokens.

In the 11:00 slot, you can pay a coin to another player and take any 2 of his resources.

In the 17:00 slot, you can move all the bribes and shills on your player board 1 space to the left.

Police Department

Each time-slot gives you the indicated number of Shill tokens and Bribe tokens.

On the 15:00 slot, you gain a coin, and the shill and bribes belonging to all players, including you, will move one place to the right on their player boards.

Travelling locations

Locations on this board change throughout the game and are explained under Travelling location cards below.

Night locations

Show "Evening Stage" (only for 5-player game)

If you perform a show in this location, you receive a coin after that.

Study (only for 5-player game)

Allows you to move forward one space on a track of the publication table, paying the corresponding price.

7 Rooms Hostel (only for 5-player game)

You will be the second player from the next round. Place your meeple on the second space on the player order track, pushing other players' meeples to the right, but maintaining their order.

Note: The 7 Rooms Hostel does not affect the first player.

Cemetery

Each of the 2 spaces in the cemetery gives you a coin.

Hotel Royal

If you place your meeple on this space, you get - when resolving this action - all ressources currently gathered in the suitcase. Additionally, you will be the first player in the next round. To this end, you place your meeple on the first space on the player order track, pushing other players' meeples to the right, but maintaining their order.

Publication table

Advancing on any of these two tracks (Tabloids and Specialized press) allows you to get Fame tokens and Specialization tokens.

The cost to advance on tabloids spaces is shown above the table, whereas the cost to advance on specialized press spaces is shown below the table.

With publications in tabloids, you can get up to 12 fame points; with publications in the specialized press, you may get up to 17 points.

Advancing to the 5th and 7th spaces rewards you with a coin.

Additionally, upon arriving to the 4th and 8th spaces on either track, you choose a Specialization token that will give you an additional point for each show of the same type at the end of the game.

Specialization tokens

Each Specialization token will give you an additional Fame point for each show of the same kind you have at the end of the game. There are 4 types of shows: Pharmacology, Traumatology, Psychology and Surgery.

Player Boards

Each side of the board shows a different character. You choose which one you want to play.

On that board you'll place the supplies you get during the game.

Show cards

A. Name of the show. B. Cost to perform the show. C. Type of specialization. D. Fame points the show is worth.

There are 4 kinds of shows: Pharmacology, Psychology, Traumatology and Surgery.

Important note: To perform a show in the Show stage, you need to spend the corresponding type and quantity of resources. Coins can be used in place of any resources. (If a show requires two shills, for example, you may spend 1 shill and 1 coin, or 2 coins instead.)

Travelling location cards

These travelling locations allow you to obtain resources or perform shows, but they are only active for 1 or 2 rounds.

• Good Deal: Pay 1 coin to another player and steal 2 of his supplies.
• Miraculous tonics: Get 2 medicines and 1 shill.
• Circus: If you perform a show in this location, you will receive 1 shill after the performance.
• Contacts: Get 2 bribes and choose 1 equipment token or 1 medicine.
• High-quality scalpels: Get 2 equipment tokens and 1 bribe.
• A good pay: Get 2 bribes, 2 shills, 2 equipment tokens or 2 medicines.
• Study: Move forward 1 step on a track of the publication table, paying its corresponding cost, and get 1 coin after the action.
• A good show: If you perform a show in this location, you will also get 1 coin as a reward after the show.
• Tram: Place your meeple on the first space of the player order track, rearranging the rest behind it in the same order and also receiving 1 bribe.
• Shows renewed: Discard all available shows and replace them with new ones. Get 1 coin.
• Alcohol tank: You get 2 shills and may choose between 1 equipment token and 1 medicine.
• Massage: Place your meeple on the first space of the player order track, rearranging the rest behind it in the same order.

Initial bonus cards

A. Resources you get at the beginning of the game.

B. Additional points for:

• shows performed of the same type (e.g., 5 shows of the same type are worth 8 Fame points). The card lists: 2 shows = 1, 3 = 3, 4 = 5, 5 = 8, 6 = 11 Fame points.
• sets of shows of all different show types (a set of different show types is worth 5 Fame points).