Ugg-Tect
Ugg-Tect Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
In Ugg-Tect, 4–8 players divided into teams take on the roles of caveman ugg-tects and workers building prehistoric monuments (see page 7 for rules for playing with 2–3 players). Each team, commanded by its ugg-tect, must race to build monuments faster than the other team to win the game. However, each ugg-tect's commands can only consist of caveman words, gestures, and taps of his club.
Object of the Game
The first caveman team to successfully build monuments worth a total of 10 points (after subtracting penalties for discarded monuments) wins the game.
Component List
This section lists the physical components of Ugg-Tect.
- This Rulebook
- 2 Crib Sheets
- 24 Project Cards
- 2 Cardboard Slabs
- 10 Wooden Building Parts, consisting of:
- 2 Yellow Square Columns
- 2 Green Square Columns
- 2 Blue Cylinders
- 2 White Cylinders
- 2 Red Triangles
- 2 Inflatable Clubs
Component Overview
This section describes the Ugg-Tect components in detail:
Crib Sheets
A crib sheet is placed between each ugg-tect and his workers. It shows the available stone age words and body movements and indicates their meanings.
Project Cards
These 24 cards display the different building projects to be attempted by the caveman teams.
Cardboard Slabs
These grey punchboard stone slabs usually constitute the base of a monument, but sometimes can be used in other ways in the monument as well. They each have a light side and a dark side.
Wooden Building Parts
Each caveman team uses its set of five wooden parts, in conjunction with its cardboard slab, to construct monuments.
Inflatable Clubs
Each ugg-tect uses his inflatable club to aid in communication.
Club Safety. Please be careful when using the inflatable clubs. Tapping a player with too much force could injure the player. Players must be sure to only lightly tap other players with the inflatable clubs.
Setup
Before playing Ugg-Tect, inflate the two plastic clubs and bend the crib sheets so that they stand up. Then follow the steps below to set up the game.
- Choose Teams: Players divide themselves into two teams using any agreeable method. The number of players on the teams can differ, but each team must have at least two players. (Optionally, a training version of the game can be played with a single team; see page 7 for details.)
- Choose Roles: Then each team selects one player – the most clever player, of course – to be the ugg-tect. The other team members are the workers. Both ugg-tects stand or sit on the same side of the playing surface, and their respective workers stand or sit opposite them.
- Take Materials: Each team takes one set of building materials (1 grey cardboard slab, 1 yellow square column, 1 green square column, 1 blue cylinder, 1 white cylinder, and 1 red triangle). Each ugg-tect takes one inflatable club.
- Prepare Crib Sheets: Each ugg-tect takes one crib sheet and positions it between himself and his workers, in such a way that all players can read the information on the sheet.
- Prepare Project Deck: One player shuffles the Project cards, forming a Project deck, and places the deck face-down within reach of both ugg-tects.
- Draw Project Cards: Each ugg-tect draws a Project card from the top of the Project deck without revealing it to the other players.
- Divide Building Materials: While each ugg-tect looks at his Project card, the workers of each team divide their building materials among themselves. Each worker must have at least one building part, but otherwise the workers can distribute them as they wish. (Even distribution is recommended but not required.) Each worker is solely and exclusively responsible for the placement and handling of his building part(s) during the game.
- Start Game: Once both teams are ready, the game begins.
Game Setup Diagram
The setup diagram shows Team A's play area mirrored by Team B's play area, with each team's zone laid out as follows:
- Worker Play Area
- Wooden Parts
- Cardboard Slab
- Crib Sheet
- Project Deck
- Ugg-tect Play Area
- Starting Project Card
- Inflatable Club
Playing the Game
Both ugg-tects simultaneously command the workers on their team, giving them directions in order to build the monument depicted on each ugg-tect's Project card.
The ugg-tects are not allowed to use anything other than the few words and gestures depicted on the translation crib sheet to direct their workers. The workers must follow these communication limitations as well. (See pages 4, 6, and 8 for a list of the allowed gestures and words and their meanings).
The ugg-tect indicates to his workers which building part to manipulate by using the gestures shown on the crib sheet. Other words or gestures cannot be used.
Example: If the ugg-tect stomps his feet, he is indicating he wants the white cylinder manipulated in some way. He will use stone age words to indicate exactly what way.
The ugg-tect indicates to his workers the correct placement of the building parts by using the stone age language on the crib sheet only. Other words or gestures cannot be used. If the ugg-tect says a stone age word once, the first meaning for the word on the crib sheet is meant. If he says the stone age word twice, the second meaning is meant.
Example: If the ugg-tect says, "Manungu" (meaning "Make front!"), the worker must move the piece to the front. However, if the ugg-tect says, "Manungu, Manungu" (meaning "Make back!"), the worker must move the piece to the back.
The ugg-tect must use the body gestures for the different building parts in conjunction with the placement words to communicate to the workers which part must be positioned where. The workers try to interpret the orders of their ugg-tect correctly and place the parts as ordered. Both the ugg-tect and his workers can use the crib sheet to help communicate and understand the ugg-tect's intentions.
The ugg-tect can use his club to show his workers if they are right or wrong in their building efforts. A single (light!) tap on the head means correct, while two taps mean incorrect. In the latter case, the corresponding worker has to withdraw his last building step and can ask the ugg-tect what to do in stone age manner: "Ugg?"
If the ugg-tect taps his own head, he made a mistake in his last order, which then must be ignored by the worker(s).
The ugg-tect must hold the Project card in one hand and his club in the other hand. He cannot use other gestures and terms than those written on the crib sheet, or use the club other than as indicated on the crib sheet. He cannot point to the building parts.
Stone Age Gestures
- Put your hands together above your head: Red Piece
- Clap your hands on your thighs or lower back: Blue Piece
- Swing your hips: Green Piece
- Stomp your feet: White Piece
- Shrug your shoulders: Grey Piece
- Tilt your head sideways: Yellow Piece
All cards in the ugg-tect's discard pile count as -1 point for his team. Each team's ugg-tect has his own discard pile.
Note: With a very few specific exceptions detailed in the rules, only the stone age words and gestures depicted on the crib sheet can be used. If this rule is broken, the current building project of the transgressing team must be discarded and counts as -1 point.
Project Card Stacks
Successfully finished Project cards are stacked faceup to the right of the ugg-tect and score the point value printed on them.
Project cards of aborted, not even started, or defective projects are stacked facedown to the left of the ugg-tect and count as -1 point each.
Finishing a Project
As soon as a team has finished the monument on its ugg-tect's current Project card, the appropriate ugg-tect exclaims "Ugg-tect!" and taps the table with his club three times (the monument must stay intact or it will have to be rebuilt!). Then the ugg-tect reveals his Project card. This is the only instance when an ugg-tect can reveal his Project card.
All work by both teams must stop immediately. The other team's ugg-tect and workers must verify the correctness of the monument.
If the monument is consistent with the image on the Project card, the players of the opposing team must express their approval and admiration by wild nodding and unbridled applause and elation.
However, if the monument shows grave defects, the opponents should make dismissive grunts and gestures to state their protest and honest disgust.
If the monument was built correctly, the building team receives the point value printed on the card. As a reminder, this card is placed faceup in a pile to the right of the scoring team's ugg-tect.
If more than half of the opponents protested and pointed at the incorrectly built parts, the faulty monument must be torn down and its Project card discarded facedown into a pile to the left of the ugg-tect (counting as -1 point).
Note: Do not reject a monument because of minor flaws. Serious flaws include using the wrong color part, placing a part in the wrong spot, or orienting a part incorrectly. (However, with respect to positioning, some "artistic freedom" should be tolerated.)
The grey cardboard slabs have a light and a dark side. The appropriate side must be up for the orientation of the part to be correct.
Once a monument has been scored (either positively or negatively), the judging team resumes building. The scoring team then takes back its building parts, its ugg-tect draws a new Project card, and the team begins its new project.
After a project ends (either through successful completion or by being discarded) and before drawing a new Project card, the ugg-tect may change roles with one of the workers of his team, if the team agrees. In such a case, the former ugg-tect is now responsible for the former worker's building parts.
Under no circumstances can the ugg-tect touch the building parts with his body, the club, or any object. If the ugg-tect breaks this rule, he must discard his Project card facedown in a pile to the left of the ugg-tect and draw another from the top of the Project deck to begin a new building project.
Only the workers are allowed to touch the building parts – and only those that were assigned to them at the start of the game.
If the ugg-tect decides any project is too difficult to finish, he may discard his Project card facedown in a pile to the left of the ugg-tect and draw a new one from the top of the Project deck.
Winning the Game
If, at any time, a team accumulates 10 or more points (after factoring in negative points from discarded projects), it wins immediately. Its ingenious ugg-tect celebrates the victory by swinging the cudgel wildly and exclaiming "Ugg-tect! Ugg-tect!" repeatedly.
The ugg-tect and workers of a team may examine their own project stacks at any time. However, they cannot examine the other team's project stacks.
After each successful project, the ugg-tect and workers should check their team's score to see if they have won the game.
Players should be careful to correctly count their score and declare victory before drawing a new Project card, because an unbuilt project counts as -1 point, which could prevent their team from winning at that time.
In the unlikely event that both teams declare victory at the same time, the team with the most points wins. If both teams have the same number of points, the game ends in a tie.
Example: This team has 13 points for built projects and -2 points for discarded projects. The team has a total of 11 points, which is enough to win the game.
Stone Age Words
Each word has two meanings, depending on whether the ugg-tect speaks it once or twice.
| Word | Spoken once | Spoken twice |
|---|---|---|
| Ungungu | You take! = Take the building part! | Put away! = Put away the building part! |
| Karungu | Turn thingy! = Rotate the building part! | Tilt thingy! = Tilt the building part! |
| Konguku | Make upper! = Raise the elevation of the building part! | Make lower! = Lower the building part! |
| Manungu | Make front! = Move the building part to the front! | Make back! = Move the building part to the back! |
| Akungu | Put thingy! = Erect the building part! | Lay thingy! = Lay the building part down flat! |
| Kaghingu | Make left! = Move the building part to the left! | Make right! = Move the building part to the right! |
Club Speak
- One tap to a worker means correct.
- Two taps to a worker means incorrect.
- Any number of taps to the ugg-tect means cancel his last order.
Optional Rules
Ugg-Tect players may play the following game variants if all players agree.
Time Limit
In this variant, instead of playing to 10 points, the teams play until a set time has elapsed (e.g., 30 minutes).
The team accumulating the highest score by the end of this time span is the winner. An unfinished building at the end of the time span does not count as a penalty.
Single Team
In this variant, instead of competing against another team, a single team (1 ugg-tect and 1 to 3 workers) can play Ugg-Tect by itself. The team's goal is to score as many points as possible within 30 minutes.
An unfinished building at the end of the time span does not count as a penalty.
Credits
Heidelberger Spieleverlag
- Game Design: Walter Obert
- Additional Development: Paolo Vallerga
- Illustration and Graphics: Jochen Eeuwyk
- Lead Developer: Harald Bilz
- Executive Development: Harald Bilz and Oliver Erhardt
- Layout & Graphic Design: Selami Ileman and Harald Bilz
- With the Collaboration of: Christoph Lipsky and Petra Becker
Fantasy Flight Games
- Producer: Mark O'Connor
- Graphic Design: Shaun Boyke, Katie Dugan, and Scott Nicely
- Managing Art Director: Andrew Navaro
- Art Direction: Kyle J. Hough
- Cover Art: Christian Pearce
- Production Management: Eric Knight
- Production Coordinator: Laura Creighton
- Managing Game Producer: Steven Kimball
- Executive Game Designer: Corey Konieczka
- Executive Producer: Michael Hurley
- Publisher: Christian T. Petersen