Video Game Champion Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Objective
• Game Components
• Setup
  • A. Action Grid
  • B. Dollar Tokens
  • C. Rental Store
  • D. Discard & Thrill Trail
  • E. IOUs
  • F. Newsstand
  • G. Video Game Store
  • H. Achievements
  • I. Player Area
  • J. Reference Card
  • Press Start!
• Game Flow
  • Reset the Board
  • Routine
    • Take a Button Tile from the Grid
    • Choose an Action
    • Discard Button Tiles
    • Play Video Games
    • End Your Turn
  • Initiative Reset
  • Weekend
• Actions
  • Game Planning
  • Can I Have Some Money?
  • Asking for a Present
  • Waking Up Early
  • Studying and Doing Your Chores
  • Visiting the Grandparents
  • Going to the Newsstand
  • Going to the Rental Store
• Beating and Playing Games
  • Combinations
  • Video Game Cards
  • Beating
  • Playing
    • Benefits from Playing
  • Thrilling
  • Playing New Releases
• Magazines
  • Using the Magazine
• Password Notebook
• Achievements
• Scoring

Overview

You will select Button Tiles from the Action Grid, activating one of two Actions. Build combinations with these Tiles and use them to Play and Beat your video games!

Objective

"Become the video game champion of your neighborhood!"

The player who gets the highest score is named the Video Game Champion!

Game Components

• 1 Initiative Board
• 1 Discard Board
• 8 Action Boards
• 1 Score Pad
• 1 New Releases Bag (Smaller Bag)
• 1 Button Tiles Bag (Larger Bag)
• 5 Password Notebooks
• 10 Cubes (2 of each color)
• 15 Meeples (3 of each color)
• 40 Dollar Tokens
• 40 New Release Crystals (8 of each color)
• 80 Played/Beaten Game Tokens (16 of each color)
• 25 IOU Tiles
• 50 Button Tiles
• 30 Video Game Cards
• 17 Achievement Cards
• 15 Magazine Cards
• 5 Initial Video Game Cards
• 1 Reference Card

Setup

A. Action Grid

Place the Initiative Board on the table within reach of all players. This will become the bottom left corner of the Action Grid.

Shuffle the Action Boards and place 4 to the right and 4 above the Initiative Board dark side up.

For a 2-player game use the light side of the Action Boards (marked "2P") and return the 2 blank (∅) tiles to the box. Shuffle the Action Boards and place 3 above and 3 to the right of the Initiative Board as shown below. Also return Button Tiles numbered 0 and 9 to the box.

Place the Button Tiles in the Button Tile Bag, shuffling them.

Draw a Button Tile from the bag for each space on the Grid so each Button Tile is aligned with 2 Action Boards as shown below.

B. Dollar Tokens

Place the Dollar Tokens in a reserve pile next to the Action Grid.

C. Rental Store

Shuffle the 30 Video Game Cards and place 15 of them face down to form the Rental Store. Turn the first 7 Video Games in the Rental Store face up. For a 5-player game flip one more for a total of 8.

Place all of the Crystals in the New Releases Bag. Draw Crystals from the bag one at a time, placing one on each of the last 10 Game Cards in the Rental Store (most of these will be face down).

D. Discard & Thrill Trail

Place the Discard Board beside the Rental Store. Next to it, place 4 Button Tiles drawn from the Bag to form the Thrill Trail.

E. IOUs

Place the IOUs in a reserve pile next to the Action Grid.

F. Newsstand

Shuffle the Magazine Cards to form the Newsstand deck. Reveal 3 Magazines and place a Crystal from the bag on each one.

G. Video Game Store

Shuffle the 15 remaining Video Games to form the Video Game Store deck. Reveal 3 Games and place a Crystal from the bag on each one.

H. Achievements

Separate the Achievement Cards by type: Genre, Play, Beat and Behavior.

Draw cards of each type according to the number of players as indicated on the table below. Return the unused Achievement Cards to the box.

Players	Genre	Play	Beat	Behavior
2 Players	2	1	1	1
3 | 4 Players	3	1	1	2
5 Players	4	1	1	3

I. Player Area

Each player chooses a color and takes all of the Played/Beaten Tokens, Meeples and Cubes of their color, as well as a Password Notebook and an Initial Video Game Card.

The Password Notebook has 2 sides. Choose which side you want to play with.

J. Reference Card

Place the Reference Card next to the Action Grid.

Press Start!

Take a cube from each player and randomly determine the turn order, placing the cubes from left to right on the first row of the Initiative Board.

The player in position P1 will go first, P2 will go second and so on.

Each player draws 2 Button Tiles from the Bag and takes one Dollar Token, they may also get 1-2 IOUs, an extra Button Token, or an extra Dollar Token based on their initiative position. For example, the first player also receives 2 IOUs.

These items are received ONLY at the beginning of the game. They balance the luck of the initial turn order so that no one has an unfair advantage.

Game Flow

The game is played over 5 Weeks. A new Week begins with the arrival of new releases at the Rental Store, Video Game Store and Newsstand. Each player will have 3 Routine turns and 1 Weekend turn each Week. The new turn order is set before the Weekend.

Each Week follows this sequence:

1. Reset the Board
2. Routine Turns
3. Reset Initiative
4. Weekend Turn

After the Weekend Turn of the fifth Week, proceed to Scoring.

Reset the Board

Follow these steps to set up the board for each new Week. Skip this step on the first Week of the game (Setup takes care of this step).

1. "Major bummer! Watch out for those late fees! Don't forget to return your rented games to the store!" Return all meeples from the Rental Store to their respective players.
2. Discard all remaining tiles on the Action Grid to the Discard Board. Reset the Action Grid with new tiles drawn from the Bag. Fill every space of the Grid following the setup rules for the appropriate player count (see Setup, step A). If the bag is ever empty when you need to draw tiles, return the tiles from the Discard Board to the bag and continue. If the bag is empty AND there are no tiles on the Discard Board, take a Dollar Token instead.
3. Reveal the next 2 Games at the Rental Store. Games, Magazines and Crystals that have been returned to the box cannot be checked by the players.
4. Return all Magazines left at the Newsstand to the box. Any Crystals on these Magazines are also returned to the box. Reveal 3 new Magazines at the Newsstand and draw a Crystal from the bag to place on each of them.
5. Return all Games left at the Video Game Store to the box. Any Crystals on these Games are also returned to the box. Reveal 3 new Games at the Store and draw a Crystal from the bag to place on each of them.

Routine

Starting with the first player in turn order, take the following steps in sequence: Take a Button Tile from the Grid, Choose an Action, Discard Button Tiles, Play Video Games and End Your Turn.

Take a Button Tile from the Grid

Choose a Button Tile from the Action Grid and move it to your Player Area.

Choose an Action

You may choose and take one Action from the same line or column as the Button Tile you took this turn.

For a 2 player game: When choosing one of the Action Boards which show 2 options, you must choose one of the options shown (you cannot take both).

For a 5 player game: The Tiles in the outermost row and column are considered to share both rows or columns they are aligned with. When picking them you may choose only one of the 2 aligned Actions.

Discard Button Tiles

If you have more than 8 Tiles in your Player Area at this point in your turn, you must discard Button Tiles until you have no more than 8.

Player Tiles. "Take it easy! Use your skill and downtime to play some video games." There are 2 kinds of Tiles that represent your skill and free time for playing video games:

• Button Tiles are used to set up combinations to discard in the Play Video Games phase.
• IOUs cannot be played; they just take up space in your Player Area.

"An IOU (I owe you) is an agreement with your folks, saying you'll behave, get good grades, and do all your chores. Tubular!"

Whenever you discard Button Tiles, place them in a stack on the Discard Board. You are not allowed to discard IOUs.

"No way you can pull one over on your folks."

Your Tiles should always be kept face up on the table so all players can see them.

You cannot Play any tiles before discarding down to 8 Tiles since this step happens before the Play Video Games step. You are never allowed to search the Discard Pile.

Play Video Games

Finally, the time has come to Play and Beat your Video Games! You can Play and/or Beat any games you have access to. This includes your Starting Video Game, any games you rented this Week, and Presents you got from the Store. How to Play and Beat your Video Games will be explained in detail in the Beating and Playing Games section.

End Your Turn

After completing a Routine turn it will become the next player's turn following the turn order on the Initiative Board.

Once all players have taken a Routine turn, repeat twice more so that each player has taken three Routine turns. Once all players have taken three Routine turns, continue to the Initiative Reset phase.

Notice that at the end of the Routine steps there will be as many Button Tiles left on the Grid as there are players. In a 2 player game there will be three Tiles left.

Initiative Reset

The first row on the Initiative Board shows the turn order for the current round. The second row shows the turn order for the next round. A player may claim a spot on the second row by taking the "Waking Up Early" Action (see Actions).

Reset the Initiative by shifting the cubes of any players who did not take the "Waking Up Early" action this round to the right, making sure to keep them in order. Then move all cubes from the second row up to the leftmost positions in the first row, making sure to keep them in order.

You will complete the rest of the steps in this round using the new turn order.

Example: The pink player has reserved first position and the blue player has reserved second position. Adjust the top row of the Initiative Board by removing the pink and blue cubes, then sliding all remaining cubes to the right. Then move the pink and blue cubes up from the second row so they are in the first and second spots respectively. The new turn order will be pink first, blue second, green third, followed by white and finally black.

Weekend

Following the new turn order, each player performs the "Going to the Rental Store" Action and may Play and/or Beat all of the Video Games they have access to. The "Going to the Rental Store" Action is explained in detail in the Actions section.

After your Weekend turn, pass the turn to the next player. Once all players have finished their Weekend turns, a new Week begins. If this is the fifth Week, move on to Scoring.

It is easy to tell when five Weeks have been played! The game was designed so that the whole Rental Store will be revealed during the last Week. The last Video Game and Magazine cards will be added to the Video Game Store and Newsstand and the Crystal bag will be empty.

Actions

This section describes the actions you can take during the game and shows the corresponding icons on the Action Boards.

Game Planning

"Zoning out about how to pass the next level while you should probably be doing something else."

Draw 2 Button Tiles from the Bag. If the Bag is empty, return all tiles from the Discard Board to the bag and continue drawing.

Can I Have Some Money?

"I pinky swear I will get better grades and finish all my chores to get some extra money this week."

Take one IOU and 2 Dollar Tokens from the reserve.

Dollar Tokens, IOU Tiles and Played/Beaten Tokens are not component-limited. In the unlikely case that you run out of any of these, you may substitute any other token for the one(s) you are missing.

You may NOT perform this Action if you already have 8 IOUs.

Asking for a Present

"Beg your folks for that new, pricey video game you're never gonna scrape together enough cash on your own."

Take 3 IOUs from the reserve and one Game from the Video Game Store. The Crystal comes with the Game. Leave it on top of the Game until you have Played it.

This Video Game stays in your Player Area. You will have access to it for the rest of the game.

You may NOT perform this Action if you have 6 or more IOUs.

Waking Up Early

"When the rental store opens, guess who's gonna be first in line at the door?"

You may exchange a Button Tile from your Area for a Tile from the Grid. Place a cube of your color on the second row of the Initiative Board in the leftmost open space. You have now reserved this position for the next Initiative Reset.

The Tile that goes to the Grid must go on the exact same space as the Tile you took in exchange.

The exchanged Tile CAN be the same one you took on this turn.

Studying and Doing Your Chores

"Get your head in the books and knock out all your chores so you have time to play video games."

Return up to 2 IOUs to the reserve.

Each Owl symbol allows you to return one IOU from your Player Area to the reserve.

Visiting the Grandparents

"Grandparents always hook us up!"

Take one Dollar Token and return up to one IOU to the reserve.

Going to the Newsstand

"Swing by the newsstand with some extra cash to get all the inside tricks and the week's new releases."

Pay one Dollar Token to the reserve to buy one Magazine from the Newsstand. The Crystal comes with the Magazine and will remain on top of it until used. Magazines are explained in further detail in the Magazines section.

Going to the Rental Store

"Whoa... radical, it's got everything I could dream of."

Pay one Dollar Token, or two Dollar Tokens if it is a New Release (see Playing New Releases), to rent a Video Game from the Rental Store. You may only rent games that do not already have another player's meeple on it. Place a meeple of your color from your Player Area onto the Video Game card you want to rent.

Unlike other Actions, which must be resolved instantly, you may rent up to 3 Video Games this turn either immediately or during the Play/Beat Games phase. You can even rent another game after Playing/Beating a Game. You must have enough meeples in your player area to place one on each Game you wish to rent.

The meeple on your rented Game(s) shows that they are "in your house" so no other player will be able to rent it that week.

"Your parents cap you at three video game rentals, max."

The Rental Store refers to the central region with the 15 Video Games. This is the same Action that will be performed on the Weekend.

Beating and Playing Games

"It's button mashing time!"

Combinations

The Button Tiles are numbered from 0 to 9 and have 5 suits (colors). You will use these to create combinations that you can discard to Play and Beat your Video Games.

These are the different kinds of combinations you can make depending on the Game you're trying to beat:

• Sequence — A sequence of Tiles containing consecutive numbers, for example 4-5-6-7-8.
• Same Color — Tiles of the same suit (color).
• Same Color Sequence — A sequence of consecutive Tiles that are all the same suit (color).
• Equality — Tiles with equal numbers.
• Combos — "Pair + Pair" and "Trio + Pair" where each Pair or Trio of tiles have equal numbers.

Consecutive Tiles of the same color can optionally be used as just consecutive Tiles or just Tiles of the same color.

Four Tiles with equal numbers can also be used as "Pair + Pair", and Five Tiles with equal numbers can be used as "Trio + Pair".

0 and 9 are not consecutive! In a 2 player game 1 and 8 are not consecutive. Thus 8-9-1-2-3 does not count as a sequence.

Video Game Cards

Each Video Game Card shows:

• Genre — One of the 6 Video Game Genres: Platform, Fighting, Shooter, RPG, Sports, or Variety.
• Difficulty — The level of difficulty to Beat the Game: Easy, Normal, or Hard.
• Combination — The combination of Button Tiles needed to Beat the Video Game. The Play symbol within the combination indicates the combination of 2 Tiles needed to Play the Video Game without Beating it.
• Score — The points you will score when you Beat the Game.
• Cover — Video game name and illustration.
• Thrilling — Take a Tile from the Thrill Trail when placing your Played or Beaten Token on this Game.

Beating

To Beat a Game, discard a set of Button Tiles that form the required combination as printed on the Game Card. You must use the exact number and type of required Tiles to form your combination.

When you Beat a Game, place a Played/Beaten Token of your color on it with the Beaten medal face up.

Example: You can discard the 3, 4, and 5 of Chickens to Beat the Game above because it requires a sequence of three consecutive tiles of the same suit.

Each Game Beaten will grant you points. The more Button Tiles it requires the more complex the combination will be, and the more points you will score.

Every Game with your Played/Beaten Token is considered Played. So, every Game Beaten is also a Game Played.

Beating Games is the main form of scoring, so try to Beat as many Games as you can!

Playing

"You're a great gamer, but that doesn't mean you'll always nail it on the first go! Sometimes you gotta run through a game a second time before it all clicks."

Video Games that require 3 or more Tiles in their combination may be Played without being Beaten on the first try.

To Play a Game, consider just the first 2 symbols of the combination, ending on the Play Symbol. Discard the two Tiles of this reduced combination and place a Played/Beaten Token of your color on top of it with the Played symbol face up.

For example, you could discard an 8 and a 9 of any color(s) to Play Neow as shown here.

Games with only 2 Tiles in their combination will always be Beaten on the first try. They do not have the Play symbol and cannot just be Played.

"Simple games? Crush 'em in an afternoon, no sweat."

Just Playing a Game does not guarantee that you will score points for it, but it does have benefits:

Benefits from Playing

1. Makes Beating a Game easier. "Even without a 'save game' option, you totally improve the more you play a game. It gets way easier to beat once you've put in some hours." When the Played Token is on a game, it can be used as a wild to replace any Tile of your choice from the combination needed to Beat the Game in the future. The ? symbol on the Played Token is a visual reminder of this advantage. So to Beat an already Played Game, discard all of the required Tiles for the combination except for one of your choice. When you Beat the Game this way, flip your Played Token to the Beaten side.

   The Tiles you used to Play do not count towards Beating the game. For example: if you used a 1 and 2 Tile to Play the Game shown above, it doesn't mean that you will have to use 3, 4, 5 to Beat it. The important thing is that you will have a wild to Beat this Game with a new combination, regardless of what was used to Play it.

   A Game can have Played/Beaten tokens from multiple players, but each player can only Play/Beat each game once. You are allowed to Beat a Game on the same turn when you Played it. You are allowed to Play or Beat Games from the Rental Store which have Played/Beaten Tokens of other players on them.

2. Makes it easier to complete Achievements. Some Achievements (see Achievements) can be completed by Playing certain Games. Playing Games without Beating them can help you to complete these goals faster, increasing your score.

3. Increases the quantity of Played Games. There are scoring bonuses for the number of Games you have Played, so even if you can't Beat them, just Playing can guarantee some nice extra points at the end of the game.

4. Makes it easier to Thrill. Whenever you Play or Beat a Game, you get a Button Tile from the Thrill Trail. Playing Games can be key to getting the Tiles you need for other combinations.

5. Grants you a Crystal. Playing a Newly Released Game grants you a New Release Crystal.

Thrilling

"Every time you pop in a new video game, you get the itch to play more!"

Whether you just Play, or you manage to Beat a Game on the first try, when you first place your Played/Beaten Token on a Game, take one of the 4 Button Tiles from the Thrill Trail.

After taking a Tile from the Thrill Trail, draw a new Tile from the bag to immediately replace it. The Thrill Trail should always have 4 Button Tiles.

This symbol on a Video Game Card is a visual reminder of this rule.

Remember that Beating a Game you have already Played DOES NOT grant a new Thrill. You can only gain one Thrill per game.

The Tile taken from the Thrill Trail can be used to Play and Beat Games on the same turn it was acquired.

Playing New Releases

"New releases are brand new games that neither you nor your friends have gotten your hands on yet."

New Release Video Games have a Crystal on top of them. This Crystal symbolizes a newly released Game that hasn't been Played yet, or a Magazine that hasn't been read yet.

When Playing or Beating a New Release, move the Crystal from it to your Password Notebook (see Password Notebook).

After a New Release is Played or Beaten for the first time, it stops being a New Release. You can keep track of this because the New Release Crystal will have been removed by the player who first Played or Beat it.

If the New Release came from the Rental Store it will cost only one Dollar Token to be rented from now on.

Magazines

"Video Game Mags got all the tricks, codes, and walkthroughs to help you dominate any game."

Each Magazine will have two Genre tags on its cover. Magazines can only be used to Play or Beat Video Games of its indicated Genres.

Using the Magazine

The Magazine can take the place of any Tile of your choice in a combination. It works as a wild in the same way as the Played Token.

To Play or Beat a Game using one or more Magazines, discard the Tiles for the combination as usual, except for one of your choice. Place (or Flip, if already played) your Played/Beaten token as usual.

When using a Magazine, move the Crystal from it to your Password Notebook (see Password Notebook). Once a Magazine's Crystal has been removed the Magazine cannot be used again. The player should keep this Magazine in front of them since Magazines can be useful for conquering some Achievements.

You CAN use more than one Magazine on the same Video Game, including using just Magazines to Play or Beat a Game.

You can also use Magazines in combination with the wild Played Token.

Password Notebook

"Remember when we used to jot down all those tricks, codes, and walkthroughs in our notebooks?"

When moving a Crystal to the Password Notebook, place it on an empty space that has its matching color or on a rainbow space.

If there is no valid space to place your Crystal, keep it next to your Password Notebook. It will still count for Crystal majority at the end of the game and for conquering Achievements.

When completing a line or column in the Password Notebook by filling it with Crystals, receive the indicated rewards. Points shown in the Password Notebook will be scored at the end of the game. The other rewards you receive immediately.

If the reward is not available, you do not gain this bonus.

If you complete multiple lines and/or columns at the same time, you may choose the order in which you receive the rewards. You CAN receive the rewards before taking a Tile from the Thrill Trail, for example, if you have just Played or Beaten a Video Game.

Once placed, you MAY NOT move Crystals to another space.

The Crystals which remain on your Magazines and Presents DO NOT count as yours and therefore are not valid to score or conquer Achievements.

You cannot place a Crystal in an empty block that would make you have more than 8 IOUs.

Achievements

"Impressive moves, worthy of shoutouts on the playground."

In each game, a different set of Achievement Cards will be up for dispute, each with its own conditions and points for completing it. Only the first player to reach the required condition completes the Achievement. They immediately take the card, and no other players can complete this Achievement.

The types and conditions are as follows:

Genre

• Master of Platform — Play/Beat 3 Platform Games
• Master of Fighting — Play/Beat 3 Fighting Games
• Master of Shooting — Play/Beat 3 Shooter Games
• Master of RPG — Play/Beat 3 RPG Games
• Master of Sports — Play/Beat 3 Sports Games
• Master of Variety — Play/Beat 3 Variety Games

Play

• Undecided — Play 4 Games without Beating them
• Rental Store Mascot — Play/Beat 7 Games in the Rental Store
• Eclectic — Play/Beat a Game of each Genre

Beat

• Noob — Beat 4 Easy Games
• Medium — Beat 4 Normal Games
• Hardcore — Beat 3 Hard Games

Behavior

• Swamped — Have 7 IOUs at the same time
• Vanguard — Have 5 New Release Crystals
• Spoiled — Have 3 Presents
• Curious — Have Magazines with all 6 Genre tags
• Decided — Have 3 Magazines of the same Genre

Scoring

"To rock the title of video game champion, you gotta pull off some '90s-style moves: play mad games, stay on top of the latest news, smash those achievements, and above all, beat as many games as possible!"

The game ends after Week 5 is complete. Add up the following to determine each player's final score:

• If you have Played 6 or more Games, gain 2 points for each Game Played after the fifth one. Remember that Beaten Games also count as Played.
• The player with most Played Games gains 8 points. If multiple players are tied for this majority, the tied players get 4 points each.
• The player with most New Release Crystals gains 8 points. Remember that Crystals still on Games or Magazines don't count! If multiple players are tied for this majority, the tied players get 4 points each.
• Score points for the lines and columns you have completed in your Password Notebook.
• Score points from the Achievement Cards you have completed.
• Score points from the Games you have Beaten.

The player with the highest score is the Video Game Champion!

In the case of a tie, the player with the most points from Beaten Games wins. If there is still a tie, the player who scored the most points from the Achievement Cards wins. If there is still a tie, all tied players receive the title of Video Game Champion!