__LAST CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS__

Box Office Smashup

by Mitchell Allen

One day, the DVDs perched atop the television set topple onto the carpet. You and three roommates decide to organize the collection. However, you get into an argument about how best to arrange the DVDs.

Before it gets out of hand, someone suggests a contest...

[!]

Photo by lostfate13

Equipment

Your DVD collection Chess board 12 Meeple - four different colors 60-second sand timer Nice soft carpet Paper and pencils

Setup

Put the chess board on the floor. Players place a set of Meeple in each corner of the board. Strew your DVD cases onto the carpet.

Opening Moves

Starting with you, each player in turn takes one DVD from the mess. This phase continues until the entire collection has been picked up.

Middle Game

Each player secretly nominates any movie from the collection, writing it on the scrap and setting aside. Next, each player announces a Sort System. It can be anything at all: 1. Alphabetized by Second Letter in Title 2. Release Date 3. Lead Actor 4. Number of Words in Title

GO!

The last player to announce should flip the sand timer over and say "Go!" to the player on his left. The player on the left has one minute to move one of his Meeple: - Ally - move one square toward an opponent, POSSIBLY suggesting an alliance. - Dominate - move onto a square already controlled by Meeple of the same color. This is the only time more than one Meeple can occupy the same square. - Chain - move onto an empty square that connects to at least two other Meeple of any color. The chain must be along a single rank, file or diagonal.

The player may let the sand expire without moving. When the sand runs out, the current player flips the timer on the next player. This cycle repeats until one or more players say, "Stop!"

Sorting

While Meeple are moving, players can sort their DVDs. Or they can dally. Either way, the sorted section must always be visible to the other players. At some point, a player may choose to complete her sort. When she does - OR, WHEN SOMEONE ELSE NOTICES IT - she or the other player can yell, "Stop!" In late middle game, some players may have sorted DVDs, in which case, there is nothing for them to sort until their system gets voted off.

STOP!

The yeller points to the sorted DVDs. If everyone agrees that the DVDs are sorted, a Voting phase will begin. If there is consensus that the DVDs are not sorted, the yeller is penalized by having a Meeple removed from the board. Each of the other players decides which Meeple to take off.

Alliances

Players can signal an alliance by moving Meeple towards each other. An alliance is simply an agreement to not vote against each other. These alliances are non-binding. Players may NOT openly discuss alliances!

Dominance

The dominant player's system can't be voted off - unless there are only two players remaining on the board. Dominance must be absolute - no ties!

Voting

1. Dominant player, if any, gets FOUR votes for each Meeple on that square.
2. Each Meeple in a chain gets one vote for each link in that chain.
3. All other Meeple count as one vote apiece.

[!](Green = 2, Blue = 12, Yellow = 12, Red = 13!)

Voting is by concealed ballot. Each player nominates another player by writing that name on a scrap of paper. When all votes have been cast, reveal them one by one. If there is a tie for most votes, everyone is safe. If the vote removes the second-to-last Meeple, the End Game has been reached. Otherwise, the player who got voted off must remove one of his Meeple and announce a new Sort System. Whoever has the timer resumes the Go! phase, flipping it to the next player.

End Game

If there is only one COMPLETELY Sorted System - it wins immediately. If the last Meeple standing has one of the COMPLETELY Sorted Systems - that System wins. Otherwise, starting with the last Meeple standing, players reveal their movie nominations. If the movie is part of that player's complete or partial Sorted System, the System is SAFE; otherwise, that System is eliminated. Repeat until ALL players have revealed their nominations.

Winner

The last Sorted System standing. If there is none, restack the movies upon the television and play tomorrow.

ZugZwang

Trying to be last may cause everyone to sit around, refusing to yell, "Stop!" Skip to the End Game and follow the rules.

Strategies

Chains can control a lot of votes. Dominance protects your Sort System.

Tactics

Create alliances (chains) to overcome dominant players who refuse to move their Meeple Break an alliance by sacrificing a Meeple with an ill-timed "Stop!"

For Science!!!

by simons

You are an elite team of scientists, begrudgingly forced to share the HMSS (Her Majesty’s Space Ship) Eureka with your unworthy rivals. As you travel through space, exploring the mysteries of the universe, your ship is attacked and boarded by Vorgon raiders. This is WONDERFUL!!! You finally have a chance to test your many hypotheses, such the effect of Vorgon raiders on undergraduate stress levels, or the ability of lab coats to repel Vorgon Death Rays. Each member of your team must scramble to do as much science as possible, and then try to escape with their valuable data (and of course, their lives), before they are overwhelmed and killed.

Goal

Escape the HMSS Eureka with as much research data as possible. The team with the most data points at the end of the game wins.

Setup

Each player gets 1 head scientist meeple, and 3 student worker meeples. Each player is dealt 4 cards to determine where each meeple is placed. Then place 4 Vorgon meeples randomly in the same manner. Reshuffle the deck of cards, and deal each player 1 card. All doors are set to open, and all escape pods to ready.

The Turn

At the start of each turn, the player draws a card. The player then receives 3 actions, which she may use to move a scientist, move a Vorgon, or activate self-destruct.

Move a Scientist

Each scientist (whether a head scientist or a student) may move up to 3 spaces. A scientist may spend 1 movement to get up if knocked down, or to open or close a door. A scientist may move through other scientists, but not Vorgons. If a scientist moves into a ready escape pod, remove her from the board (see Scoring), and deactivate that escape pod (it must be recharged by using cards). Escape pods carry one scientist.

Move a Vorgon

Each Vorgon may move up to 2 spaces. Vorgons may not move through closed doors. If a Vorgon moves into a scientist, the scientist is knocked down (place it on its side, she may not move until she has gotten up). If a Vorgon moves into a scientist who has been knocked down, she is dismembered, eaten, and will probably never publish a paper again (remove her from play). Vorgons can move through other Vorgons.

Each player may move each scientist or Vorgon only once during their turn. A Vorgon may be moved by any player, regardless of the last time they were moved (thus, if multiple players move the same Vorgon, it can outrun a scientist).

Self-Destruct

If one of your scientists is in the control chamber, you may spend an action to activate self-destruct. Choose a number of turns, between 3 and 5. After this number of turns (your turn will be the last in the rotation), the HMSS Eureka will be destroyed, and tragically so will the equipment on board (along with any remaining scientists).

Playing Cards

Each player may play a card at any time. Some cards can only be played during certain events (such as Saved!, which is played when one of your scientists is knocked down). Each card also has a location on it, which is mainly just for setup. When a card is used, it is discarded. When the deck becomes empty, reshuffle the discard pile back into the deck.

Cards can do a variety of useful things, including creating, destroying, and moving Vorgons, destroying parts of the ship (and the scientists within), recharging escape pods, granting extra data points, and delaying or deactivating self-destruct.

Scoring

When a scientist moves into a ready escape pod, place her on the lowest place in the score track (labeled from 1 to X data points). This means that the longer your scientists stay on the ship (and thus the more science they do), the more they are worth. If your head scientist escapes, she is worth double the amount of data points (calculate this at the end).

Example: Newton and Leibniz are playing. Leibnez moves one student to an escape pod. Newton then moves his head scientist, then two students to the escape pods. Finally, Leibnez moves his head scientist to the escape pod, and the other students are killed. In the end, Newton has 11 data points (2x2 + 3 + 4), and Leibnez has 11 data points (1 + 5x2). The game ends in a draw.

Depending on playtesting, there may also be secret missions (such as be the last scientist on board), which will grant extra data points if accomplished.

Ending the Game

The game ends when the last scientist has either escaped or been killed (this includes when the HMSS Eureka self-destructs). The player with the most data points wins.

(OVER 800 Words.)

by Andy Van Zandt (truekid games)

The Watchtower Tragedy

Zombies are attacking the border posts! It seems like only the one that holds out the longest will survive until rescue arrives. Be the last person with towers remaining, or get 6 townsfolk to safety to win. Each turn you roll to increase the zombies on other players' boards, then fight to defend your walls, then take two actions from the list below.

Components and Setup: (some of you may recognize the origin of the other components indicated, besides the obvious meeples)

*5 player mats- *
hand each player one of these. On each player's mat, In the Town section, put 1 townsfolk meeple per player in the game. On each black wall space, put a wall marker. On the colored tower spaces, place 1 tower of each of the 4 colors (orange Warlord Tower, grey Engineer Tower, brown Sniper Tower, and green Medic Tower).


Zombie, Warlord Zombie, Townsfolk, Soldier, and Gunman markers –
Place all the remaining ones in the center of the table. There is no limit to these in the game (You will usually need about 90 meeples representing zombies, and about 30 meeples representing the humans per player), and if they run out, use something else as a substitute.


5 Trains and 4 Jeeps –
Place these in the center of the table as well. These are finite, if they are all in use by other players, you cannot take the action to create another until one becomes available.


*1 six-sided die - *
For resolving various effects, including determining the start player.


Wall Markers and colored Towers –
There are 60 total wall markers, each player needs 12 Wall Markers and 4 towers for their player mat. If there are less than 5 players, place any that are not used back in the box.


*Determine how long of a game you're going to play – *
for a short game, a player loses if two of his towers are destroyed. For a long game, a player loses if three of his towers are destroyed. A long game will take roughly twice as long as a short game. Determine the start player, then players take turns, proceeding clockwise around the table.

**At the beginning of each turn, roll a dice for the zombies. **
On a 1, put 1 zombie in the wood space marked “6” for each tower on every other player's board. On a 2, move all zombies on all players' woods spaces forward one space, if possible. On a 3, 4, 5 or 6, you may distribute that many (the number rolled) zombies however you prefer onto other players' wood spaces marked “6”. Each wood or field space can only hold 6 zombies. If a zombie would be added to a full wood space (one that already has 6 zombies, no zombie is added. Instead, move all the zombies in that wood space one space forward. This pushes any zombies in the next space forward if necessary, and so on.

**Then, if there are any zombies in one of your fields, they fight the wall there. **
 Roll a dice. On a 1 or 2, one uninjured soldier or gunman is injured (lay him down, he doesn't contribute combat value any longer) or you lose one unoccupied wall marker there. Injured defenders can be removed any time you would like, or are automatically removed if the wall beneath them is destroyed. On a 5 or 6, one zombie is killed, IF there are defenders present.

Additionally, add your soldier (2 points) and gunman (1 point) combat values at the wall to the dice roll, and subtract the combat value of the zombies (1 each, plus warlord bonus) there- if the modified result is 7 or higher, a zombie is killed. If the modified result is 0 or less, one of your soldiers is injured, or you lose one wall stone there if there are no healthy soldiers to injure.

If you roll a 1 and the modified roll is also a 0 or less, the zombies decimate the defenders, and all uninjured soldiers and gunmen present there are injured- or if there were none present, then all the stones are removed. Likewise, if you roll a 6 and the modified result is a 7 or greater, all the zombies there are decimated (killed). When a zombie is killed, it goes in your dead zombies area. If you do not have a wall marker to lose or a healthy defender to injure, The tower there is destroyed, and all the zombies in that field move immediately to another field on your board, of your choice, if there is space. If there is not, move them to a woods space. All zombies in the woods are just removed, and no further zombies enter that quarter of the board. If the loss of this tower causes you to lose the game, you may put one warlord zombie on each player's board IF you still had your warlord tower, then each player with a medic tower may take an immediate “Heal troops” action, each player with an engineer tower may take an immediate “Build Jeep” or “Build Train” action, and each player with a sniper tower may take an immediate “Fire guns” action. All combat at all walls happens simultaneously, even though you roll for it separately.
Once combat at all your walls as finished, you may take one free “Fire guns” action, if you have gunmen.

Then you may take up to two actions from this list (or the same action twice, unless marked otherwise):

Negotiate with townsfolk: Place a townsfolk in your town.

Zombie movement: move all zombies occupying one space in a woods area two spaces closer to the walls .

Zombie horde movement: move all zombies occupying other players' woods areas one space closer to the walls. You may only do this once per turn.

Defend the Walls: Perform an immediate combat action with ONE of your walls

Recruit soldier: Put one townsfolk back into the center of the table, and place one new soldier on one of your wall markers (you must have an empty wall marker available to take this action). You may not take this action if it would make the number of soldiers you have higher than the number of townsfolk. Each soldier contributes 2 to the combat value of the wall he is at. Employ Soldier: Put 10 dead zombies back in the center of the table, place two new soldiers on one of your walls. The same restrictions as “Recruit Soldier” apply.

Move troops: you may move up to two soldiers/gunmen from one of your walls to another.

Build jeep: You may only take this action if you still have your engineer watchtower (grey). Put one townsfolk and four zombies back in the center of the board, and put a jeep on your mat. While you have a jeep, you can move any number of soldiers or gunman between your walls at no action cost.

Jeep run: Put a jeep back in the center of the table. This does not cost you an action to perform. One of your townsfolk tries to make it to safety using the jeep. Roll a dice, on a 1 or 2 he kills one zombie on your mat on his way out, on a 3 or 4 kill two, on a 5 or 6 kill 3. However, if you rolled a 1... he didn't make it to safety. Place one of your townsfolk in your “saved” area next to you if he made it, place him back in the center of the table if he didn't.

Build train: You may only take this action if you still have your engineer watchtower. Put 3 townsfolk and 13 dead zombies back in the center of the table.

Train escape: 1 of your townsfolk escapes to safety! Place him next to you in your “saved” area. This does not use up your train.

Recruit gunman: You may only take this action if you still have your sniper watchtower (brown). Place 1 townsfolk and 1 dead zombie back in the center of the table. Place one gunman token on one of your empty wall markers. A gunman is similar to a soldier except that he only contributes one combat point to the wall he is at. You may not take this action if it would make the number of gunmen higher than the number of townsfolk you have. While you have at least one gunman, you may take the “fire guns” action.

Train gunmen: You may only take this action if you still have your sniper watchtower. Place any number of dead zombies back in the center of the table. For each one, you may turn one of your soldiers into a gunman. You may not increase the number of gunmen you have beyond the number of townsfolk you have.

Fire guns: choose a gunman, roll a dice. If the number matches a wood space number (in line with the gunman's wall) that has at least one zombie on it, kill one zombie there of your choice, and put it in your dead zombie space. Then repeat this process for every other gunman you control.

Heal troops: This action is only usable if you have a medic watchtower (green). Roll a dice for each injured defender you have. On a 5 or 6, that defender is successfully healed and you may stand him up and use him as normal again. On a 1, 2, or 3 that defender dies of his wounds and is removed from the board.

Recruit Warlord Zombie: You may only take this action if you still have your Warlord watchtower (orange). Put 3 dead zombies back in the center of the table. Put a warlord Zombie token in the number 6 woods space on any board. The warlord zombie behaves like a normal zombie, except that while he is in the field OR woods, he adds 1 to the field zombies' combat value for each woods space at this tower that has the full 6 zombies.

(OVER 800 Words.)

ENDANGERED BACHELORS

By Richard Galvez (Brother Tyler)

A game of back-stabbing good fun for shallow men (and the women who love them).

Ah, the bachelor lifestyle! Life would be perfect if there was always a pitcher of beer, a slice of pizza, and a hot young vixen willing to spend the night with you. But watch out – the bachelor is threatened by the very things that make his life worthwhile. Too much pizza and the vixens won’t want to be with you. Worse, too much beer and/or the wrong vixen and you could get trapped in a relationship or, worse yet, marriage. Most bachelors, it seems, are doomed to be culled. Though each likes to think of himself as a predator, it is really the wily vixens that are doing the preying. Eventually, every bachelor becomes the prey of a vixen and becomes her manservant – opening jars, killing spiders, staying away from his former bachelor buddies. Be the bachelor that amasses the best record as a predator of vixens before becoming prey himself.

OBJECTIVE

The player with the highest Conquest value wins the game. Conquest value is a total of the number of Conquests a player has made as well as the relative value of each Conquest.

COMPONENTS:

• 1 deck of cards (54 cards) for every two players (round up)
• 1 meeple for each player
• 1 turn counter for each player, with the counters numbered from 1 up to the number of players (the double dominos are good for this)

SETUP:

All of the decks of cards are shuffled into a Bachelor deck and this deck is placed face down in the middle of the table. This is the Draw deck. The Discard pile will be created next to the Draw deck by placing discarded cards face up in a stack.

Vixen cards will be placed in the middle of the table, around the Draw deck. Vixen cards represent the ladies that the bachelors are trying to hook up throughout the game.

Players will be seated around the table, each player with his meeple standing in front of him on the table.

The area in the middle of the table near the Draw deck and discard pile is known as the Field. At the start of the game the Field will be empty. As play progresses, though, Vixen cards will be placed here.

The turn counters are face down near the Draw deck, scrambled into an unrecognizable mess.

SEQUENCE OF PLAY:

SPECIAL ACTION

(Special Actions may only be performed at the start of the second and subsequent rounds)

Some cards may be played as special actions. Any player that has any of these cards in his hand at the beginning of the round may play one as a special action. Note that players may only perform one special action in any round.

Friend with Benefits Sometimes a no-strings one night stand can turn into a Good Thing, becoming a string of encounters that leaves everyone happy. If the player made a successful Hook Up (explained later) in the previous round and did not end up in a relationship, he may play a red King in order to turn that Conquest into a Friend with Benefits. The black Jack card is placed face up and sideways beneath the Conquest to indicate that Conquest’s new status as a Friend with Benefits.

Friends Don’t Let Friends It’s always tough to watch one of your buddies get caught up in something that he thinks is good, even when it’s leading him on the path to damnation. But you’re not about to sit idly by while one of your fellow Bachelors tempts himself with easy prey. A player may play a black Queen on any other player’s Friend with Benefits in order to undo that status. This may only be done after the other player has gotten at least one Encore (explained later). The black Queen and the red King are both discarded, but the Conquest and Encore cards are retained.

INITIATIVE

Turn counters are placed face down and mixed. Each player draws a counter, turning the counter over to reveal the order in which they act.

Stock the Field The player with the number 1 turn counter draws cards from the Draw deck and places the cards face down around the Draw deck so that there as many cards in the Field as there are players. The individual cards in the field are the Vixens.

Refresh Hands Players then take turns drawing cards from the Draw deck, the player with the number 1 turn counter drawing first, followed by the player with the number 2 turn counter, and so on. Players draw cards so that they have 7 cards in their hand.

Instead of adding cards to his hand in order to get to 7 cards, a player may choose to discard his entire hand before drawing, getting 7 new cards.

Scope Out Target The player with the highest turn counter (i.e., the player that goes last) then turns over one Vixen card face up (it’s possible for multiple Vixen cards to be face up if there are any remaining from previous turns).

PLAYER TURN

Players take turns in the order of their turn counter, the player with turn counter 1 acting first, followed by the player with turn counter 2, and so on.

The actions available to a player depend upon his status:

• Bachelor – the player doesn’t have a Girlfriend or Wife. The player’s meeple is in front of him, standing up on the table.
• Boyfriend – the player has a Girlfriend. The player’s meeple is standing up on the Girlfriend card.
• Husband – the player has a Wife. The player’s meeple is laying down on the Wife card.

On a player’s turn to act, he may attempt one of the following actions depending on his status:

• Hook Up – A Bachelor must attempt to Hook Up with a Vixen for a one night stand.
• Encore – This is when a player Hooks Up with a Conquest on a subsequent occasion. A Bachelor may attempt to Hook Up with a Friend with Benefits for an Encore; a Boyfriend may automatically get an Encore with a Girlfriend, but there are risks; and a Husband may attempt to get an Encore with his Wife.
• Escape – A Boyfriend attempts to ditch his Girlfriend so that he can return to being a Bachelor and continue playing the field.
• Play Match-Maker – A Boyfriend or Husband may attempt to help one of his buddies out in their Hook Up or Encore attempt.

HOOK UP

The Bachelor indicates the Vixen he is trying to Hook Up with by placing his meeple on the card. The Vixen card may be face up or face down. The player then places two cards from his hand face down in front of him. All other players that have already gone must also play 1 card from their hand face down in front of them; while players that haven’t gone already this round may only play 1 card from their hand face down in front of them if they have 3 or more cards in their hand. The Bachelor attempting to Hook Up then chooses cards played by 2 of the other players, turning their cards over to determine the Opposition value.

• 2-10 of Hearts – There’s a love connection. Add the value of the Vixen card to the card(s) of the Player attempting the Hook Up. If the Hook Up attempt is successful, the Player is trapped in a relationship. The Vixen becomes a Girlfriend and the player’s meeple is placed standing on the Vixen card to mark his status as a Boyfriend.
• 2-10 of Clubs – She wants a one night stand, too. Add the value of the Vixen card to the card(s) of the Player attempting the Hook Up. No strings attached, though.
• 2-10 of Spades - She’s playing hard-to-get. Add the value of the Vixen card to the cards played by the other players.
• King – She’s a lesbian and doesn’t want to have anything to do with Men. The Player attempting the Hook Up fails in his attempt regardless of the value of the cards he played. Both cards are turned over and discarded.
• Black Queen – She’s an ex-girlfriend and doesn’t want to have anything to do with you. The Hook Up attempt is automatically a failure, but you may place the cards you played back in your hand.
• Red Queen – She’s an ex-girlfriend and really wants to get back together with you. The Hook Up attempt is automatically a success. Turn over both of your Hook Up attempt cards. If either is a Red card (Hearts or Diamonds), you get back together again. Place the Vixen card with your Conquests, and then place your meeple standing on the Vixen card to mark your status as a Boyfriend. If both are Black cards (Spades or Clubs), you’re able to pull off the one night stand without getting trapped in a relationship.
• Ace – She’s bisexual and wants you to join a threesome with her girlfriend. If the Hook Up attempt is a success, draw another card from the Field deck and place it with your Conquests.
• Joker – She’s got the clap. If the Hook Up is successful, lose your next turn visiting the free clinic.

CARD VALUES

When determining the outcome of any attempt, the value of the cards played is as follows:

• 2-10 - Use the numeric value of the card.
• Face Card - 10 points
• Ace - 15 points
• Joker - 20 points (and see Special Results below if the Joker was played by one of the other players)

The Bachelor player then turns over one of his cards. If the resulting value is equal to or lower than the total value of the other two players’ cards, the player attempting to Hook Up turns his other card over, adding the value of that card. If the Bachelor’s card(s) exceeds the value of the other two players’ cards, the Hook Up is a success. Place the Vixen card in front of the player to mark a successful Hook Up. Successful Hook Ups are known as Conquests, and all of a player’s Conquests will be arrayed in front of him on the table, face up. If the Player’s cards are equal to or lower than the other two players’ cards, the Hook Up is a failure. Leave the Vixen card face up on the Field. All played cards are then discarded and the Bachelor’s meeple is returned to position standing on the table in front of the player.

SPECIAL RESULTS

If one of the other players played a Joker, a Special Result may occur. If the Bachelor attempting the Hook Up played a Joker as one of his cards, though, no Special Result occurs:

Cock Block If one of the other players played a Joker and the other player played a Jack, a Cock Block has occurred. The player that played the Joker Hooks Up with the Vixen (even if he’s a Boyfriend or Husband) and the Player whose turn it is fails to Hook Up. The Vixen card is placed in front of the Cock Blocking Player with his other Conquests (explained later). The nature of the Vixen is determined as normal (explained later).

Love! If one of the other players played a Joker and the other player played a Queen, the Player that was attempting to Hook Up falls in love and gets a Girlfriend. The Hook Up is successful, but the Player is then trapped in a long-term relationship. The Vixen card is placed in front of the Player that made the Hook Up and his meeple is placed standing on top of the Vixen card to mark his new status as a Boyfriend.

The Crying Game If both of the other players played Jokers, a terrible mistake has occurred. The Player attempting to Hook Up is successful, but the “Vixen” turns out to be a Transvestite. Place the Transvestite card face down in front of the Player that made the Hook Up with his other Conquests, with his meeple standing on top of the card to mark the error. If the player has previously Hooked Up with any Vixens, one of those Vixens is discarded. The player loses his next turn as he hides in shame (he discards the Transvestite card next turn).

ENCORE

An Encore is when a player Hooks Up with a Vixen a second or subsequent time. Pulling an Encore is usually a bit easier than attempting the initial Hook Up, though it’s usually not as valuable and it runs a higher risk of getting into a long term relationship.

A Bachelor may only attempt an Encore on a Vixen that is a Friend with Benefits. The Bachelor declares his intent to attempt an Encore with a Friend with Benefits by placing his meeple standing up on the Jack card that is beneath the Conquest. The Bachelor then plays two cards from his hand face down in front of him. All other players that have already gone must also play 1 card from their hand face down in front of them; while players that haven’t gone already this round may only play 1 card from their hand face down in front of them if they have 3 or more cards in their hand. The Bachelor attempting the Encore then chooses the card of one opposing player at random, flipping that card over.

If the card is a Queen, the Encore is automatically a success, but the Bachelor pulling the Encore gets trapped in a relationship and becomes a Boyfriend. Place the player’s meeple standing up on the Girlfriend, discarding the Jack (if you ditch a Girlfriend, she won’t be a Friend with Benefits afterwards). Both cards of the player attempting the Encore and the Queen of the opposing player are discarded. All other players return their cards to their hands.

If the card is a Joker, the Encore is automatically a success, but the Friend with Benefits has the clap and gives it to the player. Leave the Joker face up next to the Friend with Benefits and remove the Jack (only an idiot would try to pull a subsequent Encore with a Vixen with the clap). The cards played by the Bachelor pulling off the Encore are discarded and all other players’ cards are returned to their hands. The player that pulled off the Encore loses his next turn as he goes to the free clinic.

A Boyfriend may pull na Encore automatically. The player places one card from his hand beneath the Girlfriend, then discards his turn counter. Keep in mind, though, that three Encores with a Girlfriend will turn that Girlfriend into a Wife.

A Husband may attempt to pull an Encore with his Wife. The Husband declares his attempt by placing two cards from his hand face down in front of him All other players that have already gone must also play 1 card from their hand face down in front of them; while players that haven’t gone already this round may only play 1 card from their hand face down in front of them if they have 3 or more cards in their hand. The player attempting the Encore then flips over the same number of cards played by the opposing players’ cards as the number of Encore cards there are beneath the wife card, up to the number of cards played. The total value of these cards is added up. The Husband player then turns both of his cards over, totaling the value of the cards. If the total value of his cards is higher than the total value of the other players’ cards, the Encore attempt is successful. Place one of the Husband’s played cards face down beneath the Wife card and discard all other played cards. If the total value of the Husband’s cards is equal to or lower than the other players’ cards, the Encore attempt is a failure. Discard all played cards.

ESCAPE

Any player that is currently in a Boyfriend status may attempt to Escape. He plays two cards from his hand face down in front of him. All other players that have already gone must also play 1 card from their hand face down in front of them; while players that haven’t gone already this round may only play 1 card from their hand face down in front of them if they have 3 or more cards in their hand. The player attempting to Escape then chooses two of the other players’ cards at random, turning them over to reveal the Vixen’s resistance.

If either of the other players played a Joker, or if both of the other players played the same face card (regardless of the suit – 2 Jacks, 2 Queens, or 2 Kings), the Escape attempt is an automatic failure. Both cards played by the opposing players are discarded. One of the cards played by the player attempting to Escape is discarded. The other card is placed face down beneath the Girlfriend card and becomes a Encore card.

If both of the other players played a Joker, the Escape attempt is an automatic failure. Worse, the Boyfriend and Girlfriend fall in love and get married. All played cards and both of the cards played by the Player attempting to Escape are discarded. The Conquest card’s Wife status is indicated by laying the player’s meeple on its side on the card.

If none of the above occurs, the player attempting to Escape turns over one of the cards he played. If the value of that card isn’t higher than the total value of the other two players’ cards, the second card is turned over. If the total value of the player attempting the Escape’s cards is higher than the other players’ cards, the Escape attempt is a success. The meeple is removed from on top of the Vixen card and stands on the table in front of the player. All played cards and Encore cards the player had are discarded. If the total value of the players’ cards is equal to or lower than the other players’ cards, the Escape attempt is a failure. The long-term relationship continues and one of the cards played by the player attempting to Escape is turned over face down beneath the Girlfriend card so that the card can be seen, becoming a Encore card. All other cards played in the Escape attempt are discarded.

If a player collects three Encore cards for a Girlfriend, disaster strikes and the two fall in love, getting married. The Girlfriend card becomes a Wife, indicated by laying the player’s meeple on its side on the card. The Encore cards are kept by the player.

PLAY MATCH-MAKER

A player may forego the action of his own during a round in order to attempt to Play Match-Maker. An attempt to Play Match-Maker may be made during any other player’s attempt to Hook Up or Escape. Playing Match-Maker commences after the opposing Players’ cards have been turned over, but before the cards of the player attempting the action are turned over. A player may attempt to Play Match-Maker even if he is one of the players whose cards are turned over in the Hook Up/Escape attempt. The player attempting to Play Match-Maker turns his turn counter in, then plays a card from his hand. If a Hook Up attempt is being made, the Match-Maker card is added to the value of the Hook Up cards. If an Escape attempt is being made, the Match-Maker card is added to the value of the opposing Players’ cards.

DECKS

If at any time the last card in the deck is drawn, immediately shuffle all of the cards in the Discard pile in order to create a new Draw deck.

MARRIAGE

If a player collects three Encores from the same Girlfriend, the two fall in love and get married. The player’s status as a Husband is indicated by laying his meeple down on the Wife card.

END GAME

Play continues until all players are married. When the last player gets married, the players determine their Conquest points as follows:

• Each Conquest is worth 3 points plus the face value of the card (Aces and Jokers are worth 1, face cards are worth 10)
• Each Encore is worth 1 point

The player with the most Conquest points wins the game.

So, based on the votes I received:

1st Place: State of Nature by ilta (13 points)
2nd Place: For Science by simons (12 points)
3rd Place (tie) : Box office by Mitchell Allen AND Not to the swiftest by comfect (5 points each)
4th Place : Powwow by RTalyor (4 points)
5th Place : Watchtower by Andy Van Zandt (truekid games) (1 point)