-HOUSE RULES
-===========
+% House rules
Turn taking
-----------
In all but the last round:
-If everyone is waiting for someone else to decide whether to draw, the
-person with the emptiest pot chooses (and if necessary draws) first.
-Ties are broken by the Fortune Teller card turn order.
+If everyone is waiting for someone else to decide whether to draw (or
+place a deferred chip), the person with the emptiest pot chooses (and
+if necessary draws) first. Ties are broken by the Fortune Teller card
+turn order.
[Rationale: the official rule suffers from a perverse incentive.
This rule approximates natural player behaviour, formalising the edge
case.]
-Greens
-------
-When a green chip talks about "the last or second-last chip in your
-post", apply the rule for each of the last *three* chips, not just the
-last *two*.
+Greens etc.
+-----------
+
+When a chip (typically green, but also eg some blacks) talks about "the
+last or second-last chip in your pot", apply the rule for each of the
+last *three* chips, not just the last *two*.
[Rationale: Greens seem not to come up. In my experience, even with
this change they are still quite weak.]
+
+Overflow
+--------
+
+We have overflow tracks, not overflow bowls. They are simply an
+extension of the pot's track. The space "34 14" on the overflow track
+follows the space "33 14 ruby" in the main pot. Disregard (cover up)
+the "35 15" on the provided board.
+
+
+### Buying three chips (etc.)
+
+In the "money" phase (and any other time you are invited to buy
+chips), you may buy *one* additional chip, but to do so you must pay 5
+*extra* money (in addition to the price of the additional chip).
+
+(You may combine this with the "Sale" Fortune Teller card to get the
+another of cheapest chip, for a total of 4 chips.)
+
+
+Alchemists ("diseases")
+-----------------------
+
+Players do not choose their own disease. Instead, choose one disease
+randomly, for all the players.
+
+If your essence value is more than 10, you get the bonus for 10,
+*plus* the bonus for the remainder (max.10). (Notate this by placing
+two counters on the essence track). With **Vampirism**, add the
+buying power together and buy one chip. With essences that are used
+up during play by reducing your essence, you may make up a reduction
+by adding two reductions of your two essence tokens.
+
+### Ear Worm
+
+In the last round, perform the essence bonus, instead of getting VPs
+for your essence.
+
+### Nervousness
+
+In the final round, when drawing is supposed to be secret and
+simultaneous:
+
+Each player with Nervousness chips puts some large draughts stones in
+their bag. When drawing a chip, they may (by feel) choose to draw a
+draughts stone instead. When the stone is revealed, it means they are
+placing one of their Nervousness chips.
+
+A player who drew a ruby selects *which* of their Nervousness chips
+they are playing before anyone makes other decisions about how to play
+their chips. If more than one player has more than one Nervousness
+chip to choose from, the applicable players each choose a Nervousness
+chip in turn order.
+
+
+Blacks book V
+-------------
+
+If you have *any* black in the last three, you get rubies for *all*
+your own blacks.
+
+[Rationale: this adds an element of diminishing returns for the player
+*buying* the black, which was otherwise missing. The official rules
+text is ambiguous.]
+
+
+Blacks book VI
+--------------
+
+You are not eligible for the ruby if you got the droplet.
+
+[Rationale: these are somewhat be overpowered, especially if you have
+many. We want to debuff them.]
+
+No ruby awarded if more than one person got the droplet.
+
+[Rationale: As above, but also this is a usual 1st/2nd prize rule.]
+
+
Locoweed book VI "last coloured chip"
-------------------------------------
This chip costs 9, not 10.
[Rationale: This chip is hardly ever a good buy at 10.]
+
+
+Fortune teller "Neighbour in Need"
+----------------------------------
+
+We do not play with this card. Draw another one instead.
+
+(We think it means that you get to choose between (a) the player on
+your left may remove a garlic and (b) they may take a chip of their
+choice.)
+
+Fortune teller Visit from a Witch
+---------------------------------
+
+We play with this card even if we are not playing with the Herb
+Witches.
+
+
+CLARIFICATIONS
+==============
+
+
+General
+-------
+
+Any bonus chips you gain after the start of a round are put aside and
+go into your bag in the next round. This is equivalent to the
+official wording but more generalisable. In particular, it applies to
+the bronze witch "exchange your ... chips". (Chips from Witch's Hump
+go into your bag, as per the official rules.)
+
+You may always use a chip's special power as if it were a chip of a
+lower value of the same colour. (That is, for a 4-chip you can choose
+to use the corresponding 2- or 1-chip power; for a 2-chip, the 1-chip
+power.)
+
+But you may not forgo a chip's special power unless it says so (eg, by
+saying "may").
+
+A locoweed is not a "1-chip". But it has a "value" (the number of
+spaces to move), unless otherwise specified.
+
+By no means may you acquire a purple or yellow before they are
+available (from the start of rounds 2 and 3).
+
+For the avoidance of doubt: when you return a chip to your bag, any
+special effects that have already occurred does not need to be undone.
+But any ongoing or end-of-round effects (or side-effects) no longer
+happen because the returned chip is no longer in your pot: henceforth
+it is henceforth as if that chip was never placed.
+
+(As a general principle, rules interactions do not involve any hidden
+state that doesn't exist for the rules taken separately.)
+
+Books
+-----
+
+### Yellow III (increased garlic threshold)
+
+If you remove a yellow from your pot (due to some rule or other), and
+this reduces your garlic threshold below your current amount of
+garlic, your pot *does* explode.
+
+Witches
+-------
+
+### Silver "Receive the full bonus if exploded"
+
+Using this witch does not deprive anyone else of the die roll.
+
+
+Alchemists ("diseases")
+-----------------------
+
+### Chicken eyes
+
+When upgrading chips, the new ones go into your pot, in the same
+space as the old chips.
+
+When upgrading a 1-chip to a 4-chip, you may upgrade a 2-chip instead.
+
+### Ear worm
+
+Draw all the Ear Worm chips at once; you may choose the placement
+order.
+
+### Nervousness
+
+With Book V Yellow, the chip for the yellow must come from your bag,
+not from Nervousness chips.
+
+### Witch's Hump
+
+You may take the bonus for to a lower-valued chip, instead.
+
+Giant pumpkin (on a ruby space) counts as 4-chip or locoweed.
+
+Fortune teller cards
+--------------------
+
+(Clarifications of interactions with other rules are here, rather than
+filed under the other rule or game feature.)
+
+Any VPs you gain as a result of a fortune teller card don't affect the
+number of rat tails you get this turn; likewise, if your droplet
+moves, move your rat stone too.
+
+### From Good to Better
+
+With Ear Worm, do Ear Worm first.
+
+### Good neighbourhood
+
+You may do this as many times as you like.
+
+### Less is More
+
+Locoweed count for 1 each.
+
+### Pot is Full
+
+*Every* die roll is to be rolled twice, not just the one for winning
+the round.
+
+### Pumpkin Patch Party
+
+With Alchemists' Carrot Nose, Carrot Nose happens first.
+
+### Rat Infestation
+
+Doubles all rats, no matter where they come from, not just VP track
+rats.
+
+### Sale
+
+This applies only to the normal "money" phase, not any other rules
+which might involve buying chips.
+
+If buying two chips of the same value, you can choose which to receive
+another of for free.
+
+### Second Chance
+
+If you are unlucky enough to draw withink the first 5 chips, a garlic
+that would make you explode, you may put everything back in your bag
+and restart immediately -- before the explosion happens. (Assuming
+you haven't restarted already, obviously.)
+
+Other side effects that occurred in your first 5 chips are not undone.
+
+**Nervousness** (alchemists): if you choose to start again, you put all
+your Nervousness chips back into your bag, and choose a fresh set for
+the restart.
+
+### Small Donation
+
+Applies to this round only (despite the wording which suggests
+otherwise).
+
+### Strong Ingredient
+
+With Book II Red: draw 5 for Strong Ingredient before placing any
+reds. Then place Strong Ingredient chips, and any reds you wish to
+place, in any order.
+
+### White Blessing
+
+With Book II red, place any reds into your pot first, before resolving
+the White Blessing.
+
+* * *
+
+| Books of Pumpkins, etc. Extensions to Quacks of Quedlinburg.
+| This file: Copyright 2020-2021 Ian Jackson.
+| `SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later OR CC-BY-SA-4.0`.
~ianmdlvl / quacks.git / blobdiff