Complicated Board Game the Card Game
Some of our favorite tabletop games are massively complicated. They require
multiple handouts, dozens of little plastic pieces, and hundreds of cards. Setting
these up can take as long as playing the game itself and amoung certain groups,
that setup almost becomes its own game. This is not a complex board game.
This is a simple card game about setting up a complex board game. This is
Complicated Board Game the Card Game
Setup (Setting up the Card Game)
Recomended for ages 11+
3-5 players
-Separate and shuffle the deck of cards
labled Piece Pile and the deck labled
Game Contents
95 Card Deck of Complications
50 Card Piece Pile
Deck of Complications. Place them face
down on the table.
-Deal 5 Piece cards to each player from
Rules Lane
the Piece Pile. These will sit face up in
front of you and form your Holdings.
-Deal each player 4 cards from the
see.
-Take the top Piece card from the Piece
Pile and place it face up on the center
of the table. This is the Starting Piece
Player 4 Holdings
starting hand, which only you should
Player 1 Holdings
Deck of Complications. This is your
Player 2 Holdings
Player 3 Holdings
and will act as the center of the 5x5
grid of game Pieces.
Img. 1 The board at setup for a 4 player game.
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How to Play (Setting up the Board Game)
The object of the game is to be the first player to empty their Holdings by
putting their Pieces on the board. The player who owns the most complicated
board game at home goes first. After their turn, gameplay continues clockwise.
A turn consists of (1) drawing a card from the top of the Deck of Complications
and (2) taking up to two Actions. Available actions are playing (a) a Piece, (b) a
Rule, (c) an Event, or (d) a Board Format card from your hand.
At first, Pieces are played on top of the
Starting Piece following the pattern of
the Piece Wheel (see img. 2). The Hats
are worn by Soldiers, the Soldiers ride
the Sheep, The Sheep are abducted by
the Spaceships, the Spaceships obliterate
the Castles, and the Castles… Hat. As Rule
cards are played, additions to the wheel
will form. For example, the Rule card
Img. 2 The Piece Wheel
“Hat -> Hat” allows Hats to be played on other Hats in addition to Soldiers. If you
place a Piece incorrectly, it returns to your Holdings, and you lose the Action you
used to place it. In addition, you lose the ability to place a Piece for the remainder
of your turn.
Discard Pile
Board Format
On Your Turn
1. Draw from the Deck of
Complications.
Rules Lane
2. Take first action or pass turn.
3. Take second action or pass
turn.
Actions Available
a. Play a Piece from your
Holdings. (only once per turn)
b. Play an Event card.
c. Play a Rule card.
Outside
5x5
grid
Outside
5x5
grid
Outside
5x5
grid
Outside
5x5
grid
Outside
5x5
grid
Outside
5x5
grid
Outside
5x5
grid
Outside
5x5
grid
Outside
5x5
grid
Outside
5x5
grid
d. Play a Board Format card.
Img. 3 Partway through a game.
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The Cards (The Pieces and Rules of the Complicated Board Game)
Pieces
Events
Pieces are the
Events are resolved as soon
square cards
as they come into play. Place
named: Hat, Soldier, Sheep, Spaceship,
the Event card on the table
and Castle. They are the cards that
and do whatever it says, then
start out in your Holdings. You can
place it in the discard pile unless the
only play one Piece per turn, even if
card says otherwise.
it doesn’t stay in play. Lots of cards
in the game can change how Pieces
interact with each other. For example,
the Rule card “Hat -> Hat” allows Hats
to be played on other Hats in addition
to Soldiers. When playing Piece cards
your Piece only needs to be playable on
one adjacent board Piece. It does not
need to match every adjacent Piece.
Board Format
Board Format cards change
how Pieces are played
on the board. Grid allows
Piece Cards to be played
vertically and horizontally next to the
Piece being played on. Checkers allows
cards to be played diagonally to the Piece
being played on. Stacks allows cards
Rules
to be played on top of the Piece being
Rules are cards that change
in the Board Format Zone, and are not
the way the game is played.
affected by cards that change the Rules
They are placed on the
Lane. When a new Board Format card is
board from left to right in the Rules
Lane. All Rule cards on the board
are always in effect. Rule cards take
precedence over any rules in this
rule book. If there is a contradiction
played on. Board Format cards are played
played, place it on top of the old Board
Format card, replacing it. At the start of
the game no board format is set, so play
Pieces on top of the Starting Piece.
between Rule cards in play, the Rule
card to the left overides the Rule on
the right. Rules remain in play unless
something in the game removes them.
Removed Rules are placed in the
Discard Pile.
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Winning the Game (You’re done setting up!)
The first player to put all Piece cards from their Holdings into play is the winner.
Congratulations! You have set up all your Pieces of the Board Game. Reward
yourself with a snack and complain about how long the other players are taking
to get their act together. You’ve earned it.
Game Design by Patrick Brennan & Jason Turner
Illustrations by Jason Turner
Print Coordinator Sandra Berdick
Playtesters: Ari David, Erin Jones, James Lynch, John McCullough, Darlene McCullough, Michael Millan, Jasmine Nicole, Claire Summers, and everyone who contributed to our playtest events!
Kickstarter Backers:
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To
view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
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