Overview:
As a recent college graduate you and your 3 friends have banded together in hopes of finding
an apartment to share for the upcoming year. While this might sound like a difficult task
already, each character has an allotted number of special features or “motive cards” he or she
hopes to find in the apartment. Each secret Motive Card has a designated point value that
signifies its importance to the player.
There are two steps to actually winning the game. First, all players must collectively locate an
apartment to rent for the upcoming year. Second, if you and your friends are able to complete
this task, whomever has the greatest number of combined Motive Card points wins the overall
game.
Character Selection:
Players first select their trait-character from the four available options. Trustworthiness,
Responsibility, Motivation, and Cooperation. These trait-characters mimic important qualities
needed when apartment hunting in the real world.
To begin, the player who has most recently moved homes chooses their trait-character first,
then distributes the remaining trait-characters among the players.
Setting your Budget:
Players have two options for selecting their budget. They can either roll two D6, add the
numbers together, then add two zero’s to that number. This is “easy” mode.
Hard more is where players roll a single D10 then add two zero’s to the end of the number.
Realistically, players can decide upon any budget if that is how they would like to play the
game. This game is not focused on affording the apartment but rather agreeing upon a single
living space.
Motive Cards: Overview
Motive Cards are various needs that your trait-character wants be present in the apartment.
Each card has an allotted point value indicating its important and/or rarity. At the end of the
game, if players are able to collectively agree on an apartment, players will add up the amount
of Motive Cards that are met by the apartment. The player with the highest combined point
amount of Motive Cards met wins the game.
Motive Cards: Game Play
Not all of a trait-character’s Motive Cards must be met in order to agree on an apartment. Traitcharacters will absolutely have to make compromises within the game in order to take steps
towards collectively deciding on an apartment. This requires a large amount of strategy. Traitcharacters ought to think, “How can I achieve a select few motives, possibly the more
reasonable or higher valued motives, without giving up my agenda”
In many cases, only one (and even possibly none) of a trait-character’s Motive Cards may be
met by the chosen apartment. It is in the best interest of trait-characters to let go of low valued
Motive Cards and strive to have their higher valued Motive Cards met.
Motive Cards: How to Eliminate Your Opponent’s
This feature only applies to hidden motive cards*
Once per round a single player can try to guess one hidden Motive Card belonging to another
trait-character. This can happen at any point during the round and, and any one character can
attempt to identify another player’s Motive Card, so long as only one player does so per round.
If the player guesses correct, the trait-character must remove the correctly identified Motive
Card from their possession and discard it. If the player guesses wrong, the opposing character
can choose any Motive Card, hidden or visible, and discard it from the player’s hand.
This does not interfere with Trustworthiness’ Market Ability to uncover two hidden motives,
then remove one visible motive per round.
It would be good strategy here to either remove a visible high-valued visible Motive Card or a
Motive card or Life Card that opposes a high-valued Motive Card or Life Card of your own.
Another Strategy could be to remove a hidden Motive Card as you have the possibility of
removing their highest valued Motive Card.
Motive Cards: Strategy
It is good strategy to begin by placing your Motive Cards with the highest points face down,
however you may not want to play every single high valued card down as you might look
suspicious to your friends.
Because Motive Cards can also be eliminated through guessing, having a specific Life Card, or by
Trustworthiness’ Market Power, trait-characters might find it helpful to place “bombs” or low
valued Motive Cards among their face down Motive Cards so that opposing trait-characters
hesitate in
It is also good strategy to try group these cards together. Say you urge other players to live in
Santa Monica or Brentwood, as you have a visible West side Motive Card, however, one of your
Motive Cards gives you +10 points if Santa Monica is the location of the apartment.
Finding an Apartment: Overview
There are total of 30 apartments available to you and your friends. These apartments vary from
one another in every way possible. Gameplay begins by drawing three of these apartments and
placing them face up in the center of the table. These apartments are currently “On the
Market” or apartments available to you and your friends.
The round then continues by players discussing among each other, trying to convince their
fellow roommates to decide on a certain listing (probably a listing that features several of their
Motive Cards).
Players may use whatever means they believe is necessary, such as bribing, to convince their
fellow roommates to agree upon a specific apartment, but, should be observant of the player in
the role of the Responsibility trait-character. If Responsibility feels that the argumentation is
getting out of hand, Responsibility can end the disagreement. Responsibility doesn’t need state
a reason or receive approval to do this.
After Responsibility has ended an argument, Cooperation can decide to punish one, both, or all
participants who engaged by taking away a single hidden or visible Motive Card or Life Card
from each trait-character participated.
It might be advantageous for players to bribe Responsibility or Cooperation to use their Market
Powers on another trait-character or to prevent them from using their powers on you.
Finding an Apartment: Drawing and Discarding “On the Market”
After the initial three apartments are laid out and the first round has come to an end, three
new apartments are placed into the center of the table and the previous three are discarded
into a separate pile.
Finding an Apartment: Motivation and its Contribution
The Motivation trait-character has Market Powers that effect what apartments are available on
the market. At the end of each round, Motivation can prevent one “on the market” listing from
being discarded, leaving it in play until round. If Motivation opts to leave a listing on the
market, only two new apartment cards are drawn from the deck. If Motivation doesn’t decide
on leaving a past apartment on the market, three new apartment cards are drawn. Motivation
may do this once every round of the game and is free to leave the same apartment on the
market every time if they so desire.
Starting after the first round, and only at the beginning of a round before new apartment cards
are laid down (Note that the apartment card Motivation has chosen to remain on the market
from the previous round will still be in play however) Motivation may peer through the
discarded apartments and bring one listing “back to the market”. Motivation may use this
Market Power once a round as well, so long as it is the first action that takes place during the
round. Opposing trait-character could deny Motivation of its power by placing new apartment
cards on the market before Motivation has the chance to look through the apartment discard
pile.
This should produce a maximum of four listing that are “on the market” at any time after the
first around is completed however the number can fluctuate down to three of Motivation opts
to not use all of its Market Powers.
Life Card: An Overview
Starting the second round of the game, and continuing for every round thereafter, players draw
Life Card that can be played at any time during the game. The number of Life Cards each traitcharacter draws per round is the number of the round being played multiplied by two. Example:
during the second round of the game trait-characters draw four cards, the third round players
draw six cards, etc.
Life Cards: Abilities and Actions
Life Card have many different abilities and forms. Some mimic and Motive Cards, some alter
budgets, and some change the dynamic of the group altogether. Some positively effect players
and others create new challenges for the trait-characters. Most Life Cards are self explanatory
and indicate what actions should be taken on the physical game piece. Life Card however will
both contradict each other as well as Motive Cards.
If a newer Life Card is drawn that contradicts an older Life Card the newer Life Card overpowers
the older.
In the event a Life Card requests that the trait-character draw a new Motive Card, this Motive
Card is simply added to the player’s hand as an option for them to achieve.
Life Cards: Lifestyle Change
Life Cards can and will conflict with Motive Cards. Life Cards, however, always overpower
Motive Cards. Example: If a Motive Card you are trying to achieve requires that you live in
Brentwood, and you draw a Life Card telling you that you now need to live Downtown, you
must now search for a listing that is Downtown and abandon your Motive Card to live in
Brentwood. This is an example of a Concrete Objective Life Card. Concrete Objectives will state
that they are Concrete Objectives, in addition to displaying an allotted point amount that the
player will receive if their Concrete Objective is met.
Concrete Objectives force the player to re-strategize and re-access what is important to them.
They will have to focus on achieving new Motive Cards that correspond with their new
objective.
Concrete Objectives are so finite that the trait-character cannot agree to any apartment that
does not include their Concrete Objective, halting game play.
The only way Concrete Objectives may be reversed is if the trait-character draws a new Life
Card that conflicts with the previously drawn Life Card, again switching the player’s objectives.
Fellow trait-characters may also remove Concrete Objectives from players by working together
collectively. Some trait-character’s Market Powers allow them to remove Concrete Objectives.
Life Cards: Remaining Types
The remainder of possible Life Cards are very straightforward.
Some cards alter the character’s budget
Some cards alter the price of the listings
And some cards allow character’s to actually alter the listing.
If the card states that it alters a card “On the market” then it can only be added to a card on the
market
If it does not take “on the market” it can be added to any listing at any time.