Object of the Game

Keep your Gold and stay conscious. If you run out of Gold, or if your Alcohol Content is ever more than or equal to your Fortitude, you are out of the game!

Getting Started

Most of the preparation for the game is taken care of by VASSAL (such as shuffling decks, giving each player 10 Gold, and setting Fortitude (Red) and Alcohol Content (Yellow) markers in their starting positions).

Each player should draw 7 cards into their hands at the beginning of the game. These cards should remain hidden from the other players until they are played.

Each player should then draw a card from the Drink Deck and place it face down in their Drink Me! pile. Do not look at these cards until they are played.

On Your Turn

Your turn consists of four phases, which must be played in order. The Phases of your turn are as follows: Discard and Draw, Action, Buy Drinks, Drink.

Discard and Draw

You may discard any cards from your hand that you do not want and then draw from your Character Deck until you are holding seven cards. You cannot play any cards until you have finished drawing cards. If you draw the last card from your Character Deck, shuffle your discard deck by 'right-clicking' on it and selecting "Reshuffle".

Action

You may play one Action Card. To play an Action Card, place the card into the play area (the table). If applicable, you will be asked to choose which player is affected by the card or which action to take on the card (for cards with an "or" on them). Information about the card will be displayed in the message window. Allow any effects to take place (such as loss of gold or Fortitude) then right-click on the card and select Discard to send the card to your discard pile.

If you play a "Gambling? I'm In" card, you start a Round of Gambling (see below).

If you cannot or do not want to play an Action Card, skip this phase.

Buy Drinks

Take the top card from the Drink Deck and place it face down, without looking at it, on any other player's Drink Me! pile.

You do not have to pay Gold when you buy drinks in this way. The Inn keeps a tab, and you will pay for these drinks later. (See More Drink Rules below for more details).

Drink

Reveal the top card of your Drink Me! pile, placing it on the playing surface (table area). Follow the instructions on the card and then place it in the Drink Discard pile. If you don't have any Drink Cards on your Drink Me! pile when you have to drink, reduce your Alcohol Content by one.

Ending Your Turn

After you have resolved the effects of your Drink phase, the player to your left (clockwise) goes next. You should send a message in the chat window to let the other players know you are finished.

Losing

Running out of Gold

If you run out of Gold, the Wench kicks you out of the Inn and you must spend the rest of the night out in the stables. You are out of the game.

Passing Out

If your Alcohol Content is ever equal to or greater than your Fortitude, you fall unconscious and the Wench drags you up to your room to sleep it off. Your Gold is divided between the Inn and any players still in the game. Split your Gold in half. One half, and any remainder, goes to the Inn. What's left gets split evenly among the remaining players, with any remainder going to the Inn. You are out of the game.

Sometimes and Anytime Cards

Sometimes Cards

Sometimes Cards can only be played under certain conditions. Each Sometimes card defines the conditions under which it can be played in the text on the card.

Anytime Cards

Anytime Cards can be played at any time, even if they interrupt another action.

More Drink Rules

Running out of Drinks

When you reach the end of the Drink Deck, each player must pay 1 Gold to the Inn to get the Wench to bring more drinks. Shuffle the Drink discard pile by right-clicking and selecting "Reshuffle".

Drink deck cards that have been placed on Drink Me! piles remain where they are.

No Drinks in Your Drink Me! Pile

If you have to take a drink from your Drink Me! pile, and don't have any cards on your Drink Me! pile, reduce your Alcohol Content by one. This rule does not apply if you run out of drinks while drawing for a Chaser (see below).

Drink Events

Some cards in the Drink Deck are Drink Event cards. If you reveal a Drink Event card, follow the instructions on the card. Cards that affect Drink cards do not affect Drink Event cards.

Chasers

If you reveal a Drink Card that has the phrase "with a chaser" in the title, reveal the next Drink card from the same deck as you drew the original Drink.

If it is a Drink Card, add its effects to the Drink.

If it's another Drink with a Chaser, add its effects to the Drink and draw the next Drink Card from the same deck.

If no cards remain in your Drink Me! pile, or if you draw a Drink Event card, there is no additional effect. Do not continue drawing.

The Drink Deck is never out of cards so if you run out of cards in the Drink Deck, follow the Running Out of Drinks rule and then draw the top card from the Drink Deck.

The original Drink and any Chasers count as one Drink. So a card that allows you to ignore a Drink will ignore the original Drink and any Chasers.

Chaser Example 1: Gerki drinks from his Drink Me! pile and gets "Wine with a Chaser". He reveals the next card on his Drink PIle and gets "Dragon Breath Ale". He adds the effects of both drinks together and gets a total Alcohol Content of 6.

Gerki plays "Dump it on the floor!" to ignore the effects of the drink and gains no Alcohol Content. What a waste!

Chaser Example 2: Zot gets a "Light Ale with a Chaser". Zot reveals the next card on the Drink Deck and gets "Round on the House!". Since "Round on the House!" is a Drink Event Card, it has no effect. Zot gains 1 Alcohol Content.

Gambling

A Round of Gambling begins when a player chooses to play a "Gambling? I'm in!" card during the Action phase of their turn.

Once a Round of Gambling begins, normal play is suspended and each player must ante 1 Gold. To do this, they must put 1 Gold in the middle of the playing area (on the table).

The player who started the Round of Gambling is currently winning ("in Control").

Play passes around the table clockwise. On your turn you may either Play a Gambling or Cheating Card or Pass.

Play a Gambling or Cheating Card: Playing either of these two card types allows you to take control of the Round of Gambling. Gambling and Cheating cards tell which types of cards they eat on the bottom of the card. You may only play a card if it can beat the last card played.

Pass: You may choose to pass instead of playing a card. You may pass even if you have a Gambling or Cheating card that you could play. If you pass you are still in the Round of Gambling and may play Gambling or Cheating cards later in the Round, if the round does not end first.

Ending the Round

If you play a Gambling or Cheating card and everyone else passes, the Round of Gambling ends. You win. Take all of the anted Gold and add it to your Stash.

There are Sometimes cards that can end a Round or change the outcome of a Round after it has ended. If one of these cards is played, follow the instructions on the card.

When the Round of Gambling is over, normal play resumes. The player who started the Round moves on to their Buy Drinks Phase.

Leaving a Round

Some cards allow or force you to leave a Round of Gambling. If you leave a Round of Gambling, you cannot play Gambling or Cheating cards for the rest of that Round. but you may still play Sometimes or Anytime cards.

Running out of Gold

If you run out of Gold during a Round of Gambling, you will remain in the game at least until the Round of Gambling is resolved. Ignore any effects that force you to pay or ante Gold. If you do not win the Round of Gambling, you are out of Gold and out of the game!

Gambling Example: On his turn, Zot plays "Gambling? I'm in!" and starts a Round of Gambling.

Deirdre plays "I'm saving this money for the poor," to leave the Round of Gambling. She does not have to ante, but she cannot play any Gambling or Cheating cards for the rest of this Round.

Zot, Gerki, and Fiona each ante 1 Gold. Since Zot started the game, he's winning.

Play passes to Gerki. Gerki passes.

Fiona plays "I raise!" a Gambling Card that forces all players in the Round to ante an additional Gold. Zot, Gerki, and Fiona each ante one more Gold.

The "I raise!" card also puts Fiona in control of the Round of Gambling, so she is now winning.

Zot passes.

Gerki plays "Oops ...I dropped my cards," a Cheating Card. Gerki is now winning.

Fiona has no other Gambling cards, and passes. Zot also passes. Gerki wins the Gold in the Pot.

Order of Events

If there is ever a question as to the order of events (i.e. two plays play Anytime cards at the same time) resolve the events in turn order, starting with the player currently taking their turn.