Complicated Board Game the Card Game is a simple card game about playing a complex
board game. Using the cards in these decks you will need to outsmart, outmaneuver, and
outplay your opponents to win the world’s most convaluted board game. The first player
to play all their Pieces or complete one of the board games complex win conditions wins
Complicated Board Game the Card Game.
Contents:
75 Card Deck of Complications
50 Card Piece Pile
SETUP
Pile of
Deck of
Complications Pieces
Board State
Zone
Starting
Piece
Player 2 Holdings
Player 4 Holdings
Rules Lane
Player 1 Holdings
-Place the “Starting Board State:
Orthogonal” card on the board as
shown. This is the Board State Zone.
- Shuffle the deck labeled Piece
Pile and the deck labeled Deck of
Complications. Place them face down
on the table as shown.
- 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.
-Deal 5 Piece cards face up to each
player from the Piece Pile. These are
your Holdings.
-Deal 4 cards from the Deck of
Complications to each player. Don’t
show these to anyone else. This is
your starting hand.
Player 3 Holdings
Img. 1 The board at setup for a 4 player game.
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HOW TO PLAY
The object of the game is to be the first player to empty their Holdings by
putting all of their Piece cards onto the board. The player who owns the most
complicated board game at home goes first, and game play continues clockwise.
On Your Turn
-Draw a card from the Deck of Complications.
-Spend up to 2 Phase Points to play Piece
cards from your Holding and cards in your
Hand.
PARTS OF A CARD
Phase Point
Cost
Other Turn Notes
Title
Each player may only play 1 Piece card per turn.
Every card has a number in one corner that
indicates the number of Phase Points it costs
to play.
Card Type
Each Piece card can only be played on one other
Piece as shown on the Piece Wheel and indicated
in the lower right hand corner of the card. For
example, Sheep are played on Spaceships.
Effect
Flavor Text
PIECE WHEEL
There is no limit to the number of cards
you may play per turn as long as you still have
Phase Points to spend.
If you play a Piece incorrectly, it returns to
your Holdings. You lose the Phase Point
you used to play it.
If a Phase or card ever causes the last Piece to
be removed from the board, draw a new Starting
Piece from the Piece Pile.
Img. 2 Parts of a Card
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THE CARDS
Pieces
Pieces are the
square cards
that start out in your Holdings. You may
only Play one Piece per turn. When playing
a Piece card your Piece only needs to be
playable on one adjacent board Piece.
A correctly placed Piece follows the
rules of the current Board State and is
playable on one of the Pieces next to it.
Rules
Rules are cards that
change the way the game
is played for everyone.
Rule cards are played on
the board from left to right in the
Rules Lane and take precedence over
any rules in this rule book. Rules
remain in play unless a Phase or card
in the game removes them. Removed
Rules are placed in the Discard Pile.
Board State
Board States are cards that
change how Pieces are played
on the board. Board State
cards are played in the Board
State Zone. Place new Board State cards
on top of the old Board State card,
replacing it. The Starting Board State
Card is never removed from the Board.
Win Condition
Win Conditions are cards
that add a new, seceret
way for a player to win the
game. When a Win Condition
is drawn, play it face down in front of
you. A face down Win Condition may be
revealed, as soon as its conditions are
met, to win the game. “Flip the Table”
does not remove Win Condition cards.
Events
Events are cards that
resolve as soon as they
come into play. To play
an Event, place it on the table, do
what it says, then discard the card.
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EXAMPLE OF A TURN
Rules Lane
Player 1 Holdings
Player 1 spends their second Phase Point
to play the event “I Think You Dropped a
Piece,” adding a new Piece from the Piece Pile to
their opponents Holdings. Player 1 now has no
Phase Points left. Any 0 cost card could still be
played, but Player 1 chooses to end their turn.
Rules Lane
Player 1 Holdings
Having played their Piece for the
turn Player 1 now spends 0 Phase Points to
play the Rule “It’s a Trading Game,” placing it
in the Rules Lane. All players now have the
option of spending 1 Phase Point on their
turn to trade a Piece with any another player.
Player 1 Holdings
Player 1 draws a Piece card then uses their
first of 2 Phase Points to play a Piece. They
will play the Sheep from their Holdings on the
Spaceship following the rules of the Piece Wheel
and the “Diagonal” Board State which is in play.
Rules Lane
WINNING THE GAME
The first player to put all Piece cards from their Holdings onto the board or
complete a Win Condition card wins Complicated Board Game the Card Game.
It is possible for multiple players to win the game at the same time. For example,
playing the last Piece from your holdings and triggering a Win Condition at the
same time causes both players to win. If this happens, all players who won, win
Complicated Board Game the Card Game together.
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