A Simple Life
A Simple Life Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Summary
The game is played in 10 rounds. For each round, you will roll 5 dice. Use these dice on Locations to perform the location's action. When you run out of dice, the round ends and a new round is started. If you have completed your goal(s) at the end of the game, you win and you may record your score.
Specifications
- Player count: 1 or 2
- Playing time: 15-20~ min
Required Components
- 1 Game Sheet (A4 preferably)
- 5 six-sided dice (6 if playing 2 players)
- Marker (Pen/Pencil)
Key Terms
When you see these icons and terms, you may refer to this section for their definition.
- Check: Draw a check on the checkbox or space specified by the game.
- Circle: Draw a circle around the space or icon specified by the game.
- Cross: Draw a cross or X on the space or icon specified by the game.
- Gain (something): Circle its icon in your Inventory.
- Lose (something): Cross its icon with a circle in your Inventory.
- "Lose this :: Gain this" — example: lose a carrot to gain a coin.
- Die/Dice: A die with six sides. Each side (die face) should have a value of 1 to 6.
- Point (star icon): Each point is worth 1 point at the end of the game.
- Artifact (trophy icon): The 4 icons in the Museum. Gained in Mines and Lake.
- Fish icon: The 8 icons in the Pond. Gained in Lake.
- Tool: Changes your actions in a Location related to it when upgraded in Blacksmith.
- Location: The 6 spaces on the sheet — Town, Farm, Mines, Lake, Pond and Museum — mentioned above.
- Resources: Carrot, Flower, Stone, Coin.
Anatomy of the Game
- Goal List - A list of possible goals in the game. Goals give you direction on which areas of the game to prioritize. Each goal in the list will have a die value, a circle outline, and a short description of the goal. More on this in the Goals section.
- Calendar - Used to track the rounds during the course of the game. Each square on the calendar represents the days or the rounds of the game. These spaces will be crossed out at the start of each day to mark the current round.
- Locations - There are 6 locations in the game (Town, Farm, Mines, Lake, Pond, and Museum) and 2 of these are mainly trackers while the 4 provide actions that can be performed in the game. This is where most of the focus of the game is. More on this in the Locations section.
- Inventory - This section is where you keep track of your resources and other icons you gain in the game. This section is divided into three sub-sections: Resources, Trackers, and Scoring.
- Scoring - At the end of the game, this is where you will count and write the points you have gained from different sources during the course of the game.
- Available Dice & Used Dice area - The space to the left of your sheet is used to store the dice available to be used in the round while the space to the right of your sheet is used to store the dice you've already used in the round.
How to Play
Preparation
Before you begin a game of A Simple Life, make sure you do the following:
- Print the game sheet on a piece of paper (A4 recommended size)
- Get 5 dice and place them in the Used Dice area.
- Determine your goal for the game.
- You start with 1 Carrot, 1 Flower, and 1 Coin. These icons are already marked on your sheet. No actions are needed.
To determine your Goal, follow these steps:
- Roll one die.
- Compare the rolled die's value to the Goal list. A value of 1 means your goal is the first goal in the list, "Harvest all carrots and flowers," and so on.
- Once you have determined your goal, circle that goal's outline. Consult the Goals section for each goal's full description.
You may add more than one goal to make the game more challenging. To do so, repeat the process from Step 1 as many times as your preferred difficulty.
Once you have everything prepared, you may begin the game. The game is played in 10 rounds; each round is called a Day. A Day is divided into 3 phases: Start of Day, Day, and End of Day.
Start of Day
At the start of each Day, cross that day's space on the Calendar; 1st round is Day 1, 2nd round is Day 2, and so on.
Then perform the following in order:
- Pick up all the dice in the Used Dice area and;
- Roll and Place them in the Available Dice area.
Day
In the Day phase, you will perform actions that will move you closer to your goal. To perform an action you must use your available dice to activate a Location and perform its associated action. Each Location has its own cost of dice to be activated.
To activate a Location:
- Choose a Location you want to activate and determine how many dice you need to use by looking at its cost.
- Pick dice from your Available Dice equal to the cost shown.
- Place your chosen dice in the Used Dice area, unless stated otherwise by the Location (See Town in Locations).
- Immediately perform the Location's associated action(s).
See Locations for a complete explanation of each Location's actions, cost, and special rules.
Completing a Goal: Whenever you fulfill your goal's requirement, you immediately complete that goal and check the circle of that goal in the Goal List. The game does not end when you complete all of your goals, continue playing until the end of Day 10. You can still score more points.
Important Notes:
- You have to finish your action(s) in one Location before using another Location
- You do not have to use all of the dice in the Available Dice area.
- You may use a Location more than once in a Day.
- The dice you use are placed in the Used Dice area after use.
End of Day
When you have no more dice in the Available Dice area, or when you decide to pass, the Day is over. If you pass and there are dice in your Available Dice, they are placed in the Used Dice.
If it is the 10th day, the game ends, see Winning and Scoring. Otherwise, start a new day.
Rerolling
Rerolling: ANYTIME during the game, you may Lose 1 Carrot to reroll ANY NUMBER of rolled dice once. This includes dice in the Available Dice area. To reroll, pick up any number of dice available to you and roll them again. You must accept the new result or spend another Carrot to perform another reroll.
Winning and Scoring
Game End: The game ends at the end of the 10th day.
Winning: If you have completed ALL of your selected goals, you win!
Scoring: If you won, Congratulations! You may now count your score.
Score 1 point for each icon in your Inventory that has a circle and without a cross:
| Icon | Points |
|---|---|
| Heart (Befriended Townsfolk) | 5 points |
| Diamond | 5 points |
| Tool Upgrade (green arrow) | 3 points |
| Coin | 2 points |
| Carrot | 1 point |
Score points from Museum and Pond:
- Museum: Score points based on the number of Artifacts with a check in the Museum; Gain 3/8/15/25 points if you collected a total of 1/2/3/4 Artifacts.
- Pond: Score points equal to the sum of the point values of all Fish with a check in the Pond.
Gain or Lose points from each Monster:
| Icon | Points |
|---|---|
| Monster with a circle and no cross | 2 points |
| Monster with a cross | -2 points |
Record your score and try to beat it the next time you play.
You may choose to play with the same goals to see how well you will perform compared to your previous games that have the same goal or play sandbox to see how many goals you can complete in 10 days. Go to the Score Chart table to see how well you did. For variants check out the Different Ways to Play book.
Thank you for Playing! (Read on for more rules)
Locations
Farm
This Location is the main source of Carrot and Flower resources.
Cost: 1 die | Related Tool: Watering Can
Action: Perform the following in order:
- Choose a column with a die value equal to the value of the die you used. For example: you may choose the first column if the dice value is 1.
- Add a check to that column's bottom-most empty checkbox.
Harvest: When you check the checkbox with a Carrot or a Flower, you will immediately Gain it.
Special Rule: 6 — When choosing a column, you may choose any column if you use a die with a value of 6 on the Farm.
Lake
This is where you can catch a Fish. Fishes are tracked in the Pond and are worth points at the end of the game.
Cost: 1 die | Related Tool: Fishing Rod
Action: The value of the die you used determines which column you can pick a Target. (1 or 2: 1st column, 3 or 4: 2nd column, 5 or 6: 3rd column)
After determining the column, perform the following in order:
- Choose any cell in that column without a cross or a check. Then, place the die you used on that cell to mark that this is your Target.
- Pick up and reroll the die you used to activate this Location. If you roll greater than or equal to the value in the first column of the target's row, it's a catch! Otherwise, it's a fail.
Catch: Check the Target and Gain the icons in it.
Fail: If the Target already has a circle, cross it. Otherwise, circle the Target. (This means you have a maximum of 2 attempts per target, so use Carrots wisely to reroll)
Mines
The Mines is a dangerous place but also the most fruitful Location. You can get carrots, stones, flowers, artifacts, diamonds, and coins while exploring it. However, monsters also lurk in the area.
Cost: 2 dice | Related Tools: Pickaxe, Sword
Action: Perform the following in order:
- Reroll the 2 dice you used to activate this Location.
- Choose one die as column and the other die as row. Place these dice on their respective die spaces in the Mines table (the dice icon showing 1 to 6).
- Find the cell where the row and column meet. If the cell already has a cross, gain nothing. Otherwise, cross the cell. Gain all icons in the cell, except for Monsters (see Fighting Monsters).
Special Rule: Fighting Monsters — When you are about to gain a Monster, you must fight it first. To fight, reroll one of the dice you used. If you roll a value of 5 or more, it's a hit! Circle one Monster in your Inventory, it's considered Defeated. Otherwise, cross one Monster in your Inventory, it got away. When fighting more than one monster, fight them one at a time.
Town
This Location has different sublocations within it. While performing this Location's action you may perform any sublocation's action in any order as many times as you can.
Cost: 1 die | Related Tool: None.
Action: The value of the die you used to activate this location is the number of actions you can perform in this Location. Different actions have their own costs.
Special Rule: Action Die — Place the die you used in the dedicated space in the Town, it is now the Action Die. When the die's value would reach 0, place it in the Used Dice area, and your Town action ends.
When you perform an action in this Location, reduce the action die's value by that action's cost. For example: If the Action die's value is 5, and you performed one action that costs 1, you must deduct 1 from the die. To do so, rotate it to show the value of 4.
Sublocations in Town
Town Square
Make friends with the townsfolk. All townsfolk accept flowers as gifts.
Action Cost: 1 per Give
Action: To Give, perform the following in order:
- Choose a townsfolk.
- Give them a gift. To do so, lose a number of required Flowers.
- Add a check to their leftmost empty checkbox.
Befriend: When you check a checkbox with a heart you have Befriended that townsfolk. Immediately Gain a heart and a Gift from them. The Gift is located in the upper right area of the townsfolk's row. To receive a gift, immediately cross the gift and Gain the icon.
Shop
Buy and sell resources. This is where Coin is mainly used aside from scoring.
Action Cost: 1 per Buy or Sell (For example, if you buy 1 Carrot and 1 Flower, 2 actions are used)
Action: Choose if you want to sell or buy something.
- Buy: Lose 1 Coin to Gain either 1 Carrot, 1 Flower or 1 Stone.
- Sell: Lose 1 Carrot, 2 Flower, 2 Stone to Gain 1 Coin.
Blacksmith
Upgrade your tools. The effects of each Tool are passive and change its related Location's action in a positive way. For example, Watering Can improve the action on the Farm by increasing the number of checkmarks you can add to a column.
Action Cost: 1 per Upgrade
Action: To Upgrade, perform the following in order:
- Choose a Tool you want to upgrade.
- Lose 2 Stone.
- Add a check to the chosen tool's checkbox. You must first check the Level 1 upgrade before you can check the Level 2 upgrade.
From now on, when you perform the action in a Location related to the Tool, that Tool's rightmost effect with a check will take effect. See Tools Table for more details on each Tool's upgraded effects.
Tools Table
| Tool | Related Location | Level 1 | Level 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watering Can | Farm | You may add 1 more check to the chosen column. | You may add 2 more checks to the chosen column. |
| Pickaxe | Mines | You may add or subtract 1 to the value of one of the dice you rolled. | You may add or subtract 1 to the value of two of the dice you rolled. |
| Fishing Rod | Lake | Add 1 to the value of the die after rerolling it. | Add 2 to the value of the die after rerolling it. |
| Sword | Mines | When fighting a Monster, you hit on 4 or more. | When fighting a Monster, you hit on 3 or more. |
Museum & Pond
These locations are mainly trackers and are used to track other icons specific to them.
Museum
This location tracks all the artifacts you've collected.
Gaining: Whenever you Gain an Artifact, you check its checkbox in the Museum.
Scoring: At the end of the game, Gain points based on the number of Artifacts with a check. i.e. Gain 3/8/15/25 points for 1/2/3/4 artifacts collected.
Pond
This location tracks all the fish you've successfully caught.
Gaining: Whenever you Gain a Fish, you check its checkbox in the Pond.
Scoring: At the end of the game, you Gain the sum of the point values of all Fish with a check. e.g. if you have the Crab (2) and Legendary Fish (10), Gain 12 points.
Goals
- Harvest all Carrots and Flowers — Check the top-most checkbox of all the carrots and flowers in the Farm location.
- Befriend all Townsfolk — Check the checkbox that shows a full heart icon of all the townsfolk in the Town Square.
- Fully Upgrade All Tools — Check the checkbox under the second column (Level 2) of all of the Tools in the Blacksmith.
- Catch the Legendary Fish — Check the checkbox of the Legendary fish in the Pond. To do this, you must successfully catch it from the Lake location.
- Defeat 5 Monsters — Have a total of 5 Monsters with a circle in your Inventory. Monsters with a cross do not count toward completing the goal.
- Collect all of the Artifacts — Check the checkboxes of all of the Artifacts in the Museum. They can be found in the Mines and Lake locations.
Score Chart
Compare your score to this chart to see how well you did:
- Under 39: You're new to the town and still settling in. You're thinking maybe going back to city life is not a bad idea.
- 40 - 79: You're enjoying the simple life - away from the city. A breath of fresh air fills your lungs.
- 80 - 119: You've mastered the ways of living a simple life. You've done so much in 10 days, you wonder what you could achieve in a year. Maybe one day you'll be the Mayor of this town.
- 120+: You're popular amongst the townsfolk, your crops are high quality and your collection of fish and artifacts grows. You were born to do this - this is your calling. Leaving city life behind is the best decision of your life.
Quick Reference
Start of Day
- Cross the current Day in the Calendar.
- Pick up all dice in Used Dice area, and roll them.
Day
- Choose a location you want to activate.
- Pay the location's dice cost.
- Perform the location's action.
End of Day
- Any remaining dice in Available Dice area is placed in the Used Dice area.
- If it is the 10th day, the game ends. Otherwise, start a new day.
Rerolling
Anytime in the game you may Lose 1 Carrot to reroll any number of rolled dice once. This includes dice in the Available Dice area and you may do this as many times as you have a Carrot to lose.
Farm — Main source of Carrot and Flower. Cost is 1 die.
- The value of the die you used determines which column you can add a check to.
- You draw a check to the bottom-most empty checkbox of that column.
- When you check the checkbox showing a resource, you immediately gain that resource.
- Watering Can: Once upgraded, you can now add one more check to your chosen column, and if it is fully upgraded, one more for a total of 3 in one action.
Lake — Main source of Fish. Cost is 1 die.
- Choose a target from a column, that is neither showing a cross nor a check, depending on the value of the die you used. Then, you reroll that die.
- It is a success if your roll is equal to or higher than the success value. Otherwise, it is a fail.
- On success: draw a check on the target. On failure: if target has a circle, draw a cross. Otherwise, draw a circle.
- Fishing Rod: Once upgraded, your rolled value in the Lake will be increased by 1, and if it is fully upgraded, it is increased by 2 instead.
Mines — Main source of Stone. Cost is 2 dice.
- Reroll the dice you used. Choose one to use as a column and one as a row.
- Draw a cross on the cell where the column and row meet and gain all icons in it.
- If an icon is a Monster, reroll one of the dice. If you roll 5 or more, gain it, otherwise cross it in your inventory.
- Pickaxe: Once upgraded, you may add 1 or subtract 1 to the value of one of the two dice you roll. If fully upgraded, you may do this to both dice instead of just one.
- Sword: Once upgraded, you defeat a Monster on a roll of 4 or more instead of 5. If fully upgraded, you defeat it on a roll of 3 or more instead.
Town — Main source of Coin and tool upgrades. Cost is 1 die.
- Perform a number of actions equal to the value of the die you used. Each action costs 1.
- Town Square: give 1 or 2 Flowers to townsfolk to gain a heart and a gift.
- Shop: pay 1 Coin to gain 1 resource, or lose 1 or 2 resources to gain 1 Coin.
- Blacksmith: pay 2 Stone to upgrade one of your tools.
Pond & Museum — Keeps track of the fish and artifacts you've collected during the game.
- When you catch a fish, check the checkbox of the fish in the Pond.
- When you collect an artifact, check the checkbox of the artifact in the Museum.
- Provides points at the end of the game.