America Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
  • First Game Setup
• Setup
• America Cards
• Object of the Game
• How to Play
  • 1. Change the Start Player
  • 2. Choose a Side to Read From
  • 3. Place the Markers
    • Place a Marker on a State
    • Place a Marker on a Bar
    • Place a Marker on the "No Exact" or "No Exact or Adjacent" Spaces
    • Place Another Marker
    • Pass
  • 4. Score
    • State Scoring
    • Bar Scoring
    • "No Exact" and "No Exact or Adjacent" Scoring
    • Non-Scoring Placed Markers
  • Scoring Example
• Replace the Card
• End of the Game
• Information About Card Questions and Answers
• Credits

Contents

• 1 America Gameboard
• 160 America Cards
• 1 Red Divider Card
• 1 Card Box
• 36 Player Markers in 6 colors

The player markers come in white, red, silver, blue, light blue, and black. The card box holds the America Cards and the Red Divider Card.

First Game Setup

Unwrap the cards from the card decks, and place one deck on each side of the card divider. Do not shuffle the cards, as they are already mixed within the deck.

Setup

Place the gameboard in the middle of the table. Each player gets 6 markers of one color and places one of them on space 0 on the score track. (The setup illustration in the rules is shown for 6 players.)

Place the card box on the table. Do not remove any of the cards, as this will show the answers to the cards.

America Cards

There are 160 double-sided America Cards in the card box, with a Red Divider Card between them. The start player will choose one of the cards at either end of the box, and all the players will attempt to solve the answers on that card.

1. Red Divider Card – In the middle of the cards. Used cards are placed directly behind this divider card.
2. Topic – In a colored banner at the top of the card is the topic, on which all the answers for this card are based.
3. Photo – refers to the topic, but doesn't always show the topic or answers exactly.

There are 3 questions and 3 answers for each topic.

4. Year Question
5. State Question – The shaded area behind the question indicates if the answer is east or west of the Mississippi River. The State answer lies within the shaded area.
6. Number Question

This information is visible when the card is in the card box; be careful not to pull the card out of the box, so no one sees the answers on the lower half of the card.

The lower half of the card shows the answers and additional information.

7. Year Answer – The answer to the Year question with additional info below it.
8. State Answer – The answer to the State question with additional info below it, as well as a mini map of America with the correct state shown in black.
9. Number Answer – The answer to the Number question with additional info below it.

During marker placement, the lower half of the card is concealed by the card box.

Object of the Game

Players guess the answers related to the topic on the current America card. In turn order, they place their markers on the Year Bar, State Map, or Number Bar. For each card, players score 7 points for exactly correct answers and 3 points for answers that are adjacent to the exact answer. The player with the most points at the end of the game (6 cards) wins.

The gameboard shows a Year Bar, a State Map, and a Number Bar.

How to Play

Each game uses six America cards.

For each card, there are 4 steps:

1. Change the start player
2. Choose a side to read from
3. Place the markers
4. Score

Keep answers hidden: Because the answers are displayed on the lower half of each card, never remove the card from the card box until it is time to score the card.

1. Change the Start Player

For the first card, choose the start player by agreeing who among you is the smartest, then give him the box of cards. For subsequent cards, the card box is passed clockwise to the next player, who becomes the start player for that card.

2. Choose a Side to Read From

The start player then looks at the cards that are displayed on each end of the card box, and chooses one of them (but does not remove that card from the box).

The start player reads the topic and the questions on the chosen card out loud without removing the card from the box (this keeps the answers hidden). The start player also indicates if the state answer is to the east or west of the Mississippi River, based on the shaded image behind the State question.

3. Place the Markers

The other players may also look at the card, but may not remove it from the box. Beginning with the player to the left of the start player and going clockwise, each player places one of his markers on the board, either on an empty state or on an empty space on one of the bars.

America only! All card questions and answers are relative to America. For instance, The First Amusement Park question refers to the first amusement park in America, not in the entire world.

Place a Marker on a State

You may place one of your markers on an empty state on the map. You may never place a marker on a state that has another marker of any color. Markers may not be placed in the ocean or in Canada or Mexico. There is no spot for the District of Columbia and no cards have that as an answer.

Place a Marker on a Bar

You may place one of your markers on an empty space on one of the bars (i.e., where there is a year or a number). You may never place a marker on a space that has another marker of any color.

There are two bars, each referring to different answer types.

Year bar – Answers about a specific year. Each space includes the year listed on the space up to the year before the next space. For example, the "1875" space includes years 1875 through December 31st, 1899, but does not include the year 1900. There are no answers that are before 1492. For year answers equal to or higher than 2015, use the "2015" space.

Number bar – These are numerical answers about a wide variety of different things that are defined on the card's question. Each space includes the number listed on the space up to but not including the number on the next space. For example, the "10M" space includes values 10 million through 99,999,999, but does not include 100 million. There are no answers that are less than 0 (zero). For Number answers equal to or higher than 1 billion, use the "1B" space.

Place a Marker on the "No Exact" or "No Exact or Adjacent" Spaces

Instead of placing a marker on an empty State or space on the Year bar or Number bar, players may place a marker on one of the "No Exact" or "No Exact or Adjacent" spaces on the board (one per turn). There are a pair of these spaces for the Year Bar, the State Map, and the Number Bar.

No Exact – You believe that no one has answered the question correctly with a marker on the correct space. If you're right, you'll score 3 points.

No Exact or Adjacent – You believe that no one has answered the question correctly with a marker on the correct space or on any space adjacent to the correct space. If you're right, you'll score 7 points.

Place Another Marker

After each player has placed one marker, players may place another marker on any empty state or space in turn order, or pass when it is their turn.

For each card, you may place several markers on empty spaces on the Year Bar, States Map, and the Number Bar (one marker per turn), as long as you have markers to place.

Pass

If you pass because you are no longer willing or able to place markers, you may not place any more markers for this card. When all players have passed, the card is scored.

4. Score

Pull the America card completely out of the card box. Score the Year, then the State, then the Number.

State Scoring

Score 7 points if you have placed a marker on the correct state. Score 3 points if you have placed a marker on a state which is adjacent to the correct state. Immediately advance your marker on the score track. Only one state per card is the correct answer.

State adjacency notes

• Arizona and Colorado are not adjacent to each other.
• Utah and New Mexico are not adjacent to each other.
• For game purposes, Alaska and Hawaii are adjacent to each other, but they are not adjacent to any other states.
• Delaware is adjacent to Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
• Connecticut is not adjacent to New Jersey.
• Michigan is adjacent to Wisconsin.
• States that share the Mississippi River as a border are adjacent to each other.

Bar Scoring

Score 7 points for each of your markers on a correct bar space. Score 3 points for each of your markers that are adjacent to a correct bar space. The space with the year/number on it includes that year or number, all the way up to, but not including, the year/number on the next higher space. Only one space on each bar is a correct answer.

"No Exact" and "No Exact or Adjacent" Scoring

If no one placed a marker on the exact (correct) answer for each section (Year, State, or Number), and a player has placed a marker on the "No Exact" square in that section, that player scores 3 points.

If no one placed a marker on the exact (correct) answer or any state/space adjacent to the exact answer for each section, and a player has placed a marker on the "No Exact or Adjacent" square in that section, that player scores 7 points.

Non-Scoring Placed Markers

Any markers that scored points should be placed back in each player's personal supply. Markers that were placed but did not score points are placed in a non-scoring supply next to the gameboard.

Prior to giving points to each of the players, you may find it easier to remove all non-scoring markers and place them in the supply next to the gameboard; this can make scoring quicker and easier.

After scoring has taken place, all players with one or more markers in the non-scoring supply receive one marker back, which they place in their personal supply.

If you have fewer than 3 markers in front of you after receiving one from the supply, you may refill your personal supply up to 3 markers, so that you have at least 3 markers you can place for the next card.

Scoring Example

Scoring the Amusement Park card:

• The correct Year answer is the 1875 space, so Black scores 10 points: 7 for being on the correct (1875) space, as well as 3 points for being on the adjacent 1900 space. Red scores 3 points for the 1850 space because it is adjacent to the correct space. White does not score any points because the 1910 space is not the correct space, nor is it adjacent to the correct space.
• The correct State answer is Florida, so Red scores 7 points. White scores 3 points because Georgia is adjacent to Florida. Black scores 3 points because Alabama is adjacent to Florida. Blue does not score any points because Mississippi is not adjacent to Florida.
• The correct Number answer is the 10M space. Blue scores 6 points; 3 for being on the adjacent 1M space, and 3 for the "No Exact" space, because no one placed a marker on the correct space. Red and Black do not score any points, because the spaces they placed on are not adjacent to the correct answer. White does not score any points because Blue placed a marker on the 1M space, which is adjacent to the correct space.

Replace the Card

After a card has been scored, place that card directly behind the red divider card in the center of the box (keep the face of the card you just used facing you).

If you keep the box oriented properly (the same side facing towards you that you pulled the card from), it will ensure that you will go through both sides of all of the cards, without repeating cards.

Try to avoid the temptation of removing cards that you don't think anyone in your group knows. The "No Exact" and "No Exact or Adjacent" spaces can be very strategic for these kinds of cards.

End of the Game

The game ends after the 6th card is scored. The player who has the most points after this card wins the game.

If there is a tie, the player with the most markers in their supply wins.

In case of a further tie, there is a one-card showdown between the tied players (give them all five of their markers for the showdown).

If the originally-tied players are still tied after the one-card showdown, repeat the showdown, with each player taking turns choosing a card, until one player has more points.

Information About Card Questions and Answers

Information on America cards comes from various Internet and analog sources, and is accurate as of early 2016. All questions and answers are relative to America, not to worldwide years, locations, or numbers. Some of the answers are subject to annual fluctuations, and records can be broken over time. As much as possible, up-to-date values from early 2016 were used. If a superlative is given (the tallest, highest, longest, etc.), this always refers to the entire USA, relative to the card topic. To avoid possible issues when playing, the information on the cards should be used for scoring in the game, not external sources.

Credits

Playtesters: Carol Alspach, Dakota Alspach, Gage Alspach, Toni Alspach, Sebastian Berstein, Bay Chang, Audrey Cueto, Doug Garrett, Shelley Ganschow, Clara de Guzman, Fil de Guzman, Dean Lizardo, Aaron Newman, Steve Samson, Bryon Quick, Ray Wineski, and Karen Woodmansee.

Game design: Ted Alspach is the designer of Colony, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Suburbia, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, and several other games. Friedemann Friese is the designer of Terra, Fauna, Power Grid, 504, and several other games.

Graphic design: Stephanie Gustafsson has done the graphic design for a number of games, including Colony and One Night Revolution.

Proofing: Josh Edwards searches out niches in the board game industry. So far he has meddled in reviewing, proofreading, playtesting, and creating board game apps.

America, the America cards, and these rules are Copyright ©2016 Ted Alspach and Bezier Games, Inc., All rights reserved.