Arcane Alley Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Components
• Setup
• Keeping Score
  • Gold
  • Infamy
• Reading Item Cards
  • More on Items
• Gameplay
  • 1 Stock
    • Example: Stocked Player Area
  • 2 Sell
    • Playing an Item
    • Example Turn: Playing an Item in Your Storehouse
    • Discarding an Item
  • Making and Selling Sets
    • Making Sets
    • Selling Sets
      • Selling a Set
      • Example: Selling a Set in the Sell Phase
      • Rules for Selling Sets
• FAQ
• Resolving Item Effects
• Item Reference
  • Bottled Fairy
  • Bubbling Cauldron
  • Crystal Ball
  • Cursed Mirror
  • Dark Lotus
  • Dragon's Egg
  • Facsimilous Feline
  • Floating Carpet
  • Haunted Doll
  • Hypnotic Toad
  • Invisible Ring
  • Magic Boomerang
  • Mystical Lamp
• Wizard Powers
  • Glynna Goodspell
  • Master Magus Meeblemore
  • Corvus the Collector
  • Lady Dafana
  • Ninx of Nethernight
  • Byros Bankhouse
• Playing a Two Player Game
  • Tracking the Number of Turns
  • Triggering the Inspection
  • Replacing Hidden Items
• Round Reference
  • 1. Stock
  • 2. Sell
  • 3. Inspect
  • 4. Bribe

Game Overview

In Arcane Alley, each player is a wizard merchant, competing to sell items for gold while minimizing the infamy gained from their leftover unsold items during a round's inspection.

Each player starts with a full storehouse of nine items. On your turn, you'll try to make sets (three identical items in a row) in your storehouse, which awards you gold for the sale and removes those infamous items from your storehouse so you won't get caught with them in the upcoming inspection.

You'll continue selling until a player triggers the inspection and ends the round. Then, each player gains infamy for any items remaining in their storehouse. If you gain too much infamy from those unsold items, you'll fail the inspection and be forced to spend your gold on fines.

To win the game, have the most gold after the third inspection is resolved.

Components

• Game board
• 139 Item cards
• 6 Wizard cards
• 6 Player aids (Side A and Side B)
• 18 Score tokens
• 12 Fine markers
• 1 Round marker
• 1 Starting player token

Whenever something happens in turn order, it begins at the first player and continues clockwise.

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center of the play area and place the round marker on the 1st circle.
2. Place the deck and fine markers next to the board.
   • For 3 or 4 players, remove those extra item cards from the game. In a 5 or 6 player game, include all item cards with the 5-6 player icon.
3. Each player selects a color and takes the wizard card and score tokens of that color.
   • If this is your first game, it is recommended to play without using the wizard powers (use the blank side of each wizard card).
4. Each player places one of their score tokens on the game board at 25 gold and one at 0 infamy.
   • In a 2-player game, also place one score token of any unused color at 1 infamy. This will be used to track the number of turns.
5. Give the starting player token to the player who most recently saw a movie that had a wizard in it. You are ready to begin!

Keeping Score

Each player has two scores to track: gold and infamy.

Gold

• You can never have less than 0 gold.
• If you exceed 100 gold, place one of your unused score tokens in the 100 circle on the game board to represent +100 gold.
• You gain gold by selling sets in the Sell and Inspection phases, and from item effects.
• You lose gold from paying fines, and from item effects.

Infamy

• You can never have less than 0 infamy.
• You can never have more than 24 infamy. Whenever you would exceed 24 infamy, place your infamy score token on 0 infamy, place one fine marker on your wizard, and continue counting. You can have up to two fine markers on your wizard at any time.
• You gain infamy by having items left in your storehouse when the Inspection phase begins, and from item effects.
• You lose infamy by bribing in the Bribe phase, and from item effects.

Reading Item Cards

An item card shows: the item name; art; the gold gained from selling this item's set; the infamy gained in an inspection (each); the icon for when the effect activates and what the effect does; the 5-6 player icon (leave out with fewer players); and flavor text.

More on Items

• Side B of the player aid lists item rarity in the deck, as well as each item's gold set value and infamy value.
• Resolving Item Effects (below) explains how to resolve item effect activation.
• The Item Reference explains each item's effect in further detail.

Gameplay

The game is played over multiple rounds, with each round made up of four phases played in the following order: 1 Stock, 2 Sell, 3 Inspection, 4 Bribe.

1 Stock

In this phase, each player will stock their storehouse for the round, creating their own personal play area where they will try to make sets of items, as follows:

1. Shuffle the deck (include all items in the discard, stashes, storehouses, and any items set aside during the last round).
2. Deal each player nine hidden (facedown) items. Players cannot look at these items.
3. Each player arranges these hidden items into a 3-by-3 grid in front of them. This is their storehouse.
4. Each player chooses and reveals (turns faceup) any two of the hidden items in their storehouse.
5. Deal each player two additional hidden items. This is their stash. Players can look at their own stash at any time, but should keep it secret from other players.
6. Reveal the top item of the deck and place it next to the deck, faceup. This is the discard.
7. Begin the Sell phase.

Besides the two items revealed when first creating your storehouse, you won't know what your hidden items are until you replace them (or the Inspection phase begins), unless an effect allows you to peek.

Example: Stocked Player Area

Any line of three consecutive items is called a stack (horizontal, vertical or diagonal). Items are either revealed (faceup) or hidden (facedown). The stash sits beside the 3-by-3 storehouse.

2 Sell

In this phase, players will continue taking turns (in turn order) to sell sets for gold until the Inspection phase is triggered. A turn in the Sell phase always consists of the following two actions, taken in order (you can not skip either of these actions):

A. Draw an Item. Draw either the top item of the deck or the top item of the discard and add it to your stash.

B. Play or Discard an Item. Choose any one item from your stash and either play it in your storehouse or discard it.

Playing an Item

1. Choose one item in your storehouse to replace and set it aside. If you choose a hidden item, do not reveal it yet.
2. Choose one item in your stash, reveal it, and place it in the vacated storehouse slot, revealed.
3. If the played item has a "when played" effect, resolve it (see Resolving Item Effects).
4. If the played item makes a set, sell the set (see Making and Selling Sets).
5. Place the replaced item on top of the discard, revealed. If that item has a relevant "always active" effect, resolve it (see Resolving Item Effects).
6. Your turn ends.
7. If you ended your turn with no hidden items remaining in your storehouse, you have triggered this round's inspection. Each other player takes one more turn in the Sell phase, then the Inspection phase begins.

In a 2-player game, there are different rules for what happens when you replace one of your hidden storehouse items (see Playing a Two Player Game).

Example Turn: Playing an Item in Your Storehouse

a. Draw an item and add it to your stash. b. Choose an item from your stash and where to play it. c. Set aside the item in your storehouse to be replaced (if the replaced item is hidden, don't reveal it yet). d. Reveal and play the item from your stash in the vacated slot. The replaced item is then revealed and discarded.

Discarding an Item

1. Choose one item from your stash and place it on top of the discard, revealed.
2. If the item has a relevant "always active" effect, resolve it (see Resolving Item Effects).
3. Your turn ends.

Making and Selling Sets

Making Sets

A stack is a line of any three consecutive items. A set is made when a stack contains three revealed copies of the exact same item. This can only occur in the Sell and Inspection phases:

• In the Sell phase, a set is made when you play an item in your storehouse in a stack which contains two other revealed copies of the exact same item.
• In the Inspection phase, sets can be made when revealing your remaining hidden storehouse items.

Selling Sets

When a set is made, you must immediately sell it. You can never choose not to sell a set or not to gain gold for a sold set.

Selling a Set

1. Remove all three items in the set from your storehouse and set them aside for the rest of the round.
2. If necessary, slide remaining items in your storehouse to remove any gaps between stacks (for diagonal sets, you choose how to slide remaining items -- vertically or horizontally).
3. Gain the amount of gold shown on the set's item.
4. If the set's item has a "when sold" effect, resolve it. Ignore this step in the Inspection phase.

Each time you sell a set, your storehouse size is reduced by three items for the rest of the round. This lasts until the next Stock phase. It is possible (and good) to end the Sell or Inspection phase with zero items left in your storehouse.

Example: Selling a Set in the Sell Phase

a. Remove all items of a sold set from your storehouse (they are set aside for the rest of the round). b. Slide all remaining storehouse items over to remove any gaps. c. Gain gold: the amount shown on the set's item. Here, you sold a set of Dragon's Eggs, worth 20 gold. d. If the sold set has a "when sold" effect, resolve it (Sell phase only). Dragon's Egg effect activates: "Choose another player. They gain 2 infamy and 15 gold."

Rules for Selling Sets

• If you can sell two sets at the same time, first resolve the sale of one set, then sell the other set, if still possible.
• When you slide items in your storehouse together after a sale to remove gaps, do not rearrange the position of items within their stacks -- slide all items as a group, in a single direction (for a diagonal gap, you choose the direction).
• If the example set shown above was made during the Inspection phase, you would skip step d.

3 Inspection

In this phase, players will reveal all items remaining in their storehouse from the Sell phase and gain infamy for each. The Inspection phase is triggered by the first player who ended their turn in the Sell phase with no hidden items left in their storehouse, and begins on that player's next turn.

In a 2-player game, the inspection can only be triggered by a player on turns 15 to 20, then it is triggered automatically (see Playing a Two Player Game).

Performing the Inspection

1. In turn order, each player reveals all hidden items in their storehouse. If this makes any sets, that player must sell those sets, ignoring any "when sold" effects.
2. Each player gains infamy equal to the total of all infamy on all items remaining in their storehouse. It is possible to end with a total of negative infamy, in which case you would lose that amount of infamy instead of gaining any.
3. If the player who triggered the inspection did not gain the least (or tie for least) amount of infamy in Step 2, they gain an additional 10 infamy.
4. A player with any fine markers on their wizard has failed inspection. Each player removes all fine markers and loses gold based on the number of markers removed:
   • One fine marker: lose 25 gold.
   • Two fine markers: lose 50 gold.
5. If this was not the 3rd inspection, advance the round marker to the next spot and begin the Bribe phase.
6. If this was the 3rd inspection, then the game is over! The player with the most gold wins (if there's a tie, the player with less infamy wins -- if there's still a tie, play rock-paper-wizard).

Example: Performing an Inspection

a. Reveal any remaining hidden items left in your storehouse. (You had already sold a set, so your storehouse had six items left when the inspection begins.) b. If revealing these hidden items makes a set, then sell that set. (In the example, a revealed item was a Crystal Ball, which makes a set. Set the items aside, then gain gold for the sold set: 9 gold.) c. Gain the infamy on every item remaining in your storehouse (in the example, a total of 8 infamy). d. Penalize the triggering player if they did not gain the least infamy. (The triggering player gained 21 infamy, not the least amount, so they are penalized with +10 infamy.) e. Any player with fine markers must spend gold to pay fines: 1 fine marker, lose 25 gold; 2 fine markers, lose 50 gold. f. Check the game end condition. Was this the 3rd inspection? If yes, the game is over and the player with the most gold wins. If no, begin the Bribe phase.

4 Bribe

In this phase, players can spend gold to reduce their infamy. In turn order, each player may choose to bribe or pass.

If a player bribes, they can spend any even amount of gold to reduce their infamy by one for every two gold spent. When bribing, players can't spend gold they don't have, and they can't reduce their infamy below 0.

If a player passes, it is the next player's turn to bribe. After each player has gone once, the round ends and a new round begins. Pass the starting player token to the left, then begin a new Stock phase.

FAQ

• Players cannot trade items in their stashes or storehouses.
• If the deck runs out, leave the top item of the discard as is, and shuffle the rest of it to recreate the deck.
• Items that are set aside (such as sold sets and used special items) are not considered in play, can't be used or targeted by any players or effects, and aren't shuffled back into the deck during that Sell phase if the deck runs out during play.
• Players can look through the discard at any time, but they can't rearrange the order of any items in it.
• It's possible to have less or more than two items in your stash, from selling sets of Floating Carpets or being a target of Sacred Chalice. This lasts only for the current round and resets to two items in the next Stock phase.
• If multiple players end the 3rd Inspection phase tied for gold and infamy, they both win.
• If a player ends their turn in the Sell phase with 0 items left in their storehouse, they trigger the inspection.

Resolving Item Effects

Each item will have at least one effect that can activate.

• The icon on an item determines when the effect activates: Special item (pink star icon), When played (blue hand icon), When sold (yellow cards icon), Always active (white circular arrows icon).
• If multiple item effects would activate at the same time, resolve them one at a time in the order shown above (special, played, sold, always active).
• You can never choose not to activate an effect, or only to activate part of an effect.
• For items with more than one icon, treat each as a separate effect and resolve each when it would activate, as normal.
• The Item Reference explains each item's effect in further detail.

Special item: if an item with this effect is in your stash, you can choose to activate the special item on your turn instead of playing an item, as follows:

1. Before activating the special item's effect, you must first have drawn an item for your turn in Step A.
2. Instead of playing an item this turn, reveal the special item from your stash and set it aside.
3. Activate and resolve the special item's effect.
4. If the effect directs you to play an item in your storehouse, follow the steps for Playing an Item specified in Step B.
5. Your turn ends. The special item remains set aside for the rest of the round.

When played: activates immediately after you play the item in your storehouse on your turn.

• If playing the item makes a set, resolve this effect first, then resolve selling the set.
• This effect does not activate when "revealing" an item -- it must be "played" in your storehouse.
• This effect can activate as a result of other effects which direct you to "play" an item in your storehouse (such as Magic Boomerang or special items).
• This effect does not activate when swapping items.

When sold: activates immediately after you sell the item's set on your turn.

• This effect activates after you remove the set's items from your storehouse and gain your gold.
• This effect activates once per set (not per item).
• This effect does not activate if the set is sold by revealing items during the Inspection phase.

Always active: the effect is always active as long as the item is revealed and the conditions are met.

• Ignore this effect on all hidden items and when replacing hidden items, unless the item specifically states that it activates (such as Magic Boomerang).
• This can be a one-time effect that occurs once a condition is met (such as Invisible Ring), or a continuous effect that is ongoing while the item is revealed (such as Sovereign Sword).
• Ignore this effect on items while in your stash.

Item Reference

Each entry lists: set gold value / infamy each, the effect on the card, then the handbook's notes.

Bottled Fairy

A portable take on the best-selling Terrariumed Mothman. Set: 12 gold. Infamy: 3 each.

Card (always active): If you replace this item (while revealed), lose 2 infamy.

• The effect activates only if the Bottled Fairy is revealed in your storehouse when you replace it.
• You can't choose not to lose the infamy.
• Tip: If you have nothing else to do on your turn, play this, then replace it next turn for some easy infamy loss.

Bubbling Cauldron

Includes a pre-bubbled concoction based on a popular recipe from a trio of sisters (contains frogs and gluten). Set: 15 gold. Infamy: 4 each.

Card (when sold): You choose: You lose 3 infamy, or a player of your choice gains 3 infamy.

• You must choose an option.

Crystal Ball

Technically an Artificially Created Synthetic Gem Sphere, which allows for the highest resolution future viewing. Set: 9 gold. Infamy: 3 each.

Card (when played): Gain 1 infamy, then peek at any one hidden item in your storehouse.

• Don't reveal the item to other players when you peek.
• Tip: Don't forget the item! It's up to the other players to allow you to re-peek if you can't remember what the item was.

Cursed Mirror

Once we added the evil, golden skulls, a curse was pretty much inevitable. Set: 5 gold. Infamy: -5 each.

Card (when played): Hide all adjacent revealed items in your storehouse.

• Only items sharing a side count as adjacent -- not diagonal.
• In an inspection, each Cursed Mirror in your storehouse reduces your infamy gained by 5. It is possible to end an inspection with less infamy than you had beforehand.

Dark Lotus

Guaranteed to make three cups of any-flavored tea. Set: 30 gold. Infamy: 0 each.

Card (when played): Lose 5 gold.

• Tip: If you play this when you have no gold, you won't lose any!

Dragon's Egg

It's true what they say, you're never really ready to raise an all-powerful giant fire-breathing flying lizard. Set: 20 gold. Infamy: 4 each.

Card (when sold): Choose another player. They gain 2 infamy and 15 gold.

• You must pick another player, you can't choose yourself.
• Tip: Choose the player in last place! They're probably not a threat to you and if they do win you can claim credit for it.

Facsimilous Feline

Might not get along well with your Cloning Canines. Set: 0 gold. Infamy: 8 each.

Card (always active): If revealed in a stack with two copies of an item, sell that set.

• This isn't a wild card -- having two Facsimilous Felines along with another item in a stack does not sell that set (unless the stack contains three Facsimilous Felines).
• If this sells a set, remove this item from your storehouse and set it aside with the other sold items.

Floating Carpet

Won't show any whole new worlds, but might play fetch. Set: 7 gold. Infamy: 2 each.

Card (when sold): Place the top item of the deck in your stash.

• Don't reveal the item when you add it to your stash.
• Your stash will have one additional item in it for the rest of the round -- this will reset back to two in the next Stock phase. If you sell multiple sets of Floating Carpets in a round, your stash will grow by one each time.

Haunted Doll

She's a haunted doll, in a haunted hall; life in porcelain, it's ritualistic origin. Set: 35 gold. Infamy: 7 each.

Card (always active): You can't replace this item. Card (when sold): Replace one hidden item in each other player's storehouse with the sold Haunted Dolls.

• Haunted Dolls can be replaced while hidden.
• When activating the effect:
  • Choose and replace one hidden item in each other player's storehouse with one of your sold Haunted Dolls, revealed.
  • If there are more other players than Haunted Dolls, you choose which storehouses to place them in (one per storehouse). If there are more Haunted Dolls than other players, set the extras aside.
  • You can't target players with no hidden items left in their storehouse.

Hypnotic Toad

It's also quite large, but mind control seems like a more popular selling point. Set: 0 gold. Infamy: -2 each.

Card (when sold): Choose a player. They gain 5 infamy.

• You can choose yourself.
• Tip: It is useful to keep Hypnotic Toads in your storehouse with no intention of selling their set, to lower infamy gained in the upcoming inspection.

Invisible Ring

It's not a fashion statement, it's a passion statement. Set: 1 gold. Infamy: 0 each.

Card (always active): If on top of the discard, place this item on the bottom of the discard.

• Activates as soon as the Invisible Ring is placed in the discard, whether discarded from your stash or replaced in your storehouse.

Magic Boomerang

These are flying right off the shelves... and then flying right back onto the shelves. Set: 5 gold. Infamy: 2 each.

Card (always active): If you replace this item (even while hidden), play it in your storehouse.

• Activates as soon as it's replaced, whether hidden or revealed.
• If the item you replace a Magic Boomerang with has an effect or sells a set, resolve those actions first.
• When activated, you must play it in your storehouse -- you can't choose to discard it instead.
• If you have no items left in your storehouse, discard it instead (this can happen if you replace this item while selling your last set).

Mystical Lamp

The djinn within the lamp has been known to consider a few suggestions, depending on his mood that millenia. Infamy: 10 each. No set value.

Card (special item): Gain 5 infamy, then reveal three items from the deck, play one in your storehouse, and set the other two aside.

• Special items: See Resolving Item Effects for details on activating these.
• You must play one of the revealed items in your storehouse (you can't choose to discard it instead).

Older Wand

Given as a gift from Death to one of three brothers -- rumor is everything worked out just fine for all parties involved. Set: 3 gold. Infamy: 1 each.

Card (when played): Place the top item of the discard on the top of the deck, facedown.

• Place the item on top of the deck before you send the replaced item to the discard.
• Tip: Before you play this item, make sure you won't be putting an item on top of the deck that helps the next player complete a set!

Pandora's Lockbox

It is at all times both bigger than, smaller than, and the exact same size as a breadbox. Infamy: 10 each. No set value.

Card (special item): Gain 5 infamy, then swap a hidden item in your storehouse with a revealed item in another player's storehouse.

• Special items: See Resolving Item Effects for details on activating these.
• If a swap isn't possible (you don't have a hidden item, or no other player has a revealed item), then gain the infamy and end your turn without resolving the rest of the effect.
• The swapped items don't trigger any "when played" effects.

Sacred Chalice

Comes with unlimited free refills, which really starts to pay off after a few centuries. Infamy: 10 each. No set value.

Card (special item): Gain 5 infamy, then look at another player's stash, choose an item in it, and play it in your storehouse.

• Special items: See Resolving Item Effects for details on activating these.
• You must play one of the items from the player's stash in your storehouse (you can't choose to discard it instead).

Skeletomicon

The inside cover is filled with well-wishes for a great summer from Undeath High's class of 1432. Set: 30 gold. Infamy: 6 each.

Card (when played): Gain 3 infamy. Card (when sold): All other players gain 5 infamy.

• Tip: It's a good idea to collect a couple of Skeletomicons before playing any in your storehouse, as they're a difficult set to sell and you'll end up with a whole lot of infamy if you don't make it.

Sovereign Sword

No longer guarantees the throne, but helps in the election. Set: 25 gold. Infamy: 5 each.

Card (always active): Reduce all gold you gain by half, rounded down.

• You gain the full amount of gold for selling this set, as items are removed from your storehouse before gaining gold (unless you have a fourth Sovereign Sword revealed).
• The gold you gain is reduced by half, rounded down.
• This affects gold gained through any means, including Three-Headed Coins and wizard powers (Byros).

Three-Headed Coin

Between this and the flocks of golden geese, inflation is getting out of control. Set: 2 gold. Infamy: 1 each.

Card (when played): Gain 1 gold for each other coin revealed in all storehouses.

• Gain gold for every other revealed Coin -- don't gain any for the one you play.
• Count other Coins in all storehouses, even yours.

Wizard's Watch

Also features a stopwatch, timer, and alarm, and the battery charge will last either forever or never. Infamy: 10 each. No set value.

Card (special item): Gain 5 infamy, then choose one of the top five items of the discard and play it in your storehouse.

• Special items: See Resolving Item Effects for details on activating these.
• You must play one of the items in your storehouse (you can't choose to discard it instead).
• Don't reorder the items in the discard.
• Tip: Look through the discard before activating this item to make sure there's something there you want to use!

Wizard Powers

Each wizard has a special power which gives that player a unique ability they can take advantage of during each game.

Glynna Goodspell

No other merchant benefits more from the benefit of the doubt. Card: When items are revealed in an inspection, you may first remove one hidden item from your storehouse.

• Choose and remove the hidden item before revealing items in the inspection.
• If you have no hidden items remaining in your storehouse, ignore this power.
• The item is considered set aside -- you do not gain the infamy from it and cannot use the item to sell a set.

Master Magus Meeblemore

Said to be as old as some of his items, but twice as infamous. Card: You may choose not to activate "when played" effects when playing items into your storehouse.

• You can choose not to use this power.
• You cannot use this power to ignore only part of an effect (when playing a Crystal Ball, for example, you cannot choose to ignore the infamy gain but choose to peek at an item).

Corvus the Collector

Not the most inconspicuous seller, but his inventory is never lacking. Card: During each Stock phase, you are dealt a stash of four items.

• Corvus is dealt four items as his stash, not in addition to a normal stash.

Lady Dafana

The most effective illegal shop is the one most don't even know exists. Card: When another player sells a set, you may spend 3 gold to lose 2 infamy.

• You can only use this power once per set sold (you can't spend 6 gold to lose 4 infamy, for example).
• You can use this power when players sell sets in the Inspection phase.

Ninx of Nethernight

To her, an inspector is just another customer who doesn't know it yet. Card: When you gain infamy in an inspection, also gain gold equal to the infamy value of any one item in your storehouse.

• If you choose an item with negative infamy, you instead lose that much gold.
• If you have no items remaining in your storehouse, ignore this power.

Byros Bankhouse

Many wonder where the gold comes from, but all know better than to ask. Card: When you sell a set, gain 3 gold.

• Byros gains the additional gold even on sets that would be worth 0 gold.
• Byros gains the additional gold on sets sold when revealing items during the Inspection phase.
• This additional gold is affected by other effects, such as the Sovereign Sword.

Playing a Two Player Game

A two player game has the following rule changes:

Tracking the Number of Turns

• During game setup, when adding player score tokens to the gold and infamy tracks, add one score token of an unused color to the infamy track at 1 infamy. This is the turn tracker.
• At the end of each of Player 2's turns in the Sell phase, advance the turn tracker one space on the infamy track.

Triggering the Inspection

• In a two player game, the inspection cannot be triggered by a player unless the turn tracker is 15 or higher.
• If either player would trigger the inspection before turn 15, ignore it and continue taking turns in the Sell phase, even if one or both players have no hidden items in their storehouse.
• If a player has not triggered the inspection by the end of turn 20, then the inspection is triggered automatically when the turn tracker would be advanced to 21. In this case, neither player can be penalized for triggering the inspection.
• At the end of each Bribe phase, reset the turn tracker to 1.

Replacing Hidden Items

• Normally (in a 3+ player game), whenever you replace an item in your storehouse (whether hidden or revealed), that item is immediately sent to the discard.
• In a two player game, whenever you replace a hidden item in your storehouse and would send it to the discard, instead -- without revealing that item to the other player -- add it to your stash, then choose one item from your stash to discard.
• This applies only to replaced hidden items -- if you replace a revealed item, it is immediately sent to the discard as normal.
• If you replace a hidden Magic Boomerang, it must be played immediately as normal (if you use that Magic Boomerang to replace another hidden item, that hidden item is sent to your stash before you choose which item to discard).

Round Reference

1. Stock

Set up the play area as follows:

1. Shuffle the item deck.
2. Deal out player storehouses (9 items, hidden).
3. Each player reveals two storehouse items.
4. Deal out player stashes (2 items, hidden).
5. Create the discard.

2. Sell

On your turns:

1. Draw an item from either the item deck, or the top of the discard.
2. Then, either: a) Play an item into your storehouse, or b) Discard an item from your stash.

If you ended your turn with no hidden items in your storehouse, you have triggered the inspection! Each other player takes one additional turn in the Sell phase, then the Inspection phase begins.

3. Inspect

Reveal and gain infamy, in turn order:

1. Reveal any hidden items in your storehouse.
2. Sell any sets made from revealing these items.
3. Gain the infamy on every item in your storehouse.

Check for the lowest infamy and pay fines:

1. If the player who triggered the inspection did not gain (or tie for) the least infamy in the previous Step 3, they gain an additional 10 infamy.
2. Any player with fine markers must spend gold on fines.
3. Advance the round token (if this was the 3rd inspection, the game is over).

4. Bribe

Spend gold to reduce infamy:

1. Each player may spend any amount of even gold to reduce their infamy by 1 for every 2 gold spent (this step is optional).
2. Pass the starting player token to the left and begin a new round.