Beasts
Beasts Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 3 Tarot Board Cards
- 72 Number Cards
- 8 Beast Cards
- 3 Discard Tokens
Card Suits and Types
The 72 numbered cards in Beasts are divided between the 4 standard poker suits: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. However, each suit has 2 varieties (Broken and Whole), which means there are a total of 8 types of cards. You can refer to a specific type of card by combining its variety and suit (Broken Hearts, Whole Clubs, Broken Diamonds, etc.).
- Hearts: Broken, Whole
- Diamonds: Broken, Whole
- Clubs: Broken, Whole
- Spades: Broken, Whole
Setup
- Place the Main Board in the center of the table as shown, with the 100s place on the far left and the 1s place on the right.
- Place 3 Discard Tokens beside the Main Board.
- Remove all Beast cards from the deck, then shuffle the deck.
- Deal each player 5 cards.
- Randomly select 4 Beast cards to play with and shuffle these Beast cards into the rest of the deck. Return the remaining 4 Beast cards to the box without looking at them.
- Decide as a team who should be the first player.
How to Play
Play proceeds clockwise with each player taking a turn.
Player Turns
- Choose a suit in your hand. If you have a Beast, you must choose that Beast's suit. If you have multiple Beasts, you may choose either Beast's suit.
- Play all cards of that suit (including broken and whole cards and any Beasts) from your hand one at a time in the order of your choice. Each card played must follow the rules for Playing Numbers and Playing Beasts (see below).
- Draw cards from the deck until you have a hand of 5 cards again.
- If you draw any Beasts, place them face up on the table in front of you. It is still considered in your hand and counts as 1 of your 5 cards. This way players will know which Beast (and suit) will be played on your next turn and may help prepare for its arrival.
Example: You have chosen to play all the Clubs in your hand. You start by playing the 4 of Broken Clubs. You cannot play it on the 1s place because the Beast of Broken Clubs is above the 1s place, preventing you from playing any Broken Clubs below it. You cannot play it on the 10s place because the current number is 273, and covering the 7 would make 243, which is not higher than 273. You can only play it on the 100s place. When you play it, you must then decide whether to clear all of the cards from the 10s and/or 1s places. Given these options, the new 3-digit numbers could be 473, 470, 403, or 400 (all of which are higher than 273). See the Playing Beasts section for additional information that could influence your decision. They notice the next player has a Beast of Broken Diamonds in front of them that must be played next turn.
Playing Numbers
- Each card may be played in any of the 3 places on the board. However, placing a card must always create a 3-digit number that is higher than the number that was there before (see example below).
- When you place a card in the 10s place, you may (but do not have to) move all the cards in the 1s place to the discard pile. This will leave a 0 in the 1s place.
- When you place a card in the 100s place, you may (but do not have to) move all the cards in the 10s and/or 1s places to the discard pile. This will leave a 0 in either/both places.
- Beasts above the board prevent you from playing cards of their specific type (for example, Broken Hearts or Whole Spades) in the places below them.
Example: Having Broken Diamonds on the board when the Beast is played will help lure the Beast into safer places. So, they clear the 10s place, but leave the 3 of Diamonds in the 1s place, resulting in a new 3-digit number of 403.
Playing Beasts
On your turn, if you have a Beast in your hand, you must play all the cards of their suit from your hand, including the Beast itself. If you have both Beasts of the same suit, you must play both of them on this turn. You may play these cards in any order you choose. Beasts block all cards of their type from being played below them. Remember, a card's type is its variety + suit (Whole Hearts, Broken Spades, etc.). Whenever a Beast senses a card below it of the same type, the Beast is startled and must move one place to the left. Startling a Beast can happen in two ways:
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When you must play a Beast from your hand, you must play it above the board starting above the 1s place.
Important: If the card in the 1s place is the same type as the Beast you are trying to place, the Beast is immediately startled, and you must place the Beast in the 10s place instead, moving to the left in this way until you are able to place the Beast above a card that doesn't startle it.
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Beasts are startled when previously played cards of the same type are beneath them. Whenever a card's type matches a Beast above it, that Beast is startled and moves one space to the left. Whenever a Beast moves in this way, it may be startled again by the card it next moves above matches its type. If this happens, move the Beast one more space to the left. This can happen multiple times.
Beast cards remain in place once placed through the end of the game. Multiple Beasts can be played above the same place, but they should be cascaded so all Beasts above a place are visible. If a Beast would move to the left of the 100s place, remove it from the game. You have captured/defeated this Beast!
Example: You find yourself being forced to play the Beast of Whole Hearts from your hand. You must first try to play it above the 1s place. However, there is already a Whole Hearts card in that place, so the Beast is startled, meaning you must try to play it above the 10s place instead. There is already a Whole Hearts card in the 10s place as well, so the Beast is startled again, and you must try to play it above the 100s place. The card in the 100s place is of a different type (Broken Diamonds), so you must play the Beast above this place. The Beast of Whole Hearts will remain above the 100s place for the rest of the game, preventing any Whole Hearts cards from being played in the 100s place.
Discard Tokens
At any time, the current player may choose to spend one of the group's shared Discard Tokens to discard any one number card (not Beasts) from their hand. You may choose to use these tokens whether you have a legal play or not.
Game End
If you ever have cards in hand and cannot play a card, all players lose.
- Remember that Discard Tokens can help if you can't play a card.
If all cards in the deck and in all hands are played, all players win.
- Your final score is the last 3-digit number played.
Want a Challenge?
The normal game is played with 3 Discard Tokens and 4 random Beasts shuffled into the deck. You can try to chase higher and higher final scores in this mode, but you can also increase the difficulty of the game itself by lowering the number of Discard Tokens and/or increasing the number of Beasts shuffled into the deck.
The hardest version of the game is Beastmaster Mode, where you play with no Discard Tokens and all 8 Beasts are shuffled into the deck.
Communication Limits
You cannot show your hand to other players. The only cards in your hand that are public are the Beast cards you play in front of you when you draw them from the deck.
You cannot say any specifics about cards in hand, including information about their types or the numbers on them. You can only provide information about the suits in your hand.
Examples of things you could say
- "We should play all our Diamond cards"
- "Clear/Don't clear the 1s place"
- "I can/must play low/mid/high here"
- "I'll be forced to do a big jump on the 100s place on my turn"
- "I do/don't have a good play"
- "My turn will ruin this place"
Distributor Information
EU Representative: Asmodee Nordics, Valseholmen, 1650 Hvidovre - Denmark
UK Representative: Esdevium Games Limited t/a Asmodee United Kingdom, Hogmoor House, Templars Way, Bordon, Hampshire, GU35 9GQ