Boufbowl Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Overview
  • Player Cards
  • Action Cards
• Game Board
• Setup
  • First Strike
• Coach's Turn
• Playing the Game
  • Majority
  • Priority Dispute and Action Cards
  • Losing the Boufbowl Ball
• Movement
  • Moving
  • Majority and Movement (Blocking Rule)
  • Return of a Player
  • Picking Up the Boufbowl Ball
  • Replacement
• Actions
  • Pass
    • Interception of a Pass
  • Lob
    • Interception of a Lob
  • Goal
    • Interception of a Goal
  • Return to Play
  • Brawl
    • Brawl Against a Player Already on the Ground
  • Hospital
  • Wounds
• Victory
• Card Effects
• Expert Level
  • Setup (Expert)
  • Player Cards (Expert)
  • Coach's Turn (Expert)
  • Coach's Orders
  • Motivation
  • Match Intensity
  • Buying an Upgrade During the Match
  • Return to Play (Expert)
  • Upgrade Costs
• Assembly

Components

• 10 figures (Players)
• 1 playing field (game board)
• 86 Action cards
• 10 cards for the Krosmaster game and 1 Boufbowl ball summon (the printed term is a "summon" of the Boufbowl ball)
• 1 dice tower
• 10 tokens for the stunned / K.O. states
• 1 Boufbowl ball token
• 4 score cards
• 47 Upgrade cards
• 1 stand for Upgrade cards
• 2 action dice and 2 damage dice
• 30 Recognition tokens
• 20 Player cards
• 2 Coach's team boards

Overview

"Alright, let's start! The goal of the game is to be the first team to cross the lines at the ends of the playing field twice and score a Goal."

A Coach is the player who controls a team. The figures that make up a team are called Players. At the start of the game each Coach controls a team of five Players and has 5 Action cards.

"The Players you will control have strengths and weaknesses that match their role on the field. We have created cards for you that set out all their characteristics."

Player Cards

Each Player has their own card, which shows their category and their abilities. There are 3 categories of Player: Attackers, Runners and Passers. The Player's category is printed directly below their image.

The card has two sides: the Healthy Side and the Wounded Side. The Healthy Side gives a bonus when the Player enters a Brawl during an attack. The card also shows the Player's abilities.

Action Cards

"You must give orders to your team, and devise strategy and set plays. You are in luck, because I have attended all your matches and training sessions, and I know how close-knit your team can be! I have carefully transferred all your moves onto the action cards."

Every Action card has one bonus, and some also have an additional effect. Either the bonus or the additional effect may be used, but not both at the same time.

The card diagram labels its parts as follows: Name, Bonus, and Effect. Example effects printed on the sample cards are: "At the end of your turn, choose an opposing Player. They cannot move during their turn", and "Carry out a Priority Dispute to try to leave a zone, ignoring the blocking rule".

Game Board

"What would a game of Boufbowl be without a playing field? This is the true arena of modern gladiators! Here are the features of the real playing field:"

The playing field has three kinds of zone:

• Goal Zone
• Team Zone
• Neutral Zone

Setup

"Preparing the match properly is vital. Your choice of positions will have a huge influence on how the match starts. How many times have I seen a team score a Goal within the first five minutes!"

Each Coach chooses a team, takes the 5 figures of their Players together with their Player cards, and takes the deck of 43 Action cards that matches their team's colour.

Unfold the playing field and place a Goal Zone in front of each Coach. The red Goal Zone must be in front of the red Coach. Toss the Boufbowl ball token, heads or tails, to decide who moves first. The Coach who moves first is called the "Active Coach".

The first Active Coach places their five Players on the playing field in their own part of the field and places the Boufbowl ball under the base of one of them. Then the other Coach sets up their forces in the other part of the field. During setup, only one Player may be in any one zone.

Each Coach draws 5 cards from their deck, and the match can begin.

First Strike

The Active Coach starts their turn by placing a Lob (see p. 9) in one of the neutral zones of the playing field, then plays as normal.

Coach's Turn

The Active Coach always goes through at least 3 phases during their turn, in this order:

1. Drawing cards
2. Replacing Players
3. Play phase

Drawing cards: The Coach draws up to 2 cards to top up the cards in their hand. The hand may never hold more than 5 cards.

Replacing Players: The Active Coach returns Players (both their own and the opponent's) who have no "stunned" or "K.O." marker. These Players may be either on the playing field or off it (lying on their Player cards).

Next, the Active Coach removes the "stunned" tokens from Players both on the playing field and off it.

Next, the Active Coach turns the "K.O." tokens of Players so that the side reading "stunned" is face up.

Play phase: The Active Coach moves their team and directs its actions. If the Coach loses control of the Boufbowl ball during this phase, their turn stops immediately. After that, it is the opponent's turn to become the Active Coach.

Playing the Game

Majority

During the performance of an action or a movement, the Coach whose Players are most numerous in a given zone has the Majority. Only 2 Players from one team may be in each zone, for a maximum of 4 Players in total. Players lying on the ground count towards this maximum but are not counted when determining the Majority. Goal Zones may contain only one Player from each team.

Achieving the Majority brings various consequences, each described in these rules.

"A numerical advantage lets Players carry out their actions with greater ease. In Boufbowl, a group has the greater strength of a team!"

Priority Dispute and Action Cards

A Priority Dispute settles an action between Players. For this, each Player rolls an action die. The Player who rolled the higher number carries out the action.

If a Coach has achieved the Majority in the zone, they add +1 to the result of their roll.

A Coach may also play cards from their hand so that their bonuses improve the results of the Priority Dispute. The Coach who initiated the Priority Dispute must first say how many cards from their hand they wish to play for a bonus. The second Coach then does the same, and both then reveal the bonuses they have used for that roll of the dice.

A bonus may give an extra point to the roll for a particular action, allow a second action die to be rolled, or allow a damage die to be rolled.

The pictograms show which action a bonus applies to:

• Take the Boufbowl ball, score or intercept a Goal.
• Carry out or intercept a Pass, initiate or intercept a Lob.
• Brawl (in attack or in defence).

Losing the Boufbowl Ball

A Player loses the Boufbowl ball if they are knocked off their feet while holding it. Therefore, place the Boufbowl ball in the same zone as the Player.

Movement

"Be mobile! To gain territorial advantage you need to run. This lets you make use of the free space left by your attacking opponent, or return to a defensive position to soften a blow in a desperate situation."

The Active Coach has three movement points.

They do not have to use all of their movement points. There are many different ways to spend them.

Moving

The Active Coach may spend movement points to move one or more Players. To be moved, a Player must be standing. Each point allows one Player to move into an adjacent zone. For example, with 3 movement points you can move one Player through 3 zones, or 3 Players into one zone each.

A Player carrying the Boufbowl ball moves together with it (beneath the Player).

Majority and Movement (Blocking Rule)

• A Player may leave a zone to advance towards the opponent's Goal Zone only if their team has the Majority in the zone they are leaving.
• A Player cannot be blocked if they retreat in the direction of their own Goal Zone.

The arrows printed on the playing field show which movements are possible for each team when it does not have the Majority. A red Player can always retreat in the direction of the red arrow, even if the blue team has the Majority in the zone that the Player has just left.

Return of a Player

During your turn, when the Player-return phase comes, the Coach may return a Player who has no markers on them. This costs one movement point, but it is not counted as a movement.

Picking Up the Boufbowl Ball

A Player may pick up the Boufbowl ball only during their own turn and only if they are standing. This costs 1 movement point, but is not counted as a movement.

If at least one Player of the opposing team is in the same zone, the Player must win a Priority Dispute to have the right to pick up the Boufbowl ball.

If the Active Coach's die result is at least equal to the opponent's, they may take the Boufbowl ball. Otherwise, one movement point is spent and the Boufbowl ball stays on the ground. The Coach may decide to try again to pick up the Boufbowl ball if movement points remain.

Replacement

"In Boufbowl, some Players take the dirty blows of their opponents during the match and must leave the field for a while to recover. They may suffer the effects of these blows after the match, but it is very important that they hold on until the end of the game, isn't it?"

Bringing a Player out of the K.O. state (see Brawl, p. 10) costs one movement point, but this action is not counted as a movement. Move the Player, lying down, onto their Player card. If the Player is not wounded, turn their "K.O." token immediately to the "stunned" side. If the Player is wounded, leave the token K.O. side up.

Once a Player stands up on their Player card, they may return to the playing field by spending 1 movement point. Place them in one of the two zones marked by the arrow, which belong to their part of the playing field.

Actions

During their turn, the Active Coach may perform only one Basic Action. They may perform the Basic Action and spend their movement points in whatever order they wish. For example, they may spend one movement point, perform a Basic Action, and then spend the remaining two movement points.

There are 3 types of Basic Action:

• Attempt a Pass to hand the Boufbowl ball to another Player.
• Initiate a Lob throw.
• Enter a Brawl to knock an opposing Player off their feet.

There are also 2 types of Free Action:

• Attempt to score a Goal. This happens automatically when a Player holding the Boufbowl ball enters the opposing Goal Zone.
• Attempt an Interception, to repel a Goal, a Pass or a Lob. During an Interception, a Player tries to stop an opposing Player from carrying out an action involving the Boufbowl ball and, if lucky, to intercept it. An Interception may sometimes be made in addition to the Coach's Basic Action, but usually it takes place during the opponent's turn.

Pass

"A good passer will be very useful if you want to apply an advanced strategy. Passing the Boufbowl ball is always faster than running with it: this tactic allows lightning-fast counter-attacks! If the Players receiving the passes are ready to do their job well, all you have to do is feed them Boufbowl balls one after another."

A Pass involves a passer and a receiver, a Departure Zone and an Arrival Zone. The passer is in the Departure Zone; the receiver is in the Arrival Zone. The zones that the ball crosses during a Pass are called Crossed Zones.

During a Pass, draw an imaginary line between a point in the Departure Zone and a point in the Arrival Zone: all the zones it crosses count as lying on the path of the Pass.

A Pass may be made in any zone except Goal Zones.

If no Player can attempt an Interception, the Pass automatically succeeds and no Priority Dispute is needed. When a Pass succeeds, the Boufbowl ball is placed under the base of the receiving Player.

Interception of a Pass

For a Player of the opposing team to be able to attempt an Interception, they must be standing and located in the Departure Zone.

An opposing Player who is standing in the Departure Zone, the Arrival Zone, or any zone crossed by the Boufbowl ball may try to intercept it in their zone. Determine who has the Majority in that zone and carry out a Priority Dispute (see p. 6).

If the Player attempting the Pass gets more points than the opponent, the Pass succeeds. If the Player attempting the Pass gets fewer points than the opponent, the opposing Player intercepts the Pass, and the Boufbowl ball is placed under the base of the intercepting Player. If the Active Coach initiated the Pass, their turn ends immediately.

If the points are equal, the Boufbowl ball is placed on the ground in the Departure Zone. If the Active Coach initiated the Pass, their turn ends immediately. A Coach may attempt to intercept the same Pass only once.

Lob

"Passes are useful for mounting an attack and carrying out a strategy, but sometimes it is hard to keep your accuracy under pressure. In that case, do not ask yourself unnecessary questions! A powerful kick at the Boufbowl should solve all your problems!"

A Lob involves a thrower, a Departure Zone and an Arrival Zone. The thrower is in the Departure Zone. The Active Coach chooses the Arrival Zone and places the Boufbowl ball there with its "In the Air" side up (the picture of the small ball).

During the opposing Coach's turn, the Boufbowl ball stays "In the Air" and therefore cannot be picked up.

During the next turn of the Coach who initiated the Lob, that Coach decides when the Boufbowl ball will fall to the ground again. If, at the end of their turn, the Coach has not decided to let the ball fall, the Boufbowl ball token must in any case be turned to its "On the Ground" side (the picture of the large ball).

If only Players of the same team are in the Arrival Zone, their Coach decides which of them catches the Boufbowl ball. This is not an action.

If the Arrival Zone contains Players of both teams, an opposing Player may attempt an Interception.

Interception of a Lob

An Interception of a Lob usually takes place in the Arrival Zone, during the reception of the Boufbowl ball. It may also take place in the Departure Zone, but only if the effect of an Action card allows it.

In both cases, determine who has the Majority in the zone and then carry out a Priority Dispute.

Interception in the Arrival Zone: When the Boufbowl ball is turned from "In the Air" to "On the Ground", an opposing Player who is in the Arrival Zone may attempt an Interception.

• If the Coach who initiated the Lob gets more points than their opponent, the Lob is caught. Place the Boufbowl ball under the base of the Player who took part in this action.
• If the Coach who initiated the Lob gets fewer points than their opponent, the opposing Player intercepts the Lob and receives the Boufbowl ball. The turn of the Coach who initiated the Lob ends immediately.
• If the points are equal, the Boufbowl ball is placed "On the Ground", and the turn of the Coach who initiated the Lob ends immediately.

Interception in the Departure Zone: If an Interception in the Departure Zone is possible because of a card effect, wait for the result of the Priority Dispute before determining where the Boufbowl ball is.

• If the Coach who initiated the Lob gets more points than the opponent, the Lob succeeds. Place the Lob with the Boufbowl ball "In the Air" in the Arrival Zone.
• If the Coach who initiated the Lob gets fewer points than the opponent, the opposing Player intercepts the Lob and receives the Boufbowl ball. The turn of the Coach who initiated the Lob ends immediately.
• If the points are equal, the Boufbowl ball is placed "On the Ground" in the Departure Zone. The Player who attempted the Interception falls: lay their figure down and place a "stunned" token next to it. The turn of the Coach who initiated the Lob ends immediately.

Goal

"If you want to win the match, your players need to score Goals. I know that in theory this looks simple, and you are telling yourself that anyone can carry the Boufbowl ball to the opponent's goal. Do not be under any illusions. The opposing team will do everything in its power to stop you, and the referee will not help you here."

This action happens automatically and may be carried out in addition to the Active Coach's Basic Action.

As soon as a Player holding the Boufbowl ball is in the opposing Goal Zone, they automatically attempt to score a Goal.

The Coach controlling this Player must, however, wait for the outcome of any card play that the opposing Coach or the Active Coach may make. Only after that can it be decided whether the attempt to score a Goal succeeded.

If there is no Player able to attempt an Interception, the Goal is counted automatically, and the team of the Player who scored receives a point.

The Coaches then proceed to the Return to Play phase.

At the end of their turn, if a Player of one of the Coaches is in the opposing Goal Zone, that Coach moves the Player back one zone, into a zone of the Coach's choice (even if the Player is lying down).

Interception of a Goal

If a Player of the defending team is in the Goal Zone, they may attempt an Interception. Determine who has the Majority in that zone, then carry out a Priority Dispute.

• If the Coach attempting the Goal gets more points than their opponent, the Goal is scored.
• If the Coach attempting the Goal gets fewer points than their opponent, the opposing Player stops the attempt to score a Goal and takes the Boufbowl ball. The turn of the Coach who attempted the Goal ends immediately.
• If the points are equal, the Boufbowl ball is placed "On the Ground" in the Goal Zone. The turn of the Coach who attempted the Goal ends immediately.

Return to Play

Once a Goal has been scored, both Coaches must carry out the following steps before the match resumes:

1. Each Coach removes all "K.O." and "stunned" tokens. Wounded Players remain wounded.
2. The Coach who has just scored the Goal is the Active Coach. The Coaches place their Players on the playing field as at the start of the game.
3. Each Coach draws cards until they have 5 cards in hand, and then the match may resume. The Coach who has just scored the Goal is the Active Coach and makes the First Strike.

Brawl

"If opponents handle the Boufbowl ball very skilfully or run too fast, do not panic! Make them understand that in a match EITHER a Player OR the Boufbowl ball can slip past your defender, but not both at once! If only three of them are left on the playing field, you can be sure they will stop acting so tough!"

A Player who is standing and present in a zone occupied by one or more Players may attempt a Brawl against one of them. The Coach must choose whom to attack. The Player declaring the Brawl is in the "attack" state; their opponent is in the "defence" state.

To determine the outcome of this action, determine the Majority in the zone and then carry out a Priority Dispute.

If a Player gets more points than their opponent, the latter ends up on the ground with a "stunned" token beside them. If the Player who won the Priority Dispute rolled a damage die, apply the result to the defeated Player.

During a Brawl, some cards or abilities allow you to use a damage die. You may not use more than two damage die results. In that case you choose only one of the two results, the one you wish to keep.

A Player knocked to the ground receives a K.O. token. Place the K.O. token beside the Player knocked to the ground instead of a "stunned" token.

A defeated Player may also be wounded (a damage-die result): place a K.O. token beside the Player and turn their Player card to its "wounded" side.

If the points are equal, both Players fall to the ground and each receives a "stunned" token.

If several damage dice were rolled, apply all their results.

A lost Brawl ends the Active Coach's turn only if it results in the loss of the Boufbowl ball. Otherwise the Active Coach remains active.

A Player who has been knocked down, knocked out (K.O.), or wounded must be removed from the playing field and wait for the Return of Players. To make this possible, the Coach must perform a Replacement (see p. 8).

Brawl Against a Player Already on the Ground

A standing Player may attack a Player who is already on the ground. Carry out a Priority Dispute. The standing Player receives an additional +1 bonus to their result.

If the attacker wins this Priority Dispute, they worsen the state of the fallen Player. Otherwise, the action proceeds as a normal Brawl.

The effect on the fallen Player depends on their current token:

• If the fallen Player has no token, they receive a "stunned" token.
• If the fallen Player has a "stunned" token, turn it over to its "K.O." side.
• If the fallen Player has a "K.O." token, turn their Player card to its "wounded" side.

Hospital

During a Replacement, a Player with a "K.O." token is placed lying down on their Player card. The Player is then considered to be in the hospital.

If the Player is not wounded, their "K.O." token is turned to its "stunned" side and placed beside them.

If the Player is wounded, their "K.O." token is placed beside them and is not turned immediately (see the Coach's Turn, p. 6).

As soon as the token is turned to its "stunned" side, the Player follows the same rules as stunned Players lying on the playing field. They may therefore be lifted in exchange for one movement point.

As soon as the Player stands up, they may return to the playing field through one of the zones marked by the arrows. This costs one movement point.

Wounds

When a Player is wounded, they remain so until the end of the match. Normally a Player turned to its "wounded" side loses their Player abilities. Some Players, such as the Sacriers, on the contrary gain an ability when they are wounded.

Victory

In a standard game, the first Coach to score 2 Goals wins the match.

In a long game (an optional variant), the game ends immediately when one of the Coaches can no longer draw cards. The Coach who has scored more Goals wins. (The Russian text says "player" here; it is rendered as "Coach" because it refers to the controlling player, not to a figure.)

Card Effects

During your own turn, as well as during your opponent's turn, a Coach may play as many cards from their hand as they wish. Effects marked with the lightning symbol may be played both during your own turn and during your opponent's turn. Other effects may be applied only during your own turn.

When a card is played for its effect, it cannot also be played for the bonus it provides: either the effect or the bonus is used.

An effect provided by a card takes precedence over any other rule or any other ability.

When a card's effect requires moving a Player out of a zone, that movement is not subject to the blocking rule (see Movement).

Some cards require a Priority Dispute. It should be carried out only if a Player of the opposing team is in that zone. Only the bonus connected with the Majority may affect this dice roll.

"At this point you really begin the game. You may have the best team in the world, but if you are not able to give the right orders at the right moment, you are not worth a penny. Mistakes are not forgiven in Boufbowl, remember that!"

Expert Level

We advise you to play at the expert difficulty level once you have played a few games at the standard level.

"The feeling I particularly love in Boufbowl is the unique tension that grows gradually over the course of the match... The closer victory comes for one side, the more Players show what they are truly capable of, and perform truly astonishing deeds. Nothing is better than this spectacle!"

Setup (Expert)

In addition to the setup for the basic game, add the following elements. Each Coach takes their Coach's team board. On the stand, Upgrade cards are placed by category. The printed labels read: Ability Upgrades 1 (for Runner, Passer and Attacker Players), Ability Upgrades 2, Ability Upgrades 3, Recognition tokens, and Crowd Sympathy cards for the teams Bonta and Brakmar. (The diagram's exact placement of each deck is not recoverable from the text layer.)

Then place in front of each stand one card, face up, from the corresponding deck.

Finally, place the Recognition tokens and the Crowd Sympathy cards for the teams Bonta and Brakmar beside the stands, within reach of the Coaches.

Player Cards (Expert)

Each Coach has 10 Player cards: 5 regular and 5 captains. Coaches may choose one (and only one) captain Player from their team. Captain Players are marked on the card with gold ribbons.

Coach's Turn (Expert)

The Active Coach carries out 5 phases of their turn in this order:

0. Clearing the Coach's team board
1. Drawing a card
2. Replacing Players
3. Play phase
4. Purchases

Clearing the Coach's team board: The Active Coach may spend 2 Recognition tokens belonging to one or more Players to free all positions on their Coach's team board.

The Drawing, Replacing and Play phases are identical to the standard level (see p. 6).

Purchases: Recognition tokens may be spent to buy Upgrade cards. After this phase, the opposing Coach becomes the Active Coach.

Coach's Orders

Each Coach has a Coach's team board.

Use: The Active Coach may use these additional actions at any moment of the Play phase of their turn. To use the board, the Coach must discard one card from their hand face down and place it on the spot matching the action they wish to carry out (Pass / Brawl / Run).

The three spots give the following effects, as printed on the board:

• Allows an additional Pass or Lob during your turn.
• Allows an additional Brawl during your turn.
• Increases by 1 the number of movement points available during this turn.

Once an additional action has been carried out and its card occupies the spot, the Coach cannot use that spot again until they spend two Recognition tokens to free it on their Coach's team board. Cards used in this way go to the discard pile.

Some Upgrade cards also give an additional action. Discard the Upgrade card after using its action.

Motivation

"The match will start soon. I don't know whether you will rise to the occasion, but I have no doubt about the fans! Do you hear the stands shaking? Your Players can make use of this: nothing lets you believe in yourself and feel wings growing on your back like the rapturous cheers of your fans."

Recognition tokens represent the motivation of the Players in the team.

Each time a Player takes part in a Priority Dispute, they receive a Recognition token, which they place on their Player card. The Player who wins a Priority Dispute receives an additional Recognition token.

In the case of a tie, or where there is no opposition (for example, if a Player scores a Goal while no opponent is in the Goal Zone, or if two Players fall during a Brawl), no one receives an additional Recognition token.

For example, Player A wins a Brawl against Player B: Player A receives 2 Recognition tokens (1 for taking part + 1 for winning), while Player B receives only one Recognition token (1 for taking part).

Match Intensity

As the match progresses and Players score Goals, the match gains intensity.

• While no Goal has been scored, match intensity is 1.
• If one Goal has been scored, intensity rises to 2.
• If 2 Goals have been scored, intensity reaches 3.

Buying an Upgrade During the Match

During the Coach's turn, in the purchase phase, a Player may spend their own (and only their own!) Recognition tokens to buy a new ability through Upgrade cards.

A Player may buy an Upgrade card whose cost is equal to or lower than the current match intensity.

Once Recognition tokens have been spent, the Player may take either the card placed face up in front of the stand, or the first card face down from a deck of their choice.

If the Player already has the ability shown on the card (for example, if it is identical to their own), the Player may choose a different card. Place the card that is turned down at the bottom of its corresponding deck.

Place the Upgrade card under the Player card.

A Player may not hold more Upgrade cards than the current match intensity.

Return to Play (Expert)

After a Goal, each Coach, starting with the one who has just scored, may spend the Recognition tokens of their Players. Each Coach may buy one Crowd Sympathy card for their team, using the Recognition tokens of one or more Players.

Each Player may also buy one Upgrade card whose intensity equals the new match intensity or lower, if they have enough tokens. Before the Return to Play, each Player may keep only one Recognition token and must discard the rest, if they have any.

Upgrade Costs

Each Upgrade card has its cost printed on its back. The rulebook's cost diagram labels the cards as follows:

• Ability Upgrades 1: applies if the Player's category matches the card.
• Ability Upgrades 2.
• Ability Upgrades 3.
• Crowd Sympathy for Bonta.
• Crowd Sympathy for Brakmar.

The numerical costs are not legible in the text layer and are not reproduced here.

"Well, we are finally done. There is much more that could be said about Boufbowl and its peculiarities, but the match is about to begin, and your team is waiting for you in the locker room. In the end, perhaps I will not bet on your opponent after all... Or perhaps I will bet less money on them. If you do win this match, you may be interested in meeting again to talk about hiring coaches for the next season... But that is another story!"

Assembly

The assembly section is pictorial. Its text labels are: Dice Tower, Stand, and Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 (the stages are shown in the diagram, which is not reproduced).