Ernesto Capybara Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Turn Structure
• Revolution
• End of the Game
• Card Notes
• Additional Rules

Components

• Capybara cards – 60 (14 each in four colours, plus 4 Capybaranka cards)
• Strike cards – 40
• Revolution cards – 4
• Tension tokens – 120 (20 each in six colours)
• Reference cards – 6

Setup

1. Shuffle the strike deck and place it face down in the centre of the table. Take cards from the top of the deck and lay them out in a row, one more than the number of players: 3 with two players, 4 with three players, and so on.
2. Shuffle the capybara deck and deal each player:
   • 5 cards if there are 4 or more players;
   • 4 cards if there are 2–3 players. When playing with two or three players, return all 14 capybara cards of one colour and 1 Capybaranka card to the box. You will not need them in this game.
3. Divide the capybara deck into 4 roughly equal parts. Add 1 Revolution card to each part.
4. Shuffle each part separately, then stack them into one pile.
5. Each player takes a set of tension tokens of one colour.
6. The first player is the most unflappable of you (or choose the first player in any other way). Starting with the player to the first player's right and continuing counterclockwise, each player places one of their tension tokens on any empty strike.

Note: while learning the game you may ignore the symbols in the lower-left corner of the strike cards. They are explained at the end of the rules.

Capybaras do not like to bother themselves with work or exert themselves. To win, you must collect as few fatigue points as possible, which are shown by the fatigue icon on the strike cards.

Turn Structure

Players take turns, starting with the first player. On your turn you must do one of two actions:

1. Play one or more cards of one colour from your hand. If you play several cards, you choose the order in which their effects are resolved. Among the cards are colourless Capybaranka cards – these are the only cards that may be played out of turn. After all cards have been played, discard them face up in the same order in which they were played (a Capybaranka always goes to the discard pile first).

2. Discard any card from your hand to place 1 tension token of any player on a strike of your choice. Use this action if you have nothing to play at the moment, or if you want to save your cards for the next turn.

At the end of your turn, draw cards from the deck until you again have 5 cards in hand (4 with 2–3 players). A player who played a Capybaranka out of turn draws cards at the end of their own turn.

If you draw a Revolution card while drawing, you must play it immediately.

Example: the blue player plays a Capybara and a Capybarabanshchik (Капибарабанщик). First, the blue player makes the pink player place a tension token on the strike with 3 fatigue points. Then, using the Capybarabanshchik, the blue player makes all players except blue place a tension token on the same strike.

Revolution

When a Revolution is played, resolve the strikes as follows.

Distributing the strike cards. Count the tension tokens on each strike card. The player whose tokens are most numerous on a card takes it and places it face down in front of themselves. In case of a tie, all tension tokens remain on the card, and the struggle for it continues until the next Revolution. The same happens to strike cards that have no tension at all.

Remove the played Revolution card from the game and return it to the box.

Example: the green player takes the first card. The second card has no tension, so it stays on the table. The third card is taken by the blue player. The fourth is taken by the pink player. On the fifth card, the pink and blue players have the most tension, so it stays on the table.

After distribution. Place new strike cards on the table in place of those taken by players. Return the tension tokens from distributed cards to their owners.

The player who played the Revolution card takes 1 more card from the deck. If that card is again a Revolution, remove it to the box and take another card. Then the turn passes to the next player clockwise.

Note: if at some point all 20 tension tokens of one player are on strike cards, the effects of cards that require placing new tokens no longer affect that player. This rule applies until at least 1 token is returned to its owner.

End of the Game

The game ends after the last Revolution is played.

Each player totals the fatigue points on the strike cards lying in front of them. The player with the fewest points wins. If several players are tied, the winner is the one who has fewer tension tokens remaining on the strike cards that were not distributed because of ties. If the result is still tied, the winner is the player with fewer strike cards. If there is still a tie, the players share the victory.

Card Notes

Capybanshchik (Капибанщик) May only be played on a strike where there is no tie. After it is played, place a new strike on the table.

Source note: the card is printed as "Капибанщик" (Capybanshchik) both on the card face and in this section, but the rule text elsewhere refers to "Капибарабанщик" (Capybarabanshchik), and the card-face caption reads "complete one strike early" (досрочно завершите одну забастовку). The names and effects are transcribed exactly as printed; the source's naming is not reconciled here.

Capybarge (Капибаржа) Take all tension tokens of one player from all strike cards and place them on one strike.

Copybara (Копибара) Only the effect of the card is copied, not its colour. After playing a Copybara, you may play more cards of the same colour as the Copybara. The cards you play this turn go to the discard pile only at the end of your turn. So you copy only the card that the previous player sent to the discard pile.

Capybarin (Капибарин) Until the start of a Revolution, prohibits placing tension tokens on the chosen strike and removing them from it. However, you can still play a Capybanshchik on that strike or copy tokens from it with a Capybarbecue. After the Revolution card is played, discard the Capybarin.

Capybaranka (Капибаранка) May be played out of turn to cancel the effect of a card played by an opponent. Their turn does not end, and they may still play other cards. You do not draw cards at the end of someone else's turn.

Additional Rules

We recommend introducing these rules once you have played several games with the basic rules. If you are playing for the first time, simply ignore the symbols related to this part of the rules.

The lower-left corner of the strike cards carries special symbols. They add new effects to the game by requiring players to observe special conditions when placing tension tokens on strike cards.

Crossed-out card icon (a card of the chosen colour on a strike with this symbol). Cards of the chosen colour cannot affect the tension tokens on this strike or their number.

Example: when playing a green card on a strike with this symbol, you cannot place a tension token on this strike or remove tokens from it (by playing a Capybarge). However, you can copy tokens from this strike with a Capybarbecue. After this strike has been taken by a player as a result of a Revolution or other effects, all players (including the one who took it) receive one strike card from the top of the deck.

Lead of the strike. The leader of a strike is the player with the most tension tokens on it.

• Crown with checkmarks icon. As the leader of this strike, on your turn you may complete this strike (taking it for yourself), after which the strikes adjacent to it are completed. In case of a tie on one of the strikes, it is not completed and keeps lying there. After this, place new strikes on the table.
• Crown with a stack of cards and "x2" icon. As the leader of this strike, you may resolve the effect of your first played card twice. If on your turn you played a card in order to become the leader of this strike, your first card has already been played, and its effect does not work again.
• Crown with a stack of cards and "4" icon. As the leader of this strike, on your turn you may look at the top 4 cards of the capybara deck, then return them in any order.
• "x2" icon. The number of tokens placed on this strike with the help of Capybara, Capybarabanshchik and Capybarricade cards is doubled.
• "+1" icon with a stack of cards. When this strike appears on the table, place one more strike card underneath it so that the fatigue points are visible. They are added to this card. If the second strike has an effect, ignore it.
• Stack of tokens icon. When this strike appears on the table, each player places their tension token on it.