Fram R'lyeh Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Components
  • Meaning of Icons
• 3. Preparation
  • 3.1 Dealing of Hands
  • 3.2 Treasure Setup
  • 3.3 Deciding the First Dealer
• 4. Flow of the Game
  • 4.1 Dealer's Turn
  • 4.2 Non-dealer's Turn
  • 4.3 Show Down
  • 4.4 Spreading Insanity
  • 4.5 Getting the Treasure and the Power Card
  • 4.6 Going to the Next Round
• 5. Scoring
  • The Old One Awakens
• 6. About Trump Cards
  • R'lyeh Text
  • Shining Trapezohedron
  • Elder Sign
  • Golden Mead
  • Time Drug

1. Introduction

Let's explore the ruins discovered in the Pacific and get ancient treasures! Play a power card. Then, the player who played the greatest power card wins a treasure. But be careful! The winner's power card becomes negative points as well.

2. Components

80 cards:

• 60 power cards (12 cards each of 5 color suits)
• 15 treasure cards
• 5 trump cards

Power cards: You reveal these to win treasures. There are 5 colors; one for each player.

Trump cards: Each player is dealt one of them. They have various effects.

Treasure cards: Players shuffle these cards. Victory points players may gain are written on the face up side. The face down side represents three types of depth: shallow, medium or abyssal. There are 5 cards for each of the types of depth. A list of victory points is written here, as well.

Meaning of Icons

• VP (Victory point): Numbers inscribed on slates mean VP.
• Power: Numbers inscribed on star stones mean power to win treasures.

3. Preparation

3.1 Dealing of Hands

Each player is dealt the following cards as his hand:

• 12 power cards of his color
• 1 trump card

Note: Trump cards are dealt randomly. You can't know what trump cards are dealt to other players before they play them.

If you play the game with 4 or 3 players: Deal "R'lyeh Text" to one of the players. Choose 3 or 2 trump cards randomly from the trump deck and add "R'lyeh Text" to the selected cards, shuffling and dealing them randomly.

3.2 Treasure Setup

1. Turn all treasure cards face down. Remove a card from shallow, medium and abyssal depths. These 3 cards will not appear in the game.
2. Shuffle the remaining 12 cards as a deck.
3. Put the top card of the deck on the bottom of it and repeat until the first card is of shallow depth.
4. Line up the top 2 cards of the deck face down at the right side of the deck. Also, place the bottom card of the deck face up at the left side of the deck.

Note: The rightmost card is the "Treasure of this round", while the card placed at the very right of the deck is the "Treasure of the next round". The leftmost card is the "Treasure of the last round".

3.3 Deciding the First Dealer

The player dealt "R'lyeh Text" reveals the card. This player becomes the first dealer. Then, put the 3 removed cards from step 3.2 under "R'lyeh Text". The player can peek at the face up side of them during the game.

4. Flow of the Game

The game consists of 12 rounds. Players compete for one treasure card each round. The flow of the round is as follows.

4.1 Dealer's Turn

The dealer peeks at the face up side of "Treasure of this round". Then, the player plays a power card (including trump cards if desired) face up.

4.2 Non-dealer's Turn

Each non-dealer player plays a power card (including trump cards if desired) face down.

4.3 Show Down

All players reveal their power cards and compare their numbers. The player who played the card with the greatest number wins. If there is a tie, the player closest clockwise to the dealer wins. (The dealer has the advantage on ties, so non-dealers can only beat the dealer with a better power card.)

Example: If players play 14, 8, 15, and 11 clockwise from the dealer, the third player who played 15 wins. If they play 14, 15, 15, 11, the second player wins because he is closest to the dealer among players who played the greatest card.

4.4 Spreading Insanity

Each non-winner player turns the power card they played face down and sideways, placed in front of each player as an insanity card. If the player already has "non-exorcised" insanity card(s), put the new one on top of them slightly shifted (to show how many cards are there).

Each "non-exorcised" insanity card has a value of -1 VP.

4.5 Getting the Treasure and the Power Card

The winner gets "Treasure of this round" face down. If he has "non-exorcised" insanity card(s), put the treasure on top of them. Insanity cards under a treasure card are "exorcised" and are not counted. Otherwise, put it in front of the winner.

The winner may peek at the face up side of his treasures.

Then, the winner gets the power card he played face up. Put it on the treasure card slightly shifted.

4.6 Going to the Next Round

Shift the "Treasure of next round" treasure card to the "Treasure of this round" space so it becomes the NEW "Treasure of this round". Then, put the top card of the deck as NEW "Treasure of next round". If the deck has run out, put the "Treasure of last round" as a NEW "Treasure of next round" instead.

The winner of this round becomes the new dealer, and the next round begins.

About the last round: Place the Treasure of last round face up so all players can know what it is. Beyond that, the last round goes just like the rest. Once the last round finishes, the game ends and scoring begins.

5. Scoring

All players turn their treasures face up and calculate their VP from below (VP may be negative):

• Treasure cards have positive VP.
• Face up power cards have negative VP.
• "Non-exorcised" insanity cards have -1 VP.
• Used "Time Drug" has -2 VP.

The player(s) with the most VP win! However...

The Old One Awakens

All players with negative VP (0 VP is not negative) are attracted to The Abyssuspolis and become cultists of The Old One. If at least one player isn't a cultist, he can call for aid and stop their intrigue. However, if all players do become cultists, THE OLD ONE AWAKENS.

In this case, the player(s) with the most negative VP win! The Old One gives favor to people attracted to insanity the most.

6. About Trump Cards

R'lyeh Text

You get information about the cult and The Abyssuspolis.

You may peek at the 3 removed treasure cards and become the first dealer. Look at step "3. Preparation" for details.

Shining Trapezohedron

You may release SOMEONE with great POWER.

You may use this card as a power card of 17 at steps 4.1 or 4.2. Reminder! If you get it, you get -17 VP too.

Elder Sign

The stone has great power and protection from the old ones.

You may use this card in two ways.

You may use this card as a power card of 15 at steps 4.1 or 4.2. Of course, if you do, you get -15 VP too. If you use it in this way, ignore other card text.

You may use this card as a talisman if you have won at step 4.5 by discarding it. If so, you don't get both the treasure you won and the power card you played, and you remove them from play. You may decide this after you peek at the treasure. Note, other players can't know what treasure card is removed because it remains face down. You can't "exorcise" your insanity card(s), because you don't get the treasure card. You are still the next dealer.

Golden Mead

You may OPEN YOUR EYES.

You may use this card as a power card of 0 at steps 4.1 or 4.2. Then, the next dealer is not the winner of this round but YOU. You may peek at both the NEW "Treasure of this round" and the NEW "Treasure of next round" after step 4.6.

Time Drug

You may dive into memories of your ancestors and use an ancient magic.

You may use this card immediately after the power cards are revealed at step 4.3 (stop the process and put this card in front of you). You return the power card you played to your hand and play another power card.

Put this used card in front of you. It has a value of -2 VP.