Happy City Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Aim of the Game
• Setup
• The Game
  • A. Income phase
  • B. Action phase
• End of the Game
• Helpful Hints
• Expert Version
• Quick Play Guide
  • Set-up
  • Recap
  • End of the Game

Contents

• 30 coins (20 x 1-coin and 10 x 5-coin)
• 140 cards:
  • 1 Prem's card
  • 66 Buildings cards (3 different backs), front and back
  • 5 Happy Market cards
  • 56 Special Buildings cards (18 for the Family version and 38 for the Expert version)
  • 12 Dwellings
• Set of rules

Aim of the Game

Get the most (happy) points by building the happiest city! The happiness of a city is calculated by multiplying the number of inhabitants by the number of hearts on your cards.

Setup

1. The happiest player takes the Prem's card. They will be the 1st player for the whole game.
2. Collect all the coins to form the bank.
3. Create the central area. Shuffle the 3 different Buildings decks separately and put them face down in the centre of the table. The value of the cards in each deck is indicated on the back (e.g. from 1 to 3 coins for the 1st deck).
4. Sort the Dwellings cards by type and put them in 3 identical piles. Each pile should have 1 card fewer than the number of players (e.g. 2 of each for 3 players).
5. Randomly place the Special Buildings cards, conditions side up, from the Family pack on the table. Use as many as the number of players plus 2 (e.g. 5 cards for 3 players). Place the remaining Special Buildings in the box.
6. Each player takes:
   • 2 coins
   • A Happy Market card white side up, it is the 1st card in their city. Return any remaining Happy Market cards to the box.

Reminder:

• Dwellings: 1 card less than the number of players in each deck.
• Special Buildings: 2 cards more than the number of players.

The Game

A. Income phase

All the players simultaneously receive money from the bank: they take the sum of the income symbols shown at the bottom of the cards in their city (e.g. for the 1st round - 1 coin each, thanks to the Happy Market).

B. Action phase

The players play this phase clockwise beginning with the 1st player. When it is their turn, a player carries out these actions in order:

1. They CAN discard ONE of the Buildings cards visible in the central area if they so wish (for the 1st round no cards are visible). The 3 discard piles are face down and the players are not permitted to look at them.

2. They MUST ensure there are 3 visible cards in the central area. To do this, they draw and put cards on the table, one-by-one, from the 3 Buildings decks. They can draw from whichever deck they like.

   NB: If there are no cards left in one of the decks, shuffle the relevant discard pile and create a new deck.

3. They MUST choose one of the following 3 options:

   • purchase one of the 3 visible cards in the central area.
   • purchase a Dwellings card.
   • purchase nothing and take a coin from the bank.

   To purchase a card, the player pays the bank the amount indicated at the top of the card. They then put the card in their city to make a line of 5 cards from left to right and then a 2nd line underneath.

   Note: a player cannot own 2 cards with the same name.

4. They CAN also, if their cards meet the conditions of an available Special Buildings card, take it and put it in their city, name side up.

   • The conditions are shown at the top of the Special Buildings card: a player must have the cards of the number and colours shown in their city. These conditions could have been met in this round or in a previous round.
   • A player can only take one single Special Buildings card throughout the game.
   • The income shown counts for all the income phases. The inhabitants and/or hearts will be counted at the end.

Example:

1. Sarah discarded a card.
2. Then she draws one from the 1st deck and one from the 2nd deck.
3. Sarah purchases the MUSEUM for 4 coins.
4. She therefore meets the conditions to get the FILM STUDIOS if she desires.

End of the Game

As soon as a player puts down their 10th city card (including a Special Building), the round continues until the last player's turn and then the game ends. You can never play the 11th card, even if it is a Special Building.

Each player calculates how happy their city is: count the number of inhabitants and the number of hearts (remember to subtract 1 per crossed out inhabitant or heart) then multiply the 2 numbers. The player who has the most points wins. In the case of a tie, the player with the most coins left wins - money doesn't always buy happiness, but it certainly helps sometimes!

Example: 5 inhabitants X (9-1) hearts = 40 points.

Helpful Hints

• Use the game summary on the back of the rules.
• Remember to accumulate income, especially at the start of the game, so it does not slow you down...
• The division of the different colours in the 3 decks is on the back of the Buildings cards: 2 cards per floor.
• Favour the green cards to get inhabitants, and the orange cards to get hearts.

Expert Version

Experienced players can make the following 2 adjustments during preparation:

5. Use the Special Buildings Expert version cards (red) instead of the Special Buildings Family version cards (pink).
6. Play with the coloured sides of the Happy Market cards: after the Special Buildings cards have been drawn, the 5 Happy Market cards are placed in the centre of the table, coloured side up. Then the final player (to the right of the 1st player) first chooses their Happy Market card, then each player selects one, anti-clockwise, ending with the 1st player (who then begins the round as usual).

These Happy Market cards have a colour which is part of the conditions to obtain the Special Buildings.

Special Buildings Expert version cards shown as examples: one reads "...if 2 cards adjacent to this special building (left, right, above or below) are the same colour..."; another reads "...per card BLUE in your city"; another reads "...but discard the last card in your city immediately and replace it with this one."

Quick Play Guide

Set-up

• Dwellings: 1 card less than the number of players in each pack.
• Special Buildings: 2 cards more than the number of players.
• For each player: 1 Happy Market and 2 coins.

Recap

A: Income phase

The players simultaneously take the sum of their income.

B: Action phase

On your turn, do the following:

1. (optional) discard 1 card from the central area
2. add cards to the central area so there are 3 cards
3. either purchase 1 Building from the central area, either purchase 1 Dwelling, either do not purchase anything and win 1 coin
4. (optional) take 1 Special Building (max 1 per player)

End of the Game

As soon as a player has 10 cards in their city, the round ends.

HAPPINESS = inhabitants X hearts

Reminder: a city can never have 2 cards with the same name.