Hideous Abomination
Hideous Abomination Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
What's in the Box?
- 190 Body Parts
- 9 Torsos
- 10 Blank tiles (Design your own!)
- 1 Die
- 4 References
- 24 Score cards
- 30 Bolts
Basic Overview
Players are aiming to build and complete their own abomination before their competitors. To do this, they take turns drawing, stealing and playing tiles on both their own and the other players' abominations.
The objective of this gruesome rivalry is to get the most points from Awards and consistency. The judges are always looking for different things, so make sure you study the Grand Prizes at the start of the game and note any new Awards that become available later. You'll be in competition to meet random goals (like having the most teeth, ears or wings), but the Grand Prizes (most colors, smallest and first to complete their abomination) are always up for grabs. You'll also get points for consistency (the color of which you have the most tiles, no matter their texture) so work towards a consistent color scheme.
Turn order rotates clockwise with each player taking three actions in order: 1. Roll 2. Play 3. Discard.
Setup
Prepare the Slabs
A. Display the Grand Prizes
Place the three Grand Prizes face up out of the way of the players. Set the Awards deck next to them and leave space nearby for other Awards as they are revealed later.
B. Set up the spare parts buffet
Shuffle the body part deck and deal three tiles face up in the center of the table. Place the remaining deck next to the buffet to form the draw pile.
C. Deliver the cadavers
Deal a random torso tile to each player. Players may choose to show either side, they are functionally identical.
D. Peddle the body parts
Deal each player a starting hand of three tiles.
E. Spill the bolts
Place the bolt tokens in piles around the table so that all players can reach them.
The player who had the most hideous day goes first.
Turn Order
On their first turn of the game, each player will Draw instead of rolling.
1. Roll
Roll the die, do what it says:
Draw
Draw two tiles and place them in your hand. These may be taken, in any order, from the top of the three face-up spare parts piles or blind from the top of the deck. You may use your second selection to draw tiles revealed by drawing your first.
Dig
Select one pile from the spare parts buffet. Then take that pile and dig through it to select any two tiles to draw into your hand. If there is only one tile in the pile, draw the second tile blind from the deck. Return any remaining tiles to the same spare parts pile in any order.
Award
Draw an Award from the deck (if any remain) and display it face-up next to the other Grand Prizes and Awards. This is now an end-game objective for all players. Then immediately Draw as described above.
Steal
Take one body part tile from any other player's abomination and put it into your hand, then give that player two bolt tokens. If no tiles are available to steal, roll again until you get a different result. You may NOT steal: torso tiles, tiles that have a bolt token on them (see Bolting), or your own tiles.
Go Mad!
Choose ANY of the four options above.
NOTE: If any spare parts piles are ever empty, immediately refill them from the top of the deck.
2. Play
Play a tile on ANY abomination
Take any tile from your hand and play it connected to ANY abomination. You must match all loose ends (a loose end is any side of a tile where the artwork meets the edge). If the tile you play would complete your abomination by closing off all loose ends, you may not play it unless the number of Awards revealed is greater than the number of players. If you cannot play on your own abomination, you must play on another player's. If you still cannot play, forfeit this action and move to the discard phase. The turn then moves to the next player clockwise.
Lend your friends a hand. Or better yet, a crotch!
Sometimes the best move is to add to another player's abomination, this is often the only way to stop someone from finishing! A nexus or crotch tile can give a player a lot more work to do before they can end the game.
Every tile has a type (such as tail), which is indicated by the icon in the circle on the upper-right of the tile. Many tiles also have one or more attributes (such as digits or horns), which are indicated by the icons along the bottom of the tile. The number above each icon shows how many of that attribute appear on that tile.
NOTE: The game cannot end until the number of Awards revealed is greater than the number of players.
3. Discard
The max hand size is three
At the end of your turn, discard until you only have three cards in your hand. Each card you discard must be placed face up on any of the three spare parts buffet piles.
Stealing & Bolting
Stealing
Sometimes the gangrene is greener on the other slab. Don't be afraid to pilfer parts from other players to meet your own ends. Here's a few hurtful tips:
- If there are no tiles available to steal, roll again.
- You can't steal torsos, bolted tiles, or tiles from yourself.
- It's fine to steal from the middle of someone's abomination. You can leave awkward gaps or disconnected parts behind, it's not your problem. The tiles all stay exactly where they were in the grid.
- You don't have to play what you pinch, you can just use steal rolls to spite others.
Bolting
It's best to bolt parts down so they don't grow legs and run off. Keep a few things in mind:
- You must immediately bolt down any unsecured tiles when you receive bolt tokens. If all of your tiles are already bolted down, keep any remaining bolt tokens and bolt down the next tile(s) played on your abomination.
- You must bolt two tiles together where they meet. You can't place a bolt on a loose end and you can't place a bolt between two edges where the artwork does not meet.
- You can't keep bolts for future use, you must bolt if you have any unsecured tiles.
- You'll get better bolt for your buck if you can avoid placing them on your torso.
How It Ends
The game ends immediately when:
There are more Awards displayed than the number of players and any player completes any abomination by closing off all of its loose ends.
OR
A player is unable to draw a card because the deck is empty.
You may not play a tile that would end the game if the number of Awards displayed is less than or equal to the number of players (see Play).
When calculating all scores, make sure to count your torso and any of your tiles that may still be disconnected from it due to thievery.
To determine each player's score, add up Consistency Scores, Grand Prizes and Awards.
Consistency Score
The judges are very interested in consistency, which means having as many tiles of the same color as possible. To determine your consistency score:
1. Figure out your dominant color
Look at your abomination and determine the color of which you have the most tiles. Each color has two textures, but they both count as the same color. If you have an equal number of two or more colors, just pick any one of those colors.
2. Count up all the tiles in your dominant color
Include your torso! This number will be the basis of your consistency score.
3. Add any wild tiles
Each wild tile counts as one additional point. Add these to the total tiles in your dominant color and you've got your final consistency score.
NOTE: Your consistency score will always be at least 1, even if nothing matches!
For example:
- Here, red is the dominant color: 3 Red + 2 Wild = 5 points.
- Here, blue and teal are tied for dominant color: 2 teal/2 blue + 1 Wild = 3 points.
Grand Prizes & Awards
First, the player whose abomination was successfully completed is given the "Done!" Grand Prize.
Then the rest of the Grand Prizes and Awards are dealt to the players who meet the required criteria. Each Grand Prize is worth 3 points. Each Award is worth 2 points. Look at each one in turn, checking the requirements against each player's abomination to determine who wins it.
For example, the player whose abomination has the most colors would win the "Showy" Grand Prize. Don't forget to count each wild tile as a unique color!
The highest score wins!
If two or more players are tied, the player with the greatest number of Grand Prizes and Awards wins!
NOTE: If any number of players are tied for a prize or Award, they each get the full points. You can use the provided tie trackers to keep track of Awards when there are multiple winners.
Simplified Rules
Hideous Abomination is great for any sort of player! You can easily simplify the rules to allow miscreants of all ages and abilities to enjoy making their own heinous monstrosities.
Recommended for ages 6-7:
The first person to complete their abomination wins. Don't use Grand Prizes or Awards. Don't count up score at the end. If a player rolls Award, treat it as Draw.
Recommended for ages 4-5:
The first person to complete their abomination wins. Don't set up the spare parts buffet. Don't use Grand Prizes or Awards. Don't count up score at the end. Don't roll the die. Players draw from the top of the pile on their turn and can only play on their own abomination.