Hostil Hostal Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Components
• Resting in the Hostel
• Let's Begin (Setup)
• Let's Rest
  • Phase 1 - Dusk: Preparing for the Night
  • Phase 2 - Night: Placing Guests and Playing Cards
  • Phase 3 - Dawn: Measuring the Slumber
  • Phase 4 - Day: Wearing and Reforming
• End of the Game and Winner
• Variation for 2 Players
• Event Card Guide

Game Overview

Players: 2-5. Playing time: 60+ minutes. Age: 13+.

In Hostil Hostal, players take turns to place guests on the beds in the different rooms of the inn. Each room brings different levels of comfort that will change with its occupancy and wear. The guest's rest is affected by different events that are played with cards in secret.

In Hostil Hostal, slumber is represented by rest points. At the end, the player with the most rest points will be the winner.

This rulebook is written so players can play as they read. If you see a message that says "STOP", play until the conditions are met. If you are studying the rulebook before a session, this can help you have a structure on how to teach the game.

If the group has played the game, ignore the "STOP" rules. If some of the players are new to the game and you wish to use the "STOP" rules, all players have to abide by them to avoid confusing the rookies.

Components

• 60 playing cards, 12 of each color: blue, red, orange, green and yellow.
• 5 room boards.
• 1 Lobby board.
• 5 reform boards.
• 5 red deterioration dice and 1 yellow misfortune die.
• 1 first player token.
• 4 guest tokens of each color.
• 1 round marker.
• 5 point markers. *The player who exceeds 40 points on the points track must flip the marker.

Resting in the Hostel

The Inn is composed of a Lobby and several rooms. In each bed within a room, guests can be placed to rest.

How do you calculate the quantity of rest a guest gets in a room? The room's rest points will be the sum of all uncovered numbers in the tile. At the end of the night, each guest can win or lose slumber points by the total sum of uncovered beds and the room's rug.

The Lobby can accommodate unlimited guests, but these will not score slumber points. They are also not affected by card effects.

Let's Begin (Setup)

1. First, you need to assemble the Inn. Place the Lobby tile on the table. Then accommodate the rooms in two rows to represent the floors, according to the number of players like this:

   • Floor 2: Room (2-5), Room (4-5). (See 2-player variation.)
   • Floor 1: Lobby, Room (2-5), Room (3-5), Room (5).

   Rooms are chosen randomly. For first time players, we recommend using the A side of the tiles. In the future, players can choose which side to use. Unused rooms are returned to the box.

2. Each room will have a wear die that represents the current state of the room. Roll a wear die for each room and place it on the wear slot on the top right of the tile. The Lobby does not have a die. Unused dice are returned to the box.

3. Give each player 4 guest meeples, a score marker and the cards of the same color. Each player places the score marker in the "15" space on the slumber track. Then, each player sets aside the Mr. Tools card, shuffles the other cards and forms a deck, which is now placed in their play area in front of them. Mr. Tools card is kept in the hand.

4. Select the side of the Lobby that corresponds to the number of nights you want to play (3 or 5), according to the desired duration of the game. Place the nights marker on the first Night 1 slot in the Lobby. Leave the misfortune die next to the Lobby.

5. Define the first player this way: the player that has spent a bad night more recently is the first player. That player receives the first player marker and will be the first to play when the night comes.

Let's Rest

Each round is composed of 4 phases:

Phase 1 - Dusk: Preparing for the Night

The sun has set and it is nearly time to sleep. Each player takes three cards from their deck and Mr. Tools to form a hand of four cards. If the deck becomes depleted, shuffle the discard to form a new deck and continue drawing.

STOP: Wait for each player to have 4 cards in their hand. At the end of the manual and in the quick guide you can review the effects that each card does.

Remember:

1. During the night, they will be able to play up to 3 of the 4 cards.
2. Cards can only be played in rooms where they have at least 1 guest.
3. Multiple cards can be played in each room.

Phase 2 - Night: Placing Guests and Playing Cards

The tired guests want to sleep, but you will define, as their guide, where they will stay. Starting with the player with the first player marker, and continuing clockwise, each player must do one of the following 4 actions: Place a guest, Play a card, Move a guest, Pass.

Furthermore, a player during his turn can do the optional action spy, before or after doing their mandatory action. Turns will continue to be played during this phase until every player has passed on the same round. Let's check the different actions:

Place a guest: The player takes an unplayed guest and places it in any unoccupied bed in a room of their choice. The meeple must cover the big number shown on the bed. Each guest piece has two sides, one showing a "sedated" mark. When placing a guest, leave visible the unmarked side. Covering a number means the slumber score of the room will change, so the player must choose carefully which number they want to cover.

STOP: Play a game round until all the players have placed a guest on a bed.

Play a card: If a player has at least two cards in their hand, they can play one card face down in a room where they own at least one guest. It is possible to play a card in a room where they had previously placed another card, and there are no limits to the number of cards in a room.

Remember:

1. Some cards will have negative effects even on the player that played the card.
2. At the end of the night, at least one of their cards will remain unplayed, as they can only play 3.
3. If more than one copy of the same card is revealed on the next phase, they all will be discarded before resolving their actions (except for Mr. Tools).

STOP: Now play a second round. Players can choose between placing a guest or playing a card.

Move a guest: If a player has at least two cards in their hand, they can discard one in their own discard pile to move a bedded guest to another bed in any room or to the lobby. Previously played cards remain in the room and are not moved with the guest.

Pass: If a player has placed all of their own guests, they can pass. However, if the player has at least two cards in their hand they can play the next round in their turn.

If all the players pass on the same round, the night phase ends and the dawn phase begins.

Bonus action: Spy. Knowing the plans of the other guides can be advantageous, but these nightly activities reduce the rest. A player can, before or after doing a mandatory action, spend one rest point to see all the cards of the same color in one room. After looking at them, the cards must be returned face down to the room. A player can spy as much as they want, but they have to spend 1 rest point for each spy action.

Important: A player may at any time look at their own cards placed in the rooms, but to see the cards of the other players, the payment of 1 rest point must be done.

Continue playing until every player has passed on the same round. Remember frequently to the players the four mandatory actions, as well as the bonus action, to help them choose their move.

Phase 3 - Dawn: Measuring the Slumber

With the sun, it is revealed the events of the night, while the guests were trying to sleep. The following steps are done in order:

STOP: The following rules should be executed as they are read.

Reveal: All the cards in the rooms are revealed and every copy of a repeated card in a room is discarded in the owner's discard pile, with the exception of Mr. Tools.

Order: Cards are ordered by number.

Resolution: First, resolve all the cards in play marked with the number 1. Then, resolve all the cards marked with the number 2, and so on, until every card has been resolved. When resolving, the owner of the cards decides whether to activate the effect or not, unless the card is marked with a lock icon, in which case the effect is mandatory. If a card has the guest icon, the player must have a guest on the room to be able to apply the effect, otherwise the effect can be activated without restriction. The effects of the cards are immediately updated in the slumber track (Lobby). As each card is resolved, discard it in the owner's discard pile, except for Mr. Tools, which must remain still in the room.

STOP: It is important to resolve all the cards before reading the next step. You should have the card effects guide at hand to resolve any doubts.

Rest: Resolve one room at a time by doing the following: add all the visible numbers in the unoccupied beds and the rug. Each player wins or loses slumber points equal to the total sum multiplied by the number of unsedated owned guests in that room.

Example (illustrated): a room whose visible total is 4 (formula "4 + 0 x guest"): the red player's guest = 4 rest points, the blue player's guests = 8 rest points, the orange player's guest = 4 rest points.

Wear: The initial player rolls the misfortune die to determine whether some damages affected the room's guests. The result of the die is compared with the wear state of each room. If the die result is bigger than the wear, each non-sedated guest loses slumber points. The quantity lost is the difference between both dice. Example: the player rolls a 3 and one room has one wear point: each guest in that room loses 2 points.

Variants: If players don't like the randomness or high risk of this rule, they can decide that every guest will lose 2 points always. Another option is to roll the die for each room separately.

Phase 4 - Day: Wearing and Reforming

During the day, rooms will deteriorate and Mr. Tools will work efficiently fixing and reforming them. Follow these instructions in order:

Wear: Check each room for wear depending on the number of guests like this:

Guests in room	Wear
5	Loses 3 points.
2-4	Loses 2 points.
0-1	Loses 1 point.

Turn the die in each room to show the new value. If the decrease is greater than the current value of the die, it is simply left at value 1.

¡Wake up, brains!: Each player returns their guests to their supply.

Reform: In each room where a Mr. Tools card is present, a reform tile is placed in a way that the rugs match. The reform is drawn randomly from the reform's deck. Each reform has two sides. The player that placed the Mr. Tools card in the room decides which side to use. In case multiple players played Mr. Tools, the player to decide is the closest to the initial player in turn order. If the room already has a reform, this is replaced with a new one and is discarded in the bottom of the reform's deck.

End of day: The night marker advances to the next night in the Lobby. The first player marker is passed to the player that currently has more slumber points. In case of a tie, the player further in turn order from the current first player takes the marker. Each player discards the cards not used in the round and recovers Mr. Tools to their hand. A new round begins.

End of the Game and Winner

When the sun rises for the last time (third or fifth night, depending on whether the weekend or standard week was played), the game ends. The winner is the player with the most points on the rest track. In case of a tie, the player with the most cards in his hand wins. If the tie persists, players have the following options:

1. Share the victory.
2. Rematch.
3. Lean back on the table and see who falls asleep first.

Variation for 2 Players

To play with two players, you need to add the following rules:

Setup:

1. Place three rooms as if playing with three players.
2. Take the cards and guests of a third color. This player will be an automata. Shuffle the cards and place them face down where both players can reach them, and the four guests in the Lobby.

Dusk phase: Draw three cards from the automata's deck and place them face down each in one room without seeing them. These cards will be resolved at dawn.

Night phase: Once the first player and the second player have both played in a round, a special Automata phase is played before beginning the next round. In this phase, each player will draw a card from the automata's deck and place it face down on a room where they would like to place an automata's guest. Both cards are revealed simultaneously: the player that has the highest numbered card will be able to place a guest in the bed of her choice in the room she selected. Both cards are then discarded. A player cannot select a filled up room. If there are not enough cards in the deck for both players, omit this phase.

Special action: whenever a player discards a card to move a guest, she can choose to move an automata's guest instead of one of her own, regarding it is already in a room.

Dawn phase: The automata's cards are resolved as always, with the following exceptions:

• Out! (card #3, Grrr): If both players have guests in the room with the grumpy guest, they both roll a die. The player with the lower roll is the one that has to move one of her guests from the room.
• 2x1 (card #2): The automata will bring a guest from the bed with lesser points and will place it in this room on the bed with the highest points where it already has a guest.
• Other cards: The automata will always choose the guest or effect in a way it can deal the most damage to the players. If there are discussions, assign numbers to the guests and roll a die to decide.

Example: The automata plays a card that forces it to move a guest from a room (2x1). Although this card's resolution is optional, the automata will always attempt to execute it. Taking a guest from one room will subtract 4 points to a player, while in another room it would subtract 4 from both players. As the second room does more damage, that will be its selection. If it has to choose between taking 2 points from one player or 1 points from 2 both players, it will choose the option that will damage both.

Activation of the cards follow all the rules and conditions for activations (i.e. having a guest in the room or discarding duplicates).

Scoring: The automata will score points and will be taken into account for room wearing. If it is losing, it will count as the player with lesser points for the TV card. The automata can win the game.

Event Card Guide

If a card says "this room", it refers to the room in which the card was played.

#1. Sweet Dreams (+1) A guest has taken a powerful sedative. It applies to one of your guests. This meeple is flipped so it shows the "sedated" side. It will not be affected by any event and won't be scored in the Dawn phase. Win 1 rest point.

#2. 2x1 A guest prefers not to sleep alone. You can bring one of your guests from another bed in any room and place it in the same bed where you already have a guest in this room.

#3. Grrr This grumpy guest can't stand one of their roommates. Remove any one guest from the room (someone else's or your own). The guest owner then chooses another unoccupied bed or the lobby to place the removed meeple.

#4. Tap Tippity-Tap (-1) A guest decides to practice a dance they will present on a Reality Show. Each guest in the room and the one immediately below loses 1 rest point.

#5. Party (-1) A guest has decided to organize a lively party. Each guest in this room and the neighboring orthogonal rooms (non diagonally adjacent) lose 1 rest point.

#6. Chocolate (+1) Someone has brought a nice jar filled with hot chocolate and has shared it with their friends. 1 rest point to each guest you own in the room.

#7. 17º (+2) Someone found a warm blanket their grandma sneaked in their bag: +2 rest points for each owned guest in one bed in this room.

#8. TV (-1) Someone turned the TV on and an old action series got everyone engaged! Unwillingly, they missed sleep, except the guests of the player that is currently behind on the slumber track (they are so tired that they can sleep through the noise). Each guest in this room that missed sleep loses 1 rest point.

#9. Sniff (-1) Someone removed their socks and a terrible stink propagated around their bed. All the guests in beds orthogonally adjacent (non diagonally) to one of your meeples loses 1 rest point.

#10. Scratch Scratch (-2) It seems fleas have invaded the room! Who will be the hosts of these unwanted critters? Each guest in the room rolls the misfortune die. A result of 1 or 2 means that guest has fleas and loses 2 rest points.

#11. Auuuuu (-1, -2) One of your guests in this room transforms into a wolf and scares everyone! Each guest in the room loses 1 rest point, including the wolf. Every other non-wolf guest in this room rolls the misfortune die: on a result of 1 or 2, the guest enters in panic and loses 2 additional rest points.

#12. Mr. Tools (+2, +1) The hard working Mr. Tools repair some damage to this room. All Mr. Tools cards are resolved at the same time like this: Add 2 wear points to the room for the first Mr. Tools card plus 1 for each additional Mr. Tools in the room. Add these points to those shown in the wear die of the room (to a maximum of 6). Example: if three Mr. Tools cards are present in the 2B room, it recovers 4 wear points. Do not discard this card until stated on the Dawn phase.