I Can't Even With These Monsters
I Can't Even With These Monsters Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Components. This edition has 49 Monster cards: Amalgam, Blob, Ghost, Ichthid, Mummy, Vampire, Werewolf, each appearing seven times.
You need. You'll need to record players' scores on a score track with tokens. You may also want a way to track each round of play, but this is optional.
Game structure. A full game is seven rounds. A round is composed of three phases in which players offer cards, take opponents' cards, and score points from their remaining cards. The player at the end of the game with the highest odd score wins!
Set Up a Game
Shuffle the cards together. (If playing with multiple I Can't Even games, shuffle all those cards together.)
- For 2-5 players, deal 9 cards to each player's hand.
- For 6 players, deal 8 cards to each player's hand.
- Keep your hand of cards hidden from your opponents.
- Set aside any remaining cards.
- Each player begins with 10 points.
The area in front of you is called your Pit. To your left is where you will keep your scoring cards, called your Bank.
Overview of Play
Each round is divided into three phases:
- Offer Cards
- Draw Cards
- Bank Cards
These phases are detailed on page 2a.
End of Game
The game ends after the end of the seventh round. The player with the highest odd-numbered score wins! If no one has an odd score, then the highest even score wins. If still tied, players share victory.
How to read these rules (as printed): each page of rules is numbered with an "a" side and a "b" side. The "a" side has the rules text and the "b" side has visual examples of those rules.
Phases of a Round
1) Offer Cards. Players do this phase at the same time.
- Place one card from your hand face-down in your Pit.
- Place one card from your hand face-up in your Pit, so all players can see it.
2) Draw Cards. Players each take one turn this phase. The player with fewest points takes the first turn. If tied, the older player takes the first turn. Turns pass to the left.
On your turn, you must choose one card from an opponent's Pit. Take it into your hand of cards. (This phase may leave players with no cards in their Pit.)
If you take a face-down card, keep that card hidden from the other players as you add it to your hand.
3) Bank Cards. Players do this phase at the same time. Reveal face-down cards in your Pit. Move all cards from your Pit to your Bank. Keep cards in your Bank visible.
Card Terms
- BANK: You must do this action as the card enters your Bank. It only resolves once, with no further effect.
- SCORE adds points. LOSE subtracts points. Players cannot have fewer than 0 points.
Each I Can't Even set adds new effects to your game!
Example 4-Player Round
The example below continues from the 4-player game layout (round 3 in progress: Your Pit, Your Bank, Your Hand (Kept Secret), and the Beth, Cat and Dee areas).
Offer.
- You reveal an Amalgam.
- Beth reveals a Blob.
- Cat reveals a Ghost.
- Dee reveals an Ichthid.
Draw.
- You take Beth's face-down card.
- Beth takes your Amalgam.
- Cat takes Beth's Blob.
- Dee takes Cat's face-down card.
Bank.
- You reveal the face-down card to be a Blob, then score it.
- Beth has no cards in her Pit, so scores nothing this round.
- Cat scores a Ghost.
- Dee reveals the face-down card to be an Ichthid, then scores two Ichthids.
Monster Cards
Amalgam likes variety. When you bank this, score 1 per different type of Monster in your Bank.
Blob keeps doubling. When you bank this, score 1 for a 1st Blob in your Bank, 2 for a 2nd, 4 for a 3rd, 8 for a 4th, 16 for a 5th, 32 for a 6th, 64 for a 7th.
Ghost is shy. When you bank this, lose 3 if this was face-up in your Pit or score 3 if this was face-down in your Pit.
Ichthid seeks a mate. When you bank this, score 0 for a 1st Ichthid. You score 5 for each consecutive Ichthid thereafter. If you Bank two Ichthids the same round, you score 5 for each, regardless of if you banked an Ichthid the previous round.
Mummy strengthens with age. When you bank this, score 1 in round 1, 2 in round 2, 3 in round 3, 4 in round 4, 5 in round 5, 6 in round 6, and 7 in round 7.
Vampire is nice at first, then betrays you. When you bank this, score 3. Then all other players lose 1 per Vampire in their Bank.
Werewolf likes a pack. When you bank this, score 1 per face-up Werewolf in any Bank.
Bank Examples
- Amalgam here scores you 3 points because three types of monster are in this Bank.
- Blob here scores you 4 points because it's the third Blob in this Bank.
- The card on the left is a face-down Ghost. It scores you 3 points. The face-up Ghost on the right costs you 3 points.
- One Ichthid here scores you 5 points because you banked an Ichthid in the previous round. If you bank two Ichthids the same round, each scores you 5 points, a total of 10 points, regardless of whether you banked an Ichthid the previous round.
- It's the fifth round, so a Mummy this round scores 5 points. (Printed as "scores 5 you points"; corrected to "5 points" here.)
- You and Beth bank Vampires this round. You both score 3 points. You then lose 1 point because Beth banked a Vampire and you now have one in your Bank. Beth loses 2 points because you banked a Vampire and she now has two in her Bank. Cat didn't bank a Vampire, but she loses 2 points because you and Beth each banked a Vampire and she has one in her Bank.
- Werewolf here scores 4 points because there are now four face-up Werewolves across all Banks.