Kabutar Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Setup
• How to Play
  • Turn Sequence
  • Out-of-Turn Actions
• Win Conditions
• Exit Condition
• Card Notes
  • Kabutar Card (1)
  • Hunt Cards (6)
  • Hide Cards (6)
  • Poop Cards (9)
  • Clean Cards (6)
  • Apartment Cards (8)
  • Building Cards (8)
  • Nest Cards (4)
  • Notice Board Cards (4)

Objective

You must successfully hunt the Kabutar, wherever it is in the building. If the Kabutar is in your apartment, you must either get all other residents to leave, or leave the building yourself and take the Kabutar with you.

Setup

Shuffle the deck of cards and deal 6 cards to each player. These 6 cards are your apartment. Keep the rest of the cards face-side down as a draw pile. These are the rest of the building.

The player who most resembles the Kabutar starts the first round. The first player also decides the direction of play (clockwise or counterclockwise).

How to Play

Turn Sequence

1. Draw a Card: Start your turn by drawing one card from the draw pile.
2. Play a Card: Play any card from your hand.
3. Resolve the Card: Resolve the effects of the played card and any out-of-turn cards that are played by you or any other player.

After all in-turn effects and out-of-turn effects are resolved, play resumes in turn order.

If the draw pile is empty, reshuffle the discard pile. This becomes the new draw pile.

Out-of-Turn Actions

Hide Cards: Use a Hide card to defend against a Hunt card or a Poop/Droppings card.

Nest Cards: These can be played out of turn to hijack any action before it is resolved.

Win Conditions

You win in any one of the following ways:

• You use the Hunt card to successfully accuse an opponent of sheltering the Kabutar.

  OR

• You are the last person remaining in the game with the Kabutar card in your hand.

  OR

• The only card in your hand at the beginning of your turn is the Kabutar card. You don't draw a card in that turn. You play the Kabutar card and win the game.

Exit Condition

When you have no cards left in your hand, in or out of your turn, take no further part in the game.

Card Notes

Kabutar Card (1)

If you get the Kabutar card, you may choose to hold on to it, try to pass it, swap it, or give it to an opponent using various actions. But it can never be discarded voluntarily.

The Kabutar card can only be played if it is the last card in your hand. You do not draw a card at the start of that turn and you win. If you get caught sheltering the Kabutar with no cards to defend yourself, you cannot lie about it being in your apartment.

If you are eliminated from the game while holding the Kabutar card, you pass the Kabutar card to the player who eliminated you. After this, each player, starting with the player who received the Kabutar must pass one card to the next player in the turn order.

Hunt Cards (6)

Use a Hunt card to accuse an opponent of sheltering the Kabutar.

• If the player you accused has the Kabutar and no way to defend it, you win.
• If the hunt is successfully defended (using a Hide card or a Nest card) the effect is cancelled. The game continues in turn order.
• If the accused player does not have the Kabutar and chooses not to defend the hunt, the hunt fails. Starting with the accused, all players (except the hunter) pass one card to the next player in turn order.

Hide Cards (6)

Evade accusations from your neighbours, and attacks from the Kabutar, by locking your door.

Use a Hide card to cancel the effects of a Hunt card or a Poop card.

You can play a Hide card as a reaction, out of turn, against a Hunt card or a Poop card.

You can play a Hide card in your turn to pass that turn.

Poop Cards (9)

The mess in the building lowers morale, making it harder to stay! Use Poop cards to force players to discard cards from their hand.

Clean Cards (6)

Use Clean cards to clean up apartments, boost morale, and help accelerate the hunt by letting players draw more cards.

Apartment Cards (8)

Use Apartment cards to interact with your neighbours' apartments.

You can give cards to, swap cards with, or steal cards from your opponents' hands.

Building Cards (8)

Use the Building cards to search common spaces in the building, accelerating the search for the Kabutar.

Nest Cards (4)

You find a nest in the building. Nest cards can be played out of turn to hijack any action before it is resolved.

When used, their effects take priority over the original action they hijack including other Nest cards.

You can also play a Nest card in your turn to pass that turn.

Nest cards are played to:

• Redirect the effect of any action to any player.
• Cancel the effect of any action.
• Join the effect of any action. You now claim the effects of the original action along with the original player.
• Steal the effect of any action. You now claim an action as your own, instead of the original player.

Notice Board Cards (4)

Flyers are set up on the Notice Board in the main lobby of your building. Notice Board cards have actions that affect everyone. Hide cards and Nest cards have no effect on these cards.

• Poopnado: A disastrous storm of poop! All opponents must discard a card.
• Society Meeting: The manipulative Kabutar has created the need for an emergency AGM. Starting with the next player, everyone passes 1 card to the player after them in the turn order.
• Deep Clean: A cleaning company is hired; every nook and cranny will be cleaned. All players draw 2 cards and prepare for a renewed hunt.
• Feathers: You spot feathers all over the building, setting everyone on edge. Starting with the next player, all players place two cards back on top of the draw pile. If you run out of cards due to this action, you are eliminated and must leave the building.