Kill The Unicorns Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Set Up
• Goal of the Game
• The Round
  • 1. It's a Trap!
  • 2. Eyes on the Prize
  • 3. Definitely Maybe
  • 4. Black Market
• Scoring
• Variant: Team (4 Players)
• 2-Player Game
  • Goal of the Game (2 Players)
  • Content (2 Players)
  • Setup (2 Players)
  • Game Modes
  • Hunting Day (Game Flow)
    • 1. It's a Trap!
    • 2. Eyes on the Prize
    • 3. Definitely Maybe
    • 4. The Black Market
  • Scoring (2 Players)
  • Notes
  • FAQ
  • Characters' Powers
  • Order of Powers
  • Scheme Cards

Components

• 36 Unicorn cards
• 5 Black Market cards
• 4 Character Power cards
• 8 Hunt Cards per player
• 8 Trap Cards per player
• 1 Scoring card

Set Up

Each player chooses a character and takes the Hunt Cards set and the Trap Cards of his color. Each player chooses one of the characters to play during the game. Armed with this character's Hunt Cards & Trap Cards, the hunt begins. While the players may look at their Hunt Cards, the Trap Cards are shuffled and placed face down in one pile in front of the players.

All Unicorn Cards are shuffled and placed face-down on the table; draw the same number of Unicorn Cards as there are players and place them face-up on one line on the table. The Black Market cards are placed above the Unicorn Cards, with the corresponding tokens placed upon them (respecting the number of players at the table).

Unicorn butchery, Unicorn horn, Unicorn soap: N-1 (N being the number of players)

Cotton candy, Fairy Powder: One of every color

Each player receives one starting Unicorn Card before the game starts, the remaining starting Unicorn Cards are set aside.

The player who most recently saw a Unicorn becomes the first player (and seek medical help as soon as possible).

Goal of the Game

A game of Kill the Unicorns is played in 4 rounds with all players counting their victory points at the very end. The player with the most points wins the game! In case of a tie the players with the most Unicorns in front of him wins.

The Round

1. It's a Trap!

Each player draws two Trap Cards from their deck.

Starting from the first player, each player discards a Trap Card from his hand face-up in front of him, then he puts his remaining Trap Card face-down under the unicorn of his choice. There can only be one Trap Card per Unicorn. Once the card is placed, it can not be looked at again by any players.

2. Eyes on the Prize

To get the Unicorn Card, you need to win a hunt. The first hunt begins with the first Unicorn Card, and the hunting ends once the last Unicorn Card has been claimed. It is forbidden to skip a Unicorn Card.

The First Player decides if he wants to participate in the hunt (otherwise the next player clockwise begins). When the first player opens the hunt, he announces the number of Hunt Cards for the first hunt (between 1-3 cards). He then places this number of Hunt Cards face down in the middle of the table, the other players follow suit, placing the same number of cards face-down on the table (unless they choose to skip this hunt).

3. Definitely Maybe

Now the Hunt Cards are revealed and then the Trap Card beneath the Unicorn that is currently being hunted. The Trap Card's power is instantly activated, and unless stated otherwise, the hunter with the highest value of Hunt Cards wins the Unicorn Card (and the bonus/malus that comes with the Trap Cards)! If the successful hunter already has unicorn(s), he can add the new one to a collection (or rainbow).

If two hunters are in a tie, the second-highest bidder wins the unicorn. If all players are tied, the unicorn runs away, and the Unicorn & Trap Card are discarded. The played Hunt Cards are discarded face-up next to each respective player. The winner of the hunt becomes the new First Player, if the First Player wins the hunt, he remains First Player.

4. Black Market

Once all the unicorns on the table have been caught (or successfully ran away), players can use their remaining Hunt Cards (if there are any left) as a currency to purchase items on the Black Market. Starting with the First Player, they can make one purchase each. The value written on the "Unicorn Butchery" token is the number of victory points won and the value written on the "Soap" token is the price. Once everyone is done shopping, gather your Hunt Cards and get ready for the next hunt! New Unicorn Cards are placed on the table (one per player) as you enter the next round of the game.

Example card — Unicorn soap: Wash a Unicorn. Discard one "Unicorn Pee" or "Smelly Unicorns" card.

Scoring

In addition to the victory point value assigned to each card (the unicorn heads on each card), and the bonuses/penalties associated with the Black Market Tokens or Trap Cards, players will receive additional Victory Points for each Unicorn collection based on their color.

• 2 unicorns of the same color: +2 points
• 3 unicorns of the same color: +5 points
• 4 unicorns of the same color: +8 points
• Beyond 5 Unicorns of the same color: +12 points

Beyond 4 unicorns of the same color, the player must start a new collection.

The player may also realize the "Rainbow" figure, but the cards used can not be re-used to complete another collection.

• Rainbow (1 Unicorn Card of each color): +8 points
• Double Rainbow (2 Unicorn Cards of each color): Instant victory

Variant: Team (4 Players)

The two teams are determined randomly, and the team members are placed so they take alternating turns.

At the beginning of the game, N+1 Unicorns are released on the table (N being the number of teams). Starting from the 1st player players place their traps as usual except that there may be up to two Trap Cards per Unicorn (one above and one below).

After revealing the hunting cards, it is the winning team that will choose the trap card they want to reveal, the other Trap Card is discarded in front of its owner.

The 1st player role is shared by the team, and the teammates choose together which player plays first. The number of Hunt Cards that can be used goes from 2 to 5 and it is the two teammates who will have to play these cards collectively. Team members don't have to play the same number of cards, but must at least play a minimum of one Hunt Card.

Example: The first player from Team A decides that "3 Hunting Cards" are used in this hunt and puts at least 1 Hunting Card on the table. Next, the player in Team B has to place at least 1 Hunting Card on the table if he wants his team to enter this hunt. Now the second player in Team A plays as many Hunting Cards so his team collectively has 3 Hunting Cards on the table, followed by the same action from the second player in Team B.

The Hunt Cards of the two crew members are then added together and they group together the Unicorns they captured.

It is also the winning team who choose which Trap cards they choose to activate, the remaining one is discarded in front of its owner.

The team members have the right to speak to each other, but they must do so in order to be heard by all the other players around the table.

2-Player Game

A long time ago, far far away, a Queendom was overrun by thousands of pesky unicorns relieving themselves on private property, eating endangered plant life and subsequently farting a lot! As unicorn gas is toxic, air pollution in the Queendom drastically increased, seriously impacting the local environment. This contamination created microclimates around the Queendom: it started raining sugar and candy, making everything sticky.

Too kind to take action, the old Queen left the matter to her malicious daughter. Eager to prove her leadership skills to the citizens, the Princess declared annually four days dedicated to unicorn hunting, and everyone was invited! This was great news for the gnomes, who ran an illegal global Black Market for unicorn parts. This annual hunt meant that they didn't have to waste time catching the beasts themselves - a difficult thing to do - and could instead buy them cheaply from the citizens!

This section is a faithful transcription of the official "Kill The Unicorns Rulebook" 2-player variant, published by Morning, which uses an expanded card pool (Character Power cards and Scheme cards in place of Trap cards) built for exactly two players.

Goal of the Game (2 Players)

Capture the most beautiful unicorns, create the largest collection by color and then sell them on the Gnomes' Black Market, while avoiding your opponents' traps.

The game lasts 4 rounds. At the end of the 4th round, players count their Victory Points from their Unicorns (star value), and from collections. The player with the most points wins the game.

Content (2 Players)

• Unicorns Cards x28
• Starter Unicorns Cards x6
• Character Power Cards x6
• Black Market Cards x4
• Hunt Cards x48
• Scheme Cards x48
• Black Market Tokens x20
• Scoring Card x1
• 1st Player Token x1

Setup (2 Players)

1. Each player chooses 2 Character cards: one Main character and one Secondary character.
2. Take the 8 Hunting cards of your Secondary character and put the deck face down in front of you. Take in hand the 8 Hunting cards of your Main character.
3. Take and shuffle the 8 Scheme cards of your Main character and place the deck face down in front of you.
4. Shuffle the Unicorn Starter cards (the 6 cards with "Starter" written on the back) and deal 1 card to each player. Place your Starter Unicorn face up in front of you and place the 4 remaining Starter Unicorns in the box.
5. Shuffle the Unicorn cards. Draw 4 of them and arrange them in a line in the middle of the table face up. Place the Unicorn deck at the beginning of the line.
6. Place the Black Market cards at the end of the line, perpendicular to the Unicorn cards.
7. Place the associated tokens on each of the Black Market cards (4 tokens per card). Put the unused tokens back in the box.
8. The last player to have spotted a real unicorn becomes the first player (and should consult a specialist). This player takes the First Player token and places it in front of him.

Game Modes

Children's Version — For a gentle introduction. Play without the Character cards and the Scheme cards.

Family Version — Chaos, but not too much! Play without the Character cards and the extension cards.

Full Version — There's a little more chaos, do you want some? Play with the Character cards, the Scheme cards, the basic box and the extension.

Hardcore Version — For skilled collectors. Discard Scheme and Hunt cards face down.

Hunting Day (Game Flow)

Reminder: A game of Kill the Unicorns lasts 4 rounds, with 4 Unicorns to hunt in each round. Unicorns are hunted one by one from left to right. Players will be able to buy two items each at the Black Market at the end of each round, once all 4 Unicorns have been hunted.

The round has four phases: It's a Trap!, Eyes on the Prize, Definitely Maybe, and The Black Market.

1. It's a Trap!

Each player draws 2 Scheme cards.

The first player places his first Scheme card under the Unicorn card of his choice. The second player then places his 2 Scheme cards under the Unicorn card(s) of his choice. Finally, the first player places his second Scheme card under the Unicorn card of his choice. The next phase starts when both players have put down their 2 Scheme cards.

There cannot be more than 2 Scheme cards per Unicorn (one at the bottom and one at the top of the Unicorn card). Once the Scheme card is placed, this one cannot be consulted during the round (it is better to remember it!).

2. Eyes on the Prize

To catch a unicorn, you have to win a hunt using your Hunt cards. A hunt corresponds to exactly 1 unicorn. The 4 hunts are resolved, one by one, starting from the unicorn deck and ending at the Black Market.

The first player decides aloud how many Hunt cards (from 1 to 3) will be played to start a hunt. This number of Hunt cards applies to the main character and the secondary character of each player. The Hunting cards represent the hunter's determination to capture these vile and beautiful creatures. The higher the score, the better chance you have of capturing the Unicorn.

The first player starts by playing his Secondary character and draws the number of requested Hunting cards + 1 Hunting card from his Secondary character's deck of Hunting cards.

He chooses among the drawn Hunt cards the one(s) which will be played by his Secondary character and puts the unused Hunt card back under the Hunt deck of his Secondary character. The selected Hunt cards are placed face down in front of the Secondary character card.

Example: If the first player announces 3 Hunt cards, then he must draw 4 (3 + 1) from his Secondary character's Hunt card deck and place 3 of them face down in front of the Secondary character card. The unused Hunt card will go under the corresponding Hunt card deck.

Note: It is not possible to voluntarily pass your turn with your Secondary character. If only the number of cards requested from the Secondary character remain, he plays them all. If he has fewer, or none, cards left, he does not play and the other player's Secondary character starts his turn.

The second player then does the same thing. Once both players have played their Secondary character's Hunt cards, they are revealed.

Starting with the first player, each player chooses the Hunting cards of the Main character he wants to play and places them face down in front of him. Unlike the Secondary character's Hunt, it is possible to pass your turn with the Main character.

3. Definitely Maybe

Once everyone has played or passed, the Hunt cards are revealed. Players compare the values of each of their characters individually, as if there were 4 different players. The character with the highest cumulative value of Hunt cards in front of him/her is designated the winner of this hunt.

Note: If there is a tie for highest value, the player with the second highest value wins (the ties are canceled). If all players are tied, the unicorn runs away: the Unicorn card is discarded, along with the associated Scheme cards.

Once the hunt is resolved, if there is a Scheme card under the unicorn, it is then revealed and its effect is immediately applied. If there are 2, the winner of the hunt chooses the one he wants to reveal and the other is discarded without being revealed. Once the Scheme card is revealed and its effect applied, the winning player gets the Unicorn and places it in his collection in front of him.

Beware: Some Scheme cards, once revealed, may name another winner!

If you wish, you can group your Unicorns by color. You will be able to arrange your collection throughout the game to improve your score. There is the same number of Unicorns of each color in the game (2 x pigicorns, 2 x 1-star unicorns, 2 x 2-star unicorns) and only 4 neutral Legendary Unicorns.

Hunt and Scheme cards played during this round are discarded face up in front of their owner, unless the Scheme card must stay attached to a Unicorn (you'll recognize these cards thanks to the pin on the illustration).

The player who won the Unicorn is the new first player. Note: If the first player won the hunt, or if nobody won, he remains first player.

If there are still Unicorns to hunt next, repeat phase 2 and 3. If there are no Unicorns left, go to phase 4.

4. The Black Market

Once all the Unicorns have been hunted, the round will end after passing through the Black Market of the Gnomes. Starting with the first player, each player can make two Black Market purchases per round. Each item has a price (indicated on the Black Market card), which you must pay with the cumulative value of your 2 characters' Hunting cards (this value represents your determination to negotiate with the Gnomes).

When you buy an item from the Black Market, take the appropriate token. This item is no longer available to the other players. The token is immediately placed on a Unicorn card (except for the Paté, which is placed in front of you).

Purchases on the Black Market take place in this order: the first player makes 1 purchase, then the second player makes his 2 purchases and finally the first player can make his second purchase.

Black Market items:

• Unicorn Butcher Shop (2$): Discard a Unicorn card and its Scheme card (if there is one) and take a Paté token. At the end of the game, the Paté earns you a number of Victory Points equal to its value.
• Fake Horn (3$): Add +2 Victory Points to a Unicorn.
• Fairy Dust (6$): Change the color of this Unicorn into the color of the token, and add +2 Victory Points.
• Cotton Candy (3$): Change the color of this Unicorn into the color of the token (Example: If a player buys a blue Cotton Candy and puts it on a pink unicorn, it turns into a blue unicorn.)

At the end of the Black Market phase, all the players return their Hunt cards to their hand. Draw 4 new Unicorns and start a new round! First Player token remains with the last player who won a hunt.

Scoring (2 Players)

At the end of the 4th round, each player must sell their captured unicorns to the Gnomes! What the Gnomes do next is a well-kept secret...

• First, count the points on the Unicorns (the number of stars in the top-left corner of the card).

• Then, count the bonuses/penalties associated with any Scheme cards and/or Black Market tokens you've collected.

• Finally, count the additional Victory Points for each of your Unicorn color collections.

• 2 Unicorns of the same color: +2

• 3 Unicorns of the same color: +5

• 4 Unicorns of the same color: +8

• 5 Unicorns of the same color: +12

Gnomes like sooooome variety, so they won't pay extra for more than 5 Unicorns of the same color!

You may also create a Rainbow set, but you'll have to make some tough choices, because the cards used to create a rainbow set cannot be used to complete another collection.

• Rainbow: +8
• Double Rainbow ("Oh my god, it's a double rainbow all the way!"): Instant Victory

Notes

Legendary Unicorns: The legendary 4-point Unicorn cards have no color and are too cool to belong to any family. As such, you have to buy items on the Black Market (like Cotton Candy or Fairy Dust) to incorporate them into a collection.

Character Powers: You can only use the power of your Main character. Character powers can only be used once per round. If two Character Powers are activated at the same time, the first one who announces it can activate it first. Players are trusted to use all their bad faith in case of contestation.

Starting Unicorns & Pigicorns: Although they don't exactly look like Unicorns, they count for the collections or a rainbow.

FAQ

Who wins if in the end both players are tied? You've been told that ties cancel each other out, right? If neither of the 2 players offer victory to his opponent, you have to redo a game.

Can I win a hunt by playing Hunt cards with a value of 0? Yes. Playing 0 doesn't prevent you from winning a Unicorn. Just remember that a total of 0 can also be cancelled by a tie.

If I am first player and I bought nothing at the Black Market, do I have to give the first player token to the player on my left? No, you stay first player for the next round, lucky you!

Can we put several Black Market tokens on the same Unicorn? Yes. Victory Points are cumulative! However, if you add several color-changing tokens to a Unicorn, it's the last token placed on the Unicorn that prevails.

Can I put a Cotton Candy or Fairy Dust on a Unicorn of the same color? I mean, yes? But the Unicorn won't change color.

If I discarded a Unicorn at the Unicorn Butcher Shop, what happened to the Scheme card attached to it? The Scheme card and/or the Black Market tokens are discarded along with the Unicorn.

Characters' Powers

Wizard: When the secondary character is targeted by his power, he places the card to be changed under his deck and draws the first one to replace it.

Huntress: The cards of the second character remain in play and can be used to win.

Bard: The Bard can target the Main or Secondary character so that he does not participate in the hunt.

Order of Powers

Character powers resolve in the following order across the round's phases:

• Phase 1 — Before playing the Hunting cards: The Princess, The Bard.
• Phase 2 — When it's time to play the hunting cards: The Shaman, The Huntress (Play the card).
• Phase 3 — Before revealing the Hunt cards: The Thief.
• Phase 3 — After the revealing of the hunting cards: The Knight, The Wizard (Resolve).
• Phase 4 — After the resolution of the Hunt: The Huntress, The Seller.

Scheme Cards

There Is No Point in Running: Ties have already been canceled before the "There is no point running" card takes effect.

Trojan Unicorn: If 1 of the players does not have Unicorns to exchange or if the owner of the card wins the hunt, nothing happens. Any Scheme card and/or tokens on the exchanged Unicorns remain attached during the exchange.

Zombie Unicorn: Any Scheme card and/or tokens on the selected Unicorn are also discarded.

Siamese Unicorn: This Unicorn counts as 2 Unicorns of its color when calculating Victory Points at the end of the game. However, the Unicorn's stars are not doubled. This Unicorn can also be included in a Rainbow and in a Double Rainbow.

Voodoo Doll: The targeted character's Hunt cards cannot be used on the Black Market, but it is still possible to make 2 purchases with the other character's Hunt cards.

Itchy Trigger: If the Secondary character is targeted, look at his deck and remove the highest value Hunting card.

Foolproof Trap: When applied to the Secondary character, the recovered card is placed under his deck.