Lawless Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Card Reading Guide
• Components
• Principle
• The Different Card Types
• Setup
• Turn Sequence
  • 1. Manage Livestock
    • Surveillance
    • Sale
    • Continuing Livestock
  • 2. Other Income
  • 3. Carry Out Actions of Choice
  • 4. End Your Turn
• End of the Game
• Card Effects
  • Terrains (grey borders), 24 cards
  • Livestock (purple borders), 30 cards
• Example of Scoring
• Two-Player Rules
• Card Effects (continued)
  • Cowboys (blue borders), 20 cards
  • Sneak Attacks (red borders), 25 cards
  • Counters and Bonus Cards (green borders), 10 cards

Card Reading Guide

Some cards carry a small memory aid in the form of symbols. For example, the base value of this livestock card is 3 gold coins.

Cost: the cost to put the card into play. This is not the same as the cost to DRAW the card, which depends on its position in the row.

Duration of the effect:

• If the symbol is a trash can: the card's effect is applied immediately, then the card goes to the discard pile.
• If the symbol is an hourglass: the card stays in play until it is eliminated. Its effect, if any, applies until the card leaves play.
• If the symbol is a question mark: this case is exclusive to the "Hired Killers" (Tueurs à gages). If the attack succeeds (the opposing character is shot down), the hired killer returns to its owner's hand. Otherwise it is shot down and goes to the discard pile.

Action points: 1 action point for Livestock, Terrains and Cowboys. 3 action points and more for Sneak Attacks, and for Bonus and Counter cards.

Frame: indicates the card type.

• GREY = Terrains
• BLUE = Cowboys
• PURPLE = Livestock
• RED = Sneak Attacks
• GREEN = Bonus or Counter

Effect: text explaining the effect of the card.

Components

The contents of the game are as follows:

• 117 cards, distributed as follows:
  • 24 Terrains (grey borders)
  • 30 Livestock (purple borders)
  • 20 Cowboys (blue borders)
  • 25 Sneak Attacks (red borders)
  • 18 Counters and Bonuses (green borders)
• 60 gold coins
• 1 six-sided die
• 1 game board

Principle

Each player tries to make a ranch thrive in the merciless universe of "Lawless" (Sans Foi Ni Loi) of the American Wild West.

On their turn, each player has action points which they use to carry out the actions of their choice:

• Draw new cards.
• Develop and protect their ranch by placing new cards in front of them (for example Terrain cards, which allow new livestock to be housed, Cowboys to watch over the livestock, or Bonus cards).
• Slow down their opponents by playing Sneak Attacks.

Players may also sell all or part of the livestock present on their ranch (if it has not run away in the meantime).

The game ends when, at the end of a player's turn, either there are no more cards in the draw pile or there is no more money in the bank.

Each ranch then scores a number of Prestige points according to its ranking in the following categories:

• Number of Terrains
• Number of Livestock present on those Terrains
• Number of Cowboys present on the property
• The player's fortune

For each category, each player scores 5 points if they are first, 3 points if second, 2 points if third and 1 point if fourth. Any 5th and 6th place score nothing. After adding up the points won in each category, the player whose ranch has the highest total wins.

The Different Card Types

The different cards are described in detail at the end of this rulebook. To start playing, it is only necessary to know that there are 5 main categories of cards:

• Terrains (grey borders): each card represents a plot of the ranch. A Terrain can house from 1 to 3 livestock, depending on its quality (see below). These cards are one of the keys to the game: without Terrain, a ranch cannot house any livestock, and at the end of the game each player scores more Prestige points the better they rank in the Terrains category.
• Livestock (purple borders): each card represents a herd. Livestock come in 3 different base market values. The longer a herd stays on a Terrain without running away, the more its market value increases. To increase their fortune, players must sell livestock... but beware: at the end of the game each player scores more Prestige points the better they rank in the Livestock category.
• Cowboys (blue borders): each card represents a cowboy, who helps watch over the livestock on the ranch's Terrains. Cowboys come in 3 experience levels, giving a bonus of +1 to +3 on the surveillance test. At the end of the game each player scores more Prestige points the better they rank in the Cowboy category.
• Sneak Attacks (red borders): each card has a particular effect, explained in detail later. These cards are used to slow down the development of your opponents.
• Counters and Bonuses (green borders): each card has a particular effect, explained in detail later. These cards are used either to cancel the effect of a Sneak Attack played by an opponent, or to give you an advantage towards the final victory.

Setup

• Place the game board in the centre of the table.
• Shuffle the 117 cards thoroughly.
• Deal each player 3 cards.
• Place the remaining cards as a face-down pile just at the edge of the board, on the side marked 6.
• Turn the first 6 cards of the draw pile face up, placing them on spaces 1 to 6 of the board.
• Place in the middle of the table a pile of gold coins representing the bank. This pile is 50 gold coins for 2 to 4 players, 55 gold coins for 5 players and 60 for 6 players.

The game can begin... be merciless!

Turn Sequence

The first player is chosen by a die roll. That player carries out all of their actions, then each player does the same in clockwise order.

During their turn, the player successively:

1. Manages their livestock
2. Collects other income
3. Carries out actions of their choice
4. Ends their turn

1. Manage Livestock

During this phase the player successively tests whether the livestock present on the ranch has been properly watched over, then chooses, if they wish, to sell all or part of it. (Be careful to respect the order in which these operations are carried out.)

Surveillance

At the start of their turn, any player who has Livestock cards present on their Terrains must begin by testing whether they have been properly watched over. To do this, proceed as follows:

• The opponent to the left of the player rolls the die. The number of Livestock cards present across all of the player's Terrains is added to the result. The total obtained is the surveillance difficulty.
• The player then rolls the die and adds the surveillance bonuses (+1, +2 or +3) of each Cowboy, as well as of the fences present on their ranch.

If the result obtained is at least equal to the difficulty, the livestock has been properly watched over and nothing happens. Otherwise, a herd escapes... As this universe is indeed cruel, the herd that would have brought in the largest sum of money if sold is removed from the game.

Sale

Livestock still present on the ranch may be sold to the bank, which immediately pays the player the corresponding value.

The longer a herd stays on a Terrain, the more it brings in when sold. The base value of a herd is multiplied by the number of turns it has spent fattening on the Terrain that houses it (up to a maximum of 4 times the initial value).

So herds of "poor quality" will bring in 1, 2, 3 or 4 gold coins depending on the number of turns spent on the ranch.

Herds of intermediate quality will bring in 2, 4, 6 or 8 gold coins.

Herds of "super quality" will bring in 3, 6, 9 or 12 gold coins!!

Note that it is never compulsory to sell livestock, and it is possible to sell only part of it.

Continuing Livestock

For livestock that has been neither lost nor sold, rotate the card depicting it a quarter turn clockwise, to make it easy to see how many turns it has been present on the ranch. (In the "noon" position the livestock has been present for one turn; in the "3 o'clock" position for 2 turns; in the "6 o'clock" position for 3 turns; and in the "9 o'clock" position for 4 turns. Beyond 4 turns the livestock stays in the "9 o'clock" position and will not bring in any more money when sold.)

2. Other Income

If the player has a gold mine on their property, they receive from the bank the income from the veins discovered in the mine during this turn. To evaluate the richness of the vein extracted from the mine for this turn, they roll the die twice and take the total.

They receive from the bank an amount equal to that total... Unless they roll 10 to 12, in which case the mine and the Terrain on which it sits are destroyed... (Indeed, by overusing explosives to obtain ever larger veins, one sometimes has problems!!)

3. Carry Out Actions of Choice

During their turn, each player has 6 action points to spend in whole or in part during this phase (unused points are lost; there is no carrying over to the next turn). The player uses these points as they see fit, the various possible actions being carried out in the order of their choice.

The costs of the various actions are as follows:

• Drawing a face-up card costs a number of action points equal to the number printed opposite it on the game board (the first card, that is the one furthest from the draw pile, costs 1 point, and the sixth costs 6 points). It is possible to draw several cards this way, for example the 1st + the 2nd + the 3rd for a total of 6 points.
• Drawing the first face-down card of the draw pile costs 3 points. It is therefore possible to draw the first 2 cards of the draw pile for 6 action points.
• Placing a Terrain, Livestock or Cowboy card on the table costs 1 point. Livestock may only be placed if the housing capacity of the available Terrains is respected. A player who has no Terrain cannot therefore place any livestock. But they can place Cowboys.
• Playing a "Sneak Attack" card (red borders), a "Bonus" or a "Counter" card (green borders) costs the number of action points shown at the top left of the card. The effects of the card so played (see the individual card explanation) apply immediately.

Important: during this phase, the player may at any time buy additional action points by spending 2 gold coins for each additional action point.

4. End Your Turn

The player counts the cards in their hand. If they have more than 10 cards, the player discards the excess. They choose which cards to discard.

Then, if there are no longer 6 face-up cards in the row next to the draw pile, the row is rebuilt to the right of the draw pile:

• The face-up cards that were not drawn are slid along so that they occupy the first places in the row, with no gaps.
• The row is completed to 6 cards by turning face up the first card(s) of the draw pile.

It is now the next player's turn...

End of the Game

The game ends when, at the end of a player's turn, either there are no more cards in the draw pile, or there is no more money in the bank.

Each ranch then scores Prestige points according to its ranking in the following categories:

• Number of Terrains
• Number of Livestock present on those Terrains
• Number of Cowboys present on the property
• The player's fortune

Each player counts the number of Terrain cards making up their ranch, the number of Livestock cards present on those Terrains, the number of Cowboy cards (cards in hand do not count), as well as the number of gold coins they possess.

For each category:

• The first-place player(s) score 5 points
• The second-place player(s) score 3 points
• The third-place player(s) score 2 points
• The fourth-place player(s) score 1 point
• Any 5th and 6th place score nothing

Warning: a ranch that has no element of a category scores no points in that category.

After adding up the points won in each category, the player whose ranch has the highest total wins...

Card Effects

Terrains (grey borders), 24 cards

Terrains come in 3 types:

• Poor-quality Terrains (16 cards)
• Average-quality Terrains (4 cards)
• Excellent-quality Terrains (4 cards)

Each Terrain can house as many Livestock cards as the number of "cattle heads" drawn at the top of the card.

Cost: 1 point per Terrain.

Livestock (purple borders), 30 cards

Livestock come in 3 types:

• Poor-quality livestock (9 cards)
• Average-quality livestock (15 cards)
• Excellent-quality livestock (6 cards)

The gold coins at the top of the card show the base value of the livestock. When sold, this value is multiplied by the number of turns spent on the Terrain (up to a maximum of 4 times the initial value).

Cost: 1 point per Livestock.

Example of Scoring

Player	Terrains (cards)	Terrains points	Livestock (cards)	Livestock points	Cowboys (cards)	Cowboys points	Money (coins)	Money points	Total
Claudia	6	5	1	1	2	3	17	5	14
Bruno	3	1	3	5	0	0	13	3	9
Laurence

Claudia therefore wins the game with 14 points, ahead of Laurence and Pascal with 10 points each, and Bruno with 9 points.

Two-Player Rules

With 2 players, each player manages 2 distinct ranches. Everything therefore works as if playing with four.

Each player receives 3 cards at the start, and then the game proceeds normally, in the following order:

• Player 1 - ranch 1, then Player 2 - ranch 1
• Player 1 - ranch 2, then Player 2 - ranch 2

The winner is the player who has accumulated the greatest number of Prestige points across the 2 ranches they run. The two-player game is particularly tactical.

Card Effects (continued)

Cowboys (blue borders), 20 cards

Cowboys come in 3 types:

• Novices (8 cards)
• Experienced (9 cards)
• Veterans (3 cards)

Cowboys watch over the whole property. Each Cowboy on the property provides the bonus printed at the top of the card for each die roll in the livestock surveillance test / livestock loss test.

This bonus is also used during duels against hired killers.

Cost: 1 point per Cowboy.

Sneak Attacks (red borders), 25 cards

Indian Raid (Raid indien), 3 cards. The Indians retake by force one of their former hunting grounds. The Indian Raid card stays in place until the cavalry arrives. As long as this card is present, the player cannot place livestock on that Terrain, sell the livestock present on that Terrain, or benefit from the income of a gold mine on that Terrain. That Terrain also does not count as part of the property at the end of the game. If the cavalry intervenes, the player recovers the whole of their property. Cost: 3 points.

Stampede (Panique), 3 cards. The livestock gives its owner plenty of trouble. During the "livestock escape" test, each herd counts double, and the player loses 2 herds if the test fails. This card stays in place until the player plays "King of the Rodeo" (Roi du rodéo). Cost: 3 points.

Hired Killers (Tueurs à gages), 3 cards. Hired killers are used to shoot down the character (cowboy, sheriff, mayor, undertaker) of the targeted player with the highest bonus. The attacker rolls the die and adds the killer's bonus printed on the card. The defender rolls the die and adds the bonus of the cowboy or character targeted. If the hired killer wins, its target is eliminated from the game. The player takes the card back into their hand, collects the amount of the reward, and places the shot-down character face down in front of them. Otherwise, the killer is shot down and the defender wins a reward equal to the bounty printed on the killer card plus the total bonuses of the characters previously shot down by that killer. In case of a tie, both characters are eliminated and neither player collects a bounty. Cost: 3 points.

Hold-up, 3 cards. This card allows an attack on either the bank or an opponent. Once the target is chosen, the die is rolled. The sum stolen equals the die result increased by 3 points. This card is discarded after use. Cost: 3 points.

Rails on the Prairie (Des rails sur la prairie), 3 cards. The WESTERN UNION RAILWAY COMPANY requisitions a Terrain to lay the railway line joining the Atlantic to the Pacific. The targeted Terrain is permanently removed from the game, along with the livestock or the mine it houses. This card is discarded after use. Cost: 3 points.

Saloon, 2 cards. When it is played, each opponent sees one of their cowboys (at random) "run off" to the owner of the saloon. Yes... a little alcohol and a few girls are enough to win the favours of the cowboys. This card is discarded after use. Cost: 5 points.

Cattle Rustling (Vol de bétail), 2 cards. You steal a herd of livestock from the opponent of your choice. This herd must immediately be transferred to one of your Terrains capable of housing it. It keeps the market value it had on the opponent's Terrain, but can only be sold on the following turn (if it has not run away or been stolen again by then!). Cost: 5 points.

Professional Cheat (Tricheur professionnel), 3 cards. You choose an opponent. They must show you their hand, and you steal a card from them. This card is discarded after use. Cost: 3 points.

Lynching (Lynchage), 3 cards. To play this card, you must spend a number of action points equal to 2 plus the bonus of the targeted character (cowboy or other). This character is hanged high and short after a summary mock trial. It is removed from the game. Cost: 2 + x points (x being the bonus of the targeted character).

Counters and Bonus Cards (green borders), 10 cards

Sheriff (Shérif), 1 card. When it is put into play, it is no longer possible to play "Professional Cheat", "Hold-up" or "Cattle Rustling" against the player who owns it. Likewise, a hired killer must first eliminate the sheriff (who has +5 on the die) before attacking any other character of that player. This bonus must not be taken into account for livestock surveillance. This card stays in play until it is eliminated. Cost: 4 points.

King of the Rodeo (Roi du rodéo), 3 cards. This card cancels the "Stampede" (Panique) card (both cards are then removed from the game). This card is removed from the game after use. Cost: 3 points.

Cavalry (Cavalerie), 3 cards. This card makes the Indians (Raid indien card) flee and recovers the Terrain concerned along with its contents, if any (livestock or gold mine). The Indian Raid and Cavalry cards are discarded. This Terrain immediately becomes available to place new livestock, and is again counted for victory points. This card is removed from the game after use. Cost: 3 points.

Gold Mine (Mine d'or), 2 cards. A gold mine has been discovered on the targeted Terrain. This Terrain can no longer permanently house any livestock. However, each turn its owner benefits from income depending on the richness of the vein discovered. They roll the die twice and take the total: a result of 2 or more brings in an income of a number of gold coins equal to the result obtained. A result of 10 to 12 causes an EXPLOSIVES ACCIDENT (ABUS D'EXPLOSIF)... the mine and the Terrain are removed from the game. Cost: 3 points.

Undertaker (Croque-mort), 1 card. Each time a character (whether an opponent's or not) is eliminated, the bank pays the undertaker 2 gold coins for the burial. The undertaker has a bonus of +3 if challenged to a duel by a hired killer. This bonus must not be taken into account for livestock surveillance. Cost: 4 points.

Girls, 2 cards. Wherever there are girls, there are cowboys! The passage of these magnificent girls across your property attracts new cowboys. Take from the draw pile (not from the row) the first 2 Cowboy cards and place them in your hand. Then reshuffle the draw pile thoroughly. Cost: 3 points.

Trapper (Trappeur), 3 cards. Your trappers bring back some fine furs. The bank buys them for an amount equal to the result of the die roll, increased by 3 points. Cost: 3 points.

Fence (Clôture), 2 cards. You put up fences on your property, which gives you an additional bonus of +2 for livestock surveillance. Cost: 4 points.

Mayor (Maire), 1 card. You secure the services of the mayor of the nearby little town. This shady politician may, if they wish, change the order of the 6 cards in the row before the start of each player's turn. (It is entirely permitted, even recommended, to negotiate a small consideration with the player concerned for a favourable arrangement of cards...) The mayor has a bonus of +4 if challenged to a duel by a hired killer. This bonus must not be taken into account for livestock surveillance. Cost: 4 points.