Minister i klister
Minister i klister Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
A game for 2–4 players aged 12 and up.
- 1 central game board
- 4 player boards in four colours
- 1 Sweden map
- 60 markers in four colours
- 150 rumour cards with statements, instructions and "points"
- 46 minister cards
- 4 pointing hands
Summary of the Game
In this game the cards that make up the "game pieces" are the key. Some are minister cards and some are rumour cards. Minister cards move, mostly downwards, and indicate the popularity barometer for each minister. With the rumour cards you spread rumours about the ministers, mostly bad rumours. You should try to discredit the other players' ministers while keeping track of what your own ministers are up to. When you think you can expose one of the other players' ministers, you tip the press and place a pointing hand on that minister.
If the rumour turns out to be true, the minister must move down one or two steps.
Eventually the ministers are fired from the government, one by one, and placed as county governors somewhere in Sweden's long country. You may appoint new ministers as you go, but in the end there is no room for more county governors in our little banana republic (we don't care about ambassadors in this game). The player who has the fewest county governors placed has won.
What You Must Do
- Keep track of which cards your ministers have.
- Make sure your ministers have good cards.
- Place bad cards on the other players' ministers.
- Use the instructions on the cards and stir things up for the other players.
- Tip the press and mass media about which of the others' ministers should be checked.
Rumour Cards
On the rumour cards you will find:
- positive or negative statements
- an instruction that you may use if you wish, for example check cards, take cards, shuffle cards, etc.
- how many steps the ministers must move down (or up) when they have been tipped to the press and must show a card.
Setup
Carefully punch the cards out of their sheets and split them into two piles, rumour cards and minister cards, kept separately. From these two shared piles you draw cards during the game.
Lay out the game boards: the central board with the microphone in the middle, and the others on each player's side around it. (See the back of the game box.) Deal each player 5 ministers, give each player a pointing hand, and place the Sweden map beside the player boards.
Deal so that each player has 15 rumour cards.
Distribute your rumour cards: 2 on each minister. Try to remember which cards each minister has. Place the cards picture-side up.
Place the rumour cards on top of your player board and the minister cards beneath them.
You must always have 5 cards in hand.
Course of Play
Each time it is your turn you must:
1 Show a Card
Show any card from the pile for the minister who has been given a pointing hand (= the pointing hand is on him). You may not look at the card before you take it, so you must try to keep track of which cards are where. If the minister has two pointing fingers on him, you must show 2 cards.
The minister must move down or up, depending on what the card shows: ...; -1, -2, 0, +1 and OUT (OUT means the scandal is so serious that the minister is removed from office immediately). Cards that you show are placed back underneath the shared rumour card pile.
If a minister must move down, it is quite likely that the scandal has repercussions. Therefore you must also show a card for one of the ministers to the right or left. If you are unlucky you must continue "around the whole table" until you return to the first minister, i.e. at most 5 ministers are checked. As soon as a minister gets 0 or +1, the scandal stops spreading and you do not need to show any more cards for any ministers.
If the minister is removed from office, place one of your county governor markers on the Sweden map, take a new minister and place the card on top of the scale. Remove the old cards and lay out so that the new minister has two rumour cards. Draw new cards so that you have 5 in hand.
2 Play Out Cards
Now you must play out 2 cards.
You may either swap up to two of the cards in your hand for cards on your own ministers, or place up to two cards on your own or other players' ministers, or use the instructions on up to two cards.
For example, you may swap a card, place a card on some other player's minister, or use the instruction on it.
A. Swap your own cards
Simply swap out some or all of the cards you have in hand for cards lying on a minister. For example, you may pick up a card that you think is bad and replace it with a good one.
B. Spread a rumour
When you want to spread a rumour, place a card on another player's minister. You may place the card anywhere in the pile and without showing it. At the same time, you state a claim about the minister. You may say whatever you like: bluff and lie, read from another card, etc. For example, if you place "Minister of Defence approved arms smuggling -2" on another player's Minister of Finance, you may say "The Minister of Finance has not registered his boat." The different minister designations on the cards have no significance; the cards do not need to be placed on a specific minister.
The point is that you must confuse your opponents so that they cannot keep track of their cards. At this stage it is a good idea to place bad cards on the other players' ministers.
C. Use the instructions
Show a card and follow the instruction on it. For example, you may shuffle the cards, swap card piles, check cards, etc. Use this opportunity to stir things up for the other players and to keep an eye on your own cards.
Play the card out so that everyone can see it. Then place it underneath the shared pile of rumour cards.
When you have made your plays, draw so that you have 5 cards in hand.
3 Tip the Press
Finish by placing a pointing hand on one of the other players' ministers.
The next player's turn must begin by showing a card if he has had the pressure of the press put on him.
The Game Continues
You continue playing until every "county" has received its county governor. At the start of the game there are not many ministers who become county governors, but as the scandals spread it becomes harder to keep track of what the ministers are up to. Sometimes an entire minister can fall. Just as in real politics, this game is about discrediting and stirring things up for one another.
It is of the utmost importance to bluff, or pretend to bluff, when you place rumours on each other. Imagination may run free when it comes to inventing scandals, although it can be hard to outdo reality. And it is fully permitted for parties to cooperate. A silent understanding has felled many ministers.
Who Wins?
The player with the fewest county governors when the map is full of markers wins.