Mint Condition
Mint Condition Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Set-Up
Every player receives a random Boardgame collection card, which indicates the direction of the game (clock-wise or not), the player's color, and a sequence of play overview, and places the card in front of them.
All Danger cards are shuffled well.
Note: If necessary, the players can sort out the Expert danger card "Smoking Kills". For the first game this is recommended.
Every player, depending on the number of players, receives the following number of Danger cards, which they keep concealed in the hand:
| Number of players | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of cards in hand | 13 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
The remaining Danger cards are placed upside down in one pile. They will be needed at a later stage again.
To keep track of the Damage points, it is recommended to keep a pen and paper close by.
Course of the Game
The game consists of three rounds. In every round, the players try to defend their respective boardgame collection. The following four phases are run through until all Damage cards have been played.
1. Phase: Selection
Every player selects a Danger card from their hand and places it – face down – in front of their Boardgame collection card. In the end the least damage is best!
For 2 players only: Both players select another card from their hand and discard them. This second card is put back into the box and will not be used in the game again. (Note: If the card "Lost Pieces" has been used in this phase, it cannot be discarded.)
2. Phase: Passing On
All other Danger cards are handed over (faces down) to the player seated either to the left or the right, depending on the direction of the game.
With their faces down, the cards are placed next to the fellow player's Boardgame collection card.
After all players have passed on their cards, the game continues.
3. Phase: Reveal
Now all players simultaneously reveal the card they selected in Phase 1. Every player has their individual collection of cards laying openly in front of them until the end of each round. Identical cards should be placed onto each other in such a way that their number is clearly visible.
If the "Sleeve Me Up!" card has been revealed, it must be played immediately. This can happen simultaneously because the card only affects the player's own deck of cards.
4. Phase: Take Up Cards
The Danger cards which the players received in Phase 2 face down and which were placed next to the Boardgame collection cards are now taken up by the players.
If at the end of Phase 4 the players have no cards left, the round will be complete. If the players have new Danger cards on their hand, Phase 1 to Phase 4 are repeated.
An important note: The last one card one receives from another player must be played and be added to one's individual collection of cards. (Thus in the final round, only Phase 3 will be played; all other phases are omitted.)
Checking & Scoring
Now every player counts their Damage points, i.e. how much damage their collection has taken in this round.
First, those Danger cards are counted that affect more than one player. These are "Be Careful!" and the Expert danger card "Smoking Kills".
Then every player counts up their individual Damage points. These should be noted down on a sheet of paper. Don't forget: the smaller the damage, the better!
Tidying Up & a New Round
Every player clears up their individual collection of cards and places the cards underneath their respective Boardgame collection card.
Now all players receive new Danger cards depending on the number of players in the game.
After three rounds, the game is finished.
Final Score
The player with the least overall damage to their boardgame collection wins.
In the event of a draw, the player with the highest number of "Be Careful!" cards wins. If there is a draw as well, all players can celebrate the status of their collection in "Mint Condition".
Kinds of Damage, Number, and Effects
- Animal Kingdom (12x): One or two strands of dog's hair in your boardgame material may be OK, but more than that are… disgusting! Sets of 3 cards amount to 6 Damage points. 1 or 2 cards do not cause damage.
- Autographed (10x): The author has signed your boardgame? Excellent! Katrin's child has scribbled on the box? Not great. Every 2 cards amount to 5 Damage points. 1 card does not cause damage.
- Be Careful! (15x): How carefully do you handle your boardgames? The more carefully, the better! The player who has gathered the most "Be Careful!" cards at the end of a round does not get any damage points. Players who have at least one "Be Careful!" card get 3 Damage points. Players who do not have a "Be Careful!" card, get 5 Damage points. In the event of a draw, players receive the same number of damage points.
- Fine Wine (6x): Liquids poured over your boardgame material? Not good. Damage points per card: 2
- Heavy Rotation (15x): Heavy rotation wears off your boardgame … or one plays a game so often that its condition does not matter anymore. Number of cards/damage points: 1/1; 2/3; 3/5; 4/0. Note: a 5th card starts a new scoring: like 5/1; 6/3 etc.
- Legacy Edition (6x): Ruined components are not exactly…great. Damage points per card: 4
- Lost Pieces (5x): Replaces lost pieces. Effect: In a later round, two cards in one's hand can be selected (and placed in the personal collection) and the previous played "Lost Pieces" card must then be taken up again and passed on. The card itself amounts to 3 Damage points.
- Memories (12x): Special moments and memories of great games make playing boardgames unforgettable. Then damage in some form or another does not matter anymore. 3 cards: No damage. 1 or 2 cards: 7 Damage points.
Expert's Game "Lucky"
Once you have familiarized yourself with the game and played several rounds of MINT CONDITION, you can switch to the experts' game, which gives a twist to the scoring.
On each Danger card, there is a symbol below the Damage points in the respective player's color. Before counting up the overall Damage points to determine the final score, every player counts the Danger cards they have collected over the course of the game in their own color.
The rainbow symbol counts as a wild symbol and can be considered as any symbol.
For each card that depicts one's color (and possible rainbow jokers), one Damage point is deducted in the final scoring. It is not possible to get fewer than 0 damage points.
Strategy advice: In this version of the game, it is useful to take into account which Damage card corresponds to one's color. Alternatively, players can also risk that their collection takes damage in order to snatch away a fellow player's card.
Alternative Course: "Heavily Used"
You can't be bothered to handle your boardgames with care? Then this is your chance! Who can damage their boardgame collection the most? Play out your darkest phantasies!
In this version of the game, the player whose collection has taken the most damage wins. The cards and their effects remain the same. In the event of a draw, the player with the fewest "Be Careful!" cards wins.
If required, the two versions "Lucky" and "Heavily Used" can also be combined. Here, too, the cards and their effects remain the same. Now players should avoid all Damage cards in their color because these cards can lead to an unwanted reduction of precious Damage points.
Game Material
96 Danger cards, 5 Expert danger cards, 5 Boardgame collection cards, 1 Card explanation, 2 Overview cards, Instructions.