Passengers

Passengers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components and Setup

4 players: read the changes to setup in the green cells.

Choose a set of gift cards (use Set I if this is your first game). Place 10 cards face up next to the boats, within reach of all players. 4 players: use the corresponding gift card set.
Place 17 vote tokens next to the boats. You may also place the vote tokens in the boats on the corresponding spaces.
Place the 2 boats numbered I (the number in the bottom left corner) in the centre of the table.
Place 3 mask tokens next to the boats.
Set aside the 4 remaining boats. They will be needed in rounds II and III.
Each player receives 1 voting token.
Choose the first player at random. They receive the master coin.

Passenger cards

Shuffle the 12 soul cards and place the deck face down. Souls are green, red or blue. Souls are marked with a circle.
Shuffle the 12 demon cards and place the deck face down. Demons are green, red or blue. Demons are marked with a star.
Keep the Jester card (Jaster) separate. When playing with 5 or 7 players, put it back in the box; the card is not used.

From the soul cards and demon cards (and the Jester card) form the faction deck. Keep it face down. The number of cards in the faction deck equals the number of players.

Players	Souls	Demons	Jester
4	2	1	1
5	3	2	-
6	3	2	1
7	4	3	-
8	4	3	1

4 players: "mystery passengers" deck. Form a deck from 3 random soul cards and 3 random demon cards. Shuffle the cards and place the deck next to the boats.

Factions

Shuffle the faction deck and deal 1 card to each player. The type of passenger received determines the faction to which the player belongs.

Soul ferrymen: Players who received a soul card will help the other soul ferrymen carry as many souls as possible to the Afterlands.
Demon smugglers: Players who received a demon card will help the other demon smugglers carry demons to the Afterlands.
Jester: The player who received the cunning Jester card pursues their own goal. They will make sure that an equal number of souls and demons are carried to the Afterlands, and try not to let the other factions get too many bonus points.

Three rounds, three passengers

Deal 1 card from the soul deck to each player. Then deal 1 card from the demon deck to each player. Return the remaining cards to the box. Each player should now have a total of 3 passenger cards, one for each round of the game.

Example: a soul ferryman has 2 souls and 1 demon.

NOTE. During the game you use all 3 passenger cards. They may be played in any order. The card from the faction deck is no different from the other passenger cards.

Demon's Gaze

4 players: skip this step.

The demon smugglers get to know each other in secret from the soul ferrymen and the Jester. This happens in the "Demon's Gaze" ritual.

All players close their eyes. The oldest player counts from 3 to 1 and says: "Demon smugglers, show yourselves to each other." The smugglers open their eyes and find each other. The oldest player gives them about 8 seconds (regardless of whether they are a demon themselves). Then they say: "Everyone close your eyes", count from 3 to 1 and say: "Everyone open your eyes".

Now you are ready to play!

Master coin

The player who holds the master coin has an advantage: they are first to place a passenger card at the start of the round. They also settle ties in the vote and in the final scoring.

Overview and Goal of the Game

The game of Passengers lasts 3 rounds. Each round consists of 3 phases. Each round the players place one passenger card onto one of the two free boats. They receive a gift card and a certain number of vote tokens. Then the players apply the effects of the gift cards. Finally the players use their vote tokens to determine which of the boats will carry its passengers to the Afterlands.

After 3 rounds, when 3 boats have reached the Afterlands, reveal all passenger cards. Scoring begins. Gain points for souls and demons, as well as any bonus points for skilful placement of passengers (see Scoring). The faction with the most points wins!

Choose carefully what information to share. Say too much and your faction will get into trouble. Say nothing and you may not get bonus points!

Gameplay

Phase 1: Placing Passengers

4 players: place a "mystery passenger" card. Before the start of the round, the last player takes the top card of the mystery passenger deck and places it on any free space in a boat of their choice. Then the second-to-last player does the same on the other boat. Keep these cards face down. Players do not receive gift cards or vote tokens for placing mystery passenger cards.

Starting with the player who holds the master coin and continuing clockwise, players place one of their passenger cards face down on one of the two boats. Take a gift card and the indicated number of vote tokens and place them in front of you. Gift cards and the number of vote tokens are open information. When all players have placed 1 passenger card, the phase ends.

4-6 players: no more than 3 passenger cards may be placed in 1 boat.

At this stage you may freely discuss the colour and type of the passenger cards you placed; however, you are not obliged to tell the truth. Sometimes it is better to say nothing at all.

When you place a passenger card in the mask area, take a "Mask" token and 2 vote tokens.
You may not place cards on spaces that are already occupied.

Phase 2: Using Gift Cards

Players use gift cards in ascending order. The player holding the gift card with the lowest number applies its effect first. Then the player with the next number, and so on. On your turn, apply the effect shown on your card. When the last player uses the card with the highest number, the phase ends.

Example with five players: the player holding the gift of Floriculture goes first and applies the card's effect. Next go the players holding the Hamsa hand, the scroll and the mask. When the last player, who holds the master coin, applies the card's effect, the phase ends.

All boats and passenger cards placed in the current round are "in play". Boats (and the passenger cards in them) that won the vote in previous rounds are "in the Afterlands".

Phase 3: Voting

Using their voting tokens, all players secretly choose the boat they want to send to the Afterlands: the raven or the wolf. The player holding the master coin uses it instead of their voting token.

Make your choice, then clench your voting token in your fist and extend your hand to the centre of the table. After all players have decided, open your hands simultaneously and show your choice.

Voting results

Add up all vote tokens of the players who voted for the raven boat. Add up all vote tokens of the players who voted for the wolf boat.

The boat with the most vote tokens wins. Place it on the right side of the table; this is the Afterlands. If there is a tie, the boat voted for by the player holding the master coin wins.

In the Afterlands, place the boat of round II above the boat of round I, and the boat of round III above the boat of round II. Discard the boat that lost the vote, along with the passenger cards in it and their mask tokens. All cards on both boats lie face down.

Example: 3 players voted for the raven boat; their total number of vote tokens is 4. 2 players voted for the wolf boat; their total number of vote tokens is 5. The wolf boat sails to the Afterlands. Set the raven boat aside. All passenger cards lie face down.

New round

Take the 2 boats with the number of the next round and place them in the centre of the table. Return all vote tokens and gift cards to the supply. A new round begins. The player holding the master coin goes first.

End of the Game

When the third boat arrives in the Afterlands, all passenger cards are turned face up. Passenger cards revealed earlier remain face up. The soul ferrymen and the demon smugglers count their points. Mask tokens placed on passenger cards change the colour of the latter.

Scoring for Soul Ferrymen

Each soul in the Afterlands is worth 1 point. Soul ferrymen receive additional points if a boat contains several souls of the same colour:

1 additional point for each boat containing 2 souls of the same colour;
2 additional points for each boat containing 3 souls of the same colour;
3 additional points for each boat containing 4 souls of the same colour.

Example: One boat is worth 1 point for 1 blue soul. A boat with 3 green souls is worth 3 points (for the souls) + 2 (additional) = 5 points. In another boat, since 1 soul is under a red mask, the boat is considered to hold 2 red souls: 2 points (for the souls) + 1 (additional) = 3 points. The soul ferrymen receive 9 points.

Scoring for the Jester

The Jester always receives a fixed number of points depending on the number of players:

4 and 6 players = 6.5 points
8 players = 8.5 points

The Jester does not need to be in the Afterlands to receive points. In scoring, the Jester counts as both a soul and a demon, but has no colour.

Scoring for Demon Smugglers

Each demon in the Afterlands is worth 1 point.

Demons receive 1 additional point for each soul of the same colour as the demon that sits next to it horizontally or vertically. If there is no passenger card directly next to a demon, ignore the empty space. Demons sitting next to demons do not bring additional points.

Example: A blue demon is worth 1 point. Since the soul next to it is under a red mask token, it does not bring an additional point. A green demon sits next to a green soul; it receives 2 points. A red demon receives 2 additional points: 1 point for the red soul to its left and 1 point for the soul under a red mask token in the boat above it. The Jester counts as both a soul and a demon; he brings the demon smugglers 1 point. The demon smugglers receive 7 points.

Breaking Ties

In case of a tie, the faction that has the player holding the master coin wins. If there is no such player, the soul ferrymen win.

Example of a Round

The example features Andrey, Borya, Vera, Gosha and Dasha. Vera and Dasha play for the demon smugglers.

Passenger phase: Andrey has the master coin, so he goes first and places a passenger card from his hand in the raven boat. He takes the "Vessel" and 3 vote tokens. The turn passes to Borya.

Andrey: "I need more votes to influence the outcome of the vote." (To the others: "Don't lie to me! I have the most votes.")
Borya: "Trust me. Honestly. I put an innocent soul in the wolf boat." (Thinks: "I think we can get bonus points if I get the mask right.")
Vera: "I'll put my soul next to yours, Borya. I trust you!" (Thinks: "I'll try to persuade him to put a mask token on my demon.")
Gosha: "In the next rounds I need to work out which colours the others placed." "I'm not sure Borya can be trusted, but I'll still place my passenger card next to his."
Dasha: "I'm a born Sherlock Holmes and will easily work out these smugglers!" (Thinks: "It would be good if Vera hinted which passenger card she plans to place next round.")

Gift phase: In ascending order of numbers each player applies the effects of their gift cards.

Dasha: "Please tell me what you placed!" / "Time for the truth! Who has blue?"
Andrey: "I can't apply the effect, I have the vessel."
Gosha: "I have 2 blue souls in hand. I need to work out who has the blue demon card."
Dasha: "Vera will show me her card, and I will understand what she will place next round." "I vote for Borya and Vera!"
Vera: "She placed a demon. So she has 1 soul and 1 demon left."
Borya: "Dasha placed a soul! She can definitely be trusted." "Vera has a good aura. I trust her." "I'll put a red mask on Vera's passenger, and we'll get additional points for souls of the same colour."

Voting phase: All players secretly choose the boat they will vote for and, when all are ready, show their choice.

Andrey: "I was only sure about my soul card in the raven boat."
Borya: "I put a mask on Vera's passenger and I think the wolf boat will bring us more points."
Dasha: "It seems Vera has a plan! I'll vote for the wolf."
Vera: "I persuaded Borya to put a mask on my demon. I'm definitely voting for the wolf."
Gosha: "I put my demon in the wolf boat, so I'll vote for the raven."

Both boats received 5 vote tokens. Since Andrey has the master coin, the raven boat wins. It sails to the Afterlands (placed on the right side of the table). The wolf boat is discarded.

Tips

Tips for Soul Ferrymen

Watch carefully what the other players choose. Which boat did they vote for? Which gift card did they use? Try to understand their interests.
Share information about the passenger card you placed meaningfully. By giving away important information at random you may help the smugglers. However, hiding information also brings you no additional points.

Tips for Demon Smugglers

Watch carefully what the other demons do. Why did they use their gift card? What did they say in the current round?
Try to find out where the souls are hiding and what colour they are. It is important to seat your demons wisely!
It is beneficial to keep your identity secret as long as possible. However, the demons can still win even if all of them have been exposed.

Tips for the Jester

Make sure an equal number of souls and demons cross the river. Choose carefully which boat to vote for.
If players are unsure or confused about the colours of passenger cards in play, the other factions may not get additional points. That is good for you!
Since the Jester has no colour, he can prevent both teams from scoring additional points. Try to understand whether he should sail to the Afterlands or not.

Gift Card Sets

We recommend using gift card Set I for the first few games to get acquainted with the gameplay.

At any time you may replace the cards from Set I with cards from Sets II and III. During setup discuss with the other players which gift card set you will use.

You may use a different gift card set each round! The number of the gift card set does not have to match the number of the current round.

(The rulebook shows each set as a back card and ten cards numbered 0 to 9; the card text is not legible in the rulebook. Set I's card 9 is "Master Coin": pass the master coin to another player.)

Terms

Silence: You may not speak to the other players.
In play: Both boats and the passenger cards placed in the current round.
Afterlands: All boats that won the votes in previous rounds are considered to be in the Afterlands. They are not in play.
Name: If you must name something, you must tell the truth.
Passengers: Souls, demons and the Jester.
Peek: Secretly look at a face-down passenger card in play.
Reveal: Turn a passenger card face up; all players can see it.
Secretly: Do not tell the other players important information.
Type: There are three types of passengers: soul, demon and Jester.
Mystery passenger: A passenger placed blindly at the start of the round.

Remember!

Unless revealed by game effects, passenger cards remain face down until scoring.
With 4, 5 and 6 players, a boat may hold a maximum of 3 passengers.
Vote tokens are not carried over from one round to the next.
The mask token of each colour may be used 1 time per game.
The colour of a mask token replaces the original colour of the passenger card.
The Jester is both a demon and a soul and brings 1 point to both the soul ferrymen and the demon smugglers if he is in the Afterlands.
The Jester card has no colour, but can acquire one thanks to a mask token.