Pechvogel
Pechvogel Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 7 dice (each with sides 3 to 7 and a raven)
- 13 frustrations
- 1 board
- 15 score markers (3 each of values 3 to 7)
- 1 Murphy
Setup
Place the board in the middle of the table with Murphy and the score markers face up beside it. Place the frustrations nearby as a supply.
Whoever lives closest to 13 Calamity Lane, Bakersfield, California picks up the dice and takes the first turn. Play goes clockwise.
Dicing with Disaster
At the start of your turn, throw the seven dice.
After the first throw, put all dice of one rolled number onto the board. This number is your target, you must try to collect four of them this turn. You can't choose another target this turn.
Also, after each roll, put all ravens you throw onto the board. You must avoid collecting three or more of these.
Throwing Dice
Keep throwing till you get a result! A throw in which nothing happens is at least a throw in which nothing bad happens.
Continue throwing the remaining dice till there are four of your target or three ravens on the board. Whenever you roll your target, put those dice on the board. Do the same with any ravens.
End of the Turn
As soon as there are at least four of your target or at least three ravens on the board, stop throwing – unless somebody uses a frustration (see Frustration section below).
If you've collected four of your target, take a score marker showing that number. You can either take it from the middle of the table or (if possible) steal it from an opponent. If you steal it, return a score marker of your choice from the middle of the table to the game box.
Have you collected four of a number for which no score markers remain? No problem – you get nothing!
If you've collected three ravens, take all frustrations from the board (see Frustration section, below), or if there are none there, take one from the supply instead.
You can never run out of frustrations. If necessary, use something else, like lumps of coal.
If there are both four of your target and three ravens on the board, do both: take a corresponding score marker, along with all frustrations from the board or a frustration from the supply.
Now your turn is over, give the dice to the player to your left.
Example: Umberto starts the game and throws the seven dice. He chooses a target number of seven and so puts his two sevens and all ravens on the board. Then Umberto rolls again with the three remaining dice. He throws one six and his target, seven, twice. He now has four sevens and only two ravens on the board. (Nobody uses a frustration.) Umberto takes a seven-point score marker and passes the dice to his neighbor, Thea.
Thea gets three ravens on her first throw. She takes a frustration and passes the dice to her left.
Special Cases
Ravenous greed. If you collect more than four of your target, that's just greedy. Along with the score marker, take Murphy.
Having more than three ravens on the board is also greedy. Take Murphy, along with all frustrations from the board or a frustration from the supply.
Frustration
Reduce Frustration. You can reduce frustration once in each of your turns by returning one of your frustrations to the supply and rerolling your last throw.
Getting Frustrated. You can be frustrated once in each of your turns: any opponents that want to can each put one frustration on the board. If at least one does, reroll your last throw once. Any opponent can start this, then the others decide whether or not they want to join in.
- If you were frustrated and end your turn with three or more ravens on the board, take all the frustrations your opponents put there (and none from the supply).
- If you were frustrated but end your turn with fewer than three ravens on the board, all the players who frustrated you get their frustrations back. Also, give each of these would-be frustraters one of yours, making up any shortfall from the supply.
Frustrating Details. If you reduce frustration to reroll a throw, you can't be frustrated in that same throw.
Frustrations – your own or your opponents' – can't cause you to:
- reroll your first throw, or
- reroll a greedy one, or
- reroll one containing no ravens or target numbers.
Frustrations can, however, make you reroll throws that would otherwise have added a fourth target or third raven to the board (and so have ended your turn).
Example: Kelly has two sixes on the board and throws two more. Diego decides to frustrate her and so puts one of his frustrations on the board. Finn joins in, adding one of his. Kelly has to reroll her last throw. Kelly throws a third raven. She decides to reduce frustration and throws again. She rolls three sixes! Kelly now has five sixes on the board. Although this is greedy, she doesn't have three or more ravens. She takes a six score-marker along with Murphy. She gives Diego and Finn back their frustrations, along with an extra one each, Diego getting her last one and Finn one from the supply.
End of the Game
Who Loses?
The game ends when there are no more score markers in the middle of the table. Everyone adds up his or her points and the player with the most wins. If tied, there are several non-losers. Everyone else loses.
Each score marker is worth the number printed on it. Frustrations are worth minus three points each, unless you're holding Murphy at the end of the game, in which case each of yours is worth minus seven points instead.
Example: The game is over. Carmen has 20 points worth of score markers. Sadly, she also has three frustrations and Murphy, which together are worth minus 21 points. She ends up with -1 point! (+20, 3 x -7 = -21, total -1.)