Sneaky Bastard
Sneaky Bastard Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
86 cards:
- 51 money cards with different values: 12x 10K, 12x 25K, 12x 100K, 9x 250K, 6x 500K
- 17 house cards with different values: 50K, 100K, 150K, 200K, 250K, 300K, 350K, 400K, 450K, 500K, 550K, 600K, 650K, 700K, 750K, 800K, 850K
- 12 Sneaky Bastard cards
- 6 overview cards
- The rulebook
The game contains 2 kinds of value cards: house cards and money cards. Each of these cards carries important information.
House card
In the corners of this card is its asking price. K stands for "x 1000". The cheapest house has an asking price of 50K and the most expensive 850K. The sign shows the description of the house in 3 languages.
Money card
In the corners of this card is its value. K stands for "x 1000". This value is also shown at the bottom centre.
Short Game Overview
Each round the players bid with their value cards on a house. When everyone but one has passed, the highest bidder buys the house. Players who are no longer bidding on the house and have not passed can bid as a "Sneaky Bastard" on the value cards that the highest bidder pays for the house. After 17 rounds the game is over. The player who then owns the highest value in houses is the winner.
Preparation
Each player chooses a character and takes the 2 corresponding Sneaky Bastard cards in hand. See page 15 for the adjusted rules for 2 players.
Shuffle the 17 house cards and place them as a face-down pile on the table.
Each player receives the following money cards:
- With 3 players: 2x 500K, 3x 250K, 4x 100K, 4x 25K, 3x 10K
- With 4 players: 1x 500K, 2x 250K, 3x 100K, 3x 25K, 2x 10K
- With 5 players: 1x 500K, 1x 250K, 2x 100K, 2x 25K, 2x 10K
- With 6 players: 1x 500K, 1x 250K, 2x 100K, 2x 25K, 2x 10K
Put the remaining money and Sneaky Bastard cards back in the box. Determine by lot who starts the game.
Course of the Game
The game consists of 17 rounds. Each round consists of the sale of 1 house in the form of an auction, and any attempts by players to run off with the buyer's money. The game is over when all houses have been sold.
At the start of each round the players place the top house card of the pile face up in the middle of the table. Also turn over the top card of the face-down pile, so that the players already know what the house card for the next round will be. The players play for the card that is now in the middle of the table.
The player whose turn it is must choose 1 of the following 3 options:
- Make or raise a bid
- Play a Sneaky Bastard card
- Pass
1. Make or raise a bid
Making a bid
If the player whose turn it is wants to bid on the offered house card, he lays 1 or more of his value cards face up on the table. He adds up their values and announces the total. A player must always bid at least 10K, and the bid must be higher than any bid previously made by another player.
Raising a bid
If the player's turn comes again later in the round and he no longer has the highest bid, he may raise his bid by adding 1 or more of his value cards. The total of all his played value cards must then be higher than that of the highest bid so far. He may not swap and may not take previously played value cards back into his hand.
Note: besides money cards, a player may also include previously bought house cards in his bid.
2. Play a Sneaky Bastard card
If a player does not want to or cannot bid (any more) on the offered house card and has not yet passed (see option 3), he may instead play a Sneaky Bastard card. He then no longer bids on the house card, but now tries to steal all value cards bid in this round by the winning player.
Note: this creates 2 separate auctions: one auction of the house card (the bids without a Sneaky Bastard card) and one auction of the value cards paid for the house card (the bids with a Sneaky Bastard card).
To do so he lays one of his Sneaky Bastard cards in front of him on the table (possibly with value cards that he had already bid earlier in this round). If he wants, he may immediately add 1 or more of his value cards. All of his value cards lying with the Sneaky Bastard card form his bid. There is no minimum to a bid with a Sneaky Bastard card. It could even be 0.
Note: a player may not play more than 1 Sneaky Bastard card per round.
If 1 or more Sneaky Bastard cards have already been played in a round, a player who plays a Sneaky Bastard card must make a higher bid than the highest Sneaky Bastard bid so far. Here too the bid may consist of a combination of house and money cards, and he may not take any cards back into his hand.
Note: if a player earlier in the round bid on a house card, he automatically takes the value cards used for that into his Sneaky Bastard bid.
Important:
If a player's turn comes again and he is the only one who (still) has a Sneaky Bastard bid while the house card has not yet been sold, he must skip his turn. He may not pass or raise his bid. He must wait for the purchase of the house card or any higher Sneaky Bastard bid.
If a player's turn comes again and another player has made a Sneaky Bastard bid, he may add value cards to make a higher bid or must pass (see option 3).
3. Pass
The player no longer takes part in the auctions in this round. He re-enters only once the house card for the next round is placed in the middle. He takes all cards he played this round (bid value cards and any Sneaky Bastard card) back into his hand.
Buying the House Card
If only one player is left who bids on the house card (after all other players have passed or made a Sneaky Bastard bid), this player must buy the house for the amount he has bid. He discards the relevant value card(s) or, where applicable, gives them to the player with the highest Sneaky Bastard bid.
Tip: consider carefully whether you want to spend your last money card to buy a house card. If you have no money cards left, you can only bid with your house cards.
Stealing the Bid Amount
If only one player is left who has a Sneaky Bastard bid (after all other players have passed and the house card has been sold), this player discards the value card(s) he bid and the Sneaky Bastard card. Afterwards he receives all value cards that the buyer of the house card bid this round.
End of a Round
The round is over when the house card has been sold and the bid amount has been discarded or stolen. A new round begins with placing the top card of the face-down pile in the middle of the table (and turning over the top card of the face-down pile).
Note: the players may count at any time how many cards the pile still contains.
The overview cards also show which 17 house cards are in the game.
New Round
The player who bought the house card in the previous round starts in the next round.
End of the Game
The game is over after the round in which the last house card is sold. Each player now adds up the values of all his house cards. Money cards are worth nothing any more. The player with the highest house value wins the game. In case of a tie, the one of them with the highest value of money cards left wins. If it is still tied, the players concerned share the win, and we suggest they set up a real estate company together...
Adjustments for a 2-Player Game
- The players each receive the following starting cards: 2x 500K, 4x 250K, 5x 100K, 5x 25K, 4x 10K.
- The players each receive 4 Sneaky Bastard cards (instead of 2).
- A player who uses a Sneaky Bastard card thereby also passes immediately. The other player's bid on the house is thus immediately the highest bid.
- A player who has used a Sneaky Bastard card and wins the other player's bid, discards only his Sneaky Bastard card. He may take back into his hand any value cards that lay with it (besides the value cards in the other player's bid). The other player takes the house.
Example with 3 Players
Lisa bids 100K for the "Huis aan zee" (400K) and lays the money card of value 100K on the table.
Now it is Frank's turn. He wants to push the price up considerably and lays 500K on the table.
Fleur finds this price too high and passes. She no longer plays this round.
Now Lisa wants to push the price up further, but she has no suitable money cards for it. She does have the "Opknappertje" (350K) and 100K. She lays the "Opknappertje" and 100K on the table and thereby raises the bid to 550K.
Frank now also gives up and takes the 500K he bid back into his hand.
Lisa is obliged to buy the house for 550K. She discards the bid money and the "Opknappertje" and takes the card "Huis aan zee" into her hand. The round is over.
Example with 4 Players
Lisa bids 10K on the "Studentenkamer" (150K). Frank outbids with 10K and lays 20K on the table.
Robin plays a Sneaky Bastard card. She no longer bids on the house. She does not add any value cards yet, hoping to receive the highest bid for free. Fleur outbids Frank and lays 25K on the table.
Lisa now also plays a Sneaky Bastard card. She no longer bids on the house and now competes with Robin for the amount that is paid for the house. Her bid is still 10K (the amount she earlier bid on the house).
Frank raises the bid on the "Studentenkamer" and lays 100K on the table. The total bid on the house is now 120K.
Robin adds 25K and now has 25K and a Sneaky Bastard card lying.
Fleur passes and takes her bid of 25K back into her hand. She no longer takes part this round.
With a bid of 120K Frank automatically becomes the buyer of the house, a bargain!
But the round is not over yet, because Robin and Lisa are still competing for the 120K to be paid by Frank.
Lisa adds 25K to her Sneaky Bastard bid of 10K.
Robin passes and takes her 25K and Sneaky Bastard card back into her hand.
Lisa wins the 120K that Frank paid and takes it into her hand. She discards the 35K she bid, so effectively she has won 120K - 35K = 85K, but she is one Sneaky Bastard card poorer.