Sugar Heist Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• The Goal
• Components
• Game Setup
  • Player Count
• Candy Cards
  • Pure Sugar (Wild Card)
• Vault Cards
  • How to Lock a Vault
• How a Turn Works
  • Phase 1: Stash Pairs of Candy Cards
  • Phase 2: Reveal and Swap Candy Cards
  • Phase 3: Buy and Play Battle or Vault Cards
  • End Your Turn
• Playing Battle Cards
• Attack Card Styles
  • Option 1: Heist
  • Example of Heist
  • Option 2: Steal
• Battle Card Index
• Ending the Game
  • Alternate Play Rule

The Goal

Stash, Swap, and Steal Candy Cards! At the end of the game, the player with the most candy stashed in vaults wins!

Components

• 44 Battle Cards
• 14 Vault Cards
• 86 Candy Cards
• 4 Crib Sheets (rules reference cards)

Game Setup

For 2 Player games, refer to the player count chart below and remove the listed cards prior to setup.

Follow these 4 steps to set up:

1. Shuffle and deal 6 Candy Cards to each player. Place the remaining Candy Cards face down in the center of the table. This is the Candy Draw Pile.
2. Shuffle the Battle Cards and place the deck face down next to the Candy Draw Pile. This is the Battle Draw Pile.
3. Deal 2 Vault Cards to each player. Both are placed face up on the table in front of each player. Place the remaining Vault Cards face up beside the other two draw piles. This is the Vault Draw Pile.
4. The player with the most cavities goes first.

Each player starts with:

• 6 Candy Cards in their hand
• 2 Vault Cards on the table

Player Count

• 2 Players: Remove 1 Battle Royale, remove 1 Crib Fight, and remove 4 Vaults.
• 3 Players (+): Use all cards the way the baby gods intended.

Candy Cards

Candy Cards are stashed in Vaults. There are 6 different Candy Card flavors. At the end of the game, each Candy Card that is stashed in a Vault is worth 1 Point.

The best way to protect your candy is by stashing it in a vault fast enough to lock it. At the start of your turn, candy is stashed on Vault Cards.

At the bottom right corner of each Candy Card is a Lock Number. This indicates the number of cards required to lock a vault. Once a vault is locked, other players may not target that vault with attacks or steal candy from it.

The bottom left number on each Candy Card indicates how rare that flavor is by the total number in the deck.

Pure Sugar (Wild Card)

Pure Sugar is a Candy Card that acts like a wild card. You may pair it with any other flavor in your hand to make a match. Once played, Pure Sugar mimics all attributes of the flavor you first paired it with (such as its lock number). You may pair 2 Pure Sugars together, but you must declare a flavor when they're stashed.

Vault Cards

Vaults are where you stash your Candy Cards.

Each Vault can only hold a single Candy flavor. Once you reach the lock number, that Vault is locked and cannot be looted by other players.

How to Lock a Vault

When a Vault reaches its lock number, flip the Vault Card over to signify it is 'off limits' to other players.

The controlling player may still stash their matching pairs of Candy Cards on a Vault after it has been locked. However, if Candy Cards are removed from a Vault and it causes it to fall below the lock number, the Vault unlocks and its contents are up for grabs.

Only 1 Candy flavor can be stashed in a Vault at a time.

If at any point, you have the same flavor stashed in multiple Vaults you may combine matching flavors into a single Vault. This frees up a Vault for new candy.

For more info on acquiring new Vault Cards, see How a Turn Works, Phase 3 below.

Example: Zach has 1 vault with 6 Chocolate Rockets stashed. On his next turn, he stashes 2 more to bring the total up to 8. He may now lock that Vault.

How a Turn Works

Each player's turn consists of 3 Phases.

Phase 1: Stash Pairs of Candy Cards

At the start of each turn, you must stash a matching pair of Candy Cards from your hand onto one of the Vault Cards in front of you. Stash by placing Candy Cards from your hand in an overlapping stack onto a Vault Card. If possible, you may stash multiple pairs onto a single Vault or pairs of another flavor onto a second Vault, but you must stash at least one pair. If a player cannot stash a pair (or chooses not to) they may draw two new cards from the Candy Draw Pile. The player must skip all remaining phases and end their turn. If the player now has more than 6 Candy Cards they must discard down to 6 Candy Cards.

Phase 1 is the only time when you are allowed to stash cards from your hand onto your Vaults.

Candy Cards are always stashed in pairs or in multiples of two. Each Vault may contain 1 candy flavor at a time.

When stashing, you may opt to change the flavor in a Vault by discarding the current Candy Cards on a Vault and stashing a new pair from your hand.

Example: It's the start of Zach's turn. In order to continue, he must stash at least 1 matching pair onto a Vault. Unfortunately, the cards in his hand do not match the cards in his Vaults. He decides to discard his Nutty Butt cards and replace them with 4 Lucky Suckys.

Phase 2: Reveal and Swap Candy Cards

Now it's time to scavenge for candy! Flip over and reveal the top 2 Candy Cards from the Candy Draw Pile. Place them face up in the center of the table. You can claim these cards and add them to your hand OR you can offer to swap them with other players in exchange for different Candy flavors. You may also swap cards from your hand. Swapped cards must go immediately into a player's hand and not on their Vaults.

Players may only swap cards from their own hands. No one may swap cards that have already been stashed in a Vault.

Wheeling & dealing is strongly encouraged. Negotiate and outbid one another to win the Candy Cards you want.

Swaps can involve multiple players, but the player whose turn it is must be included in the swap. You may also gift revealed cards or cards in your hand to other players in exchange for an 'I Owe You'.

If no one wants to swap for the cards you reveal, you must add them to your hand.

Example: Zach reveals a Chocolate Rocket and a Fruity Booty. He decides to keep the Chocolate Rocket and add it to his hand. Now he has 2. He doesn't want the Fruity Booty so he offers to swap it with another player for a card he desires more.

Zach: "Is anyone stashing Fruity Booty and want mine?" Pam: "YAH! I'll swap a Nutty Butt for it." Zach: "Meh.. Can anyone do better?" Alex: "Totes McGoats. I'll trade 2 Chocolate Rockets for it." Zach: "DEAL! It's been a pleasure doing business with you." Alex: "Better luck next time, PAM. MUAHAHA!" Pam: "I'll remember this ZACH!"

In this example, Zach decides to swap with Alex because it's a deal that benefits him more. They swap these cards and add them to their hands.

Phase 3: Buy and Play Battle or Vault Cards

Now is the time to use Battle Cards. If you don't have any yet, you may purchase them now. Candy Cards act as cash.

Discard 1 Candy Card from your Vault stash in order to buy either a face-down Battle Card or an extra Vault Card from the center of the table. Buying cards is optional, though it is highly recommended. You may purchase up to 2 cards per turn, in whatever combination you desire.

Only Candy Cards already stashed in your Vaults may be used for purchases. You may not use cards from your hand.

Arrange new Vaults beside your other Vault Cards. There is no limit to the number of additional Vaults you may control.

Purchased Battle Cards do not count towards your hand limit.

Battle Cards are kept face down in front of you, unless it's a card which must be played immediately.

Battle Cards may be played at any point in the course of Phase 3, before or after purchasing new cards.

Battle Cards may be played the same turn they are purchased.

Pro-tip: Keep in mind that on your next turn you must play a pair from your hand, so if that will result in discarding candy from your Vaults it is wiser to spend that candy on Battle Cards this turn.

End Your Turn

At the end of your turn, if you have less than 6 Candy Cards in your hand, draw up to 6 cards from the Candy Draw Pile. If you have more than 6 cards, you must discard down to the hand limit of 6. Turn of play passes to the player to your left. (For how the game ends, see Ending the Game below.)

Playing Battle Cards

Battle Cards are used to attack other players, fend off attacks, earn bonus points and trigger special events throughout the game.

During Phase 3, you may choose to play as many Battle Cards as you like. Newly purchased Battle Cards may be played in the same turn as they are acquired. Most Battle Cards are one time use and are discarded after being played. The 4 types of Battle Cards are explained below.

• Attack Cards: Used to take Candy Cards from an opposing player's unlocked Vault. You may only use Attack Cards on players with 2 or more Vaults. When an Attack Card is drawn, you may choose one of two attack styles. For a detailed description of these styles, see Attack Card Styles below.
• Action Cards: Used against a single player to cause chaos. You may only use Action Cards on players with 2 or more Vaults. Action Cards are discarded on use, unless otherwise noted. (The black background indicates this is an Action Card. These cards may be saved for later.)
• Defense Cards: You can use Defense Cards to defend yourself from Attacks or earn bonus points.
• Event Cards: Triggered immediately when drawn and their actions affect all players. Event Cards are discarded on use, unless otherwise noted. (Event Cards always have yellow backgrounds and are always played immediately.)

Attack Card Styles

When playing Attack Cards you have 2 options.

Option 1: Heist

A Heist is more powerful and can score you up to 6 Candy Cards from a target player. To Heist, the Attack Card must be played during the same turn it was drawn. Declare the player and Vault you intend to Heist. This will be your target. If the target wishes to play a Mom Card it MUST be played now, otherwise... Starting with the attacking player, both players alternate revealing the top card of the Battle Deck. The first player to reveal 2 Attack Cards wins.

• If the attacking player wins: The Heist succeeds. They may claim up to 6 Candy Cards from 1 unlocked Vault controlled by the target player. The attacker must place these cards into a Vault they control.
• If the target player wins: The Heist fails. No candy is taken. There is no penalty to the attacking player.

During a Heist, ignore abilities of the other cards revealed from the Battle Deck. Discard the original Attack Card. Re-shuffle all revealed cards back into the Battle Deck.

If there are not enough Battle Cards remaining in the draw pile or no Attack Cards are revealed, you may shuffle the Battle Card discard pile and replenish the draw pile. Continue the Heist where you left off.

Each player may only be Heisted once per turn. However, if you draw a 2nd Heist Card you may Heist a second player.

(There are 3 variations of artwork on Attack Cards, but they all do the same thing.)

Example of Heist

It's Alex's turn. He draws an Attack Card and decides to play it immediately to attempt a Heist. He discards the Attack Card and declares "Zach's Chocolate Rockets" as his target. Starting with Alex, they alternate flipping the top Battle Card in the draw deck: Alex flips an Attack Card, Zach flips a non-attack card, Alex flips a Mom Card, Zach flips an Attack Card, Alex flips a Mom Card, Zach flips a non-attack card, and Alex flips a third Attack Card.

Since Alex drew two Attack Cards first, he wins. As a result, he may take up to 6 of the Candy Cards that Zach has stashed in one of his Vaults.

Option 2: Steal

Unlike a Heist, there is no competition involved in order to successfully Steal.

A Steal is less powerful and only wins you up to 2 candies. Declare the player you intend to Steal from. The Steal is automatically successful unless your target plays a Mom Card.

• You may play a Steal the same turn it is drawn or save it for use on one of your later turns. You may not Steal during another player's turn.
• The attacking player can claim up to 2 Candy Cards from 1 unlocked Vault controlled by the target player. The attacking player must place these cards into a Vault they control.
• You may perform multiple Steals against 1 player during a turn. When playing multiples they must be revealed at the same time. You cannot Heist and Steal from the same player during the same turn of play.

Battle Card Index

Key: A = Action Card, D = Defense Card, E = Event Card. For Attack Cards, refer to Attack Card Styles above.

Activate Sleeper Cell (E) — Play immediately. Poke the bear and deploy your secret weapon, DAD JOKES. All other players skip their next turn while recovering from the joke. When your current turn ends, immediately take another turn.

Bad Dog (E) — Play immediately. The dog gets into the candy! The current player declares 1 candy flavor of their choice, and all other players must discard any Candy Cards of that flavor from their hands. Candy Cards in Vaults are considered safe.

Battle Royale (E) — Play immediately. Every player draws a Battle Card. If it is a playable Attack, Action, or Event Card it must be played now, starting with the player to your left and continuing clockwise. If there are no eligible targets for your Battle Card (e.g. it's a Mom Card or a Mastermind Card etc.), that card may be kept.

Candy Magnet (E) — Play immediately. Declare 1 candy flavor of your choice. All players must give you any of those Candy Cards from their hand. Receive a new Vault Card for free to stash the acquired cards. If no Vault Cards remain, keep this card in front of you and treat it like a Vault for the rest of the game.

Grandma (D) — Reveal at the end of game. Add 6 points to your final score. Shout "GRANDMA!" to add some vitality to your play.

Mastermind (A) — Play after a Heist has been declared. Before the first Battle Card is flipped, reveal this card to give you an advantage. Now you only need to reveal 1 additional Attack Card to win the Heist. Masterminds can be used when attacking or defending against a Heist. Masterminds may also be played during a "Crib Fight".

Mega Candy Magnet (E) — Play immediately. Declare 3 candy flavors of your choice. All players with those Candy Cards in their hand must reveal them to you. Choose 1 candy flavor to keep and return the remaining cards. Receive a new Vault from the center of the table for free to stash the acquired cards. If no Vault Cards remain, keep this card in front of you and treat it like a Vault for the rest of the game.

Mom (D) — Mom cards are used to defend yourself when you're targeted by a Battle Card. Reveal your Mom Card to repel any unwanted Attack, Action, or Event Card. Playing a Mom against an Event Card only protects you; all other players are still affected. Once you've played a Mom, you cannot be targeted again that turn. Mom Cards are discarded after the turn in which they are played. Shouting "MOM!" when you play the card is required, or else spanking.

Night Raid (A) — Stage a sneak attack on a target player! Steal an entire unlocked Vault and all of the Candy Cards stashed on it. The attack is automatically successful and cannot be "MOM'd". Like with an Attack, the target must have 2 or more Vaults.

Piñata (E) — Play immediately. The player who plays this card reveals one card per player from the top of the Candy Deck and places them face up in view of all players. They first select one face-up Candy Card and add it to their hand. This continues clockwise with each player picking one Candy Card.

Quarantine Lock (A) — Play on an unlocked Vault you control to flip over its lock card immediately. If you withdraw candy before the lock number is exceeded you must discard this card and unlock. Once the lock number is met you may discard this card.

Safe Cracker (A) — Unlock another player's locked Vault (or discard Quarantine Lock card). An unlocked Vault may be relocked by adding 2 Candies on the next turn; the amount of candy in the Vault must also exceed the lock number.

Spy (A) — A target player must reveal their hidden Battle Cards to you. After looking at their cards you may choose to steal 1 of their Battle Cards. Return the remaining Battle Cards to the target.

Start a Crib Fight (E) — Play immediately. Crib Fight is similar to a Heist, except it involves all players who would like to participate. Players may discard 1 Candy Card from their hand to enter the Crib Fight. The player who drew the card is entered for free. Starting with the current player, competitors take turns flipping the top card of the Battle Deck. The first to reveal 2 Attack Cards wins 4 Candy Cards of their choice from the Discard Pile. The winner has the choice of adding these cards to their hand or adding them to a Vault stash. Discard on use and reshuffle all other revealed cards into the Battle Deck. If no other players compete, it is an automatic win for the player who drew the card.

Time Out (A) — Force target player to skip their next turn.

Vault Heist (A) — Steal an empty Vault from a target player. If you have pairs remaining in your hand you may stash them immediately.

Ending the Game

Important: When no more Candy Cards remain in the Candy Draw Pile, reshuffle the Candy Discard Pile and replace the Draw Pile. Only do this once. The second time the pile runs out, the game is over.

The game ends once the Candy Card draw pile has been exhausted for the second time. The active player who drew or revealed the final card may complete their turn, but no player, including the current player, may purchase new cards or play Battle Cards.

Once their turn is complete, each player may stash any outstanding pairs from their hand onto a Vault, with the same candy flavor or into a Vault that is currently empty. Any unstashable Candy Cards remaining in a player's hand must be discarded.

Each player combines all Candy Cards stashed in their Vaults into a single stack. Each Candy Card is worth 1 point. All players then count out loud in unison the number of Candy Cards collected.

The player with the highest score and most candy wins!

Alternate Play Rule

To up the level of difficulty, try the following:

Heists may ALSO be attempted on locked Vaults. When played on a locked Vault, if the Heist succeeds, the target Vault becomes unlocked and the heister receives 2 Candy Cards from the target to stash. A player who gets Heisted may relock their Vault by exceeding the lock number and stashing 2 candies on a later turn. Steals have no effect on locked Vaults. All other Heists and Steals work normally on unlocked Vaults. When using this rule, remove both Night Raid Cards from the deck.