The Truckers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Contents
• Setting Up
  • Starting Setup (4 players)
• How to Play
  • 1. Select One Card and Put It Facedown
  • 2. Reveal Cards Simultaneously
  • 3A. Playing Advance Card
  • 3B. Loading Packages on Your Truck
    • Basic Rules of Loading Package Cards 1
    • Basic Rules of Loading Package Cards 2
  • How to Use Wild Cards
  • About Double Card
  • 4A. Receiving Packages
    • Other Rules for Receiving Package Cards
  • 4B. Trading
  • 5. Pick Up Discarded Cards
  • 6. Add More Truck(s)
  • 7. End of the Game and Scoring
    • Normal Scoring
    • Special Scoring
    • Penalty
    • Tie Break
    • Additional Notes

Game Contents

• 3-5 players
• Ages 8+
• Duration 40 minutes
• 5 Truck tokens
• 30 Advance cards (6 cards for each player), numbered 1 through 6
• 5 Loading cards (1 card for each player)
• 8 Small truck cards (numbered 3)
• 5 Medium truck cards (numbered 4)
• 8 Large truck cards (numbered 5)
• 57 Package cards:
  • 15 Moving houses
  • 13 Fish
  • 9 Vegetables
  • 7 Clothes
  • 5 Toys
  • 1 per each kind of package. Each double card will be counted as two packages.
• 5 Double cards (one per each kind of package)
• 3 Wild cards
• 5 Summary cards
• 2 Rule books (English and Japanese)

Setting Up

• Each player receives a colored truck, 6 advance cards and 1 loading card.
• Each player receives two truck cards numbered 3 and 5. Place these cards face-up (truck side up) in front of you.
• Shuffle the remaining truck cards and form a face-down draw pile. Turn the topmost card face-up. This will be the starting place for the player's trucks.
• Shuffle the package cards and form 19 three-card decks with the cards all face-up. This square represents a town where truckers compete each other. Put these decks in the shape of a square with six decks per edge, using the truck deck as one corner (see illustration below).
• Put the truck figures next to the starting place (the deck of truck cards).
• Each player receives a summary card and looks at the number on the card. There is a number on the right upper corner of the summary card.
• Place truck token in the start space in numerical order. Trucks will start the game in this order.

Starting Setup (4 players)

• Two truck cards are placed as shown in the illustration.
• All 7 cards in your hand are kept hidden from the other players.
• Place face-up package cards in decks of 3 cards each in the shape of a square with six decks per edge.
• Trucks move clockwise.
• This is the area where players put their advance cards and loading cards.
• Area for package cards.

How to Play

The game contains several rounds. Here is the flow of a game round:

1. Select one card and put it facedown.
2. Reveal cards simultaneously.
3. Play the card (3A. Playing advance cards, or 3B. Loading packages on your truck).
4. Receive or trade (4A. Receiving packages, 4B. Trading).
5. Pick up discarded cards.
6. Add more trucks.
7. End of the game and scoring.

1. Select One Card and Put It Facedown

Each player puts one card (either advance card or loading card) facedown in the center of the city.

2. Reveal Cards Simultaneously

Right after all players choose their cards, all players turn their cards over simultaneously. Resolve the effects of these cards starting from the leading truck. If two trucks are stacked on the same place, resolve the upper truck first.

3A. Playing Advance Card

Each deck of package cards is counted as a space (except the starting place, which is the deck of truck cards). Move your truck forward the number of spaces shown on the advance card just played.

• Any place with a truck count as one space.
• The starting place which contains truck cards will NOT be counted as a space when a truck advances. Your truck passes over the starting place and does not count it as a space.
• Places which have no remaining package cards are NOT counted as a space. Your truck passes through and does not count it as a space.
• Any place which has no remaining package cards but has one or two trucks will be counted as a space. See later part of this rule book about the condition.
• If your movement ends on a space with a truck already on it, stack your truck on top of the other truck. Only one truck can be put on another truck. No truck can be put on a truck which is one lap behind.
• If your movement ends on a space which contains a pair of trucks (which should be stacked), your truck will move forward to the next legal space.
• You can NOT stack on a truck which is one or more laps behind. In this case, place the truck next to the slower truck.

3B. Loading Packages on Your Truck

If you played your loading card, you can load one or more package cards on your truck instead of moving.

You have to select one of the following three actions:

1. Load two or more package cards from your hand to one of your trucks (Multiple Package loading).
2. Load two package cards from your hand on two different trucks (Single Package loading).
3. Do nothing.

Basic Rules of Loading Package Cards 1

There are two types of loading. You have to select which one (or do nothing).

• Multiple Package loading: Players can put any number of one kind of package card (including wild cards) up to the truck's size limitations on a single truck. The size limitation is written on the upper left-hand corner of the truck card.
• Single Package loading: Players can put one package card on each truck (two package cards total). Players can put wild cards and double cards, and these cards are counted as one card each.

Basic Rules of Loading Package Cards 2

• Place one package card facedown from your hand to the right side of your truck card.
• Each truck can be loaded with one kind of package card only (except wild cards). You can't put two different kinds of package cards on a single truck.
• You can put a wild card on a truck, and it will be treated as any kind of package card, but it must be put next to a normal package card.
• No player can load same kind of packages to two or more trucks. Each truck must contain different kind of packages.
• The number of package cards should be less than or equal to the number which is written on the upper left-hand corner of the truck card.

How to Use Wild Cards

You can put a wild card on a truck to be treated as any kind of package card (it must be put next to normal package cards). On scoring at the game end, a wild card will be treated as a normal package card.

About Double Card

A double card will be counted as two packages. There is one double card per each kind of packages. A double card will also be counted as two toward the truck's capacity. When the game ends, a double card scores as two package cards (could be negative!).

4A. Receiving Packages

After loading is done, each player checks that their own truck can hold a package card.

• If the truck is the only truck on the space, the player of the truck receives the topmost package card from the space.
• If two trucks are stacked on the same space, only the upper truck receives the topmost package card from the space.
• If there are no remaining package cards on the space, none of the trucks can receive any cards.

Other Rules for Receiving Package Cards

• You must always take a package card if you can.
• Put the card face-up in front of the player.
• If a player has chosen a loading card, the player cannot receive any package cards on this turn.

4B. Trading

Any player who loaded a package in phase 3B (Loading packages on your truck) can also trade, receive, or give away packages.

There are three types of trading:

• A. Exchange package card(s)
• B. Give package card(s)
• C. Receive package card(s)

Declare that you are trading with a player you want to deal with.

Example: "How about you exchange one of your vegetable packages for my fish?"

The targeted player does NOT have to trade if they don't want to.

If a trade has not occurred, the player can declare another trade on same turn.

Hint: Try to offer a deal that the target player will want to make with you.

5. Pick Up Discarded Cards

• Advance card: If a player plays their last advance cards, they take them all back into their hand immediately.
• Loading card: Each time a player uses the card they pick up the card back to their hands.

6. Add More Truck(s)

Immediately after a player passes through the starting place, they can add one or more trucks.

• Any player who completes a lap around the town (passes the starting place) can add one or two trucks each time.
• The player can then decide whether they will add one more truck.
• Draw the topmost truck card from the starting place.
• Put the truck card face-up next to your existing truck cards.
• No player can add a truck if there is no remaining card on the starting place.

7. End of the Game and Scoring

• As soon as any player completes three laps around town (any truck passes the starting space third time), the current round is the last round.
• Player may not receive any package card after the end of advance on the last lap.
• Finish the round and then score points.

Hint: Use a note pad or play money to help scoring.

Normal Scoring

• Each kind of package card that only one player has loaded. $400
• Each kind of package card that a player has the most of its kind. $300
• If two or more players have loaded the most cards of its kind, each player receives. $200
• Each kind of package that a player has the second most cards of its kind. $100
• If two or more players have loaded the second most cards of its kind they earn no money.

Special Scoring

• Fully loaded (truck) award: for each truck that is full. $200
• Each kind of package award: for loading each kind of package card. $500

Penalty

• Each truck without any package cards minus $300
• Each package card (including wild cards) that was not loaded minus $200
• If one lap behind, each space to get to the starting place minus $100

Tie Break

In case of a tie for first place, the player among the winners who advanced their truck the furthest wins. If two trucks are on the same space, the upper truck wins the game.

Additional Notes

• Keep in mind how many laps your truck has completed.
• Any place which has no remaining package cards is not a space anymore.
• The starting place will NOT be counted as a space.
• No package cards except the topmost card of a deck should be revealed.