Traitor Mechanic: The Traitor Mechanic Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Aim
• Setup
• Regular Part Cards
• Expensive Part Cards
• Anatomy of a Job Card
• Gameplay
  • Phase 1: Accept the Job
  • Phase 2: Get to Work!
    • Table Talk Rules
  • Phase 3: Customer Inspection
  • Phase 4: Clean Up
• Game End
• Reference
  • Gameplay
  • Being the Boss
  • Winning the Game

Components

• 64 Parts Cards
• 6 "Service With A Smile" Cards
• 10 Loyalty Cards (8 Mechanics, 2 Traitors)
• 16 large Job Cards
• 1 Day Off Token
• Large Boss Token
• Money Tokens ($100, $50, $10)

Aim

The Mechanics are trying to successfully complete 3 jobs. However, if the shop ever runs out of money, the Traitors win, and the auto shop goes under.

Setup

1. Create the loyalty deck from the Mechanic and Traitor cards using as many cards as there are players. In 4-6 player games, the deck should consist of 1 Traitor card and the remaining cards should be Mechanic cards. In 7-10 player games, the deck should consist of 2 Traitor cards.
2. Secretly deal the loyalty cards out at random. Players may look at their cards, but cannot reveal them to any other player.
3. Everyone then draws up to their hand limit from the Parts Deck. In a 4-6 player game, the hand limit is 6 cards. In a 7-10 player game, the hand limit is 4 cards. The player who has most recently ridden in a car is the first Boss.
4. Put $150 in the middle of the table. This is the shop's money. If it ever runs out (reaching $0 or less) the Traitor or Traitors win immediately.

Regular Part Cards

Every job requires parts, and these are the most reliable parts around. The four types - Windows, Headlights, Belts, and Tires - are needed in various combinations, but billing the customer for unnecessary parts is enough to lose their business forever.

Each Regular Part Card counts as 1 part toward your total during the Customer Inspection phase.

Expensive Part Cards

These fancy parts are sure to impress! They're twice as efficient as normal parts, but if the customer isn't happy, they have to be paid for.

Each Expensive Part Card counts as 2 parts toward your total during the Customer Inspection phase, and loses the shop an additional $20 on failed jobs.

Anatomy of a Job Card

(Example card: Monster Truck — $40 / -$60; Window 4-5, Headlight 1, Belt 3+, Tire 0.)

1. Job Name: The name of the vehicle you are repairing.
2. Completed Payment: Successfully completing the job adds this many dollars to the shop's money. If 3 jobs are completed successfully, the Mechanics win.
3. Failed Penalty: Failing the job will remove this many dollars from the shop's money. If this takes all the money, the Traitor wins!
4. The Four Types of Parts: Window, Headlight, Belt, and Tire.
5. Success Range: Any time you see a range of numbers, contributing the number of parts from the smaller number to the larger number (inclusive) will allow you to pass the job.
6. Exactly This Many: To succeed, whenever you see a number without a range or "+", the job needs exactly this many of this part type. Any more or fewer and it fails.
7. This Many or More: To succeed, whenever you see a number followed by "+", the job needs this many or more of this part type.
8. None of This Part: Whenever you see a 0, if there are any of this type included when parts are revealed, the job fails.

Gameplay

The game takes place over a number of jobs, until the Mechanics win by successfully completing 3 jobs, or the Traitors win by reducing the shop's money to $0 or less.

Each job has four phases:

1. Accept the Job
2. Get to Work!
3. Customer Inspection
4. Clean Up

Phase 1: Accept the Job

The Boss draws the top card of the job deck. Without revealing it or discussing it with the other players, they choose whether to play it to the middle of the table or pay $20 to place it on the bottom of the deck (without showing it to any other players), and pass the Boss card to the next player, who chooses whether or not to accept the next job. This returns you to the start of Phase 1.

Phase 2: Get to Work!

This phase consists of each player taking an action, starting with the Boss. Normal actions a player may take include:

1. Work: Players chose at least 2 Part Cards from their hand and place them face down in front of them. At the end of this phase, all face down cards will be shuffled and compared to the job's requirements to determine whether it is successfully completed or failed.
2. Remove someone from the job: Choose a player who used Work as their action. Take the cards that they contributed and discard them. The discard pile is always face down.
3. Get outside help: Ask the Boss for permission to get outside help. If permission is granted, remove $10 from the shop's money in the middle of the table and draw the top 3 cards from the Parts Deck. Place 2 of them in front of you as if you'd played them as part of a Work action and keep the third in your hand. If permission is not granted from the Boss, you must choose another action.

As the Boss, a player has one additional option available to them:

• Give someone the day off: As their action, the Boss may give a player the "Day Off" token. That player cannot take actions during this job. A player cannot be given the Day Off two jobs in a row.

Players cannot voluntarily skip their turn.

Table Talk Rules

Cards you have in your hand must never be shown to the other players. After all, there's a Traitor about! You may, however, talk about them as much or as little as you like. Telling the truth about them is up to you!

Phase 3: Customer Inspection

Once each player has taken an action, shuffle all of the contributed cards and reveal them one by one. Do not include discarded cards.

If the conditions on the job card were met, add the "Completed" amount to the shop's money. If not, subtract the "Failed" amount from the shop's money.

Two types of cards will further affect the shop's money:

• If the job was successfully completed, add an additional $20 for each "Service With A Smile" card played.
• If the job was failed, subtract an additional $20 for each "Expensive Parts" card that was played.

(Example: a completed job earns your shop the $ amount shown; a failed job will cause your shop to lose the -$ amount shown.)

Phase 4: Clean Up

After the customer inspection, place that job card to the side face up if the job was successful and face down if it was not. After each job, the Boss token moves one player to the left. That player is the Boss for the next job.

Take all cards used in the job and all discarded cards and shuffle them back into the deck without looking at them. Deal each player 3 cards. If this brings you over your hand limit, discard until you have the correct number of cards in hand before beginning the next job. All discarded cards go in a face down pile. These may never be revealed or looked at.

Game End

Provided the shop has not run out of money, as soon as a third job is successfully completed, the Mechanics win! Reveal who was the Traitor, and make a note to never let them fix your car.

Reference

Gameplay

Each job has four phases:

1. Accept the Job
2. Get to Work!
   • Work: Place at least 2 cards face down to contribute to the job.
   • Remove someone from the job: Choose another player who used the "Work" action this turn and discard their contributed cards.
   • Get outside help: Ask the boss for permission first! If permission is granted, remove $10 from the shop's money in the middle of the table and draw the top 3 cards from the Parts Deck. Place 2 of them in front of you as if you'd played them as part of a Work action and keep the third in your hand.
3. Customer Inspection
4. Clean Up

Being the Boss

As the Boss, a player has one additional action option.

• Give someone the day off: The Boss may pass a player the "Day Off" token. That player cannot take actions during this job. A player cannot be given the Day Off two jobs in a row.

Don't forget that, as the Boss, you are the only one who can grant permission to get outside help for a job!

Winning the Game

Mechanics win once they have successfully completed 3 jobs. Traitors win if they reduce the shop's money to $0.