Utopian Rummy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Description
• The Cards In Detail
• Game Play
  • The Deal
  • Flow of Play During an Age
  • The Phases in Detail
    • Phase A: Explore (Draw)
    • Phase B: Expand (Play)
    • Phase C: Decay (Discard)
  • Ending and Scoring the Age
• Individual Cards in Detail
  • Ancestral Knowledge x8 (Value 1)
  • Elder x5 (Value 2*)
  • Farmer x5 (Value 1-2)
  • Hunter x5 (Value 1-2)
  • Monument x2 (Value Varies)
  • Rangers x5 (Value 2-3)
  • Story Teller x5 (Value 2*)
  • Student x5 (Value Negative 3)
  • Trainer x5 (Value 2)
  • Warriors x4 (Value 2)
  • Weavers x5 (Value 2-3)

Description

In Utopian Rummy players compete to create the best Utopian Society. They draw and play sets of Jobs to bring the best and brightest into their Society. Each Job gives the player a special ability in addition to scoring points at the end of the Age.

The Cards In Detail

• A. Name: This is the name of the card. Most cards represent Jobs, so this would be the name of the Job.
• B. Value: These are the points a card will score at the end of the Age. If it is in your Society it will score positive points. If it is in your hand it will score negative points.
• C. Type and Quantity: Each card is labeled as either a Job or an Asset. The accompanying number is how many copies of this card are in the deck. Not all copies have the same value (see B).
• D. Abilities Text: Each card has additional abilities printed on it. If the rules of the card abilities contradict the rules in the manual then the card abilities take priority. These abilities take effect as soon as the cards are added to your Society.

Game Play

Utopian Rummy is played in a series of Ages. Each Age starts with a Deal and ends with a Scoring. Once a player has reached 100 points the player with the highest score wins.

The Deal

Shuffle up all the cards and deal out 10 cards to each player. The players take these cards into their hands and keep them secret from the other player. Set the remaining cards face down in the middle of the table to form the Draw Deck. Both of the discard piles begin empty. Choose a starting player if this is the first Age. After that, the player with the lowest score starts the Age. If the scores are tied, the start player alternates from the last Age.

Flow of Play During an Age

Players take turns in alternating fashion. Each player turn has three phases. A player completes all three phases in order before play passes to the opponent. The three phases are as follows:

• Phase A: Explore (Draw)
• Phase B: Expand (Play)
• Phase C: Decay (Discard)

The Phases in Detail

Phase A: Explore (Draw)

The active player adds to their hand. They are allowed to take the top card of either discard pile, or they may draw from the Draw Deck using a Research action described below.

Research Action: View the top 2 cards of the Draw Deck. You do not need to show them to your opponent. Take 1 of these cards into your hand and discard the other face up to the Research Discard Pile. Notice the Research Discard Pile is turned horizontal compared to the Draw Deck to keep it easily distinguishable from the End of Turn Discard Pile. All contents of both discard piles are open information and may be inspected at any time.

Example: During his Explore phase, Bob chooses to make a Research action. He picks up the top two cards of the Draw Deck. He sees a Student and a Farmer. He adds the Farmer to his hand and places the Student on the Research Discard Pile. Bob goes on to complete the rest of his turn. During Alice's Explore phase, she chooses to pick up the Student from the top of the Research Discard Pile instead of performing a Research action.

Phase B: Expand (Play)

During this phase the active player may play cards from their hand face up into their play area. These cards are now in their Society. Cards either represent Jobs or Assets. You can play cards in any order as long as you follow the restrictions outlined below.

Each unique Job needs to be Initiated the first time it is played in each Age. To Initiate a Job you need to play a set of at least THREE matching Jobs from your hand. Once either player has Initiated a particular Job it is possible to play any number of matching Jobs from your hand during your play phase. IMPORTANT: You may only Initiate ONE new Job per turn. Whether you Initiate a new Job or not, you are always eligible to play any number of Jobs that have already been Initiated.

Each Asset explains when it can be played in its abilities text. As long as you follow the listed restrictions you can play as many Assets as you wish. You can play Assets even if you Initiated a new Job this turn.

Example: During his Expand phase, Bob first Initiates Farmers with a set of 3 matching Farmers. He takes the 3 Farmers from his hand and places them face up in his Society. He would also like to Initiate Hunters, but he can only Initiate one Job per turn. Bob could also play an Ancestral Knowledge Asset before or after Initiating the Farmers. If he draws a new Farmer from the Ancestral Knowledge he is allowed to play it because the Farmers have already been Initiated.

Phase C: Decay (Discard)

At the end of your turn, you must place a card from your hand face up on the End of Turn Discard Pile. This is mandatory. You may not play the last card in your hand during the second phase; you must reserve a card for discarding. The End of Turn Discard Pile is orientated the same way as the Draw Deck to keep it easily distinguishable from the Research Discard Pile.

Ending and Scoring the Age

An Age ends when:

1. A player discards the last card from their hand. OR
2. The last card in the Draw Deck is used. The active player still draws or views as many cards as possible and completes the rest of their turn. The Age then ends after their end-of-turn discard.

Scoring an Age: A card's value is printed in its upper left corner. All cards in a player's Society score positive points equal to their value. All cards remaining in a player's hand score negative penalty points equal to their value. Players keep a running total of their score from Age to Age. (It is possible to have a negative score.) If either player has reached 100 points then the player with the most points wins. If no player has reached 100 points, then start a new Age with a new Deal. If there is a tie for the win, then the winner is the player who went first this Age.

Individual Cards in Detail

Ancestral Knowledge x8 (Value 1)

This is an Asset, not a Job. You may play ONE Ancestral Knowledge per turn. When you play an Ancestral Knowledge you must take an action. You may either perform a Research action or take any single card from either discard pile. If you choose to Research, apply all pertinent card abilities. If you choose instead to take a card from a discard pile, you may take any card from either discard pile into your hand. It does not have to be the top card of the discard pile. It is not allowed to play an Ancestral Knowledge if it is the last card in your hand. You must reserve it for discarding even though playing it would place another card into your hand. If you play a Job that alters your Research action and then play an Ancestral Knowledge and choose to Research, you do apply the ability of the freshly played Job.

Elder x5 (Value 2*)

For each Elder in your Society one Student in your Society scores no penalty points. All Students remaining in your hand will always score penalty points. The asterisk just reminds you to apply the ability when scoring the Age.

Example: If you have two Elders and three Students in your Society, then only one of the Students will score penalty points.

Farmer x5 (Value 1-2)

If you have at least 2 Farmers in your Society, you may keep 2 cards when you Research. You do not have to keep 2 cards, and you do not have to decide if you will keep 2 until after you view the options.

Hunter x5 (Value 1-2)

You may draw 1 card from the Draw Pile when you play a Hunter. You may not draw more than two cards per turn due to Hunters. If you Initiate Hunters by playing 3 Hunters, you may only draw 2 cards. You do not have to draw a card. If you play multiple Hunters, you may draw 1 card and then decide if you want to draw a second card. If Hunters have already been Initiated, you may play Hunters one at a time. You may play one Hunter, draw a card, and then decide if you wish to play a second Hunter. If the Draw Pile is empty, you may not choose to draw a card. It is not allowed to play a Hunter card if it is the last card in your hand. You must reserve it for discarding even though playing it might be able to draw another card into your hand.

Monument x2 (Value Varies)

This is an Asset, not a Job. You may play a Monument if your Society has at least 4 unique Jobs. Four single copies of unique Jobs suffice. They do need to be different Jobs though. A Society with just 4 Hunters only contains 1 Job and would not be eligible to play a Monument. Students never count as a Job. It does not matter what Jobs are in your opponent's Society, only the cards in your own Society influence the Monument. If your Society drops below 4 unique Jobs, any Monuments already played stay in your Society. A Monument's value is always equal to the number of unique Jobs in your Society. This is true if it is in your Society or in your hand. If it is in your hand during scoring, you must score negative penalty points equal to the number of unique Jobs in your Society.

Rangers x5 (Value 2-3)

If your Society has at least 2 Rangers, then you must view 3 cards when Researching. This is not an optional ability. You may still only keep one of the viewed cards unless another Job alters that ability.

Story Teller x5 (Value 2*)

Each Story Teller is worth 2 points for itself. Additionally, if your Society has at least 2 Story Tellers you score a bonus point for every Ancestral Knowledge in play. Ancestral Knowledges in your Society and your opponent's Society count towards this bonus. Score this bonus only once; not one time for each Story Teller. The asterisk just reminds you to apply the ability when scoring the Age. Each Story Teller left in your hand during scoring will score negative 2 penalty points.

Example: During scoring, Bob has 3 Story Tellers and 2 Ancestral Knowledges in his Society. Alice has 1 Story Teller and 3 Ancestral Knowledges. Bob would score 2 points for each Story Teller and a single bonus of 1 point for each Ancestral Knowledge, making a total of 11 points from Story Tellers. Alice would only score 2 points for her single Story Teller.

Student x5 (Value Negative 3)

This is an Asset, not a Job. Students may never be played by themselves. Students may be matched with another Job to assist in Initiating the new Job. Any number of Students and at least one copy of another Job can be formed together to make an Initiation. The Students do not count as one of the accompanying Jobs for any other purpose. If you Initiate Farming with 2 Students and a Farmer, your Society would not have 2 Farmers and would not be able to use the ability of the Farmers. You may not make an Initiation with 3 Students by themselves. Students always score negative at the end of an Age, no matter if they are in your Society or your hand.

Trainer x5 (Value 2)

If your Society contains at least 2 Trainers then you may make Initiations using only pairs of Jobs. A Student and another Job count as a pair of Jobs. The Trainer's ability takes immediate effect, but you can still only Initiate one new Job per turn. If Trainers are already Initiated it would be possible to play a pair of Trainers and then Initiate a pair of Farmers.

Warriors x4 (Value 2)

When the first Warrior is added to your Society, you may choose a single card from any Society and place it on the bottom of the Draw Deck. Any additional Warriors added to your Society have no effect. If you Initiate Warriors, you may only remove one card from a Society. If your opponent Initiates Warriors and then you play a single Warrior on your turn, then you may remove a single card from any Society. If you then play a second Warrior, there is no effect. If you remove the last copy of a Job from all Societies, then that Job will need to be Initiated again. Accompanying Students remain even if their associated Jobs are removed, but unaccompanied Students do not preserve the Initiation of their lost Jobs.

Weavers x5 (Value 2-3)

If your Society has at least 2 Weavers, you may discard from your hand during the Research action. This means a basic Research action would become: Draw 2 cards into your hand and then discard any 1 card from your hand to the Research Discard Pile. Without this ability, you must discard one of the new cards you are viewing during the Research action.

Note: If you have at least 2 Farmers, 2 Rangers and 2 Weavers, your Research actions become: Draw 3 Cards from the Draw Deck into your hand. Discard 1 or 2 cards from your hand to the Research Discard Pile.