We're Doomed!
We're Doomed! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Winning
The game lasts 15 minutes — the length of one hourglass.
When time runs out, count the Resources that were contributed to The Project. That total determines how many seats were built on the escape rocket.
Players then board the rocket in order of most Influence to least Influence. Every player who gets a seat escapes and wins. Every player left behind loses.
How Many Seats Are Built on the Escape Rocket?
| Resources contributed | Seats built |
|---|---|
| 40 | 1 seat |
| 50 | 2 seats |
| 60 | 3 seats |
| 70 | 4 seats |
| 80 | 5 seats |
| 90 | 6 seats |
| 100 | 7 seats |
| 110 | 8 seats |
| 120 | 9 seats |
| 130 | 10 seats |
Fewer than 40 Resources in The Project means no seats are built at all.
Setup
- Civilization cards. Sort the civilization cards by player count — the player count is printed in the bottom right corner of each card. Deal the correct cards out at random, one per player. Stand your civilization card up on a stand with the actions side facing you.
- Reference cards. Give each player a reference card.
- The Project. Place the empty game box, open, in the middle of the table. This box is "The Project" — the escape rocket under construction.
- Event cards. Put the Event deck somewhere every player can reach it. Shuffle the Event deck for the first game only.
- Hourglass. Set the hourglass on The Project with the sand side down, so it is not yet running.
- Tokens. Put the 1st Player Coin and both bags of tokens (Resources and Influence) within reach. Leave the tokens inside their bags. Players begin the game with no tokens at all.
Starting the Game
The first player to flip the hourglass over takes the 1st Player Coin and begins the game — but read all of the rules before anyone flips it.
Flipping the hourglass starts the 15-minute timer, which runs continuously for the rest of the game.
Round Structure
Play proceeds in rounds, each made of two phases:
- Take Action phase — every player takes one action, in clockwise order.
- Contribution phase — players contribute Resources to The Project.
Rounds repeat until the hourglass runs out.
Take Action Phase
During the Take Action phase each player takes one action. Play goes clockwise, beginning with the holder of the 1st Player Coin.
The Five Actions
| Action | Effect | Civilization that does it better |
|---|---|---|
| Produce | Gain 2 Resources. | Technocracy gains 3 Resources instead. |
| Indoctrinate | Gain 1 Influence. | Theocracy gains 2 Influence instead. |
| Propagandize | Spend 1 Resource to steal 1 Influence from another player. | Corporatocracy pays nothing for it. |
| Invade | Spend 1 Influence to steal 2 Resources from another player. | Democracy pays nothing for it. |
| Nuke | Spend 8 Resources to eliminate a player. | Autocracy pays only 5 Resources. |
Notes on Actions
- Declare your action out loud.
- Tokens that are spent go back into their bags. Tokens that are stolen move to the thief.
- Every civilization may take any of the five actions. Each civilization simply performs one of them more cheaply or more effectively — that improved action is highlighted on its civilization card.
At the end of every Action phase all players move on to the Contribution phase — unless you have been nuked out of the game.
Contribution Phase
In the Contribution phase every player may put Resources into The Project — or choose not to. This phase does not follow turn order. Players simply call out how much they are contributing.
Players contribute by physically placing Resource tokens inside The Project box. Only Resources sitting inside The Project count toward the seat total at the end of the game.
Contribution Rules
- Anyone may contribute at any time.
- You may contribute up to as many Resources as you currently hold.
- Say your running total contribution out loud each time you add to it.
- You may raise your contribution at any time.
- Resources may never be taken back out of The Project.
- A tie for the largest contribution is settled by majority vote (see Ties).
Reward for the Largest Contribution
The player who contributes the most Resources in a Contribution phase receives all three of the following:
- The 1st Player Coin.
- 1 Influence.
- An Event card, drawn from the deck. Do not read it out loud yet — see Events.
Events
Event cards are sometimes helpful, rarely convenient, and always cost time. Some of them change the rules or even the victory conditions.
A drawn Event card takes effect immediately, in one of two ways depending on the card's colour:
- Clandestine Events (dark cards) — read silently, to yourself.
- Public Events (light cards) — read out loud to the whole table.
Notes on Events
- Where an Event card contradicts the rulebook, the Event card wins.
- When an Event is finished, discard it to the bottom of the Event deck.
- Some Events tell you to keep them face up and in play for the rest of the game. Leave those out rather than discarding them.
- After an Event has been resolved, the first player takes an action to begin the next round.
- Do not shuffle the Event deck between games.
General Rules
Full Disclosure
Keep your Resource and Influence tokens where every player can see them. If another player asks how many you have, you must tell them truthfully.
Elimination
An eliminated player tips over their civilization card and returns all of their tokens to the bags. An eliminated player cannot vote, contribute, play cards, or take actions. They are out of the game.
No Stalling
If a player is deliberately taking too long, any other player may pressure them by counting down ten seconds out loud. If a player reaches zero before the stalling player has decided, the stalling player is eliminated.
End of Days
The moment the hourglass runs out: no further actions may be taken, no further contributions may be made, and no more cards may be played.
If time runs out in the middle of an Event, finish resolving that Event before boarding the rocket.
Ties
To break a tie, one player counts down "3 — 2 — 1," and on zero everyone points at the player they want to win. If the result is still tied, vote again.
When boarding the rocket, ties in Influence are broken by most Resources. If players are still tied on Resources, the tie is settled by majority vote — and the tied players may each make one last speech to sway the voters first.
Examples
Example: Contributing
Mike puts 1 Resource into The Project and shouts his total: "1!" Astrid adds 2 and calls hers out. Mike then adds another Resource and shouts his new running total: "2!" (Contributions can come from anyone, in any order.)
Ian then throws in 4. Nobody outbids him, so Ian wins the Contribution phase. He takes the 1st Player Coin and 1 Influence token, then draws an Event card and follows its instructions. Ian then starts the next round by taking an action.
Example: A Tied Contribution
Mike contributes 1 and shouts "1!" Astrid adds 2 and calls it out. Mike adds one more and shouts "2!" — Mike and Astrid are now tied at 2 Resources each.
There is a pause, and nobody adds any more. To decide the winner, a player counts down "3 — 2 — 1," and everybody points at either Mike or Astrid. If that vote is tied as well, vote again until somebody wins — quickly, because the world is ending.