YOU are the Maniac! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Quick Reference: Steps for Taking a Turn
• Object of the Game
• What's in the Box
• Card Types
  • Victim Cards
  • Maniac Cards
  • Plot Twist Cards
  • Final Girl Cards
• Getting Ready to Play
• Setup
  • The Play Area
  • How to Setup Movie Part 1
  • Setting Up Movie Parts 2 and 3
• Game Structure
  • A) Setup the Game
  • B) Play Movie Part 1
  • C) Setup Movie Part 2
  • D) Play Movie Part 2
  • E) Setup Movie Part 3
  • F) Play Movie Part 3
  • G) Scoring
• Taking a Turn
  • 1. Play One Maniac Card
  • 2. Move in for the Kill
  • 3. Play One Weapon and/or One Mask Card
  • 4. Add a Killed Victim to Your Collection
  • 5. Clean Up the Mess
  • 6. Draw from the Maniac Deck
  • 7. Move the Group Forward
• Plot Twist Cards
• Plot Twist Nemesis Cards
• The Collection
  • Organizing the Collection
• The Survivor Stack
• Confronting the Final Girl
  • What if... the Final Girl Escapes Death?
• Ending the Game
• Glossary

Quick Reference: Steps for Taking a Turn

1. Play one Maniac card from your hand. *optional
2. Move in for the Kill. Grab the Victim card residing in The Kill Spot.
3. Play one Weapon and/or one Mask card, from your hand. *optional
4. If the Victim was killed, add the card to your Collection.
5. Clean up the Mess. Move the remaining played Maniac and Plot Twist cards to their discard piles.
6. Draw one new Maniac card for each Maniac card played from your hand.
7. Move the remaining Victim cards in The Group forward, so there is a new Victim in The Kill Spot.

Your turn is now over.

Object of the Game

The goal of YOU are the Maniac! is to "kill" Victims and earn points by playing Maniac cards during your turn. Weapon and Mask cards, from the Maniac deck, can be played during a turn to score more points. Certain types of Maniac and Victim cards can be played strategically to boost your score, or to cause a negative effect on an opponent's score.

The game takes place over 3 rounds, referred to as Movies. During the first Movie, 12 Victim cards are dealt to form "The Group". When The Group has been killed, or moved to the Survivor Stack, the Maniac confronts the Final Girl. These steps are repeated for the second and third Movies.

At the end of the third Movie, the Maniac with the highest score wins the game.

What's in the Box

YOU are the Maniac! includes 140 cards in 4 game decks.

• The Victim Deck contains classic horror characters.
• The Maniac Deck is where the game's horrific scenes unfold.
• The Plot Twist Deck alters the game in surprising ways.
• The Final Girl cards confront The Maniac at the end of each movie.

Card Types

Victim Cards

The Victim Deck contains 4 character types:

• Athletes (green and yellow school colors) - The Maniac doesn't like sports. Waste of time... get rid of them!
• Bimbos (hot pink heading) - Bimbos engage in a variety of lascivious activities. Punish!
• Fodder (purple heading) - These insignificant characters are good for a laugh. Bloody fun!
• Suspects (red heading) - Suspects are creepy freaks branded by their bizarre behavior. Haters!

Maniac Cards

Maniac cards are the cards that make up a player's hand. They define the game's actions. Maniac cards are played to move Victims in The Group to The Kill Spot, strategically discourage other Maniacs from capturing Victims, and boost your score.

The Maniac Deck also includes Mask and Weapon cards, which can each be played during a turn, in addition to a Maniac "action" card.

Plot Twist Cards

The Plot Twist Deck contains cards that alter the direction of the movie, in both good and bad ways. Plot Twists are drawn when you capture specifically marked Victim cards.

Final Girl Cards

Each movie has a specific Final Girl card. The Final Girl is always the last Victim standing, ready to confront The Maniac at the end of each movie. Her point value makes her quite desirable. The Maniac must possess a Weapon and Mask to kill her. Otherwise, she can survive to star in a sequel or trilogy.

Getting Ready to Play

To play YOU are the Maniac! you need:

• 2-4 players
• Cards included with this game
• A sufficient playing surface

Allow 30-45 minutes to play a game. Note: The first time you play takes a bit longer.

Setup

The Play Area

The central playing area consists of:

• The Group - the game area where Victim cards are placed faceup in numerical order beginning with The Kill Spot.
• Victim, Maniac, Plot Twist, and Final Girl decks.
• The Survivor Stack, Maniac and Plot Twist Discard piles and a place to confront the Final Girl.

How to Setup Movie Part 1

• Shuffle the Victim, Maniac, and Plot Twist decks.
• Deal each player 7 Maniac cards facedown. (Do not show your hand to other players.)
• Place the Victim, Maniac, Plot Twist, and Final Girl game decks facedown, as shown.
• Deal 12 Victim cards faceup in numerical order, as shown. These cards are referred to as The Group.
• Deal Victim cards according to the numerical Victim order. Note: The values printed on Victim cards do not matter when creating The Group; deal cards out as they come from the Victim deck.
• During a turn, the player always collects the Victim card residing in The Kill Spot (shown in red), unless instructed otherwise.

Setting Up Movie Parts 2 and 3

When setting up The Group for Movie Part 2 and Movie Part 3, the first victims of The Group are dealt from the Survivor Stack. If there are survivors, put the top Survivor Stack card in The Kill Spot, the second card from the Survivor Stack in Victim 2 spot, and so on. Note: If there are no survivors, deal The Group from the Victim deck.

Game Structure

A) Setup the Game

• See Pages 7-8 for more information.

B) Play Movie Part 1

• Kill Victims and play Maniac cards until all Victims in The Group are added to a Maniac's Collection or moved to the Survivor Stack.
• Confront The Final Girl for Movie Part 1.

C) Setup Movie Part 2

• Deal 12 Victims. Begin dealing from the Survivor Stack. If there are no Victims in the Survivor Stack, deal all 12 Victim cards from the Victim deck.
• Note: Players keep their hand from Movie Part 1.

D) Play Movie Part 2

• Kill Victims and play Maniac cards until all Victims in The Group are added to a Maniac's Collection or moved to the Survivor Stack.
• Confront The Final Girl for Movie Part 2.

E) Setup Movie Part 3

• Deal 12 Victims. Begin dealing from the Survivor Stack. If there are no Victims in the Survivor Stack, deal all 12 Victim cards from the Victim deck.
• Note: Players keep their hand from Movie Part 2.

F) Play Movie Part 3

• Kill Victims and play Maniac cards until all Victims in The Group are added to a Maniac's Collection or moved to the Survivor Stack.
• Confront The Final Girl for Movie Part 3.

G) Scoring

• Players add the points from the cards in their Collection. The Player with the most points wins!
• In case of a tie game, the Player with the most Final Girl cards wins. If still tied, battle to the death?!

Note: If the Maniac or Plot Twist decks run out of cards to draw from, reshuffle the discard pile and restock the deck.

See Page 11 for "Organizing the Collection".

Taking a Turn

The Player with the most blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes, the Devil's eyes, goes first. Turns go clockwise.

1. Play One Maniac Card

Play one Maniac card from your hand. Lay the card faceup in front of you and read the card out loud so all players can hear. Now, perform the action written on the card.

Note: Playing a Maniac card is optional, there can be scenarios when it is not necessary.

2. Move in for the Kill

Grab the Victim card from The Kill Spot. If the Victim card has a special instruction written on the bottom of the card, make note and/or perform the action immediately.

For more information about Plot Twists, see Plot Twist Cards below.

3. Play One Weapon and/or One Mask Card

Play one Weapon and/or one Mask card, from your hand.

* Note: Step 3 is optional. Also, Weapon and Masks may ONLY be played while killing a Victim during Step 3, or while confronting the Final Girl.

4. Add a Killed Victim to Your Collection

If the Victim was killed, add the card to your Collection. Victims, Weapons, Masks, and specially marked Maniac cards are stored in your Collection in front of you. For more information about the Collection, see The Collection below.

5. Clean Up the Mess

Move the remaining played Maniac and Plot Twist cards to their discard piles.

6. Draw from the Maniac Deck

Draw one Maniac card for each Maniac card played from your hand, during your turn.

Example: If you played one Maniac card to move a Victim to The Kill Spot, then killed your Victim with a Weapon and a Mask card, draw 3 new Maniac cards from the Maniac deck and add them to your hand.

7. Move the Group Forward

Move the remaining Victim cards in The Group forward, so there is a new Victim in The Kill Spot. Your turn is now over.

Plot Twist Cards

Some Victim cards instruct the player to draw a Plot Twist card before killing a Victim.

To do this, draw the top card from the Plot Twist deck, read it, and immediately perform the action. Once complete, place the Plot Twist card in the Plot Twist discard pile.

Note: Read the Plot Twist action text out loud for all players to hear.

Some Plot Twist cards instruct the player to grab a Victim from an opponent's Collection. If this newly acquired Victim card from an opponent's Collection instructs the player to draw a Plot Twist card, DO NOT do so, as this Victim was already killed by another player during a previous turn.

If the Plot Twist card instructs you to grab another Victim from The Group, the player does perform the action for the additional Victim card, including drawing a Plot Twist card if instructed to do so.

Plot Twist Nemesis Cards

If the player draws a Nemesis card they have two options:

1. Place the Victim card(s) in the Survivor Stack. Do not play any Weapon or Mask cards. End your turn by drawing the amount of Maniac cards played before drawing the Plot Twist.
2. Play Defeat a Nemesis from your hand, if you have one. Lay this card faceup to cancel the effects of the Nemesis card and send it to hell by moving the Nemesis to the Plot Twist discard pile. Finally, continue your turn as usual by killing the Victim.

Note: Playing Defeat a Nemesis counts as a Maniac card played from your hand, during your turn, so draw Maniac cards accordingly at the end of your turn.

Maniac! Pro-Tip: "Defeat a Nemesis" can be useful while confronting the Final Girl.

The Collection

The Collection is the individual area near each player where various cards are kept as a result of killing Victims, playing Masks and Weapons, and holding specifically marked Maniac cards. At the end of the game, each player adds their score based on the cards in their Collection.

Organizing the Collection

Organize cards into groups according to Victim types.

• Group: Weapons, Masks, and various Maniac cards as shown.
• Place Serial Slasher cards at the top of each Victim class.
• Organizing the Collection makes gameplay, strategy, and scoring easier.

Maniac! Pro-Tips:

• Serial Slasher cards can greatly increase your points.
• Play Maniac cards to kill Victims who are specially designed to boost the score: Cheerleaders, Football Players, Prom King & Queen, and the Hipsters.

The Survivor Stack

If a Victim and/or Final Girl gets moved to the Survivor Stack, they survive being killed by a Maniac for the duration of a Movie, unless they are moved back to The Group by a Maniac or Plot Twist card.

Nemesis cards can prevent a Victim from being murdered by moving them to the Survivor Stack. A Maniac may choose to play Defeat a Nemesis to override this action and proceed with killing a Victim.

Victims residing in the Survivor Stack are dealt back into The Group for Movies Part 2 and 3. Note: Survivor Stack Victims are dealt first, followed by new Victims from the Victim deck. Put the top-most Survivor Stack card in The Kill Spot, then place the second card from the Survivor Stack in Victim 2 spot, and so on.

If a Final Girl returns from the Survivor Stack to The Group for Movie Part 2 or 3, the same rules apply to kill her. See Confronting the Final Girl below.

Confronting the Final Girl

When all the Victims in The Group have been killed or added to the Survivor Stack, it is time to confront Victim number 13, The Final Girl. Begin by dealing the Final Girl for the appropriate Movie.

1. Play one Maniac card from your hand. Note: Playing a Maniac card is optional, as there can be scenarios when it is not necessary.
2. Draw a Plot Twist card and perform the action. If the Final Girl is moved to the Survivor Stack, end your turn here by drawing the number of Maniac cards played. This triggers the end of the current movie and (during Movie Part 3) the end of the game. If the Final Girl is not moved to the Survivor Stack, continue to Step 3.
3. Play a Weapon and Mask card from your hand to kill the Final Girl and trigger the end of the current movie.

If you cannot play a Weapon and Mask, end your turn here by drawing the number of Maniac cards played. The Final Girl is now passed to the next Player to Confront The Final Girl, beginning with Step 1.

If you can play a Weapon and Mask card... congratulations! You have successfully killed the Final Girl. Add her to your Collection along with the Weapon and Mask cards used to perform this kill. End your turn here by drawing the number of Maniac cards played during your turn. The movie has now come to an end.

Maniac! Pro-Tips:

• If you do not have a Weapon or Mask card, play a Maniac card that might help you get one from the Maniac discard pile or an opponent.
• Play a Maniac card to thwart an opponent from killing the Final Girl during their attempt to Confront the Final Girl.

What if... the Final Girl Escapes Death?

If play returns to the first player who attempted to Confront the Final Girl and the Final Girl has neither been killed by a player nor moved to the Survivor Stack by another game effect, place her in the Survivor Stack, as she has escaped the wrath of the Maniac. For Movie Part 2 and Movie Part 3, she will be the first card dealt back into The Group to star in a sequel, and potentially be killed off.

It is possible:

• Final Girl Movie Part 1 AND Part 2 appear in The Group during Movie Part 3, before confronting Final Girl Movie Part 3.
• No player is able to kill the Final Girl Movie Part 3.

Ending the Game

When all 3 Movies have ended, Maniacs add up the points in their Collection.

• Each Victim card has a numerical value printed on a bloody thumbprint.
• Include points from Mask, Weapon, Serial Slasher and various point based Maniac cards.
• Subtract negative points from the total, if you have any.
• Subtract points from unplayed Weapon and Mask cards residing in your hand.

The Maniac with the most points wins!

• In case of a tie game, the Player with the most Final Girl cards wins. If still tied, battle to the death!?

"In the end, there can be only one." -Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez

Glossary

• Athlete - A character class of the Victim Deck, indicated by their green and yellow school colors. They include Cheerleaders, Football Players, Team Captains, and more. Kill Athletes to increase your score.
• Bimbo - A character class of the Victim Deck, indicated by their hot pink heading. Kill Bimbos to increase your score.
• Collection - The game area near each Maniac where Killed Victims, Masks, Weapons, and specifically marked Maniac cards are organized. At the end of the game, each Maniac adds up their score based on the cards in their Collection.
• Final Girl card - The Final Girl refers to a common theme in horror movies where a last woman, or girl, remains alive to confront the Maniac at the end of the movie. The Final Girl Deck is composed of 3 cards, one for each Movie.
• Fodder - A character class of the Victim Deck, indicated by their purple heading. They include collectible pairs: The Prom King & Queen, The Hipsters, and more. Kill Fodder to increase your score.
• The Group - The game area where Victim cards are placed in numerical order beginning with The Kill Spot to the final Victim to be Killed in The Group. A Movie begins when 12 Victims are dealt to The Group, and all the Maniacs have their Maniac Cards in their Hand.
• Kill - Victims are "Killed" by Maniacs and added to your Collection, affecting your score.
• The Kill Spot - The lead Victim card in The Group. The Victim in the Kill Spot is Killed or sent to the Survivor Stack during a Maniac's turn.
• Maniac - You and your opponent players are Maniacs.