The Arch Thief is dead, and the Pact of Thieves is broken. In accord with tradition, the leaders of the major bands of thieves have only until

dawn to gather the wealth that will prove them worthy to be the new Arch Thief. They must steal from strangers and fellow thieves alike, avoid the Watch, keep their gold close, and keep a very close eye on

their rivals.

Page 2 – Contents and Setup Page 3 – Common Game Terms Page 4 – Playing the Game

Page 6 – Game End and Scoring Page 7 – Gameplay Variants Page 8 – Card Glossary

Object: Each player assumes the role of the leader of a band of thieves who is trying to collect the most gold.

Players: two-four, add a 2nd copy of the game for up to eight players; , ages 13+ Game Time: 10-15 minutes per player

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Components 141 cards (35 cards per player in 4 player colors + a Jail card.)

This rules booklet.

Setup 1. Remove the Jail card; place it in the center of the table.

2. Separate the cards according to the colored wax seals on the card backs to form a 35-card deck for each player. Remove two Shady Watchman cards, two Sly Trickster cards, and (optionally)one Assassin card from each deck for the basic game. See the Dark Streets Variant in the Variants Section later in these rules.

3. Each player removes his Coin Purse card from his deck and places it face-up in his Play Area.

4. Each player shuffles his cards to form a draw deck. For fewer than 4 players, return left-over cards to the box.

5. Each player draws 10 cards from his draw deck into his hand. A player’s hand remains secret.

6. Each player keeps five of the ten cards and shuffles the other five back into his draw deck. For your first or second game, here are a few pre-built starting hand ideas:

theft protection third-turn robbery

- 2 Gold Coins - 1 Cutpurse - 1 Pickpocket - 1 Thieves Tools

- 1 Gold Coin - 1 Pickpockets - 1 Lock Pick - 1 Watchman - 1 Dagger

- 1 Gold Coin - 1 Cutpurse - 1 Thieves Tools - 1 Market Day - 1 Watchman

7. The player with the most coins in his pocket is the start player, or determine a start player using a random method.

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Common Game Terms Certain words used throughout the rules have specific meanings in the context of a game of Deck of Thieves. Card Type: To the right of the name of each card is a card type. Certain game effects target cards of a certain type instead of targeting specific cards by name. There are five card types: Character, Event, Item, Location, and Treasure. Effects: An effect is something you can do with a card aside from adding it to your Play Area. There are three kinds of effects: Abilities, Activates, and Reactions: Ability: Each time you play a card with an Ability text, that

Ability is enacted immediately (if possible) and only for this turn. If a card is stolen, its Ability text does not trigger again. Trickster cards can, however, re-enact Abilities on later turns.

Activate: To use a card’s Activate text, the card must have already been in play in your Play Area for one turn. You may use Activate texts without loss of the card (on every consecutive turn, if you wish)—unless the card says otherwise (Guild Hall and Market Day).

Reaction: Cards with a Reaction text may be played in response to an opponent’s effect. If more than one player wishes to react to the same effect, the player who is being affected gets first opportunity to play his Reaction, followed by the player whose turn comes next and so on. Any opponent may play a Reaction in response to any other player's Reaction, but always in turn order.

Play Area: The Play Area refers to all cards in front of a single player whether they are protected by other

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cards, such as the Lock Box or Coin Purse or not. Only Gold Coin cards can be placed in a Coin Purse or Lock Box.

Stealing: When cards are stolen, they become the property (are owned) by whoever last stole them; they no longer belong to the original owner.

Unprotected: A card such as a Gold Coin card that is not protected by another card such as Coin Purse or Lock Box.

Playing the Game Play in clockwise order. On his turn, a player takes the following steps in order: (Optional) Rearrange the Gold Coin cards within his Play Area. Gold Coin cards may be arranged within the general Play Area, the Coin Purse, and the Lock Box, but only at the beginning of a player’s turn. If the player's draw deck is depleted, he must play one card from his hand each turn until his hand is empty—he may not use an Activate text. If not, he must choose one of the following options:

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Draw one card and play one card, in that order. All cards are played in the player’s Play Area unless the card specifies otherwise. The card’s Ability text, if it has any, is applied immediately if possible. This is the only time the Ability text of a card is applied; stealing a card does not re-trigger its Ability text. If it is impossible to apply a card’s Ability text, nothing happens; the card still remains in the Play Area.

State that he wishes to draw two cards, and then do so (without playing a card.)

Utilize the Activate text of a card in his Play Area. The card must have already been in his Play Area for at least one turn before he can use the Activate text.

If the current player has used a card’s Ability or Activate, the other players now get a chance to play a Reaction from cards in their hands. If more than one player wishes to react to the same effect, the player who is being affected has first opportunity to play a Reaction. Then, the player whose turn comes next gets to play a Reaction. Any opponent may play a Reaction in response to any other player's Reaction, but always in turn order. Discard down to seven cards; discarded cards are placed on the bottom of the player’s draw deck in any order he wishes.

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Game End The end of the game is triggered at the end of a player's turn if one of the following situations occurs:

1. Any player has 7 Gold Coin cards in his Play Area or

2. The current player's hand is empty and his draw deck is depleted.

Continue playing until it is the start of the current player's next turn. At that point, it is time to score.

Scoring Score points for each card in your Play Area based on its point value represented by the small, gold icons in the top, left-hand corner of each card—example: a Gold Coin card is worth four points. Cards remaining in a player’s hand, cards in the center of the table, and cards in a player’s draw deck are not scored. The player with the most points wins the game. If there is a tie, whoever has the most Gold Coin cards in his Play Area wins the game!

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Variants County Faire Variant: Play three games of Deck of Thieves. Tally each player’s points and each player's Gold Coin card count (to break any ties) for all three games to determine the winner. *Dark Streets Variant: Remove both Watchman cards and both Trickster cards from the game; instead, use both Shady Watchman, both Sly Trickster cards, and (optionally) add in the Assassin card.

Quick-Play Variant: Use only the following cards per player deck for a much faster game: 7 Gold Coin, 1 Coin Purse, 1 Lock Box, 2 Thieves Tools, 1 Lock Pick, 1 Dagger, 2 Cutpurse, 2 Pickpocket, 2 Watchman, 2 Trickster, 1 Guild Hall.

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Card Glossary The number in front of the card name is how many copies of the card are found in each player's deck. [1] Assassin (Character) – Worth 1 Point Ability: Place up to 3 Gold Coins from your Play Area on the bottom of your draw deck: For each card moved in this way you may send one character card in any Play Area to the bottom of its owner’s draw deck. Activate - Place one Gold Coin card from your Play Area on the bottom of your draw deck; return Assassin to your hand. Assassin may be added/removed from the game to increase the challenge.

[1] Coin Purse (Item) - Worth 0 Points Protects up to 3 Gold Coin cards. Coin Purse cannot be stolen.

[2] Cutpurse (Character) - Worth 0 Points Ability: You may steal up to one unprotected card from an opponent's Play Area; add it to your Play Area; a stolen Gold Coin card may be placed directly into your in-play Coin Purse or in-play Lock Box if you wish.

[1] Dagger (Item) - Worth 3 Points Ability: You may send any one character card from any player’s Play Area to the bottom of that player’s draw deck. Reaction: Play in your Play Area when an opponent plays Lock Pick

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or Thieves’ Tools to counter that card’s ability for this turn. The countered card still goes into play, but its ability is ignored.

[1] Dirty Thief (Character) - Worth -4 Points Ability: Place one Gold Coin card from your hand or Play Area on the bottom of your draw deck. Play Dirty Thief in an opponent's Play Area; if canceled by a Watchman, add Dirty Thief to your Play Area.

[1] Ivory Spider (Item) – Worth -3 Points Activate: discard a Dagger card to the bottom of your draw deck; remove Ivory Spider from affected character card and place in your hand. Reaction: place Ivory Spider on any character card in any Play Area. That character may not take action nor be included in an action by another card as long as Ivory Spider is on it.

[8] Gold Coin (Treasure) - Worth 4 Points Play in your Play Area or in your in-play Coin Purse or in-play Lock Box.

[2] Guild Hall (Location) - Worth 1 Point Ability: You must draw three cards from the draw deck—if there are no cards remaining in your draw deck, you do not draw. Activate: You may search your draw deck for any one character card, show the card to your opponents, place that card in your hand, and place Guild Hall on the bottom of your draw deck. You do not shuffle your draw deck.

[1] Lock Box (Item) - Worth 2 Points Protects up to 4 Gold Coin cards. Lock Box cannot be stolen.

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[1] Lock Pick (Item) - Worth 3 Points Ability: If you have a Pickpocket in your Play Area, you may steal all of the Gold Coin cards from a single Lock Box. Add any Gold Coin cards stolen to your general Play Area or to your in-play Coin Purse or in-play Lock Box.

[1] Market Day (Event) - Worth 3 Points Ability: You must draw one card for each Gold Coin card in your Play Area. Gold Coin cards in your Coin Purse and Lock Box count toward this total. Activate: You may play two cards this turn; place Market Day on the bottom of your draw deck.

[2] Pickpocket (Character) - Worth 0 Points Ability: You may steal up to two unprotected cards from a single opponent’s Play Area; add them to your general Play Area or to your in-play Coin Purse or in-play Lock Box. Activate: You may steal one Gold Coin card from a player’s general Play Area and add it to your general Play Area or to your in-play Coin Purse or in-play Lock Box.

[2] Sewer (Location) - Worth 2 Points Ability: Take any one card from the cards in the Jail; place it in your hand.

[2] Shady Watchman (Character) - Worth 3 Points Reaction: Play in your Play Area to counter the Ability/Activate of an opponent's card for this turn. The countered card still goes into play, but its Ability/Activate text is ignored. Your opponent may pay you one Gold Coin card from his hand or Play Area to ignore the Reaction; if the Gold Coin card is paid, place Shady Watchman on the bottom of your draw deck. Dark Streets Variant only.

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[2] Sly Trickster (Character) - Worth 3 Points Ability: You may re-use the Ability of one of the cards in your Play Area. Reaction: Play in your Play Area during an opponent’s turn but only to counter a Shady Watchman. The countered Shady Watchman still goes into play, but its ability is ignored. Dark Streets Variant only.

[2] Thieves’ Tools (Item) - Worth 3 Points Ability: If you have a Cutpurse in your Play Area, you may steal all of the Gold Coin cards from a single Coin Purse. Add any Gold Coin cards stolen to your general Play Area or to your in-play Coin Purse or in-play Lock Box.

[1] Traveling Merchant (Character) - Worth 2 Points Ability: You may search your draw deck for any Item card. If found, show the card to your opponents and place that card in your hand. Shuffle your draw deck.

[2] Trickster (Character) - Worth 3 Points Ability: You may re-use the Ability of one of the cards in your Play Area.

[2] Watchman (Character) - Worth 3 Points Reaction: Play in your Play Area to counter the Ability/Activate of an opponent's card for this turn. The countered card still goes into play, but its Ability/Activate text is ignored.

[1 per game] Jail (Location) Place in the center of the table at the beginning of the game. When a Watchman is played on a character card, place the countered character card in the Jail.

Game Design by Jason Fordham Artwork and card design by Sean McMullin Rules Version: 2.5.8.5 (Joe Mucchiello); editing by Justin Rupp Special Thanks to playtesters and design forum contributors: Sean McMullin, Manuel Pasi, Tony Miller, Bill Kunes, John Christopher, Float a Goat Games, Gregg Jewell, Gary Roberts, Father Geek, Matthew Rodgers, Anthony Linforth, Daniel Cepeda, Joe Mucchiello, Chris Jones, Tim Schmitt, Gregg Jewell, Julio César, Nate Kurth, Andy Oakey, Pablo Schulman, Sam Binney, Sturv Tafvherd, Timothy Sweetser, Ronald Pehr, Diane Harrison, and Amanda Vanderbrink

Turn Summary (Optional) Rearrange the Gold Coin cards within your Play Area. If the player's draw deck is depleted, he must play one card from his hand each turn until his hand is empty; If not, he must choose one of the following three options:

Draw one card and play one card, in that order. State that he wishes to draw two cards, and then do so.

Utilize the Activate text of a card already in his Play Area.

If the current player has used a card Ability or Activate text, the other players now get a chance to play a Reaction text from cards in their hands, in turn order. Discard down to seven cards; discarded cards are placed on the

bottom of the player’s draw deck in any order he wishes.