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Duck Town

Pick a secret role, build a town

How many computer players?

Each round everyone picks a secret role, and the roles are called in order: the Fox, Magpie, Owl, Swan, Heron, Goose, Beaver and Badger, each with its own power. On your turn take coins or cards and build. The first town of seven buildings ends the game; the best town wins.

Not in the same room? Play online while you talk on a call, each on your own phone.

More info

How to play

Everyone starts with 2 coins and 4 building cards. Each building has a colour and a cost, shown as dots.

Picking roles. Each round, the roles are passed round the table starting with whoever has the crown, and everyone picks one in secret. One role is put aside face down, and with four or five players one or two more are set aside face up. With three players, everyone picks two.

Taking turns. The roles are then called in order, and each player takes their turn when their role is called. On your turn, take 2 coins or look at 2 building cards and keep one. Then you may build one building from your hand by paying its cost. You can’t have two buildings with the same name.

The roles.

  1. Fox: name a role. Whoever has it misses their turn this round.
  2. Magpie: name a role (not the Fox or the one the Fox named). When it’s called, you take all its coins.
  3. Owl: swap your whole hand with another player’s, or swap any of your cards for new ones.
  4. Swan: take the crown, so you pick first next round. +1 coin for each gold building you have.
  5. Heron: the Badger can’t knock down your buildings. +1 coin for each blue building.
  6. Goose: +1 coin, and +1 more for each green building.
  7. Beaver: draw 2 extra cards, and build up to three buildings this turn.
  8. Badger: +1 coin for each red building. After building, you may knock down someone’s building by paying one coin less than its cost (not in a town that already has seven).

The end. When someone builds their seventh building, the round is played out and the game ends. Each building scores its cost, wonders (purple) score 2 more, a town with all five colours scores 3 more, the first to seven buildings scores 4 more and anyone else with seven scores 2 more. The most points wins.

Tips

Watch which roles are left when the picks come to you: if the Goose is gone, someone has a lot of green. The Fox and the Magpie are guesses, so name the role you think a leader or a rich player took.