The following are the Official Common Man Games Rules for the Mad Men Cards.
WHAT ARE MAD MEN CARDS?
The MMCs (Mad Men Cards) make the game more challenging. They are special Event Cards that represent the first expansion for the base game known as Police Precinct. These cards are one of MANY ways for gamers to add variety and adjust the difficulty of their playing experience. Other methods of achieving this are outlined in the rule-book included with the base-game (and are not related in any way to the MMCs). Also see our “Desk” (Assignment Desk) page HERE!
A LITTLE HISTORY:
If behind-the-scenes stories from the board game industry interest you…
Then please do read onward, if not, skip down to the “Rules” section below.
During the months leading up to the production of the game, we went back-and-forth about how many MMCs to print. Ultimately, it was decided to keep this run short, and thus the MMCs were really meant to be just a little fun add-on reward for Kickstarter backers. From that point forward, we figured that there would be just a handful of extras left over after distribution to the KS backers, and our plan for these was loose, but involved using some at shows and maybe some would be given out to the first few Pre-Release backers, but…
As history would have it, a factory mistake created an abundance of them, which is great news! It has meant that we can now share these cards with other (non-Kickstarter backers) in a much more prolific way that originally thought. Though as exciting as this is, it was not something we were prepared for or expecting. After production of the games, we began to suspect that extras might be headed our way, but until we actually saw them, we were not sure if this was a misprint on the shipping paperwork. Now that we have the MMCs, we are making use of them in various ways. One way was by allowing Pre-Release Backers to receive 3 random cards when they orders a base game. We are also using them for the overseas markets. The cards became available in the BGG store as of Tax-day 2013 (4/15). Additionally, backers of Dice Tower’s Kickstarter, received a Mad Men Card (more about this below).
Being that the cards were originally meant to be a very short print-run for only a small handful of gamers (just the kickstarter backers), we had been viewing them as more of a fun/informal tack-on to the base-game. With this in mind, we here at CMG, didn’t intend to make a big deal out of creating strict rules for exactly how to use them in a game. Our goal was to provide a few ideas to the kickstarter backers (optional scenarios, etc.) and to basically just let them be creative and have fun with the cards, but…
Now that so many people will be ending up with the MMCs, we feel that a more formal set of rules is warranted…
RULES:
The Mad Men Cards are to be used in conjunction with the existing Event cards as follows:
1. During set-up of a new game, select the Mad Men Cards you wish to use in that game.
2. Find the corresponding Event card (the one that uses the same location, e.g. “Duffy’s Bar”), and remove the original card from the deck, place it next to the board, face-up, where all can easily see it.
3. Place the Mad Men Cards you’re going to use, in the event deck.
4. Fully randomize the entire event deck.
5. Begin play of the game, and continue as normal until one of these cards appears. At that time, place it on the board as normal, AND place the corresponding original card just below it, with enough of the original card showing on the right-hand side of the Mad Men card to easily see the color, but not the difficulty number. Furthermore, all players must STOP taking Police Cards until this Mad Men Card Emergency is resolved!
6. Then proceed as normal, BUT be aware that color matches can now happen based on either the purple card (on top), OR the other (original) card (on the bottom). Thus, this Mad Men Card is, in-effect, multi-colored. So, as you can see, Crime and Punks on the street, are not the only things that are multiplying in this game Watch out!!!
7. When attempting to handle one of these Emergencies, focus on the only number you can see (The top card, i.e. – the Mad Men Card), this will mean that you must roll a 5 or a 6 depending on which Mad Men card you are playing with.
MORE DETAIL:
1. YES THEY ARE A SUIT: For the purposes of the Urgent Marker, YES, these Mad Men Cards are considered to be The Purple Suit, but they are not to be mixed up with the special Event Cards that happen to have some purple in them. They are easy to tell apart because the Special Event cards have Purple at the top (the header), and the Mad Men Cards have purple in the central part of the card (just like all the other Emergency cards, red, blue, yellow, green).
2. MORE DIFFICULT: Note that by handling the cards in the manner prescribed here, the game does become significantly MORE difficult in several ways: First of all, the cards tend to be of a higher numeric level. Secondly, by using BOTH colors for matching, the urgent marker is more likely to appear (or move if it is already out), and Lastly, because (unlike any of the original event cards), the level 6 Mad Men cards will move the crime track if failed (this is spelled out right on the card itself).
3. PLAY WITH ANY NUMBER OF MAD MEN CARDS: You get to decide if you want to use one card, or two, or three, or even possibly more. Remember, the more you use the harder the game gets. Even using just one Mad Men Card can have a strong impact on the game. For example, using the “Angry Employee with a Rifle” card is quite a bit harder (6 vs. 4), AND… if you fail, the crime track automatically moves… Ouch! Since the game is very well balanced as-is, just a little tweak here-or-there has a big impact. If you plan to use more than 2 or 3 cards, you will likely want to make some sort of adjustments elsewhere to reduce the difficulty of the game. Police Precinct has MANY variables that can be altered to make the game harder or easier. Also, please note that, just because you own a Mad Men card, or two (or more) doesn’t mean you have to use it. These cards ARE NOT needed to play the game.
4. DON‘T USE THESE TILL YOU KNOW THE GAME: Like the Dirty Cop, we would recommend NOT using these cards at all until you and your group has played the game at least once and won at least once. This is for simplicity and learning sake, but also because the pure game (with no tweaks) is a well balanced game. Before ANY tweaking (Mad Men Cards or other), we strongly encourage you to learn and master the basic game (by the way, “basic”, in this case, does not mean overly simplified or easy).
5. MORE EXPANSIONS: We have more expansions for the base-game now, AND more to come. Stay Tuned!
INDIVIDUAL CARDS:
VARYING POWER: These cards will affect the game differently depending on which cards you pick. Let’s look at each card individually:
BRUTE WITH SHOTGUN:
Is a purple level 6, and corresponds with a yellow level 3. This is probably the hardest card of them all, AND it requires a move on the crime track if failed. The original deck only has one level 6, and believe me, when that 6 comes out, you are in trouble (often means the crime track will move).
MADMAN WITH BOMB:
Is a purple level 6, and corresponds with a yellow level 6. This card adds difficulty primarily due to the multi-suit aspect, and thus this particular card should be used along with at least one other Mad Men Card.
DERANGED AXEMAN:
Is a purple level 5, and corresponds with a yellow level 3.
CHAINSAW WIELDING LUNATIC:
Is a purple level 5, and corresponds with a Blue level 5. Thus, even more so, than the “Madman with a Bomb” card, this card adds difficulty (solely) due to the multi-suit aspect, and thus this particular card should be used along with at least one other Mad Men Card.
PYROMANIAC:
Is a purple level 5, and corresponds with a yellow level 4.
ANGRY EMPLOYEE WITH A RIFLE:
Is a purple level 6, and corresponds with a blue level 4.
THE 7TH MAD MEN CARD:
See the “Rocket Launcher Card” section below.
HOUSE RULES:
In addition to, or instead of, the rules we have listed here, CMG would like to Officially give you our Blessing to use these cards in any manner you may choose (Make your own house rules). Gaming is meant to be fun and not taken too seriously so Go For It…!!!! Mix it up. The crazy ideas you come up with might Constitute our next expansion, so if you create a cool idea, we want to hear about it!!
HOW TO GET THEM:
If you missed out on the Kickstarter for the 1st Edition of Police Precinct way back in early 2012, don’t worry you can still get these cards from time-to-time.
What options do you have?
As in…
Come on, help a brother out!
OK, good question, and good point, so here’s what’s happening on that front…
1. BGG Store: MMCs have arrived at the BGG store and subsequently sold-out, but re-stocking is a likelihood at some point (Stay Tuned).
2. Dice Tower’s Kickstarter: For the 2013 DT KS, those of you who pledged an amount above $5, you receive one random card.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tomvasel/the-dice-tower-2013
UPDATE: The 2014 DT KS might also include Mad Men Cards (need to work out the details). Stay Tuned!
3. More Kickstarter Action: In every Kickstarter we have done since the release of these cards, we have made them available as an add-on item for those who are pledging for the featured item of that Kickstarter (the latest of these ends on July 31st 2015).
4. Pre-Release Orders: After the 2nd Edition Kickstarter Campaign is over, we will likely allow Pre-Release ordering of assorted items (including Mad Men Cards).
5. Part of The KIT: As we release The Kit into retail channels, it will contain some Mad Men Cards.
6. At Shows: Watch for them at shows like TactiCon, GenghisCon, and many more!
7. BGG Trading: Owners of extra cards swap them on BGG. Here’s an example of a recent post on one of those assorted lists(there’s more than one list).
7. More: As time moves along, surely there will be more ideas developing regarding how to get Mad Men Cards, so… Stay Tuned!
ROCKET LAUNCHER CARD
The Police are not happy about having to go up against a Rocket Launcher, but they feel it’s their job and it must be done.
Do you have a Rocket Launcher Card?
If so…
Use it like any other Mad Man Card, because it is deigned to play right-along-with the rest of the Mad Men Cards.
We don’t, but some might call it “The 7th Mad Man Card”.
The History of this card is that it was printed at the same time as the 1st Edition of the base-game (also the same time as the Mad Men Cards), which was in mid-2012. Unlike the other items printed at this time, the Rocket Launcher was held in reserve because we wanted it to come out WITH The Heat, and Rioting Gangs, as part of a Kit.
This happened via a Kickstarter campaign.
To use this card, simply follow the basic rules for Mad Men Cards (listed on this page).
Thanks from the gang at CMG!!!!
