Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein – Complete Game Rules

Hey there, welcome to “Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein!” Get ready to dive into the world of monsters and mad science in this thrilling board game. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the complete game rules so you can become a master of the macabre.

Overview

In “Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein,” you’ll play as a scientist in the 19th century, following in the footsteps of the infamous Dr. Frankenstein. Your goal is to collect body parts, conduct experiments, and assemble your own creature. But be careful, because there are also other scientists vying for the same resources!

Setup

Before we begin, let’s set up the game. First, place the game board on the table and give each player their own laboratory board. Shuffle the Experiment cards and deal each player three of them. Then, shuffle the City cards and place them face down on the designated area of the game board. Finally, give each player the corresponding starting components: one Assistant, two Igor Minions, and three Shillings.

Gameplay

The game is played over eight rounds, with each round consisting of three phases: the Action Phase, the Maintenance Phase, and the Event Phase.

Action Phase

During the Action Phase, players will take turns in clockwise order. On your turn, you can perform one of the following actions:

• Collect Body Parts: Spend your Action Points (AP) to collect Body Parts cards from the City or the Graveyard. Each card requires a specific number of AP to collect.
• Conduct Experiments: Spend your AP to place an Experiment card from your hand onto one of the available Experiment slots on your Laboratory board. Each Experiment card has a cost and a reward.
• Send Assistants: Spend your AP to send your Assistant to the City or the Graveyard to gain specific benefits.

Maintenance Phase

During the Maintenance Phase, players will perform necessary maintenance tasks, such as paying wages to your Igor Minions and paying upkeep costs for your Experiments.

Event Phase

During the Event Phase, players will draw an Event card and resolve its effects. Events can have positive or negative consequences that affect all players.

End of the Game

The game ends after the eighth round. At this point, players will score points based on the body parts they have collected, the experiments they have completed, and any additional objectives they have achieved. The player with the highest score wins the game and earns the title of the true heir of Frankenstein!

Conclusion

There you have it! Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with the complete game rules of “Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein,” you’re ready to embark on this thrilling adventure. Gather your body parts, conduct your experiments, and prove yourself as the ultimate master of the macabre!

• 1 Paris Board
• 1 Event Board
• 4 Laboratory Boards
• 8 Shock Dice
• 144 Cards
• 1 Captain Meeple
• 1 First Player Creature Meeple
• 16 Scientist Meeples
• 12 Assistant Meeples
• 42 Francs
• 4 Ice Block Tokens
• 16 Leyden Jar Tokens
• 170 Material Cubes
• 30 Monster Body Part Tokens
• 4 Player Score Markers
• 6 Bonus Objective Markers
• 1 Bribe and Bump Track
• 4 Event Markers
• 12 Police Markers
• 4 Player Reference Cards
• 24 Alive Markers
• 12 Plastic Connector Sets

Let me introduce you to a game called Paris Board!

Paris Board is an exciting game that takes you on a thrilling adventure in the city of Paris. In this game, you will explore different boards, roll dice, collect cards, and play with various meeples and tokens. Are you ready to discover the wonders of Paris and showcase your strategic skills? Then Paris Board is the game for you!

The game includes a Paris Board, an Event Board, Laboratory Boards, Shock Dice, Cards, Meeples, Tokens, Cubes, Markers, and Reference Cards. With these components, you will have everything you need to embark on a remarkable journey through the streets of Paris.

Objective of the Game

The objective of Paris Board is to navigate the city, gather resources, and complete missions while outsmarting your opponents. As you progress through the game, you will earn points and compete to become the ultimate champion of Paris.

Welcome to the world of Abomination, a game inspired by Mary Shelley’s timeless classic, Frankenstein. Picture this: it’s been two decades since the events of the novel, and we find ourselves in the heart of Paris. As a brilliant scientist, you’ve been extended a special invitation to partake in the ethically questionable endeavor of creating monsters, a task that was abandoned by Victor Frankenstein.

Get ready for a gripping adventure filled with strategic decision-making and resource management. Your mission? Collect raw materials from graveyards and mortuaries all over the city, conduct groundbreaking research at the prestigious Academy of Science, hire some shady characters to assist you, and tirelessly work in your laboratory to breathe life into a completely new being.

Success will bring you unexpected visits from the Creature, who may reward your efforts. But beware, if you slack off, you’ll undoubtedly regret not putting in more work!

When you finally bring your creation to life or after 12 rounds, the game comes to an end. At that moment, the player with the most victory points becomes the one who fulfills Frankenstein’s dark legacy, whatever that may mean.

How to Begin

First, let’s set up the game board. Place the Paris board right in the middle of the play area.

Next, position the event board just above the Paris board.

Now, we need to handle the Leopold the Vast public square cadaver card. Set it aside for now.

Sort all the other cadaver cards by type and shuffle them. This will give us four cadaver decks: Cemetery, Morgue, Hospital, and Public Square.

• Place the morgue deck face up on the Morgue location.
• Put the cemetery deck face down on the Cemetery location.
• Keep all the other decks face down off the board.
• Draw a number of cards from the hospital deck equal to the number of players. Create a face-up stack of those cards at the Hospital location.

Now, let’s move to the scoundrel cards. Shuffle them and create a scoundrel deck off the right side of the board near the Docks location (5a).

Deal 3 scoundrel cards face up to the designated slots above the Docks (5b).

First, I’ll shuffle the research cards and make a research deck on the right side of the board, close to the Academy location (6a). Then, I’ll deal 2 research cards face up and put them in the special slots above the Academy (6b).

Next, I’ll shuffle the humanity cards and create a humanity deck on the left side of the board, near the Saint-Roch location (7a). I’ll deal 2 humanity cards face up and place them in the designated slots above Saint-Roch (7b).

Now it’s time to gather 6 random event cards and 4 random encounter cards. I’ll shuffle them together to create an event deck. To make things interesting, I’ll also grab 2 more random event cards and add them to the top of the event deck. Then, I’ll cover the event deck with the event cover card (as shown here) and place it on the event board. Lastly, I’ll put the Event markers nearby.

First things first, I’m going to set the Captain meeple on the first space of the story track.

Next, depending on how many players are in the game, I’ll place the appropriate Bribe & Bump track on the Paris board. The default track printed on the board is for 4 players.

Now it’s time to choose some bonus objective markers. I’ll randomly select 4 out of the 6 possible markers and place them face up on the Paris board. The remaining 2 will go back in the box.

Let’s get organized! I’ll sort the following components and make sure each player can reach them:

• Leyden jars
• Ice blocks
• Damage Markers
• Alive Markers
• Francs
• Materials (sorted into their 5 colors)
• Shock dice
• Monster Part Tokens (sorted into heads, torsos, arms and legs)
• Police Markers

Lastly, I’ll give each player the following items:

Here’s what you will need for the game:

– 1 random character card (Note: For your first few 2-player games, it’s best to avoid using Prisha Chatwal or Baptiste Rousseau).

– 1 laboratory board (assembled with attribute dials as shown on the back of this rulebook).

– 1 anatomy card.

– Francs equal to the number of players (e.g. if playing with 4 players, each player gets 4 francs).

– 4 scientist meeples, 3 assistant meeples, and a player score marker, all in the same color as the laboratory board.

– 1 player reference card.

Once you have everything, follow these steps to set up the game:

1. Set the attribute dials on your laboratory to 0 for Humanity, and 1 for Reputation and Expertise.

2. Place 1 scientist and 2 assistants on the designated slots on your character card. Keep the remaining meeples aside for now.

In the game, I start by placing my score marker on the 0 space of the score track. Then, we randomly decide who will be the First Player, and they receive the first player creature meeple.

Let the Game Begin!

The game is played in multiple rounds, with each round consisting of 4 phases that we must complete in a specific order.

Event Phase

City Phase

Lab Phase

Reset Phase

Phase I: Event Phase

As the First Player, which is the player holding the creature meeple, I draw a card from the event deck. I then locate the appropriate side of the card that corresponds to the current round. If the card is an event card, I read it out loud and put it into play.

Events can have an immediate effect on the game, and some may even change the rules for the current round. To help us remember the rule changes, we can place event markers at the affected locations.

If the card says “Now”, I read it out loud to the person it’s meant for. But if it has a location trigger, I keep it and don’t tell anyone.

When someone puts their little figure in that place, I say there’s an encounter and read them the right part before they do anything else.

We keep the location cards until the game is over, and only throw them away when we use them. Oh, and if the person with the card forgets to say there’s an encounter, we throw it away without doing anything.

When I pick who I want to have an encounter with, I can choose anyone, even myself. If there’s a condition that more than one player meets, I get to pick from those players. But when I’m the one being targeted, I have to choose someone else to read.

If an event or encounter card tells you to go to a certain entry, it means you should refer to the numbered entries starting on page 10 of this rulebook.

There are 2 extra effects in events that are shown by icons:



Here’s what you need to do: I want you to take a card or two from the public square deck. Then, put those cards face up on the special spots at the Public Square location. Remember, if you’re playing with 2 players, just draw 1 card. But if there are 3 or 4 players, draw 2 cards.



Lightning Storm: Time for some lightning! Everyone charges their Leyden jars (flip them to the charged side). And if you buy a Leyden jar this round, it gets charged right away.

2. City Phase

Now it’s time to build the city. Starting with the First Player and going clockwise, each player takes turns placing their meeples until everyone has placed all of their meeples or they are forced to pass.

On your turn, you have to take one meeple from your character card and put it on a space on the Paris board or your laboratory board. Then you have to deal with the effect of that space. But be careful! If you don’t have any meeples left on your character card when it’s your turn, or if there are no spaces for you to play on, you have to pass your turn.

Where to Put Your Meeples



Hey there! Just wanted to let you know that you can only put a scientist meeple on this space. Pretty neat, huh?



If you want to place a meeple on this space, you’ll need to pay a certain number of francs. Don’t worry, you can always get your francs back by returning them to the supply.

Bump Track



If there’s already a meeple on a space, you’ll need to bump that meeple off before you can put your own meeple there.

To bump a meeple, you’ll move it to the first open space on the bump track and pay the cost indicated on that space by giving the corresponding number of your francs to the owner of the bumped meeple.

If the bump track is already full, you won’t be able to bump the meeple, and you won’t be able to place your meeple on the occupied space.

Note: You can bump your own meeples for free, but only if there’s space available on the bump track.

Effects of Location Spaces

Locations have symbols that indicate their effects. More details about each location effect can be found on page 8 of this rulebook.

3. Lab Phase

During the lab phase, each player will resolve the following actions simultaneously and in the specified order:

I can show you how to build your own monster! You only need a few materials and some imagination. Here is what you’ll do:

• Build a Monster Part (you can do this as many times as you want)
• Throw the Switch (you can do this up to one time)
• Preserve Materials (you can do this as many times as you want)

Let’s start with building a monster part. You can use any materials you like – cardboard, clay, or anything else you can find. Be creative! You can make as many monster parts as you want.

Once you have your monster parts ready, it’s time to throw the switch. This will bring your monster to life! But remember, you can only do this once, so make sure you’re happy with your monster parts before you proceed.

Lastly, preserve your materials. You can use them to make more monster parts in the future or for any other creative projects you have in mind. Don’t let anything go to waste!

Now you have your very own monster creation. Let your imagination run wild as you bring your monster to life. Have fun and enjoy the process of creating something unique and special!



So, you want to create your very own monster part, huh? Well, let me tell you how it’s done. First things first, you need to choose which part you want to build. Check out your anatomy card to help you decide. You can make a head, a torso, two arms, and two legs – but remember, just one of each!

If you’re looking to create a muscle monster part, then the ‘Start a Monster Part’ side of your anatomy card is where you need to turn to.

Now, let’s say you’ve already got one or more muscle parts built, and you want to add some skin to one of them. In that case, the ‘Complete a Monster Part’ side of your anatomy card has got you covered.

Once you’ve picked your part, there’s a step-by-step process to follow:

1. First things first, check if you have the required expertise level to work on that part. It’s important to have the right skills!
2. To start, discard the materials mentioned in the part’s material requirement. Keep in mind the decomposition stage of the most decayed material you are getting rid of. Animal (orange) material can be used instead of other materials, but it earns fewer victory points. Stage III or IV animal material cannot be used in place of blood.
3. Next, add the appropriate part token to your operating table. If you’re adding skin to a muscle part you’ve already built, flip that part token over to the skin side on your operating table, while keeping any damage already done.
4. You will gain 1 Expertise point.
5. You will earn victory points based on the stage of decomposition of the material you used. Subtract 1 or 2 points (maximum) if any animal material was used, as indicated on the anatomy card.

Remember this: If you make a monster part but it gets downgraded (flipped or discarded) later, you don’t lose the expertise and victory points you earned. And if you rebuild that part, you can earn expertise and points for it again!

Activate the Switch



If you have at least one monster part (skin-side up) on your operating table, you can throw the switch once this phase. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Flip one, two, or three of your charged Leyden jars to their uncharged side.
2. Roll two gray shock dice for each Leyden I ar you just flipped. If you have research cards with dice mitigation effects, you can play them now.
3. Fix all instances of the procedure by adding the specified number of tokens, one at a time, to one or more sections on your operating table. If two tokens are ever on a monster section, immediately remove those tokens and lower the level of the monster section by one: if it’s a muscle section, discard it; if it’s a non-living skin or complete section, flip it to its muscle side; if it’s a living section, discard its token.

Note: You can’t add a second damage to a section unless all sections already have one damage.

• Whenever you roll 1 or more , you’ll get 1 .
• If possible, put an marker on a monster part that’s face up on your operating table for each rolled.

When I roll 1 or more , I’ll receive 1 . If I can, I’ll place an marker on a skin-side up monster part on my operating table for each result.



Heads up: You can only use one marker on a monster part.

Maintaining Materials



When playing this game, I can move the purple organs and brown muscle materials from the spaces on my decomposition track to my preservation space. But I need to be careful not to have more than 9 materials in my preservation space at one time.

It’s important to remember that I can sell the preserved organs and muscle by placing them at the Market in later rounds. So, even though I can’t use them right away, they still come in handy.

4. Reset Phase

During this phase, I need to follow these steps:

1. Decompose: If I don’t have an ice block in my lab, I have to discard all materials on stage IV of my decomposition track and all blood material on stage II. Then, I need to move each remaining material in stage I through III one space to the right on my track. But if I have an ice block, things are a bit different. I don’t decompose any materials. Instead, I flip my solid ice block to the half-melted side, and if I have a half-melted ice block, I return it to the supply.

I want to tell you about some important actions in the game. First, let’s talk about refreshing the board. This means getting rid of old cards and replacing them with new ones. At the Hospital, Docks, Academy, and Saint-Roch, we discard the current cards and put new ones in their place. The Hospital gets a number of face up cards equal to the number of players. But at the Public Square, we don’t put any new cards.

Next, we need to refresh our meeples. We collect all the meeples we have placed on the board and return them to our character cards.

Now let’s talk about advancing the captain. The Captain meeple moves one space along the story track. If it reaches the last space, which has a skull symbol, the game ends right away.

When it comes to paying and discarding cards, there are no discard piles in this game. When we play a card or discard it, we place it at the bottom of the deck where it came from.

Lastly, let’s talk about Cadaver cards.



When I draw a Cadaver card, there are a few things I can do. First, I have to pay the card’s cost, if there is one. Then, I have two options:

1. I can increase my expertise by the value shown on the card.
2. I can place the materials listed at the bottom of the card onto the decomposition track or in a bone space in my laboratory.

Just so you know: If I don’t want to resolve a card, I don’t have to pay its cost. Either way, all the cards I draw go back to the bottom of their decks.

Getting Materials

When I’m playing the game, I might gain different materials from certain locations or other effects. These materials will be categorized into one of four stages of decomposition. Stage I is the freshest, and Stage IV is the most decayed.

Hey there! Let’s talk about materials in the game. You know, players can have up to 15 materials on each space of the decomposition track. But if there are more than 15 materials on a space, no worries! Just discard the extra ones.

Now, when you gain materials, all you gotta do is take the right amount and type of materials from your supplies. Then, you place them on the right space on your decomposition track or bone space. A bone space is a special spot on your laboratory board. Oh, and remember, bone materials are special – they never decompose. So, you always put them in the bone space, not the decomposition track. The bone space can hold up to 12 materials. If you don’t use them, you can later sell them at the Market. Cool, right?

By the way, if you happen to run out of materials or francs (which is pretty unlikely, but you never know), feel free to use substitutes. They’ll do the trick!

Now, let’s talk about Humanity and Research Cards



When it comes to humanity and research cards, they have different effects that can help us in our endeavors. I can have up to three of each card, but if I want to draw a fourth humanity or research card, I have to get rid of one first. It’s always my choice whether I want to draw a card or not.

Most cards have specific conditions for when they can be played, but playing them is always optional. When I play a card, it gives me a one-time effect. Some cards also give me an attribute or a benefit in francs, which are shown as icons on the card. After I use the card, it is discarded and goes to the bottom of its deck.

Dice Mitigation

On the other hand, research cards can be played after I roll the shock dice. These cards give me a dice mitigation effect, which is shown as an icon on the card. If I want to roll the dice again, I can play more research cards for that purpose.

Increasing Attributes

When you’re playing the game, some things that happen in certain locations can make your attribute levels either go up or down. If an attribute goes up, you turn the dial for that attribute clockwise according to how much it increased. And if an attribute goes down, you turn the dial counterclockwise by the same amount.

Your humanity, which represents how human you are, can change too. This usually happens when you get these things called or . If you have an , it means your humanity has increased. But if you have an , it means your humanity has decreased because of your scary and bad actions.

Note: Sometimes, certain things make you give up something important. But if you can’t give it up, maybe because it’s really essential to who you are, there are still some good things that can happen to you.



Note: If you reach -10 humanity (), you won’t gain or lose humanity anymore when you take actions that typically cause those changes.

When you move a dial and it lands on or goes past spaces with certain icons, their effects come into play:

• You get 1 assistant meeple. Add it to your character card. If you gain it during the city phase, you can place it then.
• You can swap 1 assistant for 1 scientist meeple. If you replace an assistant already at a location, it won’t change any effects that have already been resolved there.
• You gain 1 reputation.

When I lose reputation, it’s not a good thing. Losing reputation means that people don’t trust me. And trust is a valuable currency in this world. So, I have to be careful about my actions and decisions, making sure that I don’t do anything that will make people think less of me. I need to be mindful of my assistants. They are an important part of my work. If I lose an assistant, it will make things harder for me. So, I have to take care of them and make sure they have everything they need. But if all my assistants have become scientists, then I have to be even more careful, because losing a scientist would be a big setback. Sometimes, I get the chance to roll dice. And when I do, I can upgrade one of my dice to make it better. This can give me an advantage in the game. But I have to be strategic about when I use this ability. It’s not something I can do all the time. I have to wait for the right moment to upgrade my dice. And when I reach a certain level of expertise, I can even upgrade two dice at once, which is even better. Sometimes, I have to just wait and do nothing. It might seem frustrating, but it’s actually an important part of the game. At the end of the game, I will earn points based on how well I have developed my attributes. So, even though it might feel like I’m not doing anything, I’m actually setting myself up for success in the future.

In this game, reputation, assistants, dice, and attributes all play a role in determining my success. I have to be mindful of each of these factors and make the right choices to make sure that I come out on top. It’s all about balance and strategy. And if I can master that, then I know I have what it takes to win.

Hey there!

Did you know that sometimes in board games, you might have to reverse the effects of certain actions? It’s called reversing icon effects! Let me explain how it works.

Imagine you’re playing a game, and you land on a space that has a special effect. Let’s say you resolve that effect and continue playing. But what happens if you later pass by that same space, but this time in the opposite direction? Well, you gotta undo the effect of that space!

Here’s an example to help you understand:

Let’s say you’re Player 2, and you decide to take a Murder action at the Dark Alley. This action gives you 3 U, but it also forces you to place a police marker on your character card. Now, this police marker decreases your humanity attribute from 0 to -3, which means you lose 1 reputation as well.

Before taking this Murder action, your reputation was at 7, which earned you a brand new assistant meeple. But unfortunately, your reputation drops to 6 after this action, which reverses the benefit and causes you to lose that extra assistant meeple right away. You can remove it from your character card first, or from the game board or laboratory.

If you want to get your meeple back, you can raise your reputation back up to 7. One way to do this is by increasing your humanity to a number higher than -3, which will undo the reputation loss.

The Game’s End

The game will end in two situations: when the Captain meeple reaches the final space on the story track, or when one or more players successfully bring their monster to life by completing all 6 body parts during a lab phase.

When the game ends, each player will earn additional victory points based on the following:



Hey there! Let’s talk about scoring points in the game. It’s pretty simple, really. You can earn victory points in a few different ways.

• First, you’ll get some points for each monster part that you manage to keep alive. Keep an eye on them!
• Next, if you complete any bonus objectives, you’ll earn even more points. So keep an eye out for those too!
• Your reputation and expertise dials also come into play. The higher your victory point values on those, the more points you’ll score.
• Your humanity dial is important too. Depending on whether you reach the highest or lowest value, you’ll gain or lose points.
• If the game ends with the Captain reaching the last space on the story track, the player with the highest positive humanity gets a bonus of 5 victory points. If there’s a tie, everyone who’s tied gets the bonus points.

Once all the players have counted up their victory points, it’s time to see who comes out on top. The player with the most victory points is the winner! If there’s a tie, we’ll use these tiebreakers:

1. First, we’ll look at who has the most alive monster parts.
2. Whoever has the highest number of francs.
3. Your position in the turn order compared to the First Player: 1. If you are the First Player, 2. If you are to the left of the First Player, etc.

Extra Goals



Bonus objectives in the game are extra points you can earn by completing specific conditions on the bonus objective markers. Some objectives are achievable during the game, like being the first to reach 27 Expertise, while others are determined after the game ends, like having the most francs.

When you meet the condition, you take the marker and keep it in your play area. These points will be added to your score at the end of the game, and once you claim an objective, no one else can obtain it.

Keep in mind that if multiple players meet the condition for the same bonus objective at the same time during the lab phase, the tie breaker is determined by each player’s turn order relative to the First Player. For example, the First Player would get the objective first, followed by the player to their left, and so on.

Here are some tips to help you increase your Expertise:

– Draw and use cadaver or scoundrel cards.

Unlocking Strategies in “Paris Monster Lab”

If you want to make progress in “Paris Monster Lab,” there are several key strategies you should keep in mind. By understanding how to use each aspect of the game to your advantage, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a master monster creator. Let’s dive in!

How to Progress in the Game:

• Take advantage of the Advanced Research at the Academy
• Get hands-on practice in your lab
• Embark on and complete Monster Parts
• Utilize the power of certain research cards

Increasing Your Reputation:

• Impress others by giving a lecture at the Academy
• Support the Academy by donating francs
• Contribute your time as a volunteer at the Hospital
• Harness the power of specific research and humanity cards
• Strive to improve your humanity

Becoming More Humane:

• Assign a scientist to the Saint-Roch facility
• Lend a helping hand as a volunteer at the Hospital
• Deploy humanity cards and embrace compassion
• Deal with Dog Catcher scoundrels swiftly and effectively

Earning Francs:

• Secure a paid position at the Hospital
• Make a profit by selling materials at the Market
• Share your expertise by giving lectures at the Academy
• Unlock the potential of certain research cards
• Occasionally accept bribes for professional favors

Now that you know the key strategies, it’s time to put them into action. With these insights and the right approach, you’ll conquer “Paris Monster Lab” and leave your mark on monster science!