Contents
Welcome to the Chez Geek Game Rules
Hey there! Today, I want to share with you the game rules for Chez Geek. It’s an awesome game that you’ll totally enjoy. So let’s dive right in, shall we?
First things first, let’s talk about the goal of the game. In Chez Geek, the ultimate objective is to be the first player to earn enough Slack points to win. Now, you might be wondering, what the heck are Slack points? Well, my friend, Slack points represent your ability to slack off and enjoy life. The more Slack points you have, the closer you are to victory!
Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how the game works. The game is played over a series of turns, and on each turn, you have a variety of actions you can take. These actions include playing cards, doing chores, and earning Slack points. You’ll want to choose your actions wisely to maximize your chances of winning.
One of the cool things about Chez Geek is the wide range of cards available for you to play. There are Roommate cards, Job cards, and Recreation cards, just to name a few. Each card has its own unique effects and can help you earn Slack points or hinder your opponents. So keep an eye out for those cards and use them to your advantage!
Of course, the game wouldn’t be complete without a bit of chaos. You see, Chez Geek has these things called “Chance Cards.” These cards can completely change the course of the game in an instant. They can give you a sudden burst of Slack points, force you to do chores, or even make your opponents lose Slack points. So be prepared for some unexpected twists and turns!
Now, let’s talk about the endgame. As I mentioned earlier, the first player to earn enough Slack points wins. The number of Slack points needed to win depends on the number of players in the game. The more players there are, the more Slack points you’ll need to come out on top. So keep hustling, my friend, and aim for that victory!
Well, that’s a wrap on the Chez Geek game rules. I hope you found this guide helpful and that you’re excited to give the game a try. Remember, it’s all about earning those Slack points and embracing the art of slacking off. So gather your friends, set up the game board, and let the slacking begin!
Welcome to Friday night at Chez Geek! Grab a beer, turn on the TV, and get ready for some fun. In this game, you and your friends become roommates, living together and experiencing all the ups and downs that come with it. The goal of Chez Geek is to be the first to reach your personal Slack Goal. Sounds exciting, right? Let me tell you more.
What’s in the Box?
Dive into a world of possibilities with Life Cards! This exciting game comes with everything you need to embark on a thrilling adventure. Here’s what you’ll find inside the box:
- 202 Life Cards (yellow backs)
- 17 Job Cards (purple backs)
- 4 blank Life Cards
- 1 blank Job Card
- Slack Tokens
- Six-side die
- Rulebook
Getting Started
Let’s set up the game. There are two types of cards in Life Cards – Life and Job cards. Make sure to keep them in separate piles. Each player or roommate will need a designated space on the table for their room. This space is where they’ll place the cards they’ve played for Activities and Things, as well as the People who have come over to visit.
Job Cards
The Job Cards add an exciting twist to the game. They represent different job opportunities that you can explore. Keep an eye out for these cards as you play – they might just lead you to success!
There are 17 purple cards that represent different jobs. Each card has three numbers and a special advantage or disadvantage.
- Income determines how much money you can spend on shopping or activities. Your income is given to you at the beginning of your turn and cannot be saved. If you don’t spend your income, it disappears at the end of your turn.
- Free Time represents the number of things you can do during your Free Time phase.
- The Slack Goal is the number of Slack points you need to win the game.
- Each job card also comes with a special perk or disadvantage that affects what you can or cannot do.
Note: In a two-player game, it’s recommended to either remove the Slacker and Drummer job cards from the deck or give them to each player to start with.
Variable Income and Free Time
Okay, listen up! Here’s how it works: some Job cards have two numbers, like 2/3, for Income or Free Time. And guess what? You get to roll a dice each turn, during your Roll phase, to determine whether you have the lower or higher number for that turn.
So, let me break it down for you. If you roll a 1, 2, or 3, you’ll have the lower number. But if you roll a 4, 5, or 6, you’ll have the higher number. Simple, right?
Life Cards
Let’s talk about the rest of the cards. They have yellow backs and are called Life Cards – they’re an essential part of the regular deck.
These Life Cards come in four different kinds, each with a different color on the front: green for Person, blue for Thing, red for Activity, and orange for Whenever. If you happen to run out of Life Cards during a game, just shuffle the discarded pile and use them again.
Quick note: You’re not allowed to give away or trade your cards with your roommates. However, you can show them your hand if you want to, and you can make any deals you like about how you will play your cards.
But here’s the catch – no deal is binding if someone decides to break it. Life can be tough in the big city, after all.
Game Play
Now let’s move on to how the game is played. The dealer shuffles the Jobs cards and deals one face-up to each player. Then, the dealer shuffles the Life Cards and gives each player five face-down.
When we play this game, it’s important that we understand the order of play. Since I’m the dealer, the player to my left will go first. After that, we’ll take turns going clockwise. Each of us will have five phases during our turn: Draw, Roll, Call People, Free Time, and Discard.
1. Draw
I’ll start by drawing cards from the Life card pile. I’ll keep drawing until I have six cards in my hand. If I have the Corporate Drone job, then I can draw seven cards instead. But remember, I can never have more cards than that in my hand at any time.
2. Roll
During this phase, I might have to roll a die. Some of the cards in the game will require me to roll at the start of my turn. I can roll to determine my Income or Free Time, or to get rid of a Person card. This is when I’ll roll the die.
Example: Meet Van Zele, the amazing drummer with a flexible schedule! During his free time, he rolls a dice to determine how much time he has available.
For this round, he rolls a 1, which means he has 2 units of free time. Get ready for an awesome gig, Van Zele!
3. Connect with People
Person cards represent potential visitors to your apartment. They can only be played during the Connect with People phase. You can call as many people as you want, as long as you have their cards in your hand.
There are two types of Person cards: invited (they bring good vibes) and uninvited (they have zero or negative vibes, along with other not-so-great qualities).
Invited People must be called, following a specific process. Uninvited People can be played during the Connect with People Phase, but you don’t have to call them. After all, you want to spend time with cool people, not jerks. Here’s how you play a Person card:
- Remember, Whenever cards can be played on anyone at any time, unless the card text says you can’t.
- You can play a TV card to cancel someone else’s Free Time. Pretty neat, huh? (For more info on TV Cards, check out the section below).
I have this cool card game idea! Let me break it down for you. First, I’ll announce that I want someone to come over, and I’ll play a card to make it official. I’ll specify whether they’re coming to my room or another player’s room. If the person is not interested, tough luck for them because I’ll play them right away.
But wait, there’s an option for them to give me some slack. If they do, I’ll roll a die. If I roll a 1 or 2, they’re not home, and I discard the card. But if I roll a 3 to 6, the call succeeds! The person stays in my room, and any effects they have on the game take place. Plus, I get some bonus slack if they were played in another player’s room. Awesome, right?
If I want to kick out an uninvited person from my room, I can decide where they go next. Oh, and there’s something special about pet cards. They count as people cards and can be played during this phase. They don’t require a roll – I just announce them and put them in my room.
So, what do you think? It’s a pretty fun game, right?
To Get Rid of People
When it’s my turn, I have the option to remove any people from my room, except for cats. If I want someone to leave, I simply roll a die. If the result is 1-3, that person stays and any negative effects they have take place.
If I roll a 4-6, I have two choices. I can either discard the person or send them to any other room they are allowed to enter. If I choose to send them to another room, they won’t have any effect on me for that turn. It’s important to note that unwanted people only start having a negative effect on me after I roll to get rid of them, and not before they enter my room.
For example: Let’s say Mike plays Choad Warrior on Pam and Pam discards Microwave Popcorn, which is a food card. During Pam’s next turn, she tries to get rid of Choad Warrior. However, she rolls a 3, so Choad Warrior stays.
Ah, the Choad Warrior strikes again! Pam decides to discard her White Russian and pacify this unwelcome intruder. When her next turn comes around, Pam throws the dice and lands on a 6. Hooray! The Choad Warrior must retreat. Since Pam is in control of the card, she stashes it away in Mike’s room. Talk about turning the tables! Now it’s Mike’s turn to get rid of a card, and the cycle continues…
4. Leisure Time
During this phase, you have the freedom to utilize your leisure time by engaging in some shopping or indulging in enjoyable activities. Each block of leisure time grants you the opportunity to partake in one exciting activity or embark on a delightful shopping spree. If you happen to have cards that grant you extra leisure time, you can play them as well. Remember, it’s essential to declare how you’re going to make the most of your leisure time.
Try to carry yourself in a way that gives off the impression that leisure time is the most precious thing in the world; make your roommates green with envy (“Oh wow, that tattoo looks awesome!”). In order to purchase any item or participate in any activity, you must possess the corresponding card.
More Leisure Time
When you play a card that gives you more Free Time, it takes effect right away. For instance, if you play the Narcolepsy card, you’ll get an extra hour of Free Time. And the best part is, you can use that Free Time immediately!
Now, let’s talk about Shopping. Whenever you decide to go Shopping, you need to let everyone know. It doesn’t matter how many Things you buy during that trip, it’s all considered one Shopping trip.
But here’s the thing – if someone interrupts your Shopping, all the Things you bought will go back to your hand. However, if you still have Free Time and Income left, you can try Shopping again.
If no one stops you from Shopping, you can buy as many Things as your Income allows. So, if you have enough money, go ahead and treat yourself!
For example, let’s say Megan has an Income of 3 and two hours of Free Time. She can go on a Shopping spree and buy as many Things as she wants, as long as she can afford them. It’s a great way to make the most of your time and money.
I’m playing Change in Couch, so my Income this turn goes up to 4. Now, here’s where things get interesting: I decide to use my first Free Time to go Shopping. Yup, Retail Therapy, here I come! I pick up Ultra-Slims for 1 Slack and NT Server Docco for 3 Slack. Not bad, right? That adds up to a total of 4 Slack.
I stash both of my new purchases in my room, feeling that rush of excitement as I envision their sweet, sweet benefits. But I’m not done yet. During my second Free Time, I’ve got something else up my sleeve. It’s time to unleash an Activity card!
Let’s Talk About Activities
When it comes to activities, there’s a lot to consider. Some activities have a cost, meaning you need to have enough income to cover it. If you can’t afford it, you won’t be able to do it. So, it’s important to choose wisely.
Now, here’s the exciting part. When you decide on an activity and play the activity card, you have to announce it. But here’s the thing: if no one tries to stop you, you get to place the card in your room and gain some slack. Isn’t that neat?
Oh, and here’s one more thing to keep in mind. Some activities have a variable amount of slack that you can earn. This amount is determined by a roll of the die. So, there’s a little bit of luck involved!
Now, let’s talk about the not-so-great outcomes. If, by some unfortunate turn of events, you end up with zero slack or even less, well, that means the activity didn’t go so well. In that case, the activity card goes in the discard pile. But don’t worry, you still used up some free time, so it’s not a total loss.
During my free time, I like to do something different and exciting. Maybe I’ll go for some Nookie! When I decide to play a Nookie card during my Free Time phase, I make an announcement and play the card at Jimmy’s. I hope no one tries to stop me, so I can proceed without any interruptions. Now it’s time to roll the dice and see what fate has in store for me. If I manage to roll a 1, I’ll get some Slack points from the Nookie card. However, the Slack value for a Nookie is 1 die-1, so if I roll a 1, my Nookie will be worth 0 Slack. It’s a bit disappointing, but that’s just how the game goes sometimes. I discard the card with a touch of regret and lament my unsuccessful Nookie attempt.
Moving on, there’s one important rule to remember. During the Discard phase of my turn, if I have more than five cards in my hand, I must discard down to five. I can choose to discard as many cards as I want, but I can’t go down to zero cards. This rule only applies to discarding, so if I can use all the cards in my hand before my Discard phase, that’s great!
In addition to these rules, there are also some other things that I can do during my turn.
Hey there! Did you know that your Whenever cards can be played on anyone at any time? Yup, it’s true! Unless a specific card text says otherwise, a Whenever card takes effect as soon as it’s played, and then it’s discarded right away.
Now, if a Whenever card has a lasting effect, like “Get a Life,” you’ll want to keep it on the table to remind yourself. Once its effect is over, you can go ahead and discard it.
Now, let’s talk about some cool things you can do when it’s not your turn:
Taking Note of Slack
If an Activity gives me variable Slack, or if anything changes the amount of Slack on any card so the printed value isn’t right anymore, I have to put Slack tokens on the card. I need to put one token for each point of Slack. When you come into my room, you should be able to count up the tokens and see how much Slack I have. The cards with no tokens show the printed value. Red tokens add Slack and yellow tokens take away Slack.
Or: We start the game with a bunch of tokens, as many as our Slack Goal. Then, we mark each card in our room with the right amount of Slack. When someone runs out of tokens, they win.
End of the Game
The first one of us to reach or go over the Slack Goal on their Job card wins right away.
The winner gets to pick their Job Card for the next game before everyone else gets theirs.
Example: Let’s say I have the Job card Tech Support (Slack Goal 20). Right now, I have 19 Slack and I decide to buy Cigarettes. Now, imagine that Beau plays Bum and takes the Cigarettes from me right after I play them. Even though Beau took the Cigarettes, I still win the game because I had 20 Slack, even if it was just for a moment. But, if I had reached my 20th Slack by playing a Sleep card, then a Canceling card could stop me from winning. Why? Because the Canceling card nullifies the effect of the Sleep card, making it as if I never played it in the first place.