How to Play Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Place the Paris Board

Position in center of play area, noting Locations with location spaces and card slots, the Bribe & Bump track (S), Bonus Objectives slots (SW), and outside Score Track

Sort mini-cards by location

Take the 100 mini-cards and organize by the seven locations

Prepare Public Square

Take 10 Public Square Cadaver cards, set aside Leopold the Vast, shuffle rest facedown and place near location (card slots remain empty until execution event fills them)

Prepare Cemetery

Take 14 Cemetery Cadaver cards, shuffle facedown, place as a stack in the card slot

Prepare Hospital

Take 14 Hospital Cadaver cards, shuffle facedown near location, draw cards equal to player count and place faceup as a stack in the card slot

Prepare Morgue

Take 14 Morgue Cadaver cards, shuffle faceup and place as a stack in the card slot

Prepare Academy

Take 16 Research cards, shuffle facedown near location, draw 2 cards faceup to the 2 card slots

Prepare Docks

Take 16 Scoundrel cards, shuffle facedown near location, draw 3 cards faceup to the 3 card slots

Prepare Saint-Roch

Take 16 Humanity cards, shuffle facedown near location, draw 2 cards faceup to the 2 card slots

Add Bump Track for fewer players

If 2-3 players, place the Bump Track board on the Bribe & Bump track with appropriate player count side up

Set Bonus Objectives

Take 6 Bonus Objective markers, randomly select 4 and place faceup on the slots, box unused

Place tokens nearby

Set out 24 Alive markers, 28 Damage markers, 42 Francs, 4 Ice Blocks, 16 Leyden Jars, and 12 Police markers

Place Monster Parts

Set out 30 double-sided Monster Parts (5 Heads, 5 Torsos, 10 Arms, 10 Legs)

Place Materials Cubes

Set out 170 cubes in five colors: Muscle, Organs, Blood, Bone, and Animal

Place Shock dice

Set out 8 dice (6 grey normal + 2 blue upgrade)

Prepare Event Board

Place above the main board, noting Event Deck slot (NW) and Story Track (S)

Build Event deck

Without peeking, randomly take 6 Event cards + 4 Encounter cards and shuffle together, place 2 more random Event cards on top, then place Event Cover card on top of entire stack

Place Event markers

Set the 4 Event markers near the Event Board

Place Captain meeple

Position on Story Track first space

Select Character

Each player picks a color and takes 1 of the 6 Character cards

Take Laboratory Board

Each player takes 1 of 4 Laboratory Boards

Set initial Attributes

Set dials to Humanity = 0, Reputation = 1, Expertise = 1

Take reference cards

Each player takes 1 double-sided Anatomy card and 1 double-sided Player Reference card

Distribute starting Francs

Each player takes Francs equal to the number of players

Distribute meeples

Each player takes 4 matching Scientist meeples (1 on Character card slot, rest as supply) and 3 Assistant meeples (2 on Character card slots, rest as supply)

Place score markers

Each player places their Player Score Marker on the Score Track's 0 space

Determine first player

Randomly select 1st Player who takes the 1st Player Creature meeple; turn order proceeds clockwise

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Draw Event card

First Player draws and resolves a card from the Event deck

Flip to correct side

Show the side matching the current Round number of the Captain meeple

Check for side effects

Resolve any SE icons per the Event Board

Resolve Event cards

Follow the rules text; if a Location is modified, optionally place a marker as reminder; lookup Entry in rulebook if indicated

Handle Encounter cards

Check the Trigger condition to determine timing and target

Take turns placing meeples

In turn order, each player takes a turn until all meeples have been placed

Choose a meeple

Select a meeple from your Character card's meeple slots

Place on a location space

Put the meeple on a location space on either the Paris board or your Laboratory Board

Check meeple type

Verify you played the allowed meeple type (Scientist-only vs. Scientist or Assistant)

Trigger Encounter cards

If another player has an Encounter card triggered by this Location, they must interrupt to resolve it now

Handle Bumping

If any other meeple is already on the space, move that meeple to an empty Bump Track space and pay that player the indicated Francs

Resolve the action

Perform the action of that location space

First Player space resolution

If a meeple is on the First Player space, that player may move and play their meeple after all others are out of meeples

*Academy (E)**

Advanced Research

Take a Research card and also gain Expertise

Research

If you have 3 Research cards, discard 1 first; take one faceup Research card and immediately replenish

Lecture

Get paid 1 Franc and gain 1-2 Reputation depending on meeple type

Donate

Pay 1-3 Francs to gain 1-3 Reputation

*Cemetery (NW)**

Dig Up

Draw 3 Cemetery Cadaver cards, choose 0-3 to resolve, discard all drawn cards to bottom of deck

*Dark Alley (SE)**

Murder

Only available if you have fewer than 2 Police on your Laboratory Board; gain indicated Materials and take 1 Police to your board (max 2, then forbidden); may pay 3 Francs anytime to discard all your Police

*Docks (SE)**

Hire a Scoundrel

Choose a faceup Scoundrel card, pay the cost in Francs and/or Humanity, choose one effect to resolve, discard to bottom of deck and replenish

*First Player (NE)**

Take First Player marker

Your meeple cannot be bumped; after all other players are out of meeples, you may move and play your meeple normally

*Hospital (N)**

Retrieve Cadaver

Must have Reputation 7+; you may only see the top card of the faceup stack

Volunteer

Play a Scientist to gain Humanity and 2 Reputation

Work

Play a Scientist to gain Francs based on your Reputation

*Market (S center)**

Buy/Sell Stuff

Perform any combination of the following any number of times:

*Morgue (NNW)**

Buy Cadaver

Draw 2 Morgue Cadaver cards, choose 0-2 to resolve, discard all to bottom of deck

*Public Square (NW)**

Buy Cadaver

Only available if execution event has placed faceup cards here; pay 1 Franc, take any 1 faceup card and resolve, discard without replenishing

*Saint-Roch (SW)**

Atone

Gain Humanity if placing a Scientist; if you have 3 Humanity cards, discard 1 first; take one faceup Humanity card and replenish

*Slaughterhouse (NE)**

Retrieve Animal Materials

Take either 3 Animal cubes to slot I or 4 Animal cubes to slot II

*Your Laboratory Board**

Practice

Gain Expertise

Give Blood

Take 3 Blood cubes to slot I

Repair

Discard up to 3 Damage markers from your Monster Parts

Charge

Flip 2-3 Leyden Jars to charged side depending on meeple type

Build a Monster Part

Perform as many times as desired and can afford

Throw the Switch

Perform maximum once per Lab Phase

Preserve Materials

Move any number of materials from Decomposition Track to Preservation area (max 9 total); this is one-way and preserved materials may only be SOLD at the Market

Decompose Materials

If Ice slot is empty, discard all Materials in slots IV and Preservation; otherwise flip Ice to half-melted or half-melted to discarded; slide all remaining materials +1 slot right

Refresh Public Square

Discard all faceup cards there

Refresh Hospital

Discard all faceup cards and replenish with faceup stack equal to player count

Refresh Academy

Replenish with 2 faceup cards to slots

Refresh Docks

Replenish with 3 faceup cards to slots

Refresh Saint-Roch

Replenish with 2 faceup cards to slots

Leave Cemetery and Morgue alone

Do not refresh these locations