How to Play My Father's Work | Rules & Setup Guide

Get Ready

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

Download the app

At least one player must download the My Father's Work app or access the browser version before setup

Choose scenario and players

Select the number of players and story scenario in the app, which provides an introduction and starting page number

Construct the game board

Assemble the five puzzle-piece game board and place the Village Chronicle book so its spine rings fit into the center space

Place the Scenario Box

Find the correct Scenario Box for your chosen scenario and place it nearby

Create the general supply

Place Storybook tokens, +50/+100 VP tokens, and the oval Resource Tray near the board

Set up the Mob Track

Place the Suspicion Marker and Angry Mob token on the Mob Track space indicated by the Storybook

Prepare Estate Upgrade tiles

Shuffle Generation I/II Estate Upgrade tiles face-down in a stack on the marked space, then deal four tiles face-up below it

Shuffle card decks

Shuffle Compulsion cards and Maladjustment cards separately, place near Insanity Track; shuffle A, B, & C Experiment decks and place in Card Tray

Arrange Vanity tiles

Place Vanity Estate Upgrade tiles visible to all players, text side up

Set trackers

Place Generation tracker on GEN I and Round tracker on EARLY

Take player components

Each player takes an Estate board, player aid card, Storage Shed tile (marked "S"), and all pieces of their color

Place Storage Shed

Put your Storage Shed on the leftmost Estate Upgrade plot

Position starting pieces in Lost

Place your two Servant pieces and one Caretaker on the Lost space on the game board

Set track markers

Place your markers on start spaces of Creepy Track, Insanity Track, and Score Track

Position Journal markers

Place your four Journal markers at the start of each Journal Track

Prepare Quarters

Place your Spouse, one Caretaker, your Self piece, and your Voting token on your Estate's Quarters space

Select Masterwork

Shuffle Masterwork Experiments; each player draws one and places it face-up by their Estate (for first games, players may choose instead)

Draw starting hand

At the start of each Generation, draw one Experiment each from A, B, and C decks to form a starting hand of three cards

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Choose pieces from Quarters

Select any piece(s) in your Quarters to place on a single Location in Town or on your Estate

Perform the Location's action

Immediately carry out the effect of the Location where you placed pieces

Place multiple pieces

You may place multiple pieces of a single type on one Location and receive the effect for each piece placed

Pay occupancy fee

If a Town Location already contains any pieces, pay $1 to the supply as an added cost (never more than $1 total regardless of occupancy)

No Estate occupancy cost

There is never an added cost to place pieces on your own Estate

Use Servant pieces

Servants perform actions mainly in Town; they can perform some Estate actions but are Lost at end of round if placed on Record Knowledge or Perform Experiment

Use Caretaker pieces

Caretakers may only perform Estate actions but suffer no penalties for doing so

Use Self piece

Your Self can perform Town or Estate actions; in Town, perform the action twice and skip the $1 occupancy fee

Observe No Self Bonus locations

Some Town Locations marked with x1 only allow you to perform the action once even with your Self

Suffer Creepy/Insane/Mob penalties

When placing pieces on dark spiked-background Locations, suffer the listed penalties (once per turn regardless of pieces placed)

Gather Ingredients

Place pieces at Park, Blacksmith, Cemetery, or Farmer's Market to gain the listed Ingredient types

Gather Knowledge

Place pieces at Library or Traveling Caravan to gain Knowledge cubes of the listed colors

Choose between slash options

When a Location shows rewards separated by a slash, choose one benefit per use

Hire at Laborer's Union

Pay listed costs to take a Servant from Lost and place it in your Quarters for use this round

Buy Estate Upgrades at Builder's Office

Pay the tile's cost, place it in the next empty plot left-to-right, resolve any penalties, and gain the ability immediately

Pay plot expansion costs

The first three Estate plots are free; subsequent plots require additional payment as marked

Replace Estate Upgrades

If your plots are full, either pay to expand or discard an existing Upgrade to place the new one in that spot

Reduce tracks at Church/Town Hall

Arrows under symbols mean moving backwards on that track, away from danger

Monitor Angry Mob track

As you perform Creepy actions, your marker moves right; as townsfolk anger increases, the Mob token moves left

Lose Town access when overtaken

If the Angry Mob marker reaches or passes your Creepy marker, you cannot take Town actions (except the Church)

Gain Insanity bonuses/penalties

For each space moved on Insanity Track, gain the bonus/penalty above and below that space (not when moving backwards)

Draw Compulsion cards

When reaching a space with Compulsion icon, draw a card and keep it secret

Complete Compulsions

When any action fulfills a Compulsion's task, reveal it, score points immediately, and discard

Lose Servants to Insanity

When reaching a space with Servant below it, place that piece below the track; it goes to Lost at round's end

Take Estate Affairs action

Draw three Experiments from any decks, keep one and discard two, or gain $1 instead

Take Record Knowledge action

Pay Knowledge cubes matching a track type to move that marker one space forward

Use permanent Journal Knowledge

Each space advanced on a Journal Track provides one free Knowledge of that type toward all future Experiments

Gain Journal abilities

Reaching second and third spaces on tracks grants permanent abilities (Chemistry: gain Servant; Biology: store 2 Resources; Engineering: counts as completed B Experiment)

Discard to draw cards

When Recording Knowledge, optionally discard Experiments equal to your new level and draw that many new cards

Gain Vanity Upgrades

When reaching the third level of any Journal Track, immediately build a Vanity Estate Upgrade of your choice

Perform an Experiment

Place Self, Caretaker, or 2 Servants on Perform Experiment, pay all costs, place completed Experiment near Estate, gain rewards/penalties

Use Occult as wild Knowledge

Occult Knowledge may substitute for any Knowledge type, but gain 1 Insanity per Occult used

Build Experiment Pyramids

A-level requires only Ingredients; B-level requires 1 completed A plus Ingredients/Knowledge; C-level requires 1 A, 2 B's plus costs; Masterwork requires 1 A, 2 B's, 3 C's plus costs

Score C Experiment bonus

Gain +8VP for C Experiments in Generation I, +4VP in Generation II

Use free actions

Perform abilities marked as "free action" at any time during your turn in addition to your regular action, still paying any costs

Pass when done

If you cannot or do not want to take more actions, you must pass; once passed, take no further actions this round

Winning

How to claim victory.

Play three Generations

The game spans three Generations, each containing three rounds (Early, Middle, Late years)

End of round cleanup

Place Servants from Insanity Track, Record Knowledge, or Perform Experiment on Lost; collect all pieces to Quarters; pass Start Player token clockwise; discard bottom 2 Estate Upgrades and refill

Store one Experiment per Generation

At Generation's end, slide one completed Experiment under Stored Experiments tab (counts as that level permanently)

Check for Maladjustments

Gain 1 Maladjustment for every 2 Compulsion cards remaining at Generation's end

Reset between Generations

Keep Journals, Stored Experiments, Estate Upgrades, and one hand Experiment; discard all Resources, money, other Experiments, Compulsions, and Maladjustments; reset Creepy and Insanity markers

Switch to Generation III tiles

At end of Generation II, replace all Estate Upgrade tiles with Generation III tiles and flip Insanity Track to reverse side

Consult final Storybook

After three Generations, tap the Storybook to resolve final events

Score Vanity Upgrades

Calculate points from your Vanity Estate Upgrade abilities

Deduct Maladjustment penalty

Lose 3VP for each Maladjustment gained at end of third Generation

Score Estate Upgrades

Gain 1VP for each Estate Upgrade on your Estate

Determine the winner

The player with the most points wins and becomes the most revered, feared, ingenious scientist

Break ties

If tied, the player who completed their Masterwork Experiment wins; if still tied, most Estate Upgrades wins; otherwise, share the family's legacy of infamy