Credits
Created By Tropical Heat Studios, LLC.
Producer/Project Lead
AJ Smith
Associate Producer
Noah Scammon
Game Designers
AJ Smith
Noah Scammon
​
Art Director
Angela Sprecher
Esteemed Doctor,
We are writing to you today because we have heard of your recent termination from your Chancellor of Science position within The Village. Our condolences on the loss of a lucrative position and the subsequent defamation of your name. However, we recognize your unparalleled genius in environments without the restriction of petty things like morality and empathy. We wish to reach out to you and enable you to continue your research. Within this care package, you will find our notes and some resources to get you back to where you left off. Please experiment to your heart’s content; we couldn’t bear to see another brilliant mind lost to the wastes of boredom. Remember that the community will always be here for you in your time of need, and together, we will make them pay.
With love,
The League of Mad Scientists
Contents
Your Objective and Ending the Game
Universal Rules
Anatomy of Cards
Lab Space
Starting a Game
Your Turn
Opponent’s Turn
End Game
How to Calculate your Score
Modes
Glossary
​
___XX0
____________________XX1
__________________XX2
________________________XX3
___________________XX4
_________________________XX5
___________________XX6
________________________XX7
__________XX8
___________________________XX9
________________________XX10
Your Objective and Ending the Game ___________________________________XX0
You must fill your Lab with 1 of each of 4 Body Parts: a Head, a Torso, Arms, and Legs. (You only need 1 card to represent each set of limbs.)
​
Each of these Body Parts has an Energy Cost. This is the number of cards used as Energy that a Body Part needs in order to be fully Energized.
​
The first player to have all 4 Body Parts fully Energized, and therefore have a Fully Energized Frankenfur, will initiate Doomsday by yelling (at a reasonable volume) “It’s Alive!”
​
Doomsday is a 3-turn cycle for all players that begins with the player after the player who initiated Doomsday. Each player has 3 more turns before the game ends. Doomsday ends when the player who initiated Doomsday takes their third and final turn.
Whoever has the highest number of points wreaks the heaviest damage upon The Village, and therefore wins the game!
Beware! If at any point during the game your Deck becomes empty, you are automatically out of the game.
Universal Rules ____________________________________________________XX1
All rules are in play by default unless a card says otherwise.
​
A face-up vertical card represents itself as its specific card type.
​
A face-up horizontal card is treated as an energy card.
​
Further information can be found in the Glossary (XX10) at the end of this Instruction Manual.
Anatomy of Cards __________________________________________________XX2
In Frankenfur!, there are three kinds of cards: Body Parts, Assistants, and Experiments.
Assistants
While an Assistant is in your lab, they can provide rule-altering effects to help you gain a firm advantage against the opposition. Assistants are cards that remain on the Battlefield after they have been played. They are removed only by other card effects or when they are Attacked.
You may not have more than 1 Assistant of the same name in your Lab at the same time.
A picture of an example Assistant, illustrating the location of the Assistant Symbol, Assistant Name, Color, Card Effect, HP, Defense Cost, and Voltage Points (VP).
Body Parts
There are 4 Body Part types in Frankenfur!: Head, Torso, Arms, and Legs. The Energy Cost represents how many Energy cards (not their VP) the Body Part requires to be Fully Energized. When a Body Part is played into the lab, you may not remove it or swap it for another one unless a card effect says otherwise.
A picture of an example Body Part, illustrating the location of the Body Part Symbol, Body Part Name, Color, Energy Cost, Completion Bonus, Card Effect, and Voltage Points (VP).
Experiments
Experiments are cards used as a one-time on-use effect that provide powerful effects to turn the tide of the game in your favor. After the Experiment card is activated, the Experiment card is placed in the Graveyard.
A picture of an example Experiment, illustrating the location of the Experiment Symbol, Experiment Name, Color, Card Effect, and Voltage Points (VP).
Energy
Any card may be converted into an Energy card to Energize a Body Part or Assistant. You indicate that a card has been converted into Energy by turning it horizontal and tucking it under the card that is being Energized. When a card is being used as Energy, it is no longer considered its original card type.
Lab Space ________________________________________________________XX3
​
You and your opponent(s) are all playing on the same Battlefield. Throughout a game, you will fill your Lab with Assistants and enough Body Parts to assemble a Frankenfur.
​
Starting a Game ___________________________________________________XX4
​
Each player begins by shuffling their Deck.
​
Each player cuts their Deck in half and turns over the half in their hand to reveal the underside card. The player whose card has the highest Voltage Points gets to decide who goes first. If the highest Voltage Points are equal, cut the Deck and reveal again, until someone has the highest number.
​
Turn order thereafter is clockwise from the starting player. Players return their cut half to their Deck after any reveals. Once turn order is determined, each player draws 7 cards and the game begins.
​
The player who goes first may not Energize on their first turn.
Suggested Layout of your Lab
A picture of the suggested layout for your Lab. Your "bench" of three Assistants is on the left hand side. The Body Parts are oriented in a two by two grid with the Arms in the upper left, Head in the upper right, Legs in the lower left, and Torso in the lower right. Cards being used as Energy are horizontal and placed under the Assistant or Body Part that they are Energizing.
​
1. Draw
When you start your turn, draw 1 card from your Deck.
​
2. Standby
During Standby, any card effects that specify that they trigger during standby are allowed to take effect.
​
3. Action
During your Action Phase, you may do one of each of the following actions, in any order:
​
-
Play a Body Part card
-
Play an Assistant
-
Play an Experiment
-
Convert a card into an Energy card and use it to Energize a Body Part or an Assistant. (If this is the first turn of the game, you may not Energize.)
-
Discard a Body Part from your hand in order to draw 3 cards from the top of your Deck.
In the instance where 2 cards effects would activate on your turn, the priority order is as follows:
​
-
Card being played from hand triggers first
-
Assistant effects trigger second
-
Body Parts already on the field trigger third
​
4. Cannon
As the last phase of your turn, you may use the “Cannon” and target opposing Assistants in order to perform an Attack.
​
In order to perform an Attack on an opposing Assistant, you must choose resources from your hand with combined Voltage Points equal to or greater than the HP of the targeted Assistant. Declare your target and display the resources you’re spending to your opponent. Discard the resources you spent regardless if the Attack was successful or blocked.
​
You may only use the Cannon once per turn.
Your turn immediately ends after using the Cannon.
5. End
End your turn. If you started your turn with any Sabotaged Assistants in your Lab, you may now Unsabotage those Assistants.
Attacking
Whenever you Attack an opposing player’s Assistants, either through the Cannon or a card’s Effect text, you are attempting to remove the targeted Assistant from the Battlefield.
Your opponent immediately has the opportunity to defend their Assistant by sacrificing Voltage Points attached to their Body Parts or Assistants equal to or greater than the targeted Assistant’s Defense Cost.
If your opponent does not defend their Assistant, the attack was successful, and they must discard the targeted Assistant.
Your Turn ___________________________________________________________XX5
Opponents’ Turns ____________________________________________________XX6
Some cards can impact an opponent’s turn. When card effects from one or more players are triggered at the same time, the order of priority is:
-
All card effects preventing your opponent’s actions
-
The card or effect being played/activated
-
All card effects that react to your opponent’s actions
End Game _________________________________________________________XX7
After Doomsday concludes, ending the game, all players add up their total score to see how much damage their Frankenfur and surviving Assistants wreak upon The Village. The player with the highest score wins! To find your score, add the following:
-
The Voltage Points of cards being used as Energy
-
The Completion Bonus of Fully Energized Body Parts
-
The Voltage Points of the Assistants still in your Lab
-
Counters that you have in your Lab at the end of the game
-
See the diagram below for a visual guide on how to calculate your score.
How to Calculate your Score __________________________________________XX8
A visual guide for calculating your score. Add up the Voltage Points (VP) of your Assistants. Add up the Voltage Points (VP) of any Energy attached to your Assistants. Add up the Voltage Points (VP) of all of the card being used as Energy for your Body Parts. Add up all of your Voltage Point Counters. Finally, add up the Completion Bonus for your Fully Energized body parts. Do NOT include the Voltage Points of cards being used as your Body Parts.
Modes _____________________________________________________________XX9
In the true spirit of scientific discovery, we encourage you to experiment with your own rules! Share some of your custom rulesets with us on social media using the hashtag #frankenfur!
Deck Rules
-
Minimum 50 cards
-
Maximum 70 cards
-
You may not have more than 3 copies of a card with the same name in your deck
One-on-One Mode
-
One-on-One Mode is for 2 players
-
Each player has 1 deck of their own
-
You may have a maximum of 3 Assistants in your Lab at a time.
​
Free-for-All Mode
-
Free-for-All mode is for 3 to 4 players
-
Each player has 1 deck of their own
-
You may have a maximum of 2 Assistants in your Lab at a time.
Party Mode
-
Party Mode is for 2 to 4 players.
-
Every player draws from a communal deck of cards as their Deck. The Graveyard is also communal.
-
Instead of cutting the Deck to determine turn order, each player rolls a 6-sided die. The player with the highest roll goes first. If the highest is tied, continue to roll until someone has the highest number. Turn order is clockwise from the starting player. You will draw your initial 7 cards when it is your first turn, plus 1 additional card for each player that has drawn their cards before you.
-
You may have a maximum of 2 Assistants in your Lab at a time.
-
Any cards that say to “search the Deck” or “search the Graveyard” will be treated as if they say “search the first 7 cards” of the specified pile instead.
-
When the Deck is exhausted, shuffle the Graveyard and turn it over. This is the new Deck.
Party Mode Deck Rules
-
Minimum 50 cards for each player in the game (ex: 4 players would play with 200 cards minimum)
-
No maximum cards
-
There are no limits to how many copies of a card can be within the deck.
Glossary __________________________________________________________XX10
Assistant; Assistants
Assistants are ally cards that can be placed in your lab and activate powerful, game-altering abilities. Unlike experiments, Assistants are not discarded after activating their effect. They can only be discarded after they are successfully attacked or discarded by a card’s effect.
Attack; Attacking
Attacking is a maneuver in Frankenfur! where a player targets an Assistant in attempt to discard that Assistant from the Battlefield.
Battleground
The entire play space that includes all players.
​
Body Part; Body Parts
There are 4 Body Part types in Frankenfur!: Head, Torso, Arms, and Legs. A complete Frankenfur must have 4 cards: 1 for each category. (See p. 4)
Color
There are 8 Colors in Frankenfur!:
​
​
​
​
​
​
Completion Bonus
Completion Bonuses are the light blue number in the middle of Body Part cards. Completion Bonuses are added to your Voltage Points total at the end of the game, but only if you have Fully Energized that Body Part.
Deck
The pile that you draw cards from by default.
Doomsday
Doomsday is triggered as soon as a player has all four Body Parts, and all 4 of them are fully Energized. The player who triggers Doomsday yells (at a reasonable volume) “It’s Alive!” and, by doing so, initiates the last 3-turn cycles, beginning with the player that goes after the player who triggered Doomsday.
Energy Cost
A Body Part’s Energy Cost is the black number in the middle of the card. This is the minimum number of cards that must be attached as Energy to Fully Energize that Body Part.
Energize; Energizing; Energized
The act in which a card is used as Energy and attached to a Body Part or an Assistant. When this is done, the card is considered an “Energy Card”. You must indicate cards being used as Energy cards by laying them horizontally in your Lab. Place Energy
cards under the specific card it is Energizing. Make sure to keep the Voltage Point value visible for all players to read. Cards that are used as Energy cannot use their Effect and are solely being used for their Voltage Point value, unless a card effect states otherwise.
Experiments
Experiments are one-time use cards. Their Effects immediately trigger when you play them and are discarded right after use.
Graveyard
Your Graveyard is where you discard your cards.
Lab
An individual player’s space. You have your own Lab, and your opponents have their own Lab.
Sabotage
Sabotage is a status afflicted upon Assistants by some card effects, wherein the affected Assistant is “silenced” and their card effect is no longer active. A Sabotaged Assistant is indicated by turning them upside down. If you start your turn with any Sabotaged Assistants, you will be able to Unsabotage them at the end of your turn. If you Sabotage your own Assistant during your turn, they are not eligible to be Unsabotaged at the end of that turn.
Unsabotage
An Unsabotaged Assistant may use their Effect upon being Unsabotaged. You may Unsabotage an Assistant in the following ways:
-
Any Assistant that was Sabotaged at the beginning df your current turn may be Unsabotaged at the end of your turn.
-
By use of the Effect of another card.
You may not Unsabotage any Assistants that become Sabotaged during your current turn.
Upgrade
Some Assistants may have “Upgrade” in their effect text. When an Assistant with an Upgrade has any Energy cards attached to them, that Assistant will be able to utilize their Upgrade ability.
Voltage Points
Voltage Points are a value that is added to your total score at the end of the game. They are indicated by the light blue number at the bottom section of every card in the game. The player with the highest Voltage Points total at the end of Doomsday wins the game.
Voltage Point Counters
Some card effects allow you to put Voltage Point Counters on Body Parts or Assistants. Each 1 Counter adds 1 additional point to your Voltage Point total score if they are still present at the end of Doomsday. If a card with Counters is discarded, the Counters are discarded as well.
The Frankenfur! colors. In order from left to right: Red (a fang), Green (a leaf), Blue (a fish within a fish), Yellow (a turtle shell), Orange (a wing), Purple (a tuft of crass), Black (a broken bone), White (a parasitic worm).
Credits
Created By Tropical Heat Studios, LLC.
Producer/Project Lead
AJ Smith
Associate Producer
Noah Scammon
Game Designers
AJ Smith
Noah Scammon
Art Director
Angela Sprecher
Special Thanks
Chris Luzynski
Dylan Schettina
Freddie Fuentes
Dsarvess Rientel
LunarKeys
Extra special thanks to our 2021 Patrons!
Bahama Mama
apresmidiaparis
Piña Colada
AgentKaz
Gigi
Inkwell
Jay K.
RL
ShadowKitty
transatlanticalien
Mai Tai
Maurice Hagelstein
Molly Green
Noah the Bear
Victor Bell
Woden’s Skadi