Getting Started

In The Theatre, you'll be competing against other Directors to put on the best performance. Cards will be played in 5 card "Acts", pitting cards against each other to appeal to the crowd. If your card has a higher appeal, your opponent's card gets dismissed from the game. Dismiss enough cards from the other Director's decks to put on the best performance and win the game!

"Acts" - 5 Rounds of Cards

Each player draws 5 cards to start an Act.

Players will play one card each round from their hand, for 5 rounds total.
When all cards are played, the Act is over and a new one begins

Layout

The game takes almost no time to setup.

Place your deck nearby
Designate a Breakroom spot for winning cards
Designate a Dismissed spot for losing cards
Keep a shared space for the Play Area

Rounds

Every player plays a single card in a round, starting with a Leader and going clockwise.

At the start, choose a Leader at random.
Whichever card has the highest value wins the round and goes to the Breakroom.
All tied cards and losing cards are moved to Dismissed (out of the game).
Whoever wins the round becomes the new Leader.

If you can't draw 5 cards at the start of the round:

Shuffle your Breakroom into your Deck, then draw 5 cards.
If you still can't draw 5 cards, you're eliminated from the game.
If everyone's eliminated together, whoever has more cards left in their deck wins!

Winning and Losing

To play you'll need:

A deck for each player
- The Theatre Starter Deck is recommended
- A custom made deck with a total cost less than 80 (for 2 players) or 100 (for 3 or more players)
A 6 sided die (The Theatre suit die recommended)
Tokens (recommended) or pencil and paper to mark current bonuses in the Act

- or -

Basic Play

Bonuses and Abilities

At the start of each Act, after players draw 5 cards, roll the Suit Die (6 sided die) to get a Desired Suit.

If the Desired Suit matches the suit of any card played that Act (printed in the top left), that card gets a +3 bonus to it's total value!

If the "null" symbol is shown on the die, no cards get any bonuses this Act!

If using The Theatre Suit Die the color and symbol will correspond directly with what is on the cards. If using a 6 sided die, you can use the following table instead:

1 - Charm (Pink Heart)
2 - Luck (Green Clover)
3 - Agility (Yellow Lightning)
4 - Will (Blue Scroll)
5 - Strength (Red Fist)
6 - Null (No Bonus)

The Suit Die

Boost and Sap

If a card is played with the Boost or Sap ability, take a token with the matching Print and place it in the Play Area. For that round and all future rounds in the Act, all cards that have a matching Print with that token get +1 (Boost) or -1 (Sap) from their value.

Boost and Sap Tokens effect ALL cards played by ALL players (even the one that played it!).

Alternatively, if a player plays a Sap card they can optionally remove any Boost Token in the Play Area, regardless if it matches the Print or not. This can only be chosen if there is already a Boost Token in the Play Area.

The Print of each card is shown in the top right.

Instead of Tokens, you can simply mark +1 or -1 for each Print on paper. There are 8 total Prints in the base game:

Paw
Hoof
Claw
Talon

Slither/Snake
Webbed
Fin
Float

Combo

If a card is played with the Combo ability, the next card that player plays this round will get a +1 bonus added to its value.

This only applies to the next card played by the player who played the Combo card in the first place.

If a card is played with the Finisher ability, the Finisher card gets +1 bonus value for every other card that player has played this Act.

This bonus will be between +0 (for the first card) and +4 (for the last card). The bonus only applies to the Finisher card played.

Finisher

Gamble

If a card is played with the Gamble ability, the player who played it can choose to Gamble at the end of the round. Once all cards are played, the player decides if they want a new card.

If they Gamble, the player draws a card from the top of their deck and plays it next to the Gamble card. The new card is treated as if it was played instead, activating abilities and modifying values.

If the new card wins, both it and the original Gamble card get moved to the Breakroom together. Otherwise they are both dismissed.

If a card is played with the Chaos ability, you will reroll the Suit Die at the end of the round (after all cards are played). All future rounds this Act will use the new roll for their Desired Suit.

Chaos

Deckbuilding

Deckbuilding Rules

When building a deck, the following limitations must be followed:

Every deck must contain at least 5 cards
Every deck must not exceed the total cost for the played format
- The cost of every card is printing in the bottom right. All cards have a minimum cost of 1.
- 2 Players - Cost must not exceed 80
- 3-4 Players - Cost must not exceed 100
A deck can contain no more than three copies of any specific card.
- A "specific card" is any Card Name + Suit combination. For example "Vixie + Charm" is not the same as "Vixie + Luck".

If all players agree to a different total cost, a deck can contain up to that cost (for casual play).

FAQs

What is The Theatre?

It’s a card game where you manage a cast of anthro performers.

How do I start playing?

Begin by building your roster and learning the basic turn structure.

Can I customize my cards?

Yes! You can create unique lineups by mixing performers and staff with different abilities.

Are there expansions planned?

Yes, new cards and stories will be added regularly.

Where can I find the rules?

Rules are available here on the website under the Rules section.

Is The Theatre suitable for beginners?

Absolutely! The game is designed to be welcoming with clear tutorials and easy-to-follow mechanics.

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