Game Objective

Welcome to the literary world of **Paperback**! Prepare to step into the shoes of ambitious novelists, competing to write the most famous paperback novels and achieve glory. The objective is simple: the player with the most **Fame Points** at the end of the game will be the grand winner and the most renowned author!

Setup

Let's set up the table and prepare the stage for our literary adventure:

1. Each player receives their **Starting Deck**: 1 T, 1 R, 1 S, 1 L, 1 N card (all 1¢) and 5 **Fame** cards worth 2¢. Shuffle these 10 cards to form your personal **Draw Pile**.
2. Separate the **Fame** cards (the ones with a Wild question mark) into 4 piles, according to their values (5¢, 8¢, 11¢, 17¢). The number of cards in each pile varies according to the number of players, as shown in the table below:
   • 2 Players: 4x 5¢, 4x 8¢, 2x 11¢, 1x 17¢
   • 3 Players: 6x 5¢, 6x 8¢, 3x 11¢, 2x 17¢
   • 4 Players: 8x 5¢, 8x 8¢, 4x 11¢, 2x 17¢
   • 5 Players: 10x 5¢, 10x 8¢, 5x 11¢, 3x 17¢
   Place these **Fame** piles face up on the table, forming part of the **Offer**.
3. Shuffle the **Common Cards** and reveal 4 of them, placing them face up near the **Offer**, on the length track. The cards should be arranged so that they reveal the length track one at a time.
4. Separate the **Letter Cards** and **Two-Letter Cards** by price (2¢ to 10¢). Combine the 8¢, 9¢, and 10¢ piles. Remove the **Attack Cards** – they are for advanced players.
5. Shuffle each of the seven separated letter piles. Place them face up in the center of the table.
6. Take the top card from each of these piles (except the 2¢ pile) and place it below the corresponding pile. These are the **Alternate Cards**, and both cards (the top card of the pile and the alternate) are available for purchase.
7. The player who most recently read a novel starts the game. Play proceeds clockwise.
8. Each player draws their starting hand of 5 cards.

Game Turn

A turn in **Paperback** is a sequence of steps for you to create your masterpiece and expand your vocabulary:

1. Create a Word

   Use the cards from your **Hand** to form a word. Place the cards of your word face up in front of you. **Fame Cards** (Wilds) can be used as any letter. You can also use the top **Common Card** from the length track once per word, only referencing it and leaving it on the track. You don't have to use all the cards in your hand. Remember: no proper nouns, places, or people's names!

2. Check Word Length

   Count the number of letters in your word (including Wild cards). If the word is equal to or longer than the highest visible number on the **Length Track**, you **gain** the **Common Card**! This reveals the next **Common Card** for everyone to use and increases the length required to gain the next card. When the last **Common Card** is gained, the game ends.

3. Resolve Abilities

   If any of the cards you used in your word have **special abilities**, they are activated now. Abilities of cards not used in the word are not activated. Some abilities only activate if a condition is met. If an ability says you "may" do something, it is optional. Otherwise, you must use the ability. Pay attention to abilities that grant extra cards for the next hand!

4. Score the Word

   Add up all the points from the letters in your word, including the **Common Card** if you used it. Apply any scoring bonuses from card abilities in the word. Remember: use the number in the top left corner to score your letters, *NOT* the number in the bottom left corner (which is the cost).

5. Buy Cards

   Using your word's score (the value you just added up), you can buy visible cards from the **Offer**, including **Fame Cards**. You can buy multiple cards, but the total cost (number in the bottom left corner) cannot exceed your word's score for this turn. Purchased cards are placed in your **Discard Pile**. If you bought an **Alternate Card**, replace it with the top card of the corresponding pile. There should always be two cards available for purchase from each pile (except the 2¢ pile). Unspent money is lost at the end of the turn.

   Remember: while buying letters will increase your ability to form longer and better words, buying **Fame Cards** is crucial to winning the game!

6. Discard Cards

   Place all cards from your word and your hand, including any cards gained this turn, into your **Discard Pile**.

7. Draw Next Hand

   Draw 5 cards, plus any additional cards granted by abilities from your last word. If your **Draw Pile** runs out, shuffle your **Discard Pile** to create a new **Draw Pile**. Continue drawing until your hand limit.

How to Use Your Deck

Your **Draw Pile** is a shuffled, face-down collection of cards. Each turn, you draw your hand from this deck. Unused cards from your word go into the **Discard Pile**, which is face up. When the **Draw Pile** is empty and you need to draw more cards, the **Discard Pile** is shuffled and becomes the new **Draw Pile**. You cannot shuffle the **Discard Pile** before the **Draw Pile** is empty.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when one of the following conditions is met:

• Two of the **Fame** piles are empty.
• There are no more **Common Cards** available.

If a player takes the last **Common Card**, they finish their turn and the game ends. To determine the winner, each player adds up the **Fame Points** on all cards in their deck (including cards in hand, in the **Draw Pile**, and in the **Discard Pile**). The player with the most **Fame Points** wins the game! In case of a tie, the player with the most **Common Cards** wins.

Tips for Winning

Want to become a best-selling author? Keep an eye on these tips:

1. Balance is Key: While it's tempting to buy many letters to form long words, don't forget the **Fame Cards**! They are your main source of points. Try to balance buying letters that improve your deck with acquiring high-value **Fame Cards**.
2. Utilize Abilities: Card abilities are powerful! Some can give you more cards in your next hand, others can increase your score. Plan your words to activate the most advantageous abilities and create combos.
3. Keep an Eye on Common Cards: **Common Cards** not only give points but also expand the word length requirement, which can accelerate the end of the game. If you can consistently grab them, you can gain a significant advantage and even decide tie-breakers!