How to Play Rock Hard: 1977

1. Game Objective

In Rock Hard: 1977, you take on the role of an up-and-coming rock artist in the late 70s. Your goal is to become the best new artist of the year by accumulating the most Fame (★) by the end of December (the ninth round).

Fame can be earned during the game and at the end through various means:

• Increasing your Base Attributes (Talent, Reputation, and Songs);
• Obtaining Production, Performance, and Publicity bonuses;
• Achieving Personal Goals;
• Securing a Record Deal and earning Royalties;
• Performing Gigs;
• Spending time at trendy spots during the Late Night phase.

The game ends at the end of the ninth round or at the end of any previous round in which a player reaches 50 or more Fame.

2. Setup

1. Place the board in the center of the table (choose the side for 2-3 or 4-5 players).
2. Each player chooses a color and receives: turn order marker (pick), Fame token, four cubes, standee, $1, and a Candy token. Place the Fame token on the "1" space of the tracker.
3. Receive the Amp: place a cube on the "0" space for Royalties, set the Desire dial to "0," and place the Sugar Crash token with the "OFF" side facing up. Set Base Attributes (Talent, Reputation, Songs) to 2.
4. Shuffle and reveal one Production, Performance, and Publicity bonus card in the designated locations.
5. Prepare the Random Gig deck: 3 "C" cards at the bottom, 3 "B" in the middle, and 3 "A" on top.
6. Place the Event, Sugar Rush, and Hangout decks in the designated locations.
7. Shuffle and place the Famous Hangout tokens on the board spaces.
8. Place Candy, Work Absence, Demo Tape, Record Deal tokens, and money near the board.
9. Determine the first player. Organize the turn order with the picks.
10. Deal two Character Cards to each player; each chooses one and places the Character Board on the amp.
11. Players with specific characters take their ability tokens.
12. Each player receives two Starting Life Experiences (with different icons).
13. Each player receives three Personal Goals and keeps two.
14. In turn order, each player chooses a Job Card.
15. In reverse turn order, each player selects a Manager Card.
16. Flip the top card of the Event and Random Gig decks.

3. Game Flow

The game takes place over nine rounds, each representing a month. Each round is divided into five phases:

1. Preparation Phase: A new Event and a new Random Gig are revealed. Players with variable shift jobs roll the die to define their work shift.
2. Day Action Phase: Players perform actions in Day or Anytime zones.
3. Night Action Phase: Players perform actions in Night or Anytime zones.
4. Late Night Action Phase: Players perform actions in Late Night or Anytime zones. Positions here define the order for the next round.
5. Cleanup Phase: The board is cleared, Royalties and Managers are paid, and the next round is prepared.

4. Actions and How to Play

During each action phase, the player places their standee in an available space and pays the cost (if any) to obtain the benefit. If you cannot pay or meet the requirements, you cannot use the space.

• Anytime Actions: Include "Donate Blood," "Write a Song," and "Buy/Sell Candy." These can be done in any phase.
• Rehearse: Increases Talent (Studio A: $1/+1 Talent; Studio B: $2/+2 Talent).
• Gigs: Require minimum attribute requirements and sometimes Crew or a Record Deal. You can only perform one gig per night.
• Hiring: Actions to hire Independent Promotion, a Publicist, or Crew.
• Record Deal: Requires a Demo Tape and minimum attributes. Allows you to earn Royalties and Fame during the cleanup phase.
• Candy: Allows for extra actions but increases Desire. If the die roll is lower than your Desire, the player suffers a Sugar Crash (must go to the Recovery space in the next round).
• Work: If you perform any action other than working, you gain a Work Absence token. Three tokens result in being fired.

5. End of Game and Scoring

The game ends at the end of December or when a player reaches 50 or more Fame. After the end-game trigger, players still receive Royalties and pay their Managers. Then, final scoring takes place:

• Sum all Fame accumulated during the game.
• Add points from end-game bonuses (such as Performance).
• Check end-game Personal Goals.

The player with the most Fame is the winner.

6. Tips for Winning

• Attribute Management: If you max out a Base Attribute to 11, any future increase in that attribute turns into $1. Use this to fund your career.
• Turn Order: Plan your actions in the Late Night phase carefully. The space you occupy defines the order for the following round; sometimes, sacrificing a better action to play first in the next round can secure a contested gig space.
• Watch out for the Manager: The Manager payment increases throughout the game (June, September, December). Make sure you have money saved, as failure to pay results in a severe loss of Fame.