Hard Time
In this prison you and your rivals are stuck in a bitter feud and tensions are running high. The race is on to gather Inmate Favor, Guard Favor, and a Shank. Using your commissary items, quickly purchase influence in the prison yard. You must use that newfound influence to buy what you need to complete the deed. Be the first to eliminate another player to gain dominance over the yard.
Commissary Cards
These are your main currency, using different groups of these items you can purchase influence within the prison. The deck consists of Ramen, Candy, Cigarettes, Essentials, Medical, and possibly a Slop Tray.
Influence Cards
These cards are a hot commodity so move fast. Influence Cards are needed to buy Crucial cards. The Influence Deck Consists of Drugs, Muscle, and Phones which can be purchased with combinations of Commissary items.
Crucial Cards
This is what it’s all about, gather all of the Crucial Cards in order to shank another player. Crucial Cards consist of Inmate Favor, Guard Favor, and Shanks. Each of the Crucial Cards has an ability, be sure to read and see what you can do.
Snitch Card
When you are backed into a corner use the Snitch Opportunity Card. The player you snitch on loses their Guard Favor, and Shank card. Once you Snitch on a player you become easier to shank by every other player in the game. No one likes a snitch.
Thief Card
Cant find what you’re looking for? For only two drug influence cards the Thief Favor Opportunity Card can steal any Crucial Card besides Guard Favor for you. Just remember it may make you the top target on somebody’s hit list.
Supplier in Solitary
The Supplier in Solitary cards are used to replace one of the 3 influence cards on the center of the table. Use these if you need a new influence card, or you want another player to not get one.
Gameplay
Setting up the game
At the beginning of the game each player starts with 5 commissary cards in their hand. There are 3 Influence Cards dealt face up in the middle of the table next to each other, and all of the Crucial and Opportunity cards are laid out face up on the table.
Building your hand
On the start of their turn a player can draw a Commissary card from the deck, take the top Commissary Card from the discard pile, or pick from one of the three cards face up on the table. If a player cannot use any Commissary Cards this turn they discard down to their hand limit and place the extras into the discard pile face up.
Gather influence in the prison
The influence cards have unique sets of 3 icons and colors on the their right hand side which match the Commissary Cards. Players use their commissary cards in their hand to purchase the influence.
Use influence to gather crucial items
Once you gather enough Influence in the prison you can use it to purchase Crucial items needed to take out other players. The Crucial item’s cost is indicated on the right hand side of the card that match the Influence cards from the deck.
Once all crucial items are acquired
You must wait one turn after you have acquired Guard favor the first time, after that once all of the crucial items you can attempt to shank a player. This gives everyone else a chance to defend themselves by using the Snitch Card, buying Guard Favor away, or stealing your Shank/Inmate Favor Cards. If no one is able to defend themselves you can successfully shank someone on your turn. If the player you attempt to Shank has the Slop Tray Commissary Card they can successfully block your attack, if not there is no avoiding it.
It’s over..
The first player to successfully shank another player wins.
