Down-in-one Street characters partying while wearing face masks

Down-in-one Street | Rulebook

Version 1.0

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Summary

The game is played in rounds called lockdowns. Each lockdown consists of at least one party (usually several).

A lockdown begins with the players choosing what restrictions will be in force. Breaking restrictions at parties will earn the team more points, but will also put them at higher risk of the party being exposed. The restrictions chosen remain in place until the end of the lockdown, at which point the next lockdown begins and new restrtictions can be set.

A party is made up of several stages:

After a party, a dice roll will determine whether the cover up succeeds or fails. The roll must total at least the number of attendees at the party, but for every restriction broken there is one less die available to roll.

If the cover up was a success then a coin toss dictates whether the current lockdown continues or a new one begins, but if the cover up fails then the game ends here and the final score is tallied.

Flowchart demonstrating how the game progresses

Required components

*If there aren't seven dice available, a standard deck of playing cards can be used instead by subtracting 6 from anything between 7 and Queen, and discarding Kings and Jokers. The cards should be shuffled after each use.

Before playing

All markings should be done lightly in pencil so that they can be easily erased and the printed components can be reused.

TipThere's no need to read the entire Rulebook before starting the game, just follow along with the "gameplay" section below as you play and you'll be guided through what to do.

Gameplay

  1. Stage 1: New Lockdown

    1. As a group, decide which Restriction cards will be in place for this lockdown.
      • When choosing a customisable Restriction card, enter a number or place a cross next to an option.
      • If both of the "maximum number of people" Restriction cards are used, the "anywhere" figure must be at least double the "indoor" figure.
    2. Place all active Restriction cards in the centre of the play area.
      • Whenever a restriction is broken, immediately flip the corresponding Restriction card over.
    3. For every Restriction card used, place one coin in a Case Numbers pile.

  2. Stage 2: Invitation

    1. Starting with the player who most recently observed a COVID restriction in real life and continuing to the left, players take turns to host parties. The player hosting this party customises it by setting a venue, size and length of their own choice.
      • Venue is either "indoor" or "outdoor". Place a cross next to the desired option.
      • Size is used only to give the other players an indication of how many guests the host is expecting, and does not impact which restrictions are broken. Place a cross next to the desired option.
      • Length is specified in minutes by entering a number. It indicates how long the party is expected to last (it can run over). If the "maximum length of gatherings" Restriction card is not being used in this lockdown, length can be omitted.
    2. Update the Party Log with the current lockdown number, the host's name, and the number of attendees (currently the number of players).

  3. Stage 3: Planning

    1. Each player secretly chooses a specified number of options on their Planning card to show which actions they will complete before the party begins. Players must not discuss the action(s) they choose.
      • A player who gets multiple actions may choose to complete the same action more than once, indicated by placing additional crosses to the left of the box.
      • The team always has eight actions to complete between them. These are divided evenly amongst the players, with the host choosing which players will complete any remainder actions.
        • 2 players: 4 actions each
        • 3 players: 2/3 actions each
        • 4 players: 2 actions each
        • 5-7 players: 1/2 actions each
        • 8 players: 1 action each
      • Available actions:
        • "Invite 1/2/4/8"
          These actions result in more guests coming to the party.
        • "Get drinks in"
          This action represents bringing more alcohol to the party, causing it to overrun and increasing the likelihood of singing happening.
        • "Arrange karaoke"
          This action must be completed by at least one player in order for singing to take place at the party. There is no additional effect if it's completed more than once.
        • "Bring a work thing"
          Each use of this action grants the team a chance to cover up the party later if it becomes known to the public, allowing the game to continue when it would otherwise be lost. Each use also increases the length of the party. In a game with 5+ players, there is a required second step for this action in the Partying stage.
    2. Starting with the host and continuing to the left, all players reveal which Planning action(s) they have chosen to complete.
      • Whenever an "invite" action is revealed, update the "attendees" column in the Party Log (don't forget to include the players themselves in the attendees count).
      • Tip When updating the attendee count, crossing out rather than erasing the previous number will help to track changes and rectify any mistakes.

  4. Stage 4: Masking Up

    Note If there is no requirement to wear masks for this party, stage 4 can be skipped.

    1. Based on the information revealed so far, each player decides in secret whether they will wear a mask or not.
    2. All players reveal their mask status. If at least half of the players are not wearing masks, the "masks must be worn" Restriction has been broken.

  5. Stage 5: Partying

    1. Starting with the host and continuing to the left, each player decides openly whether or not they would like to complete one of the actions on their Partying card.
      • Other players may advise, but each player must decide themselves which action they will complete, if any.
      • Once a player's turn has passed, they may not alter their decision.
      • Any actions completed are marked on the corresponding player's Partying card by placing a cross in the box.
      • Available actions:
        • "Dance"
          If the "social distancing" Restriction is active and a player completes this action, the Restriction has been broken (with 5+ players, two players must complete this action in order to break the Restriction).
        • "Sing"
          This action is only available if a player completed the "arrange karaoke" action during the Planning stage. If the "no singing" Restriction is active and any player completes this action, the Restriction has been broken.
        • "Open/Close windows"
          Windows are closed by default, so the first player to complete this action will open them, the second will close them, the third will open them again, and so on. The windows' status at the end of the Partying stage determines whether or not the "windows must be open" Restriction will be broken.
        • "Destroy some evidence"
          Each use of this action reduces the number that has to be rolled during the Cover Up stage by 1.
        • "Do a work thing"
          In a game with 5+ players, the "bring a work thing" Planning action has no effect unless this action is also completed (e.g. if three "bring a work thing" actions were completed in Planning but only two players opt to complete "do a work thing" in Partying, then for the rest of the party it's as if only two "bring a work thing" actions had been completed). This action has no effect in games with 2-4 players.
    2. If the party is indoors and the "windows must be open" Restriction is active, and if an even number of players (including zero) have completed the "open/close windows" action, the Restriction has been broken.

  6. Stage 6: Guest Behaviour

    1. Bringing uninvited guests
      For every player that invited some guests:
      • Roll one die.
      • If 1, 2 or 3 is rolled, then that number of uninvited guests are added to the attendees count.
      • If 4, 5 or 6 is rolled, there is no change to the attendees count.
    2. Overstaying their welcome
      If the "maximum length of gatherings" Restriction is active and has not yet been broken:
      • For every "get drinks in" action completed, add 10 minutes to the length of the party.
      • For every "bring a work thing" action completed, roll one die and add the result to the length of the party as minutes.
      • If the party's length exceeds the option chosen on the "maximum length of gatherings" Restriction card, the Restriction has been broken.
    3. Dancing
      If the "social distancing" Restriction is active and has not yet been broken:
      • Roll one die.
      • For every five guests (attendees minus the number of players), add 1 to the result.
      • A score of 6+ results in guests dancing and the "social distancing" Restriction being broken.
    4. Singing
      If the "no singing" Restriction card is active and has not yet been broken, and if karaoke was brought to the party:
      • Roll one die.
      • For every "get drinks in" action completed, add 1 to the result.
      • A score of 5+ results in guests singing and the "no singing" Restriction card being broken.

  7. Stage 7: Cover Up

    1. If no restrictions were broken at this party:
      • No points are awarded.
      • Continue to stage 8.
    2. If restrictions were broken at this party:
      • Roll a number of dice equal to 8 minus the number of restrictions broken (e.g. if three restrictions were broken, roll five dice).
    3. If the result of the dice roll is greater than or equal to the number of attendees, then the party was a success and will be kept a secret:
      • Multiply the number of attendees by the number of restrictions broken and record this figure in the Party Log as this party's score.
      • Continue to stage 8.
    4. If the result of the dice roll is initially less than the number of attendees, then word about the party got out:
      • For every "bring a work thing" action completed, reroll either one die or all dice in an attempt to pass the party off as being work-related (e.g. if four "bring a work thing" actions were completed, the group might choose to reroll one die, then all of them, then one, then one).
      • Return to stage 7C if successful.
    5. If the result of the dice roll is still less than the number of attendees then you've been rumbled:
      • Record the number of attendees in the Party Log as this party's score (with no multiplier applied).
      • The game is now over. The group's score will be in the format "X points in Y lockdowns", where X is the total of all scores in the Party Log, and Y is the current lockdown number.

  8. Stage 8: Case Numbers

    1. Each coin in the Case Numbers pile represents 10,000 cases of COVID-19 in the population. Flip all coins and remove those that land as tails.
    2. If there are still at least 20,000 cases (at least two coins remain), the lockdown continues:
      • Turn all active Restriction cards face up.
      • Erase the markings on all Invitation, Planning and Partying cards.
      • Return to stage 2 with the next player becoming the host of a new party.
    3. If there are fewer than 20,000 cases (fewer than two coins remain), the lockdown is over:
      • Erase the markings on all Restriction, Invitation, Planning and Partying cards.
      • Return to stage 1 to start a new lockdown (the next player will host the first party of the new lockdown).
The characters in this game are fictitious. If any resemblance to actual persons exists, then forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me.