The art faker Belratti has been using his extraordinary talent for decades to paint pictures in the style of others. He dupes the art world and takes over the artistic signature of each painter.

Belratti sees the possibility to insert his fakes into a museum. The museum manager Cat wants to expand his museum by adding two new rooms. For this he instructed the painter Owl to deliver suitable pictures.

But watch out! Belratti will try to add his masterful fakes to the gallery once again. Whether he manages to outsmart Cat and Owl is up to you! Together the purpose of the game is to try to expose the fake Belratti's fake paintings, so that they do not get placed into Cat's museum. The team plays against Belratti.

Part of the team will take on the role of the painter Owl. You then try to get the museum manager Cat to take your pictures into his museum.

At the same time the other part of you plays the museum manager Cat. You then decide which images to include in the museum gallery - always with the aim of identifying Belratti's fakes so that they do not end up in the museum.

Components

• 168 picture cards
• 4 joker cards
• 8 character cards

Setup

The four joker cards are laid out in the middle of the table. Above that you place the Belratticard.

Then the picture cards are mixed well and dealt face down to the players. Depending on the number of players, the number of cards varies:

• 3 players: 18 cards
• 4-5 players: 9 cards
• 6-7 players: 6 cards

The remaining cards are placed face down as a draw pile. Now the character cards are distributed.

Depending on the number of players, you distribute the Cat cards of the museum managers and the painters Owl cards as follows:

In turn, first the Cat character cards of the museum managers and then the painter Owl cards are handed out to the players. So several players are the museum manager Cat or the painter Owl.

After each turn, all character cards move clockwise one place further. In the course of the game each player will take each role several times.

Game Play

The museum managers start the game by drawing two picture cards from the draw pile and laying them out face up as theme cards.

These theme cards are placed in the middle of the field below the joker cards. Now the two theme cards each depict independent themes to which the museum managers request pictures from the painters during the game (see example: theme 1 = feather and theme 2 = football).

The painters then choose picture cards according to the two themes. Afterwards, the museum managers try to identify the picture cards from the painters, while Belratti smuggles his fakes. So now that the two theme cards have been laid, the game starts with Phase 1.

Phase 1 - The museum managers demand pictures

The museum managers determine how many picture cards the painters should lay to these two topics. Only 2-7 picture cards can be demanded.

Important: It is not allowed to talk about the two theme cards, but only about the number of required picture cards.

Phase 2 - Painters choose pictures

The painters are only allowed to see their own cards when selecting their picture cards. At the end of the selection, together the painters have to lay the total amount of picture cards required by the museum managers. The painters agree on which player places how many picture cards.

The painters must not talk about the pictures themselves, but only about whether a picture card fits well, medium or bad to the two theme cards. When selecting each painter has to decide for himself, which picture card he assigns to which topic.

It is helpful to create associations and similarities between your own picture cards and a theme card. If a painter does not find suitable picture cards, there is the possibility that he will not play any picture cards as long as the required number is played by other painters.

When the painters come to an agreement, the required picture cards are placed face down. In addition, four random, face-down picture cards are mixed from the draw pile below. These are the four fakes that Belratti wants to smuggle into the museum. For the game it is important that the painters remember their laid picture cards.

Phase 3 - Museum managers equip the museum

Now the previously mixed picture cards (selection of painters and fakes) are revealed. The museum managers then assign the picture cards to the two theme cards.

The museum managers are allowed to discuss this openly. The painters are not allowed to discuss. Together the museum managers try to find out which picture cards come from the painters.

At the same time they try to identify Belratti's fakes in order to prevent him from smuggling them into the museum.

Finally, the museum managers explicitly assign the picture cards, which they consider to be the paintings of the painters, to a theme card and sort out four alleged fakes.

Tip: It is helpful as a museum managers to discuss possible associations of painters.

Phase 4 - Painters evaluate

The painters now check the just assigned picture cards of the museum managers. In turn, each painter reveals which picture cards were played by them.

For every picture card that has been assigned to the appropriate theme card, the entire team receives one point. These correct picture cards are placed on the team point pile to the left of the Belratti card.

For every image card assigned to the wrong topic card, the entire team will not get any points. These picture cards are placed on the discard pile.

For each fake assigned to a theme card, Belratti receives one point. The fakes are placed to the right of the Belratti card on Belratti's point pile.

All remaining open cards (unassigned picture cards and theme cards) are placed on the discard pile. The discard pile cards are out of the game.

Preparation for the next round

The painters stock up their hand cards to the original amount with picture cards from the draw pile (according to the number of players stated above).

The character cards are given clockwise. From the draw pile, two new theme cards are laid face open. The next round begins with Phase 1.

The Joker Cards

In each game round, the museum managers and painters can select joker cards and use the appropriate action. After that, the used joker card is turned face down.

You can play any number of joker cards per turn. They all have different functions. Since the joker cards can be played either by museum managers or painters, the time which they are used also differs:

Joker cards for the museum manager Cat:

Exchange theme cards

The open theme cards will be replaced before the first phase with new picture cards of the draw pile. It is also possible to exchange only a single theme card. The old theme cards are placed on the discard pile.

Question picture card

In phase 3 the museum managers can choose any picture card and the painters ask if this picture card belongs to one of them. The painters answer this question in turn with yes or no.

Joker cards for the painter Owl:

Change required number of picture cards

At the beginning of Phase 2, the painters can increase or reduce by 1 the required number of picture cards by the museum managers. The painters then have to play the new number of picture cards.

Swap Hand

In phase 2, a painter swaps 6 picture cards from his hand for 6 picture cards from the draw pile. The old picture cards are placed on the discard pile.

Retrieving help cards

Already played help cards can be retrieved at the end of a round to play a perfect round. In a perfect round, each picture card was theme card, giving the team the full score.

Each joker card has a different number on the back (from 3-6). If a perfect round has been played, a joker card can be retrieved. But only if the number on the back side is identical to the number of required picture cards.

Then the joker card is turned over again. It can be used again in the following rounds. A joker card can be retrieved as often as you like.

End of the Game

As soon as 6 or more cards are on the Belratti deck at the end of a round evaluation, the game is over. Now the game is evaluated. To determine your score, count the picture cards on the team deck.

If you have reached 15 points or more, you win the game and Belratti is beaten! But how successful your collaboration between Cat and Owl really was is revealed to you by the visitors of the museum:

• over 30: "a sight for the gods!"
• 25-29: "picture perfect"
• 20-24: "by every trick in the book!"
• 15-19: "you get the picture"
• 10-14: "there is no money in that"
• 0-9: "a picture of misery"

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