This section describes additional rules.


Privileges

Each character has a privilege shown on each reference sheet. Privileges allow players to acquire resources. When a player takes resources, he takes them from the supply unless a privilege specifies otherwise.

If a privilege instructs a player to give resources, those resources come from his play area.

If a player does not have resources to give, he ignores the effects of that privilege. If multiple players must give resources, they do so in clockwise order.



Table Talk and Secret Information

Hoax is a game of bluffing and deception. The game requires each player to keep his identity secret, as well as any information that he has about other players' identities. Players cannot take notes.

Each player is encouraged to engage in table talk; however, a player cannot reveal his character card or specific names of cards passed to him during an investigate action. Additionally, a player cannot engage in any discussions after he is eliminated from the game.


Timing and Interrupt Actions

Hoax is a social game. The rules encourage player interaction and roleplaying to enhance the game's humor and fun. To successfully play the game, players often need to interrupt another player's turn.

To help these interactions function smoothly, the active player should briefly pause after performing each claim action to give the other players the opportunity to call hoax, and if that claim continues, to use immunities.


Multiple Games

Hoax is a fast-paced game that can end quickly. It is intended to be played as a series of multiple games in which players use a pen and paper to track each players score to determine the overall winner of the series.

When playing games with scoring, players set a point value as the goal. Four points is the recommended value to use for a series. When a player wins, he earns the following points for his score based on how he won:

  • Three points for winning by being the last remaining player.

  • One point for winning by revealing a truthful claim during a vote.

When a player wins a game, he is the first player for the next game and takes the first turn. When a players score equals or exceeds the goal, he wins the series.



Component Limitations

Resource and imposter tokens are unlimited. If a player needs to use resource or imposter tokens and none are available, he can use other available markers, such as coins, as proxies for these tokens.


Immunities

After their first game, experienced players should play the game using immunities.

Like privileges, immunities are shown on each reference sheet and they correspond to specific characters.


An Immunity on a Reference Sheet

Immunities allow a player to ignore privileges that would force him to lose or exchange resource tokens. That is, if a privilege forces a player to lose resource tokens, he can use an immunity to cancel that privileges effect on him.

To use an immunity, a player exhausts his character card by turning it 90° clockwise. Then, he performs a claim action (see "Claim" on page 4), but instead of using his declared characters privilege, he uses that characters immunity.


Exhausting a Character Card

While a player is performing a claim action to use an immunity, he is treated as the active player for the duration of the action. As such, other players can call him out for making a false claim by calling hoax following normal rules.

If a player is caught making a false claim, he cannot use his declared character s immunity. Rather, he places an imposter token on his reference card following normal rules. After all votes are concluded, the player who was using a privilege at the start of the turn resumes his action.

A player cannot use a characters immunity if that character has an imposter token over its name on that players reference sheet. Additionally, a player cannot use an immunity if his character card is already exhausted. At the start of his turn, he refreshes his character card by turning it 90° counterclockwise.

It is possible for two players to use the same immunity at the same time. If this happens, they can each individually be called out for making a false claim, which would conclude with two separate votes that are concluded in the order in which they were called.


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