Instructions Hart an der Grenze

Objective of the Game

In "Hart an der Grenze" (Portrayal of border smuggling), players take on the roles of smugglers and border guards. The objective of the game is to smuggle as many goods across the border as possible as a smuggler and catch as many smugglers as possible as a border guard. The player who accumulates the most points after several rounds wins the game.

Setup

• Each player receives a player board where smuggled goods are placed.
• There are two main roles: smugglers and border guards.
• All players start as smugglers, and the round leader changes to become the border guard each new round.
• Every player receives a starting card with a certain number of cargo cards that represent various smuggled goods like whiskey, coffee, or tobacco.

How to Play

1. Planning Phase:

2. All players except the border guard choose from their hand cards which and how many goods they want to smuggle and place them face-down on their board.

3. Control Phase:

4. The border guard may choose up to three players to inspect their goods, they can either overlook or accuse at will.
5. If a player is clean and the guard lets them through, the smuggler keeps their goods.

6. If the guard catches the smuggler, the player must pay a fine and give up their smuggled goods.

7. Delivery Phase:

8. All players who were not checked or caught reveal their smuggled goods and add them to their collection.

9. Role Change:

10. The next player becomes the border guard, and the game continues.

Special Features and Strategies

• Bluffing: Much of the game relies on successfully bluffing about what and when you are smuggling.
• Intimidation: As a border guard, it's important to use psychological tricks to convince other players to admit everything without conducting stringent checks.
• Situational Decisions: Sometimes it might be worth taking a small fine to aim for larger rewards in future rounds.

Winning Conditions A game ends after a predetermined number of rounds or when no more goods are available. The player with the highest total value of smuggled goods wins the game.