Setting Up (Quick Version)

The game contains a supply of 21 Group Information Sheets. If this is your first time playing, remove all the Groups except ACME, the Church, the Famous International Playboys, the Living Dead, and the Time Travelers. Distribute one of these randomly to each player, and give everyone a playing piece that corresponds to their Group.

The game also comes with a supply of Personal Data Forms, which will be your score-sheet for the game. Take one, and copy your starting Statistics (Power, Intelligence, Influence) onto this sheet. Your Power and Power Maximum are the same at the start of the game. You also have an Income, which you can copy to the “Income” area of the Form, and a Stress level, which starts at zero.

In the “Notes” section of the Form, add together your Power, your Intelligence, and your Influence. The sum of these three numbers are your current Base Votes. HappyCOM-9 also has a certain number of Base Votes. For your first game, HappyCOM-9 has 2,000 Base Votes. Re-calculate your Base Votes every once in a while throughout the game: when they get to a point where they’re above 2,000, you are beginning to have good odds of winning the game. (At that time, read the section on “How To Win The Game.”) Put simply: anything that brings those three Statistics up moves you towards winning the game. Your Stress, by contrast, is a Statistic you’ll want to keep low. The “All About You” section on page 6 explains the differences between the Statistics.

Your Group also has a Special Ability that allows you to bend the rules of the game in various ways. You can review this on the Group Information Sheet. Take a minute to read through it now. When everyone is done, explain your Special Ability to your opponents.

Select one player to be the Banker. The Banker gives each player a copy of the in-game Catalog and some starting cash— you get $360 plus your Group’s Income. Typically, you may spend any or all of this on Catalog items before the game begins. If this is your first game, purchase the “Outfitting Phase Special,” which is printed right on the front of the Catalog. Write down the Possessions you purchased in the Possessions column of your Form. You can review the rules on those Possessions later. You will continue to get your Income throughout the game: every time you move, if you remember to ask the Banker. You’ll also get more opportunities to buy things as the game proceeds.