Cobras in the Cockpit

Cobras in the Cockpit!

Imagine all the creature movies you've ever seen that featured snakes. And imagine all the action movies you've seen that were set on planes. Now, imagine all of these movies were magically spliced together into one fantastic airplane-full-of-snakes movie. That would be the most incredible movie of all time.

The plot of that wonderful movie would be unbelievable and full of holes. The special effects would be over the top, and the acting would probably be melodramatic, too. That's how all action creature movies are. But that movie would still make all other movies bow down before it. Because of the ingenious interbreeding of snake movies and airplane movies, that movie would rule.

That great, mythical movie is called "Cobras in the Cockpit." There are more kinds of snakes than just cobras, and there's more to this soon-to-be-in-total-mayhem plane than just a cockpit. But it doesn't matter. When was the last time the title of an action creature movie mattered that much anyway? Never, that's when.

This game is about that movie. At the same time, it's a parody of all the snake movies you've ever seen, plus all the airplane movies you've ever seen. This game can be all of those things. It's that good.

In this game, players control the snakes, driving passengers, flight attendants, and pilots into a frenzy, and blowing up the engines, until finally the whole plane is in chaos. This probably isn't what real snakes would do if they got onto a plane, but these aren't real snakes... they're movie snakes!

Components. This box contains:

5 plane board segments.
4 snake species boards, Cobras, Kingsnakes, Pythons, and Rattlesnakes.
20 snake counters, in four different colors.
10 Chaos markers.
99 cards, including 18 Bite cards, 18 Hiss cards, 18 Rattle cards, and 18 Squeeze cards, all numbered 1 through 9, and 27 special cards.

The Object. The object of Cobras in the Cockpit is to earn the most points before the whole plane is thrown into chaos. Players earn points when they control snakes in an area when it's thrown into chaos. You can earn even more points if nobody else controls snakes in the area.

Setup. Cobras in the Cockpit can be played by up to four players. Assemble the five board segments to form the plane board. Randomly assign one species board to each player. Players can trade species boards if they want to. Each player controls the species of snake described on their board, and keeps the species board face up, visible to all players throughout the game. Shuffle the cards and deal five face down to each player. Decide randomly who goes first.

All snakes start off the plane. Each player has only five snakes. If all five of your snakes are on the plane, you can't add more, even with a special card. If any of your snakes are ever removed from the plane, you get them back and can add them again normally.

On your turn. On your turn, you may use any number of cards from your hand, in any order you like. You can discard any card for no effect, if you want to. There are lots of different cards, and you can use them in three different ways. You'll get more cards when your turn ends.

Play a special card for its effect. Some of the cards have instructions on them. When you use one of these special cards, follow the instructions. Some cards might let you remove another player's snake from the plane, or let you put a new snake somewhere on the plane, or let you get more cards. Some of the cards are discarded after they're used, while others go into your opponent's hand, or are removed from the game entirely. A few special cards can be played when it's not your turn, but most must be played during your own turn.

Play a number card into an area on the plane. To throw areas of the plane into chaos, you must play Bite, Hiss, Rattle, and Squeeze cards. You can only play Bite, Hiss, Rattle, and Squeeze cards into areas where your snakes are present. Number cards stay on an area until the area is thrown into chaos.

The one-card-per-snake rule. On each turn, you can play only one number card into an area for each snake you control in that area.

However, if your snake moves to a new area, you can play another card for that snake. Yes, that means that you can move a snake out of the area, then move it back in, and play another card into that area for that snake.

For example, there are two Cobras in first class, and one Cobra in the cockpit. The Cobras player could play two cards in first class, one for each Cobra there, but can only play one card into the pilot or co-pilot areas in the cockpit.

The species rule. Each snake species board shows how many cards of each suit you can play in each turn. During your turn, you may not play more cards of each suit than your species limits allow.

For example, Cobras can play two Bite cards in one turn, and two Hiss cards, according to the Cobras species board, but they can't play any Rattle or Squeeze cards.

Exceptions to the rules. Some special rules and special cards may be exceptions to the one-card-per-snake rule and the species rule.

The Cobras' special ability allows a second card to be played in the same area after a bite card is played. This second card is not subject to the one-card-per-snake rule and the species rule.

You can also discard a snake to play a card into an engine. See the engines description below for details. The one-card-per-snake rule and the species rule do not apply to any card played in this way.

Throwing an area into chaos. On the plane board, each area is marked with the card value total required to throw it into chaos. When the total value of the number cards played into the area meet all of the listed requirements, the area is immediately thrown into chaos.

Most areas of the plane have a requirement for spook (Hiss or Rattle) cards, and harm (Bite or Squeeze) cards. All requirements must be fulfilled before an area is thrown into chaos.

For example, the first class area requires Spook 15 and Harm 10. There's a Hiss 5, a Hiss 1, and a Rattle 9 card on the area, for a total of 15 spook cards. There's a Bite 4 card on the area, too. That's not enough to throw first class into chaos. On the Cobras player's turn, the player moves a Cobra into first class, and plays a Bite 7 card. That brings the harm total up to the requirement for the area, so the first class area is immediately thrown into chaos.

When an area is thrown into chaos, all players who control at least one snake in the area get the listed number of points. Place a chaos marker on the point circle in that area, and discard all the number cards.

Players do not get extra points for controlling more than one snake in an area.

Once an area is thrown into chaos, snakes can continue to move into it and through it normally. The snakes are not automatically removed from an area when it's thrown into chaos.

Some cards remove chaos markers from specific areas. If this happens, you keep any points you won when the area was thrown into chaos, but the area can be (and must be) thrown into chaos for additional points.

The double-point rule. If one player controls all the snakes (or the only snake) in an area when it's thrown into chaos, that player gets twice the normal points. You don't have to be the only one to play cards in that area. You just have to control all the snakes in the area when it's thrown into chaos.

Keeping score. You can track points in whichever way works best for you. You can write them on paper, or hand out poker chips or play money. Scoring sheets are available at http://www.cobrasinthecockpit.com/downloads.

The Cargo Hold. The cargo hold area can't be thrown into chaos. When you discard a card to place a new snake on the plane, it always starts in the cargo hold.

The Cockpit, the Pilot, and the Co-pilot. The cockpit itself can't be thrown into chaos. When you control snakes in the cockpit, you can play cards on the pilot and co-pilot areas. Conversely, snakes can't move into the pilot and co-pilot areas.

The wing areas. The wing areas can't be thrown into chaos.

The engines. Although engine areas require Squeeze cards, you can play any one numbered card into that engine area as though it were a Squeeze card, but you must sacrifice a snake. That is, remove your snake from that engine. If the card is enough to throw the engine into chaos, you remove your snake immediately after scoring -- so you get points for the engine, even if you remove your last snake to play a card and throw the engine into chaos.

For example, the Cobras player moves a Cobra into the engine. There's a Python in the engine, and the Pythons player played a Squeeze 7 card into the engine on the turn before. The Cobras player plays a Hiss 8 card into the engine, throwing it into chaos. The Pythons player and the Cobras player both get 4 points. The Cobra must immediately be discarded, because the Hiss 8 card was played as a Squeeze card. Then the Cobras player goes on with the rest of her turn.

If another player uses a card to cancel a card you play into the engine, you do not have to sacrifice your snake.

Cards played in this way are not subject to the one-card-per-snake rule and the species rule. A Python could move into the engine, play a Squeeze 9 card (Pythons can normally play Squeeze cards without sacrificing a snake), then play a Rattle 6 card and get removed from the plane... even though this is two cards for one snake, and Pythons can't normally play Rattle cards. But you do have to sacrifice a snake for every card you play into the engine that you couldn't normally play.

Pythons are the only snakes that can play Squeeze cards normally. Pythons don't have to be sacrificed to play Squeeze cards into engines. It's possible for a single Python to play two cards into an engine, if the first card is a Squeeze card, played normally, and the Python is sacrificed to play the second.

Ending your turn. When you play your last card, you must end your turn. If you choose, you may end your turn before you're out of cards. When you end your turn, draw face down cards until you have five cards in your hand.

Running out of cards. When the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to replace it.

The last-card rule. The player who played the last card, the card that ends the game, gets ten points. These bonus points are separate from points awarded for any areas thrown in to chaos, they can never be doubled, and they're never shared with other players.

Ending the game. The game ends immediately when all areas that can be in chaos are in chaos. The player with the most points wins.

RULES SUMMARY

Setup

Set up the plane board.
Hand out species boards to each player randomly. Players can trade.
Give 5 snake markers to each player.
Deal 5 cards to each player.
Decide randomly who will go first.

On your turn.

You may use all of the cards in your hand during your turn.
You may discard any card to place a new snake in the cargo hold.
You may discard any card to move a snake to an adjacent area.
You may play special cards for their effect. Follow the instructions on the card. Some are not discarded when they are used.
You may play numbered cards into an area where you control snakes.
- Species rule. During your turn, you may not play more cards of each suit than your species limits allow.
- One-card-per-snake rule. On each turn, you can play only one number card into an area for each snake you control in that area.
Only a few cards can be used outside of your turn.

Throwing an area into chaos:

An area is thrown into chaos when all requirements are met.
Award points to all players who control snakes in the area.
- Double-point rule. If only one player controls snakes in the area, that player gets double points.
Place a chaos marker on the area.

Ending the game:

The game ends when all areas that can be thrown into chaos are in chaos.
Last-card rule. The player who plays the last card, the card that ends the game, gets 10 points.
The player with the most points wins.

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