Full rules

CHAOS — Vacances à Marseille

The rules, the edge cases, and every line printed on the cards.

How to play

The cards are in French. The icons carry the rules, so you can play without reading a word of it.

The idea

You are on holiday in Marseille. The city does not agree. Strikes, heatwaves, crowds, mistral: everything happens, and it happens to you. The whole point is to look relaxed.

Goal

Validate your 2 secret objectives, then finish with 0 Action cards in hand OR 0 Stress, and announce your PERFECT HOLIDAY.

Setup

The Dealer is whoever went on holiday most recently: they reveal the Chaos Moments. Shuffle each pile separately, face down in the middle. Each player draws 5 Action cards, draws 1 Lieu and places it face up as their starting district, then draws 3 Objectives, keeps 2 secret and discards the third. The first player is the Dealer's left-hand neighbour.

The round

A game lasts at most 10 rounds. At the start of each round the Dealer reveals a Chaos Moment and reads it out loud. Its effect hits everyone. Its 2 icons show which zone of the city is hit. Then each player takes a turn, clockwise: 1 · DRAW 2 Action cards — 5 if your hand is empty. 2 · PLAY up to 3 actions. Absolute maximum 5. 3 · LOCAL EFFECT: +1 Stress for each icon of the Moment that the district on TOP of your pile also has. 4 · HAND: 7 Action cards maximum, discard the rest. Objects you have placed do not count.

The cards

MOVEMENT — draw Lieux, keep one, place it on TOP of your pile. Every Lieu in your pile counts as visited. ATTACK — inflicts Stress. The icon condition looks at the TARGET's district. DEFENSE — outside your turn, no action cost: cancels an attack against you. OBJECT — place it in front of you: 1 point, and it leaves your hand. INTERACTION — give or steal a placed Object. JOKER — effect printed on the card.

Stress

It is the weight of everything going wrong. +X Stress: draw X cards into your area. −X: give X back. Cards are double-sided: side 1 = 1, side 2 = 2. Like coins: make change. There is no maximum. THE TRANSFER — the rule to remember: when you attack and you already have Stress, your target does not draw. You hand them YOUR Stress. Attacking relieves you.

Shouting CHAOS, and winning

During your turn, if an objective is complete: 1 action, shout CHAOS! and reveal the card. It is validated. The others take +1 Stress, you lose 2 if you have any, then the others pass their hand to the left — not you. Yes, you really do have to shout it. THE PERFECT HOLIDAY — at any point in your turn, without spending an action: your 2 objectives validated, and 0 Action cards in hand OR 0 Stress. Announce it out loud. TO FINISH WITH AN EMPTY HAND — once per game, if your 2 objectives are validated: 1 action to discard a DEFENSE or LE PROFESSEUR from your hand. THE LAST APÉRO — every other player takes one more turn and can still get there. No new Moment. Your announcement is final.

The end, and the variants

ON THE 10th ROUND, IF NOBODY HAS WON: everyone checks one last time. Otherwise you count: +1 per Lieu, +1 per placed Object, +2 per validated objective, −1 per point of Stress. Tie: least Stress, then most Lieux. WITH 2 PLAYERS: each lays out 2 starting Lieux, the second player draws 6 cards, MOUETTES DÉCHAÎNÉES gives +2 Stress, and your single opponent discards 1 card instead of passing their hand. SHORT GAME: 6 rounds instead of 10.

Edge cases

How much Stress does the Local Effect give me?

Compare the 2 icons of the Chaos Moment with the 2 icons of the district on TOP of your pile, and only that one. 0 icons in common: nothing. 1: +1 Stress. 2: +2 Stress.

Do duplicate districts count?

Yes. Every Lieu in your pile counts as visited, duplicates included: you count cards, not names. But for the Local Effect, only the top district counts.

Do placed Objects count towards the 7-card limit?

No. An Object placed face up in front of you has left your hand: it does not count towards the limit of 7, and it is worth 1 point at the end.

How does the Stress transfer work?

When you attack and you already have Stress, your target does not draw: you hand them YOUR Stress cards. Attacking relieves you. If the attack is cancelled by a DEFENSE, the transferred Stress comes back to you.

When can I play a DEFENSE card?

Outside your turn, as an immediate reaction to an attack aimed at you. It costs no action, and it only cancels what targets you: not a Chaos Moment, not an attack on someone else.

I can't empty my hand.

DEFENSE cards and LE PROFESSEUR can only be played outside your turn: if nobody attacks you, they stay stuck in your hand. That is covered. Once per game, if your 2 Objectives are validated, spend 1 action to discard one of them. It is the only way to finish with an empty hand.

Someone announced LES VACANCES PARFAITES. Does the game stop?

Not immediately: this is LE DERNIER APÉRO, the last round. Every other player takes ONE more turn, in the usual order. When it would be the turn of the player who announced, the game stops — they do not play again. No new Chaos Moment is revealed.

Can my victory be taken away during the last round?

No. Your announcement is final. But if several players get there, the one with the LEAST Stress AT THE END wins, then the one with the most Lieux. So loading you with Stress is still worth it for someone who thinks they can get there too.

A draw pile is empty. What now?

If the Actions or Lieux pile runs out, shuffle its discard pile and put it back face down. The Chaos Moments and the Stress are not reshuffled.

We're playing with 2. What changes?

Each player lays out 2 starting Lieux. The second player draws 6 cards instead of 5. MOUETTES DÉCHAÎNÉES gives +2 Stress. « To your left » and « the others » mean your single opponent, who discards 1 card instead of passing their hand.

Is there a maximum amount of Stress?

No. The cards are double-sided: side 1 = 1 Stress, side 2 = 2 Stress. Like coins: make change.

MOUETTES DÉCHAÎNÉES hits everyone. How does the transfer work?

You share out YOUR Stress among the targets as you like. For whatever is missing, they draw from the middle as usual.

My attack was cancelled. Does it still count for my objective?

Look at the verb printed on your Objective card. If it describes a RESULT — « steal 1 Object » — a cancelled theft does not count: you stole nothing. If it describes an ACT — a card « played » — it counts, cancelled or not: what counts is the card played, not its effect.

Can I shout CHAOS twice in the same turn?

Yes. Each shout costs 1 action and you have 3: you can validate both objectives in the same turn. The others then take +2 Stress in total, and they pass their hand to the left TWICE.

LE PROFESSEUR sends the attack back. What about the transferred Stress?

Everything goes back to the attacker: the Stress cards he gave you return to him, and on top of that he suffers the effect of his own card.

The Stress pile is empty. What now?

Nothing. Whoever would draw does not take any: there is none left. The city has given everything it had.

LE SOCIABLE asks for « 3 Attaques ou Interactions jouées ». What counts?

You count the ATTACK or INTERACTION CARDS you play, whatever their effect. · Shouting CHAOS is not an Attack: it does not count. · MOUETTES DÉCHAÎNÉES hits everyone, but counts as one card, like the others. · With 2 players, all 3 cards may target your single opponent. · Nobody keeps count for you: we take your word for it, as for LE CONNAISSEUR.

LE GLOBE-TROTTEUR asks for « 6 Lieux différents ». Different how?

Six districts with different NAMES. Everywhere else you count cards, duplicates included: this is the only card in the game that counts names. You look at the Lieux that are IN YOUR PILE when you validate — so if TROTTINETTE INCONTRÔLABLE swapped one, it is the one you have now that counts.

How many Objects can I place in one turn?

Up to 3, like any other card: placing an Object is an action.

We're in a hurry. Can we play a shorter game?

Yes: SHORT GAME, 6 rounds instead of 10. Nothing else changes.

The 16 districts

The 2 categories are printed on every card: this list is only for those who like to look.

VILLE
Belsunce · Castellane · La Joliette · Le Prado · Les Catalans · Noailles · Notre-Dame de la Garde · Saint-Charles · Vieux-Port · Vélodrome

NUIT
Cours Julien · La Joliette · La Plaine · Le Panier · Noailles · Saint-Charles · Vélodrome

MER
Fort Saint-Jean · Le Prado · Les Calanques · Les Catalans · Vallon des Auffes · Vieux-Port

CULTURE
Belsunce · Castellane · Cours Julien · Fort Saint-Jean · La Plaine · Le Panier · Les Calanques · Notre-Dame de la Garde · Vallon des Auffes

The lines on the cards

Every card carries a line. Here they all are.

The 16 districts

VIEUX-PORT
ville · mer
Tout passe par ici : échanges et imprévus.Everything comes through here: deals and surprises.
NOTRE-DAME DE LA GARDE
ville · culture
De là-haut, tu prends du recul.From up there, you get some perspective.
LE PRADO
ville · mer
Mer parfaite, accès compliqué : il faut choisir.Perfect sea, awkward access: you have to choose.
LE PANIER
nuit · culture
Tu montes. Tu redescends. Tu sais plus.You go up. You come back down. You've lost track.
VÉLODROME
ville · nuit
Toute la ville va au stade. Toi aussi.The whole city is going to the stadium. You too.
LA JOLIETTE
ville · nuit
Ici tout change. T'as pas suivi.Everything changes here. You didn't keep up.
SAINT-CHARLES
ville · nuit
Tout le monde part. Pas toi encore.Everyone is leaving. Not you, not yet.
LA PLAINE
nuit · culture
Cinq minutes. C'était il y a six heures.Five minutes. That was six hours ago.
CASTELLANE
ville · culture
Tu contrôles rien ici. Comme d'hab.You control nothing here. As usual.
FORT SAINT-JEAN
mer · culture
Coucher de soleil sur le golfe : ici, tu respires.Sunset over the bay: here, you can breathe.
COURS JULIEN
nuit · culture
Tout va trop vite. T'aimes ça.Everything moves too fast. You like it.
BELSUNCE
ville · culture
Trop de monde. Tu pousses quand même.Too many people. You push through anyway.
NOAILLES
ville · nuit
Tu voulais rien acheter. Erreur.You weren't going to buy anything. Mistake.
VALLON DES AUFFES
mer · culture
Calme, mer, horizon : ici tu respires enfin.Calm, sea, horizon: here you finally breathe.
LES CATALANS
mer · ville
Ça éclabousse. Tu cries. Normal.It splashes. You shout. Normal.
LES CALANQUES
mer · culture
Ça fait mal aux pieds. Ça vaut le coup.It hurts your feet. It's worth it.

The 15 Chaos Moments

GRÈVE DES TRANSPORTS
ville · nuit
Même les bus ont abandonné.Even the buses have given up.
VAGUE DE CHALEUR
mer · ville
Marseille fond. Toi aussi.Marseille is melting. So are you.
TARPIN DE MONDE
culture · ville
Des tongs partout. Tu es piégé.Flip-flops everywhere. You're trapped.
FESTIVAL IMPROVISÉ
nuit · culture
Deux verres. Toute la rue est là.Two drinks. The whole street is here.
BLOQUÉS, COMME D'HAB
ville · nuit
Tu klaxonnes. Ça change rien.You honk. It changes nothing.
MER AGITÉE
mer · culture
Le mistral a décidé pour toi.The mistral has decided for you.
JOURNÉE NOIRE
ville · culture
Rien ne marche. On continue quand même.Nothing works. We carry on anyway.
NUIT SANS FIN
nuit · mer
Juste un verre. C'était hier soir.Just one drink. That was last night.
NUÉE DE MOUETTES
mer · ville
Elles ont tout pris. Même le pain.They took everything. Even the bread.
PLUIE TORRENTIELLE
ville · nuit
Tu nages. C'est pas la plage.You're swimming. This is not the beach.
COUPURE DE COURANT
nuit · culture
Plus de lumière. Plus rien.No more light. Nothing at all.
GRÈVE DES MARCHÉS
ville · nuit
Fermé. Tout est fermé aujourd'hui.Closed. Everything is closed today.
TOURNAGE EN COURS
ville · culture
T'es peut-être dans le film.You might be in the film.
AMBIANCE DE FÊTE
nuit · culture
Musique à fond. T'as plus le choix.Music at full blast. You have no choice.
CHAOS TOTAL
×4
Tout part. En même temps.Everything goes. All at once.

After the game

The district on top

The last district left on your pile: go there tomorrow.

Your four tourists

The boy in yellow, the girl in the vest top, the straw hat, the girl in pink: they come back from card to card. They are having the same week as you.

The sardine

« A few sardines. A thousand witnesses. » They say here that a sardine once blocked the Old Port. It was a ship called Sartine — but Marseille prefers the sardine.