OINKONOMICS: GAME RULES

OBJECTIVE

Welcome to Gosling, where the rents are sky-high and the piglets play dirty. Your goal? Be the first to own three Brick Flats by shaking down tenants for rent, stacking your property empire, managing your bankroll, and laying down some sneaky sabotage. Rise from scrappy piglet to high on the hog… but watch your back, sweetheart.

SETUP

Each ambitious oinker starts the game with:

  • 1 Straw Shack Property Card (your humble beginnings)
  • 3 Money Cards: 2 × $1 and 1 × $2 (keep your pockets jingling)

Shuffle the decks and place them face-down within easy reach:

  • Property/Tenant Deck
  • Action Deck
  • Money Deck

Next to the Money Deck, create a space for the Money Discard Pile (the Market). The Market starts empty. As the game progresses, all spent or discarded Money Cards go here. Players can draw from the Market to make exact change when paying rent, upgrading properties, or placing new properties — keeping the dough flowing!

GAME LAYOUT SETUP Example setup for player and decks: Example setup for 4 Players:

GAMEPLAY PHASES

Each turn, you’ll cruise through four snappy phases — keep your wits about ya:

  1. Rent Collection Phase – Collect rent from opposing players.
  2. Draw Phase – Draw 2 cards from any deck.
  3. Action Phase – Play cards from your hand, place tenants, upgrade or add properties.
  4. End Turn – Discard down to 7 cards if over the hand limit into their respective discard piles (or the Market for Money Cards).

1. Rent Collection Phase

Choose an opponent and shake them down if you own at least one more Property type than they do. For each extra Property, they owe rent — no tears in Gosling, sugarplum.

A - Base Rent Values:

  • Straw Shack: $1
  • Stick Cabin: $2
  • Brick Flat: $3

Add up each Property’s base rent plus Tenant bonuses, but only count combinations that give the highest total rent. Pick Properties that milk your opponents for every juicy penny.

Examples:

You Opponent Outcome
3 Straw Shacks 1 Straw Shack Charge rent for 2 Shacks
2 Stick Cabins + 1 Straw Shack 1 Stick Cabin + 1 Straw Shack Charge rent for 1 extra Stick Cabin only
3 Straw Shacks 2 Brick Flats + 1 Stick Cabin Charge rent for all 3 Straw Shacks

B - Tenant Bonuses:

Tenants can boost your rent! Keep an eye on who’s living where, it might just pay off. Smiley Joe ain’t smilin’ no more!

Examples:

You Opponent Outcome
3 Straw Shacks + 1 Tenant (with +2 Rent bonus) 1 Straw Shack Charge 2 Shacks ($2) + Tenant bonus (+2) = $4 Rent owed

 

2. Draw Phase

Draw 2 cards from any deck: Property/Tenant, Action, or Money. Take both from one deck, or mix and match. Choose wisely, the game’s in your hands.

If you have any played Tenant cards with Draw Phase bonuses, follow the instructions to collect your cards.


3. Action Phase

Time for your dirty tricks or strategic empire-building. During this phase, you can play Action Cards, manage tenants, add new properties, or upgrade your digs in any preferred order. Keep your eyes sharp, sugarplum. Anything goes as long as the rules say so.

A - Place a Tenant

  • One Tenant per Property you own. No subletters!
  • Tenant bonuses and abilities activate at the start of a player’s next turn, unless the card specifies otherwise. Rent boosters (+1/+2/+3) apply during the next Rent Collection Phase.
  • Tenants stay put until evicted or swapped through a special ability. One-time effects shake up the game — follow the card instructions.

B - Evict a Tenant

  • Pay $2 to evict your own deadbeat tenant or use an Evict Tenant Card.
  • Some tenants play hard to kick (we’re looking at you, Sarah Hutt).
  • Evicted tenants go to the Property/Tenant discard pile.

C - Upgrade Properties & Add New Straw Shacks

Keep your empire growing and your rivals sweating. Always have the Property Card in hand and the cash ready. The Market will not lift a finger for you.

Note: You can only have up to 3 properties in play max.

Action Cost Card Required Notes
Place 1st Straw Shack Free Straw Shack Always free
Place 2nd Straw Shack $2 Straw Shack Time to pay your dues!
Place 3rd Straw Shack $3 Straw Shack More stakes, more cost!
Upgrade Straw Shack → Stick Cabin $3 Stick Cabin -
Upgrade Stick Cabin → Brick Flat $4 Brick Flat -


D - Play Action Cads

Time to stir the pot. These cards let you steal, evict, sabotage, and generally make life miserable for your rivals. Timing is everything. Some cards, like Short Change or Rent Collector, are meant for Rent Collection, so read carefully.

  • Evict Tenant Cards: Kick tenants to the curb.
  • Burst Pipes / Pest Infestation: Sabotage an opponent’s rent. Watch for Quick Fixes.
  • Tenant Swap: Shuffle two tenants around the board. Yours, theirs, or both. Chaos guaranteed.
  • Fast-Track Permit: Upgrade a property for free. Do not mind the paperwork.
  • Huff & Puff: Blow a property off the board straight to the discard pile. Watch the tenants fly.
  • Swindle / Short Change / Rent Collector / Wolf Inspector / Renovation Grant: Play them strategically. Each one has its own tricks, so follow the card instructions. 

4. End Turn

Hand too fat? Discard down to 7 cards:

  • Money Cards: Market
  • Action Cards: Action discard pile
  • Property/Tenant Cards: Property/Tenant discard pile

When a deck runs dry, reshuffle its discard pile (or the Market for Money Cards - see additional notes regarding the Market) to keep the game rolling.

And remember, the Feds are always watching, darling.

ADDITIONAL GAME NOTES

A - Money – The Market

The Market is your source of liquidity. Draw from it to make exact change when paying rent, upgrading properties, or placing new Properties.

  • All swaps go through the Market, to make exact change: 
    • $3 → $2 + $1
    • $3→ $1 + $1 + $1
    • $2 → $1 + $1
  • The Market can never be used to combine smaller bills into larger denominations. Got 8 $1’s? You gotta discard some at the end of your turn instead. Life ain’t fair.
  • All spent or discarded Money Cards go to the Market.
  • Can’t pay exact rent or costs? Use the Market first before discarding Property, Action, or Tenant Cards.
  • Money Deck runs dry? Reshuffle the Market and deal 2 Money Cards per player face-up to reset. This ain’t the Treasury, sweetheart — nobody’s printing more.

B - Paying Rent

Time to cough up those Money Cards to pay rent! Below is a little guide in the unfortunate event that your wallet is slim.

  • Need some singles? Use the Market to make exact change.
  • Still short on cash? Torch Property Cards from your hand for their cash value (only if you owe rent).
  • You may torch a Property Card currently in play. However, any Tenant Cards on that property automatically go to the discard pile.
  • Still broke? Discard a Tenant or Action Card from your hand and draw a Money Card.
  • Totally tapped? Give up everything and start from scratch. No hope for you, penniless piglet.

C - No Player Trading

No trading, selling, or under-the-table deals between players. All card flow happens through normal gameplay: drawing, stealing with Action Cards, discarding, or using the Market. IOUs and side deals are strictly forbidden in Gosling.

GAME END

The game ends immediately when a player owns 3 Brick Flats — that’s your crown, your clout, and the mayor’s wink.

GAME ETIQUETTE

Respect your turn, swindle with style, and remember: the rent’s too damn high, but so is the drama!

CARD INVENTORY

Money Cards (36 total)

  • 14 × $1
  • 11 × $2
  • 9 × $3

Property Cards (33 total)

  • 13 x Straw Shacks
  • 11 x Stick Cabins
  • 11 x Brick Flats

Tenant Cards (16 total)

  • 1 x Chip Weasel
  • 1 x Chauncy, Midge, & Pepper
  • 1 x Chuck, Joan, Stubs, Guy & Berenice Piggie
  • 1 x Cleo & Piddle
  • 1 x Georgie Porgie
  • 1 x Humpty Dumpty
  • 1 x Itsy Spider
  • 1 x Jack Jackson
  • 1 x Jack & Jill Killian
  • 1 x Jack & Kate Sprat
  • 1 x Mary Lebowitz
  • 1 x Otis
  • 1 x Ronald Rooster
  • 1 x The "Dish" & the "Spoon"
  • 1 x Sarah Hutt
  • 1 x Shirley, Rusty & Sachmo

Action Cards (23 total)

  • 1 x Burst Pipes
  • 3 x Evict Tenant
  • 2 x Fast-Track Permit
  • 1 x Huff & Puff
  • 2 x Pest Infestation
  • 2 x Quick Fix
  • 2 x Short Change
  • 2 x Swindle
  • 2 x Renovation Grant
  • 2 x Rent Collector
  • 2 x Tenant Swap
  • 2 x Wolf Inspector
TENANT CARD DETAILS

CHIP WEASEL

Chip puts the pop in popularity… in his own mind.

  • +1 Rent bonus on any paired property, regardless of type.
  • If this card is evicted by an opponent using an Evict Tenant Card, the player may immediately draw 1 Money Card and 1 non-Money Card (Action or Tenant/Property).
  • If the player evicts their own tenant, the draw effect does not trigger.

CHAUNCY, MIDGE, & PEPPER

See how they run? Because they can’t.

  • +1 Rent bonus on any paired property, regardless of type.
  • When evicted by the player or an opponent, this Tenant Card does not automatically go to the discard pile.
  • Instead, it can be moved to an adjacent property of the player’s choosing.
  • If no other adjacent properties are in play, the card must be discarded.

CHUCK, JOAN, STUBS, GUY & BERENICE PIGGIE

Piggies about town bringing home the bacon.

At the start of the player’s turn, draw 1 Money Card and immediately discard it. The effect depends on the card drawn:

  • $1: Skip rent on all properties of this type. Discard the Money Card.
  • $2: Collect +1 Rent from each applicable property this turn.
    Example: If this card is on two Brick Flats, each Brick Flat gains +1 Rent this round. Discard the Money Card.
  • $3: Instead of discarding, keep the card. However, you must skip the Rent Collection Phase this turn.

CLEO & PIDDLE

Ruckus and loud? Yes. Yes, they are.

  • +2 Rent bonus if paired with a Stick Cabin Card.

GEORGIE PORGIE

His pudding pie will make you cry!

  • +3 Rent bonus on any paired property, regardless of type.
  • This Tenant Card is vulnerable to alternative forms of eviction.
  • To force-evict, an opponent may play an Evict Tenant Card or discard 2 Action Cards.

HUMPTY DUMPTY

One REALLY Bad Egg with a really big ego

  • +3 Rent bonus on any paired property, regardless of type.
  • If this Tenant Card is evicted, either by the owning player or an opponent, the owner is penalized and must discard 1 card from their hand.

ITSY SPIDER

No drain or bowl will slow his roll.

  • Once per turn during the player’s Action Phase, the player may discard 1 Action Card to draw 2 new cards from any deck.

JACK JACKSON

Jack stays nimble, Jack stays sly. Cheat first, ask why.

  • +1 Rent bonus on any paired property, regardless of type.
  • Allows the player to draw 1 extra Money Card during their Draw Phase.

JACK & JILL KILLIAN

Siblings forever, hustlin’ together

  • +2 Rent bonus on any paired property, regardless of type.
  • If evicted by an opponent through any means, the player may steal 1 random card from the opponent’s hand.

JACK & KATE SPRAT

They’ll slice some fat and leave no lean.

  • +2 Rent bonus if paired with a Brick Flat Card.

MARY LEBOWITZ

The Little Lamb is out there.

  • Once per game, the player may activate this card’s ability to relocate up to 4 Tenant Cards on the board to any Properties currently in play, including their own or any opponents’.
  • Switching two Tenant Cards between Properties counts as 2 relocations.
  • Once activated, this ability cannot be used again by any player for the rest of the game.

OTIS

Champion of the Ginger Tribe. Hazah!

  • Once per game, the player may swap this card’s current paired property with any property owned by another player, regardless of type.
  • The tenant remains with the player in the same spot.
  • This ability can nullify the effects of Action Cards, such as Burst Pipes and Pest Infestation.
  • Once activated, this ability cannot be used again by any player for the rest of the game.

RONALD ROOSTER

Your Not-So-Fairfeathered Friend, but he delivers.

During the player’s Rent Collection Phase, choose one of the following:

  • Add +1 Rent bonus to this card’s paired property, OR
  • Skip Rent Phase and draw 1 card from any deck.

Even if the player cannot charge rent during the Rent Collection Phase (such as when all players have equal property types), Ronald Rooster may still activate his “Skip Rent Phase to draw 1 card” ability.

THE "DISH" & THE "SPOON"

What’s the diddle? These agents want to know.

  • At the beginning of the player’s Draw Phase, preview the top 2 cards of any one deck of your choice.
  • Once viewed, place the cards back on top of the same deck before starting your Draw Phase.

SARAH HUTT

She’s only here for the BINGO.

  • +1 Rent bonus on any paired property, regardless of type.
  • Due to being elderly, this Tenant Card cannot be evicted by the player under normal circumstances.
  • Only an opponent using an Evict Tenant Card or a Tenant Swap ability can force this card off a property.

SHIRLEY, RUSTY & SACHMO

Lost mittens? No problem. Cuteness brings in the cash!

  • +2 Rent bonus if paired with a Straw Shack Card.
ACTION CARD DETAILS

BURST PIPES

Hope you like mold and property damage!

  • This card blocks an opponent’s ability to collect rent from the affected property.
  • Place it on top of the property; it remains there until a Quick Fix Card is played.
  • The Otis Card can bypass this status effect. If used for a property switch, Burst Pipes is discarded as though a Quick Fix Card was employed.
  • You can still count the property toward your totals for charging rent on other properties.
    • Example: You have 2 Brick Flats and one has Burst Pipes — you can still charge an opponent rent for the unaffected Brick Flat.
  • Any Tenant Card rent bonuses (+1/+2/+3 Rent) are ignored while Burst Pipes is active.
  • Tenant abilities (e.g., Mary’s tenant relocation, Jack Jackson’s card draw) still apply.
  • The property is still upgradable and counts toward the endgame goal of 3 Brick Flats.

EVICT TENANT

Notice of eviction! Pack your bags, pig.

  • Completely removes a tenant from a property, including those that cannot be removed by paying $2, such as Sarah Hutt.
  • Can be used on any tenants in play, including your own.

FAST-TRACK PERMIT

A little greased paw gets the paperwork pushed through faster.

  • Allows a property to be upgraded at no cost.
  • The player must still have the corresponding Property Card in hand to upgrade.

HUFF & PUFF

I'll huff and I'll puff, and your house goes POOF!

  • Play during your Action Phase to remove an opponent’s property from play.
  • Any paired Tenant Cards are automatically discarded.

PEST INFESTATION

Roaches, rats, and who-knows-what else. Say goodbye to happy tenants.

  • Place a -2 Rent penalty on any property of your choice.
  • Penalty counts against any Tenant Card rent bonuses.
  • If the penalty drops rent below $0, the property is capped at 0 Rent.
  • The Otis Card can bypass this effect. If used for a property switch, Pest Infestation is discarded as though a Quick Fix Card was employed.

QUICK FIX

A little duct tape, a little paint—good as new!

  • Removes the effects of Pest Infestation and Burst Pipes from any affected property.
  • Players must wait until their next turn to resume collecting rent.

SHORT CHANGE

Suddenly, the tenant ‘forgets’ to pay rent. How convenient.

  • Can be played during an opponent’s Rent Collection Phase when the player is targeted.
  • The player effectively avoids owing rent to the opponent.

SWINDLE

Late fees and ‘processing charges’—who’s gonna stop you?

  • Play during your Action Phase to steal 2 random cards from any opponent’s hand.

RENOVATION GRANT

That government grant finally rolled in!

  • Draw 2 extra Money Cards from the Money Deck.
  • Players must still discard down to 7 cards by the end of the turn.

RENT COLLECTOR

The collector’s here, and he wants more than what’s due.

  • Play during your Rent Collection Phase to steal an extra card from an opposing player who owes rent.

TENANT SWAP

Your tenants got ‘relocated’ in a totally legit way.

  • Play during your Action Phase to swap any two tenants in play, either yours or an opponent’s, on properties.

WOLF INSPECTOR

A snouty inspector ‘conveniently’ finds violations at your rival’s property.

  • Play during your Action Phase to view the hand of any chosen opponent.
PROPERTY CARD DETAILS

STRAW SHACK

1 Bed - 0 Bath - Bucket Included

  • Lowest-tier property available. Each player starts with a free Straw Shack Card.
  • Placing a 2nd Shack costs $2.
  • Placing a 3rd Shack costs $3.
  • Default rent without bonuses: $1.
  • Cash value: $1. Can only be used by discarding this card to pay rent and draw Money Cards of equal value from the Market.

STICK CABIN

1 Bed - Half Bath - Natural Lighting

  • Mid-tier property.
  • Upgrade from Straw Shack → Stick Cabin costs $3 and requires a Stick Cabin Card in hand.
  • Default rent without bonuses: $2.
  • Cash value: $2. Can only be used by discarding this card to pay rent and draw Money Cards of equal value from the Market.

BRICK FLAT

Studio - Quarter Bath - Tub & Kitchen Combo
  • Highest-tier property. Owning 3 Brick Flats wins the game.
  • Upgrade from Stick Cabin → Brick Flat costs $4 and requires a Brick Flat Card in hand.
  • Default rent without bonuses: $3.
  • Cash value: $3. Can only be used by discarding this card to pay rent and draw Money Cards of equal value from the Market.

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