The rules
Race to score 15 VP before anyone else.
Score 15 victory points by completing chores. Level 2 chores are worth 2 points, Level 3 are 3 points, Level 4 are 4 points. Some chores have bonus conditions that pay extra. First player to 15 VP wins.
- 1Separate the deck into the chore deck (39 cards) and the action deck (74 cards). Shuffle each separately. Place both face-down in the center, with room beside each for a discard pile.
- 2Deal each player 3 chore cards face-up in front of them. This is their tableau — all 3 chores can be worked on simultaneously and everyone can see them.
- 3Deal each player 5 action cards as a starting hand. Keep these secret.
- 4The youngest player goes first. If a tie, whoever did a real chore most recently goes first. Play continues clockwise.
Draw
Draw up to 7 cards from the action deck.
Play
Play 1 progress card and 1 action card. Skip or discard in place of either.
Score
Claim any chores that hit their progress target. Refill tableau to 3.
What can you play in Step 2? Your Play step has two slots. For each slot you may: play a matching card, discard any 1 card from hand, or do nothing.
Progress slot: play a Done or Finally!.
Action slot: play an Inspection, Delegate, Chore Swap, Family Meeting, I'll Do It Later, or Teamwork.
Excuse is a reaction — it can be played any time and uses neither slot.
| Level | Done Needed | Base VP | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
Level 2 Quick Jobs | 2 Done | 2 VP | Take Out the Trash, Make Your Bed, Feed the Cat |
Level 3 Real Effort | 3 Done | 3 VP | Do the Laundry, Wash the Dishes, Mop the Floor |
Level 4 The Big Ones | 4 Done | 4 VP | Mow the Lawn, Clean the Gutters, Reorganize the Garage |
Always active while the chore is in your tableau. Effect ends when the chore leaves.
Clean Your Room is immune to Delegate.
Fires once, the moment the chore is completed.
Take Out the Trash lets you steal a card when you complete it.
Adjusts the chore's victory point value based on a condition met when scored.
Reorganize the Garage is worth 5 VP instead of 4 if you complete it after an opponent reaches 7+ VP.
- DoneProgress · ×30Add 1 progress to one of your chores.
- Finally!Progress · ×6Add 3 progress to any one chore in your own tableau. Cannot be blocked.
- InspectionAttack · ×4Choose an opponent's chore with at least 1 progress. Remove 1 progress. Blockable by Excuse and by I'll Do It Later (Dodge).
- ExcuseReaction · ×6Cancel any action card targeting you. Both cards discard. Doesn't use your Play action.
- DelegateCoop · ×4Choose an opponent. They must play 1 Done from their hand onto a chore in your tableau (your choice). If they have no Done in hand, they prove it; the Delegate is discarded with no effect. Blockable by Excuse.
- Chore SwapSwap · ×4Swap one chore (with progress) from your tableau with one chore from any opponent's tableau. Blockable by Excuse.
- Family MeetingChaos · ×4Everyone passes 3 cards to the player on their left. In 2-player: each player slides 3 face-down cards across simultaneously.
- I'll Do It LaterStall · ×4Discard a chore from your tableau (no VP), draw a replacement from the chore deck.
- TeamworkCoop · ×4Choose an opponent. Both reveal hands. Each places 1 Done from their own hand onto a chore in your tableau (you choose for both). If the opponent has no Done, you alone place 2 Done from your hand. Blockable by Excuse.
If at the start of your turn you have 0 VP and any opponent has 5+ VP, you draw 2 action cards in Step 1 instead of 1. This catch-up draw stops the moment you score your first chore.
Why? Without it, a player who draws 4 Excuse cards and 1 Done in their opening hand can fall hopelessly behind by turn 4. The 2-draw bonus gives bottom-of-the-pack players a way back in without giving leaders a snowball.
The first time you reach 8 VP, your tableau is protected for one full round — until your next turn begins, opponents cannot target your tableau with Inspection, Delegate, Chore Swap, or Reorganize the Attic. After that round ends, the protection lifts permanently. You have one window to close out the win.
Why? Once you're one chore from winning, every opponent has incentive to dogpile you. Without a brief shield, the leader is decided by turn order, not skill. One round of protection turns the finale into a real race.
- Excuse window
Excuse may be played the instant after an opponent declares an action targeting you, before any of its effects resolve. Only one Excuse may resolve per attempted action.
- Excuse vs. Inspection
The targeted player can Excuse it. Wipe the Counters auto-cancels the first Inspection on you for free. I'll Do It Later (Dodge) also cancels an Inspection.
- Excuse vs. Finally! / Done
These target your own chores, so they aren't "targeting an opponent" — they cannot be Excused.
- Delegate when no Done in hand
The targeted opponent must reveal their full hand to prove they have no Done. The Delegate is discarded with no effect. Their hand returns secret afterwards.
- Chore Swap with progress
Any Done cards already on the chore travel with it. The new owner now needs the same total Done to complete it.
- Inspection on a chore with 0 progress
Not legal — pick a different target chore or hold the card.
- Multiple completions in one Score step
Resolve them one at a time in any order you choose. Each Trigger fires fully before the next.
- Action deck runs out
Shuffle the discard pile to form a new action deck. If both are empty, players keep playing with the cards they have until someone wins or no one can act, in which case the player with the most VP wins (tiebreaker: most chores in scored pile, then most cards in hand).
- Chore deck runs out
Tableaus shrink as chores are completed; this is a game-end pressure. The first player to 15 VP still wins; if no one reaches 15 before all chores are scored, highest VP wins.
- Winning mid-turn
The moment your VP total reaches 15 at the end of any step, the game ends immediately. Opponents do not get a final turn.
First to 15 VP wins.
The moment your scored pile totals 15 victory points, you win immediately. Tiebreakers don't come up — the game ends inside a single player's turn.
Quick Game
Play to 10 VP instead of 15.
Long Game
Play to 20 VP. Reshuffle the chore deck if it runs out.
2-Player Variant
Deal 4 chores per tableau instead of 3 to keep the play space lively.