Teacher’s Pet
A Gateway Games Production
Designed by Matthew D Bickel
V1.1
Summer is ending.
Today is the first day of school, and everyone wants to make a good first impression during their first week back at school.
Will you be the Class Clown, or the Teacher's Pet?
In Teacher’s Pet, up to 6 Players compete for the position of Teacher’s Pet by taking Actions to Score Pet Points.
The Game is Played across 5 Days, or Rounds, split up into 7 Periods, or Turns, each.
At the end of the 5th Day, final Pet Point Scores are added up to find out who is this year’s Teacher’s Pet.
Place the School House Game Board in the middle of the table within reach of all Players(1).
Pick a Student Pawn, and take the corresponding Score Cube and Student Board of matching color(2). Place your Score Cube on the 5 Pet Points space on the Game Board Score Tracker(3).
Shuffle the Teacher Deck(4), Reward Deck(5), Discipline Deck(6), and Play Deck(7), and place them all in their marked places on the Game Board(8).
Place the Hall Monitor Pawn in the Hallway on the Game Board(9).
Place the Day Tracker and Period Tracker Cubes on their places on the Game Board(10).
Flip over the top card from the Teacher Deck and place it face-up in its Discard Pile as the Active Teacher. Place all of the Players Student Pawns in the School Room listed on the Active Teacher Card.
Each Player Draws Cards from the Play Deck until they have 7 Cards in their Hand.
Great! You’re ready to play Teacher’s Pet!
The Player who most recently took a class goes first.
The Active Player will take their Turn by performing 1 Action. After a Player takes their Turn, play proceeds to the Player on their left. That Player will perform 1 Action, and so on until play proceeds around the table to the Player who went first. Then the next Round begins.
Each Round, called a Day, is made of up 7 Turns, called Periods, where each Player may perform 1 Action on their Turn going in clockwise order starting from the first player.
When it is your Turn, you may perform 1 Action.
Once all Players have taken their Turns for the Period, move the Period Tracker Token 1 space forward on the Period Tracker. Roll the D10 and move the Hall Monitor Pawn so that the Pawn overlaps the Hallway and the School Room number rolled. Turn over the top card from the Teacher Deck and place it face-up as the new Active Teacher Card. Whenever a Teacher Card is placed face-up during a Day as the new Active Teacher Card all players may choose to immediately take a free Move to the School Room shown on the Active Teacher Card. After Players have chosen to either remain in the School Room they are in or Move to the new Active Teacher Cards School Room, continue play starting from the First Player going clockwise.
After everyone has taken their Turn on the 7th Period, the School Day is done. Move the Day Tracker Token forward 1 space on the Day Tracker, move the Period Tracker Token back to the 1st Period space on the Period Tracker, move the Hall Monitor Pawn to the Hallway School Room, turn over the top card from the Teacher Deck and place it face-up on the Teacher Deck Discard Pile as the new Active Teacher Card, place all of the Players Pawns in the new Active Teacher Cards School Room, and all Players Draw Cards from the Play Deck until they have at least 7 Cards in their Hands.
Now you are ready to begin the next Day.
Actions are divided into 2 types: Standard Actions and Special Actions.
You may perform any of the Standard Actions on your Turns.
Special Actions require a special circumstance to be performed, like your Pawn being in a specific School Room.
After the 7th Period of the 5th Day is finished, the Day Tracker Token and the Period Tracker Token are not moved. Instead, you may play your remaining cards from your hand “late” to score half of the number of Pet Points shown on the cards rounded down to the nearest whole number.
After Final Scores have been tallied, the Player with the most Pet Points is the winner.
The Game Board shows the School House, divided into 10 different School Rooms.
Each School Room has a unique feature, and has a different School Teacher associated with it.
Players’ Pawns are “expected” in the School Room listed on the Active Teacher Card. If the Hall Monitor catches you, or you are Tattled on, while outside of the School Room listed on the Active Teacher Card then you suffer a Detention.
Some School Rooms let you perform a Special Action, which is listed on the Teacher Card and on the School Room.
The 10 different School Rooms and their unique features are listed below:
Classroom: While in the Classroom you may perform the Turn In Assignment Special Action
Art Room: While in the Art Room you can play Art Cards.
Music Room: While in the Music Room you can play Music Cards.
Library: While in the Library the Study Standard Action lets you draw 2(3?) Cards.
Gymnasium: While in the Gymnasium the Bully Card lets you blindly take 2 Cards from a fellow Player.
Cafeteria: While in the Cafeteria you may perform the Move Standard Action successfully without rolling a dice to Sneak past the Hall Monitor.
Principals Office: While in the Principals Office you may Perform the Tattle Special Action.
Nurse’s Office: While in the Nurse’s Office you cannot be targeted by any Actions. Being Caught by the Hall Monitor in the Nurse’s Office carries no penalty.
Teachers Lounge: While in the Teachers Lounge you may use the Cheat Special Action.
Hallway: The Hallway connects all of the School Rooms on the Game Board. The Hall Monitor Pawn starts in the Hallway.
The Teacher Deck is made up of 35 Teacher Cards. Each Teacher Card shows 1 of the 6 different Teachers in the School.
A Teacher Card is considered the Active Teacher if it is the top face-up Teacher Card in the Teacher Deck Discard Pile.
The Active Teacher Card shows which School Room your Pawn is expected to be in. If you are caught by the Hall Monitor outside of the Active Teachers School Room, or are Tattled on, then your Pawn is automatically moved to the Active Teachers School Room and you receive a Detention.
The 6 different Teachers and their associated School Rooms are listed below:
Homeroom Teacher: Classroom
Art Teacher: Art Room
Music Teacher: Music Room
PE Teacher: Gymnasium
Librarian: Library
Lunch Lady: Cafeteria
The Hall Monitor watches over the School looking for troublemakers and reporting them to the Principal for Detention.
If you wish to Move to a School Room that is not on the Active Teacher Card while the Hall Monitor is in the Hallway, you must Roll the Dice to see if you can Sneak past the Hall Monitor without being caught.
If you are caught by the Hall Monitor, you are immediately moved to the School Room shown on the Active Teacher Card and suffer a Detention.
If you suffer a Detention, you are Moved to the Active Teacher’s School Room, lose a Turn, and move down 5 Pet Points on the Pet Point Score Tracker.
Standard Actions are always available for you to Perform on your Turns.
The 3 different Standard Actions are:
Study: Draw 1 Card from the Play Deck and add it to your Hand of cards.
Work: Play 1 Card. Reveal the Card, describe its effect, resolve its effect, then place it in the Play Deck Discard Pile.
Move: Move your Pawn through the Hallway to another School Room. If the Hall Monitor is in the Hallway you must Roll a 4 or higher on the Dice to see if you were able to sneak past the Hall Monitor without being Caught.
Special Actions are only available for you to perform on your Turns if you are in the correct School Room for that Special Action.
The 3 Special Actions are:
Turn In Assignment: Turn In a matching Set of at least 1 Assignment Card by showing them, Scoring their combined Pet Point value, then putting them in the Play Deck Discard Pile. This Special Action can only be taken if your Pawn is in the Classroom while the Active Teacher is the Homeroom Teacher.
Cheat: Look through the Play Deck Discard Pile and choose 1 Assignment Card, adding it to your Hand. This Special Action can only be taken if your Pawn is in the Teachers Lounge.
Tattle: While in the Principals Office you may accuse another Player of wrongly leaving the School Room on the Active Teacher Card. If that Player's Pawn is in a School Room that is not on the Active Teacher Card, then that Player’s Pawn is immediately Moved back to the School Room on the Active Teacher Card and that Player suffers a Detention.
If the accused Player has a Hall Pass Card played in front of them, or plays a Hall Pass Card from their Hand by revealing and then placing it in front of them, then the accusing Player’s Pawn is immediately Moved back to the Active Teachers School Room and suffers a Detention instead of the accused Player. If the accusing Player also has a Hall Pass Card placed in front of themself, or reveals a Hall Pass Card and places it in front of themself, then the Detention they would have suffered is canceled and they remain in the Principals Office.
A Player cannot be targeted by Tattle if they are in the Nurses Office.
This Special Action can only be taken if your Pawn is in the Principals Office.
The Play Deck is the deck of cards that the Players draw into their hands. These Cards can be Played during each Players Turn as their Action for that Period.
Most cards are played from your hand on your Turn by performing the Work Standard Action. To Play a card, announce the Action you are performing and which card you are Playing, taking care to describe what the card does.
Some cards are played when it is not your Turn as a reaction to another Player’s Action. For example, if another Player targets you with the Tattle Action, you may reveal and then discard the Hall Pass card to nullify the effect of Tattle against you.
There is no hand limit of how many cards you may have at one time, but if you finish a Day and have fewer than 7 cards in your hand, then draw from the Play Deck until you have 7 cards.
Here is a description of the different cards in the Play Deck and how they are used:
Art: Art Cards can only be played while the Active Teacher is the Art Teacher and you are in the Art Room. Use the Work Standard Action to Play an Art Card and score its Pet Point value.
Assignment: Assignment Cards can be Turned In to score Pet Points while you are in the Classroom by using the Turn In Assignment Special Action.
Assignment Cards can be Turned-in individually, or in Subject Sets to earn more Pet Points. The more of a matching Subject you Turn In at once, the more Pet Points you score.
Bully: The Bully Card lets you shake down your fellow Players for a Card. Use the Work Action on your Turn to Play the Bully Card, then choose a Player in the same School Room as you and blindly take 1 Card from their Hand.
Gift: Gift Cards can be played on your Turn to gain Pet Points while in the Active Teachers School Room by using the Work Standard Action.
Goody Two-Shoes: If you are the Target of a Bully Card, immediately Reveal and then Discard the Goody Two-Shoes Card from your Hand to cancel the effect.
Hall Pass: A Hall Pass permits you to Move through the School without getting in trouble with the Hall Monitor.
If you Move through or enter into a School Room that the Hall Monitor is in, or if the Hall Monitor enters a Room that your Pawn is in, you may Reveal and place the Hall Pass Card face-up in front of you as a free action to remain in the School Room avoiding the Detention. At the end of the Period, discard the Hall Pass Card into the Discard Pile.
If a fellow Player Tattles on you, you may Reveal the Hall Pass Card from your Hand as a free action to nullify the Tattle targeting you.The Tattling Players Pawn is immediately moved back to the Active Teachers School Room and they suffer a Detention.
Squeal: Play from your Hand by using the Work Standard Action to move the Hall Monitor to any School Room you choose. If the Hall Monitor enters a School Room that is not the Active Teachers School Room and finds Player Pawns there, all of those Players suffer a Detention.
Music: Music Cards can only be played while the Active Teacher is the Music Teacher and you are in the Music Room. Use the Work Standard Action to Play a Music Card and score its Pet Point value.