Overview

Hoity Toity (also known as Adel Verpflichtet, By Hook or By Crook, or Fair Means or Foul) is a bluffing and set collection game where players are eccentric aristocrats competing to assemble the finest collection of antiques. Each round, players secretly choose whether to visit the Auction House or the Castle, then simultaneously reveal their choices. At the Auction House, players bid to acquire antique cards. At the Castle, players exhibit collections while thieves attempt to steal from them, and detectives try to catch the thieves. The first player to advance their pawn to the finish on the scoring track wins.

Components

• 1 Game Board with scoring track
• 6 Player pawns
• 6 sets of action cards (Auction House / Castle cards)
• Antique cards (numbered, forming collectible sets)
• Thief cards
• Detective cards
• Money cards in various denominations
• Check cards (for bidding)

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center of the table.
2. Each player selects a color and takes the matching pawn, placing it on the start space.
3. Each player receives a starting hand of action cards: Auction House card, Castle card, Thief cards, and Detective cards.
4. Shuffle the antique card deck and place it face down.
5. Distribute starting money to each player.

Turn Structure

Each round consists of three phases:

Phase 1: Choose Location

All players simultaneously and secretly choose one of two location cards:

• Auction House — to bid on antiques
• Castle — to exhibit, steal, or investigate

Phase 2: Reveal and Resolve

All players simultaneously reveal their chosen location card.

At the Auction House:

• Players at the Auction House bid money to buy the revealed antique card(s).
• Each player places a secret bid using their check/money cards.
• Highest bidder wins the antique card and pays their bid to the bank.
• Ties are broken by the player who arrived first or by specific tie-breaking rules.
• If only one player is at the Auction House, they acquire the antique at minimum price.

At the Castle:

• Players at the Castle secretly choose one role card:
  • Exhibit — Display your antique collection to score points
  • Thief — Attempt to steal an antique from an exhibiting player
  • Detective — Attempt to catch a thief
• All role cards are revealed simultaneously.
• Resolution order:
  1. If a Detective and a Thief are both present, the Detective catches the Thief. The Thief’s player moves backward on the scoring track, and the Detective’s player advances.
  2. If a Thief is present but no Detective, the Thief steals one antique card from an exhibiting player.
  3. If only Exhibitors are present (no Thief), the player with the best exhibition advances on the scoring track.

Phase 3: Advance

Players who successfully exhibited, caught a thief, or otherwise scored move their pawns forward on the track.

Actions

Auction House Actions

• Bid on Antiques: Place a secret monetary bid. The highest unique bid wins the antique card. The winner pays their bid; all other players keep their money.

Castle Actions

• Exhibit: Lay out your collection of antique cards. The quality of an exhibition depends on the number of consecutively numbered antiques displayed. Longer sequences score more advancement spaces.
• Thief: If no Detective is present, steal one antique card from an exhibiting player. If a Detective catches you, move your pawn backward on the track.
• Detective: If a Thief is present, catch them and advance on the track. If no Thief is present, nothing happens.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Players advance their pawns along the scoring track based on successful exhibitions, catching thieves, and other accomplishments.
• Exhibition scoring is based on the length of consecutive antique sequences displayed:
  • Longer unbroken sequences of numbered antiques are worth more spaces.
  • The player with the best exhibition at the Castle advances the most.
• Catching a thief advances the detective’s pawn and moves the thief’s pawn backward.
• The first player to reach or pass the finish space on the scoring track wins the game.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Simultaneous selection: All location and role choices are made secretly and revealed simultaneously — no player knows what others have chosen until the reveal.
• Rock-Paper-Scissors dynamic: At the Castle, Exhibit beats nothing, Thief beats Exhibit, Detective beats Thief — creating a bluffing metagame.
• Solo at Auction House: If only one player visits the Auction House, they get the antique cheaply without competition.
• Solo at Castle: If only one player visits the Castle, their action resolves without opposition (exhibiting scores freely, thieving fails with no target, detecting fails with no thief).
• Empty locations: It is possible for no players to visit a location in a given round.
• Antique sequences: Only consecutively numbered antiques count for exhibition scoring. Gaps break the sequence.
• Thief restrictions: A thief can only steal from players who chose to exhibit at the Castle in the same round.

Player Reference

Location	Available Roles	Effect
Auction House	Bidder	Bid money to acquire antique cards
Castle	Exhibit	Display antiques to advance on track
Castle	Thief	Steal antique from exhibitor (if no detective)
Castle	Detective	Catch thief and advance (thief moves back)

Castle Interaction	Result
Exhibit only (no thief)	Best exhibition advances
Thief + Exhibit (no detective)	Thief steals one antique
Detective + Thief	Detective advances, Thief moves back
Detective only (no thief)	Nothing happens