How to play CHEATING MOTH
Set up
Players
The Cheating Moth is a game for 3 to 5 players, ages 7 and up.
What do you need to play
Cheating Moth is a trading card game, so you’ll need to buy it—or borrow it from your sister, neighbor, friend, cousin… Just make sure to return it in perfect condition 😉
Discover the Cheating Moth deck of cards
The cards in the Cheating Moth deck are special cards designed specifically for this game. We’ll give you a quick intro below, then dive into what each card actually does.
The GUARD BUG
In each round one of the players will have this card and will become the “Guard Bug”.
You’ll play like everyone else, but you’ve got to keep your eyes peeled for cheaters.
The “Guard Bug” cannot cheat.
CHEATING MOTHS
The “cheating moth” cards cannot be left in the discard pile nor can they be passed on to other players.
The only way to get rid of them is to cheat: to throw them under the table, or toss them sneakily, or hide them under the sleeve, under the tablecloth, in a pocket…
Just don’t let the “Guard bug” see you!
There are 8 cards of cheating moths.
SPIDERS
It is an action card that offers an advantage: if we play a spider next we can give one of our cards -except a cheating moth- to any of the other players.
There are 5 spiders.
ANTS
Another annoying action card for the other players: if we play an ant then the other players must each draw a card from the pile.
There are 5 ants.
COCKROACHS
A true chaos card! If a player throws a cockroach then ALL players will try to quickly place a card of the same number on it (all cards have a number in their corners).
The fastest player gets to leave their card. Everyone else takes theirs back.
If no one has the same number the game continues as normal.
There are 5 cockroaches.
MOSQUITOS
The most fun action card: if a player throws a mosquito, the other players must quickly place their hand flat on the mosquito card.
The slowest player, the one who has the hand on top of all the others, will receive one card from each of the other players, including the player whose turn it is.
There are 5 mosquitoes.
NUMBERED CARDS
The Cheating Moth deck is completed with 43 number cards that have no action associated with them.
Rules of CHEATING MOTH: Gameplay
Rounds and turns
In a game of The Cheating Moth, as many rounds are played as the number of players. In each one, a different player will play the role of the “Guard Bug”.
Who’s first?
The first turn of each round will be for the player who has the “Guard Bug”. In the first round it will be ” Guard bug” the player with the most years.
The turn passes to the player on the left.
Goal of the game
What do you need to do to win?
The goal of The Cheating Moth is to be the first player to get rid of all his cards.
In a game of Cheating Moth as many rounds are played as the number of players.
Dealing and preparing the deck.
A game of The Cheating Moth begins with the player who has the “Guardian Bug” performing these actions:
- Place the “Guard Bug” card face up in front of him.
- Shuffle and deal 8 cards face down to each player.
- Place the rest of the cards in the center of the table in a pile.
- Turn over the top card of the pile and place it next to the pile starting the discard pile.
If it is an action card, that action will not be carried out but its number will be relevant.
All players take their hand of cards and look at them secretly. Surely, someone will put on a poker face when they discover they have one or more cheating moths.
That’s how a turn goes
The player whose turn it is – the first one will be for the “Guardian Bug” – can perform two actions:
OPTION 1 – PLAY A CARD
You can place one of your cards on the discard pile.
The card played must have a number immediately above or below the card on top of it in the discard pile.
If there’s a 3 in the discard pile, you can play a 2 or a 4
Since there are only cards numbered from 1 to 5, what happens if there is a 1 or a 5? If there is a 1 you may place a 5 or a 2. If there is a 1 you may place a 5 or a 2.
It is as if the sequence 1,2,3,4,5 is repeated and we can always throw the number we have to the left or to the right:
…1234512345123451234512345…
The card played can be a normal card or an action card.
If it is an action card, the corresponding action must be completed before passing the turn to the next player.
OPTION 2 – DRAW A CARD FROM THE PILE
If you do not have any card with the right number to discard then you must draw a card from the draw pile.
Next turn
The turn is passed to the player on the left. And so on.
Cheats
While all this is going on, players who are not the “Guard Bug” can try to get rid of their cheating moths without being discovered.
Yes, in The Cheating Moth you not only can, but must cheat. Paradoxically, however, there are rules when it comes to cheating:
Rule #1 for legal cheating
Your hand of cards must stay above the table at all times
Rule #2 for legal cheating
It is not allowed to discard more than one card at a time. One at a time.
Rule #3 for legal cheating
If the Bug catches someone cheating, while a possible dispute is being resolved, no one can cheat.
Rule #4 for legal cheating
You cannot cheat to get rid of the last card in your hand.
Gotcha!
If the guardian bug thinks that someone has cheated he has to shout ” Caught! Two things can then happen:
1 – You’ve really caught a cheater
The cheating — and not-so-sneaky — player not only has to return the card to their hand but also the “Guard Bug” will place two of their cards: any one from their hand and the “Guard Bug” card. Yes, a cheating player discovered will become the new Guard Bug!
2 – You’ve made a mistake
If it’s proven that the player wasn’t cheating, then the “Guard Bug” must draw a card from the pile and they’ll continue being the Guard Bug.
No tattling allowed
Players may not accuse each other. You can cheat but players may not accuse each other. The world turned upside down!
The deck of cards runs out
If the pile of cards is empty, the cards from the discard pile -minus the top card- are taken, shuffled and placed face down as the new draw pile.
End of the round
The round ends when one of the players runs out of cards. He’s the winner of the round.
Subtracting points
The other players will add negative points to their score.
The scoring system for The Cheating Moth is as follows:
1 negative point for each NORMAL CARD
5 negative points for each ACTION CARD
10 negative points for each CHEATING MOUTH
The price for keeping a cheating moth is very high.
We hope you’re OK with cheating!
Next rounds
In the next round of Cheating Moth, the “Guard Bug” card belongs to the player to the left of the one who had it in that round.
Game over – who takes the crown??
End of game
The game of The Cheating Moth ends when as many rounds have been played as there are players.
And the winner is…
All points are added up and the player with the fewest negative points is the winner of the game.
Tips for playing “The Cheating Moth”.
Disputes.
The informal and a little hooligan character of this game must be accompanied by a little flexibility in the application of the rules.
Sometimes, there is indeed a card at the alleged cheater’s feet that is presumed to be irrefutable proof, but perhaps that card had been thrown away several turns ago, and that is what the alleged cheater argues. Who is right?
Everyone is supposed to be honest. No bloodshed in the face of a dispute. We’re having a blast!
The cheats
Watching someone try (and fail) to cheat is half the fun!
So we will not give here a list of ways to get rid of cheating moths, so it will be more fun.
That said, we can’t help but comment that in one of our games a skillful player had managed to place a card behind an ear. How it stayed there—and how no one noticed—remains a mystery!
Where to buy CHEATING MOTH
You will find “The Cheating Moth” in stores specialized in board games, although the best price and the best offers are usually on Amazon.
