FAQ
20 answered questions16 official
Rules questions from the BoardGameGeek forum. Answers marked Official were confirmed by Allplay or the designers.
Common mistakes
- Attaching a newly signed star or ad straight onto a show — it goes to the green room; attaching takes an action (or happens while producing). Ruling · Rule
- Scoring a star added to an older show from its top row — it scores the row level with the show’s current season. Ruling · Rule
- Scoring before upkeep — upkeep comes first, and a show canceled for lack of cash scores nothing. Ruling · Rule
- Paying expenses for an upside-down star — with no expenses icon showing, it costs nothing. Ruling · Rule
- Taking genre-bonus or network-card “draws” from the display — draws always come from the top of the deck. Ruling · Rule
- Moving a show to another timeslot — shows stay put until replaced, aged off or canceled at upkeep. Ruling · Rule
- Charging expenses for stars waiting in the green room — only the lineup pays upkeep. Ruling · Rule
Showing 20 of 20
Do a show’s gray slots set the most stars and ads it can hold?
Yes. The coloured slots are the minimum you must fill when you produce the show; coloured plus gray slots are the maximum it can ever hold.
Source: BGG thread
Can I attach a star to a show that has no star slot? Official
No. With no star icon on the show you cannot attach a star to it, and the same goes for ads — unless a network card or other effect says otherwise.
Source: BGG thread
Must I fill a new show’s optional slots when I produce it? Official
No. You may fill any optional slots as part of producing the show, or leave them and fill them later, one card per Add or Replace action. Required slots must always be filled when you produce it.
Source: BGG thread
Can one Add or Replace action swap a star on a full show for a card from my green room? Official
Yes. Discard the attached card and attach the new one in the same action, as long as the show’s slots allow the new mix of stars and ads.
Source: BGG thread
A replacement star joins an older show — which row of the star scores? Official
The row that matches the show’s current season, not the star’s top row. A star always lines up with the show it sits behind.
Source: BGG thread
When do I check a star’s or ad’s condition while producing a show? Official
After everything is attached. Put all the stars and ads on the show first, then check each condition. Once attached, a card stays the way it went on even if things change later.
Source: BGG thread
Do I pay expenses on a star attached upside down? Official
No. A rotated star shows no expenses icon, so it costs nothing at upkeep.
Source: BGG thread
Can I cancel a show I produced earlier in the same round? Official
Yes. How long a show has been on the air does not matter when you replace it. The designer adds that canceling shows aggressively — even in their first season — can win games, because every new show moves you up a genre track.
Source: BGG thread
Can I move a show to a different timeslot? Official
No. Shows stay in the timeslot where you produced them. Instead, consider putting a new show in the wrong timeslot when the genre progress is worth the lost viewers, and count the rerun value of the show you cancel.
Source: BGG thread
Can a star I keep with Spinoff fill the new show’s required slot? Official
Yes. Cancel the old show, take its star back with Spinoff and use it to fill the star requirement of the show replacing it — a fully legal play. The new show’s slot limits still apply to any card you move over.
Source: BGG thread
Is using a network card an action? Official
No. Using a card from your green room is not an action; you may use several in one turn, before, during or after your one action.
Source: BGG thread
Can I hold two copies of the same Game End network card and score both? Official
Yes, duplicates are allowed and each one scores.
Source: BGG thread
When a card says “draw” a star or ad, does that mean from the display? Official
No. Draw means the top card of the deck. Cards in the display are taken with an action, not drawn.
Source: BGG thread
Does Exclusive Rights let me produce the show for free? Official
No. Reserving the show costs nothing, but producing it later still takes your action and its full production cost, with its required slots filled.
Source: BGG thread
Does Versatile Actor add a genre or replace it? Official
It replaces it: the show counts only as the genre you choose.
Source: BGG thread
Big Game counts ad income — does it work at game end when no income is paid? Official
Yes. Score it at the very end of the game from the income printed on the ads in your lineup, even though no money changes hands at that point.
Source: BGG thread
Does upkeep come before scoring the lineup? Official
Always. Pay upkeep first, then score viewers — so a show canceled because you cannot pay scores nothing that round.
Source: BGG thread
Do stars waiting in my green room cost expenses?
No. Only cards in your lineup pay expenses or earn income at upkeep.
Source: BGG thread
Where is the Allplay Primetime rulebook?
Allplay hosts both PDFs on its product page: the Primetime rulebook and the Megacorp expansion rulebook.
Source: BGG thread
[Telly] Are the Telly Time show cards added to the base show deck?
No. The Telly Time show deck replaces the base game’s show cards; the base genre board and shows stay in the box for that game.
Source: BGG thread