Games playable with a Sticheln deck

Sumary
(Name- BGG score page no. of players - weight)
uf !alscher !"hrte(#.$$) p. % &-' players (.))
Battle *ine (+.$,) p. ( ( players %.,(
-a.id / Goliath (#.$%) p. ' &-# players %.$,
0scalation ($.1$) p. $ -&-# players 2best with &3 '4 %.)&
!iasco (+.%)) p. $ (-# players %.&&
!oppen (#.#() p. +- &-# players %.$#
5attrick (#.$() p. 1- '-# players %.+)
6lunker (#.'&) p. , -&-$ players %.+$
*ast 7ard3 8he (#.))) - p.%) &-$ players
*e9io (#.,,) p. %% &-$ players - (.)+
*oco: (#.#,) p.%( (-$ players %.&(
*ost 7ities (+.&,) - p. %( - ( players %.$'
;hio ($.1%) - p.%& (-$ players %.#)
<argin for 0rror (#.+%) p.%& '-$ players (.))
<it *ist =nd 8ucke (#.#%) p. %$ '-# players %.1,
Nicht -ie Bohne: (#.',) p. %# &-# players
>epper ($.#,) p. %# &-, players %.$)
?a@ (#.$&) p. %+ (-$ players %.%1
?age (#.($) p.%+ (-%) players %.$+
Sieben Siegel3 -ie (+.%&) p. %, - &-$ players %.1#
Sticheln (+.%)) p.(% &-1 players %.,&
Spooks (#.)() p.(( (-# players %.#%
8ichu (+.+,) p. (& &3' or # players (.'1
8rumpet (#.),) - p.(# (-# players %.''
Aas StichtB (+.()) p.(+ &-' players (.+#
AiCard (#.,)) p. &) &-# players %.+&
AUF AFALSCHER FHRTE
-Four suits numbered numbered 0 to 12.
- Requires 4 chips or markers which match the colors of
the suits to show what trump is.
- Four jokers would be required to play the ariant at the
end of the rules. !se other cards from the deck.
Auf falscher Fhrte (On the wrong track)
Berliner Spielkarten3 ())%
designed by D=rgen 6raal
translated by >itt 7randlemire

>layersE &-'
geE from %) years
>laying timeE ()-&) minutes
7ontentsE $( playing cards3 ' @oker cards3 ( info cards3 '
trump chips3 1 game rules cards

Sense of the game
-o you win with many or @ust a few tricksB 8hat is e9actly
the Fuestion that is answered step-by-step in this game.
Before the start of the game3 each player sets one of his
cards face-down in the middle of the table. *ater these
cards are turned o.er round by round3 one after the other3
until after the $th trick they are all face-up. Gf the total of
these cards e9ceeds a certain .alue3 then it was a >lus round
(goalE take as many tricks as possible). Gf the specified
.alue was not e9ceeded3 then it was a <inus round (goalE
take as few tricks as possible).
Gt is possible during the $ trick-taking rounds to figure out
the other playersH intentions by seeing which cards they
played face-down. 5igh cards indicate a desire for a >lus
round3 while low cards suggest that they wanted a <inus
round. Since each player at first only knows the .alue of the
card he set down3 you must initially speculate as to the
othersH intentions. But be carefulE Bluffing is encouraged:

Set-up
8he @oker cards are only reFuired for the .ariant. 8hey
remain in the bo9. 8he info card corresponding to the
number of players is placed face-up in the middle of the
table. 8he red chip is also placed in the middle of the table
(ne9t to the info card). Gt indicates the trump color (red is
thus trump). 8he remaining & chips are set aside for the
moment.

ll $( playing cards are used with ' players. Aith &
players3 only the cards with .alues ) - , are used. 8he
remaining cards are separated out and put back in the bo9.

8he cards are shuffled and then dealt. 0ach players gets %&
cards for his hand. ;ne card will be left o.er with &
playersI it is briefly shown to e.eryone and then set aside (it
will not be used in this round).

8he first decision
fter sorting their cards3 players must choose one to place
face-down in the middle of the table. Gf you think that your
hand will allow you to take lots of tricks3 you should
choose a high card. Gf you ha.e a weak hand3 howe.er3 you
would do better to chose a low card. Gt works like thisE

- Gn a & player game3 if the total .alue (sum) of all the
face-down cards is less than or eFual to %&3 then the
round is a <inus round. <inus round is won by the
player who takes the least tricks. Gn a ' player game3 a
<inus round is played if the total .alue of the face-
down cards is less than or eFual to (&.
- Gn a & player game3 if the total .alue (sum) of all face-
down cards is %' or higher3 then the round is a >lus
round. >lus round is won by the player who takes the
most tricks. Gn a ' player game3 with ' players3 a >lus
round is played if the total of the face-down cards is ('
or higher.

;nce each player has played a face-down card3 these cards
are shuffled and set as a face-down pile in the middle of the
table (as a result3 no one will be able to tell which card was
played by which player).

7ourse of the game
8he player to the left of the dealer starts by playing any
card of his choice face-up. 8he other players then do the
same3 following suit if they can. Gf a player cannot follow
suit3 he may play any color3 including trump.
8he highest trump wins the trick. Gf no trump was played3
the highest number in the initially lead suit wins the trick.
(8his is true for all tricks in the game.) NoteE a ) can win a
trick.

8he winner takes the trick and sets it in front of himself. 5e
then leads the second trick3 playing any card of his choice.
8he other players must3 again3 follow suit if they can. 8he
winner again takes the trick3 sets it in front of himself3 and
leads to the ne9t trick. ll tricks continue in this fashion. Gf
a player wins se.eral tricks3 he must set them in front of
himself in such a way that e.eryone can easily tell how
many he was won.

Gmportant noteE Gn a & player game3 after the &rd3 'th3 and
$th tricks3 the top card of the face-down pile is turned o.er.
Gn a ' player game3 this is done after the (nd3 &rd3 'th3 and
$th tricks. Jou will know no later than the end of the $th
trick whether or not this is a >lus or a <inus round.

"#ample of play at the start of the $ame %4 players& trump
is red'
%st trickE >eter plays a yellow & (yellow is now the suit to
be followed). Sabine plays a yellow %). !rank plays a blue
%( (he doesnHt ha.e any yellow). Dulia plays a yellow 1.
Since there is no trump played in the tricks3 Sabine wins it
with the yellow %). She sets the trick in front of herself.

(nd trickE Sabine won the pre.ious trick and plays a green
%( (green is now the suit to be followed). !rank plays a
green (3 Dulia a green $. >eter doesnHt ha.e any green3 so he
plays a red ). >eter wins the trick with this card and sets it
in front of himself. Now the top card of the face-down pile
is turned o.er. GtHs a red %. 8hatHs pretty low - maybe this is
a hint that this will be a <inus roundB !rank grins
suggesti.ely. >eter now leads the ne9t trick3 etc.

7hanging the trump colorE
8he trump color can be changed ' tricks before the end of
the hand (that is3 e.eryone will still ha.e ' cards in their
hand). 8hough the trump color may be changed3 it is not
reFuired.
8he player who is doing the worst in the current round3
(that is3 the player who has taken the fewest tricks in a >lus
round or the most tricks in a <inus round)3 may (if he
wishes) take the trump chip from the middle of the table
and replace it with one of the other trump chips.

"#ample of a trump chan$e %4 players& (lus round& red is
trump'
fter the 1th trick3 with ' tricks remaining3 the situation isE
>eter has & tricks3 Sabine and !rank each ha.e ( tricks3 and
Dulia has % trick. Dulia is doing the worst in this round. She
decides to make a trump changeE she takes the red chip
from the middle of the table and replaces it with a blue chip
- from now on trump is blue. 8he rest of the round is
played as normal. 8he player that won the 1th trick now
leads to the ,th trick3 etc.

Gf se.eral players are tied for worst performance in the
current round when the trump change opportunity arises3
none of them get to do it and the opportunity is skipped.

Scoring a round after the last trick
' playersE 8he player with most tricks in a >lus round gets '
points3 second most gets & points3 third most gets ( points3
and the player with fewest tricks gets ) points. 8he re.erse
is true in a <inus roundE the player with the fewest tricks
gets ' points3 second fewest gets & points3 third fewest gets
( points3 and the player with the most tricks gets ) points.
& playersE >oint distributionsE & - ( - ) points (<inus round
and >lus round).

Gf se.eral players should tie for the same place3 they all gets
the points corresponding to that place. NoteE if se.eral
players are tied for last place3 they all get ) points: 8hus3 if
all players take e9actly & tricks3 they get no points.

2 e#amples %4 players')
>lus roundE >eter has # tricks3 Dulia has ' tricks3 Sabine and
!rank each ha.e % trick. >eter gets ' points3 Dulia gets &
points3 Sabine and !rank each get ) points.
<inus roundE Sabine and Dulia each ha.e ( tricks3 !rank
has & tricks and >eter has $ tricks. Sabine and Dulia each get
' points3 !rank gets ( points3 >eter gets nothing.

8he points for each player are written down. 8he start
player from the pre.ious round becomes the new dealer.
8he trump chip from the pre.ious round remains in the
middle of the table and indicates the trump-color of the new
round. >lay twice as many rounds as the number of players.
8he player with the highest total score is the winner.

Kariant
Aith & players3 add & @okersI with ' players3 add all '
@okers. 8he @okers are shuffled in with the other cards (see
Set-up). 0.eryone gets %' cards as their hand. >lay of the
game is as already described. >layers first play a face-down
card (no @okers:)3 then the trick-taking begins. Dokers can be
played at any time instead of a color card (e.en if you could
follow suit) . Dokers ha.e no trick-taking .alue and can
ne.er win a trick. second @oker may not be played in the
same trick (with e9ception of the last trick). Gf a trick is
opened with a @oker3 the ne9t player must play any color
card of his choice3 which will become the suit to follow.
Gmportant noteE 8he player who played the @oker may
change the trump color at the end of the trick (he is not
reFuired to do so3 howe.er).

"#ample %4 players& trump is blue')
Dulia plays a red , (red is now the suit to be followed).
>eter plays a red #. lthough Sabine has red cards in her
hand3 she decides instead to play a @oker. !rank plays a red
(. DuliaHs red , wins the trick. fter Dulia has taken the trick
and set it in front of herself3 Sabine changes the trump
color. She replaces the blue chip in the middle of the table
with a yellow chip. !rom now on3 trump is yellow.

8rump changes now take place only by the playing of a
@oker and not when there are only four tricks left in the
hand3 as before: Gmportant noteE only the first two @okers
played in a hand may be used to change trump. 8he third
and (with four players) the fourth @oker played may not be
used to change trump. fter the last trick has been played3
scores are counted as before.
ATTLE L!"E
*+ think this would work fine too. ,ou just need 1 - 10 in -
colours and 0.s& /okers& 0.s and 1.s to make the 2actics
3eck. 4lso unused cards can be used face down for the 5
fla$s.6
ncient battles were fought in organiCed formations. 8he
leaders of bath sides directed
their forces along the battle line to gain tactical ad.antages.
;.erwhelm the opponent in
the center3 break through one of the flanks3 or hold the
position until the time has come
for a decisi.e mo.e. 5ow will you muster the battle lineB
>layersE 8wo
>laying 8imeE &) minutes
7omponentsE
L 8his rulebook
L #) 8roop cards3 in si9 colors each with the .alues % to %)E
2%) M 0lephants3 , M
7hariots3 1 M 5ea.y 7a.alry3 + M *ight 7a.alry3 # M
5ypaspists3 $ M >halangists3
' M 5oplites3 & M Da.alineers3 ( M >eltasts3 % M Skirmishers4
L 8en 8actics cards (white3 3.ith different backs)
L Nine !lags (plastic pieces)
>?0>?8G;N
*ayout the nine !lags in a line between the two players. 7ut
the 8roop deck until one
player has the higher numberNthat player shuffles and
deals se.en 8roop cards to each
playerHs hand. >lace the remaining 8roop cards as a
facedown deck at one end of the
battle line. Shuffle the ten 8actics cards and place them as a
facedown deck at the other
end of the battle line.
;BD078GK0
8he players aim to create powerful formations on their side
of the !lags to beat the
formations on the opponentHs side of the respecti.e !lags.
8he first player to win three
ad@acent !lags (a Breakthrough) or any fi.e !lags (an
0n.elopment) achie.es .ictory.
8he non-dealer plays firstI play alternates thereafter. ;n his
turn3 a player selects either
one 8roop card or one 8actics card from his hand and
places it face up on his side of the
battle line. t the end of his turn3 the player draws one card
from either deck to refresh
his hand to se.en. Ahen both decks run out3 no further
cards can be drawn3 but play
continues.
8he !lags are won by formations of 8roop cards played
ad@acent to the !lags. 8he 8actics
cards are used to influence the formations.
8?;;> 7?-S
player selects one of his 8roop cards and places it face
up on his side of the line
ad@acent to one !lag. 8here are three imaginary card OslotsO
on each side of the flag. Gn
the course of the game each player may place a ma9imum
of three 8roop cards ad@acent
to each !lag3 in order to create formations. 8he order in
which the cards are played is
irrele.ant. 8o sa.e space3 later cards are placed partially
co.ering former cards at the
same flag.
Ahen a player is unable to play any 8roop card3 he may
pass or play a 8actics card on his
turn3 but his opponent still continues to play until the game
is decided. Such situations
may occur in two waysE a player may ha.e filled all his
a.ailable slots on his side of the
battle line3 or a player may ha.e only 8actics cards in his
hand.
!;?<8G;NS
8he different formations from highest to lowest areE
L #e$geE 8hree cards of the sa%e color with consecut&'e
'alues. 2?'42?$42?&4
L (halan)E 8hree cards of the sa%e 'alue. 2J142?142G14
L attal&on Or$erE 8hree cards of the sa%e color. 2B(4
2B+42B'4
L Sk&r%&sh L&neE 8hree cards with consecut&'e 'alues.
2J'42?#42G$4
L HostE ny other formation. 2J$42B$42G&4
A
hen comparing two formations in the same category3 the
formation with the h&gher
su% of all three card .alues is higher than the opposing
formation.
8his ?ed Battahon 2?'42?#42?&4 beats this Blue Battalion
2B+42B%42B&4
Gf the two in.ol.ed sums are eFual3 the formations are tied
(see the !lags section below
for resolution of ties).
8his 5ost 2J+42B(42G%4 is tied with this 5ost 2J&42B&4
2G'4
!*GS
;n his turn and before drawing his card from the deck3 a
player may claim one or more
!lags. Gn order to do so3 he must ha.e a completed
formation of three cards on his side of
the !lag3 and he must be able to pro.e that 8roop cards on
the opponentHs side of the !lag
cannot beat this formation.
Gf the opponentHs side also contains three cards3 the situation
is ob.ious. Gf the opponentHP
side contains less than three cards3 the claiming player must
pro.e that the opponent will
not be able to create a winning formation3 regardless of
what Troo* cards the opponent
might play. !or this purpose3 the player may use the open
information from the layout to
show that certain cards are no longer a.ailable. 8he player
may not use any information
from his own hand. Qnplayed 8actics cannot pre.ent a !lag
claim.
Gf the formations on either side of a !lag arc tied or at best
could be tied3 then the player
who played (or would play) the last card into the formations
loses the !lag. 5is opponent
may claim it on his ne9t turn.
L 8his Aedge 2?'42?$42?&4 beats this >halan9 2J142?14
2G14 to claim !lag.
L 8his >halan9 2J(42?(42G(4 beats 2?+42G#4 to claim !lag.
L 8his Aedge 2?'42?$42?&4 beats this 2B14 to claim !lag3 if
the Blue + and Blue %)
ha.e been played.
Ahen a player successfully claims a !lag3 he takes the !lag
and mo.es it to his side3
beyond the cards that he played. 8hen neither player may
place further cards ad@acent to
that !lag3 nor may any 8actics card affect those cardR.
878G7S 7?-S
8here are ten 8actics cards. 8actics cards are played
instead of 8roop cards to influence
the formations. player may hold as many 8actics cards as
he wishes within his hand
siCe of se.en3 but may ne.er play more than one more than
his opponent has played. 8hat
means3 a player can always play a 8actics card unless he
has already played more than
his opponent. 0ach 8actics card has a special function and
belongs to one of the
following three categories.
+, -orale Tact&cs
8hese cards are played into the playerHs layout in place of3
and in a similar way to3 8roop
cardsE
L Lea$er (Ale)an$er. /ar&us)0 8he *eaders are wild
cards. >lay a *eader like any 8roop
card3 but define the color and .alue when the !lag is
resol.ed. !or e9ample3 you ha.e a
Blue 1 in your layout. Gf you add a *eader3 it gi.es you the
option of adding a Blue #3 +3 ,
or %) to make a Aedge3 or an 1 to form a >halan9. 0ach
player may only ha.e one
*eader on his side of the battle line. Gf drawn3 a second
*eader remains unplayable in the
playerHs hand until the end of the game.
L Co%*an&on Ca'alr10 >lay this card like any 8roop card
of .alue 13 but define its color
when the !lag is resol.ed.
L Sh&el$ earers0 >lay this card like any 8roop card3 but
define its color and its .alue not
larger than & when the !lag is resol.ed.
2, En'&ron%ent Tact&cs
8hese cards are played face up on the playerHs near side of
an unclaimed !lag3 so that
there is enough space for the 8roop cards to be placed ne9t
to the !lag.
;nce played3 the 8actics cards stay in their position until
the end of the game.
L Fog0 8he fog card disables all formations3 and the !lag is
merely decided on the basis
of the total .alue of cards on each side.
L -u$0 8he claim for this !lag is now based on four cards
on either side3 so the
formations need to be e9panded. 8his makes it particularly
difficult to achie.e a Aedge
or >halan9.
3, 4u&le Tact&cs
8hese cards are played face up on the playerHs own side
ne9t to the 8actics card deck. ll
cards played there must be clearly .isible and remain there
until the end of the game.
L Scout0 8he player draws a total of three cards from one or
both decks. 8hen he chooses
any two cards from his hand and places them face down on
top of their respecti.e deck or
decks.
L Re$e*lo10 8he player chooses anyone 8roop or 8actics
card from his side ne9t to an
unclaimed !lag3 and places it face up into another of his
a.ailable slots3 or discards it face
up on his side ne9t to the 8actics card deck. -o not co.er
any other discard.
L /eserter0 8he player may choose any one 8roop or
8actics card from the opponentHs
side ne9t to an unclaimed !lag3 and discards it face up on
the opponentHs side ne9t to the
8actics card deck. -o not co.er any other discard.
L Tra&tor0 8he player may choose anyone 8roop card (but
not a 8actics card) from the
opponentHs side ne9t to an unclaimed !lag3 and places it
into an empty slot on his own
side.
G<0 0N-
Ahen one player has successfully claimed three ad@acent
!lags or any fi.e !lags3 the
game ends immediately with this player winning. >lay haltsI
no other !lags may be
claimed after that.
Gf se.eral games are played3 the winner always scores fi.e
points3 and the loser scores as
many points as !lags he has claimed. 8he winner then starts
the ne9t game.
-KN70- ?Q*0
;nce you ha.e played the standard game a few times you
may wish to try this .ariant.
player may only claim !lags at the beginning of his turn.
8his effecti.ely delays claiming
a !lag by one turn3 enabling the opponent to modify the
situation with his 8actics cards.
/A5!/ 6 4OL!ATH
7 suits& numbered 1-18. 9o e#tra components needed.
card game by ?einhard Staupe
%,,+ - Berliner Spielkarten
(la1ers0 &-# persons
Ages0 from 1 years
/urat&on0 appro9imately () minutes
Content0 ,) playing cards3 $ instruction cards
General idea of the game
8he cards with the high .alues are the strongest3 but
somewhat awkwardly. 8he cards with the low .alues are the
weakest3 but can be played smartly.
0ach player plays a card in turn. 8he player with the lowest
card recei.es the highest card as profit. 8he player3 who
had the highest card3 recei.es all remaining cards as profit.
Gn the end the game3 players get points in each color. Gf one
has3 in a certain color (for e9ample red)3 only one or two
cards3 one gets the face .alue in each case - which can be
.ery lucrati.e. Gf one has more
than two cards in a certain color3 each of these cards only
counts % point.
Game preparation
ccording to the number of players3 some cards must first
be sorted out.
Aith & players only cards with the .alues %-, are
reFuired (M '$ cards).
Aith ' players only cards with the .alues %-%( are
reFuired (M #) cards).
Aith $ players only cards with the .alues %-%$ are
reFuired (M +$ cards).
Aith # players all cards are reFuired.
8he cards that are not reFuired are put aside. 8he cards are
shuffled and e.enly distributed. 0ach player recei.es %$
cards3 that heSshe takes into their hand.
7ourse of the game
8he player who sits at the dealers left begins.
5eSshe chooses an any of hisSher cards and plays it3 i.e.E
heSshe discloses it in front of them on the table. Now all
players must also clockwise in turn play a card and set it in
front of them. 8his must always happenE the first color
played must be followed: Gf a player can not follow the
color3 heSshe may play any other color.
;nce play has gone once around the table3 the highest card
is determined first3 the lowest card is determined after it.
8he highest card is always the one with the highest
number - independently from the color: Gf se.eral
players ha.e played the highest number3 the one that
was played last is regarded as the highest.
8he lowest card is always the one with the lowest
number - independently from the color: Gf se.eral
players ha.e played the lowest number3 the one that was
played last is regarded as the lowest.
8he player with the lowest card recei.es the highest
card as profit. 5eSshe places it face up beside them on
the table.
8he player who had the highest card recei.es all
remaining cards as profit. 5eSshe places all captured
cards face on the table beside them3 separated by color.
8he player who had the highest card now begins the ne9t
round in the same way described. 8he game proceeds in
this way until %$ rounds ha.e been played and e.eryone has
played all %$ of their cards.
(Gn the game e.eryone gets more and more cards as profit.
0ach player puts all cards theyH.e won3 after separating
colors3 clearly beside them on the table - each single card
must be .isible.)
>lay e9ample
- !rank plays the green ' (now green must be followed)
- Sabine plays the green ,
- >eter plays the red ( (he has no green)
- ndrea plays the green +
SabineHs card is the highest (the green ,). >eterHs card is the
lowest (the red (). >eter recei.es the highest card as profit
(SabineHs green ,) and places it face up beside him.
Sabine recei.es all remaining cards as profit. She places
these all face up beside her3 separated by color.
Sabine now begins the ne9t round and plays any card of her
selection.
!inal scoring
0ach player recei.es points for all cards3 that heSshe has
won in the round. 0ach color is tallied separately. !irst one
scores red3 then yellow3 then green3 etc.
Gf a player has only one or two cards in a certain color3
heSshe recei.es the face .alue of each card.
Gf a player has more than two cards in one certain color3
heSshe only recei.es % point for each of these cards.
!inally each player adds the points heSshe has in the $
colors. 8hat sum is hisSher total score.
Scoring 09ampleE
!rank has the following cards in front of him at the end of
the gameE
Gn redE '3 %)3 %% M & points
Gn yellowE 1 M 1 points
Gn greenE $3 , M %' points
Gn blueE (3 &3 #3 %)3 %( M $ points
Gn .ioletE %)3 %( M (( points
!rankHs total scoreE $( points:
ESCALAT!O"
somethin$ like this) one 1: fie 2.s: si# ;.s& 4.s& 7.s& and -.s:
fie <.s: four 8.s: three 5.s: two 10.s& 11.s& 12.s& and 1;.s:
plus three =1-<= wild cards and two =9ei$hborhood
>atch= cards. - 1<.s represent wild cards %1-<': 0.s
represent the =9ei$hborhood >atch=
0ach player is dealt si9 cards and play will proceed
clockwise from the lead player. 8he lead player may throw
down any single card or a set of cards all ha.ing the same
number (e.g. & cards that each ha.e a .alue of T'U). Aild
cards may be used as part of a set. fter playing the card(s)3
the player announces the numeric total of the cards he or
she played and then refills hisSher hand to # cards. 8he ne9t
player must play cards that e9ceed that total and then the
ne9t player and so on V neighborhood watch card allows
players a free pass when played on their turn (i.e. they do
not ha.e to play cards to e9ceed the pre.ious player). Gf a
player canWt e9ceed the pre.ious playerWs total or chooses
not to then that player must take all the cards that ha.e been
thrown down3 placing them in a scoring pile. 8hat player
then leads for the ne9t TtrickU. 0.entually the draw deck
will be e9hausted but play continues and the round ends
when one player is out of cards. t this point each player
scores one point for e.ery card they took and for e.ery card
left in their hand. 8he lower your score3 the better you did.
Jou can play as many rounds as you like but one round per
player is suggested.
--
;n your turn3 play one or more cards from your hand. Gf
you play more than one card3 they must all be the same
.alue. 8he sum must be higher than the pre.iously played
card or cards. Gf you canHt play anything higher than whatHs
already on the table3 you ha.e to take the stack of cards and
place them aside3 at which point you start a new trick.
20ditE4 Jou draw back up to si9 cards after e.ery turnI the
game is o.er when somebody plays their last card (after the
draw pile is empty) and the player with the fewest Opicked
upO cards wins.
E" 4AR/E
F!ASCO
"u%7er of (la1ers M ( to # Ages M %& to dult
Length of (la1 M %$ minutes to ( hours
/escr&*t&on of F&asco Car$s
X $' cards numbered % through 1 in si9 suits3 plus si9
6ings.
X 7ards are ranked from lowest to highest %3 (3 &3 '3 $3
#3 +3 13 6. ll suits are of eFual rank.
X 8he si9 suits areE Swords (Gray)3 ?oses (?ed)3 Books
(Green)3 8reasure 7hests (Jellow)3 <andolins
(;range)3 and 5orses (Blue).
X Special !ace 7ards3 si9 of each3 these cards are
su&tlessE
Y 8he 6ing (>urple) is the h&ghest8rank&ng car$
and is collectable.
Y 8he !iasco card (Black) has a rank of $ and is a
*enalt1 card.
(la1&ng F&asco
%. 8he ob@ect of !iasco is to collect all of the cards of
one suit to score the most points through winning
tricks3 while pre.enting your opponents from doing the
same.
(. ll players must choose one of the si9 suits before
the game starts3 and let the other players know what
suit they are collecting. 8wo players cannot collect the
same suit.
&. 0ach player is initially dealt si9 cards face down.
8he remaining cards in the deck are kept face down
beside the dealer. ll players look at the cards in their
hand. 8hen3 starting with the player on the dealerWs left
(clockwise)3 each player places one card from their
hand into the middle of the table. 8he player who
placed the highest numbered card in the middle3 wins
the trick and e.ery card in the middle (the TpotU). Gf the
pot contains a suit that the player is collecting3 then
that card is placed face up in the playerWs collection
pile. 8he collection pile is located on the table @ust in
front of the player and will be used to score points later
in the game. ll other cards from the pot are swept
into a waste pile. 8he player who won the last trick
must lead the ne9t trick3 and play continues. >lay
continues with the highest card winning the trick3 with
the winner always leading. NoteE Suit cards cannot go
directly from a playerWs hand into his or her collection
pile. ll suit cards must first be won from the pot.
'. >lay any card you want. 8here is no trump3 and all
suits are of eFual rank. Jou do not ha.e to follow suit.
Gf you want to win the trick3 play a high numbered
card. >lay a low card to a.oid it.
$. 8he 6ing is the highest card in the deck and is also a
means of collecting points3 regardless of what suit a
player is collecting. Gf a player wins a pot containing a
6ing3 then the 6ing is placed into the playerWs
collection pile and is used to score points.
#. 8he !iasco card has a rank of $3 so half the deck is
higher3 and half the deck is of lower rank. Gf a player
wins a trick containing a !iasco card3 then that player
loses one card from h&s or her own collection pile for
each !iasco card in the pot. Gf the player is to lose
more cards than are in his or her collection pile3 then
the player loses only what is a.ailable. *osses are not
carried o.er to the ne9t trick. ttempt to get rid of your
!iasco cards by inflicting them upon your opponents.
5ence3 committing a !iasco:
+. Gf the winner of a trick cannot be determined
because there is a tie for the highest cards played3 then
there is a Ttie-for-highU3 and more cards must be
played. 8he cards in the middle stay in the pot3 and
now ha.e no bearing on the winner of the new trick.
0ach player places another card in the middle to
determine the winner of the new trick. 8he winner of
this trick wins all of the cards in the pot. Gf there is
second tie-for-high3 play continues until there is a
winner. Gf a tie occurs with the last cards in the playerWs
hands3 more cards are dealt until a winner can be
determined. 8he only e9ception to this rule is3 if during
the 7ounting ?ound a tie-for-high occurs3 the cards are
ignored and are swept into the waste pile before
counting points.
1. fter the initial si9 cards ha.e been played3 the
dealer gi.es out another si9 cards from the deck to each
player and play continues. Gf there are insufficient cards
in the deck3 then each player is gi.en an eFual number
of cards and these are played out. ny remaining cards
are discarded into the waste pile.
,. Ahen all the cards in the deck ha.e been played3 the
waste pile is reshuffled and re-dealt. 8he person dealing
changes with each new deck3 rotating clockwise. 8he
deck is e9hausted three times before players count their
points.
%). fter the deck has been e9hausted three times3 play
stops and players count the cards in their collection
piles. 8his is called the 7ounting ?ound. >layers scoreE
( points for each suit card they ha.e collected.
% point for each 6ing in their collection pile.
%) points for ha.ing all si9 6ings (' bonus points)
() points for ha.ing all se.en of their suit cards (#
bonus points)
fter counting points3 all the cards are collected and re-
shuffled. >layers collect the same suit as before. >oints
from each 7ounting ?ound are added together to determine
the playerWs o.erall score.
X Zuick GameE 8he player with the highest score
after the first 7ounting ?ound wins.
X 09tended GameE 8he first player to score '(
points or higher wins the game.
FO((E"
Four suits %numbered 2-10& 2-1-& 2-14& and 2-10' plus four
1s. Requires 1 =fool= marker.
game for &-# players by !riedemann !riese
8ranslated by >eter Aotruba (pete[chem.ucsd.edu).
<inor edits and layout by Aei-5wa 5uang
(onigame[gmail.com)
Contents
X %, Green 7ards ((-())
X %$ ?ed 7ards ((-%#)
X %& Jellow 7ards ((-%')
X , Blue 7ards ((-%))
X ' \;nesW
X # ;utline 7ards S ;ffer 7ards
X % Aooden <arker
X % ?ulebook
4a%e !$ea
!oppen is a card style game in which the person3 who had
played the worst card on a trick3 is not in.ol.ed in the ne9t
one. 5e has been fooled. 8he ob@ect of the game is to be the
first person to get rid of their cards.
4a%e (re*arat&on
0ach player recie.es an outline card. 8he other cards are
shuffled and dealt out eFually to all players. 8he player to
the left of the dealer is the starting player.
4a%e Su%%ar1
8he starting player plays any of his cards. ll the other
players must play a card in order. 0.erybody must follow
suit (color) if possible. Gf a player does not ha.e the played
color3 he can play any of his other cards (discard a card).
8he person who played the highest card in the led color
wins the trick3 and starts the ne9t. (5e is the leader for the
ne9t trick). 8he person who played the worst card recie.es
the wooden marker3 and sits out the ne9t round (trick). 8he
played cards are placed to the side3 and the person who won
the trick leads a card to start the ne9t trick.
9: /eter%&n&ng the worst car$ &n a tr&ck,
Gf all players follow suit3 and only one color of cards are on
the table (in the trick)3 then the worst card is the lowest one
played. Gf one or more cards are discarded3 the lowest
discard is the worst card. Gf more than one discard is tied
for the lowest card3 the last one (of that .alue) discarded is
the worst card.
An E)a%*le of a Tr&ck
Bettina3 n@a3 Qwe3 and Gl@a are in the middle of a game.
Gl@a is the fool3 he recie.ed the wooden marker after the last
trick.
) n@a playsE Blue ,3 BettinaE Blue $3 QweE Blue %) Gl@a
does not play a card - he sits out this trick (the fool).
Bettina recie.es the marker from Gl@a3 because all players
followed suit3 and she played the lowest card. Qwe leads a
card to the ne9t trick3 because he won the round.
B) QweE Jellow %%3 Gl@aE ?ed $3 n@aE Jellow ( Gl@a again
recie.es the marker3 because she could not follow suit.
n@aWs card was better3 because she could follow suit. Qwe
now leads again.
7) QweE Blue #3 BetinnaE Green %'3 n@aE ?ed %% Qwe
wins the round3 n@a recie.es the marker because she
played the lowest card which was not in the led suit.
The S*ec&al funct&on of the Ones
8he four \%W cards do not belong to any color3 but they
adopt the color of the card which was led. (ie. you can
always follow suit with a ]%H). Gf a \%W is led3 then the ne9t
card played is the color (suit) which must be followed.
Should this card also be a \%W3 then it is the ne9t card
which determines color3 etc. Gn the case which only ones
are played3 then the first card is the winner3 and the last
card is the worst card (the fool). \%W may be played e.en
if you ha.e a card in the led suit. Gf a person no longer has a
card of the correct color3 he does not ha.e to play a one.
A O"E car$ alwa1s has the 'alue of +,
An E)a%*le
-) QweE Jellow %%3 Gl@aE ;ne3 BettinaE Jellow %' Gl@aWs
one counts as a Jellow %3 and therefore he recie.es the
marker3 because Bettina had followed suit. Bettina wins the
round.
0) BettinaE Green ,3 n@aE ;ne3 QweE Jellow & Qwe is the
fool3 because n@aWs one counts as following suit. Bettina
wins the round.
4a%e En$
8he game is o.er as soon as one or more players do not
ha.e any more cards in their hand. 8he last trick is still
finished3 and the wooden marker awarded.
Scor&ng
8he players3 who still ha.e cards in their hands3 recie.e a
number of points eFual to the .alue of the cards left in their
hands (as negati.e points). 0.ery player who ends the game
with no cards in their hand3 recie.e %) (positi.e) points. Gf
you should recie.e the marker on the last trick3 you do not
recie.e any positi.e points. fter that round3 the starting
player is the dealer3 and the player to his left leads to the
first trick. 8he game lasts until e.ery player has dealt
twice. 8he person with the least minus points wins.
!%*ortant0 Gt is forbidden to hold your cards in a manner
that the other players will not know how many cards you
ha.e in your hand. (ie. 0.ery playerWs number of cards is
known).
5ar&ant0 The 4a%e w&th Offer ; &$
Car$s
fter you recie.e your cards3 and ha.e e9amined them3 you
can turn o.er the outline card3 and announce who will win.
8his announcement has no influence on game play3 but only
on the scoring. Gf the person who you guessed would win
actually does3 you recie.e %) points (positi.e). Jou also
recie.e $ points for e.ery one of the bid cards that other
players \usedW that turn. (But only if the other player(s)
used them of course). Gf you do not use your Bid 7ard3 you
recie.e nothing for e.ery other played Bid 7ard3 but you
earn only the normal %) points (if you win) that you would
after the last trick (if you were not the fool). 2see scoring4
5owe.er3 if you use your Bid 7ard3 and you are wrong3
your minus points are doubled for this round.
Cre$&ts
7omputer SupportE Greetings go to Qwe 5oppe and
8homas ?oeder
d.iceE Gl@a *andsberg3 Bettina <aerker3 >artick Ailhelmi
>laytestingE 8homas Bremer3 Bob <athies3 ndrea <eyr3
Stefan <ibs3
Doachim ;nnen3 Aerner ;osterbeeck3 5enning Schlueter3
Birte Stue.e3
*utC 0. 5ahn3 ;ttfried Glaser3 ntek .on Straelen3 <artin
Strodthoff3
8agungshaus -ruebberholC
HATTR!C<
; suits& numbered 1-20
8he Game Gdea
5attrick is a game played in tricks. 8he special feature in
5attrick is that players do not necessarily ha.e to follow the
color a pre.ious player played3 but can open a second trick
with a different color each round (confusing3 isnHt itB). 8ry
to get as many cards of the same color as you can. ;nly the
cards of the color you ha.e won the most of will count
positi.e. ll the others are deducted and thus count
negati.e.
>reparation
Shuffle the cards and deal each player
%$ cards with ' players
%( cards with $ players
%) cards with # players
>layers take their cards not .isible to other players and sort
them according to the colors.
8he Game
8he player to the left of the dealer starts by playing any one
card. Now each player follows in clockwise order playing a
card3 until e.erybody played one. 8he second player has the
option to play either a card with the same color3 or to open
a second trick by playing a card of an different color ne9t to
the allready played card. Ahen someone plays a second
color3 he starts a second trick on the table. Gf the second
player started a second trick3 the third player @ust has the
options to follow either one of the colors or discard a card
of the third color (pass). 5e may not place a card of the
third color on one of the e9isting tricks or start a third trick.
Gf the second player followed the color of the first card3 the
third one has the option to start a (nd trick (and so on).
8he players who played the card with the highest number in
the respecti.e trick win the respecti.e cards. 8hey place
them .isible to e.eryone in front of themsel.es on the table3
stacked by colors3 so e.eryone can see which color they are
collecting. 8he player with the highest card in both tricks
starts to play a card for the ne9t round.
E)a%*le
%. >layer plays a ?0- %)
(. >layer B plays a B*Q0 %' (starts a (nd trick)
&. >layer 7 plays a ?0- %( (topping the %) of the
red trick)
'. >layer - plays a ?0- &
$. >layer 0 plays a B*Q0 %, (topping the %' of the
blue trick)
>layer 7 won & red cards3 >layer 0 won ( blue cards.
>layer 0 plays out for the ne9t trick3 because he played the
highest card (%,).
*ater ?ounds
8he player with the highest card starts the ne9t round. Gf
there were two highest cards3 the player with the higher (nd
highest card in his trick plays first. 8eh others follow in
clockwise order.
>lay continues until each player has only one card left in his
hand. 8his card is not played any more and @ust discarded
without effect and without score. Now the final score is
calculated (see Scoring)
?ules for 8ricks
a trick may contain only one color. 5owe.er3 there
may be two tricks on the table with different colors
(there may not be two tricks with the same color
on the table. 8his would be only one trick).
a single card counts as a trick.
each player may play a number higher or lower
than a pre.ious card3 as long as the color follows
the one in the trick.
>assing
Gf a player doesnHt want or canHt play a card3 he may pass by
showing e.erybody a card of the third color not on the
table. 5e may not pass if he can still open a new trick or if
he doesnHt ha.e a card of the third color. 8he shown card is
placed face down ne9t to his other cards. Gt scores -( points.
Scoring
t the end of the game each player counts the cards of each
color he won. 8he cards of the color he won the most of are
his positi.e score. Now he deducts the number of cards of
other colors he won. 8hen he deducts two points for e.ery
card placed face down3 because of passing. 8his is the final
score.
E)a%*le
>layer won , ?0- cards3 ( B*Q0 cards and ' G?00N
cards and one face down card (for passing). 5is total score
is %3 since he has , ?0- minus ( B*Q0 minus ' G?00N
minus ( for passing once M %
>layer B has @ust %( B*Q0 cards scoring %( points.
>layer 7 has $ ?0- cards3 $ G?00N cards and one face
down card (pass) so he scored -( points ($-$-( M -().
Arite down the players scores on a sheet and shuffle the
deck again for a new game.
0nd of the Game
8he match ends when the players played twice the number
of games as there are players participating. 8he player with
the highest score wins.
>layers can also agree on a certain target score (e.g. $)).
8he player who reaches it first is the winner.
<LU"<ER
,' @ewelry cards (%' each of 8ongue Bob3 0ar >endant3
Gold 8ooth3 Shoes3 -iadem3 <onocle3 and %) of
Necklace)3
$ shop window cards (Schaufenster)3
$ purchase cards3
% starting player card3 these rules
>reparation
0ach player has a playing area on the table for his cards. 5e
takes % shop window card (these are the cards with the
German word Schaufenster on them) and puts it face up on
the left side of his playing area. 8he youngest player takes
the starting player card. 8he starting player shuffles the ,'
@ewelry cards and gi.es each player % card. 8hey place
these cards face down (with the bank note side showing) to
the right of their shop windows. 8his is their starting cash.
8he players may not look at the @ewelry side of their cash.
8he starting player places % purchase card (the cards with
the large numbers %-$ on them) for each player face up in
the center of the table. 8hus3 with & players use purchase
cards % - &I with ' players use purchase cards % - 'I and
with $ players use all $ purchase cards. 8hen3 he deals each
player # @ewelry cards face down. !inally3 he places the
@ewelry deck face down in the center of the table.
8he players may now look at their cardsI these are their
starting hands.
8he playing area for each player should look like this at the
start of the gameE
Shop window bank safe
Game o.er.iew
8he game is played in se.eral rounds. 0ach round consists
of & phases3 which are played in
the following orderE
!ill shop windows
Store @ewelry in safes
>urchase @ewelry
8he players display3 purchase and sell @ewelry3 trying to
become the player with the most cash at the end of the
game.

%. !ill the shop windowsE the players place as many pieces
of @ewelry as they want in their shop windows.
Beginning with the starting player and following in
clockwise order once around the table3 the players may
place @ewelry cards from their hands in their shop windows.
ll the cards placed in shop windows must be displayed
openlyI no card may be hidden by other cards. player
may place any or all of the # cards in his hand each turn in
his shop window.
NoteE player who has no @ewelry in his shop window3
must put at least % card there. player who has @ewelry in
his shop window may place more3 but is not reFuired to do
so. Gt is reFuired that each shop window ha.e at least one
@ewelry card at the end of this phase. ;therwise3 there is no
limit to the number or type of cards in a shop window.
8he @ewelry in the shop windows may be purchased later in
the round by fellow players or
by the player who owns the shop window.
(. Store @ewelry in safes (0ach players safe is on the right
side of their playing area ne9t to
their cash).
Gn contrast to putting @ewelry in shop windows3 the @ewelry
cards are stored in the safes one at a time. 8he starting
player begins. 5e may store % card from his hand into his
safe or he may pass. >lay continues in clockwise order with
each player choosing either to store % card in their safe or to
pass. >lay continues as long as at least one player wants and
is able to store cards in his safe.
8he first player to pass and not put a card into his safe takes
the number % purchase card and places it face up in his
playing area. 8he ne9t player who passes takes the number
( purchase card and so on until all purchase cards ha.e
been taken. Ahen this occurs3 the ne9t phase of the round
begins. fter a player has taken a purchase card3 he takes
no further actions in this phase of this round (i.e. he may
store no more cards in his safe nor take another purchase
card).
player may only store cards in his own safe. >layers store
the cards in the safes face up and sorted by @ewelry type for
all to see. 7ards may not be hidden by other cards.
NoteE >layers are not reFuired to store any cards in their
safes in a round nor to ha.e any cards in their safes. lso3 a
player may store se.eral cards in his safe in a round.
s soon as a player has ' cards of the same @ewelry type in
his safe3 he must sell them3 con.erting them to cash.
Selling @ewelryE
Gf the player has only these ' cards in his safe3 he takes all '
cards3 turns them o.er to the bank note side and puts them
on his cash pile. 5e has sold them for ' bank notes.
Gf the player has ( types of @ewelry in his safe when he sells
a group of '3 he only recei.es & bank notes3 turning &
@ewelry cards o.er and putting them on his cash pile. 8he
'th card is discarded from the game. Gf the player has &
types3 he recei.es only ( bank notes3 discarding the other (.
!inally3 if he has ' or more types3 he recei.es @ust % bank
note3 discarding the other &. Gf a player has more than '
cards of a type3 the e9tras are considered as another type.
09ceptionE Ahen selling necklaces3 a player always gets
four bank notes3 regardless of the number of @ewelry types
in the player s safe. s with all sales3 the player must sell
e9actly ' necklace cards.
&. >urchase @ewelry from shop windows. Beginning with
the player with the number % purchase card and following
with the player with number ( and so on3 the players may
purchase cards from shop windows. ;n a player s turn he
may purchase cards from any one (and only one) shop
window3 including his own.
Ahen he purchases the cards from another player3 he pays
this player % bank note from his bank3 regardless of how
many cards were in the shop window. Ahen he purchases
cards from his own shop window3 he does not pay anything.
Gn each case3 howe.er3 he must take all cards from the
selected shop windowI a partial purchase is not allowed.
8he player must immediately put all purchased cards in his
safe. Gf this results in the completion of a set of ' cards3 he
immediately sells the set as described abo.e.
Gf a player has cards in his shop window during his turn to
purchase3 he must purchase @ewelry3 either from his own
shop window or from the shop window of another player.
Gf a player has no cards in his shop window3 he may
purchase @ewelry from another shop window or may elect to
purchase nothing. Gf he chooses to purchase nothing3 the
purchase phase ends immediately - players with purchase
cards left may not make purchases this round. ;therwise3
the phase ends with the last player making a purchase.
5e sells the tongue bobs first and recei.es ( bank notes (he
has & types of @ewelry in his safe). 5e then sells the ear
pendants and recei.es & bank notes (he now has only (
types in his safe).
0nd of the round
?eturn all purchase cards to the center of the table. 8he
player who ended the purchase phase by not purchasing
cards3 takes the starting player card. Gf all players chose to
purchase cards3 the starting player card remains with the
pre.ious starting player.
Qsing the @ewelry deck3 the starting player deals enough
@ewelry cards to each player to return their hand to # cards3
beginning with himself and continuing clockwise around
the table. 8he ne9t round begins as before with the starting
player.
Game end and the winner:
8he game ends immediately when there are insufficient
cards in the @ewelry deck to return all players hands to #
cards.
0ach player counts the cash in his bank - each bank note
has the .alue %. 7ards in playershands3 shop windows and
safes ha.e no .alue. 8he richest player wins. Gf two or more
players tie3 the player among them with the fewest cards
remaining in their safe and shop window together is the
winner. Gf there is still a tie3 those tying share the .ictory:
THE LAST CAR/
4 suits& numbered 1-1-
8o start the game the deck is ad@usted based upon the
number of playersE Aith & players the deck contains ')
cards (% - %) in each of the ' suits)3 Aith ' players the deck
contains $( cards (% - %&)3 and
Aith $ players the entire #' cards (% - %#) are used. 8he
suits are color coded and shaped (>urple Stars3 Green
SFuares3 Blue 7ircles3 ?edS;range 8riangles. 8he color of
the triangles is probably a poor selection as it is .ery hard
to categoriCe.)
8he deck is shuffled and each player gets %( cards which
lea.es ' cards undealt. 8hese ' cards get set aside with the
top one turned face up. 8he suit of this faced card sets the
trump suit for the hand.
8he goal or ob@ect of the game game is to score the most
points after a fi9ed number of hands or to reach a specific
number of points (G ha.e played both ways. Gt doesnHt ha.e
an impact on the en@oyment.)
s is the standard in all trick taking games3 each player will
contribute one card to each trick according to the rules of
play. fter all the tricks for the hand are played3 the hand
will be scoredI and the ne9t hand will be dealt. 8he player
to the left of the dealer leads to the first trick. 8he player
that wins a trick gets to lead to the ne9t.
?ules for playing to a trick
ny card may be played to start a trick.
ll >layers must follow these rules when adding a card to a
trick
i) !ollow Suit - if you can you must:
ii) 8rump - if you can not follow suit3 but ha.e trump you
must:
iii) Gf a player can neither follow suit nor trump there is no
further restriction regarding which suit to play
5;A0K0? there is an additional condition
;nce you ha.e determined which of the abo.e rules apply
another condition must be followed.
player must play a card of higher .alue (numeric) than
the highest card already played to the trick if possible.
;therwise NJ number may be played.
!or e9ample - 8he card 1 Blue 7ircle is lead. 8he ne9t
player has three blue circle cards in their hand3 ' Blue
7ircle3 , Blue 7ircle3 and %) Blue 7ircle. By ?ule i abo.e
one of these three cards must be played. 8hen by the
additional condition3 only the , Blue 7ircle or %) Blue
7ircle can be legally played.
Suppose the , Blue 7ircle is played. 8he ne9t player has no
blue circle card in her hand. But she has trump (say Green
SFuares for this e9ample)3 the $ Green SFuare. By ?ule ii
abo.e this card must be played. Note - Gf she had more
trump she would be reFuired to play one higher than the , if
she had one.
8he ne9t player has neither a blue circle3 nor green sFuare
so rule iii applies. 5owe.er before HanyH card can be
selected the additional condition must be met. Specifically3
and card of .alue greater than a ,. 8he cards remaining in
his hand include %) >urple Star3 and %( ;range 8riangle.
8hose are the only ones of higher .alue so one of these
<QS8 be contributed to this trick.
8ricks are won by the highest .alued card of the suit led3
unles a trump has been played. Gf a trump has been played
the highest .alued trump card wins the trick. (standard -
included for those that may not be familar)
0.en though each player is dealt %( cards a hand ends after
the %%th trick is played. Scoring occurs while each player
holds one card...8heir *S8 7?-.
Scoring
t the end of each hand scoring takes place. playerHs
score is the product (multiplication) of the number of tricks
a player has won and the .alue of his *S8 7?-. So a
player that has won Cero ()) tricks scores ) regardless of
what card is still in his hand. >layers scoring an eFual
number of tricks will get a different score if their last cards
are different.
LE=!O
4 suits& numbered 1-17 Requires 27 red chips& 20 yellow
chips& and 20 $reen chips.
*e9io comes from the *atin word \?ectioW which means
selection. Gn this game3 the player who makes the best
decisions and puts down all of his blocks first wins.
7omponents
^ 8iles ^$ ?eference
7ards ^#$ chips
%$ ?ed tiles
?ed- ($ points
%$ Green
Green- $ points
%$ Jellow
Jellow- % point
%$ Black
*e9io begins with all the players ha.ing eFual number of
blocks and ends when a player plays his last tile(s). ;nce
!rom the first person3 the turn goes clockwise. >layers must
keep two basic rules in this game.
<ust put down the same number of tiles as
the pre.ious player did.
8o play following another player the player
must put down a stronger tile (or
combination of tiles).
8ile hierarchyE
?owest to @i$hest
& ' $ # +
1 , %) %%
%( % (
8he tiles are numbered % through %$3 with the strongest
number being (. 8herefore3 & is the weakest number.
Gf the numbers are the same3 then color has a
hierarchyE
Gt is ?edPGreenPJellowPBlackI with ?ed being
the strongest.
SetupE
%) 7hips- ?egardless the number of players3 each player
gets ' yellow chips3 ' green chips3 and $ red chips.
() 8iles- & players- %( tiles each
%_, (?ange of Numbers)
' players- %& tiles each
%_%&
$ players- %( tiles each.
%_%$
&) ?eference card- 0ach player gets one reference card.
5ow to play
%. 8he player with a black three plays first.
(. 8he starter3 using the reference card3 puts down a
combination. 5e does not ha.e to put down
Black &.
&. 8he ne9t player puts down the same number of
tiles but a stronger combination.
'. Gf the player canWt put down a combination3 he
says TpassU and waits for the ne9t turn.
^Saying TpassU doesnWt necessarily mean that the
player has to TpassU until the starter changes.
$. Gf e.eryone passes e9cept one player3 the player
becomes the \starterW and gi.es a new
combination. Gt doesnWt matter what combinations
ha.e come before.
#. ?epeat steps %3(3&
+. Gf a player puts down all his tiles the first round
ends.
1. 8he winner of the first round confirms if any
other player has a tile of number (. 8he player(s)
with a tile numbered two must pay the winner
twice as his number of tiles.
^!or e9ample3 when a player has four tiles left
and has a tile of (3 he must pay eight tiles. Gf there
are two (Ws3 he must count his tiles as si9teen
tiles. 0tcV
,. <i9 up the tiles and play up to fi.e rounds.
>layers can change the number of rounds they
want to play.
Ainning
8he player with the largest number of chips
wins the game.
Game ;.er conditions
%. fter fi.e rounds
(. Ahen there is a person who has no chips left.
7ombinations
7ombination is the .arious types to put the
tiles down. 7ombination can be %3 (3 &3 or $ tiles at once.
>layers canWt put down four tiles. 8he combination of fi.e
tiles is called a \madeW.
% 8ile Single
;ne tiles
( 8iles ;ne >air 8wo tiles of
same number
& 8iles 8riple
8hree tiles of same number
$ 8ilesE
- Straight !i.e consecuti.e numbers
regardless of the color (&3'3$3#3+)
- !lush !i.e tiles of same color
regardless of the color.
- !ull house three tiles of same number and
other two tiles of same number. (one pair ` one triple)
(&3&3&3%(3%()
- !our card!our tiles of same number and another tile of
any number ('3'3'3'3%)
- Straight !lush Straight ` !lush ('3$3#3+31 in
all red)
7omparing tilesE
o SingleE '? beats 'G3 etcV
o ;ne >airE 'J and '? beats 'B and 'G
o StraightE !irst number3 ne9t the color.
$G3#J3+G31B3,Ja$J3#G3+J31G3,?a#3+
313,3%)
o ^8he strongest Straight is %3(3&3'3 $. Ne9t
is (3&3'3$3# and the ne9t is %(3%&3%'3%$3%.
o !lushE 7ompare the biggest number from
the fi.e tiles. Ahen the number is same3
compare the color.
o !ull houseE 7ompare the three tiles of
same number.
o Straight !lushE 7ompare the numbers first
and then the color if the numbers are
eFual.
\<adeW hierarchy is in the order of Straight a!lusha!ull
5ousea !our 7arda Straight !lush.
7hips
(3&3'3$
th
gi.e the winner chips eFual to the number of the
tiles they ha.e left. (3&3'3$ compare the difference of the
number of tiles each other and gi.e the chips to each other.
Gf there is a T(U in the tiles3 he must double the chips to
gi.e.
8he Speciality of T%U
Gn this game the number T%U can be used as
the last number to make a Straight. !or e9ample3 when &
players play (when they use up to only ,)3 \%W can be used
as \%)W. Gf four players play (when they use up to only %&)
\%W can be used as %'. lthough \%W can be used as the last
number of the flush3 it still has its power of \%W.
LOCO>
- suits& numbered 0-7. For chips use 11-17 in each color
for chips
# red cards3 # blue cards3 # green cards3 # purple cards3
# yellow cards3 and ($ markers ($ red3 $ blue3 $ green3
$ purple and $ yellow)
Setu*
+, Sort markers by color and place them on the table in
fi.e piles3 as shown in +llustration 1) (lacement of
(ieces
2, Shuffle cards.
3, ?andomly choose two cards (or three cards for a &-
player game) and lay them face down to the side.
8hese cards will not be used in the game.
?, 8he remaining cards are dealt so that each player
has the same number of cards.
Loco Car$s
8here are fi.e T*ocoU cards in the game3 one of each
color. 8hese cards ha.e a .alue of Aero.
Gmmediately when you play a T*ocoU card you should
shout T*oco:U Gf you forget to do this before the card
touches the table3 you may not take a marker this turn.
4a%e En$ an$ Scor&ng
8he game ends when the si9th card of any color is played.
8he player of the last card may then take a marker.
0ach marker is worth points according to the top card that
is the same color as the marker. !or e9ample3 each yellow
marker is worth ' points3 if the top yellow card has a
.alue of '. player with three yellow markers would
recei.e %( points.
NoticeE T*ocoU cards ha.e a .alue of Cero. Gf the top card
in a color is a Cero3 all of the markers of that color are
worth Aero points.
>layers tally up their point totals from their markers.
8he player with the most points is the winner. (!or an
e9ample3 see the illustration on the back side of the
instructions.)
4a%e (la1
8he player to the left of the dealer goes first. fter their
turn3 play continues clockwise around the table.
-uring your turn3 play is as followsE
+, 7hoose a card from your hand and place it in a pile
beside the markers of the same color. (!or e9ample3
if you choose a red card you place it by the red
markers.) Gf there is already a card in that pile3 place
your card o.er the pre.ious card3 so that the number
on the pre.ious card is still .isible (as shown in
+llustration 2) Bame in (ro$ress). Gf you play a
T*ocoU card then shout T*;7;:U (09planation to
follow.)
2, 7hoose a marker from any pile (it does not ha.e to
be of the same color as the card you played) and
place the marker in front of you. 8he other players
should always be able to see what markers you
ha.e. Gf all the markers of a color are taken3 choose
a marker of a different color.
LOST C!T!ES
2-10 in fie suits plus ; e#tra cards per suit %handshakes'
+ ga%e 7oar$
#) cardsE
- '$ e9pedition cards (, cards for each of $
destinations) and
- %$ in.estment cards (& for each destination)
(re*arat&on
L >lace the game board with areas for the fi.e destinations
between the two players.
L -ecide how many rounds to playI three is a good number.
Gf you choose to play more than one round3 use paper and
pencil to record the scores for each round.
L Shuffle the cards and deal 1 to each player face down.
>lace the remaining cards face down near the board as the
draw pile.
L >layers may now look at their cardsI these are their
starting hands.
O'er'&ew
0ach player starts one or more e9peditions and then uses
cards to continue his e9peditions as far as possible. t the
start of an e9pedition3 players may increase their in.estment
and their risk. s backtracking is not allowed3 successi.e
cards added to an e9pedition must ad.ance the e9pedition
toward its goal. 8he cards show the progress of the
e9peditions from beginning to end3 but3 for ease of play3
they are also numbered (-%). Ahen the round ends3 the
players\ e9peditions are scored based on their success.
(la1&ng the ga%e
8he oldest player begins and then the players alternate
turns.
;n his turn a player must first play one card from his hand3
and then must draw a card to replace it.
>lay a card E 8he player has two choices when playing a
card from his handE
dd a card to an e9pedition E 8he player can start a new
e9pedition or e9tend an e9pedition already begun. >layers
may only start or add to e9peditions on their side of the
board. 8o start a new e9pedition3 the player simply places a
card from that e9pedition face up ne9t to the space on the
board that corresponds to that destination. 8o e9tend an
e9pedition3 the player places a new card from the
e9pedition so that it partially co.ers the pre.ious card from
that e9pedition. ny new card placed must represent further
tra.el than the pre.ious card. 8he cards must always be
added at the end of the e9pedition and with increasingly
higher numbers. 8he numbers do not need to be
consecuti.e3 any higher number is permitted. 8he cards of
an e9pedition are placed so that the .alues of all can be
seen by both players.
!or each e9pedition there are & in.estment cards. 8hese
may only be played at the beginning of an e9pedition and
represent increased in.estment by that player in that
e9pedition. ny number of these cards may be played
before the first numbered card of an e9pedition. ;nce a
numbered card has been added to an e9pedition3 further
in.estment cards are not allowed for that e9pedition.
-iscarding a card E 8he player can discard a card instead of
adding to an e9pedition. 8o discard a card3 the player
places the card on the board in the space for the destination
that matches the card to be discarded. Gf other cards from
that e9pedition ha.e been discarded3 the new card should
be placed so that it completely co.ers all the pre.ious
cards. 8hus3 only the last discarded card for each
destination will be .isible.
-raw a card E 8he player adds a card to his hand. 5e may
either take the top card from the face down draw pile or the
top card from any of the destination discards. 8he player
may not draw a card he discarded on this turn.
4a%e en$ an$ scor&ng
L 8he game ends when a player takes the last card of the
draw pile. >layers are allowed to count the cards remaining
in the draw pile to better plan their plays.
L 8hen the players calculate their scores. 0ach e9pedition is
scored separately. 8he cards in the e9pedition are added
together and then () is subtracted from the total. 8his is the
.alue of each e9pedition e9cept that if no cards ha.e been
played for an e9pedition its .alue is Cero instead of ().
L 8he .alue of each e9pedition (whether positi.e or
negati.e) is then multiplied by the number of in.estment
cards that player played for that e9pedition plus %. 8hus3
the multiplier will be (3 &3 or '3 if the number of in.estment
cards is %3 (3 or &3 respecti.ely. n e9pedition with only
in.estment cards would be worth () multiplied by the
number of in.estment cards plus %.
L Gn addition3 each e9pedition which contains at least eight
cards3 earns a fi9ed bonus of () points3 after the multiplier.
L 8hus3 an e9peditionWs .alue will be between -1) and (&#.
L ;ne player records the scores on paper3 adding scores
from the current round to those from pre.ious rounds. ll
cards are shuffled for another round of play. 8he player
with the most total points so far in the game begins play for
the ne9t round.
L fter the agreed number of rounds3 usually three3 the
game ends. 8he player with the most total points is the
winner.
OH!O
7 suits& numbered 0-10 . 0 cards are Chio Dards
0ach player begins each hand with the same identical hand
of %% cards. 8en of these are numbered3 from % to %). 8he
other card is labeled T;hioU.
8he first player can lead any card to the first trick. 0ach
subseFuent player can either pass or play. Gf he passes3 he
cannot win the trick and takes no further part in it. Gf he
chooses to play a card3 it must be lower than the last card
played. ;hio cards can always be played3 as they are
slightly lower than the pre.iously played card. 8hus3 if the
last card was a &3 an ;hio card could be played3 but it
would be beaten by a subseFuent play of a ( or a % (or e.en
another ;hio). 8he .ast ma@ority of the time3 though3 ;hio
cards are only used to beat %Ws3 whereupon the only card
that would beat it is another ;hio.
8he option to pass or play continues clockwise around the
table until all but one player has passed. 8hat player wins
the trick and takes all the cards that were played. She then
leads to the ne9t trick. 8his continues until one player plays
his last card to a trick. 8he trick is finished and the hand
ends. 0ach playersW score is eFual to the .alue of the cards
they captured in tricks minus the .alue of the cards left in
their hand. 7aptured ;hio cards are worth minus 10. ;hio
cards left in your hand are also worth %).
8he game can consist of a single hand3 but it plays better if
there is one hand for each player3 with each player gi.en a
chance to lead to the first trick of a hand. 7ombine the
scores for all the hands and the player with the high score
wins.
-AR4!" FOR ERROR
' suits that $o 1-14& plus a 0 and 20 card from another
suit. 0 card represents ?ow Eid card: 20 card represents
@i$h Eid card.
>age % of &
-AR4!" FOR ERROR
for '-$ players3 ages %( / up
O5ER5!E#0 fter the T7aptainU chooses a TpointU suit
and a goal in this trick-taking game3 he and his partner try
to win by taking or a.oiding point cards while staying
within their margin for error.
E@U!(-E"T0 $# cards (' suits3 numbered %-%') and (
Strategy cards
(% *ow goal card and % 5igh goal card)
4A-E (LAA (for ? *la1ers)0
%. -0* 7hoose a dealer3 who shuffles and deals all $#
cards facedown to the players e.enly. >layers keep their
hands hidden throughout the game. 0ach player is partnered
with the player sitting opposite him. >layers take turns
being the dealer in subseFuent rounds3 rotating clockwise.
(. 0S8B*GS5 7>8GN fter looking at his cards3
the dealer decides if he wants to be the 7aptain. Gf the
dealer declines3 the option to become 7aptain passes
clockwise. 8he first person to accept becomes the 7aptain3
but if all ' players pass3 the dealer must assume the
7aptainWs role.
&. 75;;S0 >;GN8 SQG8 / S8?80GJ 8he 7aptain
chooses and announces the point suit for the round. (t the
end of the round3 each card of the point suit is eFual to one
point card3 regardless of the number .alue on the card.)
8hen3 he decides whether he wants to tell his partner that
their strategy is toE %. win point cards totaling less than or
eFual to ' (by gi.ing him the T*ow goalU card)3 or (. win
point cards totaling more than or eFual to %) (by gi.ing him
the T5igh goalU card). 8he 7aptain gi.es his partner the
chosen Strategy card face-down3 which the partner checks
and then keeps face-down. 8he Strategy card does not
become part of the partnerWs hand.
'. >SS 7?-S 8he 7aptain passes & cards face-down
to his partner. 8he partner can look at the passed cards3 and
then he passes & different cards from his hand face-down
back to the 7aptain. 8he player to the 7aptainWs left
simultaneously does the same with his partner3 howe.er
they only e9change ( cards. >assed cards then become part
of the playersW hands.
$. >*J 2he player with the Breen 1 card starts the first
trick by leadin$ that card face-up %or the Elue 1 card& if
Breen is the point suit'& and play proceeds clockwise. 0ach
of the other players plays one card face-up3 following suit.
Gf a player does not ha.e a card in his hand of the suit led3
he can discard any card (and if he discards a card of the
point suit3 the point suit is considered TbrokenU). 8here
are no trump cards. fter each player has played3 the player
who played the highest card of the suit led wins the trick
and leads to the ne9t trick. 8he winner of the trick takes the
cards and places them face-down before him in two piles3
separating point cards from nonpoint cards (taken cards
cannot be .iewed thereafter3 but any player can count
them). player cannot lead a card of the point suit until
the point suit is broken (unless he only has cards of the
point suit in his hand3 and thus has no choice). 8he point
suit cannot be broken on the first trick (again3 unless a
player has no choice). 8he round ends after all cards ha.e
been played (or when the roundWs scoring outcome is no
longer in Fuestion).
>age ( of &
#. 0b>;S0 S8?80GJ Ahen (a) at least half of the
tricks ha.e been played3 or (b) either partnership has taken
at least $ point cards by itself3 whiche.er comes first3 the
7aptainWs opponents are permitted to turn o.er and e9pose
the Strategy card. (e.g.E Gn a '-player game3 the 7aptain /
his partner together ha.e already taken ' total point cards3
and their opponents also ha.e already taken ' total point
cards. 8he opponents can turn o.er the Strategy card once
either partnership takes at least one more point card3 or
after + tricks ha.e been played3 whiche.er comes first.)
<. AGNNGNG 850 ?;QN-
Gf the 7aptainWs team chose the Low goalE
the 7aptainWs team wins the round if they took ' or less
total point cardsI
the opposing team wins the round if they took between )
and 1 total point cards3 inclusi.eI
if the 7aptainWs team took e9actly $ total point cards3 the
round is a draw.
7aptainWs 8eamE ) % ( & ' $ # + 1 , %) %% %( %& %'
;pposing 8eamE %' %& %( %% %) , 1 + # $ ' & ( % )
Gf the 7aptainWs team chose the H&gh goalE
the 7aptainWs team wins the round if they took %) or more
total point cardsI
the opposing team wins the round if they took between #
and %' total point cards3 inclusi.eI
if the 7aptainWs team took e9actly , total point cards3 the
round is a draw.
7aptainWs 8eamE ) % ( & ' $ # + 1 , %) %% %( %& %'
;pposing 8eamE %' %& %( %% %) , 1 + # $ ' & ( % )
SCOR!"40
%. Gf the 7aptainWs team won the round3 the 7aptainWs team
recei.es %$ points. Gf the opposing team won the round3 the
opposing team recei.es %) points. Gf the round was a draw3
neither team recei.es points.
(. Gf the 7aptainWs team chose the *ow goal and they took
Cero point cards3 they also recei.e $ bonus points. Gf the
7aptainWs team chose the 5igh goal and they took all %'
point cards3 they recei.e %) bonus points.
&. Gndi.iduals do not score points for the actual number of
point cards that they took.
T!(S0
%. 2he DaptainFs opponents $enerally should *break6 the
point suit as early as possible. 8his enables them to
obser.e whether the 7aptain / his partner are trying to take
or a.oid point cards.
(. Gf the 7aptain chooses the 5igh goal3 his partner
generally should pass his highest cards (freFuently of the
point suit) to the 7aptain. &. Gf the 7aptain chooses the *ow
goal3 and his partnerWs only cards of the point suit all ha.e
high number .alues3 such as %(3 %& / %'3 the partner
should consider passing some of these cards to the 7aptain.
RULES FOR B (LAAERS0
%. 8he last card is not dealt. Gt is set aside3 face-down.
(. 8he partnerships change each round. 8he 7aptainWs
partner is the player sitting & seats to his left3 with whom
the 7aptain e9changes ( cards3 in the same manner
described abo.e. 8he other & players play as a team against
the 7aptain and his partner. 8he player to the 7aptainWs left
passes ( cards face-down to the player seated to the
7aptainWs right3 who then passes ( different cards face-
down in return. 8he remaining player3 sitting ( seats to the
7aptainWs left3 adds the non-dealt card to his hand3 and then
he discards any one card (e.en the card @ust added to his
hand). fter all cards ha.e been passed3 the discarded card
is then turned face-up3 set aside3 and is not played.
&. Gf the Green % card is the discarded face-up e9tra card3
the Green ( card leads the first trick (or if Green is the
point suit and the Blue % card is the e9tra card3 the Blue (
card leads the first trick).
'. t the end of the round3 after all tricks ha.e been played3
the 7aptain can elect whether or not he wants to include the
e9tra card (if it is a point card) in his teamWs point card
total.
$. 8he scores are recorded as abo.e3 but each player
(instead of the team) recei.es the points (e.g. the 7aptainWs
opponents each recei.e %) points for winning the round).
#. 0.ery $ rounds (after each player has had a turn being
the dealer)3 randomly change the seat order of all players by
redrawing for seats. New partnership combinations will
almost assuredly result. 8he player with the lowest score
becomes the ne9t dealer (if ( or more players are tied for
last place3 then the youngest of these players becomes the
dealer). 8he deal rotates clockwise thereafter.
#!""!"4 THE 4A-E0 8he entire game is o.er when a
team has accumulated at least #) points3 or when a player3
in a $-player game3 has accumulated at least $) points (a $-
player game can result in a tie). 8he team (or player) with
the highest score wins:
Game design by -ean Sei@i
7opyright ())# by Sagely Games3 all rights reser.ed.
<?GGN !;? 0??;? is a trademark of Sagely Games.
www.SagelyGames.com
-!T L!ST C"/ TUC<E
7 suits& ; numbered 0-20& a 4th suit numbered 0-18& and a
7th suit numbered 5-11
<it *ist Qnd 8uche
card game by 6laus >alesch for '-# players.
>ublished in %,,, by Berliner Spielkarten.
8ranslationE <ichael S.ello.
7ontents
# rules cards
1' cards in four suits numbered %-(% in the colors blue3
green3 red and yellow
;.er.iew
Jou cannot take a trick all by yourself.
0ach player tries to collect as many cards as possible in two
colors and to a.oid the cards in the other two colors. ;nly
cards in two of the colors will be counted towards the
score. 8he player who plays the highest card in the leading
suit has first choice when a trick is split3 while the player
who played the lowest card in another suit takes the rest.
8he two winners of a trick share the cards3 but it is
naturally an ad.antage to ha.e first choice and lea.e the
wrong colors to the second player.
8he player with the highest score wins the game.
>reparations
-epending on the number of players3 only the following
cards are usedE
# playersE 8he cards %-(% in the colors blue3 green3 red and
yellow (all the cards)
$ playersE 8he cards %-%1 in red and yellow plus %-%+ in
blue and green (+) cards)
' playersE 8he cards %-%' in the colors blue3 green3 red and
yellow ($# cards)
>lay
8he player to the left of the dealer begins by playing a card
of his choice. 8his card will be the opening lead in the
trump suit. 0.ery other color in this trick will be a non-
trump suit. But a trick cannot ha.e cards in more than &
colors3 ieE if there already is cards on the table in & different
colors3 then the remaining players must play a card in one
of these colors. Gf a player only has cards in the fourth color
3 he cannot play and the round ends (see below).
8he played cards are placed in the center of the table in
such a way that it is easy to see who played the card3 and
which color is trump. Gn turn e.ery player plays any card
from his hand.
8he led suit does not ha.e to be followed:
8he (8wo) Ainner(s) of a 8rick
8he player who played the highest trump card (the largest
numbered card of the led suit) must take his pick from the
cards played in the current trick (half the cards rounded
up)E
Gn a '-player game he takes ( cardsI in a $- or #-player
game he takes & cards.
8he player who played the lowest non-trump card recei.es
the remaining cards from the trick (which he must take)E Gn
a '- or $-player game he recei.es ( cardsI in a #-player
game he recei.es & cards.
09ampleE
>layer played a red %) (led color)
>layer B played a yellow # (non-led color)
>layer 7 played a red %' (led color)
>layer - played a blue ( (non-led color)
>layer 0 played a yellow %# (non-led color)
>layer 0 couldnHt ha.e played a green card since & colors
had already been played.
>layer 7 has played the highest trump (red %')3 and gets
first choice (& cards)
>layer - has the lowest non-trump color. 5e recei.es the
remaining two cards and opens the ne9t trick by playing
any card..
Gf more than one player has played a non-led card of the
same lowest .alue the player who played the first of the
lowest cards will be the one who wins the second part of
the trick.
8he two winners of a trick place the cards in open stacks
sorted by colors3 so that all players can see which colors a
player is collecting3 but not necessarily how many cards
there are in the stacks.
8he ne9t trick is opened by the player who played the
lowest non-trump card (ieE the winner of the (nd part). 5e
may play any card from his hand3 and that suit will be the
new trump for this trick.
Special caseE Gf only cards from one suit are played in a
trick (they ha.e the same color) the player who played the
highest trump will choose his cards as usual3 but the second
half of the trick will be discarded (there is no other winner).
Gn this case only will the player who played the highest
trump open the ne9t trick.
s soon as a player has collected cards in all ' colors3 he
must decide which two colors he will count towards his
score and which two colors he will disregard. 5e simply
turns the two stacks o.er and places them in a single pile
with the backside up. 8he two chosen colors remains open
and from now on only cards collected in these two colors
counts toward his score. ny cards OcollectedO in the two
wrong colors are placed in the players personal
OdiscardO-pile.
8he 0nd of a ?ound
round ends after the %'th trick3 although it can end
earlier if a player cannot play a card because he only has
card left in a color which cannot be played because the trick
already contains & colors. Gn this case the round is ended
immediately and the current trick and any remaining cards
in the playersH hands are discarded without counting
towards the scoreI they are worthless.
09ampleE >layer 0 still has ( blue cards in his hand but the
current trick already contains a red3 a green and a yellow
card. Since the fourth color cannot be played in a trick3 the
round is ended at once.
Scoring
0ach player counts the number of cards in his two largest
open stacks and multiplies the two numbers with each
other. 8he sum is then di.ided by the number of remaining
cards (any fraction is discarded and the score is noted on a
piece of paper).
Gf a player has cards in one single color only3 he has scored
) (Cero) points:
Gf a player has cards in e9actly two colors3 the sum is not
di.ided by ) (Cero).
09amplesE
>layer has & open stacks containing $ green3 # red and &
yellow cards. 5e recei.es points from the two largest
stacksE $^# M &) which are then di.ided by the last stack
&)E & which gi.es him %) points.
>layer B has & open stacks containing $ red3 ' blue and &
yellow cards. 8hat gi.es $^' M () which is di.ided by & to
#3# which is then rounded down to # point.
>layer 7 has two open stacks with + blue and 1 green
cards3 and ' discarded cards. +^1 M $#E' M %' points.
>layer - has & open stacks with + yellow3 % red and % blue
card. +^% M + di.ided by % M + points.
>layer 0 has & green and $ blue cards. &^$ M %$ points.
N0A ?;QN-S
Ahen all players ha.e recorded their scores3 a new round
begins. 8he new dealer is the player to the left of the
pre.ious dealer. 8he number of played rounds eFuals the
number of players.
8he player with the highest combined total of points wins
the game:
"!CHT /!E OH"E>
Nicht die Bohne :
& - # >layers
c &) minutes
-esigned by 5orst-?ainer ?osner
8ranslation by Don Bruton
7ontents E #) 7ards (%$ per colour3 numbers %-%)3 & minus
cards3 a 9( card3 and a nicht die bohne card)
% Beanchip
% Scorepad
8he game is played o.er three rounds with the player with
the highest total score winning.
8he rounds
-eal all the cards eFually to each player. 8he first player
takes the Beanchip and places it on top of a face up card
chosen from their hand. ll other players then place a card
from their hand face down on the table. 8hese cards are
turned face up simultaneously.
8he player who played the card with the beanchip on
chooses any other card and places it in their score area. 8he
player of the @ust taken card chooses another card other
than the one with the beanchip on and places it in their
score area. 8his continues until the last player has their card
taken3 this player takes the beanchip card (placing it in their
score area) and the beanchip.
8he new player with the beanchip places a card face up
with the beanchip on it. >lay continues as abo.e until all #)
cards are taken.
Scoring
0ach colour is scored indi.idually. 8he base score of the
colour is the sum of the numbers on each card3 howe.er3 the
special cards affect the score.
<inus Beans E 8hese turn the score for the colour negati.e.
Gf a player has one or three minus beans the score is a
negati.e score. Gf the player has none or two minus beans
the score is positi.e.
9( E 8his card doubles the base score3 this is regardless of
whether the score is positi.e or negati.e.
Nicht die Bohne E Gf a player has this card in their
colour the score is Cero for that colour irrespecti.e of the
base score or minus beans.
8he total positi.e score for the colours and the total
negati.e score are recorded on the score pad3 and the sum
score for the round calculated. 8he highest score at the end
of three rounds winning.
09ample of scoring (see diagram at bottom of page ( of
German rules)
?ed E & ` # M , >ositi.e points
Blue E 8he base score is 1 ` ( ` ' M %'
8he 9( card doubles this to (1
8he two minus beans cause a positi.e score3 (1 >ositi.e
points
Green E 8he nicht die bohne card causes the score to be
) >oints
Jellow E ' ` , M %&
8he minus bean turns this negati.e3 %& Negati.e points
&+ >ositi.e points are scored.
%& Negati.e points are scored
8he sum for the round is (' points.

(E((ER
- suits& numbered 1-18
8he game consists of %)( cards in # colors3 with .alues
from ( to %1 and # pepper cards with .alue %. 8he % .alue
card is called the >epper and has a special function3 try to
a.oid it: 8hey subtract from your score at the end.
Qse the following cards for different numbers of players
>layers 7olors 7ard Kalues
& ' %-,
' ' %-%(
$ $ %-%(
# # %-%(
+ # %-%'
1 # %-%#
, # %-%1
-eal %( cards to each player to start the hand
nyone who was dealt a >epper card puts them face up on
the tabme in front of them
8he start player leads3 the others then play a card from their
hand or from the table. Suit must be followed from cards in
hand if possible. >laying a >epper card of the suit led from
the table is not reFuired. Jou can play any card if unable to
follow suit3 including a >epper card from the table.
8he highest card of the color led takes the trick. >epper
cards won in tricks stay face up in front of you3 other cards
are placed face down in your pile
8he hand ends as soon as one player has no more cards in
hand. nyone who has cards remaining in hand adds them
to the cards taken in tricks
0ach >epper card is worth -( points. 0ach card with the
color of the pepper card is worth -% point.
8he game lasts for $ hands and the player with the fewest
minus points wins.
RAD
- suits& numbered 1-17 . 2he -
th
suit represents the $ood
treasures %1-10' and the bad treasures %11-17'
?D
Ainning <o.es3 %,,$
Goal
0ach player tries to take as many black ?a@ treasure tiles
(positi.e points) as possible3 while a.oiding as many cobra
tiles (negati.e points) as possible. ?ed numbered 7obra tile
points are subtracted from Black numbered ?a@ treasure tile
points - whoe.er has the most points at the end of the game
wins.
Setup
0ach player takes one deck of cards of the same color -
green3 blue3 red3 etc. 8here are fifteen cards in each deck3
numbered uniFuely from % to %$. 0ach player takes these
cards as hisSher hand - all fifteen are a.ailable at once.
8he fifteen tiles with treasures and cobras are shuffled and
placed face down in the center of the table. 8he first player
selects one and turns it face up.
8he Game Begins
0ach player secretly selects one of hisSher fifteen cards to
play3 and places it face down in front of himSher. Ahen all
players ha.e chosen a card3 turn the cards face up.
Gf the tile (treasure or cobra) is a 8reasure3 the highest card
played by the players wins the 8reasure tile.
Gf the tile is a 7obra3 howe.er3 the lowest card played wins
the trick.
8hus high cards are always good - they either take a
positi.e trick or a.oid a negati.e trick. 8oo bad you donHt
ha.e all high cards...
Summary of playE
tile is turned face upI
0ach player chooses a number card secretly and places it
face down on the tableI
ll turn their number cards face up at the same timeI
8he highest number card wins a 8reasure tileI the lowest
number card wins a 7obra 8ileI
>layed number cards are out of the game.
?epeat this process until all fifteen tricks ha.e been
resol.ed.
Special 7ases
%.Gf two or more players ha.e the highest cards for a
8reasure tile3 they cancel each other out. Gn this case3 the
ne9t highest card wins the bid. *ikewise3 if two or more
players ha.e the lowest cards for a 7obra tile3 they cancel
each other. Gn this case3 the new lowest card wins the bid.
(.Gf all number cards cancel each other out3 then the number
cards are discarded and a new tile is turned o.er3 and added
to the e9isting tile on the table. >layers now compete for
this new tile set3 which consists of both tiles. Gf the sum of
the tiles is Cero or positi.e3 highest card takes both. Gf the
sum is negati.e3 lowest card takes both.
&.Gf the fifteenth tile bid is a tie all around3 no one scores
the tile(s) in Fuestion.
Game 0nd
fter the fifteenth round3 e.eryone will ha.e played all of
their cards and the tiles will be e9hausted. 8he game is
o.er. 0ach player adds hisSher 8reasure tiles together and
then subtracts the sum of the 7obra tiles from that total.
5igh total wins.
Jou can3 of course3 agree beforehand to play multiple
rounds (three rounds is a common game)3 in which case the
player with the highest total after the agreed number of
rounds wins the game.
8wo->layer Kersion
0ach player shuffles his deck of fifteen cards and3 without
looking at them3 sets three of the cards aside. *ikewise3
three tiles are remo.ed without looking at them. >lay only
with these %( cards - thus3 neither player is sure which
cards the opponent has3 nor which tiles ha.e been remo.ed.
RA4E
1-17 in - suits& G1- =action cards=
?G0
>layersE &-1
geE %) and up
-urationE c. '$ minutes.
>ublisherE <GG; c %,,1 0nglish
Small !ormatE 6ostas Nikolaidis
7ontents
%%( cardsI ,# cards in si9 different colors (blue3 green3 red3
yellow3 purple3 and orange) with the .alues of T)U to T%$U3
with T%$U being the high card and the T)U being the low
card. 8here are also %# ction cards ((9 TDokerU3 '9
TAithout 8rumpU3 '9 T7hange 8rumpU3 &9 T`$U and &9
T-$U
% rule sheet
Summary of >lay
0ach player will be dealt a number of cards for each round.
0ach player in turn lays down a card into the middle of the
table. 8he player who played the highest card of the led
color (or the 8rump color) wins the trick and takes the
cards. 8he game ends after ten rounds3 and the player who
best predicted the number of tricks he would take each turn
is the winner
Game Setup
player is chosen as scorekeeper and writes the names of
the players on the score sheet (which can be photocopied
from the ne9t page of the rules). 5e then shuffles the cards
and deals %) to each player. fter each round3 the player on
the dealerWs left becomes the new dealer.
Summary of >lay
%) 8he -eal
Gn the first round3 each player is dealt ten cards. Aith each
card3 a player could win a trick. 8hus it is possible to win
ten tricks in the first round. Gn the second round3 each
player is dealt nine cards. Gn this round3 it is possible to win
up to nine tricks. Gn the third round3 eight cards are dealt to
each player3 then se.en cards3 etc.3 into the tenth round
when each player recei.es only one card.
8he stack of cards that are not dealt out are placed face
down in the middle of the table. 8he top card is turned o.er
and placed ne9t to the pile. 8his card determines the trump
color for the current round. Gf an ction 7ard is turned
o.er3 turn o.er another card until a colored card is re.ealed
() Bidding
fter the players ha.e sorted their cards by color and .alue3
each player considers how many tricks he will win in this
round. Beginning with the player to the left of the dealer3
each player then states their bid for the round. 8he
scorekeeper notes the bids on the score sheet.
(See sample scorecard in the German rules)
Before the first trick is played3 the bids should be repeated
so e.eryone can hear the bids.
&) 8ricks
Ahat is a trickB 0ach player plays a card to the middle of
the table. 8he cards in the middle of the table are called the
trick.
8he player to the left of the dealer plays the first card in the
trick. >lay proceeds in a clockwise direction when each
player plays a card. card of the lead color must be played
by each player3 if possible. Gf a player does not ha.e cards
of the lead suit3 he may play a card of any color3 including
trump3 or any ction 7ards.
8rump
Gf a player does not ha.e the color led for the trick3 he may
play a card in the trump color (the color of the card ne9t to
the trump pile)3 and thus win the trick. Gf se.eral trump
cards are in the trick3 the highest trump card wins the trick.
AGNNGNG 850 8?G76E
8he player who played the highest card in the color which
led the trick wins the trick3 unless a card in the trump color
is played. 8hen the highest card in the trump color wins the
trick
8ricks won by a player should be placed in separate piles3
so it is always known how many tricks each player has won
to this point. 8he winner of a trick opens the ne9t trick by
playing a new card. Ahen each player has no more cards in
their hand3 then the round is scored (see3 '. Scoring the
?ound).
T8rickU M 8he cards in the center of table after each player
has played a card. 8hese cards are the 8rick
T8rumpU M 8he trump card determines which color trump
is. 7ards of the trump color win tricks o.er cards of other
colors.
T?ules of >layU M >layers must play a card that has the
same color as the first card of the trick.
?ules !or Qsing ction 7ards
Gf a player does not ha.e a card of the color that was led for
the trick3 he may play an ction card. 8he ction card does
not belong to any of the si9 colors.
`$ T`$UE 8he winner of the trick which includes this
ction card has fi.e points added to their score at the end
of this round.
-$ T-$UE 8he winner of the trick which includes this ction
card has fi.e points subtracted from their score at the end of
this round.
dd TAithout 8rumpUE Ahen this card is played3 the trump
card is turned face down ne9t to the trump pile. !or this
trick3 there is no trump. ny trump cards already played in
the trick are counted as normal color cards. 8he player who
played the highest card of the led color of the trick wins the
trick.
fter the trick3 the top card of the face-down pile is flipped
o.er and placed on the card which determined the pre.ious
trump. Gf an ction 7ard is turned o.er3 turn o.er another
card until a colored card is re.ealed. 8he new color card
determines trump for the duration of the round.
T7hange 8rumpUE Ahen this card is played by a player3
immediately turn o.er the top card of the trump pile and
co.er the pre.ious trump card. Gf this is an ction card3
repeat the process until a color card is turned o.er. 8he
color of the new card determines the trump color for the
current trick as well as the rest of the round. 8he pre.ious
trump card is no longer .alid for this trick or for the rest of
the round.
TDokerUE Ahen the Doker is played3 the player must
announce what color the Doker will be. 8he selected color
may be the trump color. 8he Doker is considered the highest
card of the selected color in the trick. Gf the color selected
for the Doker is not the 8rump color3 then e.ery card in the
8rump color is considered to be a higher .alue than the
Doker. Gf both Dokers are played in a single trick3 then the
second Doker is considered higher than the first.
NoteE 8he first card of a trick may be a ction 7ard. 8he
second card played in a trick begun with a ction 7ard may
be any other card. 8he first color or Doker played will
determine the suit of the trick. Gf only ction 7ards3 not
including Dokers3 are played3 the first card played in the
round wins the trick.
') Scoring the ?ound
fter all tricks in the round are completed (when the
players ha.e no more cards in their hands)3 the round is
scored.
0ach player recei.es one point for each trick they won.
0ach player recei.es fi.e points for each T`$U card that
were in the tricks they won.
0ach player loses fi.e points for each T-$U card that were in
the tricks they won.
Gf a player correctly predicted the number of tricks they
won3 they recei.e %) points.
Gf a player failed to correctly predict the number of tricks
they won3 they lose $ points.
8he total number of points is recorded on the score sheet.
Game 0nd
8he game ends after ten rounds. 8he final round is scored3
then the scores of all ten rounds are added up. 8he player
with the highest score is the winner.
Kariants
>lusS<inus ;neE s before3 the bids are stated openly to
the scorekeeper. 8he total number of bids may not eFual the
total number of tricks a.ailable. !or e9ample3 in a round
with fi.e tricks3 the total number of bids by all the players
cannot eFual $.
5idden BidE 0.ery player records their bid on a piece of
paper. Ahen e.eryone has finished3 bids are announced and
recorded by the scorekeeper. 8his keeps the bids of each
player unaffected by their competitorWs bids.
Secret BiddingE 0ach player writes their bid on a piece of
paper. 8he bids are disclosed after the last trick is taken.
8herefore3 it is unclear during the round how many tricks
each player would like to win.
<arching 8hroughE Gf a player wins all the tricks in a
round3 he recei.es two points for each trick taken3 instead
of only one. 8his does not count in the last round where
there is only one trick..
/!E S!EE" S!E4EL
7 suits& numbered 1-17 Requires ; chips each in yellow&
blue& $reen& and purple: 7 red chips: 4 white chips: and -
black chips. 4lso requires a pawn to represent the
Haboteur.
7ontents
+$ 7ards .alued %-%$ in ?ed3 Jellow3 Green3 Blue3 and
Kiolet
(+ Seals ($ ?ed3 & Jellow3 & Green3 & Blue3 & Kiolet3 '
Ahite3 and # Black)
% Saboteur (place it in the stand)
Game Gdea
0ach player recei.es %$ cards as his hand at the beginning
of a turn and must predict how many and what color tricks
he will obtain. Gf !rank3 for e9ample3 is of the opinion that
he will make three yellow and two blue tricks3 then he takes
three yellow and two blue seals for himself. -uring the
course of the game the ob@ect is to get rid of those seals.
Gf3 during play3 !rank recei.es a yellow trick3 he puts a
yellow seal back into the center of the table. Gf he makes a
blue trick3 he puts a blue seal back into the center.
5owe.er3 if he takes3 for e9ample3 a green trick3 then he
must3 since he does not possess a green seal3 take a black
penalty seal3 - each black penalty seal counts as three
penalty points at the end of the round. Gn addition there are
penalty points for each colored (or white) seal that remain
before a player at the end of the round.
s if predicting tricks in the future were not already
difficult enough3 there is also the unpredictable Saboteur3
who has only one thought in mindE disrupt the play of the
others...
Ahoe.er has the fewest penalty points after se.eral rounds
is the winner.
>reparation
-epending upon number of players the following cards are
neededE
& playerE in each color the .alues % - , (M '$ cards)
' playersE in each color the .alues % - %( (M #) cards)
$ playersE all +$ cards
8he unused cards are separated and put back into the bo9.
8he cards are shuffled and distributed e'enl1 to the players.
0.eryone gets %$ cards3 which they take into their hand and
sort according to colors.
8he Saboteur is placed into the center of the table. 8he (+
seals are put ne9t to it.
2GllustrationE 09ample of the game preparation with '
players. 0.eryone holds %$ cards in their hand. 8he seals
and the Saboteur are in the center of the table.4
8he >rediction
fter the cards are dealt and sorted the player to the left of
the dealer begins. 5e must eitherE
- <ake a trick prediction or
&. 8ake the Saboteur.
fterwards the ne9t player in a clockwise direction must
make the same choiceE either make a trick prediction or
take the Saboteur3 then again the ne9t player3 etc. until
e.eryone has had a turn.
"ote0 8he Saboteur can only be taken 71 one player. Gf a
player decided to take the Saboteur3 then the following
players must make a trick prediction. Gt is possible that no
one takes the Saboteur.
- Frank be$ins and decides to make a trick prediction. @e
wants to take a red& two blue and a $reen trick. @e takes
one red& two blue and one $reen seal from the center.
- Habine likewise makes a trick prediction. Hhe wants to
take two iolet& one blue and three red tricks. Hhe takes
two iolet& one blue and three red seals.
Sa7oteur0 Gnstead of making a trick prediction and taking
seals3 a player can choose the Saboteur. 8he task of the
Saboteur is to make the game run poorly for as many
players as possible so that they cannot get rid of their seals
or e.en ha.e to take black penalty seals. 8he Saboteur
ne.er gets any seals3 no matter how he plays and what
tricks he takes. 8he Saboteur gets ' penalty points
(ma9imum) and possibly less at the end of a round. <ore
about this under O7ourse of >layO and OScoring the ?oundO.
- 6atrin makes no trick prediction and decides instead to
take the Saboteur. She takes the Saboteur and places it
before herself.
#h&te seals (Doker)0 8he white seals are used only if
certain color seals are no longer present. Gf a player would
like to take3 for e9ample3 a yellow seal3 and there are no
more yellow seals in the center of the table3 then he must
take the desired seal from any fellow player. 8his player
immediately recei.es a white seal from the center of the
table as a substitute. player can use the white seals
during the game as a Doker (see also O7ourse of >layO and
OScoring the ?oundO).
- >eter is ne9t. Since 6atrin already took the Saboteur3
>eter must make a trick prediction. 5e wants to take two
yellow3 a green and a blue trick. 5e takes first two yellow
and one green seal from the center of the table. Since there
are no more blue seals in the center3 he takes the desired
blue seal from Sabine. Sabine gets a white seal as a
replacement.
7ourse of >lay
8he player to the left of the dealer begins by playing any
card of his choice face up into the center of the table. Now3
in turn3 e.eryone else must play one card face up in the
center of the table3 matching the color played first (if
possible). Ahoe.er cannot do this must throw off a card of
any color or red. ?ed is always trump. Now the cards are
e9amined to see who Otook the trickO3 and thus wins the
cards in the center of the table.
8he highest trump (red card) takes the trick. Gf no trump
card (thus no red) was played3 then the highest number in
the color played first wins the trick. 8he winner of the trick
takes all cards from the center of the table and places them
face down in a separate3 hidden discard pile. SubseFuently3
the player must put back a seal in the color of the won trick
into the center of the table. 8his player then leads the ne9t
trick with any color.
Gf a player wins a trick for which he cannot turn in a seal in
the appropriate color he must take a black penalty seal.
0ach black seal counts & penalty points at the end of the
round.
5er1 &%*ortant0 Gf red is lead as the first card of a trick3
then the winner of this trick must turn in a red seal. ut0 Gf
someone wins the trick with red and a different color was
lead3 then the winner of the trick may either turn in a red
seal or a seal in the lead color.
Ahite seals act as Dokers. 8hey can be turned in if the
player owning it wins any color trick.
"ote0 8he Saboteur3 @ust like any other player3 can take
tricks3 but he ne.er gets a seal. 5e puts a won trick aside
on the discard pile and leads the ne9t trick in a color of his
choice.
Example of the beginning of a round:
Frank be$ins and plays a iolet 2 %now iolet must be
played'. Habine is ne#t and plays a iolet 12. Iatrin plays
a iolet <. (eter does not hae iolet and throws off a
$reen ;.
Hince no red trump card is present in the trick& Habines
takes the trick with her iolet 12. Habine puts the trick
aside face down and $ies one of her iolet seals back to
the center of the table.
Habine leads the ne#t trick and plays a yellow 4. Iatrin
follows with a yellow 2& (eter with a yellow 5 and Frank
with a yellow 10. Frank takes the trick and puts it aside
face down. Hince Frank does not possess a yellow seal& he
must take a black penalty seal from the center of the table
center.
Frank opens the ne#t trick and plays a iolet 8. Habine
does not hae iolet and trumps with a red ;. Iatrin
follows with a iolet 1. (eter does not hae iolet and
throws off a $reen 8. Habine takes the trick. Hince the
trick was taken with red& she can turn in a red or a iolet
seal.
Scoring the ?ound
8he first round ends as soon as all %$ cards are played.
0ach player who has no seals before himself recei.es )
points. Gt doesnWt get any better than that:
0ach colored seal (red3 yellow3 green3 blue3 .iolet) that is
still before a player counts ( penalty points.
0ach black seal counts & penalty points. 0ach white seal
counts ' penalty points.
8he player of the Saboteur gets (at most) ' penalty pointsI
ne.er more. 8hese ' penalty points are reduced howe.er
by % point for each black seal that another player took. Gf
the fellow players took3 for e9ample3 three black seals
altogether3 the Saboteur recei.es only one penalty point (' -
& M %). "ote0 Gf the Saboteur should so successfully disrupt
the play of the others that they take four or more black
penalty seals altogether3 then the Saboteur recei.es )
penalty points - a better result than Cero can be ne.er
obtained.
J+llustration) Example of the valuation:
Frank receies ; penalty points %he has a black seal'.
Habine receies 4 penalty points %she has a white seal'.
Iatrin receies 2 penalty points %her fellow players took 2
black penalty seals alto$ether. 4 - 2 K 2'.
(eter receies 7 penalty points %2 for yellow& ; for black'.L
8he points are noted. ll seals and the Saboteur are put
back into the center of the table. 8he player to the left of
the first dealer shuffles all the cards and again deals each
player %$ cards. Now a new round is played in the same
way as already described.
Game 0nd
s many rounds are played as there are people playing
(with three persons twice as many rounds). Ahoe.er has
the fewest penalty points in the end is the winner.
8ips and 8actics
- Gf a player takes a trick3 then he must turn in a seal of
the appropriate color &%%e$&atel1. 5e is not allowed
to wait and turn one in later. Gf a player forgets to turn
in a seal3 too bad: !or reasons of fairness3 howe.er3 all
players should pay attention to make sure seals are
turned in correctly - and naturally that black seals are
taken too:
%). <ore than si9 black penalty points cannot be
assigned in a round. Gf a player must take a black
penalty seal3 and there are no more in the center
of the table3 then he is lucky and he does not take
one.
- Aith the trick prediction a player should always
remember that if he takes a trick with trump (red) and
another alternati.e color3 either red or the alternati.e
color can be turned in. 8herefore3 a player does not
necessarily ha.e to take many red seals if he possesses
many trump.
- player should try to take the Saboteur whene.er he
possesses .ery few or no cards in one or more colors.
0ach time3 if he does not ha.e to lead3 he can throw off
or take a trick to miraculously thwart the plans of the
other players.
T&*0 Gn a three player game the Saboteur is can be .ery
lucrati.e and may be highly sought after. 8o complicate
taking the Saboteur3 the .alue can be fi9ed at $ penalty
points for taking it.
ST!CHEL"
S8G750*N
piercingly good card game
by 6laus >alesch
7ontainsE
%() cards in si9 colors
% rulebook
>layersE &-1
geE from %) years
8imeE c. &) minutes
;b@ect of the Game
0ach player is dealt cards. 8hey each select one of these
cards to specify for themsel.es their Omisery colorO. 8he
ob@ect of the game is to take as many tricks as possible3
while a.oiding cards of the misery color. 7ards in the
misery color bring negati.e points3 while the other colors
bring positi.e points. 8he player with most points wins.
Game setup for Sticheln e7lassicT
8he cards used in the game depends on the number of
players. 8he cards not listed are not used in the game.
8hree playersE
7ards ) - 1 in green3 brown3 red3 blue and yellow
!our playersE
7ards ) - %% in green3 brown3 red3 blue and yellow
!i.e playersE
7ards ) - %' in green3 brown3 red3 blue and yellow
Si9 playersE
7ards ) - %' in green3 brown3 red3 blue3 yellow and .iolet
Se.en playersE
7ards ) - %+ in green3 brown3 red3 blue3 yellow and .iolet
0ight playersE
7ards ) - %1 in green3 brown3 red3 blue3 yellow and .iolet
8he cards are shuffled and dealt out to each player. 0ach
player will recei.e %$ cards (%' cards3 if eight are playing).
NoteE Aith se.en players three cards remain undealt3 and
with eight players two cards remain. 8hese cards are shown
to all players3 and set aside.
7hoosing your Omisery colorO
0ach player looks at his hand and chooses his mysery color
for this hand. 5e then selects a card of this color from his
hand and places it face down in front of him. ;nce
e.eryone has placed a card face-down3 all players re.eal
them at the same time. 8hey then remain face up until the
end of the round. 8hus e.eryone knows e.ery one elseHs
misery color. Gt can happen that se.eral players selected
the same misery color. 0ach card in the misery color that a
player takes in tricks will score negati.e points according to
the cardHs face .alue. 8he misery begins with the selection
of the misery color3 because the card used to declare a
playerHs misery color is counted against that player at the
end of the round.
8ipE Ahen selecting a misery color3 a player should not
choose a color in which she has only %-& cards3 nor from a
color in which she has .ery many cards. lso3 itHs better to
choose a color in which the cards she has ha.e low
numerical .alues3 in order to a.oid taking tricks with high
cards in her misery color.
Game play
8he youngest player begins by playing a card to the center
of the table. Ne9t3 each player must3 in turn3 play a card
from his hand. Jou need not follow suit. ny card can be
played.
8he cards played into the center of the table are the OtrickO.
8he color of the first card played is the Olead colorO. 0.ery
other color played in that trick is a trummp color. 0.ery
card in a trump color is a trump card3 with the e9ception of
the ) card. 8he ) card is not a trump card.
Aho wins a trickB
Gf only cards in the lead color were played to the trick3 the
player who played the highest number card wins the trick.
Gf3 other than cards of the lead color3 ) cards were played3
the player who played the highest number card in the lead
color wins the trick. ) card is not a trump card.
Gf3 other than cards of the lead color3 at least one trump card
was played3 the player who played the trump card with the
highest number wins the trick. ) card cannot win this
trick.
Gf more than one trump cards of the same3 highest
numerical .alue were played3 the player who played the
first highest-.alued trump card in the trick wins the trick.
Gn a trick where the only cards played were ) cards3 then
the player who led the first ) card wins the trick.
8he winner of the trick takes the cards and places them
face-down in a pile in front of her. 8his player then begins
the ne9t trick by playing the first card. 8he color of this
first card is the new lead color.
0nd of the round3 and scoring
fter %' tricks (%& tricks with eight players) the round ends.
0ach player now has at least one card in his misery color
(the card used to declare that color)3 and possibly other
cards taken in tricks. 0ach card in his misery color counts
as negati.e points according to the numerical .alue on the
card. 0ach card not in his misery color counts as one
positi.e point3 independent of the .alue on the card. 8o
determine a playerHs score for the round3 add the positi.e
points and subtract the negati.e points.
09ampleE 9el used a red ' to declare his misery color. Gn
his tricks heHs taken a red ( and a red $3 as well as %' cards
in other colors. !or the %' other cards 9el recei.es %'
points3 and for the red cards he recei.es ' ` ( ` $3 or %%
negati.e points. 8hus3 his score for the round is %' - %%3 or
& points.
8he ne9t round
fter each playerHs score is tallied3 the ne9t round begins.
player shuffles together the cards (including those set
aside during the pre.ious deal3 if playing with + or 1
players)3 and deals the cards out (again setting aside the
remaining cards3 if playing with + or 1 players). gain
each player selects a misery color3 which may or may not
match her misery color in the pre.ious round. 8he player
left of the dealer begins the first trick3 and play continues as
already described.
0nding the game
8he game ends after fi.e rounds. 8he player who has the
largest positi.e score is the winner. Gf all players ha.e
negati.e points3 then the player with the fewest negati.e
points is the winner.
8he New Kariants
Sticheln eupside-downT
8he players select a personal Olucky colorO from the cards
in their hand. 8his means that each card in this color that a
player wins in tricks counts as positi.e points according to
their numerical .alue. Naturally3 also the card chosen at the
beginning to indicate this lucky color counts positi.ely.
5owe.er3 now each card in other colors count one negati.e
point3 regardless of their numerical .alue.
NoteE 8he lowest trump card wins the trick3 rather than the
highest. ( O)O card still does not win a trick.) Gf se.eral
players play trump with the lowest .alue3 the first player to
play such a card wins the trick. ;therwise play with the
same rules as in Sticheln O7lassicO.
Sticheln OmildO
0ach card in the misery color counts always fi.e negati.e
points3 rather than negati.e face .alue. 8his also applies to
the ) card in that color. 0ach card in the other colors still
count only one positi.e point. ;therwise play with the
same rules as in Sticheln O7lassicO.
Sticheln OintenseO
0ach player chooses two personal misery colors3 and
selects two cards from her hand. 8herefore3 with &-+
players only %& tricks are played3 and with 1 players only
%( tricks are played. 0ach card in the two misery colors
brings negati.e points according to the numerical .alues on
the cards3 and cards in the other colors each are worth one
positi.e point. ;therwise play with the same rules as in
Sticheln O7lassicO.
Sticheln Oin the fogO
8he card declaring a playerHs misery color remains lying
face down before each player. Gt is not re.ealed until the
end of the round. ;therwise play with the same rules as in
Sticheln O7lassicO.
Sticheln OlateO
8he players select their misery color not at the beginning of
the round3 but at the end3 when counting the cards won in
tricks. 0ach player must select as his misery color one that
is represented in those cards won. Gf a player has not
collected any cards of a color3 then that player may not
choose that color to be his misery color. Gn this .ariant %$
tricks are played (%' tricks with eight players). >layers who
did not take a trick recei.e ) points. ;therwise play with
the same rules as in Sticheln O7lassicO.
S(OO<S
7 suits& numbered 1-10GM. 1 =cat=.For Ms use 11s. For
the cat use a brown card. For blue suits use blue and
purple& and for red suits use red and yellow.
8he game starts by dealing the entire deck to the people
playing. Generally the player takes the cards in their hand
and organiCes them by suit. 8here are two blue suits3 two
red suits3 and one green one. 8he two blue suits are spiders
and ghosts. 8he two red suits are bats and bones and the
green suit is goblins.
8he game is started by the person with the % of spiders.
8hey play the card face up and the person to their left ( aka
clockwise) can then put down a ( in blue (Gt can be either a
ghost or a spider.) 8hat is the basic mechanic of the blue
suit. Jou put down the ne9t number in a blue suit (spider or
ghost) in ascending order. Jou do not ha.e to play a card if
you donHt ha.e the ne9t blue card in order or if you want to
hold it for later. Gn these cases you may pass. Now since the
goal of the game is to get rid of all your cards passing
freFuently is not a good idea. 8he game plays with each
person placing their blue card (spider or ghost) until it gets
to the master. Ahat will likely happen before this is that a
card which no can top gets played. 8his is because either
the players canHt top it or because they choose not to. Ahen
this happens in the blue suits the player who put down the
card that was not topped by any other player has an open
pile and can then play any suit they want. 8here is no suit
restriction so they could play a goblin3 bone3 or bat instead
of the spiders and ghosts. 8hey could also continue to play
spiders of ghosts starting at any number they ha.e. So lets
say they play a goblin.
8he way the goblins work is that the player plays their
goblin card at the top of the stack like normal then
e.eryone3 including the player who @ust put down the
goblin3 places a card face down in front of them. ;nce each
player has a card face down in front of them e.eryone turns
their cards o.er at once. 8he highest goblin turned o.er will
get to then play first. 8he black cat when played face down
during this turn can beat any goblin including the master.
Ahen the winner of the trick is determined e.eryone puts
the card they turned o.er onto the pile and the winner gets
to lead with an open stack (meaning they can lead with any
card they want.) Ahen choosing a card to place face down
the player does not need to choose a goblin. Gt can be any
card they like. So if they ha.e a lousy card they think will
hurt them later in the game the goblin round is a good time
to get rid of it. So lets say a player takes the goblin round
with the black cat. 8hey win and get to lead with any card.
8hey decide to play a bone.
8he bones and bats play the same way. Jou place the bat or
bone and the ne9t player has to follow that particular red
suit with any card of that specific suit (bat follows a bat3
bone follows a bone) or they can play the number on the
red card with that same number in any suite. So if a player
puts down a + of bones the ne9t player can put down eitherE
a bone of any number or a se.en of one of the other four
suits. Ahat e.er that other suit is the rules immediately go
back to that suitHs. So that + of bones is followed by a + of
ghosts then the the game switches o.er to the blue rules. So
the ne9t card placed would need be a blue 1. 8he difference
between the bat and bone suites is what happens when
someone can not follow them. Ahen a bat is played if the
person to the left can not top it by either playing a bat or the
same number of another suit they get Obitten by bats.O 8his
entails e.ery other player at the table gi.ing them a card of
their choice from their hand. ;nce the bitten player gets a
card from each player they get to lead with any suit.
8he bone power acti.ates the same was as the bats. Ahen
someone plays a bone and the ne9t player can not top it
they get Orattled by bonesO the player who @ust played the
bone that could not be topped gets to drop a straight. 8his
can be any length and does not ha.e to be one suit. So if a
player plays a bone that can not get topped by the player to
their left they get could take a ( of bats3 a & of ghosts3 ' of
spiders3 and a $ of goblins and lay them all down. 8he
game then continues with the card at the top leading. So in
the e9ample gi.en it would goblin time.
8he Black 7at card is a wild card and in blue suits it acts as
the number needed in a blue so if a & of ghosts is played
and followed by a black cat the ne9t person would need to
play a $ of either spiders or ghosts. Gn the red suites it acts
as the card played. So if a black cat gets played on a , of
bats the ne9t player can play a bat or a ,.
8he final bit of the game the Od.ancedO play where all of
the master cards ha.e an ability. ?eally though if you can
grasp the basics of the regular game you can remember the
$ e9tra powers of the Oad.anced rules.O
<-SpiderE can be played at any time on a blue e.en out of
number order. (<aster spider can get played on a ' of
ghosts or 1 of spiders etc etc. 8his can then only be topped
by a cat but most of the time it lea.es and open deck for the
person who played the master spider.
<-GhostE Ahen played e.eryone immediately passes one
card of their choice to the player on their right.
<-BatE 7hanges the play of blue cards and and the winning
.alue of goblins to decending order. So an 1 of ghosts
would then ha.e to be followed by either a + of spiders or
ghosts. Aith goblins the lowest goblin wins not the highest.
8he cat howe.er will still win as it is wild and can be either
the highest goblin or the lowest.
<-BoneE ?e.erses the order of play from clockwiseSlet to
counter-clockwiseSright.
<-GoblinE >layer who put down the goblin gets to take a
card from hand and gi.e it to player with the least amount
of cards.
T!CHU
4 suits 4s to Iin$& plus 4 special cards.
8ichu
>ublished by !ata <organa Spiele
?ules translated by 7raig Berg
8ichu Nan@ing
(for four players)
8he 7ards
are made up of four suits (DadeSSwordS>agodaSStar) of %&
.alues each corresponding to Aestern Bridge cards. 8he
ce is the highest card in each suit3 the O(O is the lowest.
8he O%)HO is between the O,O and the ODack.O 8here are four
special cards in the deck of $# cardsE 8he -ragon3 8he
>hoeni93 8he -og3 and the 5emp Sparrow (<ah Dong).
8he 8wo >artners
of the two 8ichu teams sit opposite each other and attempt
to help each other to get the lead and points.
Before the Game Begins
the winner of the last round shuffles3 cuts the deck3 and puts
it in the middle of the table. 8he 7hinese do not deal out
the cards3 instead they take them: 8he dealer immediately
takes the top card. Now3 each player continues3 in order3 to
take a card from the deck until each player has a hand of %'
cards.
0.eryone gi.es one of their cards facedown to e.ery other
player3 thus gi.ing away three bad cards and recei.ing three
unknown cards. Naturally3 a player must first gi.e away
three cards before he can recei.e his new cards.
8he Game
begins with the owner of the <ah Dong card. 8he current
player may place any of the following card combinations in
the center of the tableE
09ampleE
Single card '
>air (eFual cards) 131
?un of >airs of ad@acent .alues D3D3Z3Z3636
8riple (3(3(
!ull 5ouse (triple ` pair) $3$3$3,3,
?un at least fi.e cards long '3$3#3+313,
8he ne9t player has the choiceE
^ 8o pass or
^ 8o play the same combination of a higher .alue
So3 a Single card can only be beaten by the playing of a
higher Single cardI a ?un of ( >airs only by ( higher >airs3
a ?un of 1 cards only by a higher ?un of 1 cards3 a
!ullhouse by a higher !ullhouse (with a !ullhouse the .alue
of the 8riples determines it s .alue).
09ceptionE Bombs (see below.)
>lay continues with the ne9t player. player that passes
may still play again. 5owe.er3 as soon as three players pass
in a row3 the player who played the last (highest) card
combination takes the trick and plays again. Gf the winning
player has no more cards in his hand3 he retires from the
game and the game continues with the ne9t player. Gf that
player also has no cards3 then play goes to the ne9t player
after him.
;f the Special 7ards
8he first is the <ah Dong3 an interesting card of doubtful
reputation.
^ Gts owner opens the game (howe.er3 he is not reFuired
to play the <ah Dong card).
^ 8he <ah Dong card is the lowest card in the game with
a .alue of O%O. Gt can be used to form a run (e.g. %3(3&3'3$)
^ Ahoe.er plays the <ah Dong card has a free wish i.e.
he can ask for a specific card .alue (e.g. an O1O or an ce3
but not a special card). 8he ne9t player who has a card of
the reFuested .alue and can play it in accordance with the
rules of the game3 must play it (e.en as a OBombO:). ny
player that does not ha.e the card .alue asked for3 or
cannot play it3 can then play any suitable card or pass. 8his
wish remains in effect until someone fulfills it.
8he faithful -og has no trick .alue. Gt can only be played
on a player s turn as a single card. Gt transfers the lead to
his partner. (Gf the partner is already out of the game3 then
the ne9t player after him OinheritsO the lead.)
8he transformable >hoeni9 is probably the strongest card in
the deck. But it also has a .alue of -($ points in the final
point scoring. Gt mayE
^ Be used as a mar.elous Doker (of any .alue from O(O to
ce) in each card combination (but not in a Bomb.)
^ Be played as a Single card. Gts .alue is o.er the card
played before it. (Gf played after an 13 it is worth 1 and
can be beaten by cards .alued at , or higher. 8he >hoeni9
can e.en beat an ce3 but not the -ragon.) Gf the >hoeni9 is
lead it has a .alue of % .
8he -ragon is the highest single card and counts ($ points
in the final scoring. Gf played as a Single card it e.en beats
an ce or an ce ( >hoeni9 on an ce) and can only be
beaten by a Bomb. 5owe.erE
^ Gt cannot be used to make a ?un
^ 8he noble -ragon gi.es away the trick it @ust won
along with its ($ points to a player on the opposing team
(-ragon player s choice).
Bombs areE
^ a ?un of at least $ cards all of the same suit3 or
^ all four cards of the same .alue.
Bombs can be played at any time3 e.en out of turn order3 to
take a trick. nd they beat e.erything3 whether it is a single
card or a card combination. higher bomb beats a lower
one3 first the number of cards in the Bomb determines its
.alue (thus a O?unO bomb beats a O'O bomb.) !urthermoreE
anyone who wants to play a bomb may.
8he ?ound 0nds
immediately when only one player still has cards in his
hand.
!or final scoring the last player with cards in his hand
gi.esE
^ ny remaining cards in his hand to the opposing team.
^ ll the tricks he has won this round to the winner of the
round (the player who was the first to lose all his cards).
Now count up
^ 8he 6ings and 8ens are worth %) points each
^ 8he !i.es are worth $ points each
^ 8he -ragon is worth ($ points
^ 8he >hoeni9 is worth -($ points
8he whole hand is therefore worth %)) points3 which the
two teams di.ide among themsel.es.
Gf both players of a team score a -ouble Kictory (they end
the round as !irst and Second)3 then that team scores ())
points.
;h3 yes 8ichu:
Before playing his first card3 each player has the right to
declare a Osmall 8ichu.O Gf he wins the round (finishes first)
then his team recei.es an e9tra %)) points3 otherwise his
team loses %)) points.
But rememberE
^ 8ichu is personal. Jou cannot agree to a 8ichu with
your partner beforehand3 e.en though it does help your
partner if you win.
^ 8he %)) 8ichu points are added S subtracted to the final
points of the game and do not influence them in any way.
^ O8ichu:O may be called at anytime before the playing
of the first card. call before passing cards at the
beginning of the round can be usefulE it tells your partner to
pass his best card across.
Ahere the small 8ichu is found3 the large 8ichu cannot be
far away.
Before taking their ninth card (using the 7hinese method of
card distribution)3 particularly bold or desperate players
may call a Olarge 8ichuO... this is worth ()) e9tra points.
8he Qltimate Goal of the Game
Gs %))) points. Gf both teams score %))) points3 then the
team with the most points wins.
!or 8actical 5ints
Jou should find a 7hinese bus dri.er. Gf that isnt feasible3
we will gi.e you some ad.ice from our paltry game
e9perience3 which will e9clude some of the playful wisdom
of our Nan@ing 7hinese teachers3 like dirty dog biscuits
tasting delicious.
good 8ichu >layerE
^ tries primarily to get rid of his bad cards (low Single
7ards and >airs) and be economical with his ces3 -ragons
and Bombs. nyone who3 after a beautiful >owerplay3 is
left holding a single O'O is either the .ictim of a Bomb or
has not yet grasped the game.
^ supports a O8ichuO of his partner completely. s the
<ah Dong player3 do not demand any card that could
depri.e him of a OBombOI -on t e.en take his tricks
(while this is allowed3 it is considered poor etiFuette - it is
then3 about .ery deep morals.)
^ tries to stop an opposing O8ichuO by playing against
him and making it difficult for him to get rid of his cards.
^ keeps an eye on the o.erall game. score of #&) to
,+)3 for e9ample3 calls for a large 8ichu.
!reFuent Zuestions
and their answers can be found on the Gnternet under the
heading O7hinese Bus -ri.ers in the 8estbedO at
httpESSfatamorgana.chSfatamorganaStichufspeCial.html
(!ata <organa 5omepage)
!or people who are not the mighty 7hinese3 the most
important3 brieflyE
^ No. Bombs beat all card combinations3 but not the
lead. 8he lead is considered sacred to the 7hinese.
^ No3 not the -og either. 8his is an arrow fast deli.ery
of the lead from the ne9t player to a friend. Gf a -og shows
up3 the change is already carried out. 8here is no time for
Bombs.
^ Jes of course when the third player takes a trick
with his last card played he still takes it and counts it. nd
if it was won with the -ragon3 he still gi.es it away before
the game ends.
^ Jes3 it is allowed you may Bomb your own trick3 if
you feel an urgent need to do so. ?ule of 8humbE where the
play S pass makes it around3 it s time for a Bomb.
^ No3 it does not pertain to it a Bombed -ragon is not
gi.en away.
^ G know what you are thinking and you are right the
residents of <unich deal out the cards because the alternate
method of taking them takes too long.
8richu
(& >layers)
8he 7ards
are distributed the same as the ' player .ersion. 8he dealer
is a solo player. 5e forms a team with an imaginary partner
named O8able.O 8he opponents can declare a large 8ichu
after eight cards3 the dealer and O8able3O unfortunately3
cannot.
;nce all the cards are dealt out3 the dealer can look at his
own cards and his dummy hand. 5e decides on two cards to
gi.e away he only gi.es cards to his opponents.
fter the card gi.e away phase3 the solo player lays out the
dummy hand face up. 5e decides the plays for the dummy
hand.
small 8ichu may also be ordered by the dummy hand
(<rs. 8able) before it plays its first card. ;nly one
modification to the 8ichu-Nan@ing rules appliesE the dummy
hand does not ha.e to fulfill the wish of the <ah Dong.
8he !inal Scoring
Gs e9actly like 8ichu for four.
8he scores for the two teams are recorded3 howe.er3 for
each player in their own column as well as a fourth column
marked O8able.O (e.g. #) points for and B3 ') points for
7 and O8ableO).
Aith each game3 the solo player changes. Ahoe.er is in the
lead after nine games is the winner.
different number of games3 di.isible by three3 can be
agreed on beforehand. Ae strongly recommend against
going to %))) points3 in.ariably in a cle.er round someone
other than <rs. 8able will win.
8ichu 8ientsin
(for # players)
8ientsin 8ichu is played with two & player teams. Seat
orderE alternating.
8he Game ?ules
are also the same as the ' player .ersion with the following
modificationsE
^ 8he Olarge 8ichuO must be declared before taking the
se.enth card.
^ 0ach player passes only ( cards3 to both of his partners3
from whom he will also recei.e cards.
^ 8he -og passes the OleadO to a partner of your choice.
^ 8he last player gi.es the cards left in his hand and all
of his tricks to the opposing teamI the !ifth player (second
to last player to get rid of his cards) gi.es all of his tricks to
the winner of the round.
^ -ouble Kictory is not scored3 howe.er a 8riple
Kictory (one team gets rid of its cards before their
opponents) scores &)) points.
Someone is always the O^^holeO
game of (in)eFuality for $ to %) players
lthough OSomeone is always the ^^holeO has some
gameplay in common with 8ichu3 it is a completely
different game. 8here are no more teams: Now3 e.eryone
tries to reach the top. 8hey would rather en@oy the
associated pri.ileges than to always be the O^^holeO.
Game <aterial
%)1 7ards (( 9 $( cards and the ' special cards from 8ichu)
Goal of the Game
8he goal is not Omaking points.O Aith someone is always
the ^^holeO the desire is the nonsense3 the fun of playing3
and the pure mischief.
By playing each game the player ranking is determined for
the following one
8he player who gets rid of his cards first becomes O<aster
of ll <astersO and en@oys all the ad.antagesE gets better
cards3 ne.er needs to mi9 up or gi.e away cards3 can keep
his seat3 and be waited on hand and foot by the O^^holeO.
Now the goal is .ery clearE do not become the O^^holeO.
Game >lay
7ard -istribution
Gn the first round any player should shuffle the cards and
deal each player %( cards face down in a clockwise
direction. Aith $ to 1 players some cards will remain.
8hese are placed to the side face up so that during the
course of the game e.eryone can see which cards are not
being used. Aith %) players eight players will ha.e %%
cards and two players will ha.e %) cards. Gt is3 after all3 a
game of (in)eFuality. Gn the following rounds these duties
transfer to the O^^holeO
7ard >assing
Gn the first round there is no card passing. Gn subseFuent
rounds players will pass cards at the same time according to
their rankingE
^ 8he O^^holeO passes his & best cards to the O<aster
of ll <astersO3 who in turn passes his & worst cards to the
O^^holeO
^ 8he player to the right of the O^^holeO passes his two
best cards to the player to the left of the O<aster of ll
<astersO and recei.es his ( worst cards.
^ 8he second player to the right of the O^^holeO passes
his best card to the second player to the left of the O<aster
of ll <astersO.
Ahen fi.e or less play the game fewer cards are passed.
Ahen ordering the rank of cards3 the following applies
beginning with the best cardE -ragon3 >hoeni93 <ah Dong3
-og3 ce3 63 Z3 D3 %) (.
7ard >lay
8he player with the <ah Dong card plays first. 8hen play
continues in a clockwise direction @ust like the 7hinese3
5opi and some lpine people.
8he game is played using the same rules as 8ichu.
ccordingly the same card combinations allowed in 8ichu
can be played. 8riple or a 8riple in a !ullhouse must be
from & different suits.
Gt is important to note the order in which players played
their last card. 8his seFuence determines rank and
seating order for the ne9t round. fter a round the players
can mo.e to other seats3 this is described later in
O09changing Seats.O
8he gathering of the tricks3 shuffling and dealing of the
cards and any other ser.ice is the duty of the poorest of the
poor3 the O^^holeO.
Special 7ards and Bombs
-ragonE the -ragon is the highest single card.
>hoeni9E the >hoeni9 can replace any card in a
combination3 or3 as a single card3 is point higher than the
card played right before it.
<ah DongE the player with the <ah Dong gets to play first.
-ogE if the -og is played the right to play the following
trick goes to the O^^holeO
' 7ard Bombs must consist of ' cards of the same .alue of
different suits. ?un Bomb still consists of at least $
consecuti.e cards of the same suit.
0nd of the ?ound
8he round ends when only one player still has cards in his
hand. 5e becomes the O^^holeO for the ne9t round.
09changing Seats
Now the players e9change their seats.
8he O<aster of ll <astersO is entitled to sit in the most
comfortable chair. 5e may select where he would like to
sit. 8he remaining players are seated to the left of the
O<aster of ll <astersO in the order that their last card was
played.
So3 the player that got rid of his cards second sits directly to
the left of the O<aster of ll <astersO3 followed by the
third player and so on. 8he O^^holeO sits directly to the
O<aster of ll <astersHO right.
TRU-(ET
si# suits with cards numbered one throu$h eleen& plus ;
wild cards.
card game for ( to # players from age ,.
CO"TE"TS0
+( >laying 7ards % Game Board
% 7ard -ispenser
# >laying >ieces # 8rump
<arkers % Set of ?ules
4A-E O5ER5!E#
0ach time a trick is won a playerWs piece can mo.e one free
space forwards. Gf a player reaches a space with a shield
then they can choose which suit is trumps.
8he decision as when to change trumps and when to play
the Super-8rump 7ard must be carefully made since they
are decisi.e to the game. 8he first player to reach the
Grand Shield is the winner.
THE CAR/S
Before starting the game you should spend a little time
getting to know the cards. 8here are si9 suits each with
.alues % to %%. 8he colours areE
5earts ?ed
Stars Jellow
7lubs Green
-iamonds Blue
Spades Black 7rowns Kiolet
Gn addition there are three Super-8rump cards which ha.e a
shield as a symbol. 8hese cards are the most powerful in
the game.
(RE(ARAT!O"
8he game board and the card dispenser are laid out so that
all players can reach them.
0ach player selects a playing piece and places it on the
board at the start.
player is selected as the dealer. 5e shuffles the cards3
and deals + cards face down to each player. 8he remaining
cards are placed face down in a pile in the card dispenser.
4A-E (LAA
8he player to the left of the dealer starts by playing a card.
0ach player must then play a card of the same suit.
Gf a player cannot follow suit then he can play a card of his
choice. Gf he plays a trump then he wins the trick. Gf it is
not a trump then the card is lost.
trick is won by the highest card of the played suit or by
the highest trump.
Super-8rump will beat any other card. Gf more than one
Super-8rump card is played then the last one played wins
the trick.
;nce a trick is played out the cards are placed face up in
the second part of the card dispenser.
8he player who wins a trick must mo.e his playing piece to
the ne9t unoccupied space on the board. Note that only one
piece can occupy a space.
8he player who wins a trick leads to the ne9t one.
;nce all the cards ha.e been played out the deal is passed
to the player to the left of the pre.ious dealer. 8he cards
are reshuffled and each player dealt a new hand of + cards.
TRU-(S
Ahene.er a playing piece lands on a sFuare with a shield
the owner of that playing piece may choose trumps. 8he
player chooses the appropriate trump marker and places it
on the ne9t highest free space on the 8rump Scale in the
centre of the board.
;nce all # spaces on the 8rump Scale are occupied and a
playing piece lands on a shield then two trump markers can
be e9changed.
Gf a player has no more cards in his hand when his piece
lands on a shield sFuare then he can wait until the new hand
of cards is dealt before he makes his choice of trumps.
TRU-( STRE"4TH
8he first trump marker is placed on the sFuare marked \%W
on the trump scale.
8he trump sFuares are numbered from % to $ with the
sFuare marked with a shield being the highest.
ll trumps are good but the higher up the scale the
corresponding marker is the better. 8he highest trump suit
beats all those below it. 8he second highest trump suit
beats all those below it but does not beat the highest trump
suit etc.
8he Super-8rump beats all other trumps.
THE LAST S!= S@UARES
8he last si9 sFuares before the Grand Shield are particular
sFuares.
8he owner of a piece in this region has two choices if he
wins a trickE
- 5e mo.es his own piece forwards to the ne9t
free space.
- 5e mo.es an opponentHs piece3 in the same
region3 backward to the preceding free space.
Gf as a result of a backwards mo.e a piece lands on a shield
sFuare then the player must conduct normal acti.ity
associated with that sFuare.
(E"ALT!ES
Gf a player fails to follow suit when he can he must mo.e
his piece to the sFuare immediately behind the trailing
player.
4A-E E"/
8he first player to reach the Grand Shield wins the game.
#AS ST!CHT
4 suits& numbered 0-5& plus a 7th suit& numbered 0-10. he
0s represent the 2rump Dolor cards& and the fifth suit %1-
10' represents the 2rump 9umber cards. ,ou will need the
task cards %aailable as a file under the $ame entry'& or
chips representin$ those task cards.
Aas StichtB
uthorE 6arl-5einC Schmiel
8ranslated byE Dohn Aebley
>ublished by E <oskito Games
Aas Sticht (Ahat trumpsB or3 Ahat stingsB) is a card game
for & or ' players
from %( years old. 8he following rules apply to the game
with ' players3 you
will find the special rules for a game with & players at the
end of these rules.
7ontents
&# >laying cards comprising cards from %-, in four
colors.
$ 8rump suit cards3
' cards showing the colours of the four suits plus one
No 8rump (keine
8rumpffarbe) card
%) 8rump number cards3 , cards with the numbers from
% to , plus one
No trump number (keine 8rumpfCahl) card.
(' 8ask 7hipsE 8hese need to be separated before play.
% Aooden place marker.
% Set of ?ules
Game Gdea
Aas Sticht is3 as the title says3 a card game with trumps and
trick taking3 using both trump suits and trump numbers.
>layers attempt to win tricks in the same way as in Skat or
Bridge. But thatHs only half of the game. Jou can win the
game without taking a single trick3 or by making e9actly
one trick3 or by not winning any trick with a blue card in it.
Gt all depends on which task you ha.e set yourself. But that
still isnHt the whole game. Gn order to be able to carry out
your task to perfection3 you can choose your own cards. So
thereHs nothing stopping you winning3 e9cept that there are
other players3 and they will be doing their best to stop you
because the first player to complete all their tasks is the
winner.
>reparation
-ealer is chosen3 using whate.er method you prefer. 8he
task chips are laid out face upwards on the table and the
-ealer chooses one. >layers follow in a clockwise direction
until each player has $ chips. 8he remaining chips are
replaced in the bo9. 8he task chips determine what task a
player must carry out in that round. 8he e9act meaning of
each chip is gi.en on the last page of these rules. Gn the
corner of each chip is a number. 8hese gi.e an idea of the
relati.e difficulty of the .arious tasks. 8he higher the
number3 the harder the task is to complete. 8he numbers
also act as a tie-splitting de.ice should se.eral players go
out in the same round.
>lay of the Game
8he game consists of se.eral separate rounds. 8he game
continues until a player has completed all his tasks. 0ach
round consists of the following phases.
-rawing 7ards
8he -ealer lays out the cards face up and the players take
turns to choose which cards they want .
-etermining 8asks
;nce the trump number and suit are determined3 each
player chooses one of their task chips.
8he 8rick Game
Now the cards can be trumped. 8he cards are played out in
, tricks3 and the
games try to succeed in their tasks.
0nd of ?ound
;nce all the cards ha.e been played3 the round ends.
Sucessfully completed task chips are laid to one side and
the ne9t player in a clockwise diection becomes the -ealer
for the ne9t round.
7hoosing 7ards
s we ha.e already said3 the players are allowed to choose
their own cards. But watch out: ;nly the -ealer knows
what trumps are in this round. 8he other players must first
deduce which suit and number are trumps.
8he -ealer takes the &# playing cards3 the $ trump colour
cards3 and the %)
trump number cards and shuffles the three decks seperately.
8he -ealer then
looks secretly at the bottom card of the trump colour and
trump number decks. 8hese two cards determine the
trumps for the ne9t round. 8he trump numbers rank higher
than the trump suit. Gf the bottom card is no trump suit
(keine 8rumpffarbe) or no trump number (kein
8rumpfnummer) then there is no trump suit andSor trump
number in that round. n e9ample of the trump order is
gi.en in section &3 8he 8rick Game).
Now the -ealer lays out the cards in ' rows each of nine
cards3 see illustration).
8he player to the left of the -ealer takes the wooden place
marker. 8hey then
choose one card from the leftmost column of four cards.
8he other players in
turn each choose a card from this column. ;nce the cards
from the first column ha.e been taken3 the -ealer gi.es a
clue as to trumps. 8he four cards are treated as if they made
up one trick3 and the -ealer must say which player would
ha.e won this trick. Naturally he must take into
consideration which cards3 if any3 in the trick are trumps.
8he other players must use these clues to disco.er as
Fuickly as possible3 what the trumps are for the round. 8hen
the wooden place marker is passed to the ne9t player in
clockwise order and they choose a card from the second
column3 followed by the other three players. ;nce again the
-ealer must say who would ha.e won the trick. 8hese
actions are repeated until all the cards ha.e been taken.
09ample
8he trump suit is ?ed and the 8rump number (E >layer
has the wooden marker3 >layer 7 is the -ealer in this
round and so knows what trumps areE
8he cards are ?ed &3 Blue +3 ?ed #3 Jellow (
>layer takes the Blue + 5e has no idea what trumps are3
and so decides to take the highest numbered card.
>layer B takes the ?ed # 5e has already worked out the
trump color3 and so
takes the highest card in that suit. 5e doesnHt yet know what
number is trumps.
>layer 7 takes the Jellow (
Being -ealer he knows both 8rump number and suit3 and
so realiCes that the
yellow ( is a higher card than the two red cards. (8rump
numbers rank higher
than trump suits).
>layer - must take the ?ed & Because it is the only card
left.
>layer 7 now announces that >layer led and that he
(>layer 7)3 would ha.e
taken the trick. 5e does not need to say anything more. Gn
particular he should a.oid comments like OG won because it
was the trump numberO. 8he longer that the -ealer can
keep the other players in the dark about the trump suit and
number3 the better it is for him.
;nce all the cards ha.e been taken the -ealer turns o.er the
trump suit and
trump number decks3 to show all players which suit and
number cards are trumps.
-etermining 8asks
0ach player3 with the e9ception of the -ealer now chooses
one of their task
chips3 the one that they think that they are most likely to
manage in this
round. 8hey keep this secret until all three players ha.e
chosen. 8hen3 all
chips are turned face upwards. 7hips may only be discarded
if the tasks are
correctly carried out.
8he -ealer doesnHt choose a chip. Gnstead they must attempt
to succeed in
carrying out one of the three tasks chosen by the other
players. Gf they manage
this3 then they may discard any of their own chips.
5owe.er3 they may only do this if the player whose task
they ha.e chosen fails to carry it out. Gf both
-ealer and the player manage the task3 then the player may
discard the chip but the -ealer may not.
8he -ealer therefore decides3 which of the three tasks
a.ailable they will
choose3 but they need not declare this3 and it may be that
they will need to
change their ob@ecti.e during the course of the round.
8he 8rick Game
Now you can get trumping. 8he rules are the same as most
trick taking games3 for e9ample Skat. 8he e9act rules are as
follows.
8he player to -ealerHs left leads to the first trick.
0ach player plays a card in turn3 in clockwise order.
>layers must follow the suit lead where possible.
8he suit led is high3 it can only be beaten by a higher card
in the same suit or
by a trump.
Gf a trump is led3 then other players must follow where
possible. 8his is true
both for the trump suit and for the trump number. Gf the
trumps are red & for
e9ample3 a lead of a red card means that the following
players must3 if
possible3 play either a red card3 or a &. Gf a & is lead in
another suit3 it
still counts as a trump3 and the following players must
again3 if they ha.e one3 play either a red card or a &.
Ahere a player cannot follow suit3 they need not play a
trump if they choose not to.
8he player who wins the trick leads to the ne9t trick.
8rumps are cards of the trump suit and number trumps.
Number trumps outrank suit trumps. 8he highest number
trump is the number trump of the trump suit. 8his
supertrump outranks all other cards. 8he other number
trumps are all of eFual .alue. Gf two or more are played in
one trick3 the first played wins the trick.
09ample
8he ranking of the 8rumpsE 8rump suit ?ed3 8rump
Number $.
?ed $ (Supertrump)
BlueSGreenSJellowS - $ (!irst played in a suit wins).
?ed ,
?ed 1
?ed +
?ed #
?ed '
?ed &
?ed (
?ed %
Gf the trumps were 8rump Number $3 No 8rump SuitI then
the ' number $ cards would be the only trumps. Gf the
trumps were 8rump Suit ?ed3 No 8rump NumberI then the
only trumps would be the red cards from , down to %.
0nd of ?ound
t the end of each round3 players who ha.e correctly
carried out their task
discard their chip. 8he discarded chips should be put
somewhere .isible3 so that the players can see how well
each is doing. 8he -ealer may only discard a chip if they
ha.e succeeded in carrying out a task that the player who
played the chip has failed in3 (see point () -etermining
8asks).
fter each round the post of -ealer passes one player to the
left so that all
the players can en@oy the power of knowing what trumps
are in turn. ll other
positions change along with the -ealer3 ie the player to the
left of the new
-ealer leads to the first trick.
Game 0nd
8he game ends as soon as one player has carried out all his
tasks and so
discards his last chip. 8his player wins. Gf two or more
players discard their
last chip in the same round3 the winner is the player who
has discarded chips of the highest .alue3 (the point .alues
in the corner of each chip are added
together for each player). Gn this case3 positions are decided
purely by the .alue of the discarded chips. 8he number of
discarded tiles is irrele.ant to
these positions.
Special ?ules for & >layer Games
8he rules for & player games are largely the same as for '
>layers. ;nly in the
section %) 7hoosing cards do they differ slightly. Gn this
case the 8able plays
as a dummy player.
8he cards are laid out in ' rows of , cards as usual. 8he &
players each choose a card from the first column as usual.
8he fourth card is then laid to one side. 8his is repeated for
each column until all cards ha.e been taken. 8he , cards
that the 8able has taken are then put away3 and play no
further part in the round.
Gn the & player game3 the gi.en point .alues for the .arious
tasks are not Fuite
accurate. Some tasks are easier than in a ' player game3
some more difficult.
>layers should bear this in mind when choosing their tasks.
<eanings of the 8ask 7hips
6ein Stich - 8he player may not win a single trick in this
round.
6eine ?oten 6arten - 8he player may not take any ?ed
cards in this round. 8hey may win tricks3 but winning any
tricks containing a red card means failing to fulfill their
task. 8he same applies for the other color cards3
6eine Gruene 6arten - No Greens3
6eine Gelbe 6arten - No Jellows3
6eine Blaue 6arten3 - No Blues.
Genau % Stich - 8he player must take e9actly % trick in this
round. Gf they take more or less then they ha.e not managed
their task. 8he same goes for Genau ( Stich etc.
-en letCten Stich - 8he player must take the last trick. ll
other tricks are irrele.ant3 and may be taken or not as
wished.
-ie meisten Stiche - 8he player must make more tricks than
any other player. Gf another player makes more or an eFual
number of tricks3 then they ha.e not succeeded.
-ie wenigsten Stiche - 8he >layer must make less tricks
than any other player. Gf another player makes less tricks or
an eFual number3 then this task has not been correctly
carried out.
#!EAR/
4 suits& numbered 1-1;. 4 Fools %use four .0. cards'. 4
>iAards %use four .18. cards'
AGg?-
>layersE &-#
geE %) and up
-urationE c. '$ minutes.
Small !ormatE 6ostas Nikolaidis
7ontents
#) character cards
% 8ablet of 8ruth
% >archment of ?ules
;.er.iew
;nce upon a timeV
long3 long3 time ago3 when there was still the famous
<agician cademy in Stonehenge3 the pprentices had to
learn this game for the training of their magic abilities
along with other e9ercises also. Gt ser.ed to de.elop and
strengthen their gift of prediction. ;.er the years3 a deeper
understanding of the game has been lost. n entertaining
card game3 which was often played in hotels by workmen3
farmers3 and soldiers3 is all that remains. ;nly after the
famous 0nglish archaeologist -r. 5ensch Stone dug deeply
under the standing stones of Stonehenge and disco.ered
historical parchment scrolls in old .aults did the true
history of AiCard again come to light. 8he following rules
correspond with the wording of the age-old parchments.
8he illustrations on the cards gi.e the feeling for the old
participants.
8he 8ask
Aith this magic pack of cards the pprentices must predict
the e9act number of tricks they will win in each round.
09perience >oints are awarded for a correct forecast.
Ahoe.er collected the most points at the end of the game
wins and with that success will ascend to the le.el of a wise
AiCard.
8he >reparation
;ne player is appointed the 7onfidant of the pprentices.
8he 7onfidant recei.es the 8ablet of 8ruth3 enters the
names of the players3 and conscientiously keeps track of
09perience >oints awarded during the game. fterwards
the 7onfidant shuffles the character cards and deals them
out.
8he 7haracter 7ards
8here are four different colorsE
5umans (blue)
0l.es (green)
-war.es (red)
Giants (yellow)
8he strongest card in each color is the O%&O3 the weakest
card is the O%O.
8he four AiCard cards (OgO) are always 8rump. 8hey are
higher than e.ery O%&O.
8he four !ool cards (ONO) are ne.er 8rump. 8hey are
lower than e.ery O%O.
-istributing the 7ards
Aith OAiCardO the pprentices recei.e a different number
of cards in each round.
Gn the first round only one card is dealt to each player.
8herefore3 only one trick can be won in this round.
Gn the second round two cards are dealt to each player. Gn
this round there are two tricks to win.
Gn the third round three cards are dealt to each player3 then
four cards in the fourth round3 etc. until in the last round all
cards are dealt out to the players.
7ards that are not dealt to the players form a face down
deck in the middle of the table. !or each round the role of
the dealer passes clockwise to the ne9t pprentice to the
left.
8rump
fter the cards are dealt out3 the top card of the deck is
turned face up. 8his card determines the 8rump color for
the current round.
Gf the card is a !ool3 then there is no 8rump in the current
round.
Gf the card is a AiCard3 then the dealer determines 8rump.
5e may e9amine his cards first.
8he last round has no 8rump3 since there are no cards left.
8he >redictions
fter each pprentice looks at his cards3 he must predict
how many tricks he will take in this round. 0ach
pprentice in seFuence tells their predictions to the
7onfidant. 8his starts with the player to the left of the
dealer. 8hese bids are noted on the 8ablet of 8ruth.
Before the first trick the 7onfidant should repeat the
predictions for e.eryone. Sometimes it can be helpful to
lay out the bids in the form of chips before each respecti.e
pprentice. 8hat way it is easy to see during the course of
the round who still needs tricks and who does not want any
more.
8he Battle for the 8rick
8he player to the left of the dealer plays the first card for
the first trick. 8he other pprentices follow in a clockwise
direction. 8he led color must be followed. Gf that is not
possible3 an pprentice can throw off any color or play
8rump.
NoteE
AiCard and !ool cards may always be played3 e.en if a
player could follow the led color. lso a player does not
ha.e to play them when he cannot follow a led color.
8he highest card wins the trick (the AiCard cards are higher
than all other cards3 e.en the 8rump cards). 8he winner
opens the ne9t trick. 09ceptionE in the first round only one
trick is played.
Aho wins the trick
8he first AiCard card played in the trick3
;r the highest card in the 8rump color3
;r the highest card in the led color
Special ?ights of the AiCards and !ools
Ahen a trick is opened with a AiCard3 then the following
pprentices may throw off any cards3 including further
AiCards and !ools.
8he trick goes to the first AiCard played.
AiCards are 8rump3 howe.er3 they need not be played
when the first card of a trick is an actual 8rump color card.
Gf a trick is opened with a !ool then any card may be played
as the second card. 8hen second cardHs color determines
the color that must be followed.
!ools lose e.ery trick.
Aith one e9ceptionE Gn a trick that only !ools are played3
the then first !ool card wins the trick. 8his is possible only
with three or four players.
8he ssignment of the 09perience >oints
8he pprentice who predicted the number of tricks won
e9actly recei.es () 09perience >oints plus %) points per
trick won. nyone that missed their bid loses %)
09perience >oints for each trick o.er or under their
prediction.
8he 0nd
8here are #) character cards in the game. 8he pprentices
play until3 in the last round3 all cards are dealt out. Aith #
players that is %) rounds3 with $ players %(3 with ' players
%$3 and with & players that is () rounds. 8he last round is
still scored. 8he pprentice with the highest 09perience
score wins.
Kariants
>lusS<inus ;neE s before the predictions are passed on
openly to the 7onfidant. 8he number of intended tricks for
all pprentices3 howe.er3 may not correspond with the
number of the possible tricks. !or e9ample3 in round $ the
pprentices must want altogether more than $ tricks or
fewer than $ tricks.
7o.ered BidsE ll pprentices first secretly write their
predictions on a note. Ahen e.eryone has bid3 the numbers
are passed openly to the 7onfidant. 8hus each pprentice
remains completely uninfluenced by the bids of his
competitors.
Secret >redictionE ll pprentices secretly write their
predictions on a note. fter the round is o.er the bids are
re.ealed.
7lair.oyanceE Gn the first round each pprentice holds his
card unseen before his forehead3 so that all pprentices can
see the card e9cept him. fter all pprentices see the cards
of the other pprentices3 they make their predictions. 8he
battle for the trick3 assignment of 09perience >oints as well
as the further rounds play according to the normal rules.