BASICS

REQUIREMENTS

• 2 - 6 players. (See the player variations for 2-player-game and adjustments for 6 players.)
• A normal deck of 52 playing cards (optionally jokers).
• Simple bookkeeping equipment (pen & paper, or an abacus).

BASIC IDEA (the game in a nutshell)

Rival tribes (= players) try to satisfy their gods with sacrifices (= collect red cards) and avoid receiving the wrath of gods (= collect black cards).

• Each round is played as 9 tricks, where only number and colour (not suits) matter - or only numbers (during "dark tricks").
  • The highest card of the trick colour wins (and the lowest loses) - with many of the same number, the later played are higher. You can always play any card.
  • Exceptionally, winning a trick by a face card or ace (= J, Q, K, A) limits the loot size to max. 1 red card. (Only matters during black and dark tricks.)
• The 1st player starts by playing a card either face up (open) or face down (closed), while others respond by playing a card face down in clockwise order. Exceptionally, in open tricks, the 1st player and the card he "offered" are left out of the trick (= cannot win nor lose).
  • In open red tricks (face up), the red cards are higher (and 1st card excluded). The winner collects the offered red card and starts the next trick.
  • In open black tricks (face up), blacks are higher (1st card excluded). If all played black, the loser collects the offered black card as a punishment and starts the next trick. If instead at least one red card was played, the winner collects all red cards (except his own, in case won by a red) and starts next.
  • In dark tricks (face down), both colours are equally high, and the 1st player is included in the trick. Like in black tricks, the winner collects all red cards (except his own if red), but there's never a penalty. Exceptionally, if the 1st player won the trick, he must start the next as an open trick (= will be left out).
• After the round ends, the completed sacrifices (= red cards) yield + points for the tribe, while the rarer black cards punish with - points.
  • Each low sacrifice (from 2 to 10) is worth 1 p. and high sacrifice (J, Q, K, A) is 2 p. Any black card implies sacrifing your own tribe (thus negative).
  • The game ends when one tribe reaches 15 p. - and gets to finally meet their the gods.

START UP

The whole deck is shuffled and optionally a couple of jokers (with Joker's Trick extension) included in it.

• Each player gets 9 hand cards with an option to discard one and pick up a new card from the deck (can be done in free order).
• The player on the dealer's left starts the first trick of the round. The dealer's job moves clockwise each round.

PLAYING DETAILS

ON YOUR TURN

The first card decides the nature of the trick.

• OPEN TRICK: In an open trick, the first card is played face up and its colour determines the trick colour, while the player is left out of the trick.
• CLOSED TRICK: If the first card is played face down (near the center), the player is involved in the trick - and all suits are equally strong.
  • Exceptionally, if the original player won the closed trick (= got the turn again), he must now make an offering with an open trick (and thus be excused out of it).

The other tribes respond in clockwise order by playing a card face down - any card can be played. After all have played, the cards are revealed and the judgments follow.

• Typically, in an open trick, the offered card is pulled back a bit before others reveal their cards - so it's clear it's not part of the trick.

WINNING & LOSING TRICKS

The active cards of the trick (excluding the offered card in an open trick) form a strict hierarchy:

• The numbers are in their natural order: up from 2 to 10, and then high cards (J = 11, Q = 12, K = 13, A = 14). With equally high cards, the latter the higher.
  • However, in an open trick, the cards of the trick colour are always higher than the other colour cards.
• Normally tricks are won (= by the highest card), but in a black trick with no reds, the loser (with the lowest black card) is punished instead.
• In either case, the winner/loser collects the respective card(s) and starts the next trick. (Note. You can never collect your own hand cards.)
  • The collected cards are stacked face up and sideways in front of each player (and can be rechecked at any time).

RED TRICKS (offerings)

Red tricks are initiated by "offering" a red card face up.

• The winner (with the highest red, or otherwise highest black) collects the offered red card and starts the next trick. Other cards are discarded.

BLACK TRICKS (wild combats)

Black tricks are started by offering a black card face up as a potential penalty (if no one plays red), while the player is left out of the trick.

• If there were no red cards, the loser with the lowest (played) black receives the wrath of gods and collects the offered black card as a penalty.
• Otherwise, the winner (with the highest black, or otherwise highest red) collects all red cards (except his own if red).
  • However, if the winning card was a high card (J, Q, K or A), the loot is reduced to max 1. card: the winner takes the highest (non-winning) red card.

DARK TRICKS (trade gambles)

Tricks started by a face down card are called dark tricks.

• The winner with the highest card (regardless of suits) collects all red cards (except his own if red). There's never a punishment.
  • Like with the black tricks, winning with a high card (J, Q, K or A) reduces the loot to max. 1 card - the highest (non-winning) red.
• The original card is part of the active trick cards, and the first player can thus win the fight (if does, the next trick must be an open one).

SCORING

END OF THE ROUND

After all the tricks have been played, the players spread their stack of collected cards (so that each card is visible) and points are counted.

• The red cards in the stack yield plus points, while the rarer black cards punish with minus points according to the number classes:
  • The low sacrifice (2 - 10) are worth 1 p. each.
  • Each high sacrifice (J, Q, K, A) is worth 2 p.
• To make counting easier, any opposite colour cards of equal worth in the same stack can be cancelled out. (For example, a J cancels 8 and 6).

END OF THE GAME

Traditionally, the game is played until one tribe reaches 15 p., but can also be played for a fixed or unfixed number of rounds.

• In the traditional form, all tribes with at least 15 p. are considered winners - as they get to meet their gods.

TRICK EXAMPLES

Example 1: OPEN RED TRICK (with 4 players)

Red tricks appear here and there, but mostly near the end of the round.

• If the first player offers an open red 3 and others respond by black 4, red J and red Q.
• The 4th player with the red Q played the highest card (of trick colour) and collects the offered red 3 as a reward. Other cards are discarded, and the winner starts the next trick.

Example 2: OPEN BLACK TRICK (with 3 players)

Most of the tricks are black, and at the start of the round they often look like this:

• A trick starting with an open black 6 and others responding by black 8 and black 9.
• As no red cards were played, the loser with the black 8 (= 2nd player) takes the offered black 6 as a penalty and starts the next trick.

Example 3: OPEN BLACK TRICK WITH REWARDS (with 6 players)

As the round progresses black tricks start to yield red cards.

• The 1st player offers an open black 4, and others respond by red 5, black 10, black 9, red 7 and red 2.
• The player with the black 10 (= 3rd player) wins and collects all reds (= red 2, red 5, red 7) and starts the next trick.
  • Had he played a high card (eg. black J), the loot would have been reduced to just one card (= red 7).

Example 4: DARK TRICK (with 4 players)

Dark tricks are often started with a high card, hoping to win a good loot of red cards from others.

• The first player plays a card face down (black A), and the others respond by black Q, red 5 and red A.
• Two equally high cards were played, so the latter played red A (= 4th player) wins and collects the rewards.
  • However, having played a high card, the loot is restricted to just 1 card, so the player only collects the red 5, being the highest (non-winning) red.
  • Note. Had the 4th player played, say, red K, the 1st player would have won with his black A and collected the red K (and would then continue with an open trick).

EXTENSIONS

JOKER'S TRICK

You can also include a couple of jokers into the deck:

• Joker's number is always 10, and its colour is always the trick colour - or then there's no trick colour (also if used to start an open trick).
• But otherwise jokers are like red cards: They are collected as if red, they are worth +1 p., and in open joker tricks the winner collects the offered joker.

PLAYER VARIATIONS

CUTTING DECK (optional for 2 or 3 players)

When playing with 2 or 3 players, it's recommended to remove the two lowest numbers from the deck: all the 2's and 3's (= 8 cards).

• You can also try playing with 10 hand cards as rewards are fewer and penalties more frequent - or include a Dummy Tribe (mandatory in 2-player-game).

DUMMY TRIBE (for 2 players)

The game can be played with 2 players by introducing a simple dummy tribe (can also be included in the 3-player-game).

• The dummy tribe is positioned in the ring so that it always starts the first trick of the round.
• They get no hand cards, and always play the topmost card of the deck face down. They can collect cards, but do not care for points.
• With 2 players there's no need for bookkeeping equipment, as you can just keep track of the point difference (= one number to either player's advantage).

THE SIX TRIBES (for 6 players)

With 6 players, there are slight adjustments to the number of hand cards and initial exchange:

• There are only 8 tricks per round and accordingly each gets 8 hand cards.
• However, unless including at least 2 jokers, there's not enough exchange cards for everyone.
  • In that case, the whole deck is dealt, and the lucky players that get 9 cards discard one card away (so that all have 8 in hand).

UNITED TRIBES (recommended for 4 - 6 players)

With many players, it's recommended to form teams of two players, with optional solo players:

• The teammates are positioned opposite to each other (= both neighbours are opponents), and any solo players somewhere in between.
• The teammates join their stacks after the round (= points are counted per team), while solo players' points are doubled. The game ends at 30 p.
• Alternatively, with 6 players you can also form 2 teams of 3 players (each player has an opponent as a neighbour) - and play until 50 p.
  • Note. With just 2 teams, there's no need for bookkeeping, as you can just keep track of the point difference between the teams (like with 2 players).

STRATEGY

USING CARDS - GENERAL GUIDE

• USING RED CARDS:
  • Highest reds (A, K and also Q and J) are best suited for hunting in the dark tricks (even though the loot size is restricted). Another usage is playing them in open red tricks: either to win a red, or to get rid of your high reds (especially with J and Q) - to not feed others.
  • High lower reds (9 and 10) can win open red tricks, but are often used like low reds. They are at their most useful in dark tricks, as you can collect many red cards (though you're less likely to win one).
  • Lowest reds (2 - 8) are often used to start open red tricks as well as to avoid getting a penalty in black tricks.
• USING BLACK CARDS:
  • Highest blacks (A, K, and also Q and J) are good for hunting during black and dark tricks. However, the loots are restricted to max. 1 card. The lower ones (J and Q) are sometimes played openly - though it's likely that the big penalty will be avoided by a red card.
  • High lower blacks (9, 10) can be very rewarding in black tricks due to having no loot restrictions, and likewise sometimes in dark tricks.
  • Even the lowest blacks (2 - 8) can be useful in black tricks, but often, especially in early round, it's best to use them for starting open black tricks - not participating in them, to avoid getting a penalty. They are also often used in dark tricks to not give away reds (as there's no penalty).

WHAT KIND OF TRICK TO PLAY

• RED TRICKS:
  • The only reason to start an open red trick is to restrict others from winning too many red cards (or a higher one) - because the reward is the offered card.
  • If one were to play a low red card to start a dark trick, others might win a better red or many reds. It's relatively rare to win the started dark trick, but it can happen - especially near the end of the round with a K or A (even with many players).
• BLACK TRICKS:
  • It's common to start a open black trick with a low black card, especially in the early round. If lucky, all play black and someone picks up the penalty.
  • However, black tricks can also result in some tribe gaining a good bunch of reds, so you might be better off offering a red card - the moments fluctuate.
• DARK TRICKS:
  • The dark tricks are played occasionally, but more towards the end. Most often the hidden card is either a high black (9 - A) or a very high red (K or A).
  • Starting a dark trick with a low card card happens rarely as the open option would often be better (= others get lower rewards, or a potential penalty). However, sometimes you want to play a dark trick to make others use up their high cards (and go hunt later).
• OPEN vs. DARK:
  • Of course, one reason to play an open trick is based on which colour cards you have left (especially near the end) and what you expect others to have.
  • Similarly you might choose a dark trick if you think if you have the highest card left - or you try to make others use up their highs.

CHANGE LOG

v3.2 (2023-06-19)

• In open red tricks the reward is always the offered card (not the highest non-winning red), and in dark tricks there's never penalties (even if all are black).
• Winning with a high card (J, Q, K, A) reduces the loot to max. 1 red card (in black and dark tricks). And aces are worth 2 p. (not 3 p.).
• Also refined the Joker's Trick extension (and removed Global Suit extension) as well as Player Variations.

v3.1 (2023-06-14)

• Changed that in closed tricks, both colours are equally strong, flipped that later played cards are stronger, and refined Joker's Trick.

v3.0 (2023-06-13)

• Splitted the Four Kingdoms game (v2) into two branches (the other still in progress). This is the branch without kings but featuring the red vs. black gameplay mechanic (though somewhat reorganized). Rewrote the story and renamed the game.

v2.0 (2023-01-22)

• After initial tests with more players, reorganized and greatly simplified the game throughout. The basic architecture is the same, but trick gameplay is much simpler and scoring layers more intuitive and easier to combine with handcard strategies. (v0.1 2022-12-29 -> v1.3 2023-01-21)

THANKS

INSPIRATION

The original inspiration comes from ancient cultures with sacrificial systems and learnings from dysfunctional family dynamics.

FOR IDEAS, HELP WITH DEVELOPMENT & PLAYING

Ville Viitala, Johannes Aho, Rosanna Viitala, Jouni Rämö, Emmi Viitala