How to play "Malumière"
"Your cards are completely visible!"
All cards face down, but visible.
This is the intriguing trick-taking game.
1. Overview
This game is a trick-taking game played with the cards face down.
However, you can see the suit from the back of each card.
Actually, you can also roughly guess the numbers! The size of the suit symbol on the back correlates to the number on the front!
This is a new kind of trick-taking game with a visual twist!
2. Contents
36 cards: There are 4 suits and 9 ranks. The back of each card shows the suit symbol, and the size of the symbol corresponds to the rank.
Instruction card: Includes a QR code that links to the manual in Japanese and English.
3. What is Trick-taking?
Trick-taking games involve repeatedly playing mini-games called "tricks."
In each trick, players take turns playing a card from their hand.
The player who plays the strongest card wins the trick and collects the cards.
Players score points based on the number of tricks they win, and the game is decided accordingly.
Below are some key terms used in this game.
Lead: The action of playing the first card in a trick.
Lead Player: The player who leads the trick. In the first round, this is the starting player. Afterward, the winner of the previous trick becomes the Lead Player.
Follow: Playing a card of the same color as the one that was led.
Must Follow: If you have a card of the same color as the lead card, you must play it. (This game follows the Must Follow rule.)
Trump: A card that can win even if you can't follow the lead color. Typically, trump cards are decided before the game begins. (In this game, the "5" cards of each color are trumps.)
Bid: Before the game starts, players predict how many tricks they will win. This is called bidding.
4. Game Setup
Determining the Starting Player
Decide the starting player. It should be the person who has seen a Matryoshka doll most recently. If no one has, just choose randomly.Setting up the Deck
The starting player shuffles all the cards and creates a deck for each player with 9 cards. The remaining cards are placed face down to the side or returned to the box.Choosing a Deck
Starting from the player to the left of the starting player, each player selects a deck and places it in front of them. The starting player takes the last remaining deck. Do not look at the front of your cards!Arranging the Hand
Each player places their deck face down in a horizontal line. Do not rearrange the cards or align their orientation.
Setting the Bid
In turn, starting with the starting player, each player declares how many tricks they think they will win this round. Players select one card from their hand and place it sideways, still face down. The number on the front of this card represents their bid. The players cannot see the bid number themselves! By bidding "9," a player can declare that they won’t win any tricks (this is called "Miser").
Reveal the Bid (Only to Others)
After all players have set their bids, they reveal their bid cards to the other players (but not to themselves). After everyone has seen the other players' bid cards, they turn them face down again.
5. Scoring
Successful bid of 1 to 3: 3 points.
Successful bid of 4 or more: points for bid number.
Successful zero bid (Misère): 6 points.
Failed bid: Deduct the absolute value of the difference between the bid and the number of tricks taken.
Failed zero bid (Misère): Deduct the number of tricks taken.
6. Game Flow
Number of Rounds
The game is played over the following number of rounds depending on the number of players:2 players: 4 rounds (each player is the starting player twice)
3 players: 3 rounds
4 players: 4 rounds
Playing a Trick
Once all players have set their bids, the round begins. Starting with the lead player, each player plays one card face down. If a player has a card of the same suit as the lead card, they must play it (Must Follow). If they don’t have the lead suit, they can play any card.Determining the Winner of the Trick
Once all cards have been played, reveal them at the same time. If no "5" card (trump) was played, the player with the highest card in the lead suit wins the trick and collects the cards. If a "5" card (trump) was played, that player wins, regardless of the suit. If multiple "5" cards were played, the player who played the last "5" wins. The winner of the trick becomes the next lead player.Continuing the Tricks
Players continue playing tricks until all 8 cards (except the bid card) have been played.Checking the Bid
After 8 tricks, reveal the card used for the bid and check if the bid was successful. Points are awarded accordingly (see 5. Scoring).Recording Points and Moving to the Next Round
After recording points, shuffle the cards and begin the next round. The new starting player is the player to the left of the current starting player.Determining the Winner
After the set number of rounds, the player with the highest score wins. If there’s a tie, the victory is shared.
7. Variant Rules
Variant 1: "Nobody Can See"
After all players declare their bids, the trick begins without revealing the bid cards.
Variant 2: "Only I Can See"
When declaring your bid, you can look at your bid card before placing it face down and starting the trick.
8. Purchase here:Online shop
These three games are available via BOOTH online shop (click the link to visit the online store).
" Marumière" Your cards are completely visible!"
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