AVíO Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Playing Deck
• Game Idea and Objective
• Game Setup
• How to Play
  • 1. Determine the Trump Suit and Deal Cards
  • 2. Play Eight Tricks
  • Figures
  • Which Card Wins the Trick?
  • 3. Scoring
• End of the Game
• The Avíos
  • 4/5 Tricks
  • Most Tricks
  • 2/3 Tricks
  • Most of a Suit
  • No Requirement
  • Not Most of a Suit
  • Fewest Tricks
  • 0/1 Tricks
  • No Figures
  • = or + Tricks than Left
  • 1/3/5/7 Tricks
  • 2/4/6/8 Tricks
  • = or - Tricks than Both Neighbors

Components

1. Rulebooks (ES/FR)
2. Trump Deck (5 cards)
3. Playing Deck (54 cards)
4. 12 Reference Cards (ES/FR)
5. 28 Scoring Tokens (4x20, 6x10, 6x5, 6x3, 6x1)

Playing Deck

In AVÍO you'll find two types of cards: Basic Cards and Figures:

• Value: Ranges from 0 to 9.
• Suit: Crown, Shield, Scythe, Astrolabe, Quill or Figure.
• Avío: The objective you must fulfill if this is the card you keep at the end of a round. A list of all Avíos is included at the end of this rulebook.

The Suits of AVÍO are five suits, each represented by an object, tied to a reference color, and symbolizing one of the estates of medieval society:

• Green Astrolabes: Symbolize the rise of science.
• Yellow Crowns: Symbolize monarchy and nobility.
• Red Shields: Symbolize the elites.
• Blue Scythes: Symbolize the common folk.
• Purple Quills: Symbolize the clergy.

The Figures of AVÍO represent characters from the social imagination of the era. They are: The Queen, The Hermit, The Wise Woman, The Lady, The Lord, The Matchmaker, The Fool, The Peasant Woman, The Beggar.

Game Idea and Objective

AVÍO is a trick-taking game played in rounds. In each round, you'll receive 9 cards, but you will only play 8. The card you keep will let you score points if you fulfill its "avío" condition.

The first player to reach 30 points wins the game.

Game Setup

• Build the trump deck, shuffle it, and place it face down in the center of the table.
• Build the playing deck, shuffle it, and place it face down in the center of the table.

How to Play

AVÍO is played over successive rounds, each consisting of three steps:

1. Determine the trump suit and deal cards.
2. Play 8 tricks.
3. Scoring.

1. Determine the Trump Suit and Deal Cards

• Flip over the top card of the trump deck. The suit revealed is the trump suit for that round.
• Cards of the trump suit are called trumps. Trumps beat any card of another suit.
• If the trump deck runs out, shuffle all previously revealed trump cards to form a new trump deck.
• Take the playing deck and deal 9 cards to each player. Place any leftovers aside.

2. Play Eight Tricks

• In the first round, the starting player is the oldest.
• In later rounds, the starting player is whoever has the fewest accumulated points. If there's a tie, the oldest among them begins.

The starting player leads the first trick of the round by playing one card face up. The suit of the card led becomes the lead suit for that trick.

Beginning with the player to the right of the leader and continuing counterclockwise, the other players must follow one of the three Laws of AVÍO:

1. First Law of AVÍO: You must play a card of the lead suit.
2. Second Law of AVÍO: If you don't have a card of the lead suit, you may play any card.
3. Third Law of AVÍO: At any time, you may play a Figure (even if it breaks the First Law).

When playing a card, you are not required to beat the value of previously played cards.

Figures

Figures are a special type of card, different from the basic cards in two ways:

1. They have two possible values. When playing a Figure, the player must clearly declare which value they are using.

2. They have no assigned suit. Their suit becomes the lead suit of the trick in which they are played. However, you are not required to play them.

Exception: If a trick is led with a Figure, then all other players who have Figures must also play one.

Play the cards of each trick in a column. This way, the lead suit is easy to identify and it helps the flow of the game.

Once all players have played a card, the winner of the trick is determined. The winner will lead the next one.

Which Card Wins the Trick?

• If any trump was played, the highest-valued trump wins.
• If no trump was played, the highest-valued card of the lead suit (or Figure, if applicable) wins.

In case of a tie, the card played earliest in turn order wins—that is, the one closest to the top of the trick's column of cards.

After 8 tricks have been played (meaning each player has just one card left in hand), proceed to the next phase.

3. Scoring

The card each player kept in hand determines the Avio they must fulfill to score points. Each player scores:

• If they fulfill their avío, the number of points shown as its reward.
• +1 point for each trick they won during the round.

Players who do not fulfill their avío receive no penalty.

For a full description of all avíos, see "The Avíos" section.

Each player takes scoring tokens equal to the number of points they earned during the round.

If no player has yet reached 30 points, begin a new round as described earlier, but first:

• With 2–3 players: Place all cards used in the round into a discard pile. For the next round, use the remaining cards from the playing deck. If the deck is empty, rebuild it using all discarded cards from previous rounds.
• With 4 or more players: Take all cards used in the round, shuffle them back into the playing deck, and continue.

End of the Game

If, at the end of a round, one or more players have reached or exceeded 30 points, the game ends. The player with the most points wins. In the case of a tie for first place, the tied players share the victory.

The Avíos

4/5 Tricks

You must win 4 or 5 tricks. → Score 9 points.

Most Tricks

You must win more tricks than any other player (no ties). → Score 8 points.

2/3 Tricks

You must win 2 or 3 tricks. → Score 7 points.

Most of a Suit

Among your won tricks, you must have more cards of the indicated suit than any other player (no ties). → Score 6 points.

No Requirement

You don't need to fulfill any condition. → Score 4 points.

Not Most of a Suit

Among your won tricks, you must not have the most cards of the indicated suit. Ties count as success. → Score 5 points.

Fewest Tricks

You must win fewer tricks than every other player (no ties). → Score 11 points.

0/1 Tricks

You must win 0 or 1 trick. → Score 7 points.

No Figures

Your won tricks must not contain any Figure cards. → Score 10 points.

= or + Tricks than Left

You must win as many or more tricks than the player seated to your left. → Score 7 points.

1/3/5/7 Tricks

You must win an odd number of tricks (1, 3, 5, or 7). → Score 8 points.

2/4/6/8 Tricks

You must win an even number of tricks (2, 4, 6, or 8). Winning 0 tricks does not count. → Score 8 points.

= or - Tricks than Both Neighbors

You must win as many or fewer tricks than the players seated to your left and right. → Score 9 points.

= or + Tricks than Right

You must win as many or more tricks than the player seated to your right. → Score 7 points.

5/6 Tricks

You must win 5 or 6 tricks. → Score 12 points.

6/7 Tricks

You must win 6 or 7 tricks. → Score 14 points.

Not Most Tricks

You must not win the most tricks. Ties count as success. → Score 6 points.