Backstab Card Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setup
• How to Play the Game
  • To Begin
  • The Rundown
  • Doing Battle: The Encounter
  • Winners
  • Loser
  • After the Encounter
• The Backstab: Attacking Opponents, Winning (and Losing) Coins
  • Backstab Tokens
  • Post-Backstab
  • Additional Notes
• End of Round... Begin Next Round
• End of the Game
• About the Cards
  • Zone Cards (12 Total)
  • Trump Cards (12 Total)
  • Action Cards
  • Encounter Cards

Contents

• 119 cards:
  • 61 Action
  • 34 Encounter
  • 12 Zone
  • 12 Trump
• 38 coins: 1¢ (20), 5¢ (10), 10¢ (8)
• 12 backstab tokens
• 1 trap die

Setup

1. Deal five Action cards to each player. Place the remaining Action cards face down in the play area. These cards will be the Action card draw deck.
2. Give one 5¢ coin to each player. Store the remainder in a coin bank area.
3. Give each player three backstab tokens. They are placed black side up.
4. Place five Encounter cards face down in the play area (center of table). Put the remaining cards in the Encounter deck aside. They will be used in subsequent rounds.
5. Place the Trump deck face down adjacent to the five Encounter cards in the play area.
6. Place one Zone card face up, next to the first Encounter card. Put the remaining Zones aside, for use when a Zone change is needed.

Players should keep their cards hidden from their opponents.

A Zone card is placed in the play area at the beginning of the game, and is replaced:

• At the beginning of every new round
• When a Zone change card is played, or
• When a "Z" is rolled with the trap die

How to Play the Game

(See "About the Cards" on the reverse side for detailed card information.)

To Begin

Turn over the first Encounter card in the play area. Then turn over a card from the Trump deck and partially cover the revealed Encounter card with it.

• Encounter cards provide a number value.

• Trump cards provide a suit identity (Blades, Axes, Magic or Range) for the Encounter.

• This two-card combination = 10/Blades.

• All players must "battle" this Encounter, trying to match or beat the value of the card.

• To determine card value, players must refer to the current Zone card.

Trump ranking. "Trump" refers to the value of the suit. The Zone card shows the trump ranking from strongest to weakest. Stronger suit cards always beat weaker suit cards. In this Zone, the 2 of Axe would beat the King of Magic!

In the Ruins zone shown in the example, Axes is the highest ranked suit and Magic the lowest.

The Rundown

a. Must match or beat: 10/Blades.

b. What cards will beat it?

• ANY Axe card, OR
• The Lord, Queen, King and Ace of Blades, OR
• A Dragon card, which beats everything, including the highest-ranked Trump card.

c. The 10 of Blades card will match it, which qualifies as a successful Encounter.

d. All other cards played against it will lose.

Doing Battle: The Encounter

Cards are played face down, and then turned over when each player's card is on the table.

• Player 1 is successful because his card matches the 10/Blades Encounter.
• Player 2 beats the 10/Blades Encounter with his Lord of Blades.
• Lords are comparable to Jacks in a standard deck.
• None of the cards held by Player 3 can beat the 10/Blades Encounter. He throws a 6 of Range.
• Player 1 and Player 2 could have used any of their Axe cards to beat the Encounter, but decided to use other cards instead.

Winners

Player 1 and Player 2 both won the Encounter. They each get to draw one new Action card and receive a 1¢ coin from the bank.

If more than one player is successful, the player who threw the highest valued card (Player 2) gets an additional 1¢ coin.

Loser

Player 3 was not successful. He does not draw a new Action card and does not get a coin, and is now down to just four cards, as he readies himself for the next Encounter.

After the Encounter

Before you begin the next Encounter, discard the played Encounter, Action, and Trump cards.

Turn over the next Encounter and Trump cards and begin the next battle.

• When fresh cards are used up, the discard piles are shuffled, and the cards are re-used.
• As Zone cards are replaced with new ones, they are also discarded, and eventually re-used.

The Backstab: Attacking Opponents, Winning (and Losing) Coins

Encounter rounds are not always as straightforward as described in the previous panels.

The goal of the game is to be the first player to have 25¢ at the end of a round. This is done not only by getting coins for yourself, but also by trying to make your opponents lose coins, and this is achieved by attacking them and successfully winning a Backstab!

A Backstab is a battle between two players. It starts when one player declares he is attacking a specific opponent.

In this example, Player 3 decides to attack Player 2. Player 1 is not involved in this battle.

Any player can Backstab at any time, even before the first Encounter is turned over!

After checking the Zone card for the trump ranks, both players put their cards face down on the table. (Player 2 doesn't know what card Player 3 is using for the attack.)

The cards are turned over and the winner is revealed. Both players had high Trump cards. (Player 3 felt quite confident with his King!) The only other cards that could beat it were the Repel card, the Dragon card and the Ace of Magic (which Player 2 held!)

• The Repel is a defensive card that always wins a Backstab. See "Repel cards" on the reverse side for detailed info.
• The Dragon is the most powerful Action card. However, when played against a Repel in a Backstab it loses.
• When two Dragons are played in a Backstab, nobody wins. Neither player draws a new Action card nor gets a new 1¢ coin.

Backstab Tokens

Each player is allowed to make three Backstabs per round. Every time a player attacks, he must flip over one of his Backstab tokens, so the red side is showing. Tokens keep track of how many times a player has Backstabbed. At the beginning of each round, all tokens should be black side up.

Post-Backstab

1. The winner of the Backstab draws a new Action card and takes a 1¢ coin from the player who lost the attack.
2. The loser of the Backstab gets nothing!
3. The cards used in the Backstab are discarded, and game play resumes.

Additional Notes

• A Zone change card may be played if you are attacked in a Backstab. See "Zone change cards" on the reverse side for details.
• Players are sometimes forced to Backstab an opponent. See "Trap cards" on the reverse side for details.

End of Round... Begin Next Round

After all five Encounter cards are turned over and addressed, it's time to prepare for the next round.

1. Put five new Encounter cards face down on the table.
2. Discard the current Zone card and put a new one in its place.
3. Any player holding fewer than five cards draws up to five new Action cards, to give him a five-card hand to start the next round.

The printed example shows the cards held at the end of the round and the cards needed for the new round: Player 1 draws two cards, Player 2 draws three cards, and Player 3 does not draw any cards. He must use the cards in his hand to start the next round.

4. Players exchange their 1¢ coins with the equal value of 5¢ and 10¢ coins, if applicable.
5. Check that all Backstab tokens are black side up. (See the next panel.)
6. Organize all discarded cards into separate discard piles. These cards are not automatically shuffled in with the unused cards when a new round begins. (The discard-pile re-use rules are given under "Doing Battle" in the How to Play section above.)
7. The next round may now begin!

End of the Game

Round after round, players accumulate coins. There comes a point when one of the players has a total of 25¢ (or more).

However, before a player can be declared the winner, a round must be played out (i.e., all five Encounter cards must be turned over and addressed).

If a player has 25¢ or more he has not yet won, because coins may be lost during the next two Encounters. (The printed example shows two Encounters still left in the round.)

If multiple players have 25¢ or more at the end of a round:

a. The player with the highest coin value wins.

b. If players (with 25¢ or more) have exactly the same coin amount, the player with the highest valued card in his hand wins.

About the Cards

(This section reproduces the reverse side of the instruction sheet.)

Zone Cards (12 Total)

Zone cards show trump rank from highest to lowest. Trump rank is critical in determining the value of an Action card.

Each Zone card has a different trump ranking.

A Zone card is placed in the play area at the beginning of the game, and is replaced:

• At the beginning of every new round
• When a Zone change card is played, or
• When a "Z" is rolled with the trap die

In this Ruins zone, Axes is the highest ranked suit and Magic the lowest.

Trump Cards (12 Total)

Trump cards provide a suit identity to the Encounter card it is paired with.

• Trump card + Encounter card = the Encounter players must battle.
• Discard the used Trump cards at the end of each Encounter. When all fresh Trump cards are used, the discard pile is shuffled and the cards are re-used.

Examples of the printed pairings: 5/Magic Encounter, 5/Range Encounter, 5/Axes Encounter, 5/Blades Encounter.

Action Cards

Players hold these cards in their hands.

1. Numbered cards (52 total). Numbered cards in the Action deck are suit cards. Each suit is indicated by a distinct color and suit icon (Axes, Blades, Magic, Range).

• All cards in the Axes suit are blue.
• All cards in the Blades suit are green.
• All cards in the Magic suit are orange.
• All cards in the Range suit are purple.

These cards portray weapons. Players use them to face Encounters and Backstabs. They are valued, from lowest to highest, as follows: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, L, Q, K, A.

2. Repel cards (3 total). These cards are used to counter a Backstab. They always win a Backstab.

• You cannot initiate an attack with a Repel card. Repel cards can only be used defensively.
• If you are forced to throw down a Repel in an Encounter, it always loses, since it has no numerical or trump value.

3. Dragon cards (3 total). The Dragon is the most powerful, highest valued Action card. However, when played against a Repel in a Backstab it loses.

• When two Dragons are played in a Backstab, nobody wins. Neither player draws a new Action card or gets a new 1¢ coin.

4. Zone change cards (3 total). This card activates a Zone change and can be played two different ways:

Using the Zone change card in a Backstab:

A. Opponent declares a Backstab against you and plays his attack card.

B. You don't know what card your opponent has just laid down, but chances are, it's better than the cards you're holding. You decide to play your Zone change card. Cards are played face down, and then turned over.

C. You draw a new Action card (to replace the Zone change card you just played) and place it into your hand.

D. Replace the current Zone card with a new one. The replaced Zone card goes into the Zone discard pile.

The new Zone (Hilltop, in the printed example) changes the trump hierarchy: in that zone, any Blades card will beat an Ace of Magic.

E. You then respond to the opponent's Backstab card with any Action card in your hand.

Printed example: You chose to play the 6 of Blades. The Lord of Blades would have also won the Backstab, but why waste a Lord when a 6 will get the job done just as effectively? In this scenario, the trump hierarchy on the new Zone card helped you win the Backstab! However, Zone change cards do not always guarantee a victory. For example, if the Castle had been the new Zone card instead of the Hilltop, you would have lost the Backstab, because you still wouldn't be able to beat the Ace of Magic. You have no Axes (high Trump) in your hand.

Discard all cards used in the Backstab; resume game play.

Playing a Zone change in an Encounter:

For each and every Zone change card played, the Zone is changed. (Even when more than one of them are played during a single Encounter.)

Printed example (Encounter of 5/Magic):

A. The Encounter: 5/Magic.

B. Cards played: Players 1 and 2 seem to have won the Encounter... but Player 3 has played a Zone change card!

C. Player 3 draws a new Action card.

D. The Zone card is replaced with a new one. The highest ranked suit is now Axes.

E. Player 3 plays any Action card in his hand, including the one he has just drawn.

Results of the Encounter:

1. Player 1 wins. 6 of Magic beats 5/Magic. The new Zone hierarchy did not affect the card he played.
2. Player 2 loses. 5/Magic beats 5 of Blades. In the new Zone, Magic ranks higher than Blades.
3. Player 3 wins. 3 of Axes beats 5/Magic. In the new Zone, Axes ranks higher than Magic.

Encounter Cards

Five of these cards are placed face down in the play area at the beginning of every round.

1. Numbered cards (24 total). These cards portray enemies. They are paired with Trump cards when turned over in the play area. Numbered Encounter cards have values, from lowest to highest, as follows: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, L, Q, K.

2. Steal cards (2 total). Each player takes an Action card (no looking) from the player sitting to his left or right (depending on what's written on the card).

3. Trap cards (8 total). When a Trap card is revealed, all players MUST roll the Trap Die. Depending on what the die shows, you must do one of the following:

• ¢ Coin steal: Steal one 1¢ coin from any player.
• Z Zone change: Replace the current Zone card with a new one.
• B Backstab: You must Backstab an opponent, whether you have powerful cards or not!
  • If you have no cards left in your hand, give one 1¢ coin to the bank.