Bambuti Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Goal of the Game
• Setup
• Score Markers
• Using the Score Markers
• Sequence of Play
• Scoring
• Scoring Example
• End of the Game

Overview

Card game for 2 players, ages 12 and up. Playing time: 15-20 minutes.

Components

• 50 mask cards (in 5 colours, numbered 1 to 10)
• 5 score markers
• 4 score cards (the drums)
• Example cards
• Rules
• Game summary

The example cards ("carte esempio") that the rules refer to, and the separate game summary sheet, are not included in the PDF and are not reproduced here. Where the text refers to an example card, the written rule is given in full.

Goal of the Game

While comparing the masks, the players try to work out which combinations are the most advantageous. Points are awarded when a colour symmetry is created or when a score card is used.

Setup

• Get paper and a pencil.
• Each player receives 2 score cards, which they place face up in front of them.
• The mask cards are shuffled, and each player takes 5 of them.
• The remaining cards form a face-down deck to draw from during the game.
• The players place their cards face down on the table, forming two opposing rows. Take care that the mask of highest value is placed at the centre of the row, and that masks of equal or lower value decrease outward, to the right and to the left of the central card (see example card 1).
• Each individual card must face the opponent's card.
• The distance between the rows should be about 2 cards, to leave room for the score markers.
• Now the players reveal their cards simultaneously, without changing the order they have chosen (see example card 2).

Score Markers

• The score markers allow a quicker overview of the score situation during play. At a single glance, a player sees whether it is worth starting the point count at that moment.
• Before use, the markers should be cut along the dotted lines so that they can be more easily inserted into the spaces on each side of the cards.
• Each marker shows the numbers 1 to 4 on one side and 5 to 8 on the other.
• The marker is always placed between two opposing cards, so that the arrow with the number indicates the mask card that earned those points (see example card 2).

Using the Score Markers

• The smaller number is always subtracted from the larger number directly opposite. This gives the number of points that the player with the higher card has. The other player has a number of points equal to the number shown on their own card.
• The difference between these two scores is shown by the score marker.
• The player who, thanks to this combination of cards, has more points places the marker beside their card (see example card 2, a-c).

Important note: Do not be confused by the score markers. They serve to give a quick account of the state of the game. If they were removed, the players would have to continuously calculate and note their scores. The markers immediately show the difference in points between two opposing cards, and both players can see at once where they have advantages and disadvantages.

• If the opposing cards have the same value (which happens only if the cards are placed that way at the start of the game), the markers are set aside (see example card 2d).

Important: If 2 identical colours find themselves opposite each other, the attribution of the points is reversed, that is, it is assigned to the player who would normally not have received it (see example card 2e).

Sequence of Play

• Once points have been assigned to the two rows of cards, the game begins.
• Each player draws 7 cards from the face-down deck.
• The player whose score marker shows the lowest score starts the game (in case of a tie, the youngest player starts).
• On their turn, the player may choose between two options and must perform only one of them:
  1. Place a mask on top of another mask in their own row, or
  2. Place a mask in the opponent's row; the card played must have the same colour as the covered mask.
• The rows are always formed by the cards placed on top of the others.

Important: During play, the cards played must never have the same value as the opposing cards, unless they were placed that way at the start of the game. Also remember that cards of higher value can never be played in the outer spaces, away from the centre. Cards of equal value may be placed next to each other (see example card 1).

• As soon as a player plays one of their cards, they immediately draw another from the deck. When the deck runs out, no more cards are drawn.
• The score marker is then changed immediately, showing the new score between the two opposing cards.
• Now it is the other player's turn, who in turn chooses one of the two possible options.

Scoring

• After the card has been placed and the score marker updated, there are 3 different ways to start the point count:
  1. If a player has made a symmetrical colour sequence from an asymmetrical one (see example card 3 on colour symmetry).
  2. If a player, after placing a card from their hand, plays a score card (the drums). Each score card can be used only once.
  3. As soon as the two players are each left with only 4 cards, the final scoring begins.

Important: Double scoring is not allowed. A player may use only one of their two score cards unless they score through a colour symmetry or the final scoring takes place. If a player still has a score card left after the final scoring, it is wasted.

• During scoring, the players add up the values of the score markers that sit beside the mask cards of their own row. These are immediately recorded as victory points.

Scoring Example

• During a point count obtained through a score card (see example card 2), player A gains 8 points and player B gains 2 + 1 = 3 points.

End of the Game

• When the final scoring takes place, since each player has been left with 4 cards, the game ends.
• The player who scores the most victory points wins.