Biscuit
Biscuit Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
The basic idea: Put down one card per turn, match the suit of an adjacent card, and score points by card placement and being the first player to play all their cards.
The first player places a card to the left or right of the initial card. Subsequent players place cards on the left or right side of this main line. Later in the game, there may be cross lines that allow cards to be played up or down.
Game Play
Setup
Deal one card face down in the middle of the table and another card face up crosswise on top of it. Each player starts with a hand of six cards. The remaining cards form the draw pile. The player to the left of the dealer takes the first turn.
Taking a Turn
On your turn, choose one card from your hand and place it so as to extend one of the lines. The card you play must match at least one suit with the card adjacent to it in line.
If you do not have a card that can be played, then you must draw a card. You may play it immediately if possible. Then it is the next players’ turn. If there are no cards left in the draw pile when you are supposed to draw, you do not draw and play continues.
Scoring
Straights
STRAIGHTS: If the card you played forms a continuous run of cards in rank order, then you score the length of the run. Aces are before 2s, Crowns are after 9s, and straights do not wrap around.
For example: If the initial card is a 5 and you play a 6 next to it, then you score two points. If the next player plays a 7 next to the 6, then they score three points.
It does not matter if the straight goes left-to-right, right-to-left, or (on cross lines) up-down, but all the cards must be in the same line.
Elevensies
ELEVENSIES: If the card you play and the card at the opposite end of the line add to 11, then every opponent must draw a card. (In a four-player game without partners, only your opponent with the fewest cards must draw. If more than one opponent has the same fewest number, each draws.)
Biscuits
BISCUITS: If the card you played is in the main left-to-right line and it matches the card at the other end of the main line, it’s called a hot biscuit and is worth 2 points.
If the card you played is in an up-to-down cross line and matches the card at the other end of that cross line, it’s called a hot cross biscuit and is worth 4 points.
If the card you played matches the end of another line, then it’s a biscuit worth 1 point.
It is possible to score multiple biscuits in a single turn. For example: You play a Crown at the top of a cross line that already has a Crown at the bottom of it; there is also a Crown at one end of the main line. This scores 5 (= 4 for the hot cross biscuit + 1 for the biscuit).
Cross Lines
CROSS LINES: If you play a card in the main line that is the same rank as the initial face up card, then you open a cross line. Cross cards are open on three sides: Subsequent cards may be played up or down from them, and the main line may be continued to the left or right.
Note that the initial face up card is not a cross card. Cards played in cross lines (up or down from cross cards) cannot start cross lines.
Going Out
GOING OUT: If you play the last card in your hand, then you score 5 points plus a bonus for cards remaining in your opponents’ hands: 1 for each Ace or Crown, 2 for each number card. If the draw pile is exhausted and no player is able to make any further plays, then the game is stale. The hand ends. There is no penalty for cards left in your hand if this happens.
The Extended Deck
If you want to spice up the game, you can add in the Excuse, the Pawns, or both. Just shuffle them in at the beginning of the game.
The Excuse may be played in any line, regardless of suit. Any card may be played next to it. Playing the Excuse does not score any points.
Pawns are between 9s and Crowns for the purpose of straights.
Pawns may count either 1 or 10 for the purpose of elevensies; this means that a Pawn makes elevensies with an Ace at the other end of the line, with a Crown, or with another Pawn.
When you go out, you score a bonus of 3 for each Pawn remaining in opponents’ hands.
Biscuit Scoring
Summary card, as printed in the "Biscuit Scoring" box.
STRAIGHT: Two or more cards in a row, scores the length of the run.
ELEVENSIES: Two ends of the line add to 11, each opponent must draw a card.
CROSS CARD: Same rank as starting card, opens cross line.
MATCHING ENDS:
1 Biscuit [different line] 2 Hot Biscuit [main line] 4 Hot Cross Biscuit [cross line]
PLAYING LAST CARD: 5 points, plus bonus for opponents’ hands: 1 per Ace/Crown, 2 per number card, 3 per Pawn
Decktet Card Reference
The Biscuit page does not describe the deck. This section is taken from the author's "Decktet Charts and Tables" (decktetbook-charts.pdf, P.D. Magnus, 2010), limited to what Biscuit needs.
Suits: Moons, Suns, Waves, Wyrms, Leaves, Knots.
Ranks in the basic deck: Ace (lowest), 2 through 9, and Crown (highest). Pawns and the Excuse are not part of the basic deck; they are added only when playing with the extended deck.