Bye-Bye Black Sheep Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Goal of the Game
• Preparation
• Game Play
• End of Game
• Other Special Cards
  • The Eagle
  • The Mole
  • The Thieving Magpie
• Advanced Rules
  • The White Sheep
  • The Mother Sheep
  • The Wolf

Components

1 watering hole card

78 animal cards comprising:

• 64 set cards (16 sets numbered 1-16, 4 cards per set)
• 11 special cards (5 Black Sheep, 3 Eagles, 2 Moles & 1 Thieving Magpie)
• 3 additional special cards for advanced rules (1 White Sheep, 1 Mother Sheep & 1 Wolf)

Goal of the Game

Players aim to collect the same animal cards by drawing cards from one another. The first player to own a specific number of animal triplets in his zoo wins the game (see "End of Game").

Preparation

1. Place the watering hole card in the centre of the table.
2. Take out the required animal cards according to the number of players, and place the unused cards back in the box:

Players	Set cards	Special cards
2	Sets 1 to 12	2 Black Sheep, 1 Eagle, 1 Mole, the Thieving Magpie
3	Sets 1 to 12	3 Black Sheep, 2 Eagles, 1 Mole, the Thieving Magpie
4	Sets 1 to 14	4 Black Sheep, 2 Eagles, 2 Moles, the Thieving Magpie
5	Sets 1 to 16	5 Black Sheep, 3 Eagles, 2 Moles, the Thieving Magpie

3. Set cards:
   • Shuffle the set cards and deal 5 cards to each player (6 each for a 2-player game).
   • Form a draw pile with the remaining set cards.
4. Special cards:
   • Every player receives a Black Sheep.
   • The Thieving Magpie is placed face up beside the draw pile.
   • Shuffle the remaining special cards and deal one to each player.
5. Players keep all the cards dealt to them in their hands and keep their own cards secret from one another during the game.

Game Play

Players take turns to play the game clockwise. The player who has most recently petted an animal starts first.

On your turn, you draw cards from ANY OTHER PLAYERS' HAND, one at a time, as many times as you wish. You can draw from a different player every time if you want. Every drawn card has to be placed face up in a line next to the watering hole card. You must STOP drawing cards and end your turn in one of two ways:

1. INVOLUNTARILY - If you draw a Black Sheep, you must stop immediately! Return the Black Sheep just drawn to its player, then take all other drawn cards from the watering hole and keep them in your hand only.

   The Black Sheep always messes up a group - you really should say "bye-bye" to it!

2. VOLUNTARILY - If you stop before you draw a Black Sheep, you take all drawn cards from the watering hole to your hand and may keep some of them aside as your zoo:

   • The number of cards you can keep in your zoo this time equals to the total number of cards you have just drawn MINUS TWO.
   • The cards that you place in your zoo can be chosen from your hand and/or the cards just drawn. Place them face-up sorted by type, visible to all players.
   • Only set cards, not special cards, can be placed in the zoos.

To prepare for the next turn, every other player refills their hand: beginning from the player to your left, they take turn to draw cards from the draw pile until there are 7 cards (8 cards for a 2-player game) in their hand.

When the draw pile is depleted, players continue the game without drawing any cards from the pile.

End of Game

A player wins the game if he has collected a specific number of triplets in his zoo:

No. of Players	No. of triplets to win
2	5
3	4
4 or 5	3

A triplet means 3 cards of the same animal set. A player may own all 4 cards of the same set and as many sets as he wishes in his zoo.

Other Special Cards

If a special card other than the Black Sheep is drawn from a player's hand, it will be placed face up at the watering hole and is counted like other set cards drawn. However each type of special card carries its own function:

The Eagle

The Eagle has authority over the animals. When an animal is called for, it must follow the Eagle!

If you have drawn an Eagle, you may ask a player of your choice for a specific set card, e.g. "Gaby, do you have a tiger?"

• If the chosen player has that animal in his hand, he must place the card at the watering hole and you can continue your turn.
• If the chosen player does NOT have that animal card in his hand, your turn ends immediately! In this case you can keep all the drawn cards at the watering hole and decide to place cards in your zoo if you have drawn more than two (as if you voluntarily ended your turn without drawing a Black Sheep).

As an alternative, you may decide not to ask any player for an animal in order not to risk ending your turn immediately.

The Mole

Beware of the Moles! They reveal your secrets!

If you have drawn a Mole from a player, you may take a look at all his hand cards. Then you may choose a set card (NOT a special card) from his hand, place it face up at the watering hole and continue your turn. The player may now shuffle his cards to change their order.

The Thieving Magpie

The Thieving Magpie steals...hearts! Be strong when someone turns away from you.

The Thieving Magpie enters the game when one or both of the following conditions are met for the first time:

• A player places the third animal species in his zoo;
• A player places an animal in his zoo and its species already exists in another player's zoo.

The player who triggers this takes the Thieving Magpie and keeps it in his hand.

If you have drawn a Thieving Magpie from another player's hand, you place it at the watering hole like any other set cards drawn. Then you may choose one card from another zoo, also place it at the watering hole and continue your turn.

Advanced Rules

Advanced players can play with 3 additional special cards: the White Sheep, the Mother Sheep and the Wolf.

Most rules remain unchanged except the following: During the preparation, every player chooses one of the 8 special cards (3 Eagles, 2 Moles, 1 White Sheep, 1 Mother Sheep and 1 Wolf). These chosen cards are shuffled and every player receives one randomly. Put all the unused cards back into the box.

The 3 new special cards carry the following functions:

The White Sheep

Like it or not - everyone loves a white sheep...

If you have drawn a White Sheep from another player, you place it at the watering hole like any other set cards drawn. That player may then place a set card from his hand in his own zoo. (By placing this card, the player may trigger the entrance of the Thieving Magpie or may win the game immediately!)

The Mother Sheep

The Mother Sheep knows hospitality and warmly welcomes all visitors!

If you have drawn the Mother Sheep, you may immediately draw a card from the draw pile and place it and the Mother Sheep face up at the watering hole. If the draw pile is empty, you may not draw a card but only place the Mother Sheep at the watering hole.

The Wolf

Who isn't afraid of the wolf? When it howls all the animals run away!

If you have drawn the Wolf from another player, he takes all the cards at the watering hole (if any, regardless of set cards or special cards) and places them face down in front of himself. At the end of this turn, he keeps all these cards in his hand.

When you continue your turn and draw more cards, you place them with the wolf at the watering hole as normal.