Ciúb
Ciúb Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 33 spell cards
- 4 player boards
- 4 player tokens
- 7 summary cards
- 62 dice (42 power dice in 6 colors, 20 white dice)
Game Setup
Good preparation is often the key to success so that your contest runs smoothly. Please read the instructions below carefully at least once, before playing.
Each player takes one of the player boards and puts it in front of him, along with the token of the same color and five white dice. Return any unused boards, tokens, and white dice to the box.
Put the colored power dice in the center of the table within easy reach of all players. This is the supply. Put the dice summary cards there as an aid. They show all the faces of each die color.
Sort the spell cards according to the letters on their backs (A-D). For your first game or a short game, remove all B and C cards with an owl in the top right corner from the game. Then, shuffle each group of cards (A, B, C) separately.
With fewer than 4 players, randomly remove some cards from the game:
| 2 Players | 3 Players | 4 Players | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Game | 4 A, 4 B, 4 C cards | 2 A, 2 B, 2 C cards | - |
| Short Game | 4 A, 2 B, 2 C cards | 2 A, 1 B, 1 C cards | - |
Put the single D card face down on the table. Place the C cards on top of it and the B cards on top of those to form the draw pile. The A cards are placed on the table face up in two equal rows. The row next to the draw pile is the "top row", the row beneath it is the "bottom row".
Playing the Game
Now it's up to you to give your best. On your turn, try to fulfill the requirements on a spell card with your dice. If you don't see a chance of success, use the colored power dice to improve your chances for the next turn.
The last player to have witnessed or cast a successful spell begins the contest. On your turn, do each of the four phases in order. Then, the player to your left goes next.
Try to gain as many and as valuable spell cards as you can. Each spell's victory points are shown on the bottom of its card.
Phase 1: What Is This Token For?
Foresight is a valuable gift. Mark a spell card as your own by putting your token on it or remove a spell card you don't want your competitors to gain.
Before rolling your dice, you may either put your token on one of the face up cards or remove one face up spell card from the game. You don't have to take either of these actions. If you want to pass on them, continue with phase two of your turn.
Use the Token: Put your token on any card without a token on it. If your token is already on a card, you may shift it to another card (without a token). Your token marks a card as yours, so no other player can either remove it from the game (top row) or claim it (bottom row).
Remove a Card: Choose one card from the top row and remove it from the game. You can't choose a card with a token on it. Replace the removed card with the top card from the draw pile.
Phase 2: Can I Roll the Dice Now?
Your patience shall now be rewarded: Grab your dice and use them wisely. Keep an eye on the spell cards on display and swap your white dice for power dice at the right moment to master your challenge.
First, roll all your dice. After the roll, they become active dice, which means they can be modified with dice actions or put aside into the dice tray area of your player board.
Once put aside, dice in your dice tray cannot be modified. You can use them only to gain a spell card after you've stopped rolling (phase 3) or to trade them for other dice (phase 4).
You may now modify your dice using three dice actions:
Swap Die: Swap this die for any one die from the supply. The new die is inactive for now. It will become active as soon as you re-roll it or use the "adjust face" action to adjust it.
Re-Roll Die: Re-roll one die (not in your dice tray). It may re-roll itself. If you re-roll an inactive die, it becomes active. If its new face is a dice action, you may use that action.
Adjust Face: Set aside this die to adjust one die (not in your dice tray) to any face. It may adjust itself. If you adjust an inactive die, it becomes active. If the new face is a dice action, you may use that action.
Note: After doing this action, you must set aside the die with the "adjust face" symbol you used in your dice tray. If you use its adjust action to adjust itself, instead of another die, then its new face cannot be Swap, Re-Roll, or Adjust.
You may do dice actions in any order. You may take each action as many times as these symbols appear on your dice.
Put the dice in their place! After doing all desired dice actions, the time has come to set aside active dice into your dice tray.
Skull: You must put all active dice now showing a skull into your dice tray.
Other active dice: You may set aside any, some, or all of them into your dice tray.
2 for 1: If you put dice showing this symbol into your dice tray, then you may later (phase 4) trade each of them for two other dice from the supply to prepare for the next round.
Here we go again... If you still have dice that are not in your dice tray, repeat the above steps: Re-roll all remaining dice, do their dice actions, and then put some of them into the dice tray. Continue doing this until all your dice are in your dice tray.
Important! Each time, before you may re-roll all your remaining dice, you must have either set aside at least one die into your dice tray or done the "swap die" action at least once.
Phase 3: Have I Cast a Successful Spell?
Now, we shall see if you've succeeded. You may use all dice in your dice tray to gain a spell card. If you don't gain one, take one die. It will help you on your next attempt.
Once you're done rolling your dice, look at the dice in your tray area. Do some or all of them match the die faces of a spell card in the bottom row without an opponent's marker on it? If so, you may gain that card, placing it face up in front of you.
Note: You can gain only 1 spell card each turn.
How do I gain spell cards?
For cards with number die faces: you must match all those numbers with at least as many dice as shown.
For cards with a number followed by a "+" sign: the total of all your number faces must equal or be higher than this.
For cards with "=" die faces: you must have at least this number of dice, all with the same number face.
Note: You can use the corresponding number of skull faces instead.
If you have gained a spell card, choose a card in the top row and move it to the bottom row. It may have a token on it. Replace the card with the top card from the draw pile. If the card you gained had your token on it, you may reuse your token next round. Finally, choose all but 5 of your dice and return them to the supply.
No success? If you cannot gain a spell card, or you choose not to, keep all your dice. Choose and take one additional die from the supply for compensation. Do not put this die into your dice tray.
Phase 4: Anything Else, Before the Next Player's Turn?
Your turn isn't over just yet, you still have some work to do. Have you planned ahead to increase your dice pool for the next round? Consider replacing some colored dice with white dice to have more "swap actions" next round.
Before your turn ends, you may trade in some of your dice.
You may trade in each die in your dice tray showing the "2 for 1" face for two dice of a different color from the supply. These two dice may be of one color or of different colors.
You may also trade in as many of your colored dice for white dice as you like.
Your possibilities are not limitless! At the end of your turn, you must observe the following two limits:
- a max. of 5 white dice
- a max. of 4 dice each of any other color
Return any excess dice to the supply.
Then the player to your left begins his turn.
Final Round and End of the Game
The contest is drawing to a close - don't let that catch you by surprise. Be prepared for your final turn, for in the end, the one holding the crown might not always win.
The end of the game begins when you turn over the final C card. The next player to gain a spell card takes that card plus the D card, the Opus Magnum, worth 5 more victory points. All other players then take one more turn each.
During these final turns, there are two play differences:
- Skip phase 1. Don't place any tokens and don't remove any cards from the game.
- You may now gain a spell card (without another player's token on it) from anywhere in the display, either from the bottom or the top row.
Who wins the contest? After the last player has completed his final turn, add up the victory points on your spell cards. The player with the most points wins the game. If there is a tie, the tied player with the most dice wins. If two or more players are still tied, then they all win.
Sample Turn
It is Florian's (red's) turn. He has seven dice left from the previous round. This is his whole turn.
Florian's dice at the start of his turn: four white dice, one orange die, and two blue dice.
1. Florian puts his token on a card in the top row.
This turn, he is aiming to claim the card at the bottom left worth 6 victory points. This card doesn't have an opponent's token on it.
2. He will need two "1"s and two "6"s to gain it.
First roll (7 dice): Florian swaps the two white dice for two red ones. Using the (blue) "re-roll" action, he re-rolls the orange die. He likes the new result: a "6". He puts this die into his dice tray.
Second roll (6 dice): He swaps one white die for a yellow one. He then activates this inactive yellow die with his (blue) "re-roll" action and rolls a "1". Florian then adjusts the red "5" to a "6" using his (blue) "adjust face" action (he must immediately set aside this blue die in his dice tray). He then sets aside the two dice showing the "1" and the "6" in his dice tray.
Third roll (3 dice): Without any swap, re-roll, or adjust actions to modify it, Florian must set aside the skull die in his dice tray. With the new white "1" result, however, he has now set aside the die faces he wanted and is finished rolling dice for this turn.
3. The dice in his dice tray allow him to gain the spell card he wanted. Florian takes the card and puts it face up in front of himself. Then, he picks up the card he earlier marked with his token from the top row and moves it together with his token to the bottom row. He then fills the gap in the top row with a new card from the draw pile.
Since he has gained a card and currently has seven dice, he must return two of them to the supply.
4. Florian doesn't have any dice with the "2 for 1" symbol in his dice tray.
He decides to trade the red die and the yellow die for one white die each and finishes his turn.