Fearless
Fearless Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 60 playing cards (14 cards each in four suits with values "+6" to "+1" and "-1" to "-6" (two each of "+1" and "-1"), plus four "0s")
- 6 "scare track" cards
- 10 ghosts (2 each per player in five colors)
- 1 rule sheet
Let Us Introduce Ronald ...
Fearless is easy to learn. Even so, you may have questions. As you will see, Ronald already asked most of them. And if Ronald understands how to play this game, then everybody will understand it.
Game Preparation
Place the 6 "scare track" cards in a row, so you create a scare track with two paths starting at "0" and going to "+30" or "-30". Take 2 ghosts each in your chosen color. Place 1 ghost on the scary ruin. Keep the other ghost as a reminder of which color you chose.
The 60 playing cards have the values "+6" to "+1" and "-1" to "-6" in the four colors blue, orange, magenta, and green. There are two each of "+1" and "-1" in each color and four four-color cards of value "0".
Depending on the number of players, remove the following cards from the game:
3 players: remove all cards of one suit and a "0". Additionally remove a "+1" and "-1" each of the other three suits. Shuffle the remaining 39 cards and deal 13 cards to each player that you take in your hands.
4 players: remove a "+1" and "-1" each of all four suits. Shuffle the remaining 52 cards and deal 13 cards to each player that you take in your hands.
5 players: Shuffle all 60 cards and deal 12 cards to each player that you take in your hands.
Place the removed cards in the game box. You do not need them for this game.
Put out a pencil and paper for scoring your points and determine the player who starts the first trick of the first round.
How to Play
You play several rounds in Fearless, with each player starting the trick round once. During each round you play a number of tricks matching the number of cards in your hands.
The Trick-Taking Rules
Play any 1 card from your hand face up in front of yourself to start the first trick (that is: lead a suit). The other players also play 1 card from their hands in front of themselves in clockwise order. If they have at least one card in the led suit, they must play one of them (that is: follow a suit). If they do not have the suit led (anymore) in their hands, they must play any other card (that is: shed a suit).
You can always play a "0", even if you have cards in your hand of the suit led. You always follow the suit led with a "0"! If you start a trick with a "0", the next played suit card determines what the other players must follow.
No, Ronald, even though a "0" always follows the suit, you do not have to play a "0" if you do not have cards of the suit led in your hand.
After playing a card always declare the total scare value of all played cards in the trick. Always count all card values, regardless of following the suit or shedding a suit.
Yes, Ronald, declaring helps all players to keep track of the scare value of the trick.
The trick ends after each player has played a card. The winner is the player who played the highest card of the suit led. The ranking of the cards in each suit from highest to lowest is "+6", "+5", ... , "+1", "0", "-1", ... , "-5", "-6".
Example: Angelika starts the trick with the green "-4" and declares "-4". Sabine follows the suit led with the green "+2" and declares "-2". Hedwig cannot follow suit, sheds the blue "+5", and declares "+3". Nicole has green cards in her hand but does not want to play any. Instead she follows the suit led with a "0" and declares "+3". Sabine wins the trick with the green "+2".
If several "0s" were played in the trick and "0" is the highest value, the first played "0" wins the trick.
Yes, Ronald, with 5 players both "+1" or "-1" can be played in a trick as well. If this is the highest value, the first played "+1" or "-1" wins the trick.
Example: Nicole wins the trick with the magenta "-1".
The Scare Track - Who Wanders from the Safe Path?
When you win your first trick, move your ghost according to the scare value from the ruin to the matching space of the scare track.
When you win more tricks, move your ghost a matching number of spaces on the paths of the scare track.
Yes, Ronald, this way your ghost moves back and forth on the paths.
Example:
- Angelika wins the first trick with a scare value of "+5". She moves her ghost from the ruin to space "+5" of the scare track.
- Later, Angelika wins another trick with a scare value of "-12". She moves her ghost from space "+5" to space "-7" of the scare track.
Usually, the paths of the scare track should be long enough to move your ghosts back and forth on them. Sometimes it can really go awry and you need to move further than "+30" or "-30". In that case make a note on which space your ghost currently stands. If you lose track of your exact space, simply add up all the card values of the cards in your tricks at the end of the round.
Afterwards place the trick won face down in front of you. Play another card from your hand to start the next trick.
End of the Round - How Scared Are You?
The round ends after everyone has played all the cards in their hands.
Ronald, you ask yourself what that has to do thematically with fear??
Now check on which space your ghosts stand on the scare track. Regardless if they are on a negative or positive space, you only note the number of the space as your fear points, ignoring the minus or plus sign. If your ghosts are still on the ruin, as you did not win a trick, you score 15 fear points. Add the players' fear points to their previous total fear points to keep track of how scared each is.
Yes, Ronald, most of the time it is better to win at least 1 trick per round, instead of being scaredy-pants and remaining on the ruin. That ruin is indeed really scary.
Example:
- At the end of the round Angelika's purple ghost stands on space "+8", Sabine's white ghost on space "-2", Hedwig's green ghost on space "+5", and Nicole's yellow ghost on space "-11".
- Thus, they note the following scare points: Angelika suffers 8, Sabine 2, Hedwig 5, and Nicole 11 fear points.
Finally, move your ghosts back on the ruin, shuffle the cards, and start a new round. This way you play several rounds, until each player has started the trick-taking once.
End of the Game - Are You No Scaredy-Pants?
You win Fearless if you are least scared at the end of the game. Thus, when you have the fewest total of fear points after finishing all rounds! If several players have the fewest fear points, they mutually enjoy their fearlessness!