Fruit Salad
Fruit Salad Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 60 fruit cards.
- 1 fruit die (with fruits on its faces).
- 1 number die (with numbers on its faces).
Object of the Game
The first player who has got rid of all the cards from their draw pile, or who has scored 4 victory points, is declared the winner.
Setup
Shuffle the 60 cards and deal them out equally among the players, face down.
Each player places their draw pile in front of them, face down, without looking at its contents. The youngest player starts: they roll both dice. Then they turn over the top card of their draw pile, place it face up in the centre of the table at equal distance from all players, and so start a pile of cards called the salad bowl (saladier).
The Dice
- The fruit die shows the type of fruit wanted.
- The number die shows the minimum number of fruits required (between 4 and 8) of the wanted type.
Playing the Game
Clockwise, on their turn each player turns over the top card of their draw pile and places it face up on the salad bowl. They must reveal their card so that they cannot see it before the other players: they grasp the top card of their draw pile by the edge nearest to the salad bowl, and then turn it over.
Slapping the Salad Bowl
At any time, if a player believes that there are at least as many fruits of the wanted type in the salad bowl as the dice indicate, they may slap the salad bowl by placing their hand on it.
They then take all the cards from the salad bowl and count the fruits. If several players slap the bowl, only the player who slapped first takes the cards.
- 1. If there are fewer fruits of the wanted type than the required number, the player loses the round. They take all the cards from the salad bowl into their own draw pile and shuffle it face down.
- 2. If there are as many or more fruits of the wanted type than the required number, the player wins the round. They keep one of the cards of their choice from the salad bowl, which they place face up in front of them, symbolising 1 victory point. Then they distribute the other cards to the other players as they wish. They may even give all the cards to a single player!
At any moment, as well as at any other moment of the game, players may hide their remaining draw piles with their hands, and only with their hands. This is entirely allowed, and even encouraged. Each player who receives cards then shuffles their draw pile.
Whatever the outcome, the player who slapped the salad bowl starts a new round by rolling both dice and turning over the top card of their draw pile, thus starting a new salad bowl.
"Any Fruit"
If the fruit die shows this icon (the cartoon character shown on the sheet), the player who slapped the salad bowl must announce aloud which type of fruit they wish to check before lifting their hand from the salad bowl and proceeding to the count. They are then subject to the same two outcomes described above.
Minions
Some cards carry a minion icon. The effect of this icon must be applied as soon as the card is revealed:
- Fruit Die Minion: re-roll the fruit die.
- Number Die Minion: re-roll the number die.
The result of a die roll applies as soon as the die has finished rolling. Players may immediately decide to slap the salad bowl. If a player slaps the salad bowl before the appropriate die has been re-rolled, they automatically lose the round and put all the cards from the salad bowl into their own draw pile. They then start a new round by rolling both dice and turning over the top card of their draw pile.
Example
Beatrice calls "pears". There are only 3 pears, so she loses the round. But there are 5 watermelons: had she called "watermelons", she would have won!
End of the Game
The game ends as soon as a player has scored 4 victory points or has no cards left in their draw pile. That player is declared the winner!
Variants
- For longer games, you may play to 5 or 6 victory points, or even more if there are few players.
- You may decide to re-roll the dice only when the minions impose it, and not at the start of every round.
- For the very young, do not require them to take the card by the edge nearest to the salad bowl: their advantage may be precisely to see their card before you do!