Gämsh Alpin
Gämsh Alpin Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
40 Cards:
- 9 Sets of Four
- 4 Special "Föhn" Cards: Watchful Gamekeeper, Smart Farmer, Hearty Snack, Raging Bull
27 Point Counters in Three Colors
Each set of four is made up of three Day Cards and one Night Card with the same image. The Night Cards have a special ability, but only if they are played with the Watchful Gamekeeper card. (More about this later: Föhn Cards.)
Introduction
In Gämsh Alpin, two or three teams of two face off against each other. Before the game, each team agrees on a secret signal. Then, all players simultaneously swap cards, trying to gather a matching set of four. As soon as a player achieves this, they secretly signal this to their teammate, who can end the round and score their team a point by yelling "Gämsh!"
Preparation: Teams of Two
Each player chooses their partner for the game.
Sit around the table in such a way that your partner is opposite you, the middle of the table in between the two of you.
Your partner will be the same for the entire game, so you won't need to change seats.
Get nine point counters of the same color ready per team to keep track of your scores.
Preparation: Secret Signal
Work out a secret signal with your teammate.
You should probably get up from the table to work out a secret signal!
Gestures, noises, words, or topics of conversation are all possibilities. Other players must be able to see or hear your signal, though (i.e. no touching under the table!).
Some examples of secret signals are:
- Gestures: Winking, tapping on your cards, scratching your head
- Noises: Coughing, clearing your throat, whistling
- Words: Any word that begins with an M, "Yes.", "Booyah!"
- Topics of conversation: How horrible the weather is, your favorite sports team, what's that smell
Once you have decided on your secret signal, you cannot change it for the rest of the game. (There is one exception to this: see Outgämshed later.) Overly complicated sequences of signals are not permitted. You may, however, throw out false signals to throw off your opponents during the game.
In case you don't trust your opponents, everybody has to write down their secret signals.
Shuffle the cards and create a draw pile. Deal out four cards to each player, who takes them into their hands. Then deal four cards at the same time, face up, to the middle of the table, in reach of all the players.
Gameplay: Swapping Cards
As soon as the four cards hit the table, the round begins! All players swap cards from their hands with cards in the middle (as fast as each player can and wants to) by first throwing one of their cards into the middle, face up, and then taking the card of their choice. It's first come, first served, so be fast!
As you are all playing simultaneously, you may swap cards as often as you like. You can even take cards back that you had previously thrown in.
Two general rules to solve disputes:
- A card lies in the middle, as soon as it is no longer touched by a hand.
- A card becomes a hand card, as soon as it no longer touches the table.
Gameplay: Gämsh, Double Gämsh, Counter Gämsh
When a player has a set of four cards in their hand, they should give their teammate their secret signal. If the teammate notices, they shout:
- "Gämsh!" - "My teammate has a set of four! That's one point for us!"
- "Double Gämsh!" - "My teammate has a set of four, and so do I! Two points, yeah!"
However, if an opposing player is more vigilant (i.e. suspects a player of signaling their teammate), they point to the opponent and shout:
- "Counter Gämsh!" - "At least one of your team has a set of four! One point, please!"
Keep in mind, you can call any of these out at any time, you do not have to wait for a signal.
If a player called correctly, they earn points for their team. If not, the other team gets or rather (always) all opposing teams get the points.
Examples with three teams:
A. Marcy mentions her last camping trip, thereby giving the secret signal to Toby. He notices this and yells "Gämsh!" Marcy shows everyone that she has a set of four in her hand, and she and Toby get a point. They take a point counter.
B. Kelly takes an Alphorn from the middle. Toby yells "Counter Gämsh!" and points to Kelly. He isn't sure if Kelly gave her teammate Benedict their secret signal (in fact, she didn't!). But Toby was smart to notice that Kelly had been collecting Alphorns. Kelly now has to reveal that yes, she did have the whole set of Alphorns! Toby just scored a point for his team. His team takes a point counter.
C. Toby has stopped swapping his cards; instead he is staring at his teammate Marcy and stroking his non-existent beard (which is actually not their team's secret signal!). Benedict falls for it though and yells "Counter Gämsh!" Toby reveals that he has not collected a set of four. The same is true for his teammate Marcy. Marcy and Toby score a point, as does the third team, Oscar and Mike. These two teams take one point counter each.
Gameplay: Outgämshed!
You can also score points (or give them away) by trying to guess the secret signal of another team.
"The secret signal of the team I am pointing to is (insert accusation here). Now give us three points!"
If the secret signal was correctly identified, the outed team must secretly work out a new secret signal to use for the rest of the game.
Gameplay: Föhn Cards
There are four orange special cards, called Föhn Cards. Each of these is only in play (i.e. active) if it is face up in the middle of the table. Three of the cards let you earn points (or give them away).
For your first game, please, try playing without the Föhn Cards. They are meant for experienced Gämsh alpinists.
Watchful Gamekeeper: You may only swap Day Cards and Föhn Cards with the cards in the middle while the Watchful Gamekeeper is also in the middle. If you catch an opponent swapping (i.e. giving or taking) a Night Card while the Watchful Gamekeeper is on the table, slap the Watchful Gamekeeper to interrupt the game briefly. The player you caught must take back their swap, and you score a point for your team.
To slap a card, be the first player to hit it with the palm of your hand while it is in the middle of the table. This means that only one team can score the point when somebody disregards the Watchful Gamekeeper.
Smart Farmer: The Smart Farmer lets you call Gämsh or Double Gämsh with only three matching cards in your partner's hand. If you want to use the card, you must slap it while calling Gämsh or Double Gämsh. If you slap the Smart Farmer and your partner had four matching cards anyway, there is no penalty.
Hearty Snack: As soon as the Hearty Snack is in the middle of the table, nobody may swap any cards anymore. Instead, be fast and slap the other three cards on the table! Each player may slap one card only, and each card may only be slapped by one player. Replace all four cards in the middle afterwards and continue play.
If both you and your partner slapped a card each, you get a point for your team. In a six player game, if each team has slapped one card (a "three-way tie"), each team gets a point.
Raging Bull: If a player slaps the Raging Bull, replace all four cards in the middle with new ones from the deck. If the Hearty Snack and the Raging Bull are in the middle at the same time, slapping the Raging Bull does not replace the other cards (i.e. the effect of the Hearty Snack trumps the effect of the Raging Bull).
You can swap the special cards just like regular cards, with the exception of the Hearty Snack, which you can never take.
You must always have four cards in your hand! Always fully complete a swap before you slap any card. Also, make sure to quickly take a fourth card when another player either slaps the Raging Bull or plays the Hearty Snack while you are swapping.
Gameplay: New Cards, New Rounds
- If nobody wants to swap cards with the middle anymore, discard the cards in the middle and deal four new ones.
- If a player had to show their hand cards or if a secret signal has been guessed (correctly), shuffle all cards together and deal anew.
Every Gämsh, Double Gämsh, Counter Gämsh and (successful) Outgämshed marks the end of a round. Unsuccessfully trying to Outgämsh, the Watchful Gamekeeper, the Hearty Snack, or the Raging Bull does not end the round, though. Keep going!
End of the Game
As soon as a team has scored nine or more points, the game is over. The team with the most points is the winner. If there is a tie, all tied teams win!
Don't underestimate the three points you can give away by guessing another team's secret signal wrongly!