Heckmeck am Karteneck
Heckmeck am Karteneck Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Materials
- 110 cards (17x values 1 to 5; 25x worms value 5)
- 30 roasted worm portions (RWPs)
Set-up of the Game
In the two-player game, put 12 randomly drawn RWPs back into the box without looking at their fronts. With three players, put 6 back, and with four players, put 2 RWPs back.
Mix the remaining portions face down and put them out as a supply. Form a well-shuffled face-down card pile; each player takes 6 cards into his or her hand.
Course of the Game
At the beginning of each round, lay out as many RWPs face up as there are players. This display represents the grill.
The player who has gone the longest without eating anything begins. On your turn, you may lay out cards or pass. If you pass, you can no longer lay out cards until the end of the round. The other players, in turn, keep playing and laying out cards until everybody has passed. Then the round ends with the menu distribution.
Laying out cards
On your turn, you lay one or more cards of one kind in front of you, so that they are well visible.
When you have your next turn, you do the same, but you may not add a card of a kind that is already lying in front of you. Each time you lay out cards, you name the total of all values of your complete card display, and then draw 1 card from the pile.
Passing
If you are unable or unwilling to lay out any card(s), you pass. Then you draw:
- 2 cards, provided you are not the last player to pass.
- No card if you are the last player to pass.
At the moment when you pass, you have either a display that is invalid, or a display that is valid.
Invalid display — there is no worm card lying in front of you:
- Put your card display face up on a common discard pile.
- Take the lowest currently laid-out RWP from the grill.
- Wait until the end of the round and then don't take part in the menu distribution.
If all players pass the round with an invalid display, the menu distribution doesn't take place, since all RWPs have already been taken from the grill.
Valid display — it contains at least 1 worm card:
- Leave your card display face up in front of you. Call out again the total of all card values in your display; it remains valid for the menu distribution at the end of the round.
- You may steal: if the total of your display is the same as the value of another player's top portion, you may steal this RWP.
- Don't take a portion from the grill yet, but wait until all players have passed.
- Then take part in the menu distribution.
Use all roasted worm portions you take to form a face up stack in front of you; always put the most recent portion you've taken on top.
Example
Karen passes. Since she has no worm card lying in front of her, her display is invalid. Karen clears her display and has to take the smallest (lowest) portion (18) from the grill; she puts it on top of the portions she has collected before. Then Karen draws 2 new cards.
Now it is Floyd's turn. He lays out cards of another kind (three 2-point cards) and draws 1 new card.
Nick could do that, too. But he prefers to pass and to draw 2 new cards. Since he — unlike Karen — has worms in his display, he leaves all cards in place and waits for the menu distribution at the end of the round.
Nick even has another reason for passing with a valid display: since the total of his display (30) is the same as Floyd's top portion, Nick can steal this RWP from him.
Besides Floyd, Eve also hasn't passed yet. It's her turn now. She plays cards of another kind (two 3-point cards) and draws 1 new card.
Now Floyd plays a worm, which makes his display valid. He draws 1 new card.
After Eve has played cards of another kind again, Floyd passes. Since the total of his display is 30, he can steal this RWP back from Nick. Then he draws 2 new cards and waits for the menu distribution.
Eve is the only player left who hasn't passed yet. She plays two 1-point cards. Now she could play nothing but worms; but since she has none left in her hand, she has to pass. Since her display is invalid without worms, she has to take the currently lowest portion (21) from the grill and may not take part in the menu distribution. Eve is the last one to pass and thus may not draw new cards.
Menu Distribution
Now the portions that are left on the grill are distributed. All players who have passed while having a valid display receive one of the remaining portions during the menu distribution:
- The player whose display has the highest total takes the highest portion from the grill. The player with the second highest total takes the second highest RWP from the grill. This goes on until all RWPs have been distributed.
- If multiple players have the same total in their display, the player involved who laid out the worm card with the highest signpost number prevails.
- Put your card displays on the discard pile.
Example
Now the menu distribution takes place. Only the players who have a valid display lying in front of them take part — in this case, Nick and Floyd. Both have reached the same total: 30. Since Floyd's display contains a worm that is higher than the signpost number of Nick's worms, he takes the higher portion and leaves the last one to Nick.
Eve and Karen do not take part in the menu distribution, since they both have already received a portion for their invalid displays.
The Next Game Round
All players continue the game with their remaining hand cards. The player who took the last roasted worm portion from the grill in the round that just ended begins the next round.
If the draw pile is depleted during the game, shuffle the discard pile and make it the new draw pile.
End of the Game
The game ends when all RWPs of the supply have been used up and distributed.
Count the roasted worms on the portions you have won. The winner is the player who has taken hold of the most worms. In case of a tie, the player involved who has the highest RWP wins.
Credits
2021 Zoch Verlag / Simba Toys GmbH & Co. KG, Werkstraße 1, 90765 Fürth, Germany. service.zoch-verlag.de, zoch-verlag.com
- Art. No.: 60 110 5166
- Author: Reiner Knizia
- Illustration: Doris Matthäus
- Setting & Layout: Stephanie Geßler
- Translation: Sybille & Bruce Whitehill, "Word for Wort"