Identity
Identity Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
"IDENTITY" is a unique trick-taking game based on the "must-not-follow" suit mechanic. It is also a bid-style trick-taking game: predict how well you can compete with the hand you're dealt and aim for victory.
Contents
- 72 Cards (5 colors + 1 special color)
- Orange / Purple / Blue / Green / Pink: each color has cards with values [-3, -2, -1, +1, +2, +3, +4]. There are two of each of these cards, making 14 cards per color.
- Black: [0] - 2 cards
1. Game Setup
Select cards to use (by number of players):
| Players | Cards used |
|---|---|
| 3 Players | 3 colors x 14 cards each |
| 4 Players | 4 colors x 14 cards each |
| 5 Players | 5 colors x 14 cards each |
| 6 Players | All cards (total 72 cards) |
(Place unused cards back in the box.)
Shuffle all the cards to be used and deal them face down to all players.
- For 3-5 players, each player receives 14 cards.
- For 6 players, each player receives 12 cards.
The player who most recently bought new clothes is the starting player. Alternatively, determine the starting player by any suitable method.
2. Before Starting the Game (Bidding)
This is a "bid-style" "trick-taking" game. (If you are unfamiliar with "trick-taking," please read section "7. What is Trick-Taking?" first. If you are unfamiliar with "bidding," please read section "8. What is Bidding?" first.)
Before the game begins, each player uses two cards from their hand to bid (predict) how many tricks they will win in the current game. (The two cards used for bidding are not used as part of your hand for playing tricks.)
The sum of the numbers on the two cards you play for your bid becomes the number of tricks you are bidding to win. This sum can be negative. (You can bid in the range of -6 to +8.)
Examples:
- [-2] + [+4] = [+2] (a bid to win 2 tricks)
- [0] + [-1] = [-1] (a bid to win -1 tricks)
- [-1] + [+1] = [0] (a bid to win 0 tricks)
3. How to Start the Game
Choose two cards from your hand for bidding and place them face down in front of you. Once all players have placed their two bid cards face down, everyone reveals their bid cards simultaneously. After confirming all players' bids, the game starts with the starting player.
4. How to Play (Turns)
On your turn, choose one card from your hand and play it to the "play area" (the play area visible to all players).
Playing Cards Rule
You generally cannot play a card that matches the color OR number of any card already face-up in the play area.
A "playable card" is one that differs in both color AND number from all face-up cards in the play area.
Players will play a card in one of two ways, A or B:
A. Play a Card Face Up
If you have a "playable card" in your hand, choose one such card and play it face up into the play area.
Example for 4 players (Orange / Purple / Blue / Green): Player A played an orange [-2], Player B played a purple [+4], and Player C played a green [+3] face up to the play area. Based on these cards, the only cards that are still "playable" (different color and different number from all cards in the play area) would be Blue cards with values [-3, -1, +1, +2]. Since the current player (Player D) has a Blue [-1] and a Blue [+1] in their hand, they play either of those cards from their hand to the play area.
B. Play a Card Face Down
If you do not have any "playable cards" in your hand, choose any card from your hand and play it face down into the play area.
Example for 4 players (Orange / Purple / Blue / Green): Player A played an orange [-2], Player B played a purple [+4], and Player C played a green [+3] to the play area. Based on these cards, the only cards that are still "playable" (different color and different number from all cards in the play area) would be Blue cards with values [-3, -1, +1, +2]. However, since the current player (Player D) does not have any playable cards in their hand, they must play any card from their hand face down to the play area.
After a player plays a card, the turn moves to the player on their left.
End of a Trick
After every player has played one card, perform the following steps in order:
- The player who played the face-up card with the lowest number becomes the next starting player.
- The player who played the face-up card with the highest number collects all face-up cards from the play area. This collection is called a "Plus Trick."
- Any player who played a card face down collects only their own face-down card. This is called a "Minus Trick."
If there are no cards left in the play area, the next trick begins with the new starting player. Continue this process until all players have run out of cards. When all hands are empty, the round ends, and proceed to "5. Scoring."
5. Scoring
Calculate the total of your "Plus Tricks" and "Minus Tricks."
- Each "Plus Trick" you collected counts as "+1 win."
- Each "Minus Trick" you collected counts as "-1 win."
Compare the number of wins you bid at the start of the game with your actual number of wins. You will earn points based on the difference between your bid and your actual wins, as follows:
| Difference | Points |
|---|---|
| 0 | 5 points |
| 1 | 3 points |
| 2 | 2 points |
| 3 or more | 0 points |
Example: If you collected 3 Plus Tricks and 2 Minus Tricks, your actual wins are [+3] + [-2] = [+1] win. If your bid was (+2), the difference between your bid (+2) and actual wins (+1) is 1, so you score 3 points.
6. Game End
After calculating scores, the player with the highest score wins. If multiple players have the highest score, they all win.
Example: A scores 2 points, B 5 points, C 5 points, D 3 points; B and C win.
Once you are familiar with the game, try playing the "Long Game" or "Randomized Game" from the "9. Variant Rules" section.
7. What is Trick-Taking?
"Trick-taking" is a game format where all players play a card in turn, and the strength of the cards played determines a winner for that mini-game. This mini-game is repeated for as many cards as players have in their hands. The winner of each mini-game collects the cards played in that mini-game as "tricks," which are essentially victory points (though the exact definition can vary slightly).
8. What is Bidding?
A "bid-style" trick-taking game is one where, after hands are dealt and players have checked the strength of their cards, they "bid (predict)" how many tricks they will be able to win in that game. The closer your bid is to the number of tricks you actually acquire by the end of the game, the more points you score. Predicting how many tricks you can win based on your dealt hand and then playing cards to achieve that predicted number of wins is the essence of "bid-style" trick-taking.
9. Variant Rules
Players who are familiar with the game can try adding the following rules. You can play with rule X only, Y only, or both X and Y.
X. Long Game
Play two full games. The player with the highest total score from both games wins. For the second game, the player who had the lowest score in the first game becomes the starting player. (If there's a tie for the lowest score, determine the starting player arbitrarily.) You can also play the second game with scores being doubled.
Y. Randomized Game (3-5 players only)
In this version, shuffle the two black [0] cards (which are normally not used in 3-5 player standard games) into the deck before dealing. If the cards cannot be dealt evenly, the leftover 2 cards are removed from the game face down.
Q&A
Q: What is "Must-Not-Follow"? A: It's a type of rule dictating how cards can be played. Generally, it means you must play a card of a different suit (color) than the one already led. In this trick-taking game, the rule is slightly different: you must play a card that is of a "different color" AND a "different number," so it varies a bit from the typical must-not-follow rule.
Q: Are cards played face down revealed? A: No. Cards played face down are collected face down, and no one other than the player who played them knows what those cards were. (However, you are not allowed to play a card face down if you have a card in your hand that you could legally play face up.)
Q: I don't quite understand the card strength order. A: The order is: -3 < -2 < -1 < 0 < +1 < +2 < +3 < +4. The "-3" card is the weakest, and the "+4" card is the strongest.
Q: Is there any meaning to the card illustrations? A: Yes, there is. Each card color corresponds to one of the girls, and each card number corresponds to the clothes that girl is wearing. For example, "the character on the green card is the girl with the ponytail," and "the outfit of the character on the +2 card is 'Jirai-kei' (landmine style) fashion." So, you can also play the game just by looking at the illustrations.