Jackpot: Set The Reel Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Goal of the Game
  • Anatomy of a Player/Market Card
• Setup
• How to Play
  • Round Overview
  • 1. Player Turns
  • Optional Actions
  • 2. Pass the 10th Card
  • 3. Income
  • 4. Reassemble Hand
  • 5. End of Round
• Final Scoring
• Solo Mode
  • Setup
  • How to Play
  • End of Round
  • End of Game
  • Difficulty Variant
• Reference Card Summary
• Credits

Components

• 20 Market cards (4 of each symbol — bells, cherries, melons, grapes, sevens — marked with the purchase price)
• 40 Player cards (10 for each player, marked with the poker chip in the player colour)
• 6 Bonus tokens
• 29 Jackpot cards (7 cards for each symbol — bells, cherries, melons, grapes — except sevens, which have just 1 card)
• 32 Coins (24x '1' Coins, 8x '3' Coins)
• 1 Starting Player token
• 1 Scoreboard
• 4 Score markers
• 4 Reference cards

Goal of the Game

The goal of the game is to earn the most Victory Points (VPs), represented by Stars.

Silver Stars are shown on Jackpot cards, which are claimed by playing three matching symbols, and on one of the Bonus tokens. They are scored straight away.

Gold Stars are also shown on most upgraded cards, and some Market cards. Stars represent Victory Points (VPs). They are scored at the end of the game.

Anatomy of a Player/Market Card

• A. Income
• B. Card symbol
• C. Upgrade section: The income/endgame VPs it will provide when upgraded, and the cost to upgrade it.
• D. Purchase cost (Market cards)
• E. Endgame VPs (upgraded Player cards and Market cards)
• F. Poker chip (denoting these are Player cards)

Setup

1. Separate the Player cards into 4 piles by their unique poker chip (colour and symbol). Each player takes a full set of 10 cards and their Reference card. In games with fewer than 4 players, return the unused Reference and Player cards to the box. Make sure all cards are face-up, with the icon on the poker chip visible in the bottom-right corner. Then, shuffle your deck, ensuring the cards are still the correct side up. This is now your starting hand.

   IMPORTANT: Do not change the direction that you fan your cards in your hand at any point during the game.

2. Sort all Market cards into five separate decks by type: Bells, Cherries, Melons, Grapes, and Sevens. From each deck, take a number of cards equal to the number of players and place them face-up in the centre of the table, showing the side with the purchase cost. This creates the Market. Return any unused Market cards to the box.

3. Separate the Jackpot cards into 5 different decks: Bells, Cherries, Melons, Grapes, and Sevens. Remove any that are not for your player count, as shown on the back of the cards, and return them to the box. Sort each deck so the Jackpot cards are arranged face-up in descending order of Stars, placing the cards with the fewest Stars on the bottom, and those with the most Stars on the top. This is the Jackpot display.

4. Place the Scoreboard face-up within reach of all players, and place a Score marker that matches the poker chip of each player's starting hand of cards on space 0 of the Scoreboard.

5. Place all Coins and Bonus tokens within reach of all players to form the supply.

6. The player who most recently visited a casino is the starting player. They begin with 1 Coin and receive the Starting Player token. The second and third players start with 2 Coins each, and the fourth player starts with a Bonus token of their choice.

How to Play

Jackpot: Set the Reel is a slot-building game where the goal is to create as many three-of-a-kind sets as possible. Once the game is set up, you'll never shuffle your cards again. Instead, your hand will be strategically organised through careful planning. You can improve your cards by spending your Coins to upgrade existing cards in your hand and also by replacing them with more powerful new cards from the Market.

Starting with the player with the Starting Player token, players take turns in clockwise order, playing three adjacent cards from their hand onto the table. The final scoring is triggered at the end of the round in which a player reaches or passes 30 VP on the Scoreboard. Then, any final VPs are added to the Scoreboard, and the player with the most VPs wins!

Round Overview

1. Player Turns
2. Pass the 10th Card
3. Income
4. Reassemble Hand
5. End of Round

1. Player Turns

Play 3 Adjacent Cards

On your turn, you must play 3 adjacent cards from your hand into a single row in front of yourself. You are not allowed to rearrange the order of these cards. In future turns, new cards are placed on top of the previously played cards in the same positions, without changing their order. Over time, this builds 3 columns of 3 cards each, with all cards remaining visible. Cards will be kept in columns (Row 1, Row 2, Row 3).

The 3 cards played will be your Result, read as Position 1, Position 2, Position 3.

Your Result is determined by the symbols on the cards you played in sequence, assessed from left to right. There are 4 different outcomes:

Grey Symbol on the Left Card

If the card in position 1 is grey, you gain nothing, regardless of the other cards you played. Even though you may not gain anything this turn, playing a sequence in this way could set you up for a better turn in the future.

Grey cards are Inactive cards — you will want to upgrade them or pass them to your neighbours. You will find out how to do that later! If the card is not grey, then it is an Active card.

1 Symbol

If position 1 has an Active card and the card in position 2 does not have a matching symbol (exception: sevens symbols, see below), or the card in position 2 is Inactive (grey), you gain 1 Coin from the supply. The card in position 2 ends the sequence, so the third played card is not relevant to your Result.

IMPORTANT: Sevens symbols on Cards give you a choice; you decide what symbol they represent when they are played! So the same sevens symbol can represent different symbols in different rounds.

2 Symbols

If the cards in positions 1 and 2 have matching symbols on Active cards (including any sevens symbols), and position 3 does not have a matching symbol or is Inactive, you gain a Bonus token from the supply.

If you gain a Bonus token, but the supply is empty, then you may take one from another player.

3 Symbols

If your Result is 3 matching symbols (including any sevens symbols) in all 3 positions, then immediately gain the VPs (represented by Stars) on the topmost card from the corresponding deck of Jackpot cards by moving your Score marker on the Scoreboard the appropriate number of spaces. If the Jackpot card also depicts a Bonus token icon, then collect a Bonus token of your choice from the supply. Remember, if you gain a Bonus token and there are none left in the supply, you may take one from another player.

Now, remove the Jackpot card you have just scored and discard it, unless it has this "do not take" icon. These Jackpot cards are the minimum payout, so they stay in place as players can achieve this Jackpot card again in later turns.

If your Score marker has reached or gone over 30 on the Scoreboard, flip your Score marker to the '+30' side. At the end of this round, Final Scoring will take place, and the game will end.

Optional Actions

At any point during your turn, you may also do any number of the following Optional Actions as often as you are able:

• Use Bonus tokens
• Spend Coins to:
  • Upgrade cards
  • Purchase cards

Use Bonus Tokens

You may use your Bonus tokens anytime during your turn. Any Bonus tokens you use are returned to the supply at the end of your turn. Therefore, you cannot use a Bonus token and then reclaim it again later in the same turn. But they will be available at the start of the next player's turn.

There is no limit to the number of Bonus tokens you can have at a time, and you may use any number of Bonus tokens you have on your turn. Each Bonus token can only be used once per turn. If you gain a Bonus token and there are none left in the supply, you may take one of your choice from another player.

Bonus Token Abilities

• Gain 2 Coins / Gain 4 Coins (doubled ability)
• Gain 2 VP / Gain 4 VP (doubled ability)
• Move a card in your hand to another position in your hand / Move 2 cards in your hand to other positions in your hand (doubled ability)
• Treat 1 of your played cards as a sevens symbol / Treat 2 of your played cards as sevens symbols (doubled ability)
• Upgrade 1 card in your hand, with a discount of (up to) 3 Coins / Upgrade 2 cards in your hand, each with a discount of (up to) 3 Coins (doubled ability)

The doubled abilities double the effect of another Bonus token, as described above.

Unused Bonus tokens are worth 1 VP at the end of the game.

Spend Coins

On your turn, you may spend Coins from your player area to upgrade cards in your hand and/or to purchase cards from the Market. There is no limit on how many cards can be purchased or upgraded on your turn.

Upgrading Cards

To upgrade a card in your hand, you must spend the number of Coins shown in the card's Upgrade Section by returning the appropriate number of Coins from your player area to the supply. The card is then flipped to its other side, making it more powerful and possibly awarding VP at the end of the game. DO NOT change the card's position in your hand when upgrading.

Some of the Player cards begin 'grey', meaning they are Inactive and have no effect until upgraded.

You may NOT upgrade cards that you have already played into your slot machine this round. If there is no Upgrade Section, then the card cannot be upgraded. Some Player cards can be switched between different symbols when upgraded and can be switched back later by upgrading them again.

Example: Upgrading a card costs 2 Coins. Flip the card to its other side. The card is now Active and worth 1 VP at the end of the game!

Purchase Cards

At the start of the game, there are 5 types of Market cards available for players to purchase from the Market. To purchase a Market card, you spend the number of Coins shown at the bottom of the card by returning them from your player area to the general supply. You then immediately exchange this newly purchased card with any card from your hand. The new card MUST be placed in the exact position of the card it replaces. The card you are replacing is removed from the game, so you can never possess more than 10 cards in total.

The Market cards are limited. If a deck runs out, that card type is no longer available to purchase.

Example: A player purchases a visible card from the Market by paying 7 Coins. The player replaces an Inactive card with the new card. The Inactive card is then removed from the game.

Once you have played 3 cards and completed any Optional Actions, the next player takes their turn. Remember to return any used Bonus tokens to the supply at this point. Players continue to take turns in this way until all players have taken 3 turns and played 9 cards each in their slot machine.

2. Pass the 10th Card

After you have played your 9th card, you will have 1 card remaining in your hand (your 10th card). Place this card on the table face-up to the right of your play area. Then, when all players have played their 9th card, pass this 10th card to the player on your right. Finally, add the card you just received to the bottom of 1 of your 3 columns, creating a single column with 4 cards in it. Choose carefully, as this card will affect both your income this round and the positioning of cards for the next round, as discussed in '4) Reassemble Hand'.

Example: A player is left with an Inactive card and passes it to the player on their right. The player on their left gives them an Active card. They assign it to the first column. It will provide them with 1 extra Coin in the Income phase if they choose this column for income.

3. Income

When you have placed your 10th card, select 1 column in your slot machine to generate income. For every Coin symbol depicted at the top-centre of each Active card in that column, you earn one Coin from the supply.

Example: A player chooses to gain income from the left column and takes 4 Coins.

4. Reassemble Hand

If anyone has flipped their Score marker over to the '+30' side during this round, then the end of the game has been triggered, and you now proceed straight to Final Scoring, skipping this phase and the End of Round phase.

Otherwise, reassemble your hand for the next round by placing the 3 columns of your slot machine on top of each other in any order you like. Then take your cards back into your hand. Remember, you are not allowed to shuffle or rearrange individual cards.

IMPORTANT: Do not change the direction that you fan your cards in your hand at any point during the game.

Players can reassemble their hand in 6 different ways.

5. End of Round

Once all players have reassembled their hands, the player with the Starting Player token passes it to the player on their left, who starts the next round.

Final Scoring

The game ends at the end of the round in which any player has reached 30 or more VP on the Scoreboard.

Note: Make sure you have passed your 10th card and taken any income you are owed before scoring!

All players now add to their score any end-game VPs (represented by Gold Stars) from the following that are in their play area:

• Starting Player cards and Market cards in their slot machine that depict Stars.
• Remaining Bonus tokens (1 VP each).

Example: A player has 30 VP on the scoreboard at the end of the round, which triggers the end of the game. They then add up all the VP they have on their cards (10) and gain 1 VP for each unused Bonus token (1), giving them a total of 41 VP.

The player with the most VPs is the winner. Should there be a tie, the tied player who has the most unspent Coins is the winner. If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory!

Solo Mode

The solo mode is a beat-your-own-score game that can last between 5 and 10 rounds. Using Player cards as a Timer deck, you will be racing against the clock to hit the Jackpot!

Setup

Set up the game as you would a 2-player game, where you are the first player.

Place all Bonus tokens face down in a pile in the supply.

Create a Timer deck by shuffling an unused deck of Player cards and setting it to one side with the cards face-up (with the fruit symbol on the poker chip visible in the bottom-right corner).

How to Play

Play the game as usual with the following changes to the normal rules:

1. When selecting a Bonus token, reveal 3 from the face down supply and select the Bonus token you want from those 3. Then flip the other 2 back over and mix them into the rest of the supply of Bonus tokens.
2. When you use a Bonus token, discard it face-up to create a discard pile of Bonus tokens. If you ever need to draw a Bonus token and the supply is empty, then take all the discarded Bonus tokens and shuffle them to create a new face down supply and continue drawing until you have 3 to choose from.
3. If you claim a Jackpot card, after gaining the VP, put it face-up, separated from any other Jackpot cards you have claimed in previous rounds, so it is obvious that you have claimed it this round.

End of Round

1. At the end of the round, after you have played your 9th card and gained any reward, instead of passing your 10th card to another player, remove it from the game. Draw the card from the top of the Timer deck and add it to one of your columns with the starting side face-up.
2. If you have claimed one or more Jackpot cards this round, add them face-down to any other Jackpot cards you claimed in previous rounds.
3. If you have NOT claimed any Jackpot cards this round, discard the bottom card from the Timer deck, removing it from the game.
4. If there are cards left in the Timer deck, then gain your income, rearrange your hand, then continue with the next round.

End of Game

If the Timer deck is empty, then the game ends immediately. Any additional VP from Gold Stars and Bonus tokens are added to the Scoreboard in the same way as a multi-player game.

How Well Did You Do?

After calculating your final VP, compare your total to the table below.

• <35: Casual Spinner — You're still working things out, but the big jackpots are still out of reach for you.
• 36-45: Time Killer — You're mainly here for the lights and entertainment.
• 46-55: Jackpot Chaser — You go seeking those big wins and get them occasionally.
• 56-65: Bonus Hunter — You're razor-focused on maximising those combos!
• 66+: High Roller — You're in the VIP section. Let's get you some free drinks!

Difficulty Variant

Is the solo mode not challenging enough? Try replacing some of the Active cards in the Timer deck with some Inactive cards from other unused Player cards.

Reference Card Summary

Round Overview

• Play 3 Turns per player — Follow the Turn Overview.
• Pass the 10th Card — In each round you play only 9 cards. The 10th card is passed clockwise.
• Income — Gain income from one of your columns of cards.
• Reassemble Hand — Check for game end. Pick up your columns and place them into your hand. Do not change the order of the cards in each column or the direction you fan your hand of cards.
• End of Round — Pass the Starting Player token to the left and start a new round.

Turn Overview

• Play 3 adjacent cards
• Optional Actions: Use Bonus token / Upgrade cards / Purchase cards
• Final Scoring — When a player has reached 30 or more VP on the Scoreboard, the game ends at the end of the round. Add VP for cards in hand with Gold Stars and 1 VP for each Bonus token.

Credits

• Game Design: Kristian Karlberg & Kenny Zetterberg
• Game Development: Ayden Lowther, Simon Milburn & Will Brasher
• Solo Design: Ayden Lowther
• Art and Graphic Design: Tristam Rossin
• Additional Graphic Design and Rulebook Design: Gamze Derinoz
• Rulebook Editing: Ayden Lowther, Simon Milburn & Will Brasher
• Rulebook Proofreader: Craig Lynas, Martyn F, Jonathan Kipps-Bolton, Zsolt Batki, Jacob Hand & Ian Brocklebank
• Published by Dranda Games Ltd
• 2 Tower House, Tower Centre, Hoddesdon, Herts EN11 8UR, United Kingdom
• Manufactured in China by Whatz Games