Justas Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• [Objective]
• Setup
• The Turn
• The Duel, Two Options
• Bets
• The Market
• Instant Effect Cards
• Being Eliminated: A Second Chance
• The Final Duel
• FAQs
• The Houses
• Cards
  • ARMADURA (Armour)
  • CARCAJ (Quiver)
  • SILLA (Saddle)
  • ESCUDO (Shield)
  • HERRERO (Blacksmith)
  • BALLESTA (Crossbow)
  • GUANTELETES (Gauntlets)
  • POCIÓN (Potion)
  • DIEZMO (Tithe)
  • IMPUESTOS (Taxes)
  • LADRÓN (Thief)
  • FESTEJOS (Festivities)

[Objective]

The goal of the game, for each player, is to remain with coins over the course of the turns, so that rivals are eliminated as they run out of coins. When two knights remain, a final duel is fought between them across the three disciplines of the tournament, and the champion is the one who wins at least 2 of them.

Setup

Preparation of the game:

Coins are dealt to each player according to the number of players:

• 3 players: 10 coins
• 4 players: 9 coins
• 5-6 players: 8 coins
• 7 players: 7 coins

The remaining coins are placed in the centre of the table, where they belong to the royal treasury (arcas del reino).

Each player is also dealt 5 cards, their starting hand, which only they may look at.

The remaining cards form the draw deck (mazo de robo), accessible to all players. Next to it is the discard pile (pila de descartes), where used cards go.

Beside the royal treasury, 3 cards are dealt face up from the deck. These form the market (mercado), explained below.

The starting player is decided by throwing a sword card onto the table. The player the blade points to begins the game. That player may keep this card as compensation.

The Turn

On his or her turn, each player may carry out the following actions:

• Challenge to a Duel or Tournament
• Buy from the market
• Instant effects
• Equip

The Duel, Two Options

CHALLENGE to another knight: to challenge another knight, you state the discipline (swords, arrows or lances) and the knight you are challenging. You may challenge only once per turn. If you have called a tournament, you cannot challenge to a duel that turn. The duel uses the weapon cards and those cards that act upon them (the printed source shows them as an icon of the sword, arrow and lance cards and the cards that act upon them).

The challenged knight may refuse to fight, paying 1 coin to the challenger as a penalty.

If the challenged knight accepts, that knight decides how many coins are wagered as the duel's prize (botín). The maximum is the amount held by the poorer of the two knights.

The player who issued the challenge may withdraw at that moment, paying a penalty of 1 coin to the rival.

Once the duel has been accepted and the amount of coins at stake has been agreed, the other players may bet on one or the other combatant (explained in more detail in the Bets section).

Once the duel has begun, the two participating players may not use any cards that do not affect the result of the duel.

The player who declared the duel must play the first card, unless there is a card face up on the table (an equipped card) that is worth at least one point for that duel discipline. In that case it activates and no other card needs to be added. The rival must then play the number of cards needed to equal or exceed the card played.

Once the value has been equalled or exceeded, the player who declared the duel must always equal or exceed the value of the rival's cards. The duel ends when neither player, for whatever reason, plays any more cards onto the table.

The player with the greater total value of cards in the duel discipline wins and takes the pot that was wagered. In case of a tie, both players recover what they wagered, but lose the cards they have played.

When the duel ends, all cards used go to the discard pile, and both players draw two cards from the draw deck, regardless of how many cards they used in that duel.

DO NOT CHALLENGE: a player may decide not to challenge any knight on that turn. In that case the player must pay 1 coin to the royal treasury as a punishment, as the king grows bored and sanctions you. In return, you may draw 1 card from the draw deck.

Bets

When a duel is declared and accepted, the knights who are going to fight set the amount of the wager between them. After this, and before they begin playing their cards, the other players may bet on the victory of one or the other, using the template with the house seals. This bet is declared and may be answered by any other player, including the players in the duel. If no player wishes to counter-bet, the king covers the bet from the royal treasury, up to a maximum of 1 coin.

If the duel ends in a tie, all players recover the coins they bet.

Rule: a player in a duel may not bet against themselves, although they may bet in their own favour against the bets of other players.

Rule: once a bet has been announced it cannot be withdrawn, only raised.

When the duel ends, bets are collected or lost depending on the result.

The Market

After the duel phase, coins in your possession may be spent to buy 1 of the cards available in the market.

After this, the market is automatically refilled with a card from the deck so that there are always 3 cards available.

The value of a card is shown by the number of coins drawn on its edge.

Instant Effect Cards

Cards with a purple border have an effect that applies at the moment the player uses them. They may be used at any moment during your turn, except during a duel. They may be used before or after a duel, but once a duel has begun, only combat cards may be played.

Some of these cards may be used even outside your turn, if the card so states (for example, those marked "after a duel").

Instant effect cards have one limitation: a player cannot be eliminated by one of these cards. The player will always keep at least 1 coin, which must be taken from them in a duel.

Being Eliminated: A Second Chance

After being eliminated, a player may ask the royal treasury for a loan, which is always 3 coins, or give up and become a spectator. If the first option is chosen, the player keeps their hand instead of discarding it to the pile.

For the time being, the player may not take part in the tournament and does not count as a knight for game purposes. They may only use the coins lent by the king to bet on other players' duels, winning and losing as with any other bet.

To return to the game, the player must pay double the amount to the treasury, that is 6 coins, and must have at least one more coin to be able to play. Each player decides whether to return with more or fewer coins, always with a minimum of 6+1 and provided the game has not yet reached the Final Duel.

When it is the player's turn in the order of play, they may pay the loan and return to the game with the coins they have left, with the hand of cards they had before being eliminated, and draw two cards from the draw deck.

The Final Duel

When all players except 2 have been eliminated, the final duel phase is declared. These last two knights standing fight in the three disciplines, and whoever wins more of them is the winner. Before it begins, with the tournament phase finished, the players may use their accumulated coins to buy cards from the market, one at a time, alternately, with the market refilled after each purchase. The player who won the last duel always begins buying.

If both players have fewer than 5 coins, the king sponsors both of them with 5 free coins.

Once both players have spent all their coins, the duel begins with swords, then arrows, and finally lances.

In these duels, instant effect cards do not count; only cards that affect duels do. Equipment cards do count, as do all cards that improve duel cards.

FAQs

Is it mandatory to play more cards if I am losing or tied in a duel? No. You may keep them for later if that is your strategy.

When can I use a potion, a blacksmith or a similar card? During a duel, all cards that positively affect the effect of combat cards may be used at any moment, and they affect both cards already played and future cards played in that duel. Do not confuse these with equipment cards such as the armour or shield, which only have an effect if they were already equipped beforehand.

What happens if, for some reason such as the tournament of a particular discipline, all players are left without coins except one, before the Final Duel? That knight is declared champion without needing to play the Final Duel.

If an eliminated player wants to return to the game but gets the necessary coins exactly in the duel that eliminates a knight and leaves two for the Final Duel, can they do so? No. If after a duel a knight is eliminated and only two remain, the game automatically proceeds to the Final Duel.

What happens if a player with only one coin is challenged to a duel? If they accept and lose, the royal treasury gives one additional coin to their rival.

The Houses

• The House of the Black Crow
• The House of the Red Rose
• The House of the Purple Salamanders
• The House of the Silver Moon
• The House of the Green Antlers
• The House of the Golden Sun
• The House of the Iron Fist

Cards

The card list below gives each card's name as printed, followed by its text. Equipment cards are equipped face up on the table.

ARMADURA (Armour)

Equipped, grants 2 swords at the start of a duel. It is always the first card played and cannot be kept for another duel. Once the duel is over it is discarded together with the other cards used.

CARCAJ (Quiver)

Equipped, grants 2 arrows at the start of a duel. It is always the first card played and cannot be kept for another duel. Once the duel is over it is discarded together with the other cards used.

SILLA (Saddle)

Equipped, grants 2 lances at the start of a duel. It is always the first card played and cannot be kept for another duel. Once the duel is over it is discarded together with the other cards used.

ESCUDO (Shield)

Equipped, grants 1 sword, arrow or lance depending on the duel that begins. It is always the first card played and cannot be kept for another duel. Once the duel is over it is discarded together with the other cards used.

HERRERO (Blacksmith)

In a duel, adds a sword for each sword card used, regardless of its value. Affects all cards of that player, whether they were played before or after the Blacksmith.

BALLESTA (Crossbow)

In a duel, adds an arrow for each arrow card used, regardless of its value. Affects all cards of that player, whether they were played before or after the Crossbow.

GUANTELETES (Gauntlets)

In a duel, adds a lance for each lance card used, regardless of its value. Affects all cards of that player, whether they were played before or after the Gauntlets.

POCIÓN (Potion)

In a duel, increases the combat cards of value 1 by two, regardless of the discipline they belong to. Affects all cards of that player, whether they were played before or after the Potion.

DIEZMO (Tithe)

All players must pay 1 coin to the royal treasury for every 5 coins they hold.

IMPUESTOS (Taxes)

The player on whom this card is used pays two coins: one coin to the royal treasury and the other to the player who claims the taxes.

LADRÓN (Thief)

After a duel, whether your own or another player's, you take 1/3 of the total pot wagered between the combatants from the winner (rounded down). In case of a tie this card cannot be used. It is not valid in tournaments.

FESTEJOS (Festivities)

All players place 1 coin on this card. The "pot" goes to the first winner of a duel or tournament.

ORDEN REAL (Royal Order)

When this card is played, the player who holds the most coins at that moment pays 3 coins to the royal treasury.

PÍCARO (Rogue)

After a duel, whether your own or another player's, you take, as you choose, one of the weapons used.

TORNEO (Tournament)

Play this card instead of challenging to a duel. You call a tournament of the discipline you wish, in which all players must take part, each with 2 coins. It is resolved like a duel, clockwise.

PURGA (Purge)

When it is played, all players must discard:

• 2 cards if they hold 7 or more
• 3 cards if they hold 10 or more