KINGs: TRICKTAKERs
KINGs: TRICKTAKERs Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Contents
- Game Overview
- Game Flow
- Trick
- BID
- Player Area (Party)
- KING
- QUEEN
- JACK
- Example of round 3 BID
- Preparation
- Initial Party
- Round 1
- Form a party (Open Draft) in Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Expansion Rules: Make a Contract with the Devil
- 2 Player Game
- "I am KING" (for 3 players only)
- "UNION" (for 4 players only)
- "EMPEROR" (for 5 players only)
- Character Cards
Contents
- 15 KQJ Cards: 1 White KING, 1 White QUEEN, 1 White JACK, 1 Red KING, 1 Red QUEEN, 1 Red JACK, 1 Blue KING, 1 Blue QUEEN, 1 Blue JACK, 1 Green KING, 1 Green QUEEN, 1 Green JACK, 1 Black KING, 1 Black QUEEN, 1 Black JACK
- 20 Character Cards: 3 GAMBLER, 3 HERMIT, 2 RESISTANCE, 2 NINJA, 2 SAMURAI, 2 BERSERKER, 2 HEALER, 2 COLLECTOR, 1 DEVIL, 1 CHEERLEADER
- 44 Playing Cards: 2 BERSERKER Black 10 Cards, 1 CHEERLEADER KIZUNA Card, 1 START PLAYER Card, 1 DEVIL Contract Card, 10 Red Number Cards, 10 Blue Number Cards, 2 SHIROHATA Cards, 10 Green Number Cards, 10 Black Number Cards, 2 RARE Cards
- 40 Cookie Victory Points: 20 x 10 VP, 10 x 50 VP, 10 x 100 VP (Not included in the compact edition)
- 15 Extra Playing Cards: JQK & 2 Joker Cards
Game Overview
In Green Kingdom, the KINGs are enjoying the Trick-taking game...
- "Hm! I am the 'True KING' after all."
- "Whatever! The 'True Battle' has just begun."
- "'True Cookies' delicious and fun!"
- "Would you like to have 'True Tea Time' soon?"
- "True.... zzzZZ"
- "Who is it that is a 'True TrickTaker'?"
Thus the KINGs began to compete for fame as True TrickTakers. You make deals with KINGs and with them aim to win fame as a TrickTaker. Show off your splendid play with TrickTakers who have special abilities.
Game Flow
5 tricks with 5 cards in hand
Each player is dealt 5 playing cards and keeps them in their hand. All players play one playing card in front of them in clockwise order, then determine the winner. This process of determining the winner is called a "Trick", and each player plays 5 tricks until their hand is depleted. After that, they will gain victory points according to the results.
Form a party
Before playing 5 tricks, each player forms their own party. A party consists of a KING, QUEEN, JACK, and 3 characters.
- KING is the strongest of all cards. (p9, 10)
- QUEEN can activate a special ability only once in their turn. (p11, 12)
- JACK gains Victory Points depending on how many tricks they win. (p13, 14)
There are 10 characters. Each one has special abilities. (p31~) Each player has 3 characters in their party, 2 of which are kept face up and can activate special abilities. The remaining card is face down and used for bidding.
BID
Before tricks start each player predicts how many of the 5 tricks they will win. (p7) This process is called bidding. If the BID is successful, victory points are awarded.
3 Round
Deal cards >> Form a party >> BID >> Play Tricks >> Gain victory points
This series of processes constitutes 1 round, and 3 rounds are played. After the rounds, the player with the most victory points is the winner.
- Deal Cards
- Form a Party
- BID
- Play Tricks
- Gain VP
Trick
"Trick" means that all of the players take turns playing a card clockwise and the one who played the card of the highest value wins the trick. If two or more cards with the same value are played in a trick, the one played first wins.
Playing cards are used for playing tricks. The playing cards consist of Number cards, Rare cards, and White flag cards.
The winner of the trick collects the played cards and puts them in a facedown pile in front of themselves (p8), and becomes the lead player of the next trick. ("Lead player" means the player who plays the first card in a trick). When winning multiple tricks, be sure to keep each facedown pile separate to easily keep track of the number of tricks won.
Number Cards
4 colored number cards (1 to 10).
Card strength: Among the same color, the larger the number, the stronger. (10 is the strongest)
- Black is stronger than the other colors (Trump).
- Red, Blue, and Green are the same strength. However, if a color is played first (lead), the color becomes the strongest.
Example: When red 2 (lead), red 5, red 8, and blue 9 are played in order, red 8 wins. Example: When red 2 (lead), red 8, black 1, and blue 9 are played in order, black 1 wins.
Must Follow: A player must play a card in the manner of "must follow". In each trick, a player must play a card of the same color as the first player played. If the player has more than 2 cards of the color, they can choose which card to play. If the player doesn't have any cards of the same color, they can play any card from hand.
Example: Lead is red 5. Hand is red 2, red 7, blue 8, green 4, black 1. Either red 2 or red 7 can be played. Example: Lead is red 5. Hand is blue 2, blue 7, blue 8, green 4, black 1. Any one of these cards can be played. If black 1 is played, the player wins. If one of the other cards is played, the player loses the trick.
Rare Card
This card is stronger than any number card. You may want to play this when you want to win the trick. If two or more rare cards are played in a trick, the one played first wins the trick.
White Flag Card
This card is weaker than any number card. You may want to play this when you want to lose the trick. Raising up the white flag, it gives way to you. So, please treat it nicely.
How to play Rare / White Flag Card: The card can be played at any time during the player's turn, ignoring the must follow rules. It can be played even if you have a card in hand that would satisfy the must follow rules.
Example: Lead is red 5. Hand is red 2, green 4, black 1, a Rare card, a White Flag card. Red 2, Rare, or White Flag can be played.
When the first card played is either Rare or White Flag, the next player can play any card. If the player plays a number card, the following players must follow the color of the card if they can.
BID
What's BID?
BID is predicting how many tricks you will win. After playing 5 tricks, if your BID is successful, you gain victory points.
Each player has 3 characters in their party, and 2 of them are used face-up to use their special abilities. The remaining character is used face-down to BID.
BID example
Using the GAMBLER face down (BID)... After playing 5 tricks, gain 30 pts for 0 wins. Gain 60 pts for 2 wins. (Information about the bids on the back side is also available on the front side.)
Using NINJA face down (BID)... After playing 5 tricks, gain 70 pts for 2 wins.
NINJA can get 20 points for 2 wins even if it is used face up. However, this is not considered a BID. The GAMBLER's face-up special ability scores 20 points for a successful BID, while the NINJA's face-up special ability scores 30 points for 2 wins regardless of the BID.
Player Area (Party)
KINGs and character cards are placed in front of you to form a party. Player Area (Party): cards placed in front of you. Note: These cards are not the cards in your hand.
The party row is laid out as: Character Face-up, Character Face-up, BID Character Face-down, then King (K), Queen (Q), Jack (J), then three trick piles for 1 win, 2 wins, and 3 wins — cards taken in tricks.
Cards taken in tricks
The winner of the trick collects the cards played in the trick and places them in a face-down pile near the party's cards.
KING
Play KINGs (Front side)
Each player has one KING card in front of them. (This is not one of the cards in their hand.)
KINGs are stronger than Rares and no card can beat them. If 2 or more KING cards are played in one trick, the player who played the KING last in turn wins.
The five KINGs: White KING (+60), Red KING (+50), Blue KING (+40), Green KING (+30), Black KING (+20).
To play a KING, you must first play a card in your hand that is the same color as the KING. For example, to play the Red KING (Blue, Green or Black KING), you first play a red card (a blue, green or black card respectively) from your hand. Then, play the Red KING (Blue, Green or Black KING respectively) card from your hand on top of it. When playing the White KING, you must play it on a White Flag or a Rare card.
After the trick is over, the KING you played is placed face down in front of you, separate from the cards you got from winning the trick. (If a player wins another player's KING, the KING will be returned to the owner after the trick is over.)
KING can only be used once in the game. In other words, once a KING is used and turned facedown, there is no way to turn it face up again in the game.
If the KING is not used until the end of the game, the points will only be awarded after the third round. The White KING has 60 pts, the Red KING has 50 pts, the Blue KING has 40 pts, the Green KING has 30 pts, and the Black KING has 20 pts.
Effects after playing KINGs (Back side)
At the end of each round, if your KING has already been used and turned face down, you score points according to the cards obtained during that round. For example, the Red KING gets 10 points for each red card in tricks obtained during the round. In the case of the White KING, the score increases to 20/50/80/150 points each time a White Flag or Rare card is obtained.
Effects written on the back of the KING card are valid for each round. For example, if you use your KING in Round 1 and turn it face down, you will score points according to the effect written on the back of the KING not only in that round, but also at the end of Rounds 2 and 3.
KING Number
On the top right corner of each KING card is a number called the KING Number. This number becomes a bigger number when the card is turned face down. The KING Number is referenced in the following three situations:
- When doing an open draft to organize a party, select character cards in order from the player who owns the KING with the smallest KING Number.
- The player who owns the KING with the smallest KING Number is the lead player for the first trick of each round. The lead player is the player who plays the first card when playing a trick. The lead player for the first trick receives the Start Player Card.
- After 3 rounds, the player with the most points wins the game. However, if there is a tie, the player with the smallest KING Number among them will be the winner.
QUEEN
QUEEN effect
A QUEEN can only be used once per round, during your turn. After using a QUEEN, turn it face down. When "Setup" for the next round, you can reactivate the QUEEN's effect by sacrificing your victory points. If you do, turn the card face up again.
White QUEEN
The card has strength equivalent to a Rare. First, play the cards from your hand as normal. The must-follow rules must be observed. Then place the White QUEEN card on top of it to activate the White QUEEN effect. Before starting the next trick, place the White QUEEN card face down in front of you.
[White KING] The White KING can be placed on top of the White QUEEN. [RESISTANCE] The Rare strength gained from the White QUEEN effect may be changed to a White Flag. [COLLECTOR and White KING (face down)] It is not counted as one of the Rare cards. [Reactivate Cost] 30 pts
Red QUEEN
Gain 1 more win in a round. You can activate the effect by using the Red QUEEN card "on your turn". After playing the Red QUEEN, the card is placed face up in front of you in the same way as when you won the trick and got the cards. Leave the Red QUEEN face down in front of you after the round is over.
[DEVIL] The +2 wins from the Devil effect will add up to +3 wins with the +1 win from the Red QUEEN effect. [Reactivate Cost] 40 pts
Blue QUEEN
The card played has a strength equivalent to a White Flag. First, play a card from your hand as normal. The must-follow rules must be observed. Then place the Blue QUEEN card on top of it to activate the White QUEEN effect. Before starting the next trick, place the Blue QUEEN card face down in front of you.
[RESISTANCE] The White Flag strength obtained by the Blue QUEEN effect may become the same strength as Rare. [COLLECTOR and White KING (face down)] It is not counted as one of the White Flag cards. [Reactivate Cost] 20 pts
Green QUEEN
Be the last player to play a card. Instead of playing a card from your hand, take the Green QUEEN in front of you and play it. After everyone else has played, place the Green QUEEN face down in front of you. Then play a card from your hand as normal.
[Reactivate Cost] 10 pts
Black QUEEN
A card can be played ignoring the must-follow rule. Play the Black QUEEN first. Then play your card, ignoring the must-follow rules. Before starting the next trick, place the Black QUEEN card face down in front of you.
[Reactivate Cost] 10 pts
JACK
JACK Effect
JACKs are used face up during the 1st and 2nd rounds. Depending on how many tricks you win, you earn points during scoring after each round.
In round 3, you may use it face down instead of face up. In this case, you get 100 points for winning exactly 3 tricks. If used face down, the effects are the same for all JACKs.
White JACK: 1 win +10 pts, 2 wins +20 pts, 3 wins +30 pts. BID: 3 wins +100 pts.
Red JACK: 1 win +20 pts, 2 wins +30 pts. BID: 3 wins +100 pts.
Blue JACK: 0 wins +20 pts, 1 win +20 pts. BID: 3 wins +100 pts.
Green JACK: 0 wins +30 pts, 2 wins +30 pts. BID: 3 wins +100 pts.
Black JACK: 1 win +20 pts, 3 wins +40 pts. BID: 3 wins +100 pts.
Example of round 3 BID
Example of BID
In round 3, 1 or 2 character cards are used to BID. Only in the third round can JACKs also be used for BID. By using only JACK to BID, you will be able to use 3 character cards face up.
Example (1 BID card): Party of SAMURAI, NINJA (face up), and BID card showing 0 wins +30 pts / 2 wins +60 pts, plus White KING (+60), Red QUEEN, Red JACK (1 win +20 pts, 2 wins +30 pts).
Example (2 BID cards): Party of RESISTANCE (face up), and BID cards showing 0/1/2 wins +30/+20/+40 pts and 1 win +60 pts, plus Blue KING (+60), Blue QUEEN, Blue JACK (0 wins +20 pts, 1 win +20 pts).
Example (2 BID cards): Party of HEALER, DEVIL (face up), and BID cards showing 2 wins +40 pts and 3 wins +70 pts, plus Green KING, Green QUEEN, Green JACK (3 wins +100 pts).
Example (1 BID card): Party of BERSERKER, GAMBLER, HERMIT (face up), plus Black KING, Black QUEEN, Black JACK (3 wins +100 pts).
Preparation
5 player game
[44 playing cards] [19 character cards + 1 CHEERLEADER card]. It is recommended to add cheerleader after you are familiar with the game.
4 player game
[36 playing cards] Remove all 8s and 9s. [17 character cards + 1 CHEERLEADER card]. One card each is removed from GAMBLER and HERMIT. However, if you use the recommended "initial party", please play without removing them. It is recommended to add cheerleader after you are familiar with the game.
3 player game
[28 playing cards] Remove all 6s, 7s, 8s and 9s. [12 character cards]. One card is removed from each of the following characters: GAMBLER, HERMIT, SAMURAI, NINJA, HEALER, COLLECTOR, DEVIL, CHEERLEADER.
2 player game (p23, 24)
[28 playing cards] Remove all 6s, 7s, 8s and 9s. [8 character cards]. 2 cards are removed from each of the following characters: GAMBLER, HERMIT. 1 card is removed from each of the following characters: SAMURAI, NINJA, HEALER, COLLECTOR, DEVIL, CHEERLEADER.
It is recommended to add cheerleader after you are familiar with the game.
Initial Party
(4-5 player game)
If you are new to KINGS, we recommend playing with the following initial parties. Discuss or randomly decide which of these parties each player will use. If the party is chosen randomly, deal one 13(K) playing card face down to each player, and each player will use the party whose KING matches the color printed on the face of the card they received.
- White KING Party: White KING, White QUEEN, White JACK, plus COLLECTOR, RESISTANCE, HERMIT.
- Red KING Party: Red KING, Red QUEEN, Red JACK, plus SAMURAI, NINJA, HERMIT.
- Blue KING Party: Blue KING, Blue QUEEN, Blue JACK, plus HEALER, RESISTANCE, HERMIT.
- Green KING Party: Green KING, Green QUEEN, Green JACK, plus HEALER, DEVIL, HERMIT.
- Black KING Party: Black KING, Black QUEEN, Black JACK, plus BERSERKER, SAMURAI, HERMIT.
The remaining character cards (HERMIT, BERSERKER, NINJA, COLLECTOR) are used for round 2 or later.
Round 1
1. Deal playing cards
Shuffle the playing cards face down well and form a deck. Deal 5 cards from the deck to each player. Each player looks at their hand.
2. Form a party (open draft)
Each player organizes a party with a set of KQJ and 3 characters. (See page 18 for details) It is recommended to use the initial party until you are familiar with the game. The player with the smallest KING Number takes the Start Player Card and places it to the left of the KING.
3. BID
Place KQJ in front of you, and add 3 character cards to your hand. Choose one of the three character cards to use for bidding, and everyone simultaneously puts it face down in front of them. Next, place the remaining two character cards face up in front of you.
4. Set Up
Set up your characters according to their respective instructions. (Refer to character description P31~)
5. Play tricks
The player with the Start Player Card is the lead player for the first trick (the player who plays the first card in the trick). In clockwise order, each player puts one card face up in front of them. The player who wins the trick becomes the lead player for the next trick. Do 5 tricks until your hand is depleted.
6. Gain victory points
Victory points are earned according to the conditions, such as a successful BID.
- Points from successful BID
- Points from number of wins — Jack 0-3 wins; Hermit 0 wins, Berserker 1 win; Ninja 2 wins, Devil 3 wins (negative points)
- Points from successful BID when using GAMBLER
- Points from cards taken in tricks — HEALER, COLLECTOR, KING (face down)
Form a party (Open Draft) in Round 1
Form a party (Open Draft)
(Example of a 5-player game)
Each player lays out a KQJ and character cards (including character-specific cards) in front of them.
Decide the first player by rock-paper-scissors, etc., and acquire a "KQJ set" or "1 character card" in clockwise order from that player. After everyone has taken their turn, the player who was last in their turn begins another round counter-clockwise. Then repeat the same process one more time clockwise. And doing it one last time counter-clockwise, each player has fulfilled a total of 4 opportunities for selection. It is possible for one player to acquire multiple copies of the same character card. However, the "KQJ Set" can only be obtained once for each player. Place all unselected characters aside for now. They will become available for selection again in Round 2.
[1st draft] 1→2→3→4→5 [2nd draft] 5→4→3→2→1 [3rd draft] 1→2→3→4→5 [4th draft] 5→4→3→2→1
Round 2
1. Deal playing cards
(same as Round 1)
2. Form a party (open draft)
[2-a] Return the character cards: Each player turns the character card they used to BID, face up. Then place the 3 character cards in the center of the table.
[2-b] Add character cards: Place the character cards not selected in the previous round in the center of the table.
[2-c] Acquire character cards: The player with the smallest KING Number takes the Start Player Card. Acquire one character card in ascending order from the player who has the smallest KING Number. However, each player cannot select the 3 character cards they used in the previous round. For example, if you used GAMBLER, RESISTANCE and COLLECTOR in the last round, first place these 3 character cards in the center of the table. You cannot select these 3 cards, but you can select the card that other players put in the middle (even if it's the same character you used in the last round).
After everyone acquires one character card, they acquire another character card in ascending order from the player who has the smallest KING Number. Repeat this until everyone has 3 character cards. Any character cards left unselected during this procedure will not be used in this round, so keep them aside.
3. BID
(same as Round 1)
4. Set Up
Prepare the character cards in front of you. If you used a QUEEN in the previous round, you can turn it face up and make it available again by paying the number of victory points shown on its back.
5. Play tricks
(same as Round 1)
6. Gain victory points
(same as Round 1)
Round 3
1. Deal playing cards
(same as Round 2)
2. Form a party (open draft)
(same as Round 2)
3. BID
Put 3 character cards and JACK together in your hand. Only in Round 3, JACKs can be used to BID by turning them face down. (p14) Each player BIDs by simultaneously placing 1 or 2 of the four cards (3 character cards and JACK) face down in front of them.
4. Set Up
(same as Round 2)
5. Play tricks
(same as Round 2)
6. Gain victory points
(same as Round 2) If your KING remains unused (face up), you gain points.
7. Determine the winner of the game
The player with the most points wins the game. If there is a tie, the player with the smallest KING Number is the winner.
Expansion Rules: Make a Contract with the Devil
Devil's contract card
The KING not selected by the players makes a contract with the Devil. The KING card that made a contract with the Devil is placed beside the Devil contract card. If you win a trick with a card of the same color as the KING who contracted the Devil, 10 victory points will be deducted for each card collected of that color during Round 1 and Round 2. However, in Round 3, flip the Devil's contract card face down, revealing the black side. In Round 3, you will lose 20 victory points per card collected.
4-player game (Expansion rules)
In each round of "Form a party (open draft)", the KING not chosen by any player will make a contract with the Devil. However, the Devil's contract is not in Round 1, so be sure to place it aside until Round 2 starts.
3-player game (Expansion rules)
KINGs that were not selected by any player in "Form a party (open draft)" in round 1 will be the ones who will make a contract with the Devil. The Kings will not make a contract with the Devil in Round 1, so be sure to place it aside until Round 2 starts. In round 2, the KING with the lower number on the card of the two unchosen KINGs will make a contract with the Devil, and in round 3 the other KING will make the contract.
2-player game
In each round of "Form a party (open draft)", the KING not chosen by any player will make a contract with the Devil. (See pages 23 and 24) The KING makes a contract with the Devil in each round. So Devil's contract card will be used from round 1.
2 Player Game
Changes from normal rules
- Play 9 tricks each round with 9 cards in hand.
- You may acquire the character card used in the previous round.
- If you use JACK face up, you can increase the current number of bids by 3 at any time. JACKs may be used even when scoring victory points after the round is over. When using, place the JACK face down under the card used to BID in such a way that the number "3" on the JACK is visible. For example, a BID with GAMBLER will be successful with 0, 2, 3 or 5 wins. Note that 3 is added to the number of BIDs, not the number of tricks won.
- JACK can be used face down from Round 1. However, if you play the JACK face down, you cannot add 3 to the number of BIDs. If JACK is played face down, the 3 character cards must be played face up.
- Only one card is used for bidding even in Round 3. However, the score for a successful BID in the round is doubled.
- At the start of round 3, if there is a difference of 100 victory points or more between the players, another KING will come to assist the losing side.
- Use the Devil's contract card. (P22)
Game preparation
- Deal out 50 victory points to each player.
- Choose a set of KQJ. Which of the two players will use which KQJ set is decided by "discussion" or "random" method. If random, deal one playing card 13 (K) face down to each player and they use the set of KQJ that corresponds to the face color of that card received. Of the unchosen sets, Q and J are returned to the box.
- Decide which KING to contract with the Devil in each round. KINGs not selected by the player make a contract with the Devil. Use playing card 13 (K) to determine the order of KINGs to contract with the Devil. Pull out the 13 (K) of the playing card of the same color as the KING used by each player, shuffle them face down, and turn them face up to check the order. Stack the three KINGs face up in the same order. This is called the KING's deck. Place the Devil's Contract card next to the KING's deck. The color of the top card of the KING's deck will be the color of the cards to be deducted in Round 1. After this, return playing card 13 (K) to the box. The 2nd card indicates the color of the cards to be deducted for Round 2 and the 3rd card for Round 3. You can check the order of the KING's deck at any time during the game.
- Prepare character cards (8 cards). 1 each of GAMBLER, HERMIT, RESISTANCE, BERSERKER, SAMURAI, NINJA, HEALER and COLLECTOR are used in the game. [Notes about BERSERKER] Add two black 10 cards to your hand instead of one, then discard two cards from your hand.
- Prepare playing cards (28 cards). Remove cards with number 6, 7, 8, and 9 from the playing cards, and shuffle well the rest face down to form a deck.
Round 1
- Deal 9 playing cards each.
- Form a party (open draft). The player with the smallest KING Number takes the Start Player Card. From the player with the smaller KING Number, each player takes turns choosing one character card until they acquire 3 character cards. The remaining character cards are not used in this round. (Keep them under the Devil's contract card)
- BID. Choose one of the 3 character cards or JACK to use for bidding, and place it face down (BID) at the same time in front of each player. The remaining character cards are also placed face up in front of them.
- Set up
- Play tricks
- Gain VP
Round 2
- Take the top card of the KING's deck and put it on the bottom of the deck. The color of the newly revealed card at the top becomes the color of the cards to be deducted in this round.
- Deal 9 playing cards each.
- Form a party (open draft). Place the 8 character cards in the center of the table. Even cards used in the previous round can be acquired.
- BID
- Set up
- Play tricks
- Gain VP
Round 3
- In the same way as Round 2, reveal a new KING from the KING's deck, which determines the color of the cards to be deducted in this round. Then turn the Devil's contract card face down to the black side. 20 points will be deducted for each card of the color subject to deduction.
- Deal 9 playing cards each.
- Form a party (open draft)
- For every 100 VP difference between players, the losing side can acquire one of the KING cards contracted with Devil in Round 1 and Round 2. (If the point difference is 200 points or more, both KINGs are acquired.) The acquired KINGs are placed face up in front of the player and used as normal KINGs.
- BID (VP for a successful BID are doubled)
- Set up
- Play tricks
- Gain VP (make sure to add VP from unused KING cards)
- The player with the most points wins the game. If there is a tie, the player with the smallest KING Number is the winner.
"I am KING" (for 3 players only)
Traditional trick-taking game. Yo soy el hombre — 17th century "Hombre" (KINGs remake ver.)
Game overview and changes
- KINGs remake of "Hombre (Ombre)", a traditional trick-taking game: a game for 3 players.
- Play 9 tricks with 9 cards in hand.
- In each round, players bid for "The right to be KING and pick the trump card". (Auction) The player who wins the bid becomes the "KING". The remaining two players are called "Rivals". KING chooses one of "five types of KING cards". The selected KING's color becomes the trump card. Under normal rules, black is a stronger card (trump card) than other 3 colors, but in this game, the color chosen by the KING is the stronger card. For example, if the Red KING is chosen, the card (trump card) is red that is stronger than the three colors (blue = green = black).
- KING aims to win more tricks than his Rivals.
- After 3 rounds, the player with the most points wins the game. In case of a tie, share the victory.
- 43 playing cards with one White Flag card removed are used.
- Character cards are not used. The effect on the back side of KING card is not used.
Flow of the round
- Prepare sets of KQJ. Place 5 types of KQJ on the table.
- Deal 9 playing cards (+3 cards). Deal 9 + 3 cards, and the players look at their 9-card hand. (a deck of 5 cards will remain) The 3 cards are called "auction cards" and are used for bidding. (Don't look at the face side)
- Auction (bid for the right to be the KING and pick the trump card). In Round 1, the first player is determined by rock paper scissors, etc., and the bid is made clockwise from that player. In the next round, the player next in order to the first player in the previous round starts bidding. So, in 3 rounds, each player bids once as the first player.
- Acquire a KQJ set. KING player chooses any KQJ set. The color of the KQJ set chosen by the KING will be the trump (cards with a stronger color than the other three colors) for this round. The KING player acquires the Start Player Card and places it on top of the JACK. Rivals choose their KQJ set in clockwise order from the KING player. Rival players turn their KING and JACK cards face down. Rival players cannot use their KING Card. Rival players get 100 points with exactly 3 wins. (Effect of back side of JACK)
- Play 9 tricks.
- Gain Victory Points. If the KING is the only player with the highest number of trick wins: +100 pts. [Bonus for KING] 5 wins or more: +100 pts. Rivals stop KING from becoming 1st alone: +100 pts each. [Bonus for rivals] Win exactly 3 tricks: +100 pts.
Auction (bid for the right to be the KING and pick the trump card)
The starting player of the auction declares "KING". (0 auction cards) Say "I am the KING" aloud when declaring the KING.
The next player can choose to "Declare KING" or "Pass". If you're declaring the KING, place 1-3 auction cards face down in front of you. If the next player also declares the KING and overwrites the rights, they must put out the same number or larger auction cards in front of them. If you "pass", you lose the right to participate in the auction. (hard pass) The auction continues until two players pass. [Hint] The player who starts the auction can always win the auction if they overwrite the declaration with the same number of the auction cards.
The KING player adds the auction cards not used in the auction to their hand. Discard the same number of cards as the number of cards added to your hand. (You should have 9 cards in your hand) If you have used 3 auction cards in the auction, you cannot exchange your hand.
Rivals add 3 Auction Cards to their hand whether or not they have used them in the auction, then discard 3 cards from their hand. You can discard the cards even after receiving the KQJ set.
White KING (This is different from the usual rules)
If the white KING is chosen, there will be no trump. The white KING can be placed on any card. First, play the cards from your hand as normal. The must-follow rules must be observed. Then place the White KING card on top of it.
White Flag (This is different from the usual rules)
White Flag beat Rare. Instantly +100 pts for each win against a Rare. If a White flag and a Rare are played in a trick, the White Flag wins. If White Flag, Rare, and KING cards are played in a trick, the KING card wins the trick.
+200 pts if 2 White Flag and 2 Rare are played in a trick. This rule also applies when a card is turned into a Rare by White QUEEN effect. This rule also applies when a card is turned into a White Flag by Blue QUEEN effect.
If two White Flag cards (Blue QUEEN) and a Rare card are played in a trick, the first White Flag card played wins the trick.
Red QUEEN (This is different from the usual rules)
If you win the trick by playing Red QUEEN on your turn, Red QUEEN effect will be activated.
"UNION" (for 4 players only)
Traditional trick-taking game. 18th century "Whist" (KINGs remake ver.)
Game overview and changes
- KINGs remake of "Whist", a traditional trick-taking game: a game for 4 players.
- Played 2 vs 2. Team up with your partner and aim to win more tricks than the other team.
- The game consists of 2-3 rounds.
- KING and QUEEN effects can only be used once in a game.
- Play 11 tricks with 11 cards in hand.
- All 44 playing cards are used.
- JACK will be replaced with Playing Card 11(J).
- No character cards are used.
- The effect on the back side of KING card is not used.
Round 1
- Team up with a partner. Split into two groups of 2 players in any way you like. Take your seats in such a way that players on the same team face each other.
- Prepare "KQJ Set" and "White Flag and Rare". Replace JACK with playing card 11 (J) and place the KQJ set on the table. Place 2 White Flag cards and 2 Rare cards on the table.
- Deal 9 playing cards. Deal 9 cards to each player from the 40 playing cards. (A deck of 4 cards remains.)
- Acquire "KQJ Set" and "White Flag or Rare". The player who wins rock-paper-scissors, etc., will acquire a "set of KQJ" or "one white flag card or rare card" clockwise. After each player has done this once, do this once more in the opposite direction, starting with the player who Acquired the last card. Add "Playing Card 11 (J)" and "White Flag or Rare" to your hand. (11 cards in your hand) KING and QUEEN cards is placed in your hand. The player with the smallest KING Number card acquires the Start Player Card. 1 set of KQJ left unobtained will be returned to the box.
- Play 11 tricks.
- Gain Victory Points. The team that wins the most tricks gains 100 points. If Red Queen effect is triggered and there is a tie for the number of tricks won, both teams score 100 points.
White Flag (This is different from the usual rules)
White Flag beat Rare. If a White flag and a Rare are played in a trick, the White Flag wins. If White Flag, Rare, and King cards are played in a trick, the KING card wins the trick. If 2 White Flag cards are played in a trick, the first White Flag card played wins the trick. If a White Flag, Rare, and King card are played in a trick, the King card wins the trick. This rule also applies when a card is turned into a Rare by White QUEEN effect. This rule also applies when a card is turned into a White Flag by Blue QUEEN effect.
Red QUEEN (This is different from the usual rules)
If you win the trick by playing Red QUEEN on your turn, Red QUEEN effect will be activated.
Green QUEEN (This is different from the usual rules)
Green QUEEN can be used twice in the game. After the first use, rotate the Green QUEEN card 90 degrees. After the second use, turn the card face down.
White JACK (Playing Card 11)
White JACK ignores the must-follow rule and can be played at any time on your turn. White JACK is treated as a card with the same color as the lead color. If led by a White JACK, the next player may play any card. If the next player plays a number card, the color of that card becomes the lead color and determines the color of the White JACK. You can put the White KING on top of the White JACK.
Round 2 (3)
- Deal playing card 11 (J). Take playing card 11 (J) of your color in your hand.
- Prepare "White Flag and Rare".
- Deal 9 playing cards.
- Acquire "White Flag or Rare". The player with the smallest numbered KING Number acquires the Start Player Card. Acquire "1 white flag or 1 rare" in order from the player with the smallest KING Number.
- Play 11 tricks.
- Gain Victory Points.
- Determine the winning team. If both teams score 100 points each and tie, the game continues to Round 3. The team that scores 200 points wins the game. If both teams are still tied scoring 200 points each, the team with the smaller total KING Number wins the game.
"EMPEROR" (for 5 players only)
Traditional trick-taking game. 18th (Napoleon) - 19th century (Japanese ver.) "Napoleon" (KINGs remake ver.)
Game overview and changes
- KINGs remake of "Napoleon", a traditional trick-taking game: a game for 5 players.
- Played 2 vs 3. The team with the more victory points wins the game.
- A round consists of 2 rounds.
- KING effects can only be used once in a game.
- Play 9 tricks with 9 cards in hand.
- All 44 playing cards are used.
- JACK will be replaced with Playing Card 11(J).
- QUEEN will be replaced with Playing Card 12 (Q).
- No character cards are used.
Round 1
- Prepare "KQJ Set". Replace JACK with Playing Card 11 (J). Replace QUEEN with Playing Card 12 (Q). Place the KQJ sets on the table.
- Deal 8 playing cards. Deal 8 cards to each player from the 44 playing cards. (A deck of 4 cards remains.)
- Acquire "KQJ Set". Select one number card (1 to 10) from your hand and place it face down in front of you. Once everyone has drawn a card, turn it face up. Acquire "KQJ set" in descending order of the numbers on the card. If the numbers are the same, acquire the set in the order of Black > Red > Blue > Green. "White and Black" and "Red, Blue and Green" form teams. Acquired playing cards 11 (J) and 12 (Q) are kept in your hand. White KING adds 4 cards from the deck to their hand and discards 4 cards from their hand. You may not discard the White Flag, Rare, JACK, and QUEEN cards. The White KING Acquires the Start Player Card. The White KING is called the "Emperor" and the Black KING is called the "Partner".
- Swap JACKs within the team. White JACK and Black JACK are exchanged. The Red-Blue-Green team passes their JACKs clockwise.
- Play 9 tricks.
- Gain Victory Points.
White JACK and QUEEN (Playing Card 11 and 12)
White JACK & QUEEN ignore the must-follow rule and can be played at any time on your turn. White JACK (QUEEN) is treated as a card with the same color as the lead color. If led by a White JACK (QUEEN), the next player may play any card. If the next player plays a number card, the color of that card becomes the lead color and determines the color of the White JACK (QUEEN). You can put the White KING on top of the White QUEEN. When you lead a trick, you may not place Black KING on top of White JACK. Black KING can be placed on White JACK only when the lead color is black.
Gain Victory Points
- +10 pts per trick
- +10 pts for each card with the same color as the KING taken in a trick (back side of the KING card)
- +10 pts for each JACK, QUEEN, or Rare card from tricks
- -10 for each White Flag card taken from tricks (total all positive points first, then subtract negative points)
- +60 (50/40/30/20) pts if the KING card is unused (Round 2 only)
Round 2
- Deal playing card 11 (J) and 12 (Q). Take playing card 11 (J) and 12 (Q) of your color in your hand. The player with the smallest KING Number acquires the Start Player Card.
- Deal 7 playing cards. Deal 7 cards from 44 playing cards. (A deck consisting of 8 cards remains.) White KING adds 4 cards from the deck to their hand and discards 4 cards from their hand. The Black or Red KING of the team with the fewer points adds 4 cards from the deck to their hand and discards 4 cards from their hand. You may not discard the White Flag, Rare, JACK, and QUEEN cards.
- Swap JACKs within the team.
- Play 9 tricks.
- Gain Victory Points.
- Determine the winning team. The team with the more victory points wins the game. In the event of a tie, the team with the smaller total of the KING Number within the team wins the game. If KING Number of a tie too, Emperor wins the game.
Character Cards
GAMBLER
BID: 0 wins +30 pts, 2 wins +60 pts.
Set Up: When "Set up", take 2 cards from the deck and discard 2 cards from your hand.
Gain VP: Score victory points: +20 pts if the BID is successful.
[Note] +20 pts can only be obtained when the bid is successful. For example, +20 pts will not be added to the score obtained for the number of tricks won when using JACK face up. [Note] If you are bidding with 2 cards in Round 3 and you successfully BID on both, you will only gain 20 bonus points for that success.
[DEVIL] If the Devil is used face down (BID), the Gambler's successful BID will be triggered if any one of the other players misses their BID.
HERMIT
BID: 2 wins +40 pts, 3 wins +70 pts.
Turn (x1): You can use the ability on your turn. Take 3 cards from the deck and discard 3 cards from your hand. You can only use this ability once per round. After use, rotate this character card 90 degrees to indicate that its ability has been used.
Gain VP: 0 wins +20 pts.
RESISTANCE
BID: 1 win +40 pts, 3 wins +70 pts.
Turn: The ability can be used any number of times on your turn.
- The number "1" card can be played as "10" card.
- The number "10" card can be played as "1" card.
- A White flag card can be played as a Rare card.
- A Rare card can be played as a White Flag card.
When using the ability, declare it aloud when putting the playing card into play. You can play the card as is without changing its strength. For example, a Rare can be played normally as a Rare. "When changing a '1' to a '10' or a '10' to a '1' the color must remain the same. So Red 1 can only be played as a Red 10."
[White QUEEN] After you turn a card into a Rare by using White QUEEN effect, you can use the RESISTANCE ability to turn it into a White Flag. [Blue QUEEN] After you turn a card into a White Flag by using the Blue QUEEN effect, you can use the RESISTANCE ability to turn it into a Rare.
BERSERKER
BID: 0 wins +50 pts.
Set Up: When "Set up", add the "black 10" Berserker card to your hand. Then discard one card from your hand. You can choose to discard the "black 10" Berserker card after adding it to your hand.
[2-player game] Add 2 "black 10" Berserker cards to your hand and discard 2 cards from your hand.
Gain VP: 1 win +20 pts.
[RESISTANCE] It is possible to play the "black 10" Berserker card and then use the RESISTANCE ability to turn it into "black 1". [Black KING] It is possible to play the "black 10" Berserker card and then place the Black KING on top of the card.
SAMURAI
BID: 1 win +60 pts.
Skill: Red cards become as strong as black cards.
SAMURAI abilities are automatically activated.
- A red card cannot be played as a red card's strength, it is always played as a black card's strength.
- When SAMURAI plays Red 10, it is as strong as Black 10. If both the red 10 played by SAMURAI and the black 10 played by another player are in one trick, the one played earlier is considered stronger. (Rule: Advantage of playing earlier)
A red card is considered a red card when played.
- If SAMURAI leads with a red card, other players must follow the color red.
- If you get a red card played by SAMURAI in a trick, the card you got is considered a red card.
- When SAMURAI plays a red card, Red KING can be put on it.
- When SAMURAI plays a red card, it cannot have a Black KING on it.
It's not that black cards become as strong as red cards.
- Note that even if SAMURAI plays a black card, the strength of the card remains that of black.
NINJA
BID: 2 wins +70 pts.
Lead Play: If you are the lead player, you can appoint another player as the lead player instead of yourself.
- You can start playing as the lead player without appointing another player as the lead player.
- If you are NINJA and appointed as the lead player by the other NINJA, you can appoint one of the other players as the role (including the Ninja who appointed you just before).
Gain VP: 2 win +30 pts.
HEALER
BID: 1 win +20 pts, 2 wins +50 pts. Max 50.
Gain VP: +10 pts for each blue or green card taken in the tricks (up to 50 pts).
[Ex] Take 1 blue card and 2 green cards in the tricks. Gain 30 pts. 1 blue card x 10 pts + 2 green cards x 10 pts = 30 pts. [Ex] Take 3 blue cards and 3 green cards in the tricks. Gain 50 pts. 3 blue cards x 10 pts + 3 green cards x 10 pts = 60 pts; however, 50 is the maximum point you can gain.
When playing a round with 2 HEALERs: HEALER effects are calculated separately. For example, if you take 3 blue cards in the tricks: Gain 60 pts (10 pts x 3 cards + 10 pts x 3 cards).
When playing a round with Blue KING: HEALER and Blue KING effect are calculated separately. For example, if you take 3 blue cards in the tricks: Gain 70 pts (HEALER: 40 pts, Blue KING: 30 pts).
When playing a round with Green KING: HEALER and Green KING effect are calculated separately. For example, if you take 3 green cards in the tricks: Gain 120 pts (HEALER: 50 pts, Green KING: 70 pts).
COLLECTOR
BID: 0 wins +30 pts, 1 win +20 pts, 2 wins +40 pts. Max 80.
Gain VP: +20/50/80 pts depending on the number of White Flag card or Rare cards taken in the tricks.
[Ex] Take 2 White Flags in the tricks. Gain 50 pts. [Ex] Take 1 White Flag and 1 Rare in the tricks. Gain 50 pts. [Ex] Take 2 White Flags and 2 Rares. Gain 80 pts. 2 White Flags and 2 Rares are taken; however, 80 is the maximum point that you can gain.
When playing a round with 2 COLLECTORs: The COLLECTOR effects are calculated separately. For example, if you take 2 White Flags and 1 Rare: Gain 160 pts (80 pts + 80 pts).
When playing a round with White KING: The COLLECTOR effect and White KING effect are calculated separately. For example, if you take 2 White Flags and 2 Rares in the tricks: Gain 230 pts (COLLECTOR: 80 pts + White KINGs: 150 pts).
DEVIL
BID: 3 wins, +2 (increases number of trick wins by 2), -20.
Gain VP: Increases the number of trick wins by 2.
DEVIL's abilities are automatically activated.
The abilities are active throughout the round, it is impossible to successfully BID 0 wins or 1 win with the DEVIL.
[Red QUEEN] The DEVIL effect and The Red QUEEN effect are calculated separately. For example, if you play 5 tricks with Red QUEEN effect activated, even if you haven't won a single trick, the 2 effects are added together, so the number of tricks won in the round is considered to be 3.
Gain VP: -20 pts for 3 wins. After calculating all the positive points, the negative points are subtracted from the total.
[x BID] The number of players who missed the BID x 30 pts. For example, if there are 2 other players who miss the BID, you gain 60 pts (2 players x 30 pts).
[GAMBLER] The DEVIL effect and The GAMBLER effect are calculated separately. If any one of the other players misses the bid, the GAMBLER effect "Successful BID" is activated. (+20 pts)
CHEERLEADER (expansion character)
When using the cheerleader face up:
Bid: BIDs cannot be made if the CHEERLEADER is used face up. Abilities of 2 characters other than CHEERLEADER are available (face up). After the other players have finished bidding, choose one of them and give the player the "KIZUNA" card. The player who received the KIZUNA card becomes your partner for the round.
Turn (x1): This ability can be used during your turn. You can exchange cards with your partner. You can only do this once in the round. After completing the exchange, rotate the CHEERLEADER card 90 degrees to indicate that the ability has been used.
Give your partner one card face down from your hand. Your partner looks at the card and gives you one card face down from their hand. Partners may return the card received.
You may discuss with your partner when to exchange cards, but do not exchange information regarding the strength of the cards to be exchanged.
KIZUNA card [When using the cheerleader face up]
Gain VP:
- Your cards won in tricks and the number of tricks won are not taken into account when scoring Victory Points. Instead, the partner's "BID", "cards taken in tricks", and "the number of tricks won" are taken into account when scoring. So you help your partner make a successful BID.
- The ability to gain points by cards taken in tricks refer to the cards taken in tricks by your partner. (HEALER, COLLECTOR, KING)
- In Round 3, if your partner bids with 2 cards, refer to those 2 cards.
[Red QUEEN] Whether Red QUEEN is used by CHEERLEADER or is used by the partner, the partner's trick wins are increased by 1.
Advanced Rules: Only the player who uses the Red QUEEN will have one more trick win. For example, if a cheerleader uses Red QUEEN effect, only the CHEERLEADER trick wins are increased by 1.
[DEVIL] If the partner uses the DEVIL's BID, check to see if any player, excluding Cheerleader and the partner, successfully BID. CHEERLEADER and the partner do not gain victory points if all other players have successfully BID.
Example: Red KING Player's "BID" and "the number of tricks won" and "cards taken in tricks" are taken into account when scoring. White KING Player's "BID" is successful.
COPY card [when using cheerleader face down (BID)]
When using Cheerleader face down (BID):
Bid: Copy the ability of 1 other player's BID card. When all other players have finished bidding, select one of those BID cards and place the "COPY card" next to it. The number of tricks won by CHEERLEADER is taken into account.
Perform the same scoring process as for partners. If CHEERLEADER copies DEVIL's BID ability, check to see if any players, excluding Cheerleader and DEVIL, successfully BID. CHEERLEADER and DEVIL do not gain victory points if all other players have successfully BID.
Example: Red KING Player's "BID" is taken into account when scoring. White KING Player's "BID" is successful.