Linko
Linko Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Info
For 2 to 5 Players, Ages 10 and Up
By: Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling
Design: Oliver Freudenreich · DE Ravensburger, KniffDesign (game instructions)
Editor: Philipp Sprick
Contents
110 cards: 104 number cards (8 sets, each from 1-13) · 5 joker cards ("X") · 1 Linko card
Game Setup
- Lay down the Linko card before the youngest player.
- Shuffle the remaining cards and give each player 13 cards. Hold your cards so that the other players can't see them.
- With the remaining cards form a draw pile and lay it down in the middle of the table. Leave some room to the left for the discard pile. Turn over the top 6 cards, laying them face up to the right of the draw pile, one after the other, to form a row.
Example of a game with 4 players: Each of the four players (Andy, Ben, Daniel, Catharine) holds a hand of cards. In the middle of the table there is an empty discard pile, a draw pile, and a card row of 6 face-up cards.
How to Play
The youngest player starts.
Play in a clockwise direction.
When it's your turn, either lay down a single card of your choice, or multiple cards with the same number face up in front of you (see example 1a).
Example 1a: Andy decides to play one of his two 7 cards. He could have also played both, or even up to three of his 6 cards, for example.
Example 1b: Andy plays... a 7 in the first round, three 6 cards + joker in the second round, two 12 cards in the third round.
If the player already has cards in their stack, new cards are laid on top, overlapping the ones already lying on the table. Neither the number of cards nor their value needs to match the cards already in the stack (see example 1b).
Once the cards have been played, compare them with the top cards of the other players, moving from one player's stack to the next. Check to see if anybody's cards can be snatched (see below). If they can't, their turn is over.
Snatch!
Players' stacked cards can be snatched in one of three ways:
- they're moved to the discard pile
- or the player is forced to pick them up
- or the current player picks them up and adds them to his hand!
If the card(s) played by the current player match(es) the number of cards at the top of another player's stack and the number on the card(s) is greater, the stacked cards must be snatched! If the current player snatches stacked cards from more than one player, they do so in a clockwise direction.
The current player first has to decide if they want the snatched cards or not.
- If they do, they pick them up. The robbed player must replenish their hand with the same number of cards that were stolen.
- If they don't, the robbed player must decide:
- Either pick up the snatched cards from their stack back into their hand,
- or they discard them onto the discard pile and draws the same number of cards. The cards cannot remain in the meld!
For each card that they have to draw, the robbed player can choose to draw from the card row or from the draw pile. Only once they've drawn all their cards, is the card row replenished to a total of 6 cards (if possible).
After snatching cards from the player to their left, the current player checks the stacks of the other players, one after the other in a clockwise direction, to see if they can also snatch their cards. (It's possible to snatch cards from multiple players in a single turn, but a player may not be robbed multiple times on a single turn). Once the current player has finished snatching cards, their turn is over and the next player begins their turn.
Tip: Snatching your neighbors' cards is usually a good idea: the fewer cards they have in their stack at the end of the game, the fewer points they'll get. And if you pick them up and stack them yourself, you'll get the points!
Example 2a: Snatching Cards
Andy plays a pair of 12 cards and compares them with his neighbors' cards. Andy's pair of twelves is...
- ... greater than Ben's 3, but the number of cards is different, so he can't snatch Ben's 3 card.
- ... greater than Catharine's nines, and the number of cards is also the same → Andy snatches Catharine's nines! Andy decides to add Catharine's nines to his own hand. Catharine has to draw two new cards.
- ... greater than Daniel's sevens, and the number of cards also matches → he snatches them! But this time, Andy doesn't want the pair of sevens. Daniel must decide: Either pick them up, or discard them and draw two new cards.
Example 2b: Snatching Cards
It's Ben's turn. He plays a 13 and snatches Daniel's 5 card 2! Ben's 13 is higher than Catharine's 1 and Andy's 3 cards, but the number of cards is different. → They can't be snatched.
The Dilemma Diagram
The current player compares their card(s) that they just played with the uppermost cards of each of their neighbors, one after the other in a clockwise direction, one time only.
Same number of cards and the card played has a higher card number?
- NO → No cards are snatched!
- YES → Does the current player want the snatched cards?
- YES → The current player adds the cards to their hand. AND the robbed player replenishes their hand.
- NO → Robbed player decides: EITHER move card(s) to discard pile and replenish hand, OR pick up cards.
Tips & Tricks
- Decoy Playing a card that can be easily snatched (e.g., a single, low-numbered card), may give you the opportunity to draw a better card from the card row.
- Everything counts in large amounts Lower-numbered cards are often easy to collect. By playing several of them at once (e.g., six deuces), they won't be easily snatched.
- Home stretch Keep an eye on how many cards your neighbors have in their hands. The game can be over faster than you think! On the home stretch, you should try to avoid picking up snatched cards ...
Don't Forget!
- Snatching is not voluntary. If all the conditions are met, the stacked cards must be snatched!
- Cards can be snatched even with single cards.
- Cards can be snatched as early as the first round (beginning with the second player).
- Each player only plays a card/cards once per turn.
- Only the active player can snatch cards.
- Only the uppermost cards in the stack can be snatched.
- Snatched cards end up in the current player's hand, the robbed player's hand, or in the discard pile. They never stay in the player's stack.
Joker
The joker card can be played with a number card or by itself. When it's played with a number card, it takes on the same value as the number card. Played by itself, it has the highest value on the table.
Example: Two joker cards snatch two 13 cards.
Linko Card (optional)
The Linko card shows who's turn it is. When a player finishes their turn, it's passed to the next player on their left. This can help you keep track of who's turn it is when cards are being snatched left and right.
End
The game is over as soon as a player has no cards left in their hand. That means no more cards are snatched once the last card has been played!
The game is also over as soon as the card row and draw pile have been used up. The game can end abruptly in the middle of someone's turn!
Each player counts their points:
- Every stacked card counts for one point.
- Every card in a player's hand counts as one minus point.
Note: The number on the card doesn't matter!
Subtract the minus points. The player with the most points wins. In the event of a tie, all players with the most points win the game.
If you want to play more than one game, write down all the points for each game. Everyone takes turns as the start player. After everyone's had a turn to start the game (however many rounds you've decided to play), all the points are added up. The player with the most points wins.
Duel Variant (2 Players)
By Wolfgang Kramer & Michael Kiesling. In this version for two players, only the following rules differ to those of the original game.
Game Setup (Duel)
- Both players are dealt 2 jokers and 11 cards each.
- Also playing in the duel is a "ghost player": The ghost player is dealt 13 cards which are displayed face-up. Sort these by value, to see which appear as single cards, pairs, etc.
- Place all 13s and jokers from the ghost player's hand onto the lowest cards of the open card row, to form card pairs (see illustration).
- Replenish the ghost's hand to 13 cards. If 13s/jokers turn up, they are placed on the card row again, the hand is replenished once more, etc.
Exception: If the card row is already filled with card pairs, spare 13s/jokers are removed from the game.
Card Row (Duel)
If a player takes a card pair from the card row (see above), this only counts as one drawn card.
Ghost-Snatching
If a player plays cards with which he snatches cards from the ghost, the player must pick up these snatched cards. If able to snatch multiple combinations (e.g. 5s and 8s), that player must choose one combination.
Example: The active player plays a 12. That player must snatch a 3 or an 8 or a 10 from the ghost and chooses the 8.
Subsequently, the ghost's hand is replenished to 13 cards from the draw pile. 13s and jokers are placed on the open card row, as described.
If the active player snatches cards from the opponent and the ghost, the cards are snatched from the ghost first, the ghost's cards are replenished second, and then cards are snatched from the opponent.
Remember: Cards snatched from the ghost must be picked up; cards snatched from the opponent may be picked up.
The ghost never plays any cards and therefore never snatches cards.
Sequence:
Firstly: Snatch from ghost and replenish hand (13s, joker → card row!).
Then: Snatch from opponent and potentially replenish card row.
Snatching from opponent: as always.
Shadow does not play any cards.
No snatching once the last cards are played.
End of Game (Duel)
The end and scoring remains the same, therefore no cards are snatched — not even from the ghost — once the last cards are played!
© 2014 Ravensburger Spieleverlag