Loot the Loop
Loot the Loop Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
The temple you're raiding is shaped like a closed loop (i.e., a donut), and the top card represents your physical location within it. You "move" through the temple, always forward, by moving cards from the top to the bottom of the deck. The temple's layout will be revealed as you explore, exposing traps you must avoid as you cycle multiple times through the deck. You win once you get all four jewels and land on the exit.
Components
- A standard 52-card deck with one joker.
- Aces are jewels you're trying to loot. Number cards (2-10) are minor trinkets in the temple. Face cards are traps you must avoid, while the Joker is the temple exit.
Setup
Shuffle the deck and hold it in one hand, face down. Leave space on the table for three cards (your notes) and a score pile.
Gameplay
The game is played over a series of turns. Each turn, you must perform exactly one of the following four actions. What actions are allowed depend on the top or top two cards of the deck.
| Action | Can only be performed if... |
|---|---|
| Look Around | The top card of the deck is face down |
| Explore | Either or both of the top two cards in the deck are face-up number cards (trinkets) |
| Mark a path | The top card of the deck is a face up number card (trinket), and you have less than three cards in your notes |
| Return to a marked path | You have at least one marked path in your notes |
1. Look Around
Turn the top two cards of the deck face up, careful to maintain their order. If the second card of the deck is already face up, just flip the top card and leave the second one as is.
You may ONLY perform this action if the top card of the deck is face down.
Note that this is the only action you can do at the start of the game. You generally want to perform this action whenever you can, as revealing the temple layout is of vital importance.
2. Explore
If either or both of the top two cards in the deck are face-up number cards (trinkets), choose one of those cards' values. Count exactly that many cards from the top of the deck and move them to the bottom, maintaining their order. Include the aforementioned top two cards in the count. You see a branching path and decide to take one, and see where it will lead you.
If there is only one face-up number card among the top two cards of the deck, you may only travel by that count. If neither of the two top cards of the deck are face up number cards, you may not use the explore action at all.
Each time you explore, after you move the required cards to the back, take note of the new top card of your deck. This is the room you land in.
- If it is a face-down card, nothing happens.
- If it is a face-up face card (trap), you lose the game.
- If it is a face-up ace (jewel) or trinket (number card), you nab it! You must move that card to your score pile.
- If it is a face-up joker (exit) and you have all four aces in your score pile, you exit the temple and end the game. Otherwise, nothing happens.
3. Mark a Path
If the top card of the deck is a number card (trinket), remove that card from the deck and place that card face up in front of you on the table in your notes. You can mark a maximum of three paths at any one time.
During your first pass through the deck, all cards are face down, so you'll spend it exploring, looking around, and taking notes. Once you start your second loop, some cards are already face up - start timing your movement to land on face up trinkets and jewels.
Remember that treasures you land on are removed from the temple, so the longer you stay the greater the density of traps!
4. Return to a Previously Marked Path
Return a path card of your choice from your notes to the top of the deck, face up.
Marking paths and returning to paths changes the top cards of your deck, and is the primary way to manipulate movement options when trying to land on specific cards.
Remember that marking and returning are separate actions. If your notes are already full, you can't "swap" a saved note and the top card of the deck.
Example
In the mid-game example, it seems like I'm stuck. I can only explore 4 or 6, both of which will land me on a trap. For example, if I explore 6, I move six cards from the top of the deck to the bottom - 4 of diamonds, 6 of diamonds, 10 of hearts, a facedown card, K of spades, and another facedown card. It will land me on the J of hearts which represents a pit of spikes or something equally painful. Exploring 4 lands me on the K of spades in the same way.
My notes are full, so I can't mark any new ones. Instead, I a) return the 7 of clubs from my notes to the top of the temple, then b) explore 4.
Four cards are sent to the back of the deck. But now that I have an extra card buffer, I just barely miss the K of spades and instead land on the facedown card. I'm safe!
I push the bottom cards back under the bulk of the deck as I won't need to worry about them until later. I c) look around and find 9 of hearts.
I can explore 9 to shoot ahead, but I want to land on the A of clubs to score it. Since my notes now have a free space, d) I mark the 9 of hearts to move it to my notes, then e) return the 5 of hearts.
f) I now explore 5. This lands me on the A of clubs and I remove it from the temple to score! As the card after the A of clubs is face down, g) I can look around as my next action, hopefully allowing me to explore further.
Game End
Continue exploring the temple and hunting for the jewels (aces) and exit (joker). If you get stuck in the temple and can't move, or all movement choices you have will land you on a trap, you lose the game.
If you land on the face-up exit after an explore action, check your score pile. If you already have all four jewels, you immediately escape the temple and win the game.
Your score is the total number of cards in your score pile, including trinkets. Yes, greed is rewarded - you're under no obligation to immediately seek the exit once you have all four jewels. If you think you can still nab more loot from the shrinking temple, by all means!
Other Notes
- You are free to look through the deck and all its face up cards at any time. You may even count cards to plan routes. You may not look at any face down cards, however.
- When traveling, it's helpful to first count off the total number of cards to move with your thumb, then transfer the whole block of cards to the back. It's easier than doing it one by one.
- It's possible to start the game with a really unlucky streak (like the top two cards being traps, and you can't even move once). Just restart the game, or just shrug and accept that's the life of a treasure hunter.