Loser
Loser Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 19 playing cards (one of each value from 1 to 19)
- 2 double-sided action cards (with 4 actions on them)
- 23 special cards (with some crazy effects!)
- 6 "characters" (sets of 2 cards)
Aim of the Game
In each round you must do your best to end up with the right card and upset your opponents' plans, but be careful during the vote: one mistake and you're the loser!
Set-up
- Each player receives a "character" (a set of 2 cards) and places it on the table in front of him (human side up).
- Place the 2 double-sided action cards any sides up in the center of the table.
- Shuffle all 23 special cards to form a draw pile and place it in the center of the table.
- Shuffle the playing cards. Deal them to the players (face-down) and place the rest on the table (face-down and/or face-up) according to the number of players:
| № of players | Cards in hand | Face-up cards on the table | Face-down cards on the table |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Each player keeps his playing cards in his hand without showing them to the others.
For the 1st round only: choose the first player randomly. He takes a special card. Special cards are kept face-down on the table in front of their owners (they may secretly look at the cards at any time).
Playing the Game
The game is a sequence of rounds, and each round consists of three phases:
- Playing Cards
- Voting
- Determining the Loser
During the 1st phase, starting from the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player plays one card from his hand and applies effects accordingly. When each player has only 1 card left in hand, the 2nd phase starts.
Each player votes either "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" — depending on the value of the card left in his hand.
Then the loser of the round is determined — he flips one of his "character" cards frog side up.
1 Playing Cards
During your turn you must play one card on the table from your hand.
If you play a red card (1, 15-19), place it face-down on the table. Your turn ends.
If you play a blue card (2-14), place it face-up on the table. Now you must either:
- Activate one of your special cards (if you have any) – apply its effect and discard it face-up in a special discard pile or place it face-up on the table (if the card instructs you to),
OR
- Apply one of the two actions visible on the action cards on the table, and then flip the action card you've used.
At any moment of the game, if the special cards draw pile is empty, form a new one by shuffling the discard pile.
2 Voting
When each player has only one card in hand, the voting phase begins.
Each player must indicate if he thinks he has the highest card value or not. In order to do so, he must first make a fist and stretch out his arm towards the center of the table. Then, on the count of "3" each player must simultaneously show either a thumbs up (if he thinks he has the highest card value) or a thumbs down (if he thinks he doesn't have the highest card value).
3 Determining the Loser
All players reveal the card in their hand.
Now it's time to determine the loser!
Important! There is only one loser in each round!
If the player with the highest card value chose "down", he is the loser.
If the player with the highest card value chose "up" and he is the only player who chose "up", the player with the lowest card value is the loser.
If the player with the highest card value chose "up" and someone else chose "up", the player with the lowest card value from those who chose "up" is the loser.
In case of a tie (due to special cards' effects), the player with the lowest card value (the number on the card) is the loser.
The loser then flips one of their "character" cards frog side up.
If he hasn't flipped both their "character" cards yet (and thus turned into a frog), prepare to play the next round.
The loser takes 2 special cards: he keeps one (of their choice) and gives the other one to his neighbor on the left, who becomes the first player of the new round.
Leave the special cards, the action cards and the "character" cards as they are, collect all 19 playing cards, shuffle them and deal them as described in the Set-up. Now play the next round following the same rules.
End of the Game
The game ends when a player flips both his "character" cards and thus turns into a frog. This player is the loser of the game, and all other players make fun of him!