Muertoons
Muertoons Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
A game for 3-5 players, with 61 cards:
- 5 sets of 11 Muertoons cards
- 1 Spirit card
- 5 reference cards
Characters
- Rosita: She loves her friends, she loves to bake, and she loves to help! Rosita leaves little paper hearts for you to follow.
- Bibi: The musician of the group, she rocks out and is unafraid of speaking her mind. Charging straight ahead, Bibi drops a trail of paper stars.
- Rubi: A lover of sports who won't back down from a challenge, she's the most athletic of the group. Rubi races ahead, leaving paper lightning bolts in her wake.
- Gabi: Curious, adventurous, and always tinkering, Gabi is a dreamer. Spreading paper lightbulbs as she goes, Gabi forges her way to the party!
- Lupita: A lover of nature, Lupita is most at home in the garden. She makes beautiful paper flowers as trail markers.
- Don Ricardo "Rico" Esqueleto, Esquire (also called Tio Rico): This greedy grouch lives alone at the top of the hill looking down on Muertown.
Starting the Game
Give each player a reference card and place the Rosita 1 card in the middle of the table. Shuffle the remaining cards and deal them all, face down, to the players, while also dealing an extra hand for Tio Rico. (Some players may get one more card than others.)
Without looking at the Tio Rico hand, put those cards in the game box. They will not be used during this game. You can look at your own cards, but don't show them to the other players.
The Rosita 1 card starts the discard stack. All cards are played to this pile. The top card determines how the next card must be played (see the next page for each card's rules). The player to the left of the dealer goes first, and so on, clockwise around the table, on your path to the Dia de los Muertos celebration.
You do not have to play a card on your turn. You can pass, unless a special rule says otherwise. If you cannot play a card, you must pass. If you pass, play continues to the next player. If all players pass, the one who played the last card now plays any card, and the game resumes.
Winning
Be the first to discard all cards in your hand, and lead your friends to the Dia de los Muertos celebration!
Ties: When following Rubi, it is possible for more than one player to win. You got to the party together!
Card Rules
Rosita and Bibi
Play any card of the next higher number. Only the Spirit card can play on a Rosita 11 or Bibi 11.
- Example: Play any 8 on a Rosita 7.
- Example: Play any 3 on a Bibi 2.
Rubi
It's a contest. After a Rubi is played, each player chooses a card, and everyone turns them face up together. If the Spirit card is played, it wins. If not, the highest Rubi card wins. Place the contest cards on the card stack.
The winner now plays any card and play continues. If no one wins, the next player plays any card and the game continues.
- Example: Three players' contest cards are a Rubi 4, a Rubi 9, and a Rubi 2. The Rubi 9 is the winner.
Gabi
Play the same number or play any Gabi.
If you do not play on a Gabi card, each player gives you one card. Start with the one who played Gabi and move to the right.
Now you may play any card, and play continues to the left.
- Example: Play any other Gabi or any other 8.
Lupita
Play the same number or play any Lupita.
If you do not play on a Lupita card, the previous player gets to discard. That player chooses cards in a "straight" (for instance, 2–3–4–5 or 9–10–11). The straight can be any mix of girls and any length (or just one card).
Put them on the card pile with the highest card on top. The current player may now play on the new top card.
- Example: Play any other Lupita or any other 9.
Spirit
Play on any card. (The Spirit card is the only one that can play on a Rosita 11 or Bibi 11.)
The next player can then play any card.
- Example: Play any card.