Nut So Fast
Nut So Fast Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 12 Wooden Nuts (5 Walnuts, 5 Cashews, 1 Pistachio, 1 Almond)
- 72 NUTS! cards
- 6 Base cards
- 18 NUTTY POSE cards
- 3 double-sided Number cards
Object
Have the least points against you at the end of the game... by being the quickest!
Setup
Place the Wooden Nuts: Place the Almond and the Pistachio in the center of the table, within reach of all players. Place Cashews on the table, equal to the number of players minus 1. Do the same with the Walnuts, placing an amount equal to the number of players minus 1. For example, for 4 players, include 3 Cashews and 3 Walnuts.
Deal the NUTS! Cards: Give each player 1 blue Base card, which reads, "Score the Round!" Then shuffle the red NUTS! cards and deal them ALL out to players, face down, as equally as possible. It is okay if some players have more cards than others. Players may not look at the cards they were dealt. Each player then places their stack in front of them, at the edge of the table, with the blue Base card placed underneath their stack.
Reveal the Nutty Pose Cards: Place the double-sided Number cards (1, 2, 3) to one side of the play area, in view of all players. Shuffle and reveal 1 Nutty Pose card beside each Number card. Run through the poses, performing them together and saying the number aloud, to help remember them.
Choose First Player: Reveal an unused Nutty Pose card. The last to do the pose is the first Player. Place this card at the bottom of the Nutty Pose deck afterwards.
Note: It is recommended that rings be removed before the game, to prevent possible injury when grabbing.
Keep your hands no further than your own stack at the edge of the table. No hovering.
Playing the Game
Flipping Cards Overview: Starting with the first player, and proceeding clockwise, players take turns flipping a pair of cards in front of them, from their personal deck. The player flipping cards is called The Active Player.
When flipping cards, players must flip their cards away from themselves, so that they cannot see the card before the other players. Take care not to block the view of the card with your hand after flipping.
- On your turn, flip 2 cards, one card at a time, covering any flipped cards from previous turns.
While flipping, all players look intently for Triggers that will require a quick reaction. If a Trigger occurs, even on the first flip, immediately stop flipping and react to the event.
- If one of these Triggers appears, react as quick as you can! Use only your flipping hand when grabbing.
- Exactly 4 matching nuts (not 3, not 5 or 6), for Walnuts, Cashews or Pistachio: Grab the corresponding nut!
- Exactly 7 matching nuts: Grab the Almond!
- Two sets of 4 matching nuts or 8 of a nut: Grab the Almond!
- A number card: Ignore the nuts & do the corresponding Nutty Pose!
- Watch for who reacted the slowest and follow these consequences:
Cashew: One player wasn't fast enough to grab a Cashew. This player takes ALL the face up cards in front of the Active player and places them underneath their Base card, as points against them.
Walnut: Same penalty as Cashew.
Pistachio: Only one player was fast enough to grab the Pistachio. This player takes ALL the face up cards in front of the Active player and chooses a player to receive the points.
Almond: There are no pictures of Almonds on the cards, so being quick enough to recognize 7 or 8 matching nuts or two sets of 4 nuts is the Trigger for grabbing the Almond. Leave the Active player's cards where they are. Instead, the player who grabbed the Almond takes all of the cards (points) from under their Base card and places them on top of their personal deck, cancelling those cards as points against them. This is rare - but powerful!
Number card: Everyone did the Nutty Pose, but someone was the last to do it successfully. This player takes ALL the face up cards in front of the Active player and places them underneath their Base card, as points against them. If it is not clear who was last, it is a tie. In this case, leave the cards where they are. No one is penalized.
ERRORS: Anytime a player grabs a nut in error, they place two cards from the top of their personal deck to the bottom, underneath the Base card as points against them.
- If no Trigger event occurred during the flip, or after the Trigger consequences have resolved, play continues clockwise to the next player, who starts their turn as the Active player.
Ending the Round
When the blue Base card is exposed on a player's personal deck, it is a signal that the round has ended. Finish the Active player's turn, completing any Triggered events. Then it is time to score the round. Each player counts the number of cards (points) underneath their Base card. The less points, the better. Record everyone's score on a piece of paper.
Set up for the next round, just as before and replace the Nutty Poses with three new ones from the deck. NOTE: The "?" Nutty Pose allows the First Player to make up a Nutty Pose for the round.
Play will continue with the player who ended the round.
Winning the Game
After 3 rounds, add all the scores together. The player with the lowest total score is crowned the "Nut So Fast Champion." If multiple players tie for the lowest score, those players share the win.