River Rats Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Objective
• Game Setup
• Round Setup
• Communication Restrictions
  • Example Setup
• Gameplay
  • Turn Sequence Diagram
• Hand Resolution
  • Joker's Prediction Diagram
  • Example Outcome — Players Win
• Defeating a River Rat
• Cleanup
• Suit Actions
• Player Powers
• River Rat's Abilities & Defeat Bonuses
• Hand Ranking Overview
• Tiebreakers
• Card Value Ranking
• Jokers
• End of the Game
• Increased Difficulty
  • Advanced Mode
  • Expert Mode
• Credits
• Quick Reference Card
  • Suit Actions (Quick Reference)
  • Hand Ranking Overview (Quick Reference)

Game Objective

Defeat both River Rats by ensuring each accumulates five Debt before you collectively gain five Debt.

Game Setup

First Time Playing: If this is your first time playing River Rats, skip Player Powers and River Rats' Abilities.

1. Character & Player Power: Each player chooses an Ace and places it in front of them, representing their Character with a unique Player Power.
2. River Rats: Shuffle the four Kings (River Rats). Draw two and place one face up (active) and one face down (inactive).
3. Jokers: Place the two Jokers face down next to the play area.
4. Draw Deck: Shuffle all unused cards (including remaining Aces and Kings) to form the Draw Deck.
5. Individual hands: Deal two cards to each player.
6. Market: Reveal three cards and place them face up in the Market. This is the Market's full capacity.
7. Joker's Prediction Reference: Place the Joker's Prediction Reference card next to the Jokers.
8. Players' Debt: Leave space next to the Joker's Prediction Reference to track the Players' Debt.

After the Game Setup, continue with Round Setup.

Round Setup

1. River Rat's Hand: Reveal five cards and place them next to the active River Rat. Draw two extra cards and place them face down. The River Rat's Hand consists of the face-up River Rat(s), five face-up cards and two face down cards.
2. Joker's Prediction & Debt: Reveal one card and place it face-up next to the Jokers. This is the Joker's Prediction and serves as the first Debt card. This is also the start of the Debt pile. The Debt card represents the ante of the round.
3. Collective Hand: Leave space for five cards below the River Rat's Hand to place the players' Collective Hand.
4. River Rat's Ability: Read the active River Rat's Ability and adjust setup if needed.

Communication Restrictions

Players cannot reveal or hint at their hands. General strategy discussions are allowed as long as they don't reveal card specifics or any desired Collective Hands.

Example Setup

The example setup diagram shows the play area layout: Inactive River Rat and Active River Rat placed side by side with spaces for River Rats' Debt beneath them, the River Rat's Hand (with spaces for additional face down cards) above the Collective Hand, the two Jokers, a space for Player Debt, and to the side the Deck, Market (with an empty space for additional cards) and Discard pile.

Gameplay

The game consists of rounds and turns. A round ends after resolving hands. A turn is one player's turn.

I. On your turn, choose to either Draw & Play or Use a Joker:

A. Draw & Play:

1. You have a hand limit of three cards. At the start of your turn, if you have fewer than three cards, draw cards, one at the time, until you reach your hand limit by either:
   • Market and refill the Market if it is under its full capacity (normally three cards), or
   • Drawing one card from the Draw Deck.
2. Play a card from your hand into the Collective Hand. Place it face up. You may:
   • Perform the action based on the card's suit, or
   • Use your Player Power if the card's suit matches your Character's suit.

B. Use a Joker: Add a face-up Joker to the Collective Hand. A Joker can represent any card. During Hand Resolution, the players collectively decide its suit and value. Only one Joker can be used per Collective Hand.

II. End of turn: If the Collective Hand contains five cards, proceed to Hand Resolution. Otherwise, the next player takes their turn.

Turn Sequence Diagram

The turn sequence diagram illustrates three steps: 1. DRAW — refill your hand to 3 cards, taking cards from the Draw Deck or the Market; 2. PLAY — place a card into the Collective Hand; 3. CHOOSE TO TAKE ACTION — using the Suit Actions or Player Powers reference cards shown alongside the play area.

Hand Resolution

To resolve Hands, follow these steps:

1. Joker's Prediction: Regardless of the outcome, if the Collective Hand matches the Joker's Prediction, flip one Joker face-up. It is available for use in later rounds. See also the Joker's Prediction Reference.

   First Debt card	Joker's Prediction
   Ace	Straight flush
   King	Four of a kind
   Queen, Jack, 10	Full house
   9, 8, 7, 6	Flush
   5, 4, 3, 2	Straight

2. Reveal cards: Turn all face-down cards in the Collective Hand and the River Rat's Hand face up, except the inactive River Rat card.

3. Determine best Hand: The best Hand consists of five cards. If more than five cards are available (e.g., in the River Rat's hand), form the best possible combination of five cards. The River Rat's Hand consists of the face up River Rat(s), five face-up cards and two or more face down cards. See Hand Ranking Overview for the hierarchy of combinations.

Joker's Prediction Diagram

The diagram shows a Collective Hand of five cards being matched against the Joker's Prediction Reference card. When the Joker's Prediction is correct, the arrow points to a Joker being flipped face up, next to the Player Debt space.

Example Outcome — Players Win

The example outcome diagram shows the Inactive River Rat and Active River Rat with their River Rat's Hand (face-up cards, labeled Flush), spaces for River Rat Debt, and the Collective Hand (labeled Two pair). The diagram is labeled "Players Win" and shows the Debt placed on the Active River Rat.

4. Determine outcome
   • Players win: Place the Debt face down on the River Rat. When a River Rat has accumulated five or more Debt, it has been defeated.
   • River Rat wins: Assign one player to collect all Debt for the players. Place the accumulated Debt in the game face down on top of their Character card. If the players have collectively accumulated five or more Debt, the players lose the game.
   • Tie: River Rats win all True Ties.

Defeating a River Rat

When the River Rat is defeated, follow these steps:

i. Discard its Debt. ii. Rotate the River Rat. Its ability becomes inactive, but it stays part of the second River Rat's Hand. iii. Read the River Rat's Defeat Bonus. iv. Flip the second River Rat face up and perform a new Round Setup.

Cleanup

• Remove any used Jokers from the game.
• Discard your Collective Hand.
• Discard the River Rat's Hand (except the River Rats themselves).
• Perform a new Round Setup. Players' hands and the Market remain untouched.

If the Deck runs out, reshuffle the Discard pile to form a new Deck.

Suit Actions

When you play a card, you may perform the Suit Action of its suit. If the card matches the suit of your Ace, you may choose to activate your Player Power instead.

• Clubs: Add a card from your hand face up to the Market (max. six cards). Solo: Add the top card from the Draw Deck face-up to the Market.

  Note: Clubs does not increase Market's full capacity; it temporarily gives you extra cards to choose from. The Market still refills only when it is under its full capacity (normally three cards).

• Diamonds: Swap another card from the Collective Hand (not a Joker or this card) with one from your hand. No new Suit Actions or Player Powers are triggered.

• Hearts: Increase Debt by placing the top card of the Draw Deck face down on the Debt pile.

• Spades: Discard a card from your hand or the Market. Refill the Market if needed.

Player Powers

When you play a card, if it matches the suit of your Ace, you may choose to activate your Player Power instead of the Suit Action.

• Clubs: Add up to two cards from your hand face up to the Market (max. six cards). Solo: Add up to two cards from the Draw Deck instead of from your hand.

  Note: Clubs does not increase Market's full capacity; it temporarily gives you extra cards to choose from. The Market still refills only when it is under its full capacity (normally three cards).

• Diamonds: Swap another card from the Collective Hand (not a Joker or this card) with a card from the Market. No new Suit Actions or Player Powers are triggered.

• Hearts: You may flip a card from the River Rat's Hand face up. Choose to increase the Debt or not with the top card of the Draw Deck (face down).

• Spades: Discard any number of cards either from your hand or from the Market. Refill the Market if needed.

River Rat's Abilities & Defeat Bonuses

• Hearts (Ability): When the River Rat wins, give one additional face-down Debt card to the players.
• Hearts (Defeat Bonus): Discard one Debt card from the players' total Debt.
• Spades (Ability): The first card played into the Collective Hand cannot be a Joker and must be placed face down. Do not show it to others. It does not trigger any Suit Action or Player Power. It cannot be swapped.
• Spades (Defeat Bonus): Increase the Market's full capacity to four cards. Refill the Market whenever there are fewer than four cards.
• Clubs (Ability): Deal two extra face-down cards to the River Rat's Hand.
• Clubs (Defeat Bonus): The next River Rat's Hand is dealt one less face down card.
• Diamonds (Ability): During Round Setup, deal the top card from the Draw Deck face up as the first card in the Collective Hand. It does not trigger any Suit Action or Player Power.
• Diamonds (Defeat Bonus): Future Hands are resolved when the Collective Hand reaches six cards. Choose the best combination of five cards when resolving Hands.

Hand Ranking Overview

Hands are ranked from highest to lowest.

1. Straight flush: Five cards of the same suit in sequence (e.g., 5♦, 6♦, 7♦, 8♦, 9♦).
2. Four of a kind: Four cards of the same rank (e.g., 9♠, 9♦, 9♣, 9♥). The fifth card is any other card.
3. Full house: A combination of three cards of one rank and two cards of another (e.g., Q♠, Q♦, Q♥, 5♣, 5♠).
4. Flush: Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence (e.g., A♥, 7♥, 5♥, 3♥, 2♥).
5. Straight: Five cards in sequence but from different suits (e.g., 4♦, 5♠, 6♣, 7♠, 8♥).
6. Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank (e.g., 8♠, 8♥, 8♣) and any two unrelated cards.
7. Two pair: Two sets of two cards of the same rank (e.g., 10♠, 10♣, 4♦, 4♥) and one unrelated card.
8. One pair: Two cards of the same rank (e.g., K♠, K♣) and three unrelated cards.
9. Highest card: When no better combination is available, the Hand is ranked by the highest single card (e.g., an Ace beats a King).

Tiebreakers

Full house: When both parties have a full house, the highest three of a kind wins.

Straight flushes, Straights, and Flushes: When both parties have the same ranking Hand, the highest card decides the winner. If the highest card is the same for both parties, it is a True Tie.

Two Pairs and Pairs: If the River Rat and the players have the same ranking Hand in the same value (e.g., a pair of 8s), the value of the highest additional card decides. If both Hands have the same highest card, compare the second-highest card, then the third, and so on until the tie is broken. In the case that all cards are exactly the same, it is a True Tie.

True Ties: River Rats win True Ties.

Card Value Ranking

Card values rank from highest to lowest as follows: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 to 2. The Ace can also count as 1, the lowest rank, when it is part of a straight from A to 5. Suits are of equal value.

Jokers

Earning Jokers: If a Collective Hand matches the Joker's Prediction, flip a Joker face up.

Using Jokers: Use a face-up Joker instead of Draw & Play. Only one Joker can be used in a Collective Hand.

End of the Game

The game ends immediately when one of the following conditions is met:

• You win: Both River Rats are defeated when each has accumulated five Debt.
• You lose: The players collectively accumulate five Debt. In this case, the River Rats win.

Increased Difficulty

You can increase the game's difficulty using the Advanced and Expert modes.

Note on using Jokers in Advanced and Expert modes: To use a face-up Joker, do not add it to the Collective Hand. Instead, perform the applicable "Using Jokers" action described below.

Advanced Mode

River Rat's Hand: During Round Setup, add one additional face down card to the River Rat's Hand.

Using Jokers: Remove any card from the River Rat's Hand, except a River Rat, and add two additional face down cards. Then remove the Joker from the game.

Expert Mode

River Rat's Hand: During Round Setup, add two additional face down cards to the River Rat's Hand.

Using Jokers: You can use the Joker only during Hand Resolution. When using a Joker, you may reveal cards from the top of the Draw Deck, one at a time. You may choose to stop revealing cards at any given point.

• Add each revealed card to your Collective Hand, unless it matches the suit of the active River Rat.
• If a revealed card matches the River Rat's suit, discard all cards revealed this way and immediately gain one Debt.
• Proceed to resolve the Hands as normal.
• Remove the Joker from the game.

Credits

Game Design and Development: Mathijs Jansen & Robin Stokkel Artwork and Graphic Design Cards: Rixt Heerschop Graphic Design Rules: Studio Monyet Graphic Design Box: Florian Fiedler

Published by Four Suit Studio

Special thanks to: Chris Backe, Douglas Pluylaar, Gijs Sieben

Quick Reference Card

The rulebook's final page is a fold-out quick reference summarizing Suit Actions and the Hand Ranking Overview for use during play.

Suit Actions (Quick Reference)

You may...

• Hearts: Increase the Debt by 1.
• Spades: Discard a card from your hand or the Market.
• Clubs: Add a card from your hand to the Market (max. 6 cards).
• Diamonds: Swap another card from the Collective Hand with a card from your hand.

Hand Ranking Overview (Quick Reference)

On this reference card the hands are numbered from weakest (1) to strongest (9), the reverse of the numbering used in the main Hand Ranking Overview section above.

9. Straight flush
10. Four of a kind
11. Full house
12. Flush
13. Straight
14. Three of a kind
15. Two pair
16. Pair
17. High card