Rumpelstiltskin Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal
  • Secret Name
• Components
• Setup
• Card Anatomy
• Example Play Area
• How to Play
• Guessing
• Reactions
• Running Out of Cards
• Winning the Game
• Longer Games
• No Cheatin'
• Card Clarifications
  • Drum-Drum
  • Flippy
  • Noggin
  • Shenanigan
  • Tim Tit Tot
• Quick Reference

Goal

Guess your opponent's secret name.

Secret Name

Your secret name is the title of the card on the bottom of your deck.

A player may look at their bottom card at any time. Your name may change during the course of the game when actions change the order of your deck.

Components

Your game of Rumpelstiltskin should include the following. If it does not, contact [email protected] for assistance.

• Rulebook (this book)
• 1 Red deck containing cards numbered 1 to 10
• 1 Green deck containing cards numbered 1 to 10
• 2 Reference cards
• 5 Victory point tokens

Setup

1. Each player takes one of the decks (green or red) and shuffles it facedown to form their deck.
2. Each player draws 5 cards from their deck into their hand (they should now have 5 cards left in their deck).
3. The player who makes the funniest face chooses who takes the first turn.

Victory point tokens are only used if players wish to play a longer contest (see "Longer Games" below).

Card Anatomy

1. Number: This number is used to organize cards in players' discard piles so it is easier for your opponent to determine which cards are not in your discard pile.
2. Title: The title represents the name of the fey folk, which could be your secret name if it is the bottom card of your deck.
3. Action: When you play a card during your turn, you must perform the actions listed in its text box.
4. Reaction: Actions highlighted in red text can be played after your opponent guesses in order to avoid revealing your secret name!

The example card shown in the rulebook is "Flippy" (number 3). Its action reads: "Invert the order of any deck." Its reaction reads: "You may play after your opponent guesses."

Example Play Area

Each player has their own deck, hand, and discard pile. Each deck is identical and has 10 cards with different names. The red and green colored card backs are used to make it easier to keep the decks separated.

• Deck: You draw cards from the top of your deck.
• Hand: You play cards from your hand.
• Discard Pile: Your played cards go faceup to your discard pile after performing the actions on the card. Any player may look at the cards in any discard pile at any time.

Cards in your discard pile should be arranged in numerical order, starting with the lowest number towards the top and the highest number on the bottom of the pile. This makes it easier for players to determine which cards are not in discard piles.

How to Play

Players take turns going back and forth. To take a turn, you play one card from your hand, perform its actions, and then put it in your discard pile. Then the next player takes his or her turn. Note that you don't draw cards each turn.

Guessing

Some cards let you try to win the game by guessing your opponent's secret name. These cards say "GUESS" in their action text. At that point you guess what your opponent's secret name is (the card on the bottom of their deck). Your opponent may use a reaction, but then must tell you if you guessed right or wrong. If you guessed correctly, you win! If the card you guessed is not on the bottom of your opponent's deck, play continues.

Be sure not to reveal your bottom card to your opponent during an incorrect guess.

When making a guess, we suggest using a rhyme like: "If I want to win our game, I first must guess your true name....[guess]!"

Reactions

Cards with a reaction (highlighted in red text) can be played after a guess, but take effect before the results of the guess are revealed.

Reactions may be used to save you from an accurate guess, as a bluff if the guess is not correct, or for other trickery.

Using a reaction does not take up your turn. If you play a reaction during your opponent's turn, for example, you take your next turn normally.

Running Out of Cards

If you have no cards left in your hand at the beginning of your turn, you must draw and play the top card of your deck.

If you ever have no cards left in your deck, your name is mud and you lose the game!

Winning the Game

You win the game if any of the following conditions occur:

• You successfully guess your opponent's secret name.
• Your opponent runs out of cards in his or her deck.

Longer Games

We recommend playing best 2 out of 3 games. For a more challenging contest, play best 3 out of 5.

When a player wins a game, he or she receives 1 victory point token, then play a new game following all of the setup rules except the loser of the previous game takes the first turn. A player becomes the victor of the overall contest after receiving the required number of victory point tokens.

No Cheatin'

A player could cheat by claiming that a guess is incorrect. We suggest that you don't play with sneaky goblins who cheat at fun, light games.

Card Clarifications

Drum-Drum

If you use Drum-Drum and guess Bootstrap, your opponent may still use Bootstrap as a reaction before Bootstrap is discarded.

Flippy

Inverting the order of a deck puts the top card on the bottom, the next card on top of that, and so on. The cards remain face down. You may choose to invert either your deck or your opponent's deck.

Noggin

When you play Noggin, randomly select two cards from your opponent's hand and reveal them faceup. If your opponent has fewer than two cards in their hand to reveal, then reveal any remaining cards left in their hand. After the cards are revealed, your opponent returns them to their hand and they may be played as normal.

Shenanigan

You may choose to reveal the top two cards on your deck or your opponent's deck. If the deck has fewer than two cards, then reveal any remaining cards left in the deck.

Tim Tit Tot

You may react to one or both of the guesses that Tim Tit Tot grants. Each of the two guesses are independent of each other and happen sequentially.

Quick Reference

The printed reference card on the final page repeats the setup steps:

1. Each player takes one of the decks (green or red) and shuffles it facedown to form their deck.
2. Each player draws 5 cards from their deck into their hand (they should now have 5 cards left in their deck).
3. The player who makes the funniest face chooses who takes the first turn.