Savage Bowl Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
• Game Overview and Goal
• The Flow of a Round
• The Flow of a Trick
  • I: Play a Card from Your Hand
  • II: Determine a Winner and Get a Yellow Card
  • III: Check the Number of Trick(s) Won
  • IV: Get Ready for the Next Trick
• Differences in the 2nd Half
• End of a Round
• End of Round Scoring
• End of a Game
• Get Ready for the Next Round
• Additional Tips and Notes

Components

• 52 Number Cards (4 colors, 1 to 13)
• 8 Trump Cards (1 color, 1 to 8) — the design of the back side is the same as Number Cards
• 5 Chameleon Cards
• 1 Score Tracking Card
• 1 Yellow Card — there is a rule summary on the back of the yellow card
• 2 Runaway Champ Cards
• 1 Round Marker
• 5 Player Cubes (1 each in 5 colors)
• 1 Game Progress Sheet

Game Setup

When you play this game for the first time, or if you are not familiar with trick-taking games in general, it's recommended not to use the Chameleon Cards. In that case, return all the Chameleon Cards to the box and skip any instructions related to them, as indicated as Chameleon Cards in this rules sheet.

1. Place the Game Progress Sheet in the center of the table. For 5 players, use the side with the 5-player icon. For 4 players, use the other side.

2. Place the Score Tracking Card next to the Game Progress Sheet. Each player selects a Player Cube in the color they choose and place it below the card (this means 0 points).

3. Place the Round Marker on the 1R square of the Game Progress Sheet.

4. Place the Yellow Card on the Game Progress Sheet, in alignment with the frame indicated with "1".

5. Have the Runaway Champ Card(s) ready. For 5 players, use the sides with the 5-player icon. Place the card with "1" first, then place the card with "2" on top. For 4 players, use only one card without the "5-player icon" and with "2" on it. Place them next to the Game Progress Sheet.

6. Prepare the Number Cards and Trump Cards.

   • For 5 players: Use all the Number Cards and Trump Cards.
   • For 4 players: Use only 1 to 11 of the Number Cards and all the Trump Cards.

7. Combine the Number Cards and Trump Cards, and shuffle them well. From here on, they are referred to as "cards".

8. Deal the shuffled cards face down to each player.

   • For 5 players: Deal 12 cards to each player.
   • For 4 players: Deal 13 cards to each player.

   The cards dealt to each player are called "hand(s)" from here on. Make sure not to show your hand to the other players and show them only to yourself.

   For 4 players, return the unused Player Cube, Runaway Champ Card with "1", and 8 Number Cards (12 and 13 in 4 colors) to the box. They are not used in the game.

   When playing with the Chameleon Cards, deal 1 Chameleon Card to each player. The dealt card becomes a part of each player's hand. For 4 players, return the unused Chameleon Card to the box. It is not used in the game.

9. Determine the first player. A player who got caught for a foul play most recently becomes the first player. If nobody applies, determine the first player in any appropriate manner.

Game Overview and Goal

For 5 players: A game consists of 5 rounds, and each round consists of 12 tricks. The goal of each round is to win exactly 2 tricks. If you win the third trick, you will be eliminated from the round and score 0 points. If you win less than 2 tricks, you will score 0 points as well.

For 4 players: A game consists of 4 rounds, and each round consists of 13 tricks. The goal of each round is to win exactly 3 tricks. If you win the fourth trick, you will be eliminated from the round and score 0 points. If you win less than 3 tricks, you will score 0 points as well.

With either player count: For each round, the first 5 tricks and the remaining tricks have different winning conditions. In the first 5 tricks, the second strong player wins the trick and the strongest player must sit out the next trick. From the sixth trick and on, the strongest player wins the trick.

1st Half:  T1  T2  T3  T4  T5
2nd Half:  T6  T7  T8  T9  T10  T11  T12  (T13 — 13th trick is only for 4 players)

The game ends after playing a number of rounds equal to the player count, or when at least one player has scored 10 points or more. The player with the highest points wins the game.

The Flow of a Round

A "trick" is where each player plays 1 card from their hand. A round consists of players playing multiple tricks. The first half (up to the fifth trick) and the second half (sixth trick and on) have different winning conditions.

The round ends after playing 13 tricks for 4 players, or 12 tricks for 5 players.

The flow of a trick:

1st half (up to the fifth trick)

I. Play a card from your hand II. Determine a winner and get a Yellow Card III. Check the number of trick(s) won IV. Get ready for the next trick

Repeat steps I to IV for 5 times.

2nd half (sixth trick and on)

II. After determining a winner of a trick, no one gets the Yellow Card. Besides that, everything else is the same as the 1st half.

Repeat steps I to IV until the end of the round.

End-of-round scoring

Get ready for the next round

The Flow of a Trick

I: Play a Card from Your Hand

The first player of the trick plays a card from their hand face up, and other players do the same in clockwise order.

There is a rule on which cards you can play.

Rules for playing a card

The first player can play a card of any color including the Trump Cards. Other players must play a card of the same color as the card that the first player played if there is any in their hand.

If there is a card of the same color: Play 1 card of that color from their hand.

If there is no card of the same color: Play any 1 card from their hand.

How To Play Chameleon Card

Players other than the first player may play a Chameleon Card together with a card from their hand to ignore the rules for playing a card. This allows a player to play any card in their hand, without following the color of the card the first player played.

Likewise, it allows players to play any card to follow the color the first player played.

When using it, place the Chameleon Card on top of the Number Card but staggered so all players can see the number on the card.

Chameleon Card copies the color of the card the previous player played in this trick.

After all players involved in the trick (*1) plays a card, continue to "II: Determine a winner and get a Yellow Card".

(*1) There may be a player who is sitting out. More details are in the following sections.

II: Determine a Winner and Get a Yellow Card

Compare the cards each player played following the steps below to determine the winner of this trick and the player that gets a Yellow Card.

Step ①: Compare the strengths of the colors

Step ②: Compare the strengths of the numbers

Step ① Compare the strengths of the colors

If the first player played a Red card, the order of strength is: Trump Card > Same color as the first player's card > Neither Trump Card nor the same color as the first player's card.

Step ② Compare the strength of the numbers

13 > 12 > 11 > 10 > 9 > ... > 5 > 4 > 3 > 2 > 1

Within the same color group, the larger the number, the stronger the card. If the number is the same within a color group, then the card played earlier is stronger.

Example: When there is no Trump Card played — Since there is no card of the same color as the first player's color, Player A is the strongest. Next, Player B's Red 5 and Player D's Green 5 are both the second strongest, but because the card played earlier is stronger, Player B is the second strongest.

Example: When there is a Trump Card played — The strongest card is Player B's Trump Card (Purple) 5. The second strongest is the largest number card of the first player's color, which is Player C's Green 8.

Example: When there are cards of the same number within the same strength color group — The largest number card of the first player's color is the strongest. Thus, Player C's Red 10 is the strongest, and Player A's Red 8 is the second strongest.

Example: When Chameleon Cards are played — Player C's Blue 9 becomes a Trump Card (Purple) 9 because of the Chameleon Card's power. Similarly, Player D's Red 9 also becomes a Trump Card (Purple) 9. Although Player C and Player D both played the strongest card, the card played earlier is stronger so Player C is the strongest and Player D is the second strongest.

Get a Yellow Card (1st half only)

The player who played the strongest card gets the Yellow Card and places it in front of them.

Then discards a card from their hand onto the Game Progress Sheet. On the first trick of the round, place the discard card in alignment with the frame indicated with "1". On the second trick, in alignment with "2", and so on... Spread the cards out so everyone can see how many cards there are.

The player who got the Yellow Card must sit out the next trick. Place the Yellow Card in front of them to indicate that they are not involved in the trick.

Important

To avoid playing a card in a trick accidentally, it's recommended to place their hand face down in front of them and put the Yellow Card on top of it.

★ There is only one Yellow Card. Simply pass the Yellow Card between the players who get the Yellow Card.

Winner of the trick

The winner of the trick is the player who played the second strongest card.

That player takes all cards played in the trick and flips them face down. Keep face down cards they took separately from cards they took in other tricks so that everyone can easily count how many tricks they've won.

Place the used Chameleon Card face down (black and white side) in front of the player.

Important

Each player may use the Chameleon Card only once per round.

III: Check the Number of Trick(s) Won

The winner of the current trick checks the total number of trick(s) they've won.

Runaway Champ Card

For 5 players: The first player who won 2 tricks gets the Runaway Champ Card with "2" and places it in front of them. The second player who won 2 tricks gets the Runaway Champ card with "1" and places it in front of them.

For 4 players: The first player who won 3 tricks gets the Runaway Champ Card with "2" and places it in front of them.

When a player has won their, For 5 players: 3rd trick For 4 players: 4th trick

then that player is eliminated from the round. All remaining cards in their hand are discarded in front of that player face down.

IV: Get Ready for the Next Trick

The winner of this trick becomes the first player of the next trick.

If the winner of this trick was eliminated during "III: Check the number of trick(s) won" then the player to their left becomes the first player of the next trick.

Example: Determine the first player — Player A who won the current trick was to become the first player of the next trick but they were eliminated from the round because it was their 4th trick to win. Therefore, Player A's left neighbor Player B will be the first player. However, since Player B got a Yellow Card in this trick, they will not participate in the next trick. So, Player B's left neighbor Player C will be the first player of the next trick.

Check whether the next trick is still the 1st half or will start the 2nd half by looking at the Game Progress Sheet.

There is a space left to place the discarded card: Go back to I: Play a card from your hand and play the next trick.

There is no space left (at the end of the fifth trick): It will be the 2nd half starting from the next trick so the "winner of the trick" condition changes.

Important

The player that got the Yellow Card on the fifth trick (the last trick of the 1st half) must sit out the sixth trick (the first trick of the 2nd half). There's one last timeout for a player at the beginning of the 2nd half.

After the sixth trick, discard the Yellow Card. It won't be used until the next round.

Differences in the 2nd Half

II: Determine a winner and get a Yellow Card

The basic flow of a trick is the same as the 1st half. When determining the winner, the player who played the strongest card wins the trick. Just like before, the winner takes all played cards and places them face down in a pile separate from the cards won in the previous trick(s).

To summarize: During the 1st half, playing the strongest card = Yellow Card; the second strongest card = wins a trick. During the 2nd half, playing the strongest card = wins a trick; no more Yellow Card!

End of a Round

A round ends when, for 5 players: 12 tricks, for 4 players: 13 tricks are played. Then, each player counts the points they scored for the round.

For a 4-player game, there may be a very rare case where only one player remains in the last trick. In such a case, this will end the round without playing the last trick, and no one scores points in such a round.

End of Round Scoring

The end of round scoring consists of two parts: Base Points and Bonus Points.

Base Points

Players who won, for 5 players: exactly 2 tricks, for 4 players: exactly 3 tricks, receive the points as in the following table.

	4 players	5 players
End of the 1st round	3 tricks	2 tricks	1 pt
End of the 2nd round	3 tricks	2 tricks	2 pts
End of the 3rd round	3 tricks	2 tricks	3 pts
End of the 4th round	3 tricks	2 tricks	4 pts
End of the 5th round	—	2 tricks	5 pts

Bonus Points

Players receive Bonus Points from the Runaway Champ Card they have earned in the round if they did not get eliminated by winning too many tricks. (Runaway Champ Card ⇒ 1 or 2 pts)

If players scored any points for the round, move their Player Cubes on the Score Tracking Card to the space respective to their total points.

End of a Game

A game ends when either of the following is met at the end of a round:

• At least one player reached 10 points or more in total
• Played the following number of rounds — For 5 players: 5 rounds. For 4 players: 4 rounds.

The player with the most total points wins the game.

If there are two or more players with the most total points, the player with the 2-point Runaway Champ Card breaks the tie. If no player has the 2-point card, then the player with the 1-point Runaway Champ Card breaks the tie. If there is no one with Runaway Champ Cards, all tied players share the victory. In all cases, it doesn't matter whether any players were eliminated in the last round.

Get Ready for the Next Round

If neither game-end conditions were met at the end of a round, get ready for the next round.

• Place the Yellow Card on #1 on the Game Progress Sheet.
• Any players who were eliminated from the last round come back to the new round.
• Return the Runaway Champ Card(s) and place it next to the Game Progress Sheet.
• Progress the Round marker one step to indicate the correct number of rounds played.
• The player who received the 2-point Runaway Champ Card in the last round becomes the first player for the round, regardless of their round elimination status.
• Gather all the Numbered and Trump Cards, shuffle them well, and deal 12 cards each (5 players) or 13 cards each (4 players).

Important

Each player adds back their Chameleon Card to their hand.

Start the new round for the next level of savageness!

Additional Tips and Notes

If you realize that you have fewer cards in your hand than you should

You may have participated in the trick that you were supposed to sit out. When this happens, please discuss it among the players for remediation. (For example, start the round over, take the card on the Game Progress Sheet that you discarded).

This rule is easy to forget so it's recommended to place your hand face down in front of you, and put the Yellow Card on top of it.

If you played a card of a different color even though you have a card of the first player's color

If you realize this right after you played a card, then apologize, take the card back into your hand, and play the correct card. If you realize this later in the round, then this has a big impact on the game flow. Please discuss it among the players for remediation.

If you are new to a trick-taking game, then it's recommended to announce "I don't have ○○ (color of the first player's card)" when playing a card of a different color to avoid this mistake.

Timing to play the Chameleon Card

Unless you are the first player of a trick, you can play the Chameleon Card with any card from your hand, just anytime. When playing the Chameleon Card, you don't have to follow the rule to follow the color of the first player of the trick played.

Effect of the Chameleon Card

The Chameleon Card copies the color of the card the last player played and applies the color to the card you play from your hand. If your right neighbor is sitting out or has been eliminated then it copies the color of the last card played in the trick, regardless of any skipped players in between you and the player who played the last card.

Switching from the 1st to the 2nd half

It is a little tricky when switching from the 1st half to the 2nd half of a round, at the end of the fifth trick. Here are some additional clarifications:

• The player who got the Yellow Card in the fifth trick will sit out and will not participate in the sixth trick.
• After the sixth trick, the player with the Yellow Card discards the card and will participate in the seventh trick.

Example: 1st half (fifth trick) — Player D played the strongest card, so they take the Yellow Card in front of Player C and places it in front of them. Then, Player D discards a card from their hand and places it on the 5th frame face down. Player A played the second strongest card, so they win the trick. They take all played cards and place them face down in a new pile. Since there is no space left in the Game Progress Card, the next trick will start the 2nd half of the round.

Example: 2nd half (sixth trick) — Player B played the strongest card, so they win the trick. They take all played cards and place them face down in a new pile. Player D discards the Yellow Card and participates in the next trick.

The cards you cannot see during the game

All the players are not allowed to see the following cards that are placed face down during the game:

• The discarded cards that are placed on the Game Progress Sheet.
• The cards won from the previous tricks.
• Eliminated players' hands.