Sitting Ducks Deluxe (2009)
Sitting Ducks Deluxe (2009) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Content
- 36 duck cards
- 5 water cards
- 3 ducklings
- 100 Action Cards
- 6 crosshairs
- 1 game board
Game Setup
The game board is placed in the middle of the table.
Each player chooses a colour and lays a duck in the suit in front of him. Ducks in unused colours are placed back in the box. The remaining ducks in the selected colours are combined with the five water cards and the ducklings cards:
- 1 duckling with 3 players
- 2 ducklings for 4-5 players
- 3 ducklings with 6 players
These cards are shuffled and stacked face down as a duck deck on the appropriate square printed on the board. The unused ducklings are placed back in the box.
A player draws the top six cards of the duck deck and places them from left to right in a row on the six fields. The ducks should all look to the left, as if they swim away from duck deck. The series of six cards is the duck line.
The action cards are also mixed and placed in a face-down pile on the appropriate location. As action cards are played and discarded, the discards are mixed and placed as a new action stack.
Each player in turn draws cards from the action card stack until he has five cards in hand.
Gameplay
The player whose duck farthest forward (i.e. left most) is under fire goes first. Then it proceeds clockwise.
On a players turn, the player must:
- Play an action card from their hand, performing the action described on the card (even if it hurts their own duck)
- Place the played action card onto the discard pile and
- Redraw back up to five cards
Exceptions:
- There are action cards that allow a player to play more than one card. In this case at the end of his turn he draws cards until he again has five cards in hand.
- Even if a player starts his turn with less than five cards in hand, they may not draw more cards until the end of their turn.
- If a player cannot play any of the action cards in his hand, he shows his cards to the other players to prove it then may discard his hand and draw five new cards. His turn then ends.
The Duck Cards
Each player has ducks in a particular colour in the game. One duck is not added to the firing line, and is instead placed in front of the player to indicate their colour choice. A player who has all of his ducks in front of him cannot win the game (but see "Resubmission" and "Frank-Ent-Stein"). He continues to play to his heart's content and must continue to aim, shoot and create general mayhem in the firing line. Revenge is sweet!
The Duckling Cards
The duckling is a duck that is not owned by players. If ducklings are in the duck line, the action cards "Fire!", "Billy the Duck," "Ricochet" and "Double Strike" cannot be played. Once a duckling leaves the firing line, it is removed from the game.
The Water Cards
Water cards cause confusion in the firing line. If they are removed from the firing line, they keep coming back right at the bottom in the duck deck.
Action Cards in the Field of Fire
In the course of the game, Action cards can also be added to the game board. Such cards are considered as ducks, which belong to any player. When action cards are removed from the firing line, they are placed on the action card discard pile.
End Game
The game ends when only one colour of duck is present in the duck deck and all other ducks are in front of their owners. The owner of the remaining colour wins the game.
Glossary of Various Action Cards
Aim and Shoot
Zielen! - Aim!
The player who plays "Aim!" may put crosshairs on any card (including water card) in the firing line, above which is currently empty. The crosshairs are not pointing at the card itself but in the duck line. If, for example, ducks move under fire, the crosshairs remain where they are - then it can aim at a duck or other water.
Card: Put crosshairs on a card in the duck line.
Feuer! - Fire! (Shoot!)
With "Fire!" a duck with crosshairs above it is removed from the duck line. It does not matter who put the crosshairs in place. Then, all cards after the duck are moved one position to the left and the line of fire is filled with the top card from the Duck Pool. If "Fire!" is played on a set of crosshairs, which is located above a water card, then only the crosshairs will be removed.
Card: Shoot a card with crosshairs in the duck line. Set the crosshairs to empty, and if a duck was present return it to its owner.
Doppellauf - Twin Shot (Double Barrel)
With "Double barrel", the player places two sets of crosshairs on two adjacent cards in the duck line. If no two places available for crosshairs are present side by side, the player can only lay one set of crosshairs.
Card: Put crosshairs above two adjacent cards in the duck line.
Billy the Duck - Sharp Shooter
"Billy the Duck" is like "Aim!" and "Fire!" in one. To play this card, immediately remove a duck from the shooting field, whether it is under crosshairs or not. If there are crosshairs above it, the crosshairs will be removed. Then the duck line is populated as described in "Fire!" section.
Card: Remove duck from the duck line, even if there are no crosshairs over it.
Querschläger - Ricochet (Misfire)
With "Ricochet", you kill not the targeted duck, but one of its two adjacent ducks. The adjacent duck is removed from the duck line, and the targeted duck's crosshairs are returned to blank. If the shot duck had crosshairs above it, the crosshairs remain.
Card: Select a duck under crosshairs. Remove the crosshairs and one of the ducks from the adjacent card spaces.
Zwei auf einen Streich - Two in One (Two Birds with One Stone)
With "Two birds with one stone" two adjacent ducks are removed together, if there is over two crosshairs. If only one of two cards has crosshairs or they are not directly adjacent to each other, this card cannot be played.
Card: Play this card on two adjacent cards in the duck line, when both have crosshairs above them. Remove the two crosshairs and the ducks.
Weiter links! / Weiter rechts! - Further to the Left! / Right On! (Bump Left! / Bump Right!)
"Bump left!" and "Bump right!" allow a player to move any crosshairs within the field in the indicated direction. "Bump left!" must not be played on crosshairs on the first card of the shooting field. "Bump right!" must not be played on a crosshairs on the sixth card of the shooting field.
Important: Crosshairs may only be moved if the space is also free on the right or left.
Bump left! Card: Move crosshairs to a card on the left.
Bump right! Card: Move crosshairs to a card on the right.
Schwanengesang - Swan Song
This card is placed on a duck in the duck line. It does not cover the duck. If the duck is killed, another duck will be removed and returned to its owner at the same time.
Card: Put this card on the duck shot by a player in the field. If this duck is shot, its owner must remove another duck from the firing line as well.
Frank-Ent-Stein
To play "Frank-Ent-Stein", remove three adjacent ducks from the firing line. Crosshairs are not necessary, and stay in place if present. Then the duck line is populated as described in "Fire!" Section. The player then puts one of his shot ducks at the bottom of the duck deck. This card offers the chance to get back in the game after losing all ducks.
Card: Remove three adjacent ducks from the duck line. Put one of your shot ducks at the bottom of the duck deck.
Spatzenhirn - Birdbrain
"Birdbrain" allows a player to force another to shoot their own duck. The attacking player selects a duck with crosshairs above it. If the owner of the targeted duck possesses a "Fire!" card, they must shoot their own duck. If they do not have a "Fire!" card, nothing happens. (The effect of "Moby Duck" is ignored during this action.)
Card: Select a duck targeted by crosshairs. If the owner of this duck has a "Fire!" card in his hand, he must play this card immediately to the chosen duck.
Wiedervorlage - Resubmission
Replace a duck on the field with one of your shot ducks. The replaced duck gets returned to its owner.
Card: Replace a duck on the field with one of your shot ducks. The replaced duck gets returned to its owner.
Schuss ins Dunkle - Shot in the Dark
"Shot in the dark" shoots the top card in the face-down duck deck. If it is a duck, the duck is killed and placed in front of its owner. If it is a duckling, the card is removed from play. If it water, it is placed back on the duck deck.
Card: Reveal the top card of the ducks deck. If it is a duck, it is returned to its owner. If it is a duckling, it is removed from play. If it is water, it is placed back on the duck deck.
Vogelgrippe - Avian Flu
"Bird Flu" removes all cards currently on the firing line. Ducks are killed and returned to their owners. Water spaces are returned to the bottom of the duck deck. Deal six new cards from the duck deck.
Card: Remove all cards from the firing line. Ducks are killed. Water cards are placed at the bottom of the duck deck. Deal six new duck deck cards.
Moby Duck
When a player plays "Moby Duck", he selects another player and places the "Moby Duck" card in front of that player. Until the attacker's next turn, "Fire!" cards may only be played on the attacked player's ducks. "Moby Duck" is discarded on the attacking player's next turn.
Card: Put this card in front of another player. Until your next turn, "Fire!" cards may only target him.
Gigolo
Card: Set each card in the duck line to crosshairs.
Duck Norris
Card: Remove up to three ducks with crosshairs. One or more ducks must belong to you.
Im Z-Ent-Rum - In the C-ent-re
Card: Put crosshairs on all the ducks of a selected colour.
Kamikaze
Card: Select a duck with no crosshairs in addition to your duck. Both are removed from the duck line and returned to their owners.
Und Tschüss - And Goodbye
Card: If you draw this card, you must place it in front of you and play it in your next turn. Remove all the ducks of a selected colour from the duck line and return them to their owner.
Movement in the Duck Line
General: None of the following cards move the crosshairs.
Entenmarsch - Duck March
"Duck March" moves all cards on the shooting field forward a slot. The card at the front of the line is put at the bottom of the duck deck (or removed from play if it is a duckling), and the empty slot is filled with the top card from the duck deck.
Card: Move all cards on the field forward one slot.
Keine Eile! - No Hurry! (Hang Back)
With "No hurry," a player may swap one of his ducks with the card directly behind it. The last duck under fire may not have this card played on it.
Card: Switch the position of one of your ducks with the card directly behind her.
Keine Zeit! - No Time! (Move Forward)
With "No time!" a player may swap one of his ducks with the card immediately preceding. The first duck in the row may not have this card played on it.
Card: Swap the position of one of your ducks with the card directly in front of her.
Turbo-Erpel - Turbo-Drake
"Turbo-drake" allows a player to move one of his ducks to the front end of the field. The underlying cards to the original position of the duck to move one place to the right to close the gap.
Cards: Put one of your ducks at the front of the duck line.
Ententanz - Chicken Dance (Duck Shuffle)
Card: Shuffle the cards in the duck line with the duck deck and deal out a new duck line.
Rüpel-Erpel - Bully-Drake (Disorderly Con-duck-t)
Rearrange the duck line however you like. The duck deck doesn't get changed.
Card: Arrange the cards in the duck line as you like. All crosshairs stay where they are.
Alien Ent-führung - Alien Leadership Development (Alien Ab-duck-tion)
With "Alien leadership development," a player's duck is removed from the firing line. All the cards move back one space to the left. The top card of the duck deck is turned over and placed on the free space in the firing line. Thereafter, the removed duck is placed, face-down, on top of the deck.
Card: Move a duck from the duck line to the top of the duck deck.
Ab in den Süden - From the South
Card: Take a duck from the duck line and place it at the bottom of the duck deck.
Ducks Brothers
Shuffle the cards in the duck line. If there are multiple cards in a slot, they move as a unit. Lay them down right-to-left.
Card: Shuffle the cards in the duck line. If there are multiple cards in a slot, they move as a unit. Lay them down right-to-left.
Ganz Nach Vorne - Bring to Front
Card: Select a duck colour. All ducks that colour are moved to the first slots of the duck line.
Bunt gemischt - Colourful Mixed
Shuffle the first three cards in the duck line, and deal them back out. If there are multiple cards in a slot, they move as a unit.
Card: Shuffle the first three cards of the duck line, and re-deal them right-to-left. Card stacks move as a unit.
Sitting Duck
Card: Move one of your ducks in the duck line next to a duck of another player.
Lockvogel - Decoy
Card: Swap out your ducks in the duck line with the decoy. He is regarded as a duck, which belongs to any player. Put your duck at the bottom of the duck deck.
Spatz in der Hand - Bird in the Hand
Card: Select a duck that is not next to one of your ducks. Your duck and the chosen duck are removed from the duck line and returned to the duck deck.
Abgerufen - Accessed
Card: Remove all cards from the duck line that do not belong to a player and return them to the duck deck.
Ent-wurf - Draft Version
Card: Two ducks in the duck line swap places.
Defensive Actions
Deckung! - Take Cover!
"Take cover!" can only be played if there is a duck (not duckling or water) in an adjacent space to yours on the duck line. Place your duck behind an adjacent duck. Your duck moves with the duck in front, if it moves off the front of the line so does yours. If the duck in front is shot, the front duck is removed and your duck will stay in place.
Card: Put a duck of your colour under an adjacent duck. Your duck travels with the other duck. If the duck in front is shot, ducks behind remain.
Schwänzchen in die Höh - Tail Into the Air
Place this card on any duck in the duck line. Until your next turn, this duck cannot be shot. Shooting at it reverts the crosshairs but does not kill the duck.
Card: Place over a duck in the duck line. If the duck is shot, the crosshairs are reset but the duck and "Tail in the air" card both remain. Lasts until your next turn.
Kleiner Feigling - Little Coward
Card: Place this card over a duck in the duck line. The duck is protected from being shot until reaches the first position in the duck line, when the "Little coward" card is removed immediately but the duck stays in play.
Bodyguard
A player places "bodyguard" on any duck in the duck line to protect them. When the protected duck would otherwise be shot, only the crosshairs and "bodyguard" card are to be removed.
Card: Place over a duck in the duck line. If the duck is shot, remove the "bodyguard" card instead of the duck.
Player Interaction
Stille Post - Whispers
Card: Look at another player's hand of cards. Then play another action card.
Peking Ente - Peking Duck
Card: Check out the top five cards of the duck deck and put them back. Then play another action card.
Nachbrenner - Afterburner
Card: Play two more action cards after this card.
Duck Tracey
Card: Look at another player's hand of cards. Play one of these cards and give him the rest of the cards back.
Du Bist Raus! - You Are Out!
Card: Target player must miss their turn.
Hässliches Entlein - Ugly Duckling
Card: Remove a duckling from the firing line. It is removed from the game.
Überflieger - Flying Ace
Card: Discard any number of action cards from your hand onto the discard pile. Draw up to five action cards for your turn and start a new turn.
Kopf Hoch! - Head High!
Card: Take Action Card "tail into the air" from the duck line and place it on the discard pile.
Dr. Duck
Card: Draw an action card from each player. Play one of these cards and place the rest on to the discard pile.