Sky Heist
Sky Heist Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Contents
- 49 standard cards (per 7 cards with value from 1 to 7)
- 4 Sheriff cards
- 16 special cards:
- 9 Shooting cards:
- 6 Wild cards
- 3 Missed cards
- 7 Event cards:
- 3 Substitution cards
- 2 Assistant cards
- 2 Indians cards
- 9 Shooting cards:
Game Play
During the robbery, you should collect as many cards in the loot pile as possible. However, don't forget that the valiant sheriff is always vigilant and may appear at any moment. Also, don't trust your accomplices too much. The loot will grow and when the second Sheriff card appears, any player can start shooting in order to escape with part of the loot. Don't miss that moment because the last person will get nothing.
If no one puts a betrayal into action and players meet the last Sheriff card, there will be a final shooting. In either case, the round will end with the obligatory shooting and the divvying up the loot.
The rules for 2 players differ from the rules for 3 to 5 players. All differences are described in the relevant section of this Rulebook (see Page 9).
Round Setup
- Put all cards excluding the Sheriff cards in one deck.
- Shuffle the deck; then deal 6 cards to each player.
- Add the Sheriff cards into the deck (we recommend to add them in different parts of the deck); then shuffle the deck and place it in the center of the table.
Game Round
Each round consists of several players' turns. It may take more or less time depending on how fast the sheriff will get to the bank or how soon your accomplices will lose their nerve. So keep you revolver loaded and be ready to use it at any moment.
- The first player is the most experienced (or the oldest) player. Players take turns beginning from the first player and proceeding clockwise.
- On your turn, you must perform one of three following actions:
- Discard your cards to the loot pile.
- Play one of your Event cards.
- Start a shooting. This action becomes available after the second Sheriff card is drawn from the deck.
- Moreover, each player may load his/her revolver at any moment of any turn (his/her turn or his/her opponent's turn). For the sake of simplicity, a player will be referred to henceforth as he."
- At the end of the turn, you must refill your hand to 6 cards. Remember, when you draw cards to refill your hand, the cards in your revolver are considered part of your hand.
Important: In order to avoid disputable situations, we recommend you to verbally indicate that your turn is over. For example, say "I'm done" or "Turn"
Discard Cards to the Loot Pile
Don't forget that you organized the job to get loot! By discarding cards to the loot pile, you fill the bags with money and hope to take them from the airship before the sheriff breaks in. The more money that's in the loot pile at the end of the round the bigger the reward will be for everyone.
On your turn, you can discard 1 or more cards from your hand to the loot pile face up. If you choose to discard cards, you must select one of three following possibilities:
- Discard 1 card (standard or special).
- Discard any number of identical cards (standard or special).
- Discard any number of standard cards if the value of one of them is equal to the sum of values of all other cards which you discard. Example: Butch discards "3", "4", and "7" because 7=3+4.
Important: If you discard special cards, their effects don't trigger.
Play One of Your Event Cards
Bank robbery is a risky business. There is always a chance that something unpredictable will happen, something that will help your plans... or turn them to ruins. Have you heard the news? They saw Indians around here.
Event cards are marked with a pair of glasses (the Event symbol). The Event cards are: Substitution, Assistant, and Indians.
On your turn, you may play 1 Event card. Do everything that is written on the card and then discard it to the loot pile.
Load Your Revolver
As you don't trust your accomplices, keep your revolver loaded. No one can guarantee that someone else doesn't lose their nerve and starts shooting at former henchmen.
During any turn (your turn or an opponent's), you may load your revolver. To do this, place any number of cards with the revolver symbol from your hand in front of yourself face down. These cards are now considered in your revolver. You cannot return them to your hand later. You can look at the cards in your revolver at any time but don't show them to your opponents.
Cards in your revolver are considered part of your hand during refilling your hand to 6 cards. Example: Jessie has 1 card in his hand and 3 cards in his revolver at the end of the turn. That means Jessie draws 2 cards only.
Refill Your Hand
At the end of each turn, all players refill their hands up to 6 cards starting with the active player. Remember about cards in revolvers!
If the Sheriff card appears on top of the deck during the hand refilling, place it near the deck and draw a new card. Place the Sheriff cards in one row: each player should see how many Sheriff cards are drawn from the deck. A player can never take the Sheriff card in his hand.
Start a Shooting
The Sheriff cards in the deck let the players know he's approaching. The more Sheriff cards there are on the table the closer the sheriff is to the bank. As the robbery heats up, be careful that you're accomplices don't lose their cool too soon and attempt to grab the loot.
If there are 2 or 3 Sheriff cards placed near the deck, any player can start a shooting during his turn. To start, he must put his hand on the loot pile.
All other players must place their hands atop it too as soon as possible. The last player to do it doesn't participate in the loot sharing. The loot sharing starts immediately after the shooting.
Important: After a player puts his hand on the loot pile, he cannot load his revolver.
Sheriff's Arriving
Maybe you're so wrapped up with the ongoing robbery that the fourth Sheriff card appears suddenly. Grab your revolver fast and shoot your accomplices; it's your chance to make a mad dash for the loot and get out alive.
When the fourth Sheriff card appears on top of the deck (usually it happens during the hand refilling), a shooting starts automatically. Quickly put your hand on the loot pile!
Loot Sharing
There is only one rule here: the most accurate and fastest takes the lion's share!
However a shooting starts, (as a result of the fourth Sheriff card or a player's action), it is followed by the most anticipated game part: the loot sharing!
Players reveal their revolver cards. The player who has collected the greatest number of identical cards in his revolver wins the round. For example, four 2s beat three 4s. In the case of a tie, the tied player with the higher valued cards wins. (for example, three 5s beat three 4s).
The winner takes all the cards from the loot pile, counts out half of them (rounded up) and takes those. Then he passes the remaining loot pile to the player with the second highest score. That player takes half of the received cards too (rounded up) and passes the remaining pile to the player with the third highest score, etc. The last one takes a half of the received cards (rounded up) and discards the rest.
Don't forget that the player who was last to put his hand on the loot pile during the shooting doesn't participate in the loot sharing. It doesn't matter which cards he has loaded in his revolver, he gets nothing.
In rare cases, if two or more players have the same number of cards with the highest value, the tied player who has placed his hand on the loot pile during the shooting earlier (i. e. his hand was lower) wins.
Example: Jessie, Billy, and Butch share the loot. Even though Robert has three 7s in his revolver, he doesn't participate in the sharing because he was the slowest person (his hand was the last on the loot pile). Jessie and Billy have three 6s each, Butch has two 7s. Jessie was the first who placed his hand on the loot pile during the shooting (his hand was the lowest) so he wins the round although Billy has the same cards in his revolver.
There are 23 cards in the loot pile. Jessie counts 12 cards from it (half of 23 rounded up) and passes the remaining 11 cards to Billy, the player with the second highest score in the shooting. Billy takes 6 cards (half of 11 rounded up) and passes the remaining pile to Butch. Finally, Butch takes 3 cards from the final 5 (rounded up). No one gets the last 2 cards.
Counting Points and a New Round
Each player counts how many cards he has taken and writes it down as his victory points. The card values and types mean nothing; one card always provides 1 victory point. Do not forget to discard all cards from your revolver and your hand. They are not saved for next round. After that, a new round begins. The first player is the one who did not participate in the loot sharing.
Game End
The game consists of 6 rounds. After the 6th round, the player with the most victory points wins. Before the game start, players may agree to play more rounds.
2-Player Rules
It's no time to relax because a little mistake may leave your pockets empty after the sharing.
During the round setup, before dealing cards, remove the top 3 cards from the deck (without looking at them) face down. Those cards are called bonus cards.
The game rules don't change except for the Shooting action being replaced with the Duel action.
Duel
After the 2nd Sheriff card appears, a player may challenge his opponent to a duel. To do it, he must say "Duel" at the beginning of his turn. After that, each player draws 1 card from the top of the deck face down. Then they reveal those cards simultaneously. There are two possible results:
- That is it! It's shootin' time! The player who initiated the duel reveals the card with a higher value (the value of a special card is 0) than his opponent. In that case, both players should put their hands on the loot pile as soon as possible. The first one who does takes the bonus cards and adds them to his revolver. Proceed to the loot sharing.
- If the player who initiated the duel reveals a card with a lower or equal value than their opponent's card, the duel is canceled and the round goes on. The next player takes his turn. However, if someone loses their nerve and places his hand on the loot pile, his opponent takes the bonus cards and the loot sharing begins.
Note: If a player must draw the Sheriff card, he places it near the deck and draws a new card.
Important: If the fourth Sheriff card appears on the top of the deck (usually it happens during the hand refilling), the duel starts automatically.
Cover the loot pile with your hand as soon as possible! Don't take a card from the top of the deck in that case. The first person who put his hand on the loot pile still takes the bonus cards and adds them to his revolver.
The winner of the loot sharing is defined as per the normal rules (you compare combinations of identical cards in players' revolvers; in the case of a tie, the winner is the player who was first to put his hand on the loot pile during the sharing). The winner takes all cards from the loot pile. The loser gets nothing.
Special Cards
Shooting cards can be loaded in your revolver as well as standard cards.
Wild cards copy any card with a number value in your revolver during the loot sharing. It doesn't trigger if you were the one who started the shooting.
- If the player holding a Wild card doesn't have cards with number value, his Wild card is ignored during the sharing.
- You can change a Wild card's value at any moment during the loot sharing; it can be important if your opponents play the Missed cards. If your opponents cancel all your cards except the Wild cards, your Wild cards are ignored during the sharing.
- In a 2-player game Wild cards trigger even if you started the duel.
- If the shooting starts because of the fourth Sheriff card appearing, each player's Wild card triggers.
The Missed card cancels any 1 card with the highest value during the loot sharing.
- You can choose any card with the highest value. However, you will have to cancel one of your cards if your cards' values are the highest.
- Missed cards cannot be applied to Wild cards.
Event Cards
Event cards may be played on your turn as one of your available actions.
The Substitution card lets you take 2 random cards from any opponent's hand and then give him 2 cards of your choice from your hand. No one can load his revolver until the end of the effect of this card.
- You can give your opponent the cards which you have taken from him (or only one of them along with some other card).
The Indians card forces each of your opponents to put 1 random card from his revolver under the deck and add 1 cards from the top of the deck to his hand. No one can load his revolver until the end of the effect of this card.
- If a player must draw the Sheriff card, he places it near the deck and draws a new card.
The Assistant card is placed in front of you. During this round, you can hold 1 more card in your hand.
- The placed Assistant card is not a part of your hand; it is not taken into account during the hand refilling.