Strange Creatures
Strange Creatures Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
72 creature cards:
- 25× Starting cards (values 1–6 in yellow, blue, green, and brown and 1× colorless 3)
- 47× Unknown Creature cards (1× each of values 0, 2½, 3⅓, 4¼, 8, 9, and 10 in yellow, blue, green, and brown; 3× each of shapeshifting 7, +3, and X; 2× shapeshifting 12; 4× trump; 2× mega trump; 2× colorless 2)
30 coins (24× 1s, 6× 5s)
64 stamps (16× each of 1-point, 2-point, 3-point, and 4-point)
Setup
Shuffle the Starting cards (marked with the Starting-card icon) and deal 5 cards to each player. Return any leftover Starting cards to the box. Shuffle the Unknown Creature cards and place them as a face-down draw pile in the center of the table. Reveal the top 3 cards from this pile and place them face up on the table to form the open display. Put all the coins and stamps on the table. Each player takes 2 coins for their starting personal supply.
How to play
You will play 4 rounds in total. Each round consists of several tricks. Each trick is played through these 4 phases:
- Play the trick
- Receive rewards
- Discover new creatures
- Prepare the next trick
What is a trick?
Take turns playing one card each from your hand and placing it face up in front of you. These cards together make up a trick.
1. Play the trick
Whoever last saw an exotic animal plays the first card of the first trick. The other players follow in clockwise order and play one card each as well. When playing a card, make sure you follow these rules: If you play the first card of a trick, you may play any card from your hand. However, all the other players must follow suit. This means they must play a card of the same color as the first card in the trick. You may only play other cards if you do not have any cards of the required color in your hand.
The highest card of the color that was played first wins the trick. In the case of a tie, the tied card that was played first wins the trick.
Example: Ivan leads the trick by playing a green 3. Karl must follow suit and plays a green 4. Loren does not have any green cards and decides to play a blue 2. Jane plays a green 5 and wins the trick.
2. Receive rewards
If you win a trick, you receive a stamp as a reward.
Important: The value of the stamp always matches the current round. For the entirety of the first round, you receive stamps worth 1 point as a reward. During the second round, you receive stamps worth 2 points, etc. Therefore, winning tricks becomes more valuable each round.
Keep any stamps you win as a personal collection in front of you. At the end of the game, you score the value of each stamp in your collection as points.
After the winner of the trick takes their stamp, all the other players who did not win the trick may use the effect described in the box on the card they played into the trick. The Starting cards either show 1 coin, 2 coins, or a stamp of value 1. Take this reward from the center of the table and either add it to your personal coin supply or your stamp collection. The value of the stamps in the effect boxes on the cards does not change as rounds progress.
If you won the trick, do not activate the effect of your played card.
Example: Jane won the trick. Since it is the first round, she takes a stamp worth 1 point from the center of the table as a reward. Ivan, Karl, and Loren activate the effects of their respective cards, and each take the number of coins shown on their own cards.
3. Discover new creatures
Whoever played the lowest-valued card in the trick (regardless of its color) may now take one new creature from the open display. In the case of a tie for the lowest card, each of the tied players may take a card, beginning with the player sitting closest to the winner of the trick in a clockwise direction.
Afterwards, any of the other players who have at least 5 coins in their personal supply may also take one card each. Begin with the winner of the trick and continue in a clockwise direction.
To take a new creature, you must pay the expedition costs shown at the bottom of the card. Return that many coins from your personal supply to the center of the table. Add the new creature directly to your hand. You may play it later this round if you choose.
Each time a creature is taken from the open display, refill it immediately with the top card from the draw pile.
Example: Loren played the lowest card in the trick and, therefore, may take a new creature. She picks the brown 9. She returns 3 coins from her personal supply to the center of the table and adds the brown 9 to her hand. Then she refills the display. Since nobody has at least 5 coins, Phase 3 ends.
4. Prepare the next trick
Now take back the card you played and place it face up next to you as the start of your personal discard pile. Only the topmost card, i.e., the card you played last, must always be visible. You may review your own discard pile at any time.
Whoever won the last trick leads the next trick.
Example: Ivan, Karl, Loren, and Jane take back their respective cards and place them face up nearby. Jane won the last trick, so it is her turn to lead the next trick.
End of a Round
Continue playing tricks until at least one of you has no cards left in their hand at the end of Phase 3, Discover new creatures. When this happens, the current round ends.
Since the players likely took different numbers of new creatures during the round, you may all have a different number of cards in your hands. Add all of the cards from your personal discard pile back to your hand, also keeping any cards you still have left. This way you will each have all of your cards available to play in the next round.
Place all 3 cards left in the open display face down under the draw pile and reveal 3 new cards.
Play the other rounds as described above. Keep in mind that the stamps you will receive in the new round will be worth 1 more point than in the previous round.
The winner of the last trick of the previous round will lead the first trick of the next round.
Game End
The game ends after 4 rounds. Add up all the points on your collected stamps. Whoever has the most points wins!
In the case of a tie, the tied player with the most coins left wins. If there is still a tie, the tied players win together.
Expert Rule
If you have already played a few games of Strange Creatures, you can add this rule:
At the end of Phase 3, Discover new creatures, you may remove one of your cards from the game face down by paying 5 coins. You may choose a card from your hand, your personal discard pile, or even the card you played in the trick. If several players would like to remove a card, begin with the winner of the trick and continue one after another in clockwise order.
Cards and Effects in Detail
If you activate the effect of a colored 0, you receive 1 coin and 1 stamp.
The colored 2½ does not have an effect during the trick, but if you have it at the end of the game, it is worth 5 points. Add these points to your stamps at the end of the game.
If you activate the effect of a colored 3⅓, remove it from the game at the end of Phase 3 of the current trick. Return it to the box, face down. If you remove it in this way, you receive 3 coins.
If you activate the effect of a colored 4¼, remove one of your cards of your choice from the game at the end of Phase 3 of the current trick. You may choose a card from your hand, your personal discard pile, or the 4¼ itself. Return the chosen card to the box face down. If you remove a card in this way, you receive a stamp worth 1 point.
If you activate the effect of a colored 8, you receive 1 coin.
If you activate the effect of a colored 9, you receive a stamp worth 2 points.
If you activate the effect of a colored 10, you receive 1 coin.
Colorless Cards
Colorless cards do not have a color. You can only play them if you cannot follow suit or if it is the first card of the trick. If you lead a trick with a colorless card, the other players may play any card they wish until someone plays a color. From then on, all the other players will have to follow that card's suit for the rest of this trick.
A colorless card wins the trick if it has the highest value (regardless of the first color that was played in this trick). Other than that, the other trick rules apply as described above.
If you activate the effect of the colorless Starting card 3, you receive a stamp worth 1 point.
A trump (star icon) wins against all the number cards in the trick. If there are several trump cards in a trick, the one played first wins.
A mega trump (black star icon) wins against all the number cards and trumps in the trick. If there are several mega trump cards in a trick, the one played first wins.
If you play a colorless 2, you receive 2 coins and nobody wins the trick. Everyone may activate the effect on their card, and you will lead the next trick. If there are several colorless 2s in a trick, whoever played theirs first will lead the next trick.
Shapeshifters
Shapeshifters take on a certain color when played. You can always play a shapeshifter, even if you are able to follow suit with another card. If you lead a trick with a shapeshifter, the other players may play any card they wish until someone plays a color. From then on, all the other players will have to follow that card's suit for the rest of this trick.
If you play a shapeshifting 12, it takes on the first color played in that trick. Once everyone has played a card, divide the value of your 12 by the number of different colors in the trick. Colorless cards do not count towards that number.
Example: A green 2, a blue 8, a colorless 3, and a shapeshifting 12 were played in the trick. Since green was played first, the 12 becomes green. You divide it by 2, so it has a value of 6 in this trick.
In the case that there are only shapeshifters and/or colorless cards in the trick, this card does not take on a color and its value remains 12.
If you play a shapeshifting 7, it takes on the first color played in that trick. In the case that there are only shapeshifters and/or colorless cards in the trick, it does not take on a color.
If you play a shapeshifting X-card, it immediately copies one of the 3 cards in the open display. You do not have to follow suit with the copied card. For this trick, the X takes on the value, color, and effect of the copied card. The copied card remains in the open display.
If you copy a 3⅓ and activate its effect, remove your X-card from the game.
A shapeshifting +3 can be played together with any number card from your hand. You must follow suit with the number card as usual. Increase the value of that number card by 3. You can play any number of +3 cards at once to increase the value multiple times. The +3 takes on the color of the number card it is played with. Since trumps, mega trumps, and X-cards are not number cards in your hand, you cannot play them with a +3.
You can also play a +3 individually. In this case, it becomes a number card with the value 3 and takes on the first color played in that trick.
If you play a +3 with a 12, you divide the 12 by the number of different colors first and then increase this value by 3.
If you copy a +3 card in the open display with an X-card, the X becomes a number card with the value 3 and takes on the first color played in that trick.
If you remove a card from the game which you played with a +3, do not remove the +3 card.