Tether
Tether Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Mirror Deck
Cards in this deck show a number from 01 to 98. Rotate the card 180° and the digits swap. For example, the card showing 95 also shows 59 from the opposite side.
You sit across from your opponent. One player tethers cards horizontally and the other vertically. Because you see different numbers on the cards, you each have different options available.
For you these cards are consecutive (95, 96, 97). For your opponent, they aren't (79, 69, 59). They are tethered together horizontally for you.
How to Play
Setup
Sit across from your opponent. Each of you draws a hand of 5 cards. You may freely rotate cards in your hand. Place the top 3 cards from the deck at the side of the play area, face up but turned sideways. Sideways cards are called adrift astronauts.
The player who was most recently in outer space goes first. They are the Vertical Player, connecting astronauts top-to-bottom. The other player is the Horizontal Player, connecting side-to-side.
On Your Turn
On your turn you must either Connect Astronauts or Set an Astronaut Adrift.
Connect Astronauts
Connect Astronaut cards by placing them directly adjacent on the table if the numbers right-side up for you are consecutive values. The Horizontal Player connects cards side by side in numerical order. The Vertical Player connects cards up and down.
Example: the 18/81 card is in play with 18 right-side up for you. Your opponent, the Horizontal Player, played the 82/28 card to its side, with 82 right-side up for them. You played the 19, connecting it vertically above the 18.
To Connect Astronauts, you must play a card from your hand to the play area. Place the card so each player reads a number right-side up. Then you must connect a consecutive numbered card.
Cards you connect may be:
- Cards from your hand. Place another card from your hand into the play area connected to the card you just played.
- Adrift cards. Select an adrift card (sideways card), orient it so each player can see one of the numbers right-side up, and connect it to the card you just played.
- Other groups of cards. Slide entire groups around to connect them to the card you just played.
Once you've connected a card to the first card you played, you may continue connecting consecutive numbered cards to any cards in this same group. You can connect any number of cards and even multiple groups together as long as they ultimately connect back to that first card. You cannot connect to multiple separate groups on the same turn.
Remember
- Connected cards can never disconnect or change their orientation.
- You may change the orientation of cards in your hand whenever you want.
- The Horizontal Player may only connect cards horizontally (incidental vertical connections are ok if they are the result of a horizontal connection, like 26 and 16 in the following example). Vice versa for the Vertical Player.
- Adrift astronauts are the only cards in the play area not connected to anything.
- Any number of different groups can exist.
- What looks like a connection to you won't look like one to your opponent. As long as the Horizontal Player consistently connects lower cards to the left and higher cards to the right, and the Vertical Player consistently connects lower cards to the bottom and higher cards to the top, it will work out.
Example: you are the Horizontal Player and you are connecting cards this turn. The 25 and 26 can be connected. Slide them together, keeping all previously connected cards in their groups. Now they are one big happy group!
Scoring Groups of Astronauts
After connecting astronauts, if this turn they form a group of 6 or more connected cards for the first time, score that group. Likewise, the first time a group meets or surpasses 10 or 14 cards, score the group at the end of the turn.
If any card in a group has scored for a certain size threshold, then the group may not score for that same size threshold a second time (this sometimes happens when two groups are combined).
Size Threshold
| Size Threshold | Number of Cards |
|---|---|
| Small | 6 |
| Medium | 10 |
| Large | 14 |
Example: If a group of size 3 connects to a group of size 6 (which already scored in a previous turn), the new group is size 9. Since one of these two groups already scored for reaching size 6, it does not score again. It will score when the group reaches size 10.
A group can't score more than once per turn, but it can score up to 3 times total as it grows past 6, 10, and 14 cards. A group could also gain so many cards in one turn that it skips a size, for example going from 7 to 14.
Multiple groups can score at each size. It's likely that you will have 2 or more different groups that reach size 6 during your game, and each of those groups gets scored.
When you score a group, each player gains points based on how tall or wide the group is. Draw an imaginary rectangle around the group and count how many cards tall it is. That's how many points the Vertical Player gets. Count how many cards wide it is and that's how many points the Horizontal Player gets.
The group in the image just grew to 7 cards, exceeding the Small size limit for the first time, so we score it.
The imaginary rectangle (in yellow) is 3 cards wide so the Horizontal Player scores 3 points. It's 4 cards tall so the Vertical Player scores 4 points.
Setting an Astronaut Adrift
If you cannot or choose not to Connect Astronauts on your turn, you must Set an Astronaut Adrift from your hand.
Place 1 card from your hand sideways at the edge of the play area with the other adrift astronauts, then draw a different card into your hand, either a different adrift astronaut card or a card from the top of the deck.
This is the only way astronauts are set adrift. You do not ever need to flip the top card of the deck adrift.
Draw a Card
Whether you Connected Astronauts or Set an Astronaut Adrift, as long as you have fewer than 6 cards in your hand, draw 1 card from the top of the deck at the end of your turn. Even if you played more than one card from your hand, you only draw 1 card. If you Set an Astronaut Adrift, this is one more card. If you Connected Astronauts, this is the only card you'll draw. Your hand limit is 6 cards. If you already have 6 cards in hand, do not draw a card.
Game End
When one of these occurs, the game immediately ends:
- You score a Large group (14 card threshold).
- One player has at least 6 points more than the other.
- The deck is exhausted and each player has 1 last turn.
When the game ends, the player with the most points wins! If there is a tie, the player with fewest cards in hand wins.
Four Player Team Rules
Same as Two Player Rules, with these modifications:
Split into two teams of 2 players and sit beside, not across from, your teammate. One team is the Horizontal Team and the other is the Vertical Team. Place a token in front of either you or your teammate to indicate which of you will take your team's first turn.
Teammates may talk, but may not show or tell each other which cards they have in their hand.
Teams will alternate taking turns. When it's your team's turn, the player with your team's token in front of them will take their turn. After their turn, place your team's token in front of the other member of your team.
On your teammate's turn, you may play cards from your hand as long as they connect to the group your teammate connected to. You can't connect to any other groups on the table.
At the end of your teammate's turn, if you played any cards, draw 1 card to your hand.
You win or lose as a team!
Turn Summary
Connect Astronauts
- Play a card from your hand.
- Connect other cards (from your hand, adrift cards, or other groups).
- Check for groups that score points.
OR
Set an Astronaut Adrift
- Place a card from your hand adrift.
- Pick up either a different adrift astronaut card or a card from the top of the deck.
Draw 1 card from the deck if you have fewer than 6 cards.
Scoring Size Threshold
| Number of Connected Cards | Size |
|---|---|
| 6 | Small |
| 10 | Medium |
| 14 | Large |
Credits
Game Design: Mark McGee Art: Eric Hibbeler Graphic Design and Editing: Kevin Ude
Inspired by Daniel Solis' Mirror Deck.
Special thanks to: Game Designers of North Carolina
"Mirror Deck" © 2021 Daniel Solis. (SmartPlayGames.com) Used with permission.