The Game: Face to Face Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Short Rules
• Complete Game Rules
  • Getting Started
  • Rules for Laying Cards: Laying Cards on Your Own Piles
  • The Backwards Trick
  • Laying a Card on Your Opponent's Pile
  • How to Play
  • End of Game
• Publisher

Short Rules

Each player receives 60 cards of the same color (silver or gold). Both players lay down the row cards in front of them on the table. Both players shuffle their own 58 number cards thoroughly (!) and put them into a draw pile. Each player then picks up the first 6 number cards from his own respective draw pile, which make up his hand. Draw to see who goes first.

• The game is played in turns. On your turn, you have to discard at least two (or more) of your cards from your hand (the two-card-minimum rule also applies when your own draw pile has run out!). Then, pick up cards from your own draw pile (how many depends, see below) to end your turn. The other player then begins his turn.

• Lay down your cards either exclusively on your own discard piles or exactly one card on one of the other player's discard piles and the rest on your own discard piles. You are never allowed to discard more than one card on your opponent's discard pile per round.

• When discarding on your own discard piles the exact same rules for discarding from the original game apply (descending, ascending, backwards trick). These rules do not apply when discarding a card onto your opponent's discard pile. Instead, the card discarded onto your opponent's discard pile (either one) helps him improve his discard pile.

  Example: Tim wants to lay one of his cards on Sarah's ascending pile. The 29 card is currently showing. Tim therefore has to lay a card that is lower (by any margin) than the 29. He lays down the 12 onto the pile, which improves Sarah's pile.

• If you lay down cards only on your pile, then you have to pick up two cards from your own draw pile (regardless of how many cards you discarded). If you lay down a card on the opponent's pile (and at least one card on your own pile), then you have to pick up as many cards from your own draw pile until you have 6 cards in your hand again.

  Example: Sarah discards 3 cards on her own piles. She then picks up 2 cards. Tim lays 5 cards, 4 on his own piles and 1 on Sarah's. Tim then picks up cards until he has 6 cards in his hand again.

• Whoever discards all of his own 58 number cards wins the game! If at any time in the game you are unable to discard a minimum of two cards, you immediately lose the game.

Complete Game Rules

Getting Started

Each player receives 60 cards of the same color (silver or gold). Both players lay down the row cards (1–59 and 60–2) in front of them on the table. Throughout the course of the game the number cards are laid to the right of these cards.

Each player shuffles his 58 number cards thoroughly (!) and puts them into a face-down draw pile to the left of his two row cards.

Tip: To ensure that the cards are in fact shuffled well enough, each player can shuffle the cards of the other player.

Each player then picks up the first 6 cards from his own pile, which make up his hand.

Rules for Laying Cards: Laying Cards on Your Own Piles

During the game, each player repeatedly lays number cards on his card piles. When laying cards on your own discard piles the following rules for laying cards apply (they are exactly the same as the rules in the original "The Game").

Note: In each round, you can lay one card on your opponent's discard piles. These rules do not apply for cards laid on your opponent's discard piles (see "Laying a Card on Your Opponent's Pile").

When laying cards in your own ascending row of cards the card number of each card laid must always be greater than the card laid before it. The margin between the cards does not matter, e.g. 3, 11, 12, 13, 18, 20, 34, etc.

Important: To keep things from getting out of hand, lay the number cards one on top of the other, rather than side by side. This will form one pile next to each row card with only the top card of each pile showing.

Example: Sarah first lays the 4 on her ascending pile, followed by the 8 and the 13.

When laying cards in your own descending row of cards it's exactly the opposite: the card number of each card laid must always be less than the card laid before it, e.g. 54, 50, 48, 41, 40, 37, etc.

The Backwards Trick

There is one single exception that lets you play in the reverse order on both of your own piles: whenever the value of the number card is exactly 10 higher or lower. Here's how it works:

On your turn, you can lay a card on your own ascending pile that is exactly 10 less than the number showing on the pile.

Example: Normally, Tim would have to lay a card on his own ascending pile that is greater than 27. However, he has the 17 in his hand and can play the card on his ascending pile, since it is exactly 10 less than the card showing.

On your own descending pile, you can lay a card that is exactly 10 greater than the number showing on the pile.

Example: Normally, Sarah would have to lay a card on her own descending pile that is less than 35. However, she has the 45 in her hand and can play the card on her descending pile, since it is exactly 10 greater than the card showing.

Note: You can use the backwards trick as often as you like on both piles during your turn. For example, you can first play a card according to the normal rules, then use the backwards trick when laying cards on your own piles, then two more cards normally again, and then the backwards trick again, etc.

Laying a Card on Your Opponent's Pile

In each round, you are allowed to lay no more than one card on your opponent's pile. If you lay a card on your opponent's pile next to his row card, the rules for laying cards described above do not apply. You only have to follow this one rule: The card that you lay on your opponent's pile (either one) must improve his pile. That means it must make his ascending pile "lower" or his descending pile "higher."

Example: Sarah would like to lay a card on one of Tim's piles.

• Tim's ascending pile shows the 18. Sarah would therefore have to lay any card that is lower than the 18 on this pile.
• Tim's descending pile shows the 40. Sarah would therefore have to lay any card that is higher than the 40 on this pile.

How to Play

Draw to see who goes first. On your turn lay at least two cards from your hand on any pile to the right of the row card.

You can lay your cards either exclusively on your own discard piles or you can also lay one card on one of your opponent's discard piles and the rest on your own piles. You are never allowed to discard more than one card on your opponent's discard pile per round.

If it is possible and you would like to, you can also lay more than two cards on your turn, and even all six. Lay the cards individually, one after the other. You're free to choose which pile to lay your number cards on. You can lay all your cards on the same pile (provided that it's your own) or on both of your own piles in any order, plus one card on your opponent's pile, if you like.

Example: It's Tim's turn. He lays one card on his own ascending pile, then two cards on his own descending pile, and then one card on Sarah's ascending pile.

When you are finished laying cards, pick up cards from your draw pile:

• If you lay down cards only on your pile, then you have to pick up two cards from your own draw pile (regardless of how many cards you discarded).
• If you lay down a card on your opponent's pile (and at least one card on your own pile), then you have to pick up as many cards from your own draw pile until you have 6 cards in your hand again.

Example: Sarah lays 3 cards on her own piles. She then picks up 2 cards. Tim lays 5 cards, 4 on his own piles and 1 on Sarah's. Tim then picks up cards until he has 6 cards in his hand again.

End of Game

If there are no cards left in your draw pile, continue playing without picking up any more cards.

Note: Once your draw pile has been used up, you still have to lay at least two cards per round (or more) as described above.

The game is over as soon as one of the players has discarded all of his 58 number cards. This player has won the game! The game can end earlier, if at any time in the game a player is unable to discard the minimum of two cards. In this case, the player immediately loses the game.

Publisher

Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag GmbH, Forsthausstraße 3-5, D-90768 Fürth-Dambach, www.nsv.de