The goal is to be the first to fill your Top Trumps pin track and to win the Top Trumps Finale.
You fill your pin track by winning the tournament mini-games: Head to Head (Kopf an Kopf), My Game (Mein Spiel), Shoot Out, Hi Lo, Steal a Pin (Klau den Pin), and Grab 2 Pins (Hol zwei Pins).
Setup
Assemble the turntable (Drehscheibe) by separating the arrow from its round base. Insert the base from below into the hexagonal disc, then push the arrow back in from above so that it is held firmly against it. The spinner arrow (Drehpfeil) now sits exactly in the middle of the Card Arena (Karten-Arena).
One player is appointed Pin Master (Pin-Meister). Only the Pin Master may hand out pins during the game.
Place one card deck into each of the six openings of the Card Arena. Insert the card stacks so that the back of each stack faces the turntable. Always take all cards out before the start, and set aside all unused playing cards.
Each player needs a pin track (Pin-Leiste). Lay your pin track down so that every player can see it. Do not hide it!
Always draw cards during the mini-games from the top. The card stacks do not need to be shuffled.
Whenever you have finished a mini-game, place the cards that were played under the stack and put the stack back into its designated opening in the Arena before the next player's turn.
Playing the Game
Spin the arrow to see who starts. The player the arrow points to starts. That player spins the arrow once more to choose the first mini-game. Some mini-games involve all players, others only 2 players or even just 1 player.
When a mini-game is over, the round ends and the turn passes to the left.
The other players collect pins for their pin tracks by winning mini-games.
When a player has collected 9 pins, the Finale begins.
Regular Top Trumps Play
To play a regular game of Top Trumps, the cards are shuffled and dealt evenly to 2 to 6 players. Each player holds their card stack so that only they, and no other player, can see the top card.
The player to the left of the dealer starts. They choose a property in the table on their top card and read out the corresponding value, for example "Combat Skill (Kampfgeschick) 136".
The other players then read out their values for the same category ("Combat Skill") in turn. The player with the highest value wins and receives the top cards of the other players. They put these, together with their own top card, under their own card stack. Then that player is next and chooses a property from the new top card and calls out its value.
If 2 or more cards show the same value, or no value is given, the top cards are placed in the middle, and the same player chooses a property again, from the next card. The winner of this round also receives the cards from the middle.
The game is won by whoever ends up with all the cards.
Tournament Rules
Discard: "The Loser Discards" (Abwerfen: "Der Verlierer wirft ab")
During play, the losing cards are discarded. This means that the player with the winning card does not receive the losing cards. Instead, you lay these losing cards on the table in front of you.
Placing the cards quickly makes the game faster.
When a player has no cards left, the mini-game is over for that player.
The discard rule applies to all mini-games of the tournament and to the Finale.
Tie (Unentschieden)
If two or more cards with the same value are drawn, they are discarded again, and the value of the same category is compared on the next card.
If this leaves you with no card, you are out. If two or more players have no cards left at the same time, each of these players receives a new card.
The value of the same category is compared again. Even if the equal card values of two or more players are higher than those of the other players, these cards must be discarded, since the result is then a tie. The value of the same category is compared again on the next card.
Last Card (Letzte Karte)
If the player who chooses the next category has only one card left, the same category may not be named twice in a row.
Force Factor (Machtfaktor)
In the Episode IV–VI, Episode I–III and Starships decks, the Force factor equals the number of films in which the character appeared.
Episodes (Episoden)
In the Top-30-Filmszenen card game, the episode with the highest number wins.
Mini-Games
My Game (Mein Spiel) – All Players – 2 Pins
This is your big chance to win 2 pins with your favorite card deck. Choose your favorite card deck from the Card Arena and deal 3 cards to each player.
You have the advantage and choose the first value.
The player with the winning card chooses the next value from the next card. Whoever loses discards their card. Play continues until only one player has cards left. That player is the winner and receives 2 pins for their pin track.
Head to Head (Kopf an Kopf) – 2 Players – 1 Pin
Spin the arrow again to choose the card deck.
Decide whom you want to face. You should not pick the player you think knows the card deck best!
Deal 3 cards to each player. You have the advantage and choose the first value.
The winner then chooses a value from their next card, and the loser discards their card. Keep playing until only one player has cards left. That player is the winner and receives one pin for their pin track.
Shoot Out – All Players – 1 Pin
Spin the arrow again to choose the card deck.
Deal one card to each player. You have the advantage and choose the category you want to play your card with.
The player with the highest value wins one pin for their pin track.
If two or more players tie, new cards are dealt to those players and the same category is chosen again.
Hi Lo – 1 Player – 1 or 2 Pins
Spin the arrow again to choose the card deck.
Place three cards face down in a row in front of you. Turn the first card over and look at its values.
You must choose one of the categories for the entire mini-game. Do you think the value on the next card will be higher or lower? State the category and the value you will play with, and then say "higher" or "lower", depending on whether you believe the value on the next card is higher or lower. Now turn the card over and find out!
If you are wrong, your turn ends. If you were right, keep playing: is the value of the category on the third card higher or lower than on the second card? Turn over the last card and check whether your judgment was right.
A tie is a win.
If a card shows N/A or has no value, the next card from the card stack is taken and turned over.
Translator's note: the printed rules state that a wrong call ends the turn and that a correct run continues, but they do not spell out in words how many pins a player receives for a run that ends early versus a completed run. The mini-game is printed with the pin value "1 or 2 pins".
Steal a Pin (Klau den Pin) – 1 Pin
With this mini-game you can steal a pin from another player's pin track and add it to your own track! But be careful: the other players will try to pay you back later in the game.
If there are no pins to take, spin the arrow again for another mini-game.
Grab 2 Pins (Hol 2 Pins) – 2 Pins
This mini-game is very simple: take two pins from the pin supply and add them to your pin track.
The Finale – All Players
When a player has filled their pin track with 9 pins, the Finale begins!
Spin the arrow to choose the card deck (shuffle it well before starting).
Each player counts the pins on their pin track. The pins determine how many cards you receive for the Finale. The player who first filled their pin track receives 9 cards. But if you have only 5 pins on your pin track, you receive only 5 cards. If you have no pins, you are out and may not take part in the Finale!
If more than 30 pins are in play, the player with the most pins receives 6 cards, the second receives 5, the third 4, the fourth 3, the fifth 2 cards, and the sixth player receives 1 card. If several players have the same number of pins, they receive the same number of cards. For example, if two players share second place, both receive 5 cards.
The player with the most pins now has the advantage: they choose the first category and the Finale begins. The discard rule ("the loser discards") is always applied in the Finale. If a player has no cards left, they are out.
Play until only one player remains. This player is the Top Trumps Tournament winner!
The Card Arena (Die Karten-Arena)
The six Star Wars card games that belong to this game are only the start! Any other card game can be used in a Top Trumps tournament. You only need to place your favorite games from your collection into the Card Arena, and off you go!
Mum and Dad can even dig out their favorite childhood Quartet card games! The Card Arena brings all card games together for the first time, and you can devise your own tournaments. So grab your card games and get started!
