Tricky Badger
Tricky Badger Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Dependent on the number of players, you take all or a selection of leaf cards. You always take the pink leaf cards and then supplement them with other colors to end up with as many colors as there are players. The pink leaf cards are the trump cards and they go from 1 to 7. All other colors go from 1 to 11. With three players, use the pink leaf cards plus two other colors. With four, use pink plus three. With five you use all leaf cards. Return unused leaf cards back in the box.
You take all leaf cards that you're using and shuffle them into one leaf card deck. Next you take all collection cards and shuffle them into one collection card deck.
Hand every player an overview card. Determine the starting player and hand them the starting player card.
Components shown: 44x leaf cards; 7x leaf cards (trump); Overview card; Starting player card; 53 collection cards (10 different types).
Game Round
The game consists of five rounds. At the start of every round, the then starting player deals every player nine leaf cards. This is their hand for this specific round. The starting player then draws ten collection cards from the collection card deck and places them face up on the table, clearly visible for all players. During the game round, players will try to win these collection cards by playing tricks. Each round has nine tricks, meaning that there will be one collection card left over at the end of the round. This card is discarded at the end of the round.
Tricks
The starting player chooses one of the face up collection cards and places it in the middle of the table. This is the collection card that can be won in this trick. Starting with the starting player, every player plays one leaf card from their hand. These played cards are together called a 'trick'. Each trick is won by one player.
The player that wins the trick, is the player that played the strongest card. Which card is the strongest, depends on the arrow on the collection card. An upward pointing arrow corresponds to the highest card in the trick being the strongest. A downward pointing arrow means that the lowest card is the strongest in this trick.
The color of the leaf card played by the starting player is the color the other players must 'follow'. They follow by playing a leaf card in the same color. If they cannot follow, they can play a trump card or a normal color.
To determine which card is the strongest in a trick, you first look at the color of the played cards. If there is a trump card (or multiple), the player with the highest or lowest trump wins (dependent on the direction of the arrow). If there is no trump card, the automatic strongest color is the color played by the starting player that the others had to follow. Within that color, the strongest number is dependent on the direction of the arrow. Leaf cards that do not follow the color and are not trumps, are weaker and therefore cannot win.
The player that wins the trick, receives the collection card. They add them to their collection and use its effects if there are any. This includes potential effects interacting with cards already in your collection. All played leaf cards are discarded.
The starting player card is now passed on clockwise to the next player. This is the new starting player, they pick a collection card to battle for and they start the new trick.
Example of a trick, including trampling: The arrow on the collection card points downward. Arnold (starting player) plays an orange 1, Irene a pink 5, Sietse an orange 5 and Adrie a blue 4. The orange 1 is automatically trampled by the orange 5 and Irene wins the trick with the pink (trump) 5.
Trampling
The highest and lowest leaf cards of each color run the risk of being trampled. If a card is trampled, it is ignored for the determination of who wins the trick. The cards at risk have a badger paw printed on them with a number. This number of the same color automatically tramples the at-risk card. This means that a 1 of a normal color is trampled by a 5 of the same color. Or a trump 7 is trampled by a trump 5. The card that does the trampling, does still compete for the win of the trick.
Icon key: the dark paw indicates which card can be trampled; the light paw indicates which card is at risk of trampling.
Collection Cards
During the game players will steadily build up their own collection of collection cards. Some of these have positive or negative effects on one another. Every collection card is an object or an animal (A), has an icon for easy recognition (B), indicates if the highest or lowest card is the strongest in its trick (C), indicates the number of (minus)points (D), and any potential effects (E).
If you win a collection card, you add it to your own collection. The magpie, cage and bucket are the (potential) exceptions. Some cards can be connected to each other, like a hamster and feed (grain or insect). If cards can be connected, you immediately have to connect them by placing them on top of each other. Make sure that for all cards you can still see the icon in the corner. Cards that cannot be connected, are grouped per card type.
There are ten different types of collection cards, each with their own (potential) effect:
Badger
The badger is always hungry, it will eat all hamsters (even newly collected ones) in your own collection. You can prevent this by connecting a bone to your badger.
Female Hamster
Having a female and male hamster in your collection is one additional point per couple. You also receive an additional point if you connect feed (weevil or wheat) to a hamster.
Male Hamster
Same as the female hamster. However, if you get a second male hamster in your collection a fight breaks out. The fight makes you lose all your hamsters.
Magpie
Pick one of two effects: a) Eat one non-connected feed card (weevil or wheat) from your own collection or that of an opponent, discard the card. Or b) steal a non-connected bone or twig from an opponent, add it to your own collection or discard it. Discard the magpie.
Bone
If connected to a badger, it occupies the badger so it doesn't eat hamsters.
Twig
It negatively impacts your collection unless you have collected at least 5 twigs. In that case, every twig is worth 2 points instead of minuspoints.
Cage
Use the cage to steal a badger from another player and add it to your own collection (including the cage), or safeguard one of your own badgers from theft. If you steal a badger with a connected card, that card moves with it. A badger in a cage cannot be stolen.
Bucket
Use the bucket to steal a hamster from another player and add it to your own collection (including the bucket), or safeguard one of your own hamsters from theft. If you steal a hamster with a connected card, that card moves with it. A hamster in a bucket cannot be stolen.
Wheat
Hamsters eat wheat, connect this card to a hamster for an additional point.
Weevil
Hamsters eat weevils, connect this card to a hamster for an additional point. Note that weevils eat wheat. A weevil will eat any non-connected wheat cards in your own collection.
Note that cages and buckets do not protect hamsters from being eaten by badgers, they only guard against theft. The little critters simply wander into the cage, and the badger can pry open a bucket.
Connected cards are permanently connected. This means that you lose them together if for instance your hamster with a wheat card is stolen with a bucket, or is eaten by a badger. Note though that a magpie cannot steal or eat connected cards. Plus a hamster can only be connected to one feed card.
Game End
The game consists of five rounds. After the fifth round there will only be three collection cards left in the collection card deck. Every player now adds up the points in their own collection. The player with the most points wins. If there is a tie, the player with the most badgers wins. The next tie breaker is the most hamsters. If there still is a tie, the players share the victory.
Example final score: badger + bone = 2; male hamster + female hamster + weevil = 5*; 2 twigs = -2*; total = 5*.*