Tulip Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setting Up
• How the Game Is Played
• Rounds of the Game
• «Action» Cards
• The Crash
• End of the Game
• End of Game Example

Components

• 6 «support» cards
• 6 «cursor» cards
• 6 «start» cards
• 42 «tulip» cards
• 18 «action» cards
• 6 «black tulip» cards

Setting Up

1. Shuffle the «tulips», «actions» and «black tulips» cards and distribute 4 to each player. Place the remaining cards in the centre of the table.

2. Shuffle and place the «start» cards face up in front of each player (garden):

2 players	3 players	4, 5, 6 players
3 cards	2 cards	1 card

With 4 and 5 players, any «start» cards that are not dealt are put back in the box.

3. Place the «support» and «cursor» cards so that they are visible to everyone. The starting score is «5» for tulips already in play and «0» for tulips returned to the box.

4. Determine the 1st player at random and start the first round.

How the Game Is Played

The game is played in a succession of rounds until the end of the game is reached.

Rounds of the Game

Take it in turns to play clockwise.

The active player must play a card from his or her hand face up in his or her garden (in front of him or her), then draw to complete his or her hand of 4 cards.

The player can play 3 types of cards:

• If a «tulip» card is played, the player moves the corresponding «cursor» card* down one notch by sliding it onto the «support» card. This will generate florins equivalent to its value at the end of the game.
  • If the «cursor» card is «0», its value changes to «5».
• If a «black tulip» card is played, nothing happens. This will be worth 3 florins at the end of the game.
• If an «action» card is played, the player achieves the effect of the card, if possible. This will earn you 1 florin at the end of the game.

«Action» Cards

Exchange: exchange a face-up tulip card in one player's garden for another player's tulip card. (You can choose one of your «tulip» cards if you wish). The exchange does not change the value of the tulips.

Variation: increase or decrease the value of a «cursor» card by one notch (this effect can only be applied if at least one tulip of this colour is present among the players). A tulip with a value of «5» can only go down.

Draw: draw a card at random from an opponent's hand. Play it immediately in front of you and activate its effect. The opposing player has three cards in his or her hand and will not complete his or her hand until the end of his or her turn. A player with 1 card in his or her hand cannot be the target of this action.

The Crash

If the value of a «cursor» card reaches «0», a CRASH is triggered. All «tulip» cards of this colour in the gardens are removed from the game and do not earn any florins at the end of the game.

Any colour that has suffered a Crash can have its value raised from «0» to «5» by drawing a «tulip» card of the same colour.

End of the Game

The game ends as soon as these 3 situations occur:

1. When a 4th crash is triggered.
2. When a 4th black tulip is drawn (all gardens combined).
3. When the last card of the deck is drawn.

In these 2 cases, the player who triggers the end of the game does not draw a card.

The players then reveal the cards in their hands and place them in their garden without influencing the market value or carrying out any of the game actions. Each player then calculates the florins won by adding:

1. His or her «black tulip» cards (3 florins per card).
2. His or her «action» cards (1 florin per card).
3. His or her «tulip» cards by multiplying – by colour – their value by their number.

End of Game Example

The printed example shows the following calculation for one player's garden:

• 3x2=6
• 1x1=1
• 1x3=3
• 1x0=0
• 2x5=10
• 2x3=6

The player wins 26 florins for this game.