3 Witches
3 Witches Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Each round, players bid on how many tricks they can win out of 5. The highest bidder becomes the Lead Witch, and their opponents play together on a team as Lesser Witches.
If the Lead Witch wins exactly the number of tricks they bid, they get 2 fate tokens at the end of the round. If they don't, each Lesser Witch gets 1 fate token instead. The first player to earn 5 fate tokens wins the game!
Components
- 12 Fate Tokens
- 1 Crystal Ball Card
- 18 Ingredient Cards
- 3 Player Aids
Ingredient Cards
Each card has a rank (number) and suit (animal icon). Each of the 5 standard suits has a unique distribution of ranks, shown on your player aid. The Elixir is a special card with its own suit.
Setup
- Place the crystal ball card and fate tokens to one side of the play area.
- Give each player a player aid.
- Shuffle the 18 ingredient cards and deal each player a hand of 6.
Game Rounds
Each round has 4 phases:
- Deal
- Bid
- Brew
- Score
1. Deal
Shuffle the 18 ingredient cards and deal each player 6. For the first round, this is done during setup.
2. Bid
The player who was dealt the Elixir must announce that they have it. The player to their left bids first, followed in clockwise order.
When it is your turn to bid, you may bid 3 or 4 tricks, or you may pass without bidding. If you bid, place the crystal ball card in front of yourself, with the number you bid faceup.
Bid 3 Tricks: If you bid 3 tricks, everyone (including you) has 1 more turn to either raise the bid or pass. If everyone passes, you win with a bid of 3.
Bid 4 Tricks: If anyone bids 4 tricks, they win the bid immediately.
Lead & Lesser Witches
The winning bidder becomes the Lead Witch, and the other 2 players are Lesser Witches. Each Lesser Witch must discard 1 card of their choice facedown, so they each have a hand of 5 cards. The Lead Witch keeps all 6 of their cards.
No Bids
If all 3 players decline to bid, each player must simultaneously pass 2 cards from their hand to the player on their left, facedown. The player with the Elixir must choose it as 1 of the 2 cards they pass; otherwise, players may choose any cards in their hand. Each player adds the cards they receive to their hand.
Once cards have been passed, restart the bidding with the player who is now left of the Elixir (remembering it has passed clockwise).
If players pass cards 3 times without making a bid (such that the Elixir returns to the player to whom it was dealt), 1 final round of bidding is held. If the first 2 players do not bid, the player with the Elixir must bid. If they bid 3, players have 1 more turn to raise to 4, as normal.
3. Brew
Once the teams are decided, players play 5 tricks. In each trick, each team plays 2 cards, and whichever team plays the cards with the highest combined value wins the trick. Follow the steps below to play each trick.
Playing a Trick
a. The Lead Witch starts by playing any 2 cards from their hand, placing 1 faceup and the other facedown. Their faceup card determines the lead suit for the trick.
Example: The Lead Witch plays a Wing of Owl and a secret ingredient.
b. Going clockwise, the 1st Lesser Witch must follow suit by playing 1 card of the lead suit faceup, if they have it. If they don't have the lead suit, they may play any card, or pass.
The 1st Lesser Witch has no Owl cards. They decide to pass and see what their partner plays.
c. The 2nd Lesser Witch must also follow suit. If they can't, they must play a card of another suit (they may not pass).
The 2nd Lesser Witch follows suit with a Tongue of Owl.
d. If the 1st Lesser Witch couldn't follow suit and chose to pass, they must now play a card of another suit from their hand.
The 1st Lesser Witch passed before, so they now play a Tongue of Dog.
e. The Lead Witch reveals their facedown card. Each team determines the combined value of their 2 cards, and whoever is higher wins the trick.
The Lead Witch reveals their secret ingredient. Both teams combine their ingredients to see who made the better potion!
Combining Ingredients
Each team determines the value of their cards as follows:
- If both cards have the same rank, add their ranks together.
- If both cards have the same suit, add their ranks together.
- Otherwise, take the higher rank of the 2 cards.
The team with the highest value wins the trick. In a tie, the Lead Witch wins.
Finishing a Trick
Once the trick winner is decided, the winning team must choose 1 of the 2 cards the Lead Witch played and return it to the Lead Witch's hand. If the Lead Witch won the trick, they choose which card they return secretly, returning the other to the table facedown. (Exception: If the Lead Witch played the Elixir, they must return their other card.) If the Lesser Witches won, they discuss and agree on which card the Lead Witch returns (they may choose the Elixir).
The winning team then takes the remaining 3 cards in the trick and places them in a facedown pile in front of themselves (keeping it separate from previous tricks they've won). The Lead Witch leads the next trick.
4. Score
After 5 tricks, the Lead Witch counts how many tricks they won:
- If the Lead Witch won a number of tricks equal to their bid number, they win the round and get 2 fate tokens.
- If the Lead Witch won any other number of tricks, the Lesser Witches win the round and get 1 fate token each.
Game End
When any individual player earns their 5th fate token at the end of a round, the game ends and they win. If 2 players get their 5th token at the same time, they share victory.
Special Ingredients
Eyes (Rank 2)
If the Lead Witch plays a 2 faceup at the start of a trick, both Lesser Witches must play their cards facedown. They must still follow suit, if able. At the end of the trick, all players reveal their cards and determine the winner as normal.
When played by Lesser Witches, 2s have no special effect.
Communication
During a round, Lesser Witches may speak in broad terms about whether they should try to win or lose a trick, but they may not discuss any specific cards, ranks, or suits that have or have not been played.
The Elixir
The Elixir has the following special rules:
- During the bid phase, the player with the Elixir is always last in bid order (the player to their left is first).
- The Lead Witch may not play the Elixir faceup (only facedown) and may not return the Elixir to their hand if they win the trick.
- The combined value of the Elixir and any other card is double the rank of the other card.
Clarifications & Tips
- The lead suit only determines what cards may be played during a trick. It has no effect on who wins the trick.
- The 1st Lesser Witch is only allowed to pass if they can't follow suit. Passing allows you to see what your partner plays and signals that you don't have the lead suit.
- The Lesser Witches are not required to help each other. For example, if your partner has 4 fate tokens, you can try to lose the round to prevent them from getting 5.
- In a tie, the Lead Witch always wins the trick, even if they don't want to.
Credits
Dedicated to Jeff Young
Design: Corey Young Illustration: Sai Beppu Graphic Design: Matt Paquette & Co., Anca Gavril & Co. Rules Editing: Jeff Fraser 3D Artist: Filip Gavril
Playtesters: Benjamin Begeal, Christopher Chung, Derek Dorman, Kellen Freeman, Gary Gentry, Patrick Hilliar, Lisa Johnson, Cuong Pham, Joseph Pham, Sy Pham, Jeffrey Secrest, Jon Woltmann, Trang Young