Abluxxen: Sonderkarten / Duell
Abluxxen: Sonderkarten / Duell Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Duell (Two-Player Variant)
In this version for two players, only the following rules differ to those of the original game:
Game Setup
- Both players are dealt 2 jokers and 11 cards each.
- Also playing in the duel is a "ghost player": The ghost player is dealt 13 cards which are displayed face-up. Sort these by value, to see which appear as single cards, pairs, etc.
- Place all 13s and jokers from the ghost player's hand onto the lowest cards of the open card row, to form card pairs (see illustration).
- Replenish the ghost's hand to 13 cards. If 13s/jokers turn up, they are placed on the card row again, the hand is replenished once more, etc.
Exception: If the card row is already filled with card pairs, spare 13s/jokers are removed from the game.
Setup summary: Each player: 2 jokers + 11 cards. Ghost: 13 open cards, 13s and jokers in card row.
Card Row
Each pair of cards counts as 1 card. If a player takes a card pair from the card row (see above), this only counts as one drawn card.
Ghost-Snatching
If a player plays cards with which he snatches cards from the ghost, the player must pick up these snatched cards. If able to snatch multiple combinations (e.g. 5s and 8s), that player must choose one combination.
Example: The active player plays a 12. That player must snatch a 3 or an 8 or a 10 from the ghost and chooses the 8.
Subsequently, the ghost's hand is replenished to 13 cards from the draw pile. 13s and jokers are placed on the open card row, as described.
If the active player snatches cards from the opponent and the ghost, the cards are snatched from the ghost first, the ghost's cards are replenished second, and then cards are snatched from the opponent.
Remember: Cards snatched from the ghost must be picked up; cards snatched from the opponent may be picked up.
The ghost never plays any and therefore never snatches cards.
Sequence of Play (Duell)
Firstly: Snatch from ghost and replenish hand (13s, joker → card row!).
Then: Snatch from opponent and potentially replenish card row.
Snatching from ghost: Must! Pick up exactly 1 card (combination).
Snatching from opponent: as always.
Shadow does not play any cards.
No snatching once the last cards are played.
End of Game
The end and scoring remains the same, therefore no cards are snatched – not even from the ghost – once the last cards are played!
Sonderkarten (Special Cards)
Source note: the rules below are NOT the printed Sonderkarten card rules. The printed text of the special cards was not available to the transcriber. They are the BGG item description's summary, transcribed as written, and should be checked against the printed card or the German base-game rulebook before relying on them. The full wording of the Sonderkarten rules is a known gap.
The set contains six special cards, one for each combination of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of a kind. Each card shows a green "+5" and its number (3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8). Each card is worth 5 points at game end.
A player who plays down any of these combinations may take that card (or steal it from another player).
Card faces: the cards carry only the number and the "+5" marking; no further card text is printed on the card faces in the photographed set.
Known gap: the exact printed wording of the Sonderkarten rules (timing, how a stolen card is handled, and any further details) is not transcribed here. Only the BGG description summary above is given.