Altitude
Altitude Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Mountain Building Rules
(Printed on the back of the box.)
Cards are placed one after another, starting from the base. Then the cards of the upper row are placed, overlapping the cards of the lower row. An upper row may be started without the base having to be completed. Each card placed must be higher in value than the card it covers. The maximum number of cards in the base is 10. Each card (other than a base card) must rest on two cards of lower value.
Important note: a card does not need to be greater than the sum of the two cards it covers.
Starting the Game
Preparation
Shuffle the cards and deal 6 to each player. Players choose 4 of these to keep as their starting hand. The 2 cards that were not kept are placed on top of the others, forming the draw pile, which is placed in the centre of the table. The youngest player starts the game.
Turn
On their turn, each player takes a card from the draw pile, and then chooses one of the following:
- Place the card on their mountain.
- Discard the card to the discard pile in the centre of the table.
- Place the card (and only the card they drew from the pile) on an opponent's mountain.
- Keep the card in hand. The player must then remove one card from their hand and place it on their mountain.
- Replace a card of their mountain that is not yet covered (only with the card they drew from the pile). The replaced card is discarded.
Then the next player takes their turn.
Animal cards are numbered cards, which are placed like all the others.
Winning the Game
The game ends when there are no more cards in the draw pile. Players may then use the cards still in their hands to continue building their mountains. Each player who manages to place all the cards in their hand (except the Saint Bernard) wins one point.
Then the number of levels of each mountain is counted, and the number of animals is added. Only animals on the 4th level and above are counted. The Saint Bernard dog that remains in each player's hand also gives 1 point.
The winner is the player with the largest total.
Special Cards
Cable Car (Téléphérique)
A cable car may be placed on any card, including on an avalanche, and it has a value of "0". In the example in the box, card 13 has been placed on 9 and 0. A cable car may also be placed on the base.
Avalanche (Snow Slide)
An avalanche may only be placed on an opponent's mountain. No card, except a cable car, may be placed on top of it. Avalanches hinder the progress of your opponents. An avalanche card may be removed by using a Saint Bernard card.
Saint Bernard (Saint-Bernard)
The Saint Bernard card must be used to remove an avalanche card from a mountain. It may be kept in hand to be used later, or used immediately when it is drawn from the pile.
A player may remove an avalanche card from a mountain on their turn in one of the following ways:
- Take the Saint Bernard card from the draw pile (if they are lucky). This cancels the avalanche card, and the player discards both cards (the Saint Bernard and the avalanche card) to the discard pile; or
- Take a mountain card from the draw pile, keeping it in hand, while playing a Saint Bernard card (which they had kept from a previous turn). The player then discards both cards (the Saint Bernard and the avalanche card) to the discard pile.
Rule Clarifications
- A card that is covered (even partially) is not replaced.
- Each new card placed on a mountain must touch at least one existing card.
- No one is allowed to skip their turn. A card must be acquired from the draw pile each time.
- Each player must always have 4 cards in hand, no fewer and no more. Only when the draw pile is exhausted may a player use the cards in their hand to complete their mountain.
- Players may not place a card on an opponent's mountain before that opponent has started building it.
- No player may discard a card from their hand to the discard pile.
- Each player must place a card from their hand onto their own mountain.
- Avalanche cards count when determining the height of a mountain.
- Cards may never be acquired from the discard pile.
- Base cards may be placed from left to right or from right to left.
- No card of a player's mountain may be replaced by a card from their hand.
- Once a player's mountain reaches 5 levels (together with animals), that player plays two turns each time it is their turn.
Solo Play
Solo rule: it is like playing solitaire. The same rules apply.