Bacon Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Important Rules
• Deal
• Turns
• Combos and Specials
• Bacon
• Turn Example
• Round End
  • Round End Example
• Table Talk
• Clarification Examples
• Clarifications
• Credits

Components

• 80 Breakfast Cards (2 of each 1-10, in 4 suits)
• 12 Bacon Cards
• Bacon Tokens (1VP, 4VP)
• 6 Menu Boards
• 14 Score Tokens
• Start Player Token

Setup

Players	Teams	Breakfast Cards	Goal
3 Players	Individuals	Use ranks 1-8 in any 3 suits	6 VP
4 Players	2 teams	Use ranks 1-10 in any 3 suits	8 VP or 8 Rounds
5 Players	Individuals	Use ranks 1-10 in any 3 suits	10 VP
6 Players	2 teams	Use ranks 1-9 in all 4 suits	24 VP or 6 Rounds

Teammates must sit in alternating seats. Place the bacon tokens, bacon cards, and score tokens for your player count near the play area. Give each player a menu board and give the start player token to the player who most recently ate bacon.

Important Rules

These examples illustrate how combos and specials can beat one another:

• Run of 3 (2-3-4) beats Run of 3 (1-2-3). You can beat a combo with a higher-ranked combo of the same type.
• Special Quad (1-1-1-1) beats Run of 3 (2-3-4). You can beat a combo with any special.
• Special Quad (2-2-2-2) beats Special Quad (1-1-1-1). You can beat a special with a higher-ranked special of the same type.
• Special Straight Flush (1-2-3-4-5) beats Special Quad (2-2-2-2). You can beat a special with any special of a better type.

Deal

Start each round by shuffling the breakfast cards and dealing them evenly to each player. Also give each player 2 bacon cards.

Turns

The start player begins by playing any combo or special. The next player clockwise can either beat the previous combo or special with a better one, or they can pass. Players continue taking turns until someone plays a combo or special and no one beats it (all other players pass consecutively). The player with the winning combo or special discards all previous cards played, then may play any combo or special to continue the round.

When playing in teams, the player with the winning combo or special may instead choose a teammate to play next. Teammates may not discuss this choice. When playing individually, if a player plays all their cards with a winning combo or special, the first player to their left who has cards plays next.

Combos and Specials

Your menu board lists all combos and specials. You can only play a combo or special if it beats the last combo or special that was played.

A matching combo or special is considered higher-ranked if it includes at least 1 card of a higher rank. A special is better than another special if it is further down the menu.

If you can't beat the last combo or special that was played (or don't want to), you must pass. You can pass and still play again later.

Bacon

Bacon cards are wild. They can be included in any combo or special, and can be treated as having any suit and any rank (up to +1 more than the highest rank in the deck). You must state the suit and rank of a bacon card when you play it.

Turn Example

• Player 1 plays a Pair (rank: 2, suit: blue).
• Player 2 passes.
• Player 3 plays a Pair (rank: 8).
• Player 4 plays a Pair (rank: 9).
• Player 1 plays a Special Quad (rank: 4).
• Player 2 plays a Special Straight Flush (7-8-9-10-X).
• Player 3 passes.
• Player 4 passes.
• Player 1 passes.
• Player 2 wins with the Special Straight Flush.

Round End

If you play your last card at any time during a round, immediately claim the score token indicating the order you went out (if you went out second, take the 2). When the last score token is claimed (only 1 player has cards left), the round immediately ends, and players earn VP (bacon tokens).

• In individual games, each player with a score token earns the VP on it.
• In team games, only the team with the 1st-place player earns VP. Their team earns VP for each other score token their teammates claim, as listed on the 1st-place token.

Round End Example

In a 6 player game, if you go out 1st and your teammates go out 3rd and 5th, your team gets 4 VP + 1 VP = 5 VP from the 1st rank tile.

Score token values shown on the 1st-place tile: 2 = 8 VP, 3 = 4 VP, 4 = 2 VP, 5 = 1 VP, 6 = 0 VP.

If any player or team has met or exceeded the VP goal for your player count (see Setup), the game ends, and whoever has the most VP wins!

If not, play another round. Pass the start player token to the player on the team with the fewest total VP who is closest clockwise to the previous start player. If tied, pass to the next player clockwise.

Table Talk

During a round, you may not tell your teammates what's in your hand or discuss strategy with them.

Clarification Examples

• Run of 6 (1-2-3-4-5-6) cannot be extended to a 7-card run. No more than 6 cards for combos/specials.
• Special Quad (4-4-4-4) using any combinations of suits is valid. Any combinations of suits.
• A Pair (2-2) cannot be followed by a Trip (2-2-2). Can't follow a pair with a trip.
• A Run of 3 (1-2-3) cannot be followed by a Run of 4 (1-2-3-4). Can't follow a 3-run with a 4-run.
• A Special Quad (4-4-4-4) cannot be followed by a Combo Stair (1-1-2-2). Can't follow a special with a combo.

Clarifications

• There are no combos or specials with more than 6 cards.
• Except for Flushes, combos and specials can include any combination of suits.
• You can never follow a combo with a different combo.
• You can never follow a special with a combo. This means that once someone plays a special (including if it is led), only specials can be played until someone wins and plays a new combo.

Credits

• Design: Sean Ross
• Illustration: William Harris AKA ScribbleToons
• Graphic Design: Matt Paquette & Co., Anca Gavril
• 3D Artist: Filip Gavril