Camelio
Camelio Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 36 Regular Cards (solid-color back, front shows Spheres indicating their value)
- 24 Special Bicolor Cards (bicolor back with visible number of Spheres)
- 12 Special Multicolor Cards (multicolor back with visible number of Spheres)
Note: The front of each card shows a combination of color and number of Spheres.
Setup
- Shuffle all Regular and Special Cards (Bicolor and Multicolor) together to form a single deck.
- Place the deck face down in the center of the table.
- Reveal the top card and place it face up next to the deck to form the face-up area.
The player who lost the previous game of Camelio goes first. If this is your first game, the youngest player starts. Play then proceeds clockwise.
Hidden Card Information
- If the hidden card is a Regular one, you can see its color but not the number of Spheres.
- If it's a Special card (Bicolor or Multicolor), you can see the number of Spheres, but not the exact color (it will be one of the colors shown on the back).
Gameplay
On your turn, you must choose one of the two available cards:
- The face-up card, where both the color and the number of Spheres are visible.
- The face-down card, where only partial information is known (either color or number of Spheres, depending on the card type).
Once you've chosen a card, decide whether to:
- Keep it and add it to your play area.
- Or give it to another player of your choice, forcing them to add it to their play area.
Important: You must declare your choice before revealing the card (if it's face down). Only after that, the chosen card is turned face up and placed in the selected player's play area.
After completing your action and placing the card, the turn passes to the next player, clockwise.
Important: If you chose the face-up card, draw a new one from the deck at the end of your turn and place it face up next to the deck. This will be the new face-up card available for the next player.
Example: You choose the face-down card, of which you know the number of Spheres (2) and partially the color - it will be either red or yellow. After declaring that you'll keep it for yourself, you reveal it and add it to your play area.
Play Area
Arranging the Cards
- Cards should be stacked with a slight overlap, always keeping the number of Spheres visible.
- Cards of the same color must be grouped together in your play area.
Scoring Points
When you collect exactly 5 Spheres of the same color, you score 1 Point! Gather all the cards of that color and place them horizontally in your Scoring Area, below your play area.
Watch Out for Busts!
If you exceed 5 Spheres of the same color in your play area:
- You must discard all cards of that color from your play area.
If you reach exactly 5 Spheres of a color for which you've already scored a Point:
- You lose that Point and discard all cards of that color - both the new ones in your play area and the ones in your Scoring Area!
Example 1: You've collected 6 Blue Spheres (3+1+2=6), you've busted and must discard all of those cards from your play area!
Example 2: You've collected 5 Red Spheres in your play area (3+2=5), but you've already scored a Point in this color, so you must discard all these cards from both your play area and your Scoring Area!
Which Card to Choose?
Every decision matters:
- Should you go for the face-down card or the face-up one?
- Should you keep it for yourself or pass it to an opponent?
- Should you aim to score a Point or make someone else bust?
- Should you focus on gaining Points or making others lose theirs?
End of the Game
The game ends immediately when a player reaches:
- 4 Points in different colors (in a 2-player game), or
- 3 Points in different colors (in a 3- or 4-player game).
Or:
If the draw deck runs out, shuffle all discarded cards to form a new deck. If the second deck also runs out, the game ends and the player with the most Points wins.
In case of a tie: The player with the most Spheres still in play (from colors not yet scored) wins. If the tie persists, the victory is shared!