Cassa Grande
Cassa Grande Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
The game contains 32 cards:
- 8 cards showing 0
- 4 cards showing 1
- 8 cards showing 2
- 4 cards showing 3
- 4 cards showing 4
- 4 comma cards
Goal of the Game
The aim of the game is to score as many points as possible. To do this, players build an addition, which is read traditionally from left to right and from top to bottom, and which should produce the largest possible result.
It is not quite as simple as that, because opponents also take part in building each addition.
It is important that the four players sit on the four sides of the table, because each player reads the addition as it lies in front of them.
Cassa Grande for 4 Players
Game Principle
The idea of the game and the tactics to use are easier to understand by looking at an example of the end of a round, where each player's score is calculated.
The four players sit as shown in the diagram below and have played all their cards so that they fit within a square of 6 x 6. Once the cards are turned over, the layout is the one shown in the example diagram.
Each of the four players has six numbers lying in front of them, which they read naturally from left to right. A comma or an empty space interrupts a number. All digits that come after it are ignored.
Player A's score is:
- 11201, = 11 201
- And 4,X00X = 4
- And 022104 = 22 104
- And 2003X2 = 2 003
- And 32,243 = 32
- And X402,3 = 0
Added together, this gives 35344. This is the total Player A reached in the round.
In the worked example, X stands for an empty space.
Player B has the following numbers in front of them (turn the rules to see the numbers as Player B sees them):
- ,X4233 = 0
- And 100X4, = 100
- And 001322 = 1 322
- And 2X20,0 = 2
- And 1,2024 = 1
- And 14023X = 14 023
Added together, this gives 15 448. This is the total Player B reached in the round.
Players C and D work out their totals in the same way (turn the rules if necessary). Player C scores 401,567. Player D scores 230,626.
The winner is Player C, followed by D, A and B.
(Translator's notes: the source prints "ans l'exemple", a typo for "dans l'exemple", translated here as "In the example". The source writes Player C's and D's totals as "401.567" and "230 626"; they are rendered with English thousands separators.)
In the example, we calculated the points exactly. In most cases, it is enough to roughly add the six-digit and five-digit numbers to determine the winner.
Setup and Play
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It is important that the four players spread out around the table, at the four cardinal points of the table.
Side panel: The players are at the 4 cardinal points of the table.
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Deal 8 cards to each player: two 0s, one 1, two 2s, one 3, one 4, and one comma.
Side panel: 8 cards per player.
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The cards are taken into hand and hidden from the other players. Each player takes their comma card and places it face up in front of them.
Side panel: The cards are taken into hand; the comma is placed face up.
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One first player is chosen. They place one of their cards on the table, keeping it face down.
Side panel: The first player places a card face down.
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The players take turns placing a card, also face down. Each new card must touch at least one other card, either along a side or at a corner.
Side panel: The cards must touch.
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Players place cards in turn, making sure each card touches a card that is already placed. In this way the virtual board grows little by little. When you place a card, you can extend the board in one direction or another.
Side panel: Placing a card can expand the virtual board. Example 1 and Example 2 (among many others) show boards growing from a starting group of cards.
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The virtual board may not exceed 6 cards vertically and horizontally. At the end of the game, the board will be made up of a 6x6 frame, with 32 cards and 4 empty spaces.
Side panel: The marked position is forbidden. The board may be at most 6 cards vertically and horizontally. Cards may only be played within the limits of the frame shown by the grey lines.
Cassa Grande for 2 Players
The basic principle and the aim of the game are the same as the 4-player game (please refer to the rules above). The changes are as follows:
- Each player receives 12 cards: one 4, two 3s, three 2s, two 1s, three 0s, and one comma.
- The frame is limited to a 5x5 board of cards (one empty space only).
- The two players sit facing each other.
Variants
For all of the variants below, the basic principle of the game stays the same. Only one rule point is changed:
- A) The cards are shown face up while playing.
- B) Each time a card has been placed, you exchange one card with an opponent of your choice (exchange hidden, of course).
- C) In the first turn, the card is placed face up; in the second turn it is face down, then face up, then face down, and so on.
- D) Play normally, but the smaller total wins.
- E) The cards are shuffled at the start and dealt equally among the players. Each player shows the cards they received, then takes them back into hand, hidden.
To make Cassa Grande even more frantic, you can try combining several variants or creating your own variants.
Tournament Rules
A game of "Cassa Grande" lasts only a few minutes. At the start of the game you can agree on the number of rounds you want to play before determining a winner.
We recommend the following scoring system:
- The first player of a round scores 4 points.
- The second player scores 3 points.
- The third player scores 2 points.
- The last player scores 1 point.