Chasing Shadows
Chasing Shadows Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 60 cards, ranks 0-14, in 4 suits (blue, red, yellow, grey)
- Card backs display each card's suit
- 5 scoresheets
- Dry erase markers
- Eraser sheet
Setup
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Prepare the card deck based on player count:
Players 3 4 5 Ranks Used 0-10 0-13 0-14 -
Shuffle and deal each player a hand of 13 cards (11 cards with 5-players). Players should keep the ranks of their cards secret from other players, however the backs of all cards in a player's hand must remain visible at all times.
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From the remaining cards, place the top card face up and the rest face down in the center. They are known as the Spotlight Card and Follow Cards, respectively. With 3-players, set aside the last two Follow Cards, creating a discard pile.
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Give each player one scoresheet, and place the dry erase markers within reach.
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The most elusive player is the starting player for the first round.
Game Overview
Players will complete a series of tricks each round until everyone has one card remaining in hand.
The winner of each trick takes the current Spotlight Card, and replaces it with the card they just played.
The players who did not win the trick place the cards they played face down in the middle of the play area, creating the Follow Cards for the next trick.
As a result, all cards from previous tricks will be used as components in the next trick.
After all tricks have been completed, players add the unplayed card from their hand to any cards they took from winning tricks, then score for the round.
The player who has accumulated the lowest total score after three rounds is the winner of the game.
Trick Play
The start player is the lead player for the first trick.
The lead player of a trick must play any card from their hand face up in front of them.
In clockwise order, other players will play one card from their hand. They must play a card matching the suit of one of the Follow Cards currently in the center of the play area, if able. The suits of the lead player's card and the Spotlight card are not relevant.
Immediately after, they must remove a Follow Card that matches the suit of the card they played, placing it aside in the discard pile.
Note: The lead player never discards a Follow Card.
The next player will have one fewer Follow Card to choose from, until the last player, who must match the suit of the one remaining Follow Card, if able.
If a player is unable to play a card matching the suit of any of the remaining Follow Cards, they instead play any card from their hand, then discard any remaining Follow Card of their choice.
Example: Alex led the trick by playing any card from their hand. It's now Brett's turn, and they must play either a yellow, grey, or blue card. Brett plays a blue card, then discards the blue Follow Card.
Chris is next and must now play either a yellow or grey card. Since Chris does not have any cards in those suits, they decide to play a red card.
Chris notices that Drew has multiple yellow cards in their hand, but only one grey card. Chris decides to discard the yellow Follow Card, forcing Drew to play their only grey card.
Winning a Trick
After each player has played one card into a trick, the winner is determined.
The player who played the highest card with a rank that is lower than the Spotlight Card wins the trick.
If all cards played were equal to or higher than the rank of the Spotlight Card, then the highest card played wins the trick.
In case of a tie, the later played card wins the trick.
The winner takes the Spotlight card and places it face up by them alongside any other cards they've previously taken. The card they played this trick is then placed face up in the middle of the play area. It will become the Spotlight Card for the next trick.
All other players place the card they played this trick face down in the middle of the play area, creating the Follow Cards for the next trick.
If players have two or more cards remaining in hand, then the winner becomes the lead player for the next trick. Otherwise, proceed to Round Scoring.
Example: The Spotlight Card is an 8. Alex led the trick by playing a red 2. Brett played a blue 5 next, followed by Chris with a red 8. Brett wins the trick, since their blue 5 is the highest card that is lower than the Spotlight Card's rank.
The Spotlight Card is now Brett's blue 5 from the previous trick. Brett leads, and all player's cards end up being equal to or higher than the Spotlight Card. Alex wins the trick, since their card is the highest card overall.
Round Scoring
All players add the unplayed card from their hand to any other cards they took this round, grouping their cards by suit. Each suit will be scored separately.
For each suit in which a player took an even amount of cards, flip half of the cards in that suit face down, beginning with the highest ranked cards.
Face down cards do not contribute to a suit's score.
For each suit in which a player took an odd amount of cards, all cards in that suit must remain face up.
Important: For each suit in which the only card a player took was a rank 0, it instead acts as a rank 15 card.
Write the sum of face up card ranks for each suit on the matching boxes of the scoresheet for the round.
Important! Leave boxes for unscored suits empty!
Example: Alex took four red cards (1, 3, 9, 12) and one grey 0. They have an even amount of red cards (4), so the red 9 and 12 are flipped face down and ignored. The grey 0 is their only grey card, so it acts as a 15. They write 4 in the red box (1 + 3) and 15 in the grey box on their scoresheet for this round.
Brett took an odd amount of blue cards (three) and an even amount of yellow cards (two). All blue cards must remain face up, but the yellow 13 is flipped face down and ignored. They write 14 in the blue box (2 + 4 + 8) and 0 in the yellow box on their scoresheet for this round.
Prepare Next Round
Once three rounds have been played, proceed to Final Scoring. Otherwise, prepare for the next round:
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Gather all cards in the deck together and shuffle thoroughly. Deal cards according to setup.
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The starting player for the next round is the player to the left of the previous starting player.
Final Scoring
Before tallying final scores, players check if they can make any of their earlier round scores disappear.
For each suit in which a player recorded a score in exactly two of the three rounds, strikethrough the score from the earlier round by drawing a horizontal line over it.
Do not strikethrough any scores for suits that a player scored in just one or all three rounds.
The sum of all remaining scores that have not been struck through is a player's final score.
Example: Blue cards were taken in two rounds (I & III), so the earlier round score (12) was struck through. The yellow 3 was as well. The final score is: 0 + 4 + 11 + 6 + 0 + 5 = 26
End of Game
The player with the lowest final score successfully stays hidden within the shadows and wins the game!
In case of a tie, the player that took the fewest cards in the final round wins.
If any players are still tied, they share victory.
Tips & Tactics
Limit Your Opponent's Choices
When deciding between different Follow Cards, first see if you can force any players after you into playing a specific card from their hand. You might cause them to play a card that makes them win the trick.
Plant The Next Spotlight Card
When facing a situation where you're forced to win a trick, remember that the card you play will become the next Spotlight Card. Use this to your advantage and choose a card that sets you up to easily avoid the next trick. Alternatively, play a card that sets you up to win that card in the next trick (if you need it).