Cucumber Catastrophe
Cucumber Catastrophe Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 60 cards (numbered 1 to 60)
- 1 Trick Marker
- 1 Scorepad
Game Overview
In Cucumber Catastrophe, players compete over four hands.
At the end, the winner is the player who has collected the fewest cucumbers on their captured cards.
Each hand lasts ten rounds. A round is a trick where all players, in turn, play one card from their hand.
The player who played the highest card (or the lowest, depending on the Rule in play) wins the trick and takes all the cards played that round... unless the Rule is broken.
But remember: you do NOT want to collect the cucumbers shown on the cards! They're scary!
Setup
- Shuffle the deck and deal 10 cards face-down to each player.
- Any leftover cards are returned to the box without revealing them.
- Place the Trick Marker in the middle of the table, either side up.
The starting player is the one who hates cucumbers the most.
For later hands, the player with the highest cumulative cucumber total begins (ties are broken randomly).
How to Play
The first card of a trick
The player who won the last trick leads the next trick by playing the first card.
At the beginning of the very first hand, the starting player leads.
Important: You cannot start a trick by playing a 5-cucumber card (Nos. 5, 15, 25, 35, 45, or 55), unless those are the only cards left in your hand.
The second card of a trick
After the lead card is played, each other player plays a card of their choice, in clockwise order.
The second card played establishes the Rule of the round and determines who will win the trick.
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If the second card is higher than the first, the round follows the High Card Rule: Flip the Trick Marker to the "+" side. The highest card wins the trick. From now on, all cards played this round must be higher than the lead card.
Example: The first card is 17. The second card is 24. Since 24 is higher than 17, the following cards must all be higher than 17.
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If the second card is lower than the first, the round follows the Low Card Rule: Flip the Trick Marker to the "-" side. The lowest card wins the trick. From now on, all cards played this round must be lower than the lead card.
Example: The first card is 38. The second card is 35. Since 35 is lower than 38, the following cards must all be lower than 38.
Players keep the tricks they win face down in a pile in front of them.
NOTE: Players may find it helpful to place the Trick Marker on the lead card (or near it) as a reminder that the High Card or Low Card Rule is related to that card and not the others.
Breaking the Rule
- If the High Card Rule is in play, and you cannot play a card higher than the first lead, you may still play a lower one. If this happens, the Rule is broken. Flip the Trick marker to the opposite side: now the lowest card wins the trick. All following players may play any card, without restrictions.
- If the Low Card Rule is in play, and you cannot play a card lower than the lead card, you may still play a higher one. If this happens, the Rule is broken. Flip the Trick marker to the opposite side: now the highest card wins the trick. All following players may play any card, without restrictions.
Example 1
Rick is the starting player and plays 22. Martha plays 30, setting the Rule that all following players must play a card higher than the first card (22). Andrew plays 27, Stephen plays 26, Simon plays 34, and Eleonore plays 23.
Everyone has followed the High Card Rule. Simon played the highest card and wins the trick, taking all the cards and placing them face-down in front of him.
Cards played in order: Rick 22, Martha 30, Andrew 27, Stephen 26, Simon 34, Eleonore 23.
Example 2
Simon won the last trick and starts the next one with 38. Eleonore plays 31: the following players must now play a card lower than 38. Rick cannot and plays 39.
The Rule is broken: Rick flips the marker. Now the highest card wins. Martha discards her 15 (5 cucumbers), sure she won't win the trick. Andrew plays 1, which might be inconvenient later. Stephen has no card lower than 39, so he plays his highest card, 59. Stephen wins the trick and takes all the cards.
Cards played in order: Simon 38, Eleonore 31, Rick 39, Martha 15, Andrew 1, Stephen 59.
End of a Hand
The hand ends after ten tricks. Each player adds up the cucumbers on their captured cards and records the total on the scorepad.
Then, shuffle all of the cards and deal 10 cards to each player as described in Setup to begin the next hand.
Declaring the Winner
After four hands, each player adds up their scores. The winner is the player with the fewest cucumbers!
In case of a tie, the winner is the tied player with the lowest single-hand score. If still tied, the victory is shared.
Game Variants
Once you are familiar with the game, you may use the following variants, either separately or combined.
Surprise Cucumber
Highly recommended when playing 3-player games, but can also be used with any other player count.
Setup
- Shuffle the deck and deal 10 cards face-down to each player (8 cards each in a 6-player game: only 8 rounds will be played).
- Place the deck in the center of the table.
- Place the Trick Marker next to it.
Rules
Use the following changes to the core rules:
- The lead card each trick is revealed from the deck.
- The first player plays from their hand and determines the Rule (as if they were the second player in the standard game).
- The winner of the trick takes all the cards played, including the lead card.
- The trick winner starts the next trick, revealing the new lead card and then playing the second card to set the Rule.
If You Can't Beat 'Em...
Setup
- Set aside the six 5-cucumber cards (Nos. 5, 15, 25, 35, 45, and 55); shuffle the rest.
- Build a deck with 10 random cards per player (e.g., 30 cards for a 3-player game). Return the remaining cards to the box.
- Take six random cards out of the deck, without revealing them, and replace them with the 5-cucumber cards previously set aside.
- Shuffle again and deal 10 cards to each player.
Rules
If you manage to claim at least four 5-cucumber cards during a hand, you do not count your collected cucumbers. Instead, score "- 5" on the scorepad: a nice advantage!