Darwin's Dice
Darwin's Dice Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Content
- 72 cards
- 16 blue "bear" cards
- 16 yellow "lion" cards
- 16 green "fox" cards
- 16 red "snake" cards
- 4 grey "owl" cards
- 4 brown "scorpion" cards
- 1 coloured + and - die
- 1 eight-sided die
- 1 manual (English/German)
Object of the Game
The object of the game is to take as many tricks as possible by complying with the victory conditions of Darwin's dice. Won tricks can be converted into points at the end of each round, if the cards haven't been lost again first. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Setup
A game consists of several rounds, each consisting of individual turns.
- Each turn consists of rolling the dice, playing a card face down, turning it around and determining a winner
- A round is over when all hand cards have been played
- A game is over when the card deck is used up
At the end of each round the points are counted and new cards distributed. Cards that have already been played are removed from the game.
Preparation
For the first turn of the game the owner of Darwin's Dice becomes the Darwin (starting player). The Darwin distributes the cards according to the number of players:
| Players | Cards per player | Rounds |
|---|---|---|
| 2 players | 9 cards per player | (4 rounds) |
| 3 players | 8 cards per player | (3 rounds) |
| 4 players | 6 cards per player | (3 rounds) |
The Cards
Point value of the card
- Points from 1 to 5
- To collect points is the object of the game
Numerical value of the card
- Numbers from 1 to 8
- Special cards can have different values
- Very high and very low numbers are especially valuable
Normal Cards
- Numbers from 1 to 8
- Bear (Blue), Lion (Yellow), Fox (Green)
- Can become the trump
Special Card: Snake
- Numbers from 1 to 8
- Lose in a draw (Equal numerical value)
Effect is only activated when the current trick has been won with this card. The player with the second best card loses all previously collected cards of this round. These cards are removed from the game. If multiple players played the identical second best card, both are the target of this effect.
Special Card: Owl
- Number 0 or 9 (Lowest or highest number respectively)
- Can be beaten by the trump
Special Card: Scorpion
- Number 4½
- Is the only card that can beat the trump
Effect is only activated when someone played the trump. The player of the trump loses all previously collected cards of this round. These cards are removed from the game. If two players played the trump, both are the target of this effect.
The Dice
Trump: The combination of the number and the colour determines which card becomes the trump for the respective turn. The trump card is the strongest card of the current turn. If the trump card hasn't been played, the numbers of the cards determine the winner.
Fight (+): the highest number wins. When there's a draw (equal numbers) the biggest animal wins. The chain of victory is as follows: Bear (Blue) > Lion (Yellow) > Fox (Green) > Snake (Red)
Flight (-): the lowest number wins. When there's a draw (equal numbers) the smallest animal wins. The chain of victory is as follows: Fox (Green) > Lion (Yellow) > Bear (Blue) > Snake (Red)
Note: You can always play every colour. Just the colour alone displayed on the die doesn't affect the game. Same goes for the number.
Example (illustrated): the coloured die shows green with "-" and the eight-sided die shows 3. In this example it would be a Flight game and the trump would be the green three.
Structure of the Game
The Darwin (starting player) deals the cards and rolls the dice. Every player plays a card face down. To win the trick, the played card has to fulfil the conditions of victory set by the dice as well as possible.
When every player played a card, they are flipped over simultaneously and a winner is determined.
Tip: If you have a bad hand for the current conditions, it is recommended to play cards with a small point value. It can also prove helpful to remember some of the cards that have already been played to guess the opponents' cards.
Determine the Winner
The rulebook shows this as a decision chart:
- Trump played?
- Yes → Scorpion played?
- Yes → Scorpion wins
- No → Trump wins
- No → Game type?
- + (Fight) → Highest number wins. Equal numerical value? 1. Bear, 2. Lion, 3. Fox, 4. Snake
- - (Flight) → Lowest number wins. Equal numerical value? 1. Fox, 2. Lion, 3. Bear, 4. Snake
- Yes → Scorpion played?
The winner of the turn takes the played cards and stacks them in front of him. He becomes the new Darwin.
This ends the current turn. The Darwin starts the next turn. There are as many turns played until the hand cards have been used up.
Special situation: If the victorious, strongest card have been played multiple times, there's no winner. The cards played in this turn remain in the middle and pass on to the next turn. The Darwin remains the same. The winner of the next turn wins the cards from the previous turn as well. If this happens at the end of a round, the cards are removed from the game.
End of a Round
The current round is over when all hand cards have been played. Then the players count the points of the cards won in this round. These points are safe and cannot be destroyed anymore. These cards are then removed from the game.
Subsequently, new cards from the card deck are distributed and a new round begins. Points of the following rounds are added to the existing ones.
End of the Game
The game ends when the card deck is used up and all the hand cards have been played. Winner is the player with the most points.