Día de los Muertos Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Preparation
• Game Play
• End of Game
• Expanded Game Variants

Contents

63 cards: 60 playing cards numbered 1-20 in three suits (Red, Black, and White) and 3 High/Low cards. The "Borders" on all cards and "High-Low" cards tell you what the suit symbol and color are for game play.

Suits:

• Suit #1 – Skull / Black Border (skull symbol)
• Suit #2 – Offering / Red Border (offering symbol)
• Suit #3 – Flower / White Border (flower symbol)

The Card Layout: Cards have identical markings, symbols or numbers on the top left corner and right bottom corner so players across the table can read them as well. There is a point value (2, 1, -1) marked left-center on all cards that have a point value. "0" point cards have no marking on the left-center side.

Card Symbols:

• High (up arrow)
• Low (down arrow)
• Point Value (a number inside a circle)

Three High/Low Cards: one each in the color of each of the three suits, labeled High on one side and Low on the other. These cards are used to track the suit led and whether or not the winning card will be High or Low for a given trick. (Color of H/L cards are "Red" background = Skull Symbol, "Beige" background = Offering Symbol and "Turquoise" background = Flower Symbol).

Note from the Spanish section of the same rulebook (Contenido / Valor de puntos): the 60 numbered cards are valued as follows — 12 cards with value 0, 21 cards with value 1, 9 cards with value 2, and 18 cards with value -1.

Preparation

Remove the 3 High/Low cards from the deck and place them nearby. Shuffle the 60 playing cards, and deal to each player:

• 3 players: 15 cards per player
• 4 players: 12 cards per player
• 5 players: 11 cards per player
• 6 players: 10 cards per player

The player to the left of the dealer leads to the first trick.

Game Play

Play: The lead player chooses a card and plays it to the table. He takes the High/Low card matching the color of the played card and places it with the High or Low side up (as indicated by the card played). This will determine whether the highest or lowest card played will win the trick.

Each player, in clockwise order, plays one card from his hand in turn until all players have one card in front of them. (Play cards in front of yourself instead of to a pile in the middle to make it clear who has played which card). Players must play a card matching the color of the first card played if possible.

Once all players have a card in front of them, the highest or lowest card played (based on the initial card led and tracked by the appropriate High/Low card) collects all cards into a face down scoring pile in front of him. Only the number matters...the suit led is not a factor in determining the winner of each trick. If there is a tie for highest or lowest card, then the closest card clockwise to the lead player wins the tie.

The winner of the trick will lead for the next trick. The new lead also sets a new High/Low card based on the card played.

NOTE: TAKE Cards: When a Take card is played, the person playing the card MUST choose any card which has previously been played and immediately takes it into their score pile. He may NOT take his own just played card for scoring.

Note: If a TAKE card is the initial card played no card is taken.

After everyone has played their first card, some players may no longer have cards in front of them (due to TAKE cards). Keep going clockwise and players whose cards were taken now play replacement cards. Some of these cards might also be TAKE cards and other players will then have to play replacement cards. Keep going clockwise until everyone has a card in front of them before collecting cards for scoring.

End of Game

When a player is due to play a card and has no cards remaining in hand stop the trick in progress. Any cards in players' hands or in front of a player are ignored and set aside. Players then count points of cards in each of their score piles. The player with the most points wins. If multiple players tie for the highest score, the one who collected the most total cards wins the tie.

Expanded Game Variants

"Locking" the Lead Card: This variant is recommended for 5 or 6 players. It provides some protection to the lead card and adds another interesting strategic aspect to the game. When the lead player places the High/Low card make sure to place it right next to, or partially under, the lead card. This lead card cannot be captured via a TAKE card. If the second card played is a Take card, no card is taken...the first card is locked.

Advanced Game: This variant splits the trick in two parts with some cards being captured by the highest card and some being captured by the lowest card. This makes for a more complex game but it makes collecting cards at the end of the trick a bit trickier.

Once all cards have been played, divide the cards into two groups: all cards marked as "H" are collected for scoring by the player with the highest card. All cards marked as "L" are collected by the player who has played the lowest card. Ties for both high and low are broken by being the closest to the lead player. The High/Low card determines whether or not the High or Low winning player leads to the next trick.

Example: After TAKEs and replacement cards have been played the cards are played as follows clockwise from the lead:

• Red 14 (L-1) ----- (High/Low card is Red/Low)

• Red 17 (H+1)

• Red 3 (H 0)

• Green 17 (H+1)

• Red 10 (L+2) TAKE

• The Red 17 is the highest card (it is closer clockwise to the lead card than the Green 17), and collects the Red 17, Red 3, and Green 17. (Total score of +2)

• The Red 3 is the lowest card and collects the Red 14 and the Red 10. (Total score of +1).

Source note: the printed example reads "Green 17", although this game has no green suit (its suits are Red, Black and White). It is transcribed as printed.