Don Quixote (2026) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Objective
• How to Play
• Setup
• Round Progression
  • 1. Start of the Trick
  • 2. Follow Suit
  • 3. Determine the Trick Winner
  • Pass Card
  • 4. Claiming the Trick
  • 5. Adjusting Suit Power
• Round End (Scoring)
• Game End

Components

• Cards: 38
  • Number cards: 33 (3 colors, numbered 1 to 11)
  • Pass cards: 4
• Reference card: 1
• Suit power markers: 3
• Suit power board: 1
• Score tokens: 40 (the tokens all represent 1 point regardless of design)

Objective

Be the first to reach 7 or more points.

How to Play

The game proceeds through a series of rounds. The game ends as soon as a round ends with any player at 7 or more points.

Setup

1. Place the suit power board in the center of the table. Stack the 3 suit power markers on the board in random order.
2. Place the reference card face up on the table where everyone can see it clearly.
3. Refer to the table below and select only the number cards and pass cards used for your player count to build the deck. Shuffle the deck well, then deal each player 7 cards as their hand. Place the remaining 2 cards face up at the edge of the table.

Players	Number card range used	Pass cards used
3	1–7	2
4	1–9	3
5	1–11	4

Example: With 3 players, use the 1–7 number cards of each color plus 2 pass cards. Shuffle those 23 cards, deal 7 to each player, and reveal the remaining 2.

Note: Number cards and pass cards not used in a 3- or 4-player game go back in the box.

4. Gather the score tokens at the edge of the table to form a supply.
5. Determine the start player by any method.

Round Progression

Each round consists of 7 tricks, and each trick follows the standard trick-taking rules below.

1. Start of the Trick

The start player plays any one card from their hand to begin the trick.

2. Follow Suit

The remaining players play one card each in clockwise order.

• If possible, you must follow the color (the starting color) of the card the start player played. However, if you wish, you may play a pass card regardless of the starting color (see "Pass Card" below).
• If you have no number card of the starting color in hand, you may play any other card.

3. Determine the Trick Winner

After all players have played one card, determine the winner by the following criteria.

• On the suit power marker stack, the color positioned higher is stronger.
• Among number cards of the same color, the higher number is stronger.

The player who played the strongest card wins the trick.

Pass Card

The pass card is the weakest card, and a player who plays a pass card can never become the winner of that trick. A player holding a pass card may play it instead whenever it's their turn to play a card in a trick — even if they hold a number card of the starting color in hand. If the start player plays a pass card, the color of the first number card played by another player afterward becomes the starting color.

4. Claiming the Trick

The winner of the trick gathers all the cards played in this trick face-down into a single pile in front of themselves. Keep each player's pile separate so that the number of tricks each player has taken can easily be seen.

5. Adjusting Suit Power

Move the suit power marker matching the color of the winning card to the bottom of the stack (making it the weakest color). If it is already at the bottom, nothing happens.

The winner of the trick becomes the start player and begins the next trick.

Round End (Scoring)

When all 7 tricks have been completed, calculate scores as follows.

• A player who took zero tricks earns 3 points.
• A player who took one or more tricks earns 1 point only if they meet the following condition for their player count:
  • 3-player game: took exactly 3 tricks
  • 4-player game: took exactly 2 tricks
  • 5-player game: took exactly 1 trick
• For each pass card included among the tricks a player took, they earn 1 additional point.

Players take score tokens equal to the points they earned and display their score.

Example: Sohyeon took no tricks, earning 3 points. Jihun took 3 tricks, one of which contained a pass card, earning 2 points. Unseo took 4 tricks, one of which contained a pass card, earning 1 point.

Gather all the cards and shuffle again, deal 7 cards to each player as before, and reveal the remaining 2 cards, then begin the next round. The winner of the last trick of the previous round becomes the start player for the first trick of the new round.

Game End

If, at the end of a round, any player has 7 or more points, the game ends. The player with the highest score wins. If tied, the player among them who scored more points in the final round wins. If still tied, they share the victory together.