DREIst! Rulebook

This is a faithful English translation of the official German rulebook (Ravensburger, 2016); no official English text was used. The figures (Abb. 1-12) referred to in the text are on the six separate overview cards and are not part of this document.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Material
• Game Idea
• Game Setup
• Course of Play
  • The Laying Rules
• The "DREIers" (Threes)
  • Special Cases
  • Special Feature of Column-DREIers
• The "DREIste Geschenk" (Cheeky Gift)
• End of the Game
• Examples
  • Text for Fig. 2
  • Text for Fig. 3
  • Text for Fig. 4
  • Text for Fig. 5
  • Text for Fig. 6
  • Text for Fig. 7
  • Text for Fig. 8
  • Text for Fig. 9
• Solo Variant
  • Text for Fig. 10
  • Text for Fig. 11
  • Text for Fig. 12

Game Material

• 8 base cards (grey numbers 1-8)
• 96 number cards (the numbers 1 to 8, 3 each in red, yellow, turquoise and violet)
• 6 overview cards (with numerous example illustrations)

Game Idea

Whoever has no cards left first wins.

Who places their cards most cleverly in the shared display? And who foists the most "cheeky gifts" on their dear fellow players and so gets rid of their cards fastest? The winner is whoever first has no cards left.

Game Setup

Lay out the 8 base cards from 1-8.

Lay the 8 base cards next to each other (consecutively from 1 to 8) at the edge of the table. They are used throughout the rest of the game for attaching the 96 number cards. They never count as part of the laid-out cards and are also never "cleared away" (see below).

Distribute all number cards evenly; each player takes 5 cards into their hand.

Shuffle the 96 number cards well and then distribute them evenly among all players. Each player places their cards, unseen, in front of themselves as a face-down draw pile.

Then everyone takes the top 5 cards of their pile into their hand so that their fellow players cannot see them.

You should have the 6 overview cards ready, especially when first getting to know the game, so that you can better understand the individual laying rules and examples. If you like, you can also recreate the illustrations on the overview cards with the base and number cards on the table.

Course of Play

In turn, lay any number of hand cards into the display.

The oldest among you begins, after which play proceeds clockwise in turn.

When it is your turn, you may lay hand cards in the display below the eight base cards. You may play as many hand cards as you can and want to. At the end of your turn you refill your hand to 5 cards. Then the next player takes their turn, and so on.

The Laying Rules

• You lay all your cards into a shared card display, below the base cards. Every laid number must always match the base number above it. In this way you form up to 8 columns of cards (vertical) and any number of rows of cards (horizontal). (See also Fig. 1 on the overview cards.)

Always lay at least 2 matching cards; single cards may only be attached.

• You may lay cards in the columns or rows at any time. To do so, however, you must always lay at least 2 matching cards. (See also the examples on the back as well as the associated figures on the overview cards.) You may also lay single cards, but only next to or below number cards already in the display. (esp. Examples 2-4)

Never different colours directly next to each other.

• In rows, cards of different colours may never lie directly next to each other. However, different colours may very well be in a row as long as there are gaps between them. (Examples 2-4) No such restriction applies to columns. Here, numbers of the same colour as well as of different colours may lie directly below one another. (esp. Example 3)

Every laid number card must always be connected, indirectly or directly, to the base numbers.

• Rows may also be formed on the further levels (= second, third row, etc.). However, every laid card must always be connected to the base cards. Either directly or also indirectly, that is via other cards which themselves are directly or indirectly connected to the base. As a result, "holes" can arise in the display; this is permitted at any time, as long as every card is (somehow) connected to the base. (esp. Example 4)

Whoever cannot or does not want to lay discards 1 card of their choice.

• If you cannot or do not want to lay any of your 5 cards, you may place any one of your hand cards on a general face-up discard pile. Then you draw a card again and the next player takes their turn. (Example 5)

The "DREIers" (Threes)

Whoever manages a DREIer may immediately draw a card.

If you form a DREIer, you may immediately take one additional card from your draw pile into your hand, but you do not have to. If possible, you can still lay this card in the same turn. For every further DREIer you may decide anew each time whether to draw a card or not.

You form a ...

Row-DREIer: at least 3 cards of one colour directly next to each other.

• Row-DREIer, if you attach a card so that, because of it, at least 3 cards of the same colour lie directly next to each other in a row. (Examples 6 + 7)

Column-DREIer: when the 3rd colour is laid below.

• Column-DREIer, if you lay the third colour (not card!) in a column. The cards concerned do not need to lie directly below one another; there may also be gaps or several cards of the same colour in between. (Examples 6 + 7)

Special Cases

If, by laying a card, you form a row-DREIer and a column-DREIer at the same time, this counts as a column-DREIer. (Example 8)

If, with the newly attached card in a row, you form two DREIers at the same time (one to the left and one to the right), this counts as one row-DREIer. (Example 9)

In both special cases you may therefore only draw one card each, if you wish.

Special Feature of Column-DREIers

Column-DREIers are always cleared away immediately (and afterwards also all cards without connection to the base).

Whenever you form a DREIer in a column, you must immediately remove all cards of this column from the display and place them on the general face-up discard pile. Consequently, nothing can be attached to the card that triggers this DREIer either, since it is removed immediately together with all other cards of this column.

In addition, you must also remove from the display and place on the discard pile all cards that are no longer (somehow) connected to the base cards. For the basic rule always applies: No card without contact to the base! (Examples 6 + 8)

ATTENTION: This applies only to column-DREIers! If you form a row-DREIer, these cards are not removed but remain in place! (Examples 6-9)

The "DREIste Geschenk" (Cheeky Gift)

Whoever plays out their hand gives away 2 cards to 1-2 fellow players as a "DREIstes Geschenk".

If you manage to play out your entire hand in your turn, you may afterwards, as a reward, "give away" the top 2 cards of your draw pile to one or two fellow players of your choice, by placing them, unseen, on their draw pile. Quite cheeky! (Example 7)

After that your turn ends. You refill your hand to 5 cards, and the next player takes their turn.

Note: If you cannot refill your hand to 5 cards at the end of your turn, you simply keep playing with fewer hand cards. If in this situation you receive new cards through the "DREIstes Geschenk" of a fellow player, take them into your hand immediately, so that you (as far as possible) have 5 hand cards again.

End of the Game

Whoever gets rid of their cards first is the winner.

Whoever is first to get rid of their last card ends the game and has won. It does not matter whether they lay out, discard or give away the last card.

If you like, you can also play several games in a row, e.g. one per player (so that everyone was starting player once). After each game everyone notes down the number of their remaining cards (= hand cards and the cards in their draw pile). Whoever among you has the smallest total at the end is the overall winner.

Examples

Go through them together with the 6 overview cards.

Text for Fig. 2

Anna begins with the 5 hand cards shown on the left in Figure 2. She lays them as shown. Notes: She could also have laid the two 8s in reverse order. She will not get rid of the 1, since she would have to attach it to the base as a single card, which she may not do!

Text for Fig. 3

Benno, the next player, has the 5 hand cards shown in Figure 3 and lays them as shown. Notes: He will not get rid of the 3, since he may not lay it next to the 4 and it would be in the 2nd row without contact to the base. The same applies to the 6, which may be laid neither next to the 5, nor the 5 or the 7. And of course not in the 4th row either ... He could also have attached the 7 to the 8 above it.

Text for Fig. 4

Carla has the cards shown in Figure 4 in her hand and lays them as shown. Notes: She will not get rid of the 4, since she may not lay it between the 3 and 5 (no card can currently be attached there, just as little as between 6 and 8). Had she laid the two 2s in reverse order, she could not have attached the 3 either.

Text for Fig. 5

Anna's turn comes again. In addition to the 1 from the previous round she has drawn the four cards shown. Unfortunately she cannot currently lay a single one of them! Therefore she discards one card onto the face-up discard pile. To clarify the rule: she also may not lay the three 1s into the 1-column (from the 3rd row). They would be at least two matching cards, but they would have no connection at all to the base, which is why it is forbidden!

Text for Fig. 6

Benno lays his cards in the following order: First the 6 next to the 7 (= row-DREIer): He draws a card (1). The 6/7/8 remain in place. Then he lays the 6 below the 6 (= column-DREIer): He must now remove all 6s from the display. He draws a card (8). Now he lays the 3 below the 3. And finally he lays the 8 below the 8 (= another column-DREIer); again he must remove the entire column (all four 8s), and also the 7, since it now has no contact with the base. Then he draws one more card (6). The remaining four cards (1, 4, 1, 6) he cannot attach anywhere.

Text for Fig. 7

Carla lays her cards in the following order: First she lays the 6 next to the 5 (= row-DREIer). She does not draw, however, since she already recognises that she will get rid of her remaining four hand cards as well and does not want to risk drawing a card that might prevent this. Then she lays the 6 below the 6. Next she lays the 5 below the 5 (= column-DREIer), all 5s are cleared away; she again does not draw. Now she also lays the 3 below the 3 (= another column-DREIer), all 3s are cleared away; she again does not draw. And finally she also lays the 4 below the 4 (which was not possible before). Carla has played out her hand and therefore makes a "DREIstes Geschenk".

Text for Fig. 8

Later in the game: By laying the 6 next to the 5 or above the 6, Anna forms a row-DREIer and a column-DREIer at the same time. For this she may draw one card (1). She must remove the four 6s (and thereby also the 7). Then she lays the 2 below the other 2.

Text for Fig. 9

Even later in the game: First Carla lays the 6 between the 5 and the 7. With this she forms a (joint) row-DREIer, i.e. for this she may also only draw one card (5). She now lays this 5 immediately below the 5 (= column-DREIer). She removes the three 5s and draws again (1). Then she lays a 1 next to the 2 and then the two other 1s, in any order, below it.

Solo Variant

In the solo variant you can try your luck alone against "Egon" (= "an opponent without a nose", i.e. an imaginary opponent). All basic rules still apply, but Egon does not draw on DREIers and cannot give you DREIste gifts either. You can give them to him, though, so make an effort!

"Egon" receives half of the cards.

Divide the 96 cards into two equal piles, one pile for you, one for Egon. You play alternately, you begin: Take the top 5 cards of your draw pile into your hand and lay out as many cards as you can and want to, then refill to 5 cards.

Always attach or lay at least 2 cards for Egon if possible.

Then it is Egon's turn: For him, turn over one card after another from his draw pile. If a card fits, immediately lay it into the display. If it does not fit, put it slightly to one side. Keep turning over cards until you have laid at least two cards into the display. This ends Egon's turn. Throw the remaining cards set aside for Egon onto the discard pile.

Notes:

• If Egon has several possibilities for laying a card, he always lays it in the topmost possible row, i.e. as close as possible to the base cards. (Example 10)
• It can happen that, when attaching, Egon "reactivates" a card that was first set aside. He may thereby possibly lay out three cards in total. (Example 11)
• Cards turned over first are also always laid first where possible. (Examples 11 + 12)

Text for Fig. 10

The following cards were turned over for Egon: The 7 does not fit, is set aside. The 2 fits, is attached (and the three 2s are cleared away!). The 6 fits, is attached (namely in the second and not in the third row!). 2 cards were attached. Egon's turn is over. Finally the 7 is thrown onto the discard pile (although it could now be attached to the 6!).

Text for Fig. 11

The following cards were turned over for Egon: The 3 does not fit. The 1 fits, is attached. The 8 does not (yet) fit. The 8 fits - together with the 8. Both 8s are now attached, first the (first turned over) 8, then the 8. The 3 is thrown onto the discard pile.

Text for Fig. 12

The following cards were turned over for Egon: The 3 does not (yet) fit, is set aside. The 5 does not (yet) fit, is set aside. The 4 fits and is attached. Now both the 3 and the 5 fit. But since the 3 was turned over first, it is attached and the 5 is thrown onto the discard pile.

Did you manage it and get rid of all your cards before Egon? Congratulations!

Even more exciting: Egon always gives away 2 cards more!

If you would like it even more exciting, you can also play as many single games as it takes until you are beaten by Egon. Here, however, Egon gives you a DREIstes Geschenk right at the start - and each game one more! The first game you therefore play with 50 cards against Egon's 46 cards, the second with 52 against 44, the third with 54 against 42, etc. How far did you get?

Cards	Rating
50 cards	okay
52 cards	decent
54 cards	good
56 cards	very good
58 cards	great
60 cards or more	sensational