Echt Spitze Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Setup
• Components (Spielmaterial)
• Game Flow
  • Turn Sequence
  • Piercing (Durchstechen)
• Symbols (Symbole)
• Scoring (Wertung)
• Extra Cross (Extrakreuz)
• Row Scoring with Stars (Reihenwertung mit Sternen)
• Special Cases (Sonderfälle)
• End of Game (Spielende)
• Special Rules for the Further Levels (Besonderheiten der weiteren Level)
  • Level 2: Blumen & Bienen (Flowers & Bees)
  • Level 3: Puzzle & Formen (Puzzle & Shapes)
  • End of Game and Scoring (Spielende & Wertung)
• Solo Play (Solo-Spiel)

Game Overview

Echt Spitze is a real roll-and-write game. With the pencil tip you hunt for the symbols hidden in the soap bubbles, on both sides of the sheet. To collect the symbols, you actually stab the pencil tip through the paper. Each time you pop a soap bubble, you may turn the sheet over and get at the symbols on the back. Only this way can you collect all symbols of one kind and score points. But do not forget the extra crosses and the row scoring! Who finds the right mix and keeps the overview?

Setup

Place the lid of the game box in the middle of the table and put the pad (Unterlage) on top of it. Agree together on one level of the notepad (Schreibblock). For the first game, the game recommends playing Level 1 with the fruits. Give everyone one sheet of this level and one pencil.

At the start, everyone folds a crease along the marked line in their sheet and folds the side back again, so that the front side is visible again.

The player who sharpened a pencil last becomes the start player and receives the 6 dice.

For 2–3 players: In a three-player game, each player returns 1 die to the box. In a two-player game, each player returns 2 dice to the box. Make sure the returned dice do not have an extra cross.

Components (Spielmaterial)

• 6 dice (Würfel)
• 1 pad (Unterlage)
• 1 notepad (Schreibblock)
• 4 pencils (Bleistifte)
• 1 rulebook (Spielanleitung)

Labelled parts shown on the components diagram (page 1 of the rulebook):

• Level: the level of the sheet (for example "Level 1").
• Number rows (Zahlenreihen): the numbers 1 to 5 along the top and along the left side of the sheet. Where this rulebook speaks of "rows", both horizontal and vertical rows are meant ("Wenn in diesem Spiel von 'Reihen' die Rede ist, sind sowohl Zeilen als auch Spalten gemeint").
• Scoring overview (Wertungsübersicht): the scoring area on the side of the sheet.
• Die with extra cross (Würfel mit Extrakreuz): a die with the extra-cross symbol.
• Die without extra cross (Würfel ohne Extrakreuz): a die without that symbol.
• Soap bubble with symbol (Seifenblase mit Symbol): a field on the front of the sheet with a symbol in a bubble.
• Symbol on the back (Symbol auf der Rückseite): the symbol printed on the reverse side of the sheet, behind a bubble.
• Back side (Rückseite): the reverse of the sheet, reached by piercing a bubble.

Game Flow

Turn Sequence

The start player rolls all the dice and picks one of them. The chosen die is placed on your sheet at once, matching the number. That means the number of the chosen die must be placed on one of the corresponding numbers of the two number rows (for example a 2 on a 2). You may freely decide whether to place the die on the horizontal or on the vertical number row. If the die shows a "?", you may choose which number you place it on.

Then all other players in clockwise order each take one die from the middle, which they then place on their sheet in the same way.

After everyone has taken one die, two dice remain in the middle. The start player may decide whether to leave these dice lying as they are, or to roll both dice again. The start player announces the decision aloud, and then the result of the two dice is shown (either the dice left lying or the newly rolled ones).

Afterwards, everyone (including the start player) decides on one of the two dice in the middle. Both dice stay in the middle! Several players may use the same die from the middle.

The chosen die from the middle is placed "mentally" on one of your still free horizontal or vertical number rows. Together with the first die you chose, this creates an intersection point. At this intersection you draw a cross in the field (see also "Drawing a cross").

At the end of a turn, you (and all other players) check whether you have crossed all symbols of one kind and can carry out a scoring (see also "Symbols" and "Scoring").

After that, you return all the dice you took back to the middle. The next player clockwise becomes the new start player and rolls all dice again.

Piercing (Durchstechen)

Whenever you place your cross on a field with a soap bubble, the bubble "bursts", i.e. you pierce the paper with the pencil on this field. Then you turn the sheet over and mark the same field on the back with a cross (the field that was just pierced). From now on you play on the back side until you again cross a soap bubble and pierce the paper.

Note: For piercing, we recommend placing the sheet on the pad (Unterlage).

Example (from the rulebook): Bernhard has crossed a soap bubble with a lemon (A). He places the sheet on the black mat and pierces the sheet with the pencil (B). He folds the scoring overview over and turns the sheet. Last, he also marks the pierced field on the back with a cross (C).

Symbols (Symbole)

Whenever you cross a symbol, you also mark one of the matching symbols in the scoring overview (Wertungsübersicht). That way you always have an overview of what you still need for a scoring. The side strip with the scoring overview can be "taken along" by folding it onto every side, no matter which side you are currently playing on.

Scoring (Wertung)

Whenever you have crossed all symbols of one kind, you score this symbol kind at the end of the turn. If no one else has yet scored this symbol kind, you may circle the higher point value and announce the symbol kind aloud. All others must then cross out the higher number for this symbol kind on their scoring overview. They can only still reach the lower point value for this symbol kind if they score this symbol kind at a later time. The lower number is never crossed out and is always available.

Note: If several players score the same symbol kind as the first in the same turn, they all receive the higher point value.

Example (from the rulebook): Bernhard was the first to cross all four lemons. He announces this aloud and circles the 9 points. All others must cross out the 9 on their sheets. They can still all reach the 7 points.

Extra Cross (Extrakreuz)

If one of your chosen dice shows an extra cross (Extrakreuz), you may, in this turn, place one further cross in one of the 8 surrounding fields next to your regularly placed cross.

Requirement for an extra cross: you must not cross a field with a soap bubble in this turn!

Note: The die with the extra cross may lie on one of your number rows or be available in the middle. If both of your chosen dice show an extra cross, you may place 2 additional crosses in this turn. Remember: neither the regular cross nor the additional crosses may cross a field with a soap bubble. If your regular cross lands on a field with a soap bubble, you may not place an extra cross in this turn.

Example (from the rulebook): Sara has placed the die with the 2 (extra cross) on her number row. She chooses the 3 die (extra cross) from the middle. She places her regular cross on the intersection of rows 2 and 3 (marked blue in the example). If she wants to place 2 extra crosses, she may not place the crosses on fields with soap bubbles (marked red in the example), but only on the surrounding fields without a soap bubble (marked green in the example).

Row Scoring with Stars (Reihenwertung mit Sternen)

It is not only important to cross symbols, but also to achieve completely crossed rows. For each row (both horizontal rows and vertical columns) in which you have placed a cross in every field, you may circle the star at the end of the row. This works on both the front side and the back side of the sheet. At the end of the game, you receive victory points for each star (the value differs from level to level).

Special Cases (Sonderfälle)

If later in the game your cross lands on a field that is already crossed, you may cross that field again. This matters, for example, when you want to place an extra cross next to it. This also applies to hatched or black fields in levels 2 and 3.

If you land on a field that already has a hole, you may decide whether you "slip through" and turn your sheet over for the next turn, or whether you stay on the side you are currently on.

End of Game (Spielende)

The game ends in the turn in which someone has scored their third symbol kind. It does not matter whether the high or the low value was scored.

Add up your score using your scoring overview:

• Points from achieved symbol values (Punkte aus erreichten Symbolwertungen): the points from the symbol kinds you scored (one value per scored symbol kind).
• Points from achieved stars (Punkte aus erreichten Sternen, Reihenwertung): the star value times the number of stars you have circled.
• 1 point each for crossed symbols that did not go into a symbol scoring (je 1 Punkt für angekreuzte Symbole, die nicht in die Symbolwertung eingegangen sind): one point for each crossed symbol that is not part of a scored symbol kind.
• Sum of all added points (Summe aller addierten Punkte): the total of the above.

Example (from the rulebook): Sara ends the game because she has scored 3 symbol kinds. She receives 3 + 4 + 9 = 16 points for these. Across the front and back of her sheet she has achieved 3 stars, which gives 3 × 5 = 15 points. For the 1 kiwi and the 2 melons she could not trigger a scoring, so she receives 3 points for them. In total she reaches 16 + 15 + 3 = 34 points.

The player with the most points wins! In case of a tie, the player who pierced more holes (Löcher durchgestochen) wins. If there is still a tie, the victory is shared.

Special Rules for the Further Levels (Besonderheiten der weiteren Level)

Level 2: Blumen & Bienen (Flowers & Bees)

Play follows the rules described above for Level 1, with the following addition: there are now beehive fields (Bienennest-Felder) on both sides of the sheet. They can be crossed with the matching coordinates 1-1 to 5-5. If you cross a beehive, you announce the coordinate at the end of your turn (for example 4-4) and let a swarm of bees loose on the others. All other players must then blacken (ausschwärzen) the corresponding beehive field on their sheet with the pencil. A blackened beehive can no longer be crossed, i.e. the rows it belongs to can no longer be used for a row scoring.

If you cross a beehive, you also mark one honeycomb (Wabe) in the scoring overview. Each marked honeycomb is worth 1 victory point at the end of the game.

Notes:

• The field that the other players are on at the end of their turn on the sheet side is blackened.
• You may also cross beehives in a turn in which you use extra crosses, but you may cross only one beehive per turn.
• If several players cross the same beehive coordinates in the same turn, these players must not blacken the field. It does not matter whether you are on different sides of the sheet. Only the same coordinates matter.
• By crossing a beehive, you secure the field, i.e. the field remains available for a possible row scoring.
• A beehive that is already crossed is "safe" from other attacks. If in a later turn someone lets the bees loose on your secured field, you do not have to blacken it (this can happen because the beehives exist on both the front and the back of the sheet).

Example (from the rulebook): In the middle, the dice 1 and 4 are available for everyone. Fred crosses the beehive 4-4. At the end of the turn he announces this, and at the same time Tilda announces that in the same turn she also crossed 4-4. Both need do nothing further, but Anna must blacken the field 4-4 on her sheet.

Level 3: Puzzle & Formen (Puzzle & Shapes)

Play follows the rules described above for Level 1. In this level, the soap bubbles on the front and the back of the sheet are on the same field. If you pierce a soap bubble, you also cross the field on the other side of the sheet. The bubble there then also counts as pierced, but the sheet is then not turned again. The scoring of the stars (see below) is therefore only obtained for one side of the sheet.

In this level you may also score already crossed fields if they match a shape (Form) in the scoring overview.

• Shapes may be mirrored or rotated as you like.
• You may carry out a scoring at any time (for example also shortly before turning the sheet).
• Scored fields must be hatched (ausschraffieren). Hatched fields can no longer be used for another shape.
• In each turn you may score only one shape.
• If you score a shape first, you receive the higher point value. If the same shapes are scored for the first time in the same turn, all participants receive the higher point value.

End of Game and Scoring (Spielende & Wertung)

The game ends when someone has scored 4 shapes.

At the end of the game there are 8 victory points for each circled star. You receive stars for:

• Each diagonal on which you have pierced all soap bubbles (maximum 2 times possible).
• When you have pierced all soap bubbles with diamonds (maximum 1 time possible).

For each pierced soap bubble (with or without diamonds) that did not go into the star scoring, you receive 1 further victory point. It does not matter whether the field is hatched or not.

Example (from the rulebook): Felix has scored four shapes and thereby ends the game. For the shapes he receives 3 + 6 + 8 + 5 = 22 points. Since he has collected all diamonds and pierced all soap bubbles of one diagonal, he receives 2 stars = 16 points for this. For the soap bubbles that did not go into the star scoring, he receives 3 more points. In total Felix reaches 22 + 16 + 3 = 41 victory points.

Labels in the example illustration (from the rulebook): "on the back" (the reverse side of the sheet); "all diamonds collected – 1 star reached"; "3 pierced soap bubbles that did not earn a star score – 1 victory point each"; "all soap bubbles on the diagonals pierced – 1 star reached".

Solo Play (Solo-Spiel)

Echt Spitze plays just as well on your own!

In solo play, the aim is to collect as many victory points as possible within 14 turns. The game rules are adapted as follows:

• You play with only the 3 dice that show the extra crosses.
• As a round counter, before each turn you mark one of the 14 ray fields (Strahlenfelder) around the end-sum field (Endsummenfeld). You begin on the left, above the thick line.
• In odd turns (the light fields), you write an exclamation mark "!". Here you must re-roll the other two dice after choosing the first die.
• In even turns (the dark shaded fields), you write a question mark "?". Here you may freely decide, after choosing the first die, whether to re-roll the other two dice or leave them lying. The ray fields for this are marked by shading.
• For symbols that you scored in the first 7 rounds (up to the next thick line), you receive the higher point value. After the "halftime", you receive only the lower point value.
• After 14 rounds you reach the end field and the game is over. Add up your points.

The diagram in the rulebook labels: start field (Startfeld), end field (Endfeld), end-sum field (Endsummenfeld), 14 ray fields (of which every second one is shaded), and "halftime" (Halbzeit).

Level 2 solo note: If you play Level 2 (Blumen & Bienen) alone and roll two equal numbers at the start of a turn, you must immediately blacken the corresponding beehive field. This does not apply when re-rolling.