Einfach Genial: Das Kartenspiel
Einfach Genial: Das Kartenspiel Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Materials
- 60 symbol cards, each with 2 different symbols
- 4 pieces of tape (to join the scoring table cards)
- 4 scoring boards (each consisting of 3 cards)
- 24 scoring markers (4 each in 6 colors)
- 1 rule sheet
Before the First Game
The scoring board used by each player consists of 3 cards placed side-by-side. For each set of 3 scoring board cards, flip the cards over so the back side is showing, then join them together with the included tape.
Note: Do not remove the tape from the scoring boards when putting away the game! Instead, fold the scoring boards at the card boundaries.
Game Objective
The first person to have all 6 of his scoring markers reach column 7 or higher, wins.
Game Preparation
Each player receives a scoring board and places it openly in front of himself. Each player also receives six scoring markers, in six different colors, and places them in column 0 of the corresponding colored rows of the scoring board.
One player shuffles the cards and gives each player 6 cards (including himself). Then each player takes another card from the deck and places it in front of himself. The remaining cards are placed aside as the draw deck. The discard pile will form in the middle of the playing area. The player to the left of the dealer starts.
Gameplay Summary
Play proceeds clockwise.
- The player whose turn it is plays a card from his hand and lays it openly in front of himself, behind the previously played card (that is, closer to himself).
- Scoring: The player compares the symbols on the card he played with the symbols on the cards of all players, including his own card from the previous round. For each match, the corresponding marker on his scoring table is moved one column to the right.
- At the end of the turn, the player's card from the previous round is discarded face down to the discard pile in the middle of the table. Then the player moves the newly played card into the place that the previous card occupied, and replenishes his hand back up to 6 cards by drawing cards from the deck. Then it is the turn of the player to his left.
Scoring
The played card is always scored for each of the symbols on it. The player chooses one symbol to consider first and counts matching symbols on the card in front of each of the players, including his own card from the previous round (but not the newly played card). The player then moves his corresponding scoring marker forward that many columns on his scoring board (but note the restriction marked "Important" below.) Then he proceeds to score the second symbol in the same manner. The order in which the two symbols are scored is up to the player.
Example (see the first illustration in the German rules in the section "Die Wertung"): The four cards in the illustration are in play (one in front of each player) and now a card with the blue and yellow symbols is played. For yellow, there are two matches; for blue there is one match. The yellow marker is advanced two columns on the player's scoring board and the blue marker is advanced one column.
Important: The scoring board is divided into four different areas: column 0, columns 1-3, columns 4-6, and columns 7-10. All scoring markers must remain within two adjacent areas. A player may not advance a scoring marker into an area that is not adjacent to the area in which he has his lowest scoring marker.
Example (see the second illustration in the German rules in the section "Die Wertung"): The player's scoring board is as shown, and the active cards in play are as shown. Now another card with the red and purple symbols is played, which would normally give the player 2 points for red and 2 points for purple. The red scoring marker is moved from column 2 to column 4. The purple scoring marker can only be moved from column 5 to column 6, because moving it to column 7 would place it into another area (labeled Bereich 3) which is not adjacent to the area in which his lowest scoring marker is on (the blue marker, in Bereich 1).
New Cards
At the end of his turn, the player's card from the previous round is discarded face down on the discard pile. The newly played card is then placed at this position. The player then replenishes his hand back up to 6 cards by drawing cards from the draw deck. Then the turn passes to the player to the left.
It may happen that, after scoring, but before drawing a card, a player has no cards in his hand with the symbol that is currently in the lowest scoring position on his board. In this case he may show all his cards to the other players and then discard them face down in the discard pile. If the player has several markers tied for the lowest position on his scoring board, he can execute this action only if none of these lowest position symbols are on the cards in his hand. He then draws 6 cards from the draw deck into his hand.
The discard pile in the middle of the table should not be tidied, in order to distinguish it from the draw deck. The cards are always placed face down on the discard pile, so that the symbols on the discarded cards are not mistakenly considered during scoring. If the last card of the draw deck is drawn, the discard pile is shuffled and becomes the new draw deck.
Bonus Turn
Whenever a player moves a marker on his scoring board to column 10, he calls out "Ingenious". Then the player may immediately take another turn, before replenishing his hand from the draw deck. The card he played on the previous turn is discarded as usual, his most recently played card is moved up, and a new card is played from his hand and scored. If this causes another scoring marker to reach column 10, the player gets another bonus turn. After all bonus turns are taken, the player then refreshes his hand back up to 6 cards from the draw deck.
Game End
The game ends when one player has all of his scoring markers at or past column 7 on his scoring board. That player wins.
To determine the rank of the other players, compare the scoring markers on their scoring boards. The lowest scoring marker for each player determines his rank compared to the other players – a player with a higher such lowest scoring marker than another player will rank higher. In case of a tie the players compare their next highest scoring markers. (See illustration in the German rules in the section "Spielende".)
If several rounds are played, the scores after each round are noted. Each player receives victory points according to the scoring marker in the lowest position on his scoring board. After the agreed number of rounds, the player with the most victory points is the overall winner.
The Game for 2 Players
At the start of the game, place 2 open cards in front of each player, instead of just one. Place them in a column leading to the central discard pile (see the illustration in the German rules in the section "Das Spiel für 2 Spieler"). When the player plays a card, it should be placed below the other two in the column. All four cards are used to determine the score for the newly played card. At the end of the turn, the top card in the column is discarded.
Except for the different number of cards in front of the players, all normal rules apply.