El Mortal
El Mortal Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
Welcome to "El mortal", a game for 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, quick and simple to learn. In "El mortal" each player tries to avoid having their soul end up in the afterlife, bringing out their primal survival instinct and using the classic "better you than me".
Components
- 120 cards, divided into 102 game cards and 18 death cards.
- Instructions.
Object of the Game
During the game, the player's mission is to dodge death. To do so they must use the cards in their possession, avoiding picking up the death cards that plague the game deck, and trying to make the other participants the ones who take them. When a player has three death cards on the table, the game ends. The player with the fewest deaths is the winner.
Setup
Separate the 18 death cards from the rest of the cards. Shuffle the game cards and deal three to each player. The last step is to prepare the game pile. To do so, place a death card on the table and on top of it place X* game cards. Keep alternating in that order (one death, X* game cards) until all the game cards have been placed.
*X: 2 to 5 players = 6 cards. 6 players = 5 cards.
(In games with fewer than 6 players, there will be death cards left over.)
Now everything is ready to play. The player who looks most like a dying person starts.
Turn
In a turn, each player must play one card from their hand (the effect of every card is explained on the card). After resolving the effect, the player has two options:
- End their turn, drawing cards if necessary.
- Play an optional second card. No more than two cards may be played per turn, except when a card allows you to.
Drawing
When you have used your cards you must end your turn; for that you must have three cards in hand, and if you have fewer you draw from the game pile as many as are needed.
If you have more than three cards, skip the draw step. There is no hand limit. If a player picks up a death card when drawing, it stays on the table in front of them. Once this step is finished, play continues with the next player clockwise.
Discarding
If a player cannot use any of the available cards (not because of the effect of a card used against them, but through bad luck), the player must discard one card during their turn. An example:
A player has in hand the card 'Piedra' (Stone) and two '¡NO!' cards. Neither of those cards can be used on its own, so they must discard one of the '¡NO!' cards, since the 'Piedra' card cannot be discarded. A player can never voluntarily discard while they have usable cards, even if the effect is not the most appropriate at that moment, except if a card allows it.
How to Win
When a player has three* death cards in front of them, the game ends and the player who has the fewest deaths at that moment wins. If there is a tie, the players involved continue playing. The one who picks up a death is eliminated from the game. This continues until the tie is broken and one is the winner.
During the tie-break, if a player removes one of their deaths with the card 'Desintegrador' (Disintegrator), they win the game. If, in a strange case, the deck runs out without there being a winner, everyone loses, although this should not happen.
If you manage to finish the game without a single death card in front of you, you win the title of immortal, which has no use whatsoever.
*If you are few players, you can increase the number of deaths if you like, so that the game lasts a little longer.
Card List
| Qty | Card |
|---|---|
| 18 | Muertes (Deaths) |
| 3 | Observador |
| 1 | Tachan |
| 1 | Tachan del revés |
| 3 | Escudo humano |
| 1 | Piedra |
| 2 | Paz |
| 2 | Envenenamiento |
| 2 | Hipnotizar |
| 5 | NO |
| 2 | Rebota |
| 2 | Congelación |
Solving Doubts
This section explains some doubts that may arise during a game with certain cards.
- All the symbols are explained at the end of the instructions, except the symbol of a two-player icon: it only indicates that the card must be removed from games of two players.
- A "No" can cancel another "No".
- You can use any card against yourself, even annoying ones such as the card 'Puñalada', and you can even choose yourself as one of the targets of the card 'Guadaña'.
- The card 'Desintegrador' can destroy a death card.
- 'Rebota, rebota' (Rebota): If this card is used against another card with more than one effect or that affects more than one player, it only returns the part that affects the player who uses this card. The rest of the players receive the effect normally.
An example: The card 'Guadaña' chooses up to a maximum of 3 players, in the order the player wishes. Then 1, 2 and 3 cards are discarded. If in the example you are the player who must discard two cards and you use the card 'Rebota, rebota', the player who used the card 'Guadaña' discards two cards. The rest of the players keep receiving the effect that was decided when the card was used.
- When you prepare the deck, depending on the number of players, the number of game cards up to the first death may not be 6. When this happens, you can decide whether you want to start that way or whether you want to remove those first cards from the game so as to always start with 6.
- Do not worry if there are death cards left over.
- You may not look at how many cards remain until the next death.
If at some point you are about to kill each other over some doubt that has arisen in the game, the reason will be with the creator of the game. So here is his e-mail so you can ask him: [email protected]. He will answer as quickly as he can! If even so you are not satisfied with the answer, the reason will be with whoever did not get involved in the discussion.
Gemelas (Twins)
When you use the card "Gemelas" it stays in front of you on the table. On that turn or on another of your turns you may place another card from your hand on Gemelas. From that moment on, and as long as Gemelas remains in play, only you can play a card equal to the one that is on Gemelas.
Example: You play Gemelas and put NO on top. From now on, and as long as Gemelas is not removed, only you can play NO cards.
If Gemelas is removed, the card that was on it is also discarded.
Icons
- (1 in a circle) The card remains on the table one round in front of the player you choose.* It is discarded when the turn returns to you.
- (infinity symbol) The card remains on the table on the player you choose* permanently until another card allows it to be discarded.
- (burst symbol) The card can be played at any moment.**
*Can be used on yourself. **If you play it on your turn it counts toward the limit of two cards.