Flip a Bird
Flip a Bird Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Idea
In this crazy, bird-brained game you draw cards and play them face down or face up onto a row of cards. Whoever correctly recognises whether there are already too many birds in the row accuses the player who went before them of "Bei dir piept's wohl!" ("You're bird-brained!") and receives cards that score valuable points later. But watch out: whoever risks too much or misjudges gives the other players the points! The game ends when the draw pile runs out. Who collects the most bird cards and wins this fast push-your-luck game?
Components
- 48 bird cards (12 each in blue, green, red and yellow)
- 12 special cards
- 12 tip cards (6 green and 6 red)
Setup
Each player receives one green and one red tip card. Place them in front of you. Return any unused tip cards to the box.
Shuffle the remaining cards (bird cards and special cards together). Deal each player two cards into their hand. Place the rest face down in the middle of the table as a draw pile.
There are two different card backs. They show whether you must play your cards face up or face down (see Gameplay below).
Gameplay
Whoever is best at chirping starts the game. Then you take turns clockwise.
On your turn you must do one of the following:
Play a card onto the bird row
- First take the top card of the draw pile into your hand.
- Then play one card from your hand (this can be the card you just drew) as the first card of a new row next to the draw pile in the middle of the table, or onto an existing row.
- Important: if the draw pile shows an open birdcage after you drew its top card, you play your chosen hand card face up onto the row.
- If the draw pile shows a covered birdcage after you drew its top card, you play your hand card face down onto the row.
- The next player clockwise is then on turn.
Claim that there are already too many birds in the row
The maximum number of birds that may lie in a row (face up and face down together) depends on the number of players:
| Players | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birds | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 |
To make a claim:
- Place your red tip card face up in front of you and accuse the player to your right of "Bei dir piept's wohl!".
- That player must now place their green tip card face up in front of them. They placed the last card in the row, so they are responsible for the number of birds in it.
- Then all other players also tip. They keep their tip cards face down:
- Whoever believes that there are already too many birds in the row places their red tip card face down in front of them.
- Whoever believes that there are not too many birds in the row places their green tip card face down in front of them.
- Once everyone has chosen, reveal all tip cards at the same time.
Then all cards of the row are turned face up, and the special cards are evaluated. After that, the birds on the remaining bird cards of the row are added up. The colour of the birds does not matter.
Red is right: there really are more birds in the row than allowed.
All players with a red card in front of them divide the cards of the row among themselves. The player who made the first claim that there were too many birds takes the first card. Then play continues counter-clockwise until no card is left. Also distribute all cards that were removed from the row by special cards.
Green is right: there are not too many birds in the row.
All players with a green card in front of them divide the cards of the row among themselves. The player who played the last card begins. Then play continues counter-clockwise until no card is left. Also distribute all cards that were removed from the row by special cards.
You may look at your won cards at any time. Be careful not to mix them with your hand cards!
New row: the player whose claim interrupted the row starts a new row. They take the top card of the draw pile and then play a card from their hand.
All face up: if all cards of the row are face up and you must play the next card face up as well, even though this exceeds the maximum number of birds, remove the entire row and start a new one.
Special Cards
- Special cards do not count (2x): remove all special cards from the row before scoring. Always resolve this card first!
- Neighbour cards do not count (2x): remove the two cards to the left and right of this card, whether they are special cards or bird cards.
- Colour does not count (1x each in blue, green, red and yellow): birds of this colour are not counted. This card beats the "colour counts double" card if both cards of the same colour lie in the row.
- Colour counts double (1x each in blue, green, red and yellow): all birds of this colour count double.
Example
Anton has played a card last. Pia does not dare to go on and places her red tip card face up in front of her. Anton must immediately place his green tip card face up in front of him. Simon also believes there are too many birds and places red. Hannah believes there are not too many birds and places green.
Now all cards of the row are turned face up (top row of the illustration). The cards in the bottom row of the illustration stay in place, and the birds are counted.
The captions under the illustration read, from left to right: "Neighbour cards do not count", "The card is removed from the row", "The birds of this card count double", "Blue birds count double", "The card is removed from the row", "Yellow birds do not count".
Blue birds count double: 2 x 2 = 4, plus 2 green birds, plus 3 red birds gives a total of 9 birds. In a game of four players, 10 birds may lie in the row. So Anton and Hannah are right, and they divide the cards among themselves. Both receive four cards each. The cards that were removed from the row are also divided.
Game End and Scoring
When the last card of the draw pile has been drawn, from now on play all cards face down onto the row. Continue playing the current row with your hand cards until someone claims that there are too many birds in the row. Then the game ends. Remaining hand cards are removed from the game.
If you run out of hand cards before that, you no longer evaluate the current row.
Now the collected birds score points:
- A set of four bird cards in four different colours (blue, green, red and yellow) scores 10 points in total. The number of birds shown on the cards does not matter. Each card may be used for only one scoring.
- A special card scores 2 points.
- A single bird card scores 1 point, regardless of the number of birds shown. The card must not previously have been used for a set.
The player with the highest score wins the game.