Fröccs Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
  • 1. Each player gets a tavern hero card
  • 2. Each player gets a 2 dl and a 3 dl glass card
  • 3. Each player gets 5 cards from the spritzer deck
  • 4. Each player gets a drinks-menu card
  • 5. Place the 10- and 50-forint coins in the middle of the table; this is the cash pool
  • 6. Choose a starting player
  • 7. Introductions
• Tavern Heroes
• The Course of the Game
  • The available actions
• Actions in Detail
  • Selling a Spritzer
  • Drawing Two Cards
  • Buying a Glass
  • Playing a Card
  • Playing Drink Cards
  • Playing Mischief Cards
• The Rules of Bargaining
  • As the outcome of a bargain
• End of the Game
• Game for 2 Players
  • The drawing-two-cards action changes as follows
• Game Variants
  • Everyone's My Guest!
  • One More Round!
• The Tavern Heroes' Abilities

Components

• 12 tavern hero cards
• 6 drinks-menu cards (player aid)
• 106 spritzer cards
  • 10 Zöld Veltelini (Green Veltliner)
  • 16 Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris)
  • 22 Sárgamuskotály (Yellow Muscat)
  • 35 soda
  • 4 "This is for you!" cards
  • 19 mischief cards
• 26 glass cards (2 dl, 3 dl, 5 dl)
• Coins
  • 20 × 50 forint
  • 30 × 10 forint

Setup

3–6 players can play with the basic rules. You will find the addition for the 2-player variant and the advanced rules after the basic rules.

1. Each player gets a tavern hero card

The first time you play, put Buzgómócsing, Icuka, Hollósi elvtárs and Böske back in the box, and deal one card at random to each player from the remaining hero cards.

From the second time you play onward, shuffle all 12 tavern hero cards and deal two to each player. Everyone chooses one of these and places it face up in front of themselves. Put the remaining tavern hero cards back in the box.

2. Each player gets a 2 dl and a 3 dl glass card

Pick these out from among the glass cards and place them face up in front of yourselves.

Shuffle the rest of the glass cards, place the deck in the middle, and flip 3 glass cards face up next to it: this is the tavern counter.

3. Each player gets 5 cards from the spritzer deck

Shuffle together the wine, soda, mischief, and "This is for you!" cards: this is the spritzer deck.

Everyone draws 5 cards from the spritzer deck into their hand, so that the others cannot see their cards.

4. Each player gets a drinks-menu card

Place your drinks-menu card next to your tavern hero card – this is an aid that shows how much money you get for the various spritzers: the color of the column shows which wine the spritzer is made from, and the rows show the ratio of wine to soda. The other side lists the available actions.

5. Place the 10- and 50-forint coins in the middle of the table; this is the cash pool

6. Choose a starting player

In adult company, the game is started by whoever last drank a spritzer. If a minor is also playing, the game is started by whoever last drank grape juice.

7. Introductions

Starting with the starting player, introduce yourselves in turn and read out your abilities.

Tavern Heroes

The tavern heroes' abilities can override the basic rules and do not count as an action; they generally modify the rules instead. You can read about these in more detail at the end of the rulebook.

The Course of the Game

On their turn, the active player may carry out two of 4 actions. An action type may be chosen twice. The player must always finish the chosen action before starting a new one. After that, the player to their left takes their turn.

The available actions

• selling a spritzer;
• drawing two cards;
• buying a glass;
• playing a card.

If a player chooses the "selling a spritzer" action, it must be their first action. The other actions may be chosen in any order.

Actions in Detail

Selling a Spritzer

If you have a finished spritzer when it's your turn, you can decide, as your first action, to sell: you may sell one or more of your finished spritzers as you like. A finished spritzer consists of as many wine and soda cards (in any ratio) as the glass holds in dl. The spritzer must contain at least one wine card and one soda card. Only one type of wine may go into a glass.

Remember: selling a spritzer can only be your first action!

For the spritzer you sold, take the amount set by the drinks menu from the cash pool. The more wine, and the more valuable the wine in the spritzer, the more it's worth. Look at the row that shows the same number of wine bottles and soda siphons as you mixed your finished spritzer from, and the column matching the wine it was made from. The spritzer deck has the most Sárgamuskotály wine cards and the fewest Zöld Veltelini wine cards, so the prices are set accordingly.

After selling one or more spritzers, place the wine and soda cards face up on top of the discard pile, and place the glasses next to the tavern counter, on your own personal discard pile, also face up.

Drawing Two Cards

Draw two cards from the top of the spritzer deck into your hand.

You may hold any number of cards in your hand. If asked, you must say how many cards you have. During any bargaining, you may speak about them as you wish (see later).

Buying a Glass

With one action you may buy from the tavern counter – from among the three face-up cards of the glass deck – 1 glass for 10 forints or 2 glasses for 40 forints.

A player may have a maximum of 3 glasses at a time. The glass deck contains 2 dl, 3 dl, and 5 dl glasses.

After you have paid for and placed the glass (or glasses) in front of yourself during an action, flip up new ones from the glass deck to replace the ones bought, so that there are always 3 glasses at the tavern counter. If there are not enough cards left in the glass deck, shuffle the discarded glass cards and form a new deck from them.

You can either spend two actions buying 1 glass each for 10 forints, using up both your actions, or spend one action buying 2 glasses so that you still have one action left – but in that case you must pay 40 forints.

Playing a Card

If you have no glass, you cannot choose this action. Play at most as many cards from your hand as you have glasses. You must play at least 1 card.

Playing a card includes laying down drink cards (wines and soda) as well as playing the red-backed mischief cards.

So if you have 1 glass, you can play 1 card; with 2 glasses, at most 2 cards; with 3 glasses, at most 3 cards.

Playing Drink Cards

Make sure you have as many glasses as the number of cards you want to play!

Every drink card that we fill our glasses with corresponds to 1 dl of liquid. You may lay down the drink cards from your hand, in any order and any distribution, onto one or more glasses of your choice. A glass may hold at most as much drink as its size in dl. A full glass cannot contain only wine or only soda. Only one type of wine may go into a glass.

The types of drink cards: Zöld Veltelini, Szürkebarát, Sárgamuskotály, Soda.

Playing Mischief Cards

When you play a mischief card, you must name its target: which player or which card you are targeting with it. Place your mischief card in front of the target. Before you carry out the card's effect, you may offer a bargain, or listen to the other player's offer. A separate bargain may be initiated each time a mischief card is played. (See later.)

Zsíros kenyér / Greasy Bread (–1 dl wine): "Soaks up" 1 deciliter of wine: makes another player discard 1 wine card from their spritzer.

Kilöttyintés / Spill (–1 dl soda): "Don't water it down!" Makes another player discard 1 soda card from their spritzer.

Borravaló / Tip (–20 forints): "Tip the nice fellow!" Makes another player discard 20 forints (into the cash pool). May only be played on a player who has at least 30 forints or at least 1 glass.

Pohártörés / Broken Glass (–1 empty glass): "Instead of washing up!" Makes another player discard one of their still-empty glasses. A player's glass may only be broken if they have at least 10 forints.

A good bargain can get you even more than "just" carrying out the mischief card…

"This is for you!": You may prevent a mischief card aimed at you by discarding a "This is for you!" card. You may do this right after the attack, before bargaining even begins, or even after a failed bargain. A "This is for you!" card may only be played during another player's turn, as a defense; it does not count as an action, and does not depend on how many glasses you have. A "This is for you!" card cannot be nullified by another "This is for you!" card.

Example for playing cards: If you have three glasses in front of you, you can also play three cards. This can be a soda into one of your glasses plus playing two mischief cards one after another (which you can play against the same or even two different opponents), or it can also be filling your 3 dl glass in any ratio.

The Rules of Bargaining

If you play a mischief card, you may offer a bargain in exchange for refraining from the card's effect. Likewise, the other player may also initiate a bargain to get out of the card's effect. If you do not carry out a mischief card's effect because of a bargain, you may not choose a new target; you must discard the card.

As the outcome of a bargain

• at most 1 card may go into any one player's glass;
• at most 2 cards may go into any one player's hand;
• any amount of money may change hands;
• the position of cards already in glasses may not change;
• any in-game promise or threat may be made (even regarding later rounds);
• the "attacked" player may also gain benefits (money, cards) if the parties agree to this.

At the start of the game, agree on whether promises are binding or not! (We suggest making them binding for the first few games.) Bargaining is not compulsory, but it is worthwhile! Bargaining cannot be initiated unless the active player has already played a mischief card, naming its exact target. Any player may join in a bargain; they may try to influence the bargainers, and may even make offers regarding later rounds of the game, but only the two participants in the bargain may receive cards, money, or any immediate benefit.

Examples: If your fellow player doesn't break your glass after all, you pay them 10 forints, or give them 1 soda or 1 wine, or perhaps assure them that you won't play a mischief card against them for 2 rounds… Or you offer a third of your next income… Or you promise that on your turn you will play a mischief card against a third player… Or whatever comes to mind!

End of the Game

If a player draws the last card of the spritzer deck on their turn, reshuffle the discard pile, and after this player's turn every player gets one more turn, then the game ends. So the player who draws the last card also gets one more turn!

After this, every player receives 20 forints for every finished spritzer they still have, and 10 forints for every glass that contains at least 1 soda or wine card but is not a finished spritzer. The player with the most money is the winner!

In case of a tie, the player with fewer cards remaining in hand wins. If it is still a tie after that, the players share the victory – time for another round of Fröccs!

Game for 2 Players

During setup, put Buzgómócsing, Icuka, Hollósi elvtárs, and Böske back in the box from among the tavern heroes.

The drawing-two-cards action changes as follows

Drawing cards action: draw 3 cards from the top of the spritzer deck, choose 2 of them to take into your hand, and discard the third onto the discard pile.

Game Variants

With one of the following rule modifications – or even all of them – you can make the game even more exciting!

Everyone's My Guest!

During your playing-a-card action, you may put wine and soda into another player's glass as well. Cards already in glasses can also be the subject of a bargain, so they may be handed over/taken, or moved into another glass.

This gives you the opportunity, during bargains, to offer each other that you will later fill each other's glass with an agreed-upon wine or soda.

One More Round!

When the game ends, you may all pool together 40 forints so there is one more round. Starting with the player seated to the left of the player who took the last turn, in clockwise order, each player decides whether to pay in 10, 20, 30, or 40 forints, or to pass. This continues around the table until either everyone has passed, or a total of 40 forints has been collected. A player who passes may not join in again if it comes around to them once more.

If any player's contributions reach 40 forints, the pledges go into the cash pool, and there is one more round: starting with the player who started the bidding, every player gets one more turn.

If everyone passes and 40 forints is not reached, the pledges are returned to their owners, and the game ends – the innkeeper throws everyone out!

The Tavern Heroes' Abilities

Mélyivő Fred (Deep-Drinker Fred): "If I sell at least 5 dl of spritzer, I get the smallest glass from the tavern counter." Regardless of the size of the spritzers you sell, if their total quantity reaches 5 dl, you get the smallest glass from the tavern counter. A new glass must then be flipped up onto the tavern counter.

Löttyintős (The Splasher): "Once per round, I can move two arbitrary cards between my glasses." The target glasses must have empty space. You may not break the rule that only one type of wine may be in a glass. You may even pour from two glasses into one. You can also do this before the selling-a-spritzer action.

Kiw Évi (Kiw Évi): "My glasses can also contain two types of wine. I can sell such spritzers at the higher price." During your playing-a-card action, or as a consequence of a bargain, your glasses may end up with two types of wine card in them. When you sell, in such spritzers every "weaker" wine card "turns into" the more valuable wine. You do not need to swap any cards from your hand for this; just count the increased price.

Pohárnok (The Glass-Keeper): "I only have to pay 20 forints if I buy two glasses at once." During your buying-a-glass action, if you buy 2 glasses at once, you only have to pay 20 forints instead of 40.

Recycle Béla (Recycle Béla): "Once per round, when drawing cards, I may pick up 1 wine card from the discard pile instead of one of the cards." When you use your ability, you draw only one card from the spritzer deck, and you may search out one wine card from the discarded cards to take into your hand. For 2 players: When you use your ability, you draw two cards from the spritzer deck, keep one, must discard the other, and may search out one wine card from the discarded cards to take into your hand (even the one you just discarded).

Sarki Jézus (Street-Corner Jesus): "When selling a spritzer, per glass I can 'convert' one wine into soda, or one soda into wine. (My full glasses may still only contain all wine or all soda.)" You may only use your ability when selling a spritzer. You may "convert" 1 card each in several of your finished spritzers. You do not need to swap any cards from your hand for this; just count the increased price.

Sommelier Pityu: "If I sell at least 5 dl of spritzer, I get +10 forints for every 3 dl and 5 dl spritzer." Regardless of the size of the spritzers you sell, if their total quantity reaches 5 dl, you get +10 forints for every 3 dl and 5 dl spritzer you sell at that time.

Vízköpő Karesz (Gargoyle Karesz): "When I sell a spritzer, for 10 forints I can 'pour' 1 soda each into every spritzer of mine that is missing only 1 dl." This costs 10 forints, regardless of how many spritzers you top up and sell. You may pour 1 soda into each glass, and you may only finish a spritzer this way if it already contains wine. You do not need to play a soda card for this.

Böske, a Rettentő (Böske the Terrible): "I can fend off any mischief card aimed at me by randomly discarding one of my cards." If you would be the target of a mischief card, you may fend it off by losing a random card of yours: this card is drawn from your hand by the player who is attacking you, and the card goes to the discard pile. You may use your ability after a bargain, during one, or instead of one. (It's worth listening to the offer anyway!)

Hollósi elvtárs (Comrade Hollósi): "I can use any mischief card as Zsíros kenyér, Kilöttyintés, or Pohártörés." When playing the mischief card, you must clearly state which card you are using it as.

Buzgómócsing: "I can discard a wine card so that I have 3 actions this round. I may only choose actions of different types." You may use your ability once per round. When you do, you may not choose the same action more than once during your round. Example: If you drew two cards as your first action, and then discard 1 wine to use your ability, you get 2 more actions. These can only be the buying-a-glass and playing-a-card actions (or vice versa), since selling is only possible as a first action.

Icuka: "I can discard a card from my hand so that I can sell my spritzers as my second action." Watch out! Once you've used your ability, don't "out of habit" carry out yet another action…