Giraffe Raffe
Giraffe Raffe Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Credits
- Author: Hisashi Hayashi
- Illustrator: Bingo Kim
- Graphic design: Eva Dream, Keanu Chong
- Development: Tylor Kim
- Project management: Marco Jung
©2024 Mandoo Games Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
Components
- 64 Giraffe cards
- 60 numbered cards (1 to 15 in 4 colors)
- 4 Copy cards
- 16 Apple tokens
- 10 Tree tiles
- 1 Robot Giraffe pawn (for the solo variant)
- 6 Rotten Apple tokens (for the variant)
Standard Rules
I. Game Setup
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Arrange the Tree tiles in a circle on the table, following the diagram below. The number of "1 Card" tiles used depends on the number of players. The icon corresponding to the number of players is found in the top right of these tiles. Put the unused tiles back in the box.
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Place the 16 Apple tokens in the center of the table to form a supply.
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The player who has most recently seen a giraffe becomes the dealer. The dealer shuffles all the Giraffe cards and deals them face down to each player according to the number of participants:
- 2 to 4 players: 15 cards
- 5 players: 12 cards
Each player must keep their Giraffe cards secret.
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Among the remaining Giraffe cards, deal 4 cards face down to form the Redraw pile, then place this pile in the same row as the Pair tile. The remaining Giraffe cards are not used for this game: put them back in the box.
Note: Leave the Rotten Apple tokens and the Robot pawn in the box; they are not needed for this mode of play.
Example setup diagram: for 3 players, the tiles are arranged in a circle as shown, with the "1 Card" tiles used for a 3-player game marked accordingly (see the Tree Tiles section below for which tiles are used at each player count).
II. Playing the Game
The game is played clockwise starting from the dealer and continues until a player loses.
On your turn, perform one of the following two actions:
- A. Play one or more Giraffe cards
- B. Play an Apple token
After performing one of these actions, your turn ends. The player to your left then takes their turn, and so on. If you cannot perform any action on your turn, the game stops immediately and you lose the game.
A. Play one or more Giraffe cards
Choose a Tree tile on the table, then choose one or more Giraffe cards from your hand that match the rules of that tile. Place the Giraffe cards played next to the chosen Tree tile. If there are already Giraffe cards associated with that tile, place the new cards on top of the previous ones.
Each Tree tile has a restriction icon that must be respected. Some Tree tiles also offer rewards when they are used. For more details on the Tree tile rules, see the Tree Tiles section.
Restriction icons
- Value restriction: This icon indicates that you must play cards of higher value than those already present on this Tree. This applies to the "1 Card", Pair, Three of a Kind, and Four of a Kind tiles.
- Card-count restriction: This icon indicates that you must play at least one more card than the combination already laid down on this Tree. The first player to play here must play 3 cards or more. This applies to the Free, Straight, and Color tiles.
Reward types
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Apple token: Take 1 Apple token from the supply and keep it in front of you.
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Giraffe card: Draw a Giraffe card from the Redraw pile and add it to your hand.
Note: if you cannot obtain the reward (because the Redraw pile is empty or there are no more tokens in the supply), you simply gain nothing.
Copy cards (=)
Copy cards must be used together with other Giraffe cards. The Copy card takes on the color and value of one of the Giraffe cards it is played with.
Example: a Copy card played with a red 7 acts as a copy of the red 7. In this case, you have the choice between a blue 7 or a red 7.
B. Play an Apple token
Put 1 Apple token back in the supply. This allows you to skip your turn without playing a Giraffe card.
Tree Tiles
1 Card
Rule: Play a card of the same color as the one shown on the Tree tile. The card you play must have a higher value than the previous one.
Reward: None
For this Tree, the number and type of Tree tiles used varies according to the number of players.
Tiles used (refer to the icon at the top of the tile):
- 4–5 players: 1 Red, 1 Blue, 1 Yellow, and 1 Green (4 total)
- 3 players: 1 Red/Yellow and 1 Blue/Green (2 total)
- 2 players: 1 Red/Blue/Yellow/Green tile (1 total)
Free
Rule: Play 3 or more cards of any type. A player who plays here must play one more card than what was previously played here.
Note: you may play cards here even if you are able to play elsewhere.
Reward: 1 Apple token
Pair
Rule: Play 2 cards of the same value. The cards played must have a higher value than the previous pair.
Reward: 1 Giraffe card
Three of a Kind
Rule: Play 3 cards of the same value. The cards played must have a higher value than the previous three of a kind.
Reward: 1 Apple token
Four of a Kind
Rule: Play 4 cards of the same value. The cards played must have a higher value than the previous four of a kind.
Reward: 2 Apple tokens
Straight
Rule: Play 3 or more cards of consecutive values. A player who plays here must play one more card than what was previously played here.
Reward: 1 Apple token
Color
Rule: Play 3 or more cards of the same color. A player who plays here must play one more card than what was previously played here.
Reward: 1 Apple token
Variant: Longer Game
For a longer game, you can play several rounds until a player loses two rounds. A round corresponds to one complete game of the base rules.
I. Setup of the First Round
Follow the standard rules, except that step 4 of setup is modified, and a fifth step is added, as follows:
- This step proceeds as in the standard game, but instead of putting the remaining cards back in the box, set them aside on the table. They will be used during the following rounds.
- Place the Rotten Apple tokens next to the Apple tokens.
II. Playing the Game
The game proceeds normally, except that if a player cannot play a card or spend an Apple token, they immediately lose the round and receive a Rotten Apple token from the supply.
If a player has two Rotten Apple tokens, they lose the entire game. All other players win.
If, at the end of a round, no player has lost, proceed to a new round.
III. Setup of the Next Round
At the start of each new round, reset the game. Careful: the Apple tokens are returned to the supply, but the Rotten Apple tokens are kept! The player who received a Rotten Apple token during the previous round becomes the new dealer.
Solo Rules
The following rules describe how to play in solo mode. A Robot Giraffe has appeared to challenge you!
I. Setup
Follow the standard rules, but with a few changes to setup steps 1 and 3, and the addition of a fifth step, as follows:
- Use the single-card tile for 1–2 players. Arrange the tiles in the following order: "1 Card", Four of a Kind, Three of a Kind, Pair, Straight, Color, Free.
- Deal yourself 15 cards. Form a Robot Deck (15 cards recommended for a first game, then +1 card for each win). Also prepare a hand of 5 Giraffe cards for the Robot.
- Place the Robot pawn near the Robot Deck to distinguish its area from yours. You go first.
II. Playing the Game
Play according to the standard rules. You go first, then it is the Robot's turn.
If the Robot cannot act, you win. If you cannot act, you lose.
Robot Giraffe's Turn
- Draw Giraffe cards from the Robot Deck until its hand contains 5 cards. If the deck is empty, it does not draw anymore.
- The Robot always prioritizes action A. Play 1+ Giraffe card(s), and only performs action B. Play an Apple token if it cannot play a card with A.
A. Play one or more Giraffe cards
The Robot follows this order of priority: "1 Card" > Four of a Kind > Three of a Kind > Pair > Straight > Color > Free.
If it has several options on the same Tree, it plays the cards of lowest value. If several colors have the same value, you choose.
Place the cards from its hand in the Tree area. If it cannot play, draw cards one at a time from the Robot Deck (beyond the hand of 5) until it can play. If the deck is empty and no Tree is possible, it plays an Apple token (B).
Robot Giraffe's Rewards
If the Robot wins an Apple token, place it next to its pawn. If it wins a Giraffe card, place it on the Robot Deck, without looking at it.
B. Play an Apple token
The Robot puts 1 Apple token back in the supply.