Inflation!
Inflation! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 55 cards (one 1, two 2s, three 3s, ...ten 10s)
- 16 black bidding buttons
- 12 white trick win buttons
Game Overview
Inflation! is a trick-taking game. One "trick" is a round, where each player plays one card, and the one who plays highest wins (and gains one white button). Continue until no one has cards left in hand. Unlike standard trick-taking games, cards in Inflation! do not have suits and every previous card that you played is part of your current trick.
Preparation
- Place all of the buttons in the center of the play area
- Shuffle the cards face down and deal 12 cards to each player. Set the remaining cards to the side.
- Beginning with the player to the left of the dealer and proceeding clockwise, each player looks at their 12 cards, and predicts how many tricks they think they can win and takes a number of black buttons equal to that amount.
Bidding Consideration
Each trick won will be worth 1 point, but if a player wins a number of tricks equal to their bid (number of black buttons), each of that player's tricks are worth 2 points each instead.
However, if a player wins the most tricks and did not hit their bid exactly, they will earn no points. Please refer to the Score Calculation section for additional details.
Flow of the Game
After the bidding is complete, the player to the left of the dealer becomes the lead player for the first trick. Starting with the lead player, they choose a card from their hand and play it. Once they have played a card, it will be the next player's turn. If any following player has a card with the same number as the lead card, they must play it. Otherwise, the following players may choose any card.
Once all players have played a card, the trick is over. The player with the largest number in front of them wins the trick.
If players are tied for the largest number, the player who played a card later in the turn order wins.
When one trick is completed, the players leave the cards played in front of themselves, and the player who won the trick takes a white button. (The white buttons may be placed on top of the black buttons to track the players' progress on their bids.)
Then, players move on to the next trick. The winner of the previous trick will be the lead player for the next trick.
Cards for the second trick are played so that the numbers overlap (on the left) the cards previously played. For example, if a player played "7" in the first trick, and "6" in the second trick, it is treated as playing "67". If this player played a "3" for the third trick, it is treated as "367". Each subsequent trick will increase the number of cards and the highest total number showing will take the trick.
The "10" is a very strong card and can be easy to win with. However, after the next card is played, the "10" will become a "0". For example, if a player played a "5" in the first trick and a "10" in the second it is treated as "105". However, the card for the next trick is played such that the "1" is not visible, so a "6", for instance, would make the third trick a "605" for the player.
End of Hand
The players continue playing tricks until their hands are empty (12 tricks), and then the round is over. The players calculate scores, shuffle the cards, and deal another hand as before.
Score Calculation
Any players who took the same number of tricks as their bid earns 2 points per trick.
If a player did not meet their bid and also took the most tricks, they earn 0 points for the round. If there is a tie, the player who won a trick later in the game is the one who earns 0 points.
All other players who did not win the same number of tricks as their bid earn 1 point per trick.
End of Game
Play as many hands as there are players. Rotate the lead to the next clockwise player. The player with the most points at the end of that many hands is the winner.