Janus (1993)
Janus (1993) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Idea of the Game
Each player tries to collect as many card trios as possible. A card trio consists of three cards with the same symbol. The cards needed for a trio are obtained by drawing cards from the hands of the other players or from the draw pile in the middle. The player who owns the most trios at the end has won.
Setup
Shuffle all the cards thoroughly and deal two cards to each player. Place the remaining cards face down in a pile in the middle of the table.
Note: each player holds his or her cards so that he or she sees the side facing up when dealt, and so the other players can see the symbols on the other side (the back side).
Basic Rules
During play, cards may only ever be looked at from one side. A player may not look at the back side of his or her hand cards. The only exception is when the first two cards are dealt. Throughout the whole game, a player may hold at most four cards in hand.
Playing the Game
The card dealer begins. Play then continues clockwise. On his or her turn, a player must carry out one of the following actions: either draw one or two cards, or discard one or two cards.
Drawing Cards
A player may draw cards from the hand of another player or from the draw pile in the middle of the table. He or she may also draw one card from each of two different other players, or one card from another player and one card from the draw pile.
The player who draws a card takes the symbol that is visible to him or her (this is the back side of a card of another player) into his or her hand. The symbol on the other side, which all the other players can now see, must not be looked at by the player who drew it. The card must not be turned over. When drawing from the draw pile, only the next card may become visible, and no other card.
A player who already has four cards in hand may not draw any further cards. He or she must discard, or discard a card trio. A player who has no cards in hand, when it is his or her turn, must draw one or two cards.
Discarding Cards
A player may only discard cards onto the draw pile, the same pile from which cards are drawn. There is no separate discard pile. When discarding, the card must be placed so that the symbol which until now was visible only to that player is now visible to all players.
A Card Trio
When it is his or her turn and, by drawing cards, a player gets a card trio (three cards with the same symbol) in hand, he or she lays the trio face up in front of himself or herself. The trio symbol must lie on top, so that the other players can check the trio. After laying down a card trio, the next player is immediately on turn.
End of the Game
The game ends when all players are of the opinion that the remaining cards (the hand cards of the other players and the cards in the draw pile) can no longer form any trios. The game is then over. If a trio is nevertheless formed after that, it belongs to no player.
Each player counts his or her trios. The player with the most trios has won.