Jungle Joust Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Gameplay Overview
• Components
  • 1 Game Board
  • 52 Joust Cards
  • 6 Allegiance Crests
  • 20 Betting Chits
• Setup Components
  • Fence
  • Rhino Rider Standees
  • 70 Coins
  • 20 Debt Tokens
  • 16 Favors
• Setup
• Game Structure
• On Your Turn
  • 1. Play to a Tilt
  • Favors
    • What are the Favors all about?
  • Clash!
  • Bonus Favor Marks
• 2. Take Other Actions
  • Take a Betting Chit
  • Bet on the Victor
• 3. Draw 1 or 2 New Cards
• Scoring
  • Determining the Victor
  • A) Scoring Allegiances
  • B) Scoring Betting Chits
    • Strength, Defense, and Accuracy
    • Movement
    • Valor
  • C) Scoring Cards Bet on the Victor
• Ending the Round and Winning!
• Reference for the Different Wagers

Gameplay Overview

The game plays out in three Rounds. In each Round, Players will play Joust cards to influence how the Rhino Riders move (and what their strengths are). Make different sorts of wagers that will pay out differently depending on the outcome of the Riders clash. At the end of three Rounds, the Player with the most money wins!

Components

1 Game Board

This is where the Rhino Riders joust for your wagering pleasure!

Board features (as labeled on the board): Red Start Symbols, Red Start Space, Red Tilt Area, Black Start Space, Black Tilt Area, Black Start Symbols, Bonus Favor Marks, and Center Line.

52 Joust Cards

52 unique symbol combinations let you affect the Rhino Riders' performance on the Tilt!

6 Allegiance Crests

3 red and 3 black. The front side tells you which Rider you're aligned with for the Round; the back side acts as an aid for making bets on who the victor will be.

• Red Front
• Black Front
• Back

20 Betting Chits

Each of the 20 unique chits shows one of the five traits in black or red, with values of 2 or 3. Claim a chit to place a bet on its trait and color; if you're right, you'll earn its value!

Sample bet tokens:

• Red Accuracy, value 2
• Black Defense, value 3
• Red Strength, value 2
• Red Movement, value 3
• Black Valor, value 2

Setup Components

Fence

Assemble it like this:

• A. Connect the 2 Rail pieces together using the Link as a connector.
• B. Slide the 4 supports up onto the slotted fenceposts.

Rhino Rider Standees

Assemble the black and red Rhino Riders like this (Make sure to use the red pieces for the red Rider and the black pieces for the black Rider.):

• A. Slide the shoulder piece onto the Rider's torso by its center slot (darker side down).
• B. Slide the lance piece onto the Rider's left shoulder slot.
• C. Slide the shield piece onto the Rider's right shoulder slot.
• D. Angle the lance's point across the Rhino's body so that it catches on the ridge above its ear and stays diagonally positioned.
• E. Slide the 2 supports up onto the Rhino's base.

70 Coins

Money in different denominations. Earn the most to win the game!

• 20 coins (value 20) x 5
• 10 coins (value 10) x 10
• 5 coins (value 5) x 25
• 1 coin (value 1) x 30

20 Debt Tokens

You don't want these; they represent negative money.

16 Favors

8 red and 8 black; these are used to mark wagering aspects during gameplay.

Setup

1. Place the Game board in the center of the table. Stand the assembled fence along the dirt trail in the center of the board.

2. Place the assembled Rhino Rider standees at their own end of the board as shown; make sure the clash symbol on each Rider is on their own start space.

   A Rider's clash symbol is impossible to show from above, since it is printed on the vertical side of the standee. Throughout the rules, we use these simplified images to represent the Riders as seen from above; the clash symbol at the front indicates which space the Rider's clash symbol is on.

3. Place the 20 Betting chits off to one side of the board in 10 stacks as shown. (Each stack should consist of the 2-value and 3-value chit of the same symbol and color, with the 3-value chit on top.)

4. Create stockpiles nearby for the Money, Debt, and Favor tokens.

5. Shuffle the Joust cards and create a facedown Draw deck. Draw 2 Joust cards and create a face-up tableau next to the deck.

6. Deal each Player 2 Joust cards from the deck to form their starting hand. Players keep their hands secret.

7. Distribute Allegiance crests based on Player count:

   • 2 Players: Give one Player a face-up red Allegiance crest and the other Player a face-up black Allegiance crest. Also give each Player a facedown crest. (The facedown crest is for wagering purposes only and does not affect Allegiance.)
   • 3 or 4 Players: Shuffle 2 red and 2 black Allegiance crests facedown and deal 1 facedown to each Player (discard the leftover crest unseen in a 3p game). Players may freely peek at their own Allegiances, but should keep them secret.

Now you are ready to begin!

Game Structure

When the game begins, pick a starting Player. The starting Player takes their Turn, then play proceeds clockwise around the table until the Riders meet in a clash. Scoring of various wagers is resolved to finish the Round, everything (except money won from wagers) is reset, and a new Round begins; the Player whose Turn would have been next is the new starting Player. Once three Rounds are complete, the game is over.

On Your Turn

On your Turn, in this order:

1. Play to a Tilt. You must play at least 1 Joust card to a Tilt (if possible) to move one or both Riders.
2. Take Other Actions. You may take a variety of other actions if you wish in any order you choose.
3. Draw 1 or 2 New Cards. Select 1 Joust card from the tableau, or draw 2 random cards from the Draw deck.

1. Play to a Tilt

The collection of Joust cards that will build up on each Rider's side of the fence is called their Tilt.

To play a card from your hand to a Tilt, lay it overlapping the previous card so that all symbols remain visible. At least one symbol on the new card must match a symbol on the previous card, color included. You may play a card to either Tilt regardless of your allegiance. When you play a card to a Tilt, move that Rider forward so that the clash symbol lines up with the new card's symbols (see example).

• If this is the first play of the Round to a particular Tilt, there won't be a previous card to overlap; simply lay your card next to the pre-printed start symbols.
• You must play at least 1 card to a Tilt to begin your Turn, though you may play more than 1 if you wish. You may spread multiple card plays among the 2 Tilts however you want, and in whatever order.
• If you can't play a card to either Tilt (because none of the symbols on your cards match any of the symbols on the leading card on either Tilt), reveal your hand to the other Players to prove it, and skip this step.

Example: You choose a card from your hand and play it to the red Tilt, overlapping the leading card. This is a legal play because at least one symbol on your card matches; actually you have two symbols that match, the black Defense and black Accuracy symbols. (Note that the Movement symbol does not match because it is the wrong color.) Then you advance the red Rider forward so that it lines up with the symbols on the new leading card.

Favors

If a card you play creates the third consecutive matching symbol of the same color, place 1 Favor token from the supply onto that symbol. (Exception: Ignore Movement symbols; they do not trigger Favors.) Placing the Favor resets that symbol, so you would need three more symbols in a row to trigger this effect again. It is possible to trigger and place Favors for more than one symbol with a single card placement.

Example: You placed the leading card and it created the third black Accuracy symbol in a row! You take a black Favor from the supply and place it on that third symbol. Notice that there is already a red Strength Favor in play from an earlier card play. You then get the immediate reward for Accuracy, which allows you to draw a card and bet on the Victor (see Bet on the Victor for details).

What are the Favors all about?

Favors indicate the Riders' performance in two general ways, summarized here:

1. Allegiance. The Rider with greater value in Favors (of any type) on its Tilt will win money for Players aligned with that Rider (see Scoring Allegiances for more details).
2. Bet Tokens. Favors on symbols determine the winner for Strength, Defense, and Accuracy bets. For example if there is greater value in Favors on red Defense than black Defense, anyone who bet on red Defense will win money (see Scoring Bet Tokens for more details).

Also, when you place a Favor, it triggers a different immediate reward for you, which is different depending on the symbol:

• Strength Favor: The immediate reward is to discard the leading card from the other Tilt, and move the other Rider standee back a space accordingly. (If there are any Favors on the removed card, they are returned to the supply.)
• Defense Favor: The immediate reward is to draw 1 card from the Draw deck and place it facedown in front of you without looking at it. At the start of Step 3, pick this card up and add it to your hand; this card is in addition to the card or cards you normally gain in that step.
• Accuracy Favor: The immediate reward is that you may choose 1 card from the tableau and immediately use it to bet on the Victor (see Bet on the Victor). If you do so, replace the card immediately with a new 1 from the deck.

Clash!

If after playing a card to a Tilt (and after placing any Favors and then resolving any immediate rewards earned from them) the Riders' clash symbols occupy parallel spaces on the board, you have caused a Clash and ended the Round; immediately proceed to Scoring without finishing the rest of your Turn.

Clash example: Enough cards have been played to the Tilts that the clash symbols of the Riders have moved into parallel spaces; it's a clash!

Bonus Favor Marks

There are Bonus Favor marks on both sides of the board. If a Rider moves onto a space with a Bonus Favor mark because of a card you played, you take Favors of that color from the supply (1, 2, or 3, as displayed), and place those Favors however you like onto the starting symbols (Strength, Defense, or Accuracy only) of that Tilt.

Example: You just played a card that moved the black Rider onto a single Bonus Favor mark. You take a black Favor from the supply and place it onto a starting symbol; you choose Defense!

2. Take Other Actions

Now you may perform the following actions (if you wish) in any order you like. When you are done, proceed to Step 3.

Take a Betting Chit

Take any 1 Betting chit from the top of any stack remaining. You may only do this once per Turn, but you may gather multiple chits (even chits showing the same trait and color) over multiple Turns.

Betting chits will pay off at the end of the Round in different ways. See Scoring Betting Chits (and also the handy reference on the back page of the rules) to learn about how the different chits are scored.

Example: You think that the red Defense value is going to beat the black Defense value this Round, so you grab the top red Defense chit from the stack; luckily the value-3 one is still available, so you can maximize your profit!

Bet on the Victor

Play a card from your hand facedown next to either the red side or the black side of your facedown Allegiance crest, indicating that you are betting that card's symbols on either the red or black Rider being the Victor of this Round, respectively (see Determining the Victor for details).

Your Allegiance crest is used here only to organize your bets; these bets have nothing to do with your actual allegiance. All that matters here is who you think the Victor will be. You will earn money for every symbol of the Victor's color on its side, and you will lose money for every symbol of the non-Victor's color on its side (see Scoring Cards Bet on the Victor for details).

You may bet on the Victor multiple times on your Turn, to either or both sides. At the end of the Round, you will gain or lose money depending on who the Victor is, and how many symbols matching the Victor's and non-Victor's color are on the cards you bet.

Example: You think the red Rider will be the Victor this Round, and you have 2 cards with a lot of red symbols on them. You decide to bet them both on red being the Victor, and you play them to the red side of your Allegiance crest facedown so your opponents do not know how you bet.

3. Draw 1 or 2 New Cards

Draw 2 random cards from the top of the Draw deck, or choose 1 visible card from the tableau and take it into your hand. If you take 1 from the tableau, immediately replace it with a new card from the deck. You have a hand limit of 3 cards; if you hold more at this point, discard cards of your choice until you hold only 3.

• If the Draw deck ever runs out, shuffle the Discard pile to form a new Draw deck.

Scoring

Scoring happens at the end of each of the three Rounds (each Round ends when someone causes a clash). There are three types of scoring:

• A) Scoring Allegiances
• B) Scoring Betting Chits
• C) Scoring Card Bets

First reveal Allegiances by flipping over your Allegiance crests (this will not be necessary in a 2-Player game since Allegiances are known), then determine the Victor, then resolve all three scoring types in order.

Determining the Victor

To determine the Victor of this Round, calculate each Rider's score as follows:

• For each Favor on its Tilt matching the Rider's color, the Rider earns 2 points.
• For each Favor on its Tilt not matching the Rider's color, the Rider earns 1 point.
• For each space past the center line the Rider has traveled, the Rider earns 1 point.

Important! In a 3-Player or 5-Player game, there will be 1 Rider with fewer Players aligned to it; that Rider's score is doubled after calcuating all of its points.

Once you have tallied each Rider's score, compare their scores; the Rider with the higher score is this Round's Victor.

• In the rare case of a tied score towards determining the Victor, the Victor is the Rider that passed the center line.

Don't forget which Rider is the Victor this Round; it will be relevant to a few types of Scoring.

Example: Red has 2 red Favors on its Tilt (worth 2 points each) and 1 black Favor on its Tilt (worth 1 point). Black has 2 black Favors on its Tilt (worth 2 points each), 2 red Favors on its Tilt (worth 1 point each), and it has passed the center line by 2 spaces (worth 2 points). This is a 4-Player game, so no score is doubled. Therefore red's score is 5 and black's score is 8... Black is the Victor!

A) Scoring Allegiances

Each Player will reveal their facedown Allegiance crest and earn money from the supply equal to the total score (the score calculated when determining the Victor, above) of the Rider they're aligned with. These points are earned regardless of whether the Rider was the Victor or not.

Example: Using the scores from the above example, any Player aligned with red earns $5 from the supply, and every Player aligned with black earns $8 from the supply.

B) Scoring Betting Chits

To resolve Players' Betting chits, we look at each of the five traits separately and score them one at a time. Strength, Defence, and Accuracy are all calculated the same way; Movement and Valor are calculated in their own unique ways.

Strength, Defense, and Accuracy

These three traits are resolved identically; we will use Strength as the example. Resolve Strength first and distribute rewards for Betting chips, then do the same for Defense, then Accuracy.

Compare the red Strength score to the black Strength score.

• To calculate the red Strength score, look at all of the red Strength Favors on both Tilts. Every such Favor on the red Tilt counts as 2 points, and every such Favor on the black Tilt counts as 1 point.
• To calculate the black Strength score, look at all of the black Strength Favors on both Tilts. Every such Favor on the black Tilt counts as 2 points, and every such Favor on the red Tilt counts as 1 point.

The color with the higher score is the color that pays out. Each Strength chit of the winning color earns its owner money from the supply equal to the chit's value. Each Strength chit of the losing color costs its owner $1 (regardless of the chit's value), which is paid into the supply.

Debt: Whenever you are told to lose money, pay it back into the supply. If you don't have any money to lose, take 1 Debt token for every $1 you could not afford to lose. Each Debt token counts as -1 to your final score.

• In the event that both scores are tied, Strength chits of both colors earn their owners money from the supply equal to the chits' value. This is true with all five types of betting chit.

Then do the same for Defense and Accuracy chits.

Strength Betting chit example: We calculate the red Strength score by looking at all the red Strength Favors on both sides of the Tilt. There is just 1 on the black Tilt, worth 1 point, so red's Strength score is 1. Then we calculate the black Strength score by looking at all the black Strength Favors on both sides of the Tilt. There is 1 on the black Tilt (worth 2 points) and 1 on the red Tilt (worth 1 point), so black's Strength score is 3. Since black's Strength score is higher than red's, all black Strength chits earn their value for their owners, and all red Strength chits lose their owners $1 each.

Using the example above, we can also see that black Defense chits will win (therefore red Defense chits will lose), and red Accuracy chits will win (therefore black Accuracy chits will lose).

Movement

To calculate Movement bets, we look only at the Movement symbols on the Victor's Tilt. Compare the number of red Movement symbols to the number of black symbols. The color with more symbols is the color that pays out. Each Movement chit of the winning color earns its owner money from the supply equal to the chit's value. Each Movement chit of the losing color costs its owner $1 (regardless of its displayed value), which is paid into the supply.

Example: Black was the Victor this Round, so we look at the Movement symbols on black's Tilt. There are a whopping 9 black Movement symbols and only 2 red Movement symbols there, so black pays out! All black Movement chits earn their value for their owners, and all red Movement chits lose their owners $1 each.

Valor

To calculate Valor bets, look only at the Victor itself. The Victor's color is the color that pays out. Each Valor chit of the winning color earns its owner money from the supply equal to the chit's value. Each Valor chit of the losing color costs its owner $1 (regardless of its displayed value), which is paid into the supply.

Example: Black was the Victor this Round, so black Valor chits pay out! All black Valor chits earn their value for their owners, and all red Valor chits lose their owners $1 each.

C) Scoring Cards Bet on the Victor

Each Player resolves their bets separately.

Flip your Allegiance crest back facedown (this will not be necessary in a 2-Player game) and look at the cards you've wagered to either side of it.

• First, for every symbol of the Victor's color on the Victor's side, earn $1 from the supply.
• Then, for every symbol of the non-Victor's color on the non-Victor's side, pay $1 to the supply.

Example: Black was the Victor this Round. You have 6 black symbols on the cards you bet to the black (Victor's) side of your Allegiance crest. You gain $6 from the supply. Unhappily, you also have 3 red symbols on the cards you bet to the red (non-Victor's) side of your Allegiance crest. You must pay $3 back into the supply.

Ending the Round and Winning!

With the exception of the Money and Debt tokens that Players have gained (which they keep), reset the entire game as described in Setup, including Allegiances, Betting chit stacks, all Joust cards (from the Tilt, from Victor Bets, and from Players' leftover hands), Favors, and Riders.

Once three Rounds are complete, the game is over and the Player with the most money (after subtracting $1 for each Debt token still held) has won the game!

Reference for the Different Wagers

A loose summary of the different wagering possibilities. Consult the relevant rulebook sections for more details on each.

• Determining the Victor: Each Rider gets 2 points per Favor of matching color and 1 point per Favor of non-matching color on its own Tilt. Plus 1 point per space past the center line. If one Rider has fewer Players aligned with it than the other, its score is doubled. Higher score is the Victor.
• Scoring Allegiances: Earn money equal to the score (from Determining the Victor) of the Rider you're aligned with.
• Strength, Defense, and Accuracy Betting chits: Separately for each trait, calculate the red score (each red Favor on red Tilt: 2 points, each red Favor on black Tilt: 1 point) and the black score (each black Favor on black Tilt: 2 points, each black Favor on red Tilt: 1 point). Compare the scores, higher score wins. Winning chits pay their value, losing chits lose $1.
• Movement Betting chits: Count the Movement symbols on the Victor's Tilt. Color with more symbols wins. Winning chits pay their value, losing chits lose $1.
• Valor Betting chits: The Victor's color wins. Winning chits pay their value, losing chits lose $1.
• Cards Bet on the Victor: Symbols matching the Victor's color on the Victor's side of your crest earn you $1 each. Symbols matching the non-Victor's color on the non-Victor's side of your crest lose you $1 each.