Ku-Ka-König
Ku-Ka-König Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
There are 8 number cards and 112 playing cards. Each playing card shows in the top-left corner how many cards of that type exist in total. The top-right corner shows whether a collected card is returned to the box after the 1st scoring (red cross) or stays in front of the player (green check mark). The lower area shows how many points that card type is worth in the scorings.
Collected kings stay in front of the player after the 1st scoring. Collected farmers are put back in the box after the 1st scoring.
There are 10 kings.
- 1 king = 0 points
- 7 kings = 36 points (see the Kings scoring table below for every step)
There are 8 farmers.
- 1 farmer = 0 points
- 1 farmer + 1 farmer's wife = 7 points
Setup
The number cards are laid face up next to one another on the table: with four players, cards 1-8; with three players, cards 1-7; and with two players, cards 1-6. Any surplus number cards go back in the box.
The 112 playing cards are shuffled well. With four players, all 112 cards are used. With three players, only 102 cards are needed (10 cards are counted out and put back in the box unseen). With two players, only 80 cards are needed (32 cards are counted out and put back in the box unseen).
Exactly 3 playing cards are placed under each number card, slightly offset from one another so that every single card remains clearly visible. The remaining cards are placed as a face-down draw pile off to the side of the table.
Gameplay
Every round follows the same procedure. In each round, every player always gets exactly one row of cards.
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Each player considers which of the laid-out rows they would like to have. Once everyone has finished thinking, they say "ready." Everyone clenches both fists and moves them three times in rhythm (like in rock-paper-scissors) to the words "Ku-Ka-König." All players should say the words "Ku-Ka-König" together. On the word "König," everyone immediately shows with their fingers the number corresponding to the row they want, and says that number out loud and clearly.
Example: Tim shows 6 fingers and says "six." He wants row 6. Sarah shows 2 fingers and says "two." She wants row 2. Linus also shows 2 fingers and says "two." He also wants row 2.
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If a player has chosen a row alone, they take all the playing cards of the desired row (only the number card stays there) and lay the received cards face up next to one another in front of them, sorted by type.
Tim was the only one to choose row 6 and takes the three cards from row 6.
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If several players chose the same number, the card lying furthest to the outside in that row (i.e., the one that is fully visible) is removed and put in the box. No one gets cards from that row — that row now has one fewer card.
Sarah and Linus each show 2 fingers. The playing card lying furthest to the outside in row 2 is removed.
The affected players (i.e., only those who chose the same row) now repeat the Ku-Ka-König procedure. Here, each of them may choose any of the still-available rows.
Note: It is possible that during a round (through repeated identical row choices) some rows end up with only two, one, or no cards left. The Ku-Ka-König procedure is repeated as often as necessary until everyone has chosen a row alone and received cards.
Sarah and Linus choose again. Sarah shows 7 fingers, Linus shows 2 fingers. Sarah takes the three cards from row 7. Linus takes the two remaining cards from row 2.
The round ends once every player has received a row of cards. Now all rows are refilled to three cards each, first row 1, then row 2, then row 3, and so on. Note: remaining cards stay where they are and are topped up to three from the draw pile accordingly.
Extremely rare special case: should the players have chosen identical rows so often that cards remain in only one row (or none), the round ends immediately and the affected players come away empty-handed for that round.
Play continues round after round in the manner described. Over the course of the game, each player accumulates more and more cards, all of which they lay face up in front of themselves, sorted by type. Every single card must always be clearly recognizable to all players. Cards a player has received can never be taken away by another player.
End of the First Round of Play
The first round of play (of two in total) ends as soon as at least one player, after a fully completed round (everyone has received cards), has 13 or more cards in front of them. This is almost always the case after the fifth round. Play is briefly paused and the first scoring (of two in total) is carried out — see "The Scorings."
Very important: after the 1st scoring, every player keeps those cards that show a green check mark in the top-right corner; these stay in front of the player. All collected cards with a red cross go back in the box. Play then continues exactly as described before. All cards the players receive during the 2nd round of play are added to the cards they kept from the 1st round of play.
End of the Game
When the draw pile runs out completely while refilling the rows, the final round is played.
Note: it can happen that in this very last round not all rows can be completely filled with the cards available. In this case, all cards lying in the box are shuffled and used to fill up the rows. The final round is then completed, followed by the concluding second scoring.
The winner is whoever has the most points in total after the second scoring.
The Scorings
Both scorings are carried out in exactly the same way. The different card types are dealt with one after another. The points each player receives are noted on a sheet of paper.
Don't forget: after the first scoring, all players must put all collected cards that show a red cross in the top-right corner back in the box.
1. Kings
The more kings you have, the more points they are worth.
1 king = 0 points, 2 kings = 1 point, 3 kings = 4 points, 4 kings = 9 points, 5 kings = 16 points, 6 kings = 25 points, 7 kings = 36 points. More than 36 points is not possible, even if you have more than 7 kings.
Tim has 4 kings. That earns him 9 points.
2. Churches
Whoever has the most churches gets 10 points for it. All other players get nothing. If several players are tied for the most churches, all of those players get 10 points.
Tim and Sarah each have 2 churches. Linus has only 1 church. Tim and Sarah are tied for the majority and both get 10 points each. Linus gets 0 points.
3. Victory Point Cards
Each victory point card is worth as many points as the number shown on it: 2, 3, or 4.
Tim has two 4-cards and one 3-card victory point card. That earns him 11 points (4+4+3).
4. Knights
Whoever has the most knights gets 2 points for each of their knights. All other players get 1 point for each of their knights. If several players are tied for the most knights, all of those players get 2 points per knight.
Tim has 3 knights, Sarah has 2 knights, and Linus has 5 knights. Tim gets 3 points and Sarah gets 2 points. Linus has the most knights and gets 2 points for each of his knights, so 10 points in total.
5. Animals
There are 8 different animals (5 of each animal). You score points separately for each animal type. For 1 animal of a given type you get 1 point, for 2 animals 3 points, for 3 animals 6 points, for 4 animals 10 points, and for 5 animals 15 points.
Tim has 4 sheep, 2 horses, and 1 pig. That earns him a total of 14 points (10+3+1).
6. Farmer, Farmer's Wife, and Farmhouse
A farmer and a farmer's wife together (as a pair) are worth 7 points. If you have a farmer and a farmer's wife plus a house, this trio is worth 14 points. There are no other scoring possibilities for these cards, whether single or in other combinations.
Note: it is possible to score multiple pairs or trios.
Tim has 2 pairs (2 farmers plus 2 farmer's wives) as well as one house and one single farmer. The one pair plus house is worth 14 points, the other pair is worth 7 points. The single farmer is worth 0 points. In total, Tim gets 21 points.