La Fallera Calavera
La Fallera Calavera Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective of the Game
La Fallera Calavera is a card game for 2 to 5 players made up of a single deck of 102 cards. To win, a player must gather 5 ingredient cards in order to cook a paella. Players can use any of the cards in the deck to achieve this, since each one has specific functions indicated on its card. Because of this, it isn't necessary to know every single card — just to understand the basic rules of the game.
There are 57 distinct card designs, even though the deck is made up of 102 cards. This means each design appears in a larger or smaller quantity depending on its effects. There are 28 treasure cards, 34 battle cards, and 40 special cards. In addition, there is one card that summarizes the rules of the game, and cards that contain resolved rules questions.
Card Anatomy
Each card carries the following information:
- Card name — printed at the top of the card.
- Card type (treasure, battle, or special) — shown by the colored skull icon in the top-left corner.
- Important information — for treasure cards, an icon such as the ingredient exclamation mark (!); for battle cards, the attack (A) and defense (D) points.
- Illustration — the card's artwork.
- Card instructions — the card's specific rules text.
- Thematic phrase — a traditional Valencian saying or proverb related to the card, printed in italics at the bottom. (Example: on the "conill" (rabbit) ingredient card, "There's no joy on an empty stomach"; on the "el Tio Sangonera" battle card, "Like el Tio Sangonera, who died of overeating.")
Treasure Cards
Treasures are objects that players possess and that have permanent, cumulative effects. They are easily identified because they have a yellow skull in the top-left corner. The fundamental difference from the other cards (battle and special) is that treasures must always be visible to the other players, laid out in a row in an imaginary space called the counter (mostrador). So, when a player receives a card marked with a yellow skull, they must automatically place it on their counter, letting the rest of the players see it clearly. This is not considered an action, since it is automatic and mandatory. You should also know that all treasures can be stolen by other players at any point in the game, so try to protect them well!
Among the treasures, there are three kinds of cards:
- Ingredients. Besides a yellow skull, they carry an exclamation mark (!). When a player has 5 of these cards on their counter, the game ends automatically and that player wins.
- Sellable treasures. Marked with a star (★). These treasures can be "sold" — that is, a player may discard one of these cards and, in exchange, draw the number of cards indicated on the card from the deck. For example, if a player discards a smelly espadrilles card, they get 2 cards from the deck.
- Other treasures. Besides the yellow skull, they are marked with a question mark (?). These are treasures with special and quite varied functions, so read carefully what each card says.
Battle Cards
Battle cards and special cards, unlike treasures, are hidden and cannot be shown to the other opponents, so they are kept in each player's hand. There is no limit to the number of cards a player may hold in hand, and there is likewise no limit to the number of treasures a player may accumulate on their counter.
Battle cards are recognized because they are marked with a red skull in the top-left corner. These cards show some basic information: attack points, marked with an A, and defense points, marked with a D. For example, the Moorish captain, with his enormous sword, has 4 attack points but only 1 defense point.
The basic function of a battle card is to try to steal 1 treasure from another player's counter. Combat occurs when a player has a battle card and decides to call a battle over a specific treasure. When this happens, the player calling the battle must state which treasure they want to obtain, and then plays a battle card face down. Normally only a single battle card may be played face down, unless the card specifically states otherwise.
After the declaration of war (e.g., "Antònia, I declare a battle for your rabbit"), the player who has that treasure on their counter must decide whether to defend or not, keeping in mind that they cannot see which card they will be attacked with.
If they do not defend (situation I), the attacking player wins the treasure and places it on their own counter. The battle card used is discarded, since all cards in La Fallera Calavera are used only once, except when the card states otherwise.
In the case where the other player does defend, they may choose a battle card to defend against the attacker. Then the attacking player reveals their card. Now the points on the two cards are compared. If the attack of the player who called the battle is greater than the defense of the player defending, the attacking player steals the treasure (situation IV). On the other hand, if the defense is equal to or greater than the attack, the treasure does not move from the counter (situations II and III). Of course, both the attacker and the defender discard their battle cards, which go to the cemetery, that is, to the pile of already-used cards.
| Situation | Attack points (A) | Defense points (D) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | 4 | Does not defend | The attacker steals the treasure |
| II | 4 | 5 | The defender keeps the treasure |
| III | 3 | 3 | The defender keeps the treasure |
| IV | 3 | 2 | The attacker steals the treasure |
| V | 0 | Does not defend | The attacker steals the treasure |
In addition, you should know that besides the A and D points of each battle card, some characters also have abilities. If a battle card states that it "has no abilities," use it normally, only paying attention to its A and D points. But if it has an ability, read carefully what the card indicates, since its behavior is different. For example, the Monleonetes are battle cards that cannot be played alone, since they have the teamwork ability.
Special Cards
Finally, special cards are identified because they have a white skull in the top-left corner. These cards have completely varied and unpredictable effects. They can directly affect other players' treasures, intervene in battles, or cancel or counter other special cards.
In addition, next to the white skull there is an n and a number. Generally, you don't need to pay attention to this number. It only indicates the level of the special card, a number that is only used in the event of a conflict or contradiction between the effects of two special cards. In that case, the effect of the card with the higher number prevails over the one with the lower n. This means, for example, that a protective paella card — which cancels the effects of special cards — does not affect a riuà card, because the riuà has a higher rank than the protective paella.
Special-card rank, from highest to lowest:
| Card | Rank |
|---|---|
| Nit de la cremà | n8 |
| El Butoni | n7 |
| La Riuà | n6 |
| Muralla de Morella | n5 |
| Falla descomunal | n4 |
| Batalla d'Almansa | n3 |
| Paella protectora | n2 |
| Rest of the special cards | n1 |
ATTENTION: As a general rule, special cards are used on your turn and consume the entire turn (the riuà, for example). The exception is cards that indicate a specific moment of use (for example the protective paella, the aigua de València, etc.). These cards do not consume an action and could be used on another player's turn.
Reading Each Card's Instructions
In the first few games, players won't know how each card works. Therefore, it is important to read the individual instructions of each one carefully. Read all the sentences of the text. If you see skulls in the text, don't be afraid! It's simply a way of abbreviating the words: treasure, battle, and special.
In addition, you may find a phrase in italics at the bottom of some cards. These phrases are not necessary in order to play. They are simply typical Valencian sayings and proverbs related to the card in question. Isn't it fun to recite them while you play?
Playing the Game
Before starting the game, keep in mind the two fundamental rules of La Fallera Calavera:
- Only one action may be taken per turn, except when cards are used that state otherwise.
- Cards are single-use, except when cards are used that state otherwise. That is, when you use battle cards, special cards, or discard treasures, they go to the cemetery and cannot be used again.
Now the game begins! For games with 2 or 5 players, you'll need to read some additional specifications further below. Games with 3 and 4 players work "normally."
- Shuffle the 102 cards well and deal 7 cards to each player. Leave the rest of the cards in the center of the table, forming a draw pile.
- Players place their treasures on their counters, visible to everyone. If a player has 3 or more ingredients at the start of the game, re-deal the cards.
- The player with the fewest treasure cards starts the game, and turns proceed clockwise. If two players are tied for fewest treasures, the one with fewer paella ingredients starts; if they are still tied, the person who most recently drank an orange juice starts.
- Now the game begins. On their turn, players may only take one of the following actions:
- Discard a treasure card that lets them obtain new cards from the deck (the smelly espadrilles, for example).
- Use a battle card to steal a treasure from another player (la Delicà de Gandia, for example).
- Use a special card with very varied effects (the kleptomaniac bat, for example).
- Use nothing and draw a card from the deck. This action is known as almoina (alms).
The game proceeds through treasures moving between players, the use of all kinds of cards, and drawing new cards from the deck. If the deck runs out of cards, the already-used cards that have been piling up in the center of the table (the cemetery) are recovered, shuffled well, and a new draw pile is formed. The first player to obtain 5 ingredients, whether by stealing cards from the deck or from other players, wins the game.
Two-Player Game
If there are only two of you, you can play La Fallera Calavera without any problem. All you have to do is remove all the cards marked with the symbol II. These cards are the cabeça d'alls (garlic bulb), el Butoni, la riuà, the Lluna de València, and the Dansà de la Magrana. There is also a rule that changes: at the start of the game, deal 10 cards to each player instead of 7!
Five-Player Game
The five-player game works normally, except for the cabeça d'alls (garlic bulb), which now counts as two ingredients. So, if a player has the cabeça d'alls, the bajoqueta, the cuixa de pollastre (chicken leg), and the conill (rabbit), for example, they already win the game. The five-player game tends to be a little longer than the rest.
Credits
- Author: Enric Aguilar
- Illustrations: Esther Mendez
- Layout: Ren Estrugo
- Linguistic advice: Santi Bonnin
- Box layout: Pau Urios
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Gerard Sesé, Jasp Sanpere, Vicenç Márquez, Eugeni Aguilar, Marc Ruiz, our parents, and all the backers who funded the project. Thanks also to everyone who took part in playtesting, especially the Mosatros, for their constant support and enthusiasm.
More information at www.lafalleracalavera.com