Ligretto Junior
Ligretto Junior Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
5 sets of 30 cards, each with its own distinctive pattern (fish (green), lion (yellow), bear (red), dog (blue), mouse (purple)). 1 Instruction.
The Game Idea
The aim – of the game is to lay as many cards of the same colour in the sequence 1-10 in the middle of the table and be the first one to use up all his Ligretto cards.
Most important – Speed is essential. You must react quickly.
The beauty of the game – All children play at the same time. No one has to wait, so no one gets impatient.
Getting Ready to Play
The cards should be separated according to their pattern on the back of the cards (fish, lion, bear, dog, mouse) in 5 sets. Each child gets one of this sets of 30 cards. This is your pattern until the end of the game. Each player shuffles his set of cards on the table in front of him (please refer to the diagram on the next page).
[Diagram: the playing layout, with the labels "Mitte, midden, middle, centro, Milieu" (middle), "Reihe, Rij, row, fila, Série" (row) and "Hand, mano, Main" (hand).]
Ligretto stack: For a Ligretto stack count out 10 cards face down and place them in front of you. Turn the stack over to reveal the numbers.
Row: Place another 3 cards next to one another to the right of the Ligretto stack again with their numbers face up. If there are only 2 children, place 5 cards in the row. With 3 players, lay down 4 cards.
Hand: Keep the rest of the cards in your hand with the numbers face down. Now the game can begin.
How to Proceed
One child shouts "Ligretto!" to start the game. Whoever has a "1" places it quickly in the middle of the table. All players play simultaneously and try to lay their cards on piles in the middle. Each player can take cards from his Ligretto stack, his row or his hand. If a player doesn't have a "1" in his Ligretto stack or row, he may have one in his hand.
To find out, quickly count out 3 cards, turn them over and lay them on the table so that you can see the number of the 3rd card on the top.
Still no "1"? Try again?
As soon as a "1" turns up (regardless from which pile and of which colour), place it in the middle. Now each player tries to cover this "1" or subsequent "1"s which have been laid down in the meantime with consecutive numbers (2, 3, 4?) of the same colour. The piles are completed when a "10" has been placed on the top. They then remain untouched in the middle of the table. Everyone is allowed to place cards of the right number and colour on any pile.
It is best to get rid of the cards from the Ligretto stack to build up the piles in the middle of the table because when all cards from this stack have been used up, the game is brought to an end by shouting "Ligretto stop".
You can take cards from your row and place them on the piles in the middle of the table. Cards used from the row must be replaced immediately with cards taken from the Ligretto stack. At the same time keep turning over cards from your hand in groups of 3 onto the table so that you can only see the number of the top card. This card, if appropriate, is then placed on a pile in the middle of the table. When all the cards from your hand have been checked, turn the pack over and begin again (counting 3 cards etc.).
Please note: Throughout the game use one hand to hold the pack and the other hand to place cards in the middle of the table. You have to keep your eye on the Ligretto stack, your row and the piles in the middle as well as keep working your way through your hand – all at the same time!
Of course, everyone else will be doing the same thing, so it's a question of who can use up all the cards in their Ligretto stack the quickest!
End of the Game
As soon as a child has got no more cards left in his Ligretto stack, he ends the game by shouting: "Ligretto stop". No one is allowed to lay down any more cards.
Scoring
One of the children keeps the score.
The cards on the piles in the middle are sorted into their respective sets according to the patterns on the back of the cards. Each player counts the number of cards from the middle with his pattern and awards himself one point per card (irrespective of the number on the card). For each card which is still in the Ligretto stack, the player has to substract 2 points from his score. The cards in his row and hand are not included in the score.
The total score (preferably with the minus points already subtracted from the plus points) is conveyed to the scorer.
Winning the Game
The first player to reach 77 points is the winner. The game can then be repeated, with everybody starting from zero.
Does this all sound complicated? It is really very easy! Most important of all is being faster than the other players!
Have fun with Ligretto Junior! And may the best player win!
P.S. Don't forget. Play fairly. No cheating!
Ligretto for Adults
Ligretto also is available for the adults. Up to four players could play with one game. Fancy a round of Ligretto with more than 4 players? No problem!
Just get yourself a couple of more colours. Ligretto is available in the blue, green or red box each with colours for 4 additional players (3 boxes = 12 players!).