Lügenbeutel
Lügenbeutel Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Players, Age
2 - 8 players. Age 8 and up.
Components
- 70 number cards
- 26 "Joker" cards
- 8 "Lügenbeutel" cards
- 8 "Aussetzen" (skip) cards
- 1 "Rache" (revenge) die
- 1 rules sheet
Setup
A dealer is chosen. The dealer shuffles all the cards and deals 10 cards to each player, which each player takes into hand.
The remaining cards form the face-down draw pile, placed face down.
Turn Sequence
The player to the left of the dealer begins.
When it is a player's turn, they may:
- Lay down cards ("Ablegen"), or
- Pass ("Passen"), and must then draw a card from the draw pile.
Laying Down Cards (Ablegen)
On their turn, a player may lay down cards face down on the discard pile. Play begins with the number "1". The player lays down as many "1" cards in succession as they wish, and says aloud "one" for each card. For each card, they decide whether to play the required card honestly, or to lie. To lie, they lay down a face-down card that does not match, and still say aloud the required card value. However, a "Lügenbeutel" should try not to get caught, otherwise the "Rache" (revenge) die is threatened. A player ends their action by saying "Ehrlichkeit siegt" ("Honesty wins").
The next player is up with "2", the following player with "3", and so on up to "10".
To make it easier to tell them apart, a player's cards are always laid on the discard pile crosswise to the cards previously played.
Once "10" has been reached, the cards of the discard pile and those remaining in the draw pile are reshuffled and made ready as a new face-down draw pile. The next player begins again with "1".
Example: A player is up with "5". They lay down a "5" and say "five", then lay down another "5" and again say "five". Because the cards are laid face down, none of the other players knows whether they are telling the truth or lying.
Calling "Lügenbeutel"
If a fellow player feels that the player whose turn it is is lying, they may call "Lügenbeutel".
This is only possible if the next player has not yet played a card. The calling player then states which of the cards just laid down they are challenging, for example "the first" or "the third". The player whose turn it is then turns over only the named card.
There are then two possibilities:
-
The player lied. They must then take back into their hand their most recently played cards, up to and including the turned-over card.
Example: The "5" is up. The player lays down a "4", a "10" and a "5". Now a fellow player calls "Lügenbeutel for the second". The player turns over the card they had laid second. Since this is a "10", they take back the "5" and the "10" into their hand.
Beside the face-down draw pile, cards are laid during play that form the discard pile.
As a penalty, the player additionally rolls the "Rache" (revenge) die once. They then draw as many cards from the draw pile as the die shows pips. The next player is up.
If "Lügenbeutel" was called for the first card laid down, the player plays cards again for the previously required card value. If, however, the second or a later card was challenged, the player continues the game with the next higher number.
-
The player told the truth, and the turned-over card had the correct number (or was a "Joker"). The player who called "Lügenbeutel" then receives penalty cards. To do so, they roll the "Rache" die and draw as many cards from the draw pile as the die shows pips.
The cards on the discard pile remain where they are, and the following player continues the game with the next higher number.
Passing (Passen)
If a player has no matching card and does not want to lie, they call aloud "Lies have short legs" (a German proverb, literally "Lügen haben kurze Beine"; it means that liars are eventually found out). However, they must take a card from the draw pile. This card may then be laid down immediately.
Action Cards
"Aussetzen" (Skip)
A player may play this card as the only card in their turn, face down. They call "Aussetzen". The next player who is up is skipped. That player may neither lay down a card nor draw.
The "Aussetzen" card may not be played as the last card to win a round. Lying is also allowed with the "Aussetzen" action. If the player who lied is caught, that player rolls the "Rache" die and draws as many cards as the die shows pips. The "Aussetzen" card remains on the discard pile.
"Joker"
This card may be played in place of any number card or the "Aussetzen" card. If it is used for the "Aussetzen" action, only this one card may be laid down.
It is advisable to keep the "Joker" for as long as possible, because it is especially useful in the final phase of the round.
"Lügenbeutel"
This card forces the player to lie. It cannot be laid down without risk.
Scoring
The player who first lays down all of their cards is the winner of the round. The other players add up the points of the cards still in their hands. This total is recorded as plus points for the winner of the round.
Point values:
- All number cards count their face value: 1 - 10 points
- "Aussetzen" (skip): 20 points
- "Joker": 30 points
- "Lügenbeutel": 40 points
Winner
The overall winner is the player who first reaches the point total agreed in advance. The rules sheet recommends 500 points.
Variants
-
At the start, each player is dealt only 9 cards and is additionally given one "Lügenbeutel" card. The appeal lies in the fact that everyone knows: at some point every player will have to lie.
-
By accusing someone of "Lügenbeutel", a player can force the accused to reveal all of the cards they have just laid down, to prove that they told the truth. If even one card is wrong, the accused must roll the "Rache" die and draw the corresponding number of cards.