Mate (Vic Village)
Mate (Vic Village) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Instruction cards: 15 cards (63 × 88mm).
- "STAY" (Mate): 1 to 10, 10 cards.
- "GO!" (Yoshi): 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 5 cards.
- Dog cards: 50 cards (5 colors, each 1 to 10) (63 × 88mm).
- Instruction manual: 1 sheet (Japanese/English).
In the sidebar of the rules sheet, the card names are explained as: "STAY" (in Japanese "Mate") means instructions to pause or wait; in Japan some people also say "STAY" or "WAIT." "GO!" (in Japanese "Yoshi") means permission instructions; words like "GO" and "OK" are also used.
Progress of the Game
In this game, you play as many rounds as there are players, and the player with the highest total score wins.
Each round consists of 1. Round Setup, 2. Contest, and 3. Scoring.
The game is played for as many rounds as there are players.
Game Setup
- Prepare the instruction cards according to the number of players. Randomly remove the following number of "STAY" cards from the instruction cards, place them face up, and line them up at the edge of the table.
- 3 players: Remove 1 card from "STAY".
- 4 players: Remove 4 cards from "STAY".
- Mix the remaining "STAY" cards with the "GO!" cards, place them face down, and form a single pile.
Advanced Mode
- Shuffle all 15 instruction cards thoroughly, then randomly remove the number of cards listed below.
- 3 players: Remove 1 card at random.
- 4 players: Remove 4 cards at random.
- Place the removed cards face up at the edge of the table, as usual.
Round Setup
- Shuffle the instruction cards, form a face-down pile, and place it in the center of the table.
- Shuffle the dog cards (50 cards) thoroughly and deal them to each player as their hand.
- 3 players: 16 cards each.
- 4 players: 12 cards each.
- Set the remaining dog cards (2 cards) face down to the side for now.
- Each player checks the dog cards they were dealt and discards the number of cards listed below.
- 3 players: 2 cards each.
- 4 players: 1 card each.
- Add the discarded cards to the remaining dog cards, shuffle them, and set them aside face down. These will serve as reward cards.
Example: When playing with three players.
Contest (Trick & Judgment)
The person who most recently told their dog "Stay!" is the first player (the starting player) for the first round. If no one fits this role, the starting player is chosen by some other method. Players take their turns (playing cards) in clockwise order.
Trick
The trick proceeds as follows:
- Reveal the top card of the instruction card deck. The "type" on the instruction card indicates the scoring rule for this round, and the "number" represents the strongest number.
- The first player selects 1 dog card from their hand and plays it face up.
- All other players must play one dog card from their hand that matches the color of the card played by the first player. If they do not have a card of that color, they may play any card they like.
- After everyone has played 1 dog card, proceed to the Determination of the Winner.
The winner of the trick receives negative points when the instruction card is "STAY", and receives bonus points when the instruction card is "GO!".
Determination of the Winner
Based on the "numbers" on the cards, follow the steps below to determine the winner of this trick. The color of the cards is irrelevant; all cards played are included in the determination.
The player who played the corresponding card wins the trick.
- The same number as on this instruction card.
- When step 1 is absent: The largest number.
- When multiple people play the same number: the person who played it later.
Only in the "GO!" round, players who play the same number as the winner and finish in second place also earn points. (See Card Handling.)
The winner of the trick collects all the dog cards played during that trick and stacks them into a single pile. The procedure for collecting these cards varies depending on the type of instruction card used in that trick.
Examples (STAY round): Since the 2nd player did not have blue cards and played the yellow 7, and the 3rd player had the blue 7 so the 3rd player had to play it. Although the blue 10 is the highest-ranking card, the "7" which matches the instruction card is the strongest, so the third player, who played it later, wins the trick.
Examples (GO! round): The 2nd player did not have a blue card and played a green 7. Since the third player also did not have a blue card, so the 3rd player played a red 7. Because multiple "7"s matching the instruction card were played, the 3rd player, who played their card later, wins the trick. Additionally, in the "GO!" round, the 2nd player, who tied for second place with the same number, also receives a [reward].
Card Handling
STAY
The player who wins the trick collects all the dog cards played in this round, forms a face-down pile, and places it in front of the winner.
- 1st place only: Face-down pile. (The illustration on the sheet shows the face-down pile scoring −2 points; see Scoring.)
GO!
- 1st place: The person who played the strongest card. The player who played the strongest card (1st place) wins the trick. Collect the dog cards played in this trick, forms a face-up pile, and places it in front of the winner. When setting the pile, make sure the card the winner played is on top.
- 1st place: Face-up pile. Place the card you played on top of the pile. (The illustration on the sheet shows this pile scoring +7 points.)
- 2nd place: The person who played the same number as the 1st-place player and finished in 2nd place. This only occurs during the "GO!" tricks. A player who ties for 1st place by matching the winning number and finishes in 2nd place draws 1 card at random from the discard pile at the start of the round and places it face up in front of them.
- The player receives points only when tied for 2nd place with the same number as the 1st-place player. Draw one card at random from the discard pile at the start of the round, and score the number of points shown on the card. Place the card face up in front of you. (The illustration on the sheet shows a card scoring +3 points.)
After the procedure, the 1st place player (the winner of the trick) begins the next Trick.
Scoring
The round ends when all players have run out of cards. Each player scores points based on the cards they have collected.
- Dog cards face up: Plus the number shown on the top card.
- Dog cards face down: Minus 2 points for each pile.
Example: a player with a 2-point face-up pile, a 5-point face-up pile, and a face-down pile has a total of 5 points (2 + 5 − 2). Example: a player with a 1-point face-up pile and two face-down piles has a total of −3 points (1 − 2 − 2).
After recording the scores, proceed to Round Setup and begin the next round. The player with the lowest total score through the current round becomes the starting player for the next round. If there are multiple players tied for the lowest score, the player who scored the lowest in the previous round goes first.
End of the Game
After playing rounds equal to the number of players, the player with the highest total score wins. In the case of a tie, the tied players share the victory.