Minderheiten-Quartett Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
• Round Structure
  • Phase 1: Minority Fight
  • Phase 2: AGB Cards
  • Round End
  • Game End
• How the AGB Cards Work
  • "Die Bundesregierung greift ein" (A) ("The Federal Government Intervenes")
  • "Wahlversprechen" (A) ("Election Promise")
  • "Zivilcourage" (G) ("Civil Courage")
  • "Genmanipulation" (B) ("Genetic Manipulation")

Components

The game contains 1 rules sheet and 33 playing cards, consisting of:

• 24 Minority cards (Minderheiten-Karten)
• 5 Action cards (A) (Aktionskarten)
• 2 Society cards (G) (Gesellschaftskarten)
• 2 Booster cards (B) (Booster-Karten)

Game Setup

Because this is a very special kind of Quartett, for better understanding you should play the first round with the cards face up. Before the game begins, all cards are divided into 2 piles and shuffled well:

1. Pile: Minority cards

There are 24 minorities from 6 groups. Whoever ends the game with a complete group collects additional victory points:

• A: Religions (4 cards = +2 victory points)
• B: Ethnic groups (4 cards = +2 victory points)
• C: Radicals (4 cards = +2 victory points)
• D: Sexuality (4 cards = +2 victory points)
• E: Disabled people (5 cards = +4 victory points)
• F: Demographics (3 cards = +1 victory point)

2. Pile: AGB cards

With the (A)ction, (G)esellschaft (Society) and (B)ooster cards (AGB-Karten), you can cleverly obstruct your opponents' parade and create more action than in any normal Quartett. Use the AGB cards tactically, for example to collect all cards of a group or to prevent another player from doing so.

Please note: with only 2 players, the cards "Die Bundesregierung greift ein" (A) ("The Federal Government Intervenes") and "Zivilcourage" (G) ("Civil Courage") are removed from the game.

Shuffle. Deal. Take it.

First, each player receives 2 cards from the minority pile. Then the remaining minorities are mixed thoroughly with the AGB cards. Now each player receives 1 more card, so that each holds 3 cards face down in hand. The remaining cards are placed in the middle as a draw pile.

Play proceeds clockwise, or counterclockwise, depending on how late it is. The dumbest player begins.

Special case: If a player whose turn it is can challenge nobody because he holds only AGB cards, he may play only the A card "Wahlversprechen" ("Election Promise"), if he has it. Otherwise the next player automatically takes the turn. If a defender has no minority left to fight with, the challenger must challenge another player.

AGB cards, once played, are likewise placed face up on the victory pile of the winner. If no player wants to or can play an AGB card, the round is over.

Round Structure

A round consists of two phases: Phase 1 (Minority Fight) and Phase 2 (AGB Cards).

Phase 1: Minority Fight

The dumbest player challenges a player of his choice. As challenger he determines the category in which he wants to pit his minority against that of his opponent. He then places face down in the middle the minority that is to fight for him.

Then the other player determines a second category, in which one of his minorities is to defend itself, and places this card face down in the middle as well.

Both cards are now played face up against each other: for each minority, the stars of the two categories are added together, which gives its fighting value (Kampfwert). The minority that is worth more in total than the other wins the round for its owner.

If it stays that way (wait for Phase 2!), the owner may place both cards face down on his victory pile in front of him.

If there is a tie in points (Patt), the minorities get off with a blue eye (blaues Auge). They return to their owners' hands and the round is over. No AGB cards may be played anymore (Phase 2 is skipped).

Attention! Some minorities are trumps (Trumpf) against others. Whether and against whom a minority is a trump is noted under the categories. For example, wheelchair users (Rollstuhlfahrer) are a trump against top performers (Leistungsträger). If a trump card is played, the winner of the fight is determined immediately and the round is over. No AGB cards may be played anymore (Phase 2 is skipped).

Don't rejoice too early! Because after a fight without a trump or a tie, victory is by no means certain... Because now the AGB cards come into play!

Phase 2: AGB Cards

If you want to use the useful (A)ction, (G)ociety and (B)ooster cards, you must observe the following rules! After a fight, only one of these three cases may occur per round:

1. An A card is played; no further AGB cards may follow.
2. A G card is played; no further AGB cards may follow.
3. A B card is played; no AG cards may follow; one B card may follow.

First, the player who lost the fight has the right to turn the tide by playing an AGB card. If he cannot or does not want to do so, the players not involved in the fight have the opportunity to do so.

The player who won the fight may not play an AG card. However, he may counter with a B card if the losing player previously played a B card.

As you can see, your reasons may be as absurd as you like – perhaps even freely invented. The Federal Government is always right!

Round End

After both phases the round is over. Each player draws as many cards from the draw pile as needed until he again holds three cards in hand. The next player is now to take his turn and challenge a player of his choice.

Game End

If a challenger has no minority left with which he can fight, the next player takes his turn. If a defender has no minority left with which he can fight, the challenger must challenge another player. When no further fight is possible, the victory points are counted.

The player who has managed to annex the most minorities into his community of values wins! Each minority won counts as 1 victory point. If a player has collected all minorities of a group, there are additional victory points (see the front side). If AGB cards remain unused in hand, each counts as 1 minus point. A remaining minority card is not counted!

How the AGB Cards Work

Please look closely at the AGB cards. They briefly state how they work and when and by whom they may be played.

"Die Bundesregierung greift ein" (A) ("The Federal Government Intervenes")

The task of the Federal Government is to ensure calm and order. If minorities, through loud protests and ruthless demands, endanger public peace, rapid intervention is unavoidable! In order to avert damage to the leading culture, it is therefore advisable to play the interests of the individual minorities against one another. The Federal Government must therefore demonstrate that the interests of the minorities cannot be taken into account in legislation, because they stand irreconcilably in contradiction to one another.

If you manage to prove this, you have won both minority cards and may place them on your victory pile.

Here is how you could argue as the Federal Government:

"The protection of sexual identity by the constitution, as demanded for example by gay people, hinders the integration of Muslims in Germany." (This was actually argued by Prof. Dr. Winfried Kluth, expert for the CDU/CSU in the Legal Committee on the amendment of the General Equal Treatment Act, Art. 3 GG.)

"Wahlversprechen" (A) ("Election Promise")

This card must be played before Phase 1!

Audacity is rewarded: simply promise a minority what it demands, and it will defect in good faith into your community of values. For example, say "I promise that work will pay off again!" in order to win over the top performers for yourself. All other players must then check their hand cards and their victory pile to see whether a minority feels addressed. That minority is handed over to you, and you may place it on your victory pile. If no promise comes to mind, place the card on your victory pile. No fight takes place in this round, and the round is over.

Tip: If you committed early in the game to which group of minorities you want to collect, you can steal missing cards that other players have already collected in this way.

"Zivilcourage" (G) ("Civil Courage")

Strength in unity. Play "Zivilcourage" together with a minority from your hand cards in order to stand by the minority that lost the fight. Add your values in the strongest category, that of the winning minority. If your joint point total is now higher, the civil courage was successful.

In the event of a joint victory, the courageous player may first choose one of the three minority cards, which he places together with the Society card on his victory pile. The rescued player then takes a card of his choice into his hand. The last card is taken into his hand by the courageous player.

If civil courage fails (this also applies in the event of a tie), all cards go to the winner's victory pile.

"Genmanipulation" (B) ("Genetic Manipulation")

Cross your minority with any minority from your victory pile!

Example: Your opponent attacks you in the category Level of education (Bildungsniveau). For defence you have chosen Sense of shame (Schamgefühl), and you have lost to your opponent in the sum of both categories (= fighting value). If you now play Genetic Manipulation, you may add the value of your fighting category (here Sense of shame) from your extra card to the fighting value of your other minority.

If the resulting fighting value of your crossed minority is higher than that of your opponent, you have won and may place all cards on your victory pile. If, despite genetic manipulation, you lose on points or achieve a tie, all cards go to the opposing player.

Note: The attacker may now also counter with a genetic manipulation, if he holds this card in hand, in his fighting category (here Level of education). If he wins, he may place all cards on his victory pile. If, however, this leads to a tie, all minority cards go back to where they came from (only the used booster cards are placed on the victory piles).