Oh Crud Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overall Objective
• Crud
• Game Components
• Setup & Gameplay (for Trick-Taking Rounds 1-5)
  • Setup
  • Gameplay
• Rounds 1-3
  • Round 1
  • Round 2
  • Round 3
• Rounds 4 and 5 - The Power Suit
  • Round 4
  • Round 5
• Round 6 - Setup & Gameplay
  • Setup
  • Gameplay
• 2 Player Game
• Game Variations
• F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions
• Terminology

Overall Objective

Try to avoid getting stuck with the Crud. Crud means points, and points are bad. After six rounds, the player with the lowest score wins!

Crud

Each round has a different objective and its own unique way you can end up with Crud. There are 6 rounds in total, each with their own Crud to avoid.

Crud = Points. Points = Bad. Avoid Crud!

Use your Quick Reference Card to check which dice to roll, how Crud works, and the round's objective.

Game Components

• Blue Deck (54 cards) [Deluxe Edition: one of two decks]
• Red Deck (54 cards) [Deluxe Edition: one of two decks]
• Color Die (1)
• Number Die (1)
• Quick Reference Cards (12)
• Scorepad (1)

Setup & Gameplay (for Trick-Taking Rounds 1-5)

Setup

• Designate a dealer for the round.
• Check your Quick Reference Card to determine what dice to roll, how Crud works for this round, and what the Round Objective is.
• Roll the die (or dice) and apply its effects to the current round.
• Shuffle and deal all cards evenly to all players. If there are extra cards, remove them from play for this round. [Deluxe Edition] For 7 or more players, use both decks. See the 2-Player Game section for a 2-player game.
• Players now look at their cards and sort them by suit, then by number (lowest to highest).
• Start gameplay.

Gameplay

• The player to the dealer's left leads (starts) by playing any card to the center of the table.
• Play continues clockwise. Each player plays one card and must follow suit (see the F.A.Q. and Terminology sections).
• Once all players have played a card, the highest card of the led suit wins the trick (unless a Power Suit card was played in Rounds 4 and 5).
• [Deluxe Edition] If two cards are tied to win (when using two decks), the one played first wins.
• The player who wins the trick collects the cards, places them face down, and leads the next.
• Continue until all cards have been played.
• When all cards are played, the round ends. Players count their Crud and add it to their score.
• Then, move on to the next round: recombine all cards and repeat Setup.

Rounds 1-3

Round 1

• Objective: Avoid taking tricks that contain cards of the Crud Suit.
• Crud is: The SUIT that is rolled on the color die.
• Roll: The COLOR DIE to determine Crud.
• Points: Each card of the Crud Suit is 10 points.
• Play Style: Trick-Taking

Example: If the dealer rolls a yellow star, then all cards with yellow stars are Crud this round.

Round 2

• Objective: Avoid taking tricks that contain cards of the Crud Number.
• Crud is: The NUMBER that is rolled on the number die.
• Roll: The NUMBER DIE to determine Crud.
• Points: Each card of the Crud Number is 10 points.
• Play Style: Trick-Taking

This round is played the same way as Round 1, but Crud is different as determined by the Number die.

Example: If the dealer rolls a 3, then all cards with a 3 are Crud this round.

Round 3

• Objective: Avoid taking tricks that contain cards of the Crud Suit or Number.
• Crud is: The SUIT and NUMBER that are rolled on the dice.
• Roll: COLOR DIE and NUMBER DIE to determine Crud.
• Points: Each card of the Crud Suit or Number is 10 points. If it's both the Crud Suit and Crud Number it's worth 20 points.
• Play Style: Trick-Taking

Example: If the dealer rolls a Blue Hexagon and Number 5, then each of those cards are Crud. A card that is both the Crud Suit and the Crud Number (here, the Blue Hexagon 5) is worth 20 points: 10 points for the suit and 10 points for the number.

Rounds 4 and 5 - The Power Suit

Power Suit Rule: Cards of the Power Suit beat all other suits, even if a different suit was led. If any Power Suit cards are played, the highest one wins the trick.

Round 4

• Objective: Avoid taking any tricks.
• Crud is: Taking ANY TRICK.
• Roll: COLOR DIE to determine the POWER SUIT.
• Points: Each trick you take is 10 points.
• Play Style: Trick-Taking

Gameplay is the same as previous rounds but there is now a POWER SUIT.

Power Suit Example: If the dealer rolls a Green Circle, then all Green Circle cards are more powerful than any other Suit. The Green 1 would take this trick.

Round 5

• Objective: Avoid taking the last trick.
• Crud is: Taking the LAST TRICK.
• Roll: COLOR DIE to determine the POWER SUIT.
• Points: Last trick only is worth 50 points.
• Play Style: Trick-Taking

Gameplay is the same as Round 4, except Crud is taking the last trick instead of any trick.

Power Suit Example: If the dealer rolls a Red Square, then all cards with Red Squares are more powerful than any other suit. The Red 6 would take this trick.

Round 6 - Setup & Gameplay

A Sequential, Card-Stacking Round.

• Objective: Be the first player to play all of your cards.
• Crud is: NOT being the FIRST player OUT of cards.
• Roll: NUMBER DIE to determine the STARTING NUMBER for each stack in the middle of the table.
• Points: The first player out of cards gets 0 points. Each player after that gets 50, 60, 70, 80, and so on. The faster you escape, the less Crud you take!
• Play Style: Sequential, Card Stacking

This is NOT a trick-taking round. It is played differently than previous rounds.

Setup

• Before dealing, roll the Number Die to determine the STARTING NUMBER for each pile. All cards must be dealt out. The dealer shuffles and deals all cards evenly to each player.
• Any extra cards are dealt to the players with the lowest score (1 card each until gone).
• For a 2-Player Game, see the 2 Player Game section.

You must deal all cards for this round.

Gameplay

• The player to the dealer's left starts.
• Players take turns clockwise, playing one card per turn onto an existing pile or starting a new one.
• A pile can only be started with the number rolled on the Number Die.
• Each pile must follow a single suit, and cards must be played in ascending order of the same suit. See the examples.
• There can be a maximum of one pile per suit (6 piles total).
• If a player cannot play on their turn, they say "pass" and the next player plays.
• The round ends when all players run out of cards. Score depends on the order you go out.

Stack Cards By Suit. Be The First Out Of Cards.

Example: On their turn, players can start a new pile with the number shown on the die, or continue a pile by playing the next number in the same suit. After a 9 has been played on a pile, it wraps back around to 1.

The game ends after 6 rounds. The player with the lowest total score wins!

2 Player Game

• Remove Any Two Suits From Deck (For All Rounds): Remove 2 Suits (18 cards) from the deck before the game begins. Set them aside, as you won't use them for the entire game.
• For Rounds 1-5: Before each round, shuffle the remaining deck. Then, remove 8 random cards and place them face down off to the side, as they will not be used this round. After the round ends, recombine those 8 cards with the deck, shuffle again, and remove a new set of 8 cards before the next round.
• For Round 6: All cards must be dealt out. (4 suits x 9 cards each = 36 cards.)

Special Considerations:

• Rounds 1, 3, 4 and 5 all use the Color Die. If the color rolled is from a removed suit, re-roll.

Game Variations

The Unrevealed. After shuffling, remove 1 card per player from the deck before dealing.

Example: In a 4-player game, shuffle the deck, then remove 4 cards. Deal the remaining cards equally (12 per player). Put the 2 leftover cards with the 4 previously removed cards.

Special Considerations:

• This variation does not apply to Round 6. All cards must be dealt out for Round 6.

The Sting! If a player takes all the available Crud in a round, they instead give all Crud points to every other player.

With a powerful hand, you can turn a bad round into a great one by sticking all of your opponents with the Crud!

Example: In round 1, player 2 collects all 9 Crud cards (10 points each = 90 points). Since no other players took any Crud, Player 2 scores 0 and "Stings" the other players by giving each of them 90 points!

Special Considerations:

• This variation only applies to Rounds 1 through 4.
• This variation must be announced before the first round begins.
• Any Crud cards removed from the deck before play do not count.

F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What's the Tiebreaker Rule?

A: If two or more players are tied after all 6 rounds, they enter the Crud Duel - playing Round 6 again as a sudden-death overtime. The first player to play all their cards wins the game!

Q: What happens if multiple players are tied after Round 5? Who gets the extra cards in Round 6?

A: We recommend all tied players roll the number die to determine who gets the extra cards. The lowest numbers get the extra cards.

Q: Can You Intentionally Pass in Round 6?

A: In Round 6, players may not pass if they have a playable card. They must play it. However, you're welcome to decide on a house rule before the round begins. For example: Each player may pass up to 3 times during the round, even if they have a playable card.

Terminology

What is a Round? A round includes dealing the cards and playing them one at a time until no cards remain. Each round has its own objective that stays the same from start to finish. In Round 6, the round ends when one player plays all of their cards.

What is a Trick? A trick is when each player plays one card. The trick winner is the player who played the highest card of the suit that was led (unless a Power Suit card was played). The winner collects the cards and starts the next trick.

One trick in a 5 player game.

What does it mean to Lead? (verb) Pronunciation: [ leed ]. To "lead" means to play the first card in a trick. At the start of each round, the player to the dealer's left leads (starts) the first trick.

What is a Hand? Your hand is the set of cards you were dealt, and hold in your hand. Organize them by suit, then number (smallest to largest) to help you make quicker decisions during play.

A hand of cards.

What is a Suit? A suit is a group of cards that share the same symbol and color. Each suit includes 9 cards, numbered 1 through 9.

What is a Power Suit? A Power Suit is a temporary suit that beats all others for one round. It's determined by rolling the Color Die at the start of Rounds 4 and 5 only. Any card of the Power Suit beats all cards from other suits. Even a 1 of the Power Suit beats any number from a different suit.

Power Suit is determined by dice roll.

How do I Follow Suit? The first card played in a trick sets the suit that must be followed. For example, if the first player plays a red square, all other players must play a red square if they have one.

You must follow suit if you have it. If you don't have that suit, play any suit. Red Squares were led.

What if I can't Follow Suit? If you don't have a card of the suit that was led, you may play any card from your hand.