Olympia 2000 (v. Chr.)
Olympia 2000 (v. Chr.) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 55 athlete cards
- 1 competition board
- 25 laurel wreath tiles in five colours and five disciplines (values 2 - 6)
- 7 consolation tiles (value 1)
- These rules
Overview
The Olympic athletes compete against each other in various disciplines, in which the values of the laurel wreaths to be won keep rising. Cards are played simultaneously and the winner collects the prize. The overall winner is the player who has collected the most laurel points at the end of the game.
Game Preparation
The competition board is placed in the middle of the table. The various disciplines are pictured on the board. Lay out the laurel wreath tiles in five rows, in ascending order, beneath the corresponding disciplines. Place the consolation tiles next to the board.
Any one player chooses two laurel wreath tiles from the top row (e.g. marathon 2 and multi-event 2). He places these tiles on the board: one in circle I, the other in circle II.
Next, the cards are shuffled well. Each player receives four cards, which he takes into his hand face down. The remaining cards are placed in a face-down pile in front of the starting player.
The Cards
Each card consists of two parts. The numbers in the left and right columns state the placing that the individual athletes achieve in the corresponding disciplines (the lower the number, the better the placing). The picture of the athlete gives a rough indication of his strength. A special case is the losers (see "Taking Part Matters More Than Winning").
Course of Play
A turn proceeds in the following steps.
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The laurel wreath tile in circle I of the competition board determines the discipline and the number of points being contested in the current turn. Each player chooses one of his cards and places it face down on the table. The cards are turned over simultaneously. In doing so, everyone announces his placing in the relevant discipline. The athlete with the best placing (lowest number) wins the discipline. This player receives the laurel wreath tile and places it in front of himself (value side up). The played cards remain in front of the players until the end of the turn.
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The player who played the athlete with the worst placing may choose a new discipline. For the avoidance of doubt: this refers to the athlete with the lowest number [sic in the Dutch source, which contradicts "worst placing" in the previous sentence] (athletes whose card bears terms such as "übergetreten", "disqualifiziert", etc. do not count). This player slides the laurel wreath tile in circle II over to circle I. He then chooses a new tile and places it in circle II. This freedom of choice is limited: he may decide the discipline himself, but from that discipline he must take the tile with the lowest number. Example: marathon 3 can only be chosen once marathon 2 is already lying (or has lain) on the competition board. Then the played cards are placed on the discard pile. These cards take no further part in the rest of the game.
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The player in front of whom the pile of unused cards lies (in the first turn this is the starting player) takes the top card and looks at it secretly. He may keep this card himself, or give it to another player (if that other player does not yet have a fourth card). If he gives the card away, he draws a new card and again chooses between keeping it or giving it away. If all other players already have four cards, he must keep the drawn card himself in any case. If the player decides at an earlier stage to keep the drawn card himself, he deals a fourth card to the other players (of course only insofar as these players do not yet have a fourth card). Finally, he passes the pile of unused cards to his left-hand neighbour, who may choose from the cards in the next turn.
Every turn proceeds according to the procedure described above. It is theoretically possible that in a turn only athlete cards without a placing are played. These are cards with terms such as "übergetreten" or "disqualifiziert". In this case all players draw a new card from the pile. The laurel wreath tile stays where it is and a new round begins.
Taking Part Matters More Than Winning
Some cards show the picture of an athlete on crutches. These are the losers. Players who play a loser automatically receive a consolation tile. The applause for the battered ones, who took part in the contest despite all their setbacks, makes up for a lot.
End of the Game
As soon as the number of cards in the pile of unused cards is lower than the number of players, no more new cards are dealt. The contest then continues for three more turns, until all cards in hand have been played, or all laurel wreath tiles have been used up.
The player with the most points (in laurel wreath and consolation tiles) is the winner.
Rule for Four or Five Players
If only four or five players take part in the Olympiad, the laurel wreath tiles with the value 6 are removed.
Distribution of the Athlete Cards
The athlete cards are divided into five groups (depending on their qualities, the athletes are depicted as more or less athletic types):
- 12 athletes from the first group, who are in the top three in at least one discipline.
- 12 athletes from the second group, who are in the top seven in at least one discipline.
- 12 athletes from the third group, who are in the top twelve in at least one discipline.
- 12 athletes from the fourth group, who are in the top twenty in at least one discipline.
- 7 losers, who are not in the top twenty in any discipline.