Orchard: A 9 card solitaire game
Orchard: A 9 card solitaire game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components Required
- 18 Orchard cards (the numbers on the cards are used only to identify them in a multiplayer game)
- 15 custom Fruit dice in 3 different colours (5 red 'Apple' dice, 5 yellow 'Pear' dice and 5 purple 'Plum' dice)
- 2 'Rotten Fruit' tokens
The Aim of the Game
To harvest fruit (score points) by playing cards so that the fruit trees overlap other trees in the Orchard that bear the same fruit.
Set Up
Place the dice and tokens in a pile within easy reach. Shuffle the cards.
For each game you will only be using 9 of the 18 cards, so divide them into two, 9 card, decks. Place one deck face down and within easy reach. Put the other deck to one side (once you've finished the game you can immediately play again using this deck).
Draw the top card and place it face up in the middle of the play area to form the start of the Orchard.
Draw two cards. This is your initial hand.
On Each Turn
- Play one card from your hand to add to the Orchard. It must overlap one (or more) of the cards already in play.
- Place a die on each tree of your played card that overlaps a tree on a card underneath it.
- Draw another card (if available).
1. Play a card
You may rotate the card 180 degrees or 90 degrees (either way) before adding it to the Orchard.
At least one tree on the card must overlap a tree already in the Orchard.
The fruit of any overlapping tree must match the fruit of the tree underneath it.
2. Place dice
For EACH tree on the played card that overlaps a tree in the Orchard:
Either
If there is no die on the tree underneath it then place a die on the overlapping tree, with its '1' face uppermost. The die colour must match the tree's fruit. If you have no dice remaining of that colour then you do not place a die.
Or
If there is already a die on the tree underneath it then lift up the die, add your card to the Orchard and place the die back down on the newly overlapping tree.
- If the die shows a '1' rotate it to show a '3'.
- If the die shows a '3' rotate it to show a '6'.
- If the die shows a '6' rotate it to show a '10' (a bumper crop!).
- If the die shows a '10' then leave it showing a '10'.
The dice indicate how much fruit has been harvested. (The leaves on the dice are for visual appeal only and are not used for scoring).
3. Draw another card
From the draw deck (if available) to bring your hand back up to two cards.
Rotten Fruit
Twice per game you may place a card such that an overlapping tree's fruit does NOT match that of the tree underneath it.
If the tree underneath has a die on it, remove the die and return it to the dice pile.
Place a Rotten Fruit token on the overlapping tree to show that its fruit is spoiled.
You may use both Rotten Fruit tokens on a single card.
Note that a tree with rotten fruit cannot then be overlapped by another tree.
Game End
If, at any time, you are unable to legally place a card, then the game ends.
Once you have placed the final card (and any dice on it) the game ends.
Scoring
Add up all the dice to get your total harvest score.
If you have Rotten Fruit then subtract 3 from your score for each token used.
How Fruitful Was Your Harvest?
| Score | Rating |
|---|---|
| < 25 | Pal-tree |
| 25–29 | Forget-apple |
| 30–34 | Satisfac-tree |
| 35–39 | Remark-apple |
| 40–44 | Tree-mendous |
| 45–49 | Plum-believable |
| 50–54 | Close to Pear-fect |
| 55+ | Almost imposs-apple! (take a bough) |
Multiplayer Orchard
Multiplayer Orchard follows the solitaire rules for placing cards, dice and tokens. Each player has a copy of the game and draws the same cards in the same order.
One player, the 'Caller', shuffles their cards and places 9 of them face down as their deck. The other players sort their 18 card deck into numerical order.
The Caller then draws the top card from their deck and reads its number out loud. The other players locate that numbered card in their decks. All players place that card face up in front of them to form the start of their own Orchard.
The Caller then draws 2 cards and reads their numbers out loud. The other players locate those cards so that everyone has the same 2 cards in hand.
For each round: Players simultaneously play one card from their hand to their Orchard (and place dice/rotten fruit as necessary). Once everyone has played a card, the Caller draws another card, reads its number out loud and each player takes that card from their deck into their hand.
Rounds continue in this way until everyone has played their final, ninth, card (and any dice on it).
The player with the highest harvest score wins. If there is a tie, the player using the least rotten fruit wins. If still tied, the player using the most dice wins.
This game is colour-blind-friendly.
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