Phantom Rummy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Winning the Game
• Reading the Cards
• Short Game Play
  • 1. Object of the Short Game
  • 2. Goal Shape
  • 3. Setup of the Short Game
  • 4. Play of the Short Game
  • 5. Running Out of Cards
  • 6. Goal Condition
  • 7. Scoring
• Advanced Rules
• Card List
  • Number Cards
  • Item Cards
  • How to Read the Condition Icons
• Source Notes

Winning the Game

1. The game ends when either condition (1) or (2) is met. The player with the highest score is the winner.
   • (1) The required number of short games has been completed:
     • 2 players: 6 short games
     • 3 players: 6 short games
     • 4 players: 8 short games
   • (2) A player has reached the required score:
     • 2 players: 24 points
     • 3 players: 18 points
     • 4 players: 12 points
2. In the Advanced Rules, if a player completes the condition of an "Item" attribute card, that player wins the game at that moment.

Reading the Cards

Title Each card shows a number or a picture of a treasure. Cards with red title text are bonus point cards.

Attribute There are four attributes: Human, Angel, Demon and Item.

Condition Used only with the Advanced Rules. If you achieve the condition when you goal using this card, you gain the additional points.

Short Game Play

1. Object of the Short Game

The aim is to form a "goal shape" in your hand and go out. When someone goes out, the short game ends and the player who went out scores points.

2. Goal Shape

A goal shape is made with 8 cards in total: one small set of 2 cards, and two big sets of 3 cards each. (See Figure 1.)

Small set Made with 2 cards that all have the same attribute and the same title.

Big set A big set can be made in two ways: a "group" or a "run".

1. Group Made with 3 cards that all have the same attribute and the same title. (See the middle of Figure 1.)
2. Run Made with 3 number cards that all have the same attribute and consecutive numbers. (See the right of Figure 1.)

Title colour When making a set, or during a bonus check, cards are treated as the same card if their title number or picture is the same, whether the title is printed in red or black. (See the middle of Figure 1.)

3. Setup of the Short Game

For the first short game, choose at random the player who acts first. From the second short game onward, the player to the left of the player who acted first in the previous short game acts first.

Shuffle all the cards well, face down, to form the draw pile.

Deal 7 cards face down from the draw pile to each player to form their hand. Each player may look at their own hand.

Turn over "number of players + 1" cards from the top of the draw pile and place them face up in a row to form the market (the face-up row).

4. Play of the Short Game

The player whose turn it is (hereafter, "the active player") chooses 1 card from the market and adds it to their hand (this is called taking). If there are no cards in the market, turn over "number of players + 1" cards from the top of the draw pile, place them face up to form the market, and then take a card.

At this point, if the goal condition in section 6 is met, the active player may go out.

Next, the active player may choose 1 big set from their hand and lay it face up in front of them (this is called opening).

If the active player opened a set, they add the top 2 cards of the draw pile to their hand and proceed to (4). No discard is made in this case.

At this point, if the goal condition in section 6 is met, the active player may go out.

If the active player did not open a set, they choose 1 card from their hand, place it face up in front of them, and it goes to the discard pile.

At this point, if the remaining cards in hand are one card away from a goal shape, the active player may declare "ready".

A player who has declared "ready" must, for the rest of this short game, discard the card they took if they cannot go out with it. They may not rearrange their hand, and they may not open sets.

If a player can go out using the card just discarded to the discard pile, they may add it to their hand and go out. If more than one player is in this position, the player nearest to the next turn has priority to go out.

If nobody goes out with the card just discarded, a player who can form a set by adding that discarded card to their hand may declare "gain" and open that set, made from the discarded card and 2 cards from their hand (this is called gaining). If more than one player is in this position, the player nearest to the next turn has priority to gain. A player who opens a set by gaining adds the top 2 cards of the draw pile to their hand.

At this point, if the goal condition in section 6 is met, the player may go out.

The turn passes to the player to the left of the player who just acted, and return to (1). Even if someone gains, the turn is not skipped.

5. Running Out of Cards

If, when forming the market, or when refilling the hand after opening a set, there are not enough cards in the draw pile, the short game ends at that point. No scoring takes place. If the required number of short games has not been reached, proceed to the next short game. Return to 3 (1).

If the draw pile is used up exactly, the short game continues.

6. Goal Condition

A player may go out if the following conditions are met:

• Their hand is in goal shape.
• They have opened at least 1 set.
• If going out using another player's discarded card, they have already declared "ready".

7. Scoring

A player who goes out scores the following points:

1. 1 point for each set they have opened.
2. 1 point for each card with a red title that is in an opened set or in their hand. (In the Advanced Rules this is different.)
3. Bonus check: turn over the top card of the draw pile. For each card in an opened set or in the player's hand that has the same attribute and the same title as that card, score 1 point. If the player earned a bonus, they may perform another bonus check. If the draw pile is empty, no bonus can be earned.

If the required score or the required number of short games has not been reached after scoring, proceed to the next short game. Return to 3 (1).

Advanced Rules

Once you are used to the game, add the following rules. They allow for more advanced tactics.

At scoring, do not use 7 (2). Instead, for each card with a red title in an opened set or in your hand, if its condition is met, score the points printed on the card. If there are several cards with the same condition, you may score points from each of them. The Item card with no condition and 1 point is a card that always scores 1 point.

If your own discard pile contains a card that would complete a goal shape, you may not go out using another player's discarded card. A card that another player has taken, and which is therefore no longer in your discard pile, is not counted as part of your discard pile.

If someone goes out using another player's discarded card, the player who discarded that card loses the same number of points as the player who went out scored. If they do not have enough points, they do not go negative; they drop to 0 points.

Card List

Number Cards

• Human attribute: 28 cards in total.
  • Titles "1" to "7", 4 of each (of which 3 are black-title cards and 1 is a red-title card of each title).
• Angel attribute: 28 cards in total.
  • Titles "1" to "7", 4 of each (of which 3 are black-title cards and 1 is a red-title card of each title).
• Demon attribute: 28 cards in total.
  • Titles "1" to "7", 4 of each (of which 3 are black-title cards and 1 is a red-title card of each title).

Item Cards

• Item attribute: 16 cards in total.
  • Titles "1" to "7", 4 of each (of which 3 are black-title cards and 1 is a red-title card of each title).
  • Titles: 4 of each (of which 3 are black-title cards and 1 is a red-title card of each title).

How to Read the Condition Icons

Condition of the "1" and "7" title cards If every set you have opened and every set in your hand uses at least one card with title "1", title "7", or attribute Item, you score 2 points.

Condition of the "2" and "6" title cards If none of the sets you have opened and none of the sets in your hand use any card with title "1", title "7", or attribute Item, you score 2 points.

Condition of the "3" and "5" title cards If you have opened 3 or more sets, you score 2 points.

Condition of the "4" title card If every set you have opened and every set in your hand is made only of cards with attribute Human (or Angel, or Demon) or only of cards with attribute Item, you score 5 points.

Condition of the Item attribute cards If you have opened 3 or more sets made only of cards with attribute Item, you win the game. (This is not a short game!)

Source Notes

Translation notes: this rulebook is an English translation, made for Rulespal, of the official Japanese rules from Yuhodo's website. The original's own headings "Winning Conditions", "Card Reading", "Short Game Progress", "Advanced Rules" and "Card List" are rendered as the section headings above. The original's "Figure 1" (図１) is referred to in the text but the figure itself is not part of the rules text; no figure content has been added. The original card list gives the Item-attribute "Title" line as a generic repeat of the number-card breakdown and it is reproduced as printed.