Phase 10 Strategy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Contents
• Game Preparation
• The Game Board
• Let's Go!
• How a Turn Works
  • 1. IT IS KARTE ZIEHEN
  • 2. Discarding Cards from a Phase
    • Definition of Phases
    • Forming a Phase
    • Joker Cards
  • 3. Placing
  • 4. Discard and Draw
    • Bonus Fields
• Finish (End the Turn)
• End of the Game

Object of the Game

Each player tries to be the first to form 10 different phases to win.

Contents

• 1 game board
• 12 game pieces (2 each in 6 different colors)
• 60 phase markers (10 each in 6 different colors)
• 108 cards (24 each in red, blue, yellow, and green, numbered 1 to 12, and 12 joker cards)

Game Preparation

The game board is placed in the center of the table.

Each player takes the two game pieces of their chosen color. They place one of the game pieces on each of the two dark gray, white-bordered starting spaces.

Each player receives the 10 phase markers of their chosen color.

One player shuffles the deck and deals the cards face down to each player one at a time until everyone has 10 cards.

Players hold their cards in such a way that the other players cannot see the front of the cards.

The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the game board as a draw pile.

The top card of the draw pile is revealed and placed next to it: It becomes the first card of the discard pile.

The youngest player begins; then play continues clockwise.

The Game Board

Before we begin, the game board is briefly explained here. It shows four different "rings".

• A. Description of the phase: The outer spaces of the word ring describe the card combinations required to complete a phase, or a special bonus the player receives when their token lands on that space.
• B. Movement of the pieces: The ring with the dark gray spaces is where the tokens are moved. Whenever a player places a card on the discard pile, they move one of their tokens the corresponding number of spaces in any direction. Multiple tokens can be on the same space at the same time, even if they belong to the same player.
• C. Completed phases: The ring with the light gray spaces is where the phase markers are placed to indicate that a player has successfully completed the corresponding phase. No phase marker can be placed on the bonus spaces ("ASK", "DRAW 2", "DISCARD 1").
• D. Keep cards: The inner spaces of the word ring indicate how many cards the player may keep in their hand at the end of a round if one of their tokens is there.

Let's Go!

"Phase 10 Strategy" is played over several rounds, in which players take turns moving their pieces around the board to form card combinations called "phases." Players must plan their turns carefully, as they can only complete a phase if their piece is on the corresponding space. In addition, a player may only form one phase per round. Once a player has played a complete phase and gotten rid of their remaining hand cards, the round ends. Then all players receive new cards, and the next round begins. The first person to complete their tenth phase and then get rid of their remaining cards wins!

How a Turn Works

1. Draw a card
2. Discard cards from a phase (if possible)
3. Play (if possible)
4. Discard and draw

1. IT IS KARTE ZIEHEN

Translator's note: this heading is printed in German in the source translation ("Karte ziehen" = draw a card); it is left as printed.

At the beginning of their turn, the player draws a card and puts it into their hand. They choose either the top card from the draw pile or the top card from the discard pile.

2. Discarding Cards from a Phase

Each time it is a player's turn, they attempt to complete any phase they have not yet completed. To do so, one of their pieces must be on the space of that phase. A phase is a combination of cards. These can be sets (multiple cards of the same value), number sequences, cards of the same color, or a combination of sets and sequences.

Definition of Phases

• Sets (cards of the same value): These require three or more cards that show the same number. Example: One of the phases is called "2 Triplets" - this could be, for example, three 7s or three 10s. The two sets could also all have the same value, for example three 10s and another three 10s. The color of the cards does not matter for the sets.
• Sequences: A numerical sequence consists of four or more cards whose values are in direct succession. Example: A "sequence of four" could consist of cards 3, 4, 5, and 6. The color of the cards does not matter for the sequences.
• Cards of one color: The cards are all the same color. Example: The "7 cards of one color" phase could, for example, consist of seven red or seven green cards. The values of the cards do not matter.

Forming a Phase

If a player is on their turn and can form a phase containing one of their pieces, they place the required cards face up in front of them.

• Each player can only form one phase per round.
• They must have all the cards they need for that phase in their hand before laying down cards.
• Once a player has laid out the cards of a phase, they immediately place one of their phase markers on the corresponding light gray space to indicate that they have completed that phase.
• Once a player has completed a phase, they may continue with the next phase in the next round, regardless of whether they win the round. It is common for multiple players to complete a phase in the same round.
• The 10 phases on the game board can be completed in any order, as long as one of the player's pieces is on the space corresponding to that phase when the cards are laid out.
• The phases must be completed one at a time. Example: A player's piece is on the "7 cards of one color" space, and the other piece is on the "8 cards of one color" space. The player lays down nine cards of the same color. This allows them to complete either the "7 cards of one color" or the "8 cards of one color" phase, but not both. The player must choose one of the two phases they want to complete in that round.
• The player may play more cards than the minimum required to complete the phase - but only if these additional cards can be added to the cards belonging to his phase. Further sets or sequences that do not match the definition of the chosen phase may not be played. Example: The player plays three 5s and three 7s to end phase 2 "Triples". With two more 5s in his hand, he could play them immediately along with the other 5s. However, if he had three 10s in his hand instead of two more 5s, he could not play them along with his three 5s and three 7s, as exactly two sets are needed for this phase.

Joker Cards

• A joker can be used in place of any number card or any suit card to end a phase.
• Multiple jokers can be used to complete a phase. A player can use any number of jokers as long as he plays at least one number card.
• If a joker was used for a phase, it cannot be exchanged for the card it replaces to play it on to be used again elsewhere. It remains in place until the end of the round as a replacement for the desired card.
• If the first card in the discard pile is a joker at the beginning, the starting player can take it on their first turn.

3. Placing

By placing cards, the player gets rid of any remaining cards after forming a phase. Whoever gets rid of all their cards is finished and ends the round. When placing cards, the player adds one or more hand cards directly to any card combination already on the table. Their card must match the cards in that phase. Example: The player can place one or more 4s from their hand onto a set of 4 cards already in play. They can also place a 2, a 7, and an 8 onto an existing sequence of 3, 4, 5, and 6. They can also place one or more green cards onto the green cards belonging to a "7 cards of one suit" phase. It is also possible to place a joker onto one of the combinations mentioned.

Before a player can play cards, they must complete their own phase, i.e., they must have laid out the corresponding cards. They may only play cards during their own turn, both with their own laid out cards and with those of other players.

4. Discard and Draw

At the end of their turn, the player places one of their hand cards on the discard pile. They then move one of their playing pieces on the game board exactly as many spaces as the number on their discarded card. If the player discards a joker, they can move up to 12 spaces. The playing pieces can be moved clockwise or counterclockwise, but may not change direction within a turn.

Bonus Fields

At the end of its movement on the game board, the playing piece can land on one of the three bonus spaces: "Ask," "Discard 1," or "Draw 1." If a playing piece lands on one of these bonus spaces, the player moves its function immediately and before the end of its turn. If a piece on a bonus space is not moved and remains there, its function is not executed again - only when the piece moves to that space again.

Source note: the bonus-space names in this text read "Draw 1" under "Bonus Fields" but "DRAW 2" under "The Game Board" (section C), and the Draw function is described as "2 DRAW" under "Finish (End the Turn)". The text is kept as printed.

• QUESTIONS: The player names a specific card, either a number or a color (but not a joker). Starting with their left neighbor and then continuing clockwise, this question is now asked. The first player to have the requested card must give it to the player. As soon as the player receives the requested card, their turn ends. If none of their fellow players has the requested card, they receive nothing.
• 1 DISCARD: The player must immediately discard one card from their hand to the discard pile. This is in addition to the card they would normally discard at the end of their turn. However, discarding this card does not trigger the re-moval of a piece.
• 2 DRAW: The player must immediately draw two additional cards from the draw pile, the discard pile, or one card each from both piles. After that, their turn ends.

Finish (End the Turn)

After a player has laid out a phase, they try to finish as quickly as possible and thus end the round for all players. To do so, they must get rid of all their cards - by adding them to existing card combinations, by discarding their last card to the discard pile, or by both. After the player has finished, they may place one of their tokens next to any phase space on the board (not a bonus space).

As soon as a player has finished, the other players must discard their hand cards; however, they may keep some cards, up to a maximum of as many - as the space(s) on which their tokens are standing. Example: One token is on the "2 Threes in a Row" space, the other on the "8 Cards of One Suit" space - the player can keep up to four cards from their hand and discard the rest. They are not forced to keep any cards: they may also discard all their cards and then draw a new hand for the next round.

If both of a player's pieces are on the same space, the number of cards they may keep is doubled. Example: If the space indicates "Keep 4," the player may keep up to 8 cards.

Keep 1 + Keep 3 = Keep up to 4 cards.

NOTE: If a player's piece is on a space whose phase they have already completed, they may not keep any cards for that space.

After all players have discarded their cards, the discard pile is shuffled. Each player draws enough cards to have 10 cards in their hand again. The new round begins with the player who completed the last round.

End of the Game

The first player to complete all 10 phases in a row and then get rid of their remaining hand cards wins. If a player has completed their tenth phase but is not the first to finish, they must remove any one of their phase markers from the game board. They must now complete this phase in the next round. If their game piece is not yet on the corresponding space, it must be moved there before the player can complete this phase.