Pitagoras Rulebook

A game for 2-6 players aged 8-108 by Reiner Knizia.

Game Elements

• 55 cards (4x of 1 to 10, 2x of 11 to 14, 1x of 15 to 19, 2x 20)
• 2 blue dice: (0-2-3-4-5-8) and (20-30-40-50-60-70)
• 1 black die (30-50-70-80-90-110)
• 1 red die (0-10-20-0-10-20)

Goal of the Game

Make an equation from the numbers on the cards to get the result rolled on the dice. Collect the indicated cards as a bonus. The player with the most cards wins the game.

Course of the Game

1. Shuffle the cards and place them face down in a deck in the center of the table. Draw five cards and place them face up next to the deck.
2. Roll the two blue dice and report the total rolled on them.
3. All players simultaneously try to form an equation from the revealed cards in their minds to reach the sum indicated on the dice. They can use any combination of the math symbols (+, -, x, ÷). You don't have to use all the cards to act.
4. The player who thinks they have figured out the correct action shouts, "Eureka!" They must immediately arrange the cards to indicate the correct result. The player does not receive any extra time, as they should know the exact solution when the game stops.

Correct answer: If the player has solved the action correctly, they take all the cards they used to solve it.

Incorrect answer: If the player cannot solve a correct equation, the other players get one of the hidden cards.

5. Each player places the acquired cards in front of them in a pile.
6. New round: Reveal more cards from the deck until there are five. Then continue the game as described in points 1-5.

Comments

• If neither player can find the correct equation, deal an extra card and reroll the dice (if still no solution, deal another card, reroll the dice, etc.). If this situation occurs at the end of the game when there are no more cards left in the deck to add, just reroll the dice.
• Only use whole numbers (no fractions). The speed of solving the equation determines the victory, not the number of cards from which the equation is built.

Example 1

The following cards are on the table: 1, 6, 5, 11, 20.

Dice rolled with a total of 32 (30 and 2).

The solution is: 20 + 11 + 1

Or: 1 + 6 + 5 + 20

The latter solution is more advantageous because the player who chooses it receives four cards.

End of the Game and Deciding the Winner

The game ends when there are not enough cards left in the face-down deck to make up to five cards face-up. All players should now count their cards. The player with the most cards wins! In case of a tie, the player who was the last to give a correct answer wins.

Difficulty Levels

To reduce the difficulty, remove all cards with values greater than 15 from the deck. Alternatively, replace the blue 2-digit die with a red die with smaller numbers.

To increase the difficulty level, replace the blue die with two-digit numbers with a black die with larger numbers. You can also allow exponentiation to play (one of the numbers on the card becomes the exponent). For example, the cards 2 and 3 can mean 2^3 = 8 or 3^2 = 9.

Example 2

The following cards are on the table: 2, 7, 6, 12, 15.

Dice rolled with a total of 32 (30 and 2).

• Solution 1: 7 x 6 - 12 + 2 = 32. Four reward cards.
• Solution 2: 12 + 15 + 7 - 2. Four reward cards.
• Solution 3: 12 ÷ 6 = 2; 7^2 = 49; 49 - 15 - 2 = 32. Five reward cards.