Professor Tempus
Professor Tempus Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
63 numbered game cards showing between 0 and 3 hourglasses (25 Red cards numbered 1 to 25, 25 Purple cards numbered 1 to 25, 13 Joker cards bearing the odd numbers 1 to 25); 3 series cards marked + / -; 3 card holders.
Object of the Game
Collect as many hourglasses as possible.
Setup
Place the three card holders and the three series cards in the centre of the table. Shuffle the other 63 cards. Each player receives six cards (with 2 players, each receives seven) and looks at them secretly. The remaining cards are placed face down on the table to form the draw pile (fig. 1).
Playing the Game
The youngest player begins, and play proceeds clockwise.
On their turn, a player performs one of the following three actions:
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Either take an empty card holder that is still available (the first player must always perform this action):
The player takes a series card and places it in the empty card holder, choosing the visible face. This visible face determines the order in which the cards of the series must be played: the + indicates that the cards must be played in ascending numerical order, the - in descending numerical order. The player then places a card from their hand into the card holder. This first card indicates the colour of the series: Red, Purple or Joker. Finally, the player places the card holder in front of them.
Example (fig. 2): Arthur takes a card holder and places a series card in it, face - up. He then plays a 5 Red from his hand to start the series and places the card holder in front of him.
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Or take a series by playing a card from your hand onto one of the series placed in front of an opponent:
The player must play a card of the same colour as the last card played (except for Joker cards) and respect the order indicated by the series card. If the series card is on the +, the player must play a card of a higher value than the last card played. If it is on the -, they must play a card of a lower value. The player then places the series in front of them. The last player to play a card on a series wins all the cards of that series at the end of the round.
Caution: a player may never play cards onto a series that is already in front of them.
Example, fig. 3: Mickael plays a 3 Red onto the series placed in front of Arthur. This 3 is lower than the 5 already placed and respects the colour of the series. Mickael takes the series of cards and places it in front of him. The last player who places a card on this series will win it at the end of the round.
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Or, if a player cannot, or does not want to, play a card to start or take a series, they place a card of their choice from their hand (whatever its colour and value) under the series of the opponent of their choice (not under one of their own series). That opponent keeps their series.
Joker Cards
Joker cards follow the same playing rules as the other cards, but have the following special features:
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They are colourless, so they may be played indifferently onto a Joker, a Purple or a Red card.
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It is possible to play a Joker card onto a Purple or Red card of the same value. In this case the player who placed the Joker card of the same value takes the series.
Example, fig. 5: Louisa plays a 3 Joker onto the 3 Red card of the series placed in front of Mickael. She takes the series and places it in front of her.
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It is also possible to play a Purple or Red card onto a Joker card of the same value. In this case the player who placed the Purple or Red card of the same value takes the series.
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As soon as a Joker card is played onto a series, that series loses its colour. The next card played onto the Joker card will determine the new colour of the series.
End of a Round
A round ends as soon as all players have only two cards left in hand. The players then collect the cards of the series in front of them and set them aside. The card holders and series cards are again available and are placed in the centre of the table. Each player draws four new cards to complete their hand (five with 2 players), and then a new round begins. The player seated to the left of the first player of the previous round becomes the first player of this new round.
End of the Game
The game ends when there are no longer enough cards for all players to complete their hand at the end of a round. The players then count the number of hourglasses shown on the cards they have accumulated over the various rounds.
Caution: cards still in hand at the end of the round do not count. The player who has collected the most hourglasses wins the game.
5-Player Variant
The players play until the draw pile has been exhausted twice. In this case, when the draw pile is exhausted for the first time, a count of the hourglasses is made. Each player notes their score, then all the cards are shuffled again and the game continues.