Pups Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Components
• Setup
• The Game Round
  • Bid Phase
    • Let's learn more about bidding!
  • Showdown Phase
    • Rankings
    • Let's learn more about Pup cards!
    • Helpful Play Tip #1
    • Helpful Play Tip #2
  • Results Phase
• End of the Game
• Game Round Summary

Object of the Game

Pups is a competitive trick-taking card game where your goal is to collect the most treats! Below is a quick breakdown of how the game works:

Each round, you will be dealt a new hand of 7 Pup cards. These cards represent your dog pack.

You must carefully analyze your hand and then choose a Bid card based on how many tricks you think your hand can win. If your hand is weak, bid low. If it is strong, bid high!

You will then play your Pup cards in a series of showdowns against your opponents. Whoever plays the highest valued Pup takes the trick! Once a player runs out of cards, the round ends and the results of each player's bids are determined.

If you collected the number of tricks listed on your Bid card, you will earn the reward treats! But if you fail at your bid you must take the penalty poos.

The game ends when either the Top Dog stack or any of the 1, 2 or 3 Bid card stacks runs out. The player with the most treats in their score pile is declared the winner!

Components

• 45 Pup cards
• 8 Exactly 0 Bid cards
• 16 At Least or Exactly 1 Bid cards
• 12 At Least or Exactly 2 Bid cards
• 8 At Least or Exactly 3 Bid cards
• 7 Top Dog cards
• 5 Score Pile cards
• 1 Alpha card

Also included: a double-sided Pup token! You may choose to use this token to track which player is the leader, or flip it like a coin to resolve any disputes!

Setup

A game of Pups should be set up in the following fashion:

1. Separate all of the Bid cards into individual stacks, and line them up from Exactly 0 to At Least 3.
2. Make a stack of 7 Top Dog cards, and place it nearby.
3. Place the Alpha card near these stacks.
4. Give each player one Score Pile card that they will keep in front of them.
5. Randomly pick one player to become the first leader, and give them the deck of Pup cards.

You are ready to play!

The Game Round

A game of Pups is played over a series of rounds. Each round is separated into three simple phases that players progress through one at a time:

1. Bid Phase
2. Showdown Phase
3. Results Phase

Bid Phase

"The dog trainers set the stage for a canine showdown! They must each bid on how well they think their dog pack will perform at the show."

1. Shuffle - The leader shuffles all 45 Pup cards.
2. Alpha Dog - The leader randomly picks one card from the Pups deck to become the "Alpha suit" for the round, placing it face up on the Alpha card. Cards that share the suit of the Alpha card are the best cards to have! (See Rankings below.)
3. Deal 7 Pups - The leader deals each player a hand of 7 Pup cards. Set aside all remaining Pup cards for the round.
4. Bid - Starting with the leader and proceeding clockwise, each player must choose one of the Bid cards from the available stacks and place it in front of them. They may also choose to rebid a failed bid card from their score pile if any are available.

At the end of the Bid phase the player who picked the Bid card worth the most reward treats becomes the new leader.

If there is a tie for this, the last player who picked the Bid card with the most reward treats becomes the leader.

Let's learn more about bidding!

What is bidding? A bid is a declaration of how many tricks you think you will collect before the round ends. The bid you select will be based on the Pup cards you are dealt each round. For example: Billy examines his hand. He decides to bid AT LEAST 2. If he collects at least 2 tricks this round he gets the reward treats on his bid card. However, if he fails, he gains the penalty poos. The fate of Billy's bid will be revealed in the Results Phase...

Bid cards are two-sided and you may choose to play either side of the Bid card.

The AT LEAST side is the default bid and is usually easier to complete. No penalty is suffered if you exceed the number of tricks on an AT LEAST bid card.

The EXACTLY side is a little more challenging. To succeed at this bid you must collect the exact number of tricks listed. If you collect too few or too many tricks, your bid fails! While Exactly bids may be harder to complete, they are worth twice as many treats if you succeed!

What is a rebid? If you have a failed Bid card in your score pile from a previous round, you may pull it out and try bidding it again on a future round. When doing this, you may use either side of the card (At Least or Exactly). You may rebid a card as many times as it takes for you to succeed! For example: Billy rebids a previously failed bid card... he knows this time he will succeed!

What is the EXACTLY 0 bid card? If your hand is weak, you may want to consider selecting the Exactly 0 bid card. This card will not reward you with treats or penalize you with poos; however, by claiming one of these cards you can gain a bonus trick on a future round!

To claim an Exactly 0 bid card, you must first select it during the Bid Phase and then collect no tricks that round. If you succeed at this, place the Exactly 0 card into your score pile. However, if you take one or more tricks during the round, the bid fails and you must return the card to the community Exactly 0 bid stack.

On a future round, you may use an Exactly 0 card in your score pile to gain a bonus trick. To do this, remove the Exactly 0 card from your score pile and return it to the community Exactly 0 bid card stack.

For example: Tim bid At Least 3 but was only able to collect 2 tricks. Disastrous! Luckily, he has an Exactly 0 card saved up in his score pile. He can use it to gain a bonus trick for this round only. This "bonus trick" lets Tim complete his At Least 3 bid. He then returns the Exactly 0 card to the community stack. Disaster averted!

Having Exactly 0 cards in your score pile can be a big advantage when trying to complete difficult bids!

Unlike all other bid cards, the game does not end if the Exactly 0 stack is depleted. Exactly 0 cards are limited. If none are available, players must wait until the stack is replenished in order to bid Exactly 0.

Showdown Phase

"The competition heats up as the pups begin facing off! Only the best can win!"

1. Leader Leads - The leader will begin a showdown by playing a Pup card from his hand to the center of the play area. This first card establishes the suit for the showdown. For example: Carl is the leader. He plays a blue 8, establishing blue as the suit for this showdown.
2. Followers Follow - Proceeding clockwise, each other player MUST play a card that matches the suit played by the leader if they can. If you do not have a card matching the leader's suit, you must still play a card. However, it may be any card you choose. This forces the other players to play a blue card from their hands if they have any.
3. Winner Wins - Compare the suits and the values of all the cards played. The winner of the showdown is determined based on the rankings listed below:

Rankings

• HIGHEST ALPHA - The highest valued card that matches the Alpha suit always wins the showdown.
• HIGHEST SUITED - If no Alpha suit cards are played, the highest valued card that matches the suit established by the leader wins the showdown.
• SLUFF - Any card that does not match the Alpha suit or the suit established by the leader is called "sluff" and can never win.

Once the results of the showdown are determined, all the Pup cards played are then scooped together into a pile called a trick.

The winner of the showdown takes the trick and places it near his Score Pile. The winner of the showdown also becomes the new leader. The new leader begins the next showdown (back to Leader Leads). Play continues until any player runs out of cards. Once a player plays all cards from his hand, the Showdown phase ends and the game moves on to the Results Phase. At this point if you have any Pup cards remaining in your hand they are discarded.

Let's learn more about Pup cards!

The number on each Pup card is its value. The larger the number, the higher its value. The icon on each Pup card is its suit. There are five suits: Family Dogs, Guard Dogs, Lap Dogs, Working Dogs, and Mutts.

Family, Guard, Lap and Working dogs have values ranging from 1 to 9.

What's up with Mutts? Mutts are a special suit in the deck. They are different from the other suits in many ways:

• Mutt cards are valued at +1, +2, or +3.
• During a showdown, players may add one Mutt card to the suit they played thus increasing the total value of the play. When played with another suit, Mutts always conform to the suit played. For example: Tim plays a 5 blue card and adds a +2 Mutt card. The result is 7 blue.
• Since Mutts are considered their own unique suit, they may be played alone during a showdown. And just as with any other suit, you may add one additional Mutt card to this play to increase the value of your Mutts suit.

What if a Showdown results in a tie? When this happens, all cards played during that showdown are discarded, and no one gets the trick. The player who caused the tie to happen becomes the new leader and initiates the next showdown.

Helpful Play Tip #1

When you collect a trick, stack it near your score card. If you collect another, stack the new trick on top of the first to make an "L" shape. Keep stacking your tricks in this fashion to create a "staircase." Doing this makes it easy for all players to see how many tricks you have collected.

Helpful Play Tip #2

When you run out of Pup cards, be sure to say out loud to all the other players "I'M OUT!" This will let everyone know that the round will end after the current showdown.

Results Phase

"The showdowns have ended and the results are in! It's time to see who completed their bids and who stepped in the poo."

1. Score Bids - Players who successfully complete their Bid during the round place their Bid card into their score pile with the reward treats facing up. Each treat is worth +1 point. Players who failed to complete their Bid card must place it with the penalty poos facing up. Each poo is worth -1 point at the end of the game.
2. Award Top Dog - The player who collected the most tricks during the round is awarded a Top Dog card and immediately places it on their score pile. If there is a tie for most tricks, no player wins Top Dog. In this case, the top card in the Top Dog stack is discarded and removed from the game.

At this point, the player with the most treats in their Score Pile (minus poos) becomes the new leader. For example: The round has ended and Tim has a total of 3 treats in his score pile... but Bill has a total of 4 treats in his score pile. This makes Bill the new leader for the next round of play!

If there is a tie for most treats, all tied players must flip the Pup token like a coin to determine the new leader. The tied player closest in play order to the current leader flips the token first and the next closest tied player calls "heads" or "tails". The loser is eliminated, and this continues until only one tied player remains, and that player becomes the new leader.

Upon completion of the round, check for endgame conditions. If none have triggered, continue playing a new round (back to the Bid Phase).

End of the Game

There are two different endgame conditions:

1. Once the final Top Dog card is collected or discarded, the game ends immediately.
2. During the Bid Phase, if any of the 1, 2, or 3 Bid card stacks are depleted, the final round of the game is triggered.

Once the final round of play has ended, players add up all reward treats earned and subtract any penalty poos to determine their final score. The player with the most treats is crowned the winner!

In the case of a tied score, the player who collected the most Top Dog cards is the true winner!

Game Round Summary

The role of leader will change hands often during a game of Pups.

Bid Phase

1. Shuffle
2. Alpha Dog
3. Deal 7 Pups
4. Bid

Showdown Phase

1. Leader Leads
2. Followers Follow
3. Winner Wins

Results Phase

1. Score Bids
2. Award Top Dog