Qu4to Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
Game Setup
Objective of the Game
How to Play
End of the Game
Variant: 2-Player Game
Credits

Components

60 Cards (values from 1 to 11)
1 Rulebook

Game Setup

Set aside a sheet of paper and a pen to write down the players' score points.

Shuffle all the cards and distribute the amount corresponding to the number of players in the game:

3 players: 12 cards for each player.
4 players: 11 cards for each player.
5 players: 10 cards for each player.

For 2-player game rules, see Variant: 2-Player Game.

Players can look at their cards, but must not show them to their opponents.

The remaining cards are placed in the center of the play area, forming a face-down draw deck.

Each player must decide whether to play with the blue or green half of their cards. After making the decision, the player must rotate all the cards in their hand with the chosen half facing up.

The QU4TO cards (the 4s) do not have a green/blue orientation like the other cards. If you choose to play with the blue half, leave all QU4TO cards upside down. There is a color indication in the corners of the card, below the number 4, to help you remember the correct position. This prevents opponents from noticing that the card is a 4 by its back.

The starting player is the one who won the last game and will also be the first Leader, who plays the "active set to beat" (also known as the Leading Set). If you prefer, randomly choose a starting player.

Objective of the Game

Score the most points throughout the match.

In each round, you will try to play sets of cards to beat your opponents' sets and empty your hand as quickly as possible. The sooner you empty your hand, the more points you will receive. Additionally, you can get points by playing sets with the QU4TO card.

How to Play

A game of QU4TO is played over 3 rounds.

At the beginning of each round, the Leader must play a set of cards in front of him (see Playing a Set of Cards below). This set is called the Leading Set. Going clockwise, each player takes their turn and must perform one of the following options:

Play a Set of Cards.
Pass (see Passing).

The game continues in this way until there is only one player left with cards in their hand.

Important: if you are the Leader, when your turn starts, you cannot pass (see The Leader's Turn).

Playing a Set of Cards

To play cards on your turn, you must play a set of 1 to 4 cards. Each set must be made up of cards of the same number or direct sequences of numbers (remember that the relevant numbers on the cards are only those facing up in your hand). If there is a Leading Set on the table, your set must surpass it.

The strength of the set is determined by the number of cards in the set, the relationship between them (equal numbers or sequences) and their values. Sets with more cards are stronger than sets with fewer cards.

Important: the set of four 4s (four QU4TO cards) is the strongest set in the game (see The QU4TO Card).

Example: a sequence of 3 numbers (2, 3, 4) is stronger than a pair (7, 7).

If sets have the same number of cards, compare the type of set: sets of equal numbers are stronger than sequences.

Example: a triple (3, 3, 3) is stronger than a sequence of 3 numbers (2, 3, 4).

If the sets have the same number of cards and are of the same type, compare the card values: sets with higher cards are stronger than sets with lower cards.

Example 1: one 7 is stronger than one 6.

Example 2: a pair of 9s is stronger than a pair of 2s.

Example 3: a sequence 6-7-8-9 is stronger than a sequence 4-5-6-7.

Overall strength ranking, weakest to strongest: 2 < 6 < 3-4 < 2-2 < 5-6-7 < 1-1-1 < 10-11 < 11-11 < 4-4.

When you perform this action, you become the new Leader and your cards are the new Leading Set. Cards from the outmatched set are discarded into a face-up discard pile. Keep the Leading Set in front of you to indicate that you are the current Leader.

Passing

If you can't (or don't want to) overcome the Leading Set on your turn, you must pass.

When passing, you must perform one of two options: rotate one of the cards in your hand (changing its value), OR draw a card from the central deck. If you choose to draw a card from the central deck, put it in your hand in the orientation you prefer.

NOTE: In the rare event that the draw deck runs out and a player needs to draw cards, remove all QU4TO cards from the discard and shuffle the remaining cards to form a new deck.

The Leader's Turn

If the Leading Set has not been beaten and all other players have passed, the Leader discards the current Leading Set and plays a new one. This will be the new Leading Set.

When you start your turn as the Leader, you cannot pass and must play a set of cards.

Example: Arthur is the Leader and starts the round by playing a set of just one 7.

Bernardo plays next, overcoming this set with a sequence 6-7-8. Arthur's 7 is discarded and Bernardo's set becomes the Leading Set.

Rafaela plays a quad of 5s, becoming the new Leader.

Jean passes his turn, and decides to rotate one of the cards in his hand, in order to form stronger sets in the future.

Arthur and Bernardo also pass by and each draws a card from the central deck.

Thus, Rafaela starts her turn as the Leader, then she discards her quad of 5s and must play any set to continue the round.

The QU4TO Card

The QU4TO cards have a value of 4 and can be used alone or together with other cards in sets. However, these cards have special characteristics that make them different from regular cards:

A quad of four QU4TO cards is the strongest set in the game, surpassing even a quad of 11s (which would theoretically be an unbeatable set).

Cards 4 can never be rotated in your hand. If you pass and there are only 4s in your hand, you will be forced to draw a card from the draw deck.

Whenever you beat the Leading Set by playing a set that contains one or more 4s, you receive 1 point (take a card from the beaten set and leave it in front of you facing down, to mark the points received).

Important: when playing a set with a 4 card, if there is no Leading Set on the table (starting the climb), you do not receive the point.

Example 1: Bernardo is the current Leader, with his set 7-8-9. On Jean's turn, he plays 3-4-5-6. Because Jean beat a set using at least one 4, he receives 1 point immediately.

Example 2: Everyone passes after Jean, so he discards his 3-4-5-6 and plays 1-2-3-4. Jean doesn't receive 1 point in this situation, because although he played a 4, his set did not beat a Leading Set.

Now, Rafaela plays a quad of 10s.

To overcome Rafaela's set, Arthur plays the strongest set in the game, a quad of 4s (and earns 1 point).

The round continues to Bernardo's turn, who will be forced to pass, as it is impossible to overcome the quad of 4s.

Running Out of Cards in Hand and End of the Round

Emptying your hand is the main way to receive points in the game. When you empty your hand, you receive an amount of points equal to the number of players who have not yet managed to empty their hand this round:

Order emptying hand	3 players	4 players	5 players
1st	2 points	3 points	4 points
2nd	1 point	2 points	3 points
3rd	-	1 point	2 points
4th	-	-	1 point

Add these points to the points acquired during the round to total your final round score and write them down on a piece of paper.

You will no longer play until the end of the round and your turns will be skipped. If your last set of cards is not beaten and the turn returns to you, but you have no more cards in your hand, discard the Leading Set and the player to your left will take over as the new Leader.

As soon as there is only one player left with cards, the round ends immediately. If this was the third round, go to End of the Game. Otherwise, perform the Game Setup steps again, but from the second round onwards, the player with the fewest accumulated points is the first Leader. In case of a tie, whoever did not empty, or who emptied their hand last among the tied players, will be the Leader.

Example 1: There are only 3 players left in the round, as Jean already has no cards in his hand. Bernardo plays a triple of 2s, emptying his hand. As there are still 2 players left with cards, Bernardo receives 2 points and will no longer play in this round.

Rafaela and Arthur take their shifts. In this way, Bernardo's triple of 2s is discarded and the new Leader is Rafaela, as she is the next player clockwise who still has cards.

Rafaela plays 5-6, also running out of cards. Rafaela receives 1 point and the round ends, as Arthur is the only player with cards in his hand.

End of the Game

The game ends at the end of the third round.

The player with the highest score after three rounds is the winner!

In case of a tie, the player who emptied his hand first in the last round is the winner.

Variant: 2-Player Game

If you want to play a game of QU4TO with 2 players, some rule changes are necessary.

During Game Setup, deal 14 cards to each player.

The rounds follow the same rules as regular matches, but with the following modifications:

Players never receive points for playing QU4TO cards. Instead, the first player to empty their hand in the round receives 1 point. This is the only way to score in this variant.
After the first round, the Leader will be the one who did not empty his hand in the previous round.
When a player gets their second point, the game ends and they are declared the winner!

In other words, it is possible for a 2-player game to last only two rounds if one player is the first to empty his hand twice in a row in the first few rounds.

Credits

Game Design: Paulo Oliveira "Tiozão"
Graphic Design: Luis Francisco
Illustrations: Oksana Shumytska
Rules: Pedro Vinicius
Game Development: Rafael Albuquerque
Rules Layout: André Teruya

Playtesters: André Primo, Baby Shark, Barbara Peres, BBC, Breno Carteado, Bruno, Clério, Diego, Dilsinho, Doutor Luiz, Gabriel Cestaro, Gerson, Gislaine, Guyga, Jean, Jordy Adan, João, Karen Ferreira, Karine, Leleu, Lucas Castanho, Lucas Torresmo, Luis Francisco, Mota, Paulinha, Pedini, Pedro Vinicius, Pikachu, Primo Coelho, Renato, Renato Simões, Resteves, Ricardo Albuquerque, Robert Coelho, Rodrigo Zombie, Thiago Cestaro, among many others...