RUM
RUM Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
30 Cards:
- 21 Rum Cards
- 7 Captain Cards
- 1 Castaway Clock
- 1 Parrot
Setup
- Choose a dealer to perform the remaining setup steps.
- Place the 7 Captain Cards and Castaway Clock in a row in the playing area. Rotate all cards so that the '1' (and Parrot on the Castaway Clock) are all oriented at the top of the row.
- Set aside the Parrot Card, then mix the Rum Cards together in a flat pile (face down) to create the "Shipwreck".
- Flip 3 Rum Cards face up to create the "Beach" row near the Shipwreck. Rotate all 3 (and any new Cards that are added to the Beach later in the game) so the single bottle sides are all oriented at the top of the row.
- All players draw 1 card from the Shipwreck to create their starting hand.
- Add the Parrot Card (face down) to the Shipwreck and mix them up. Note: Whenever Cards are placed back into the Shipwreck, mix (shuffle) the Cards together before the next player takes his turn.
- The player to the left of the dealer is the start player.
Playing the Game
RUM is played in quick turns, over many rounds. The game ends when a player reaches a set amount of points (see Game End) OR the Castaway Clock is rotated to the Pirate Ship (8th position). During the game, sets of bottles are played in order to gain Captain Cards and earn points. However, Captain Cards may change controllers if an opponent plays a larger set. And watch out for that pesky Parrot as it's lurking near by and ready to steal Rum at any time.
Game Turn
On your turn, you must perform one of the following actions:
- Draw a Card, in either 1 of 2 ways:
- A. Draw a Rum Card from the Beach and add it to your hand. Then, replace the empty Beach slot with a face down card from the Shipwreck. The new card placed to refill the Beach should remain face down.
- B. Draw a Rum Card from the Shipwreck and add it to your hand.
- Play a Set: Play at least 1 Rum Card from your hand to form a set of bottles and gain control of at least 1 Captain Card.
Playing a Set
Captain Cards and Rum Cards have different values based on how the Card is oriented. When playing a set, the Rum Cards may be in either orientation when playing them, but only one side (either the end with 2 bottles or the end with 1) will count towards the total.
Captain Cards begin the game in the '1' position, facing the Shipwreck. To play a set, you must be able to gain at least 1 Captain Card by playing more bottles than the current position of the matching colored Captain Card. Place the Captain Card in front of yourself, then rotate it so that the number (which matches the number of bottles of that color in the set just played) is at the top, facing you. You may gain control of several Captain Cards on one turn. A player is not required to play all cards from his hand when playing a set, and bottles that cannot be used in a set are ignored. The cards played from your hand are mixed (face down) back into the Shipwreck.
The Beach
An important aspect to the Beach, other than a visible area to draw from, is that the single bottles on the Beach cards are communal and considered to be in all players' hands. To clarify, a player may include any of the single bottles on the Beach Cards (opposing the 2 bottles on each card's opposite side), when playing a set to gain a Captain Card. When a player desires to include single bottles from the Beach as part of their set, they simply indicate to their opponents which are needed when they are proving their sets. The single Beach bottles are left as they were, face up.
A Rum Trio Set
A "Rum Trio" is a specific set of bottles that can be played to greater effect. A player may play the set of 3 single bottles of a specific color to steal the Captain Card in that color AND increase the number by 2. A Rum Trio Set may be played with other sets on the same turn to steal multiple Captain Cards. A player may increase a Captain Card already in his possession. If a player plays a set which allows him to steal a Captain Card at a value higher than "8", he rotates it to the "8+" position instead. A Captain Card may be stolen while at "8+" but the value does not increase. Note: There are only 3 single bottles of each color in the game.
Example
Before Player A's turn, "Game/non-player" controls the Blue Captain Card at "1" and Player B controls the Green Captain Card at "5". Player A plays 8 Rum Cards, which allows him to steal the Blue and Green Captain Cards, and increase the Yellow Captain Card (already in his possession). He plays 4 yellow bottles, 2 blue bottles, and a Rum Trio (steal, +2) of green bottles.
After his turn, Player A has 13 points. The '4', '2', and '7' Captain Cards now face Player A.
The Parrot and Castaway Clock
If the active player draws the Parrot from the Shipwreck, he reveals it immediately, discards back to the Shipwreck the amount of cards (not including the Parrot) shown in the center of the Castaway Clock Card (either 2 or 3 cards). Then, the Parrot is discarded back to the Shipwreck and the Castaway Clock is increased (rotated and/or flipped over to signify the next highest value). The Castaway Clock's current value should always face the Shipwreck. As soon as the last card is taken from the Shipwreck (either drawn or used to refill the Beach), the player(s) with the most Rum Cards in their hand immediately discard all their cards back to the Shipwreck. Then, the Castaway Clock is increased and play continues.
The Tide
After the turn in which all 3 cards on the Beach are face down, "the tide washes in new bottles." Immediately, all 3 cards on the Beach are flipped over. If the Parrot is revealed, all players discard the amount shown on the Castaway Clock and the Castaway Clock is increased by 1. After discarding, the Parrot is mixed back into the Shipwreck. Then the empty Beach slot is replaced with a card from the Shipwreck (if the Parrot is revealed, repeat the previously described action). If a Rum Trio appears on the Beach, it is wiped away by the Tide immediately. All 3 cards are mixed back into the Shipwreck, then 3 new cards refill the Beach. In either case of a Tide, if a Parrot is revealed on the Beach, the Castaway Clock takes effect.
Game End
The game ends in 1 of 2 ways:
- If a player's score is at or above the winning points goal, according to the chart below.
- If the Parrot is revealed while the Castaway Clock is at "7", the game ends immediately. The player with the most points is the winner!
Points to Win:
- 2 Players: 21 Points
- 3 Players: 18 Points
- 4 Players: 15 Points
In the case of a tie, the winner is the player with the most Captain Cards. If still tied, the winner is the player with the highest value on a Captain Card.