Scandaroon Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Summary
• Game Components
• Setup
• Course of Play
  • 1. Bring a Card into Play
    • Cards with Effects
    • Cards with Two Trump Symbols
    • Cards with the Nominal Value "0"
  • 2. Use the Ability of a Card in the Row of Cards
    • Cards with Abilities
  • 3. Play the Action Stone
  • 4. Pass
• End of the Round
  • Scoring
    • Current Trump
  • Placing Cards on the Scoring Pile
  • Moving the VP Markers
    • Rank Track VP
    • "No Trump" VP
    • Scoring Pile VP
    • Highest Score VP
• Start of the Next Round
  • Choosing the New Starting Player
  • Shuffling the Cards
  • Dealing New Cards
  • Choosing a New Trump
  • Starting the New Round
• End of the Game
• Setup Diagram (page 8)

Summary

Scandaroon is a rousing and entertaining card game for 3 to 4 players. In four rounds, the players try to lay out a row of cards of their own with as high a score as possible using their hand cards, while at the same time reducing the points of their opponents. But victory takes more than cards with high values: during play, players receive victory points for reaching certain goals, e.g. the highest score in a single round. And these victory points can change the score again in the course of the game.

The contents of Scandaroon include a scoring board, a set of wooden markers for each player, and a set of special cards with a point value, a trump symbol, and an effect or ability that can change the point value of other cards.

Game Components

• Playing pieces in four colors (blue, green, red, yellow):
  • 4 victory point markers (cubes)
  • Score marker (disc)
  • "I pass" marker and scoring pile marker (figures)
  • Action stone (cylinder)
• Trump marker (large white cube)
• Highest score marker (white disc)
• 25 extra points markers (small white cubes)
• Game board
• Deck of 51 cards
• 4 trump symbol cards
• 4 player aids

Setup

The game is set up as described on page 8 (see the layout diagram at the end of this rulebook).

Each player chooses a set of playing pieces of one color.

The four trump cards are shuffled and placed face down on the table; the top card is turned over and placed face up on the pile. This card shows which symbol is trump at the start of the first round.

The trump marker is placed on the corresponding space of the trump track.

Then a starting player is determined by lot. The starting player shuffles the playing cards and deals 5 cards face down to each player. Players may look at their cards but should keep them secret from the other players. The remaining cards are placed next to the game board as a draw pile, leaving room beside it for a discard pile.

Course of Play

The starting player begins.

When it is their turn, each player chooses cards from their hand and lays them on the table (face up) so that a single row of cards is formed. The player's score for the current round is determined from this row of cards.

The player whose turn it is is called the active player. On their turn, the active player may perform one (!) of the following actions:

1. Bring a card into play; or
2. Use the ability of a card in their row of cards; or
3. Play the action stone; or
4. Pass

The individual actions are explained in detail below.

When a player has finished their turn, the score markers on the score track are moved according to the new score for this round. If this is forgotten, the points of the players concerned must be recalculated and the score markers moved accordingly.

Note: Scandaroon is not a game in which you automatically win tricks, automatically receive new cards when you have played some, or may automatically draw cards at the end of your turn! As a rule, you only receive new cards after a complete round of play has been finished.

Note: By playing a card, the score of several players can change.

1. Bring a Card into Play

The active player chooses a hand card and lays it face up, usually into their own row of cards. Some cards, however, can also be added to an opponent's row of cards.

The first card of a row must be placed at the far left of the layout, so that subsequent cards can be lined up to the right of it. New cards must be added to the right of the last card in the row. The length of a row of cards is not limited.

Some cards have a border and a red card value; these are end cards. If the card at the far right of a row is such an end card, no more cards can be added to that row.

If the active player has a card with an "attach anywhere" symbol, they can add it to the row of cards of any other player, but likewise only to the right of the last card in that player's row.

Example 1: Bringing cards into play - a row of cards, with the marked spot "Only attach here" and the "Next card" position at the right end of the row.

Example 2: End card.

Cards with Effects

Some cards cause lasting effects (e.g. [+2], [+1]) that last as long as the cards remain in play. When such a card comes into play, the cards affected by it are marked with extra points markers. The effects and abilities of the cards are explained on the player aid.

Cards with Two Trump Symbols

Cards that show two symbols count as each of these symbols.

Cards with the Nominal Value "0"

The value of such a card depends on how many cards with this symbol are in play. Each time a card with this symbol comes into play or is removed from play, the extra points markers and the score track must be adjusted accordingly.

2. Use the Ability of a Card in the Row of Cards

Here the active player uses the ability of a card in their row of cards. This can result in removing, strengthening, swapping, changing, or drawing one or more cards (the card abilities are described in more detail in the player aid).

Cards with Abilities

Cards that have certain abilities are marked at the bottom edge with a curved arrow. This arrow means that the active player must remove the ability card in question from their row of cards and place it on the discard pile after using the ability. Card effects and abilities are listed on the player aid.

Note: All cards with abilities bear this symbol: [curved arrow]. It is followed by further symbols that describe the respective ability in more detail.

3. Play the Action Stone

Each player owns an action stone, which they can use once per game. The action stone can only be used by its owner and may not be given away, traded, or passed to another player. Using the action stone counts as a turn.

Note: The action stone can accomplish a lot, but may only be used a single time. Its use should therefore always be well considered!

If the active player wants to use their action stone, they choose one of their hand cards or a card from their row of cards and place it on the discard pile. The consequence of using the action stone depends on the symbol of the discarded card:

• [Crescent moon] Increase the active player's scoring pile by 4 points. The active player places the action stone on their scoring pile so that it is evident that the action stone has been used.
• [Four-pointed star] Exchange hand cards. The active player chooses up to 3 of their hand cards, places them on the discard pile, and draws the same number of cards from the draw pile. The action stone then goes back into the game box so that it is evident that it has already been used.
• [Lamp] Protect a card in play. The active player chooses a card in any row of cards and places the action stone on it. This card is now immune to abilities and also cannot be discarded to use its own abilities (if any). Its value can, however, still be changed by an effect or, if it is a trump card, even doubled. At the end of the round the action stone is put back into the game box so that it is evident that it has already been used.
• [Feather] Steal a card in play. The active player chooses an unprotected card in any row of cards with a value equal to or lower than their discarded card and takes it into their hand. The action stone is put back into the game box so that it is evident that it has been used.
• [No symbol] The player may choose any one of the four effects of the action stone.

Note: There is only a single card without a symbol in the entire game!

4. Pass

The player places the "I pass" marker on the last card of their row of cards.

Once a player has passed, they can no longer play cards, use abilities, or use the action stone in this round.

In that case the cards of their row of cards are also immune to the abilities of other cards in play and to action stones not yet used. They are not immune, however, to effect cards and to changes of the current trump symbol.

End of the Round

As soon as all players have passed, the round ends. The players now perform the following actions:

• Calculating their points.
• Placing cards on their scoring pile.
• Moving the VP markers.

Scoring

Each player calculates their points by adding up the final values of all cards in their row of cards.

The value of a card can be influenced by other cards in play.

The "nominal value" of a card is the number of points shown at the top of the card.

The "current value" of a card is its nominal value taking into account all effects of the other cards in play. The extra points markers are used to mark these effects.

The "final value" of a card equals its current value, which is also doubled if the card bears the current trump symbol.

Example 3: Point values - Nominal value: 3; Current value: 5; Final value: 10 (if this symbol is trump).

Current Trump

Some cards can change the current trump and make a different symbol trump than at the start of the round.

The trump track shows what is currently trump.

Placing Cards on the Scoring Pile

The player who achieved the highest score in this round places the card from their row of cards with the highest nominal value on their scoring pile. If two or more players have the same score, all the players concerned perform this action.

If there was no tie for the highest score in the round, the player with the second-highest score of this round places the card from their row of cards with the lowest nominal value on their scoring pile.

Note: It is possible that the lowest nominal value of a card is 0!

Now the players place their scoring pile markers on their scoring piles to make clear that the cards in this pile are no longer in play. It is best not to place the scoring piles directly next to the rows of cards (see the setup diagram).

Moving the VP Markers

The game board has a rank track, on which the victory points (VP) are noted at the end of each round; a VP space in which the VP won in rounds "without trump" are recorded; and two additional VP spaces to record possible rewards at the end of the game.

Rank Track VP

At the end of each round, players are awarded VP as follows and the VP markers are moved accordingly:

• 3 VP for 1st place
• 2 VP for 2nd place
• 1 VP for 3rd place
• 0 VP for 4th place

If two or more players are tied, these players receive the VP indicated, but the next rank or ranks are skipped. For example: if two players reached first place, each of these two players gets 3 VP and the next player is in 3rd place and gets 1 VP.

These VP are won during the game and are safe for the players.

Note (number of rounds): The game consists of 4 rounds, so that either one trump symbol or the "no trump" symbol is not used at all.

"No Trump" VP

If the round began or ended "no trump", the winner of the round places a VP marker in the "no trump" VP space. It can happen that more than one player gets 2 VP for winning a "no trump" round, but a player can receive these points only once.

These VP are won during the game and are safe for the players.

Scoring Pile VP

The scoring piles are looked through and the nominal values of all cards in each pile are added up. The player with the highest total places one of their VP markers on the space with the "3" in the scoring pile VP space. The player with the second-highest total places one of their VP markers on the space with the "1" in this space. Any VP markers of players in this space whose scoring pile no longer has the highest or second-highest total are removed.

At the end of the game, the winner of the scoring pile space receives 3 VP, the runner-up receives 1 VP. These VP are awarded only at the end of the game; therefore, during the game, one player can again take this achievement away from another.

If two or more players have the same highest result, all the players concerned receive 3 VP. If there is a tie for the second-highest result, the players concerned receive 1 VP each.

Highest Score VP

If the round winner has scored as many or more points than all previous round winners, the white highest score marker is placed at the winner's position on the score track and the winner's VP marker goes into the highest score VP space. If the result of the new winner was better than that of the previous one, the previous winner's VP marker is removed from this space.

At the end of the game, the winner who reached the highest score in a round receives 2 VP. These VP are awarded only at the end of the game; therefore, during the game, one player can again take this achievement away from another.

If two or more players have the same highest score result, these players each receive 2 VP.

Start of the Next Round

Unless four rounds have already been played, the next round now begins.

• A new starting player is chosen.
• The cards are shuffled (round 3) and dealt anew.
• A new trump symbol is chosen.
• The starting player begins.

Note (number of hand cards): Each player has 5 hand cards (except the player who lost the last round and therefore receives a 6th hand card). So 5 new cards are not always dealt; rather, the number of hand cards is merely topped up again.

Choosing the New Starting Player

The player to the left of the previous round's winner becomes the new starting player. If there were several winners in the round, the player to the left of the previous starting player becomes the new starting player.

Shuffling the Cards

Players keep their hand cards, but all cards still in play (i.e. on the table) go onto the discard pile.

At the start of the 3rd round (and only then!), the starting player forms a new draw pile by shuffling the old draw pile together with the discard pile. At the start of rounds 2 and 4, the starting player takes (only) the draw pile and deals new cards without shuffling beforehand.

Dealing New Cards

The starting player deals new cards until each player again has 5 hand cards. The player who finished in last place in the previous round receives an additional card, so that they begin the new round with 6 hand cards.

Choosing a New Trump

If the turban was trump in the previous round, the next round is a "no trump" round. The turban trump card is turned over and the trump marker is placed on the "no trump" space on the trump track.

If the turban was not trump in the previous round, the old trump card is placed at the bottom of the trump pile and the next card is revealed, which then indicates the trump symbol for this round.

Starting the New Round

In the new round, the new starting player is the first to take a turn.

End of the Game

At the end of the fourth round, each player's VP are added up and the player with the most VP wins. In case of a tie, the player with the higher position on the rank track wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the higher-value scoring pile wins. If there is still a tie, the game ends in a draw.

Setup Diagram (page 8)

The layout diagram shows: draw pile, discard pile, and trump pile; the trump track; the score track; the rank track VP space; each player's scoring pile; each player's hand cards; and the cards currently in play in front of each player.