Schadenfreude
Schadenfreude Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 50 Cards, in 4 suits, each suit numbered -3, -2, -1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, 10 (the 0 and 10 are the Jester cards, shared across suits)
- 5 Reference Cards
- 1 Score Tracker
- 5 Score Markers
Setup
- Place the score tracker on the table.
- Each player chooses a score marker and places it near the score tracker.
- Each player takes a reference card matching their score marker and flips it to the side showing the correct player count.
- Deal out the cards according to the player count:
- 5 players: Shuffle all 50 cards and deal 10 to each player.
- 4 players: Shuffle all 50 cards and deal 12 to each player. Set the 2 remaining cards aside, face down.
- 3 players: Remove the -2, -1, and 9 card of each suit from the game. Shuffle the remaining 38 cards and deal 12 to each player. Set the 2 remaining cards aside, face down.
- The lead player in the first round is the player who most recently laughed at another's misfortune. Alternatively, choose a starting player at random.
Round Overview
Schadenfreude is played over an undetermined series of rounds, each following the steps below:
- The lead player leads with any card from their hand.
- The remaining players, in clockwise order, must follow suit, if able. If a player cannot follow suit, they may play any card from their hand.
- Once all players have played 1 card to the trick, the player with the second-highest card of the lead suit wins the trick and leads the next trick. If there is only 1 card in the lead suit, it wins the trick.
- Repeat these steps until players have no cards left in their hand.
- End of Round: Update the Score Tracker.
Suit Following Example
Player A leads with a red 4. Players B and C have red cards and must play them to follow suit. They play a 7 and a 9, respectively. Player D does not have any red cards and can play anything. They chose a green 8. Player B wins the trick with a red 7, the second-highest card played in the lead suit.
Single Suit Example
Player A leads with a red 4 but is the only player with red cards left. Player B, C, and D can play any card they want, as they cannot follow suit. Player A wins the trick, as theirs is the only card in the lead suit.
Jester Cards
There are 2 Jester cards: the "0" and the "10". These 2 cards always count as the lead suit and may be played in any trick. Players are never forced to play a Jester card, however. If a player leads with a Jester card, the next standard card played sets the lead suit.
Following With A Jester Card Example
Player A leads with a red 4. Players B and C have red cards and must play them to follow suit. They play a 7 and a 9, respectively. Player D has red cards in their hand but chooses to instead play the 10 Jester card. Player C wins the trick with a red 9, which is considered the second-highest card in the lead suit due to the special card.
Leading A Jester Card Example
Player A leads with the 10 Jester card. Player B can play any card, as the suit for the trick has not yet been determined. They choose to play a red 7, which sets the suit. Players C and D have red cards and must follow suit. They play a red 9 and a red 4, respectively. Player C wins the trick.
Winning a Trick
The winner of the trick (the player with the second highest card of the lead suit) takes the card they played as well as any non-Jester cards that did not follow the lead suit. Place these cards faceup in front of the winner, discarding the rest (if any).
Winning A Trick Examples
The winner of this trick would take the red 7 and discard the rest, since they all followed suit. Note that the Jester card is always considered to be the lead suit.
The winner of this trick would take the red 7 and the green 3 and discard the rest, since they followed suit.
Discarding Duplicates
If a player takes a card that has the same value as a card currently in their score area, they discard the matching cards. If 2 of the cards won in a trick have the same value, both cards are discarded. If 3 cards of the same value are won, discard 2 and keep 1. A player may never have more than 1 card of the same value in their score area.
Duplicates Example
Player B has just won a trick. They place the green 3 and the red 7 in front of them. In this case, they already have another 7, so they discard both 7s.
End of Round Scoring
After the players have played all the cards in their hands, everyone scores points for the cards they have collected. Each player adds up the values on the cards in their score area and moves their score marker that many spaces on the score tracker. (Move the marker forward for positive points and backward for negative points.) A score marker cannot go below 0.
Next Round
If a player has not yet exceeded 40 points, take all cards, shuffle them, and deal out a new hand of cards to each player to start the next round.
The player with the lowest score leads the first trick for the next round. If players are tied for the lowest score, they are ignored and the player with the next lowest score goes first. If all players are tied for the lowest score, choose a random player to lead.
End of the Game
If a player scores more than 40 points, they fall off the castle, ending the game. Any player with more than 40 points cannot win the game.
The player with the highest score (but less than or equal to 40 points) wins the game.
If there is a tie for the highest score, those players are eliminated, and the next highest score wins. It is possible that no one wins.
If all players end up with more than 40 points in the same round, the player with the highest score wins.
Credits
Game Design & Original Japanese Edition: Yoshiharu Nakahara
OFFICE DOG GAMES
- Head of Studio: Mike Hummel
- Illustration: Weberson Santiago
- Graphic Design: Randy Delven, Zack Marsh, Tony Mastrangeli
- Creative Direction: Bree Woodward
- Art Direction: Tony Mastrangeli
- English Game Development: Bryan Bornmueller, Taylor Reiner
- Production: Ellie Gentry, Guadalupe Gonzalez
- Copy Editing: Dan Varrette
- Marketing: Britta Fisher, Krystal Rose, Preston Wing
- Office Dog Team: Randy Delven, Kevin Ellenburg, Britta Fisher, Ellie Gentry, Guadalupe Gonzalez, Mike Hummel, Waleed Ma'arouf, Zack Marsh, Tony Mastrangeli, Charlie McCarron, Krystal Rose, Preston Wing, Bree Woodward, Toby the Office Dog
- Special Thanks: Justin Anger, Michael Blomberg, Bryan Bornmueller, Teresa Dery, Halley Feil, Eric Gajdostik, Thomas Gallecier, Laura Huls, Ellen Pahr, Luke Peterschmidt, Alex Schlee, Jacinda Wilson, Madeleine Wright
Office Dog Games is committed to diverse representation and accessible gaming for all. If you have any concerns or suggestions, please contact us through our website.
Special thanks to all our playtesters!
Rules Summary
Setup
- 5 Players: Deal 10 cards to each player.
- 4 Players: Deal 12 cards to each player. Set aside the 2 leftover cards, facedown.
- 3 Players: Remove the -2, -1, and 9 cards of each suit from the game. Deal 12 to each player. Set aside the 2 leftover cards, facedown.
Round Overview
- The lead player leads any card from their hand.
- The remaining players, in clockwise order, must follow suit, if able. If a player cannot follow suit, they may play any card from their hand.
- Once all players have played 1 card to the trick, the player with the second-highest card of the lead suit wins the trick and leads the next trick. If there is only 1 card in the lead suit, it wins the trick.
- Repeat these steps until players have no cards left in their hand.
- End of Round: Update the Score Tracker.
Quick Reference
- The second-highest card matching the lead suit wins the trick.
- Won duplicates are eliminated.
- The game ends when any player exceeds 40 points. That player is eliminated, and the remaining player with the highest points wins.