SCOUT
SCOUT Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 45 Cards
- 23 Scout Chips
- 30 Score Chips
- Game Manual
- 5 Scout & Show Chips
- Starting Player Marker
1. Objective
Try to put together and play a stronger set of cards than the other players in order to earn points. Cards that are lined up consecutively are stronger, but you cannot reorder the cards in your hand. Skillfully "Scout" new cards and put on a "Show" while you create a strong hand to try and earn many points. Play as many rounds as there are players; the player with the most total points at the end is the winner!
2. Setting Up the Game
Decide on a starting player. This player takes the Starting Player Marker.
Depending on the number of players, return the cards shown below back to the box.
| 3 players | 2 or 4 players | 5 players |
|---|---|---|
| Cards with "10" written on them (9 cards) | Card with both "9" and "10" written on it. (1 card) | When playing with 5 players, all cards will be used. Do not return any cards to the box. |
Take out Scout & Show chips equal to the amount of players. Return any extra chips to the box.
3. Setting Up the Round
- Place all of the Scout chips in the center of the table.
- Give all players 1 Scout & Show chip each.
- Shuffle the cards well and deal all of them to the players. For 3 players, each player receives 12 cards, for 4 players, 11 cards, and for 5 players, 9 cards. (When shuffling the cards, make sure to shuffle the position of the cards in the deck as well as the orientation of the top and bottom of the cards.)
!! Do not put the cards in your hand until all the cards have been dealt.
- Once all the cards have been dealt, place them in your hand so that the other players cannot see the numbers.
- Hold the cards in your hand so that you can see the large numbers in the top left. From this point on, these numbers in the top left will be referred to as your hand.
!! During a round, you are not allowed to rearrange the cards in your hand to the left or right or change the orientation of the top and bottom of the cards.
- However, only at the start of a round (immediately after checking your hand) you may change the orientation of all your cards at the same time.
4. Your Turn
- Take turns going clockwise from the starting player. During your turn, you must choose and take one of the following actions.
A. Show
Choose a set of cards from your hand and place it on the table in front of you. This action is called "Show". If you will "Show", you must follow the next 2 rules.
Rule 1
If you only Show 1 card, you may choose any card from your hand. If you will Show more than 1 card, you must only play consecutive cards from your hand.
What are consecutive cards?
When playing more than 1 card from your hand, the cards must either be "consecutive numbers" or "matching numbers". When playing consecutive numbers, the numbers can either be in ascending order or descending order. (There is no limit to how many cards you can play as one set.)
Rule 2
The set that was shown immediately before your turn is called the "Active Set". If there is no Active Set, then you can play any set you want. (At the start of a round, there is no Active Set.) If there is an Active Set, you must Show a set that is stronger than the Active Set.
What is a stronger set?
First, check how many cards there are.
The set with more cards is the stronger set. If your set has more cards than the Active Set, you may Show them.
However, if your set has fewer cards than the Active Set, you cannot Show that set.
Next, check the type of set.
If the amount of cards in both sets is the same, a set with matching cars is stronger that a set with consecutive cards. If the Active Set is a set of consecutive cards, you may Show a set of matching cards. However, on the other hand, if the Active Set is a set of matching cards, you cannot Show a set of consecutive cards.
Finally, check the numbers in the set.
If both the number of cards in the set and the type of set are the same, compare the smallest number card in each set. If your card is higher you may Show your set. If your card is lower, or if the cards have the same number, you cannot Show yor set.
- If you are able to Show your cards, turn over the current Active Set and place them near you to be used as a score counter.
- The cards that you just Showed now become the new Active Set and you are the "owner" of the set.
B. Scout
Take one card from the Active Set (if there is more than 1 card, take a card from either end of the set), and place it anywhere in your hand. You may also change the orientation of the top and bottom of the card. This action is called "Scout".
- The owner of the Active Set, takes a Scout Chip from the center of the table and places it near them. (Imagine that there is an infinite amount of Scout Chips available. If you run out of Scout Chips, please use your own coins as a replacement.)
- After Scouting, as long as there is at least 1 card remaining in the Active Set, it will continue to be the Active Set. The owner does not change. If the Active Set now has 0 cards, the next player may Show any cards that they want.
C. Scout & Show
- By using your Scout & Show chip and placing it in the middle of the table, you can Show your set immediately after Scouting the Active Set.
- Each player can only use their Scout & Show chip once per round.
5. Ending the Round
If any player achieves any of the below conditions, the round end immediately.
- Run out of cards after a Show.
- After a Show, all the other players could not (or did not) Show their own cards and only Scouted.
6. Calculating the Score
Calculate the score and players take their score chips.
- Each card that was collected and turned over and each Scout chip is worth 1 point.
- Lose 1 point for each card remaining in your hand. However, the payer that met condition "2" does not lose any points.
- The Scout & Show chip and the Active set are not counted towards your score.
7. Ending the Game
- The player to the left of the current Starting Player takes the Starting Player marker and becomes the next Starting Player. Return the Scout chips to the center of the table, return each player's Scout & Show chips, and go back to Setting Up the Round.
2-Player Rules
- In step 3. "Setting Up the Round", each player takes 3 Scout chips. The Scout & Show chips will not be used.
- Deal 11 cards to each player. After dealing the cards for the first round there will be 22 cards remaining. Set these cards aside to be dealt during the second round.
- During your turn, you can either Show or Scout. You will not Scout & Show. When you Scout, you must place 1 of your Scout chips in the center of the table. If you are not able to place a Scout chip, you cannot Scout. If you Scout, you will continue to take more turns.
- If any player achieves any of the below conditions, the round ends immediately.
- Run out of cards after a Show.
- After a Show, the other player could not Show or Scout.
- Change the Starting Player and return to Setting Up the Round. (For round 2, each player once again takes 3 Scout chips and then deals the cards that were set aside previously.)