Silencio Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Story, Overview and Goal of the Game
• Components
• Setup
• First Player and Passing Cards
• Turn
• End of the Game
• Shrines
• Effects
  • Red (Fire)
  • Blue (Water)
  • Yellow (Sun)
  • Green (Leaf)
• Game Variants
  • Tavern
  • Dark Shrines

Story, Overview and Goal of the Game

You play with your companions as one team, but you cannot say a word to each other. On your turn, play one of your cards. Each card is laid in the row of the matching colour and must have a higher value than the previous card in that row. Depending on whether the value of the card follows directly after the value of the previous card played to that row or not, different effects occur. Use them wisely to help your team play as many cards as possible.

Game info: 2-4 players, ages 10+, about 15 minutes.

Components

• 48 journey cards in 4 colours
• 1 first player card
• 1 large shrine card
• 4 small shrine cards
• 1 tavern card (for a game variant)

Setup

1. Lay out the shrine cards in a vertical column in the centre of the table, starting with the large (purple) shrine. Shrines are laid light side up.
2. Take the journey cards of all 4 colours (red, blue, yellow, green) and select them according to the value range and number of players (see the table). Return the extra cards to the box.

Card values	Players	Cards per player
2-8	2	6
2-10	3	6
2-13	4	5

3. Shuffle the selected journey cards and deal each player 5 or 6 cards face down, depending on the number of players.
4. Never discuss your cards, nor possible or previous moves. Neither with words nor with sounds: SILENCIO!
5. Place the remaining cards as a face-down deck. Take cards from the top of the deck, one card per player, and lay them face up next to the deck. These cards (as many as there are players) are the oracle. Place the first player card next to the deck.

Example for 3 players: the first player card and the deck are beside the table centre, the oracle is 3 cards (3 players = 3 cards), and each of the three players holds a hand face down.

First Player and Passing Cards

Silently determine the first player. This player takes the first player card.

Then, starting with the first player, each player in turn passes one card from their hand to the player on their left. Look at your new card before deciding which card to pass on. As soon as the first player has received a card, begin the game.

If you cannot silently decide who will be the first player, you all lose.

Turn

Play proceeds clockwise, starting with the first player. On your turn, play a card from your hand into one of the rows of small shrine cards of the same colour (each small shrine of its colour defines a row), and the value on your card must be higher than that of the last card in that horizontal row.

The card must be played into the row of the same colour. Your card must have a higher value than the previous card played into that row.

Example: Kostya plays a red four, which fits the red row by colour and by value (4 is greater than 1). Borya wanted to play his red two, but he cannot, because that row already has a red card with a higher value (4 is greater than 2). Instead he plays a blue three.

When you play a card, you apply either its light effect or its dark effect.

• You play the light effect if the value on your card is not the next one in order after the previous card. Play this card light half up. Only you decide whether to use the light effect or not.
• You play the dark effect when the value on your card follows directly after the value of the previous card played of this colour, and it is not the last card in your hand. Play this card dark half up. You cannot skip the dark effect. If it requires any decisions from you, make them yourself.

Example: The value of Borya's blue three does not follow directly after the previous card in the blue row (the small blue shrine, value 1). He plays this card light half up. Now he decides how to use the light effect (he adds the red four to his hand, see "Effects" on page 8). Alya plays a blue four, which follows the blue three. She plays the blue four dark half up. Now she decides how to use the dark effect: she must give an oracle card to another player of her choice (see "Effects" on page 8).

End of the Game

If on your turn you cannot play a card, or you have no cards in hand, you must pass.

If you can play a card by the rules, you cannot pass! Even if you passed now, on your next turn you may be able to play a card again.

If no player can play a card, the game ends. Count the number of cards remaining in all players' hands. The fewer cards, the better your result (see the table on page 7).

2 players	3 players	4 players	Result
0 cards	0 cards	0 cards	Perfect! Now try the harder game variant "Dark Shrines".
1-2 cards	1-3 cards	1-4 cards	You almost managed to get rid of all the cards. Try playing again!
3+ cards	4+ cards	5+ cards	Don't lose hope, everything is still ahead! Try the easier game variant "Tavern".

Shrines

At the beginning or at the end of your turn you may take any light shrine from the centre of the table. If you take the large (purple) shrine, immediately apply any light effect of your choice. If you take a small shrine, immediately apply the corresponding light effect. Return the shrine to its place dark side up. You cannot take more than one shrine per turn. Each shrine can be used only once.

A free additional effect! But only if you do not pass!

Effects

You decide for yourself whether to apply light effects or not, but you are obliged to play dark effects.

Red (Fire)

• Light effect: If the next played card creates a dark effect, skip that effect.
• Dark effect: If the next played card creates a light effect, skip that effect.

Blue (Water)

• Light effect: Add the last played card from another (not blue) row to your hand. (Only blue cards remain where they were played.)
• Dark effect: Give one oracle card to another player. Place the top card of the deck in the empty spot of the oracle. (You may give an oracle card to a player who has no cards in hand.)

Yellow (Sun)

• Light effect: Place a card from your hand face up in front of you. Now any player can play this card as if it were in their hand. If this is the only card that can be played by the rules on your turn, you cannot pass and must play it. If a player has no cards (in hand or in front of them) that they can play by the rules on their turn, they are not required to play a card lying in front of another player and may pass. (If you have no cards in hand, the card in front of you counts as your only card.)
• Dark effect: The next player must shuffle the cards in their hand and play a random card. If they cannot lay this card in one of the rows by the rules (matching colour and increasing value), they return it to their hand and take a normal turn. (The player does not shuffle the cards lying on the table in front of them.)

Green (Leaf)

• Light effect: Choose a player; they perform one of the following three actions (you may choose yourself to perform the action):
  1. Player-player swap: The chosen player gives any other player a card from their hand. Then that player gives them a card from their hand.
  2. Player-oracle swap: The chosen player takes an oracle card, then replaces it with a card from their hand.
  3. Oracle change: The chosen player returns all the oracle cards to the box and reveals 1 card per player.
• Dark effect: The next played card must be green. The green card with the highest value cannot create this effect (2 players: 8; 3 players: 10; 4 players: 13). If you cannot play a green card, you must pass. If all players pass, the game ends.

Game Variants

Tavern

The Tavern variant greatly simplifies the game and lets newcomers try their strength. The tavern card has an open door drawn on one side and a closed door on the other. During setup, place the tavern card closed side up in the centre of the table. Flip it open side up when the third dark effect is created. If the tavern card is open side up, you may take it at the start of your turn to immediately say one phrase. For example:

• "I have this many cards that I cannot play."
• "I have only cards with a high value of a certain colour."
• "Please do not play cards of such-and-such colour."

After that, place the tavern card in the centre of the table closed side up. You may flip it again only when three new dark effects have been created.

Dark Shrines

You can make the game harder by placing the large shrine, the small shrines, or even all the shrines dark side up during setup. This is a real challenge for seasoned scholars.