Skip-Bo Brettspiel Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Contents
• Setup
• Start of the Game
• Turn
• Moving Counters
• Completing a Discard Pile
• Winning the Game
• Board Diagram Notes

Objective

The aim of the game is to be the first to finish your "played deck" (MAZZO GIOCATA).

Contents

The game consists of:

• 1 game board
• 108 numbered cards (8 sets of 1 to 12, and 1 set of 12 Skip-Bo cards)
• 8 counters in four colors (2 for each color)

Setup

1. Place the board in the center of the table.
2. Each player chooses 2 counters of the same color and places them on the matching spaces on the board (see the colored dots at the corners of the board). For example, the blue counters are placed one in the blue corner and one in the orange corner.
3. All cards are shuffled and each player receives 10 face-down cards, which form that player's "PLAYED DECK" (MAZZO GIOCATA). The player turns face up ONLY the first card of this deck and leaves it on top of the pile.
4. One face-up card is placed on each of the 6 discard piles.
5. The remaining cards are placed on one of the 2 white areas of the board. The other white area serves as the auxiliary pile.

Start of the Game

Decide by any method who starts the game (usually the youngest player starts).

Turn

The active player must carry out the following steps.

• Draw cards from the draw pile until you have 5 cards in hand. These 5 cards make up the player's hand. Each player must begin their turn by drawing cards until they always have 5 cards in hand.

  TIP: If a player manages to use all 5 cards in hand, they must immediately draw 5 more cards and continue playing. They may draw another 5 cards each time they finish the cards they had in hand. The card on the auxiliary pile does not count as one of the cards in the round.

• Play one or more cards from the hand by placing them in correct numerical sequence on top of one of the discard piles on the board. For example, if a discard pile shows a 4, a 5 or a Skip-Bo card may be played on it, then a 6, and so on up to 12. (Skip-Bo cards are wild and may be used in place of any number.)

  NOTE: CARDS MAY ONLY BE PLACED ON DISCARD PILES WHOSE COLOR MATCHES THE COLOR OF THE BOARD SPACE WHERE THE PLAYER HAS ONE OF THEIR COUNTERS. For example, if a player is on an orange space, cards may only be placed on the orange discard pile, and only if the player has a card that can be played in numerical sequence. (How counters are positioned to reach the desired discard pile is explained below.)

  TIP: There are two pink discard piles that make it easier to discard cards. Players who want to discard cards onto a particular discard pile must first try to position their counters before they can discard cards.

  The player may use the card on top of their PLAYED DECK to discard it onto a discard pile, instead of using cards from the hand. For example, if a pile shows a 1, the player discards a 2 and then a 3 from hand, which allows them to discard the 4 on top of their PLAYED DECK. The player then immediately turns face up the next card on top of their PLAYED DECK, and if that card can be used in a sequence, they may discard it as well.

  NOTE: There are special spaces that replace the numbered card a player would like to play on a discard pile. To use one, the player's counter must be on that space. For example, the active player's counter is on the "1-4" space. The card on top of their PLAYED DECK is a 4. The top card of the discard pile they want to use is a 2. THE PLAYER MAY USE THE SPACE AS IF IT WERE THE NUMBER 3 AND PLAY THE 4 FROM THE TOP OF THEIR PLAYED DECK ONTO THE DISCARD PILE.

  A "9-12" space may be used as a 12 to complete a discard pile, even if the player does not have a 1. This lets the pile be cleared so that a new sequence can start from 1. Discard piles are emptied once the 12 has been reached, set aside, and reshuffled into the draw pile if the draw pile runs out.

Moving Counters

The number shown on the card discarded at the end of the player's turn on the auxiliary pile indicates how many spaces the player may use to move ONE of their counters in the direction shown by the arrows at the corners of the board.

ATTENTION: On the next turn, the player may use the action of the space where they placed their counter. It is therefore worth planning in advance which action will be most useful on the next turn.

If the player discards a Skip-Bo, they may move ONE of their counters any number of spaces between 1 and 12.

For example, the player discards a 7 on the auxiliary pile at the end of their turn. They may move one of their counters 7 spaces in the direction shown by the arrows at the corners of the board. Had they discarded a Skip-Bo, they could have moved ONE of their counters from 1 to 12 spaces.

During their turn, therefore, a player must discard a card on the auxiliary pile and permanently place ONE of their counters on a space of the board.

Completing a Discard Pile

A discard pile is complete once the 12 has been discarded onto it. The pile is then set aside. The free space may only be used to start a new sequence with a 1 or a Skip-Bo card.

The last sentence is printed as a callout on the board diagram; the rest is in the body text above.

Winning the Game

The first player who finishes their PLAYED DECK (MAZZO GIOCATA) wins the game.

Printed as a callout on the board diagram; the Objective above states the same aim.

Board Diagram Notes

The board diagram on the second page carries the following printed callouts. They repeat the body text above and are translated here as printed.

• "1-4, 5-8, 9-12": One of these spaces may be used, once per turn, to replace a number needed to complete a sequence (from 1 to 4, from 5 to 8, or from 9 to 12). The action may only be carried out if the player can play the next card in the sequence, from their hand or from their PLAYED DECK.
• "Skip-Bo": This space may be used, once per turn, as any number needed to complete a sequence. The action may only be carried out if the player can play the next card in the sequence, from their hand or from their PLAYED DECK.
• Draw pile spaces: These spaces may be used, once per turn, to move the face-up card on top of the PLAYED DECK to the bottom of the deck face down, so that the next card is turned up.
• "Note": Special space actions may only be carried out if the player's other counter is on a space of the color matching the discard pile in which the cards are to be placed. Example: one counter is on the 5-8 space and the other is on an orange space; the special space may be used as a 5 in the orange discard pile, where the top card is a 4.
• "Example: blue counters": The blue counters are placed one in the blue corner and one in the orange corner.
• "Cards may only be placed on discard piles whose color matches the color of the board space where the player has one of their counters."
• "Cards are shuffled and one face-up card is placed on each of the 6 discard piles."
• "Players must try to finish their PLAYED DECK in order to win the game."