Snarkas Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Contents
• FAQ
• Setup
• Play
• Special Cards
  • ZAP Cards
  • Aster and Jolt Cards
• The Snarkas Play
• Scoring
• Winning

Object

The goal of the game is to capture cards and collect the most gems.

Contents

• 52 Game Cards: Number Cards, Aster and Jolt Cards, ZAP Cards.
• 8 Snarkas Gems.
• 3 Bonus Scoring Cards.

Ages 7+. 2 to 4 players. About 15 minutes.

FAQ

Can I play more than 1 card on my turn? Not in this galaxy.

Does the table always need 4 cards face up? Nope. The number of cards on the table starts with 4 in the Flop, but changes throughout the game. There could be zero cards or lots more than 4 on the table at any time.

If I have a card in my hand that matches a card on the table, do I have to play it at that time? No way! Play whatever card you like. But if you play a card that can capture cards from the table, you must capture those cards.

Can I count cards in this game? Absolutely. There are 4 of every card in the game.

Can a 2 with gems on it capture a 2 with no gems? Positively, since the card number matches.

How do I turn Snarkas into a longer game? Play best of 3, or race to 100 gems. House rules are encouraged!

Setup

1. Set all Snarkas Gems and Bonus Scoring Gems to the side.

2. One player will shuffle and deal a hand of six game cards face down to each player.

   • In a 3-player game, each hand is four cards.

3. Deal 4 cards face up onto the table ("The Flop").

   • If any ZAP cards are in The Flop, put those back into the middle of the deck, and replace them with other game cards.

4. A 4-player game is played with 2 teams. Teammates must not be next to each other in player order.

Play

1. The player to the left of the dealer goes first.

2. On your turn, play ONE card from your hand onto the table. This card is either added to the Flop, or it is used to capture cards.

3. Capture all cards that match your card AND all cards that add up to the number of the card you played.

   When you capture cards, move the cards that you capture and the card you played into your scoring pile (not back into your hand).

   Examples (from the rules sheet): a played 7 captures a 7 on the table ("Matches 7"), and a played 7 captures a set of table cards that add up to 7 ("Adds up to 7"). Move all into your scoring pile.

4. Play rotates clockwise to the next player.

5. When all players have run out of cards in their hand, a new hand of cards is dealt to all players, and play begins again with the player to the left of the dealer.

6. Play continues until all players have run out of cards in their hands, and there are no cards left in the deck. Any cards left on the table go to the scoring pile of whoever last captured any cards.

Special Cards

ZAP Cards

• Play a ZAP card to capture all the cards on the table.
• No Snarkas gem is awarded when you play a ZAP card.
• After a ZAP card is played, the next player must play a card onto an empty table.
• If a ZAP card is ever played onto an empty table, that ZAP card stays on the table until another ZAP is played.

Aster and Jolt Cards

• These space robots have no numerical value and do not count as gems.
• Capture Aster cards by playing an Aster card.
• Capture Jolt cards by playing a Jolt card.
• Capture all 4 Asters or all 4 Jolts to earn scoring bonuses.

The Snarkas Play

Capture all the cards from the table without using a ZAP card, and yell "SNARKAS!" This earns you a super shiny 10 gem SNARKAS bonus!

After a SNARKAS play, the next player must play a card onto an empty table.

Scoring

After all cards in the deck have been played, players will determine their scores.

NOTE: In a 4-player game, combine scoring piles with your teammate.

• If you have the most cards in your scoring pile, you earn the Most Cards bonus, worth 3 gems. If there's a tie for most cards, nobody receives the bonus.
• If you have all 4 Asters in your scoring pile, you earn the Aster bonus, worth 4 gems.
• If you have all 4 Jolts in your scoring pile, you earn the Jolt bonus, worth 4 gems.

Count all the gems in your scoring pile (including gems on ZAP cards and gems on number cards). Add any scoring bonuses and Snarkas Gems that you have.

Example on the rules sheet: 17 gems.

Winning

If you have the most gems, you win!