Sponsio Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Game Components
• Game Set-up
• Round Overview, Gameplay
  • Phase I – Betting Phase (also called Sponsio)
  • Phase II – Trick Phase
  • Phase III – Scoring Phase
  • End of the Round
• End of the Game
• The Counter-Bet Coupon
• Tokens

Overview

At the beginning of the round, you have four turns to set various aims through placing bets in a trick-taking game. You can place a bet on winning tricks, on the colour of the cards in the winning tricks, on the last trick, on the taking of the highest cards, or even on an opponent's failure to win a bet. You can place up to 4 bets, but it also pays off if sometimes – instead of betting – you choose to increase the chances of your bets, double the odds, or change one of your bets.

You can claim victory in one of two ways: (1) collect 30 coins or (2) win 9 bets in a row.

Game Components

• 4 player boards, 4 sequence markers
• 36 gladiator cards – four colours with values from 1 to 9
• 16 betting coupons, 20 betting markers

The core items of the game – you mark your tips on these for the upcoming tricks. In a 3-player game, you use 8, in a 4-player game, 12.

Fig. 1: Each coupon includes multiple bets, each having certain odds indicating how many times the amount paid will a player get in coins in case of a correct tip. A player can place 5 different kinds of bets:

• how many tricks the player will win – (cappuccino colour);

• how many cards of a given colour the player will have in his taken tricks – (green, yellow, blue and red colours);

• whether he wins the last trick or not – (brown);

• each 9 will take a trick or not – (dark brown);

• the chosen opponent will lose at least one bet (XVI).

• 4 ability tokens – each provides an extra action or ability.

• 44 coins – with values of 1, 5, and 10.

Fig. 2: 4-player game set-up – coins, 12 coupons, 4 tokens. During the deal, the talon cards are placed next to them.

Fig. 3: Each player has a board in front of them where they keep their coins and track their consecutively won bets (the player moves a marker on the counter). The left side of the board is the betting zone (the coupons are placed here), while the right side is the information zone (open cards are placed here).

Game Set-up

1. Place all the coins in the middle of the table – this will be the bank.
2. Place a player board in front of yourself.
3. Take a sequence marker, and place it on the starting position of the board.
4. Take coins with a total value of 10, and place them on your board.
5. In a 3-player game, remove a colour of your choice from the deck.
6. Place the betting coupons in the middle of the table (near the coins):
   • In a 3-player game, use the coupons numbered from I to VIII (except the one for the colour you removed) and the number XVI (counter-bet coupon).
   • In a 4-player game, use the coupons numbered from V to XVI.
7. Place the ability tokens near the betting coupons.

Now the multiple-round game can start, the oldest player being the dealer!

Round Overview, Gameplay

Each round is divided into 3 phases: Betting phase → Trick phase → Scoring phase.

During the first phase, each player builds up his hand, and tries to place as many bets as possible for the upcoming trick phase. Finally, in the scoring phase, players collect the coins for their winning bets, for the rounds they have won, and – if applicable – for their consecutive winning bets.

Phase I – Betting Phase (also called Sponsio)

The dealer shuffles the cards, and deals 8 cards to each player, one at a time, clockwise. The remaining cards – talon cards – are placed face up next to the tokens (Fig. 2).

The phase consists of 4 turns. Starting with the player to the dealer's left, players take turns clockwise. In a turn, the player can either pass or lay down a card (face up) on the information zone (on the right side of the player board), and perform one action:

• A. Place a bet: You take a coupon, place it in the betting zone, mark your bet, pay 1 coin to the bank.

• B. Take a token: You take a token, pay its price and gain an extra action or an ability.

• C. Change a card: You take a talon card, and replace it with a card from your hand.

• (1) The cards laid down are open cards, these cannot be changed.

• (2) You cannot have two coupons of the same colour – Ex.: the V and the VI.

Price of the tokens: 1 coin that you pay to the bank OR you lay down another open card – the cost is shown on each token.

If a player doesn't place a bet by the end of the 4th turn, he becomes a Troll and wins by spoiling the opponents' bets. There can be more Trolls but not everyone: if no bet was placed until the 4th turn, the dealer must place one!

Phase II – Trick Phase

Each player has 8 cards for the trick-play: his hand and the open cards.

The player who takes the Combat token begins the first trick by playing the card beneath the token (see Combat token at the end). If no one takes it, the player to the dealer's left begins the first trick by playing any card.

Play continues clockwise with each player placing a card matching the lead colour, if he can. If he cannot, then the player may play any card. The player with the highest card of the lead colour takes the trick (and places it in front of him). The winner of the trick leads the next trick with any card of his choice, and play continues until all cards have been played.

Important: Each time you win with a 9, you place it face up in front of you!

Phase III – Scoring Phase

1. Each player evaluates his bets. The coupons with the lost bets are turned face down, whereas on the coupons with winning bets are placed coins from the bank in an equal value to the odds indicated near the bet. In case of a double bet, you place double the amount. Important: the counter-bet coupon goes to the player who used it.

   Troll: places 2 coins in his betting zone for each opponent's lost bet. If there were no lost bets, he pays 4 coins to the bank.

2. Each player moves his sequence marker. If the player won every bet, he moves his marker forward on the sequence counter: 1 space for each winning coupon they possess. However, if the player has at least 1 lost bet, he moves his marker back to the starting position.

   Troll: moves his sequence marker 1 space for every lost bet of his opponents. But if all bets are won he moves his marker to the starting position.

3. Starting with the player to the dealer's left, clockwise, each player decides whether to redeem or not the coins for his marker's position on the sequence counter. They can get coins according to the value of their position on the counter, and then move their marker back to the starting position.

4. The player with most coins won becomes the winner of the round, and takes 2 bonus coins. If there are more winners, they will get 1 coin each. Important: Every coin in the betting zone counts: coins for the won bets, the sequence counter, and those placed on the 3-Coin token (see 3-Coin token).

Fig. 4 – Peter made 4 bets and won 2 tricks – with a red 9 and a green 9, neither being the last trick.

• His first bet – Winning exactly 2 tricks! He has won 2 tricks, so he wins this bet (the odds is 5, so he places 5 coins on the coupon).
• Second bet – He will have 1, 2, 3, or 4 red cards! He has 3 red cards at the end, so he wins this bet as well (places 3 coins on the coupon). You place bets the same way with the green, yellow, and blue coupons.
• Third bet – Each 9 will take! The blue 9 did not, so he loses this bet. He turns this coupon face down.
• Fourth bet – He will not win the last trick! Neither of his tricks was the last one, so he wins this bet as well (places 2 coins on the coupon).

Because Peter lost a bet, he moves his sequence marker to the starting position. (If the blue 9 would have also taken a trick, he would have won all his bets, he could move his marker 4 spaces forward, and his counter's worth would be 6 – should he decide to redeem it).

Peter won 10 coins – these will count when deciding the round winner.

End of the Round

The round ends with the distribution of the bonus coins. Each player collects his coins on his board and announces their sum.

If none of the players reached a victory condition, the coupons and tokens will be returned to their position, and a new round begins. The dealer will be the player with the most coins; in case of a tie, the previous dealer.

End of the Game

The game ends when a player fulfils one of the two victory conditions: either collects at least 30 coins or reaches the 9th space on the sequence counter.

(1) If more players fulfil, the player who has reached the end of the sequence counter wins.

(2) If more players fulfil the same victory condition, the player with the most coins wins. If it is still a tie, the player with the most coins won in the last round wins. If there is still a tie, multiple players win.

If no one has reached a victory condition by the end of round 5, each player redeems the coins for his sequence and the player with the most coins wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most coins won in the last round wins. If there is still a tie, multiple players win.

The Counter-Bet Coupon

The counter-bet coupon is the only coupon placed in front of an opponent. You bet on your opponent losing at least 1 of his bets!

During the scoring phase, you return your coupon in your betting zone. If your opponent has lost at least one of his bets (you win the counter-bet), you place 3 coins on it from the bank. If your opponent has won all of his bets (you lose the counter-bet), you turn it face down.

Important: You can also use the doubling token with this bet!

Tokens

Combat token: You immediately place an open card in front of your board (face up), and place the token on it. You will start the trick phase by playing the card from beneath the token.

Doubling token: You place it in your betting zone, allowing you to place a double bet in a following turn (if you want to). When you use it you take a coupon, place the token and 2 betting markers on it, and pay 2 coins to the bank. If you win, you get double the amount of coins indicated by the odds.

Changing token: Immediately place it on one of your coupons, and you can change the bet (only if you want to). Important: you cannot change a doubled bet. You also cannot change a bet if you have the counter-bet coupon placed in front of you.

3-Coin token: Place it immediately in your betting zone, and place 3 of your coins on it. These will count when deciding the round winner.