Steam Court
Steam Court Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 10 character cards
- 2 decks of cards. Each deck contains:
- 6 of each gear card 1–12
- 3 Putsch cards
- 3 Multiplier cards
- 3 3/9 cards
- 3 6/12 cards
- 2 playmats
- 40 gear tokens
- 10 character tokens
- Instruction manual
Setup
Seat order diagram (character seat numbers in brackets). Royal Table: Queen (10), General (9), Duke (8), Alchemist (7), Tea Boy (6). Renegade Table: Submariner (5), Inspector (4), Plague Doctor (3), Pirate (2), Vagabond (1).
4–5 Player Game
Choose to play at either the Royal Table or Renegade Table and follow the seat order diagram for set up. Gather the corresponding character tokens and randomly draw a token to determine initial seating order. Once seated, place tokens on the playmat in descending character order. Use one deck of cards for play.
6 Player Game
Set up the Royal Table according to the seat order diagram and insert the Inspector seat between the Alchemist and the Tea Boy. Gather the corresponding character tokens and randomly draw a token to determine initial seating order. Once seated, place tokens on the playmat in descending character order. Use one deck of cards for play.
7 Player Game
Set up the Royal Table and seat players in the following order: Queen, General, Duke, Alchemist, Inspector, Pirate, Tea Boy. Gather the corresponding character tokens and randomly draw a token to determine initial seating order. Once seated, place tokens on the playmat in descending character order. Take one of each numbered card (1–12) from the Renegade Table's deck and add them to the Royal Table's deck before play.
8–10 Player Game
Set up two tables according to the seat order diagram. Remove 1 character of your choice for 9 players. For 8 players, remove 1 character from each table. Gather the corresponding character tokens and randomly draw a token to determine initial seating order. Once seated, place tokens on the playmat at each table in descending character order. Each table will play independently with its own deck of cards.
At the end of the Quarter, the two players at the Renegade Table to get rid of their cards first are promoted to the Court and will reseat as the two lowest players at the Royal Table. Also, the last two players to get rid of their cards at the Royal Table are banished from the Court and will reseat as the top two players at the Renegade Table. (e.g. the player who goes out first at the Renegade Table and takes the Submariner token would reseat as the Alchemist. The player who goes out last at the Royal Table and takes the Tea Boy token would reseat as the Inspector.)
Game Play
Shuffle and deal the deck of cards into hands for each player at that table plus an extra hand called the "Court Hand." Each player should have an equal number of cards. Extra cards are placed in the Court Hand.
Starting with the Queen (or highest player) and going in descending order, players use their special privileges listed on the back of each character card.
The highest player at the table starts the very first "trick." He may play any quantity of cards of the same value (e.g. three 2s). Subsequent players must play the same quantity of matching cards as the first player but of increasing value (e.g. three 3s -> three 5s).
If unable or unwilling to play, players pass (turning their character card around to the "Pass" side) and sit out for the rest of the trick.
Play proceeds around and around the table with players continuing to lay cards until everyone passes. Whoever plays the highest card(s) wins the trick. The cards are set to the side, everyone else turns their character card back to the front (indicating that everyone is active), and the winner leads off the next trick.
The player to get rid of all of his cards first lays his character card flat on the table and takes the top character token. Play continues around the table on that trick until everyone has passed. If no higher cards were played, the player to the left of the player who went out starts the next trick.
Game play continues, and as players get rid of all their cards they take the top character token. The Quarter ends when only one player is left with cards. That player takes the last character token. All players leave their current seat and character card and move to the seat indicated on their character token (or the order in which they went out). The player who went out first becomes the highest player at the table for the next Quarter. (e.g. The Duke gets rid of his cards first and takes the Queen character token. When the Quarter is over, he reseats as the Queen.)
After the players have reseated, the cards are shuffled and dealt for the 2nd Quarter. Once again, players exercise their pre-Quarter privileges starting with the highest player. After the privileges have been exercised, the highest player begins the Quarter by leading the first trick.
Play proceeds in a similar fashion for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Quarters. At the end of the 4th Quarter, the player who lays all of his cards first—and becomes Court Engineer to the Queen—is the winner! (see rule variants for other victory conditions)
Explanation of Special Cards
Putsch: The Putsch card beats all other cards. As soon as a Putsch card is played, it ends the trick (you cannot beat a Putsch with another Putsch). If you are dealt three Putsch cards, you can pull a coup and seize the throne! You immediately move to the Queen's seat, and as necessary other players move down one seat. The cards are reshuffled, dealt, and then the Quarter restarts.
Multiplier (X): A Multiplier card can be played with one or more of the same numbered card(s) and the player can announce the number of times the card(s) will be multiplied (a 2 card and a Multiplier could equal two 2s, three 2s, eight 2s, infinity 2s.). A Multiplier can be played as a multiple of one (played with a 2 card as 2 x 1=2). It can also be played by itself, but it will equal a single 1 card.
3/9: The 3/9 cards can be played as either a 3 or as a 9 (whichever the player determines to be most valuable to his hand).
6/12: The 6/12 cards can be played as either a 6 or as a 12 (whichever the player determines to be most valuable to his hand).
Characters
Each character has a special privilege listed on the back of the character card. Most privileges are exercised after the cards are dealt, but before the first cards are played. Pre-Quarter privileges are exercised in order from the highest character (Queen) to the lowest (Tea Boy/Vagabond).
The Royals
The Queen: Her Royal Majesty the Queen presides over the court from her gear encrusted throne. Nothing escapes her shrewd gaze or her iron fist. The Queen grants her Engineer the ability to bestow his two most undesirable cards to the lowest player at the table. This happens at the beginning of the Quarter. The Queen's Engineer also begins play each Quarter.
The General: Second only to the Queen, the General commands respect and obedience. No one dares to cross him and his arsenal. At the beginning of the Quarter, the General's Engineer may give one of his undesirable cards to the second-lowest player at the table. Once during the Quarter, he may stop another player from laying a card/set (except for a lead card). The player does not forfeit the trick, but must wait until play goes all the way around the table before laying another card.
The Duke: The Duke smiles and bows before the Queen, all the while using his connections to increase his power and influence. The Duke's Engineer need only match the previously laid card/set. He does not have to play higher valued cards: three 4s → three 4s.
The Alchemist: The Alchemist rarely emerges from his laboratory. He has no use for politics and court intrigue when he is on the verge of unlocking the mysteries of the universe. The Alchemist's Engineer may transmute one thing into another. He may lower the value of any of his numbered cards by exactly two digits.
The Tea Boy
The Tea Boy: The Tea Boy bows low, keeping his eyes on the steaming silver pot. At the beginning of the Quarter, the Tea Boy's Engineer must give his two highest numbered cards to the highest player at the table. After serving his best he may decide to trade his hand for the Court Hand (he may not look at the Court Hand before deciding), but must keep any cards given to him by other Engineers exercising their privileges. The Tea Boy tends to shirk his duties, leaving his Engineer responsible for shuffling and dealing the cards for the Quarter.
The Renegades
Submariner: Once during the Quarter, the Submariner's Engineer may reveal a numbered card from his hand, shuffle the discard pile, and then dive in and pull out that many cards. He may keep up to half of those cards. When the Submariner is played at the head of the Renegades Table, his Engineer lays first at the start of the Quarter.
Inspector: Once per Quarter, the Inspector's Engineer may look at the Court Hand as well as one other player's hand.
The Doctor: The Plague Doctor, is he a beacon of hope or an angel of death? His mere presence causes the courtiers to shudder. The Plague Doctor's Engineer may randomly draw four cards from the Court Hand. He must keep 2 cards.
Pirate: Once during the Quarter, after losing a trick, the Pirate's Engineer may retrieve the cards he played during that trick and put them back into his hand.
Vagabond: The Vagabond's Engineer must give his two highest numbered cards to the highest player at the table. He is expected to deal the cards for each Quarter.
Sample Game Play
The Queen starts the first trick of the Quarter by laying three 1s. The General lays three 3s (one of which was a 3/9 card); the Duke lays three 3s (his privilege allows him to lay the same numbered cards). The Alchemist passes. The Tea Boy has three 11s, but for sake of strategy, he passes and decides to hold on to those cards a little longer so he has a better chance of winning a trick later in the game. The Queen lays three 9s. The General lays a single 10 and a Multiplier; the Duke passes; the Alchemist already passed. The Queen lays a Putsch and wins the trick. All of the players who had passed turn their character cards back around and come back into the game.
The Queen leads the next trick by laying a single 4. The General lays an 8; the Duke lays an 11. The Alchemist passes; the Tea Boy passes. The Queen lays a 12. The General stops the Queen from laying using his privilege, then lays a 12. The Duke passes; the Queen also passes as she has no cards that can beat a 12. The General wins the trick and starts the next trick.
Variations
Victory Point Variation
During setup gather all gear tokens corresponding to the number of players (e.g. 5 players would use gears 1–5). Stack the gear tokens in descending order in 4 piles—one for each Quarter. Game play proceeds as usual, but players keep their randomly drawn character tokens the entire game instead of stacking them back on the playmat. The first player to get rid of his cards takes the highest numbered gear token, and following players do the same as they go out. Players reseat for the next Quarter according to gear number (the order they went out in).
At the end of the 4th Quarter players receive victory points for gear tokens and character tokens. The player who started with the highest character token at the table receives 1 point, second player receives 2 points, etc. Players then add the value of their 4 gear tokens to the value of their character token. The player with the most points wins.
Random Character Variation
For a slightly unbalanced game for 4–7 players, randomly choose any character tokens and seat in descending order according to the seat order diagram.
If you want to get crazy, randomize the characters and seats. Gather gear tokens corresponding to the number of players (e.g. 5 players would use gears 1–5). Randomly choose a token and seat in descending order. Then, each player, randomly choose a character token and use that character at your current seat. Using character privileges might get a little wonky, but this variation works for those lazy gamers who don't want to switch seats and can't remember which cup is theirs after moving around the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you do when the dealt cards are uneven? Every player receives the same number of dealt cards. Any extra cards go into the Court Hand. Players may have to trade cards using their privilege, resulting in uneven hands, but this is done after all the cards have been initially dealt.
If I'm the Queen and I have a set of three 1s, do I have to give two of those to the lowest player? "Undesirable" doesn't necessarily mean "lowest". If you would prefer to get rid of your single 2 so that you can play three cards on your first turn and get rid of those 1s, then give that little Tea Boy whatever you want to get rid of!
If I'm the Tea Boy/Vagabond, do I have to give away my Putsch, Multiplier, 3/9, 6/12 cards? No. You only have to give away your highest "numbered" cards, not your special cards.
When can the General stop someone from playing? Immediately before or after a player lays his card/set (except for a lead card/set), the General may stop him and make him put his card(s) back into his hand. He must stop the player before the next player lays his card(s).
Can the General stop a player from playing a Putsch card? The General can stop any player from laying ANY card(s) (as long as it is not the first card(s) to lead the trick). Since stopping a player from laying does not require them to pass and remove them from the trick, that player could still lay his Putsch card the next time around.
Is it better strategy to get rid of my low cards first? Typically it is. Especially at the beginning of the game. It is impossible to play a 1 card(s) unless you lead the trick, so getting those low cards out of your hand early will keep you from being stuck with them at the end (there are always exceptions though).
Can I pass even if I have playable cards? Yes. You may choose to pass at any time, but you will not be able to re-enter until the start of the next trick.
Can I lay two cards with a Multiplier card? Yes. If a player started the trick with three 5s, you could lay two 7s and a Multiplier.
Can a player play over his own cards in the same trick (everyone else has passed, but the active player still has cards that are playable)? Yes. Say you lay two 10s and everyone else has passed. You have two 11s and a single 4 left in your hand. The best strategy would be to lay your 11s on your 10s, win the trick, and start the next trick with your 4 and go out.
When a player goes out, do we keep playing or start a new trick? When a player runs out of cards, the other players continue playing around the table as usual. If a player plays his last card and no one else can play on that trick, the player to his left starts the next trick, and everyone is back in the game who had passed.
In the Victory Point Variation, if I pull a coup, do I get bonus points? Sure, why not.
For the most up-to-date version of the rules, please visit www.steamcourt.com/rules.