Stumped
Stumped Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
A game for 2-4 players (Note: 5-8 player game is possible with 2 copies. See Page 4 for details)
Playtime: 30 minutes
Ages: 12+
Contents
75 Basic Resource Cards
- 25 dirt cards
- 25 water cards
- 25 sun cards
70 Action Cards
- 42 action cards (x2)
20 Energy Cards
- 10 Fancy Fertilizer Cards
- 10 Impressive Irrigation Cards
4 Tree Bases
4 Tree Trunks
16 Tree Branches
48 Tree Leaves
- 12 Green, 12 Pink, 12 Yellow, and 12 Brown
8 Fruit Pieces
1 Rulebook
Important Terminology
Basic Resources: Basic resources are the Sun, Dirt, and Water cards.
Energy Cards: Energy cards are the Fancy Fertilizer, and Impressive Irrigation cards. Basic resources can also be played as Energy cards, but are not referred to as such.
Action Cards: All cards other than those 2 types listed above.
Roots: An area in which players will play basic resource cards during their turn to later grow their tree. This area is directly underneath where each player sets up their plant base.
Plant Segments: Fruit, leaves, branches, and the trunk are all plant segments.
Mulch: When a card is "mulched" it is removed from the game.
Setup
Each player begins the game with an identical hand of cards (5 dirt cards). Give these starting cards to each player. Also give each player 1 Tree Base, 1 Tree Trunk, 4 Tree Branches, 10 Leaves, and 2 Fruit Pieces.
Shuffle the 70 action cards and place them face down in the middle of the table. (Optional: Feel free to remove any sets of 2 action cards that don't mesh well with your group's play style). Draw the top 8 cards and lay them face-up in 2 rows of 4 next to this deck. These 8 face-up cards from the market.
Editor's note: the sentence above ends with a fragment ("These 8 face-up cards from the market.") as printed in the draft; the intended wording is not stated in the source.
Place the 25 Water cards, 25 Sun cards, and remaining Dirt cards each in their own deck above the market.
Finally, place the 10 Fancy Fertilizer Cards, and 10 Impressive Irrigation Cards face-up in their own deck above the Water, Sun, and Dirt Cards.
Gameplay
Each player's turn consist of 4 simple steps or phases.
- Growth Phase
- Action Phase
- Market Phase
- Renewal Phase
Phase 1: Growth Phase
On the first turn of each game the growth phase does not apply because no one has played cards in their roots yet. It is, however, important to start each turn with this phase in later parts of the game.
During the growth phase, players check their roots to see if they have any complete sets in them (1 Sun, 1 Dirt, and 1 Water card). If they do, they immediately move that set from their roots to their discard pile and get +2 growth for their plant. There is no limit to the number of sets that can be discarded in this way on a given turn. Also, players must discard each complete set that they have. Players then immediately use the growth to grow their plants as follows:
- 1 Growth = 1 trunk, 1 branch, or 1 leaf
- 2 Growth = 1 fruit
Note: A maximum of 2 fruit can be purchased in the basic game. Each fruit on a player's tree increases their hand limit by 1. (e.g. A player with 2 fruit on their tree would draw 7 cards during the Renewal phase rather than 5).
Important: You must grow the trunk first, and then at least 1 branch before you can grow leaves and fruit. Fruit must be placed on the end of a branch and leaves in 1 of the 3 side holes in the branch. You are also allowed to grow branches from existing branches using the side or end holes.
Phase 2: Action Phase
To do the action phase properly it is very important to understand the definition of action cards, basic resource cards, and energy cards. Please refer to these in the "Important Terminology" section on Page 1 if you are unsure of their exact meaning.
During this phase, players may play up to 3 action cards, performing the action listed on the cards. Players may also play any number of basic resource cards from their hand into their roots. When players play basic resource cards into their roots they will make stacks below their tree as shown. Each stack will hold 1 type of resource. Basic resource cards that are played in the roots will stay there until a complete set is formed and they have a growth phase on the following turn (See growth phase). In addition, players may play any number of energy cards.
Note: Basic resource cards can be played either in the roots, or as an energy card.
Editor's note: the draft contains an unresolved author comment here, reproduced as printed: "(Need to clarify that money cards must be played after action cards)". The source does not give the final wording of this rule.
Example Action Phase: Let's say that I have 4 dirt cards, and 1 impressive irrigation card in my hand on a turn. I could play 2 dirt in my roots (as basic resource cards), and play 2 dirt and the impressive irrigation card as energy cards. This would give me +4 Energy during the market phase and I would be closer to growing my plant by placing basic resources in my roots. Notice that I did not use any action cards.
Phase 3: Market Phase
During this phase, players calculate the amount of energy gained from energy cards or action cards during the Action Phase this turn and can use this energy to buy up to 2 cards which they must then place in their discard pile. Cards can be bought from the market deck or from the other face-up piles in the middle play area. Card costs are found in the bottom-right corner of each card. After a card is bought from the market, a new card is immediately drawn from the market deck to replace it.
Occasionally the market deck may run out through the use of the "Flash Flood" card or other cards. If this happens simply shuffle the discarded market cards and form a new deck.
Note: Energy does not accumulate from turn to turn. All unused energy is lost at the end of the market phase.
Phase 4: Renewal Phase
Players discard their hand, and all cards played in the play area except those played in the roots. After discarding, the player's turn is over and they draw 5 new cards for their next turn (or 6-7 with fruit). If a player does not have enough cards in their deck to draw up to 5 cards, they draw what remains of the deck and then shuffle their discard pile to make a new deck.
Game End
The game ends when a player's plant has 10 leaves at any time during their turn. That player is the winner.
Variants
2 Player Epic Game
If you are playing Stumped with 2 players you have the option of playing a longer game where the game is won when a player has 20 leaves on their tree. Setup is the same as the base game except for the differences below.
- 8 branches per player instead of 4 branches
- 20 leaves per player instead of 10
- 4 fruit per player instead of 2
Note: With 4 fruit per player a hand limit of 9 is possible.
5-8 Player Epic Game
A 5-8 player epic game is also possible if you own 2 copies of the game. It has the same setup as mentioned above.
Editor's note: the draft's 5-8 player section ends here and refers to "Page 4" for details that are not included in the text export. Nothing further is transcribed.