Summertime
Summertime Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of Game
In the game you will buy adventure cards, which are played on the table. One group of cards has point values, the other group has multipliers. The game consists of playing the various cards on the table while trying to get the highest score.
The player who has collected the most points at the end wins.
The Game Components
- 34 Adventure Cards
- 3 Closing Cards
- 30 Tiles
- Game Board
- 2 Wooden Markers
Game Setup
- Lay the game board on the table to one side and place both counters on the "0" space. Each player chooses a marker color.
- Turn the 30 tiles face down. The player who chose the light marker takes the 15 tiles with the light colored back. The other player takes the 15 dark-backed tiles. Both players turn their tiles face up so that the items are visible.
- The 3 closing cards are laid out in a row close together with either side up.
- Shuffle the 34 adventure cards and deal two face down to each player.
- Divide the remaining 30 cards into 3 stacks of 10 cards each face down. Place a stack on top of each closing card.
- Now turn up the top card of each of the 3 stacks and place it face up in front of its stack.
Course of Play
The oldest vacationer goes first. Players alternate taking turns. Each turn consists of one of the following 3 actions:
1) Buy/play adventure cards
- The active player may buy one of the face-up cards.
- The cost of the card (3 tiles) is indicated on the top card of the stack directly behind it (i.e., from which it was turned).
- To buy a card the player must turn the three indicated tiles (from his face-up supply, face down).
Example: If a player wants to buy the "swimming pool" card (center in the diagram above), he must turn down the 3 of his tiles indicated (2 x coconut, 1 x breadfruit).
- The player places the card he has bought into his hand.
- If he chooses, the player can now play any cards from his hand – see the diagram at right.
- Important: As soon as all 3 face-up cards are removed by the players (but not before), turn up the next 3 cards.
2) Turn tiles face-up
- The active player may completely waive action 1 and instead turn all his face-down tiles face up.
- Only face-up tiles may be used to buy adventure cards.
3) Pass
- The active player may also waive actions 1 and 2 altogether and pass, doing nothing (sometimes a good strategic choice).
- If both players pass in turn, the adventure cards which are still face-up in the layout (whether one, two, or three) are returned to the box. These cards are out of play.
- Then 3 new adventure cards are turned up, and the player who passed first continues.
A player's turn ends when he has taken one of the 3 actions. If a player has played cards during his turn and scored points, he moves his color marker forward on the game board the appropriate number of spaces.
Playing cards
- A player may only play cards when it is his turn and he has bought a card this turn.
- All cards must be placed in a single grid no greater than 5 cards x 6 (or 6 cards x 5).
- The cards are played face-up next to each other, horizontally and vertically. The first card may be placed anywhere, but all other cards must be placed next to a card that was previously played.
- Each player may place his cards next to any other card, as long as the conditions are satisfied – see below. It does not matter who placed the existing cards.
- A player may play multiple cards in succession – but no more than five cards in one turn. However, for each individual card all conditions must be satisfied when it is played.
Note: that the boundaries of the grid are specified only by its size limitation and the play of the cards – there is no preordained grid "on the table".
Rules for Playing Cards
- Each card has a small sand-colored stripe along the top edge. If this stripe does not contain a picture along its left side, there are no conditions for playing this card. It may be placed anywhere and adjacent to any other card.
- If this stripe contains one picture, this card may only be played if it borders a card depicted on the stripe.
- If the stripe contains two pictures, it may only be played if it borders on at least one of the cards depicted on the stripe.
(Diagrams: "No picture", "With 2 pictures", "Multiplier card".)
How to Score
Point value
- In the sand-colored stripe on each card there is a numeral on the far right.
- If there is only a blue numeral, this specifies the point value of the card. If a player places, for example, an "ocean" card with the numeral "3", this card earns the player 3 points.
- The player receives points for a card only when it is played. For cards already played, whose points have been accounted for, no more points are scored.
Multiplier value
- However, if there is a light-brown numeral with a multiplication sign on the stripe (e.g., "x2"), the card earns the multiplied value of the adjacent card which matches the picture.
- For example, if the player has just played the "beach 3" card and immediately thereafter plays the "umbrella – x2" card next to it, he receives 3 points for the "beach" card and, in addition, 6 points (3x2) for the "umbrella".
- A multiplier card can even be placed next to 2 matching cards (across a corner), which earns points twice.
- If a player earns points, he moves the marker of his color forward on the game board.
End of the game
The game ends after the turn in which the last adventure card is bought or must be discarded (because of both players passing). The closing cards cannot be bought.
Each card in a player's hand at the end counts negative 5 points. Individual cards may not be playable at the end of the game because their conditions cannot be fulfilled.
The player who has the most points at the end wins the game.
The game may also end earlier if the grid of cards is completely filled (by 30 cards). The score is then tallied immediately.
Examples
Example A
Player A has bought a "catamaran" as his fourth card and turned down 3 chips for it. He now has four cards in his hand and plays:
- Player A first plays the "beach" card, which earns him 2 points. The "beach" has no picture and can be played anywhere.
- Next to the "beach" A plays the "umbrella" card, a multiplier card, which may only be placed beside the "beach". That brings A 2 x 2, therefore a further 4 points.
- Now A plays the "ocean" card, which may be played anywhere and earns him 4 points.
- As his last card A plays the "catamaran", which earns him [8 more] 4 x 2 points. The "catamaran" earns double the value of the adjacent matching "ocean" card. The "beach" provides no points for the "catamaran", since the picture does not match it.
(The "[8 more]" wording is as printed in the source.)
Example B
(Diagrams omitted; the text below describes them.)
It's player B's turn and 5 cards have already been played. Player B bought the "ocean 3" card and plays it (it has no picture) next to the "catamaran". The card earns him 3 points. The multiplier card "catamaran" is already played. Since it has already been scored it does not earn the player any points.
Next, player B plays the card "fish 4" and "palm tree 2". The 2 cards are placed adjacent to the "ocean" card as they both have it as a requirement. The 2 cards bring him 6 points (4 + 2).
Note: Playing the "fish" next to the "ocean" matches the picture on the "fish" card being played. Therefore, it does not matter that the "fish" card does not match the "umbrella" card adjacent to it.
Finally, player B plays a "couple" card, a multiplier card. This card now earns the doubled value of both adjacent matching cards. He receives 8 points for the neighbouring "fish" card and 4 points for the "palm tree". B has scored 21 points altogether and ends his turn by advancing his marker on appropriately.