Свинтус Зомби (Swintus Zombie)
Свинтус Зомби (Swintus Zombie) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 64 number cards
- 40 instruction cards ("Swine Bureaucracy" / «Свинская бюрократия»)
- 8 virus cards
- 8 vaccine cards
- Rulebook
Goal of the Game
The winner of a round is the player who first gets rid of all of their cards. For that round they score one point for each card still in the hands of all their opponents. The game continues until one player has 30 or more points in total across all rounds played. That player is the overall winner of the game.
The target score depends on the number of players:
| Number of players | Points needed to win the game |
|---|---|
| 2 | 30 |
| 3–4 | 40 |
| 5–7 | 50 |
| 8+ | 60 |
Swintus Zombie differs from the basic Swintus by its virus and vaccine cards. If you have never played Swintus before, we recommend removing these cards from the deck to get used to the basic rules. Return the viruses and vaccines to the deck when you feel ready to take on the swine-dead invasion.
Game Play
Setup
At the start of the game, shuffle the deck and deal 8 cards to each player. Place the deck face down in the middle of the table. The dealer turns over the top card of the deck and lays it face up next to the deck, starting the play pile. The player to the dealer's left takes the first turn. Players take turns in order until one of them gets rid of all of their cards.
Adding to the Pile ("Pass It to a Buddy" / «Подложи товарищу»)
On your turn you must play one card from your hand face up onto the play pile. The card must match the top card of the play pile either by colour or by value. For example, if the top card of the play pile is a green 7, you may play either any green card or a 7 of any colour.
If you have no matching card (or do not want to make a move), you take the top card of the deck into your hand and, if it matches, you may play it immediately. Then the turn passes to the next player clockwise.
Swintus!
Immediately before playing or passing on your second-to-last card, the player must look at all opponents with contempt and say: "Swintus!" If they do not do this, any opponent may "catch" them while they hold one card in hand and make them take 3 cards from the deck as a penalty. But this can only be done before the next player makes their move.
Interception ("Перехват")
Many cards in the deck are represented by at least two copies (two blue 5s, two orange "Khlopkopyt" cards, and so on). If someone has just played a card of which you hold another copy, you may intercept the play: without waiting for your turn, you play that card yourself. The next player is then your neighbour in the current direction of play.
Pass-Along ("Перевод")
If the player before you has played "Khapyozh" (Gobble), you may play a card of the same value (not necessarily the same colour). The next player will then draw 6 cards instead. He also has the right to "pass along" the cards further, causing even greater trouble for the player after him.
Don't Dawdle! ("Не мешкай!")
Swintus is most interesting when the game is played briskly. If a player stalls on their turn, they skip the turn and take 2 cards from the deck. You may regulate the speed of the game yourselves, but we recommend limiting thinking time to a specific period, from 2 to 5 seconds. The same penalty of two cards and a skipped turn applies if a player makes an illegal move, that is, plays incorrectly according to the general rules of the game or the instructions of specific cards. Naturally, the player must also correct their mistake, for example by taking back into hand a card that was played incorrectly.
End of the Deck, End of the Round
If the deck runs out, shuffle the play pile (except for its top card) and use it as the new deck. As soon as a player, following the rules, has played their last card from hand, the round ends.
New Rules: Infection, Virus Interception and Miraculous Healing
Infection ("Заражение — новое правило!")
If on your turn you play a virus or vaccine card (onto a number or special card of the same colour), the player who moved before you must immediately take this virus or vaccine into their hand. Then you pass the turn as usual.
Exception: if you are playing with two players, immediately after infecting your opponent you make one more move. This way you can pass several vaccines and viruses to your opponent in a row.
Virus Interception ("Перехват вируса — новое правило!")
If someone has played a virus or vaccine card of which you hold another copy, you may immediately play that card by the usual interception rules. Immediately after this, the player seated against the direction of play from you must take into their hand both of the just-played copies of the virus or vaccine. Then you pass the turn as usual.
Miraculous Healing ("Чудесное исцеление — новое правило!")
If you have a pair of matching virus and vaccine cards of the same colour in your hand, you may, instead of your turn, discard these cards and trigger the miraculous healing effect. Each pair has its own healing effect, all described below. Put the discarded cards back into the box: they leave the game until the end of the round. At the start of the next round, remember to shuffle them back into the deck.
Note: if these were your last cards, the round ends. You do not even have to say "Swintus!", because you got rid of both of your cards at once.
Number Cards ("Цифровые карты")
The game contains 64 number cards: four colours, with values from 0 to 7, two copies of each, which makes interception possible.
Virus and Vaccine Cards ("Карты вирусов и вакцин")
The game contains 8 zombie virus cards (two of each colour) and 8 vaccine cards that cure these viruses (also two of each colour). On your turn you may play a virus or vaccine by the normal rules, onto a card of the same colour. But immediately after this, your neighbour seated against the direction of play must take the virus or vaccine card you played into their hand. In this way, viruses and vaccines never stay in the play pile.
If you have a virus and a vaccine of the same colour in your hand, you may discard these two cards to trigger a miraculous healing effect. Discarded cards are removed from the game until the end of the round. The effect of the miraculous healing depends on the pair of cards you discard:
- Nekrokashel and Grelka-gorelka (red pair; Некрокашель и Грелка-горелка): you may give one card from your hand to each of your neighbours (the players to your right and to your left).
- Mertvosopli and Umorin (green pair; Мертвосопли и Уморин): each opponent takes 2 cards from the deck into their hand.
- Skeletizm and Shtyroid (yellow pair; Скелетизм и Штыроид): you may swap all the cards in your hand with any opponent of your choice.
- Gnilozubye and Buravushka (blue pair; Гнилозубье и Буравушка): each opponent must show a vaccine card from their hand; if they have no vaccine, they take 3 cards from the deck.
Instruction Cards ("Свинская бюрократия")
Most instruction cards exist in four colours, two of each. All of these cards may be played onto any card of the same colour, or onto another such card of any colour. The exception is the grey card Polisvin, which may be played onto any card. Immediately after a player plays an instruction card, its unique effect takes place.
- Khapyozh (Gobble; Хапёж): the next player takes 3 cards from the deck into their hand and skips their turn. (See also Pass-Along above.)
- Perekhryuk (Turnaround; Перехрюк): reverses the direction of play, so the turn now passes counterclockwise (or clockwise, if this is the second, fourth, etc. "Perekhryuk" played during the round).
- Polisvin (Polisvin; Полисвин): may be played onto any card, and the player names a colour that the next player must play. Polisvin may be played even if you have other matching cards in your hand. You may choose any of the four colours, including the colour of the card onto which Polisvin was played.
- Tikhokhryun (Hush-Oink; Тихохрюн): until the player who played this card next places a card, all players must keep complete silence. A player who breaks the silence ends the restriction early, but takes 2 cards from the deck into their hand.
- Khlopkopyt (Hoof-Clap; Хлопкопыт): immediately after this card is played, all players must place a hand on the deck. The player whose hand ends up on top (last) takes 2 cards from the deck into their hand.
Tips and Advice
Keep the deck close to you. This will let you deal with "Khlopkopyt" faster than everyone else. If the other players object, you may, with a displeased look, agree that the deck and the play pile are placed in the centre of the table, within equal reach of all participants. Make sure nobody moves the deck closer to themselves. Keep up a high pace of play.
Happy playing, and do not forget the main commandment of Swintus: play a pig on your buddy!