The Blue Lion
The Blue Lion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 6 double-sided cards depicting Arsène, Lady X, a policeman and the Blue Diamond. Each image appears on the cards three times, with different illustrations on the reverse side (for example, on the backs of the three Lady X cards, Arsène, the policeman and the Blue Diamond each appear once).
- 15 artificial "diamonds" for counting victory points.
- 2 reference cards, one for Arsène and one for Lady X.
- 1 rules sheet.
Goal of the Game
One player plays Lady X and the other plays Arsène. The winner is the first to collect 7 or more "diamonds", which players receive for prize combinations of cards, for example "stealing the Blue Diamond" or "the police interrogating the opponent".
To receive "diamonds", a player needs to assemble the following combinations of 3 cards:
Arsène receives "diamonds"
- The police interrogate Lady X. The Lady X card is surrounded by policeman cards. This benefits Arsène, so Arsène receives 1 "diamond".
- Arsène steals the Blue Diamond. The Blue Diamond card is surrounded by Arsène cards. Arsène receives 2 "diamonds".
- Heist of the century! 3 Blue Diamond cards are next to each other. If Arsène assembled this combination, he receives 3 "diamonds".
Lady X receives "diamonds"
- The police interrogate Arsène. The Arsène card is surrounded by policeman cards. This benefits Lady X, so Lady X receives 1 "diamond".
- Lady X steals the Blue Diamond. The Blue Diamond card is surrounded by Lady X cards. Lady X receives 2 "diamonds".
- Heist of the century! 3 Blue Diamond cards are next to each other. If Lady X assembled this combination, she receives 3 "diamonds".
Card combinations can be assembled in any order, combinations can be assembled repeatedly, and you can assemble only some of them – there are no restrictions here. If a player assembles the opponent's prize combination, well… the opponent receives the "diamonds" – be careful!
Game Play
The game consists of 3 phases.
1. Prepare the Cards
Before the game, decide who will play Arsène and who will play Lady X. Place the corresponding reference cards in front of you.
One of the players thoroughly shuffles the cards and then tosses them up over the table (trying to make them spin in the air while landing neatly on the table). If you approach this preparation responsibly, the game will start differently every time!
2. Build a Row of Six Cards
Players take turns taking a card and laying them out into a row. There will be 6 cards in the row. In doing so:
- The player may choose any card from those not yet in the row.
- First the player decides at which end of the row he will attach the next card. On the first turn the card is simply placed in the centre of the table.
- Then the player decides which side up the card will be placed. He may place the card with the same side up, or he may flip it over. He may not look beforehand at what is on the reverse side of the card. A card may not be flipped a second time either.
- A player may skip a turn.
- It is possible that a prize combination of cards will be laid out while building the row – see the section "If a prize combination of cards is assembled…".
Example. The first player lays out an Arsène card. The second player decides to place the next card to the right of the Arsène card; he chooses the Blue Diamond card and decides to flip it over. Lady X was hidden on the reverse… The first player decides to place the next card to the left of Arsène; he chooses the Lady X card and decides to flip it over. A policeman was on the reverse… And so on, until a row of 6 cards has been built…
3. Build a Combination of Cards
In phase 3 players take turns moving/turning cards, trying to obtain one of the prize combinations of cards listed in the section "Goal of the Game".
A player may move cards in 3 ways:
- The player may move 1 card from one end of the row to the other end, without flipping it.
- The player may swap two adjacent non-end cards, without flipping them.
- The player may flip over any 1 card (he may not look at its reverse side beforehand!).
If a Prize Combination of Cards Is Assembled…
If during phase 2 or 3 one of the prize combinations is assembled, the corresponding player receives the stated number of victory points and takes 1, 2 or 3 "diamonds" from the general supply.
Then the middle card of the assembled combination is immediately removed from the row and set aside. During his turn the next player uses only five cards, and then places the set-aside card into the row – on the left or on the right; he may flip the card. He may not look at the reverse side of the card.
Important: nobody receives victory points if the combination is created with the help of the card returned to the row.
Example: A player assembled the combination "The police interrogate Arsène". Lady X receives 1 "diamond" and the Arsène card is set aside. On his turn the next player decides to flip a card; he flips the left policeman, and Lady X turns out to be on that side. He decides to return the set-aside Arsène card to the row on the right, without flipping it.
The game ends if one of the players receives 7 or more "diamonds".
What happens if a player obtains two combinations at the same time?
In this case the player receives "diamonds" for both combinations. The middle cards of both combinations are immediately set aside. The next player will play with only four cards. Then in turn he adds the set-aside cards to the row – on the right or on the left. If he wishes, he may flip them, but nobody receives victory points for combinations obtained in this way.
What happens if a player obtains a combination while playing with only five cards?
In this case the player receives the corresponding number of "diamonds". The middle card of the obtained combination is immediately set aside. Then the player adds to the row the card that was set aside during the previous turn. If he wishes, the player may flip this card.