The Brambles: A Solo Card Game
The Brambles: A Solo Card Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
The Collection (88 Cards)
70 cards in 5 suits of 14 cards each
The five suits are: Beasts, Dreams, Moons, Signs, and Spirits. Each suit runs from One through Ten, plus a Warrior card.
Special cards:
- 3 Sacred Shears
- 3 Seer of Visions
- 3 Flux Convergence
- 6 Bramble Curse
2 Reference Cards Included
The Brambles (20 Hex Cards)
20 Bramble Evils cards, 4 cards each of 5 ranks
The five ranks, from weakest to strongest, are: I commons, II merchants, III nobility, IV clergy, V royalty.
Masques & Monsters Expansion Cards
Masques
3 cards to include with the Collection
- Masque of Eventides
- Masque of Honors
- Masque of Oddities
Monsters
4 Monster Hex cards to include with the Bramble Evils
Two of the Monster Hex cards add +I to the rank required to defeat them, and two add +II.
Game Setup
The Collection
All the cards of the Collection are shuffled and the deck is placed face down next to you.
The Bramble Layout
The 20 Bramble Evils hex cards are shuffled and placed face down on the table in the Bramble Deck. 6 cards are dealt face up and arranged to surround the Bramble Deck to create the Bramble Layout.
Card Playing Areas
Allow space for a hand of 6 cards to be laid face up on the table and an additional space near by for the Flux Area, where Flux Convergence cards are placed when drawn. Near the Collection leave room for a Discard Pile, and near the Bramble Layout leave room for a Defeat Pile.
Game Overview
To release the children, you must play different card combinations with enough spiritual power to defeat the 20 Bramble Evils. If you fail to defeat the evils before the Collection runs out, the children are lost to the Brambles forever.
Gameplay Basics
Draw a 6-card hand from the Collection. Each turn you will play either 3 cards or 6 cards in combinations to defeat one (or more) of the 6 face up cards in the Bramble Layout. At the end of a turn, the cards played are placed face down into a discard pile, and any defeated Bramble cards are placed face down into a Defeat Pile. One card from the Bramble Deck is then turned face up and replaces the defeated card in the Bramble layout. Before the next turn, draw enough cards to have 6 cards in your hand.
Bramble Evils
The Bramble Evils each represent angry spirits whose social status in life now corresponds to their evil strength. The higher the rank, the more difficult combination of Collection cards is needed to defeat them. See the chart on the next page for the combinations required to defeat each of the different ranks of the Bramble Evils.
Three-Card Combinations
Rank V (Royalty): Three in a Suited Row Any 3 cards in number order in the same suit
Rank IV (Clergy): Triplet Any 3 cards with the same number
Rank III (Nobility): Three in a Row Any 3 cards in number order in any suits
Rank II (Merchants): Three of a Suit Any 3 cards of the same suit
Rank I (Commons): Couplet plus One Any 2 cards of the same number plus any other card of a different number
A combination can not only defeat a Bramble Evil at the rank in the chart above, but also those of lower rank. For example, a "Three in a Row" combination can defeat one of the Bramble Evils ranked III and under: Nobility, Merchant, or Commons.
Honor Card Power Increase
If all 3 cards of a combination are Honor cards (those numbered 11, 12, 13, or 14), then the combination gains one rank in strength.
Six-Card Combinations
Three Couplets: e.g. 3 3, 6 6, 11 11 Six in a Row: e.g. 4 5 6 7 8 9 Two Triplets: e.g. 5 5 5, 8 8 8 Six of a Suit: any 6 cards of the same suit
To play a 6-card combination, discard all 6 cards that complete one of the combinations above. This defeats any 2 Bramble Cards of your choice that are currently face up in the layout.
Honor Card Power Increase
If all 6 cards of the combination are honor cards (numbered 11, 12, 13, or 14) then 3 Bramble Cards are defeated instead of only 2.
Special Cards
The Collection includes a number of special cards that have unique abilities when played in combinations or discarded during play.
Flux Convergence
The Flux Convergence cards represent the gateways between different spiritual realms. When a Flux Convergence card is drawn, immediatly place it in the Flux Convergence Area.
Any card in your hand may be placed on top of a Flux card allowing you to have more than 6 cards in your possession at a time. Only 1 card can be placed on a Flux card at a time. Cards on a Flux Card can be freely played, discarded, or returned to your hand at any time during the game. However if you place a Bramble Curse card onto a Flux card, you can never remove it from that Flux card, rendering it unusable for the remainder of the game. A Flux card cannot be played in any combinations, it only holds other cards.
Seer of Visions
The Seer of Visions cards represent prophetic energy in the Collection, which include the abilities to influence the future or the reclaim the past.
At the start of a turn, you may play the Seer of Visions card (place it on the discard pile) and take one of the following actions:
Influence the Future: Look at the next 6 cards of the Collection, select any 1 card of those 6 to add to your hand, then shuffle the remaining 5 cards back into the Collection. If you have any available Flux Convergence cards, you can also place cards from these 6 top cards onto any open Flux cards.
Reclaim the Past: Reclaim cards that have been played by discarding the Seer card along with a certain number of cards from your hand or the Flux Area. Then cut the discard pile and place the bottom half onto the top half. Deal cards from the new top of the discard pile, and shuffle them into the Collection.
Discard 1 card + Seer to reclaim 3 cards Discard 2 cards + Seer to reclaim 5 cards Discard 3 cards + Seer to reclaim 7 cards
Note: you cannot discard a Curse card for this purpose.
Sacred Shears
The Sacred Shears represent the power to cut the Brambles down, directly attacking the Bramble Evils. At the start of a turn, you may play the Sacred Shears card to defeat any Bramble Card in the layout.
Bramble Curse
Unfortunately, the magic power of the Collection requires a bit of the evil Bramble spirit energy to give it its oppositional force. There are 6 identical Bramble Curse cards in the Collection which represent the destructive energy inherent in the Collection's magic.
If a Bramble Curse card is drawn, it stays in your hand until you resolve it, which does not have to happen immediately, but can be resolved even before all of your cards are drawn to start the hand. To resolve the Curse card, place the card into the discard pile along with any of the following cards/combinations:
A Couplet (2 cards of the same number) Any 3-Card combo (see page 6) A Sacred Shears Card
A Seer of Visions card can resolve a Curse card, but not to the discard pile. Discard the Seer card, then place the Curse card back into the Collection and shuffle.
A Curse card can be placed onto a Flux Convergence card removing it from your hand and defeating its power, however the dark energy destroys the connection to the Flux which renders the Flux card unusable for the rest of the game.
Bramble Curse cards do not need to be resolved immediately, however there are consequences for holding them in your hand. First, it takes up space in your hand until you resolve it. Second, if you have a Curse Card in your hand and you draw a second Curse Card (or you draw 2 while you are drawing cards into your hand at the start of a turn), then the most recently defeated Bramble Evil card is returned to the top of the Bramble Pile. This happens before you have a chance to resolve the curse cards. To resolve 2 or more curse cards in your hand you can use the same cards or combinations to defeat 1 curse card (ex. 1 Shears card resolves all Curse cards). You do not have to resolve these 2 cards immediately either, but with every additional Curse card you are dealt while you have Curse cards in your hand, 1 additional Bramble Evil is brought back to the Bramble Pile from the defeat pile.
Sacrificing
During a turn, you can sacrifice as many cards in your hand as you wish by discarding them and then drawing the same number of cards from the Collection to replenish your hand.
Winning the Game
To rescue the children and win the game, you must defeat all 20 Bramble Evil cards (and 4 Monsters if using the expansion). You cannot have any Curse cards in your hand when you play the last combination to defeat the final Bramble Evil. Curse cards may be in the Flux Area, but not in your hand. You do not need to be able to draw 6 cards by the end of the game, as long as you have cards to play you can try to defeat any remaining Bramble Evils. If you use up all the Collection cards and there are still Bramble Evils remaining, the children are lost to the Brambles.
Challenge Level
For an easier introductory game, start the game with all 3 Flux Convergence cards moved to the Flux Area. This will greatly increase your flexibility in managing your hand from the start of the game. Increase the difficulty from there by shuffling 1, 2 or 3 of the Flux cards into the Collection so you are only able to access them once they are drawn. To increase the difficulty of the base game, you can remove 1, 2 or all 3 of the Flux Convergence cards from the game entirely.
Masques & Monsters Expansion
Masques (3 Collection Cards)
The Masques expansion includes 3 cards for the Collection deck. These cards are essentially wild cards that can be used as any of the 5 suits but are limited in which number they are allowed to take on in a combination. It is best to use these cards with the Monsters expansion cards to maintain the game's balance. At setup, shuffle the cards into the Collection.
Masque of Eventides: even number not honor (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) Masque of Oddities: odd number not honor (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) Masque of Honors: any honor card (11, 12, 13, 14)
Masque Card Suits
Masque cards can take on any suit at any time without restriction. However, a Masque card cannot duplicate the exact suit and number of an existing card in your hand or the Flux Convergence Area at the time of playing the Masque card in a combination.
Use in Gameplay
Masque cards can be used to take the place of any card to complete combinations, including (if using the Masque of Honors) the ability of using all honor cards in a combination to increase the rank-defeating power of that combination. Masque cards are placed in the discard pile when played just like regular cards.
Interaction with Monster Cards
It is recommended that the Masque cards be played with the Monster cards as the positive benefit of the Masque cards are counterbalanced by the increased difficulty of the Monster cards. When any Monster cards are in play in the Bramble Layout, you can discard a Masque card to defeat all the Monster cards currently in play, though the Bramble Evil cards beneath those Monster cards are not defeated.
Using without Monster Cards
If you would like to use the Masque cards without including the Monster expansion cards, then your game will be easier due to the benefit of the wild-card flexibility of the Masque cards. This is a fine way to play if you choose, however you may consider removing the Seer of Visions cards from the collection to counterbalance the benefit of the Masque cards for a more challenging game.
Monsters (4 Hex Cards)
The Monsters expansion includes 4 new hex cards for the Bramble Evils deck. These cards increase the rank of a standard Bramble Evils card by either +I or +II. Generally, once a Monster card is added on top of a Bramble Evils card, the two stay combined until they both are defeated by a combination that can defeat their combined rank. The special cards (Shears, Seers, Masques, and Bramble Curses) all interact with the Monster cards in different ways.
Place Monster cards on top of Bramble Evil cards to increase the combination power required to defeat the Bramble Evil.
At setup, shuffle the 4 Monster hex cards into the Bramble Evils deck. It is best to use these cards with the Masque expansion cards. To start the game, deal the first 6 Bramble Evil hex cards into the layout just like the standard game. If any Monster cards are drawn in these first 6, hold them off to the side and continue to deal out the remaining Bramble Evil cards, then place the Monster cards onto any of the active Bramble Evils cards as described below.
Whenever a Monster card is drawn, choose any of the available faceup Bramble Evil cards currently in the layout and place the Monster on top of it, making sure that the rank of the Bramble Evil card is still visible. Only 1 Monster card can be placed on a Bramble Evil card at any time. After placing the Monster card, continue drawing from the Bramble Evil deck until the layout is replenished as in a standard game.
The Monster card increases the rank of the Bramble Evil it is covering by the amount shown on the Monster card. For example, if a Monster +II card is placed onto a Rank I Bramble Evil, those 2 cards together will now have the Rank of III and can only be defeated when you play a combination strong enough to defeat a Bramble Evil card of Rank III. When defeating a Bramble Evil with a Monster on it, place both cards into the defeat pile together. If the rank of the combined Bramble Evil and Monster is greater than V, then use a Rank V+ combination 3 Honors in a Suited Row: any 3 honors cards in number order of same suit.
If a Monster card is drawn and all the Bramble Evil cards in the layout are already covered by Monsters (only possible with 3 or fewer Bramble Evil cards left), then place the Monster card into the layout as if it is a standard Bramble Evil card. A Monster +I would have Rank I and a Monster +II would have Rank II.
Monsters Interactions with Special Cards
Sacred Shears card: defeats both a Bramble Evil and the Monster on top of that Bramble Evil.
Seer of Visions card: can "see" past the Monster to the Rank of the Bramble Evil beneath it and defeat both of them at the Bramble Evil's Rank. Discard a Seer card along with a 3-card combination that can defeat the rank of the Bramble Evil card underneath the Monster card and both the Monster card and the Bramble Evil card are defeated. For example, if a Rank III Bramble Evil has a Monster +II on it, normally that would require a Rank V combination to defeat, but if you play a Rank III combination along with a Seer of Visions card to the discard pile, both the Monster card and Bramble Evil card are defeated.
Masque card: defeats all Monster cards currently in play on top of Bramble Evils in the layout, but does not defeat the Bramble Evil cards underneath them.
Bramble Curse cards: when Bramble Curse cards trigger the return of a Bramble Evil card from the defeat pile into the Bramble Evil deck, a Monster card may be the card returned from the defeat pile.
Turn Order Quick Reference
Draw cards from the Collection
Draw cards one at a time from the top of the Collection deck into your hand until you have 6 cards. If a Flux Convergence card is drawn it must immediately be moved to the Flux area. During the draw you may pause and take one of these actions before completing the draw:
- Resolve a Bramble Curse
- Move a Flux Convergence card to the Flux Area
Options after the draw is complete
- Discard a Sheers or Seer card to use its special ability, then redraw cards as needed to refill your hand to 6.
- Resolve a Bramble Curse if desired, then redraw cards as needed to refill your hand to 6.
Playing 3 or 6 card combinations
Discard either 3 or 6 cards in combination, then place the defeated Bramble Evil(s) into the defeat pile. Next, replace the Bramble Evil(s) with the top card(s) on the Bramble Pile. Finally draw cards from the collection following the steps in the section above.
See back cover for card combinations chart
Contact the Designer
John Burton, New Jersey USA [email protected]