Trickster: Fantasy
Trickster: Fantasy Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Cards
A Trickster set has 49 cards, with 7 heroes that each have a special effect on play. Each hero appears 7 times, each time with a different suit: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.
The seven heroes in Trickster: Fantasy are:
- Bard (Dance)
- Druid (Grow)
- Guard (Rescue)
- Knight (Charge)
- Mage (Vanish)
- Rogue (Sneak)
- Summoner (Summon)
Goal
Your goal is to have the fewest cards in your House at the end of the game.
Setup
- Clear the center of the play area: the "Pot."
- Shuffle the cards. Deal a number of cards to each player's hand. (Keep them hidden.) Deal the same number of cards face-up beside the play area: the "Trash."
- For 3 players: 7 cards to each hand, 7 to the Trash
- For 4-6 players: 6 cards to each hand, 6 to the Trash
- For 7 players: 5 cards to each hand, 5 to the Trash
- Keep cards in the Trash accessible to all players. Set any remaining cards as a face-down deck beside the Trash.
- Each player then chooses and reveals one card from her hand at the same time. Add your revealed card face-up to the area in front of you, called your "House." (Keep cards in your House visible to all players.)
- To begin the game, the trickiest (or oldest) player takes the role of "Leader." The player to their left is the "Trickster." The Leader takes the first turn. Turns proceed clockwise, so the Trickster will take the second turn.
How to Play
On your turn, you must play a card from your hand, face-up to the Pot, if able. You cannot pass. You must then resolve that hero's effect, if able. (See the Hero Effects section for details on hero effects.)
The Leader takes the first turn and can play any card. The next player, the Trickster, can also play any card, thus setting a pattern the remaining players must follow.
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Different Hero in the Same Suit: The Trickster played a different Hero but in the same Suit as the Leader. The remaining players must play a card of the same Suit.
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Same Hero in a Different Suit: The Trickster played the same Hero in a different Suit than the Leader. The remaining players must play a card of the same Hero.
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Unique: The Trickster did not match the Leader's Suit or Hero. The remaining players must not play a card that matches a hero or a suit already in the Pot.
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If you cannot play a card, you must take the cards from the Pot into your House. You then become the Leader.
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If each player played a card, the Trickster takes the cards from the Pot into their House and becomes the new Leader.
Play then resumes, starting with the new Leader. The player to their left is the new Trickster.
Example of Play
For the sake of space, the examples below do not detail the resolution of each hero effect. (See the Hero Effects section for details.)
In this example, Ana, Bob, Cass, Dee, and Ed are playing a 5-player game of Trickster: Fantasy.
- Same Suit: Ana the Leader plays a Blue Bard into the Pot. Bob the Trickster plays a Blue Druid. So, Cass plays a Blue Rogue, then Dee plays a Blue Knight. Ed has no blue cards, so collects the cards from the Pot into his House, thus becoming the new Leader.
- Same Hero: Ed the Leader plays an Orange Druid. Ana the Trickster plays a Red Druid. So, Bob plays a Yellow Druid. Cass has no Druids, so collects the cards from the Pot, thus becoming the new Leader.
- Unique: Cass the Leader plays a Violet Guard. Dee the Trickster plays an Orange Knight. Ed plays a Blue Rogue. Ana plays a Red Mage. Bob plays a Yellow Summoner. Because each player played a card, Dee the Trickster must collect the cards from the Pot, thus becoming the new Leader.
Hero Effects
When you play a card, you must immediately resolve the hero's effect, if able. If you cannot, then the effect is cancelled and your turn ends.
- BARD Dance: Choose an opponent who still has cards in-hand. You each simultaneously trade one card from your hands. (See Bard Details below.)
- DRUID Grow: Turn an upright card in any player's House sideways. It will score as two cards of the same suit. (See Druid Details below.)
- GUARD Rescue: Move a card from any player's House into your hand.
- KNIGHT Charge: Move a card from your hand to any player's House.
- MAGE Vanish: Move a card from any player's House to the Trash.
- ROGUE Sneak: Move a card from your House to an opponent's House.
- SUMMONER Summon: Move a card from the Trash to your hand.
Bard Details
Your opponent chooses which card to give to you. You choose which card to give to your opponent. Neither of you sees the card you're given before deciding which card to give away.
Druid Details
A sideways card always remains sideways unless it is taken into a hand or added to the deck, at which point it turns upright again. Even if the card is moved to the Trash, it will remain sideways. The Druid cannot turn a sideways card upright again. (See the Scoring Example below for examples of scoring sideways cards.)
End of the Game
When any player is left with no cards in-hand after someone collects the cards from the Pot, they are referred to as "Out."
- 4-7 players: When one or more players are out, that ends the game. Proceed to scoring.
- 3 players: When one or more players are out, continue as follows: Any cards in a hand, a House, or the Trash remain in place. Deal out cards to each player's hand from the deck until each player has a full hand of seven cards. Continue playing as normal. Whoever most recently collected cards from the Pot is the Leader. The second time any players are out, that ends the game for 3 players. Proceed to scoring.
Scoring
Before scoring, each player must add any cards remaining in their hand to their House, face-up. Whoever has fewest cards in their House wins!
If you have more cards of a suit than any other player, ignore cards of that suit when scoring your cards. (You must have more, so equal amounts of cards don't count.)
If final scores tie, the tied player with fewest actual cards wins. Still tied? Fewest red cards wins, then orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet.
Scoring Example
- Ana has the most Indigo cards, but she scores the rest. Score: 5.
- Bob has most Orange and Violet. (Note the sideways Orange giving him a total of 4 Orange, thus majority of Orange.) Score: 5.
- Cass has most Red cards. (Note the sideways Red, giving her a total of 3 Red, thus majority of Red.) Score: 7.
- Dee has no majority, so scores all her cards. Score: 3. DEE WINS!
- Ed has the most Green cards, but scores the rest. Score: 4.
Mixing Sets
Swap all seven cards featuring a hero with all cards featuring another hero from a different set. Be sure to stay within the 49-card limit: 7 heroes and suits each.
The printed rules illustrate this with a Detective hero set from Trickster: Tianxia.