Vabanque
Vabanque Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Materials
- 12 Casino Tables
- 6 numbered Platelets (optional)
- 60 Tokens:
- 24 x 5s
- 18 x 10s
- 12 x 20s
- 6 x 50s
- 6 Pawns
- 24 Character Cards (4 cards per player: 1 x Raise, 1 x Bluff, 1 x Cheat, 1 x Substitute card)
- 80 Bills of Banknotes:
- 10 x 5 000
- 20 x 10 000
- 10 x 20 000
- 10 x 50 000
- 20 x 100 000
- 10 x 500 000
Preparation
Depending on the number of players select the appropriate number of casino tables:
| Number of Players | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino Tables | 7 | 9 | 10 | 12 |
Arrange the tables in a circle.
Depending on number of players to select tokens:
| Number of Players | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5s | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 |
| 10s | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 |
| 20s | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| 50s | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Put the tokens in the middle of the circle in four piles separated by their values.
Arrange all banknotes by value.
Each player selects a pawn and the corresponding four character cards. Put the substitute card face-up in front of him, which acts as a reminder about his colour. Each player picks up the other three character cards.
Select a start player, who puts his pawn on a casino table of his choice. That player's left neighbour puts his pawn on the table two spaces over clockwise, etc.
Goal
The players try to win the most amount of money in four rounds by cleverly placing their character cards and pawns.
Game Play
The game consists of four rounds. Every round has the following five phases:
- Place Tokens
- Place Character Cards
- Move Pawns
- Payout
- Determine New Order of Play
1. Place Tokens
In each of the four rounds only tokens of one value can be placed:
- Round 1: all 5s
- Round 2: all 10s
- Round 3: all 20s
- Round 4: all 50s
The start player places one of the tokens on a casino table of his choice. In clockwise order, each player repeats placing tokens on casino tables until all tokens of the corresponding value are placed.
Each casino table can have any number of tokens.
2. Place Character Cards
The start player chooses one of his three Character Cards ("Raise", "Bluff", or "Cheat") and places it face down beside a casino table of his choice. Other players take turns to place their character cards until all cards have been placed.
Raise: It increases possible payout on that casino table by the value of tokens on that table. It has positive effects for all players (see "Payout").
Bluff: It has no effect but can make other players believe that a "Raise" or "Cheat" card has been placed on the table.
Cheat: The owner of the card receives all the payouts on that table (see "Payout").
3. Move Pawns
Beginning with the start player, each player decides whether they want to leave their pawn on the current casino table or move it clockwise up to four tables.
Each table can hold any number of pawns.
Tip: Try to avoid tables where you suspect a "Cheat" card by another player.
4. Payout
Character cards will be revealed and winnings paid out only on casino tables with at least one pawn.
Payouts on those tables are calculated in sequence according to the following rules:
a) Determine table value
The value of all tokens on a casino table is the base table value.
Each "Raise" card doubles that value, two such cards triple the value, three quadruple the value, etc.
Calculation of Table Value:
| # of "Raise" cards | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Table value = Value of token x | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
The "Bluff" card is only intended to confuse other players and has no effects.
b) Payout for Pawns
The owner of a pawn receives banknotes in the amount of 1000 x the table value - but only if no opponent's "Cheat" card is on that table! Each player on that table receives the full payout.
c) Payout for Cheaters
The owner of a "Cheat" card receives banknotes in the amount of 1000 x the table value for each opponent's pawn present on the table.
Each player can win in two ways:
- with his pawn: only if no other player's "Cheat" card is on that casino table
- with his "Cheat" card: only if at least one pawn from another player is on that casino table
Example 1
Since there are pawns at this casino table, the character cards are revealed and winnings paid out.
Value of 15 of tokens is tripled due to Adriano's and Charlotta's "Raise" cards. The final table value is 45. "Bluff" cards (such as Donaldo's) are always ignored.
Benedetta gets 45,000 payout (1000 x 45) for her pawn because no opponents placed a "Cheat" card on the table.
Adriano does not receive any payout for his pawn since Benedetta's "Cheat" card is on that table.
Benedetta's "Cheat" card gets 45,000 payout (1000 x 45) for each opponent's pawn on the table (Adriano).
All together Benedetta receives 90,000 on this table. All other players don't win anything.
Example 2
The table value is 15.
Adriano and Benedetta's pawn don't get any payout because of other player's "Cheat" cards on the table.
Adriano's "Cheater" gets 15,000 due Benedetta's.
Donaldo's "Cheater", however, gets 2 x 15,000 (30,000) due to Adriano and Benedetta's pawn.
5. Determine New Order of Play
Players count their money and announce their fortune. The richest player becomes the start player of next round, the second richest is second, etc. The poorest player goes last.
Equal Riches: If two or more players have the same amount of money, their playing order reverses itself compared to the previous round. (Whoever went first in this round, goes last next round.)
The richest player stays in his or her chair. All other players seat themselves clockwise in the order just determined and take their money with them.
(If switching seats is not possible, the new order of play can be indicated using the numbered platelets. We recommend switching the seats since it improves the flow of the game.)
Before starting next round, all players collect their character cards. Place the substitute card in front of you. Both the pawns and the tokens stay on the tables.
Game End
The game ends after the fourth round. The player with the most money wins. Multiple players share the victory if they have the same amount of money.