私だけの晴天 (Watashi dake no Seiten)
私だけの晴天 (Watashi dake no Seiten) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 52 number cards: Blue 1–11, Orange 1–12, Black 1–14, Purple 1–15
- 4 umbrella cards (black border), one of each colour listed above
Players: 3–4. Playing time: about 30 minutes. Age: 12 and up.
Setup
Before the game begins, place the 4 umbrella cards in the centre of the table, with the side that has nothing written at the bottom facing up.
Overview
In this game, Departure and Return are played one after the other, and the player with the lowest combined score wins. The flow is:
Deal number cards → Departure → Redeal number cards → Return
Departure and Return proceed almost identically. The only difference is that Departure has an Umbrella Open action, and Return has an Umbrella Close action. Otherwise they are exactly the same.
Dealing number cards and redealing number cards are exactly the same procedure.
Dealing and Redealing Number Cards
Shuffle the 52 number cards face down and deal 13 to each player. When playing with 3 players, the leftover cards are not used. The dealt cards form each player's hand, and each player may look only at their own hand.
To determine the first leader (親), refer to the Q&A entry "How is the first leader decided?"
Shared Trick Procedure (Departure and Return)
Playing one card each in turn, once around the table, is called a trick.
Starting with the leader (親) and proceeding clockwise, every player plays one card from their hand face up onto the table. Cards are not stacked, and it must remain clear which player played which card.
The leader may play any number card.
Every other player must follow suit: if they have a number card of the same colour as the leader's card, they must play a card of that colour (must follow). If they have no number card of the leader's colour, they may play any card.
Determining the Trick Winner
When a trick ends, determine one winner as follows.
Once every player has played one card, refer to the Trick Winner Determination section on the back side of this rules sheet to determine the winner of the trick. The procedure is:
- A player who holds an umbrella card, and who has played a number card of the same colour as that umbrella card, is called Sunny (晴天). There may be more than one Sunny player.
- If there are Sunny players, the Sunny player whose played number is the highest wins. If several Sunny players are tied, the one who played their card later in the trick wins.
- If there are no Sunny players, the player who played a card of the leader's colour and has the highest number wins.
Note for players experienced with trick-taking games: "Sunny" is not a colour. Even if the leader plays the card that makes them Sunny, the other players have no obligation to play a card that would make themselves Sunny.
The winner of a trick takes all the number cards played in that trick. Gather them together, place them face down in front of yourself. (See also the note under "Departure/Return End and Scoring" below.)
The winner of the trick becomes the new leader (親) and leads the next trick.
Umbrella Actions
Umbrella Open (Departure)
During Departure, each player must take the Umbrella Open action exactly once.
To open an umbrella (傘を開く), during Departure, instead of playing a card on your turn, choose one umbrella card from the centre of the table and place it in front of you. You cannot choose an umbrella card that another player has already taken. You may choose to open an umbrella even if you hold a card you must follow suit with.
A player who opens an umbrella does not play a card in that trick, and cannot win that trick. Umbrella Open cannot be chosen during Return.
If the leader opens an umbrella, the next player becomes the leader of that trick instead. If, in the same trick, every player except one has opened an umbrella, the last player must play a number card.
Umbrella Close (Return)
During Return, each player must take the Umbrella Close action exactly once.
To close an umbrella (傘を閉じる), during Return, after any trick has ended, return the umbrella card in front of you to the centre of the table. Umbrellas cannot be closed during Departure, or before the first trick of Return has started.
Summary of Umbrella Actions
| Action | When | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Umbrella Open (傘を開く) | Departure, on your own turn | Take an umbrella card |
| Umbrella Close (傘を閉じる) | Return, after any trick has ended | Return the umbrella card to the centre |
Departure/Return End and Scoring
The Departure or Return ends when all players have run out of cards. Departure consists of 14 tricks, and Return consists of 13 tricks.
Score as follows: calculate the difference between the number of tricks won while you hold an umbrella card and the number of tricks won while you do not. This difference is your score for that part.
After Departure ends, players keep their umbrella cards, and the number cards are redealt.
After Return ends, add each player's Departure score and Return score together. The player with the lower combined total wins. If several players are tied, the player with the lower Return score (fewer minus points from the Return) wins. If that is also tied, the players share the victory.
Keeping won cards: because of this scoring, observe the following:
- So that everyone can see at a glance how many tricks each player has won, do not overlap cards that are already placed. Group the won cards by trick.
- When you win a trick, change how you place the cards depending on whether you hold an umbrella card: for example, place them upright if you hold an umbrella card and sideways if you do not. Agree on the arrangement among yourselves.
Q&A
Q: How is the first leader decided? A: In Departure, decide by any suitable method. In Return, the player who won the last trick of Departure becomes the first leader. If you forget who starts Return, you may agree in advance that the player holding the blue umbrella card starts (see the umbrella card back).
Q: What do the dots below the number on a card mean? A: The number of dots shown is the highest number of that colour's cards minus 10. In other words, the number of dots + 10 equals the highest number in that colour.
Q: What if not every player has opened an umbrella by the 13th trick? A: This probably will not happen. If it does, please let us know.
Q: May I close my umbrella after seeing another player close theirs? A: Yes, that is fine. If you want to decide only after seeing the other players' moves, the closing order will be decided by the number of dots on each umbrella's colour of card, fewest dots first.
Q: Which comes first: closing the umbrella, or determining the winner of the trick? A: The right to close an umbrella arises after the trick winner has been determined. In other words, closing an umbrella does not change the winner of the immediately preceding trick.
Q: Is the first trick of Return really meant to work this way? A: Yes. The player holding the umbrella of the colour the leader played will basically win. Basically.
Q: What are the versions of the umbrella cards that have text? A: This is an optional rule for players who are already familiar with the game. While a player holds an umbrella card, only that player gains its special effect.
- Blue: becomes the leader of the first trick of Return.
- Orange: while the player is Sunny, add 6 to the number on their card.
- Black: while the player is Sunny, add 2 to the number on their card.
- Purple: does not take part in the first trick of Return, and discards one card face down.
Q: May I rearrange my hand again?! A: Thank you as always. I am making another one anyway, so look forward to it.