Wheedle
Wheedle Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
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61 Commodity cards:
- Bricks — 5 cards
- Grain — 5 cards
- Wood — 5 cards
- Sheep — 7 cards
- Fish — 7 cards
- Piglets — 7 cards
- Coffee — 7 cards
- Herbs — 9 cards
- Gold — 9 cards
The numbers printed on the cards tell players how many cards of a given good exist in the game (e.g. there are 7 Sheep cards).
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A score pad with score sheets (also available at www.nk.com.pl)
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A pencil for recording scores
Objective
Players take on the role of merchants trading at the market. Amid the noise and shouting, they trade goods, trying to gather as many cards of one kind as they can. They will score points if they hold more than half of the cards of a given good! But they must stay alert! One of the goods will earn negative points, and it can drive players to bankruptcy!
Setup
Write down the names of everyone taking part on the score sheet.
The game lasts as many rounds as there are players.
For example, a 3-player game will last 3 rounds.
The first round is started by the player who was most recently at a market (or the oldest player). Subsequent rounds are started by the following players in turn, going clockwise.
Playing the Game
A The player starting the round shuffles the cards and places one of them face down in the center of the table.
B The remaining cards are dealt out to the players:
- in a 3-player game, 20 cards each,
- in a 4-player game, 15 cards each,
- in a 5-player game, 12 cards each,
- in a 6-player game, 10 cards each.
Note! During play, hold your cards so that your rivals cannot see what is on them.
C The starting player turns over the card lying in the center of the table, which marks the start of play.
Note! This card tells the players which good will earn negative points at the end of the round!
All players play at the same time!
They carry out the following actions — at any moment, in any order, and as many times as they like:
- Trading cards between players
- Swapping the card lying in the center of the table
Trading Cards Between Players
- Players call out loudly what good they need and what they are offering in exchange.
- One or more cards can be traded at the same time.
- Cards can be given away for free, provided the other side agrees to accept them.
Example:
"I'll give up Wood for a Sheep!" / "I need 2 Bricks! I'll give up 3 Piglets!" / "I'll give Coffee and Fish for Gold!" / "Who wants Fish? I'll give it away for free."
- Once two players have agreed on the terms of a trade, they hand each other the appropriate cards and continue play.
Swapping the Card Lying in the Center of the Table
- At any moment, players may swap the card lying on the table (the one that determines which good earns negative points).
- A player takes the card from the table and lays down one of their own cards in its place.
- Players may make this kind of swap as many times as they like during the round.
End of the Round
When all the cards held by a player make up a majority of a given kind, that player may (but does not have to) shout STOP! and end card trading for that round.
Example: A player has 10 cards: 3 Bricks and 7 Sheep. They therefore have a majority of Bricks (there are 5 in the deck) and all of the Sheep. They shout STOP! Players stop trading cards.
If a player holds in their hand only cards that make up a majority of their kind, they do not have to shout STOP! They may try to acquire more cards, though this carries the risk of not scoring the points for ending the round (see: SCORING POINTS).
Scoring Points
Once a round ends, players score points:
- for shouting STOP! (only the player who shouted STOP!),
- for the goods they hold (all players).
Points are recorded on the score sheet.
After each round, the points scored in it are added to the players' points from previous rounds. This way, the running total scored by each player is always visible.
Points for Shouting STOP!
- If the player who shouted STOP! holds only cards that make up a majority of their kind, they score 5 points.
Example: The player has a majority of Bricks (3 of 5) and all of the Fish.
- If a player made a mistake and shouted STOP! while holding fewer than half of some good, they get 5 negative points.
Example: The player has fewer than half of the Bricks (only 2 of 5).
Points for the Goods Held
- If a player has all of the cards of a given good, they score 2 points for each such card.
- If a player has more than half of the cards of a given good, they score 1 point for each such card.
- If a player has cards of the good matching the card lying in the center of the table, they get 1 negative point for each such card.
- Players receive no points for their remaining cards.
Example:
Player A — shouted STOP!: 5 points for shouting STOP!; a complete set of Grain (5 cards): 10 points; a complete set of Fish (7 cards): 14 points.
Player B: 6 Sheep (majority of 7): 6 points; 3 Bricks: -3 points (Bricks is the card lying in the center of the table at the end of the round); Gold: no points (fewer than half held).
New Round
Once the points scored are recorded, a new round begins. The next player (seated to the left of whoever started the previous round) shuffles the cards, lays one face down in the center of the table, and deals out the rest to the players (following point B on page 3).
End of Game
The game lasts as many rounds as there are players taking part.
The winner is the player with the highest number of points scored. In the event of a tie, the players share the victory.