Wiener Walzer
Wiener Walzer Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Each player wants to dance with the highest-ranking ball guests and to take the best mix of delicacies from the buffet.
Components
- 1 game board
- 5 scoring stones in player colors
- 66 buffet tiles
- 60 guest cards, 12 each in the 5 player colors (these are guests of different nationalities)
- 12 neutral guest cards in white (for the local guests)
- 12 event cards
Setup
The game board is laid out.
With 2 players, play takes place only in the light brown area. With 3 players, one of the two side wings of the ballroom is added; with 4 players, both. With 5 players, the entire game board is used, including the foyer in gray marble.
Each player takes the 12 guest cards of one color (nationality) of their choice, shuffles them and places them in a face-down stack in front of them. The cards show gentlemen and ladies with point values 0 - 5.
In addition, each player places the scoring stone of their color on the start space of the scoring track (with the curtains) on the game board.
The white guest cards are neutral. They are shuffled and then placed face up at random on the marked spaces with a golden frame of the playing area in use. With 2 and 3 players, some neutral guest cards are left over. These go back into the box.
The buffet tiles are shuffled. One buffet tile is placed face up on each space of the playing area in use that does not have a golden frame.
Note: Leftover buffet tiles form the open supply. They are only needed for the variant with event cards.
Course of Play
Each player draws one guest card from their stack into their hand. Whoever last danced a waltz starts. Play then proceeds clockwise.
On your turn, place the card from your hand on any space of the game board. No guest card may already lie on this space. You immediately receive the buffet tile of the chosen space and place it face up in front of you.
Note: If a delicacy is shown several times on a buffet tile, it is counted several times at the end of the game!
Now, as described below, one or more dances may occur. After that, the player's turn ends. They draw a new guest card from their stack into their hand.
The next player clockwise takes their turn.
Dances
If a guest card is surrounded on all four sides by other guest cards (or the edge of the board), the enclosed guest dances with an adjacent guest of the other sex.
Note: It does not matter which nationality the dance partner has. If there are several dance partners of the other sex to choose from, the enclosed guest dances with the dance partner with the highest point value. If there are several suitable dance partners with the highest point value, the player whose turn it is decides with which of these candidates the enclosed guest dances.
The point values of the two dance partners are added together. Both players involved each receive the full sum as points and move their scoring stones forward on the scoring track accordingly. If only one player is involved in the dance - because two guests of the same color or a white guest are involved - the player receives the points only once.
As soon as the points have been awarded, the two guest cards involved are turned over.
Example: Blue plays the lady [1]. The blue gentleman [3] is now enclosed. The lady with the highest value is the green lady [5]. Blue and Green dance and each receive 8 points. The two guest cards are then turned over.
If several dances are triggered, the player whose turn it is decides who dances first.
If the enclosed guest is surrounded only by guests of their own sex, they remain without a dance partner.
Example: Green plays the gentleman [1]. This leads to two dances. Green decides that first the yellow lady [3] dances with the white gentleman [4]. Then the blue lady [4] dances with the green gentleman [1]. Yellow receives 7 points, Blue and Green 5 points each. Afterwards all guest cards involved are turned over.
End of the Game & Scoring
The game ends when all players have played their guest cards. It is then established how many points each player has received for the dances.
Now success at the buffet is also scored: for each complete set of the 5 different delicacies there are 5 points. The 5 delicacies are: cheese, shrimp rolls, Sachertorte, caviar and cigar. Champagne counts as a joker. It can replace any other delicacy. Leftover delicacies bring no points.
For example, 4 complete sets give 20 points.
The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie there are several winners.
Variant with Event Cards
Setup is as described above. In addition, the 12 event cards are shuffled and placed ready as a face-down draw stack.
An event is triggered whenever a player places a guest with the point value "0" on the game board.
In this case the player must immediately draw an event card - before any dance occurs.
The player reads the card aloud and carries out the event. Afterwards the event card goes back into the box. If an event cannot be carried out, it lapses.
Only after the event card has been carried out is it checked whether dances occur.
The Event Cards in Detail
Küss die Hand! (Kiss the hand!) Swap any card of a male guest with a buffet tile next to a card of a female guest.
Hatten Sie nicht schon genug ...? (Haven't you had enough ...?) Swap any champagne tile (from the game board or from a player) with any buffet tile on the game board.
Ausfallschritt (Side step) (2x) Swap two adjacent guest cards on the game board.
Solotänzer (Solo dancer) (2x) Swap the card with the highest point value of any player with a directly adjacent buffet tile.
Essen Sie das noch? (Are you still eating that?) (2x) Swap one of your collected buffet tiles with a buffet tile on the game board.
Anstandsdame (Chaperone) Swap any two cards of female guests on the game board.
Tortung (Tort-ure) Choose a guest card next to which a cake tile lies. The player to whom this guest card belongs must immediately move their scoring stone back 2 spaces on the scoring track (-2).
Partnerwechsel (Change of partners) Choose one of your own guest cards on the game board and any guest card with which a dance has already taken place. Swap their positions.
... nur eine Zigarre! (... just a cigar!) Choose two adjacent cards with guests of the same sex, of which at least one has a cigar tile next to it. They dance with each other immediately - even if neither of the two is enclosed. They do this regardless of adjacent dance partners with higher point values.