Zatre Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Aim of the Game
• Description
• Preparation
• The Game Begins
• How to Play
• How to Place a Tile on the ZATRE Board
  • Exception to Rule No. 5
• Scoring
• End of the Game
• Variant for Advanced Players

Contents

• 1 board
• 121 tiles with different values (21 tiles, 20 tiles, 20 tiles, 20 tiles, 20 tiles, 20 tiles)
• 2 ZATRE scoring pads, with columns for: double scores (light-coloured squares), 10s, 11s, and 12s, and a bonus for completed rows; each row also has a player name field and a row total field; at the bottom there is a field for any negative points received for having tiles remaining at the end of the game, and a field for the sum of all row totals
• 1 cloth bag

Aim of the Game

Players place the tiles on the board so that they form as many sums of 10, 11 and 12 as possible, because only these will score them points. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

Description

The player whose turn it is draws two tiles out of the bag and places them on the board according to the rules given below. You will often receive points for the tiles you place, and must make note of them on the scoring pad. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

Preparation

Place the board in the middle of the table. Put the tiles in the cloth bag, mix them well and place the bag next to the board. Each player gets a sheet from the scoring pad and a pencil.

The Game Begins

In order to determine the first player, each player draws a tile out of the bag. The player with the highest number of dots begins. If more than one player draws an equally high number, each of these players continues drawing tiles out of the bag until one player has a clear advantage and can begin.

The first player receives his (highest) tile, all the other tiles are put back into the bag. He draws two more tiles out of the bag and places all three tiles on the board.

Note: The first player must cover the red square during his first move.

How to Play

The turn to play passes clockwise. The player whose turn it is draws two tiles out of the bag and places them on the board. He should try to form horizontal or vertical lines of tiles that add up to a total value of 10, 11 or 12, because only these lines will score points. You always count all the dots of the tiles that form a connected line. For a total of 10, you get 1 point; for 11, you get 2 points; and for 12, you get 4 points. You may also mark the "x2" column if you place a tile on a light-coloured square. (See the Scoring section for more details.)

How to Place a Tile on the ZATRE Board

While placing the tiles on the board, the following rules apply:

1. You must place one of the three starting tiles on the starting square (red square).

   Example: Andrew draws the highest number and may start. He then draws two more tiles. He places one tile on the red square and uses the two tiles with 5 dots to form a 10 and an 11. He can then mark the "x2" column twice.

2. All subsequent tiles must be placed adjacent to tiles already on the board.

3. You may not form lines with a total of 13 or more points.

   Example: Betty draws two tiles. She places one tile so that she can note a 10 and an 11. She then cannot place the other tile, because the total of the rows would come to 13 or more. She keeps that tile and places it for her next turn in front of her on the table, face down.

4. You may form lines with a total of 9 or less points, but they do not score any points.

5. If possible, you must place both tiles on the board (even if you do not get any points; exception – see below).

6. You may place either both tiles in the same line or one tile each in different lines.

7. You may only place a tile on a light-coloured square if you are able to form a 10, an 11 or a 12 with this tile or with both tiles together. Exception: If you are not able to place a tile on a black square, you must place it on a light-coloured square, even if this does not earn you any points. In this case, you may not mark a cross on your scoring sheet.

   Example: Andrew draws two tiles. He places the tiles so that he can note two 12s and mark the "x2" column.

Exception to Rule No. 5

If a player can only place one of his two tiles or neither of them, he places the tiles that he has not used in front of him on the table, face down, and saves them for his next turn. If he has two or more tiles in front of him on the table at the beginning of his next turn, he checks if he can place one or more of them on the board. If this is the case, he may not draw a new tile, but must use the tiles left over from the last turn instead. But if he only has a single tile in front of him on the table, or if he cannot place any of the two or more tiles, he draws one tile out of the bag. If he is now able to place a tile on the board, he may use all his tiles (even if there are more than two).

Example: Betty only draws one tile. She now has two of that same tile that she can place on the board. She uses both tiles but does not earn any points, because the total of the line is only 9.

Example: Andrew draws two tiles and now has several options.

• Option A: He places the tiles so that he can note an 11 and a cross in the "x2" column. He does not earn any points for the other tile.
• Option B: He places the tiles so that he earns a 10 and a 12 as well as a cross in the "x2".

There are nearly always several ways of putting the tiles on the board. It depends on the course of the game which option is the better one. Since it is always preferable to note points evenly, option B would be the better one for Andrew. So he notes it accordingly.

Scoring

Please observe the following rules for scoring:

1. Each player notes the score for the tiles he has just placed on the board on his own sheet.

2. Fill in your scoring sheet from top to bottom. Do not miss any lines!

3. For a line with a total of 10, you get 1 point; for 11, you get 2 points; and for 12, you get 4 points.

4. Note the achieved points on the scoring sheet in the corresponding column.

5. It is possible to form lines with a total of less than 10, but they do not score any points.

6. If a player places a tile on a light-coloured square on the board (= double score), he must form a line of 10, 11 or 12, either with the tile placed on the light-coloured square or both tiles together. On the pad, he notes a cross in the next free box of the "x2" column. It is possible to note two "x2" crosses in a single turn – these are noted one beneath the other.

   Note: At the beginning, you place a tile on the red square. In this case, you may also note a cross in the "x2" column if you form a line with at least 10 points.

7. If a player earns more than one lot of the same total of points during his turn (for example two 12s), he notes all these points (for example, 2 x 4 points = 8 points) in the next free box in the corresponding column "12 (4)".

8. For rows on the scoring sheet in which all three columns – the 10s, 11s and 12s – are filled in, the player receives the bonus points indicated on the sheet. If there is any entry missing, he does not get a bonus.

9. If the row also contains a cross in the "x2" column, all the points noted in this row count double – regardless of whether the row is completed or not.

10. If, at the end of the game, a player still has tiles in front of him on the table, the total of all of their dots are noted as negative points. Fill the number in the "Minus" box at the bottom of the scoring sheet.

Hint: Adding up the points, you will recognize that it is not that important to earn as many 12s as you can, but rather to complete the rows from the top to the bottom – that means to note points evenly (because of the bonus points) and to get as many crosses in the "x2" column as possible.

End of the Game

The game is over when a player draws the last tile out of the bag. He finishes his turn as usual (even if he only has drawn one tile so that he only can place this one on the table). You then add up all the points noted on your scoring sheet (and deduct negative points, if necessary). The player with the highest score wins the game.

In rare cases, the game may have to end prematurely if no more tiles can be placed. In this case, players must draw the remaining tiles out of the bag in turns, one after another, until the bag is empty. All tiles that cannot be placed on the board count as negative points.

Example for a final scoring: Andrew still has one tile in front of him on the table. His scoring sheet contains the following entries:

• (1 + 2 + 8 + 3) x 2 = 28
• (1 + 2 + 4 + 3) x 2 = 20
• (1 + 4) x 2 = 10
• 1 + 4 = 5

Variant for Advanced Players

If you want to play ZATRE with 4 or 6 players, you may also form pairs in order to compete against the other team(s). This variant requires a completely different strategy:

Players sit next to each other in their teams. When it is their turn, both players simultaneously draw two tiles each out of the bag. They may then discuss how to best place the tiles. Afterwards, the results are noted on a common scoring sheet, one after the other.