a tableaux-filling Decktet game for 2 to 4 players

The game is played on a five by five grid, hereafter called the spread. On your turn, you add one card to the spread, score points depending on the connections between the played card and nearby cards, and possibly draw cards depending on those connections. You are penalized for any cards left in your hand at the end of the game.

Object of the game: To score points by placing cards.

Setup: Shuffle the deck, deal cards face up into the spread, then deal a hand of cards to each player.

With two players, deal 5 face up cards: one card in each corner of the spread and one in the center. Then deal each player a 10 card hand.

With three players, deal 4 face up cards: one card in each corner of the spread. Then deal each player a 7 card hand.

With four players, deal 5 face up cards: one card in each corner of the spread and one in the center. Deal each player a 6 card hand.

Play begins with the player on the dealers left and continues clockwise.

Scoring the play

Basic scoring: Consider this card (the one you played) with respect to each horizontally or vertically adjacent card. If this card is at the edge of the spread or is next to an empty space, it does not score on that side.

Add the rank of the two cards together; Aces are 1, Crowns are 10, and other cards are as numbered.

• If the sum is 9 or less, one of the cards is an Ace, and the other card has a suit matching the Ace: Add points equal to the sum of the two cards.
• If the sum is 9 or less, without a matching Ace: Lose points equal to the sum of the two cards.
• If the sum is exactly 10, score zero points.
• If the sum is exactly 11: Draw a card.
• If the sum is between 12 and 19: Add points equal to ten less than the sum; e.g. a sum of 14 scores 4 points.
• If the sum is exactly 20: Draw a card.

Note that card draws are cumulative. For example: Boris plays a Crown adjacent to an Ace, another Ace, and another Crown on three different sides. His Crown plus each Ace add to 11, and his Crown plus the other Crown add to 20. So he draws three cards.

Pair bonus: If this card is the same rank as an adjacent card, add 5 points.

If this card matches more than one adjacent card, score for each pair.

Straight bonus: If this card completes a continuous line of three or more cards that are in rank order, add 20 points. Straights may be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.

Aces count as before 2, Crowns count as after 9, and straights may not wrap around. If you make more than one straight, score for each.

Three of a Kind bonus: If this card completes a continuous line of three or more cards of the same rank, add 30 points. Threes of a Kind may be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.

If you make more than one three of a kind, score for each. Cards that contribute to three of a kind may not be scored as pairs.

Although it is possible to score several bonuses, they must be in different lines. Playing in the middle of four card straight does not score the straight bonus twice; it doesn't count as two overlapping three card straight. Playing so that your card completes two straights in two different directions does score twice (for 40 points).

Power Play: If this card is an Ace or Crown and you play it adjacent to an Ace or Crown of the same suit, then you score a power play. Add the total value of all other cards of showing suit in the spread. This may be as little as zero (if there are no other cards of that suit in the spread) or as many as 44 (if all the other cards of that suit are in the spread.)

Since the Ace and Crown sum to 11, you will draw a card as part of basic scoring when you make a power play.

End of the Round

The round ends when all 25 places in the spread have been filled. If you drew cards as the result of play during the round or if you are playing a four-player game, then you will have at least one card left over at the end. You lose points for each card left in your hand: Subtract the rank of each number cards, subtract 10 for each Crown, and subtract 15 for each Ace.

A new round then begins, with the new dealer being the player on the old dealer's left. Since there is a definite advantage to going first and a disadvantage to going last, it is recommended that you play one round with each player as dealer.

Variants

Flush bonus: In this variant, there is a bonus for completing a configuration of four or more cards that share a suit. A flush may be in a straight line (including diagonals) or in a two-by-two box. This scores 10 points. It is possible to score for multiple flushes with a single play.

Note that cards in a flush will also have other suits that they do not share, but there must be one single suit that they all do have.

The Excuse: If you include the Excuse card in the deck, it counts as a blank. It scores zero points when played in a spread, accrues no basic scoring when cards are played next to it, and exacts no penalty if still in hand at the end of the round.

Muggins: If a player fails to claim points that they are entitled to after a card play, other players who notice the extra points may steal them. Play with muggins only after everyone is familiar with the rules, if ever.

Credits

Original design: Chris DeLeo

Rules text: P.D. Magnus

Playtesting: John Milanese, Cristyn Magnus

The Decktet is presently available only as a digital document. You assemble it yourself.

• Download the basic version [PDF] containing bridge sized cards. It has colour suits and lineart illustrations, so as to minimize the drain on your printer ink. Scaled for Japanese size card sleeves.
• Download the deluxe version [PDF] containing poker sized cards and full colour illustrations. Scaled for American size card sleeves.
• Download reference cards [PDF] that summarize scoring for Biscuit, Quincunx, and Turtle Butt.
• Download a game box [PDF] that you can cut out and assemble. It is scaled to hold poker sized cards in plastic card protectors.

The Decktet is ©2003-8 P.D. Magnus. Some rights reserved. The deck, illustrations, and supporting text are offered as open content under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be negotiated.