>David & Goliath

A card game by Reinhard Staupe
1997 - Berliner Spielkarten

Players: 3-6 persons
Ages: from 8 years
Duration: approximately 20 minutes
Content: 90 playing cards, 5 instruction cards

General idea of the game

The cards with the high values are the strongest, but somewhat awkwardly. The cards with the low values are the weakest, but can be played smartly.

Each player plays a card in turn. The player with the lowest card receives the highest card as profit. The player, who had the highest card, receives all remaining cards as profit.

In the end the game, players get points in each color. If one has, in a certain color (for example red), only one or two cards, one gets the face value in each case - which can be very lucrative. If one has more than two cards in a certain color, each of these cards only counts 1 point.

Game preparation

According to the number of players, some cards must first be sorted out.
- With 3 players only cards with the values 1-9 are required (= 45 cards).
- With 4 players only cards with the values 1-12 are required (= 60 cards).
- With 5 players only cards with the values 1-15 are required (= 75 cards).
- With 6 players all cards are required.
The cards that are not required are put aside. The cards are shuffled and evenly distributed. Each player receives 15 cards, that he/she takes into their hand.

Course of the game

The player who sits at the dealers left begins.

He/she chooses an any of his/her cards and plays it, i.e.: he/she discloses it in front of them on the table. Now all players must also clockwise in turn play a card and set it in front of them. This must always happen: the first color played must be followed! If a player can not follow the color, he/she may play any other color.
Once play has gone once around the table, the highest card is determined first, the lowest card is determined after it.

- The highest card is always the one with the highest number - independently from the color! If several players have played the highest number, the one that was played last is regarded as the highest.

- The lowest card is always the one with the lowest number - independently from the color! If several players have played the lowest number, the one that was played last is regarded as the lowest.

- The player with the lowest card receives the highest card as profit. He/she places it face up beside them on the table.

- The player who had the highest card receives all remaining cards as profit. He/she places all captured cards face on the table beside them, separated by color.

The player who had the highest card now begins the next round in the same way  described. The game proceeds in this way until 15 rounds have been played and everyone has played all 15 of their cards.

(In the game everyone gets more and more cards as profit. Each player puts all cards they've won, after separating colors, clearly beside them on the table - each single card must be visible.)

An example:

- Frank plays the green 4 (now green must be followed)
- Sabine plays the green 9
- Peter plays the red 2 (he has no green)
- Andrea plays the green 7

Sabine's card is the highest (the green 9). Peter's card is the lowest (the red 2). Peter receives the highest card as profit (Sabine's green 9) and places it face up beside him.

Sabine receives all remaining cards as profit. She places these all face up beside her, separated by color.

Sabine now begins the next round and plays any card of her selection.

Final scoring

Each player receives points for all cards, that he/she has won in the round. Each color is tallied separately. First one scores red, then yellow, then green, etc.

- If a player has only one or two cards in a certain color, he/she receives the face value of each card.

- If a player has more than two cards in one certain color, he/she only receives 1 point for each of these cards.

Finally each player adds the points he/she has in the 5 colors. That sum is his/her total score.

Example:

Frank has the following cards in front of him at the end of the game:

In red: 4, 10, 11 = 3 points
In yellow: 8 = 8 points
In green: 5, 9 = 14 points
In blue: 2, 3, 6, 10, 12 = 5 points
In violet: 10, 12 = 22 points

Frank's total score: 52 points!

After the entire round, the results of each player are listed. There should be as many rounds as there are players participating. Whoever finally has the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

The Game Cabinet - editor@gamecabinet.com - Ken Tidwell