Reibach & Co.

Designed by Alan Moon
Published by FX Schmit
Rules Translation by John Webley
Editted by Ken Tidwell
Distributed from The Sumo Rules Bank by Mike Siggins

Here, only one thing counts. Namely, Cash, Pelf, Moolah, Dough, Readies, Spondoolah.

Whether with property, shares or gold, there are many ways of getting the roubles rolling. Who's the biggest dealer in the land? Who understands business best?

The decisive move to the front that gets the tills ringing, represented by the number of cards played, will only come with more know-how, better asset management and more refinement than the opposition.

The winner is the player who has the most Reibachs after three scoring rounds.

Game materials

(additionaly, you will need a sheet of paper and a pen to note down the Reibachs scored.)

Game Preparation

The 10 Reibach cards (with dollar signs) are removed. The remaining 100 cards are shuffled.

Each player is dealt 4 cards face down which they take in hand.

3 cards are laid out on the table next to one another.

The 10 Reibach cards are now shuffled back into the remaining cards. These cards make up the face-down drawing pile which is placed next to the 3 cards on the table.

Course of Play

The oldest player starts. Subsequently, play proceeds clockwise.

Each player has 3 Action points (APs) available each turn. They must use all three points even when, especially towards the end of the game, it is to their own disadvantage.

The following actions are available:

Draw a card:

For 1 AP a player may draw one of the three face up cards from the table. This card is replaced by the topmost card from the drawing pile, so that there are always three cards face up on the table, even through the rest of the player's turn.

For 2 APs the topmost card from the drawing pile may be drawn. This has the advantage that the other players remain in the dark about which card you have drawn.

Play a card face down:

For 1 AP a player may place one of their cards face down on the table in front of them. Such a face down card acts as a "Businessmaker" on which further face up cards can be laid.

Play a card face up:

For 1 AP, a player may place one of the cards from their hand face-up on a "Businessmaker" card or, alternatively, add another card to cards (Rows) already laid.

Face up cards may never be placed without a "Businessmaker".

Each player may freely choose the type and order of their actions, so one could, for example, simply draw three cards from the middle into hand, or one lays a face down card, (Businessmaker), draws a card from the middle and then lays it down face up next to the "Businessmaker", or one places three Businessmakers, or..or..or..

Doing Business is very easy. First one places any card from the hand face down: the Businesssmaker. This card must, however, first be shown to all the other players so that they can see what type of card it is. Subsequently, no player may look at it for the rest of the game.

All further cards that are placed on the Businessmaker are placed face up and should be placed overlapping each other to conserve table space. They must all be of one and the same business, ie of the same suit (colour). (Exception: multitalented and risk cards). This suit need not be the same as the suit of the Businessmaker.

A player may have up to 10 Businessmakers in front if them, that is, one for each business area. It is not permitted to have more than one row of the same business.

Special Cards

A Multitalented card may be added to any business and counts as a card of that suit. Any number of multitalented cards may be added to any row but the first card after the Businessmaker must always be a proper business card so that the type of business is strictly defined. A multitalented card may be used as a Business maker, but may not take over the function of a Risk card.

A Risk card can, in the same way, be added to any row with a business card but it does not count as another card of the same type. Instead, the Riebach of this row is doubled during every following scoring round. Additionally, whne the risk card is added the row is permanently closed. This means that no further card may be added to it. A Risk card can also be used as a Businessmaker, but in this case, naturally, it does not double the value of the row.

What's played is played! A card once laid may never be taken back or moved, whether it concerns a businessmaker, multitalented, business or risk card.

Every Reibach card that is turned over or drawn by a player is immediately placed face up on a special pile so that all players see it (and immediately replaced by another card). If the fourth Reibach card is drawn, the game is immediately paused and the first scoring round takes place. The second scoring round takes place when three more Reibach cards have been drawn. The third and last scoring round takes place when a further three (ie in total all ten), Reibach cards have been turned over. The game ends afterwards.

It simplifies the overview if the current Reibach cards are placed face down to one side after the scoring round. Should the first or second Scoring Round break into a player's turn, it interrupts the turn. That player continues with their turn after the scoring round has been carried out. Since the game ends immediately after the third scoring round, it may happen that a player loses one or two APs.

Scoring

During the Scoring rounds, the players' businesses are checked as to their market power and the number of Reibachs that they score are added to the account.

4 million is received by a player for every business where they are the only player to have placed cards (ie they have a monopoly). The length of the row plays no part here.

3 million is brought to a player by a business that is not the only but the strongest of it's type (ie they have built the longest row of that type).

1 million is awarded for every business that represents the second longest row of that type.

If there is a tie between two players over the longest row in a business then the Reibachs are shared equally between the players concerned (rounded down). Since in this case the second longest row is ignored, it is always 3+1 = 4 million that is shared.

In a draw over the second longest row, neither of the businesses is awarded any points.

A face up Risk card doubles the Reibachs for that row in every scoring round.

Only in the third and last scoring round are there also Reibach clawbacks.

Lose 2 million for a Businessmaker with no business cards.

Lose 1 million for every card that a player has in their hand at game end.

After every scoring round, all income (and in the third scoring round, also possibly the losses) for each player is noted on a sheet of paper.

On the back of the German rules you will find a scoring sheet, which you may photocopy.

The player who has the largest total of Reibachs after the third scoring round wins.

Alan Moon's Unofficial Variants

Expensive Special Cards

Alan highly recommends this rule. Picking up a face up a special card (a multitalented or risk card) costs 2 action points.

Handicapping

Start the first player at zero points, the next at 1, the next at 2, and so on. This offsets the advantages of laying your cards early in the round.

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