Dobble

A series of games for 2-8 players

Designed by Denis Blanchot

Illustrated by Igor Polouchine

And published by Play Factory in 2009

Ages 6 and up

Playing time: 5-10 minutes

(Game components: A round tin containing 55 cards, each with 8 symbols, and each of which has one and only one symbol in common with any other card.

Game #1: The Towering Inferno

Deal one card, face down to each player. Place the rest of the deck in the center of the table as a face-up draw pile. Players simultaneously turn over their cards. The first player to find – and call out -- the item his card has in common with the center card claims that card, which is placed atop her face-up card and play immediately continues as a new center card is revealed.

When the draw pile has been exhausted, the player who has claimed the most cards wins.

Game #2: The Well

Remove one card from the deck and set it aside face down. Deal out the deck so that each player has an equal number of cards in a face down draw pile. Now place the original card set aside (or one of the extras) face up in the center of the table. Players turn over the first card on their draw piles simultaneously. The first player to find/name the item on the center card that matches her top card places her card on the center card and turns over the next card in her draw pile. The player who exhausts her draw pile first wins.

Game #3: Hot Potato

Each player holds out a hand and is dealt one card face down. Using the other hand players are simultaneously reveal the hidden card. The first player to find a match between his card and any other player’s card, calls out the match and places the card in the other player’s hand. That player then searches for a match between the new card in her hand and any card remaining in another’s hand, while other players remaining in the game are simultaneously searching for matches as well. Whenever a player finds a match, he places all of the cards in his hand on top of the cards in the hand of the player with whom he has identified the match. The round ends when all of the cards are in the last player’s hand. They are then set in front of that player and a new round is dealt out face down.

Players play a fixed number of rounds (minimum 5, agreed upon in advance) and then the player with the most cards loses.

Game #4: Catch Them All!

One card is placed face up in the center of the table and each player is dealt one card face down. Players simultaneously reveal their cards and then search for the match between the center card and any other revealed card. Whoever finds a match claims the revealed card, placing it face down in front of himself, but leaves the center card in place and, along with the other players, continues searching for matches between it and the remaining cards that were revealed.

When all those cards have been claimed, place the center card at the bottom of the draw pile and deal out another hand. When the draw pile has been exhausted, count the stack of claimed cards in front of each player. The player with the most cards wins.

Game #5: The Poisoned Gift

Deal each player one card, face down. Place the rest of the deck in the center of the table as a face-up draw pile. Players simultaneously reveal their dealt cards and then look for matches between the center card and the card in front of any other player. The first to find and name a match places the center card on top of the other player’s matching card. Play continues with the newly revealed center card.

The game ends when the draw pile has been exhausted. The player with the fewest cards wins.