Game objective

The objective of the game is to get rid of the other players one by one by giving them Cursed Gifts.

Starting setup

Before you start, shuffle all the cards. Deal 7 to each player then place the rest face down in the middle of the table, this will be the Draw Pile. The youngest player starts. The game proceeds clockwise.

Game zones

The cursed gauge

It is in front of you and this is where you place the Cursed Gifts that other players give you, because a gift cannot be refused!

Each player starts with a Gauge at 0. When the sum of Cursed Gifts in their gauge reaches 10, a player is eliminated immediately.

The draw pile

Place the shuffled deck of cards face down.

You draw a single card at the end of your turn.

Don't forget to draw because your opponents won't give you gifts on this one!

The Septic Discard

When a card is played and its power has been applied, place it in the Septic Discard, face up.

Cursed Gift cards that have been healed with an Antidote also go to the Septic Discard (as well as the Antidotes used).

How to give a Cursed Gift?

Place the Cursed Gift you want to give in another player's Gauge of your choice.

It is forbidden to give yourself any.

This Cursed Gift has a value that fills their Cursed Gauge. When their Gauge reaches 10 points or more and they cannot defend themselves, this player is eliminated immediately and can no longer play any cards (unless a card's power tells you otherwise).

Case of the Cursed golden gift of 666 points (the golden card):

It is simply a normal Cursed Gift of 666 points. It can therefore eliminate an opponent immediately. To play it you need opaque protective sleeves.

What is an Inevitable Cursed Gift and what is it for?

Some Cursed Gifts have an INEVITABLE mention, this means that the opponent to whom you give this gift will not be able to defend themselves at the moment you give it to them and will be forced to accept this wonderful present.

However, this does not prevent you from getting rid of it later thanks to another card when it is in your gauge.

Example: Antidote, Emergency Ifren...

It is important to note that RIPOSTES are useless against Inevitable Cursed Gifts.

A game turn

Each player can play up to 3 cards maximum during their turn, of which only one Cursed Gift to a single player.

When does my turn end?

You can play up to 3 cards but you are not obliged to do so. You can simply play 1, 2 or even 0. You decide to end your turn by drawing a card. The next player can then play up to 3 cards and so on until the Cursed Gifts have eliminated all but one!

End of the game

Standard victory

Victory occurs when all players have been eliminated except one: this player is the winner.

No more draw pile?

If there are no more cards in the draw pile, take the Septic Discard, shuffle it, flip it over and continue playing with the new draw pile.

Super important!

When a player is eliminated, they take all the Cursed Gifts that are in their cursed Gauge and those they still have in hand, and shuffle them into the draw pile ! (not in the septic discard !!!!! )

you can only give oneCursed Gift per turn and to only one person.

A piece of advice, almost an obligation:

DON'T TRY TO DISTRIBUTE CURSED GIFTS FAIRLY AMONG PLAYERS.

TENTE PLUTÔT D’ATTAQUER LE OU LES JOUEUR(S) QUI ONT LE PLUS DE MAUDITS CADEAUX DANS LEUR JAUGE AFIN DE LES ÉLIMINER LE PLUS VITE POSSIBLE ( CAR C’EST QUAND MÊME LE BUT DU JEU ! )

Types of cards

How to play any other card?

There are several types of cards. During your turn, play one by one any card from your hand by immediately performing its power written on it.

The Antidote allows you to heal a Cursed Gift that is in your gauge. Antidotes have a negative value (-1, -2, -5 etc). To heal a Cursed Gift (even if it is INEVITABLE), you must use the exact value of Antidotes needed. Cursed Gift cards that have been healed with an Antidote go to the Septic Discard, as well as the Antidotes used.

Example: You have a Cursed Gift of 2.

You can heal it with a -2 Antidote or two -1 Antidotes.

With a -5 Antidote, you can heal:

• a Cursed Gift of 5 points
• a Cursed Gift of 4 points + a Cursed Gift of 1 point
• a Cursed Gift of 3 points + a Cursed Gift of 2 points
• multiple Cursed Gifts of 1 and 2 points, etc...

With a -5 Antidote, you cannot heal:

• a Cursed Gift of 4 points (1 is missing) etc...

You can heal Cursed Gifts on which Tricks are placed (Example: First aid, Gracula, Mummy Touthanpéku).

The value of the Cursed Gift increases because of the Trick, so you must use enough Antidotes to heal both combined.

You can play 2 Antidotes at the same time or even 3, each Antidote counts as one card played during your turn. For example, with 2 -2 Antidotes, you can heal a Cursed Gift of 4 points, etc...

A Trick card is meant to destabilize other players, it is only played during your turn.

To play it, read its power to the targeted player(s) and apply it immediately. Then discard your Trick card played (unless otherwise stated on the card).

If one or more Tricks are placed on a Cursed Gift and it is healed or discarded, the Trick(s) placed on it must also be discarded.

A Defense card serves to protect you. It is played during your turn.

To play it, read its power and apply it immediately. Then discard your card played (unless otherwise stated on the card).

A Defense card with RIPOSTE can be played anytime, even during your opponents' turns. It is always played in response to another card played (whatever type of cards by respecting the instruction on the Defense in question). To play it, read its power and apply it immediately. Then discard your card played.

Example: un joueur t’attaque avec une Fourberie, tu réponds avec une Défense en RIPOSTE, telle qu’une « Protection de la Raie ». Lis le pouvoir de la carte Défense et réalise-le immédiatement.

Playing a Riposte to defend yourself during your turn does not count towards the limit of 3 cards per turn.

RIPOSTE: advanced rules*

*Requires cards that are not included in the base game, (see complete collection expansion or individual cards)

You can chain multiple RIPOSTES in a row. You can only riposte to the last card played.

Example: Player 1 plays a Trick on Player 2.

Player 2 responds with a Defense 'Riposte'. This riposte will act only on the Trick from Player 1.

If Player 1 decides to riposte on their turn they must then riposte in response to the Defense from Player 2 (because it is the last card played). To do this they must have the appropriate response (for example 'Darkva sleeps' or 'Phoque you' which can respond to Defenses). Player 2 can then respond on their turn to the Defense that Player 1 just played, etc...

Useless Gifts (like the one Aunt Yolande gives you every year) clutter your hand and you'd like to get rid of them. They are useless and you cannot give them away. However, they are not so useless after all because combined with other cards (such as 'Mugging', 'Day of mourning' etc), they can turn out to be useful after all!

Bonus rules

3 = Cacarma

If a player plays a Trick on you or gives you a Cursed Gift and you have at least 3 useless gifts in hand, you can discard 3 of them and use them as a 'Cacarma'.

2 = Cursed Gift 1 pt Inevitable

If you have 2 in your hand (identical or not), you can play them (which counts as 2 cards) and they become a 1 point Inevitable Cursed Gift to give. Place them in your opponent's gauge.

Zodiac Edition

If you have a Useless Gift from the Zodiac Edition (outside the base game) in your hand and it is your astrological sign, you can play it and choose any card from the Septic Discard and add it to your hand without revealing it to other players.

The rules of the game