Xylotar: Unhinged — Rules Manual

THE PLOT THICKENS

After Xylotar (the card game) became a huge
hit in 2024, turning even the most socially
awkward nerds into trick-taking masters, the
tale of Bobby McColdsnap morphed into a
fairy tale even more compelling than Rebel
Princess.

KEIFER IS ALIVE!

Like a boomerang with a grudge, Keifer
Basset was found in late 2024 by internet
sleuths. He spilled the beans that Bobby's
1985 xylotar obsession terrified him, causing
him to flee to Trinidad. Keifer is currently
living his best island life as the proprietor
of the "Hold My Beer" marimba beach bar
featuring cocktails named after Thompson
Twins singles.

2

---

BOBBY'S LEGACY

After Keifer went public, Bobby resurfaced
with his xylotar in the winter of 2024 as the
rock god of the North Pole. He now hosts
"The Polar Pitch," a weekly jam session with
Kajagoogoo and Thomas Dolby. Here, the
aurora borealis does the lighting, and the
crowd is a mix of exasperated penguins and
seals who applaud inappropriately. His music
has been dubbed "Arctic Wave," which stirs
up memories of an 80s mixtape fed through
a Panasonic boombox with the bass turned
all the way up to "avalanche."

Bobby isn't merely a bear with a dream;
he's the Beethoven of blizzards, the Pink
Floyd of permafrost, and the Sting of
snowstorms.

Rock on, Bobby!

McColdsnap
The UNHINGED Tour
Featuring Kajagoogoo & Thomas Dolby
Greater Columbus Convention Center
June 19th 2025 Columbus, OH
Seat Row Gate
06 19 25
Ticket # 02EXP2025
3

---

CONTENTS

20 Bonus Beats
cards

8 Off-Key
cards

YOUR MISSION

In these two expansions for the card game
Xylotar, you've found additional materials
regarding the construction of the fabled
instrument.

You can play with either expansion or both of
these expansions together.

4

---

SETUP FOR BONUS BEATS
If playing with 2, 4, or 5 players, remove the
Yellow 9 Bonus Beats card.
If playing with 3 players, remove the Red 11
Bonus Beats card.
If playing with the Off-Key expansion, include
the Off-Key Bonus Beats cards.
After the regular Xylotar cards have been
dealt to all players, shuffle the Bonus Beats
deck and deal 2 cards to each player, face
down.

SETUP FOR OFF-KEY
Shuffle the Off-Key cards in with the rest of
the cards (if playing with 3 player do not deal
any of the Red or Orange cards).
Then take 1 random card of each color face
down and place it to the side (you'll need
those cards for the next round when you'll
shuffle them in again).
Deal the cards to players as normal.
5

---

BONUS BEATS GAMEPLAY

Players may use 1 of their Bonus Beats cards
each round...the 2 cards dealt to each player
at the start of the game are all they will get,
so each player must determine which round
to play them.

Many cards have specific timing
requirements, such as "Immediately after you
bid" or "Before you play your first card," which
must be followed. Until a card is activated, it
remains face down in front of the player, and
is not shared with any other player.

In all cases, even if the ability of a card is not
used, once a Bonus Beats card is flipped face
up it is considered activated for that round,
and no other Bonus Beats cards may be used
that round by that player. At the end of the
round, place any activated Bonus Beats cards
back in the box.

At the end of the 3rd round, if a player has
not used either of their Bonus Beats cards,
they get 1 extra point on that round.

6

---

BONUS BEATS CARDS
The following list shows how each of the
cards are used in the game.

CARD DESCRIPTION

Immediately after
you bid.
#
Get your
bonus even if
you are 1 over
your bid.
Must be played immediately after you bid.
Get the 5 point Bonus even if you
are 1 over your bid.

Immediately after
you bid.
b
Get your bonus
even if you are
1 under your
bid.
Must be played immediately after you bid.
Get the 5 point Bonus even if you
are 1 under your bid.

Before you play
your 1st card.
0
Replace your
rightmost card
with this one,
which can be
played instead
of the led suit.
Must be played before you play your 1st card.
Replace the right most card in your
Xylotar with this 0 card, which can
be played instead of the led suit.
7

---

Immediately after
you bid.
+1
Get 1 point for
each other player
who misses their
bid.

Before you play
a card.
Change your
bid to 1 of your
unplayed cards,
and flip your
old bid card
face down.

Immediately after
you bid 0.
Get 8 points for
a successful 0 bid
(instead of 5).

Before you play
your 1st card.
Flip up all
your cards
of any suit.

Must be played immediately after you bid.
You will get 1 point for each other
player that misses their bid. This
round, in addition to any other
points you score.

Must be played before you play a card.
Change your bid to one of your
unplayed cards, and flip your bid
card face down and move it back
into your row of Xylotar cards.

Must be played immediately after you bid 0.
Get 8 points for a successful 0 bid
instead of the usual 5 points.

Must be played before you play your 1st card.
Flip all cards of any suit face up,
and they stay face up for the rest of
the round.

8

---

Before you play
a card.

Must be played before you play a card.
You don't have to follow suit
this trick, and may play any card,
including a trump card.

You don't have
to follow suit
this trick.

Before you play
your 1st card.

Must be played before you play your 1st card.
Replace the leftmost card in your
Xylotar with this one. This card is a
Yellow (trump) 9, and will always
win a trick.

9.d

Replace your
leftmost card
with this one.

3p only

Only used with 3 player games.

Immediately after
you play any card.

Must be played immediately after you play any card.
Discard 1 face down card. You will
not bid this round. Instead, you
will get your 5 point bonus if you
match any other player's bid.

Discard 1 of
your cards and
do not bid.
Get your bonus
if you match
any other
player's bid.

9

---

Before you play
your 1st card.
11:
Replace your
leftmost card
with this one.
2p, 4p, 5p only.

Immediately
before you bid.
View up to 3
cards and then
choose 1 of them
as your bid.

Before you play
a card.
View any 2 of
your cards.

Must be played before you play your 1st card.
Replace the leftmost card in your
Xylotar with this one. This card is a
Red (trump) 11, and will always win
a trick.
Only used with 2, 4, or 5 player games.

Must be played immediately before you bid.
View up to 3 cards (they do not
have to be adjacent) and choose 1
of them as your bid.

Must be played before you play a card.
View any 2 of your cards (they do
not have to be adjacent), then
place them back face down.

10

---

Before you play
any card.
Must be played before you play any card.
Secretly view your 3 leftmost cards.
View your 3
leftmost cards.

Immediately after
you play any card.
Must be played immediately after you play any card.
Regardless who wins this trick, you
will get to lead the next trick.
Lead the next
trick no matter
who wins this
one.

Immediately
before you lead.
Must be played immediately before you lead.
When you have the lead, you may
indicate a different player to lead
other than yourself.
When you have
the lead, indicate a
different player
to lead.

Immediately
before you lead.
Must be played Immediately before you lead.
You may lead with your leftmost
card.
You may lead
with your
leftmost card.

11

---

Before you play
any card.

Discard 1 card,
and discard 1 of
the discarded
Off-Key cards as
its replacement.
Off-Key only

Must be played before you play any card.
Discard 1 of your cards and replace
it with a card of your choice (do
not view that card) from the Off-
Key pile, angling it in your xylotar
so everyone knows it was replaced.
Only used when Off-Key cards are in play

Immediately
before you bid.

Discard 1 card,
and choose 1 of
the discarded
Off-Key cards as
your bid.
Off-Key only

Must be played immediately before you bid.
Discard 1 of your cards, view the
cards in the Off-Key pile, and
choose of those cards as your bid.
Only used when Off-Key cards are in play

Before you play
your first card.

1/2

No penalty for
Off-Key cards.
Off-Key only

Must be played before you play your first card.
Any Off-key cards do not count as
-1 to your score this round.
Only used when Off-Key cards are in play

12

---

OFF-KEY GAMEPLAY

Remember, that when playing with Off-Key
cards, you've taken out 1 card of each color
after shuffling. This means that you might be
taking an Off-Key card out of the deck before
it is dealt. When setting up the second and
third rounds, don't forget to add in the cards
removed from the deck previously. After
shuffling in these cards, remove 1 of each
color again.

Off-Key cards are 1/2 less than the highest card
that is normally in each color. The Red cards
normally go from 0-10, so the Off-Key Red
card is 91/2. The 91/2 card is higher than the 9
card, but lower than the 10 card.

When bidding, if a card you secretly view is
a 1/2 card and you use it as your bid, it is the
number on the card. For instance, if you view
a 21/2 card and use it as your bid, your bid is 2.

At the end of the round each 1/2 card you
have won in any tricks reduces your score by
1 point.

13

---

Off-Key (1/2) cards used as your bid are not
subtracted from your score, as you did not
win them in a trick.

When ordering cards at the start of a round,
be sure to put the 1/2 cards in the correct order.

CREDITS
Expansion Design: Chris Wray
Expansion Development: Ted Alspach
Cover Art: Davi Comodo
Graphic Design: Aaron Rauth
14

---

beziergames
THE NEW CLASSICS

CEO: Ted Alspach COO: Toni Alspach
App Development: Steven Melton and Erik Coburn
Customer Support Manager: Ryan Moore
Licensing & Program Manager: Renée Harris
Marketing Manager: Jay Bernardo
Trade Show Manager: Kevin Padula

©2025 Bezier Games, Inc. Xylotar and its logo are trademarks of
Bezier Games, Inc.
Bezier Games and its logo are registered trademarks of Bezier
Games, Inc.
Warning: This product contains small parts that can be swallowed
and may not be suitable for use by children under 36 months. THIS
PRODUCT IS NOT A TOY.

15

---