Game Objective

In 6 nimmt!, your goal is to be the player with the fewest negative points at the end of several rounds. How do you achieve this? Simple: avoid taking cards! Each card you are forced to take comes with negative points, represented by the fun (and dreaded) bull heads. So, get ready to think strategically and dodge those unwanted cards!

Setup

Let's set up the table for the fun to begin:

1. Take all 104 numbered cards (from 1 to 104) and the 28 special cards. For the basic game, leave the special cards in the box – they are for the Anniversary Variant.
2. Shuffle the numbered cards well and deal ten cards to each player.
3. One of the players should take the scorepad and a pencil to record the score.
4. With the remaining cards, take four of them and place them face up in the center of the table. Each of these cards will be the start of one of the four rows. A row can have a maximum of five cards, including the first one.
5. Set the remaining cards aside. They will only be used in the next round.

Done! The four rows are formed, and you are ready to start playing.

The Game Turn

Each round, the dynamic of 6 nimmt! is simple but full of crucial decisions:

1. Playing Cards: Each player chooses a card from their hand and places it face down on the table. When everyone has a card in front of them, they are revealed simultaneously.
2. Placement Order: The player who revealed the card with the lowest value is the first to play. They must place their card in one of the four rows. Then, the player with the second lowest value card plays, and so on, until all revealed cards have been placed. This process repeats nine times, until all players have played their ten cards.

Where Should the Cards Go?

Card placement follows two fundamental rules:

• Rule 1: Ascending Order

  Cards in each row must be added in ascending order of value. That is, your card must be greater than the last card in the row.

• Rule 2: Smallest Difference

  Always place your card in the row where the difference between the last card in the row and your new card is the smallest possible.

Card Collection Situations

Not everything always goes as planned. Sometimes, you will be forced to take a row:

• Rule 3: Full Row

  A row containing five cards is full. If you play a sixth card into a full row, you must take all five cards from that row. The card you played becomes the new first card for that row.

• Rule 4: Low Card

  If you play a card whose value is too low to fit into any row (i.e., it is smaller than the last card of all rows), you must take all cards from a row of your choice. Your low card becomes the new first card for that row.

  Tip: If a low card forces you to take a row, as a general rule, choose the row with the fewest bull heads!

Bull Heads = Negative Points

Each card has at least one bull head printed on it. Each bull head counts as one negative point. Pay attention to these cards:

• Cards with numbers ending in 5 (5, 15, 25, etc.) have two bull heads.
• Multiples of 10 (10, 20, 30, etc.) have three bull heads.
• Doubles (11, 22, 33, etc.) have five bull heads.

Card 55 is a notable exception, as it is a double and ends in 5, so it has seven bull heads!

Whenever you are forced to take a row, place the cards in front of you, face down, forming your bull pile. Remember: cards you have taken do not return to your hand!

End of Game and Scoring

End of a Round

A round ends when all players have exhausted the ten cards from their hands. Each player takes their bull pile and counts the bull heads (= negative points) on the cards. The scorekeeper records each player's negative points, and then a new round begins.

End of the Game

The game continues round after round until one of the players accumulates at least 66 negative points. The player with the lowest number of negative points is the winner! In case of a tie, you will have multiple winners.

Of course, you can agree on a different target number of points or simply set a fixed number of rounds for the game.

Tips for Winning

6 nimmt! is a game of strategy and a bit of luck. Here are some tips so you don't end up taking bulls unnecessarily:

1. Beware of Low Cards: If you have a very low card in your hand, it can become a problem. If it doesn't fit into any row, you will be forced to take one. Try to use this situation to your advantage, choosing the row with the fewest bull heads, as suggested in the rules.
2. Observe Full Rows: Keep an eye on rows that are about to become full (with four cards). Playing the fifth card can be a good strategy to force another player to take the row if they have to play the sixth. But be careful not to be the victim yourself!
3. Calculate Differences: Before choosing your card, try to predict where it will go. Remember Rule 2: Smallest Difference. Sometimes, a card that seems safe can end up in a full row or force you to take a row you didn't want.