How to Play The Copper Trickster

Objective of the Game

In The Copper Trickster, players take on the roles of characters involved in the ancient Mesopotamian copper trade, inspired by the infamous merchant Ea-Nasir. Your goal is to score the most points each round by strategically acquiring good and great quality copper while avoiding bad quality copper. The game ends when every player has had the chance to play as Ea-Nasir once, and the player with the most points wins.

Preparation (Setup)

Choose the First Ea-Nasir

Randomly select a player to be the first Ea-Nasir. This player receives the Ea-Nasir character card. Every player will get a chance to play as Ea-Nasir during the game.

Distribute the Other Characters

Distribute the remaining character cards clockwise from the first Ea-Nasir:

• 3 players: Ea-Nasir, Assyrian Buyer (2/3 players), Supplier
• 4 players: Ea-Nasir, Assyrian Buyer (4/5 players), Supplier, Babylonian Buyer
• 5 players: Ea-Nasir, Assyrian Buyer (4/5 players), Supplier, Babylonian Buyer, Nanni’s Messenger

Prepare the Copper Deck

For 4 or 5 players, use the entire deck. For 3 players, remove all 12 cards of one suit and store them in the game box, along with the corresponding Suit Card.

Place the Quality Indicator Card

Place the Quality Indicator card in the center of the table, with the side corresponding to the number of players facing up.

Prepare Score Tracking

The game does not include a score tracker. Use coins, tokens, pen and paper, or a smartphone to keep track of points.

Game Flow

Deal the Copper Cards

Shuffle the Copper cards and deal them equally:

• 3 players: 16 cards each (2 cards remain undealt)
• 4 players: 15 cards each
• 5 players: 12 cards each

Great Quality Copper Suit Definition

The Supplier secretly chooses a suit to be the great quality copper and places the corresponding Suit Card face-down next to the Quality Indicator card.

Quality Assignment of the Other Suits

The Supplier shuffles the remaining Suit Cards and assigns them face-down to the other quality icons on the Quality Indicator card.

Quality Uncovering

Each player secretly looks at their character’s assigned Suit Cards and places them back face-down.

Card Passing

Each player discards one card secretly and passes another card to the player on their left. Ea-Nasir cannot pass cards of the bad quality copper suit. In a 5-player game, Nanni’s Messenger only discards a card and does not pass or receive cards.

Round Flow

The Assyrian Buyer is the first leader. Players take turns playing cards, following the follow suit rule. The player who plays the highest card of the leading suit wins the trick. The game proceeds until all cards are played, with a Revelation phase occurring at a specific trick count depending on the number of players.

Actions and How to Play

Playing Cards

The leader plays any card, and other players must follow suit if possible. If a player cannot follow suit, they may play any card.

Winning Tricks

The player who plays the highest card of the leading suit wins the trick and collects the played cards.

Revelation Phase

At a specific trick count, all Suit Cards are revealed, and players gain full knowledge of the copper quality.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when every player has been Ea-Nasir once. Scoring is based on the character’s objectives:

• Assyrian and Babylonian Buyers: Score points for great quality copper and their preferred good quality copper.
• Ea-Nasir: Penalized for collecting great quality copper and bad quality copper.
• Supplier: Scores points for great quality copper but loses points for bad quality copper.
• Nanni’s Messenger: Scores based on the number of tricks won before and after the Revelation phase.

Tips for Winning

• Plan when to win tricks based on your character’s scoring objectives.
• Use the Revelation phase to adjust your strategy once all copper qualities are revealed.
• Avoid collecting bad quality copper unless it benefits your character’s scoring.

Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.