How to Play Tichu: Booster

Objective of the Game

Tichu Booster is an anniversary gift designed to bring new diversity and variation to the card game Tichu. Players aim to use additional booster cards to gain advantages or avoid disasters throughout the game. The core objective remains the same as basic Tichu, with boosters adding strategic layers to gameplay.

Preparation (Setup)

1. Shuffle the boosters to form a draw pile.
2. Place the first four boosters face up.
3. The Colour Overview should be placed where it is easily accessible for everyone.

Fluxo do Jogo

Booster Distribution

Players begin without boosters. Boosters come into play when a Tichu is announced.

• If a player calls Grand Tichu, the boosters are available immediately after all the cards are dealt.
• If a player calls small Tichu, the boosters are available at the end of the round.
• It does not matter whether or not the Tichu was successful.
• If no Tichu is called, no boosters are distributed.
• In a game round, at most four boosters can be distributed.

The player who first calls Tichu chooses one booster and places it in front of them. Then, in playing order, each other player chooses one booster. After all four faced-up boosters are taken, the top four boosters from the draw pile are placed face up.

Booster Usage

Once obtained, the boosters are available to the players until the end of the game. There is no limit to the number of boosters players can keep or use in a single round. Boosters give a one-time boost, either providing an advantage or avoiding a disaster. All boosters expire at the end of the round in which they are played and are then placed on the discard pile. Using a booster is always voluntary. A player that has gone out may neither play nor is affected by any boosters. The booster colour indicates when it can be used (see Colour Overview). The booster's text describes its effect.

Ações e Como Jogar

Most boosters are instant cards that can be played out of turn. When a player yells "Wait!" allow the player the time to make up their mind. In particular, wait a moment before and after exchanging cards in case someone wants to use a blue booster. You may inspect other players' boosters. Remember to think about possible action or reaction cards.

Booster Colors and Timing

• Blue Booster - Start of Round: Can be played before drawing cards or during card exchange, up until the first card is played.
• Red Booster - Reaction: Can be played in response to other events. Some boosters can be played to reverse an action, take back cards or change announcements.
• Brown Booster - Between Tricks: Can only be played between two tricks or just before a trick. Some brown boosters are restrictions that last until the end of the round.
• Green Booster - Anytime: Can be played at any time during the round. Some green boosters are one-off effects. Some allow new combinations and last until the end of the round.
• Yellow Booster - Companions: Can only be played when it is your turn. In some cases, a yellow booster is played together with other cards. In other cases, it is played alone.

Brown, green and yellow boosters can be played only after all blue boosters are played.

Example Boosters and Their Effects

• CLAIRVOYANT (Start of Round): You may first look at what people pass you, then determine your own passes (from your original hand of course).
• OUVERT (Start of Round): The player who holds the Mah Jong gives it to you. You open the game round. You then play this round with your entire hand faced up.
• DISARMAMENT (Start of Round): You place a (non-special) card face up in front of you, the player to your right also places a card of the same value face up. Those cards go into each players' tricks.
• GENEROUS (Start of Round): You may give another player two cards instead of one. The selected player only gives one card back. This booster must be played before the exchange.
• SATISFIED (Start of Round): In this round players do not exchange cards. Instead, everyone puts a card faced down into their taken tricks before the round begins. This booster must be played before the exchange.
• POSITIVE THINKING (Start of Round): Each player only exchanges cards with their partner, but they pass their partner three cards instead of one. This booster must be played before the exchange.
• RETURN TO SENDER (Start of Round): You may refuse to accept a card that is passed to you. The sender takes the card back into their hand and does not pass you a different card in its place. The sender keeps the card you passed them.
• BACK TO THE ROOTS (Start of Round): This game round is played without special cards. The Mah Jong, Dog, Phoenix and Dragon are discarded and the points from those cards are not counted. Whoever discards the Mah Jong still starts the round.
• COURAGE IS REWARDED (Start of Round): If you call Grand Tichu, you may pick up two cards when you draw your 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th cards. Each draw, choose one card and give it to the player to your right, this replaces that player's draws from the deck.
• DRAFT (Start of Round): At any point during the draw, you may take four cards, keep one and pass the rest to the right. The next player chooses one from the cards passed to them and continues to pass the rest to the right until all four cards are chosen. Not playable if Courage is Rewarded is in effect.
• EXTEND (Reaction): You may add up to four cards to a play (not your own) in order to form a valid big combo. You do not take ownership of the new, extended combo. Play continues with the new, extended combo.
• BIRD THIEF (Reaction): You may steal the Phoenix from a combo if you replace it with a card of appropriate value from your hand.
• MULLIGAN (Start of Round): You may claim a mulligan after you have drawn your first seven cards. You draw seven new cards from the pile and then mix your old cards into the pile.
• CAT (Reaction): The Dog is distracted, you get the right to play - and the Dog in your hand.
• INSURANCE (Reaction): The Tichu that has just been called, whether small or grand, is not punished with negative points in case of failure.
• DOWNLOAD (Reaction): You may play a matching combo of lower value than what has been led. E.g. if 55588 is led you may play 22266. Slide the cards underneath the trick, this does not win the trick.
• DEFUSE FOUR-OF-A-KIND BOMBES (Reaction): Defuse a four-of-a-kind bomb. The bomb is put under the trick and play continues.
• NJET! (Reaction): The effect of a booster that has just been played is cancelled. It is discarded together with Njet!
• NEW MASTER (Reaction): You may discard your Dog on any player's single court card (J, Q or K). The player who played the court card is the animal's new master and picks up the Dog in their hand.
• SCARECROW (Reaction): Sssh! Go home to the nest! The scarecrow drives the newly played Phoenix or Dragon back to its owner's hand. That player must play something bird-free or pass.
• DELAY (Reaction): Immediately after any player calls a small Tichu, whoever has called it, this booster allows you to raise that player's bid to a grand Tichu.
• ACTION 2X CHRISTMAS (Reaction): The Dragon and Phoenix are alive again. Whoever put them in their taken tricks takes them in their hands. This booster can only be played if both the Dragon and Phoenix have been played and the affected player(s) have not gone out yet.
• BOOSTER CARD ROBBING (Reaction): When you announce a Tichu, whether grand or small, you may rob a booster from the pool of a fellow player.
• DEALER (Between Tricks): You may exchange your entire hand with your partner's hand - they can not refuse.
• FULL HOUSE SWITCH (Reaction): For the rest of this trick, the pair determines the strength of a full house. The three-of-a-kind only matters if the pair matches the pair previously played.
• THE CONFUSED DRAGON (Reaction): The Dragon is confused. Its owner keeps the newly won trick, but gives away the lead to an opponent of their choice who has not gone out yet.
• BASTA YA! (Between Tricks): No more boosters may be played. Boosters in display or already played this round still count.
• CHAIR MOVE (Between Tricks): You may choose two players who are required to change seats for the rest of the round.
• SOLO INITIATIVE (Between Tricks): Whoever leads next must play a single card. You also have to play a single card on your next lead.
• THE RED CARD (Anytime): You may exchange one of your cards for a red card of the same value. You receive the red card from a player's hand or - if it has already been played - from a player's taken tricks.
• SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL (Between Tricks): No one may play combos containing more than 5 cards.
• DOUBLE VICTORY (Between Tricks): As long as no one has gone out, you may announce a double victory. If your team succeeds, you receive an extra 100 points; if your team fails, you lose 100 points.
• RECYCLING (Anytime): You may return either of the top two boosters from the discard pile to your inventory.
• SECURITY LEVEL RED (Between Tricks): No more bombs may be played. Four-of-a-kind bombs may be played and will count as three-of-a-kinds, straight bombs may be played as straight.
• IGNORE THE WISH OF THE MAH JONG (Anytime): For this round, you may ignore the wish of the Mah Jong.
• RAINBOW (Anytime): Four cards, one of each colour, are now a valid combo. It is beaten by a rainbow with a higher lowest card.
• ICE HOCKEY TEAM (Anytime): Five or six cards of the same colour are now a valid combo. It is beaten by an ice hockey team with a higher lowest card. (The length of the combo is irrelevant.)
• THE BOOSTER PRESENT (Anytime): You may give your partner a booster as a present. They may thank you with one of their boosters, but they do not have to.
• EQUALITY (Anytime): Cards are now not only beaten by higher cards, but also by cards of the same value, e.g. a 6 by a 6.
• SKAT (Anytime): From now on the 10 cards are directly under the aces. This rank also applies to combinations. It does not apply to already played cards.
• HIGHWAYS (Anytime): A straight of consecutive even cards (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, Q, A) or odd cards (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, J, K) is now a valid combo. The minimum length is four cards.
• SPY (Anytime): Name a (non-special) card value, you may ask your opponents for that value. They must tell you how many cards of that value they have in their hands.
• SUPER PARTNER (Anytime): You give your called Tichu to your partner - now they have to get rid of their remaining cards first.
• GARBAGE CAN (Anytime): Tricks are now also beaten by tricks that include them. E.g. a 6 is beaten by 66, 5566 or even 56789, which in turn is beaten by 456789. Play continues with whatever the last combination played was.
• FLOWERS (Anytime): A pair or three-of-a-kind with a stem (the next lower green card) is now a valid combo. Players may add a stem to a pair or a three-of-a-kind that has been played. This gives ownership of the resulting flower. Flowers are beaten by higher flowers. (The length of the combo is irrelevant.)
• SUPER FULL HOUSES (Anytime): A three-of-a-kind and an adjacent pair, e.g. 44455 of QQQJJ, now beat normal full houses and two consecutive pairs. They are only beaten by higher super full houses.
• FIREBIRD (Own Turn): This booster may replace a card with a value up to 8 in a combo.
• POTHOLE (Own Turn): You may play a straight that is missing a card. It is only beaten by a straight with a gap in the same spot, e.g. 8, 9, J, Q, K by 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.
• BIRD OF PREY (Anytime): You may now communicate about your hand and advise your partner, but all communications must be audible.
• MOUSE (Own Turn): When played as a singleton in an on-going trick, you may beat the Dragon, Phoenix or an ace with the Mah Jong. After it has been played, however, it counts as 1 and can be beaten by a 2 and up. No wish may be made when using the mouse.
• BABY DRAGON (Own Turn): If everyone has already played or passed once, you may play the baby dragon along with a singleton or combo that beats the current trick. Your play with the baby dragon is only beaten by a bomb.
• PAIR MANIA (Anytime): Any number of pairs, even non-consecutive, are now a valid combo. It is beaten by an equal number of pairs with a higher greatest pair.
• HELP (Own Turn): You may ask your partner for help to add one or more cards to your incomplete combo. If your partner doesn't help you, you may play something different.
• RING STRAIGHT (Own Turn): You may form a straight that goes beyond the ace with a 2 and possibly with a 3, a 4 etc. It is higher than normal straights of the same length. A wrap-around straight flush cannot be played as a bomb.
• MODESTY (Own Turn): One of your (non-special) cards is valued one less than its face value. Possible points are retained. You cannot use that card to make a bomb.
• QUAD-STRAIGHT (Own Turn): You may play a straight consisting of only four cards. It is beaten by a higher quad-straight.
• SECOND DOG (Own Turn): When you have the lead, you may transfer the lead to your partner. Follows no Cat.

Fim de Jogo e Pontuação

Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.

Dicas para Vencer

• Some green boosters allow new combinations for all players until the end of the round, so consider how these might benefit your team or hinder opponents.
• Most boosters are