An ingenious Card game with seemingly limitless play scenarios

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KingMaker

- The card game of the ROYAL STING! -

THE GAME BOX OFFICIAL RULES PAGE 1

The GAME BOARD: The CANDIDATE circle, BANDWAGON circle, CHALLENGER area, and the COALITION area are strategic play areas that are partitioned diagonally into eight player sections. Each player is assigned a triangle section in which to play his cards, and on which he will also record his winnings in the smaller “scoring” triangle which overlays and lies within his own Coalition play space. (The miniature Hat silhouettes depicted on the left side of the scoring triangle represent the actual Hat cartoons illustrated on the Suit cards, the “boxed check marks” to the right of the Hats represent Votes won during play).

GAME PROGRESSION:
The game progresses through a series of “5 card” hands. Each full round of cards played during the play-out of a hand is called a RACE. During and at the end of each Race players record their winnings on their scoring triangle. The first to mark all his scoring symbols wins the game (See Winning & Scoring).

FACTIONS

During a Race all cards played within both the Candidate circle and the the Bandwagon circle, by various players, together compose an alliance called the “Candidate / Bandwagon” FACTION. The Candidate is the Faction leader. All cards in any FACTION are summed to determine the Total Point Value (TPV) of the FACTION.
All cards played by various players within the entire Coalition field compose an alliance called the “Rainbow Coalition” FACTION. The highest card in the Coalition FACTION is the King Maker (KM), the Faction leader.
But each player who plays in his own “Challenger” space is a “stand alone” Challenger FACTION and may not join or be joined by other players.
Hereinafter the terms Candidate and KingMaker (KM) will be taken to include all cards played by other players in their FACTION.

STARTING THE GAME:
Combine all cards and shuffle. Select a player to make the lead play in the first Race. The lead player in each Race thereafter will be the player who won the previous Race. Deal 5 cards to each player. Set aside the remainder of the deck “intact”, from which succeeding “5 card” hands will be dealt.

PLAYING THE GAME: - - - EACH RACE HAS THREE PARTS - - -

(part 1) The OPENING (PRIMARY): Each player in turn makes an opening play. The lead player must play any one Suit card within the CANDIDATE circle (any later follow on suit cards overlaid on the “Candidate card” must be the same color, or wild). After the Candidate card is played succeeding players (clockwise) may make any one of the 4 following plays to set their “strategy” for the continuing play out of the Race. For his play a player may:

Join the Candidate Faction by playing any one Suit card in their own BANDWAGON space - but it must be the same suit color (or wild) as the CANDIDATE card and have a numeric value not to exceed that of the Candidate card (if the Candidate card itself is wild then “Bandwagon“ cards may be any mix of colors) --- OR HE MAY
Challenge all other Factions by playing any one Suit card in his own CHALLENGER space (subsequent overlaid follow on cards must be the same color, unless the Challenger card is wild - then follow on cards may be any mix of colors) --- OR HE MAY
Join the Coalition Faction by playing any one Suit card in his own RAINBOW COALITION space. The Coalition always accepts any mix of suit colors. In a tie for KM the card first played prevails. Subsequent overlaid follow on cards on the KingMaker card may be any mix of colors --- OR HE MAY
Make a “POLITIKS” play as described later under guidelines.

The LANDSLIDE:
When, after the Candidate card is played to start the Primary, it happens that all remaining players make their opening strategy play in their own Bandwagon space (and therefore there are no Challengers or Coalition players on the board) the Candidate faction wins the Race in a “Landslide” (or “Grand Slam” as some players say) without opposition, and another Race begins. If however, there are Challengers and / or Coalition players on the board then the Race continues as follows.

(part 2) The KINGMAKER
(If there are CHALLENGER players but no COALITION players (and therefore no KM), play moves directly to the “Play Off Campaign” phase)

The KINGMAKER‘S BONUS and OPTIONS: If there are Coalition players the KM declares that he is “scoring” (checking off) his KM bonus of 2 VOTES (boxed check marks), other remaining Coalition players then mark off 1 Vote for their play.

Coalition players, now having marked their score boards the KM may then make his “optional” Kingmaker Power Play, or decline the opportunity (if he “declines”, play would then move directly into the Play Off Campaign). The KM Power Play may be any one of the following:

Play any one Suit or Power card (but not the BLITZ card) to overlay and increase the value of the KM.
Play any one Power OR Attack card (but not the BLITZ) to overlay either the Candidate card or any Challenger faction.
Play both of the above.

All KM ACTION card play will carry with it all usual gains or losses associated with the card. The KM will win 1 additional VOTE for each card played in making the KM Power play. If the KM plays an ATTACK card on a Candidate or Challenger he will be entitled to win "Seats" (Hats) in accordance with Action card rules - this is the only way the KM can win and “check off” Seats.

The “Play Off” begins immediately after the last KM action (or last Primary play if there is no KM/COALITION).

(part 3) The PLAY OFF CAMPAIGN: (Only CHALLENGERS and the CANDIDATE player actively participate in the Play Off -- BANDWAGON and COALITION players do not)

The Play Off progresses with CHALLENGERS being “paired off” to play head to head against each other in “war” style matches. The first match is between the two Challengers having the lowest TPV. The opponent with the lowest TPV in any match always makes the first play of the match to best the TPV of his adversary, after which the adversary may retaliate with a counter play --- the opponents then proceed by making alternate plays against each other (war style) until one concedes.

The matches are played in an elimination series, with each match winner being paired against any remaining “lowest TPV” Challenger. The last standing Challenger is matched against the Candidate. The winner of this final “Candidate vs. Challenger” match is the winner of the Race.

A single play to best your opponent’s TPV, at your turn during a match, may be any one of the following (*Action card rules apply):

overlay your own Faction with one Suit card to increase your TPV above your opponents, OR
overlay your own Faction with a Power card*, OR
overlay your opponents Faction with an Attack card*

If you cannot, or if you choose not to make the play to best your opponent you must do one of the following:

You declare that you "concede" the match and you abandon your cards in place. --- OR
You make a play that "ties" your TPV with that of your opponent. (See STALEMATES & TIES)

HOW THE KM / COALITION CAN WIN THE RACE:
The winner of the final “Challenger vs. Candidate” match may yet not be deemed the ultimate winner of the Race if his TPV does not exceed the TPV of the KM Faction, In that event the KM Faction wins the Race.

When there is a KM faction opposing the Candidate, but no Challengers on the board, and the KM faction TPV is greater than the Candidate, the Candidate is entitled to a “right of last play“.

Scroll down for link to Official game rules page 2

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