Freelance Traveller - Kurishdam - Games People Play

TravFuda

by William Hostman

A PDF with card images and variant rules is available from the author. The textual description of the deck was added to this article by the editor; the table describing the cards is an edited version of a simiar table from the PDF; the rest is cut-and-pasted from the author's PDF file.

The Deck

The deck consists of sixty-two (62) cards, six cards in each of ten suits. Each suit has its own distinct graphic image; a card may have ONLY the suit graphic ("Plain"), or it may be modified with any of three symbols in any of five colors. Certain cards have no symbols, but the suit graphic appears on the card twice, instead of only once ("Double Plain"). The table below shows which cards are marked with symbols. Symbol identification in the table is as follows:

Suit Number	Suit Name	Card 1	Card 2	Card 3	Card 4	Card 5	Card 6
1	Scoutship	Red Cutlass	Green Banner	Purple Banner	Plain	Plain	Plain
2	Asteroid Belt	Red Starburst	Yellow Banner	Plain	Plain	Plain	Plain
3	Free Trader	Purple Cutlass	Red Banner	Double Plain	Plain	Plain	Plain
4	Comet	Blue Starburst	Double Plain	Plain	Plain	Plain	Plain
5	Fat Trader	Yellow Cutlass	Red Banner	Blue Banner	Purple Banner	Double Plain	Plain
6	Rockball	Green Starburst	Blue Cutlass	Purple Cutlass	Red Banner	Plain	Plain
7	Patrol Ship	Green Cutlass	Blue Banner	Yellow Banner	Plain	Plain	Plain
8	Gas Giant	Purple Starburst	Yellow Cutlass	Green Banner	Plain	Plain	Plain
9	Troopship	Blue Cutlass	Yellow Banner	Green Banner	Plain	Plain	Plain
10	Terran World	Yellow Starburst	Red Cutlass	Green Cutlass	Blue Banner	Purple Banner	Double Plain
*	Jokers	Joker	Joker

Starting the Game

Draw to see who goes first. Lowest numbered card plays first; Starbursts before Cutlasses before Banners before Doubles before plain. If players tied, they are excluded. If all players are tied, draw again.

Players sit around the table, deal by lowest player, who also plays first.

In a 2 player game, each gets 12 cards, and 12 go to the middle.
3 players: each gets 8, and the table gets 12.
4 player: each gets 6, and the table gets 12
5 player: each gets 5, and the table gets 10
6 player: each gets 4, and the table gets 10
7+ is not recommended.
Cards dealt to the table are face up.
Play begins once the dealer takes his first turn.

On Your turn:

Play one from hand. if match, lay on top.
Draw one from deck. If match, lay on top of match, even if it makes a threesome. if no match, play card to table.
Take any piles with an even number of cards on table, and lay face up in your capture area. Captured cards may not be hidden.
The next player then takes his turn.

Play ends when a turn begins with no cards in anyone’s hand. Note that using the jokers can wind up with dead cards.

You never get to play more than one card from your hand in the regular game. All matches must be by suit (numerical), not by type of card (SB, C, F, D, —)

Scoring

Points are scored for cards in caputure areas only. Cards left on the table are no value.

Starbursts are worth 20, Cutlasses 10, Flags 5, doubles 2, and others 1 point. Jokers are worth 1 point each, but are NOT plain cards; doubles and unlabelled cards are plain.

Combinations can score extra points:

Whole Suit: 1point. All 6 cards in numbered suit
Guidon Set: 2 points. All three flags of the same color
Uniform Set: 3points. Starburst,Cutlass, and Flag of the same color
Hero: 5points. three starbursts
Major Hero. 10points. Four Starbursts
Grand Hero: 15 points. All 5 starbursts
5+ Flags: 1 point, plus 1 for each extra flag
5+ Cutlasses: 2 points, plus 1 for each extra cutlass
20+ Plain: 2 points, plus 1 for each extra. Note that doubles count as two plain.
Double Trouble: -10 points all four doubles but not 20plain
Double Good: x2 hand All four doubles and 20+ plain
Emperor: 10 points. Start with 3 starbursts, revealing them before play, and end with 5 starbursts. -20 if attempted but not completed.
Archduke: 10 points. reveal 3 doubles before play, and end with 20+ plain. -20 if attempted but not completed.