SCOUT
At the table · 20 min
Build the highest score across rounds.
Show stronger adjacent cards or Scout a card from an end of the active show.
Captured cards and Scout chips score; cards left in hand usually subtract points.
Two equal-length runs: the run starting at 4 beats the run starting at 2.
A fixed hand. Endless possibilities.
SCOUT is a card game for 2–5 players. Before each round, keep your hand or reverse every card’s numbers together. Cards stay in the same order. After locking your hand, you cannot rearrange or flip existing cards.
Show
Play one or more adjacent cards: matching numbers, or a consecutive run in either direction. More cards beat fewer cards. At the same length, matching sets beat runs. Otherwise the higher number wins; compare the lowest number in runs. Equal shows cannot beat each other.
Capture every card remaining in the previous show, worth 1 point each. Your cards become the new show. With an empty table, any valid group or single is allowed.
Scout
Take one card from either end of the show. You may flip this new card and insert it anywhere in your hand. In 3–5 player games, the show’s owner receives a 1-point Scout chip and your turn ends. Once per round, use Scout & Show to scout and immediately play a stronger show. You must complete both actions.
The curtain falls
A round ends when someone shows their last card, or everyone else Scouts without beating the latest show. Score 1 per captured card, plus Scout chips, minus the number of cards left in hand. The owner of an unbeaten show takes no hand penalty. Cards still in the show score nothing.
By default, play one round per player. Your host can choose 1–5 rounds before starting. The first starter is random and rotates clockwise each round. Highest combined score wins; tied leaders share victory. Negative scores are valid.
Two-player showdowns
By default, play two rounds using 11 cards each, with the other 22 reserved for round two. In a longer custom game, deal a fresh deck for each odd-numbered round and use its reserved half for the following round. Each player receives 3 Scout chips per round. Scouting spends one of your own chips and you keep the turn; the opponent receives no chip. There is no Scout & Show token. If you have no chips and cannot Show, the round ends and the opponent’s show is unbeaten. Unspent Scout chips score 1 point each.
The deck & your online table
The 45 cards contain every pair of numbers from 1–10. With three players remove all cards containing 10; with two or four remove only the 9/10. Five players use all cards. Solo waits for you. Friends have 75 seconds per decision; a bot handles missed turns. Your hand stays private, including the placement and orientation of recruited cards.
Game by Kei Kajino, published by Oink Games. English rulebook. Game artwork © its respective owners. Independent digital adaptation.