Game: Jericho

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ackmondual — 2008-09-02T22:51:01+00:00

front and back box covers of US, Uberplay edition

Thread: Re: Final Scoring question

Eric Brosius — 2008-09-01T03:23:43+00:00

Tom Lehmann wrote:
It is only relevant to resolve a tie. The tie breaker is non-1, non-trumpet cards in your walls.

Just played this game for the first time. It was quite enjoyable. But I do have a question, based on your answer above. Clearly if (after removing the '1's) you have only trumpets left in a wall, they all go away. But suppose you are left with one or more colored cards together with some trumpets in a wall. The rules seem to imply they don't go away. So does that mean that trumpets left in walls count as tie-breakers as long as they are accompanied by colored cards, or are all trumpet cards discarded? If it's the latter (as your answer above implies,) why not just say discard all the trumpets before computing the tie-breaker?

Thread: Re: Blowing Walls Down

ChernobylCow — 2008-08-16T00:57:52+00:00

Thanks for the quick overview. I see it on Tanga right now. 4.99 (for two copies of the game) + 5.99 (shipping!!! yuck). I am intrigued but I think I'll pass this go around. Just discovered Tanga and am totally hooked.

Thread: Re: Rules - PDF

wwscrispin — 2008-05-28T10:57:24+00:00

Thanks

Thread: Re: Rules - PDF

SteveK2 — 2008-05-28T10:52:06+00:00

http://www.abacusspiele.de/neueseite/?m=spiele&catid=2&id=63

Then click on the little US flag

Thread: Rules - PDF

wwscrispin — 2008-05-28T10:35:41+00:00

The link to Uberplay is no longer up, so does anyone have the pdf version of the rules they can send me?

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jsper — 2008-05-18T17:58:45+00:00

Information sheet in german

Thread: Re: Final Scoring question

dccircuit — 2008-05-10T18:41:59+00:00

Okay, I see! Thanks!

Thread: Re: Final Scoring question

Tom Lehmann — 2008-05-10T07:13:34+00:00

It is only relevant to resolve a tie. The tie breaker is non-1, non-trumpet cards in your walls.

Thread: Final Scoring question

dccircuit — 2008-05-08T20:21:44+00:00

The rules at the end of my version state:

"At this point [after separating out the 1-value cards and adding them to the cards that you've won], any walls players have left that are made up of nothing but trumpet cards must be discarded".

My question is... what is the relevance of this step? Why bother separately discarding these trumpet cards... none of them (wall cards OR trumpet cards that you have left in front of you) are worth points anyway, right? You only get points from the "supply" that match whoever has the longest wall(s) of those colors... (which you get at the end of round 3)... and then you get the 1-value cards from your own walls.

Am I missing something?

Thanks!

Thread: Re: Blowing Walls Down

kusinohki — 2007-12-15T00:26:52+00:00

You can play a card directly to the pot?! D'oh!

Thread: Blowing Walls Down

ooogene — 2007-12-13T16:55:20+00:00

Let me start this review off with a quick background. I bought Jericho for what averaged out to be $6 off of Tanga this summer, including shipping. It is a purchase that I have not regretted.

Quick Rules Overview

In Jericho each player is looking to build walls of their own and knock down opponents walls. There are 5 different color wall cards that are numbered 1, 3, 4, 5, & 7. Then there are the trumpet cards, which are essentially wild cards, which are numbered with a 2. On your turn you play one card and then draw one card. When you play a card, you can play it to your play area in front of you to add a wall, or you can put it in what I call “the pot”, which I will explain later.

When Trumpet cards are played to your walls, whatever color you play the trumpet card as, the longest section(s) in that color is destroyed. The section that is destroyed can be from your own walls or your opponent’s walls. So if you play a trumpet on say Blue, and the biggest Blue section is a 5, which is in both player A and Player B’s walls, then those 5 sections are destroyed and placed in “the pot.” A key thing to remember here is that by biggest section, I mean single card, not the longest wall in that color.

Scoring happens when a scoring card is drawn. These 3 cards are placed in the deck about 1/3 through, so you have an idea when scoring will come, but you are never quite sure. When scoring happens all the cards in “the pot” are flipped over and grouped in their colors. The person who has the longest wall, the highest summed numbers, in each color wins the cards in that color. Each card is worth one point. At the end of the game there are bonus points given out for each 1 card in your wall as well.

My Thoughts

If you are looking for a deep trick-taking game, you should look somewhere else. However, if you are looking for a great little card game that can be played over lunch, with kids, or with non-gamers, this is something you should pick up. It is great filler while waiting on pizza delivery or in-between deep games. There is enough strategy in it that often the better player wins, but there is still quite a bit of luck in it, so just as often the luckier player wins. I really enjoy “the pot” aspect of the game and the temptation, since you are dominating in a color, to start throwing cards in to win later when scoring occurs is good fun. I also like the small conflict factor in the game, because when you play a trumpet, you know exactly who has the wall that will be blown down. For the price of this game and the flexibility that it has to where you play it and with who, this is a game to pick up!

Thread: A quick game with the family

dennpars — 2007-11-03T14:31:39+00:00

Pulled this out for a quick first game with the family last night. Quickly ready through the rules and gathered them in the dining room. My wife was excited about the 20 minute play time

My kids (7, 9) were less than thrilled to be pulled away from Nintendo, but once they started to play they appeared to grasp it quickly and enjoy it.

Our first game seemed to have the poor shuffle affect as it appeared that most of the trumpet cards ended up near the top, so there was a lot more interaction in the beginning than the end. My nine year old took great pleasure in playing his trumpets to screw his old man.

It seems to end too quickly to have any really effective strategy and I would have enjoyed it just as much if it was a bit longer.

It's surprisingly complex in that you have to have high scoring walls to win the VP pile in the middle at the end of the scoring round, but you also have to play trumpets to get your opponents to discard their cards into the pile to win in the first place. If you don't draw trumpets and use them wisely this game will not play well for you. For instance, I had a nice 4 section x 3 point red wall going, but could not draw a trumpet to populate the discard pile with any red wall pieces, so I got bupkis for my 12 point red wall.

Overall, I would say this is a fun quick, filler for up to five people that really plays well with the kids and family too.

I enjoyed this session even though I got slaughtered.

Final scores:

Ryan (7) - 15
Keddie (better not say) - 13
Joshua (9) - 7
Me (apparently not young enough for the game) - 6

Thread: Re: Jericho rules question

flinxofsumada — 2007-09-25T17:08:57+00:00

calvo wrote:
Hi... if you cant place the card on your side, then you cant use the trumpet... I believe it is just in the case you have cards to place on top, not if you dont have the color...
Nice game, but is quick... wish it could last a bit longer...

My understanding is that you can use a trumpet for any wall color at anytime, however a wall of only trumpets gets sent to the supply.

In addition to what Tom said about original situation, If players A and B and C all had red walls made of only 1's and trumpets, and player 3 played a trumpet for that same wall type, then all of the walls would be removed. ( even the player playing the trumpet.

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boneroller — 2007-09-15T16:41:53+00:00

Jericho Booklet

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boneroller — 2007-09-15T16:41:17+00:00

Wall Values

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boneroller — 2007-09-15T16:40:40+00:00

Wall Colors

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boneroller — 2007-09-15T16:40:18+00:00

Scoring Card

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boneroller — 2007-09-15T16:39:53+00:00

Trumpet Card

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boneroller — 2007-09-15T16:39:25+00:00

Cardback

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fehrmeister — 2007-06-10T05:34:33+00:00

One Player's Set of Walls In Play

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fehrmeister — 2007-06-07T03:56:04+00:00

Sampling of the Cards with a Couple of Card Backs

Thread: Re: Another Jericho rules question

Tom Lehmann — 2007-05-07T23:21:04+00:00

5-4-3 is correct.

Thread: Re: Another Jericho rules question

bigchief — 2007-03-20T17:50:05+00:00

I played this last night for the first time and this was our interpretation as well. I came to the site today to confirm that this was correct as the rules are not very specific about replenishing your hand.

Thread: Re: Another Jericho rules question

AMorgan — 2007-03-19T08:11:01+00:00

The first-round face-down first card is not replaced either that I can see, meaning you play the rounds with 5-4-3 hands.

Thread: Re: Another Jericho rules question

jax900 — 2007-03-16T17:18:26+00:00

In addition to the above question:
- do you get replacement card for the first card you play (face-down) in the 1st round of play ?

In other words - do you play with 5-4-3 cards in 3 rounds of play or do you play with 6-5-4 cards in particular rounds?

Thread: Re: Question about rules (trumpets vs. trumpets)

rathstar — 2007-03-16T16:16:27+00:00

Thanks Tom!! =)

Thread: Re: Question about rules (trumpets vs. trumpets)

Tom Lehmann — 2007-03-16T08:00:57+00:00

B. The trumpets have value 2 but are of no color.

The Abacus rules state this rule, but then have an example which implies the reverse. The example is incorrect.

Sorry for the confusion.

Thread: Question about rules (trumpets vs. trumpets)

rathstar — 2007-03-15T15:30:54+00:00

Had this situation come up in my 2nd game and didn't know what to do. Players 1 and 2 each have a white wall consisting of 1's and trumpet cards (2's). Player 3 has no white wall and plays a trumpet, naming white. Which of the following happens?

a. The trumpets count as 2's on the white walls, so they are the highest value and all the trumpets on white walls must be discarded.

b. The trumpets don't count, so 1 is the highest value and all the 1's must be discarded. Then since the trumpets are left alone, they all must be discarded.

Seems like either result makes sense within the game rules, but the difference can have a big effect on the game.

Thread: Re: Another Jericho rules question

Tom Lehmann — 2006-12-07T02:06:07+00:00

There are no replacements for the cards you seed. Your hand size does get progressively smaller each round.

Thread: Another Jericho rules question

Rannous — 2006-12-07T01:09:41+00:00

Do you get replacements for the cards you seed to the center of the table after each scoring, or does your hand size become progressively smaller?

Thread: Re: Jericho rules question

Tom Lehmann — 2006-05-16T21:10:02+00:00

The two Red 1s are discarded into the center and the trumpet card is removed from the game. Sometimes, this can be a useful tactic.

Thread: Re: Jericho rules question

calvo — 2006-05-15T22:09:39+00:00

Hi... if you cant place the card on your side, then you cant use the trumpet... I believe it is just in the case you have cards to place on top, not if you dont have the color...
Nice game, but is quick... wish it could last a bit longer...

Thread: Jericho rules question

tullace — 2006-05-15T14:32:55+00:00

I have a question: once a player has played a card of value 1, is it possible for another player to remove that card with a trumpet card?

Here is a scenario: Players A and B both have a 1 card down in the red wall suit. Player C has played no red walls. Player C then plays a trumpet card and declares it to be a red card. What happens?

- Both 1 cards are discarded, then the trumpet card is also discarded because player C has no red wall cards

OR

- Player C discards his trumpet card because it is the largest red wall card at value 2

Thanks for your help,

Scott

Thread: And the Walls came tumbling down...

Scurra — 2006-03-23T17:25:35+00:00

Area majority games seem come in two distinct varieties. One has a relatively large set of consistent areas with fixed values (for instance, El Grande or San Marco.) In these games, play is largely about manipulating pieces such that they are in the right places at the right time. The other tends to have a smaller set of areas but with variable values (for instance, Acquire), where the areas can appear and disappear during play. Jericho falls into this group. It's a straight-forward, fast-paced card game with some nice quirks.

The cards depict five different wall colours in five different sizes, with larger walls coming with larger point values (ranging from 1 to 5.) There are also the Trumpet cards which (as you might expect) knock walls down. And there are three Scoring Round cards, to add a little bit of uncertainty to the game length and timing.

Play is the traditional 'play a card then draw a card' method. Playing a card entails either adding it to one of your existing walls, creating a new wall or adding it unseen (by the others) to the scoring pool. You may have up to five walls at once - one in each colour - and the total size of your wall determines your strength in that particular area. Trumpets do something else, but I'll come to that.

When a Scoring Round comes up, the game is suspended. All the cards in the scoring pool are now revealed and sorted into their respective colours (with any Trumpets being discarded.) The majority leader in each colour - the player with the highest value wall - takes all the cards in the scoring pool of that colour and puts them in a separate individual scoring pile (rather like Bohnanza.) If there is a tie for majority, the players share the cards evenly unless this is not possible. Walls continue to grow (and fall down) during the game.

At the start of the game, and after the first two Scoring Rounds are complete, players reseed the scoring pool with a card from hand and redraw. This ensures that there are always some cards in the pool.
After three Scoring Rounds have been completed, players score one point for each card (regardless of value) in their scoring pile and one point for each Wall card of one point value they have in play. Cards in hand and Walls still standing count for nothing.

So far, so traditional. Draw big cards and play them and you will have the majorities that earn you points when the scoring arrives.

But the Trumpets change all that. When you play a Trumpet, you must attach it to one of your own Walls (i.e. you cannot start a new Wall.) When the Trumpet is blown, the largest Wall sections of that colour fall down and are placed into the scoring pool.
For example: I play a Trumpet on my Red 2 Wall. Dave has a Red 2 and a Red 3. Paul has a Red 3. Keith has a Red 4. The Trumpet therefore causes Keith's Red 4 to collapse and be discarded to the scoring pool. If another Red Trumpet was blown before any more Red Walls were built, then Dave's 3 and Paul's 3 would both collapse as being the next largest Red Wall sections.

Not only that, but the Trumpets also count as +1 length when attached to the Wall, which will also affect the relative lengths of the Walls. Someone with a single length 1 Wall may be able to use consecutive Trumpets to demolish their rivals and create the longest section (ready to capture for scoring all those Wall cards that have just been placed into the scoring pool.)

As you can see, this can create some very vicious 'screw your neighbour' scenarios, as a well-timed Trumpet blast can change relative standings surprisingly radically. Meanwhile, judging how far to hide behind your rivals so that they get hit by the Trumpet and leave you standing becomes a fine art indeed.

Equally, the fact that you can decline to play a card onto your own walls but instead play into the scoring pool seems pointless, but there are times at which you really need to 'cycle' a card (discard it and draw a replacement) as playing a card may be positively unhelpful.
The game is sufficiently lightweight that it is unlikely to lead to serious grudges being held, but be warned. Blowing your own Trumpet too often is never going to make you popular.