Scout

Players: 2-5

Duration: 20 min

Difficulty: Medium

Age: 9+

Video by Boardgaimz

General Description

Scout is a fast and strategic card game created by Kei Kajino, published by Oink Games in 2019. You have suddenly been appointed as the leader of a circus! Using the members of your circus, you must put together a show that will beat out your rivals. Everyone on your team has a specific role. You can “show” your cards to earn points or “scout” to recruit members from other circus groups. Quick decisions are key in this speedy card game!

Game Components

45 cards (with different numbers on top and bottom)
23 Scout Chips
30 Score Chips (in values of 1, 3, 5, and 10)
5 Scout & Show Chips
1 Starting Player Marker

Game Objective

Score the most points by playing stronger sets of cards than the other players. Cards that are lined up consecutively are stronger, but you cannot reorder the cards in your hand. Skillfully “Scout” new cards and put on a “Show” while you create a strong hand to try and earn many points. The player with the most total points at the end is the winner!

Setup

Decide on a starting player - This player takes the Starting Player Marker
Return cards to the box depending on the number of players:
- For 3 players: Return the cards with “10” written on them (9 cards)
- For 2 or 4 players: Return the card with both “9” and “10” written on it (1 card)
- For 5 players: All cards will be used
Take out Scout & Show chips equal to the amount of players. Return any extra chips to the box

Setting Up the Round

Place all Scout chips in the center of the table
Give all players 1 Scout & Show chip each
Shuffle the cards well and deal all of them to the players:
- For 3 players: 12 cards each
- For 4 players: 11 cards each
- For 5 players: 9 cards each

IMPORTANT:

Do not put the cards in your hand until all the cards have been dealt
Once all the cards have been dealt, place them in your hand so that the other players cannot see the numbers
Hold the cards in your hand so that you can see the large number in the top left
During a round, you are NOT allowed to rearrange the cards in your hand to the left or right or change the orientation (top and bottom) of the cards

Exception: Only at the start of a round (immediately after checking your hand) you may change the orientation of all your cards at the same time by rotating your entire hand 180 degrees.

How to Play

Take turns going clockwise from the starting player. During your turn, you must choose and take one of the following actions:

A. Show

Choose a set of cards from your hand and place it on the table in front of you. This action is called “Show”.

Rule 1: If you will only Show 1 card, you may choose any card from your hand. If you will Show more than 1 card, you must only play consecutive cards from your hand.

What are consecutive cards?

When playing more than 1 card from your hand, the cards must either be:

Consecutively numbered cards (e.g., 3-4-5 or 7-6-5) - can be ascending or descending order
Matching numbers (e.g., 4-4-4)

There is no limit to how many cards you can play as one set.

Rule 2: The set that was shown immediately before your turn is called the “Active Set”. If there is no Active Set (at the start of a round), you can play any set you want. If there is an Active Set, you must Show a set that is stronger than the Active Set.

What is a stronger set?

First, check how many cards there are: The set with more cards is the stronger set
If the amount of cards in both sets is the same, a set with matching numbers is stronger than a set with consecutive cards
If both the number of cards and the type of set are the same, compare the smallest number card in each set. If your card is higher you may Show your set

If you are able to Show your cards, turn over the current Active Set and place them near you to be used as a score counter. The cards that you just Showed now become the new Active Set and you are the “owner” of the set.

B. Scout

Take one card from the Active Set (if there is more than 1 card, take a card from either end of the set) and place it anywhere in your hand. You may also change the orientation of the card (top and bottom). This action is called “Scout”.

The owner of the Active Set takes a Scout Chip from the center of the table and places it near them
After Scouting, as long as there is at least 1 card remaining in the Active Set, it will continue to be the Active Set. The owner does not change
If the Active Set now has 0 cards, the next player may Show any cards that they want

C. Scout & Show

By using your Scout & Show chip and placing it in the middle of the table, you can Show your set immediately after Scouting the Active Set.

Each player can only use their Scout & Show chip once per round.

Ending the Round

If any player achieves any of the below conditions, the round ends immediately:

Run out of cards after a Show
After a Show, all the other players could not (or did not) Show their own cards and only Scouted

Calculating the Score

Calculate the score and players take their score chips:

+1 point for each card that was collected and turned over (the ones you won by Showing)
+1 point for each Scout Chip collected
-1 point for each card remaining in your hand (however, the player that met condition “I” does not lose any points)
The Scout & Show chip and the Active Set are not counted towards your score

Ending the Game

The player to the left of the current Starting Player takes the Starting Player marker and becomes the next Starting Player. Return the Scout chips to the center of the table, return each player’s Scout & Show chips, and go back to Setting Up the Round.

After playing as many rounds as there are players, the player with the most points at the end is the winner. If there is a tie, share the taste of victory!

2-Player Rules

In step 3 “Setting Up the Round”, each player takes 3 Scout chips. The Scout & Show chips will not be used
Deal 11 cards to each player. After dealing the cards for the first round, there will be 22 cards remaining. Set these cards aside to be dealt during the second round
During your turn, you can either Show or Scout. You will not Scout & Show
When you Scout, you must place 1 of your Scout chips in the center of the table. If you are not able to place a Scout chip, you cannot Scout
The round ends if:
1. Run out of cards after a Show
2. After a Show, the other player could not (or did not) Show or Scout
Change the Starting Player and return to Setting Up the Round. For round 2, each player again takes 3 Scout chips and then deals the cards that were set aside previously (11 cards from round 1)

Recommended Strategies

Basic Strategies

Check your initial hand carefully: Decide if it’s worth rotating it 180 degrees before starting
Don’t Scout too early: Each Scout you do gives points to your opponent
Save your strong combinations: Don’t use them at the beginning if not necessary
Watch the remaining cards: Count the cards to know what your opponents might have

Advanced Strategies

Strategic Scouting: Sometimes it’s worth Scouting to break up an opponent’s strong combination
Use Scout & Show wisely: It’s a very valuable resource, don’t waste it
Control the tempo: If you have few good cards, try to end the round quickly
Block your opponents: If you see someone is about to win the round, Show to prevent it

Tips for Beginners

Don’t forget you cannot reorder your cards: This is key to understanding the game
At the start of the round, decide the orientation: It’s the only time you can rotate your entire hand
Long combinations are very strong: 4 consecutive cards beat 3 matching cards
Don’t be afraid to Scout: Sometimes it’s better than losing with cards in hand

History and Fun Facts

Designed by Kei Kajino
Published by Oink Games in 2019
Artwork by Jun Sasaki and Rie Komatsuzaki
Was nominated for the prestigious Spiel des Jahres 2022 (Game of the Year in Germany)
The name “Scout” refers to recruiting or discovering new talents
Oink Games is known for creating small games with deep strategic gameplay
The mechanic of not being able to reorder cards is unique and innovative
English translation by Nick Poggi and Yuho Fujikawa