Today we're going to talk about Hats!
Hat collectors, for 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, for 20 to 30 minutes. Collect the most hats to win!
It's teatime! The Mad Hatter awaits you. The table is set, the cookies have a delicate buttery taste, and the tea exudes a powerful, spicy aroma. The Mad Hatter gazes at you curiously. "Yes, please..." He interrupts. Around you, sugar, cookies, and millions of hats swirl in the air. Tea spills onto the tablecloth, and a mischievous grin lights up the Hatter's face.
In Hats, collect the most outlandish hats! Swap your cards wisely, but beware, because each swap changes how points are tallied at the end of the game. On their turn, each player performs one of two actions: swapping hats or creating black hats.
When swapping hats, the player exchanges a card from their hand with a card from the board. The card is placed face up. One of the following conditions must be met: the two exchanged cards are of the same type (same color), or the number on the card played by the player is higher than the number on the card they take from the tea tray.
The card thus taken by the player is placed face up in front of them. It is now part of their collection. Cards can only be exchanged from the tea tray.
When creating a black hat, the player places a card face down in front of them to add it to their collection. This card is considered a black hat. At the end of the game, each black hat in a player's collection is worth one point.
At any time during their turn, a player may discard any card and replace it with the top card of the draw pile. Discarded cards are placed face down near the draw pile. If the draw pile is empty, replenish it by shuffling the discard pile.
In a four-player game, the rules are the same, except that players form teams of two. Sit around the table so that the teams alternate (each player must sit between two opponents).
Instead of discarding a card to draw one from the deck, a player can—at any time during their turn—exchange a face-down card with their teammate. Players can discuss the exchange, but they cannot reveal the type, color, or value of the cards being exchanged.
The game ends when all players have played eight cards. Each player reveals the last card in their hand: this is their favorite type of hat. Then, if there are several cards of the same type on the tea tray, turn over all the cards of that type except for the one in the lowest-value space.
Finally, use the scoring napkin to calculate the players' scores in each category:
Players earn points for each card in their collection, based on the card's position on the board. For example, if a red card is in the space corresponding to the number 3, each red card in a player's collection is worth 3 points.
Each black hat is worth 1 point. Face-down cards on the tea tray are worth no points. Cards of a type not present on the board are worth no points.
Add up the values of the cards in your collection that match your favorite hat type. Subtract the value of the card remaining in your hand to get the score for that category (it can be negative). The card remaining in your hand is not part of your collection.
There is only one cookie on the table. To get this cookie, collect as many different types of cards as possible. Black hats count as one type.
Throughout the game, pass the cookie to the player whose collection contains the most different types of cards. In case of a tie, the player with the lowest-value card in their collection takes the cookie.
If the tie persists, compare the value of the second-lowest card, then the third, and so on, until a winner is determined. The cookie awards 5 points to its holder at the end of the game.
The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most black hats in their collection wins. If the tie persists, the winner is the player who held the cookie.
For the final scoring with 4 players, calculate each player's score and add the scores of all team members to obtain that team's final score.
Good day and good game ;)
