Welcome to The Bottle Imp!

Just like in other trick-taking games, my main goal is to accumulate as many points as possible. But here’s the twist: if you play a card that’s lower than the asking price, you’ll end up owning The Bottle Imp, and trust me, that’s not a good thing. At the end of the round, whoever has the Imp will lose points instead of gaining them. Luckily, there’s a way to avoid this curse if you play your cards right. Are you up for the challenge?

Here’s how to set it up:

First, we need to place the start value card and the Bottle Imp card face up on the table. This will determine the price of the Bottle Imp throughout the game. Each player will also get a reference card that shows the numbers and colors on the cards. Then, the rest of the playing cards will be dealt to all the players. Now we’re ready to begin!

When we play a game called “Imp’s Trick,” each of us has to pick one card from our hand to discard. These cards will be placed face down beneath the start value card, acting as the tricky Imp’s move. Then, we’ll exchange a card with the players sitting on either side of us, making sure to keep it hidden. We’ll do this by placing a card in front of each neighboring player. Once we’ve collected those cards and tidied up our hands, the game is ready to kick off.

HOW TO PLAY

When we start playing the game, the first person to take action is the player on the dealer’s left. We then go around the group in a clockwise direction. The objective is to play a card of the same color as the first card that was played. However, if we don’t have a card of the same color, we can play any card from our hand.

Now, here’s the interesting part. If all the cards played are higher than the Imp’s value, the player with the highest numbered card wins the trick. That player will then start the next trick. So, it’s all about trying to outdo each other with higher cards!

Now, let’s talk about the Imp. The Imp has a unique rule. It can only be sold at a lower price than its previous asking price. If someone plays a card that is lower than the current price, they immediately get the Imp. They put it in front of them, and the winning card from the trick is placed on top of the Imp, showing the new asking price.

If a bunch of players play cards that are cheaper than the Imp, the player with the highest of these cards will get the Imp. The card that shows the Imp’s previous price will go back to the previous owner, adding it to their collection. The new owner and old owner might be the same player.

The Game Ends

The game will end either when we reach the target points or after playing a certain number of hands. At the end, we’ll tally up our points, and the player with the most points wins the game.

Hey there! I’m Ellie, and I live in Northeast Tennessee. I adore animals, from all sizes and shapes, and I can’t get enough of fantasy books. Nature is my happy place, and I’m lucky to have a loving husband and two furry babies who bring so much joy. I’m thrilled to be a part of this amazing community!