House Of DecksGame rules
Tapeo
Have more points than anyone after three rounds of tapas and the churros count.
Deck
A deck of 84 tapas of eight kinds
Players
2 to 6 players
The hand and the bar
At the start of each round every player is dealt a hand of tapas: 10 with two players, 9 with three, 8 with four and 7 with five or six. The tapas you pick go face up in front of you, on your bar, where everyone can see them.
The whole deck is reshuffled at the start of each round. It holds 14 tortillas, 14 croquetas, 12 hams (with 1, 2 or 3 slices), 10 garlic prawns, 8 breads, 10 Padrón peppers, 6 freeloaders and 10 churros.
Each pick
Everyone picks one tapa from their hand at the same time, in secret. Until the last player has picked you can change your mind. Then the picks are revealed together, each goes to the bar of whoever picked it, and every player passes the rest of their hand to the player on their left.
Pick after pick, until the hands are empty. The last tapa in each hand is not chosen: it is revealed on its own.
The Freeloader
The Freeloader is worth nothing by itself: when it is revealed, it brings to your bar the tapa that the player on your left has just revealed - the same player you pass your hand to. Since you know which hand you passed them, you can guess what they will take.
If the player on your left also revealed a Freeloader, you get nothing (one Freeloader cannot steal from another). Theirs, however, still steals from the player on their left.
How each tapa scores
Tortilla: each pair is worth 5; a lone tortilla is worth nothing.
Croquetas: the more the better. One is worth 1, two 3, three 6, four 10 and five or more 15.
Ham: add up the slices on all your plates. Whoever has the most slices takes 6 and the runner-up 3. If several tie for the lead they split the 6 and there is no runner-up prize; if they tie for second, they split the 3.
Garlic prawns: 3 each. Every bread you hold dips one prawns and adds 3 more; bread with no prawns to dip is worth nothing.
Padrón peppers: 2 each, but some are hot and some are not. Whoever has the most peppers, if that is three or more, gets the hot one and loses 6. If several tie for the most, it is hot for all of them.
Churros: they do not score in the round. They are kept from round to round and counted at the end of the game.
End
After the third round the churros are counted: whoever has the most gains 6 and whoever has the fewest loses 6 (ties split the points). With two players nobody loses anything.
The player with the most points wins. On a tie, whoever kept more churros wins.
Tips and strategy
Watch everyone else's bar
What you do not pick does not disappear: the player on your left gets to eat it. If they need one more tortilla to finish a pair and you have one in hand, it may be worth keeping it even if it helps you less.
The majorities (ham and churros) are won by watching every bar. A three-slice plate at the right moment is worth more than any stray croqueta.
Start what you can finish
A lone tortilla and prawns without bread are worth little. Early in the round, with plenty still to come, it pays to start pairs; in the last picks, only take what scores already.
Croquetas pay more and more: if you go for them, commit. One or two barely count.
The Freeloader and the peppers
Before playing the Freeloader, think about the hand you pass to your left: if it holds one tapa clearly better than the rest, they will almost certainly take it, and it will be yours.
Two peppers are 4 points with no risk. The third only pays off if you think someone else will end up with more.
Churros are kept all game: there is no need to grab them in the first round, but in the last round nobody wants to be left with none.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the tapa I picked?
Yes, until the last player has picked. At that moment they are all revealed together.
What exactly does the Freeloader steal?
The tapa revealed in that same pick by the player on your left, which is who you pass your hand to. If they also reveal a Freeloader, you get nothing.
When are the peppers hot?
At the end of each round, for the player with the most peppers, if they have three or more. They lose 6 points. If several tie, it is hot for all of them.
How long does a game take?
Three rounds. Since everyone picks at once, six to nine minutes.
Where does this game come from?
It was invented for House Of Decks: a pick-and-pass game with the tapas of a Spanish bar, a Freeloader who steals from you and peppers that are sometimes hot.
Tapeo, against the computer
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