NIMM'S LEICH! By Wolfgang Luedtke Published by Goldsieber 1997 Translated by Richard Ingram Distributed from The Rules Bank by Mike Siggins A casual bluffing game for 3 - 6 audacious players aged 10 and up. NB The 'bodies' used in the game are all German word puns. The bodies lie laid out on the table. Don't panic, they're not real bodies. Each player has a hand of bluffing cards and must gamble on how many times a certain body appears on all the cards. But be careful not to bid too high. However, with courage and skilful use of the body inspectors, you will get rid of your cards first and win. Contents 42 Cards (6 true 'corpses' and 36 bluff cards each featuring 6 'corpses') 12 Body Inspector chips Preparations Lay out the 6 corpse cards in a row, face up. The card on the right should be turned sideways. ( See illustration in German rules book ). This card is the highest ranking corpse. Each successive card back towards the left ranks lower. Shuffle the bluff cards and deal 6 to each player face down. Without looking at them lay these cards as a face down pile in front of you. Unused cards are not needed. Each player lays two chips in front of himself. Unused chips are not needed. Course of the game The game consists of several bidding rounds. Play until one or more players are out of cards. To begin a round, each player takes the top card from their pile and looks at it. 6 bodies are pictured on each card. In turn, the players state how many times a certain body appears on all cards held by players in their hands. The statement runs, 'there are at leastˆˆˆ.on the cards'. The bidding round continues until a player challenges the previous claim. ( In one round, players may have several turns ). Play of a bidding round The player left of the dealer makes an opening bid. He names a body and states a minimum total for that body appearing on players'cards. You are not obliged to name a body that actually appears on your card. Bluffing is not only allowed, it is encouraged! In clockwise order players take their turns. When it is your turn, you must choose one of two possible actions - raise the bid, or challenge the last bid. 1. Raising the bid You raise the last bid by naming a higher minimum total of any body type. This option can include raising the bid on the same body type, or naming a higher number on a lower- ranked body type. Or You can name the same minimum total but choose a body type that ranks more highly. OR Challenging the bid If you wish to challenge the last bid, you make no higher bid yourself. Simply say, 'I don't believe you!'All players must now decide at the same time whether or not they believe the last bid. The challenger knocks three times on the table, counting 1, 2, 3. On the third knock, decisions must be made. Players who side with the challenger ( including the challenger ) hold out their fist, concealing their thumbs. Players who side with the challenged player ( including the challenged player ) hold out their fists with their thumbs sticking up. ( See diagram in German rules booklet ). All cards are then laid face up and body types are counted. Results If there are the same number or more of the appropriate body type named by the challenged player, those who raised their thumbs have won. The others have lost. If there are fewer examples of the named body type on display than claimed by the challenged player, then the thumbs-in-fists challengers have won. The supporters of the bidder, and the bidder himself, have lost. All players who were right, can discard their cards. They are returned to the box. Losers must put their cards at the bottom of their individual card decks. After the challenge, a new round begins. Each player again takes the top card from their card decks into their hand. The player to the left of the challenger makes the opening bid, and the game proceeds as described. As soon as a player challenges a bid, all players must again decide on the command, The body inspector chips Twice in the game each player can secure an advantage for himself, by looking at the cards in opponents' hand. To do this at any time during a bidding round, including when it is not your turn, you can set aside one of your chips and 'inspect' the bodies on the cards held by any two opponents. The player should name his two chosen players and can then look at the cards they are currently holding. This chip is returned to the box. Once a challenge has been made, no further inspections can be made in that round. End of the game If, after a bidding round, a player is able to discard his last card, he has won. If there is a tie, the number of inspection chips still held is used to break the tie, ( i.e. if you have more chips left than the other tied player(s), you have won ). If there is still a tie, all tied players are winners. Extra rules for three player games Each player holds two cards in their hands per round. If a player bids correctly, he can throw any one card away, and take an extra card from his deck for the next round. If a player bids/challenges wrongly, he must put any one of his cards at the bottom of his deck and again draw an additional card. Play of a chip entitles you to inspect both cards of one player, or one card belonging to each opponent. Each time when you have only one or two cards in hand, and you lose a bid/challenge causing you to replace a card, it/they can be exchanged for a fresh card(s). If you have only one card left, you must play with this card each round. The winner is still the first to lose all of his cards. Hints concerning body distribution There are 6 different body types. Each body type appears 36 times. Not every body type appears on every single card. The highest duplicate body type count on any card is 4. There is only one card which features 4 duplicate pictures of any one type ( i.e. there are 6 cards altogether which each feature 4 duplicate pictures, but each of the 6 shows duplicates of a different body type ). NB On the German rules leaflet, a lengthy example of a bidding round is appears here, but a) I think the rules are clear enough for it not to be necessary to translate it, and b) anyone familiar with Liar's Dice/Bluff/Penido will not need further elaboration of the system!