Objective of the Game

Espérance is a strategic card game that aims to achieve the highest score by strategically collecting and stacking cards.

Game Materials

• A specially designed deck consisting of 60 cards.
• Each card has a value from 1 to 13 in four different colors.
• There are also 8 joker cards that can substitute for any color and value.

Gameplay

Setup

• Shuffle the cards and deal 5 cards to each player at the start of the game.
• The remaining cards are placed face down as a draw pile in the middle.
• One card from the draw pile is placed face up next to it. This forms the discard pile.

Turns

The game is played in clockwise order. Each player conducts the following steps per turn: 1. Draw a card: Either draw the top card from the draw pile or the top card from the discard pile. 2. Play a card: Play a card from your hand to form a combination. - Possible combinations are: - Sequence: Three or more consecutive numbers of the same color. - Set: Three or more cards of the same number but in different colors. 3. Discard a card: Place a card from your hand onto the discard pile.

Use of Jokers

• Jokers can be used as substitutes for any other card in any combination.
• When replacing a joker with the actual card, you gain an extra turn.

End of Round

• The round ends when a player has played all their cards, or the draw pile is exhausted.

Scoring

• At the end of each round, points are tallied.
• Sequences and sets count points based on the number of integrated cards.
• Jokers count depending on their position in the combination.
• Unplayed cards in the player's hand count as negative points.

Winning

• The game is played over several rounds.
• The player with the highest score wins the game.
• There is no fixed number of rounds, but you can agree on a maximum total score to reach.

Strategic Tips

• Hold Jokers: Try to keep jokers until their optimal use is needed for building sequences.
• Watch Opponents: Pay attention to what cards other players discard or draw to gauge their potential combinations.
• Be Flexible: Be ready to adjust your strategies as success heavily relies on available cards.

With these rules, players can engage in an entertaining and tactical competition. Enjoy the game!