Description

In a competition to acquire favors from the Elemental Kings, players bid and secure influences under the framework of a shrine.

Components required for this game:

STANDARD DECK (DECK): 1
OINKS: 10 from each element for each player (Default)

The objective of this game scenario is to build a shrine with the highest influence among the 4 Elemental Kings. Influence is measured in terms of INFLUENCE points. Different hands of cards acquired during the game will score different INFLUENCE points and the player with the highest number of INFLUENCE points wins at the end of the game.

Players start the game by each drawing a card from the top of a common shuffled DECK. The player with the highest number starts first and the players get their turns in a clockwise manner. The drawn cards go back to the bottom of the DECK. In the case of ties, the tied players draw again till the turns are resolved.

At the beginning of a cycle of turns (from player back to the same player), the top card from the DECK is drawn and placed face up. Players can then take turns to bid and acquire this card using Oinks of the same element. The lowest bid is 1 Oink and players who pass will not be eligible to bid again in the same cycle of turns. Players may not bid for more than what they actually have in Oinks but the number of Oinks each player has can be hidden from other players during play. Each subsequent active bidder must offer a higher value than the previous one. The highest bidder gets the card and the next card is drawn from the DECK.

While the rest of the unsuccessful bidders get back their bids, the amount of Oinks from the successful bidder is divided equally among the rest of the players. This is so UNLESS one of the players is holding on to a card whose FACE VALUE corresponds with the value of the bid or the unit value of the bid E.g. In a bid of 28, 8 is the unit value. If more than one player has cards with the corresponding FACE VALUE, they share the bid amount equally. If any player has more cards of the same corresponding FACE VALUE than others in this situation, he/she will get the entire amount from the bid. After dividing among the players, any remaining amount will be pooled to be accumulated for the next bid. If any division of the bid amount cannot be resolved, it will remain in the pool.

Each time a player bids an amount with a unit value of 0 (E.g. 10, 20, 30), another card will be drawn in addition to the first one in the next bid as a set. Cards in a set cannot be bid separately. Players can bid using a mix of Oinks belonging to any element corresponding with the cards within the set. All acquired cards are placed in front of the players in clear view for others and a player may not bid an amount which has a unit value that corresponds to one of the FACE VALUE belonging to one of his/her cards. The game ends when there are no more cards to bid.

INFLUENCE points are calculated in terms of sets. For each single card, 1 point, each set of 2 cards of the same FACE value, 4 points, each set of 3 cards of the same FACE value, 9 points and a full set of 4 cards of the same FACE value, 16 points. A set of 5 cards of sequential numbers belonging to the same element will receive 25 points, for 6 cards, 36 points, 7 cards, 49 points, 8 cards, 64 points and 9 cards, 81 points. In the case of a tie, the player with more Oinks wins.