Description

?????? (ALTER-NEO) is a card game from Japan, revised from an earlier game called Alter. The publisher notes the new game has better card production, which you cannot see through.

In this new game, the players try to affect the future of the round, and achieve bonus scores or an outright win. The game rules are for four players, with variants for two or three.

Each player gets a Pick card in their colour, and an aide showing the various Bonus point combinations they can win.

The game has a deck of 16 scoring cards numbered 0-3. Players will try to pick a score card each round, but risk being bumped on to the next card. A dealer is selected (the player who has recently altered the future). The dealer shuffles the draw deck, and turns up four cards so all can see. These are then shuffled and placed randomly face-down around the draw deck. The dealer placers their Pick card on one at random.

The players take turns going clockwise. They can either Watch - look at an uncovered card and if they wish, place their Pick on a card they have Watched - or they can Change - place their Pick on a covered card, which bumps that player's Pick onto the next card, and so on.

The player who goes last gets to Watch the remaining uncovered card if they want, and can place their Pick card there or choose to Change, and place on a covered card, and force the other Pick cards to move on.

Once the four Pick cards are down, the players collect their Score cards and Pick cards, and begin a new round by passing the Dealer to the next player.

Players try to accumulate four Score cards that will trigger various Bonus points at the game end. Players can check the value of their Score cards at any time.

When the deck is exhausted and all score cards collected, players total up the base points on their Score cards, and any Bonuses. For example, by collecting 0011, or 1111, a player gets 5 points.

If a player manages to get 0033, they automatically win. otherwise, most points wins.

The game was published in three different coloured plastic boxes, but the contents in each were the same.

English rules are available online.
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