How to Play Scout - Board Game Rules & Instructions | Happy Piranha

How to Play Scout | Board Game Rules & Instructions

Here's how to play Scout, a card game about putting your best hand forward!


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Read the Rules

The aim of the game

To win, you’ll need to play your cards wisely, laying down sets that beat the one on the table.

To set up a 3-5 player game

  • Pick a starting player and give them the starting token.
  • Give everyone a scout and show chip.
  • Place the scout chips in the centre of the table.
  • In a 3 player game, return all cards with a 10 on them to the box.
  • For 4 players , remove the card with the 9 and 10 on it.
  • For 5 players, use every card.

Shuffle the remaining deck and give each player the following:

  • 12 cards for a 3 player game.
  • 11 cards for 4 players.
  • 9 cards for 5 players.

Do not show anyone your hand, or rearrange the order or orientation of your cards.

To play the game

Each card has 2 numbers on. The card counts as the number on the top left half. Before you start, you may choose to flip your hand over entirely to use the numbers on the other half instead.

Then, take it in turns to either ‘show’ a set of cards, by laying them down on the table, or ‘scout’ for a new card.

Show cards

To ‘show’ a set of cards , they must beat the ‘active’ set currently on the table.

  • A set can be one or more cards, either matching numbers, or a ‘run’ of consecutive numbers in ascending or descending order.
  • If you show more than one card, they must all be in a row next to each other in your hand - you can’t change their order.

If your set beats the active one, replace it with yours and keep the cards you replaced face down by you.

  • Sets beat others if they have more cards in.
  • Sets of matching numbers beat sets of consecutive numbers.
  • If the type of set and number of cards are the same, the one with the lowest value card loses.
  • If a set matches one on the table, you cannot place it
  • If nothing is on the table, place whatever set you like.

Scout cards

Your second option is to scout for a card, by taking it from the active set on the table.

If there’s more than one card in the set, you must take one of the cards on the edge.

  • Place the card you scout anywhere in your hand, whichever way you like.
  • The owner of the set you took from gets a scout token.

Scout and show

The final action you can do is scout for a card and then show a set afterwards on the same go.

You can only do this once a round and must spend your scout and show token to do so.

Game end and scoring

Keep playing until either; a single  player runs out of cards OR after someone has placed a set, all other players cannot, or did not beat it. In either case, the round ends immediately and scoring begins.

  • Gain 1 point for each face down card and scout token you own.
  • Lose 1 point for Each card left in your hand, unless you’re the player who ended the round because no one beat your set, they lose nothing.

Then start a fresh round, with the player to the left being the new first player.

After playing as many rounds as there are players, whoever has the most points wins!

If it's a tie, share the victory.

You can play scout with 2 people, check the rule book for how.

That’s Scout - manage your hand wisely to put on the best act. Enjoy!

Sound like fun?
Get yourself a copy of Scout from the Happy Piranha Store!

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