Wizard Camelot Edition®
Created by Ken Fisher
Published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

A family game for 3-6 players, ages 8 and up.

MATERIALS

DEFINITIONS
Hand: The collection of cards dealt to a player.

Player Positions: Player to the left of the dealer is player 1 (Odd). Player to the left of player 1 is player 2 (Even). Player to the left of player 2 is player 3 (Even), and so forth. Winner of the trick is always player 1 (Odd).

Round: A round is one card played from each player’s hand. When all cards are played in the hand, the points are scored. For example, if 4 players play the following cards: 3 ♠, 8 ♣, 6 ♠, Jack ♠, this constitutes a ‘round’. You play a round to win a trick. Jack ♠ would win this trick.

Trick: A trick is the winning of a round.

Trump: At the end of the deal, trump is determined by the next card that is turned face up on the remaining pack of cards. 

If a suit card is turned up (spade ♠, heart ♥, diamond ♦, club ♣), that suit is trump for the hand. If the card turned up is a Jester, the hand is played as No Trump. If any other special card is turned up, the dealer chooses one of the four suits as trump. (No Trump cannot be chosen.)

OBJECT OF THE GAME
To correctly predict the exact number of tricks you will win in the game. You receive points for being right and lose points for being wrong. The person with the most points wins the game.

THE DEAL
To determine the first dealer, each player is dealt one card. The player with the highest card deals. 

On the first hand, each player receives one card. Two cards are dealt on the second hand, three on the third and so on. The deal passes to the left after each hand and the new dealer shuffles all 60 cards before dealing. 

After the deal, the next card in the deck is turned face up to determine the trump suit and it is placed on top of the pack of remaining cards.

There are 60 cards in the deck. With three players there are 20 hands, with four players 15 hands, with five players 12 hands, and with six players 10 hands. All of the cards are dealt out on the last round, so the hand is played as No Trump.

THE 12 SPECIAL CARDS
Jester: Typically loses with two exceptions: if only Jesters (including when Merlin is played as a Jester) are played in a round, the first Jester played wins the trick.

Wizard: Typically wins when played during a round with the following exceptions:

Holy Grail: Holy Grail; If played from an Even Player's Position (2nd, 4th, or 6th position) during a round, it wins the trick over any other card, including Morgan le Fay.


If the Holy Grail is played from an Odd Player's Position (1st, 3rd, or 5th position) it is a null card and ALWAYS loses the trick.

 

Excalibur: Always wins. Exception: loses to Morgan le Fay and if the Holy Grail card is played from an Even Player’s Position.

Merlin: Can be played as a Wizard or a Jester, which must be declared when played.

Morgan le Fay: The most powerful card that typically wins the trick. Exception: Morgan le Fay loses when the Holy Grail card is played from an Even Player’s Position.

BIDDING
Each player in turn beginning to the left of the dealer, player 1 (Odd), states the number of tricks he/she will take (zero or one on the first hand) and the scorer records it on the scorepad. Bidding continues in clockwise order.

THE PLAY
The play begins to the left of the dealer with player 1 (Odd). Any card may be led. Players continue to play in clockwise order and must follow suit, if possible, or play a special card. If a player cannot follow the suit led, he/she may play any other card. The winner of the trick leads the next round and is considered Player 1 (Odd). The player to the left of Player 1 becomes player 2 (Even), and so forth.

KEEPING TRACK OF TRICKS
Before play begins, the scorer should announce how many tricks have been bid by each player. Each player should keep in plain view the tricks won for other players to see. Null tricks should be set aside as they do not count towards the tricks won. Some players find it helpful to use bidding wheels, coins or poker chips to indicate the number of tricks bid. This enables all players to see how many tricks each player needs to make his/her bid.

SCORING
To win points, you must make your EXACT bid. You cannot be over or under your bid. You receive 20 points for making your bid. You also receive 10 points for each trick you make if your bid is correct. You deduct 10 points for each trick over or under your bid.

 
Scoring examples of a three-player game:

a.                   Hand One (one card dealt to each player): PAUL bid 0 and made it exactly. He scores 20 points. THOMAS bid 1 trick but did not make it. He loses 10 points. MARIE bid 1 trick and made it. She scores 20 points for predicting exactly, plus 10 points for the trick, for a total of 30 points.

b.                   Hand Five (five cards dealt to each player): THOMAS bid 2 tricks but only took 1. He loses 10 points. MARIE bid 0 tricks and made it. She scores 20 points. PAUL bid 3 tricks but took 1. He loses 20 points.

c.                   Hand Twenty (twenty cards dealt to each player): MARIE bid 11 tricks and made it. She scores 20 + 110 = 130 points. PAUL bid 10 tricks but only took 9. He loses 10 points. THOMAS bid 0 tricks and made it. He scores 20 points.

WINNING TRICKS & SAMPLE PLAY
All examples below are with four players with the suit of diamonds as trump.

A trick is won:

a.                   by the highest card of the suit led if no special cards or trump cards are played.
e.g.  8♣, K♣, A♥, 4♣. The K♣ wins the trick. (One player had no Clubs and played the A♥)

b.                   by the highest trump card played if no special cards are played.
e.g. 8♣, K♣, A♦, 4♣. The A♦ wins the trick. (One player had no Clubs and trumped with the A♦

c.                   by playing the first Wizard, including the Merlin card played as a Wizard. (If the Morgan le Fay card nor the Holy Grail card in an Even Player Position is played nor the Excalibur).
e.g. 8♣, A♦, Wizard, 4♣. The Wizard wins the trick.

d.                   by playing the Morgan le Fay card if the Holy Grail card is not played in an Even Player Position
e.g. Wizard, A♠, Holy Grail, Morgan le Fay. Morgan le Fay wins the trick. The Holy Grail is in Odd Player Position. (position 3).

e.                   by playing the Holy Grail card from an Even Player Position
e.g. 4♦, A♦, Wizard, Holy Grail. The Wizard wins because the Holy Grail cards is played from an Even Player Position (position 4).

f.                    by playing the first Jester if only Jesters are played.

There is one situation in which no player wins or loses any points for the round:


In "Hand One" there is only one "round" of play.

 

LEADING WITH SPECIAL CARDS

If the lead card is a Jester, it is a null card and the suit for this round is determined by the next card played. Players must follow suit if possible. When only Jesters are played, the first Jester played wins the trick.