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Gamehelpthreewitches
Three Witches
Overview
Each round, players bid on how many of the 5 tricks they believe they can win.
The highest bidder becomes the Lead Witch. The other 2 players become the Lesser Witches and play together as a team.
At the end of the round:
- If the Lead Witch wins exactly the number of tricks they bid, they gain 2 Fate tokens.
- Otherwise, each Lesser Witch gains 1 Fate token.
The first player to collect 5 Fate tokens wins the game.
Components
- 18 Ingredient cards
- 12 Fate tokens
- 1 Crystal Ball card
- 3 Player aids
Ingredient Cards
Each Ingredient card has:
- A rank
- A suit represented by an animal icon
There are 5 standard suits. Each suit has a different distribution of ranks, shown on the Player Aids.
The Elixir is a special Ingredient card with its own suit.
Setup
- Place the Crystal Ball card and Fate tokens beside the play area.
- Give each player a Player Aid.
- Shuffle all 18 Ingredient cards.
- Deal each player 6 cards.
Game Rounds
Each round has 4 phases:
- Deal
- Bid
- Brew
- Score
Phase 1: Deal
Shuffle all 18 Ingredient cards and deal each player 6 cards.
For the first round, this is completed during setup.
Phase 2: Bid
The player who was dealt the Elixir must announce that they have it.
The player to the left of the Elixir holder bids first. Bidding proceeds clockwise.
On your turn, choose one:
- Bid 3 tricks
- Bid 4 tricks
- Pass
When you bid, place the Crystal Ball card in front of yourself with your bid face-up.
Bidding 3 Tricks
After a player bids 3:
- Every player, including the bidder, receives 1 more opportunity to raise the bid or pass.
- If everyone passes, the player who bid 3 wins the bid.
Bidding 4 Tricks
If any player bids 4:
- They immediately win the bid.
- Bidding ends.
No Bids
If all 3 players pass:
- Each player chooses 2 cards from their hand.
- Pass those cards face-down to the player on their left.
- Add the received cards to your hand.
- Restart bidding with the player now seated to the left of the Elixir holder.
The player holding the Elixir must include it among the 2 cards they pass.
All other cards may be chosen freely.
Three Passes Without a Bid
If cards are passed 3 times without anyone bidding, the Elixir will return to its original holder.
Hold one final bidding round:
- If the first 2 players pass, the Elixir holder must bid.
- If the Elixir holder bids 3, the other players receive one final opportunity to raise the bid to 4.
Lead Witch and Lesser Witches
The winning bidder becomes the Lead Witch.
The other 2 players become the Lesser Witches and form a team.
Each Lesser Witch:
- Discards 1 card of their choice face-down.
- Begins the Brew phase with 5 cards.
The Lead Witch keeps all 6 cards.
Phase 3: Brew
Players play 5 tricks.
During each trick:
- The Lead Witch plays 2 cards.
- Each Lesser Witch plays 1 card.
- Each team combines the value of its 2 cards.
- The team with the higher combined value wins the trick.
Playing a Trick
1. Lead Witch Plays
The Lead Witch plays any 2 cards from their hand:
- 1 card face-up
- 1 card face-down
The face-up card determines the lead suit.
The face-down card is the Lead Witch's secret ingredient.
2. First Lesser Witch Plays
Moving clockwise, the first Lesser Witch must play 1 card.
If they have a card of the lead suit:
- They must play a card of that suit face-up.
If they do not have the lead suit:
- They may play any card face-up.
- Or they may pass temporarily.
3. Second Lesser Witch Plays
The second Lesser Witch must also follow the lead suit if possible.
If they do not have the lead suit:
- They must play a card of another suit.
- They may not pass.
4. Resolve a Passed Turn
If the first Lesser Witch passed because they could not follow suit:
- They must now play 1 card of another suit from their hand.
5. Reveal the Secret Ingredient
The Lead Witch reveals their face-down card.
Each team now combines the values of its 2 cards.
Combining Ingredients
Each team determines the combined value of its 2 cards using the following rules:
Matching Rank
If both cards have the same rank:
- Add their ranks together.
Example:
- 3 + 3 = 6
Matching Suit
If both cards have the same suit:
- Add their ranks together.
Example:
- 2 and 5 of the same suit = 7
No Match
If the cards match neither rank nor suit:
- Use only the higher rank.
Example:
- 3 and 5 of different suits = 5
Winning the Trick
The team with the higher combined value wins the trick.
If tied:
- The Lead Witch wins the trick.
Finishing a Trick
After determining the winning team, choose 1 of the 2 cards played by the Lead Witch and return it to the Lead Witch's hand.
The other 3 cards are claimed by the winning team.
If the Lead Witch Wins
The Lead Witch:
- Secretly chooses 1 of their 2 played cards.
- Returns that card to their hand.
- Leaves the other card on the table.
Exception: If the Lead Witch played the Elixir, they must return their other card. The Elixir cannot be returned to their hand.
If the Lesser Witches Win
The Lesser Witches:
- Discuss which of the Lead Witch's 2 cards should be returned.
- Return the chosen card to the Lead Witch's hand.
They may choose to return the Elixir.
Claiming the Trick
The winning team takes the remaining 3 cards and places them in a face-down pile in front of themselves.
Keep each won trick separate so the total number of tricks won remains clear.
The Lead Witch leads every trick.
Special Ingredients
Eyes — Rank 2
If the Lead Witch plays a rank 2 card face-up:
- Both Lesser Witches must play their cards face-down.
- They must still follow the lead suit if possible.
- After all cards are played, reveal them and resolve the trick normally.
Rank 2 cards have no special effect when played by Lesser Witches.
The Elixir
The Elixir follows these special rules:
- During bidding, the Elixir holder is always last in bidding order.
- The player to the Elixir holder's left always bids first.
- The Lead Witch may not play the Elixir face-up.
- The Lead Witch may play the Elixir only as their face-down secret ingredient.
- If the Lead Witch wins a trick containing the Elixir, they may not return the Elixir to their hand.
- When the Elixir is combined with another card, the team's value is double the rank of the other card.
Example:
- Elixir + rank 4 = 8
Phase 4: Score
After 5 tricks, count how many tricks the Lead Witch won.
Successful Bid
If the Lead Witch won exactly the number of tricks they bid:
- The Lead Witch gains 2 Fate tokens.
Failed Bid
If the Lead Witch won any other number of tricks:
- Each Lesser Witch gains 1 Fate token.
The Lead Witch must win exactly their bid.
Winning too few or too many tricks both cause the bid to fail.
Communication
During a round, the Lesser Witches may discuss broad strategy.
They may discuss:
- Whether they should try to win a trick
- Whether they should try to lose a trick
They may not discuss specific information about:
- Cards
- Ranks
- Suits
- Cards that have been played
- Cards that have not been played
Game End
When a player gains their 5th Fate token at the end of a round:
- The game ends.
- That player wins.
If 2 players gain their 5th Fate token during the same round:
- They share the victory.
Clarifications and Tips
- The lead suit determines only which cards may legally be played.
- The lead suit does not affect which team wins the trick.
- The first Lesser Witch may pass only if they cannot follow the lead suit.
- Passing allows the first Lesser Witch to see their partner's card before choosing their own.
- Passing also communicates that the first Lesser Witch has no cards of the lead suit.
- The Lesser Witches are teammates during the round, but they are not required to help each other.
- A Lesser Witch may intentionally cause the team to lose if doing so prevents their partner from reaching 5 Fate tokens.
- In a tied trick, the Lead Witch always wins, even if winning is disadvantageous.
Credits
- Design: Corey Young
- Illustration: Sai Beppu
- Graphic Design: Matt Paquette & Co., Anca Gavril & Co.
- Rules Editing: Jeff Fraser
- 3D Artist: Filip Gavril
- Dedicated to: Jeff Young
Playtesters
Benjamin Begeal, Christopher Chung, Derek Dorman, Kellen Freeman, Gary Gentry, Patrick Hilliar, Lisa Johnson, Cuong Pham, Joseph Pham, Sy Pham, Jeffrey Secrest, Jon Woltmann, and Trang Young.