Gamehelpscopa

Objective

Scopa is a traditional Italian game played with 40 cards (Ace to 7, then jack, knight and king). Jacks count for 8 points, Knights for 9 and Kings for 10.

The goal is to mark a maximum of points by capturing cards laid on the table.

Overview

At the start of each hand, 4 cards are laid on the table and 3 are distributed to each player.

Each player will then play a card from their hand and may capture one or multiple cards from the table. Capturing is possible if the card's value is equal to the sum of the values of cards on the table. If capture is impossible, the card is added to the table. Example: if the table has a 2, a 4 and a 5, and a player has an Ace, a 5 and a 6, they may play the Ace (which will be added to the table), the 5 (by capturing the table's 5) or the 6 (which will capture the 2 and the 4).

If multiple captures are possible, I must capture the less cards. Example: if the table has a 2, a 4 and a 6, if someone plays a 6, they must capture the 6.

Once all players run out of cards, 3 new cards are distributed to each player.

Once there are no cards left in the deck, all remaining cards are captured by the last player who captured a card. Then, points are counted. If any player reaches or exceeds the target (11, 16, 21 or 31 points), they win. Otherwise, the deck is shuffled and the next hand starts.

Scoring

Whenever a player captures all the cards on the table, they win a Scopa point (Scopa means sweep: they sweeped the table).

At the end of each hand, a player wins a point if they:

• Captured the most cards
• Captured the most coin cards
• Captured the 7 of coins (the beautiful 7, or sette bello)
• Has the highest prime score (see below)

In case of equality in any category, no point is won.

The prime score is calculated as such:

• In each suit, determine the highest card using the below scoring rule:
  • 7 is worth 21 points
  • 6 is worth 19 points
  • Ace is worth 16 points
  • 5 is worth 15 points
  • 4 is worth 14 points
  • 3 is worth 13 points
  • 2 is worth 12 points
  • Kings, Knights and Jacks are worth 10 points each.
• Add the points from each suit to determine the player's prime score

Variations

In some variations of the game, at most 2 cards can be captured. On BGA, this is available through a game option.

There are many other variations of the game. Currently on BGA, there are only 2:

• The traditional Scopa game
• Il Ponino: In this variant, if a player captured all 4 knights, their Scopa points are doubled
• Napola: Capturing Ace, 2 and 3 of coins is worth 3 points. Also capturing the 4 of coins is worth 4 points. Also capturing the 5 of coins is worth 5 points. And it goes on.
• Scopone: Each player is dealt 9 cards. The game is played in 21 points and 2 teams of 2 players.
• Scopone Scientifico / Scopone a 10: Each player is dealt 10 cards, and none are on the table. The game is played in 21 points and 2 teams of 2 players.
• Scopa a Quindici: Capturing cards is possible only if the sum of cards equals 15. Examples: 7 captures 8, King takes 5 or Ace + 4.
• Scopone de Trente: Ace, 2 and 3 of coins are worth 1, 2 and 3 extra points. Capturing all three means immediate victory. The game is played in 21 points and 2 teams of 2 players.
• Scopa d'Assi / Asso piglia tutto (simplified): Ace captures all cards on table (and it counts as a scopa).
• Scopa d'Assi / Asso piglia tutto (traditional): Ace captures all cards on table (and it counts as a scopa). If the player is the first to play or there is an ace on the table, then the ace can only capture other aces.
• Re bello: The king of coins is worth an extra point.
• Scopa Frac: Aces and figures (jacks, knights, kings) are each worth 1 point. This is the only way to win points. And there is no limit to the number of cards you can capture.
• Escoba: Capturing cards is possible only if the sum of cards equals 15. Examples: 7 captures 8, King takes 5 or Ace + 4. Extra point is awarded for capturing most sevens and all of the sevens.
• Cirulla: A mix of different variants and additional rules. Please see below.

Cirulla

There are some bonuses attributed based on the cards in hand:

• If the sum of your cards is below 10: worth 3 points
• If you have 3 cards with the same value: worth 10 points

If both are possible, only the 10-point bonus is attributed. For the purpose of those bonuses, the 7 of cup is a wildcard and can take any other value. However, it'll retain that value for the purpose of capturing. It'll remain the 7 of cups for counting points. You may choose to get that bonus or not. However, getting the bonus means revealing your hand.

The dealer may also get 2 bonuses:

• If the table sums up to 15, they capture the table and marks a scopa point
• If the table sums up to 30, they capture the table and marks 2 scopa points

Again, the 7 of cups is a wildcard.

Capturing is possible if one of the below condition is met:

• The card played is equal to the sum of some cards on table (as in traditionnal Scopa)
• The sum of the card played and the cards on table is 15 (as in Scopa a Quindici)
• Ace can capture all cards at once (except if there's an ace on the table) (as in Scopa d'Assi / Asso piglia tutto)

It is always possible to choose which capture you want, even if it is possible to capture less cards.

At the end of the game, there are also bonuses for some captures:

• Capturing the Ace, 2 and 3 of coins is worth 3 points. Also capturing the 4 of coins is worth 4 points. Same for 5 and 6 of coins (worth 5 and 6 points respectively).
• Capturing all face cards of coins (Jack, Knight and King) is worth 5 points

Finally, if a player or team captures all coins, they win the game immediatly.

Preferences on BoardGameArena

Each player may:

• Use a "regular" card deck instead of the traditional Italian one
• Display the name of cards (to improve understanding of the game)
• To auto-play the last card of their hand. If a choice is needed (for example multiple captures are possible), the player will have to choose.