SCOUT

First, choose a starting player and give them the first player token. Adjust the card deck by removing specific cards based on the player count: for 3 players, remove all '10' cards; for 2 or 4 players, remove the '9/10' card. For 5 players, use all cards. Each player receives one Scout & Show token, with any remaining tokens returned to the box if there are fewer than 5 players. Shuffle the cards thoroughly, ensuring their orientation is mixed, and deal them face down to players: 12 cards for 3 players, 11 for 4 players, and 9 for 5 players. Players cannot look at their cards until all have been dealt. Once dealt, players pick up their cards and arrange them in their hand without changing the initial order. However, at the start of a round, players can rotate their entire hand of cards once to change their orientation.

The objective of Scout is to earn the most points by strategically playing sets of cards to create 'shows'. Players aim to empty their hand of cards and collect valuable cards from other players' shows to maximize their score.

On your turn, you must perform one of three actions: Show, Scout, or Scout & Show. The Show action involves playing a set of cards from your hand onto the table. The Scout action allows you to take a card from an active show on the table. The Scout & Show action, which can only be performed once per round, combines both actions: first, you Scout a card, and then you immediately perform a Show action.

At the end of each round, points are calculated. Each card you have collected from other players' shows (face down in your play area) is worth 1 point. Each Scout token you have collected is also worth 1 point. If you are the player who ended the round (by running out of cards or being the last to play a Show), you do not lose points for cards remaining in your hand. However, if another player ends the round, each card remaining in your hand counts as -1 point.

A round concludes when one of two conditions is met: either a player successfully plays all cards from their hand in a Show action, or all other players cannot or choose not to play a Show action after the current active show. When a round ends, the player to the left of the current first player receives the first player token for the next round. The game consists of a number of rounds equal to the number of players. After all rounds are completed, players tally their total points from all rounds, and the player with the highest score is declared the winner. In case of a tie, tied players share the victory.