About
Pickles & Popsicles was conceived in the summer of 2017 by Brian and Eden McCulloh on a car ride home from Bob & Lola’s house. The original name was “Tasty or Nasty”. Special thanks to our awesome group of play-testers: April, Jude, Art, Tim, Jonathan, and Luke.
How To Play
Deal 5 cards face up to each player and place the remaining cards face down in the center as the draw pile. Discard the first card off the top of the draw pile. Player left of dealer begins. On your turn, draw the top card from the draw pile or the discard pile, or play a pickle card. You may not draw a puke or pickle card from the discard pile.
Popsicles
There are 10 colors each comprised of 4 “tasty” and 1 “nasty” popsicles. Wild rainbows count as any color but not as a nasty. Collect 5 of the same color, 5 nasties, or a “Brinestone Cowboy” to win a hand.
Pickles
There are 2 types of pickles: bread and butter, and dill. Play a bread and butter by selecting any card from the discard pile and then discarding the pickle. Play a dill by asking any player for any color. Then discard the dill. You may not ask for anything other than a color. Players must forfeit Wilds as colors if necessary, and can also choose to do so instead of forfeiting a color.
The player losing a card draws a replacement from the draw pile. Playing a pickle results in one full turn.
If you hold a dill you may block an attempted dill request directed at you if you want to. Do not lose your dill after a block. The player who attempts to play the dill discards the pickle and draws a card, ending their turn.
If you draw a puke when replacing a card lost to a dill request, you keep the puke just as if you had been dealt it at the beginning of the game. You may select a puke using a bread and butter which will have the same effect as drawing one to start your turn.
Puke
Drawing a puke on your turn results in discarding all of your cards - placing the puke on top - and then drawing 5 new cards. If you are dealt a puke to start a hand, obtain one when drawing 5 new cards after a puke, or obtain one after losing a card to a dill, you may keep the puke in your hand. Holding a puke does not block a puke. You can play a puke on your turn to cause another player to puke, unless that player holds Spewnicorn.
Spewnicorn
Spewnicorn has three special abilities.
- WILD: Same as Wild Rainbow (cannot be used as a nasty.)
- BLOCK: Counteract a puke used against you (both Spewnicorn and the puke must be discarded and replaced after a block.)
- SPEWNICORN SPRAY: Cause all players including the holder to puke, with the holder replacing cards first, continuing to the left (must be used on holder’s turn and counts as one full turn for the holder.)
If a Spewnicorn Spray is attempted but more than one other player holds a puke and wishes to use it, this is known as a PINK BISMUTH. No player pukes, rather all involved puke cards are discarded and replaced (including Spewnicorn). If a player holds a puke but does not choose to use it, it is not discarded.
If a player draws a puke while holding Spewnicorn, the player keeps the puke and does not lose their hand, but instead discards normally. Spewnicorn cannot be stolen with a dill, cannot be used as a nasty, but can be used to complete a Brinestone Cowboy.
Brinestone Cowboy
You can win a hand by collecting all 4 pickles and a puke or Spewnicorn, which results in more points at the end of the hand. If you hold 4 pickles and then draw a puke, this results in immediate win condition rather than losing your cards.
Scoring
At the end of a hand, you receive 1 point for each popsicle in your largest match, including Wild Rainbows and Spewnicorn (receive points for only one match). Deduct one point for each pickle. The winner of the hand is awarded 3 bonus points.
Example: Player A holds 4 reds and 1 wild, Player B holds 4 blues and one pickle, Player C holds 3 nasties and 1 wild, and Player D holds 3 nasties and 1 pickle. Result: Player A awarded 8 points (5 + 3), Player B awarded 3 points (4 - 1), Player C awarded 3 points, and Player D awarded 2 points (3 - 1).
Pickles comprising a Brinestone Cowboy are worth triple, and the puke completing the match is worth one. Brinestone Cowboys are always worth 16 points (4 x 3 + 1 + 3).
Ties
Hand results in a tie if Player A completes a set by using a Dill to steal a card from Player B, and then Player B completes a match upon drawing a replacement card. Tie breaker goes to player with the most naturals (non wilds). 2nd tie breaker goes to player with Spewnicorn. If hand still results in a tie, both players receive the winning hand bonus.
Winning
The first player to 20 wins the game. If multiple players surpass 20 in the same hand, no one wins and lightning round is invoked.
Lightning Round
ALL players, including previously non-winning players, are dealt 5 cards and a new game is started. After one turn the player with the lowest number of matches is eliminated, and then play continues with one player being eliminated after each subsequent turn. Players tied for first after each turn remain in the game. All standard rules apply, except pukes have no function or value (although they can be used to complete a Brinestone Cowboy). If a player obtains Spewnicorn the game is immediately over and that player is the winner, regardless of previous point count.
Christmas Cravings Expansion
14 NEW CARDS! 10 popsicles with Christmas-themed flavors, 1 Puke, 1 Wild Nasty, 1 Wild Christmas, and 1 Christmas Dill.
New Rules
Deal 6 cards to each player to start a hand. To win a hand collect 6 of the same color, 6 nasties, or 6 Christmas cards (denoted with the gingerbread man in the corner). Wild Nasty cards can be used as any color or as a nasty. Wild Christmas cards can be used as any color or a Christmas card. The Christmas Dill works just like a standard dill and can also be used as a Christmas card.
Scoring
Standard game scoring applies. Brinestone Cowboys are worth 19 points (5 x 3 + 1 + 3).
Rainbow Strike
Collect a hand of 6 wilds (can include Spewnicorn) resulting in 2x scoring for each card, giving a total score of 15 (6 x 2 + 3). If you complete a winning color match while attempting, you can decline the win and continue pursuing the Rainbow Strike, or you can switch to a standard win (on your turn.)
Bakery Bliss Expansion
14 NEW CARDS! 10 popsicles with Bakery-themed flavors, 1 Puke, 1 Wild Nasty, 1 Wild Bakery, and 1 Bakery Bread and Butter.
New Rules
Deal 6 cards to each player to start a hand. To win a hand collect 6 of the same color, 6 nasties, or 6 Bakery cards (denoted with the cupcake in the corner). Wild Nasty cards can be used as any color or as a nasty. Wild Bakery cards can be used as any color or a Bakery card. The Bakery Bread and Butter works just like a standard bread adn butter and can also be used as a Bakery card.
Scoring
Standard game scoring applies. Brinestone Cowboys are worth 19 points (5 x 3 + 1 + 3).
Rainbow Strike
Collect a hand of 6 wilds (can include Spewnicorn) resulting in 2x scoring for each card, giving a total score of 15 (6 x 2 + 3). If you complete a winning color match while attempting, you can decline the win and continue pursuing the Rainbow Strike, or you can switch to a standard win (on your turn.)
Christmas + Bakery
COMBOS! When using both expansions add the 5 combo cards to the game (do not shuffle into the main deck.) Do not use both expansion puke cards, so that there are only 3 total pukes in play at any time.
New Rules
Deal 6 cards to each player to start a hand, and lay the 5 combo cards face up for all to see. During play at any time if you complete a combo, collect the combo card and lay it down in front of you along with both popsicles that comprise the combo, and then draw 2 new cards. You may complete multiple combos in a single hand. Popsicles comprising a combo are permanent - they are not relinquished for dill pickles or during pukes.
Combo-Ception
A player completing all 5 combos in one hand - a combo of combos - is immediately declared the sole winner of the game, receiving all other players’ points for a perfect shutout. This is the ultimate hand in the game and is known in some parts of the world as a FLAVE-TALITY.
Scoring
At the end of a hand collect 3 points for each completed combo. A hand ends immediately with no option to continue when any Brinestone Cowboy is completed, whether it’s a standard (5 pickles + puke worth 19 points) or all pickles (worth 21 points.) Wild cards comprising a Rainbow Strike receive a 1.5x multiplier, giving a total score of 12 (6 x 1.5 + 3).
Notes
VANILLA: out of 60 total cards, there are 9 possible cards for each color set, 10 possible cards for the nasty set, and 6 possible cards for the Brinestone Cowboy.
1 EXPANSION: out of 74 total cards, there are 12 possible cards for each color set, 12 possible cards for the Bakery/Christmas set, 11 possible cards for the nasty set, 8 possible cards for the Brinestone Cowboy, and 6 possible cards for the Rainbow Strike.
2 EXPANSIONS: out of 88 total cards, there are 15 possible cards for each color set, 12 possible cards for the nasty set, 12 possible cards for the Bakery/Christmas set, 10 possible cards for the Brinestone Cowboy, and 8 possible cards for the Rainbow Strike.
EXTRA CARDS: There are 2 extra Spewnicorn cards and 2 extra Puke cards provided with the deck. Standard games should be played with 1 Spewnicorn regardless of how many expansions are in play. Vanilla games should be played with exactly 2 Puke cards, and expansion games (one or both) should be played with exactly 3 Puke cards. You can modify the gameplay by adding in the extra Spewnicorns and Puke cards, but this will likely result in longer, more erratic games.
Attribution
Images used:
- Smile by faisalovers from the Noun Project
- Summer by faisalovers from the Noun Project
- pain by faisalovers from the Noun Project
- vomit by faisalovers from the Noun Project
- pickles by Ben Davis from the Noun Project
- Unicorn by Daniel Hammer from the Noun Project
- Cupcake by Xinh Studio from the Noun Project
- gingerbread by Xinh Studio from the Noun Project
Fonts used:
- Spicy Rice: https://www.fontsquirrel.com/license/spicy-rice
- Monoton: https://www.fontsquirrel.com/license/monoton
- Frijole: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Frijole
- Baroque Text JF: https://fonts.adobe.com/fonts/baroque-text-jf#/usage-section
- Proxima Nova: https://fonts.adobe.com/fonts/proxima-nova#/usage-section