The Brambles
A Solo Card Game by John Burton
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NuThe Brambles
A Solo Card Game by John Burton
No sign needed hanging at the bramble thicket by the
creek. Every generation of sons and daughters in the
Parish have been warned of the ancient evils in those
brambles which grew atop the unmarked graves of the
Wicked Ones. Seven centuries have passed since those
blamed for causing the Black Death were captured and
burned alive to end the scourge of the plague. Royals,
noblemen, merchants, clergy, and commoners alike
were all accused, condemned, and burned right there
where the brambles now grow. This morning when
parishfolk heard cries of help coming from around that
way, they all knew two things for sure: which children
had gotten themselves trapped in the brambles, and
that only the Teller can get them out.
You are the Teller, a local practitioner of spiritual arts
and keeper of The Collection, a set of Tarot-like cards
compiled from various old sources. For generations,
the knowledge of the Collection has been passed down
to Tellers to be used to tell fortunes, give blessings, cast
spells, and most importantly to fight the dark evils that
inhabit the haunted brambles. This morning, two local
children have gotten trapped by the dark evils in the
brambles, and it up to you to save them.
1GAME COMPONENTS
The Collection (88 Cards)
70 cards in 5 suits of 14 cards each
‘WARRIOR of SFIRITS
SPECIAL CARDS:
3 Sacred Shears
3 Seer of Visions
3 Flux Convergence
6 Bramble Curse
The Bambles (20 Hex Cards)
20 Bramble Evils cards, 4 cards each of 5 ranks
it atte
royalty
merchantsMASQUES & MONSTERS EXPANSION CARDS
Masques
3 cards to include with the collection
Monsters
4 Monster Hex cards to include with the Bramble Evils
GAME SETUP
The Collection
All the cards of the Collection are shuffled and the
deck is placed face down next to you.
The Bramble Layout
The 20 Bramble Evils hex cards are shuffled and placed
face down on the table in the Bramble Deck. 6 cards
are dealt face up and arranged to surround the
Bramble Deck to create the Bramble Layout.
3Card Playing Areas
Allow space for a hand of 6 cards to be laid face up on
the table and an additional space near by for the Flux
Area, where Flux Convergence cards are placed when
drawn. Near the Collection leave room for a Discard
Pile, and near the Bramble Layout leave room for a
Defeat Pile.
Defeat
Pile
Discard
Pile Flux Area
Collection
Teller's Hand of 6 Cards
4GAME OVERVIEW
To release the children, you must play different card
combinations with enough spiritual power to defeat
the 20 Bramble Evils. If you fail to defeat the evils
before the Collection runs out, the children are lost to
the Brambles forever.
GAMEPLAY BASICS
Draw a 6-card hand from the Collection. Each turn you
will play either 3 cards or 6 cards in combinations to
defeat one (or more) of the 6 face up cards in the
Bramble Layout. At the end of a turn, the cards played
are placed face down into a discard pile, and any
defeated Bramble cards are placed face down into a
Defeat Pile. One card from the Bramble Deck is then
turned face up and replaces the defeated card in the
Bramble layout. Before the next turn, draw enough
cards to have 6 cards in your hand.
BRAMBLE EVILS
The Bramble Evils each represent angry spirits whose
social status in life now corresponds to their evil
strength. The higher the rank, the more difficult
combination of Collection cards is needed to defeat
them. See the chart on the next page for the
combinations required to defeat each of the different
ranks of the Bramble Evils.THREE-CARD COMBINATIONS
Rank V (Royalty): Three in a Suited Row
Any 3 cards in number order in the same suit
Rank IV (Clergy): Triplet
Any 3 cards with the same number
Rank III (Nobility): Three in a Row
Any 3 cards in number order in any suits
Rank II (Merchants): Three of a Suit
Any 3 cards of the same suit
Rank I (Commons): Couplet plus One
Any 2 cards of the same number plus any
other card of a different number
A combination can not only defeat a Bramble Evil at
the rank in the chart above, but also those of lower
rank. For example, a “Three in a Row” combination can
defeat one of the Bramble Evils ranked III and under:
Nobility, Merchant, or Commons.
Honor Card Power Increase
If all 3 cards of a combination are Honor cards (those
numbered 11, 12, 13, or 14), then the combination gains
one rank in strength.SIX-CARD COMBINATIONS
Three Couplets: 66
Six in a Row: BEG060
Two Triplets: 656
Six of a Suit: SERRE
any 6 cards of the same suit
To play a 6-card combination, discard all 6 cards that
complete one of the combinations above. This defeats
any 2 Bramble Cards of your choice that are currently
face up in the layout.
Honor Card Power Increase
If all 6 cards of the combination are honor cards
(numbered 11, 12, 13, or 14) then 3 Bramble Cards are
defeated instead of only 2.
ant Fraj (WARRIOR.SPECIAL CARDS
The Collection includes a number of special cards that
have unique abilities when played in combinations or
discarded during play.
Flux Convergence
The Flux Convergence cards represent the gateways
between different spiritual realms. When a Flux
Convergence card is drawn, immediately place it in the
Flux Convergence Area.
Any card in your hand may be placed on top of a Flux
card allowing you to have more than 6 cards in your
possession at a time. Only 1 card can be placed on a
Flux card at a time. Cards on a Flux Card can be freely
played, discarded, or returned to your hand at any time
during the game. However if you place a Bramble
Curse card onto a Flux card, you can never remove it
from that Flux card, rendering it unusable for the
remainder of the game. A Flux card cannot be played in
any combinations, it only holds other cards.
Place cards on top
of Flux Cards to
allow for more
cards in your handSeer of Visions
The Seer of Visions cards represent
prophetic energy in the Collection,
which include the abilities to influence
the future or the reclaim the past.
At the start of a turn, you may play the Seer of Visions
card (place it on the discard pile) and take one of the
following actions:
Influence the Future: Look at the next 6 cards of the
Collection, select any 1 card of those 6 to add to your
hand, then shuffle the remaining 5 cards back into the
Collection. If you have any available Flux Convergence
cards, you can also place cards from these 6 top cards
onto any open Flux cards.
Reclaim the Past: Reclaim cards that have been played
by discarding the Seer card along with a certain
number of cards from your hand or the Flux Area. Then
cut the discard pile and place the bottom half onto the
top half. Deal cards from the new top of the discard
pile, and shuffle them into the Collection.
Discard 1 card + Seer to reclaim 3 cards
Discard 2 cards + Seer to reclaim 5 cards
Discard 3 cards + Seer to reclaim 7 cards
Note: you cannot discard a Curse card for this purpose.
9Sacred Shears
The Sacred Shears represent the power to
cut the Brambles down, directly attacking
the Bramble Evils. At the start of a turn,
you may play the Sacred Shears card to
defeat any Bramble Card in the layout.
Bramble Curse
Unfortunately, the magic power of the
Collection requires a bit of the evil
Bramble spirit energy to give it its
oppositional force. There are 6 identical
Bramble Curse cards in the Collection
which represent the destructive energy
inherent in the Collection’s magic.
10
If a Bramble Curse card is drawn, it stays in your hand
until you resolve it, which does not have to happen
immediately, but can be resolved even before all of your
cards are drawn to start the hand. To resolve the Curse
card, place the card into the discard pile along with any
of the following cards/combinations:
A Couplet (2 cards of the same number)
Any 3-Card combo (see page 6)
A Sacred Shears Card
10A Seer of Visions card can resolve a Curse card, but not
to the discard pile. Discard the Seer card, then place
the Curse card back into the Collection and shuffle.
A Curse card can be placed onto a Flux Convergence
card removing it from your hand and defeating its
power, however the dark energy destroys the
connection to the Flux which renders the Flux card
unusable for the rest of the game.
Bramble Curse cards do not need to be resolved
immediately, however there are consequences for
holding them in your hand. First, it takes up space in
your hand until you resolve it. Second, if you have a
Curse Card in your hand and you draw a second Curse
Card (or you draw 2 while you are drawing cards into
your hand at the start of a turn), then the most
recently defeated Bramble Evil card is returned to the
top of the Bramble Pile. This happens before you have a
chance to resolve the curse cards. To resolve 2 or more
curse cards in your hand you can use the same cards or
combinations to defeat 1 curse card (ex. 1 Shears card
resolves all Curse cards). You do not have to resolve
these 2 cards immediately either, but with every
additional Curse card you are dealt while you have
Curse cards in your hand, 1 additional Bramble Evil is
brought back to the Bramble Pile from the defeat pile.
illSACRIFICING
During a turn, you can sacrifice as many cards in your
hand as you wish by discarding them and then drawing
the same number of cards from the Collection to
replenish your hand.
WINNING THE GAME
To rescue the children and win the game, you must
defeat all 20 Bramble Evil cards (and 4 Monsters if
using the expansion). You cannot have any Curse cards
in your hand when you play the last combination to
defeat the final Bramble Evil. Curse cards may be in
the Flux Area, but not in your hand. You do not need to
be able to draw 6 cards by the end of the game, as long
as you have cards to play you can try to defeat any
remaining Bramble Evils. If you use up all the
Collection cards and there are still Bramble Evils
remaining, the children are lost to the Brambles.
CHALLENGE LEVEL
For an easier game, start the game with 1 or more Flux
Convergence cards in the Flux Area. This will greatly
increase your flexibility in managing your hand from
the start of the game. To increase the difficulty of the
base game, you can remove 1, 2 or all 3 of the Flux
Convergence cards from the game entirely.
12MASQUES & MONSTERS EXPANSION
Masques (3 Collection Cards)
The Masques expansion includes 3 cards for the
Collection deck. These cards are essentially wild cards
that can be used as any of the 5 suits but are limited in
which number they are allowed to take on in a
combination. It is best to use these cards with the
Monsters expansion cards to maintain the game's
balance. At setup, shuffle the cards into the Collection.
Masque of Eventides: even number not honor (2, 4, 6, 8, 10)
Masque of Oddities: odd number not honor (1, 3, 5, 7, 9)
Masque of Honors: any honor card (11, 12, 13, 14)
Masque Card Suits
Masque cards can take on any suit at any time without
restriction. However, a Masque card cannot duplicate
the exact suit and number of an existing card in your
hand or the Flux Convergence Area at the time of
playing the Masque card in a combination.
13Use in Gameplay
Masque cards can be used to take the place of any card
to complete combinations, including (if using the
Masque of Honors) the ability of using all honor cards
in a combination to increase the rank-defeating power
of that combination. Masque cards are placed in the
discard pile when played just like regular cards.
Interaction with Monster Cards
It is recommended that the Masque cards be played
with the Monster cards as the positive benefit of the
Masque cards are counterbalanced by the increased
difficulty of the Monster cards. When any Monster
cards are in play in the Bramble Layout, you can
discard a Masque card to defeat all the Monster cards
currently in play, though the Bramble Evil cards
beneath those Monster cards are not defeated.
Using without Monster Cards
If you would like to use the Masque cards without
including the Monster expansion cards, then your
game will be easier due to the benefit of the wild-card
flexibility of the Masque cards. This is a fine way to
play if you choose, however you may consider
removing the Seer of Visions cards from the collection
to counterbalance the benefit of the Masque cards for a
more challenging game.
14Monsters (4 Hex Cards)
The Monsters expansion includes 4 new hex cards for
the Bramble Evils deck. These cards increase the rank
of a standard Bramble Evils card by either +I or +I.
Generally, once a Monster card is added on top of a
Bramble Evils card, the two stay combined until they
both are defeated by a combination that can defeat
their combined rank. The special cards (Shears, Seers,
Masques, and Bramble Curses) all interact with the
Monster cards in different ways.
Place Monster cards on top of
Bramble Evil cards to increase
the combination power required
to defeat the Bramble Evil.
At setup, shuffle the 4 Monster hex cards into the
Bramble Evils deck. It is best to use these cards with
the Masque expansion cards. To start the game, deal
the first 6 Bramble Evil hex cards into the layout just
like the standard game. If any Monster cards are drawn
in these first 6, hold them off to the side and continue
to deal out the remaining Bramble Evil cards, then
place the Monster cards onto any of the active Bramble
Evils cards as described on the next page.
15Whenever a Monster card is drawn, choose any of the
available faceup Bramble Evil cards currently in the
layout and place the Monster on top of it, making sure
that the rank of the Bramble Evil card is still visible.
Only 1 Monster card can be placed on a Bramble Evil
card at any time. After placing the Monster card,
continue drawing from the Bramble Evil deck until the
layout is replenished as in a standard game.
The Monster card increases the rank of the Bramble
Evil it is covering by the amount shown on the Monster
card. For example, if a Monster +II card is placed onto a
Rank | Bramble Evil, those 2 cards together will now
have the Rank of III and can only be defeated when
you play a combination strong enough to defeat a
Bramble Evil card of Rank Ill. When defeating a
Bramble Evil with a Monster on it, place both cards
into the defeat pile together. If the rank of the
combined Bramble Evil and Monster is greater than V,
then use a Rank V+ combination 3 Honors in a Suited
Row: any 3 honors cards in number order of same suit.
If a Monster card is drawn and all the Bramble Evil
cards in the layout are already covered by Monsters
(only possible with 3 or fewer Bramble Evil cards left),
then place the Monster card into the layout as if it is a
standard Bramble Evil card. A Monster +1 would have
Rank | and a Monster +I! would have Rank II.
16Monsters Interactions with Special Cards
Sacred Shears card: defeats both a Bramble Evil and the
Monster on top of that Bramble Evil.
Seer of Visions card: can “see” past the Monster to the
Rank of the Bramble Evil beneath it and defeat both of
them at the Bramble Evil’s Rank. Discard a Seer card
along with a 3-card combination that can defeat the
rank of the Bramble Evil card underneath the Monster
card and both the Monster card and the Bramble Evil
card are defeated. For example, if a Rank III Bramble
Evil has a Monster +II on it, normally that would
require a Rank V combination to defeat, but if you play
a Rank III combination along with a Seer of Visions card
to the discard pile, both the Monster card and Bramble
Evil card are defeated.
Masque card: defeats all Monster cards currently in play
on top of Bramble Evils in the layout, but does not
defeat the Bramble Evil cards underneath them.
Bramble Curse cards: when Bramble Curse cards trigger
the return of a Bramble Evil card from the defeat pile
into the Bramble Evil deck, a Monster card may be the
card returned from the defeat pile.
17CREDITS
All of the art for The Brambles comes from old
artworks created between 1465 and 1890. The
designer of the game John Burton selected each group
of artworks, cleaned up the images, and added the
colors. Below is a list of the artists and the names of
the works or collections their art comes from.
Dreams: Francois Desprez, The Drolatic Dreams of
Pantagruel (1565)
Signs: Andreas Friedrich, Emblemata Nova (1617)
Beasts: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Monstrorum Historia (1642)
Moons: Unknown Artist, Mantegna Tarocchi (1465)
Spirits: Jacques Callot, Varie Figure Gobbi, 1622
Bramble Evils: Hans Holbein, Totentanz (1520's)
Seer of Visions: Georg Bartisch, Ophthalmodouleia (1583)
Sacred Sheers: Unknown Victorian (1800s)
Flux: Lorenz Stoer, Geometria et Perspectiva (1567)
Masques: Agostino Mitelli, Maschere (1688)
Monsters: Edward Topsell, The History of Four-Footed
Beasts and Serpents (1658)
CONTACT THE DESIGNER
John Burton, New Jersey USA
johnburtoncontact@gmail.com
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if TANSCARD COMBINATION REFERENCE
THREE-CARD COMBINATIONS (Defeat 1)
Rank V+ (Monster): Three Honors in a Suited Row
Any 3 honor cards in number order of the same suit
Rank V (Royalty): Three in a Suited Row
Any 3 cards in number order in the same suit
Rank IV (Clergy): Triplet
Any 3 cards with the same number
Rank III (Nobility): Three in a Row
Any 3 cards in number order in any suits
Rank II (Merchants): Three of a Suit
Any 3 cards of the same suit
Rank I (Commons): Couplet plus One
Any 2 cards of the same number plus any
other card of a different number
SIX-CARD COMBINATIONS (Defeat 2)
Three Couplets: EG oO
Six in a Row:
Two Triplets:
Six of a Suit: BEaREE
any 6 cards of the same suit
In 3-card combos, if all are Honor cards (those
numbered 11, 12, 13, or 14), then the combination gains
one rank in strength. In 6-card combos, if all are
Honors then 3 Bramble Evils are defeated instead of 2.