Abandon All Artichokes

Abandon All Artichokes

A Heartless Card Game
2–4 players • Ages 10+

Welcome to Abandon All Artichokes, a fast-paced, “deck-wrecking” card game. Harvest vegetables to build your deck and gain new powers, while abandoning Artichokes by any means necessary. If you’re able to draw a hand free of Artichokes at the end of your turn, you win the game!

Contents

• 100 cards:
  • 40 Artichoke
  • 6 each: Beet, Broccoli, Carrot, Corn, Eggplant, Leek, Onion, Peas, Pepper, Potato
• 4 player reference cards

Preparation

1. Give each player a reference card.
2. Separate all 40 Artichoke cards from the rest of the stack. Deal 10 Artichoke cards face-down to each player, forming their Personal Deck, and return any left over to the tin.
3. Shuffle the remaining (non-Artichoke) cards and put them face-down in the middle of the playing area to form the Garden Stack.
4. Reveal the top 5 cards of the Garden Stack and place them side-by-side to form the Garden Row. Leave space on the other side of the Garden Stack for the Community Compost Pile — composted cards will go here as the game progresses.
5. Each player draws 5 Artichokes from their Personal Deck into their hand. You are ready to begin!

Turn Overview

Whoever most recently ate a cooked, green vegetable goes first and play continues to the left. On your turn carry out the following 5 phases in order, always one after the other:

1. Replenish the Garden Row by revealing cards from the top of the Garden Stack until there are 5 cards.
   • If at any time the Garden Row contains 4 or more of the same card, shuffle the entire row back into the stack, and reveal 5 new cards.
   • If the Garden Stack ever runs out, only the remaining Garden Row cards may be harvested.
2. Harvest one of the face-up cards from the Garden Row into your hand. This card may be played at any point during your turn.
3. Play any number of cards from your hand.
   • To play a card, place it in front of you and resolve its actions. Once the card has been resolved, place it face-up on top of your Personal Discard Pile (next to your Deck) before playing your next card.
   • You may only play a card if you’re able to fulfill all of its requirements.
   • To compost a card, place it face-up in the Community Compost Pile, next to the Garden Stack. All composted cards are out of play for the rest of the game.
   • You cannot play an Artichoke card unless another card instructs you to do so.
   • Unless a card’s instructions state otherwise, you may continue playing cards until you’re either unable to play any more cards, or you choose not to play any more cards.
4. Discard all unplayed (or unplayable) cards in your hand face-up to the top of your Personal Discard Pile.
5. Draw 5 cards from the top of your Personal Deck to refill your hand.
   • If your Deck runs out before you’ve drawn all 5 cards, draw as many as you can, shuffle your Discard Pile to form a new Deck, and finish drawing.
   • If both your Deck and Discard Pile run out, you may end up with fewer than 5 cards in your hand.
   • Do not shuffle your Discard Pile to form a new Deck unless you are unable to draw a hand of 5 cards at the end of your turn, or a Potato or Leek card is played and the target Deck is empty.

Winning the Game

When you refill your hand at the end of your turn, if none of the cards are Artichokes, you immediately win the game! Reveal your hand and say, “Abandon all Artichokes!”

Important: You do not win if your hand has no Artichokes in the middle of your (or another player’s) turn.

Card Glossary

• Artichoke: You cannot play an Artichoke card unless another card instructs you to do so.
• Beet: Choose an opponent. Each of you blindly draws a random card from the other’s hand and reveals it simultaneously. If both are Artichokes compost them, otherwise, swap them. If you get a non-Artichoke card, you may play it during the same turn. If your opponent ends up with fewer than five cards in their hand after composting an Artichoke, they do not draw back up to five cards until the end of their next turn.
• Broccoli: Compost an Artichoke if your hand has three or more Artichokes. If you have fewer than three Artichokes in your hand, you cannot play this card.
• Carrot: As your only play action, compost exactly two Artichokes, along with this card.
• Corn: Play this card with an Artichoke. Then put a card from the Garden Row on top of your Deck. If you have no Artichokes in your hand, you cannot play this card.
• Eggplant: Compost an Artichoke, along with this card. Then, all players simultaneously pass two cards (of their choice) face-down to the player on their left. If a player has fewer than two cards in their hand, they pass as many as they are able to. You may end up with a different number of cards in your hand than what you started with.
• Leek: Reveal the top card of an opponent’s Deck, and put it on top of their Discard Pile or into your hand. If they do not have a Deck, they must shuffle their Discard Pile to make one. If they don’t have a Discard Pile or a Deck, you can’t play this card on them.
• Onion: Compost an Artichoke. Put this card on top of another player’s Discard Pile. If you have no Artichokes in your hand, you cannot play this card.
• Peas: Reveal the top two cards from the Garden Stack. Put one on top of your Discard Pile, the other on top of an opponent’s Discard Pile. If there are no cards left in the Garden Stack, you cannot play this card.
• Pepper: Put a card from your Discard Pile on top of your Deck. If you do not have any cards in your Discard Pile, you cannot play this card.
• Potato: Reveal the top card of your Deck. If it’s an Artichoke, compost it, otherwise, place it on top of your Discard Pile. If you don’t have a Deck, shuffle your Discard Pile to make one. If you don’t have a Discard Pile or a Deck, you cannot play this card.

A Word from Gamewright

Despite the title, no harm or offense is intended towards artichokes. Truth be told, we really like them! (Braised with garlic and lemon, to be exact.) When we first saw Emma Larkins’s “deck wrecker” we were immediately infatuated with its ease of accessibility to casual players while still offering a challenge to seasoned fans of deck-building card games. And just like the noble artichoke, you’ll find that the heart of this game can only be found after peeling away the many layers of delicious strategy!

Game by: Emma Larkins | Illustrations by: Bonnie Pang

70 Bridge Street, Newton MA 02458
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