Pirate Scopa


Basic Info

Type: Card game
Players: 2-4
Playtime: 15-45 minutes
Requires: Standard Deck /or/ Scopa Deck /or/ Tarot Deck

Quicklist

Win by scoring 11 points

Take a trick or place a card on the table

Prime numbers are: 2, 3, 5, and 7

Get the seven of coins

Score with the most cards, most coins, seven of coins, highest value of primes, and Scopas!

Overview

Take tricks, score points, sweep the table, obsessively hoard gold.

Preparations

Standard Deck: Remove all face cards and jokers then select a suit to represent “Coins” - Diamonds are what this crew uses.

Tarot Deck: Remove all royalty and major arcana cards then select a suit to represent “Coins” - Pentacles are advised.

Scopa Deck: Why are you even here? The rules are probably in the box.

Shuffle your deck, deal each player three cards, and place four cards face up in the center of the table.

If you used a tarot deck or standard deck, you can use the face cards that you discarded while as point tracking tokens to hand out scoring points!

Rules

Select a point goal to play to. Eleven is a good number, unlikely to summon a demon. Eleven is strongly encouraged.

After the first hands have been dealt, the dealer will continue to take the first turn until the end of all hands in a round.

On your turn you must either take a trick or place a card on the table.

To take a trick you must take cards of equal value to a card in your hand from the table and place them to your side. If there is a single card of equal value to a card in your hand, you must take that card instead of taking multiple cards when possible.

If you cannot take a trick then you must place a card onto the table. You cannot place a card down that you can take a trick with.

SCOPA! - If you take the only card or cards on the table with a trick, then say “SCOPA!” (Pronounced “SKOH-PUH”) and award yourself a point at the end of the round.

After both players have played their three cards, three more cards are dealt to each player until the deck has been depleted and the final hand has been played.

The player who took the last trick will take all of the cards remaining on the table.
[Note] - You are not awarded a scopa if the final trick taken is also the only card or cards left on the table.

At the end of the round when the last trick is taken, add up your points.

Scoring

  • You get one point for having the most cards

  • You get one point for having the most coin cards

  • You get one point for having the seven of coins

  • You get one point for having the highest value of primes

  • You get one point for each Scopa!

Points are not awarded in tied categories.

If neither player has reached the point goal yet then begin a new round by shuffling the deck and changing dealer.

If both players exceed the point goal, the player with more points wins.
If both players exceed the point goal and tie, another round is played.

[Prime Scoring]

Alright, I see you lads scratching your heads about what constitutes a prime number and how to score it so I’ll make it simple.

Prime cards in Pirate Scopa are: 7, 5, 3, and 2.

Each prime is worth its card value.
7 of coins is a prime value of 7
5 is worth 5
the same applies to 3 and 2.

If you have four 7’s and two 5’s then you have a value of 38 primes which would exceed your opponents score of 30 primes. This means that if you have four 7’s and no other prime cards, your opponent would get the point instead as they would have 40 primes.

All of this madness is only worth a single point so if addition isn’t your strong suit as it usually vexes the brains of most pirate crews then agree with your mates to play it this way instead:

Who has the most sevens? They get the prime point.
Tied? Okay then, who has the most fives?
Tied again? Who has the most threes?
You have all of them? You get the point you rapscallion.