COMPONENTS
72 Cards (52 Good and 20 Bad)
1 Rule Booklet
1 Rule Booklet (with Snarky Commentary!)
All printed components have smudge-resistant UV coating.
The Extra Snarky Edition of Bad Karma includes printed copies of both the standard Rule Booklet and the snark-enhanced Rule Booklet. There is also a version of the game available with only the standard Rule Booklet :
Bad Karma [www.thegamecrafter.com]
OBJECTIVE
Officially, the objective of Bad Karma is to score points by building sets of Good Cards... but in reality, it's actually more about irritating your opponents by using Bad Cards to break their sets.
Above all, Bad Karma is a party game, and it's not really a party unless someone gives you the stink-eye and questions the purity of your soul. If the opposing players refer to you as "That slimy Philistine" you are well on your way to mastering this game.
GOOD CARDS
Score Points, Impress Your Friend (what, you have more than one?), Play Like a Boss.
4 Ladybug (1 point each)
4 Wishbone (2 points each)
4 Horseshoe (3 points each)
4 Four-Leaf Clover (4 points each)
4 Beckoning Cat (5 points each)
4 Lucky Dice (6 points each)
4 Number Seven (7 points each)
4 Rainbow (8 points each)
4 Rabbit's Foot (9 points each)
4 Smiling Buddha (10 points each)
4 Dream Catcher (11 points each)
4 Shooting Star (12 points each)
4 Oriental Dragon (14 points each)
BAD CARDS
You know you'll never marry a Bad Card, but they are fun to date and to never, and I repeat never, take home to meet the family. Too many questions and too many answers. Just trust me on this one.
4 Bad Penny (-1 point each)
4 Broken Mirror (-2 points each)
4 Comet (-3 points each)
4 Black Cat (-4 points each)
4 Number Thirteen (-13 points each)... because thirteen is the worst. Just ask anyone and when they don't say thirteen is the worst, ask someone else.
THE BASICS
It really is basic, like a Gremlin with only an AM radio and no air conditioner.
On their turn, each player draws one card and then can plays cards from their hand. A player may continue playing cards until they run out of valid plays or decide to end their turn. The round ends when any player has no cards left in their hand or there are no cards left in the deck... and for those rule-jockeys out there, you don't have to play any cards, even if you have sets in your hand. That is not cheating, it's called strategy.
At the end of each round, the scores are totaled and if any player has a total score of 500 (or more) or -500 (or less), the game ends and the player with the highest positive score wins.
See the Rule Booklets for detailed information, including Partners and Solitaire variants.
If you're twisted enough to like Bad Karma, you'll probably also enjoy
This Date in Twisted-History | by Joel Byers [twisted-history.com].
REVISION HISTORY
v1.0 - Initial Release
v1.01 - Updated maximum players to 6
v1.02 - Adjusted layout slightly to compensate for cut drift