Pack o’ Dogs Game Overview
Images are taken from the digital version on Tabletop Simulator.
(click images to enlarge)
[jump to complex game]
Base Game:
Hierarchy reference card.
Deal 6 cards to each player and one card from deck onto table (Red 7).
Set Up: Familiarize yourself with the hierarchy as explained in the rules and on the reference card. Deal 6 cards to each player. Flip one card over from the deck onto the table. This is the first leader.
Both players choose a card from their hand.
They reveal at the same time. They played Red 2 and Red 8.
Playing a Turn: Both players choose a card from their hand then reveal them simultaneously. The winner is determined by the hierarchy as compared to the leader (see rules for more explanation).
The winner (Red 8) keeps their card on the table and takes the loser’s card (Red 2) for their score pile.
Red 9 & Yellow 8 are played. Red 9 wins because it completes the pack.
The winner puts the loser’s card (Yellow 8) in their score pile.
The winner also puts the previous 2 cards on the table (Red 7 & Red 8) into their score pile, leaving the leader (Red 9) on the table.
Scoring: The winning player takes the loser’s card and puts it in their score pile. If they have completed a pack, they also take the previous 2 cards in the pack for their score pile. The winning card stays on the table as the next leader.
Black 10 wins, disrupting the pack of Red 9 & Red 10.
Red 9 is discarded but Red 10 stays on the table with the Black 10, forming a new pack.
Black 1 wins, disrupting the pack of Red 9 & Red 10.
Red 9 & Red 10 are discarded and only Black 1 stays on the table.
Playing the Next Turn: If a pack is beginning to form, keep the previous card on the table (make sure the new card is placed slightly on top so everyone remembers it is the leader). If a pack is not beginning to form, put the previous card in the discard pile (not your score pile). Play again until you have 3 cards left in your hand, then draw back up to 6 card and continue play as before.
A cat card is played and in this situation loses.
If declared “high cat” when flipped over, the cat goes into the opponent’s score pile.
If declared “low cat” when flipped over, the cat goes into the discard pile.
Cat Card: You must declare high or low when you play a cat. If a high cat loses, it goes in into the opponents score pile as normal. But if a low cat loses, it “runs away” and gets discarded.
A treat is played.
The treat wins and completes the pack. They get the loser’s card (Yellow 10) put in their score pile,
The treat stays out on the table. The winner gets the Black 1 & Yellow 1 put in their score pile.
Treat Card: Can only be played to complete a pack. The loser names what card it represents as the leader for the next turn.
Both players chose a 1 trying to complete the pack, resulting in a tie.
Both cards (White 1 & Red 1) are discarded and each player draws another card.
Ties: Discard both cards, each player draws another card into their hand, then they play again.
The game ends when the draw pile is empty and all cards in hands have been played.
Game End: The game ends when the draw pile is empty and all cards in your hand have been played. Add up the number of cards in each score pile and the player with the most is the winner!
Complex Game:
Deal 6 cards to each player and 3 to the table.
Both players reveal cards from their hand simultaneously.
Both cards are discarded. The high card player picks first then the low card player picks second from the cards on the table.
Round Set Up: Deal 6 cards to each player. Flip 3 cards over from the deck onto the table. Both players choose a card from their hand then reveal them simultaneously. Both cards go in the discard pile. The player with the higher card takes 1 of the 3 cards on the table into their hand. The player with the lower card takes 1 of the remaining 2 cards on the table into their hand. The last remaining card on the table stays there and is the leader for the first turn.
Both players reveal cards from their hand simultaneously.
The winner Black 3 (determined by the hierarchy) stays on the table. The loser White 10 is discarded.
Playing a Turn: Both players chose a card from their hand then reveal them simultaneously. Using the hierarchy, determine the winning card as compared to the leader. The losing card is discarded and the winning card becomes the new leader for the next turn. The previous leader may or may not be discarded depending on if a pack is beginning to form or not, like in the base game.
On the 2nd turn, the Yellow 3 is played.
Yellow 3 wins and completes the pack, so the loser Black 7 is discarded.
Since the round is now over, the previous 2 cards in the pack (White 3 & Black 3) are discarded. Yellow 3 stays on the table (but will not necessarily be the next leader).
Completing a Round: The round ends after either 3 turns have been played, or a pack has formed (2 or 3 turns). The current leader stays on the table and all other cards on the table are discarded.
KH won round 1 without completing a pack so he gets 1 point. GP won round 2 with a complete pack so she get 2 points.
GP won round 3 with a complete pack, so she gets 2 points multiplied by 2 because of the winning streak bonus (4 points).
KH won round 5 with a complete pack, so he gets 2 points multiplied by 2 because of the late round bonus (4 points). He won round 6 with 1 point multiplied by 2 (winning streak) and by 3 (late round). 1 * 2 * 3 = 6 points.
Scoring the Round: The person who played the last winning card wins the round. They get 1 point for no complete pack and 2 points for a complete pack. Multiply the points by any applicable bonuses. Both bonuses may be applied.
Bonuses:
Winning streak bonus - multiply the round points by the number of rounds won in a row.
Late round bonus - if winning rounds 5, 6, or 7, multiply the round points by 2, 3, or 4 (respectively).
Setting up the next round after only 2 turns played means only 2 more cards are dealt to each player, bringing them back up to 6 each. 2 cards are dealt to the table bringing it back up to 3.
Setting up the next round after 3 turns played means 3 more cards are dealt to each player, bringing them back up to 6 each. 2 cards are dealt to the table bringing it back up to 3.
Starting the Next Round: Set up the same way as before. Deal each player back up to 6 cards and back up to 3 cards on the table. (will be 2 new cards on the table unless a treat was last played, and either 2 or 3 cards dealt to each hand)
After a player has won 4 round, the game ends. All 7 rounds may not be played as shown in this situation.
Game End: The game ends when someone has won 4 rounds (best of 7). Add up the scores and the highest score wins the game. Play multiple games in a row with points carrying over if you wish.
Treat Card: Similar to the base game, the treat card is a wild that can only be played to complete a pack. Instead of staying on the table, it gets discarded with the rest of the pack.
Ties: Ties are handled the same was as in the base game. Discard the tied cards, draw another card from the deck, and play again. This applies to ties during the round setup and during a turn. This does not count as 2 turns, it is still 1 turn.
Cat Cards: Cats are handled the same was as in the base game. Always declare high or low when you flip them over, both in the round setup and during a turn. Since there is no score pile, the high/low statement does not affect a losing cat card like in the base game.