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- ║ TOMMY'S SCHAFKOPF, DOS VERSION, (C) COPYRIGHT 1995 BY ║
- ║ TOMMY'S TOYS, P. O. BOX 11261, DENVER, CO 80211 USA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ║
- ║ CATALOG #TM-153-1A. ║
- ║ HTTP://WWW.TOMMYSTOYS.COM TOMTOYS@AOL.COM ║
- ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
-
- INSTRUCTIONS:
-
- SCHAFKOPF (SHEEP'S HEAD) IS A WENDISH CARD GAME THAT IS AT LEAST 200 YEARS OLD.
- IT IS THE ANCESTOR OF THE POPULAR GERMANIC CARD GAME SKAT (PRONOUNCED "SKART")
- BUT NOT AS COMPLEX. (WEND IS AN OLD SLAVIC ENCLAVE SOUTH OF BERLIN IN EAST
- GERMANY, A.K.A. SORB AS IN SERB. THE NAME SCHAFKOPF COMES FROM THE PRACTICE
- OF SCORING BY DRAWING A SHEEP'S HEAD STROKE BY STROKE).
-
- THE SKAT IS THE WIDOW, THE WORD BEING BORROWED FROM THE ITALIAN GAME OF TAROK.
- IN ITALIAN, SCARTARE MEANS TO DISCARD, AND A SCATOLA IS A SAFEKEEPING PLACE.
-
- PLAYERS:
- 3 PLAYERS. YOU PLAY NORTH AND THE COMPUTER PLAYS THE OTHER HANDS. (THIS IS
- ALSO CALLED THE DREIWENDSCH VARIATION OF SCHAFKOPF; THERE ARE 4-HANDED
- VARIATIONS TOO).
-
- *NOTE: IN THE UNREGISTERED SHAREWARE VERSION THE PROGRAM AUTOMATICALLY EXITS
- IF YOU TRY TO START A HAND AFTER 5 MIN. OF PLAY. THIS IS TO REMIND LOOKIE-
- LOOS THAT THEY HAVEN'T PAID FOR IT YET (GRIN). MICROSOFT HAS ENOUGH MONEY
- WHERE'S OURS? (GRIN)
-
- THE DECK:
- THE STANDARD 52-CARD (FRENCH) DECK IS USED, WITH DEUCES THROUGH SIXES REMOVED,
- LEAVING 32 CARDS.
-
- ALL DIAMONDS ARE PERMANENT TRUMPS, AS ARE ALL QUEENS AND JACKS OF ANY SUIT.
- THE TRUMP RANKING IS AS FOLLOWS:
-
- Q CLUBS (HIGH), Q SPADES, Q HEARTS, Q DIAMONDS, JACK C-S-H-D,
- ACE DIAMONDS, TEN DIAMONDS, KING DIAMONDS, 9 DIAMONDS, 8 DIAMONDS, 7 DIAMONDS.
-
- IN EACH NON-TRUMP SUIT THE CARDS RANK ACE (HIGH), 10, K, 9, 8, 7 (LOW).
-
- THERE ARE THUS A TOTAL OF 14 TRUMP AND 18 NON-TRUMP CARDS IN THE DECK.
-
- (THE 2 BLACK QUEENS ARE THE TOP TRUMPS, AND ARE KNOWN AS DIE ALTEN, THE
- OLD WOMEN).
-
- PIP VALUES:
- WHEN CAPTURED IN TRICKS, CERTAIN CARDS HAVE PIP VALUES, AS FOLLOWS. THE TOTAL
- PIP VALUE OF A DEAL IS ALWAYS 120, THAT IS, 30 POINTS PER SUIT:
-
- A T K Q J
- 11 10 4 3 2
-
- NOTE THAT PIP CARDS (7-9) NEVER HAVE PIP VALUES (HA HA). WELL, ALMOST NEVER,
- DON'T FORGET THE TEN!
-
- TO MAKE THE CONTRACT, THE SOLOIST HAS TO WIN MORE THAN HALF (61 OR MORE) OF THE
- PIPS IN TRICKS.
-
- DEALER:
- THE FIRST DEALER IS CHOSEN RANDOMLY BY THE COMPUTER. AFTER THAT, DEAL ALWAYS
- PASSES TO THE LEFT (CLOCKWISE). THE PLAYERS, IN ORDER, ARE CALLED VORHAND
- (FOREHAND OR ELDER), MITTELHAND (MIDDLEHAND), AND HINTERHAND (REARHAND OR
- DEALER).
-
- DEALING:
- DEALER DEALS 10 CARDS TO EACH PLAYER, IN BATCHES OF 3, 4, 3. IMMEDIATELY
- BEFORE DEALING THE BATCH OF 4, DEALER DEALS 2 CARDS FACE DOWN TO THE TABLE IN
- A PILE TO FORM THE SKAT OR WIDOW. THIS ACCOUNTS FOR ALL 32 CARDS IN THE DECK.
-
- BIDDING:
- VORHAND HAS FIRST RIGHT TO PICK UP THE SKAT AND BECOME THE "PLAYER" (SOLOIST),
- UNDERTAKING TO WIN AT LEAST 61 POINTS BY CARDS TAKEN IN TRICKS IN COMPETITION
- WITH THE OTHER TWO. IF VORHAND PASSES, THEN MITTELHAND AND HINTERHAND IN TURN
- HAVE THE RIGHT TO PICK IT UP; IF ALL THREE PASS, THE DEAL IS PLAYED "AT LEAST"
- (SEE BELOW).
-
- DISCARD:
- IF/WHEN THE SKAT HAS BEEN PICKED UP, SOLOIST DISCARDS 2 CARDS FACE DOWN.
-
- NOTE: TO DISCARD USING THE KEYBOARD, JUST HIT THE NUMBERS OF THE CARDS YOU
- WANT TO DISCARD, 1-9, A-C. TO USE THE MOUSE, JUST CLICK THE CARDS YOU WANT
- TO DISCARD.
-
- PLAY:
- VORHAND (FIRST PLAYER TO DEALER'S LEFT, I.E. ELDEST HAND) LEADS TO THE FIRST
- TRICK. EACH PLAYER IN TURN MUST FOLLOW SUIT IF ABLE; IN THIS PLAY, ALL TRUMPS
- ARE CONSIDERED TO BE A SUIT OF THEIR OWN, SO THAT IF A TRUMP CARD IS LED EACH
- PLAYER MUST FOLLOW WITH A TRUMP IF HE HAS ONE, ELSE PLAY A PLAIN SUIT.
-
- EACH TRICK IS WON BY THE HIGHEST TRUMP IF ANY, ELSE BY THE HIGHEST CARD OF THE
- SUIT LED.
-
- THE WINNER OF EACH TRICK LEADS TO THE NEXT.
-
- NOTE: TO ENTER YOUR CARD, USE THE ARROW KEYS ON THE NUMERIC KEY PAD TO POINT
- TO IT, THEN HIT THE <ENTER> KEY. ALTERNATIVELY, JUST HIT THE CARD NUMBER,
- 1-9 OR A; OR HIT THE "." KEY TO LET THE COMPUTER PICK A CARD FOR YOU. OR,
- POINT TO THE CARD WITH YOUR MOUSE AND CLICK.
-
- SCORING:
- THE POINTS IN THE SOLOIST'S DISCARD ARE COUNTED FOR HIM AT THE END OF PLAY.
- IF SOLOIST WINS 61-90 POINTS IN TRICKS, HE SCORES 2 GAME POINTS; IF HE WINS
- 91 OR MORE, HE SCORES 4 (MAKING "SCHNEIDER"); IF HE WINS ALL THE TRICKS HE
- SCORES 6 ("SCHWARZ").
-
- IF PLAYER ONLY TAKES 31-60 POINTS, HE LOSES 2 GAMES POINTS; IF HE TAKES LESS
- THAN 31, HE LOSES 4 (SCHNEIDER); AND IF HE LOSES EVERY TRICK, HE LOSES 6
- (SCHWARZ). THUS, A PLAYER'S GAME SCORE CAN GO NEGATIVE.
-
- GAME:
- FIRST PLAYER TO REACH 10 POINTS WINS THE GAME.
- AS MEL BROOKS SAYS, MAY THE SCHWARZ BE WITH YOU (HAD TO SAY THAT - HA HA).
-
- RAMSCH:
- ALSO CALLED 'AT LEAST', EACH PLAYER PLAYS FOR HIMSELF, THE OBJECT BEING TO WIN
- AS FEW TRICKS AS POSSIBLE. THE PLAYER WHO WINS THE LAST TRICK WINS THE SKAT.
- IF EVERY PLAYER WINS AT LEAST 1 TRICK, THE ONE WITH THE LEAST POINTS SCORES
- 2 GAME POINTS; IF TWO TIE FOR LEAST, THE ONE WHO DIDN'T WIN THE LAST TRICK
- AS BETWEEN THEM ALONE WINS THE 2 GAME POINTS; IF EACH PLAYER TAKES 40 POINTS,
- DEALER WINS THE 2 GAME POINTS. IF ONE PLAYER TAKES NO TRICKS, HE SCORES 4
- GAME POINTS, THE OTHERS SCORING NOTHING; IF ONE PLAYER TAKES ALL THE TRICKS,
- HE LOSES 4 GAME POINTS, THE OTHERS SCORING NOTHING.
-
- OPEN HANDS OPTION:
- FOR DEMONSTRATION AND LEARNING PURPOSES, ALL HANDS CAN BE PLAYED FACE UP.
-
- REPLAY HAND OPTION:
- AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH HAND, YOU HAVE THE OPTION OF REPLAYING THE LAST HAND.
- OF COURSE YOU CAN USE THIS TO GAIN AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE ON THE COMPUTER, BUT
- THIS IS A TOY AFTER ALL, AND YOU ARE BOSS.
-
- FUNCTION KEYS: THESE ARE HOT KEYS, MEANING THEY CAN BE PRESSED AT ANY TIME.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- F1 * SOUND EFFECTS TOGGLE
- F2 * DEMO MODE TOGGLE. IN DEMO MODE THE COMPUTER PLAYS BOTH HANDS
- WHILE YOU WATCH.
- F3 POP-UP THE OPTIONS MENU
- F5 DISPLAY THESE INSTRUCTIONS
- F7 QUIT THE PROGRAM
- F9 (COLOR MONITORS ONLY) CHANGE THE SCREEN BACKGROUND COLOR
- F10 (COLOR MONITORS ONLY) CHANGE THE SCREEN BORDER COLOR
-
- *NOTE: THE LEGEND FOR A TOGGLE SWITCH INDICATES THE MODE THAT WILL BE ENTERED
- BY PRESSING THE KEY, WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE MODE IN EFFECT AT THE TIME.
-
- COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS:
- S START UP WITH SOUND OFF
- M FORCE MONO DISPLAY MODE
- C FORCE COLOR DISPLAY MODE
- D DISABLE MOUSE CHECK
- * SKIP STARTUP SHOW
-
- EXAMPLE: >SCHAF MS
-
- TERMS TO KNOW:
- -------------
- VOID SUIT: A SUIT IN WHICH ONE HAS NO CARDS.
- SINGLETON: A SUIT IN WHICH ONE HAS ONLY 1 CARD.
- DOUBLETON: A SUIT IN WHICH ONE HAS ONLY 2 CARDS.
- RUFFING: PLAYING A TRUMP TO A NON-TRUMP TRICK (PLAYER MUST BE VOID IN TRICK
- SUIT).
- RENOUNCING: PLAYING A NON-TRUMP INSTEAD OF RUFFING TO A TRICK.
- FINESSE: WINNING A TRICK WITH A CARD THAT IS NOT HIGHEST IN-HAND IN THAT
- SUIT, SAVING THE HIGHER CARD(S) FOR WINNING YET MORE.
-
- NOTES ON STRATEGY:
- THERE ARE 14 TRUMPS AND 18 NON-TRUMP CARDS IN PLAY. TO PICK UP THE SKAT YOU
- NEED A LONG STRONG TRUMP SUIT, SEVEN OR MORE INCLUDING 4 OF THE 8 TOP TRUMPS.
- WITH FEWER TRUMPS OR LESS TOP STRENGTH YOU SHOULD HOLD 1-2 SIDE ACES.
-
- THE ODDS OF PICKING UP A TRUMP IN THE SKAT ARE ROUGHLY 2-TO-1 AGAINST.
-
- SINCE THERE ARE ONLY 6 CARDS IN EACH PLAIN SUIT, THE A-10 CAN'T BE COUNTED
- ON TO WIN 2 TRICKS UNLESS THE HAND IS STRONG ENOUGH TO TAKE OUT THE ADVERSE
- TRUMPS FIRST. WHEN TRUMPS ARE LONG AND STRONG ENOUGH TO BID, TENS ARE
- BETTER OUT OF THE HAND THAN IN.
-
- ----------------------
- DID YOU LIKE THIS TOY?
- DON'T FORGET TO TRY OUR GOBS OF OTHER NEAT LOW-PRICED GAMES AND TOYS FOR THE
- IBM PC AND COMPATIBLES. WE ARE WAITING TO SEND YOU OUR 5.25 INCH (360KB) OR
- 3.5 INCH (720KB) DEMO DISK, CONTAINING AN ELECTRONIC CATALOG PLUS OTHER
- GOODIES, FOR ONLY $2 SHIPPING/HANDLING TO ANY U.S. ADDRESS, $3 OUTSIDE U.S.
- (U.S. DOLLARS ONLY).
-
- HAVE FUN!
- TOMMY'S TOYS, P.O. BOX 11261, DENVER, CO 80211 USA.
-