- 2–6 Players
- 25ish Minutes
The gold rush is on! But why dig for gold when you can steal it?
It’s nice and dark down in the mines. Steal what you can before everyone rushes to the market. But don’t make your haul too heavy, or you won’t arrive in time to sell.
Oh, and watch out for dynamite!
This old corrupt town needs a new mayor. I bet about $100 can get you in. Out-steal your rivals, or blow’em up instead.
Quick Silver is a card-swiping game of cash and dynamite for 2–6 players.
How to Play
The first player to earn at least $100 or the last player left alive wins.
Everyone starts with 4 metal plates that represent your mine cart’s stability. You’re still alive as long as one of these tokens shows a plate.
Each round happens in 3 “phases:” stealing in the mines, then dealing with dynamite, then unloading at the market.
First, Stealing in the Mines
You’ll start each round with a new hand of 3 cards. Most of these will be valuable goods like copper, silver, and gold.
The number on each card shows its potential value, but also how hard it is to haul to the market. The highest-scoring hand won’t get to the market in time to sell. You want the second- or third-best hand instead.
On your turn, improve your hand by swapping cards with others. Try to swipe something good while leaving them with your junk. You can swap with any of the other players, or with the 3 central cards on the table.
Redirecting a Swap
Don’t want someone to swap with you? You can give up 1 of your
metal plates to force them to go elsewhere.
This gives you 1 fewer plate to rely on, but this move might
also be the what keeps you alive or wins the game.
Sneak Towards the Exit
Happy with your hand? Then don’t swap! Sneak towards the exit
instead. Take a sneak token to gain a small
advantage for when you rush to the market.
Every Round’s a Little Different
Two dice change up the mining phase each round.
- The white die shows how many cards get dealt face-up in the light to start the round, while the rest come face-down. Keep an eye on what others are dealt to get an idea of who to swap with.
- The black die shows how many turns are left in the dark mines this round before everyone rushes to the market. You might get 3 turns in a round. You might only get 1. You’ve gotta work with what you get.
Once that black die ticks down to 0, players deal with dynamite.
Dealing with Dynamite
The road to the market is a bumpy one! Anyone stuck
with Dynamite flips 1 plate token
per Dynamite to its blasted side.
Run out of plates? The blast takes you out instead.
Look for a Replacement Plate that’ll flip a blast back to a plate, or stop Dynamite from going off.
Finally, Unloading at the Market
Everyone still alive now tries to unload at the market. Players reveal their hands, totaling up their cards and any sneak tokens they grabbed. Group players by their totals. Groups score cash as follows:
- The highest group’s haul is too hard to get to the market in time. They score nothing.
- The 2nd-highest group’s haul is the perfect mix of value and speed. Each player in this group scores their highest card’s value as cash.
- The 3rd-highest group’s haul is a bit light on interest, but fast enough. Players in this group score their lowest card’s value as cash.
Groups lower than that score nothing.
Is There a New Mayor in Town?
If anyone has at least $100 after scoring the round, the richest player wins! If there’s a tie for richest, play another round, because there’s no tying in bribery! Or, if you’re the only one still alive, you win!
And if no one’s won, shuffle up and start a new round.
Plus 2 Fun Variants
Tweak the game to your liking with these variants.
The “I’m Not Quite Dead Yet”
Eliminate player elimination. In this variant, blown-up players aren’t out of the game. They instead start over, flipping their tokens back to plates, and going back to $0. (Any tokens in the tin stay there.)
The “Sneaky Stranger”
In addition to taking cards from players, there are 3 central cards you can swap with too. This variant treats those cards like an extra player: it groups with players for scoring, can earn cash, and even win the game!
Free Stuff
Available Now at The Game Crafter
I publish my games on-demand at The Game Crafter. That means no waste, and no boxes sitting in a warehouse somewhere. Perfect for how many games I sell!
But it also means:
- Each copy costs more to produce
- It takes a little time to make your copy
- Shipping isn’t free (though it’s only a couple bucks)
Don’t fret! The quality is great and their service is solid. Still have questions? Hit me up. Otherwise…