RDI – The Prize Variant

The RDI Prize Variant – Official Rules

Last update: Aug 22, 2020

The Prize Variant was introduced in 2018 with various Prize Cards introduced in RDI 7, Allies: Spyke and Flower, and other products.

The Prize Variant provides an optional way to spice up Rounds of Gambling. To play with this variant, add any number of unique Prize Cards to the Inn at the start of the game.

Whenever a player starts a Round of Gambling, that player must choose one of the Prize Cards in the Inn and add it to the pot before players ante. The player who wins the pot also takes the Prize and follows its instructions at the appropriate time.

Using a Prize will cause it to move to the Prize Bin, a holding pile for used Prizes. The Prize Bin ensures that each Prize must be won once before any Prize can be won again. If a player starts a Round of Gambling and there are no Prizes in the Inn, move all Prizes from the Prize Bin to the Inn, then choose a Prize as normal. If a player starts a Round of Gambling and there are no Prizes in the Inn and no Prizes in the Prize Bin, that Round of Gambling simply doesn’t include a Prize.

If the pot goes to the Inn, the Prize in that pot goes to the Inn with it.

Stealing Gold from the Pot: A Prize is not Gold, so it cannot be stolen from the pot with cards like Eve’s “Sleight of Hand” (from RDI 2). Stealing Gold from the pot does not cause you to win the Prize, even if you happen to steal the last Gold from the pot.

Taking the Pot Without Winning the Round: A few characters, including Gerki, Torglesnarf, and The Wench can take the pot without actually winning the Round of Gambling. If they do this, they get the Prize.

Captain Whitehawk: If Captain Whitehawk takes half the pot with “What a coincidence, I happen to have the same hand!”, the original winner chooses whether to give the Prize to Captain Whitehawk or to keep it for themselves.

Events: If an Event Card starts a Round of Gambling, the active player chooses which Prize to add to the pot.

Team Variants: In a team game, a Prize is won by the individual player who takes the pot. That Prize may only be used by that player, not by that player’s teammates.