Game mechanics
Setup
A single 50 card deck is shuffled randomly and 3 cards are dealt to each player, plus 3 face-down to the Center Amplification area. There are 4 players and each player starts with 10 lives.
The Deck
Common Cards: 20 cards, two copies of each (Power Levels 1 to 10)
Yellow: 3 cards (Power Levels 3, 4, 5)
Turquoise: 3 cards (Power Levels 3, 3, 10)
Red: 3 cards (Power Levels 3, 5, 10)
Blue: 3 cards (Power Levels 3, 5, 10)
Purple: 3 cards (Power Levels 3, 5, 10)
Silver: 3 cards (Power Levels 4, 4, 4)
Gold: 3 cards (Power Levels 4, 4, 10)
Aquamarine: 3 cards (Power Levels 5, 5, 5)
White: 3 cards (Power Levels 6, 6, 6)
Black: 3 cards (Power Levels 6, 6, 6)
Gameplay
The dealer is chosen at random at the start and shifts clockwise after each hand.
Round Progression
Each round starts with the player to the left of the dealer and proceeds clockwise.
After every complete rotation of players, all players get a turn, a new Center Amplification card is flipped. By the beginning of Round 4, all 3 center amplification cards are revealed.
The match continues, round by round, until a fight is initiated or when all opponents surrender. If two or more players have more than 0 life left, the next match begins again at round 1, until only 1 player remains with at least 1 life left.
Turn Structure
Fight Phase: Before drawing, a player can initiate a fight, but only after the first round is complete and the first Amplification card is flipped.
Draw Phase: Draw a card from the central pile or another player's discard pile. You must have only 3 cards in your hand after this phase, so if you draw, you must discard.
Discard Phase: Discard one card into your personal discard pile, ensuring your hand is back to 3 cards.
Surrender Option: Players may surrender before or after their Draw Phase.
Fight
The match is over and each player's score is calculated.
Damage and Surrender
Damage by Round:
Round 2: 2 damage
Round 3: 3 damage
Round 4 and above: 4 damage
Surrender Penalty: Surrendering reduces damage by 1 but cannot reduce damage below 1.
Match Winner
The player with the highest score wins the match.
In the event of a tie, those players take no damage for that match.
Game Winning:
The last player standing with at least 1 life remaining wins the game.
Scoring Rules
Step 1 - Determine and calculate Base Color Total
The Base Color is the color with the highest combined total value, the base color is calculated by multiplying the power levels of all color matching cards. You must calculate all possible colors and choose the highest combined total value.
Always include all cards of the same color from:
The player’s hand.
The Center Amplification cards.
The other players’ discard cards (ignore the player’s own discard).
Do not include cards from any other player’s hand.
Step 2 - Calculate Non-Base Color Total
Multiply all the power levels of all other matching color cards found in:
The player’s hand.
The Center Amplification cards.
The other players’ discard cards (ignore the player’s own discard).
Do not include cards from any other player’s hand.
Add these multiplied values together to get the Non-Base Color Total.
Step 3 - Calculate Common Total
Calculate Common Total by adding up all the power levels of all Common Cards found in:
The player’s hand.
The Center Amplification cards.
The other players’ discard cards (ignore the player’s own discard).
Do not include cards from any other player’s hand.
Step 4 - Final Score Calculation
Final Score = Base Color Total − Non-Base Color Total + Common Total
Example
Mastering the Density Deck may feel overwhelming at first, but every card drawn pulls you deeper into the high-stakes world of Old Rock. Below is a step-by-step example game with a detailed scoring breakdown to help you understand the flow of gameplay and how strategic decisions shape victory. Whether you're stacking powerful combos or managing risk, this guide will show how each move impacts the outcome.
Sample game
Hand Card 1
Red 5
Yellow 4
Blue 10
Blue 5
Hand Card 2
Red 3
Common 1
Turquoise 3
White 6
Hand Card 3
Common 2
Common 3
Common 7
White 6
Top Discard
Common 6
Red 4
Yellow 3
Silver 4
Center Amplification: Common 5, Blue 3, Yellow 5.
Scoring breakdown
Player A
Hand: Red 5, Red 3, Common 2
Discard: Common 6
1. Determine Base Color Total:
Base Color: Red
Matching Red cards:
Hand: Red 5, Red 3
Amplification: None
Other Players' Discards: Red 4 (Player B)
Base Color Total: 5 × 3 × 4 = 60
2. Calculate Non-Base Color Total:
Yellow
Amplification: Yellow 5
Discards: Yellow 3 (Player C)
Total: 5 × 3 = 15
Blue
Amplification: Blue 3
Total: 3
Silver
Discards: Silver 4 (Player D)
Total: 4
Non-Base Color Total: 15 + 3 + 4 = 22
3. Calculate Common Total:
Hand: Common 2
Amplification: Common 5
Common Total: 2 + 5 = 7
4. Calculate Final Score:
60 - 22 + 7 = 45
Player B
Hand: Yellow 4, Common 1, Common 3
Discard: Red 4
1. Determine Base Color Total:
Base Color: Yellow
Matching Yellow cards:
Hand: Yellow 4
Amplification: Yellow 5
Discards: Yellow 3 (Player C)
Base Color Total: 4 × 5 × 3 = 60
2. Calculate Non-Base Color Total:
Blue
Amplification: Blue 3
Total: 3
Silver
Discards: Silver 4 (Player D)
Total: 4
Non-Base Color Total: 3 + 4 = 7
3. Calculate Common Total:
Hand: Common 1, Common 3
Amplification: Common 5
Discards: Common 6 (Player A)
Common Total: 1 + 3 + 5 + 6 = 15
4. Calculate Final Score:
60 - 7 + 15 = 68
Player C
Hand: Blue 10, Turquoise 3, Common 7
Discard: Yellow 3
1. Determine Base Color Total:
Base Color: Blue
Matching Blue cards:
Hand: Blue 10
Amplification: Blue 3
Base Color Total: 10 × 3 = 30
2. Calculate Non-Base Color Total:
Yellow
Amplification: Yellow 5
Total: 5
Red
Discards: Red 4 (Player B)
Total: 4
Silver
Discards: Silver 4 (Player D)
Total: 4
Non-Base Color Total: 5 + 4 + 4 = 13
3. Calculate Common Total:
Hand: Common 7
Amplification: Common 5
Discards: Common 6 (Player A)
Total: 7 + 5 + 6 = 18
4. Calculate Final Score:
30 - 13 + 18 = 35
Player D
Hand: Blue 5, White 6, White 6
Discard: Silver 4
1. Determine Base Color Total:
Base Color: White
Matching White cards:
Hand: White 6, White 6
Base Color Total: 6 × 6 = 36
2. Calculate Non-Base Color Total:
Yellow
Amplification: Yellow 5
Discards: Yellow 3 (Player C)
Total: 5 × 3 = 15
Red
Discards: Red 4 (Player B)
Total: 4
Blue
Hand: Blue 5
Amplification: Blue 3
Total: 5 × 3 = 15
Non-Base Color Total: 15 + 4 + 15 = 34
3. Calculate Common Total:
Amplification: Common 5
Discards: Common 6 (Player A)
Total: 5 + 6 = 11
4. Calculate Final Score:
36 - 34 + 11 = 13
Final Scores:
Player A: 45
Player B: 68
Player C: 35
Player D: 13
Match Winner:
Player B wins the match with a score of 68.
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