 Franconian-pattern pack | |
| Origin | Germany |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | Nuremberg Dreeg, Nürnberger Dreck, Nämbercher Dreeg |
| Type | Compendium game |
| Players | 3 or 4 |
| Age range | 12+ |
| Cards | 24 |
| Deck | Franconian-pattern pack |
| Rank (high→low) | A K O U 10 9 |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Playing time | 40 minutes |
| Related games | |
| Barbu • Herzeln • Kein Stich • Lorum • Quodlibet • Rosbiratschka | |
| 4 deals x 2 rounds = 8 games | |
Dreeg, Nuremberg Dreck or Nuremberg Dreeg (German: Nürnberger Dreck, Nämbercher Dreeg or Dreeg) is a card game that is described as "a special Franconian form of Sixty-Six with the wonderful name of Nuremberg Dreck."[1] It is the most common variant of Sixty-Six in the Franconian region of Bavaria, Germany. It is a compendium game based on four variations of Sixty-Six and is usually played by four players, although three may also play.[2]
The rules of the game were published in 1981 by Weickmann[3] and, more recently, in 2012 by Bamberger,[2] but Scherm recalls playing it in the late 1950s and early 1960s with his friends by the fishpond of the Würzburger Fischhäusla in Fürth, Bavaria.[4] The game is very popular in Franconia.[5] Tournaments are held in Neustadt an der Aisch and at Simonshofen near Lauf an der Pegnitz.[6][7]
The game is variously known as Dreeg,[a] Nürnberger Dreck or Nämbercher Dreeg.[8][9]
The game is traditionally played with a pack of 24 Franconian-pattern, German-suited cards comprising, in ascending order: Nine, Unter, Ober, King, Ten and Ace (Sow). The four suits are Acorns, Leaves, Hearts and Bells.[5]
There are typically four different sub-games within each game round that are played nauf und noo, i.e. first in the normal order, then in reverse. They are intended to represent games from Germany, Russia, England and Africa,[b] respectively, although Cameroon is probably of German origin. The following rules are based on Bamberger (2012) except where stated:[2]
There are four contract or sub-games, which are played first in the order listed and then in the reverse order, to produce a game with two rounds of four sub-games each.
Each player starts each sub-game with 7 points recorded as a Roman numeral XII chalked up on a slate for each player. As players score points the strokes (Striche) are erased: first the middle of the X is erased, leaving 6 strokes; then each of the arms of the X, followed by the two Is. At the end of each deal, the player with the most card points scores 3 game points and erases 3 strokes (or e.g. the centre of the cross plus 2 arms); the player who came second earns 2 game points; the third player 1 game point and the fourth, none.
When a player reaches 7 points he has won and sits out while the rest continue. When certain sub-games are down to two players, minor changes are required to the rules as follows:
In each sub-game, when three players have reached 7 points, the remaining player is the loser and receives a 'blob' (Bolln) by his name on the slate. In some cases e.g. Cameroon there may be more than one loser. The overall game winner is the player (or players) with the fewest blobs.
In a Neustadt variant, the winner of each game receives a blob and the first to seven is the overall winner. But they acknowledge that sometimes the aim is to win the fewest blobs.[7]
Scherm names other contracts - Farbensammeln ("Suit Collecting"), Grünassen ("Green Ace") and Dreck ("mud", "dirt") - alongside the usual Rotassen ("Red Ace") and Sechsundsechzig ("Sixty-Six"), but does not describe them.[4]
Schamberger mentions a version comprising Sechsersechzg (66), Roud-Assn ("Red Ace"), Beddl (Bettel) and Farbensammeln ("Suit Collecting").[10]
