The CARDS

• 48 character cards (12 of each color)
• 1 sheriff card
• 1 deputy card
• 6 mission cards

The GameS

standard trick-taking game
In this version, each player is dealt 8–12 cards depending on the number of players.

Unlike traditional card games, Gangs of Teradeso doesn’t have fixed “better” cards. There are 4 suits, shown by color, and 48 unique character cards labeled A through F. There is also 1 Sheriff card and 1 Deputy card. These are special cards with slightly different rules.

The player to the left of the dealer plays first, establishing the lead suit by playing a card of a chosen color.

Before the first play, however, the dealer calls out the letter that will be considered the highest card for the round. For example, if the dealer names “D” as the high card, then D is the strongest card in each suit, followed by E, F, A, B, and C in descending order.

If instead the dealer calls “B” as the high card, the ranking becomes B (strongest), then C, D, E, F, and finally A (weakest).

Players must follow the lead suit if possible. The lead suit will always win over any other suits, regardless of the letter ranking.

Play continues until all cards have been played. At the end of the round, each player counts the number of tricks they have taken, and gold is awarded…but there’s a twist! Taking too many tricks can actually reduce your gold. After all, if your gang grows too big, there are more mouths to feed and fewer rewards to go around.

mission trick-taking game
This version plays very similarly to the standard trick-taking game, but there are no penalties for taking too many tricks.

In fact, the goal here is to win more tricks.

Before each round, players are dealt three mission cards. Each mission requires specific skills to succeed. For example, a train robbery might need Ammo (A), Burglary (B), Coercion (C), Disguise (D), and Escape (E).

Other missions may demand fewer skills, but they often yield smaller rewards.

The idea is to capture tricks containing gang members with the skills you need to complete your missions. As with the standard trick-taking version, all cards are played. At the end of the round, players assign their gang members to their available missions.

Each completed mission pays out gold, but missions use an all-or-nothing reward system. You must gather every skill listed to claim the prize. Each gang member can only be assigned to a single mission.

mission trick-taking game
This is the only version where you actually begin the game with gold.

Players are dealt three mission cards and four gang members. The next card from the deck is turned face up. Players take turns bidding their gold on the revealed card. The highest bidder adds the card to their crew and pays the appropriate amount of gold. The next card is revealed and the player to their left starts the bidding for that one. This process repeats until all cards have been bid on.

When you collect enough gang members to complete a mission, you may exchange those gang members and the mission card for the gold reward shown on the mission card. Once a mission is complete, you draw three new missions.

But of course, there’s a twist! Players may also choose to put one of their gang members up for hire, letting others bid to recruit them for their own missions.

When a player hires a gang member from another player, the player they hired the gang member from receives the gold. This gives you a way to earn extra gold or clear space for more valuable gang members in your crew.