TAC Game Club
Club rules
Rules for game night
The following rules are not from the rulebook and do not automatically apply in any tournament. They are suggestions from the TAC community for clubs that want a consistent way to handle specific situations. Each club decides which ones to adopt—none of them are required to play TAC.
Terms
Club definitions
These terms apply to all club rules. 'Deal' (Gabe) and 'invalid discard' (unzulässiger Abwurf) come from the official rule book and are included here for clarification; the three experience levels and the 'Note' are not in the official rule book.
Deal
The card deal and the moves that follow. A new deal begins as soon as all players have picked up their cards.
Invalid discard
Discarding a card without performing its action, although a move was possible. The obligation to move itself is in the rulebook: whoever can move must move.
Beginner
Fewer than five rated games in the club rating. It's normal for a beginner to make mistakes – they're just learning the game. Anyone at the table can point out the rules, and no penalties apply to them.
Intermediate
Five to nine rated games. They should know the rules by now; they're still working on fully mastering them and the strategy.
Experienced
Ten or more rated games – your club rating is no longer provisional. From here, all rules apply without exception, and fair play is expected from everyone.
Played elsewhere
The club rating is decisive, but the level can never be lower than the global rating: anyone with ten rated games globally is also experienced in a new club. Both ratings and their game counts are shown in the app; no counting is required.
Lowest level applies without data
Classification is based on recorded results – someone who has played at home for years but never recorded a result is considered a beginner. A guest has no club rating and is therefore a beginner, unless the global rating indicates a higher level. In case of doubt, a player is protected rather than punished.
Note
Instead of a warning, the broken rule is named, not the possible move—what's in the hand remains secret. The respective rule specifies who is entitled to a hint.
Explaining to beginners is allowed
Anyone at the table may explain the rules to a beginner, even without being asked. The limit is the same as for hints: the rule, not the move. “Whoever can move, must move” is a rule; “you could have moved with the seven” is a move and remains forbidden, even for beginners.
Club rule 1
Duty to move
If you can move, you must move. Discarding a card without using it is only permitted if no card in your hand allows a move. This is stated in the rulebook – what's missing is a consequence. This rule adds one.
Violation
The team receives a warning for an invalid discard. If more than one card is played invalidly during the same deal, it counts as a single warning. Discards for which a hint applies are not taken into account.
Report
Anyone participating in the game may report it; no one is obligated to report themselves. Reports must be made immediately, and no later than before the played cards are cleared and new ones are dealt. After that, the violation is considered tolerated and has no consequences.
Levels
A beginner never receives a formal warning, only a reminder – mistakes are part of learning. For an intermediate player, the first violation of a club game night is a reminder, and every further one is a formal warning. An experienced player receives a formal warning immediately. Those who are only new to this club receive one additional one-time reminder. The claim belongs to the player who made the discard, not to their team.
Dispute
Teams should resolve disagreements themselves first—fairly, calmly, and with mutual respect. If they cannot reach an agreement, the referee, an administrator, or a designated person will decide.
Consequences
First warning: No player on the team may move a marble into Home until the end of the current and the following deal. Second warning: The game is over and is scored 0:8 against the team; if it affects both teams, it ends 0:0. Warnings apply to the current game.
During block
Marbles already in Home before the violation may still be moved within Home. The obligation to move remains fully in effect. If entering Home is the only possible move, you may discard a card instead; this counts as a move and is not a violation.
No violation
The discard forced by an 8 and the decision to discard a TAC card or another card without playing it after an 8—both are part of a regular move.
Recording
A game ended due to the obligation to move is recorded as 0:8 and counts like any other game – for rating and statistics.
Rules for game night
The following rules are not from the rulebook and do not automatically apply in any tournament. They are suggestions from the TAC community for clubs that want a consistent way to handle specific situations. Each club decides which ones to adopt—none of them are required to play TAC.