The Cape is played over one full year — four seasons, four rounds. Most points when the ice clears wins.
On your turn: play a card to capture a matching table card. If no match exists, capture multiple cards that sum to your card’s value. A direct match always takes priority over a combo. If you cannot play a card, you must discard to the table.
Clearing the table earns a Clean Sweep. Each season has a unique bonus rule.
Landmarks — the 7 of each suit is a named Cape Breton landmark glowing gold. Most Landmarks = +1pt. All four = +2pt.
Season scoring: most cards (+1), most Catch (+1), Louisbourg Light (+1), Landmarks, Clean Sweeps, and season bonuses.
Steel blue cards. Dories, buoys, schooners, foghorns. The Louisbourg Light (7) is the most valuable single card — capturing it earns +1 point.
7🎻7
🎻 The Ceilidh
★ Landmark: The Strathspey 🎻
Warm amber cards. Fiddles, drums, pubs, reels, and dancehalls. Named after the famous Cape Breton fiddle tradition.
7🦞7
🦞 The Catch
★ Landmark: Last Haul 🦞
Deep green cards. Lobster, mussels, mackerel, cod, and traps. The Catch suit is key — most Catch cards captured scores bonus points, especially in Summer.
7🌫️7
🌲 The Highland
★ Landmark: Cape Smokey 🌫️
Misty purple cards. Maples, moose, eagles, cairns, and the Cabot Trail. Named after the iconic foggy headland above the Bras d’Or.
Each suit has cards numbered 1–10. The 7 of each suit is a glowing gold Landmark card. Capturing the most Landmarks in a season earns bonus points.
On Your Turn
🎯
Select a card from your hand and capture a
matching table card.
If no match exists, you may capture
multiple cards whose total equals your card value.
➕
Example: play a 9 to capture a
9. If no 9 exists, you may capture
4 + 5. Direct matches always take priority.
🗂️
If your card cannot capture anything,
you must discard it face-up onto the table.
Clean Sweep
🎉
If your capture clears all cards from the table, you earn a Clean Sweep — worth +1 point (or +2 in Fall).
The Year
📅
The game lasts four seasons — Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Each season uses the full deck and has a unique bonus rule.
🃏
The dealer rotates each season. The player to the dealer’s left plays first. The dealer’s name appears with a 🃏 badge.
End of Each Season
🃏
Most Cards — player who captured the most cards gets +1.
🦞
Most Catch — most green Catch cards captured gets +1 (or +2 in Summer).
🕯️
Louisbourg Light — capturing the 7 of Harbour earns +1.
★
Landmarks — most of the four glowing 7s = +1. All four = +2.
🎉
Clean Sweeps — +1 each time you clear the table (or +2 in Fall).
Season Bonuses
🌸
Spring — each capture using 3 or more table cards earns +1.
☀️
Summer — Most Catch is worth 2pts instead of 1.
🍂
Fall — Clean Sweeps are worth 2pts instead of 1.
❄️
Winter — the player who makes the last capture of the round earns +2 points.
Winning
🏆
Most points after all four seasons wins. Tiebreaker: highest Fall score, then Summer, Spring, Winter.
🌸
Season 1 of 4
Spring
🃏 You deal — Angus plays first
Season Rule
Any capture using 3 or more table cards earns a bonus point.
