Oink Games' SCOUT box, purple and orange with a circus tent, lying on a spread of colourful SCOUT cards — Oink Games' SCOUTPhoto: Oink Games

SCOUT cards spread across a wooden table next to the small box, each card showing two numbers — 45 cards, each with two numbersPhoto: Oink Games

A hand holding a fan of SCOUT cards over the table, with Scout chips scattered around — You can't rearrange your handPhoto: Oink Games

Two friends laughing as they hold their hands of purple-backed SCOUT cards — Playing SCOUTPhoto: Oink Games

A pile of purple Scout chips with an orange Scout & Show chip on a table — Scout chips and a Scout & Show chipPhoto: Oink Games

The SCOUT box on a table among cards and chips — A small box that travels wellPhoto: Oink Games

Video

Card game

SCOUT

A circus card game where you can never rearrange your hand

Empty your hand Pattern building

2–5best with 4-5
15–30 minper game
About 2 minto set up
9+years
Easy
Nonereading

The official edition, on Amazon.in

Imported

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There's no Indian edition, so this is the official imported game. Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery.

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The game in a nutshell

SCOUT is a quick card game from Japan's Oink Games in which you play runs and sets of numbers from a hand you are never allowed to rearrange; instead you 'scout' cards from other players' plays to fix your hand. It takes about 20 minutes for 2 to 5 players aged 9 and up and was nominated for the 2022 Spiel des Jahres. It suits families and friends who enjoy rummy-style card games; the box is imported into India.

Is SCOUT right for you?

Great if

Families who enjoy rummy-style runs and sets and want a fresh twist
Groups of 3 to 5 who want a short game with real decisions
Couples, using Oink's separate two-player rules
Carrying along on trips; it comes in Oink's small box

Skip it if

A bad deal annoys you; the cards you start with matter a lot
Your players are younger than about 8
You want a game with a strong theme or story

THE BOARDGAMES.IN TAKE

Our ratings

How hard to learnEasy

2 / 5

Luck or skillLuck and skill

LuckSkill

Set-up~2 min

ReadingNone

Behind the ratings

How hard to learnThe turn is simple, but learning which plays beat which and when to scout takes a game or two; reviewers call it light but not mindless.

Luck or skillThe deal matters a lot, but choosing which way up to hold your hand, when to scout and when to show decides most rounds.

Player interactionYou beat other players' shows and take cards from them, and you score when they scout from you.

Set-up timeRemove cards for your player count, shuffle, deal everything out and hand each player a Scout & Show chip.

Reading neededOnly numbers on the cards.

Difficulty uses our 1–5 scale: 1 is UNO or Connect 4, 3 is Catan, 5 is a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

Spiel des Jahres, 2022 (Nominee)

How SCOUT plays

Set-up: every card shows two different numbers from 1 to 10, one at each end. Shuffle and deal the whole deck: with 5 players use all 45 cards (9 each), with 4 take out the 9/10 card (11 each), and with 3 take out the nine cards that show a 10 (12 each). Everyone takes a Scout & Show chip. Before play starts, look at your hand and decide which way up to hold it: you may turn the whole hand upside down once, but you can never change the order of your cards.

Time to teach: about 10 minutes.
Reading and language: The cards show only numbers. The rules leaflet comes in English, Spanish, German and French, with no Hindi, but the game is easy to explain in any language once one person has read it.

How to play SCOUT card game (official rules, instructions and gameplay) | SPIELREGELN TV x OINK GAME · SPIELREGELN TV

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

Your turn, step by step

1
Show
Play one card, or neighbouring cards from your hand forming a set or a run, that beats the cards on the table; the beaten cards become your points.
2
Scout
Or take a card from either end of the table's cards and slot it anywhere in your hand; its owner gets a point chip.
3
Combo
Once per round, use your Scout & Show chip to scout a card and then show straight away.
4
Win
Score won cards and chips, minus cards left in hand; after one round per player, the highest total wins.

Read the official rulesSCOUT - How to Play (Oink Games game page) · English

The full explanation: how a game of SCOUT goes

A turn: either Show or Scout. To Show, play one card or several cards that sit next to each other in your hand and form a set (all the same number) or a run (consecutive numbers), and it must beat the cards on the table: more cards win, a set beats a run of the same length, and otherwise the higher numbers win. The cards you beat go face down in front of you as points.

To Scout, take one card from either end of the cards on the table and slip it anywhere into your hand, either way up; the player who played those cards gets a Scout chip as a point. Once per round you can use your Scout & Show chip to scout a card and then show straight away, which is how big combinations are built.

How you win: a round ends when someone plays their last card, or when everyone else has scouted instead of beating a Show. Score 1 point for each card you won and each Scout chip, and lose 1 point for each card still in your hand (the player whose Show could not be beaten loses nothing). Play as many rounds as there are players; the highest total wins.

Two players: Oink's two-player rules take out the 9/10 card and deal 11 each, keeping the other 22 for the second round. Each player gets three Scout chips per round, scouting costs you a chip and you keep your turn, there is no Scout & Show, and the game lasts two rounds.

What's in the box

45Cards
each shows two different numbers from 1 to 10; every pair appears once
23Scout chips
worth 1 point each; earned when others scout your cards
5Scout & Show chips
one per player, used once per round
–Score chips
for keeping totals between rounds
1Start player marker
shows who goes first
1Rules leaflet
English, Spanish, German and French

Oink's own page doesn't list the contents. The 45 cards are confirmed by several sources; chip counts come from a rules site and a review that agree with each other, not from Oink. The international box covers four languages; Oink's page says its version added scoring chips compared with the original.

Where to buy

Amazon.inImported edition

The official edition, on Amazon.in

There's no Indian edition, so this is the official imported game. Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery.

Buy on Amazon.in

Opens Amazon.in in a new tab.

There is no Indian edition of SCOUT, and we found no Indian distributor. Copies sold here are Oink Games' own multilingual box, made in China and imported. Our Amazon.in button goes to the Oink Games listing.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyA little care before you click.

Look for the Oink Games logo on the small, tall box and the SCOUT title on a circus-themed cover.
Check the cards: 45 in all, each with two different numbers from 1 to 10 (one upside down), and every pair of numbers appears exactly once. Chips for scoring and Scout & Show come with them.
The rules leaflet should credit Kei Kajino and Oink Games Inc., with 'Made in China' and a serial number at the end.
If your English leaflet carries serial number 2221020251, 2220220261, 2220520261 or 2630520261, Oink says some text was cut off in printing; its SCOUT page lists the corrections.

We link to one Amazon.in listing that we've checked against the maker's own information. We don't show prices: Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery. Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

What reviewers and players say

SCOUT was nominated for the 2022 Spiel des Jahres, and reviewers describe it as a small box with a big hook: you can never rearrange your hand, so every card you scout and every show you beat matters. The jury and reviewers praise how quickly it teaches and how the short rounds make people want another game, and one reviewer calls it a regular travel companion. The main complaints are the luck of the deal, a circus theme that hardly matters, and three-player games that can feel uneven when one player scouts a lot. Oink's two-player rules turn it into a tense race, according to one reviewer.

What people love

Simple rules with a clever twist: you can't rearrange your hand
Short rounds that make people ask for another game
Only numbers on the cards, so children who know their numbers can join in
A tiny box that travels well

Common complaints

A strong or weak deal makes a big difference
The circus theme is mostly decoration
With three players, heavy scouting can make the game feel uneven

Based on 4 reviews and discussions

Review SCOUT - Oink's ladder-climbing darling (Alex McKenzie, April 2024) · Meeple and the Moose
Review Scout (toucanas, August 2022) · The Dao of Board Gaming
Award SCOUT (jury page, 2022 nomination) · Spiel des Jahres
Reference SCOUT designer notes (2021 Japan release, 2022 worldwide, Spiel des Jahres nomination) · Oink Games

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

More like SCOUT

Our picks if SCOUT isn't quite right

Feature	SCOUT	Trio	Rummikub	Phase 10
Players	2–5	3–6	2–4	2–6
Best with	4-5	4-6	3-4	3-5
Play time	15–30 min	15–20 min	20–60 min	45–90 min
Age	9+	8+	7+	7+
Rules	Medium	Easy	Easy	Easy
Indian edition	Import	Import	Yes	Yes
Why look at it	This page	A quick numbered-card game for 3 to 6 that teaches in minutes	Also about runs and sets of numbers, played with tiles	A family card game of runs and sets with numbered cards

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Questions people ask about SCOUT

Can SCOUT be played with two players?

Yes. Oink has separate two-player rules: take out the 9/10 card, deal 11 each and keep the rest for a second round, and give each player three Scout chips. Scouting costs a chip, there is no Scout & Show, and the game lasts two rounds.

Can you rearrange your cards in SCOUT?

No, and that is the heart of the game. After the deal you may turn your whole hand upside down once to use the other numbers, but you can't change the order. Cards you scout can be slipped in anywhere, which is how you build better runs and sets.

What age is SCOUT suitable for?

Oink says 9 and up. Only numbers appear on the cards, and one reviewer's seven-year-old learned it with help, but judging which combinations beat others is easier for older children.

Is SCOUT available in India?

Yes, as an import. There is no Indian edition or distributor that we could find; copies sold here are Oink Games' own box, made in China, with rules in English, Spanish, German and French.

How long does a game of SCOUT take?

About 20 minutes. You play as many short rounds as there are players, so a five-player game takes a little longer than a three-player one.

Game facts

Designed by: Kei Kajino
Publisher: Oink Games (Oink Games Inc., Japan)
First published: 2021
Players: 2–5
Language: No reading – The cards show only numbers. The rules leaflet comes in English, Spanish, German and French, with no Hindi, but the game is easy to explain in any language once one person has read it.
Awards: Spiel des Jahres, 2022 (Nominee)

Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.