Scorecard & play About the game

New game

How do you want to use it?

ScorecardPlaying with the real cards? Fill in your library and it keeps your score. Any number of players: everyone uses their own phone. Solo — 21 roundsPlay on your own. Each round the game flips three cards; you add one book to your library, or pass. Empty slots count against you. Solo vs computer opponentsRace 1 to 5 computer librarians. Everyone sees the same three cards each round; the game ends when someone fills all 21 slots. Most points wins. Same room, own phonesLike the card game: everyone plays on their own phone with the same flipped cards. One person starts a table and shares the code; any number of players can join. No sign-up, nothing sent anywhere.

How it works

You are a librarian: fill 3 books in each of 7 categories, in canon order. A book can't move once placed.
Complete a category first for the bigger score; after someone else, the smaller.
Every empty slot is −1.
The game ends when someone fills all 21 slots (or after 21 rounds, solo).

Score -21

The rules

Roman Catacombs is a flip-and-write game. All the players use the same cards each turn.

Deal the shuffled deck into 3 piles of about 30 cards. Each turn, flip the top card of each pile. Each player may add one of the three books to their library — or none — by writing it in a circle of that book's category. A book can't be moved once placed, and the books in a category must stay in canon order.

Late in the game you may have no usable spot for any of the three cards. Then you pass.

When you fill all three circles of a category, announce it and read the verse on the card that completed it. The first player to complete a category circles the larger number; later players circle the smaller. If two players finish on the same turn and nobody had finished before, both take the larger number.

If a pile runs out before the game ends, shuffle its cards, turn them face down and carry on.

The game ends when a player fills all 21 circles. Add up the circled points and subtract 1 point for each empty circle. The most points wins.

Solo

The rules are the same, except the game ends after 21 rounds. Circles still empty then count against you.

Same room, own phones

One player starts a table and shares the invite link or the table code. Everyone who joins sees the same three cards each round, so you play with the same rules as the card game, each on your own phone. Tap to flip the next round together. When you complete a category, say so out loud; the app asks whether you were first. If another player announces one, tick Someone has completed this on that category. When someone fills all 21 circles, everyone taps The game is over to see their score. If your phone gets out of step, use the round buttons under the cards.

Against computer opponents

Everyone sees the same three cards each round and chooses at the same time. The game ends when someone fills all 21 circles (or if nobody can place another book). If two players complete a category in the same round and nobody had before, both score the larger number. Most points wins.

Using this page

In Scorecard mode, tap a slot (or a book in the Books tab) to place it; the page only offers books that keep canon order. When you complete a category it asks whether you were first. Tap the points chip on a category to switch between first and later.