Overview

Piepmatz (Little Songbirds) is a card game where players play bird cards to perches at a bird feeder, collecting seeds and birds. Birds at the perch peck seeds; birds on the ground wait in line. When the total strength of ground birds exceeds the perch bird, the perch bird is chased away and the active player collects a seed and the chased bird.

Components

• 110 cards total:
  • 1 feeder base card (double-sided: 2-3 players / 4 players)
  • 72 bird cards (male and female of 6 species, various strength values)
  • 36 feeder cards (30 seeds, 3 crows, 3 squirrels)
  • 1 first player card

Setup

1. Place the feeder base (2-3 players: 2 perches; 4 players: 3 perches).
2. Shuffle feeder cards; place 4 seed cards in a column above the feeder base (replace bad cards until 4 seeds are shown, then shuffle bad cards back in). Place remaining feeder cards as a face-down feeder deck.
3. Place 1 bird card face up at each perch.
4. Shuffle bird cards; deal 4 to each player as a hand.
5. Place remaining bird cards as a face-down bird deck. Draw 3 face up as a queue.
6. The last player to see a songbird gets the first player card.

2 players: Remove 5 marked cards from feeder deck and all birds of one species before setup.

Turn Structure

Each turn has 3 phases:

A. Play a Card

Select a bird card from your hand and place it face up at a perch, forming a row. The first bird at each perch is “at the perch.” All others are “on the ground” waiting in line.

B. Resolve Effects

Compare total strength of ground birds to the perch bird’s strength:

If ground total > perch strength:

1. Take a seed: The difference determines which feeder position to take from (difference of 1 = closest to base; 2 = second; etc.; 5+ = draw from feeder deck). Place seed face down in your score pile. If a bad card is adjacent, take it too.
2. Collect the perch bird: Place it face up in your collection, sorted by species.
3. Resolve bad cards: Crow = remove a bird from your most numerous species. Squirrel = another player draws 2 random cards from your score pile (removed from game).
4. New perch bird: The highest-strength ground bird moves to the perch. Ties broken by proximity to perch.
5. Repeat: Check again if ground total exceeds the new perch bird. If yes, repeat steps 1-4.

If ground total <= perch strength: Nothing happens. The perch bird stays.

C. Draw New Cards

1. Refill the feeder column from the feeder deck (slide existing cards down, add from top).
2. Draw 1 bird card: either from the queue (face-up cards) or the top of the bird deck. Refill the queue from the bird deck.

Actions

The only action is playing a bird card. Strategic choices include which perch to play at and which bird to play.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Game end triggers: The feeder deck or bird deck runs out. Finish the current round so all players have had equal turns.

Scoring:

• Each seed card in your score pile = its printed value (1-3 points)
• Mated pairs: For each species where you have both a male and female bird, score the points printed on those cards
• Singles: For each species where you have only male or only female birds, you score points only if you have the most birds of that species compared to all opponents. Ties = no one scores for singles of that species

Most points wins. Tiebreaker: most birds in collection.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Bad cards (crows and squirrels) are placed face up in front of you when taken and resolved immediately.
• The feeder column slides down when cards are taken; gaps are filled from the feeder deck at end of turn.
• If the feeder deck is empty and you must draw from it, you get nothing (and the game end triggers).
• Birds are always added to the end of a row at a perch, never inserted.
• Multiple chain reactions can occur if the new perch bird is also weaker than the remaining ground birds.
• The first player card does not change hands during the game.

Player Reference

Phase	Action
A	Play 1 bird card to a perch row
B	If ground strength > perch strength: take seed, collect perch bird, resolve bad cards, promote new perch bird
C	Refill feeder column; draw 1 bird card

Scoring	Points
Seeds	Face value (1-3 each)
Mated pairs	Card point values
Singles	Points only if you have the most of that species