The Rafiki deck: print it free, or get the real thing

Rafiki plays with a normal deck of cards, but it's better with its own. The Rafiki deck is the one you see in the online game: the art-deco court cards, the two Jokers, and the Rafiki back, with a rules card so the powers are always to hand. Here's how to get one.

Download the free print-and-play deck (PDF, A4)

Free: print and play

Eight A4 pages: a one-page rules summary, all 54 cards at standard poker size with cut marks, and a page of card backs to print on the reverse. Print on card (200 to 300gsm) at 100% size, cut along the marks, and you're playing in ten minutes. It's free for personal use.

• rafiki-print-and-play-A4.pdf (7 MB)
• Want more? The deluxe pack on itch.io adds US Letter sheets, a two-sided rules card and a tuck-box template with the Rafiki art. Pay what you want; every pound goes towards printing the real deck.
• Prefer a normal deck? Use 7 and 8 to peek, 9 and 10 to spy, Jack, Queen and black King to swap, and count red Kings and Jokers as -1. Full rules.

The printed deck

A professionally printed Rafiki deck, 54 cards plus a rules card, in a tuck box, is on its way: the first samples are being printed now. If you'd like one, join the waitlist and we'll email you when it's ready, before it goes on general sale. UK first, then everywhere else.

Merch

T-shirts and keyrings with the Rafiki characters are coming to the shop too. Follow @playrafiki on Instagram for the first look.

Why a deck when the game is free online?

Because the best games of Rafiki happen round a table: the slams, the bluffing, the groan when someone calls Rafiki one turn before you were going to. The online game is for when your friends are elsewhere, for learning the rules, and for practising against the computer. The deck is for everything else.

Questions

Is the print-and-play deck really free?

Yes. Download the PDF, print it on card and cut out the cards. It's free for personal use; please don't sell copies.

Can I play Rafiki with a normal deck of cards?

Yes. Rafiki uses a standard 52-card deck plus two Jokers: 7 and 8 peek, 9 and 10 spy, Jack, Queen and black King swap, and red Kings and Jokers count as -1.

When can I buy the printed Rafiki deck?

The first printed samples are being made now. Join the waitlist on this page and we'll email you when it goes on sale.

Do you ship outside the UK?

The printed deck will launch in the UK first, with other countries following. The print-and-play PDF works anywhere.