A card game for 2-5 players, © by Bill de Veas, 2020-03-08, last revised 2021-01-14
[Author's note: I believe this game may be ideal with up to 4 players. With 5 it's still playable, but the stock pile gets small and gameplay can stagnate.]
Players compete to complete two goals, each with a hand of cards involving one number card (A-10) of each suit, plus a face card of any suit.
This game uses a standard French-suited card deck. Remove the Joker(s) for 2-player games.
Deal 4 cards to each player. Set the remaining cards in the middle as the stock pile, and turn over one card beside it to start the game for the player following the dealer.
You may want a way to keep track of wins/losses, such as a score pad, or tokens for each player.
This game may be played either short or long.
In 2-player games, the mode is always short. With more than 2 players, collectively determine which mode you'll play before starting.
In this game, the aim is to avoid being the last player who hasn't completed the two goals.
All face cards are simply markers; ignore their suit and rank.
Jokers are special action cards; they don't count in a layout. Instead, they reverse the turn order.
Of the remaining cards, 10 is high, Ace is low, and runs may "turn the corner" (e.g., 9-10-A-2).
You will typically start your turn by drawing the top card from either the stock pile or the discard pile into your hand.
While building your second hand, you will be able to choose between drawing or exchanging; more on this later.
You may discard a Joker from your hand on your turn when you have 5 cards. After doing so, take a normal turn. Then, the turn order reverses.
If the stock has been used up and you wish to draw from it: turn over and shuffle the entire discard pile to create a new stock. (Note: If playing with the "calling dibs" variant rule, save the top discard before shuffling.)
Your first goal is to form a layout of five cards, where one is a marker, and the four others are number cards of unique suits (one diamond, one heart, one spade, one club).
If your five-card hand does not match this pattern, discard one card and end your turn.
However, when it does match the pattern, lay down the five cards on the table in front of you, face-up, so that ranks and suits are visible to all. Then, draw the top four cards from the stock — your second hand — and end your turn.
Note: During your second hand stage only, you may either draw a card, or exchange one number card in your layout with one number card of the same suit in your four-card hand.
Your second goal is to form a hand of five cards which build on your layout on the table.
As before, to lay down your hand, one of the five cards must be a marker, and the others must be number cards.
This time, however, your four number cards aren't limited to one per suit, but instead must form straight runs (consecutive ranked cards of the same suit) built upon any of the number cards that you laid down on the table.
For example, if your number cards on the table were [4♥, 4♠, 7♦, 10♣], some examples of number cards you could collect include:
If your five-card hand does not meet the above conditions, discard one card and end your turn.
When you do have a five-card hand that does meet the second goal, lay the cards from your second hand onto the cards from your first hand to show the runs they form.
Long mode: Once the other players are satisfied that you succeeded, save your two markers, then discard your number cards face-up underneath the discard pile.
When you've completed both goals, you've successfully gone out. You do not take turns for the rest of the game.
You may concede on your turn by declaring such and discarding all of your cards face-up underneath the discard pile.
In a 2-player game, the other player immediately wins. Otherwise, you do not take turns for the rest of the game.
Going out counts as a win.
The game ends as soon as one player has gone out (or all other players have conceded).
Going out counts as a win, with first place, second place, and so on awarded; conceding counts as last place (for the first to concede), second-last, and so on.
The game continues until all but one player have either gone out or conceded. The last remaining player automatically concedes and is placed accordingly.
A fun variant for 3 or more players is to allow other players to call "dibs" on the top card of the discard pile when the active player has decided not to take it as a part of their turn.
Each player may have "dibs" on at most one (1) card at any time. You are eligible to call "dibs" whenever you don't have a "dibs" card waiting for you already.
If (and only when) the active player does not draw the top discard during their turn, you may call out an agreed-upon phrase like "Dibs!" or "I'll take that (name of card)!" to lay claim to that card.
If more than one player calls for it, the eligible player closest in next turn order to the active player claims it. Ignore calls from ineligible players.
When you successfully call "dibs", you lay the card face-up between your layout area and the central stock. On your turn, you must, without exception, draw your "dibs" card into your hand instead of any other turn action.
For more challenging games, consider any of the following rule constraints:
You could mix 2 decks to have up to 10 players at one table. Or just divide the group into two or more smaller game tables, with house rules for which players (if any) switch tables after each game.
(This idea was suggested by a playtester who had been dealt four marker cards, in an iteration of the game that predated the Joker turn reversal rule.)
With 3 or more players, consider adding this rule: Instead of drawing a card like usual, you may offer to trade a card from your hand with any other player. You may only trade a marker card for a number card, or vice versa, and you may only describe the card you offer and the card you seek in terms of "marker", "spade", "heart", "club", or "diamond". For example, "Marker for spade?" or "Heart for marker?" If your offer is accepted, your turn ends after the trade. If it is not, you may take a different action for your turn.
2020-03-18: Added ideas for how to play with more than 5 players.
2020-04-28: In the standard game, runs may now "turn the corner". Moved the original constraint idea to the "Variants" section instead.
2020-06-06: Began documenting 2 game modes. Updated "Variants" section.
2020-07-02: Added "Conceding" subsection. Added "Second Hand" rule about exchanging instead of drawing.
2020-07-06: Added "Game Modes" section. "Variants" section: Added "Marker Trading"; updated other subsections.
2021-01-14: Added rules for Jokers. "Variants" section: Added "Calling Dibs".