ABIDE BY THE RULES, [INSERT INSULT HERE]

ABIDE BY THE RULES, [INSERT INSULT HERE]

A card game playable with a 52-card deck for 2-5 people.

The object is to discard all of your cards. The first to discard all of their cards wins.

1. Each player chooses a rule in secret.
2. Determine who goes first by drawing a card open faced from the deck. Whoever draws the highest card goes first, 2 being lowest and Ace being highest. In the event of a tie, the tied players draw to determine order. Reshuffle these cards into the deck.
3. Each player draws 5 cards.
4. Each player then takes their turn, playing a single card into the discard pile, starting with the player who won the draw, and then following in a clockwise fashion.
5. If another player breaks your rule, you deal them 2 cards. Do not state the rule they broke. Simply state "ABIDE BY THE RULES, ____. You may use their name, or a Victorian-styled insult. We recommend You Cur, or something sillier and anachronistic like Straight to Video Nic Cage movie. Play then passes to the next player. You play from the last card dealt normally, even if the player broke the rule.
6. If two or more players find they have chosen the same rule, they must immediately each draw two cards, and choose a new rule. Rules are based on the rule name identifiers, such as “Skip” or “Matching Suits.”
7. You can change your rule on your turn by forgoing playing into the discard pile, and drawing a card instead.
8. You may attempt to guess another player’s rule on your turn by forgoing playing a card into the discard pile. If you guess correctly, they draw 5 cards. If you guess incorrectly, you draw 5 cards. When you guess, it need only be the name of the rule. Specifics are not necessary.
9. If the draw pile runs out of cards before a winner is declared, shuffle the discard pile back into the draw pile and continue the game.
10. In addition to these rules, the rules that the players choose govern the rules of the game. Remember that the rules above can be overruled or contradicted by the rules the players choose.

Choose Your Rule

• Skip: If a kind of card is played, the next player’s turn is skipped and it is now the following player’s turn. (Choose a number such as 2-10, or a face card such as a Jack, Queen, King, or Ace)
• Matching Suits: If an Ace is played, only that suit can be played, until a card matching the kind of the last card is played.
• Rewind: If an kind of card is played, the turn order is reversed.(Choose a number such as 2-10, a Jack, Queen, King, or Ace)
• Black and Red: Each card must be a different color than the last card played, unless the card matches the kind of the last card played.
• Monochromatic: Each card must be the same color as the last card played, unless it is a Jack. You can choose a card besides a Jack when you choose this rule.
• Evens and Odds: When a kind of card with a number is played, the next card must match it for evens or odds. Face cards and Aces are played without penalty.
• Banned From the Races: A card of your choice cannot be played. If it is played, deal the player two cards from the deck. (Choose a card such as the Ace of Spades, or the 4 of Diamonds)
• VIP Lounge: If a royal card is played, only royal cards may be played until a kind of your choice is played.
• Escalation: Each card that is played must be of a higher number or rank than the last until an Ace is played.
• Your Own Brand (Optional): You make up a rule, personalizing the game. It must be actionable, and have some way of penalizing another player with a closed hand in mind--and it should not be something with which you can passively win with. It could also be social, such as “You cannot use the pronoun “I”” or “Don’t Laugh.” This rule is likely to get found out very quickly, but you will have fun before you have to draw 5 cards.

This game is 100% not playtested and I wrote it in less than an hour with the help and inspiration of the wonderful people and players on our discord. For more info on how to get involved with these shenanigans, check the text below. As always, please enjoy my nonplaytested nonsense. For thoughts on the design, the game is made to penalize players for breaking rules they don't know while constantly being a dynamic game of cat and mouse. You want to have to change your rules often, and you want to be constantly guessing which rule is coming next. All of the rules are open-facing to help with the tactics of this game, and all players should have access to a sheet with the rules on it. "Your Own Brand" adds an extra dynamic as an option. We recommend playing without Your Own Brand before adding it in so the players get used to what this tumbleweed of rules feels like before you start throwing curve balls.

So all in all, to play this game, you simply need a set of good natured folx, a standard deck of 52 playing cards, and these rules.

--Marsie




Marsie Vellan is an Operator for the Phantom Rollbooth and the GM for The Owl of Lysia Cypher System Liveplay on Little Red Dot's twitch channel, found here at  https://twitch.tv/little_red_dot You can follow her on Twitter @MarsieVellan for news about all of her creative endeavors, including art, homebrew, and livestreaming updates. Her partner, the other Operator on The Phantom Rollbooth is here @ColinItLikeISee. You can also join the community on the Phantom Rollbooth's Discord for topical discussions on Roleplaying Games and Culture, and Creation. For Other Contact, you can e-mail us @ phantomrollbooth@gmail.com