Instructions The Game

Objective of the Game

The Game is a cooperative card game where players work together to place all the cards in their hand onto the discard piles in sequential order. The goal is to collectively lay down as many cards as possible, ideally completing the entire deck.

Components

• A deck of 98 cards, numbered from 2 to 99.
• Four starting cards (two show an ascending arrow, two show a descending arrow).

Setup

1. Shuffle all the number cards thoroughly.
2. Place the four starting cards in the center of the playing area – two showing an ascending arrow and two showing a descending arrow.
3. Each player receives a hand of cards based on the number of participants:
4. For 2 to 3 players, each gets 6 cards.
5. For 4 to 5 players, each gets 5 cards.

The remaining cards form the draw pile.

Gameplay

The Game proceeds in several turns until the draw pile is exhausted and players have laid down all their hand cards, or no more cards can be legally placed.

1. Playing Cards

• The active player must play at least two cards from their hand onto the discard piles in each turn – before and after drawing cards.
• Cards are placed on the starting cards as follows:
• On an ascending pile (arrow up), only higher cards than the top card may be placed.
• On a descending pile (arrow down), only lower cards than the top card may be laid down.

Tip: The player can place more than two cards if desired.

2. Drawing Cards

• After playing cards, the player draws from the draw pile back to their starting hand size.
• Once the draw pile is exhausted, play continues without drawing new cards.

Special Rule

• To mitigate the tension, players may use the '10 rule' where they can place a card exactly 10 steps lower/higher than the top card on its respective pile, even if it normally wouldn't comply. This can provide important flexibility in strategy.

Communication

• Players cannot specify the exact content of their hands but may give general advice like "try not to block this pile" or "increase this pile quickly."

End of the Game

The game ends under these conditions: - No player can legally lay another card down. - All cards from the draw pile and players' hands have been placed successfully.

The game is won if all cards are laid down. Otherwise, players can attempt to improve on their previous performance the next time by leaving fewer cards unplayed.

Strategic Tips

• Coordination is key to avoid inadvertently blocking each other's moves.
• Use the '10 rule' wisely to open new charting paths.
• Stay adaptable, always keep an eye on the cards that have already been played.