Objective
Poison is a card game where players aim to accumulate points by playing cards while avoiding negative scores caused by "Poison" cards. The goal is to have the least negative points at the end of the game.
Components
- A deck consisting of potion cards in three different colors (each color numbered 1 to 7) and "Poison" cards.
- Each player receives a hand of cards at the start of each round.
Gameplay
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Setup: Shuffle the deck and deal a specific number of cards to each player (depending on the number of players).
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Turn Sequence:
- Play a Card: The player whose turn it is plays a card from their hand into one of the three potion colors, thereby increasing the total points of that potion row.
- Goal: The total weight of cards in a potion should not exceed 13. If a player plays a card that causes the total to exceed 13, they must take all the cards in that potion as negative points.
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"Poison" cards can be played and count as 4 points in the potion color where they are played. They can quickly push the total weight over 13, which players can strategically use to penalize others.
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End of Round:
- A round ends when each player has played all their cards. Then, scores are tallied:
- Negative Points from the taken poisons and the color with the most cards collected.
- Players with the most cards in a potion color at the end of a round are penalized the most.
Strategy Tips
- Card Count: Keep track of how many cards are in each color to avoid being the one with the most cards of a single color.
- Using Poison Wisely: Deploy poison cards strategically, remembering they count as 4 points and could force the potion to exceed 13.
- When to Take Cards: Sometimes it's strategic to intentionally take cards if it means securing a safer total in other potions.
End of Game
The game ends when a predetermined number of rounds has been played, or a player reaches a certain (negative) score. The winner is the player with the least negative points.
