Objective of the Game

Ugo! is a strategic trick-taking game for 2-4 players, with the aim to win the most valuable territories and assign the appropriate peasants to these territories to have the most points at the game's end. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Game Components

The game consists of 68 cards in four different suits: Yellow, Green, Blue, and Red. Each suit contains cards with values from 0 to 9. Additionally, there are peasants, which are needed to be placed on the won tricks.

Setup

• Shuffle all cards and deal out an equal number of cards to each player. When playing with 4 players, each player receives 10 cards.
• Each player receives peasants to be used during the game.
• The rest of the cards form a face-down deck.

Gameplay

The game is played over several rounds, with each round consisting of multiple tricks.

1. Playing Cards:

   • The starting player plays a card. The other players follow in clockwise order, each playing one card.
   • Played cards must, if possible, match the same suit as the first played card. If a player doesn’t have a card in the led suit, they can play any other suit.

2. Winning a Trick:

   • The player who played the highest card in the led suit wins the trick.
   • The winner of the trick places these cards as a part of their territory, visible in front of them.

3. Managing Territories:

   • Every won trick represents a territory in the respective suit. Cards are stacked on top of each other in piles of the same suit.
   • At the beginning, each player has a territory platform, and peasants are placed on it for each new color of territory won.
   • It's strategically essential to manage these territories with enough peasants to avoid minus points.

4. Minus Points:

   • If a player has more than two cards of a color in one of their territories but not enough peasants placed on them, they receive minus points.
   • Each excess card without a peasant results in negative points at the end of the game.

Game End and Scoring

• The game ends after a predetermined number of rounds (e.g., when a player runs out of cards). After this, the final scoring takes place.
• Players tally the points of their territories: each card gives points according to their value. Cards with peasants give full points, while unsupported cards give minus points.
• The player with the highest total score wins the game.

Strategic Tips

• Plan Your Peasants Carefully: Manage your peasants strategically to avoid minus points.
• Calculate Tricks: Consider which tricks you want to win and whether you have enough peasants for new territories.
• Watch the Opponents: Keep an eye on your opponents' plays to gauge their strategy and counter it.

Ugo! cleverly combines the simplicity of card games with strategic depth, making the game engaging for both new and experienced players.