My Ship Sails

Objective

In My Ship Sails, the goal is to be the first player to collect a full set of cards all in the same suit and lay them down. The game involves strategy and planning as well as a degree of luck.

Game Components

• A standard deck of 52 playing cards

Number of Players

• Minimum: 3 players
• Maximum: 7 players

Setup

Remove the Jokers from the deck. Shuffle the cards thoroughly. Deal seven cards to each player. The remaining cards form a draw pile in the center of the play area.

Gameplay Rules

Playing the Game

1. The player to the left of the dealer starts. The turn consists of two main actions: exchanging cards and drawing cards.

2. Exchanging cards: At the beginning of a turn, the active player decides on the number of cards they wish to exchange, which must be between 1 and 3 cards. The player verbalizes the exchange offer, e.g., “Two hearts.” Every player can engage in the exchange by offering the same number of cards from any suit in their hand.

3. Card exchange: Once the offers are made, players simultaneously exchange the offered number of cards face-down. The active player does not know which suit they are receiving from which player.

4. Drawing cards: If after the exchange, the active player has not completed a full set of one suit, they draw cards from the draw pile until they again have seven cards in their hand.

5. Winning condition: A player wins by either completing a full set directly after an exchange or after drawing additional cards that allow them to make a set of seven cards in one suit, calling out “My ship sails!”.

Special Rules

• Empty draw pile: If all cards are drawn before anyone achieves a full set, the game continues with the remaining cards until a player wins.

• Strategy: Keeping track of which suits other players might be collecting can be beneficial. It might also be strategic to propose exchanges that may tempt players to give up cards they themselves need.

With these rules, you are now prepared to play a game of My Ship Sails and outsmart your opponents through crafty exchanging and planning. Enjoy!