Rummü

For 3-6 players, 8 years or older.

Idea of Game

In this game each player tries to get rid of their cards both as fast as possible, and in high-scoring combinations. Play can be individual, or if there are 4 or 6 players, in partnership with the player opposite.

Game Start

The cards are shuffled, and each player receives cards according to the following table

The remaining cards are placed face down in the centre of the table. One card is drawn from this face-down deck and placed face-up next to it to form a discard pile. The player to the left of the dealer starts the game.

Course of Play

The player whose turn it is must carry out three actions during their turn in the following order.

  1. They must draw a card.
  2. They may play a card or cards.
  3. They must discard one card.

Drawing Cards

At the start of their turn, a player must draw a card from the face-down deck or one or more cards from the discard pile. If they draw from the discard pile they must start with the top card and work downwards.

Playing Cards

Cards must be played in combinations. A combination consists of at least three cards. Combinations may consist of several cards of the same number, or of a run of cards ie 3,4,5. Combinations may also be all from one suit or from a mix of suits but in this case no suit may be represented twice in the same run. No combination may contain two identical cards.

Yellow Jokers

Yellow cards may be used as jokers, ie they may replace a card of the same number from another suit. A combination of all one suit must always have more "normal" cards than jokers, ie in a 4 card sequence, only one may be a joker, with a 5 card sequence two. Combinations with a mix of suits may only contain one joker.

Examples

In the first round a player must "come out" with at least 4 cards, ie their first play onto the table must be of at least 4 cards. In later rounds the minimum number of cards required to come out is dependent on the player's or team's score:

Individual Score    Team Score
Less than 0         Less than 0     3 cards
0 - 100             0 - 200         4 cards
100 -150            200-400         5 cards
150 plus            400 plus        6 cards

Once a player has "come out", they may play cards from their hand either as combinations, or add to their own combinations on the table,the table or to other player's. If they have a card which has been replaced in a combination by a joker, they may exchange the card for the joker. The joker may be used immediatly in another combination or put back to the players hand cards. Combinations already on the table may only be added to. Players may not rearrange them nor combine two or more.

Discarding Cards

At the end of their turn a player must discard a card. The next player then takes their turn. The discard pile should be kept tidy so that only the uppermost card is visible. The round ends when a player discards their last card and so has no more cards in their hand

If a player plays all their cards onto the table, so that they no longer have a card to discard, then they must take all the cards back that they have laid and reorganise their play.

Scoring

Once the round is over the player's reckon up their scores. The various point values are listed beneath:

Going Out                               10 points
Every red card remaining in hand        -10 points
Every other card remaining in hand       -5 points
Three card combinations, all one number   0 points
Four card combinations , all one number
    - Pure                               30 points
    - Mixed                              10 points 
Five card combinations, all one number   50 points
Number combinations with 7s or 1s        half points
Three card runs
    - Mixed                               0 points
    - Pure                               10 points 
Four card runs
    - Mixed                              10 points
    - Pure                               20 points 
Five card runs
    - Mixed                              40 points
    - Pure                               20 points
Each additional card                    +10 points

It is important for scoring whether a combination is "pure". A run in different suits is never pure. Runs in one suit or combinations of all one number are pure if they do not contain any jokers. All players count the number of points they have scored and add them to their total from previous rounds. If players are playing in teams, cards left in the hand of the partner of the player who went out do not score minus points.

The player's or team's score is noted down. Play continues over several rounds until one player scores 200 or more, or in team play, one team scores 500 or more. The player or team with the highest score wins.

The Game Cabinet - editor@gamecabinet.com - Ken Tidwell