FOUR-PLAYER MOON

OBJECT OF FOUR-PLAYER MOON: The object of Four-Player Moon is to be the first player to reach 21 points.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4 players

MATERIALS: A double 6 domino set, a way to keep score, and a flat surface. 

TYPE OF GAME: Trick-Taking Domino Game

AUDIENCE: Adult

OVERVIEW OF FOUR-PLAYER MOON

Four-Player Moon is a trick-taking domino game playable by 4 players. The goal of the game is to score 21 points before your opponents.

It’s played with partners, with teammates sitting across from each other.

SETUP 

The tiles are shuffled, and each player draws 7 tiles.

Domino Ranking

The tiles have two numbers on them. Doubles can only belong to one suit as they have the same number on them twice, and when a suit is announced as trump, the tiles with the suit on it can only act as trumps and cannot be used as the other suit in question. There are 7 suits. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

For the ranking of suits, the double is always the highest ranked tile, followed by the remainder of the suit. For example, the 6 suit ranks [6,6] (high), [6,5], [6,4], [6,3], [6,2], and [6,1] (low).

BIDDING

After hands are dealt, players must perform a round of bidding. The first bidder is chosen at random and passes clockwise each round. each player gets one chance to bid. On a player’s turn, they may pass or bid. When bidding you must bid higher than any previously made bids. A bid is based on how many tricks a player is contracting themselves to win.

A bid consists of a number 4 through 7, or 21. 21 is the highest bid possible, and if called by a player ends the bidding round immediately. A bid of 21 means you must win all 7 tricks, but unlike a bid of 7, is worth more points.

The bid ends after each player has bid or if a bid of 21 is made. The highest bidder wins the bidding round and picks up the tile from the middle. They will then discard one tile face down into the center of play once again.

They will now pick a trump suit. The trump suit can be any numerical suit 0 through 6, doubles, or no trumps.

If you pick doubles as trump, remember that the double tiles will no longer be the highest-ranked tile of their suit. They will belong to the trump suit and will not be able to be led to follow the numeric suit they originally would have belonged to.

GAMEPLAY

The game starts with the bidder and continues clockwise. The player may lead any tile they wish to the trick. Following players must follow suit if able. If the tile is a trump, then all players must follow with a trump if able, and if they cannot, they may play any tile to the trick. When the tile led is not a trump, the higher number on the tile determines the suit, and players must follow suit if able, and if they cannot, they may play any tile, including trumps to the trick.

If a trump is played, the highest trump takes the trick. If no trumps were played, then the highest tile of the suit led takes the trick. The tiles of the trick are collected in a stack by the winning player, and they will lead the next trick.

SCORING

After all tricks are played and won scoring begins. 

If the bidder’s team was successful, then they score a point for each trick they won.

If the bidder’s team was not successful, they lose points equal to their bid.

A successful bid of 21 wins the game, and the players lose 21 points if they are unsuccessful.

The opposing team scores 1 point per trick they won.

END OF GAME 

The game ends when a team reaches 21 or more points. If there both teams score higher than 21 and tie, play continues until one of the teams scores more points than the other. This team is the winner.

Amber Crook
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