OBJECT OF SKYJO: The object of Skyjo is to be the player with the lowest score at the end of the game.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 8 players
MATERIALS: 150 Game Cards, 1 Game Notepad, and an Instruction Manual
TYPE OF GAME: Strategic Card Game
AUDIENCE: 8+
OVERVIEW OF SKYJO
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Skyjo is a strategic card game that requires you to have the lowest points in your hand, even without knowing exactly which cards you have. With all your cards hidden, attempt to trade cards to ensure you have the lowest scoring hand you could before the game is over.
The first player to reach one hundred points loses the game, and without a close watch, it can sneak up on you quicker than you think!
SETUP
To begin the setup of the game, shuffle all the cards in the deck. Deal 12 cards to each player, placing them face down. Place the top card from the remaining deck face up in the middle of the group, creating the discard pile.
Each player will align their cards in three rows of four in front of them. The game is ready to begin!
GAMEPLAY
All players will flip two of their cards over to start the game. The player with the highest points when adding the cards together goes first. Throughout the remainder of the game, the player who won the previous round will begin the next round.
On a player’s turn, they may choose to either draw the top card from the draw pile or take the top card from the discard pile.
DISCARD PILE
If a player takes the top card from the discard they must exchange it for a card in their grid. The player may choose to exchange the card with either a revealed card or an unrevealed card. An unrevealed card may not be looked at before a player chooses it. if choosing an unrevealed card it is flipped before being exchanged for the drawn discard card.
Once the player exchanges a card, discard the old card. This ends the player’s turn.
DRAW PILE
If a player draws from the draw pile then they have two options for play. They may either exchange the card for a revealed or unrevealed card from their grid (as described above), or they may discard the drawn card. if they discard the draw card they may then reveal an unrevealed card in their grid. This ends the player’s turn.
Gameplay will continue clockwise around the board until a player reveals all of their cards. Once a player shows all their cards, the round ends, and you can tally the points.
There is a special rule in the card game Skyjo. It is optional for players, and it may be decided at the start of the game whether to use it or not. If players decided to play with the special rule it affects gameplay as follows. If a player ever has a column of cards of all the same rank the entire column is removed and discarded. these cards are no longer scored at the end of the game.
END OF GAME
Once a player has revealed all of their deck, the round comes to an end. All the remaining players will then have one additional turn, and then points are tallied. Each player will then flip all of their remaining cards and add their total to their score. If the first player to reveal their completed grid does not have the lowest score, then theirs is doubled.
The game comes to an end when a player earns one hundred points. The player with the fewest points at the end of the game wins!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How many cards is each player dealt?
Each player is dealt 12 cards that are formed in a face-down grid of 3 rows of 4 cards each.
What is the special rule in Skyjo?
The special rule is an optional addition to the standard game rules. This rule states that if a player ever has a column where all the cards are the same rank, the entire column is discarded and not scored.
How many players can play Skyjo?
Skyjo may be played with 2 to 8 players.
How do you win Skyjo?
In skyjo, the goal is to collect a grid of cards to score you a low number of points. The player with the least amount of points wins at the end of the game.
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